Boom

It would be fair to say that in air fighting over Darwin in 1942-43 the biggest risk is being shot down. Which is true. And if you were fortunate enough to bail out safely then you would think that all is good with the world. Which is far from the truth. For a whole world of horrors is awaiting the parachuting airman, irregardless of nation. Darwin in 1942 was a small town, with a population of approx 5,000 (not counting military personel). It was surrounded by a hostile landscape consisting of mud flats and mangroves stretching inland along the coastal areas, and dry desert schrub land further inland. Most air combat took place over the coast and sea. So downed pilots faced a very hostile environment around Darwin. Sharks, especially tiger sharks abound in the area. Large salt water crocodiles feature in quantity in areas near the sea, as well as in river estuaries. Further up the river you'l find fresh water crocodiles are plentiful. Add to that the hghly venomous 'box' jellyfish which exists in tidal areas and mudflats. If the intrepid aviator managed to make it to the shore and through the mudflats and mangroves in one piece, he then faced deadly snakes (taipan, brown, death adder to name just a few), spiders, feral buffalo and wild boar in his wanderings far from any civilisation. If he didn't happen to be found by the friendly aborigines, there was little chance he would survive.

Five Months I've been stooging around in the B.E.2c. Five dreary months of dodging small arms fire, rotten weather, Archie and several uncomfortably close run-ins with Fokker E's. I even once had a close brush with Immelmann. He came out of the sun, and on his first pass he chewed up my rudder, observer and fuel tank. He then proceeded to perform a beautiful renversement to deliver the coup de grace. Fortunately my F.E.2b escorts finally woke up and drove him off. Five months!! And what happens? Shot down by a damned Frenchie who can't tell a Aviatik from a B.E.2c. . Fortunately I managed to side-slip into the ground. Now in Blighty recovering.

Absolutely Mystic! It likes nothing gets done, and things really don't change.

Immensely enjoyable British comedy.

Totally agree with you Mysticpuma. The Mitchell will be awesome to fly, especially modified with heavy nose armament.

Really looking forward to seeing them javelina.

Luv the sound of that. :)

Smart fella, well done.

That is a frightening image!

And not without great risk.

And my favourite, airfield strikes.

Barge strikes

Town strikes

And there are so many mission types that can be done for strafing, eg ship strikes

Great photo.

Who wouldn't want to test themselves doing this.

Recon over the Front, and praying like mad we don't bump into a Fokker E.

..... and parafrags, low level bomb runs and skip bombing. This is what I'm really hoping to see developed in this sim. I know that the meat and potatoes of any combat sim is air combat. I've been dogfighting since '98, when I first took to the skies in Red Baron II. And through various iterations of Sabre Ace, Air Warrior, EAW, MiG Alley, CFS 1,2 & 3, BoB I & II, Strike Fighters, The Mighty 8th, IL-2, and WOFF. I've have had an awful lot of fun doing so, especially with EAW online at Hyperlobby against human opponents. That was the best. The thing is tastes change and develop, and after 20 odd years I'm looking for something more challenging and difficult. And I think that challenge can be found in Strafing! Getting down amongst the weeds. Roaring in at low level, fleeting glances of targets, air filled with Flak, enemy fighters; much resting on luck and speed. Piloting large, less nimble twin-engined aircraft with massive firepower and responsible for other crew members all adds to the excitement and immersion. As opposed to just another sim utilising fighter pilot skills accrued over thousands of hours of air combat. And look at the wonderful aircraft choices. The RAAF used the powerful Beaufighter from April 1942, the USAAC the B-25 from May and the A-20 from August. Japanese selection is limited, the best of a bad bunch would be the Ki-45 Toryu. Still, if it's modelled in game, I'll certainly make use of it. Navy strike aircraft, still mired in traditional dive and torpedo bombing, pales in comparison.

Thanks for that link Wheels. Covers it nicely.

Does anyone know what the duties are of the various coloured shirts? Eh armories, deck crew, maintenance etc.

Steven is indeed a gifted artist. I have prints of the Boomerang, Zero (5 down) and the Beaufighter all hanging on my walls.