LOL what timing

[Nikademus]

Yes, i've been playing around with staggered escorts of late. Did forget though about the P-38 high alt issue. Been playing too much WitP......warm air makes for happy Lightnings. Continues to be a bit frustrating. the D Jugs have shown up (huh huh huh huh huh) though so far they are preforming as passively as the rest. Know that part of it is the return journey issue brought up by Speedy.

Another prob running into is morale. Cant get it to go back up, even with plenty of milk runs and light to no losses. Not that its hindering me too much anyway. even very low morale groups are flying and not turning back though this may be due in part to the light resistance.

[Speedysteve]

Your guys need rest for morale to go up to. You fly 8/10 days [;)]

I can imagine your crews.

"but sir there 9/10 cloud at 1000 feet."

"I don't care. You will fly over Rotterdam and get spanked by 100's of AA"

[:D]

[Nikademus]

well.....it works in WitP! [:D]

[Speedysteve]

[;)]

You mean BTR and WiTP aren't the same? [X(]

[Nikademus]

35 pilots out of 100 P47 air jockey's polled seem to not think so......

[Speedysteve]

I don't think they were in any state to be polling bud [:D]

[Hard Sarge]

time to get back to the story

day 15
great weather, clear as a bell (I wanted clouds, dark heavy clouds)

looks like FC moved back to 11 group, so time to change ideas, and go for kills

send out a early raid to take out a radar site, 24 bombers and 3 Gruppen of fighters

then will hit Gravesend, and Henley and Hornchuch

followed up with 2 raids to Tangmere, with a late strike at Lypme

then sending out low level 110 sweeps, to Henley, Biggen Hill, Gravesend, Lypme and Tangmere, lets see if I can catch something on the ground today

06:08 and my first raid is out of the chute, I got 147 planes up and FC responds with 250 !, hmmmm

hit the radar and the fights begin, then the raid for Gravesend takes off

06:58 I have 765 planes up, and FC has 469, but the combat is going my way, I have lost 1, while fC has lost 12

Gravesend hit

07:10, I have 1509 planes up, and FC has 469, 1st of the sweeps, sweeps in on Lypme (someday, I will learn how to spell these silly names !)
4 Spits are destroyed on the ground with 6 more being damaged (Yeehaa)
I have lost 3 plane, while FC has lost 21

07:11, raids hit Henley and Lypme (large raid, uncontested, NO DAMAGE on Henley)

07:19, I have 1549 planes in the air, FC has 474, Sweep hits Gravesend, 3 Canes bite the big one, while 5 are damaged, I have lost 4, while FC has lost 25 (I lose the CO of the 110 Gruppen on the raid to AA)

07:22, raid hits Hornchurch, NO DAMAGE, another noncontested raid

07:31 Raid hits Tangmere, Sweeps hit Biggen Hill and Henley, nothing with the sweeps, raid on Tangmere jumps my AF damage score by 100 points, Score is now 5-5-0, I have lost 4, FC has lost 26

07:41, Sweep hits Tangmere (hmmmmm, 2nd raid to Tangmere, just went poof ????) return raid had heavy fighting, odd I never showed any losses from the attacks, by my totals jumped ?)
5 Canes bite the big one here too, and 5 more are damaged, I have lost 8, while FC has lost 35

3 planes crash on landing, so 11 to 35

night time, I lose 1 more plane on landing, London and (hmmm, drawing a blank, the city to the right of Liverpool, Mansfields ?) ahh, gain 1000 points on my Terror score, still not enough

end the day, with 12 losses while FC loses 35 (hmmmm, 70 in two days for FC)

the sweeps paid off, 12 kills and 16 damaged !!!!!

score drops back to 4-5-0

this is the lowest ready FC has been since the first day of the battle, 670

another good day of weather and FC is going to bleed (unless they pull back now)

[Hard Sarge]

I need a rest, but FC is hurting, a rest may help me, but helps FC even more

day dawns bright and clear, no rest for either side today

well, guess I go for broke then, may as well try and drag it out and make FC put as many planes into the air as they can, before they decide to pull out of range again

I must say, I think the timing today was great, one of the best raid plans I have had in a while

06:04 the day begins, 76 Planes take off on the first mission of the day, FC responds with 206 planes ! Bullies

06:12, Bombs are falling on Mason, FC has 219 planes up

06:23, contact and break away, 1 down for me, 2 for FC

06:48, the next raid groups show up, 1057 GE planes are up, FC counters with 327, I have lost 3, FC has lost 7

06:59, battle is Joined on the coast, I have 1329 planes up, FC has 338, I have lost 10, FC has lost 19

07:02, Gravesend, Lypme are Strafed, 4 killed, 5 damaged, my losses 15, FC 25

07:03, Croyden and Gravesend are Bombed, Mason Strafed, 1 and 1

07:05, Warmwell bombed, Rockford strafed, 2 and 3 lost on the ground, I have lost 16, FC has lost 33

07:08, Mason is bombed

07:09, Hornchurch and Mason are bombed

07:10, Tangmere is bombed, Martlesham is strafed, 1 plane killed on the ground

07:11, Croyden is strafed, 2 down and 5 damaged, my losses 18, FC has lost 45

07:12, Hornchurch is strafed, 3 down and 11 damaged

07:20, Middle Wallop is strafed, 1 and 1 again

07:27, Tangmere is strafed, 2 down

Phase one is over, I have lost 23, FC has lost 53, bombing attacks on Tangmere and Hornchurch are decent, but not good enough, I gain about 150 points on AF damage

more FC planes are sent off in the after noon then I had expected, I bomb Deitling, should of went for Gravesend
the raid on Henley kicks the score to 5-5-0, but does little damage

my night raids hit well, 5 targets are burning, Terror is up to 13000 (Terror may be what wins this battle)

end of the day, I flew 1959 missions, while FC flew 661, I lost 34 planes, FC lost 77

my strafers are doing the job, 18 kills and 32 damaged planes today !

I don't think FC can take another day like today, not sure the LW can either, but I got enough planes left, that if the weather holds, I can fly at least one more day

score, 4-6-0