S3 Series

4th FG Frame 2 AAR

Lessons learned
* Would suggest that our Allied bombers will do better at 25 000 ft than 20 000 ft, this since the enemy Fw 190 engine quickly loses in performance above it's rated altitude around 20 000 ft, meaning it will have a harder time climbing back up after a pass.
* If the Ai's are leaving the human buff pilots when the buff group is under attack because of some bug/error then there's not much to do about it. However if the buff pilots personally order them to divert in an attempt to confuse the Luftwaffe pilots, then we need to stop doing this. It reduces defensive firepower from the main bomber group but more importantly it completely perplexes the escorts when buffs are suddenly running in all directions. The enemy then have an easy time picking off the bombers while our fighter group is in full disarray, trying to figure out where buffs are going and where buffs are being attacked.
* At the second sortie in future frames the buffs will need to loiter in safe territory until the escorts are at full altitude. The Luftwaffe have changed their tactics and are now waiting at 35000+ ft just outside the safe zone. As such the 4th FG was still to low to intercept when the LW swarmed the Allied 2nd sortie bomber formation.
* Several buffs were lost due to me, as escort flight lead, having the squad a bit off optimal positioning when the LW arrived at the 1st sortie. This can always be improved.

--= REPORT =--
1st Sortie
The 4th FG launched from F58 near Emmelcord, Netherlands and formed on the bombers. Shortly after passing Bremen we got radio calls of bombers being under attack and getting shot down, but neither our high altitude Thunderbolts nor the ones embedded with the bombers could see any B-17's going down from among the main group. A few minutes later Messerschmitts and Focke Wulfs model A-4 started swarming around the main B-17 group. The 4th managed to keep the Luftwaffe at bay for a while, scoring kills, but lost a few Fortresses. When the Fortresses and especially their wing elements started to spread in all directions we did our best to cover the majority but the Jerries picked off any isolated B-17's one after another. Several bombers made it back to Dutch territory but many were lost.

2nd Sortie
The 4th FG again formed on the bombers but before our mix of P-47's and P-51's had gotten to high altitude the Luftwaffe swarmed the bombers from above. For some reason the B-17 wing elements (Ai's) started heading in all directions, wether ordered by the element leads or caused by some error is unknown, but the consequence was total confusion among the escorting Jugs. The 4th FG as such could not efficiently protect the bombers as our pilots spread in all directions trying to protect various isolated Fortresses, which were mercilessely slaughtered by the cannons of the Bf 109's and Fw 190's. Once we started to get a better picture of the situation it became clear we had mostly been trying to protect B-17 wing elements (Ai's) and the main B-17 group was steaming along 10-20 miles east of our position. The Luftwaffe unfortunately got to them before we could, and many brave men were lost. With the dreaded knowledge of the high number of bomber crews lost we sought revenge on the Jerries near the end of operations and killed a few for the loss of a Thunderbolt, and then returned to Emmelcord airfield.

Total Tally was 8 enemies shot down and several assists for 10x fighters lost and 4x 4th FG bombers lost.
--= END REPORT =--


<S>
/Robert
4th FG

Thoughtful recap and analysis Robert. Thank you sir.

A few thoughts Robert.
These b-17's are not the same plane they were a couple years ago, which could climb and operate at 25 to 30 k. It takes them an additional 20 min to climb from 20 k to 25 k where ROC drops to about 150 fpm...even at 23 k ROC is around 200 fpm. The decision to stay at 20 is to achieve max cruise speed and therefore reduce time over enemy territory. To climb in safe territory, would only give LW an extra 20 min to group for attack and hit buff groups even earlier.
AT 20 k level we cruising boost 1 at 180 indicated and 250 GS...to climb we at 150 or so. Even once we reach 25 k we cruise at 170 indicated and same 250 GS.
Of course this fits with historical operating altitudes of buffs as most Bomb raids were conducted from 18 to 23 k.
Ai behavior....once seriously winged, they take off on their own and fly away without any commands from us...they just take off. Therefore ya just gotta let em go and hope they draw off fighters from human piloted planes. I believe the points for ai bombers are much lower than Human ones.
Escort tactics will be tough...LW getting up to 35 K? That's tough, if your at that alt, you cannot see attackers on buffs...lower, and they zooming down thru you. OUr own GCI only reaches so far to run sweeps whilst their GCI directs bad guys around your sweeps. Whether or not you can consider a harddeck of 18k for your escorts a viable tactic to stay with buff group and also keep fighters low ...is a judgment call.
While perhaps true 20 k allows them to reacquire a bit easier is also true for escorts, giving escort more time with buffs also.
Dunno bout you guys but if buffers can reduce exposure to enma bad guys by 20 min or so......it was a move worth the chance.....and human gunners gave a very good account of themselves according to the summary.
LW guys getting good at HO head shots so buffers may need to jockey her up and down a bit without losing formation...according to reports they were coming in in pairs...tail attacks and our gunners shootin heck otta them.

I share your thoughts sleepy.

I'd be interested in just how many bombers really went down to an HO. I didn't see any HO's when I went down. Maybe they were HO'ing our ai bombers which won't flinch anyhow, or it was later in the second sortie.

<S>

The person who got me in a 109G6/R6 (by itself) just flew right up my 6 to d1.5 with me hitting the crap out of him; then my buff lost the whole back end and left wing, while he flew away with no damage seen. The first frame I did see Ho attacks. The second frame not a one before my Japanese built B-17 flew apart like a zeke should. Putting lipstick on the summary doesn't change anything; it's still a pig. 1 pilot survived out of all the buffs.