Hurricane Diaries

[sandmarken]

4 hours ago, jokash said:

Well i dont know the exact details of the mk1's the Romanians used,only that they were mk1's.I didn't know they differed that much from first series mk1's.Still before i knew that i naturally wished that we had the closest version in perfomance.I wouldn't like playing battle of Britain with Bf109F2.The mk2 had about 200hp more than mk1 afaik.

I believe the Romanians had by definition Mk1s; they did have a 1-stage supercharger and lower max lbs boost. But they were in very good condition and were not the very early version of the Mk1 without a constant speed prop. The Mk2 also has slightly worse drag to negate some of those HP, I believe. 

I'm not sure exactly how they fared against the real Mk2s, but sources used in this campaign indicated they were very well liked and balanced or superior against their opposition, which were mostly Il-16s, mig3s and DB-3s.

The Hurricane feels in some aspects superior to the Il-16, but not in every way. Again, the real story is a total dominance by the 53rd and their Hurricanes, something the in-game AI would never be able to reproduce.

Edited April 15 by sandmarken

[jokash]

On 12/12/2025 at 5:54 PM, sandmarken said:

Hello! Historically, the squadron flew to Constanța after this mission. This is not on the map, so you are supposed to end it in the air. The mission is complete when you run out of ammo. I figured since it's so hard to shoot down Pe-2s with .303 that would be a good trigger to end it. I will update the campaign soon, and I can put in an instruction or make another end to the mission. Thanks for the heads-up!

Also cant complete the Vanatori mission.The one where you are alone in vs Pe2's tells you to go back after exhausting ammo,and the mission ends even without player input...but the Vanatori nothing,also the hurricanes don't attack as far as i have seen (only the 109's) and there is no end trigger.I tried flying to Galanti to land but there is no enough fuel (if you take the 61%) that the setup defaults to.

[sandmarken]

2 hours ago, jokash said:

Also cant complete the Vanatori mission.The one where you are alone in vs Pe2's tells you to go back after exhausting ammo,and the mission ends even without player input...but the Vanatori nothing,also the hurricanes don't attack as far as i have seen (only the 109's) and there is no end trigger.I tried flying to Galanti to land but there is no enough fuel (if you take the 61%) that the setup defaults to.

The trigger is when ammo is exhausted. There is a timer of around 30 seconds before you can end the mission, you end it in the menu or fly with the squadron to the end point, it will end when the leader enters the waypoint. You might have a misfire and need to reload if you shoot the guns too quickly. I have not gotten to the update yet, sorry. I will change the logic to a timer or something else.

The hurricanes have a normal attack MCU for this mission, but the AI might decide to do whatever they want. They usually need some time to set up the attack.

I have done the mission several times after I got the first feedback and had no issues, but as I said, I will change the logic when I get the time.

Edited April 20 by sandmarken

[GiftGruen]

That‘s strange. Meeting a Hurricane in my 109E puts a big smile on my face, cause I will simply down her.

I16s are another story. Slow, yes, but turning and climbing like a monkey, so I have biggest respect for this ( imho underrated ) small planes.

And here the story is Hurrican vs I16 = 35:0 ?? Wtf am I doing wrong against Ratas ? I mean - concentrating on 109ths strenghs I keep the upper hand, but - it‘s tough work. A Hurricane is rather a convinient thing.

Edited April 20 by GiftGruen

[AndreiTomescu]

First of all, that huge ratio was just for the beginning of the Barbarossa operation. They managed to shoot down 35 enemies (claimed) without losses.

Secondly, the Hurricane squadron was made by some of the best pilots that there were at the start of the war (for Romania).

And third, the soviet tactics were less coherent in that period.

Here more info. It's a very serious and trusted source.

https://www.ligamilitarilor.ro/istorie-militara/escadrila-53-vanatoare-mamaia-in-timpul-celui-de-al-doilea-razboi-mondial-elemente-cronologice/

53RD FIGHTER SQUADRON “MAMAIA” DURING WORLD WAR II – CHRONOLOGICAL ELEMENTS | Professional Military League https://share.google/8X6ei8dy3XlOMvJmc

What we don't have in scripted campaigs is actual radio coordination with the other wing members. They had, since the Hurricanes had radio. But! The I-16s didn't. That was also a game changer.

