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#4324670 - 12/30/16 06:11 PM Airco DH2 Armament  
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Mortuus Offline
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Mortuus  Offline
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Ottawa, ON
Hey folks,

Been meaning to ask this for a while now. In my time flying with No. 29 RFC (as about a dozen different pilots - I've grown to love the old Spinning Incinerator, for all that I can't seem to survive once the monoplanes are phased out), I've never once figured out what the flares are used for. For those of you who might not have noticed, they're the only option in the menu where one would normally choose bombs or Le Prieur rockets. I've tried firing them in flight, and they're certainly quite pretty, but I can't tell if they actually do anything. Do any of you know what they're supposed to be used for?

#4324678 - 12/30/16 06:38 PM Re: Airco DH2 Armament [Re: Mortuus]  
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actionjoe Offline
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Nord, France.
Le Prieur rockets were designed to destroy Balloons (or Zeppelins).

#4324682 - 12/30/16 06:44 PM Re: Airco DH2 Armament [Re: Mortuus]  
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Mortuus Offline
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Yes, I'm aware. I'm asking about the flares that can be equipped when flying the Airco DH2. I guess my question was a little rambling and imprecise.

Last edited by Mortuus; 12/30/16 06:46 PM.
#4324686 - 12/30/16 06:52 PM Re: Airco DH2 Armament [Re: Mortuus]  
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ArisFuser Offline
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Quote:
If the flight leader fired a red flare it indicated that he was about to attack the enemy, or that he wanted to rally his formation after it had become broken up; while a red flare fired by anyone else indicated an attack by hostile aircraft. A white flare from the leader’s machine was the “washout” signal, indicating that the patrol should return home; while a green flare indicated that the pilot who had fired it was returning to base due to shortage of petrol, engine trouble, or battle damage.


Source: The Aerodrome Forum.

#4324691 - 12/30/16 06:57 PM Re: Airco DH2 Armament [Re: Mortuus]  
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Mortuus Offline
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Ottawa, ON
Oh, damn - I didn't even actually ask the right question. What I meant was, since flight commands are given with a button press, and to the best of my knowledge flares can be equipped only on the DH2 (or at least can't be on the Pup, Camel, SE5a, or DH5), what do they do in terms of game mechanics? Thanks very much for the colour breakdown, though - I didn't know that.

EDIT: Wow, everything I've written in this thread is a mess. This is what I get for asking questions before my coffee.

Last edited by Mortuus; 12/30/16 06:59 PM.
#4324694 - 12/30/16 07:02 PM Re: Airco DH2 Armament [Re: Mortuus]  
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OldHat Offline
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Aris is correct. Here's another post from the same forum. A very useful forum for WW1 aviation info IMHO.

EDIT: In terms of game mechanics, flares are just there for immersion and role playing but do nothing else. You must use key combos to issue commands to your squad.

QUOTE:




So far as the Germans, the following is taken directly from the Handbook Of German Military And Naval Aviation (War) 1914-1918, issued by the British Air Ministry (material prepared in October 1918 and published in January 1919).

"Light signals fired from a Very light pistol are used by airmen for signalling to the ground, for establishing their nationality or identity, for calling for particular kinds of artillery fire, for ranging, and for intercommunications when acting in formation.

The signals consist of balls of various colours (white, red, green and yellow), stars, and rain (Perlen), either used separately or in conjunction. Identity signals are prescribed and varied from time to time by the General Officer Commanding the Air Forces, in agreement with the Chief of the Admiralty Staff of the Navy; orders respecting light signals are also laid down by Army Headquarters. In the 3rd Bombengeschwader colours are said to have been given to each flight for purposes of communicating with aerodromes and for asking for bearings from the ground when the observer had lost his way.

The following are examples of some light signals used in 1918:

With Infantry --

One red light := "Spread out signals"

One red and one white light := "Understood"

One green light := Used before dropping a message at Battalion H.Q.

With Artillery --

Two yellow lights with double stars := "Destructive fire"

Two white lights with white rain (Perlen) := "Shorten range"

One white star := Request for a round

One red light := "Short"

One green and one red light := "Over, and to left"

Night Flying --

One white star := Recognition signal

One white star with one green and one red light := Asking for bearings

One white star and one red light := Distress signal

Green lights fired by aeroplanes flying in formation have generally been used to call attention to some new movement (turning, etc.).

Very lights are also frequently fired into the ground by front-line troops to mark their position. These are used either instead of, or in conjunction with ground cloths.

Guards on the Belgian-Dutch frontier fire Very lights bursting into stars whenever German machines approach in order to prevent them flying over Holland. Anti-aircraft batteries and signalling guns, when in doubt as to the nationality of a machine, also fire these white lights and expect the signal to be returned by the machine if it is German.

The Germans also use signalling anti-aircraft sections, which consist of indication posts situated in the direction of the principal objectives, and serving to check the direction pointed out by the compass. At these posts are placed batteries of small calibre guns, which fire a certain number of light-signals to a considerable height. A signalling gun at Munte, near Gontrode, is reported to have fired a signal to a height of 4,800 ft. in Morse code ( • • •) at intervals of three minutes. Signalling guns have fixed locations."

Last edited by OldHat; 12/30/16 07:04 PM.
#4324697 - 12/30/16 07:07 PM Re: Airco DH2 Armament [Re: Mortuus]  
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Mortuus Offline
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Ottawa, ON
Ok, but does letting off one of these flares while flying in the sim actually communicate the appropriate signal or command to other aircraft? And if that is the case, why are there so many aircraft that can't equip flares? Is it just a vestigial feature that used to be available on all planes, and was missed on the DH2 when it was removed?

EDIT: Woops, the post above was edited as I typed this, so it's not really necessary anymore.

Last edited by Mortuus; 12/30/16 07:09 PM.
#4324721 - 12/30/16 07:36 PM Re: Airco DH2 Armament [Re: Mortuus]  
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RAF_Louvert Offline
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L'Etoile du Nord
.

I seem to recall way back when in OFF we had sorted out that you could bind different keystrokes to act as launch keys for the flares, (and by "we" I mean the collective OFF community). This meant things could be set up so that the same keystrokes you used to signal your flight would also launch flares.

.


[Linked Image]

Three RFC Brass Hats were strolling down a street in London. Two walked into a bar, the third one ducked.
_________________________________________________________________________

Former Cold War Warrior, USAF Security Service 1974-1978, E-4, Morse Systems Intercept, England, Europe, and points above.
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