WWI Aeroplanes

[Simba]

Hope the Bristol F2B Fighter's wings are proper strength this time, H-T, unlike the DoA Biff's cardboard ones?

 

[bustr]

WWI aircraft were used for other things besides shooting at each other.

Artillery spotting, reconnaissance, photo reconnaissance, depot bombing and balloon busting. There were even aircraft carriers, sea plane tenders, torpedo carrying planes that sank shipping in the channel and medditeranian. The fighter was developed to protect the bomb droppers and recon aircraft. Jousting exclusively with each other developed out of the need to protect or hunt down the recon and bomb dropping planes who had a greater day to day strategic impact on the war. For a bit more dimension to the WWI arena introduce recon and bombing aircraft. Not to bomb strat but, to try and get from point A to point B and back alive to brag about it.

Have somthing like an Aviatik, R.E.8 or Halberstadt that can fly from it's home feild to snap a photo of, or drop a small bomb on an enemy location in either of the other two countries. The photo of the target or bomb drop at the target is recorded as proof of reaching the target or point B. If the plane gets home and lands, the pilot gets a mission success message. If he gets lucky and shoots down another plane, a success message for that too. In WWI a recon pilot and bomb dropper pilot had a very short life span. They and thier gunner could put up a good fight. But fighters chewed them up much of the time. It would take the same kind of skill as landing kills in a B5N to perform one of these sorties. In WWI the paths and locations recon aircraft would fly were pretty static and well known. Thats why fighters escorted them. Could do missions to escort recon or bomb droppers to and from a location to start up furballs.

Balloon busting was very dangerous. Lots of gun emplacements and some sites had fighter patrols to support them during WWI. Have balloons with ack setup along the fronts back about a mile that regenerate in 10 to 15 min after being killed. There may be some players not up to flying straight into a WWI furball with fighters. Recon sorties and balloon busting would be other things they can do along with adding a bit of dimension to the arena. Killing a recon plane is not garunteed. They could be rather nimble and were armed.

Otherwise, just put in another Furball Lake in the DA with the WWI plane set. It will save on having to create maps and opening another arena. I'm assuming most everyone who wants a WWI plane set just wants to up their wood and cloth kites and tear into one another willy nilly. I would think without a bit of extra dimension this will get stale and have a small following. I remember the WWI arena in AW.

[Tilt]

Will the rotary engines be visually modelled?

[Motherland]

Will the rotary engines be visually modelled?

IIRC they were on the Superfokkers.

[Simba]

Here's hoping that the WWI arena eventually provides more than just a DA for biplanes; in particular, artillery-spotting, as in the best days of Dawn of Aces 2.75, before it was mutated into the 'Flyboys' travesty. There's no point in a combat flight sim that has no strategic element.

 

[Treize69]

I'm hoping they eventually include dedicated bombers for scenarios and stuff. I want's to kill me some BIG dang biplanes!

[Simba]

The Zeppelin Staaken saw action in WWI but not the Handley Page V/1500, which was nearly ready to bomb targets in Germany at war's end but never made it into action.

Except once. An example of H-P's four-engined bomber was shipped to India post-war and demonstrated to the powers-that-be. The pilot was an ex-pupil of Charterhouse and christened the aircraft 'H.M.A. [His Majesty's Aeroplane] Old Cartusian'. War broke out in Afghanistan just before the bomber was due to be shipped home to Blighty, whereupon the chap rounded up a volunteer aircrew, borrowed all 5 and 48 Squadron Bristol Fighters' bomb carriers, loaded up with bombs aplenty and flew to Kabul (through the mountain passes, the aircraft having insufficient performance to climb over the summits), where he dropped the lot on the Amir's palace. Four went through the wall of the harem, where the Amir was taking his pleasure. Shocked and awed, he immediately telephoned Government House in Delhi to surrender - and the cheapest, shortest war ever fought by British forces was over before the aircraft landed back at base - where it was subsequently condemned as unfit to fly due to termite infestation. The wings were burnt but the plywood fuselage remained to serve as 5 Squadron Adjutant's office for the next twenty years.

<salutes the Raj with a large single malt>

Cheers!

 

[jay]

I'm hoping they eventually include dedicated bombers for scenarios and stuff. I want's to kill me some BIG dang biplanes!

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

if the gunners were doin there job right most of the bombers would be hard to kill

[Treize69]

if the gunners were doin there job right most of the bombers would be hard to kill

Thats half the fun.

[Treize69]

The Zeppelin Staaken saw action in WWI but not the Handley Page V/1500, which was nearly ready to bomb targets in Germany at war's end but never made it into action.

How bout the Ilya Muromets then?

[bravoa8]

How bout the Ilya Muromets then?

(Image removed from quote.)

Yummy! Bombers!

[stephen]

I wouldnt be the least bit surprised to find that a two seater is the surprise we dont know about...., there usualy is one.

[Treize69]

I wouldnt be the least bit surprised to find that a two seater is the surprise we dont know about...., there usualy is one.

Why, when theres already a two-seater that we do know about.

[Demetrious]

Balloon busting was very dangerous. Lots of gun emplacements and some sites had fighter patrols to support them during WWI.

The real danger was that the balloons, being at a known altitude, were defended by ack guns that had their fuses zeroed in for the proper altitude. Naturally this made the triple A about ten times as murderous, about as murderous as proximity-fused AA guns at the end of the Second World War would be. Every shell detonated roughly at the right altitude. In fact, Lanoe Hawker, ace and noted balloon buster, settled on a tactic of starting high, diving on the balloons, and then continuing his steep dive past them to clear the "hot zone" where the guns were zeroed in on as fast as possible.

Considering that his tactic required a steep dive, and that he flew Nieuports- who's lower wings had a tendency to part company with the fuselage in very steep prolonged dies- and you can appreciate how loco Hawker was.

EDIT: Or was it Frank Luke who was a noted balloon buster? I can't recall. Luke flew Spads IIRC, and diving in a Spad is quite safe.

[Simba]

'Dive, fire and extend' was a favoured balloon-busting tactic - but not one employed by Lanoe Hawker. He was no balloon-buster but flew almost every other type of mission: first with No.6 Squadron RFC, when his actions of 25th July 1915 and previously were recognised by the award of the Victoria Cross; later, as CO of No.24 Squadron, he led the RFC's first squadron mounted entirely on a single type of single-engined 'scout', the DH2 'pusher'.

Balloon-busting in the ol' Dawn of Aces attracted 'Archie' [WWI British slang for AAA) to those of us who tried it like wasps to jam, I recall. Here's hoping HT and Co's latest efforts provide a WWI sim that's as much fun as that one was in its 2.75 incarnation and includes at least all the aircraft types we flew way back then at the turn of the millenium, especially my favourite SE5a and the SPAD S.13. Oh yes, they could dive alright . . .

Here's to the next man to die - cheers!