Dear friends,

Today we have published a new update, version 5.506. A new historical campaign has been released - more about it below, as well as a number of fixes and improvements to the game:

Update 5.506

1. Added new payware historical campaign Iron Wind for the Battle for Stalingrad module telling the story of a Soviet fighter pilot flying one of the first La-5 series 8 aircraft;
   
2. Bf 109 F-4: fixed the issue of lack of ammunition in some combinations of prohibited and allowed modifications in Pilot's Career mode;
   
3. Bf 109 F-4: engine modification with increased engine time in emergency mode is available since 1942, accordingly changed modification name and fixed availability of modification in career mode for player and AI pilots;
   
4. AllowSpectators option for a dedicated server has been split into two independent options AllowExtCamPlayer and AllowExtCamSpectator: the first one works similarly to the old one, while the second one allows only the spectators to use free camera and external views;
   
5. Added a single mission scenario for the Spitfire Mk. IXc;
   
6. Updated the campaigns Gestapo Hunters (1st mission), Hell Hawks over the Bulge (16th mission) and Lightning Strikes (all missions);
   
7. Reduced the difficulty level in the 11th mission of the Ice Ring campaign;
   
8. Added Spanish translation of the “Gestapo Hunters” campaign thanks to EN69_Cananas;
   
9. WWII Career mode: added new patrol mission subtype Frontline Patrol;
   
10. WWII Career mode: added new patrol mission subtype Bomber area patrol;
    
11. USSR and Allies Career mode: added new patrol mission subtype Top cover;
    
12. Career mode: fixed an error when a train with anti-aircraft flatcars did not activate;
    
13. Career mode: fixed an issue with transport planes flying into mountains in transport interception missions;
    
14. Gleaves class destroyers main guns' ammunition has been corrected according to historical sources: 330 HE + 30 AP rounds per gun;
    
15. Fixed LCI ship damage model (it was nearly impossible to destroy).

The main feature of the new historical campaign Iron Wind is a detailed reconstruction of the most important events of the Battle of Stalingrad, not previously covered in the campaigns Blazing Steppe and Fortress on the Volga set in the same theater of war.



By the end of the summer of 1942, the balance on the Eastern Front had shifted back in favor of Nazi Germany and its allies. After inflicting several heavy defeats on the Red Army, the enemy advanced rapidly in an attempt to break through to the Caucasian oil fields and Stalingrad. On August 23, the forward troops of the XIV Panzer Corps of the 6th Field Army of Army Group "B" reached the northern outskirts of the city. A massive bombardment of Stalingrad began, while the German 4th Panzer Army fought its way from the southwest, smashing the defenses. The city seemed lost.

On August 19, the 287th Fighter Aviation Division arrived at the Stalingrad Front to join the 8th Air Army and arrange the repeated military tests of the newest La-5 fighters. As a senior pilot and then as a flight commander of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment, you will take part in the most intense and dramatic episodes of the defense of the city. The pilots of the 287th Aviation Division had to do battle with superior enemy forces from the very beginning in order pass the most difficult stage of the battle of Stalingrad with honor.

Timeframe: August 24th – October 28th, 1942
Unit: 27th IAP of 287th IAD
Available aircraft: La-5 series 8
Duration: 15 missions
Average playtime: 8 hours
Author: Alexander =BlackSix= Timoshkov




The story is based on the most up-to-date research and archives data and can be divided into three large parts. The beginning of the story centers around the Soviet command's first attempts to stop the enemy's breakthrough to the Volga River and repulse the devastating Luftwaffe bomber raids on Stalingrad in late August that razed the city to the ground.




The middle of the campaign is focused on the first German assault on the city during early Fall. Numerous air battles with Romanian I.A.R. 80-A and 80-B fighters are waiting for you: their massed use at the Stalingrad front started just at this time.




Then the story will move to October 1942. Having been promoted to the rank and the long-awaited position of a flight commander, you will take part in the decisive battles that unfolded during the third and final assault on Stalingrad launched by the enemy. The total lack of aircraft in the VVS regiments and the dominance of Luftwaffe in the air became a real test for Soviet pilots.


The campaign is available with a 15% OFF release discount:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3398320/

The campaign requires the Battle of Stalingrad module and La-5 series 8 Collectors Plane (it is included in the Battle of Stalingrad Premium Edition on our website and the Battle of Stalingrad Deluxe bundle on Steam).



