Jessicabelle Dayafter's Memorial Service

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

With the announcement of the passing of Jessicabelle Dayafter in real life from Covid, word soon spread around Second Life. There were numerous reactions of sadness, and in Sunweaver Eclipse there was a permanent memorial flame to her set up. In New Bastogne were Jessicabelle had once been an officer as part of it's combat roleplay, there would be a memorial service set up in her honor.

On Sunday night, September 26, I and some others would get a teleport to the Jagdgeschwader 52 building in New Fallout. There were a number of personnel from German, Japanese, and Allied groups. Vickster Khun, one of the moderators of the combat roleplay, was also there. In the building were a couple airplanes. There was also an open casket with pictures of Jessica. There were also a few cars, and a hearse.

"Beautiful arrangement here," one pilot would say, "Jessica so special and loved. It's an honor to be included." Vickster would say, "She is a fine officer and a good friend." It wasn't long before the region was full. Vickster would say, "We will be moving to the church. Should let the players know they should just go to the church since the region is full. ... We're asking everybody to descript as much as possible." "Honor Guard you're the exception," one added. A comment by one that she wasn't wearing underwear got chuckles.

"Thank you all for coming," Draco Roux told everyone, "I'm going to be grouping you into cars and honor guard will be driving you in a procession. Thor you'll drive the first car of guests. Vickster if you can gather those in your car please." Vickster asked me and Nydia (who was also invited) to get in one particular German staff car. "Hang on to your hats ladies and gents," Thor would say, "though I'll be driving slowly, it's windy over the bridge." "That lamp post was already on the ground," mused one lady with me. Another mused, "A pilot is driving my car."

Eventually, the cars started, "GO SLOW and follow, don't race please." One driver was saying, "Hang on to your hats ladies and gents, though I'll be driving slowly, it's windy over the bridge." After a ride that was a little bumpy, we soon arrived at the church, "Everyone please make your way into the church and have a seat." And we did, some slower than others due to the slight lag. Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident) was the priest for the service, and we greeted him as we came in. We then sat in the pews, except for the honor guard whom marched in to position.

Liam had Voice on, which came church music. But he would deliver the service in text.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): In life Jessie cherished the Gospel of Christ.
May Christ now greet her with these words of eternal life:

(All): Come, blessed of my Father!

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): In baptism Jessie received the sign of the Cross.

(All): May she now share in Christ's victory over sin and death.

Liam went on, "Welcome to Mass today here in New Bastogne. We offer Requiem Mass for Jessie Dayafter. Friends, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and to you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life. Amen!"

The people would go, "Amen. Lord have mercy."

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): Christ, have mercy.

(All): Christ, have mercy.

"Almighty God and Father, it is our certain faith that your Son, who died on the Cross, was raised from the dead,the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Grant that through this mystery your servant Name, who has gone to her rest in Christ, may share in the joy of his resurrection. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever."

(All) Amen.

"We sit now to listen to God's Word. A reading from the Book of Numbers. The Lord came down in the Cloud. He spoke with Moses, but took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the spirit came on them they prophesied, but not again. Two men had stayed back in the camp; one was called Eldad and the other Medad. The spirit came down on them; though they had not gone to the Tent, their names were enrolled among the rest. These began to prophesy in the camp. The young man ran to tell this to Moses, ‘Look,’ he said ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ Then said Joshua the son of Nun, who had served Moses from his youth, ‘My Lord Moses, stop them!’ Moses answered him, ‘Are you jealous on my account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!’ The Word of the Lord."

(All): Thanks be to God.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): All rise now to greet the Gospel. The Lord be with y ou.

(All) And with your spirit.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

(All) Glory to you, O Lord.

"John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward. ‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out.’ The Gospel of the Lord.

(All) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

"You may sit. For Marxists, everything is over when you die. Death is never spoken about. We avoid the word death. It is a going forth from this world. In general, the body will corrupt. Heaven is a place of refreshment, light, and peace. These are the prayers we pray. The soul, in a sense, goes ahead.

"Christians weren't the only people to use catacombs. Cremation has become popular in the last few years. Hindus use cremation because they have a totally different understanding of death. 'The Christian understanding is wrong.' The preference is clearly for burial.

