RAF Tangmere

As RAF Tangmere had a prior history long before WW2 and is the only English Airbase on the Normandy Map to continue operation long after WW2, you would think that the Map Developer would at least try to make it accurate? Tangmere had paved runways in 1944, and a completely different layout than what is provided in the Sim. In fact it NEVER had the layout that we are given. Also Tangmere had a rather large infrastructure of permanent buildings which can easily be researched by going on location the the RAF Tangmere Museum which has a very Nice Diorama of the Airfield layout during WW2. It just kind of baffles me as to this lack of Detail? Could we please get some more detail and accuracy for the Normandy Map? -Woog

My understanding is that the original design of Normandy was for only the Normandy region of France. The addition of any of England was something of a scope creep, and is the reason why there's pretty much nothing there in most areas (e.g. the Isle of Wight looks like forrest, as against the populated place that it is).

So whilst I'd also like to have an accurate Tangmere, we really need to be thankful that anything exists at that location.

Tangmere is up the road from me, lovely place and they have a couple of Harriers there.

Yes it'd be great to have some accuracy over the airstrips, having personally flown to local airfields that were actively used during WWII and even WWI (like Old Sarum) I'd love to see these realised to some degree of accuracy; I don't mind popping down there and getting some material either, because Old Sarum still has some of the original buildings standing... any excuse to have a ganders at a Harrier and grab a cup of tea and some biscuits, of course.

^ I beg to differ somewhat. Even though English part of the map is indeed a "bonus", one can't help asking how difficult it would be to turn X-shaped Tangmere runways into cross-shaped ones and rotate them a bit. These are just two texture stripes for Pete's sake! I don't even know if they have different surface material properties programmed in compared to surrounding field, it's been a while since I flew there.

Truth is there is plenty of information to get Tangmere, Ford, Chailey and Funtingdon all to the correct orientation and layout in many publications, a lot of which has been presented.

Alas, it seems that these are low priority areas and will not see development for a long time to come, if at all.

There was a note in the weekend news a couple of weeks ago about upcoming improvements to Normandy:

Coming improvements include:

• More detailed objects and realistic airfield textures. The textures now reflect the more dusty, lighter, sandy surfaces
  
• Removal of permanent structures from ALG airfields
  
• Concrete surfaces for the airfields of Evreux, Carpiquet, and Tangmere
  
• Shallow water zones along the coastal areas
  
• New stone bridges
  
• More structures like farm houses outside the detailed areas of the map
  
• Added more objects like windmills
  
• Improved performance
  

Not sure if they are in yet, but concrete runway at Tangmere looks like it's coming.

I haven't checked Tangmere, but can confirm Carpiquet has concrete surfaces in the Open Beta.

It's certainly a step in the right direction but it's more the ahistorical layouts that we're lamenting.

Yes it would be nice to have a living breathing airfield, I agree.

Needs Oar Point was only ever used for Hawker Typhoons which are obviously not a modelled aircraft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Needs_Oar_Point

So unless we eventually get at least AI Typhoons (not road-mapped) the airfield is useless for anyone wanting to build a realistic mission!?

The Hawker Typhoon Ison the list of a/c to be included the Assets Pack, waiting impatiently for it now...

The Hawker Typhoon Ison the list of a/c to be included the Assets Pack, waiting impatiently for it now...

I stand corrected. And now I'm drooling with anticipation too! :P

As someone whose grandfather was stationed at Tangmere with No. 1 Squadron (Hurris at that time), I too would like to see some major improvements to the English portion of the Normandy map.

Chaps and chapesses;

I have CAD drawn a plan of the runways, taxiways and primary structures of Tangmere as plotted from a photograph dated February 1944. Please find attached.

If the developers could use the CAD plan then I am happy to provide in a format exportable from AutoCAD.

Tangmere.pdf

Very nice piece of work there Fenrir. I really hope the Devs pick up on it and look to improving the historical accuracy of the airfields... esp. Tangmere, given its importance.

You said that the photograph that you have is dated from February 1944. Do you have any indication as to whether it changes much thereafter? Even a photograph dated quite late would still let you compare and see what was consistent throughout the period covered by the DCS Normandy map.

I've been doing some research on the other airfields and the presence of certain fields does set some restrictions on the dateline of the map. For instance, Meautis (ALG A-17, present on the DCS map) was started construction on 24-Jul-1944 and was operational from 15-Aug-1944 onwards. It is airfields like this which mean that we can get a pretty good single date that the map represents (I'd go so far as to suggest early August 1944, with Meautis being "still under construction - just 2 more weeks!").

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meautis_Airfield

Very nice piece of work there Fenrir. I really hope the Devs pick up on it and look to improving the historical accuracy of the airfields... esp. Tangmere, given its importance.

Ditto!

You said that the photograph that you have is dated from February 1944. Do you have any indication as to whether it changes much thereafter? Even a photograph dated quite late would still let you compare and see what was consistent throughout the period covered by the DCS Normandy map.

I have a book reference from 1946 (seems like all UK airfields were photographed from high alt in the immediate post-war period for survey purposes as there's a lot of airfield photos from this period) and the only big change is the tearing down of the last remaining 1918 Hangar and the erection of 3x T2 type Hangars on the former foundations of the destroyed examples, but all sources I have point to these being post-war additions.

I've been doing some research on the other airfields and the presence of certain fields does set some restrictions on the dateline of the map. For instance, Meautis (ALG A-17, present on the DCS map) was started construction on 24-Jul-1944 and was operational from 15-Aug-1944 onwards. It is airfields like this which mean that we can get a pretty good single date that the map represents (I'd go so far as to suggest early August 1944, with Meautis being "still under construction - just 2 more weeks!").

 

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meautis_Airfield

Yes, it is a shame that the nature of the DCS map technology currently does not allow airfields to be selectively present as it would greatly enhance the realism and immersion for when flying missions outside of that narrow timescale you reference; however, I keep hoping for developments in this area and in the interim guess we just have to pretend we don't see them when appropriate!