New planes requests (from other threads/please pin it)

[sniperton]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Yes. Unless you want to expand IL2 to whole new theaters/campaigns, in which case you'd almost need entirely new games because of all the new maps and units which would be needed.

My point is that what should be given first preference (in an ideal world) is beyond the scope of Il2 for one reason or another: NG planes because of the NG case, British heavies because they are 1) difficult to make, 2) involve night fighting (which some players enjoy, others don't). Here comes in what we could term the enjoyment factor, and in this respect I would vote for the second rank (seen historically), that is, flyable Blenheims and planes like the D.520.

[RPS69]

Reading a book about the jabo staffel over britain, I was surprised by a picture of a prbsble Mustang P-51B with apparently 2 .50's under the nose.?

[HBPencil]

Originally Posted by RPS69

Reading a book about the jabo staffel over britain, I was surprised by a picture of a prbsble Mustang P-51B with apparently 2 .50's under the nose.?

Guns under the nose would make it a Mustang Mk I, so more like the P-51A (with different armament of course) rather than the P-51B as it had the Allison engine rather than the Merlin.

[RPS69]

Originally Posted by HBPencil

Guns under the nose would make it a Mustang Mk I, so more like the P-51A (with different armament of course) rather than the P-51B as it had the Allison engine rather than the Merlin.

Tks on the insight.

[Pursuivant]

FWIW, the Allison engine Mustangs which saw combat were:

Mustang Mk I - 2 x 0.50 cal BMG in nose, 4 x 0.30 cal BMG & 2 x .50 cal BMG in wings (mounted with .50 caliber between the .30 calibers in each wing). No bombs or drop tanks. 620 built, most sent to RAF.

Mustang Mk IA/P-51 Mustang - improved engine, 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannons in wings. 93 built, mostly used by RAF.

A-36 Apache/Invader/Mustang - improved engine, strengthened wing, dive flaps, 6 x .50 cal BMG - 2 in nose, 4 in wings, hard points for 2 x 500 lb. bombs, plumbing for 2 x 75 (later 85 gallon) drop tanks. Used in combat in the MTO (Morocco, Italy), and CBI Theater (Burma, China). 500 built.

[Tinpanzer87]

Henschel Hs 123
Aichi D1A
Cant Z.1007 Alcione
Gloster Meteor
CAC Boomerang
Junkers Ju 388 night fighter
Piaggio P.108
flyable Tupolev Tu-2

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Tinpanzer87

Henschel Hs 123
Aichi D1A
Cant Z.1007 Alcione
Gloster Meteor
CAC Boomerang
Junkers Ju 388 night fighter
Piaggio P.108
flyable Tupolev Tu-2

Hs-123 and Cant Z.1007bis already exist in the game.

Aichi D1A would be useful for Sino-Japanese war scenarios, but didn't see combat during the Pacific war. Since the Sino-Japanese war would basically require a whole new game, perhaps not such a good choice.

CAC Boomerang would be an good choice for SW Pacific scenarios and would help to round out the existing Order of Battle for the New Guinea maps. It was built in large numbers, was probably the best indigenous Australian design of the war, was a major part of the RAAF's campaign to drive the Japanese from New Guinea. It certainly fits into IL2's tactical air combat focus. It's only weakness as a candidate is that it wasn't used outside of the SW Pacific theater.

Ju-388 - As a bomber or night fighter is another interesting choice. But, it was built in small numbers, wasn't that widely used, and wasn't the most important night fighter in the Luftwaffe inventory. Given my choice for just one limited-production, late war, bad-ass, German nightfighter I'd go with the He-219, but the Ju-388 also has the same "cool factor." But, historically, the Ju-88C-6b, -R series, or G-6 would have been more common.

Piaggio P.108 - Another very cool "rare bird," but built in tiny numbers, used with very limited success, and not nearly as important to Italy's bomber force as the SM-79 and similar planes. Even so, it would help to round out Italy's Order of Battle.

Tu-2 - I'm surprised that this bomber hasn't gotten more love from the 1c or DT guys. It was an excellent design, built in large numbers, used for the entire duration of the war on all areas of the Eastern front. It was tough, fast, was well-liked by its crews, and apparently fun to fly. The only reason it stays in the shadows is because the Pe-2 was even more common, and was just as successful. Even so, I think that the Tu-2 would let me survive damage which would kill a Pe-2. Let's hope that this plane is on Sita's short list of projects.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by sniperton

My point is that what should be given first preference (in an ideal world) is beyond the scope of Il2 for one reason or another: NG planes because of the NG case, British heavies because they are 1) difficult to make, 2) involve night fighting (which some players enjoy, others don't).

Obviously, any NG planes are dead to IL2. I can't see any way around it other than mods, or 1c/Ubisoft selling the IL2 franchise to another owner and then that new owner paying the "trademark trolls".

FWIW, some of the earliest British heavy bombers (Short Stirling) were used for daylight precision bombing raids, based on the mistaken doctrine that "the bomber will always get through.

Later marks of the Lancaster were also designed for daylight raids over Japan, and, of course, 617 "Dambuster" squadron used their specially modified Lancasters to make daylight raids using "Tallboy" and "Grand Slam" bombs.

So, it's not completely unrealistic to have RAF heavies flying in the daytime.

Originally Posted by sniperton

Here comes in what we could term the enjoyment factor, and in this respect I would vote for the second rank (seen historically), that is, flyable Blenheims and planes like the D.520.

One additional criteria that I didn't mention is "ubiquitousness". That is, how many different countries used a particular plane, and how many different theaters was it used in?

By that criteria, the Blenheim really needs to be flyable - as a Finnish and UK/RAAF plane - because it was used during the war by Australia, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Greece, New Zealand, Romania, Turkey, UK, and Yugoslavia. And, it was used on every front. So, I'd put it at the top of my list of "planes to make flyable."

The D.520 is on my personal "top 5" wish list, although it really wasn't that important after the Battle of France. That said, it was used in limited numbers by Italy and a several minor Axis nations, and saw action on the Eastern Front (Bulgaria), Middle Eastern Front (Syria, Morocco), Italy, and Western Front (France). It was also the best French fighter, and second only to the MS.406/410 series in numbers, so meets the "critically important to the national war effort" and "built in large numbers" criteria.

[Fighterace]

Is the Spitfire Mk XVI or XIV possible for a future update?

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Fighterace

Is the Spitfire Mk XVI or XIV possible for a future update?

Possible, yes. There are no legal restrictions on including it, and there's plenty of data on performance, cockpit arrangements, etc. should someone wish to make it.

Likely? Who knows. The Spit Mk XIV exists as a mod, but I don't know how good it is, and whether the modder who made it would be willing to share his work.