TheBug
I will respond forever if necessary to ensure that I am not cheaply dismissed by some smug one-line ingrate who is set on causing trouble. I bent a hand to help. It has been bitten from the moment I extended it.
Dace
I am continually amazed by implications that many squads saw no action and that this was directly because of the orders that Viper issued. I have read and reread the orders. He put almost everybody he had right over the targets to be defended. He only had two very small groups go off and scout out the CVs. All the others stayed at the designated targets and defended them for something past the first hour. After those attacks ceased and after the first hour, he sent out a counter-attack against the carriers. In fact this increased markedly the chance of further action in the frame for players, not reduced it. The only case I heard of on the day of people not being met was a second wave attack on the Yamato. I believe the defenders there RTB'd after a fight and thereby just missed the second wave. Surely that was good planning and timeing on the Allied CO's behalf? His sweep worked. His strikers then followed through unmolested. Surely that was his plan? Did his TBM's complain that there wasn't 30 N1Ks there to meet them? I don't recall any other Axis squads reporting that their targets were attacked while they were refuelling. It's just possible that it happened though.
BTW I flew past you and about 5 other guys in P47s about 10 minutes in. We were low, slow and heavy and only 3. I chose not to fight. Did you see us? You know it was possible with that low visibility setting to go right past someone while staring nervously at the artificial horizon?
Viper I apologise for not clearing with you, but I sent a copy of your orders to Doobs at his private email, just to clear up the misconception that is growing here that you didn't defend. I am thinking perhaps you should post them just to end this nonsense once and for all.