We are also pleased to remind you that the previously announced online 1 vs 1 duel tournament begins this Saturday, February 15th. We invite all participants to reply to the e-mail sent to them if you haven't already done so.

Communication during the tournament will be conducted on the official IL-2 TeamSpeak server (please install this utility in advance if you haven't used it before):
address: 65.108.206.8
password: il2series

After receiving confirmations from the participants, we will form duel pairs randomly and publish the preliminary order of fights for Saturday.

Dear friends,

Today we have published another update 5.505. It brings a new interesting campaign which is somewhat unique - more about it below, and there are also improvements and fixes as usual. Here's the update changelist:

Update 5.505

1. The Gestapo Hunters scripted campaign has been released;
   
2. Bf 110 G-2, Bf 109 F-4, Bf 109 G-2: added the modification "1943 produced engine" with up to 3 minutes emergency mode time;
   
3. Bf 109 G-6 Late and Bf 109 G-6AS: emergency mode time increased to 3 minutes;
   
4. P-39L-1: "Engine V-1710-63 (1943)" modification was added reflecting improvements in the engine design that allowed to increase the emergency modes time (up to 5 minutes at 3000 rpm and 60 pressure);
   
5. Fixed a bug with APHE shells introduced in the previous patch (they could destroy a target without actually piercing its armor);
   
6. Career: fixed a bug in attack aircraft interception missions where the mission point was always placed in a same location if the player's airfield is located far from the front line;
   
7. Career: some of the transport planes in airborne operation interception missions won't be generated invulnerable;
   
8. Normandy Career: enemy units won't appear outside the artillery spotting grid;
   
9. Normandy Career: fixed a bug in artillery spotting missions where a route point was generated on the coast;
   
10. Normandy Career: re-generating ships in Mulberry harbor won't cause their balloons to collide;
    
11. Normandy Career: corrected AA fire density in the landing zone attack and bombardment missions;
    
12. Normandy Career: the player group won't attack a landing zone for too long in landing zone attack and bombardment missions;
    
13. Normandy Career: enemy attack aircraft won't head to the corner of the map in landing zone attack and bombardment missions;
    
14. Airco D.H.2: missing photo in the cockpit added;
    
15. Albatros D.3: missing photo in the cockpit added.

The new campaign Gestapo Hunters, as mentioned above, is a new experience: it is the first official campaign on the Mosquito fighter/bomber and has a voiced navigator! You won't be flying over occupied Europe alone. Let's go about it in detail.



Number 464 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force began service in England as an Article XV light bomber squadron equipped with American made Ventura bombers in December of 1942. The original cadre of the squadron was mostly composed of personnel from Australia and New Zealand, but due to attrition and combat losses, they were a mixed lot by the time they were re-equipped with the Mosquito Mk VI Fighter-Bomber in October of 1943. They executed day and night Intruder missions into France and the Netherlands where they specialized in precision low level bombing attacks deep behind enemy lines. Due to their high speed, they usually flew without fighter escort and relied on their high speed to evade enemy interception. They soon earned the informal nickname 'The Gestapo Hunters' due to their frequent attacks on SS occupied headquarters locations.

In this campaign you and your navigator will fly a mix of precision daylight bombing and night intruder missions. You will fly in formation on larger operations, but you will be on your own for some of the missions, as the pilots soon discovered that it was difficult at best to stay close to their companions in the dark of night. 464 Squadron’s tactics evolved as the Allied invasion of occupied France neared, and you will experience this first hand on D-Day and beyond.

The Mosquito MkVI fighter-bomber was a 2-place airplane, and the pilot and navigator worked closely together to complete the mission assignments. To depict this interaction, audio tracks for the navigator have been included providing voice prompts and directions during flight. These were recorded by Phil "Philthy" Vabre and we thank him for his contribution, which should add a note of authenticity that would not have otherwise been possible.

This is a historically based campaign depicting real events; however, the number of planes and the location of various targets have been altered to improve the player’s experience. The Mosquito was a long-range light bomber capable of flying to Berlin and back without drop tanks, so the 3 or 4 hour missions that were typically flown will be much shorter than they truly were. To improve your perception, it is recommended that you turn off the ambient light in your flying space during the night intruder missions unless you are using VR.

Timeframe: January through July, 1944
Unit: RAAF No. 464 Squadron, 140 Wing, RAF
Aircraft: Mosquito FB Mk VI
Duration: 12 Missions
Average Playtime: 15 Hours
Author: James =Jaegermeister= Yarbrough

This Campaign requires Battle of Normandy to play.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3398310/

And we're glad to announce that the winter sale has started on our website il2sturmovik.com! Take advantage of the huge discounts some of which are the biggest ever to this day - for instance, Battle of Normandy is 75% OFF! Get ready for the holidays in style!

