News from Heroes and Leaders mod

[asl3d]

The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known as the Me 110, is a twin-engine heavy fighter and fighter-bomber developed in Germany in the 1930s and used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110. It was armed with two MG FF 20 mm cannon, four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, and one 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun or twin-barrel MG 81Z for defense.
The Bf 110 served with considerable initial success in the early campaigns, the Polish, Norwegian and Battle of France. During the Balkans Campaign, North African Campaign and on the Eastern Front, it rendered valuable ground support to the German Army as a potent fighter-bomber. Later in the war, it was developed into a formidable radar-equipped night fighter, becoming the major night-fighting aircraft of the Luftwaffe.
The primary weakness of the Bf 110 was its lack of agility in the air, although this could be mitigated with the correct tactics. After the Battle of Britain the Bf 110 enjoyed a successful period as an air superiority fighter and strike aircraft in other theatres, and defended Germany from strategic air attack by day against the USAAF's 8th Air Force, until a major change in American fighter tactics rendered them increasingly vulnerable to developing American air supremacy over the Reich as 1944 began.
The initial Bf 110 C-1/B fighter-bomber could carry two 250 kg, two 500 kg, or two 1,000 kg bombs on two ETC 500 racks under the fuselage and, starting with the Bf 110 E-0, could be supplemented by four additional 50 kg bombs on ETC 50 racks under the wing.
Messerschmitt omitted the internal bomb load requirement from the RLM directive to increase the armament element of the RLM specification. The Bf 110 was far superior to its rivals in providing the speed, range and firepower to meet its role requirements. By the end of 1935, the Bf 110 had evolved into an all-metal, low-wing cantilever monoplane of semi-monocoque design featuring twin vertical stabilizers and powered by two DB 600A engines. The design was also fitted with Handley-Page wing slots (actually, leading-edge slats).
The production of the Bf 110 was put on a low priority in 1941 in expectation of its replacement by the Me 210. During this time, two versions of the Bf 110 were developed, the E and F models. The E was designed as a fighter bomber (Zerstörer Jabo), able to carry four 50 kg ETC 50 racks under the wing, along with the centerline ETC 500 bomb rack. The Bf 110 E-1 was originally powered by the DB 601B engine, but shifted to the DB 601P as they became available in quantity. A total of 856 Bf 110E models were built between August 1940 and January 1942.

[asl3d]

The Ilyushin IL2 Shturmovik was a ground-attack aircraft produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. With 36,183 units of the Il-2 produced during the war, making it the single most produced military aircraft design in aviation history, as well as one of the most produced piloted aircraft in history. The IL-2 aircraft played a crucial role on the Eastern Front.
The 23 mm armament of Il-2 was subject to a competition. One of the first 1940 photographs of the Il-2 show it equipped with two MP-6 23 mm auto cannons developed by Yakov Taubin at OKB-16. The MP-6 gun weighed 70 kg and developed an initial muzzle velocity of 900 m/s. It operated on the short recoil principle and had a rate of fire of about 600 rpm.
The Il-2 is a single-engine, propeller-driven, low-wing monoplane of mixed construction with a crew of two (one in early versions), specially designed for assault operations. Its most notable feature was the inclusion of armor in an airframe load-bearing scheme. Armor plates replaced the frame and panelling throughout the nacelle and middle part of the fuselage, and an armoured hull made of riveted homogeneous armor steel AB-1 (AB-2) secured the aircraft’s engine, cockpit, water and oil radiators, and fuel tanks.
In early 1941, the Il-2 was ordered into production at four factories, and was eventually produced in vast quantities, becoming the single most widely produced military aircraft in aviation history, but by the time Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, only State Aviation Factory 18 at Voronezh and Factory 381 at Leningrad had commenced production, with 249 having been built by the time of the German attack.
Production early in the war was slow because after the German invasion the aircraft factories near Moscow and other major cities in western Russia had to be moved east of the Ural Mountains. Ilyushin and his engineers had time to reconsider production methods, and two months after the move Il-2s were again being produced. The tempo was not to Premier Stalin's liking, however, and he issued the following telegram to Shenkman and Tretyakov:
The first use in action of the Il-2 was with the 4th ShAP (Ground Attack Regiment) over the Berezina River days after the invasion began. The training received only enabled the pilots to take-off and land; none of the pilots had fired the armament, let alone learned tactics. There were 249 Il-2s available on 22 June 1941. In the first three days, 4th ShAP had lost 10 Il-2s to enemy action, a further 19 were lost to other causes, and 20 pilots were killed. By 10 July, 4th ShAP was down to 10 aircraft from a strength of 65.
Tactics improved as Soviet aircrews became used to the Il-2's strengths. Instead of a low horizontal straight approach at 50 meters altitude, the target was usually kept to the pilot's left and a turn and shallow dive of 30 degrees was used, using an echeloned assault by four to twelve aircraft at a time. Although the Il-2's RS-82 and RS-132 rockets could destroy armored vehicles with a single hit, they were so inaccurate that experienced Il-2 pilots mainly used the cannon. Another potent weapon of the Il-2s was the PTAB shaped charge bomblets (protivotankovaya aviabomba, "anti-tank aviation bomb"). They were designated PTAB-2.5-1.5, as they had the size of a 2.5 kg bomb, but weighed only 1.5 kg due to the empty space in the shaped charge. Up to 192 were carried in four external dispensers (cluster bombs) or up to 220 in the inner wing panels' internal ventral weapon bays. The HEAT charge could easily penetrate the relatively thin upper armor of all heavy German tanks. PTABs were first used on a large scale in the Battle of Kursk.
The Il-2 was thereafter widely deployed on the Eastern Front. The aircraft could fly in low light conditions and carried weapons able to defeat the thick armor of the Panther and Tiger I tanks.

