B-17 range

[RGIJN]

thorough search brought nothing up in this matter, so I want to want to discuss it in this new thread.

In a PBEM, my B17 flying out of Cooktown repeatedly hit targets in Rabaul. Set on naval attack, 15...16K altitude. A look on the map shows the outer red (=extended range) circle is one hex short of Rabaul, actually. Nomad once told me the range circles are rather meant as "help" but they should not to be taken too serious. So I tried to make it out "manually". Depending on the way you count it´s either 27 or 28 hexes from Cooktown to Rabaul. So in any case, its a very close thing.

Now curious about two things:

1.) Is the game working properly doing so? OP loss was one out of a squadron of six total.

2.) Is this range historically correct?

I´m just curious.[;)]

[anarchyintheuk]

2. Historically most, if not all, raids against Rabaul launched from Australia shuttled through PM. W/ a reduced payload seems reasonable a B-17 could make it non-stop to Rabaul from Cooktown. I don't know if it was ever tried because it was never necessary.

[Kingfisher]

Wiki lists the range of the B17G as 2,000 w/ 6,000lb bomb load.
B-17

An online distance calculator shows 906.7 miles separating Cooktown from Rabaul.

Incidentally, the same site shows Luganville as being only 861 miles from Shortlands, yet the game doesn't allow bombing runs from LV to Shortlands.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: RGIJN

1.) Is the game working properly doing so? OP loss was one out of a squadron of six total. ...

That's almost 20%; high for a very durable aircraft lke the B-17, no?

[xj900uk]

The South Pacific was a rough, tough place.  There were loads of maintenance & servicing problems - perhaps a mechanic did not do up the nuts on a propellor quite right?  Also weather, particularly sudden squalls that blew up without warning were always a menace.  Also runways sometimes left a lot to be desired.  And flying that long a way, perhaps the pilot got tired or made a mistake
Finally,  if all else fails, it was a bird strike

[anarchyintheuk]

ORIGINAL: Kingfisher

Wiki lists the range of the B17G as 2,000 w/ 6,000lb bomb load.
B-17

An online distance calculator shows 906.7 miles separating Cooktown from Rabaul.

Incidentally, the same site shows Luganville as being only 861 miles from Shortlands, yet the game doesn't allow bombing runs from LV to Shortlands.

IIRC the game yanks 1/3 off a plane's range for fow, forming up, etc.

[RGIJN]

ORIGINAL: Kingfisher

Wiki lists the range of the B17G as 2,000 w/ 6,000lb bomb load.
B-17

An online distance calculator shows 906.7 miles separating Cooktown from Rabaul.

Incidentally, the same site shows Luganville as being only 861 miles from Shortlands, yet the game doesn't allow bombing runs from LV to Shortlands.

I´d guess the 2000 miles are meant round-trip. This also matches very well with several in-the-book references I have. The UV database lists this bomber with 810 miles (extended) range, what I would understand as one-way out to the target. Thus, the given "official" range would legitimate attacks from Cooktown on Rabaul, while UV´s parameters would not, actually.

[RGIJN]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.


That's almost 20%; high for a very durable aircraft lke the B-17, no?

Indeed it is, Joe. And I do not intend to try this very often. However, how to prevent it since there is no range limit inbuilt into UV (yet[;)]).
But aside from the op losses, I just wanted to understand the "range issue".