"Death is an important moment in life. It's not that God will check your bank account. If life is only in production, there is no value in life. Our humanity doesn't have its root in value. This i the tragedy of sin. Christ shows us how we should be. How to whatever. Our intentions are different to how things actually turn out. Where is your heart tending. Man is not at the center.

"Purgatory is a waiting room for Heaven. The Last Judgement is at the end of time. Advent is to prepare us for death and for the end, the Second Coming. Faith is to say God exists. If someone tells you in London the streets are paved with gold, you might believe them but then you go to London and you see they are paved with gold, you lose faith because you see it to be true. The world doesn't end, its re-fashioned. God will give you a new and improved body. Our nature is, to a certain degree, damaged. Life isn't what it should be. This is because of original sin. The only way out of here is in a boc. It's not like a reality show. I am not on a stage before everyone, 'Oooh, is Liam going to Heaven or hell? Oooh! He's going to Heaven! A round of applause! Well done!' No, this is not the case. It wasn't that they installed new traffic lights. 'You can be nasty to people on Fridays.'

"If sin is self-harm, it needs healing. Christianity is often seen as centered on sin. You have to use it. If you just have it, it does nothing. God offers His strength to be better people. The best person we know probably has personality issues. Most people have rough edges. Any human image used will be wrong. We're given the preparation to be in a very good place. We are called to find life everlasting. We can have this hope to live not depressed. Time moves slow. We are stuck in this rut. 'They give you your own cloud.' This is not the Christian view of Heaven. We've lost live entertainment. This view of Heaven as a magnified experience of loving. You are the best version of yourself when you are loving. When we truly love, we are at our best. Love is not selfish. Love is deeper than this. 'Love is kind.'

"We stand now as we make our Prayers and Intercessions. God, the almighty Father, raised Christ his Son from the dead; with confidence we ask him to save all his people, living and dead: For Jessie who in baptism was given the pledge of eternal life, that she now be admitted to the company of the saints. We pray to the Lord."

(All) Lord, hear our prayer.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): For Jessie who was nourished at the table of the Saviour. That he/she may be welcome into the halls of the heavenly banquet. We pray to the Lord.

(All) Lord, hear our prayer.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): For the family and friends of Jessie that they may be consoled in their grief by the Lord who wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. We pray to the Lord.

(All) Lord, hear our prayer.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): For all of us assembled here to worship in faith, that we may be gathered together againin God's kingdom. We pray to the Lord.

(All) Lord, hear our prayer.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): For those who have fallen asleep in the hope of rising again, that they may see God face to face. We pray to the Lord.

(All) Lord, hear our prayer.

Liam Steele (Liam3017 Resident): God, our shelter and our strength, you listen in love to the cry of your people: hear the prayers we offer for our departed brothers and sisters. Cleanse them of their sins and grant
them the fullness of redemption. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

(All) Amen.

"Pater Noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum."
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."
"Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra."
"Thy will be done in heaven and on earth."
"Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie et dimitte nobis debita nostra."
"Our daily bread give us today and forgive us our debts"
"sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris."
"As we forgive our debtors."
"Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo."
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

"Amen," went the parishoners.

Liam3017 Resident: The Lord be with you.

(All) And with your spirit.

Liam3017 Resident: Lift up your hearts.

(All) We lift them up to the Lord.

Liam3017 Resident: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

(All) It is right and just.

"It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For it is at your summons that we come to birth, by your will that we are governed, and at your command that we return,on account of sin, to the earth from which we came. And when you give the sign, we who have been redeemed by the Death of your Son, shall be raised up to the glory of his Resurrection. And so, with the company of Angels and Saints, we sing the hymn of your praise, as without end we acclaim:

"Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Francis our Pope and Philip our Bishop, and all the clergy. Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy: welcome them into the light of your face.

"We remember Jessie Dayafter whose Requiem Mass we celebrate today here in New Bastogne. Have mercy on us all, we pray,that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,with blessed Joseph, her spouse with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ."

Liam would then say, "I now invite Vickster forward to say a few words." Vickster, still in her black dress, got up and walked up to near the casket in front of most of the crowd, "Hello everyone. I'm very honored to get to say a few words about my friend Jesse. Thanks everybody. I know Jesse would blush if she could see us now, making such a fuss. I met her when she joined the Luftwaffe back in 2010. She wanted Luftwaffe mostly because we were the only branch that allowed furries. That was our old squadron. Over the course of five years she rose in rank, and proved a competent leader and pilot. But she also brought a lot of life with her. Everyone loved her energy. She was never formal or demanding on lesser ranked people. She helped everybody, she gave a lot of things away. I was very surprised when she started building planes.

