FNF_Unternehmen Zerberus

Started by Kopfdorfer, April 24, 2019, 01:20:13 PM

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Kopfdorfer

Greetings All ,

                    My next FNF offering is an historical recreation.

                    It will be ready for Sunday May 5 at the usual time.

                    The Channel Dash or Unternehmen Zerberus (Operation Cerberus) was a German naval operation during World War II. A Kriegsmarine (German navy) squadron of both of the Scharnhorst-class battleships, the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and escorts, ran a British blockade from Brest in Brittany towards Kiel , Germany through the narrow English Channel.

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had arrived in Brest on 22 Mar 1941.
They represented a substantial threat to Allied trans-Atlantic convoys, so a series of air raids were carried out by the Royal Air Force (RAF) against the two ships from 30 Mar 1941 (and also targeting Prinz Eugen, which arrived on 1 June 1941). Serious damage was inflicted on Gneisenau on 6 April 1941 and on Scharnhorst on 24 July 1941 after dispersal to La Pallice. As the repair of this damage reached completion in August, consideration was given to evacuating the ships.
In late 1941, Adolf Hitler ordered Oberkommando der Marine (OKM German Navy high-command), to plan an operation to return the ships to German bases, to counter a possible British invasion of Norway. A meeting was held in Paris on 1 January 1942, for the final planning of the operation. The short route up the English Channel was preferred to a detour around the British Isles, to benefit from surprise and from air cover by the Luftwaffe and on 12 January 1942, Hitler gave orders for the operation to be conducted.
The Operation was named Unternehmen Zerberus.

On 11 February 1942, the Kriegsmarine ships left Brest at 9:14 p.m. and escaped detection for more than twelve hours, approaching the Strait of Dover without discovery. The Luftwaffe conducted Unternehmen Donnerkeil (Operation Thunderbolt) to provide air cover and as the ships neared Dover, the British belatedly began operations against the German ships.

By 12 February just after noon in poor weather , the purposeful armada was poised to push through the most difficult leg of their operation – The Straits of Dover.


This FNF Dogfight is designed to replicate the desperate air attacks on Scharnhorst , Gneisenau , and Prinz Eugen , as they attempted to force their way through
the Straits of Dover.

Because this is an historical recreation , I have included a skinpack that is reflective of the theatre and timeframe.
The link for the Skinpack is here :  https://www.dropbox.com/s/eq0xrvazob37keq/Unternehmen%20Zerberus.zip?dl=0

I have also created a practice Mission , which AH_Kawilder has agreed to put up on the AH_Server , so you can familiarize yourselves to the Map
- Canons English Channel 1942 - the aircraft set , the poor weather ,  the airfields , transit times etc.

There will be one notable difference with normal FNF settings - there will be no pilot icon on the kneemap ingame - you will have to navigate.
The entire recreation is about locating the targets in poor conditions , so the pilot icon removes the gist of the entire mission.


Loadouts will be limited , reflecting historical realities - it will be tough to sink these ships.

I have taken the time to create this mission , and compile the skinpack to improve all participants' immersion in this historical event.

I ask you to respect this by using the provided skins.

Kopfdorfer


Kopfdorfer

#1
Below is the map for FNF_Unternehmen_Zerberus :

This is the Plane Set :

RAF :
Hurricane IIC
Spitfire Vb 16 lbs
Spitfire IXc 1942
Typhoon IB Early
Swordfish MkI
Beaufort Mk I Late
Blenheim MkIV
Mosquito BIV

Luftwaffe :
FW190A2
FW190A3
FW190A4 Jabo
Bf109G2
Bf110F2
He111H6
Ju88C6
Ar196 (floatplane)

There will be finite numbers of airframes at forward bases.
Both sides have (Airfield - NOT AIRSTART) resupply bases with an infinite supply.


NOTE : Luftwaffe Base 4 ( SPB ) is at Boulogne NOT Etaples.
I mislabelled it.


Kopf

_AH_Lippy


Kopfdorfer

Hey Guys ,

                there were a couple of errant spawn points in the UZ Practice Map.
                I have corrected these ( I hope) and submitted the corrected map to AH_Kawilder to put up on the server.

                The settings were not correct -

                I DO NOT intend for the Players Own Aircraft View to be locked out.

                I DO intend for the Player Map Icon to be TURNED OFF , so navigation will be required.

                Both sides will have beacons , though all aircraft are not equipped to use them.

                I suggest you make sure you have Key Controls mapped for "Next Beacon" and "Previous Beacon".
                ( I use "H" and "Shift H" ).

                Kopf

Kopfdorfer

#4
Shoot. I thought I sent this message earlier today but it did not go through.

Tonight is FNF_Unternehmen Zerberus - The Dash of the German Capital Ships Scharnhorst , Gneisenau , and Prinz Eugen through the English Channel.

Please download and install the Mission Pack via the link provided in the earlier post.
Please use the historical skins.

Forward bases will have limited aircraft of limited types.
Both sides have resupply bases - but these are a ways from the fornt - CONSERVE your airframes.

The major differences from normal FNFs are as follows :
1) There will be no Player Map Icon on your kneeboard map - you will have to navigate , or follow someone that can.
    There are beacons for both sides , although not all aircraft have receivers.

2) Weather is nasty.
    Feb 12 1942
    1500 hours
    7/10ths Cloud
    Cloud Base 2800 ft / 850 m
    Cloud Top   7200 ft / 2200 m
    Wind is brisk from the NE with gusts and turbulence.

    TAXI CAREFULLY -  your airfield may be subject to crosswinds.

    ( The Mosquito is especially tricksy ( Gollum ) . Chocks in to start. Prop Pitch set at 60 % to Taxi.
      Make sure engines are synchronized or you will be in the $h1t !
      You will have to ride the toe brakes all the time until you are airbourne.
      Do not attempt any aggressive climb until you are making about 140 mph )

3) Point accumulation is turned OFF - this mission is about the 3 Capital Ships.
    The RAF must first find them , and then attack them repeatedly. The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau ( represented by the in-game
     Bismarck ) are particularly tough.
     The good news is that HSFX applies reduced speed penalties to heavily damaged ships , and the Victory Conditions are set up
     for the ships to reach a certain Waypoint by the90 minute duration.
     Heavy damage may be enough to prevent the ships reaching their destination Waypoints.

Find attached Recon Photos of all the ship types you may encounter tonight :

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   



Also find attached a small chart with distances between airbases that are active for the FNF tonight :
   


We'll take a few minutes to orient ourselves before the Mission Start , and I can answer any questions.

I hope you enjoy this different FNF tonight.

Kopfdorfer