Alright...so I'm almost done with Storm Clouds release 2.0 and I'm thinking about doing a Yak campaign. I've been doing some general research and I haven't yet decided on which battle(s) to cover and which Yak's to fly.

Does anyone have any input on what might interest them?

Storm Clouds 2.0 almost done? Excellent! I'm looking forward to it.

How about Normandie-Niemen? IIRC, they flew mainly Yak-9s, then switched to Yak-3s in late '44. I think they might have used both for a time before switching to Yak-3s exclusively. They fought right up to the end. I think

I read that 3 IAK used Yaks mostly, and in some cases used Yak-1s, 7s, and 9s at the same time in the same squadron due to shortages. So, you have a fighter group with the potential of flying any one of the Yak models at any given time depending on what's available. They were part of the Kuban/Crimea battles, two of my favorite maps in IL-2.

I'll see if I can come up with some more ideas later.

Ice - see PM. I got an idea.

How about Finnish front? I don't know a single Finnish front campaign for Soviet side. I have wished for a campaign depicting the summer offensive of 1944 for some time, especially for FAF, but it would be great from the other side as well. I guess this would mean Yak-9 model being used.

Alternatively a campaign of some of the decisive, "tide-shifting" battles of 1943 (like Stalingrad or Kursk) would be interesting too. I'd like to see Yak-7 employed, it doesn't get used too often.

Good luck with the project, Icefire! I'm looking forward to the campaign, whichever subject you choose.

quote:

Originally posted by dirkpit7:
How about Finnish front? I don't know a single Finnish front campaign for Soviet side. I have wished for a campaign depicting the summer offensive of 1944 for some time, especially for FAF, but it would be great from the other side as well. I guess this would mean Yak-9 model being used.

Although not a Yak campaign I did do a Finnish front 1944 scenario using the La-5FN.

http://mission4today.com/index...s&file=details&id=53

Its one of my older works and I may revisit it and clean it up a bit. My plane choices could have been a bit better. But you may want to have a peek

quote:

Alternatively a campaign of some of the decisive, "tide-shifting" battles of 1943 (like Stalingrad or Kursk) would be interesting too. I'd like to see Yak-7 employed, it doesn't get used too often.

Good luck with the project, Icefire! I'm looking forward to the campaign, whichever subject you choose.

I was thinking about all of these things yes. Stalingrad and Kursk have crossed my mind!

@crucislancer:

With the NN squadron I'm not sure that there are very many maps covering their battle areas so I'm a bit reluctant to use them although I had thought seriously about doing something on them anyways.

3 IAK and Crimea also sounds interesting to me!

I'm sort of considering a campaign that doesn't really do day to day operations and is more of a summary format. You would play a particular pilot as he goes through the war. But I don't want to do hundreds of missions so it would be several missions for Stalingrad, several for Kursk or Crimea, and then several for Berlin for instance. Its a thought that I'm entertaining.

Would mean allot of switching between different Yak types. Could be fun....could be allot of work setting up each map too.

quote:

Originally posted by VW-IceFire:
Although not a Yak campaign I did do a Finnish front 1944 scenario using the La-5FN.

http://mission4today.com/index...s&file=details&id=53

Its one of my older works and I may revisit it and clean it up a bit. My plane choices could have been a bit better. But you may want to have a peek

That was a fun campaign, there was quite a few times where I was challenged quite a bit, and yeah not the typical Russian Front campaign.

quote:

I'm sort of considering a campaign that doesn't really do day to day operations and is more of a summary format. You would play a particular pilot as he goes through the war. But I don't want to do hundreds of missions so it would be several missions for Stalingrad, several for Kursk or Crimea, and then several for Berlin for instance. Its a thought that I'm entertaining.

Would mean allot of switching between different Yak types. Could be fun....could be allot of work setting up each map too.

That would be a blast if you decide to do it.

Which ever you do choose, I'll play it!

I appreciate your efforts, IceFire.

How did I miss that?! I have been glancing through the list of your campaigns several times in M4T, but somehow it never caught my eye. Thanks for pointing it to me, I'll definitely check it out.

quote:

I'm sort of considering a campaign that doesn't really do day to day operations and is more of a summary format. You would play a particular pilot as he goes through the war. But I don't want to do hundreds of missions so it would be several missions for Stalingrad, several for Kursk or Crimea, and then several for Berlin for instance. Its a thought that I'm entertaining.

Would mean allot of switching between different Yak types. Could be fun....could be allot of work setting up each map too.

I agree with crucislancer, this sounds good. Changing plane types/models and/or environment keeps up interest. And it's not absolutely necessary IMO to go through the whole war with this kind of approach. Even just, say, two phase campaign with Stalingrad and Kursk would work very well.

Oh, and Icefire, if you're short of ideas after the Yak project, how about a counterpart to the "Red Stars - Karelian Offensive 1944" -campaign, flying for the FAF?

quote:

Originally posted by dirkpit7:
Oh, and Icefire, if you're short of ideas after the Yak project, how about a counterpart to the "Red Stars - Karelian Offensive 1944" -campaign, flying for the FAF?

People have always asked me about doing that. I don't know allot about the Finish perspective although I have done some reading and asked some questions now and again.

I would like to try my hand at something like that sometime.

If I had infinite time I would also like to do a proper campaign about the RCAF and its contribution to World War II. Since many seem to forget that Canada was involved in WWII at all.

Just need time

I would suggest the 434IAP that eventually became 32GIAP in November of 1942.

On 5 May of 1942, Ivan Ivanovich Kleshchyov (16I, 32Sh HSU) was made CO.

They went to Stalingrad on 13 June 1942 with Yak-1's. In 3 weeks, the 434th had flown 800 sorties claiming 35 kills, and with all 21 Yaks written off due to damage loss, or use, was sent back to Moscow to refit.

Taking back with them a number of flight school instructors, some with as much as 2000 hrs flight time, 434th re-entered combat on 13 July 1942, flying out of Gumrak near Stalingrad. Again after 3 weeks of combat, 827 sorties and 55 kills later, three full Squadrons of Yak-1's and Yak-7's were attrited, and again withdrawn to be refit.

Having been chosen to be staffed as an elite unit, the 434th returned to the Stalingrad front on the 16 of September 1942. Pilots the likes of Dolgushin, and some female pilots formerly of 587IAP flew 6 or 7 missions a day during the initial phases of the German assault on the city. By the end of the month, again the regiment had used up two thirds of it's allocation of Yak's.

Withdrawn from combat again on October 3 1942, the 434th since June of that year, had flown 2060 sorties for a total of 173 victories over German fighters and bombers over the Stalingrad front. The 434th was honored in November with the tile of 32 Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Awesome story. The fight details and storyline behind this regiment could be a great backdrop to a furiously entertaining campaign.

B50

Accounts and data from "Yakovlev Aces of World War 2" by George Mellinger. Adapted. Used without permission.

Mmmm good stuff! I'm definitely looking into this! I think Stalingrad will be my part 1 of the campaign...I may do Kursk, Crimea, and/or Berlin later on as well. Probably release in smaller packages as I find I burn out on the very large ones.