IL-2 Great Battles: Odessa and Leningrad detailed in new 1CGS video

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4–6 minutes

Quite a bit of new information has been released today thanks to a 30-minute long video released by 1C Game Studios. The focus is not on Korea this time and instead is about their Odessa and Leningrad projects. We learn a bit of the history of how the project came together and we learn a lot of detail about each of the aircraft that are coming with it and what modifications are on offer.

The key details on how this project came to be

We’ve known for quite some time that the next significant update for the Great Battles series would feature a selection of both early and late war aircraft, two maps, and associated career experiences in what would possibly be the last big content release for Great Battles. Today’s video goes in-depth on some of the details, particularly around aircraft, but also a little bit of background on how things came together.

The first map, Odessa, was one that was initially created by community member Zeus who ultimately ended up joining the team to produce other maps for the series. The map project was, for a time, left alone. Then work resumed on it about a year and a half ago and it slowly started to come together. At the same time, a Finnish team was busy doing a map for the Finnish Gulf and Leningrad. These two maps, long running efforts, are finally going to come out with this release.

So it seems like this product is a bit of a compilation of work, unfinished during the rest of the run, and now seeing the light of day.

The project incorporates eight aircraft, and four careers featuring both 1941 and 1944 timelines for both maps.

Aircraft details

The majority of the video goes into some detail on each aircraft release. While much of the aircraft list are featuring modifications of previously released aircraft, it seems that they have gone into a fair bit of effort bringing these aircraft forward anyways with quite a few modifications and options available where it made sense to offer them. Where they existed previously, the artwork has all been redone as well with superior textures and modeling.

Here are some details for each aircraft.

I-153

  • Default M62 engine from the middle of 1939 production
  • Radio modification
  • M63 engine option with 100hp more
  • Modification replaces two ShKAS machine guns for one UBS heavy machine gun but only available (historically) on the M62

Yak 3 (Series 9)

  • May 1944 production series from the Saratov plant
  • Base model has a single UBS and one ShVAK cannon while a modification adds the second UBS machine gun (that most people are familiar with)
  • Yak-3 has the M-105PF2 with 50-60 more horsepower than the one on the Yak-7 and Yak-9
  • Aircraft doesn’t quite fit into the Lenningrad or Odessa timelines (but was available elsewhere on the front) so modifications have been made to career to make it fit

La-7 (Series 1)

  • Base model is armed with two ShVAK cannons
  • Modification replaces the ShVAK with three B-20 cannons
  • When compared to the La-5, the La-7 incorporates many aerodynamic changes to make for a faster airplane while essentially being the same as the La-5FN. It is 20-30km/h faster.

LaGG-3 (Series 4)

  • Production from around June or July 1941
  • Armed with a ShVAK, one UBS and two ShKAS machine guns
  • Chosen because it fits the timeline and because it is familiar to old IL-2 Sturmovik players (the Series 4 was in that game from early on)
  • Has the M-105P engine and is heavier and slower than the Series 29 currently available

Yak-1 (Series 23)

  • Production model from approximately June 1941
  • Early version with better rear visibility and semi-circular transparent canopy at the back (filled in due to simplification on later models)
  • Earlier M-105P engine with optional M-105PA (that adds a boost mode)
  • Radio is not fitted on the base model and is an optional modification
  • Six rockets available

IL-2 (Model 1944)

  • Arrow-wing version of the IL-2 that represents a 1944 production with metal wings
  • 23mm VYa standard fit and no NS-37mm available
  • M8, M13 and M13UK rockets with the M13UK are spin stabilized for better accuracy

Bf109E-4

  • Small external differences from the E-7 with a hole in the propeller spinner for a cannon that was no longer fitted
  • Standard DB601A (87-octane and B4 fuel) engine with 601N as an optional modification with 100-octane fuel

Ju87D-3

  • Increased wingspan
  • MG151/20 cannons with 500 rounds per gun
  • Jumo 211P engine modification available as well as a flame damper modification
  • Stuvi bombsight modification also available
  • Will include the jettisonable fixed landing gear

Pre-order coming soon

The package will be coming up for pre-order soon with a discount available to those who do buy in early. Odessa will be in early access but without a career mode initially and only some of the aircraft will be in the release while the whole rest of the package will come out either before the end of 2025 or into early 2026.

They also say that additional new aircraft are being planned for release which also participated in the careers for these scenarios. It’s been rumoured for a while on the IL-2 forums that a B-239 and G.50 might make it in (helping fill the ranks of Finnish Air Force types) so maybe we’ll see those or something else come to fruition.

Stay tuned for more.

