Details

Written by: Devil5O5

Category: Eastern European Theatre

Published: 22 November 2025

Hits: 23

Last Days of the Luftwaffe

The Soviet Red Army has smashed its way through German occupied Poland and Hungary as winter turned to spring in 1945. Warsaw has been liberated. Budapest and Königsberg both were captured. Now Stalin has his sights on capturing Austria, Czechoslovakia, and as much of Germany as he can before the Nazis surrender. 

On 25 March, the 2nd Ukrainian Front launched the Bratislava–Brno offensive by crossing the Hron river. On 30 March, the Front then crossed the Nitra river and quickly rushed across the Danubian Lowland towards Bratislava. Meanwhile, the 3rd Ukrainian Front began to advance into Austria and take Vienna. While the street fighting was still intensifying in the southern and western suburbs of Vienna through 8 April, other troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front by-passed Vienna altogether and advanced on Linz and Graz. By 15 April, armies of the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front pushed even further into Austria. The completely exhausted remnants of what had been the 6th SS Panzer Army were forced to flee to the area between Vienna and Linz

The offensive to capture central Germany and Berlin started on 16 April with an assault on the German front lines on the Oder and Neisse rivers. After several days of heavy fighting the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front and 1st Ukrainian Front punched holes through the German front line and were fanning out across central Germany. By 24 April, elements of the 1st Belorussian Front and 1st Ukrainian Front had completed the encirclement of the German capital and the Battle of Berlin entered its final stages. On 25 April the 2nd Belorussian Front broke through the German 3rd Panzer Army's line south of Stettin. The 58th Guards Rifle Division of the 5th Guards Army made contact with the US 69th Infantry Division of the First Army near Torgau, Germany at the Elbe river. Soviet forces fought their way into the centre of Berlin as April turned to May, and the German capital surrendered on 2 May. 

The Nazi regime considered Czechoslovakia and neighboring areas as their last bastion in the event that Berlin fell. Therefore, in 1945 they concentrated many powerful military units in the region, including elements of 6th SS Panzer Army, 1st and 4th Panzer Armies, and 7th, 8th and 17th Combined Armies. After Berlin’s capture, the Soviets attacked towards Prague, prompting the citizens of Prague to revolt against the Nazi occupiers.The 1st Ukrainian Front opened the Prague Offensive on 6 May, attacking southward. The following day, the 2nd Ukrainian Front attacked northwestwards.Between the 2nd and 1st Ukrainian Fronts, the 4th Ukrainian Front continued its advance on Olomouc. Facing overwhelming attacks on three sides, as well as the armed resistance within Prague itself, German forces surrendered unconditionally, ending the war in Europe.

This FSO will recreate the air battles over the Soviet-German lines in the final month of the European portion of World War 2.  

Side Split: Allies 50% / Axis 50%

First Sorite

Aircraft After T+30

Ordnance Restrictions:

• Bombs and Rockets only available for the Tu-2S and 190F-8 in Hour 1
• Tu-2 will be limited to only the 2x 250Kg bombs. 
• 500Kg bomb disabled Fw 190F-8.
• Wgr21 Rockets disabled for all planes.
• 250Kg/500Lb bombs available on the 109G-14, and P-39Q beginning at T+30.
• 30mm cannons disabled on the Fw 190A-8

Event Rules and Clarifications

• Alt Cap is 16K for fighters, 12K for all bomb/rocket carrying aircraft. 
• Flying off the map is forbidden.
• Minimums, Maximums, and credible force are for the first sortie of each frame. CiC’s satisfy these requirements by assigning squads whose combined minimum commitment level meets or exceeds the stated levels.
• Each side must assign a credible defense force of at least 9 players.
• Squads may not mix fighter aircraft manufacturers in Hour 1 (For example, a squad assigned 109K-4’s may also use 109G-14’s but not any Fw 190’s.)
• Fw 190F-8 and Tu-2 must be used in the ground attack role.
• Hour 1 target areas must be bombed before T+60 and Hour 1 targets become invalid after T+60.
• Hour 2 targets are only valid for pilots launching a new sortie in Hour 2 or rearming their Hour 1 plane after T+60.
• Only aircraft with bombs enabled will score points for destroying target objects. 
• Any non-target object that is destroyed will be restored at the earliest convenience by a CM. 
• Air Spawns will be set to a 5K altitude, if used.
• Scoring values will be reduced in Hour 2 to compensate for an increased sortie rate. Aircraft on their first sortie will always score full points against enemy aircraft even after the second hour begins. A player's first sortie ends once they rearm, land, or are shot down. This is to prevent a situation where a last minute strike in Hour 1 can award full bombing points while only risking 1/4 points for a death on the way home. 
• Aircraft launched between T-30 and T+60 are scored with Hour 1 values.
• Rook territory will represent land captured by the Americans.

