The Channel Dash

[Oldman731]

This week's setup is brought to us by 1LtCAP, and features some unusual twists:


FEBRUARY 11-13, 1942
The Channel Dash (see map above and
history below)

AXIS (Knights)
Bf-109F (carrier and land based)
FW-190A5 (land based only)
Bf-110C4 (land based only)
Ju-87 (carrier and land based)
Ju-88 (land based only)
PT (E-boat sub)


ALLIES (Bishops)
Spitfire V
F4F Martlet
TBM (torpedo and guns only)
PT (MTB sub)


SPECIAL NOTES:
Both sides are limited to coastal base use.
Carriers are not player-commanded.
Carriers have no mannable 5", no puffy ack.
Carrier light ack is .25 (one-fourth MA standard).
Southwest winds, gradually shifting west with altitude.
Use Channel 200 for cross-country,
  Channel 123 for side-only communications.
Fog is set at 6 miles.
Traditional AvA bombsight (must be calibrated).
Radar settings as follows:
   Tower 105,600 (feet)
   Sector 237,600
Fuel is 1.0 burn rate.
Friendly mid-airs are off.
Killshooter is on.

HISTORY:
The Brest Squadron (Vice-Adm Ciliax) with "Scharnhorst",
"Gneisenau" and "Prinz Eugen", heavily escorted by air and
other naval forces, left late on the 11th for Germany in
Operation 'Cerberus'. The aim was to pass through the Strait
of Dover around noon the next day. A number of problems
conspired to prevent the RAF standing patrols detecting their
departure. The first intimation of the breakout came with a
RAF report around 10.45 on the 12th as the German force
steamed towards Boulogne. This left little time for attacks
to be mounted. Soon after midday the first was made by five
motor torpedo boats from Dover and six Swordfish torpedo-
bombers of 825 Squadron (Lt-Cdr Esmonde), but no hits
were made. All Swordfish were shot down. Lt-Cdr Eugene
Esmonde was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
From then on, events moved swiftly. At 14.30 off the Scheldt,
"Scharnhorst" was slightly damaged by a mine. An hour later,
 torpedo attacks by six destroyers from Harwich were
unsuccessful. Twenty minutes later a heavy attack by the
RAF failed. The German ships carried on and in the early
evening off the Dutch Frisian Islands, first "Gneisenau" and
then "Scharnhorst" (for the second time) hit mines. Both
were damaged, but together with "Prinz Eugen" reached
German ports in the early hours of the 13th. The escape
was an embarrassment for the British Government, but a
tactical victory for the German Navy was also a strategic
gain for the Royal Navy. The Brest Squadron no longer
directly threatened the Atlantic convoy routes, both battle
cruisers were damaged and ten days later "Prinz Eugen" was
badly damaged. Two weeks later "Gneisenau" was damaged
even more in a RAF raid on Kiel and never went to sea again.
A start was made on repair but in early 1943 she was laid up.

[Mister Fork]

  my 109 Frank-in-ferter!  Woo hoo!

[CAP1]

could someone check, and make sure the puffy is off on the cities along the english coast also please? if it's not, can it be turned off?


thanks!!!

[Mister Fork]

Can't be turned off unfortunately but the strength should be waaaay down.

[CAP1]

Can't be turned off unfortunately but the strength should be waaaay down.

close enough. i just wanted it off, because it gets annoying to all of us when we're in a good fight, and then that dam auto ack scores a lucky hit, generally when you're about to finish off a con.....and you wake up in the tower.

 thank ya sir!!

[tmetal]

Ju-87s off of carriers? I will be there. I found that the 3 bomb load out and 75% fuel with 2-3 notches of flaps is about the max you can get a stuka off a CV with, but that is starting back at the capture wires and not at the normal spawn area when upping off a CV

[CAP1]

Ju-87s off of carriers? I will be there. I found that the 3 bomb load out and 75% fuel with 2-3 notches of flaps is about the max you can get a stuka off a CV with, but that is starting back at the capture wires and not at the normal spawn area when upping off a CV

woohoo!!! i KNEW someone'd fly them off of the cv!!   now to see screenies of a ju87 dogfighting a tbm!! 

