SoWC:BoB Multisquad Campaign Starting

[klem]

Originally Posted by 5./JG27.Farber

Can you make any suggestions as to how it could be more like BoB? We are always open to suggestions.

There were 24 Stuka in Total. Spread over 4 targets. They broke up on the approach toward folkstone, 6 for each airfield and 3 for each radar.


The most important thing for me and my small team is that people ARE enjoying it and I think you will enjoy it more as it goes on, especially with some of the raids we have picked. When people give us thanks it makes it worth all the hours in FMB and scripting, forum stuff and general tedium. So thanks for the thanks!

S!

Thanks for considering our requests Farber and giving us the SpitIIa. As far as a/c are concerned the real gripe was that they did not have a chance against 109s due to the FMs. The SpitIIa should help there and I accept what you say about the Hurricane. Its just that I was thinking in terms of relative a/c performance, the a/c being our tools, rather than what they looked like. OK so we stay with the Hurricane and a couple of us are testing the 87 octane version (I already did the 100) to see which would be better as the 100 octane is well below RL performance and does not have Boost Override Cutout working.

We are managing the a/c allocation numbers by assigning them to specific squads as you listed in a previous post. Generally it works out OK, we don't exceed the allocated numbers but the Spitfire %age was a little high on Sunday due to turnout. Its just that when we pulled up the on-screen stats it seemed the blues were flying almost entirely E4s. I am sure there were more than the 9 E4s listed in your a/c allocation table so perhaps you could look at logs etc to see and if so have a word with the unit commanders.

With 24 stukas breaking up into several groups plus Do17s and attacking 4 targets we have to accept that we cannot intercept every raid. With Hurricanes attacking bombers and Spitfires trying to cover them we would be limited to intercepting 3 raids. We could of course throw one squad at each raid we find and risk the 109s (if we can find all the raids) and that is what tended to happen on Sunday more by luck than judgement, there was no time for niceties like Spits coming to the help of Hurricanes when they were already engaged so after our a/c got engaged with 109s or Stukas and had used there ammo it was inevitable that 109s that had not been engaged would have ammo to slaughter the remaining red aircraft they found. We have the unfortunate problem of trying to deal with 24 Stukas plus ? Do17s that went to Gravesend plus up to 40 109s (probably around 30 on the night?). That's ok as the RAF were heavily outnumbered in the BoB but it does mean that our neutered Hurricanes are going to die wholesale once their ammo is gone and without a FM to give them a fighting chance.

One question regarding "being like the BoB". Would the 109s have stayed around to feed off the empty Hurris and Spits or would many of them have withdrawn to cover the retiring bombers? Also, how are you guys finding the fuel issue, as I alway understood the endurance of the 109 to be a little over an hour with about 20 minutes over England? I think we were in the air for over an hour and 109s were still over our coast knocking down our aircraft.

EDIT: I meant to say that you are destroying Radar easily but in fact it was very hard to destroy even when undefended. It was bady damaged on 12th August when the radar stations were a main priority but as they came back on air again on the 13th I understand that the major anti-radar operation of 12 August was not repeated. A few days later, Göring is said to have stated,
“It is doubtful whether there is any point in continuing the attacks on radar sites, in view of the fact that not one of those attacked has so far been put out of action.”
Any further radar attacks failed to make significant damage to the radar system. I wonder if your future radar attacks should be severely restricted or perhaps even stopped as in RL they were ineffective whilst in CoD they are too easy to destroy.

[notafinger!]

Originally Posted by klem

We are managing the a/c allocation numbers by assigning them to specific squads as you listed in a previous post. Generally it works out OK, we don't exceed the allocated numbers but the Spitfire %age was a little high on Sunday due to turnout. Its just that when we pulled up the on-screen stats it seemed the blues were flying almost entirely E4s. I am sure there were more than the 9 E4s listed in your a/c allocation table so perhaps you could look at logs etc to see and if so have a word with the unit commanders.

Klem, the table Farber posted showing ~10 E4's was from mission 1 based in July where E4's made up roughly 20% of Bf 109 strength. We just finished mission 3 in the August time frame where E4's account for 52% of aircraft strength. As Farber said the numbers were set for a full team but when everyone doesn't show of course the E4's are taken first. One remedy I would propose would be removal of the mine shell. IMO it is probably over-modeled compared to the other 20mm rounds available and causes Hurricanes to just fall apart. I think that would make red a little less concerned about the E4 numbers but I don't think it could be enforced server side, just a gentleman's agreement to remove it from our E4 loadouts. At the very least I think it's something we could try for at least one mission.

Originally Posted by klem

One question regarding "being like the BoB". Would the 109s have stayed around to feed off the empty Hurris and Spits or would many of them have withdrawn to cover the retiring bombers? Also, how are you guys finding the fuel issue, as I alway understood the endurance of the 109 to be a little over an hour with about 20 minutes over England? I think we were in the air for over an hour and 109s were still over our coast knocking down our aircraft.

Regarding 109 tactics, the Jagdwaffe's mission was to destroy Fighter Command. As long as there are RAF fighters airborne and the Bf 109's have fuel/ammo to engage I think it's safe to assume they would. It was a tactic of the Germans to send in a low level sweep after a raid to try and catch planes being refueled/rearmed and there were some successes doing that. It might be worth considering holding back a few fighters to cover your force after they disengage from the bombers.

Fuel with the Bf 109 was really only a concern when they were going to areas around London and they had to fly close escort and spent hours zigzagging behind the slower cruising bombers. Also, remember Park did not like big wings. He preferred to throw his squadrons at the bombers piece meal which peeled off the escorts layer by layer like an onion. This meant the Bf 109's were almost constantly engaged over England which really drains the tanks quickly. Personally, last mission I took 100% fuel, climbed to 6k, cruised between Dover and Littlestone, and then engaged RAF over Hawkinge for maybe 20-30 minutes. I returned home with less than 25% remaining. As the fighting moves closer to London I think you'll see fuel become a bigger issue for the Bf 109's.

[Robo.]

Originally Posted by notafinger!

One remedy I would propose would be removal of the mine shell. IMO it is probably over-modeled compared to the other 20mm rounds available and causes Hurricanes to just fall apart.

Oh yes, but as long as players don't use M-Geschoss only that's alright. As for the E-4 numbers I didn't mean to complain, just noticed 'unusually high amounts'. E-1 with custom ammo belt is just as deadly so I don't mind at all. Just for historical reasons, but I see it's difficult to accomplish.

Originally Posted by notafinger!

Fuel with the Bf 109 was really only a concern when they were going to areas around London and they had to fly close escort and spent hours zigzagging behind the slower cruising bombers. (...)

Very true.

Originally Posted by David198502

there we shot down 4Hurris of No.501...

3 Hurricanes lost in that part of the fight, Teepee escaped unharmed and got CTD later on.

[5./JG27.Farber]

Ive made a mistake on the table, percentile targets are wrong. Ill put up another table very soon.

E1 - 40%
E3 - 8%
E4 - 52%

Theres about 4 Bf109 E4 missing from the table...



With regards to ammunition, you cant police it.

[klem]

Hi Farber

when will mission 4 brief be up?

Thanks

[5./JG27.Farber]

Just putting it up now.

[klem]

RAF COs please see my Mission 4 post at HQ on the Campaign Forum.