Suggestion: Collector Plane – Westland Lysander + Original British SOE / French Résistance Campaign

[Flyingadjo]

Why the Lysander?

The Westland Lysander is one of the most iconic—but completely missing—aircraft from the IL-2 Great Battles series. This British army cooperation and liaison aircraft was the primary tool of the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) for infiltrating and exfiltrating agents behind enemy lines in occupied Europe, delivering supplies to the French Résistance and FFL (Forces Françaises Libres), and conducting short-field STOL operations that no other aircraft could match.

What Makes the Lysander Unique in IL-2 GB?

- STOL Capability: 90–135 m landing/takeoff (real ADAC) – impossible for any other GB plane

- Night Ops: Black paint scheme and lights in the fixed landing gears for covert night missions, perfect for tense, stealthy gameplay.

- Parachuting: Precision drop zone deliveries (300–500 m, STOL fields).

- Ground Récupération: Secret agent pickup from cow pastures, hidden fields, moonlit ops.  External fixed ladder to facilitate rapid passenger changeovers. Passengers traveled in the rear observer cockpit.

- 150-gallon fuel tank carried under the fuselage to extend range to a 1000 miles

- Located under the fuselage of the Lysander, a red identification light was used to transmit a Morse code letter to the agents on the ground.

 

This is a new type of scenario: stealth, tension, and discovery of a hidden WW2 story – the British SOE's secret war in occupied France.

***

Proposed Campaign: "Night Over Normandy" – British SOE / French Résistance Original Mission Set

Campaign Overview

A brand-new, original campaign centered on the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) and French Résistance, set on the existing Battle of Normandy map (IL-2 GB), featuring :

- 12 unique missions with original scripting

- SOE night ops, short landing, parachuting, agent dépose & récupération

- Visual night flying under the moon – immersive moonlit stealth gameplay

- Improvised landing lighting – Résistance feux guiding approach to hidden fields

- Circling overhead while waiting for enemy patrols to clear the area – tense tactical gameplay

- Tense takeoff after being discovered by German patrol (flares, small gun fire...)

- Original voice over in French with resistance coded sentences – authentic SOE audio immersion

- New gameplay: STOL fields, hidden DZs, night stealth ops, ground evasion

 

All missions launched from England (UK SOE base), flying over the Channel to Normandy/Rouen/Caen/Avranches – fully compatible with the existing Normandy map.

***

Historical Mission: Rouen Lysander Drop (April 1944) – British SOE Agent Violette Szabo

In April 1944, a Lysander landed in a field near Rouen to assess the local Resistance's ability to support the Allied invasion in Normandy. Agent Violette Szabo (one of the SOE's best shooters) was dropped there, then successfully extracted after her mission. This operation was part of the preparations for the June 1944 D-Day landings.

This is a real, documented WW2 operation never flown in IL-2 GB – perfect for a historically accurate night SOE mission.

***

Other Potential Missions – Normandy Rural Zones (British SOE + French Résistance)

The campaign would use rural areas between Rouen, Caen, and Avranches (all on the existing Normandy map), perfect for British SOE clandestine ops:

- SOE Agent Drop: Field near Rouen. Violette Szabo (British SOE, April 1944)

- Pilot Rescue: Hidden field near Caen. Allied pilot evading German patrol (SOE support)

- Equipment Drop: Isolated field near Avranches. Radios, explosives, weapons for French Résistance

- General SOE Covert Ops: Rural Normandy fields. Lysander ops from 1943–mid-1944 (British SOE)

***

Existing Lysander Mods (Proof of Concept)

IL-2 1946 – Westland Lysander 1 (WIP 2017)

- Community mod by dbw (SAS1946 forum)

- Status: WIP June 2017, functional single-player

 

### MSFS 2020/2024 – Westland Lysander by DSD_Simulations

- Free addon (flightsim.to)

- Status: Released 2023, fully functional

These mods prove the Lysander is feasible, detailed, and historically accurate – ready for IL-2 GB Collector Plane development.

***

What do you think ?

From daydreaming to reality... Developing a collector plane is a lot of work that 1C (or more likely a 3rd party team...after reading paper pilot thread on plane list 😅) would undertake only if there is a strong community support. So,

- Would you be interested in flying the Lysander as a Collector Plane?

