IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad News

Dear Friends,

Another update, 5.105, is available now. Today we have released the first two Flying Circus Vol.III aircraft - the Halberstadt D.II and Nieuport 11 early Great War fighters.

The emergence of the Nieuport 11 at the front finally put an end to the devastating superiority of the Fokker monoplanes, which for a time had become known as the "Fokker Scourge." During the Battle of Verdun in February 1916, Nieuport 11s inflicted heavy damage on the enemy's air forces, which forced the German High Command to review the tactics of combat aircraft. Many famous aces of WWI (including Georges Guynemer) had their first major successes flying the Bébé.

Most of the pilots were impressed by Halberstadt D.II's better performance compared to the older Fokker monoplanes, especially its better climb and speed and very quick, easy, and responsive controls which gave it good maneuverability in the hands of experienced German pilots.

Our friends LuftManu and Avimimus have teamed up to prepare interesting videos of these birds that give a nice overview.
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Another update, 5.105, is available now. Today we have released the first two Flying Circus Vol.III aircraft - the Halberstadt D.II and Nieuport 11 early Great War fighters.

The release of this update commences the Early Access program for Flying Circus Vol.III - if you consider acquiring it eventually, these new aircraft are only a few mouse clicks away right now.

Of course, there are other improvements and fixes in the update change log:

5.105

1. Halberstadt D.II is available via the Flying Circus Vol. III Early Access program;
   
2. Nieuport 11 is available via the Flying Circus Vol. III Early Access program;
   
3. Photo recon missions on the Arado Ar 234 jet are added to Bodenplatte Career mode timeframe (Sonderkommando Sperling);
   
4. Fw 190 A-3, A-5, A-6, and A-8 external textures and paint schemes improved (Martin =ICDP= Catney);
   
5. Certain Spitfire Mk.IXe, P-47D-22, and P-47D-28 paint schemes corrected (Martin =ICDP= Catney);
   
6. Sky Nomads campaign updated: difficulty level is lowered a bit in the first mission, the text is corrected, Spanish and French translations added thanks to enthusiasts E69_Cananas and DN308;
   
7. Issues with a line drawing order on the map that could result in a wrong-looking mission route on the map have been corrected;
   
8. Original ShVAK gun sounds are restored due to popular demand - the new sounds will be reworked to better fit in the overall acoustic concept;
   
9. A couple of bugs in Normandy and Rhineland Career missions that could result in the player flight not traveling to the next waypoint have been found and fixed;
   
10. Issues in the transport aircraft missions that could prevent them from meeting their escorts have been found and fixed;
    
11. AI pilots will more efficiently wait for their lagging-behind wingmen and pursue enemy aircraft while being far from the rest of the flight.
    

The work on the next update has already started - according to the plan, it will bring the Li-2 and possibly other new previously announced aircraft. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy the new aircraft and, most importantly, the remaining third of the summer days! Make every one of them count. ;)

See you in the skies!

Dear Friends,
The release of the next update draws closer and we have some new screens to share.

Soviet paratroopers are training in airborne operations using the new Li-2.

Their comrades in Winter uniform are preparing and will join them soon.

Halberstadt D.II is in the final testing stage.

Just like as Nieuport 11 - these two will be the first Flying Circus Vol.III aircraft to appear on your sim rigs.

Meanwhile, we have started a screenshot event - if you have Battle of Normandy (BTW, while the Summer Sale on Steam has ended, you still have a couple of days of discounts left on our website till July 16th) you can participate. Make a nice screenshot of Normandy landings and submit it in our special Discord channel or forum thread before Thursday, July 20 at, 1900 UTC. The winner will receive a code for the collector plane of his or her choosing.

See you in the skies!

Dear Friends,
As the summer goes on, the work continues. One of the collector planes in development, Li-2, is nearing its release. Here are some of the WIP shots we wanted to share with you (no airborne operations shots yet - the paratroopers will learn how to jump from it next week).


As you can see, unlike its unarmed mother C-47, this one was like a gunship wannabe - it had turrets AND a forward firing machine gun - who knows when it might come in handy, right?! An armed transport aircraft with paratroopers and cargo inside - how much more versatile can you get? Well, add the bomb carrying capability to this mix as well and you get a machine that ticks nearly all the boxes you ever wanted.