"We  went through a lot over that time. She eventually rose to command JG 52. And she held that for nearly two years before she retired from the Luftwaffe. But she never quit. She always showed up for events and ceremonies. She loved Bastogne and the players. When I was really down she held me up and kept me going. I could ask nothing more from a friend and sister. I can't wait to meet her again in our Father's house. I had more to say but I think I will close with this, she is my friend and sister and I love her. Thank you." She then walked back to the pews.

"I thank Vickster for her heartfelt words," Liam told, "And I now invite Nydia forward to say a few words." Nydia Tungsten then walked over from the pews to where Vickster had been. "We are all here to honor and Remember our good friend Jessicabelle Dayafter," she began, "I met her when I was still relatively new to Second Life.  She helped me through some rough spots in my life both real-life and SL.  She always was there for anyone that knew her and needed help. Many of you already know that.

"She introduced me to the WWII Roleplay.  She taught me how to fly here, how to RP, because I had never done it before. She made me passionate about it and we loved it. We loved hanging out with each other no matter what we were doing. Her attitude was infectious.  She was very passionate about modeling and acting.  Always ready to participate in the calendars and videos being made: even coming up with an idea for a video that she fit the lead role for, perfectly. If you haven't seen her creation please take a look here, she was very proud of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8CsVLdiDbs&t=1s

"In a world where so many try to blend in, it's people like Jessica that choses to stand out, and by that action alone she will be remembered in all she did, Fair skies my high flying Angel, until we meet again. I am sorry if I am rambling, it is getting hard to type because of the tears  I just... miss her,  and I always will."

Treva Morgan would comment, "My love and respect to Jessica Belle ... *smiles quietly, wishing her a journey filled with beauty and love. *" Sheba Lethecus (ShebaLethecus Resident) would say, "Jess was a friend and associate to all of us. Let's appreciate her friendship and her works. Let's remember her always."

Liam continued, "I thank Nydia for her wonderful memories of Jessie. Shall we stand? Trusting in God, we have prayed together for Jessie and now we come to the last farewell. There is sadness in parting, but we take comfort in the hope that one day we shall see Jessie again and enjoy her friendship. Although we will disperse in sorrow, the mercy of God will gather us together again in the joy of his kingdom. Therefore let us console one another in the faith of Jesus Christ. And I will now honour Jessie's coffin with incense as a reminder that her body was a Temple of the Holy Spirit, and we believe in the resurrection of the body.

"To you, O Lord, we commend the soul of Jessie your servant; in the sight of this world she is now dead; in your sight may she live for ever. Forgive whatever sins she committed through human weakness and in your goodness grant her everlasting peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord."

(All): Amen.

"May choirs of angels welcome you and lead you to the bosom of Abraham; and where Lazarus is poor no longer may you find eternal rest."

It was at this point Liam finished. The honor guard was then dismissed from their positions, followed by, "Everyon there is one last part a 21 cannon salute and flyover to honor Jessie it will be out to your right if you wish to remain it wont be much longer." Unfortunately, getting up from the pews and exiting the church, my computer chose that moment to crash. I would get one picture of a cannon going off. By the time I got back on and stayed, it was over. Fortunately, Nydia and Cynthia Farshore sent me a few pictures.

I did have a few more minutes with Vickster, "I hope we don't have to do this again soon. I did a flyover for another memorial earlier today ... in the Gulf. (The) Second Life Coast Guard lost an officer. ... We're getting  a little too good at the missing man formation."

 Kitty Fyre Morrison (KittyKatKait Resident) would have this to say, "I thought it was a wonderful tribute to a close friend." And this is how everyone thought of the event.

Jessica was popular in many circles. And no doubt more will be written about her in the future. But It was at New Bastogne where her inworld funeral was, with freinds from around taking part.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

The Crhistmas Truce Exhibit

By Bixyl Shuftan

Over the Holidays, there was an exhibit in the WW2 Combat RP area that covered an event not of the Second World War, but of the first. It was a hundred years ago in which Europe was locked in what was then called "The Great War." After the initial German march into France was stopped, both sides dug in and the Western Front was locked in the stalemate of trench warfare, with no end in sight.

