I began reading Adolf Galland's 'The first and the last' (Die Ersten und die Letzten, Münich, 1953). From the first pages I discover an extremely dense literature, abounding in first-hand knowledge about the policy and war-planning in the Luftwaffe Command, impartial judgments on the mistakes made by Hitler and Göring in waging the war against Britain.
I used my pencil to underline a few notable statements:
It is true to say that the first kill can influence the whole future career of a fighter pilot. Many to whom the first victory over the opponent has been long denied, either by unfortunate circumstances or by bad luck, can suffer from frustration or develop complexes they may never rid themselves of again.
The ME-109 was at the time the best fighter plane in the world. It was not only superior to all enemy types between 1935 and 1940, but was also a pioneer and prototype for international fighter construction. The ME-109 did not result from demands made by aerial warfare. On the contrary, it was a gift from the ingenious designer Messerschmitt, which was at first looked upon with great distrust and was nearly turned down altogether. It was put into mass production far too late. Had this stage been reached during the first two years of the war, it would have given the Germans absolute supremacy in the air.
The German fighters found themselves in a similar predicament to a dog on a chain who wants to attack the foe, but cannot harm him, because of the limitation of his chain. (talking about the Battle of Britain)
The first rule of all air combat is to see the opponent first. Like the hunter who stalks his prey and maneuvers himself unnoticed into the most favorable position for the kill, the fighter in the opening of a dogfight must detect the opponent as early as possible, in order to attain a superior position for the attack.
One year of intense training has already passed since I joined Joint-Ops Virtual Combat Schools. I learned a lot, using IL-2 Sturmovik 1946, both about fighters and bombers (with propellers and jet-engines), but now I fully understand that this is just the beginning and there are lots of things to be learned and discovered. Therefore, I estimate that the minimum period in a simmulator pilot's training should be at least 3 years.
Since first flying in IL-2, I found that some friends of mine started to think that I, somehow, lost my mind and that I could have done other 'practical' things than flying a sim. Even my wife thinks that I spent too much money on rudders, joysticks, sim games etc. I can only tell them it's a hobby of mine, because it's hard to explain the beauty of flying to someone that has never tried it before and doesn't intend to, at least in the near future. How can one explain, for instance, the feeling of admiring the clouds? You can't do that by mere words, something like that needs to be lived. Some things in this world cannot be understood except through direct experience...
And, again, I have serious doubts about the un-practical character of sim-flying. Just as an example, the world's major powers, starting with the USA, have already innitiated training sim pilots for their UAV programs (see General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, IAI Heron, IAI Heitan, RQ Global Hawk etc.).
And the UAV history has just begun...
Yesterday I graduated JO's IBS (Introductory Bomber School). In our final exam, we had to fly three missions. The first mission was a coop, in a four-bomber formation, with human escort. The second - torpedoing a ship, shooting at barrage balloons and landing with one engine. The third mission was about bombing a target from 3000 m. All these three missions took about three hours and a half, but we had a lot of fun.
I found out that flying a bomber isn't boring at all. Forming up and keeping the formation is a lot harder than with fighters. Besides, gaining altitude with 1-2 tons of payload can be a real challenge, but thank God for the level stabilizer!
So we adjust our heading, according to the ADF indicator, we hit our level stabilizer keys, keep our eyes peeled for enemy fighters, we chatter like crazy (on TS3) and our laughters can be heard only on comms and by the gods...
In IL-2, if you try to view another multi-engine plane and it has at least one engine shut down (and feathered), all the engines seem to be shut down, as if it was gliding. I learned that this is a glitch in the game and today I submitted a request on the 1C Company forum (Daidalos Team discussions), maybe they can change that in the upcoming 4.11 patch...
And another photo with Ion Profir (He-111 H-3 pilot) and his observer - Eugen Teodoru, one of Romania's best bomber teams on the Eastern Front.
Two weeks ago, I started learning about bombers... And not about any bomber, but He-111.
My friend, Liviu, was a little bit disappointed by this news and he asked me why do I need to fly bombers, because, to him, air glory cannot come from anywhere else but from a fighter plane, not from a... bomber, and he was talking about bombers like one would talk about lepers.
