Wanted Mature realistically inclined re-enactors

[TheBeeg]

I'm a 62 year old whose lifelong passion has been aviation.  In real life I've reached many related goals including a commercial license with instrument and flight instructor ratings.  One thiing however that I never accomplished is flying a complex warbird in combat the closest I came are two hours of aerobatics in an AT-6.  Truthfully, it isn't going to happen here either as this is a game.  It is however the best combat flight sim around for less than a couple of million.  I've played most of the online games; Fighter Ace 1.5 years,  Aces High I 1.5 years,  WW2OL 2.0 years and WarBirds 1.5 years concurrently and have now returned to AH2.  As I said, after careful consideration there is no doubt in my mind that AH2 best simulates the actual environment and flight dynamics of a high performance warbird as well as offering the widest range of tools which real life WW2 fighter pilots would have been inclined to use e.g. mission planning, fuel calculations, navigation etc.  Unfortunately, that's where the realism ends.  The reality is that as an open commercial enterprise anyone with the subscription money can come in here and pretend he's Dick Bong or Adolf Galland.  However, and this is reverse age bias, most people in these games have only a vague idea of who these men were and the world they lived in.  To most this is an opportunity to shoot and kill things.  I don't have a problem with that and I've surely found that ranting about my opinions on how others should play this game isn't going to do anything about removing my white hair.  So, what can I do?  Well, I can make this post and ask if there's anybody out there in this vast community that would like to consider themselves more as a re-enactor than a gamer.  Who out there is willing to come in to any of the arenas and fly a mission as a real WW2 pilot would have flown it?  Who's willing to spend time first planning what is to happen, determining who will do what and only when things are nailed down take off and execute the mission?  Who would be willing to apply real life combat tactics on a consistent basis and to share the glory with a wingman or other squadron mates?  Who here understands that with few exceptions, real combat airmen flew as a team if they were to have any chance of survival?  Should these attributes ring true to you then I want to hear from you but remember what others do isn't important, what's important is that we get to play the game in a way that enhances our immersion level and wins the war for our side.

ElCondor
Rook

[Flyboy]

Hi elcondor.

dont loose hope, i agree with you that the main arena has nothing to do with real WW2 combat. But the AH community do run special events that simulate real ww2 missions.

i find those events to be the Gem of the game. and you should give it a try.

[NoBaddy]

Welp, one of the most important things to remember is that the MA is a "roll your own" enviroment. Its purpose is to allow free-style game play. What you seek is better found in scenerios and snap shots...not the MA.

Additionally, ToD sounds right up your alley.

[DipStick]

Good luck with the squad you form. Sounds like it could be fun.

[Morpheus]

The MA is not now, nor ever was a place designed for WW2 Re enacment.

It is a place to partake in fighter combat... Ie Dogfighting...with ww2 planes.

It is not designed to be a controled enviorment. You fly what you want, when you want, how you want. And are to answer to no one.

As you may well know ToD or Tour of Duty which is in the works as we speak will be much, MUCH closer to the realities of WW2.

Mission planning, assignments, groups, wings, tactics, actual ranks... From air ground and sea... ToD will convey to the you the player, what WW2 was like as you play it.

[Tumor]

Originally posted by Morpheus
The MA is not now, nor ever was a place designed for WW2 Re enacment.
 

It is if thats what you and yours want to do with it.

[o0Stream140o]

Have you been looking for a way to more fully immerse yourself in the WWII air combat experience? Well, now there is a new squad in AH. It has been formed by a group of pilots who want to develop their skills in the same way that all USAAF pilots did during WWII. From a six month ground school, through primary flight instruction, right on to advanced fighter tactics, we're out to reproduce the experience.

The training will be intensive. It will include the basics of taxiing, take-offs, approach patterns and landings as well as advanced topics such as instrument flying, formation flying, trim control, and advanced Air Combat Maneuvers. All the training will be conducted by a real world pilot with military flight experience. The instruction will make extensive use of multimedia materials, detailed manuals, checklists, actual WWII training films, video conference lectures and practical homework assignments. The training will be accompanied by a program of rigorous testing to ensure that our pilots meet the highest military standards of the WWII period.

Membership is open to anyone who is willing to dedicate the time and effort necessary to achieve the high level of proficiency we've set as our goal.

We try to the the same thing Beeg... If your interested drop the Commanding Officer a line.

