Mitsubishi Stuka and Thunderbolt

[majorfailure]

Sometimes I think I'm playing a different game.
I've acquired quite some experience in shooting at allied heavys/medium bombers, and those are among the best armed/armored in this game IMHO.
I guess in about 40 missions I got shot out of the sky 8 times. Much? Yes.
But only two times when I got nailed (pilot dead) from below while turnig away and up (moving in all three planes of maneuvre) from the already dead bomber and from a landing B-17 about 400m below me on opposite course(thus the shooter had to lead a heck) that felt wrong. All the other times I got bored/greedy and decided to do a 6'o clock approach and forgot to break at 300m. So I'd say that my own poor choice of tactics fried my there.
Doing head-ons, side attacks, high attacks, even fast six o clock attacks with breaking of at ~250-300m regularly works for me.

Degrade the (rookie) gunners so they don't do the seemingly impossible shots that would be good, if it is not only pure luck but some kind of random deliberate ace gunnery. But do not degrade the gunners in general, they are fine IMHO.

And as a part-time mud-mover I can only say whenever you encounter an enemy fighter (AI) that you cannot outrun or outmaneuver and there is no clouds to hide in you are screwed. At least 19 out of 20 times.

The most interesting idea in your post IMHO is to be able to advise different levels of AI to different position, that would be useful. Could depict scenarios, where an all veteran crew got a member KIA and replaced by newbie, or splitting up an ace crew and mixing with regulars to get two useful crews.
Or for formations mission builders could use an ace bombardier/navigator/pilot for flight leader, and an all ace gunner crew for tail end, as surprise for anemy fighters.
And for offliners you could create enemy flights that have rookie skill at all gunner positions - but are pilot/bombardier able enough to bomb the broadside of a barn from three metres away.