Although there were truces in the fighting so both sides could tend to their dead and wounded, in December 1914, something very different took place. The "Christmas Truce" was unique in that so many soldiers took part and that there was not only a lack of fighting but soldiers from opposing sides often meeting up to chat or even exchange items. Although there had been calls from the Pope for a truce, and some officers and generals wanted at least a break in the fighting, what happened came about through the spontaneous combined actions of the infantrymen. For a short time in this war marked by so much death destruction and misery, there was peace.

A hundred years later in Second Life, the New Bastogne region had an exhibit about the Christmas Truce, "(Many visitors have) already seen the Christmas Truce Exhibit on Ardennes sim. On the exhibit you will find period time photos, press and the most important, the individual histories of who lived it. Don't miss this great exhibit."

At Homely Isle,there were a number of photographs and descriptions up for display, describing scenes of how the Christmas Truce came to be.

We were in the front line, we were about 300 yards from the Germans. And we had, I think on Christmas Eve, we'd been singing carols and this that and the other, and the Germans had been doing the same. And we'd been shouting to each other, sometimes rude remarks more often just joking remarks.

Anyway, eventually a German said, "Tomorrow you no shoot, we no shoot." And the morning came and we didn't shoot and they didn't shoot. So then we began to pop our heads over the side and jump down quickly in case they shot but they didn't shoot. And then we saw a German standing up, waving his arms and we didn't shoot and so on, and so it gradually grew.

More than a hundred thousand soldiers would take part in the truce. While it was often just simply leaving one another alone, there were numerous examples of the soldiers getting out into No-Mans-Land and chatting with one another, exchanging items such as tobacco with one another, even exchanging Christmas gifts, often alcoholic drinks. There were even soccer matches set up between the two sides.

A Scottish soldier appeared with a football, which seemed to come from nowhere, and a few minutes later a real football match got underway. The Scots marked their goal with their strange caps, and we did the same with ours. It was far from easy to play on the frozen ground, but we continued, keeping rigorously to the rules, despite that it only lasted an hour, and that we had no referee. A great many of the passes went wide, but all the amateaur footballers, although they must have been very tired, played with huge enthusiasm.

One might think after weeks of stalemate someone among the leadership might have suggested making the truce official and give the governments a chance to negotiate, especially with the Germans whom were fighting a two front war. But it was not to be. Eventually the generals on both sides grew more irritated with the truce, and began ordering the fighting to resume under threat of punishment. The following year, soldiers were warned they faced court-martial, even execution, if they fraternized with the enemy. Some smaller truces still came about in that year and the next, but there would never again be another Christmas Truce like 1914 had seen.

The Christmas Truce Exhibit remained up after New Years, and will be taken down tomorrow on January 10.

Homely Isle (98/135/31)

Bixyl Shuftan

Ceremony at New Bastogne

By Bixyl Shuftan

 On Monday January 14th, the Luftwaffe JG-52 group in New Bastogne held a small ceremony for awards and promotions. The pilots were judged by the ranking officers as showing good teamwork and combat skills. The ceremony itself was conducted mainly by JessicaBelle Dayafter, whom was recently promoted to Commander, second only to Vickster Khun who owns the sim. Jessica promised to perform her job well, and stated she would continue to help build up the air group.

With "big band" music from the 1940s in the background, the ceremony was not all seriousness. There were a few jokes about an opposing aircraft buzzing overhead, "We'll kick their (tail) later." Of one pilot's long display name Adjutant-Gonzalo de Montalvo y Montignac, Jessica lightheartedly quiped, "I am so not writing out his full name all the time. Hee-hee." And of one pilot's preference for the Me 262 jet fighter, there were wisecracks about her being a "speed freak."

JessicaBelle was the pilot who told SL Newser about New Bastogne's WW2 Combat RP over two years ago. Since then, she developed a reputation for being a crack dive bomber and quality aircraft builder, helping to train pilots and help organize details. Vickster Khun got her start in the old RCAF air group, eventually creating the New Bastogne sim as part of the WW2 area that's become to be identified by it.

Earlier, there was some friction between the Luftwaffe and SS groups, when one of the stormtroopers abused his authority and ignored the orders of an officer from JG-52 to back down. The offender was later disciplined, and a reminder given to everyone they were supposed to be fighting as a team and have fun while doing so. Since then, the troubles have been largely forgotten, and the band of pilots flying on as before.

