Just a possible suggestion - planes

[the_TeuTon]

I searched the threads, and didn't find anything like this idea so.....

I was just thinking it might be cool to add aircraft to RO, but only to call in for support....like artillery; players wouldn't be able to fly them. If the Squad Leader is German, he could call in Stukas, if Russian, IL-2s. The only real difference would be on armor maps; planes could be used to take out specific tanks.
On infantry maps I doubt it would be anymore effective than artillery, unless they strafe or drop 1000-2000lb bombs, but it would just make it seem more realistic. TW could even add the whistle to the Stuka. That scared the **** out of ground troops.

 

[dogbadger]

Someguy modelled a 109 a while back , and there was a bit of debate on the addition of planes, whether flyable or your suggestion. Flyable was written off for obvious map size/view distance reasons. I thought it would be nice to call air support but thinking about it- why wouldn't an unoppossed il2 or ju-87 just level every thing on the other side, instead of just neatly dropping their ordinance where you recently pointed your 'nocs, and flying away.

 

[the_TeuTon]

Well, it would be necessary to make a limit on the amount of ordinance a plane could drop.....and perhaps only allow the squad leader one chance to call it in. A good advantage would be for a map like Basovka, where the squad leader has to constantly update artillery so it doesn't hit his own team's spawn area. With a plane, it just drops the bomb quick and then its gone. Of course there would be some delay for the plane to arrive.

 

[dogbadger]

I sort of like the idea, but i was wondering if the SL calls the airstrike to a position where a tank is sitting, and the tank moves in the time it takes the plane to arrive, would the aircraft drop it's ordinance on a now empty spot or aim for the nearest viable target to that position?

 

[captain communism]

here's a thought: couldn't the tank crew attempt to shoot it down? Most tanks towards the end of the war were equipped with antiaircraft machine guns, at least to my knowledge... Not that it would be very effective...

 

[the_TeuTon]

That's a good point. Maybe the SL could just mark a spot on the map, and the plane attacks any enemy tanks in a defined area around that spot, instead of one specific target.

 

[Murphy]

It could work lke that bomber in UT2004.

The suggestion has come up numerous times before. You could have used the search function and commented on one of the threads in the results.

 

[EvilHobo]

Wouldn't work.
Maps are way too small, and yes, even Orel.

 

[Oldih]

While strafing idea sounds nice, most of RO maps are bit too small scaled to give them any real use besides creating some deathzones which sure cause a hell of a whining. Especially if we have jabos.

here's a thought: couldn't the tank crew attempt to shoot it down? Most tanks towards the end of the war were equipped with antiaircraft machine guns, at least to my knowledge... Not that it would be very effective...

So the moment a jabo begins to bombard you with machineguns or small calibre automatic cannons (20mm+) and is about to launch a HVAR or drop a bomb soon would you be the first one to do "Ohmigod there's enemy plane let's duckhunt it!" ?

I am quite sure some people would do that ingame because there is no morale or such (for logical reasons), but in case if you have bit of a bad angle + a jabo has the advatange I doubt you would just stick your head up and start shooting back.

Edit: jabo = A german term for enemy fighter bomber in general.

 

[EvilHobo]

Jagdbomber, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[SgtH3nry3]

Well, it's pretty hard to start attacking strafing jabo's when they are approaching under an angle of 40-45 degrees at an altitude of 25-35 feet with an airspeed of 15 to 20 knots.

You'd have to elevate your gun to the right level and by that time the aircraft is a football field away.

 

[silent assassin]

its cool when you see those stukas fly over tcherkassy or whatever, but it would be neat to see & hear a stuka divebombing enemy positions. Never been bombed by one in a game b4.

 

[18Bravo]

What about those stukas that were equipped with a 37mm gun on on either wing, think it was called kanonvogel or something like that. Don't know how real it is, got the info of it from the mod Forgotten Hope for BF1942. Was always fun using it to take out the KVs on their Prokhorovka map.

But for shooting down the planes with the AA machine guns on tanks, you would have to remodel the stock tanks ingame to include their AA mg. One thing about those AA mgs though, would make room for an extra position on a tank, and possibly make them more powerful against infantry as well

 

[IVIARSHALL]

I love planes... (me262 Nachtj

 

[the_TeuTon]

It could work lke that bomber in UT2004.

The suggestion has come up numerous times before. You could have used the search function and commented on one of the threads in the results.

i did use the search button, and the threads that came up didn't have much to do with this suggestion.

 

[TT33]

What about those stukas that were equipped with a 37mm gun on on either wing, think it was called kanonvogel or something like that. Don't know how real it is, got the info of it from the mod Forgotten Hope for BF1942. Was always fun using it to take out the KVs on their Prokhorovka map.

Its called the Ju-87 G: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU6OK1zSxKg
Hans Rudel made this aircraft famous.

The Ju 87G was the final version of the Stuka. Dive-brakes were removed and an armament of two 37mm Rheinmetall-Borsig BK3,7 (Flak 18) anti-tank cannons were installed under the wings. These weapons fired special armour-piercing ammunition, with tungsten cores, at a muzzle velocity of 850m/sec. The guns were installed in gun pods fitted outboard of the landing gear legs. The ammunition was in six-round clips. The normal 7.9 mm or 20 mm wing guns were deleted. There were two versions, the Ju 87G-1 based on the short wing span D-3 and the Ju 87G-2 based on the long wing span D-5 model. Production of the Ju 87 was halted definitively on October 1944. A good proof of the power of the guns and the amazing shooting skills of Hans-Ulrich Rudel was one of his air victories. Rudel shot down a heavily armoured Il-2 Sturmovik while flying with "Kanonenvogel" at maximum range with only two rounds of his 37 mm guns.
First trials on the battlefield with gunplanes were made in March 1943. The Ju 87G proved to be very effective in its task. Although the 37 mm gun was ineffective on ground it still was effective gun in the air. Attacks were normally made from rear and above against the thin deck armours of the Russian tanks which were easily penetrated. Because attacks were always made in very low flying altitude where anti-aircraft defence was very hard it became necessary to improve armouring. Because of increased armour and weight of the guns, 420 kg / gun, flying characteristics of Ju 87G were tricky. The success of the Ju 87G pilots simply based to their great experience. And the most famous of them was Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

But for shooting down the planes with the AA machine guns on tanks, you would have to remodel the stock tanks ingame to include their AA mg. One thing about those AA mgs though, would make room for an extra position on a tank, and possibly make them more powerful against infantry as well

An extra postion is not necessary it was the commander that fired the anti-aircraft Mg which was effective against aircraft assuming you hit the target. I believe DH was looking into this as a possiblity.

 

[18Bravo]

Considering that the commander is also the main gunner of the tank, how would you fire the AA mg when your controls were working on the turret itself?

 

[the_TeuTon]

I think perhaps the planes should not be destroyable. They should just dive down, drop their load/strafe, and be gone. Hopefully that wouldn't require a huge map.

 

[TT33]

Considering that the commander is also the main gunner of the tank, how would you fire the AA mg when your controls were working on the turret itself?

You'd fire it only when you are in the exterior turret postion-like using the binoc's. Probably require an extra scroll I would expect to enable an "AA Mg postion".

 

[Steely.Glnt]

While an AA mg may or may noot be a good idea, I do like the possibility of adding a turret top MG for the TC; it woould be great for clearing away inf for example.. If that were added it would be worth having the possibility of adding a specific TC position so that the one person in the turret doesnt have too much too do.

In fact, was it a common thing on WW2 tanks to have a turret top or cupola MG?