Hornet's nest is a 31 mission campaign for BAT based on the exploits of the Beauforts of 100 Squadron RAAF, by Von and Lars. There are versions available for both BAT and VP Modpack. The link below allows you to choose which version to download.
100 Squadron was initially the only torpedo bomber unit in New Guinea and as such was expected to deal the Japanese navy a severe blow. It formed part of 9 Group RAAF which came under the USAAF 5th Air Force. In fact, just its presence was a deterrent to the Japanese Navy at a time when they were all-conquering.
Download here:
https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=2935
See the Readme for installation instructions. Be sure and use the
Hornet's Nest zip file for BAT and the
VPM PTO zip file for VP Modpack.
From Lars…
We understand that some players like to fly long missions and most prefer a quicker experience. We started out to provide both but it proved impractical with what the sim has to offer currently. In real life the squadron flew 4 to 5 hour missions mostly at night over the sea and with poor communications affected by tropical storms, with a low success rate in the end. In addition the crews suffered from various tropical diseases rife in the area. So, for playability sake and enjoyment we opted for daytime missions with many air starts.
The constant fatigue (80% of servicemen at Milne Bay suffered illness at one time or another), the slippery steel matting with ankle deep mud, the waves of different weather fronts, and most of all, the malfunctioning weapons, cannot be reproduced accurately in the sim at present. The US 13inch naval torpedo in particular which was supplied to the Beauforts was found in the end to be badly made and all Allied services that used it suffered accordingly. The US submarine service was particularly vocal about its lack of success. After a full investigation at the end of 1942 it was found the depth mechanism was out by 15 feet and this was still problematic at the end of the war!
100 Squadron was initially the only torpedo bomber unit in New Guinea and as such was expected to deal the Japanese navy a severe blow. It formed part of 9 Group RAAF which came under the USAAF 5th Air Force. In fact, just its presence was a deterrent to the Japanese Navy at a time when they were all-conquering.
Time and again the Australian crews pressed home an attack with little to show for it. The High Command put it down to inexperience, poor training, and an antiquated aircraft not suited for the purpose. In fact, once the initial problems associated with any aircraft new to the scene were dealt with (e.g.wonky tailwheel assembly, elevator movement, and carbon monoxide leakage) the Australian built Beaufort proved a decent medium to low level bomber. The crews found it robust and reliable and it was a pleasure to fly. It was the first major production run in the fledgling aircraft industry and lessons were learned along the way. By the time the initial problems were solved the eventual ten RAAF Beaufort squadrons were used in the level bombing and ground support roles, for which they proved very successful. It also played a crucial part in the monotonous but essential anti-submarine patrols and convoy escorts in the South West Pacific Theatre.The crews who suffered through the first year or more of operations were eventually transferred to other theatres and duties, and the fresh crews took over carrying the Beauforts successfully through to victory in 1945.
This campaign has a different feel to those in Europe and the Mediterranean so we hope you enjoy what Von and I have put together. As well as attacking enemy shipping, you will be fighting enemy aircraft of all sorts so watch out for those tail gunners with their deadly accuracy. Torpedoes will be dropped, and various bombloads against sea and land targets. We have included all the major successes the squadron achieved which are noted in the briefings. E.g. A Beaufort defends against three attacking Zeroes, shoots down two and evades another without a scratch, the sinking of a cruiser by bombs, and an historic mass RAAF raid on an airbase. Despite the low results they were successful in helping to stop the Japanese from conquering New Guinea and thus from cutting off Australia’s supply lines.
My thanks as ever to Von for bringing my briefings to life, and to you guys for so many downloads which spurs us on to create other campaigns.
Credits
Thanks also to:
For the map PNG42 by TomcatZombie and DPeters
For the RAAF 100 Squadron skin by Cafs
For the original idea of Il2 to Oleg Maddox and team
For the 4.12.2 BAT4 version by the SAS team
For VP Modpack by VP Media
For further reading you may wish to check out
‘Song of the Beauforts’ by Colin M King
‘Adversity in Success’ by Air Vice Marshall J.E. Hewitt, commander of 9 group RAAF.
‘Battle of the Bismark Sea’ by Lex McAulay.
‘Target Rabaul’ by Bruce Gamble.
Cheers
Lars.
Author
Topic: The Hornet's Nest: A Bristol Beaufort RAAF campaign for BAT in the PTO (Read 3751 times)