Lately there have been some special events with other combat groups which normally fight in other areas. On Thursday January 17th, the US Navy group set up an aircraft carrier in Bay Area next to New Bastogne and launched an arieal assault. Despite being outnumbered, JG-52 continued to fly into the furball. The Navy group claimed victory after a couple hours, though smaller skirmishes continued to be reported in group chatter.

Bixyl Shuftan

Bomber Contest in New Bastogne

By Bixyl Shuftan

On November the 10th, the New Bastogne combat sim held it's second bomber contest. The first had been held on October 28th, but lag at the sim that say led to some unusually poor performances by some skilled pilots. So another was planned for a couple weeks later.

There were three separate categories of bombing in the contest. One was level bombing, in which the plane had to stay a hundred meters in the air with no loops or dives, with five passes at the target. Second was dive bombing, also with five passes. The third category was "anything goes" with the option of cannons, rockets, and guns in addition to bombs. Three passes were allowed at a moving tank. An administrator rode with the pilots in the contest. All planes had to be Second World War design.

About a dozen pilots took part in the contest: Florence Brendel, Kato Fall, Killingowl Resident, Klaus Himmler (titan.wardark), Laura Demina, Louise Francoise de Dampierre (felizitas.barbosa), Nikolai Suvorov (nickk.seetan), Nydia Tungsten, Rina Apfelbaum, Takashi Tsukune Naki (wanetta01), and Vickster Khun. JessicaBelle Dayafter helped referee the contest.

Eight pilots were in each category. The winners for level bombing were Louise with 86 points, Nydia with 64 points, and Takashiwith 30. In the divebombing competition, Nydia had the most with 53 points followed by Karo with 45 points and Vickster with 30. In the "anything goes," two pilots blew up the tank and damaged it again, Laura and Vickster with 170 and 167 points respectively, with Nydia scoring 56 points for third.

The winners of each of the three contests received 1000 Lindens, with 500 going to second place and 250 for third. There was also a raffle for each event. The competition was sponsored by Skunkette Aviation (also known as JessicaBelle Aeronautic Projects), Shana Enterprises, Buzzworx, and New Bastogne's German JG-52 group.

Bixyl Shuftan

The New Bastogne Second Annual Tank Rally

Saturday September the 8th was the first day of New Bastogne's Second Annual Tank Rally. Inspired by the "World of Tanks" computer game, the event was sometimes called "WoT2." The event was sponsored by New Bastogne's 1. Armee, in addition to Patrick Paspund, JessicaBelle Dayafter, and Sunshine Juneberry. Fox Cheri acted as an umpire for the event.

The Tank Rally differed from normal ground combat in the New Bastogne area. There would be no infantry involved, only heavy, medium, and light tanks. The combat tags normally worn by soldiers and tankers would not be used, although tank damage was dealt and recorded using the VICE system. Participants from both Allied and German factions were randomly placed into red and blue teams. So each usually had a mix of Allied and German tanks, sometimes a mix of Western Allied, Soviet, and German. Participants wore the flags of their teams, red and blue, on their backs, which poked out through the tops of the tanks.

At one point the participants were greeted by an official looking figure in a tricolor sash, "Heil pour le Maréchal Pétain! … I am the new mayor, Etienne Vigée, nice to meet you." He stated that before long, there would be an election with at least one opponent. It was not mentioned whom would be voting.

The tank battles were fought in both countryside and urban terrain, taking a little time for the forces to meet. But once the battles were joined, the action was usually fast and furious. The first round was in hilly country, with Fatalitywolf Firehawk, Vickster Khun, and Ayane Sauber on the red team. Killingowl, JessicaBelle Dayafter, and Toscha Vayandar were on the blue team. Both teams rolled out from their bases. But when they met, red team had their guns pointed right at two of blue, whom were driving across their line of sight. Vickster soon took out two, but JessicaBelle's light tank avoided the red team's fire and soon took out one. But her computer crashed, and so the match was declared a red team victory.

Round two took place in mostly urban terrain. Red team's Toscha Vayandar destroyed all three blue tanks. Round three, which took place in central Bastogne, started with the two bases not far apart, and the teams soon met up. This time Toscha's luck did not carry over, and his red tank was blown apart without a kill along with Blue's Crymson Serenity's. Blue Team's JessicaBelle was the winner with two kills, with Ayame Sauber having one. Red team's KillingOwl and Fatalitywolf got a kill each before their tanks were disabled.

