|
Trigr=, Crommm, Kapsyl and Gflyer launched from F7 in heavy 110C4s at T + 1 and grabbed south to hit the radar at F107 with 4th FG as escorts. Timos was side CO. Rock and Phenix logged in at T + 5 and joined us in flight. We made the strike in heavy ack and rtb'd to F7 at T + 54 to rearm.
Trigr=, Crommm, Kapsyl, Rock, Phenix and Gflyer launched from F7 in heavy 110C4s at T + 55 and grabbed south to hit F69 with 4th FG as escorts. We got the ack down at 69 and were strafing targets when we got word that F73 was under attack. We aborted our attack and headed for F73. We ended up chasing Hurricane 2s out of F73 to the southwest. We hit bingo fuel, informed 4th, broke off and rtb'd to F7 at T + 110 to rearm. We lost Kapsyl on this sortie.
Trigr=, Crommm, Rock, Phenix and Gflyer launched from F7 in heavy 110C4s at T + 110 and grabbed south to hit F69 behind 4th FG who had also launched as heavies from a base that was closer than ours. En route we got word that 4th FG was heavily engaged in the F69 area so we jettisoned our bombs and drop tanks and went to help. We engaged Hurricanes at 25,000 feet that promptly ran out to the south. Rock and Gflyer guarded F73 against a last minute closure and we held north of F73 in support. The strike window expired and we rtb'd to F75 at T + 173 and stood down.
Kills: 0
Losses: 1 (Kapsyl.)
Thanks to Timos, the LW CO and Jabo and Roan, the S3 guys, for a fun first frame in a new terrain.
Comments: Fuel duration: The Hurricanes do not carry drop tanks, the Hurri 1 has 59 minutes of fuel at 100% and the Hurri 2 has 49 minutes of fuel at 100% in this scenario where the fuel multiplier is set at .8. The 110s get 51 minutes with 100% internal fuel, 68 minutes with one drop tank and 86 minutes with both drop tanks. We saw Hurricanes decline engagements near the end of their fuel window and we should use this discrepancy in the relative fuel windows to help us achieve air superiority during those available windows in future frames.
110s as defenders: The Allied bombers are very weak, B25Cs (that lack rear guns), Swordfish and Wellingtons (their best but they only get to fly it one frame). We might consider posting a couple of 110s over likely targets on the flanks to pick up some easy kills and points.
Flying and fighting in the 110: The 110 is kind of a pig, slow speed, slow climb rate and slow roll rate all in one aircraft. We are only faster than the Hurricanes below 20,000 feet and not by much. The 110s performance can be improved by jettisoning one drop tank and 3,000 rounds of the 7.9 mm machine gun rounds to shed 650 pounds of weight (about 4% of the total), then flying the internal fuel down to 70%, running on the remaining drop tank and jettisoning it prior to engaging the enemy. I would be inclined to "bully the merge" (HO) over friendly territory because the 110 has two engines, a firepower rating of 12 and isn't nimble enough to outmaneuver any Hurricane 1 v 1. The Hurris have firepower ratings of 6 and 12 and single engines so if you smoke his engine and he smokes yours he is going to have to ditch in enemy territory or in the water and is done for the night while you can stomp on the rudder and fly home on one engine.
The Hurricanes will attempt low 6 attacks, particularly over 20,000 feet where they are faster to avoid the fire from your rear gunner that both threatens them and alerts you to the fact that you are under attack. You can counter this by going to the gunner position and slewing the gun to the left and right limits which gives you a good view of your low 6.
.
|
trigr=