I simply answered him that it couldn't hurt to learn more, even about bombers. And I have the patience to fly a bomber, because flying this plane will need tons of patience...
And I had another reason. I really love Ion Profir's (WW2 Romanian Top Bomber Pilot) book - 'Flying Solo in the Sky Above Stalingrad'.
In the JO Introductory Bomber School, we learn flying the He-111 H-6, which, besides bombs, can launch torpedoes. I like this plane very much, especially that feeling of flying a monster tank. Not to mention that take-offs and landings are a real challenge.
Flying a bomber can become boring, but when you approach your target, when you are attacked by enemy fighters or flak, your workload increases in a crazy manner (bombsight aiming, defending against enemy fighters, avoiding enemy AAA etc.), enough to make you old.
Ion Profir said that flying a bomber in formation isn't boring at all, because the pilot has to correct his position all the time, in relation with the other bombers, and he liked the bombers' slow dance, caused by the small variations in height, like they were all joining the same dance.
Above all, flying a bomber can teach you patience and resistance to meet all challenges (flying with one engine, flying with damaged aircraft, crash-landings etc).
Nothing seems impossible to a real bomber pilot, and I remember Ion Profir's unique way of dealing with attacking enemy fighters, i.e. flying towards them, like in a crazy ramming maneuvre, forcing the attackers to avoid collision and disengage.
Wikipedia says that 'Romania received 10 E-3s, 32 H-3s and 10 H-6s' from Germany.
Ion Profir only flew the H-3 variant, and, for a short period of time, the Me-110. From 22 July 1941 to 4 January 1943, cpt. av. Ion Profir fought in the 5th Bomber Group. From 1943 to June 1944 he flew with the 51st Night Fighter Squadron. He was awarded the Mihai Viteazul Order 3rd class and the Virtutea Aeronautica Order Knight class.
Here is one of the He-111 H-3 that cpt. av. Ion Profir flew (number 18):
Today I installed Ultr@Pack 3.0. Here is a video featuring IAR-81A vs. a I-16. I'm impressed with the sound of the guns and of the engine, as well as the quality of the scenery.
Great job, guys!
Finally, I have to chance to write again, after a long absence...
Yesterday, we had our final exam in Advanced Fighter School 1 at Joint-Ops Virtual Combat School.
My choice is a Romanian IAR-80 (1940), equipped with 4 FN (Browning) 7.62mm machine guns.
We have to apply what we have learned so far and stay alive. Before the fights, I already feel very tense and I need a smoke.
The first fight is me v. a P-51. The P-51 has an altitude advantage (2000 m). My only chance is to be extremely agressive and force the opponent in to a low altitude, low speed fight, with sudden changes of direction.
In the second fight, I have the altitude advantage (2000 m) over a P-47. My strategy is to use my IAR-80 in a combination of boom&zoom and gun bursts harassment, to force the P-47 down to the dirt. My chance comes when the P-47 stalls and loses altitude in the recovery process. I stick to him like glue and force him to take sudden defense maneuvers, with short gun bursts. Eventually, the P-47 stalls and falls into the sea... It's definitely my lucky day!
The third fight... The longest fight! My opponent has the same IAR-80, but he has a far greater experience than me and the altitude advantage (2000 m). My only chance is to be extremely agressive and impredictible (even for myself...). All the fights last 10 minutes and I intend to do my best to make his attack angles very difficult.
The fight starts and I find myself in a desperate defensive position from the very beginning. I feel like an angry rat trapped in a cage. My aircraft gets pounded almost every time we cross in some sort of flat scissors. But I'm lucky he only has got 4 FN 7.62 mm machine guns and I can last longer... After about 10 minutes I can feel my opponent's frustration of not having cannons and I manage to pull out a few gun solutions myself.
At the end, it's a draw, but I can't feel my hands and my feet. It's been terrible! I really need a nice, long cigarette.
The last fight! IAR-80 vs IAR-80 again. My enemy is a vast experience and I only have the altitude advantage (2000 m) and, as soon as I spot my enemy, I start diving from high above, burning a lot of energy and getting no gun solution. Later I get a lucky shot and the enemy plane starts smoking and I see debris coming towards me. In the flat scissors fight I lose the advantage again and my enemy scores a PK (pilot kill). My seat-back armor was not enough to keep me alive.
