The Theatre

The purpose of this addon is to establish an Iraq/Syria theatre for April-May 1941, and provide historical single mission packages for British air forces and the Axis forces and their supporters (German, Italian, Iraqi Nationalist and Vichy Fench).

The map therefore includes towns and locations in Iraq, air bases and pumping stations, towns and bases in Vichy Lebanon and Syria, towns and bases in British Palestine, Trans-Jordan, and Cyprus, and in Egypt. British naval forces including the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes are off Basra.

 

For a detailed day by day account of operations see:

The Royal Air Force - Campaign Histories - Habbaniya 1941

The Iraq Revolt

Air war over Iraq

The Communications Flight in the Battle for RAF Habbaniya, Iraq May 1941.

For the background to these operations see:

The Iraq Coup Attempt of 1941, the Mufti, and the Farhud

Iraq Coup 1941

Stone&Stone History Page Iraq 1941

The Last Time (1941) Iraq Was Invaded

CCC - War Against Iraq: The British Invasion of 1941

 

The Aircraft

Britain and Commonwealth:

Fighters:

Gloster Gladiator, Curtis Tomahawk IIB, Bristol Blenheim IVf, Hawker Hurricane I

Bombers:

Fairey Gordon, Airspeed Oxford, Hawkwr Audax, Fairey Swordfish, Vickers Wellington, Bristol Blenheim IV, Vickers Vincent, Vickers Valentia

Transport:

Bristol Bombay, Douglas DC-2

Royal Iraqi Air Force:

Fighters:

Gloster Gladiator, Breda Ba.65, Douglas 8A-4, Hawker Nisr

Bombers:

SIAI-Marchetti SM79, DH Dragon

Italian Regia Aeronautica posing as RIAF:

Fighters:

Fiat CR42

Luftwaffe posing as RIAF:

Fighters:

Bf110C

Bombers:

Heinkel He 111

Transport:

Junkers Ju52, Junkers Ju90

Vichy French Armee de l'Air de l'Armstice:

Fighters:

Dewotine D520, MS406

British forces in the theatre consisted of the obsolete training and support aircraft at No.4 Training School Habbaniya, and hastily improvised support from Middle East Command based at or flying in from Cyprus, Palestine and Basra.

At the school were Gloster Gladiator fighters, Fairey Gordons, Airspeed Oxfords, and Hawker Audaxes, all hastily rigged to carry bombs, and huge Vickers Valentias used both to transport raiding troops and as a night and day bomber.

The school was reinforced by the Swordfish from HMS Hermes, Tomohawk IIs, Hurricanes, Bristol Blenheim fighters and bombers, and Wellingtons

 

Axis forces in the theatre consisted of German Luftwaffe formations and Italian RAI aircraft at Mosul (both dressed in colours of the Royal Iraqi Air Force), actual aircraft of the Royal Iraqi Air Force operated by Iraqi Nationalists, and Vichy French aircraft based in Syria who effectively assisted the axis operation.

In the Iraqi Air Force were Gladiators, Breda Ba.65s and Ba.65bis, Hawker Nisrs (radial engine export version of the Audax), Italian SM79s, Douglas 8A-4s

The Luftwaffe contingent consisted of Bf 110cs and 110ds of ZG26 and ZG76, and He 111s of KG4, and the Italians sent some CR42s.

British aircraft attempting to interdict the Axis reinforcements staging through Syria were intercepted by Vichy French D520s and MS406s

Work in Progress

These files are the second interim release.

There is a mainscreen, aircraft selection screens, and hangar screens.

There is a Middle East theatre including Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Egypt with bases and frontline and a new terrain set by Colonel Gibbon,

We continue working on detailed local layout and elevations.

The aircraft package is near to completion (with many thanks to Jan Tuma, Claudio Wilches, Colonel Gibbon, and Mosi)

A couple of skins are required, and new models for the Airspeed Oxford, Bristol Bombay, Junkers Ju90

Download the second interim files package:

Intro Video 4.3 MB Menu Music 4.5 MB Theatre 0.7 MB Terrain 2.6 MB

Screens 3.3 MB Planes Package 8.3 MB Default Missions 4 kb

Ground Objects 4.0 MB

To use, just place all files in a clean install of EAW,

EXCEPT music files which go in the \music folder, and default missions which go in the \savedata folder

Run by executing Iraq.exe

Files updated since the second interim files package

Updated Files 752 kb

Last updated 19th February 2006

Recent developments:

fixed FM problem with Blenheim fighter

added Pobs artillery as ground object

after rechecking sources finally decided it is a Hurricane IIC trop needed - Col Gibbon's hi res model to replace Hurricane I trop

Ade Kelly's skin for Iraqi SM79, RAF Blenheim IVfighter and bomber added

re-done ground objects on Habbaniya Plateau to include infantry trenches, artillery, tents, trucks

Fixed graddata.dat error preventing ground object display on Habbaniya Plateau

fixed frontline to put RAF Habbaniya and satelites and Iraqi forces on Habbaniya Plateau on correct side

 

Screenshots

I have put up a few screens from the work in progress Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

 

Please remember that this package is an interim 0.2 release only and yet requires much work.

 


Return to RAF Chattenden