[tmetal]

woohoo!!! i KNEW someone'd fly them off of the cv!!   now to see screenies of a ju87 dogfighting a tbm!! 

I'm gonna have to do some toying with what load out works with only half a flight deck to use for taking off. All my experience with stukas and CVs is in the MA. No wind and no spawn ability on the carrier but can land, rearm, and take off again no sweat. Fuel burn rate is 1 so I wont need the 75% fuel load. hmmmmm...... 

[CAP1]

I'm gonna have to do some toying with what load out works with only half a flight deck to use for taking off. All my experience with stukas and CVs is in the MA. No wind and no spawn ability on the carrier but can land, rearm, and take off again no sweat. Fuel burn rate is 1 so I wont need the 75% fuel load. hmmmmm...... 

hhmm//////this may be a mistake i made. i've requested the staffers to put the cv's on auto pilot, so they stay within the battle range. we have a 15kt wind coming out of the southwest.........that would probably help with launching them....

 also, fuel burn is 1.0 i believe.....so less fuel will last you longer than you're used to in the other arenas...you may be able to launch and complete your missions with less then half fuel.

 keep me informed....i want this to be flyable, and fun. 

[tmetal]

If the map is up tonight, I will figure it out and let you know cap. I forsee at least a few watery deaths instore for me in the near future, but hey; at least I will get a good look at the bottom of the CV as it passes over me.   

[CAP1]

If the map is up tonight, I will figure it out and let you know cap. I forsee at least a few watery deaths instore for me in the near future, but hey; at least I will get a good look at the bottom of the CV as it passes over me.   

 just be careful not to get caught in the propwash.......

[CAP1]

tn..........with 75% fuel, and 3 eggs....from the spawn on the cv..........hold the brakes, 10 degrees flaps(1 notch), throttle to full. the tail'll lift off the deck.....let her roll, keeping her straight......just as you're about to go off the end of the deck, hit 2nd notch(20 deg.), and stay smooth, and easy movements.
 i just did it. 

[tmetal]

yeah cap I saw about the same results going into the wind. Into the wind you can fly the big bomb with 50% fuel pretty easy. With the wind at your back I couldn't get the big bomb into the air and had to use 25% fuel and 3 notches of flaps for the 3 bomb loadout. I did get into the air once with the 3 bomb load and 50% fuel with the wind at my back but couldn't replicate it a second time. 25% fuel on the 3 bomb loadout is enough to climb to about 8k feet get to the target and get back to a CV with a little to spare, but it doesn't give much insurance against fuel leaks or fighting you way home. 75% fuel can be done under the right circumstances but is more fuel than you'll need unless you plan to climb really high.

[CAP1]

yeah cap I saw about the same results going into the wind. Into the wind you can fly the big bomb with 50% fuel pretty easy. With the wind at your back I couldn't get the big bomb into the air and had to use 25% fuel and 3 notches of flaps for the 3 bomb loadout. I did get into the air once with the 3 bomb load and 50% fuel with the wind at my back but couldn't replicate it a second time. 25% fuel on the 3 bomb loadout is enough to climb to about 8k feet get to the target and get back to a CV with a little to spare, but it doesn't give much insurance against fuel leaks or fighting you way home. 75% fuel can be done under the right circumstances but is more fuel than you'll need unless you plan to climb really high.

you might be surprised how far 50% gets ya.

 i didn't try taking off with the MOB, but rather the 3 bomb load. used 75%. did it offline, with no wind at all, then crazy8s challenged me to do it, so i did.......2x. i didn't note the heading of the cv when did though.

[Plawranc]

Just in time for my midterm break

A spit 5 map