Sturmovik: Great Battles: two new historically significant aircraft

[hasegawa]

Sturmovik: Great Battles has expanded the skies over Odessa with two historically significant aircraft, giving players fresh challenges in dogfighting and precision ground attacks.

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4: Hans Guse’s Africa Fighter over Odessa

A special Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 now takes to the skies over Odessa. The aircraft sports the distinctive brown Afrika camouflage (RLM 79) on top, overpainted with green spots – likely an improvised pattern applied in the field. Notably, this Bf 109E-4 did not feature the desert (tropical) filter used by JG 27 aircraft in North Africa to protect the engine from sand.

Historically, the plane belonged to 2.(J)/LG 2, stationed in Mizil, Romania in June 1941. Pilot Lieutenant Hans Guse had already flown this aircraft in Greece and Crete. Guse was shot down on 10 July 1941 near Tighina (today probably near Tiraspol, Moldova) while engaging I-16 fighters escorting DB-3 bombers.

Interestingly, LG 2 had a notable combat history even before the Eastern Front. During earlier Mediterranean operations, units of LG 2 were directly involved in attacks that sank the cruisers HMS Fiji and HMS Gloucester and damaged the battleship HMS Warspite.

For simulation enthusiasts, this means flying the Bf 109E-4 is not only about the Eastern Front but also echoes a unit with a storied and far-reaching combat record, combining historical accuracy with engaging gameplay.

Junkers Ju 87D-5: The Classic Stuka Returns

Joining the skies over Odessa is the Junkers Ju 87D-5, a late variant of the Stuka, preceding the more famous G-series “tank-buster.” Unlike the earlier D-3 version, this aircraft does not feature wing-mounted machine guns, but instead carries Rheinmetall MG 151/20 cannons, making it a formidable strike aircraft while retaining the iconic Stuka silhouette.

Historically, this specific Ju 87D-5 belonged to the staff of Stuka-Geschwader 77 (StG 77) in the summer of 1944. Details on operational missions are scarce, but in the simulation, additional cockpit armor and the dedicated dive-attack sight (Stuvi 5B) have been applied, reflecting its historical equipment.

Dive sight (Stuvi 5B) specifications:

Request number: Fl.52870

Device number: 127-425 B-1

Model: Stuvi 5B

Manufacturer: dpv = Zeiss-Jkon A.G Dresden
Approximate production year: 1944
Lenses used: Reflex glass (Fl.52834), Colored glass (Fl.52835)

Players flying the Ju 87D-5 can experience the distinct handling of the Stuka: slow, stable, and devastatingly accurate during dive attacks. Compared to the nimble Bf 109E-4, the Ju 87D-5 is all about precision, positioning, and timing, giving players a rich tactical experience in the Great Battles series.

Conclusion:
With the addition of the Bf 109E-4 and Ju 87D-5, Sturmovik: Great Battles not only enriches the simulation experience over Odessa but also provides historical depth, connecting players with units and aircraft that had a real impact on World War II operations, from the Mediterranean to the Eastern Front.













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Additional Note
The Ju 87D-5’s generous cockpit glazing, often described by pilots as a “goldfish bowl,” was partly protected by the addition of armored side plates. However, this modification had an unexpected side effect: the emergency compass could no longer be properly calibrated due to magnetic interference. As a result, it was removed from the cockpit. The vacant spot on the instrument panel was covered with a plate carrying the note that the compass had been intentionally omitted.

This small but telling detail highlights the pragmatic field modifications made to keep the Stuka combat-ready despite its design compromises.

[Charl]

Those models look extremely competent - can you just get in and fly, or do you need 100 hours of familiarisation?

[hasegawa]

Great Battles from the Sturmovik team is comparable in fidelity to DCS, only set in the WWI/WWII era. 100 hours? Experienced sim pilots will need less time, but there is definitely a learning curve — and some quirks you won’t forgive on your first sorties.

The Bf 109 is brilliant but also unforgiving: mistreat the engine and you’ll quickly be in trouble, it shares many of the real‑aircraft idiosyncrasies. The undercarriage is fairly fragile — a hard landing on one wheel can lead to gear collapse, wing damage and, with a bit of bad luck, a flip or nose‑over.

The Ju 87 is a solid, purpose‑built dive bomber — but a dive attack is a procedure, not a button. You have to be drilled in the exact sequence: sights, angle, dive‑brake management and timing. My own bridge strike failed because I left the dive brakes engaged when I started the dive — nasty mistake. Important to note: the automatic pull‑out/assist that is supposed to help you recover after a dive only activates when the dive brakes are deployed. So if you forget them, you’re on your own.”

“One more thing: we’re not staging an airshow — this is air combat and ground attack. The damage model is very accurate and utterly unforgiving.”