Dear friends,

Today we will continue to tell you about the development of our new module - Odessa and Leningrad - Siege and Liberation. Last time we told you about the development of the Odessa map, today we will show you how the development of the Gulf of Finland map is going. The Gulf of Finland map has been developed for a long time by a group of enthusiasts from Finland, and a lot has been done during this time. The realization of the landscape and map scenes on the Finnish side of the Gulf is almost complete, and a unique visual style of both surface textures and building models has been created. The nature and architecture of the north have a significant impact on the appearance of the landscapes of these places, and all of this is taken into account in the new map.

The size of the new map is 204 x 277 kilometers, or 56 thousand square kilometers. The following has already been implemented on the Finnish side:

• Large city: Vyborg
  
• Small towns: 5
  
• Villages: 150
  
• Sea ports: 8
  
• River ports: 3
  
• Bridges: 480
  
• Aerodromes: 20

To create a scene for the Finnish side of the map, the Finnish development team created completely new building models in a style appropriate to the terrain, as follows:

• Rural and urban houses: 309
  
• Unique buildings: 10
  
• New airfield buildings: 10
  
• Assemblies of building blocks of various shapes and layouts for map development: 184

We have also prepared buildings and building blocks for the development of the central part of Leningrad.

In May, we plan to start developing the Soviet (southern) side of the map, as well as the city of Leningrad, which is located at the intersection of these two regions. We plan to finish this work by the end of the fall, as well as the development of all planes of "Siege and Liberation", as well as the modes of the pilot's career, which are planned to be implemented in 4 timeframes (1941 and 1944 on each of the two maps).

Speaking of airplanes, we wanted to tell you more about them today. So, about the planes of 1941:

I-153 "Chaika" (Seagull). It was a biplane fighter designed by the Polikarpov Design Bureau, a version with an enlarged oil tank, whose serial production began in November 1939. The aircraft was equipped with M-62 and M-63 (as a modification) engines. The undercarriage and landing gear release system was pneumatic, which distinguished it from another Polikarpov Design Bureau model, the I-16. Armament consisted of 4 synchronized 7.62 mm SHKAS machine guns, or (as a modification) one 12.7 mm UBS machine gun and two 7.62 mm SHKAS machine guns. The aircraft could carry up to 8 82 mm ROS-82 unguided rockets and two 50 kg bombs. It could also carry four 50 kg FAB-50 bombs or two 100 kg FAB-100 bombs, making it a good option for attack missions at the time.

LaGG-3 of the 4th series. A fighter jointly designed by Lavochkin, Gorbunov, and Gurevich and produced in June-July 1941. Early modifications of the LaGG are characterized by the presence of two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns in the engine cowling, in addition to the 20 mm ShVAK cannon and the synchronized 12.7 mm UBS machine gun. In addition, the aircraft can be armed with eight 82 mm ROS-82 rockets. It was not armed with bombs. It was equipped with an unboosted M-105P engine, five fuel tanks, retractable landing gear, and hydraulically operated landing flaps.

Yak-1 of the 23rd series. The Yakovlev Design Bureau fighter was produced in June-July 1941. It differed from later modifications by more complex glazing of the canopy, which provided better visibility, as well as a slightly different design of the landing gear flaps. It was powered by the M-105P engine. A variant (modification) was the M-105PA engine with a modified carburetor and special control of the maximum boost. Early production aircraft did not have radios fitted, but could be equipped with them (for us this will also be a modification). The undercarriage and landing gear release system is pneumatic. Armament is standard for the Yak-1: 20 mm ShVAK automatic cannon, two 7.62 mm synchronized ShKAS machine guns, and up to six ROS-82 rockets can be carried.

Bf 109 E-4 "Emil". A German all-metal monoplane fighter designed by Willy Messerschmitt. The E-4 variant went into production in the spring of 1940. The aircraft was equipped with the Daimler-Benz DB-601Aa engine, and a variant (modification) of the DB-601N engine running on 100-octane gasoline was also installed. The plane's flaps had a mechanical chain-driven exhaust system, and the landing gear had a hydraulic system. The stabilizer of the aircraft was repositionable, which facilitated control at different speeds. Armament consisted of two 20 mm MG-FF/M drum-fed short-barreled wing cannons and two synchronized 7.92 mm MG-17 machine guns. The aircraft could carry bomb armament on special pylons - one 250 kg bomb or four 50 kg bombs.

New aircraft for the 1944 timeframe, developed for the Defense and Liberation project, are also represented by four new models:

La-7 series 1. Compared to the last La-5FN series, the Lavochkin Design Bureau aircraft produced in May-June 1944 had longer landing gear struts and, most importantly, significantly improved aerodynamics: the oil cooler was moved under the fuselage and the carburetor intake was placed in the wing root. The M-82FN engine, armament (two synchronized 20 mm ShVAK cannons and the ability to carry two bombs), airframe, and cockpit design remained the same. As a result of these changes, the plane obtained a 30-40 km/h higher maximum speed, and the rest of the flight characteristics were also slightly improved. One modification was the fitting of three synchronized 20 mm B-20 cannons.

Yak-3 series 9. An aircraft of the Yakovlev Design Bureau, a continuation of the Yak-1 fighter development. Serial production of this aircraft began in May 1944. The aircraft was equipped with the M-105PF2 engine with slightly improved performance characteristics, and its aerodynamics underwent significant changes: the oil cooler was moved to the centerline, and the carburetor intake, as on the La-7, was moved to the wing root. The wing was modernized - its area was reduced. In general, as a result of all the improvements, the takeoff weight was reduced by 300 kg, the speed increased by 30-40 km/h, and other characteristics were also improved.

IL-2 mod. 1944. By the end of 1943, the Ilyushin Design Bureau had worked to improve the stability characteristics of its attack aircraft. Earlier versions of the aircraft had a very low stability margin in the longitudinal channel, and to solve this problem, the wing was significantly modernized, receiving a small sweep of 15° along the leading edge, which shifted the aerodynamic center of gravity to the rear. This normalized the stability and handling characteristics. The new wing was again all-metal, which had a positive effect on the performance and combat survivability of the aircraft. The new wing carried only four rails for unguided rockets and could no longer be equipped with 37 mm cannons.

The Junkers Ju 87 D-5 "Stuka" was one of the most advanced modifications of the famous aircraft, which went into production in the summer of 1943. The D-5 variant received a wing with increased span and area, which was necessary to reduce wing loading. Two 20 mm MG-151/20 wing cannons with 500 rounds each were installed instead of the normal machine guns. This variant could also be equipped with a Stuvi 5B sight (as a modification). There was a modification with a more powerful Jumo 211P engine. As on the earlier Ju 87 D-3, which had a G-1 modification with 37 mm cannons, on the D-5 there was a G-2 modification with BK 37 cannons. They even added a landing gear jettison system for emergency landings on land and water. Interestingly, as the war progressed, the installation of sirens on Ju 87s of later modifications was abandoned.

The development of "Odessa and Leningrad - Siege and Liberation" continues. We expect to be able to complete this work during 2025. It is planned to launch pre-order and early access when the first map ("Odessa") will be in a sufficient state of readiness for it - at least three out of eight planned aircraft should be ready at that time as well.

Stay tuned!