[asl3d]

The Petlyakov Pe-2 was a Soviet light bomber used during World War II. It was regarded as one of the best ground attack aircraft of the war and it was also successful in the roles of heavy fighter, reconnaissance and night fighter. The Pe-2s were manufactured in greater numbers (11,427 built) during the war than any other twin-engined combat aircraft except for the German Junkers Ju 88 and British Vickers Wellington. The Pe-2 was fast, maneuverable and durable.
The value of tactical bombing had just been displayed by the Luftwaffe in the Blitzkrieg, and the need for such an aircraft suddenly became much more important than the need for a escort fighter. Petlyakov's team was given 45 days to redesign their aircraft as a dive bomber. Cabin pressurization and superchargers were deleted, dive brakes and a bombardier's position were added, and other aerodynamic refinements. A fuselage bomb-bay was added, along with smaller bays in each engine nacelle. The aircraft was initially designated PB-100, but Joseph Stalin was impressed enough with Petlyakov that his name was permitted to be used in the aircraft's designation. The first aircraft flew on December 15, 1940, rushed through production without a prototype under severe threats from Stalin. Deliveries to combat units began the following spring.
The dorsal ShKAS machine gun had a very high rate of fire; however, its 7.62 mm rounds proved inadequate against the armor protection of modern fighters as the war progressed. In addition, it often jammed. The mounting for the ventral Berezin UB had a very limited field of view and the gun was initially unreliable. To give more protection, another ShKAS was added that could be moved between sockets on both sides of the fuselage and, in an emergency, the gunner could fire upwards, but in this case they had to be quite strong to keep it in their arms. To improve the bomber's defenses, a dorsal Berezin UBT 12,7 mm was mounted.
The aircraft did not show its true potential until the end of 1941, after the Soviet Air Force had a chance to regroup after the German onslaught during the Winter. The Pe-2 quickly proved itself to be a highly capable aircraft, able to elude the Luftwaffe's interceptors and allowing their crews to develop great accuracy with their bombing.
Throughout 1942 the design was steadily refined and improved, in direct consultation with pilots who were actually flying them in combat. Improved armor protection and a fifth ShKAS machine-gun was installed and fuel tanks modified. In December 1942 General Turkel of the Soviet Air Force estimated the life expectancy of a Pe-2 was 30 combat flights.

[asl3d]

