Mediterranean Planeset

[Sikboy]

I'd like to start by restating the party line:
Thank you HTC for a wonderful product. I love the planes that we have, and I love the planes that we are getting. I have no complaints about FM or the planeset.

OK, with that out of the way... WTF is up with the Spit Modeling!?!?! Just kidding. No, what I was really wondering about was: Mediterranean planeset.

I have very little knowledge of this theater of war, and I was wondering what it would take to really get this done at a minimum. I mean, what do we have that works, what would be nice to get, and what would really make it solid.

I got to thinking about this thanks to the Fairy Swordfish and the rantings of the biplane guy. This got me to thinking about all the anti-shipping operations that took place in the Med. The attack on Toronto Harbor, the Axis resupply of N. Africa. The Battle of and around Malta... Seems like some pretty ripe battles to Explore.
anyhow, not this week, not this year, but in the future, what do you think would be a good Mediterranean setup? It would be helpful if you included three catagories.
1. Minimum (look at our current BoB planeset for guidence)
2. Pretty Cool (at least one plane for each function from each country, with a minimum of substitutions)
3. Badass (Everything you would want, no holds barred)

-Sikboy

[gatt]

IMHO, the Med theatre is one of the most interesting of the whole war. I mean: the whole 1940-43 North African air war, the air battle over Malta, the air attacks against supply convoys (from Gibraltar and Alexandria to Malta and from Sicily-South Italy to Lybia), the invasion of Sicily. Is it enuff? About the plane set, some initial thoughts:

Spitfire I-II-V (we have, even if the real ones had Vokes filter and were quite a bit slower)
Spitfire IX (we have)
Hurricane IIC-IID (we have)
Blenheim (we need a light RAF bomber)
P-40 (incoming)
C.202 (we have)
C.200 (we need it)
C.205 (we have)
SM79 (we need it, SUPERFLY!)
109E-4 (we have)
109F-4 (we have)
109G-2 (we have)
109G-6 (we have)
110-C4 (we have)
Ju87 (we need it!)
Ju88 (we have)
B-25 (we can use the B-26)
P-38 (we need earlier variants)
P-47 (we need earlier variants)
P-51 (we have it)
B-17 (we need earlier variants)

Our planeset is not so bad after all ...

[Wotan]

p51a
a36
wellington

[brady]

The SM 79 is not what we nead, I realy do not get why eveybody seams to want it, the Cant Z 1007 was a WAY better buff and in service during the whole time the Italians were at war in WW2 It would be a great adation, why pick a bomber that is less survivable and has less of a bombload?

    We nead a CR 42 bellybutton well, and a MC 200, and a Re 2000 series plane or too:)

[Dr Zhivago]

Fairey Swordfish is missing from list...
"When British naval intelligence determined that a large number of Italian warships lay at anchor in Taranto harbor in November 1940, an attack was organized, to be carried out by 21 single-engine carrier-based biplanes. The operation was a huge success -- three battleships were severely damaged, a cruiser and two destroyers were hit, and two other vessels were sunk. In the space of one hour the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean had been altered forever."

And Me 323 would be cool transport plane to LW

[cajun]

Originally posted by Sikboy
I got to thinking about this thanks to the Fairy Swordfish and the rantings of the biplane guy.

-Sikboy itutions)

Biplane guy? Who might that be ?


...oh yeah almost forgot, add Fairey Swordfish and Gladiator

[Sikboy]

An interesting note on the Swordfish...

It seems to me that the success enjoyed by the Swordfish relied heavily on their being the only Aircraft around. I know that they were unopposed during the Bizmarck fight, does anyone know if there was any fighter opposition during Taranto? I have a feeling that the Swordfish might get blown out in AH, since there isn't much opportunity for surprise attacks. It's very nice to see that our current planeset is fairly well stocked though

-Sikboy

[Vermillion]

The Boston (don't forget it, its the level bombing version of the A20G we're getting) was I believe used quite a bit in the Med, and fills the same role as the Blenheim.

[straffo]

Originally posted by gatt

Blenheim (we need a light RAF bomber)

// naughty mode on

I though the Typhoon was well suited for this role G,D,R

[Vermillion]

No Straffo your mistaken

It wasn't the Blenheim, it was the Beaufighter

[Staga]

In Francis Mason's book about Hurricane is a funny story of He-111 destroying dozen British fighters on their rear base in Africa. After 10,5 hours flight while heading back to home from bomb raid they had to land in the desert 'cause lack of fuel.
Week later Ju-52 brought some gas to them so plane could be saved

[K West]

a. No  P-51A in Afrika (afaik)
 b. The P-39 was used heavily.
 c.  Beaufighter.
 d. STUKA!
 e. HS-129 ground attack
 f. DO-17

 Westy

[SKurj]

Brady... does that CANT carry torps?

SM79 carried 2 i believe... would give it multiple roles


SKurj

[cajun]

Originally posted by Sikboy
An interesting note on the Swordfish...

It seems to me that the success enjoyed by the Swordfish relied heavily on their being the only Aircraft around. I know that they were unopposed during the Bizmarck fight, does anyone know if there was any fighter opposition during Taranto? I have a feeling that the Swordfish might get blown out in AH, since there isn't much opportunity for surprise attacks. It's very nice to see that our current planeset is fairly well stocked though

-Sikboy

...I can see your point, but thats why they gotta add Sea Gladiator to fly escourt

PS QUOTE:I got to thinking about this thanks to the Fairy Swordfish and the rantings of the biplane guy.

I didnt think I was "ranting" but I cant help it... I've been waiting long time for htc to add them I know we'll prolly get a few sooner or later I just cant wait!  Maybe the val will hold me untill we get an hs-123 or Swordfish:)

[RRAM]

Originally posted by Sikboy
An interesting note on the Swordfish...

It seems to me that the success enjoyed by the Swordfish relied heavily on their being the only Aircraft around. I know that they were unopposed during the Bizmarck fight, does anyone know if there was any fighter opposition during Taranto? I have a feeling that the Swordfish might get blown out in AH, since there isn't much opportunity for surprise attacks. It's very nice to see that our current planeset is fairly well stocked though

-Sikboy

Swordfish earned magnific reputation because it was a stable and capable plane able to fly in the most adverse conditions imaginable. However, as a torpedo bomber against credible opposition, it stood no chance.

The highlights of the Fairey Swordfishes were.....


1- torpedoing of the "bismarck"... happened because

a) swordfishes flew off the Victorious and Ark Royal in the worse of the sea states...which says quite a lot about their ability as carrier planes

b) Bismarck had no air cover.

c) 50% of bismarck 4.1in AA was misguided by a POS fire director



2- The Taranto attack...that success happened because

a) was a night ,unexpected raid. No oposition met from enemy aircraft

b) Italian Plugliese TDS (torpedo defence system) was full of toejam, one 18' torpedo being able to make severe damage to 35k ton ships.

THose were hte highlights on the Swordfish career, but you must note there was no air opposition at all during those actions... The first time the Swordfishes had to attack a target covered by enemy air oposition (Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen, during the channel Dash in February 1942), they were butchered and wiped out of the skies, plain and simple.


In fact the Swordfish was way more important during WWII as CVE planes than what they were in those two actions. They gave a magnific service against U-boats on the battle of the Atlantic, being able to fly off the tiny carrier's decks on the most extreme circunstances.


But they were dogmeat for enemy fighters, plain and simple.