- Would you play the British SOE / French Résistance campaign ?

- What other missions, aircraft, or maps would you add to a WW2 resistance campaign ?

An excellent article about this plane and the SOE : https://www.key.aero/article/behind-lines

Think of it as Deadstick in WWII !

Edited yesterday at 11:38 AM by Flyingadjo
Adding content

[jokash]

Yes i would like to see it...as a part of "Battle of France" module that would,naturally,be about the battle of France 1940

[Flyingadjo]

2 hours ago, jokash said:

Yes i would like to see it...as a part of "Battle of France" module that would,naturally,be about the battle of France 1940

If the module covered all the French territory it would allow to expand such missions to Brittany and all the way to Burgundy. The Lysander also flew missions in Belgium I believe. It would also be nice to have campaigns about FFL squadron that operated from UK or even flew in North Africa or Russia.

Edited yesterday at 05:36 PM by Flyingadjo

[BraveSirRobin]

There is no chance that they’re adding all sorts of new functionality to support campaigns for that aircraft.

[jeanba]

I am not very optimistic, but it would be fun

Edited yesterday at 08:34 PM by jeanba

[AEthelraedUnraed]

18 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

There is no chance that they’re adding all sorts of new functionality to support campaigns for that aircraft.

Even more, it's highly unlikely they'll develop additional, unannounced planes for IL-2 at all, with Korea just around the corner. If someone would model the Lysander, it would have to be a third party.

Edited yesterday at 06:12 PM by AEthelraedUnraed

[Flyingadjo]

Yes that what I understood from the other thread from paper plane. Still it's nice to exchange ideas. 

[BraveSirRobin]

4 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

Even more, it's highly unlikely they'll develop additional, unannounced planes for IL-2 at all, with Korea just around the corner. If someone would model the Lysander, it would have to be a third party.

There is maybe a slight chance of getting the aircraft if a 3rd party makes it. There is ZERO chance of new features to support it.

[kraut1]

21 hours ago, Flyingadjo said:

Why the Lysander?

The Westland Lysander is one of the most iconic—but completely missing—aircraft from the IL-2 Great Battles series. This British army cooperation and liaison aircraft was the primary tool of the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) for infiltrating and exfiltrating agents behind enemy lines in occupied Europe, delivering supplies to the French Résistance and FFL (Forces Françaises Libres), and conducting short-field STOL operations that no other aircraft could match.

What Makes the Lysander Unique in IL-2 GB?

- STOL Capability: 90–135 m landing/takeoff (real ADAC) – impossible for any other GB plane

- Night Ops: Black paint scheme and lights in the fixed landing gears for covert night missions, perfect for tense, stealthy gameplay.

- Parachuting: Precision drop zone deliveries (300–500 m, STOL fields).

- Ground Récupération: Secret agent pickup from cow pastures, hidden fields, moonlit ops.  External fixed ladder to facilitate rapid passenger changeovers. Passengers traveled in the rear observer cockpit.

- 150-gallon fuel tank carried under the fuselage to extend range to a 1000 miles

- Located under the fuselage of the Lysander, a red identification light was used to transmit a Morse code letter to the agents on the ground.

 

This is a new type of scenario: stealth, tension, and discovery of a hidden WW2 story – the British SOE's secret war in occupied France.

***

Proposed Campaign: "Night Over Normandy" – British SOE / French Résistance Original Mission Set

Campaign Overview

A brand-new, original campaign centered on the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) and French Résistance, set on the existing Battle of Normandy map (IL-2 GB), featuring :

- 12 unique missions with original scripting

- SOE night ops, short landing, parachuting, agent dépose & récupération

- Visual night flying under the moon – immersive moonlit stealth gameplay

- Improvised landing lighting – Résistance feux guiding approach to hidden fields

- Circling overhead while waiting for enemy patrols to clear the area – tense tactical gameplay

- Tense takeoff after being discovered by German patrol (flares, small gun fire...)

- Original voice over in French with resistance coded sentences – authentic SOE audio immersion

- New gameplay: STOL fields, hidden DZs, night stealth ops, ground evasion

 

All missions launched from England (UK SOE base), flying over the Channel to Normandy/Rouen/Caen/Avranches – fully compatible with the existing Normandy map.

