Building an Il-2 Mission: Step 5 Mission Design

With all the information gathered, the base layout designed, it is time build the actual mission.

SPOILER WARNING – The following text will reveal parts of the mission design, scroll down to avoid this spoiler.

In the actual mission, 4 P-40's took of from Clark to fly patrols overhead. As they circled around, the Japanese bombers arrived on the scene and attacked the base. I initially wanted to put the player in these aircraft. This would have meant that the player would take-off, patrol a while before stumbling on the bombers. On the other hand I also wanted to show the devastating attack on the base itself.

But if the player is high in the sky, he would never see the attack (except for perhaps the explosions down below). So I decided to put the player on the ground, in one of the fighters that tried to take off during the Japanese attack. Now the player will see the bombs falling and the havoc they cause on the ground. By letting the player take off, he is also put in a very though spot. The Japanese fighters have the height and speed advantage. The player can try to catch up with the bombers, which already dropped their bombs or he could focus on the fighters strafing the airfield. However to balance the mission a bit, I created an equal number of Allied and Japanese fighters. This also allows the player to survive the game with a modest kill rate, because I find it highly unrealistic when a player wins a mission with 5 or more kills on his count.

END OF SPOILER

I won't be posting the mission for download yet. I want to fly it myself first and write an AAR about it. As soon as that is done, I will upload both mission and AAR.

Meanwhile you can read the final Tunis-chapter here at SimHQ or on this blog.

Happy Reading

Building an Il-2 Mission: Step 4 Opponents

No mission can work without some opponents who fight it out in the sky. The source material I have states that the Japanese used bombers and fighters to launch their attack. Nowhere types are mentioned so I have to guess which aircraft would have been used. My sources do state that the Japanese arrived from Taiwan, suggesting the Japanse Army launched the attack. This leads me to two planes:

1/ Ki-21 Sally

This heavy bomber able to carry 750 Kg of bombs over a distance of 2700 Km will serve as the main attack force against the air base

2/ Ki-43 Oscar

This fighter was the most numerous in the Imperial Army and came second in numbers to the more famous Zero. These fighters will act as escorts for the bombers and in the second phase of the mission offer the most resistance against the player.

But which aircraft will face the Japanese? The same sources state that P-40's from Clark Air Base tried to repel the attack while P-35's from a nearby airfield came to aid them. The P-40 is a straightforward choice (the player will fly the B-model), but the P-35 poses a problem. This model does not appear in the simulation.

So I decide to opt for the P-39. I have not checked whether the aircraft flew in that theatre, but call it a creative decision. (let's face it if we wanted to be 100 % historical accurate, half of the missions available for download would not exist).

Now that I have decided which aircraft to us it is time to start designing the mission. Meanwhile you can read the third part in the Tunis AAR. You can find it at SimHQ or on this blog (scroll to the bottom of the page to view the third part..

Happy Reading

Building an Il-2 Mission: Step 2 The Real Attack

For my next mission, I will simulate the Japanese attack on Clark Air Base on December 8^th 1941. I already gathered some information about the attack.

Initially the Japanese intended to coincide the attack with the attack on Pearl Harbor, but foul weather prevented a morning attack. Instead they had to attack the base at noon. When they arrived at Clark, 17 B-17's together with 18 P-40B's from the 21^st Pursuit Squadron were stationed at the base.

Another Squadron of P-40's from a nearby base were tasked with defending the Clark Air Base, but the aircraft failed to arrive in time. Instead some P-40's of the 21^st squadron took off while the remainder was refueled. Just as the fighters took off the first wave of Japanese bombers followed. The first wave of 27 bombers was followed by a second wave of bombers, which leveled several hangars and buildings on the airfield. To finish off the parked planes on the ground a third wave of fighters arrived to strafe the airfield for up to an hour.

P-40's tried to take off from Clark, some succeeded others were destroyed on the ground. P-35 aircraft from a nearby airfield took off and tried to come to the rescue of Clark Air Base and claimed 3 Japanese planes. It appeared that during the attack one B-17, arrived on the scene, got pounded by the Japs and limped back to another base. (source: The Army Air Forces in World War 88 – Volume 1 [pdf])

SPOILER WARNING: reading parts of this post, might reveal events that will appear in the final mission.

Now that I know the real mission, I can design a basic script for my mission. The player will lead the four P-40's from the 21^st Pursuit Squadron flying protection above Clark Air Base. Just as the player takes off the first waive of bombers arrives, closely followed by the second waive. These will provide a tempting target for the player to climb to their altitude and fight it out with them. However if the player remains at lower altitudes and is not focused too much on the bombers, he will spot the fighters strafing the airfield.

During the attack a lone B-17 will appear, circle around the base and return to another airfield. Simultaneously a group of other US fighters (simulating the P-35's that came to the rescue of the base) will also arrive on the scene and attack the fighters.

END OF SPOILER

With the basic premise set for the mission, it is time to search the web for appropriate skins, if there are any available. I'll keep you posted on my results. Meanwhile I wrote another AAR: Tunis. This will be a four part AAR, describing the events surrounding a German fighter patrol in the desert. You can read the AAR at SimHQ or at this blog.

For now Happy Reading and Flying