Armoured vehicles, and tanks in particular, are not suited to prolonged operation on metalled roads. This causes accelerated wear of tracks and associated mechanical parts. Therefore, whenever armoured equipment must be moved long distances from one front or theatre of operations to another, an alternate method of transportation is required. Road vehicle tank-transporters did not come into vogue until the closing stages of WW2 and so the usual method of transportation throughout the war was by rail. Germany not only enjoyed an extensive and well-utilised rail network throughout WW2 but also introduced many specialised rail vehicles to accommodate the needs of its armed forces. These included purpose-designed Panzer Flatcars as shown in the image above. Each flatcar carried a single main battle tank up to and including the heaviest King Tiger model (PanzerKampfWagen, or PzKpfw, VI Ausf.B) in service with the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS towards the end of the war. These low-loader flatcars were designed to on- and offload their cargo with the minimum of additional supporting facilities. This modification replicates a standard German Panzer Flatcar as used extensively throughout Europe and operated by the Deutsches Reichsbahn in support of the German armed forces, complete with King Tiger tank. This mod replaces the standard Horse & Wagon in the Mission Builder or Dynamic Mission Editor (DME): Select Create > Other Vehicles > Axis > Wagon The Panzer Flatcar objects are fully maneuverable on the ground and will respond to the usual mouse and numeric keypad controls. Once you have precisely positioned the new objects don't forget to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! WARNING: This modification uses high-resolution (512 x 512) images and should only be installed on computers whose video cards support high-resolution textures. Attempting to install high-resolution textures on a system with a video card which does not support them may cause the game to crash. Before installing this or any other custom modification, you are advised to take a backup your original ww2.sqs archive. Extract the contents of this archive to the WWII Fighters\Data directory. Assuming the default installation, this is: C:\Program Files\Jane's Combat Simulations\WWII Fighters\Data. The files will be extracted to a new directory WWII Fighters \Data\PanzerFlatcar. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the WWII Fighters\Data\PanzerFlatcar directory. To install, double-click on the Panzer Flatcar Installation.bat icon as shown below. This will open up a DOS session and the installation will proceed in this window. When the installation is complete, a message saying "DONE...CLOSE DOS SESSION" will be displayed in the window. Close the DOS session by clicking on the 'X' close button in the top right corner of the window. Installation is now complete. Note:- some versions of Windows will automatically close the DOS window after installation is complete. The Panzer Flatcar objects can be combined with any number of the other available Axis railway rolling stock mods to form complete trains. These objects can be easily maneuvered into position using mouse or numeric keypad in the DME (Dynamic Mission Editor) mode, but for more precise alignment the best method is to edit the PositionX and PositionZ co-ordinates of the individual objects in the mission script itself. Once assembled into trains, the movement of these objects can be programmed through the assignment of Way Points and Way Sets within the mission script. These railway objects can be readily employed anywhere within the campaign area of Jane's WW2 Fighters, but perform more realistically when used in conjunction with MEGA's excellent Railroad Track terrain modification as depicted in the images above. A couple of sample terrain tiles complete with installation software are included with the Axis Locomotive modification. Also included with that mod is a sample mission with a complete train, including Flak Car, assembled on the railway tracks. Due to their importance to the Axis war effort, and their relative vulnerability, trains were a particularly attractive target for Allied fighters and fighter-bombers. When attacked with bombs, rockets, cannon or machine-gun fire, the locomotives and other rolling stock can be successfully destroyed. Good luck and good hunting! © November 2005