Possible workaround for the moment, at least works for me...once at the desktop, press ESC again and get back into the Simulation, then press ESC "AGAIN". That usually manages to bring me back to the menu.

Some people have reported problems starting the game and some people have reported problems escaping. Personally I have never had such issues until, strangely enough, tonight. I run CloD using Game Booster and on clicking the icon in the booster window the 'Boosting Game' progress bar appeared, ran, and then nothing. I started the game using the actual Launcher Icon in Steam and it was fine. I restored the Game Booster shortcut to the desktop, clicked on that and again, nothing. So I deleted the shortcut and created a new shortcut which worked fine from the desktop so I dragged it back into Game Booster and that worked ok as well.
I did find, however, that on running the game a few things had unaccountably changed. Planes had aquired icons and some key assignments had changed or disappeared. It was as if a new (or old) controls section had loaded.
But I really do not think it is a game bug. I think it is a system or steam hiccup. And this is the problem, the game clearly dose suffer from bugs but how do you determine if something is really a game bug or if it is caused by other factors on your system or with steam.
Don't forget, this is a complicated bit of code that is trying to accomplish a very large number of tasks at one time so is bound to have problems to be sorted and may well be more sensitive to other software/hardware issues.
If you want a comprehensive WW2 combat simulation then stick with it. If you want a nice, stable, bug free game now then there are plenty of console offerings to choose from.
I just don't think it is helpful to assume you have a game bug and demand the developers get it fixed. As has been suggested, maybe you have something else in the game assigned to the esc key which is causing a conflict. Or it could be any number of other things.

+1 But it doesn't always happen :confused:

Funny... Yeah lets not report bugs to the developers so they will never know about them. yeah good idea. Its also funny how people like to bring up the old 'Console' as the baby toy. Maybe he has esc key assigned to something else? hahaa What key in the first place makes you exit to the desktop? Use your brain and stop brown nosing.

Hmm, ok. I think the thing about consoles is that compared to current PCs they do not have the computing power so for a game to run satisfactorally they, by definition, have to have a lower level of complexity. Also the vast majority of people just do not want the hassel or problems caused by too much complexity. Take scenery, it looks just amazing in any old racing or skate game on a console. But what you are seeing is the equivalent to a Hollywood cowboy town. It is just a facade.
What the CloD developers are trying to build on is the old IL2 tradition of an actual simulation that has a vastly greater depth of what you can do, see and experience. The cost of this is a mountain of complexity and problems that no console game designer would even entertain.
What I am saying is that you have a choice. If you want a game to play without bugs or problems then a better choice would be WoP on an Xbox. But if you want a game with the level of detail, the FMs, DMs, possible senarios, the degree in which you can actually get into the game and interact with it then, at the moment, you will just have to accept a certain level of bugs and problems.
No game developer in their right mind would put out a game in the condition CloD was in at the start without very good reason. In my honest opinion I believe that, for whatever reasons, if CloD hadn't come out when it did and the way it did then it just would not have come out at all. I think Luthier is taking a bit of a gamble and I for one don't mind because I want the game to survive and succeed. It's only 30 quid or 50 bucks - it's not like you've been suckered out of your life savings by a bunch of financial con men. You would pay that for an arcade game that would bore you senseless in a week.
I also think it important that bugs are reported. But they need to be reported properly with as much information as possible such as what is happening when the problem arises, comprehensive system specs etc. so that some sort of pattern emerges.
An angry declaration that my game won't launch, crashes or whatever, fix it NOW is pretty pointless.
My other point was - you cannot always be sure that the problem is a true game bug ie. poorly written code that needs sorting and not a system or setup issue that you should put right yourself.
The developers are not trying to rip you off, they are working hard to fix the code and cure the problems.

Also getting exactly this.

I am getting that too, full screen (not psuedo) mode.

Nobody in this thread is 'demanding' anything, they are reporting an in-game problem. I don't think it's helpful to jump in a bug reporting thread and telling people they are wrong and it's not a bug...

Hence why people report bugs on the forums so the devs can look into it, ignoring them and assuming that PC games must have bugs is not going to get the sim to the level of playability that some of us want.

MS-7309 MB / AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 840 (OC ~3.4GHz) / NVIDIA GT 430 / 4096MB DDR2 RAM / Win7 64bit

I can't exit mission with esc key. I have to use ctl+alt+del to exit game every time. Any suggestions?

same happens to me apart from it wont relaunch, just locks up my rig when i click on it.

I have the same Problem after long periods of play.
Solution: If asked, instead of using the mouse to click on yes, use the y key.