Hey everyone! Flying Circus Volume IV is now available for purchase on Steam and is currently discounted by 20% through December 4

1. An air drag calculation error of damaged aerodynamic elements of WWI airplanes has been fixed (it made the airplanes with damaged surfaces fly faster instead of slower);
   
2. There were some reports that improved AAA gunners skill sometimes resulted in killing players in one shot so this change was toned down (AAA skill is low on Enemy Inferiority career setting as it was before the 5.504 update, low or medium on Parity setting and medium on Enemy Superiority setting).
   
3. Parts of the both Strutters and Nieuport 11 no longer should disappear at a distance when damaged;
   
4. Fokker EIII motor canopy has polishing effect, cockpit clock is working;
   
5. Halberstadt D.II anemometer corrected;
   
6. Racing multiplayer mission on Yak-9s added to Multiplayer\Cooperative folder (you can create a server with this mission in the game, Multiplayer - Create Server - Cooperative - select the mission);
   
7. Minor text corrections.

Dear Friends,

We're glad to report that Flying Circus Vol.IV is scheduled to be released next week.






The team working on the Odessa map for the next Great Battles module is also making good progress - more and more settlements are being recreated. On these WIP screenshots, you can see the cities and towns in the area in 1941: Kotovsk, Rybnitsa, Chisinau, Grigoriopol, and Jassy.






And here are the first in-game shots (WIP since the cockpit is not ready yet) of the aircraft many have been waiting for - the I-153 Chaika, which will be included in the same module.

Dear friends,

Today we would like to show you new screenshots of the new module in development. It is planned to include two maps instead of one, Odessa and Karelia, and a number of aircraft suitable for various operations.

On the Karelia map screenshots you can see the port of Kotka and the islands where the two main airfields of the Soviet Baltic Fleet Air Force (VVS KBF) were located: Lavansaari (asphalt airfield) and Seiskari (grass airfield).







Kotka was one of the most bombed places in Finland because it was an important military port for the German Kriegsmarine and the main base for guarding, defending and repairing the sea minefields that trapped the Soviet Baltic Fleet in Leningrad. As the pressure from the Soviet Navy and Air Force increased in 1943, Kotka was protected by about 30 Bf 109 G-2 Messerschmitt fighters bought from Germany and later by the infamous German cruiser Niobe, which was sunk by the Soviet Air Force in July 1944.




Here's a short video made by the Finnish team KarttaKomppania that is developing the map - it shows an air raid over Kotka Harbor.



Among the new aircraft is the Yak-3 series 9 fighter. The artists are currently working on its textures and cockpit.




The Odessa map covers almost all of modern Moldova and small parts of Ukraine and Romania. Since our May Dev Blog about this map, more than 200 medium and small settlements have been added, the transportation network including all roads, railways and their corresponding bridges is finished. We're currently working on the terrain textures and rebuilding the airfields on the map as historically accurate as possible. More than 100 small settlements in Moldova will be added as well.






In other news: we have updated our user agreement on the website - the Schedule No. 3 has been clarified.

Dear Friends,

We would like to let you know that the development of Flying Circus Vol.IV is nearing its end. All of its planes will be released simultaneously in one big update that will be released soon - it is currently in the beta testing phase.

It will bring seven new planes: Airco D.H.2, Albatros D.III, Fokker E.III Eindecker, Roland C.IIa and Sopwith ones - Pup, 1½ Strutter and single-seat Scout 1½ Strutter (Strutter B). In addition to these new aircraft, there are extensive changes to the Western Front WWI map - unlike the new aircraft, these changes will be available to owners of any Flying Circus module. Dozens of new settlements, factories, and airfields are being added, including Paris.




The early World War I Airco D.H.2 and Fokker E.III did not even have a throttle (to reduce engine speed, the pilot had to hold down an ignition switch called a blip switch). In addition, the Airco had a pusher propeller instead of the usual puller propeller to allow forward firing - at the time, this technical task prompted exotic solutions, such as attaching metal deflector wedges to the propeller blades so that projectiles hitting the blades would ricochet. Needless to say, this was a dangerous arrangement that tended to damage the propeller anyway. Sir Geoffrey de Havilland used the development of the "pusher" propeller concept for Airco, where the propeller is located behind the pilot, to get around this problem and make forward firing unobstructed.

