Ladies and Gents if you want immersion. If you want to have an inkling of what combat was like in the air during WWII you should consider participating in the Scenarios Aces High, the Designers and CMs offer.
The current Scenario pits the Mighty 8th against the full resources of the Luftwaffe during the time period of 2 Novermber 1944. Meeting the rendezvous point on time....flying in formations....the voice chatter over the radio, this is what you've been waiting for. Flying with people you have engaged in the MA instead of against them. Getting to know the people of Aces High is a wonderful experience. Getting to be involved in the Scenario is icing on the cake.
Thinking what would an Allied Pilot feel when he flies for hours and not seeing anything. Then....in an instant the radio goes wild..Incoming cons! 1 O'clock high! They're 109s at 32K! Clear radio clear radio! 190s at 4 o'clock co alt. Escort leader.....allright gents, drop tanks, lets roll into those 109s! Then the boredom you've suffered for over an hour turns into utter chaos as you track and are being tracked by enemy fighters! You're trying to swat them away from the B17s and just as you get the 6 of a 190 over the radio comes Check 6! 109 on your tail! You roll out of the way and start again.
The Luftwaffe knows the bombers are near....they have an idea what the target will be. But they must find the bombers first. The 109s have been instructed to engage the escort and let the 190s attack the Bomber stream.
The Luftwaffe has been looking for the bombers for an hour. Suddenly over the radio Achtung! Achtung ! Indianer! And the Luftwaffe attacks.
The melee lasts as short as 10 mins......maybe as long as a half hour. The allies have lost some escorts but has manged to drive the attack off....temporarily. Allied fighters are running lower on fuel. The Luftwaffe is reupping in newly refueled aircraft to shoot down as many Bombers and Fighters as they can on the Allied return to base. Another huge melee ensues and you have less fighters to fend off the Luftwaffe and less fuel. Any damage at this point could doom you and your fighter. An oil leak or a fuel leak would put you down in enemy territory. Flying home with a clipped wing or control surface damage makes you slower draining more fuel on your attempt to return to base and a sitting duck for any marauding Luftwaffe fighter.
You can't get a feel for this in the MA. Only in Scenarios is this remotely possible. Join the next Scenario if you can. If you can't make all frames and have a free saturday walk-ons are always welcomed.
Now....the Credit goes to those who take their personal time to design, make the rules and the terrain for the Scenario. The CMs are spectacular.
I can't say enough about how well Brooke, ROC, and Roscoroo have done to make this the most enjoyable scenario to date in the long time I've been in Aces High. I also (reluctantly) must commend Fencer for his design.
This Scenario did not take place over night. Many hours of research and planning go into a Scenario. Skins, Serial Numbers, Noseart, Bases, and the terrain were worked out. What a great job.
So AH Community the next time a Scenario is offered. Think about joining.
You will miss a great deal if you don't at least try it once.