Scoring

Arena Settings 

- Terrain: Danube

- Fuel Burn: 0.8 (to ensure all Soviet fighters have over an hour of endurance) 

- Icons: 3K Friendly/Enemy for aircraft.

- Ack: .3

- Fighter and Bomber warning range: 63360 (about 12 miles)

- Tower range set to 63360 (for display only to match the above setting)

- Haze/Fog: 15 miles

- Radar: Off

- Enemy collisions: on

- Friendly collisions: off

- Killshooter: off

- Time: 1100 (11AM) Game Clock

- Clouds: light5k

- Wind: 

0K-2K: No Wind

2K-12K: NW TO SE - Speed 5

12K-16K: NW TO SE  - Speed 10

16K+: 45MPH downdraft

Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Eastern European Theatre

Published: 19 August 2025

Hits: 19

As 1942 gave way to 1943, the Soviets continued to push west in the Rzhev area during the winter months. While the fighting took a large toll on the advancing Soviet armies, it created an interesting pocket structure all the way to Velikiye Luki that left some German Army and Luftwaffe units strung out all the way to Rzhev.

This FSO is set to depict the air battles that happened over the skies of Russia during the winter of 1942/1943. 

Allies: 52% / Axis 48%

Order of Battle | Phase 1:

Order of Battle | Phase 2:

Loadout Restrictions:

Bf 109G-2 gondolas disabled at t+30 (Phase 2 launch)

Bf 110G-2 restricted to 2x 250kg bomb package. No wing bombs or rockets.

A2G ord disabled on all other fighters.

37mm disabled on Yak-9T

Scoring:

Fighters – 1

Twins – 2

Hangars – 5

Bunkers – 1

Town - .25 per building

Arena Settings:

- Terrain: russiaw

- Fuel Burn: 1.0

- Clouds: med5kmed15k

- Icons: 3K Friendly/Enemy

- Ack: .3

- Fighter and Bomber warning range: 63360 (about 12 miles)

- Tower range set to 63360 (for display only to match the above setting)

- Haze/Fog: 15 miles

- Radar: Off

- Enemy collisions: on

- Friendly collisions: off

- Killshooter: off

- Time: 1000 (10AM) Game Clock

- Formations: On

- Formation Autopilot: On

- Bomber calibration: Automatic

- Wind: 0K-2K NO WIND

2K-16K: E TO W - Speed 5

16K-20K: SE to NW - Speed 10

20+K: 45mph downdraft

Area of Operations:

Details

Written by: Devil5O5

Category: Eastern European Theatre

Published: 17 April 2025

Hits: 21

Red Tide: Crimean Offensive 1944

April 1944. Axis forces have collapsed in Ukraine. Soviet troops have pushed all the way to the Romanian border, laying siege to the Ukrainian city of Odessa and isolating the Crimean peninsula. Hitler commands that Crimea be held at all costs, fearing it being used to base Soviet bombers intent on raiding Romanian oil fields. The Axis troops in Crimea number just 230,000 men, 65,000 of them being Romanian. Opposing them are the 460,000 troops in the Soviet 4th Ukrainian Front staged along the Perekop Isthmus in the north and the Kerch bridgehead on the far eastern coast. 

