Il-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles

So, since there seems to be plenty of aviation enthusiasts on the board...anyone flying this one yet?

One day to go for me until release in Sweden, then it's time to take to the skies in such wierd planes as the Brewster Buffalo over the Finnish front, P-40 over the Crimea and Hurricane over Leningrad. And oh! A flyable He-111 as well, with all stations modeled, as well as tank-busting Stukas. Haven't played the original Il-2 in a while, but now it is time to strap on the parachute and get blasted out of the sky again...

 

So actually got it now. Great stuff.

Flew a couple of quick battles to get the hang of some of the new aircraft, as well as the new detailed engine management with magneto selection, prop pitch, fuel mixture and the various superchargers and whatnot. Then decided to try out the dynamic campaign, went for flying a Yak-1 from the encircled Sevastopol fortress during 1942, after the Soviet landings on the Kerch peninsula.

My squadron was assigned an escort mission to some Pe-2 bombers striking the German lines opposite Kerch. Took off early in the morning with five other Yak-1s, flying as number 4 in the formation. Cranked the fuel mixture to max for takeoff, applied takeoff flaps, max propellor pitch and waited for the three other aircraft lined up in front to gain speed. Shuddering down the runway, gain altitude, gear up, flaps in etc. Initial course after takoff was westward out over the sea, with a slow turn to the south while gaining altitude. Beautiful day with not a cloud in sight. Squeezed off a few rounds to test the guns. As we headed east the climbing sun glared nastily right into our eyes, making spotting very hard. Almost immideately caught sight of the bombers, and assumed a screening position a couple of minutes in front of them, while climbing to assigned altitude of 3,000 feet.

Gently cruise along for a while, crossing over the frontlines below. Soon the squadron commander calls "5 minutes to target". Soon thereafter the dreaded call is made, "Fighters, one o'clock!" as a swarm of black spots are seen on the horizon, looking like six aircraft. Still too early to identify, and soon another smaller group of four aircraft comes into view at our eleven o'clock. Meanwhile, the first group is closing in and is revealed to be a group of Bf-109 fighters angling in for the attack from a slight height advantage. Characteristic blue German tracers flash by over the canopy as the two groups merge, while I fire a short inneffective burst as the Messerchmitt flashes by. Throwing the Yak into a hard left turn I bring the aircraft around quickly enough to latch on the the 109, but the turn as depleted enough energy to make it impossible to catch up with the swift fighter. Tail him anyway, firing a short burst which seems to rattle the pilot. He goes into a split-s which I follow, gaining a bit on the fascist pig, again he makes split-s and we hurtle towards the ground. Immidiately the squadron commander starts yelling at me for dropping out of formation and abandoning the bombers, but my zeal for the motherland is not to be restrained by such burgois blatherings. Follwing the 109 into a zooming turn and trying to get it lined up in the sights, I barely have time to hear the first "thunk" as cannon rounds slam into the Yak before all goes black.

Player killed. Alas, thus ends my first dynamic campaign. Typical rookie mistake of abandoning formation and getting whacked by the second aircraft in the rotte most likely. Listen to your squadron leader and don't get drawn into your own fight with numerous 109s...

Anyway, great game so far!

 

GET THIS GAME.


IF YOU HAVE A SUPPED UP COMP LIKE MYSELF ITLL BE THE BEST GAME YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED!!!


YES, I AM TRYING TO YELL!!!!