MSFS Patrolling the Afghan border

[bernd1151 5,835]

The year is 1937 and in order to maintain peace at its Western border with Afghanistan, the British used to patrol the area with bomber planes such as the Hawker Hind.  

 

This an actual photo of a Hind patrolling along the Afghanistan border

 

Unfortunately there is no Hawker plane of that area available (at least I haven’t found any), so I use the nice Aeroplane Heaven Bristol Bulldog instead and have ported it to MSFS. Btw, I have done a similar flight a few years back with the same plane in P3D and wasn’t too impressed with the scenery. This time is different. Of course, as already stated in previous posts, I will use this port-over only for my own enjoyment, until a new MSFS version will be offered.

 

Armed with my trusted friend, a Webley Mk V pistol, I take off from a small airfield near Parachinar, west of Peshawar and close to the Afghan border

 

 

Close to the Khyber Pass. The toughest opponent the RAF pilots had to face in those days was not an enemy airplane, but Afghan tribes

 

 

They were farmers and they enjoyed war as a hobby. Nearly all of them were armed and from time to time they would take some kind of action either against each other or against British police posts. The British army didn’t have enough men in this remote part of British India, so the RAF was required to do something about it.

 

 

Their main job in case of violence was to bomb the villages, but before doing so, they flew over them and dropped leaflets to indicate to the tribes, what they were going to do and why. With luck, these leaflets brought the attacks against police posts to an end. But on occasion the tribesmen were less than impressed.

 

In this case, the planes would return, dropping leaflets one more time. But this time they contained a warning to evacuate the villages within 48 hours. After that, the bombing of the village started.

 

As stated earlier, the opponent, the pilot had to face, was not an enemy plane, but the Afghan tribesmen. Because sometimes you as the pilot had the misfortune of engine failure over Afghan territory. Once you have managed to bail out with your parachute, you knew that you would meet down at the bottom with extremely angry villagers, who were not going to welcome you with open arms.

 

They might hand you over to the women of the tribe, who would do some extremely nasty things to you. That is why all pilots carried a so-called “Protection Certificate” that promised the tribe a large sum of money, if they would return you to the nearest British outpost alive and, more importantly, complete. They would get less money, if they would bring you in dead, or suffering from, shall we say, sudden surgery.

 

But this time all went well, I didn’t face engine failure and the tribe below had stopped attacking the police post close to the border. I could return to my outpost near Parachinar

 

Thanks for viewing

 

[ryanbatc 12,813]

Awesome.  Where to get the bird?

[edetroit 933]

Loved the shots and story bernd1151. 😎

[andy1252 3,781]

Great set Bernd, and good to see the Bulldog in action. I've seen that photo of the Hind somewhere before, I think there was an article in one of the flight mags about those operations. Actually, I may have a Hind hidden somewhere at the back of the hangar - I'll see if I can find it and try a portover.

[P_7878 6,554]

Very entertaining...Bernd, and agree, this (MSFS) scenery, here, looks a perfect fit for your story and plane, and is quite immersive...!!

Returning to outpost, the last shot, seems especially fulfilling...!!

 

[bernd1151 5,835]

Many thanks for your comments, my friends.

17 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

Awesome.  Where to get the bird?

It's the payware Aeroplane Heaven Bristol Bulldog, which I ported over from P3D to MSFS

[JAT 185]

Awesome.

nebojsa

[mjw25 42]

Gernd, great storyline along with, beautiful scenic shots !!  Thanks for sharing.... 

[Phantom88 3,284]

^^^Awesome^^^ Love the blend of Historical and Great Sim Photos.