The Soviets commenced their attack across Perekop on April 8th. The Axis defensive line in the north, which Hitler had been assured could hold out “for a long time,” crumbled in just over a day. By the 11th, the Axis had fallen back to a defensive line anchored by the city of Simferopol. Knowing that this line would never hold for long, preparations were made in spite of Hitler’s orders to hold Crimea to evacuate troops via the port city of Sevastopol and to occupy a defensive line closer to the city to facilitate the evacuation. The Romanian Navy was enlisted to provide the shipping for what had been called, “Operation 60,000”, with the aim of transporting that many men from Crimea back to Romania. 

Axis fighter defense consisted of just 7 squadrons of Bf 109G’s of JG 52, including the squadron of Croatian volunteers. Since the Romanian Air Force was tied down in combat along its own border, and defending against American bomber raids to the oil fields, it could only commit a training unit of obsolete Bf 109E’s to escorting the convoys. 

The Red Air Force had both the 4th and 8th Air Armies as well as the Black Sea Fleet Air Force at its disposal for the Crimean offensive. Soviet fighter strength numbered 19 regiments of  Lagg-3’s, P-39’s and Yaks. Bomber and ground attack regiments were just as numerous.

Between April 15th and May 14th, the convoys successfully evacuated over 130,000 Axis troops before Sevastopol was liberated by Soviet troops. 

This FSO will represent the frantic air battles over the Crimean front lines and the troop convoys in the Black Sea.

Side Split: Allies 52% / Axis 48%

First Sortie Aircraft

Subsequent Sortie Aircraft (Hour 2)

Ordnance Restrictions:

• All bombs and rockets will be disabled on the 109G-2, 109G-6, P-39D, P-39Q, and Yak-7b.
• 20mm gondolas for the Bf 109G-2/G-6 are available for the first sortie only.

• Tu-2’s will be limited to only the 2x 500Kg wing bombs to represent the Pe-2. 

Event Rules and Clarifications

• Alt Cap is 16K for fighters, 12K for all bomb/rocket/torpedo carrying aircraft.
• Minimums and Maximums are for the first sortie of each frame. CiC’s satisfy the requirement for aircraft with minimums by assigning squads whose combined minimum commitment level meets or exceeds the aircraft minimum.
• The minimum requirements for P-39D/P-39Q is the combined total of each type in that cell. It is valid to use just one aircraft type and not the other. 
• Hour 1 target areas must be bombed before T+60 and Hour 1 targets become invalid after T+60.
• Hour 2 targets are only valid for pilots launching G4M’s and IL-2’s after T+30 or rearming their Tu-2’s  after T+60.
• G4M’s, IL-2’s and 109E-4's become available at T+30. The remainder of the Hour 2 aircraft become available at T+60. 
• G4M’s and IL-2’s may attack the Hour 1 target in Hour 1 but will only score Hour 2 point values.
• Fighters may not strafe down target objects. Only bombers and solo attackers will score points for destroying target objects. 
• Tu-2’s must be used with formations as level bombers.
• G4M’s must be used with formations as level bombers or torpedo bombers. 
• 109E-4’s are worth Hour 2 values to kill (1 point each), even before T+60.
• G4M’s and IL-2’s only score Hour 2 values on ground targets, even before T+60.
• Fleet targets are custom that feature a CV and 14 destroyers. The CV’s will be sunk prior to the frame beginning, leaving just the destroyers representing a convoy.
• Hardness of destroyers is set to 1,000 pounds.
• Any non-target object that is destroyed will be restored at the earliest convenience by a CM. 
• Scoring values will be reduced in Hour 2 to compensate for an increased sortie rate. Aircraft on their first sortie will always score full points against enemy aircraft even after the second hour begins. A player's first sortie ends once they rearm, land, or are shot down. This is to prevent a situation where a last minute strike in Hour 1 can award full bombing points while only risking 1/2 points for a death on the way home. 
• Both sides will have 5K air spawns beginning at T+30. These will be placed near the Hour 2 objectives, but not directly overhead of them. 

Scoring

Arena Settings 

- Terrain: Blksea

- Fuel Burn: 0.8 (to ensure all Soviet fighters have over an hour of endurance) 

- Icons: 3K Friendly/Enemy for aircraft.