[AndreiTomescu]

@GiftGruen what your question is, i guess, pls enforce or delude that, is if the Hurricane was a better machine compared to a 109E4. That's a hard question to answer, and the best answer we can get is, of course, in the Battle of Britain.

But there these two iconic machines were pitted against each other, with the 109s having only 15 min of combat available (fuel) and the Hurricanes having a good radar help.

On the eastern front, we have both of this machines, in the same hands (Ro) pitted against same opponent. So there are different factors to consider:

- radio coordonation

-new Hurricanes and second hand E4s, for which the pilots were instructed to conserve engine hours (they quite ran out of those, so the Hurricanes stepped in again towards the end of the siege - the Hurricanes were tasked with black sea defence actually

- boom and zoom tactics for the ro pilots were actually new

- the cradle for the future Ro aces was in the 53th escadrilla, Hurricane equipped

- the 53 was somehow "called over" in operation Munich, and tasked with escort and air superiority duties mostly

So in my opinion the Hurri was no necessary a better machine compared to the E4, it was just better in that context and that short timeframe.

The campaing (hopefully to be continued and extended in the future) is just a testament to that 

[jokash]

Against I16 the hurricane is better i think cause I16 has open cockpit and spraying that area i dispatch them more quickly then with 109E4 which doesn't have that volume of bullets.

[AndreiTomescu]

12 minutes ago, jokash said:

Against I16 the hurricane is better i think cause I16 has open cockpit and spraying that area i dispatch them more quickly

Smart, SMART ! never thought of that.

[Pausehelio]

On 4/14/2026 at 7:28 PM, MDzmitry said:

The Soviets weren't particularly fond of the Hurri's performance,

The fuel used in USSR also had something to do with that:

https://www.broquet.com/history

[AndreiTomescu]

very, very interesting!! this also explains the good use of the Hurri in British, Romanian and other airforces and the poor performance in Soviet airforces.

To be noted that back in the "old days", BA3 (=VAZ=Lada) cars, like my beloved 1200 and Niva ones, coud run acceptably even on 78 octane fuel!! That we could buy on the black market from truck and tractor drivers..... but usually we would mix half tank 90 octane with that 78 octane half.

[jokash]

I managed to complete "Vanatori".Attacks + ammo exhausting seems to trigger it.Stranegly enough i didn't manage to down a single Pe2 this time...neither were my comrades too successful - after action report was 3 Pe2 down with none on our side.Two groups managed to drop their bombs on land.On my previous playthroughs we got lot more,they even went around in circles.

Anyways noticed that last mission "Operation Munchen" has date listed as 2.6.1941 - that should be 2.8.1941 i guess?

[sandmarken]

2 hours ago, jokash said:

I managed to complete "Vanatori".Attacks + ammo exhausting seems to trigger it.Stranegly enough i didn't manage to down a single Pe2 this time...neither were my comrades too successful - after action report was 3 Pe2 down with none on our side.Two groups managed to drop their bombs on land.On my previous playthroughs we got lot more,they even went around in circles.

Anyways noticed that last mission "Operation Munchen" has date listed as 2.6.1941 - that should be 2.8.1941 i guess?

Good that you managed to proceed. Im working on an update for the campaign right now. The date shoud he 02.07.1941 thx i just fixed it! 

Edited April 21 by sandmarken

[taffy2]

Thanks Sandmarken, Excellent set of missions. I have always enjoyed flying the Hurricane  and especially with the quality of the the new module maps. Are there any other missions planned for the near future,  perhaps in the ground attack mode.

 

Cheers

[sandmarken]

24 minutes ago, taffy2 said:

Thanks Sandmarken, Excellent set of missions. I have always enjoyed flying the Hurricane  and especially with the quality of the the new module maps. Are there any other missions planned for the near future,  perhaps in the ground attack mode.