The Sukhoi Su-2 was a Soviet reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft used in the early stages of World War II. It was the first airplane designed by Pavel Sukhoi. The basic design received an engine and armament upgrade (Su-4) and was modified for the ground-attack role (ShB).
In 1936, Joseph Stalin released a requirement for a multipurpose combat aircraft. Codenamed Ivanov, the airplane had to be capable of performing reconnaissance and then attacking the targets it located. P. O. Sukhoi was working in the Tupolev OKB at the time and designed (copied the aircraft from a Lithuanian Antanas Gustaitis; the main aircraft was ANBO-8) the "Ivanov" aircraft under the tutelage of Andrei Tupolev. The resulting ANT-51 flew on 25 August 1937 with M. M. Gromov at the controls. Powered by a 610 kW (820 hp) Shvetsov M-62 air-cooled radial engine, the ANT-51 reached 403 km/h (220 kn, 250 mph) at 4,700 m. This was considered insufficient but since the basic design was sound, it was decided to re-test it with a more powerful engine. Equipped with a 746 kW (1,000 hp) Tumansky M-87 engine, the ANT-51 reached 468 km/h (255 kn, 290 mph) at 5,600 m and was accepted into production as BB-1 (Blizhniy Bombardirovschik "short-range bomber").
In 1940, the aircraft was renamed Su-2 and the unreliable M-87 engine was replaced with a Tumansky M-88. This lightened version with an M-88B engine reached 512 km/h (275 kn, 320 mph) in testing.
The Su-2 was of mixed construction. The fuselage was semi-monocoque with wood spars and a plywood skin. The wings were of duralumin and steel construction with fabric-covered rod-actuated control surfaces. The pilot and gunner were protected with 9 mm (0.35 in) of armor. The taildragger landing gear was retractable, including the tailwheel.
Although 910 Su-2s were built by the time production was discontinued in 1942, the aircraft was obsolete and underarmed by the start of the Great Patriotic War. In combat, the Su-2 ground attack aircraft squadrons suffered heavy losses against the Germans, with some 222 aircraft destroyed. From 1942, the Su-2 was withdrawn from the frontline and replaced by Ilyushin Il-2, Petlyakov Pe-2 and Tupolev Tu-2 bombers. The Su-2 was relegated to a training and reconnaissance role. However, due to a critical shortage of aircraft in early World War II, some Su-2s were used as emergency fighters.
Although the Su-2 has been criticized due to the number of losses it suffered, its loss rate compares favorably with other attack aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force in World War II.

[asl3d]

The Tupolev Tu-2 (development names ANT-58 and 103) was a twin-engine Soviet high-speed daylight and frontline (SDB and FB) bomber aircraft of World War II vintage. The Tu-2 was tailored to meet a requirement for a high-speed bomber or dive-bomber, with a large internal bomb load, and speed similar to that of a single-seat fighter. Designed to challenge the German Junkers Ju 88, the Tu-2 proved comparable, and was produced in torpedo, interceptor and reconnaissance versions. The Tu-2 was one of the outstanding combat aircraft of World War II and it played a key role in the Red Army's final offensives.
In 1937, Andrei Tupolev, along with many Soviet designers at the time, was arrested on trumped-up charges of activities against the State. Despite the actions of the Soviet government, he was considered important to the war effort and following his imprisonment, he was placed in charge of a team that was to design military aircraft. Designed as Samolyot (Russian: "aircraft") 103, the Tu-2 was based on earlier ANT-58, ANT-59 and ANT-60 light bomber prototypes. Essentially an upscaled and more powerful ANT-60 powered by AM-37 engines, the first prototype was completed at Factory N156, and made its first test flight on 29 January 1941, piloted by Mikhail Nukhtinov. The new machine was a strikingly clean, twin-engine design with smooth engine cowlings, a pointed profile, and twin rudders. During flight tests it demonstrated even better performance than the Petlyakov Pe 2s then in service. It was slow going at first, but the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 dramatically accelerated the pace of production.
Mass production began in September 1941, at Omsk Aircraft Factory Number 166, with the first aircraft reaching combat units in March 1942. Initial deliverieswas only in limited numbers. This was because the Tu-2 was more complicated to build than the Pe-2 and took longer to assemble. Another reason is that the Pe-2 was already serving capably— and in large numbers—so Tupolev’s new machine did not receive priority production. Modifications were made based on combat experience, and Plant Number 166 built a total of 80 aircraft. The AM-37 engine was abandoned to concentrate efforts on the AM-38F for the Il-2, which required Tupolev to redesign the aircraft for an available engine. Modifications of this bomber took ANT-58 through ANT-69 variants. A further 2527 aircraft were built at Kazan, with these modifications.
Built from 1941 to 1948, the Tu-2 was the USSR's second most important twin-engine bomber (the first being the Pe-2). The design brought Andrei Tupolev back into favour after a period of detention. Crews were universally happy with their Tupolevs. Pilots could maneuver the aircraft like a fighter, it could survive heavy damage, and it was fast.
The Tu-2 proved itself a fine machine, especially in terms of speed, payload, and handling. The big, rugged craft was especially popular with crews for its amazing ability to absorb damage and remain aloft. Tupolev was rehabilitated and received the Stalin Prize for his achievement. Tu-2s remained in production until 1948, following a production run of 2,527 machines.

[asl3d]

The historical module "Barrikady" is already available in the release 2.0 of “Heroes and Leaders mod.”