[Morpheus]

Originally posted by Tumor
It is if thats what you and yours want to do with it.

No, its the way it (THE MA) was designed. So simulate WW2 fighter combat.

Originally posted by hitech


It is my belief that everone wants to play a game, but want to belive it is a simulation. In reality AH makes a game out of a simulator. And TOD will be no different in that respect. But the game will be quite different.

The goal of TOD is not to be more realistic, even though it may have things that many people would consider more realistic, but rather to simulate a military career and to simulate mission, rather than to just simulating dog fighting as is AH's primary purpose.

TOD will just simulate other things to create a fun game for people who's primary interest  in flight sims is not just the dog fights.


HiTech

[Ghosth]

Sounds to me like you need a double dose of fri night Squad ops.

Want to hook up with a good squadron to check us out, just drop me a line.

ghosth@mcleodusa.net

We are always glad to be host to someone interested in checking it out.

Squad ops is a one life event, preplanned by CMs. Side CO's decide what targets to attack and defend, and who fly's what where. (escort, bombing, sweep etc)  Those orders get sent out during the week. Then Fri night we all do our best to follow those orders and defeat the enemy.

Seriously, it is in my opinion the best flying available in AH.  But don't take my opinion for it. Ask anyone who regularly fly's in a squad ops event.

[Brooke]

TheBeeg, the good news is that what you want has been around in spades for quite some time:  scenarios.  Those are what I fly for, and for the same reasons you mention.

Scenarios are to regular main-arena flying what regular main-arena flying is to a single-player stand-alone game.

For information on scenarios and what they are like, click here:

http://www.electraforge.com/scenarios

Check out the pictorials and the after-action reports and especially the "anatomy of a scenario" page.

I think it's just what you are looking for.  Also, if anyone ever wants to talk to me about scenarios, about why I think they are one of the most awesome hobbies that any WWII aviation nut can have, feel free to send me e-mail (brooke at electraforge.com) give me a call at my home number:  425-827-2486 (Pacific time zone in the US).

[Squire]

I would look to joining a Squad that participates in the Friday Squad Ops Thebeeg. Thats where "WW2 is reenacted" in AH2. Not the MA.

Also the Snapshots that are run weekly, as well as the larger Scenarios.

Imho the MA is a poor fit for somebody looking for WW2 style action, but is your dime.

That might hold you over untill TOD comes out.

Regards.

[eskimo2]

My old squadron was the Buccaneers; a squadron very different than most because we all (at first) lived in the same town. On a weekly basis, we would all meet for diner to go over our mission briefings. We would bring maps, written orders, etc. On occasion, some of us would even show up in authentic WWII Army Air Corps uniforms. Sometimes our original CO would have a lesson planned on a particular tactic or aspect, complete with props. We would end the evening by driving home and flying our planned missions. Before RW or VOX, we would make a 12+ person "conference call", to be used as an in-flight radio.  When our CO passed on, one of our members stepped up for the job; he was a retired fighter pilot.  

Our missions would typically start with the conference call.  When everyone was in the call and online we would start in a hanger, taxi out one by one and line up wing tip to wing tip in a perfect row along the runway.  We were all assigned to 4-ship elements and would taxi out in order and take off in pairs in our elements, loop around the field picking up a pair or element on each lap.  We would fly in formation and observe strict military radio protocol.  
You would hear something like,
Leader: “Blue flight, right to 270 line abreast”
His wingman would reply, “Two”
The second element leader would reply, “Three”
His wingman would reply, “Four”
We spent forever training on how to make all kinds of turns that would either reposition us or keep us in the same positions and we kept pretty tight formations.  As a squad we were often terribly ineffective because we spent so much time, effort and focus on protocol, position, and formation; we were, however the most authentic “looking” and “sounding” squad that I have ever seen.  

Often our missions were re-enactments of actual WWII air battles or missions.  It was not unusual to have a history lesson as part of our pre-mission meeting.  Sometimes the mission planner would email News Releases or Top Secret Information to the squad days before a mission.  

We often would write after action reports after a mission.

A particular SAR mission stands out.  
A Buccaneer intentionally flew deep into enemy territory, but in the middle of nowhere.  He then ditched and sent out a radio distress call.  We sent 2 C-47s with fighter escorts in to pick him up.  (A pick-up was to exit flight when the goon was stopped next to the downed pilot and then join as an observer.)  It took forever and we lost about half of our squad, but did manage to get the man out.