After the capture of a French aircraft equipped with metal deflector wedges attached to the propeller blades, Anthony Fokker chose an alternative approach to the problem by creating a gear assembly that connected the shaft of the engine to the trigger of the machine gun. Bullets would be fired only after the propeller blade had cleared the front of the machine gun muzzle and during the gap left as each blade moved in turn around the spinner. Thanks to this invention, the Fokker E.III, the legendary monoplane, was equipped with a synchronizer mechanism, a revolutionary innovation that changed the face of air combat: it was now possible to fire a machine gun through a rotating propeller without damaging it.

This device drastically improved the performance of aircraft in the fighter role: German aircraft dominated the skies until early 1916. This period was known as the "Fokker Scourge." At the same time, biplanes did not have ailerons - roll control was achieved by physically deforming the entire surface of the wings ("wing warping"). This unreliable and ineffective function was replaced by ailerons in later designs.

These exotic features make flying one of them a unique experience even for a seasoned virtual pilot.




Other planes in the list are much more like the planes we are used to - aircraft innovation happened really fast in this era. They are interesting in their own way. For example, the high production rate of the Albatros D.III (1346 built in total) resulted in numerical superiority for German aviation in April 1917, known as the "Bloody April", and its flight characteristics allowed it to remain in frontline service until the fall of 1918 - a very long time for an era when a new design could change the situation in the air very quickly.

The ambition of engineer Tantzen, who designed the Roland C.II, was to present a drastically cleaned-up airframe, eliminating as much as possible the "built-in" drag of the inter-plane, center section strut arrangements, and associated bracing. The streamlined fuselage design and thin wing profile resulted in great performance for its time. It was one of the fastest planes at the front, able to outrun any enemy fighter, but due to its wide oval fuselage and aft pilot position, it was a very unforgiving plane to land: very few pilots who flew this plane did not crash or damage it during landing. Because of its performance, it was often used as a strategic reconnaissance aircraft, capable of flying deep into enemy territory - Allied aircraft couldn't catch it. Later, when the Allies introduced faster fighters, the Rolands were used in close support and reconnaissance roles and were slowly withdrawn from front-line units by June 1917.

The Sopwith 1½ Strutter took its name from the arrangement of the center section of the upper wing - "one and a half" (long and short) pairs of struts supporting the upper wing. It was the first true two-seater fighter to enter service and, in fact, the first British aircraft armed with a synchronized machine gun. The B variant did not have an observer and turret-mounted machine gun - four 65 lb H.E.R.L. bombs were carried in the second cockpit and dropped through the opening below.

The Sopwith Pup was officially designated the 'Sopwith Scout', but soon became nicknamed the 'Pup' due to its similarity to the 1½ Strutter (but with smaller proportions). The Pup nickname was never officially recognized, but it started the tradition of naming all later Sopwith aircraft after a bird or animal. Manfred von Richthofen, after encountering the Pup in combat, remarked, "We saw at once that the enemy plane was superior to ours." The excellent combination of the Pup's light weight and large wing area allowed British pilots to outperform the enemy in dogfights. British ace James McCudden remarked, "It was so extremely light and well surfaced that with a little practice, you could almost land it on a tennis court." As a result, the Pup became the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship, HMS Furious, on August 2, 1917.

In addition to the WWI additions and improvements, there will be a lot of other changes from the career mode including new mission types to the correction of certain aircraft such as the Tempest. We hope to release the new huge update as soon as possible, in a few weeks - please stay tuned!

This small patch corrects Ta 152 attitude indicator (artificial horizon) and restores the advanced quick missions functionality for ground vehicles on Prokhorovka map.

Dear friends,

We're glad to present you with another update of the sim - 5.204. It brings the new Collector Plane, the very late war Ta 152 H-1. This unique machine was a pinnacle of German piston engine technology of its time, designed to be able to engage Allied bomber formations at very high altitudes and prevail over Mustangs and Spitfires. You could say it was over-engineered with its three-stage (!) supercharger and two simultaneous boost systems (MW-50 water-methanol for altitudes up to 10 km and GM-1 nitrous oxide for 11+ km). Yes, this is not a typo - this piston-engine aircraft could not only climb above the modern airliners (its ceiling was 13 km), but also be able to dogfight there.