It's Sunday, so it's seminar at JO. This time, we learn about Nakajima Ki-84. Impressive and powerful! We fly our coop mission and I have the chance to be a Japanese pilot:
We have to defend our country against the American B-29's, escorted by P-51's. We take off
without looking back, just wishing to have the honor of sacrificing everything for the Land of the Rising Sun...
And the Sun embraces the Land in a foggy, warm farewell! Where are we going? Who are we fighting against?
I feel thirsty, but my soul is empty, I'm already a thirsty ghost behind this big and powerful Nakajima Homare powerplant. Blood-thirsty...
We see the enemy B-29's and we know they are extremely well armed, lethally dangerous.
But we don't care! We're here to kill and die. Nothing more.
I see them approaching, huge wingspan, tens of gun barrels, four engines roaring in agony and hope.
I fire at them, sometimes I miss and sometimes I hit them pretty hard. Only their flames
can lighten my rigid and tense eyes.
I dive aiming at another B-29, my bullets rip his fuselage and nearly hit one of my friendlies. But the friendly plane starts burning, badly hit by a nearby Hayate. He escaped my bullets to run into other friendly's.
Wrong time, wrong place!
My wingman warns me that a P-51 is at my six but my reaction comes too late, his tracers already pass through my fuselage and destroy my rudder controls...
I make a last attempt to fire at a B-29, but my AoA is too steep and I stall. Everything is over! No rudder, no escape.
My plane is spinning, in a last effort I try to open my cockpit, but the centrifugal force makes me want to puke.
I can still feel the large and blue sea opening its huge belly for me, like a marauding vortex...
Today is a great day... First class in JO Advanced Fighter Pilot 1! Finally, I have the chance to learn more about attack and defense-attack maneuvres. It will be a true marathon, because, after 3 hours of AFS1, I will attend another 3-hour class in JO Jets School.
As a principle, people who play Il-2 prefer propellers to jets, because, in the first place, Il-2 lets you go vintage and breathe the WW2 atmosphere. But, nevertheless, jet planes were a reality in WW2 and they represented the dawn of a new era in aerial warfare.
In Jets School, we focus mainly on 3 planes: He-162 (A-2) "Volksjäger", Me-262 "Schwalbe" and Ar-234 "Blitz". I'll post their photos here, to watch them from time to time, as if they were in a museum...
After a very busy week, I decided to spend this Sunday relaxing with Il-2 and Windows Movie Maker.
I continue my Romanian Campaign in Stalingrad, it's already the end of September 1942, and I'm still flying my Bf-109 E-4 B.
To my surprise, the weather condition is extremely poor, clouds everywhere, lightnings striking from place to place. When I get above 500 m, the shakes seem to lose their force, and I'm happy my airplane is still in one piece. I try to stick to the flight leader, but I find it more and more difficult, and I barely see him through this white soup.
Stalingrad campaign is a lot more difficult than Kuban, the weather condition worsens as the winter approaches and my Emil already feels a little bit obsolete, but, luckily, the Soviets still use Rata's and Il-2's in great numbers.
At the leader's sign, we dive down below, blinded by the watery fog and badly shaken by the storm in the air. We attack a few Il-2's and, although my gunnery skills seem long gone, I manage to down one for my own tally, after escaping friendly fire coming from my starboard wing, slightly behind... The Il-2 rear gunner never fired a shot, maybe he was already dead or even missing, I didn't pay much attention to that particular version of Il-2.
Before returning to homebase, I set an I-16 ablaze, I feel the cold in my bones and I'd like to put my hand out of the cockpit, just to feel the warmth of that vivid fire.
The landing was supposed to be a disaster, I touch the runway at the wrong angle, pushed away by the strong crosswind, and I start dancing and jumping like a drunk widow, but, by a miracle, I manage to stay alive and my plane doesn't bear a scratch!
Later, I edit and trim my video with Windows Movie Maker and I lose that last part, with the landing, but the sight was not entertaining, so I don't consider it a loss. But I'm happy that I learned how to record the in-game audio track and how to make HD movies...
