And now for something completely different...the Levant

Rami

Administrator
Staff member
Good evening,

While I'm waiting to finish up Fleet Air Arm, I figured I'd dust off the old Vichy France campaign from the archives and give her another look, especially since the harbor scenery for Beirut is updated.

(Aha...now you know why)

It's a shame this "campaign" is only six missions, I may have to combine these missions with Vichy French operations in other parts of the Mediterranean. I can offer a bit more realism now that we actually have a Martin 167 Maryland that can be used, so that the Breguet Bre-695 doesn't have to be anymore.

With regards to the aircraft, a dogfight between a Curtiss P-40b Tomahawk and a Dewoitine D-520 is about as even as it gets...it all depends on the pilot. You also get a chance to fly over some pretty nice scenery, an added bonus.

We'll have to see how it goes...

"title_string"=Vichy France - Escort bombers to the fleet
"summary_string"=Attention! Today, you will lead a formation of six D-520s to escort 6 Bloch 200s and six Martin 167 Marylands making a bombing strike on Force B of the British fleet just off the Lebanese coastline. The cruising speed for the Bloch 200 is 130 knots, while the Marylands cruise at 140 kts. Ensure that you DO NOT stray beyond your ability to protect the bombers!
"objective_string"=There is a factual basis for this mission. On June 9th, Sous-Lt Le Gloan led a formation of 6 D-520s of No. 5 Esc, GC III / 6 based at Rayak to escort six Bloch 200s & 6 Martin 167 Marylands against Force B. Two Blochs aborted with engine trouble. Two of the remaining four Blochs were shot down over the fleet by a CAP of six Hawker Hurricanes from RAF 80th Sqdn. The D-520s intervened and Le Gloan shot down two Hurricanes flown by POs Lynch & Crowther (neither survived). The Martins bombed the fleet undisturbed.
"intelligence_string"=The British are expected to have a CAP over their fleet, so keep a careful watch once you cross the coast. Yesterday, the Royal Air Force is known to have sortied P-40s, Hurricanes, and Gladiators in escort, ground strafing, and CAP assignments. You could encounter anything, so be ready!
 
Rami,

If you keep going like this you’re going to run out of war! But seriously – sounds great as always.
 

AC
 
Reply...

Dombral,

Pour ce point, j'ai utilisé le Maryland, Martin à la place du Breguet Bre-693, et les deux missions que j'ai jusqu'ici incluent une mission d'escorte impliquant le Bloch 200. J'ai été la planification sur l'utilisation du LeO 451 à la place du Breguet Bre-693 sur la mission d'escorte de reconnaissance. J'ai aussi été à jouer avec l'idée d'avoir commencer la campagne à Istres, et de vous avoir scène à travers la Méditerranée (Istres - Rome, Rome - Athènes, Athènes - Rhodes, Rhodes - Rayak) au lieu de commencer au Liban.

In English,

Dombral,

To this point, I have used the Martin Maryland in place of the Breguet Bre-693, and the two missions I have so far include a escort mission involving the Bloch 200. I was planning on using the LeO 451 in place of the Breguet Bre-693 on the reconnaissance escort mission. I was also toying with the idea of having you begin the campaign in Istres, and having you stage across the Mediterranean (Istres - Rome, Rome - Athens, Athens - Rhodes, Rhodes - Rayak) instead of beginning the campaign in Lebanon

And to Ali Cat,

There are many aspects of the air war that have not been covered. One of my goals is to flush out letter known areas of the war, such as those undertaken by France, Vichy France, and Italy. In addition, the Fleet Air Arm will also cover a lot of ground undertaken by the British. You should see my CFS2 project folder sometime!
 
I used the old CFS1? Potez 63-11 for the recon mission although it generally shows up so far away in the mission is is sort of a moot point. I have been hoping for an updated & expanded version of the campaign. A campaign from the Brit side would also be great.
 
Reply...

I used the old CFS1? Potez 63-11 for the recon mission although it generally shows up so far away in the mission is is sort of a moot point. I have been hoping for an updated & expanded version of the campaign. A campaign from the Brit side would also be great.

Oldwheat,

I tried the SCASM update that Corrado did for a Potez 63.11, it really wasn't suitable. So instead, I'm using an Liore et Oliver 451. I am using the Maryland though, where it is indicated.

I can always "flip" the missions and have you based at Haifa for the British, that puts you close enough to the action...

Oops...wrong paint job! I hate it when that happens...
 
Rami,

It might be worth contacting Ravenna. He was working on missions from the RAAF side - 3 Squadron Tomahawks if I recall.
 
Reply...

Good evening,

These are the original six missions, completely updated to use the best materials available. I'd like to expand the campaign before releasing it, but any feedback on these six missions would be appreciated.
 
Reply...

Good afternoon,

Here is another mini-campaign which I will have to incorporate into something larger. This is a campaign for the Italians, and consists of four missions flying as the Italians in defense of Sardinia, one in 1940, and the other three in 1942. I'm still figuring out how to expand this.
 
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