Usually going the 'jack of all trades' way means sacrificing something in every trade, but USSR needed versatile aircraft. While Western Allies during the war had a plenty of long range fighters to cover bombers and especially unarmed transport aircraft and had air superiority most of the time, Soviet resources were always not enough.


You may notice a lot of other differences to C-47 - different instruments and cargo doors for instance. Even the engines were different, Soviet built.

We hope to release this interesting aircraft later this month or in early August.

IL-2 Sturmovik Team

Dear Friends,

Today we present to you the 5.104 update. It brings a new campaign and new mission types for Career mode.


The new historical campaign Sky Nomads now is already available on our website and on Steam. It continues the story of the Soviet fighter pilot you may know from the Blazing Steppe campaign. After having fought in the Stalingrad battle in 1942, in 1943 he found himself in a midst of a hectic battle of Kuban - the campaign title reflects a bit the nomad life of the 43rd IAP which had to constantly change airfields and endure several Luftwaffe strikes on its positions. There is more information about the campaign in our Dev Blog #344.

New missions in the Career mode are photo reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and the escort of the transport aircraft on airdrop missions. The photo recon missions are now available with the Arado Ar. 234 of Sonderkommando Götz in Normandy (in the next update it will be also added to Spitfire XIVe). Artillery spotting missions are given to RAF squadrons No. 26 and No. 63 in Normandy which had the [url=https://il2sturmovik.com/store/collector-planes/#spitfire-mk-vb and were specially trained for this task. The transport escort missions happen in the historical timeframes of the Normandy, Market Garden, Bastogne, and Varsity airborne operations - you can them in any Allied fighter squadron. Do your best to keep them safe on their way to the drop zone and back home!

There are other changes and fixes in the list as well:

5.104

1. New historical campaign Sky Nomads (Yak-7b pilot in the battle of Kuban). There is detailed info about it in our Dev Blog #344;
   
2. New Career mode missions: Photo Recon on jet Arado Ar. 234 in Normandy (Sonderkommando Götz);
   
3. New Career mode missions: Artillery Spotting on Spitfire Mk.Vb in Normandy (No. 26 and No. 63 Squadrons RAF that were specially trained for this task);
   
4. New Career mode missions: Transport Aircraft Escort of C-47s on their way to their drop zones during Normandy, Market Garden, Bastogne, and Varsity airborne operations timeframes;
   
5. Tank campaigns Last Chance and Breaking Point are updated (added tactical numbers to aircraft involved, added new vehicles to some of the engagements);
   
6. Many award descriptions updated;
   
7. Ju 87D-3: the additional armor plate now moves together with the canopy as it should;
   
8. Bf 109 G-6/AS: rockets correctly disappear when jettisoning their containers.
   

In other news - we have the winners of the air race finals. They will receive or have received gifts from us and VIRPIL Controls.


As you can see, CSW_Tommy454 grabbed the first prizes in both categories - air races are unpredictable and two participants crashed in their Messerschmitts after performing a difficult maneuver! The race stream is available here.

Also, if you have participated in the race qualification, don't forget to check your profile on IL-2 website - there is a -50% off promo code applicable to all released content, including the newest ones like Spitfire XIVe, SSW D.IV or Battle of Normandy.


Finally, here's an artwork ready to become your desktop wallpaper for next month if you wish (FullHD, 4K).

See you in the skies!

Dear Friends,

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1943, one of the largest air battles on the Eastern front of WWII was fought in the skies of Kuban. One of our modules, Battle of Kuban, and several official campaigns are dedicated to these events, but there is a lot more to tell. We are proud to announce the new historical campaign "Sky Nomads" for the Battle of Kuban.
About the Campaign

In May 1943 the battle for the Kuban bridgehead entered its decisive phase. The North Caucasian Front troops managed to capture the village of Krymskaya, but the main German defensive line was never broken through. The Soviet command began preparing a new offensive operation, which began on May 26 in the Kievskoye – Moldavanskoye sector. The success of the actions of the ground forces largely depended on the outcome of the battle that unfolded in the air between the Red Army Air Force and the Luftwaffe.

