Tanks on Higgins or lst boats

[Deacon352nd]

I’m thinking of making a Normandy invasion mission where a vehicle airfield is floating on either a Higgins boat or lst. As it approaches the shore the human “driving” the tank can, if they choose, fire upon pak or other gun emplacements in an attempt to reach the shore. Once the shore is reached, there will spawn another vehicle airfield where he could actually drive his tank on shore in an attempt to advance. 
Has anyone made a floating vehicle airfield or am I wasting my time?

[AEthelraedUnraed]

On 5/18/2026 at 3:09 PM, Deacon352nd said:

Has anyone made a floating vehicle airfield or am I wasting my time?

The "airfield" objects don't actually provide any surface, so anything you spawn on it will just spawn at the ground surface. Your vehicle would either sink straight into the sea, or spawn in the middle of the boat and explode in a big fireball. So I'm afraid you're wasting your time.

[Deacon352nd]

Thank you. 

[Billsponge1972]

I also tried this with two Sherman's and some infantry on an LST in my D-Day tank mission. The tanks immediately sank and the infantry stayed afloat but in place as the LST moved toward the shore. 😐

[JollyJack]

done some tests in 2024: 3 jeeps spawn from a landing craft v5.zip

[Billsponge1972]

 

JollyJack!

How on Earth did you get that landing craft to animate!

Everything I've read says that there are no animations. I was completely stunned to see it in your sample mission!

[Billsponge1972]

What about a repaint of the LST with at least the top view of vehicles as a separate expansion vehicle to swap out when it hits the shore?

[kraut1]

On 5/20/2026 at 4:13 PM, Billsponge1972 said:

I also tried this with two Sherman's and some infantry on an LST in my D-Day tank mission. The tanks immediately sank and the infantry stayed afloat but in place as the LST moved toward the shore. 😐

 

On 8/24/2026 at 9:23 PM, JollyJack said:

done some tests in 2024: 3 jeeps spawn from a landing craft v5.zip

I think if you define the turret of a sherman as a turret of a landing ship the whole tank will be installed on the landing ship and I think it will fire with it's cannon..

[Billsponge1972]

That's brilliant!

I lack the skills to do that. 

[kraut1]

3 hours ago, Billsponge1972 said:

That's brilliant!

I lack the skills to do that. 

it seems to be a bit more complex as I had in mind, but some months ago I have tried to add the 180mm turrret of the Odessa battery to a ship: This worked, but the whole earthworks of the battery were attached to the ship too.

So it seems to be a bit more complex, I will report if there is some success....

[kraut1]

@Billsponge1972@JollyJack@Stonehouse@Jaegermeister

I don`t know if this is used already by others.

When I worked together with Malixi for the Finnish Ships I suggested to  do the same and he reported to have attached a whole tank too (we just wanted to have the turret).

I had done a similar test with the 180mm gun of the Odessa battery, but the whole earthworks of the battery was hanging on the destroyer...

But in the context to simulate Invasions it is interesting and the turret is able to engage targets while sailing with the ship.

The trick is not to attach the turret directly to the ship (IL-2 will crash). You have to create at first an new attach and this works:

the M16 position has to be lowered a bit, in the background the PzIIIL of the player, under HMG fire of the M16.

new attach.zip

For my Feodossia Mod I will create definately improvised landing barges with soviet equipment for the landings....

Edited August 28 by kraut1

[JollyJack]

On 8/26/2026 at 3:45 AM, Billsponge1972 said:

JollyJack!

How on Earth did you get that landing craft to animate!

Everything I've read says that there are no animations. I was completely stunned to see it in your sample mission!

Regingrave sent me this trick, and i messed around with it.

Hi Kraut, can you maybe post some mission with your turret trick, i am curious.

As for that willys jeep used above i tried in vain to get rid of the stupid "looking back" officer besides the driver, a tip maybe?

Edited August 28 by JollyJack

[kraut1]

1 hour ago, JollyJack said:

Regingrave sent me this trick, and i messed around with it.

Hi Kraut, can you maybe post some mission with your turret trick, i am curious.