Like most late-war German war machines, there were too few of them to make a difference. By the spring of 1945, when it was too late to intercept Allied bomber formations - Allied ground forces were advancing into the Reich from both the east and the west - only about two dozen aircraft were combat-ready. The few planes were used in the usual fighter roles and, ironically, much closer to the ground than they were built for - covering the takeoffs and landings of the new jet-powered aircraft (see below). This is similar to the story of the Allied P-47 Thunderbolts, which were designed for high-altitude combat and had special systems for it, but ended up spending a good part of their flying time close to the ground because they proved to be the best ground attack fighters of the US Air Army Air Forces. The Ta 152 Pilot's Career mode is only available on the Rhineland map (I./JG 11 since March 1st, 1945), but for player convenience, it is also available in the Scenario Quick Mission (AQM) mode on the Normandy map, and of course on every map in the game in simple Quick Missions.

There is a new mission type available for the late war German Career Mode - Jet Airfield Cover, where you should prevent the Allied fighters from shooting down jet aircraft near the airfields where they were stationed. New jet aircraft such as the Me 262 and the Arado 234 were hunted by the Allies when they were most vulnerable - during takeoff, when their speed was still low, or during landing, when their speed was already low. One such episode is shown in our promo video.



The Jet Airfield Cover mission type is available not only to Ta 152, but also the Fw 190 D-9 and several Bf 109 squadrons that were flying it historically.

Another important change is the increase of the maximum amount of buttons and axes on a controller from 64 to 128 - modern joystick and throttle combinations could exceed the old limit when connected to one another. This shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Last but not least - please check out the new section on our website, Museum. We have been preparing it for some time, here you can find the historical information about the aircraft and ground vehicles modeled in our sim.

5.204 Change Log:

1. Ta 152 H-1 Collector Plane has been released;
   
2. Maximum number of active buttons increased from 64 to 128 buttons per device;
   
3. Rhineland Career: a new Jet Airfield Cover mission type is available for Fw 190 D-9, Ta 152 and some
4. Bf 109 squadrons (I./JG 27, III./JG 27, IV./JG 27, II./JG 54, I./JG 26, I./JG 27, I./JG 11, II./JG 26, III./JG 26);
   
5. Bf 109 E-7: Romanian Air Force color scheme added;
   
6. Fixed a problem with assigning a command to the 64th button of a controller. Please note that
7. previously added command assignments to this key will need to be reassigned;
   
8. Career and AQM: Fixed landing at High Halden airfield from east to west;
   
9. Career and AQM: fixed taxiing at Dortmund airfield;
   
10. Kuban Career: fixed action point generation at wrong coordinates (a corner of the map);
    
11. Stalingrad Career: removed missions of gunboat artillery spotting in winter;
    
12. Career: fixed a bug where cover fighters mentioned in the mission briefing failed to arrive;
    
13. Career: fixed a bug in Bomb Artillery Position missions when the attacking planes failed to drop the bombs;
    
14. Fixed a randomly occurring bug with technochat being disabled in multiplayer when one of the players logs out of the server;
    
15. Improved MK 108 cannon firing sound on external views.

Dear Friends,

Today we'd like to start this dev blog in an unusual way - with a retrospective. Over the years of work on IL-2 Great Battles we have created many aircraft, and for each of them we could write a whole article about how we searched for information, solved contradictions in documentation and drawings, built a visual model and designed a physical model and FM. But sometimes you can just show it - as they say, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.






With studio-quality lighting, rather than a real-time renderer, you can really see how much work and love went into recreating each of our aircraft. The Hawker Hurricane Mk.II, a collector's aircraft we built three and a half years ago, is still a model of excellence in both visual modeling and physical model perfection.






As for the latest news, the new update 5.204 will be released soon, in two weeks; its testing is almost finished. It will include the new Ta 152 H-1 Collector Plane from the end of the war, which we described in detail in Dev Blog #358, as well as a number of important improvements and changes.

Modern controllers have many buttons and encoders, and their total number may exceed the limit of 64 buttons or axes if multiple devices are connected at the same time. Therefore, to support such configurations, the maximum number of buttons supported by the game will be increased to 128.

Several bugs in the career mode will also be fixed, such as friendly aircraft attacking the player group, and a new type of combat sortie will be added for the Luftwaffe on the Western Front - covering the takeoff and landing of the jet aircraft. Since Allied piston fighters usually could not catch up with them in the air, they used the tactic of shooting them down on takeoff when they had not yet gained much speed, or on landing when they had already dropped it. To protect the jet-powered Me 262s and Ar 234s from such attacks, they were covered near the airfield by German piston fighters, including Ta 152s.