MiGMan’s Flight Sim Museum

MiGMan’s Flight Sim Museum

European Air War

MiGMan's Combat Diary, 1998

There are so many ways to start playing this sim it's hard to know where to begin.
For a start, you get to engage in air war in Europe from three different perspectives:

RAF

European Air War
United Kingdom as a RAF pilot (Royal Air Force).
European Air War
USA as a USAF pilot (United States Air Force).
European Air War
Germany as a Luftwaffe pilot.
European Air War
Landing the Tempest... or in my case BOUNCING the Tempest!
I chose a New Zealand squadron flying Tempest V's. Although the voices sounded rather more like Scotsmen than Kiwis to me.
European Air War
In the background you can see the smoke from a Jerry fighter. In the foreground you can see the smoke and FLAMES from my poor old Tempest... now where is that Escape and Evasion manual?
Anyhow, accents to the side, these guys sure could fly!
European Air War
Where there's smoke there's fire. Or so they say.
This was pure and simple dogfighting accompanied by great sound effects like a "plinking" noise which I soon learnt that the engine was overheating and about to throw a rod!
European Air War
Heading out over the English channel and 20 minutes of trying to stay in formation... or you can press Alt-N to skip to the action.
European Air War
I headed off into some the most intense and varied dogfighting I'd ever encounterd in a sim. The German pilots weren't afraid to mix it up right down on to the deck... I'm talking about below treetop level here.

USAF

European Air War
P-47 climbs away from a burning train
After the bombers had finished their business I usually headed for the deck and followed a main road in the general direction of "home". Flying at about 1,000 and off to one side lets you look out the side of the canopy (visibility over the nose is not too good). Any higher and it can be hard to spot the vehicles and trains. Once you've scored a hit the tall, black smoke columns make it easier... although the remaining vehicles will sometimes drive off the road and under trees!
European Air War
Just head for the smoke.
The P-47 doesn't climb as well as some of the German fighters but accelerates very quickly in a dive. Chalking up the air kills is a risky business in EAW anyway.. the various ground targets make for a very tempting alternative.
European Air War
Two German half-tracks burning after a P-47 attack

Luftwaffe

Me-262

Feeling the need for speed I jumped into the Messerschmidt 262.
European Air War
What a buzz!
With the sound cranked up I started first the left engine.
I listened to it spool up and immersed myself in the truly satisfying howl of this Wagnerian Valkyrie.
European Air War
It is damnab;y noisy in this cockpit! Great.
Now the right engine.... even noisier, excellent.
European Air War
My Me-262 dashes over the forest.
European Air War

A painterly palette

The first thing that struck me about this sim was the character of the graphics.
European Air War
It is almost as if the sim were rendered in pastels and crayons. In fact it feels like you are flying in a painting by Robert Taylor, a poetic environment.
European Air War
European Air War
European Air War
European Air War
The presentation of the sim was the apogee of Microprose's traditions of creating totally immersive sim environments, from the interface to the hangar, and from cockpit to the scenery.
European Air War

These images were taken in 1998 using a Creative 3D Blaster Banshee.