10 responses to “IL-2 Great Battles: Odessa and Leningrad detailed in new 1CGS video”

  1. PaperPilot Avatar
    PaperPilot

    I know that this will be too much to ask but if they were ever to make a late 1944-45 Eastern Front module I think they ought to make one centering around the Baltics for several reasons.

    1. The Baltic Campaign lasted for the best part of 1944 from the Battle of Narva starting in Feb 1944, through to the Baltic Offensive in Sep – Nov 1944 until the final fall surrender of the German Army in the Courland Pocket in May 1945 and this is why I suggest the Baltic Offensive. Because they only need to do this one map that covers 15 months worth of the war, instead of having to do different maps of Eastern Front battles which would take way longer.
    2. They said in the video that the Yak-3 will be present in the Karelia and (I think) in the Odessa pilot career modes in places where this is not historically the case. I’m not bothered with this, but it kind of goes against one of IL-2’s principles when making the game – historical accuracy. But I know they can’t get it 100% right as that is impossible to do. But having a Yak-3 where it wasn’t historically present might bother some other people a little bit. And this ties into my second reason for a Baltic theatre. It would serve a bigger purpose in this hypothetical module. And the Yak-3 is just one example of a plane that will be already in the game and could be used a lot more with historical accuracy in the Baltics. Planes like the La-7, Bf-109 G-14 and K-4, and Fw-190 A-8 will have more of a purpose in the game, increasing it’s value for a player to have.
    3. A hypothetical Baltic’s campaign would have something that no other module would have. A pilot career that goes on until the very last day of the war, or at least for the Soviet Air Force. And I think that this would be a good way to not only end the series on chronologically but also the development of Great Battles.
    4. As far as I’m aware, no other combat flight simulation has ever gone here before so this would give IL-2 Great Battles an edge against other combat flight simulators in the competition (though please correct me on this one if I am wrong).
    5. This would add in new room for planes as well like the Bf-109 G-10, Fw-190 A-9, IL-2 Model 1945, IL-4 Model 1944, IL-10, La-7 late 1944-45 model, Yak 3 late 1944-45 and Yak-9U.

    I know this will most likely never happen, but I think I have some valid pros up above. I know they have to move on to Korea, and I think the sooner they do the better it will be for the team and the company as a whole. So I understand.

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    1. Aapje Avatar
      Aapje

      The only reason why they are doing the Odessa and Leningrad module is because two volunteer teams made most of those maps. Otherwise they would have already move onto Korea fully (for new development). So you will only get a Baltics module in the next few years if one of those volunteer teams decides to make that map.

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  2. Popsypops Avatar
    Popsypops

    Historical accuracy aside, I think the Yak-3 is one of the most known and iconic Russian fighters during WW-II. Its introduction in GB is way overdue, although understandable from a historical perspective.

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    1. Sokol76 Avatar
      Sokol76

      They from start dont mined adding airplanes that dont fit, 190A3 for BoS, Yak-9T, Ta-152H, 20mm guns on 202, 20mm gunpods on ar-234… and more. I just dont like how they add one off thing for some airplanes but dont wont to do same for others. They dont have any consistancy its all over the place how they pick what to do, atleast its not as bad as in DCS, but they could have easy add 20mm guns for 153 or 109G10 and nothing would change from what they anounced for now.

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  3. Sokol76 Avatar
    Sokol76

    I expect its gona be 100$ or more for this DLC

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    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      I hope not. It would likely hurt sales particularly at the end of the run of the series.

      I’d expect it to be priced similarly to Normandy.

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      1. Sokol76 Avatar
        Sokol76

        Normandy is 90$, and this one will have two maps, it would be nice if it stays but i expect it go up because of us getting more now

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      2. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
        ShamrockOneFive

        I guess it depends on how much is more. Most of the aircraft included are serious updates but they are still aircraft that we’ve had before. That surely helps keep costs down. So does the limited core technology changes where not much has really changed to the core of Great Battles (that effort is focused on Korea of course).

        The price going up would hurt sales so they have to thread that needle very carefully. It’s all digital so you don’t have to worry about stock levels. So if you can sell ten copies at a lower price or three copies at a slightly higher price, you want the lower price. More sales doesn’t cost you stock for example.

        We’ll have to see how their strategy works out.

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  4. IL-2 Siege and Liberation early access to begin next week plus new roadmap information – Stormbirds Avatar
    IL-2 Siege and Liberation early access to begin next week plus new roadmap information – Stormbirds

    […] in the week, the IL-2 team released a 30-minute video detailing some of the aircraft and the setting of the Siege and…. Now we’re learning what their plans are for the release of this new title. Odessa career […]

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  5. felcsarbr Avatar
    felcsarbr

    End of 3rd paragraph: “The maps will both feature a huge…(?)” Huge what?

    Liked by 1 person

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