Axis Night Fighter & TB Management

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Run 4 bombing

Picture 3 of 3

[HardLuckYetAgain]

LOL, I ran a 5th run

10 fighters
12 Recon

Picture 1 of 3

[HardLuckYetAgain]

5th run

Picture 2 of 3

[HardLuckYetAgain]

5th Run

Picture 3 of 3

[HardLuckYetAgain]

I will continue to run a couple of more to see if I can get results less than this.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

6th bombing run

15 fighers
8 recon

****note 3rd bombing run did not happen in this one

7th bombing run

14 fighters
6 recon

8th bombing run

13 fighters
11 recon

9th bombing run

19 fighters
6 recon

pictures attached for bombing run 9 which should be enough, if not please let me know but the results to me seem pretty consistent.

picture 1 of 3 for 9th bombing run

[HardLuckYetAgain]

9th bombing run

picture 2 of 3

[HardLuckYetAgain]

9th bombing run

picture 3 of 3

[Joch1955]

I rechecked Black Cross, Red Star, vol.1, and the night bombing capability of the Russians in 41 was very low.

1st, regular bomber crews had very little night flying training. Most bombers also had no radio, only the flight leader had a radio. The rest of the flight just stayed in formation and followed his cue, very difficult to do at night. The Russians also only had very basic navigation instrumentation and none of the advanced tech, like navigation beams which the British and German were already using at that time.

2nd, the night bombing that did occur was generally carried out by special units, using the best pilots and experienced crews. The attacks on Berlin were carried out by IL-4s which had been equipped with radios. Even so, the attacks themselves were a bust. According to the Russians, the 1st was a resounding success with 6 bombers reaching downtown Berlin. According to the Germans, it was a bust, most Russian Bombers never even reached Berlin, one came close to the suburbs and was shot down by Flak. The 2nd attack by around 10 planes was also a bust, none reached berlin, one wound up over Stettin 80 miles away, some were shot down by friendly fire, 3 crashed when landing, etc. The Russians soon gave up.

IMHO, Russian night bombing in 41 should be even more ineffective. Based on a 1941 report, of RAF bombers taking off in night missions at that time, only 5% dropped their bombs within 5 miles of the intended target.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butt_Report

[EddyBear81]

What about switching the Bf-110s and Me-210s groups to Night Fighter planes ? They should get better results.