As for that willys jeep used above i tried in vain to get rid of the stupid "looking back" officer besides the driver, a tip maybe?

Hi JollyJack,

here a small demo mod.

With 1 small demo mission included.

Landing-Ship-with-M16-Mod.zip

By the way, this should be possible very easily:

You can directly install the soviet 1024 naval rocket laucher turrets on other ships...

no need for the extra attachs as required for installing vehicles on ships...

Edited August 28 by kraut1

[JollyJack]

Cal me dumb LoL, where is that soviet 1024 naval rocket launcher turret located?  is it in turrets, and called 1124 instead?

... \Scripts\luascripts\worldobjects\ships\turrets

Edited August 28 by JollyJack

[kraut1]

4 minutes ago, JollyJack said:

Cal me dumb LoL, where is that soviet 1024 naval rocket launcher turret located? 

In general as all definitions of AI units in the Scripts.gtp

Do you have the "ungtp ed" Scripts.gtp?

And as an example for the syntax:

some few of many worldobjects.zip

[JollyJack]

ah, thanks. if i want to fire the 1124_MRLS from say a Bayfield ship, i need to replace in "bayfieldship.txt"  f.i.

[attach=1]
    position= 60.798, 11.911, 0
    rotation= 0, 0, 0
    object = "LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Ships/Turrets/BayfieldShip-127mm.txt"
[end]
 

with:

[attach=1]
    position= 60.798, 11.911, 0
    rotation= 0, 0, 0
    object = "LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Ships/Turrets/1124_MRLS.txt"
[end]

 

ADDED ... that did not work 

Edited August 28 by JollyJack

[Billsponge1972]

Thanks you guys!

This is the coolest thing. I will mess with these tonight. 

[kraut1]

If anyone is interested to create a bigger mod about Invasion 1944 landing ships (I have not enough time / I am busy with soviet landings on the Kerch Peninsula):

It would be possible to copy existing landing ships and create different types according to the same procedure as MajorMagee, Stonehouse or Malixi have done....
(I have never done this...)
 

Edited August 28 by kraut1

[kraut1]

Here the situation at the Eastern Front in respect of loaded landing boats:

Today I have loaded my improvised russian landing barges for 26th December 41 landings.

Further tests with infantry (by @MajorMagee  )

@CzechTexan@JollyJack@Billsponge1972@Deacon352nd

Edited September 27 by kraut1

[Billsponge1972]

I'm absolutely loving this! Wish I could contribute more. I will see if the other landing craft have animation. Maybe you guys know already.

[JollyJack]

Perfect ... 

Edited August 29 by JollyJack

[kraut1]

In my Feodosia mod I will not show the landings extremely detailed.

But just in case that someone wants to show the unloading process from bigger transport ships to landing boats to beach the procedure could be:

A transport ship and a landing boat to be copied in a mod maybe 3 times.:

each one empty, loaded with 1 truck, loaded with 2 trucks, loaded with 3 trucks.

When the landing starts 3 empty landing boatsnear the fully loaded transport ship.

After this by deactivatiing / activating the the loaded transport ship will replaced in intervalls by the versions with less trucks until it is empty and simultaneously the landing boats will be replace by loaded ones.

After the lando#ing boats are loaded they sail to the beach and there the loaded landing boats are replaced by empty ones and simultaneuosly the trucks are spawned at the beach as close as possible to the landing boats....

[Billsponge1972]

All of the Normandy landing craft have animation but the lci (The one with the two side infantry ramps). I couldn't get it to even move.

The lct is pretty impressive with it's two vertical doors and even has a small-ish interior space for a vehicle!

[Billsponge1972]

The LCI works also.

[JollyJack]

23 hours ago, kraut1 said:

After this by deactivating / activating the the loaded transport ship will replaced in intervals by the versions with less trucks until it is empty and simultaneously the landing boats will be replace by loaded ones.

After the landing boats are loaded they sail to the beach and there the loaded landing boats are replaced by empty ones and simultaneuosly the trucks are spawned at the beach as close as possible to the landing boats....

We'll need animated cranes maybe ...