***

Historical Mission: Rouen Lysander Drop (April 1944) – British SOE Agent Violette Szabo

In April 1944, a Lysander landed in a field near Rouen to assess the local Resistance's ability to support the Allied invasion in Normandy. Agent Violette Szabo (one of the SOE's best shooters) was dropped there, then successfully extracted after her mission. This operation was part of the preparations for the June 1944 D-Day landings.

This is a real, documented WW2 operation never flown in IL-2 GB – perfect for a historically accurate night SOE mission.

***

Other Potential Missions – Normandy Rural Zones (British SOE + French Résistance)

The campaign would use rural areas between Rouen, Caen, and Avranches (all on the existing Normandy map), perfect for British SOE clandestine ops:

- SOE Agent Drop: Field near Rouen. Violette Szabo (British SOE, April 1944)

- Pilot Rescue: Hidden field near Caen. Allied pilot evading German patrol (SOE support)

- Equipment Drop: Isolated field near Avranches. Radios, explosives, weapons for French Résistance

- General SOE Covert Ops: Rural Normandy fields. Lysander ops from 1943–mid-1944 (British SOE)

***

Existing Lysander Mods (Proof of Concept)

IL-2 1946 – Westland Lysander 1 (WIP 2017)

- Community mod by dbw (SAS1946 forum)

- Status: WIP June 2017, functional single-player

 

### MSFS 2020/2024 – Westland Lysander by DSD_Simulations

- Free addon (flightsim.to)

- Status: Released 2023, fully functional

These mods prove the Lysander is feasible, detailed, and historically accurate – ready for IL-2 GB Collector Plane development.

***

What do you think ?

From daydreaming to reality... Developing a collector plane is a lot of work that 1C (or more likely a 3rd party team...after reading paper pilot thread on plane list 😅) would undertake only if there is a strong community support. So,

- Would you be interested in flying the Lysander as a Collector Plane?

- Would you play the British SOE / French Résistance campaign ?

- What other missions, aircraft, or maps would you add to a WW2 resistance campaign ?

An excellent article about this plane and the SOE : https://www.key.aero/article/behind-lines

Think of it as Deadstick in WWII !

Yes, the Lysander would be interesting and the mission types would be interesting too.

But we don't have the Lysander and it will take at least some years until it is there.

But what could be tested in respect with the current content:

Special night operations with the U2 as Fairey Swordfish (skins are existing by Beebop)
-equipment drop with containers could be modded for this plane too, example:
https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/87878-any-chance-adding-cargo-carrying-to-he111/

-landings at night in France with closing german patrols, activated by random could work in some, respect too.
Infantry is in general available, and MajorMAgee has created a German version too (and in darkness they will look historical)
And the infantry is able too fight too (see end of demo video):

 

[Flyingadjo]

That's a good idea. The PO-2 is a great STOL plane. To be tested but it's supposed to have the following spec.

Takeoff Distance

- Standard Conditions: ~150–200 meters (490–650 feet)

- With Headwind: Can be as short as ~50–100 meters (160–330 feet) due to its low stall speed and high lift at low speeds.

Landing Distance

- Standard Conditions: ~100–150 meters (330–490 feet)

- With Headwind: Can land in ~30–50 meters (100–160 feet) on rough or improvised

[kraut1]

2 hours ago, Flyingadjo said:

That's a good idea. The PO-2 is a great STOL plane. To be tested but it's supposed to have the following spec.

Takeoff Distance

- Standard Conditions: ~150–200 meters (490–650 feet)

- With Headwind: Can be as short as ~50–100 meters (160–330 feet) due to its low stall speed and high lift at low speeds.

Landing Distance

- Standard Conditions: ~100–150 meters (330–490 feet)

- With Headwind: Can land in ~30–50 meters (100–160 feet) on rough or improvised

In Memory of Beebop:

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/62785-beebops-hack-shack/

https://www.mediafire.com/view/awvnb6ddgv339h3/BBop_Swordfish_Hack_U2VS.dds/file

[Flyingadjo]

Well I guess I got everything I need to get to it then 😅

[Swoose]

SOE Special Duties Flights

 

[Flyingadjo]

Thanks, I am looking for some material to inspire missions