Special Aircraft Service

Battlefield - Airborne - Tactical (BAT) => BAT Missions and Campaigns => WAW (World at War) => Topic started by: SAS~Poltava on September 20, 2020, 07:29:58 AM

Title: "Eye in the Sky" - A Mini-Campaign for the Arado Ar-240 [luftwaffe]
Post by: SAS~Poltava on September 20, 2020, 07:29:58 AM

The Arado Ar-24 by 101tfs et al is quite loveley, and sooner or later I had to build a campaign for her:

(https://i.postimg.cc/SxQJztmK/aaa-ar240-logo.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

This is a semi-historical, static 5-mission mini-campaign, set during the autumn of 1942. You are a German pilot, flying the Arado Ar-240. It was a German twin-engine, multi-role heavy fighter aircraft, designed to replace the Bf 110, but problems with the design hampered development, and the project was eventually cancelled. Some of the existing airframes were used for high altitude recce flights over England, as the cockpit was fully pressurized. (This would not have been easy if the armament had to be hand-operated by the gunner, however, a novel remote control system allowed them to be located in turrets in the unpressurized rear of the fuselage.)

Download it here: https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=426

There is a strong RANDOM event in all these missions. Weather will vary, a lot, with changes taking place even during flight. The number and the skill of the opposition will also vary. It is possible that you perform the whole campaign without seeing a single enemy aircraft, it is possible that one gets you on the very first mission. In one mission you will have a try at night fighting - the Arado was considered in that role. But most missions are high altitude recce assignments.

Note that in reality the high-altitude recce Arado Ar-240's were stripped of all armament, to improve performance. As this would be no fun - this is still a game, right? - I have kept them. But it is possible for you to replicate this, using the load-out. It will get MUCH tougher.

Some shiny screenies here:

(https://i.postimg.cc/cLVGNrkN/arado-1.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

(https://i.postimg.cc/QM1GNhvK/arado-2.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

(https://i.postimg.cc/pTJw8kW2/arado-3.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

(https://i.postimg.cc/qRrfzWdb/arado-4.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

(https://i.postimg.cc/d3Qz9d3G/arado-5.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

Thanks for looking!  :)

Title: Re: "Eye in the Sky" - A Mini-Campaign for the Arado Ar-240
Post by: Orge Schwab on September 21, 2020, 05:31:08 PM

Sounds good! Many thanks for making this. :) IIRC it was the stretched version of the 240 - the 440 - which performed recce flights over England (I think 3 were made with uprated engines, but I'm writing this from memory so am prepared to be corrected). Someone like Ranwers could produce a franken of this machine in less than 5 minutes - which would make the campaign even nicer. One day perhaps... ;)

Title: Re: "Eye in the Sky" - A Mini-Campaign for the Arado Ar-240
Post by: SAS~Poltava on September 22, 2020, 07:03:22 AM

And the aircraft used over England in 1942 were also stripped of all armament, But that would be no fun at all, just crusing around at max altitude, defenseless. So, yes, the campaign requires a little of that good old suspension of disbelief, but I hope that's ok!  :)

Title: Re: "Eye in the Sky" - A Mini-Campaign for the Arado Ar-240
Post by: vonofterdingen on September 22, 2020, 11:43:04 PM

I have long admired the way you balance historical accuracy and playability in your campaigns.

Title: Re: "Eye in the Sky" - A Mini-Campaign for the Arado Ar-240
Post by: SAS~Poltava on September 23, 2020, 01:06:25 AM

Thanks - I think you have to do this. Despite all the wonderful realism that the game is capable of it is still a game!  :)