Ok, For first time I have been doind some serious tank sorties, even managed to capture V bases alone with Pzkw IV and M3. I have gathered some point that I would like HTC to consider for making ground war even more intereting.
- Is it possible to separate ground and air warfare? I fly for high K/D ratio and ground sorties often mess it up because most of the sorties end up as an ditch or capture. Best solution could be separating statistics to fighter, bomber and ground vehicle classes, each with own hit %, K/D ratio and kill statistics. I know WWIIOL is going to have own careers for Navy, Army and Air Force for same person. This should not be too difficult to do altought I understand there is lots of other work to do.
- Hispano armour penetration. This has been discussed in depth in other threads so I dont go to details. I think Hispano is somewhat too good killing tanks. Most Typhoons or F4U-1C's dont even carry bombs or rockets even when they know they are going to fight against tanks. I think that is bit too much overconfidence in historical sense. They also make existence or modeling dedicated ground attack planes useless effort in sense of MA. Scenarions are different thing alltogether, of course.
82 Panther Tanks examined Normandy 6 June- 7 Aug 1944 :-
36 AP shot
7 Hollow charge (PIAT/Bazooka)
7 HE Artillery
6 Rocket projectile Aircraft
2 Cannon from aircraft
6 Destroyed by crew
3 Abandoned
13 Unknown causes
96 Panther tanks examined Normandy 8-31 August 1944 (includes Mortain counterattack & Falaise Pocket)
11 AP shot
1 Hollow charge (PIAT/Bazooka)
2 Rocket projectile from Aircraft
44 Destroyed by crew
30 Abandoned
1 Unknown
47 Panther Tanks Examined N half of Ardennes front (i.e. 21 Army Group area including 1 US Army) 17 December-16 January:-
3 Aircraft attack
16 AP shot
3 HE Shell
10 destroyed by crew
10 Abandoned
5 unknownSource:
http://www.wwiionline.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000305.html It looks like planes didn't kill that much Panther tanks. Of course Pzkw IV has bit thinner armour but still... I would like to see role of bombs and rockets to be increased in combat against tanks. And the ultimate tank killer should be another tank or anti tank gun.
- Luftwaffe (and VVS and IJN...) does not have comparetively effective means to fight tanks. MG 151/20 does not kill tanks as it historically should not. Bombs work better but Lufwaffe planes do not carry more than one bomb. I think that quite easily 190A-8 could be modified to new 190F-8 or some G model that carried more bombs and even some rockets. There are some pilots like me who wont fly anything but LW planes (C-47 is exception, no alternative), no matter how badly they fit to the mission.
- Ostwind is step in to right direction. It will give tanks cover for farther distances than M-16, making jabo sorties very dangerous as it should be. After Ostwind is released we see how it changes the arena balance, it is a effective AA platform.
- Mobile artillery is needed. It takes quite long for PzKw IV to destroy VH or FH's. One self propelled artillery piece would be nice to have, Priest, Wesper or Hummel, I dont care.
- Recon vehicle would be nice also. Fast Kubelwagen or Jeep with MG with hard to notice camo would be able to creep near enemy base to report activities or even do some harassment work.
- Fast (light?) tank. Chaffee maybe or T60 or even T-34? I think is very important to cut time to engagement times! Spawn points were good idea but it still takes quite a time to get to fight, unless you skid down certain hill... Fast tank with bit lighter armament and armour (not in case of T-34!) would be quite useful doing raids to enemy fields.
- Pzkw IV's commanders AA MG fires bit left of the crosshair, small gripe but should be easy to fix.
- External view of ground vehicles could be disabled. Now it allows players to spy over hills and corners. Maybe it simulates crew member getting out of the vehicle but still...
Ground warfare is bit like chess, it needs different pieces to be really interesting, like air war. Hopefully we get more pieces as fast as development timetables allow.
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jochen Jagdflieger JG 2 'Richthofen'
Aces Highjochen Geschwaderkommodore (on leave)
Jagdgeschwader 2 'Richthofen' WarbirdsThanks for the Fw 190A-5 HTC!Ladysmith wants you forthwith to come to her relief
Burn your briefs you leave for France tonight
Carefully cut the straps of the booby-traps and set the captives free
But don't shoot 'til you see her big blue eyes
