Here's To You Jessicabelle Dayafter

 

 As thoughts look back over the past year and a half, yours truly thinks about the good times. But, there were also some sad times. Among them was when a longtime friend and virtual neighbor passed away, Jessicabelle Dayafter. She was someone I knew since 2008 and my days at Woodlin, who went on to become a crack combat RP/pilot, as well as someone who frequently appeared in Nydia Tungsten's videos and calendars. In this article, I look back at the times I knew her.

Read Bixyl Shuftan's story in People. 

Jessicabelle Dayafter's Memorial Service

 

It was last week that news of Jessicabelle Dayafter passing away reached Second Life. She had been part of many places and groups, including the New Bastogne WW2 combat roleplay. On the night of September 26, the people of New Bastogne held an inworld memorial service for her, inviting some friends of her from the Sunweavers to attend. There was ceremony, and remembrance, and a salute to a friend and comrade.

Read the story in Events.
 

Anzac Day 100th Anniversary Rememberance

Last Saturday, the 100th Anniversary of the battle of Gallipoli took place. Today the event is known as Anzac Day, a military day of rememberance in Australia and New Zealand. In Second Life, a ceremony was held in honor of those who served, the fallen and the survivors. Jessicabelle Dayafter took some notes and pictures so the event could later be written down for public record.

Read the story in Events.

The New Bastogne WW2 Combat Roleplay Celebrates Five Years

Last weekend on Friday the 13th, the New Bastogne combat sim officially celebrated its fifth anniversary. While there was a hunt for some vehicle crates placed around the area, the main event was a band performance and dance in the German teams' sports hall. Vickster Khun, the owner of the sims and the head of the German teams was there to lead the celebration, and had an announcement concerning one of the officers.

Read more in Places.

Concert at New Bastogne

This holiday season, the New Bastogne WW2 combat area has been taking a little time out from it's usually battles. One event was the Christmas Truce soccer match between the German and US teams (no record as to who won). On New Year's Day, There was a music concert and dance in the New Bastogne sim, with Vickster Khun and other officers, and enlisted, from the German team there, as well as a few players taking a break and dropping in.

January 1st at 15:00 SLT, we will have on Caen Sporthalle the New year Concert conduced by Ernst-Franz Gerlich. We will have music from 1930 to 1945 from many international artist and more than 10 musicians on stage!

There was a mix of music from both German composers, such as Rudi Schuricke, but also American Big Band musicians such as Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller.

Presss Release: D-Day Re-Enactment Planned

D-Day C47 Blake Sea Fly-Over Information

What: C47’s will fly over a prearranged course and drop paratroopers in a simulated D-Day airborne assault. Once on the ground paratroopers will form up and mount a simulated  amphibious assault on Honah Lee Trudeau and Hollywood/ Hollywood Airport.

Where: C47’s will fly a predetermined route to the drop zone, passing several major airports in the Blake Sea Region. Once they have delivered their payloads, C47 pilots will fly to Foliage and land. (Providing they have not been too badly damaged in the assault Downed pilots may join up with paratroopers and participate in the amphibious assault)

C47 Staging Area - Aleksandar International Airport
prim reserve FFrendz Aviation @Aleksandr , Aleksandr (185, 36, 55)

Drop Zone- SL Marine HQ and Blake Sea Airport
Blake Sea  Airport, St Diabloux (204, 182, 47)
Second Life Marine Corps MCAS Chase Field, Fridericus (111, 54, 47)



Amphibious assault planned

Landing craft available upon request. Contact LukeFlywalker Fittinger

Who: Any individual may participate but group participation is encouraged. This can be either an already established group or an ad-hock group of friends who come together just for this event. If you are not in a group don’t worry, you will still be able to participate.

Best in Show Contest: The group with the most authentic WW2 Paratrooper/Air Crew dress will receive $10,000L and a special commemorative certificate

When: 7th June 1100 SL (11:00AM SLT)

Special Considerations: 

1) This is not a combat activity, however there will be ground fire, AA, flack and exploding  aircraft and landing craft.  

2) This event will be recorded and shown in an upcoming Issue of SL Aviation Magazine. We ask that all participants sign an SL Aviation Network release form. If you have signed a form on past video projects you do not need to submit another.