You will take on the role of deputy squadron commander of the 43rd IAP (Fighter Air Regiment), which is part of the 278th Fighter Air Division of Major General Savitsky's 3rd Fighter Air Corps. The regiment arrived in the Kuban at the end of April and immediately joined the struggle to gain air supremacy, changing airfields several times and taking part in all the main events at the front.

You can expect both the standard tasks of covering friendly ground troops, patrolling, escorting, and intercepting, as well as intense battles over your airfields and sorties for reconnaissance and strikes deep in enemy territory.

Timeframe: May 6th – June 5th, 1943
Unit: 43rd IAP of 278th IAD
Aircraft: Yak-7b series 36
Duration: 15 missions
Average playtime: 8 hours

Author: Alexander =BlackSix= Timoshkov

While being an independent creation, Sky Nomads continues the story of the Soviet fighter pilot you may know from the Blazing Steppe campaign.

The campaign is scheduled to be released soon, in June or early July.
The origins of the battle

In late April 1943, having thwarted the enemy's plans to eliminate the 18th Army bridgehead around Myskhako near Novorossiysk, the troops of the North Caucasian front launched a new offensive in the central sector. By May 4, after many difficult and violent encounters, they managed to liberate Krymskaya, but their progress was halted once they reached the main German defense perimeter. The Soviet command needed an operational pause to regroup its forces and prepare for a new offensive.

The operational situation as it was at the end of April, at the time of the campaign start and at the end of May 1943:
Soviet fighter aviation in the spring of 1943

The battle in the air above Kuban that began in mid-April was growing more intense and reaching a scale never before seen. On the Soviet side, the 4th and the 5th Air Armies participated in the battle, as well as the Black Sea Fleet Air Force which had been exigently supplemented with two air divisions and three air corps. Major General Savitsky's 3rd Fighter Air Corps (IAK) was expected to play a key part in the ensuring air supremacy.

The 3rd IAK arrived at the front on April 19 and immediately joined the combat effort, remaining at the epicenter of events until the end of the active combat phase in June 1943. The corps included the 265th and 278th Fighter Air Divisions (IAD) that were utilizing latest modifications Yak-1b and Yak-7b fighters. A small number of Yak-9s were also supplied to the air corps in May.

The 3rd IAK fighters: Yak-1b, Yak-9 and Yak-7b.
The nomad life of the 43rd IAP

Colonel Lisin's 278th IAD included the 15th, 43rd, and 274th Fighter Air Regiments (IAP), stationed on the Novotitarovskaya and Novovelichkovskaya airfields to the north of Krasnodar. These fields were over 70 km away from the front line, which significantly limited the amount of time the Yaks spent in the area of operations. In early May, the 278th IAD regiments received an order to relocate closer to the front, to the Slavyanskaya and Krasnoarmeyskaya airfields.

At this moment the relatively calm life of the 43rd IAP has ended and our story started. The regiment moved to Krasnoarmeyskaya on May 6th, Slavyanskaya on May 8th, and then back to Krasnoarmeyskaya the next day. On May 16th Luftwaffe attacked the airfield, and the regiment moved back to Novotitarovskaya.

On May 27th, after the beginning of the offensive in Kievskoye-Moldavanskoye sector, the 43rd IAP moved to the forward airfield Abinskaya. After surviving another airfield strike and losing nearly all machines in the endless air skirmishes the regiment returned to Novotitarovskaya on June 9th and on June 16th it was pulled from the front.
Other news

We welcome you to participate in the ongoing air races qualification if you haven't done so yet (it ends in two days!). Meanwhile, we're working not only on the new aircraft (we'll post new screenshots as soon as new birds become air worthy), but on other improvements as well. In the coming update 5.104 you'll get new mission types for the Normandy career mode - Transport Escort, Air Photo Recon for Sondercommando Götz (time to prep your Arado handling skills) and Artillery Spotting on Spitfire (navy shore bombardment looks nice)! The new mission types will be in the Normandy career at first and added to other maps where applicable after it.

IL-2 Sturmovik Team