The fourth round was in New Fallout, normally the home base of the Soviet team. The terrain here was hilly, with trees, boulders, and some trenches. Red team had Vickster, Ayane, Toscha. Blue had Fatalitywolf, JessicaBelle, and KillingOwl. Meeting up, Fatalitywolf and KillingOwl fell to Vickster and Toscha after several rounds of cannon fire. JessicaBelle once again was outmaneuvering the Red team, but her tank ended up caught in a ditch and without mobility was quickly smoked.

Under the point system, Vickster was the winner of Day One of the Tanl Rally with 1800 points. JessicaBelle was second with 1200 points. Toscha was third with 1100. Ayane Sauber was fourth with 700. They along with others who scored received Linden cash prizes. Vickster as the top tanker also won a new tank of her choice. There was also a raffle, in which the winner was due a second tank, along with a new plane from Dayafter Productions and a new uniform from Sunshine. The prizes just for this first day exceeded 6000 Lindens, two tanks, one uniform and one airplane. The points will be accumulated throughout the Rally until the end.

The Tank Rally goes on in New Bastogne every day to next Sunday, September 16.

"Play hard, and play to win!"

Bixyl Shuftan

D-Day Commemoration

June 6 marked the 68th anniversary of D-Day in Europe, when the Allied invasion of Normany was launched, paving the way for the liberation of France and eventually the defeat of Germany. In Second Life, there was a commemorative event held by both the Flying Tigers and New Bastogne's German groups at the WW2 Battlefield sim, two sims north of the Flying Tiger airbase in WW2 Tribute. Several German players took up defensive positions on the ground while some of the Luftwaffe flew up in fighters. The Flying Tigers attacked in British and American planes.

 Two German players on the hill while their tank rolls onto the beach.

 An Allied cannon presumably set up by the attackers, but the soldiers are nowhere to be seen.

 The Tiger tank advances through barbed wire.

 One of the Allied landing craft lies empty, the soldiers somewhere on the beach.

 Besides barbed wire and machine gun fire, the Allied soldiers faced mines.

 Planes dueling in the skies, a German Me109 versus a British Spitfire and an American Thunderbolt.

A close-up look at the Thunderbolt.

The Me109 manages to get on the Thunderbolt's tail.

When the commemorative battle is over, the German soldiers get together, Heer (army), Luftwaffe paratroopers, and Waffen-SS.

 The pilots, both Luftwaffe and Flying Tigers, met at the latter's airbase. On the right is Captain Umaga, who planned the event.

 Some pilots, Luftwaffe and Allied, had more than just airplane tails.

Following the event, Captain Umaga thanked the soldiers and pilots for talking part, "Honored Officer colleagues, Soldiers of Any Armed force. Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen.

"We are gathered here to commemorate those who fell on this Day, June 6th. ... Speeches have been written over this event since after VE-Day (VJ-Day). And they all claim that the Generation that went out to fight in WW2, was the best Generation EVER.

 

"I most and sincerely disagree with that statement that during all armed conflicts stretching from the past way into the future. I will make this statement: THOSE who raised arms to fend for their Country and Loved ones: Those who shared a dream of a righteous world, Those who was tricked into armed combat by Sly Politicians, Mind Smothering Religious leaders. What  matters is not wheather they Won or Lost. They gave the most valuable thing: their LIFE. And to those that survived, I see you as witnesses to Man's Madness when it becomes unleashed.

 

"So to all Veterans, Civilians from ANY theater of armed conflict. You fought for what you believed in. You protected your Country and Family.

 

"So Stand Tall, since I claim you all the BEST of YOUR GENERATION!!

"So To Honor those who fought on this day June 6th 1944. I Request for a Minute of Silence"

Following the battle, German GeneralMajor Vickster Khun posted the following, "I'm extremely proud of all members who participated in today's D-Day event in the Flying Tigers area. Our leaders did a great job with no notice or prep-time, and our soldiers of the SS, Heer, and Luftwaffe demonstrated the power of our command. Flying Tigers Command sends their thanks as well!"

For more pictures, check both the article on the Flying Tigers website (here), and Alois Setzer's WW2 Roleplay in Second Life (here).