 

Cheers

Thx Taffy! Im working on an update right now that will add some more details, but mostly fix issues like the infamous mission 5 mission success issue some players had, and ai landing issues.

I have had a plan to expand to 10 missions, but in that case they will  be like the other missions, based on the real reports. 53rd did not conduct any ground attacks as far as iv seen. 

I also has an idea for another campaign that might involve ground attacks, but nothing is in the near future when it comes to campaigns 😅

Edited April 22 by sandmarken

[AndreiTomescu]

6 hours ago, taffy2 said:

perhaps in the ground attack mode.

For the ro, the Hurricane was the pride and joy at the start. No way to risk it for ground pounding! The He-112 was for that.

As Hurricane in ground attack role, I've enjoyed the campaigns Battle for the Don Bend and The Fall of Velike Luki

[jokash]

Finished last mission just now.It really should be locked to 100% fuel or at least mentioned in the briefing that 100% fuel is highly recomended.I made the mistake of taking 80% fuel and had to force land and overturned my aircraft unfortunately, but mission was still accomplished.

[AndreiTomescu]

I'm sure Sandmarken will fix this in his update, now that you've mentioned it.

One thing more to be mentioned (I think it was discussed also in a thread about a Fw-190 campaign): when a German or Romanian plane took off on a scheduled mission, and wasn't fuel shortage, the tank was full. Mainly due to management issues.

The IAR fuel gauge, for example, was notorious for not working properly. The fuel indicator was the hand watch. 1:45 from full tank to engine stop.

[sandmarken]

1 hour ago, jokash said:

Finished last mission just now.It really should be locked to 100% fuel or at least mentioned in the briefing that 100% fuel is highly recomended.I made the mistake of taking 80% fuel and had to force land and overturned my aircraft unfortunately, but mission was still accomplished.

Making it through, I hope you enjoyed the little campaign!

 

I always pick the mods and fuel I think are most historical, but I don't lock any mods or fuel, because people really like to choose their own settings.

Edited April 22 by sandmarken

[GiftGruen]

On 4/21/2026 at 11:44 AM, AndreiTomescu said:

@GiftGruen what your question is, i guess, pls enforce or delude that, is if the Hurricane was a better machine compared to a 109E4. That's a hard question to answer, and the best answer we can get is, of course, in the Battle of Britain.

Mhm - no, to be honest - that was not my intended question.

I just really wondered about this 35:0 kill ration Hurricane vs I16 - while myself I find the I16 a much more competent plane to fly against in a 109.  But of course, my experience anyway is only 'a little bit' valid, since I play PvE only and not PVP.

You gave some very good explanations ( things which are not directly related to the planes performance , but rather to the circumstances ). Partly I knew this already, partly I didnt.  Sometimes it is really astonishing what a great source of information this forum is -  thanks for sharing that! 

[AndreiTomescu]

indeed , this forum is quite good. and pleasant, because all (most) of the people here act polite and are gentlemen. 

regarding that kill ratio, see, most of those pilots from the 7th gr, (53 escadrilla included), like those that survived Stalingrad, found themselves in brend new 109 G6s and really broke havok against new and performant soviet models, during the Kuban retreat. But, once on home defence , pitted against Mustangs , with a "meeting" ratio 109:P-51 of 1:5 or even more (last battle before turning sides, 13 Ro G6 vs 200+ Mustangs 🙂 ) these pilots were decimated. So, again, lots of factors turning the tide. 

Cpt Cmd Alexandru Serbanescu, second ro ace, 50+ kills, commanding 7th gr, who died (the only one!) in that last battle said:

" my best boys in Gs can play with a Mustang, can deal with two, can survive 3 simultaneously. But if there are more than 3 agains one of us, we're toasted"

And so it was.

[sandmarken]

An update has been made to the campaign, adjusting some things to make it more historical, fixes to bugs in logic, some additional details added, updated he111 skins thx to @kraut1 and importantly: now planes will usually land with no issue at Galati and also the infamous 5 mission will have more ways to end if player do not use all the ammunition. 

Edited April 29 by sandmarken