The release 2.0 of Heroes and Leaders mod is already available in the threah “Core of Heroes and Leaders mod,” in the post # 1:

tm.asp?m=4354865#

The main news are:
1.- All units of the Soviet army
2.- New units of the German army
3.- New terrain for the historical module "Barrikady"
4.- New Nations file
5.- New Sprites file
6.- New Events file
7.- New rules
8.- First scenario for the historic Barrikady module: "Barrikady West"

[asl3d]

The release 1.1 of Documents by Heroes and Leaders mod is already available in the thread “Heroes and Leaders mod Documents,” in the post # 1:

tm.asp?m=4415998

List of Documents contained in the pack “Documents by Heroes and Leaders mod:”

List of Documents contained in this pack:

1.- H&L Scenarios Collection, version of January 9, 2018

2.- H&L Terrain Chart, version of January 9, 2018

3.- H&L tutorial, version of January 9, 2018

4.- H&L Units Catalog 1 Soviet Army, version of September 2, 2018.

5.- H&L Units Catalog 2 German Army, version of September 2, 2018.

6.- H&L Units Catalog 3 US Army, version of September 2, 2018.

[asl3d]

The new pack of Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod is already available in the thread “Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod,” in the post # 1:

tm.asp?m=4252327

List of scenarios contained in this pack:

“Barrikady Tramvanaya,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of September 9, 2018

List of scenarios published and contained in the Core of Heroes and Leaders mod:

“Barrikady West”, for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of August 29, 2018
"Donville", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
"Graignes", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Carentan town”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Ingouf farm”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Brecourt Manor”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018

[asl3d]

The third historical module of Heroes and Leaders mod will be "OMAHA", dedicated to the assault of the North American forces in the historic beach of Omaha, during the bloody day of June 6, 1944.
The module will include the American infantry, landing crafts, German bunkers, and the main defensive obstacles deployed on Omaha Beach.

[asl3d]

The new pack of Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod is already available in the thread “Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod,” in the post # 1:

tm.asp?m=4252327

List of scenarios contained in this pack:

“Barrikady Sormosk,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of September 21, 2018
“Barrikady Tramvanaya,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of September 9, 2018

List of scenarios published and contained in the Core of Heroes and Leaders mod:

“Barrikady West”, for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of August 29, 2018
"Donville", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
"Graignes", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Carentan town”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Ingouf farm”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Brecourt Manor”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018

[asl3d]

New scenarios are coming for the Carentan Historical Module: Carentan Expansion.
The Omaha Historical module will include more units of the Army of the United States of America. These new units of the Army of the United States of America, as well as the new units of the German Army, will participate in the new scenarios for Carentan Expansion.
The new scenarios for Carentan Expansion will also have new maps that will be combined with existing ones.

[asl3d]

The new pack of Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod is already available in the thread “Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod,” in the post # 1:

tm.asp?m=4252327

List of scenarios contained in this pack:

“Barrikady Skulpturny,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of October 03, 2018
“Barrikady Sormosk,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of September 21, 2018
“Barrikady Tramvanaya,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of September 9, 2018

List of scenarios published and contained in the Core of Heroes and Leaders mod:

“Barrikady West”, for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of August 29, 2018
"Donville", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
"Graignes", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Carentan town”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Ingouf farm”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Brecourt Manor”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018

[asl3d]

"Barrikady Tsaritsa," fitth Scenario of Historical Module Barrikady, is coming.....

[asl3d]

Barrikady Tsaritsa at southwest of factory complex

[asl3d]

Barrikady Tsaritsa full board

[asl3d]

Barrikady Tsaritsa: Full boards

[asl3d]

The new pack of Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod is already available in the thread “Scenarios for Heroes and Leaders mod,” in the post # 1:

tm.asp?m=4252327

List of scenarios contained in this pack:

“Barrikady Tsaritsa,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of October 12, 2018
“Barrikady Skulpturny,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of October 03, 2018
“Barrikady Sormosk,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of September 21, 2018
“Barrikady Tramvanaya,” for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of September 9, 2018

List of scenarios published and contained in the Core of Heroes and Leaders mod:

“Barrikady West”, for Historical Module 2 Barrikady, version of August 29, 2018
"Donville", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
"Graignes", for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Carentan town”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Ingouf farm”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018
“Brecourt Manor”, for Historical Module 1 Carentan, version of August 29, 2018

[Gerry4321]

That big map brings me back in time! I played the campaign RB IV Bled White many years ago. It came in one of the journals.

[asl3d]

Barrikady Stalinaya: Sixth Scenario of the Historical Module Barrikady.

[asl3d]

Barrikady Stalinaya Scenario is developed around the gun Barrikady Factory and Skulpturny Park, along Stalinaya and Tramvaynaya streets.