Landing from missions was also to military protocol.  In fighters or bombers we would fly past our base, peel off in pairs every 10 seconds to spread ourselves out and then land in pairs.  We wouldn’t exit until everyone was once again lined up wing tip to wing tip in a perfect row along the runway.  

Whitey

May you rest in peace.

eskimo

[eskimo2]

Holy Cow, our website is still up.  We havn't been active in years.

Check out some of our old missions:

Buccaneers Mission Archives

eskimo

[eskimo2]

Originally posted by eskimo2
Holy Cow, our website is still up.  We havn't been active in years.

Check out some of our old missions:

Buccaneers Mission Archives

eskimo

Here's one of Whitey's:

Pasta Patrol


Historical Information:

      The little island of Malta lies strategically in
the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Situated approximately 60 miles to the south of Sicily, it is well-placed to dominate the sea routes between North Africa and Southern Europe. Sitting astride the narrow central Waist of the sea, it is also positioned to deny east-west passage to vessels travelling between the Suez Canal and the straits of Gibraltar.
    All throughout 1941 and 1942. The British on Malta were subjected to continuous and intense air activity from the Axis powers. Many times during the period the island came within days of falling to the German and Italian forces. Italian tactics mainly involved the despatch of large formations of fighters, grouped around a small nucleus of perhaps
three or four bombers, in an effort to bring the Hurricanes and Spitfires up to fight. The forces on Malta continually harassed any shipping or aircraft supply of German and Italian forces operating in the Mediterranean and Rommels forces in North Africa. The situation was so desperate at one time that President, Franklin D Roosevelt agreed to
loan to the royal Navy the carrier USS Wasp and her crew for a short period for ferry duties. Wasp was ideal for the job and 47 Spitfires were loaded aboard her during April of 42 for delivery.
    On Oct 26th 1942 Montgomery's great offensive at El Alamein had begun. On Nov 8th Anglo-American forces landed in French Morocco and Algeria, and advanced into Tunisia. At once Kesselring's air forces were
redirected onto this new threat.  At a stroke the long Battle of Malta was over. Within six Months the island will become a major base for the first Allied landings on European Territory.


Bombers:
Cant Z.1007bis ( B-26) 33 deg Gruppo/9deg Stormo BT [ 50% fuel 8 500
lb bombs]

Pasta Lead:(B-26s) 15K drop altitude
Uno Capitan Hall "Eskimo"
Due Sergente Hall "Oosik"
Tre Sergente Pace "Jarbo'"
Quattro Sergente Fanning "Gronk"

Macchi C205 374> Squadrigila,153 deg Grouppo CT.[ Full Fuel]

Spaghetti Lead: Capitan Lackey "Knife"
Uno Sergente Forbes "Stingray"
Due Sergente Wannemacher "Whitey"
Tre Sergente Jernejcic "Sabre"
Quattro
Spumoni Lead: Capitan Barrow "Budhman"
Due Sergente Gonzelez "Delta"
Tre Sergente Baschal " Brack"
Quattro Sergente Baschal "coda"

Pizza Lead: Capitan Eager "Wabbit'
Due Sergente Patterson "Bourbon"
Tre Sergente Davis "Qgun"
Quattro Sergente Lankford "Reno"

Briefing at "Denneys" 5:30 pm. Wed Jan 19 th . Will discuss the mission and Four ship tactical Maneuvering. Again you will have but ONE LIFE .


    This is as close as we will come to trying to capture a field, as historically the Axis forces were trying to destroy the British airfields as a pre-requisite to invasion of the Island. Our job will be to neutralize a field of our choice. We will not try to take the field ourselves but will advertise for anyone who wants to bring paratroops to the Field we destroy . If you are dead you will be allowed to bring paratroops . Once airborne our bomber lead Capitan Hall will determine the field for attack and the fighters job will be to intercept any enemy fighters coming up to intercept. Manual fuel management . Spagetti flight will range out in front of the bombers. Spumoni flight will range to the right of the bombers. Pizza flight will range to the left of the bombers. Fighters must stay in sight of the bombers at all times.

Sergente Wannemacher
Operations
374> Squadriglia,153 deg Gruppo CT.

[eskimo2]

We actually went to a Japanese restaurant before a Zero mission once.

eskimo