3) Please fill out the entry form and send to LukeFlywalker Fittinger

4) Its advisable the teams practice prior to the event. There are several C47's on the market. Pick the one that works best for you.

D-Day C47 Fly-Over Plan

1) C47 Airborne stage at Aleksandr Airport

2) Pilot and paratrooper briefing

3) Paratroopers assigned planes. (Plane assignments can be prearranged)

4) Take -off maintain 1 sim spacing between planes

5) Follow flight plan north of Nautilus maintain 300m altitude

6) Fly into  “Fredercius” (US Marine Corps HQ) 

7) Green light for jump in “Fredercius” and “St Diabloux” (Blake Sea Airport)

8) C47’s with damage effects crash. All others Fly to Foliage and land.

9) Paratroopers form up and board landing craft. 

10) Landing craft proceed to Honah Lee Trudeau and make a simulated beach landing.

11) Paratroopers walk to east side of the island and re-board landing craft.

12) Once all participants are staged everyone board landing crafts and proceed to “Santa Catalina” (Hollywood Airport)

13) Make simulated beach landing at “Santa Catalina” and proceed to staging area for Part 2

Part 2 – D-Day Planes Grid Flight

Details forthcoming

*  *  *  *  *

Vickster Khun told the Newser, "WWII Players Group and New Bastogne admin group are throwing in their lot with Dogs on the Run, the idea will be for WWII players to provide paratroops and landing troops, and DOR will provide air transport in C47s or facsimiles there of. WWII players will be providing uniforms and equipment to any player who agrees to portray an American soldier, both paratroops and amphibious invasion units, they will have to do both for this. German force players will be invited to either portray Americans or German defenders. The goal will be to make a nice youtube film commemorating the milestone in human history, the D-Day invasion of occupied Normandie, France, on June 6, 1944. And forces representing Free France, Free Poland, Free Greece, and others were present. No reason a person can't portray this."

SL Video: The War In Vietnam Part 1 The Ground War

(Click Here if the video fails to load)

Vickster Khun announced recently in the WW2 Combat RP group, "You may recall last month WWII Players were asked to participate in an SL movie production about Vietnam. The first segment has just been released on youtube! Check it out!" Vickster herself played the roles of a soldier and an F105 "Thunderchief" pilot. Produced and directed by Luke Flywalker.

Sundreamers at New Bastogne

One's a community who's goals are having a fun place to virtually live and have a good party a few times a week. The other's a virtual Second World War battlefield where residents duke it out in virtual tanks, planes, and small arms in team efforts. One might not expect the two to have much in common. But last weekend, they came together for a Relay For Life event. The Sunweaver community's "Sundreamers" RFL team hosted a fundraising event at New Bastogne.

Read more in Events.

Ceremony at New Bastogne

Earlier this week, the pilots of the German air group in the New Bastogne WW2 combat area, JG-52, held a ceremony to reward pilots shown to have performed well in recent flying. While the place hasn't been entirely free of problems, the pilots continue to scrap in the air, and have fun.

Read more in Events.

New Bastogne: WW2 in Second Life

It's been about a couple years since Bixyl Shuftan wrote on the WW2 Combat Roleplay. Two years later, the sims have gone through triumphs and troubles, but are still around. Recently, Grease Coakes took a look at the place to give his own observations.

Read Grease's story in Places. 

The New Bastogne Second Annual Tank Rally

This weekend, New Bastogne, normally the site of the WW2 Combat RP, began it's Second Annual Tank Rally. Red and Blue teams, each with players from both the German and Allied factions, squared off on four different battlefields on it's first day. So how did the action go and whom was the top tank ace? Read on to find out.

Read more in Events.

Changes at the New Bastogne WW2 RP

The first few months of 2011 have been a time of change for the New Bastogne WW2 combat roleplay area. More sims have meant a fresh look for the region. More events give the soldiers and pilots something to do here besides fight. And recently was the Anniversary Party, celebrating one year since the historical combat area came to be as it is known today.

For the article, go to Places.

Weekly Tank Rallys in New Bastogne

This month in New Bastogne, every Saturday the combatants in the WW2 combat RP take a break from the fighting for a tank rally. The objective, to either get your tank past a course full of obstacles and explosive traps, or blow up all the other tanks. "It's a blast."

Read more about the rallys in Events.