- Ack: .3

- Object hardness mults[shp]: 1.0

- Object shape settings[de]: 1.0

- Fighter and Bomber warning range: 63360 (about 12 miles)

- Tower range set to 63360 (for display only to match the above setting)

- Haze/Fog: 15 miles

- Radar: Off

- Enemy collisions: on

- Friendly collisions: off

- Killshooter: off

- Time: 1100 (11AM) Game Clock

- Clouds: light5k

- Wind: 0K-2K NO WIND

2K-12K: NE TO SW - Speed 5

12K-16K: NE TO SW  - Speed 10

16K+: 45MPH downdraft

Details

Written by: Devil5O5

Category: Eastern European Theatre

Published: 25 January 2025

Hits: 17

Stretching from Leningrad to the port city of Murmansk on the Arctic Ocean, the Kirov Railway was the most vital lifeline for Allied aid going to the Soviets. Beginning in August 1941, convoys originating in Iceland and Scotland delivered cargo of food, ammunition, raw materials, tanks and most critically, Hurricane and P-40 fighters. Many of these planes were put to use in squadrons defending the Kirov Railway from Axis raiders, allowing vital aid to pass safely along the route near the front line with Finland. With over a half a dozen convoys arriving in Murmansk before May 1942, the Luftwaffe was tasked with applying more pressure on the Soviet transport network.  

This FSO will recreate the battles over northern Russia and Finland in the summer of 1942 as the Axis attacks targets along the Kirov Railway.

Side Split: Allies 50% / Axis 50%

Hour 1 Aircraft

Hour 2 Aircraft

Ordnance Restrictions:

20mm cannons disabled on the Hurricane Mk.II to represent a Hurricane Mk.IIB

37mm cannon disabled on the P-39D to represent a P-400.

1800Kg bombs disabled on the Ju 87.

250Kg bomb disabled on the Bf 109E

I-16 limited to the 4x 7.6mm ShKAS loadout to represent an I-153.

Event Rules and Clarifications:

-Alt Cap is 16K for fighters, 12K for all bomb carrying aircraft.

-Bf 110C must take bombs in Hour 1 with the intent to be used in the ground attack role.

-CiC’s satisfy the requirement for aircraft with minimums by assigning squads whose combined minimum commitment level meets or exceeds the aircraft minimum.

-The P-40C and P-40E count as the same plane in Hour 1. Any combination of the types is valid until the maximum(12) is reached. Extra pilots in those squads must take Hurricane Mk.IIB’s. 

-Two Hour 1 attack objectives will be assigned each frame. All Ju 88’s must attack one target and all Bf 110C’s the other. The CiC will decide which target is attacked by which plane type. The CiC must also assign at least 10 total aircraft (Fighters and Attackers) to each objective to satisfy a credible force.

-Credible defense force must be at least 10 fighters assigned to each target. Other fighters may be assigned a more flexible role.

-Both Hour 1 target areas must be bombed before T+60

-Stukas and I-16’s become available at T+30. The remainder of the Hour 2 aircraft become available at T+60.

-Stukas and I-16’s are worth Hour 2 values (1 point each), even before T+60.

-Stukas only score Hour 2 values on ground targets, even before T+60.

-Flying off the map is forbidden.

-Any non-target object that is destroyed will be restored at the earliest convenience by a CM. 

-Scoring values will be reduced in Hour 2 to compensate for an increased sortie rate. Aircraft on their first sortie will always score full points against enemy aircraft even after the second hour begins. A player's first sortie ends once they rearm, land, or are shot down. This is to prevent a situation where a last minute strike in Hour 1 can award full bombing points while only risking 1/4 points for a death on the way home.  

Scoring:

Arena Settings 

- Terrain: Finland

- Fuel Burn: 1.0 

- Icons: 3K Friendly/Enemy for aircraft.

- Ack: .3

- Fighter and Bomber warning range: 63360 (about 12 miles)

- Tower range set to 63360 (for display only to match the above setting)

- Haze/Fog: 15 miles

- Radar: Off

- Enemy collisions: on

- Friendly collisions: off

- Killshooter: off

- Time: 1100 (11AM) Game Clock

- Clouds: light5k

- Wind: 0K-2K NO WIND

2K-12K: NE TO SW - Speed 5

12K-16K: NE TO SW  - Speed 10

16K+: 45MPH downdraft