Bixyl Shuftan

Prayer at Saint Quentin Basilica

With the recent changes in the New Bastogne WW2 RP area, among the new sims is Saint Quentin. It was decided to build a cathedral here, one that from the outside looked well built. On April 3rd, a nondenominational service was to he held, open to all who wanted to attend. The only thing that was asked was that people wear clothes appropriate for the era. The service was to be held by Father Kravyn.

Entering the cathedral at Noon Sunday, it was very well detailed inside as well as out, a table full of red candles not far from the pews, a spiral staircase leading upstairs, and more. Father Kravyn stood motionless at the altar as people came in from both teams, those from the German side as well as the majority of the Allied wearing civilian clothes. People greeted one another, Allied commander AngusGraham Ceawlin saying, “It is good to see everyone, and it is good to take pause and reflect.” He thanked Deusen Marx for building the basilica, whom answered, “It is always humbling to make something like this.”

For whatever reason, the preacher remained AFK, whatever emergency that kept him away never made clear. Angus then decided someone needed to speak in his place, “I am not a preacher, but as you all are here, I shall ... attempt to deliver something of hopeful value.”

“We are here to to pause and reflect and give thanks to the Maker of all. Our maker goes by many names, depending on our individual belief systems. We give thanks to him in how we perform our lives, in our dealing with people, and the use of our gifts. Deusen’s work here on the church is an example of such gifts. We must always use our gifts to the best use possible, whether as a creator of beauty, or as an employer, a mediator, and so on. This is how we give thanks. This is how we honor the Creator. When we are fair in our dealings with others we are honoring Him.”

“I ask that we all take a moment to give thanks. Bow your heads with me. (pause) Dear Lord, thank you for the opportunities you give us each day to honor You. And thank You for the gifts you have given each one of us. Help us to remember to be upright in all that we do. It is in Your name we pray, Amen.”

After several “amens” from the parishioners, Angus apologized for not being able to offer more, only asking that everyone “go out and be a hero to someone ... thank you all for coming. This shall hopefully be a regular occurrence, held on schedule.”

Deusen then asked everyone to join her in a prayer, “Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. On Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, forever and ever. Amen.”

After several more “amens,” Angus wished everyone well, “Thank you all for coming.” And then the group went their separate ways, some presumably to battle, others to matters outside the sim.

The basilica is next scheduled to hold service is at April 10, 12 Noon SL time.

Bixyl Shuftan

Weekly Tank Rallys in New Bastogne

This March, the New Bastogne combat RP area has been holding a weekly event every Saturday: tank rallys. They’re held on a huge sky platform over the sim at (71, 199, 3001) from 3 to 5:30 PM.


The event will consist of two lap races on our combat course, using the free Blitz! tanks provided by Joe Sparrow of Astral Tek. The races will be live fire events. Each tank will be manned by a driver and a gunner. The main goal for each driver/gunner team will be to cross the finish line first, secondarily the goal will be to eliminate the competition before they eliminate you! This will be a no holds barred event! Blocking, pushing, and other aggressive maneuvers not normally sanctioned in SL racing events will be allowed! The course itself will be perilous, with tank traps, obstacles, mines and explosive fuel drums! The track will be open for practice for the month of March, and you are welcome to play anytime, just be mindful not to reset the gate while practice races are in progress.


Three models of small two-man tank are available for the race for free, the T1 Cunningham, the MA-1, and the VK 31 Leichttraktor. The vehicles are a little different, the T-1 being slightly faster than the others. German teams were free to take American tanks, and vice-versa.

The first rally went well, the first race the gunners having a little trouble shooting, so the winner was the one whom went around the obstacles the fastest. The third race was the quickest. The four tanks involved began firing on one another as soon as they crossed the starting line, and in less than a minute three were smoking wrecks. AngelBlue Xeno/Kenji Feiri won by taking out the others, including some top officers.

There would be a few more races, though none had a gunfire duel as intense as the third. Vickster Khun, the leader of the German Armee team and one of the administrators, took part in one race. Unfortunately, her tank was outfought in a duel. Climbing out of the smoking wreck, she grabbed a gun from her inventory and began chasing the other tank, firing all the way. But without her VICE meter, this was just funning around as the bullets harmlessly bounced off, and the tank went on to finish the race.


The tank rally takes place every Saturday from 3 to 5:30 PM at New Bastogne (71, 199, 3001).


Bixyl Shuftan