Sepp33 Posted June 14 Posted June 14 I was enjoying myself, flying the Albatros, shooting down poor old Sopwith Pups for fun. Wasn't paying attention to airspeed and crashed! Serves me right. High over the churned up mud of the trenches, in the vast blue summer sky, a Sopwith Pup- hopelessly outclassed- is thrown into a savage dogfight with a sleek Albatros. The British scout twists and turns, maneuvers executed at the plane's breaking point, attempting to shake the enemy off its tail. To the desperate Englishman, it seems his fate is sealed. The Pup bucks under the German guns, fabric and wood tearing and splintering. But fate is indifferent. In the next heartbeat, the Albatros suddenly and catastrophically disintegrates, wings shearing away in a storm of splinters and torn fabric. One moment the predator, the next a falling wreck. At the German airfield, the pilot is mourned as undefeated, his death the result of mechanical failure. Across the lines at the RFC officers mess, the Pup pilot is cheered as the man who outfought and outflew a superior foe through sheer nerve and skill. Two airfields, two truths, one small point of contention in the turmoil of war. 5
Sepp33 Posted June 16 Posted June 16 October 1917, skies above the Somme. Hauptmann Erich von Kessler, flying his battle scarred “Black 10” was leading a sweep when his flight spotted unfamiliar aircraft. Not the usual French Spads or Nieuports they had grown used to dispatching. These carried American pilots — volunteers, some barely trained, flying with the AEF's newborn squadrons. Von Kessler allowed himself a thin Prussian smile behind his goggles. "Americans? In the air? This should be quick." One Nieuport 28, boldly marked with a bright yellow “14”, broke formation and came straight at him in a reckless, barnstormer’s dive. Von Kessler turned to engage, expecting an easy victory. Instead the American pressed the attack with surprising aggression, his Vickers gun chattering as the two machines spiraled tightly. For a moment their cockpits flashed past each other. The American — later identified as Captain Daniel "Dix" Harlan — actually grinned. Von Kessler was… surprised. 3
Sepp33 Posted June 16 Posted June 16 (edited) Low on fuel, Von Kessler watched the Nieuport go twisting away towards the Allied lines, undamaged save for a few holes through its linen. That evening he took up his diary and wrote: “The Americans are here. Today one of them — a mad fellow in a yellow-numbered Nieuport — reminded me of something I had almost forgotten: the wild cowboys of Karl May’s adventures that I devoured so eagerly as a boy. How vividly those stories came back to me! And now, incredibly, they seem to have reappeared from those far-off childhood dreams and taken to the sky above the Somme.” He laid down his pen and stared out into the gathering dusk. The war, he thought, had suddenly become a saloon brawl. Edited June 16 by Sepp33 4 1
Sepp33 Posted June 20 Posted June 20 I gripped the stick, pushed the throttle forward and flew into the melee. The Mercedes roared. Tracer streaked past as crosses and roundels flashed in the summer sun. A French SPAD spun down toward destruction. Kill or be killed. The sky is vast, but there is no room for mercy. 3
Sepp33 Posted June 20 Posted June 20 (edited) French and English shattered before our guns and fled for home. Only a few stubborn ones remained. I seized on a lone RFC machine twisting desperately below, while a Fokker flew behind me like a hungry wolf, ready if I overshot or the Englishman broke free. Edited June 20 by Sepp33 3
Sepp33 Posted June 24 Posted June 24 I spotted the big Bristol below us and with a quick wave to my wingman, I shoved the stick forward and dropped straight for him. The Albatros screamed down, wires howling, but I held my fire until the range was point-blank. A long burst from my guns walked across his fuselage, fabric flew, the machine lurched wildly. The rear gunner swung his guns on me with barely a flinch; his bravery was impressive. His aim, less so. 4
Sepp33 Posted June 25 Posted June 25 We left the Bristol spread across a cabbage field and flew onwards towards the edge of our patrol sector. War is said to be moments of terror followed by days of boredom. But up here, with the sun on our wings and the earth still slumbering below, it felt like exhilaration. Our battlefield was a strange contrast to the grim hell of the trenches. 3
Sepp33 Posted June 26 Posted June 26 (edited) Spring 1916, the Fokker Eindecker's reign was over. Now we flew heavy two seaters, climbing upwards into skies thick with fast Allied scouts. Our orders were simple and brutal: stop British and French eyes from seeing what lay below- or their guns would smash our lines and columns to pieces. Every flight was a gamble with death. Edited June 26 by Sepp33 4
elephant Posted June 26 Posted June 26 (edited) Testing the skins for my Albatros Mod. I've also modded PWCG so to make use of the Albatros D.3 (OAW) well into 1918 which is historically correct and implemented Jasta 49 as well. Jasta 49, late April 1918 a mixed flight of Albatros D.3 (OAW) and D.5a Johannisthal. Edited June 26 by elephant 2
Sepp33 Posted July 3 Posted July 3 The Handley Pages came in low and heavy, black against the stars. Searchlights snapped on and began their slow, deadly dance across the sky. Flak rose in strings of fire, bursting in sudden vicious blooms. We held course, engines droning steadily while the bomb aimer calmly called out adjustments. Find the target. Drop the bombs. Get the lads home. 4
elephant Posted July 5 Posted July 5 (edited) Another very successful mission for Uffz. Martin Engels of Jasta 58 (the telescopic sight made huge difference) Edited July 5 by elephant 3
Sepp33 Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Only yesterday, Lt. Otto von Falke had watched one of the Staffel's most respected officers go down in flames. Now his face was set hard behind the oil streaked goggles, as the Albatros banked left. The Mercedes thundered in his ears and the slipstream tore at his leather helmet. Ahead, the Camels were climbing hard to meet him. This was no longer a routine sortie. Jasta 1 was out for blood. 4
Sepp33 Posted July 9 Posted July 9 Pilot Officer James "Pongo" Carrington's heart gave a nasty lurch as three Fokker Triplanes suddenly appeared from the glare of the morning sun and circled him like hawks. "Three to one - by Gad this is a proper jam!" he muttered, knuckles white on the stick. No time to think. "Tally-ho, you devils!" he yelled and threw the Camel into a savage turn, guns already hammering, enemy bullets cracking past his wings. 4
Kareem Posted July 10 Posted July 10 6 часов назад, Rivfader сказал: Romantic atmosphere of Rise of Flight!
Sepp33 Posted July 11 Posted July 11 (edited) Fellas I have just discovered skins! I used to be a normal guy, flying generic planes, now I'm Hermann Göring. Send help lol. Edited July 11 by Sepp33 3 2
J18 Posted July 14 Posted July 14 (edited) Looks like the end for this Strutter both tailplanes gone, crew gone too. Edited July 14 by J18 4
JollyJack Posted July 16 Posted July 16 (edited) Still the zeppelin variation in damage modeling keeps amazing me .... Now the cigar was lit by a Nieuport17 with rockets: PS there was an error with my earlier Zeppelin Goodyear Mod: New version DL: https://www.mediafire.com/file/ojzsvz9mnw7uhok/-_-_Zeppelin_Goodyear_mod_jj.zip/file PS the logo is mirrored wrong on starboard, this is unfixable due texture properties of IL2 itself. Mission: Zepp Test 02b.zip Edited July 17 by JollyJack 3 1
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