Originally posted by MajIssue
I looked it up and YES you're right and I'm wrong The TU-4 was an exact copy (including patched battle damage) of a B-29 forced to land in Russa after a raid on Japan.
I see your point, but most of the EW types would get mualed badly in LW arenas. Since the EW arena earely has more that 10-20 players, what would be the benifit of including light bombers that would rarely be flown and instantly get killed whan thay made contact? Here is an illistration of my point: I was flying a 190 A8 as wing with a good stick Monday to improve my fighter skills in the MA, We stumbled across a raid of 10 Stukas on rhe deck. Result: 10 stukas downed.
I hate to say it, but I believe the purpose of Early War Bombers in the Late War Arenas would actually be for slipping through defenses. Tell me, you see a High Sb-2 Group (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_SB ) that is say, 7,000 feet above you. And you also see a B-17 group, that is 1,000 feet below you.
Now, I am sorry if I make an assumption. But going off my logic. the B-17 is the bigger threat to my base as well as being lower than me. And depending on my plane (not likely as I fly things coated with .303s, and B-17s can take more .303 rounds than I care to mention, all the while shooting back at me) you probably will get into posistion and hit the B-17.
From what I see, this would probably also be the case of your allies. For multiple reasons, ranging from easy kill, to bigger threat. That is not to say that some people will see the SB-2 as the easier kill, and go after it instead, climbing to a bomber never seemed like a smart idea to me, less you did it at an angle, as to set up for an attack. But that takes time, time you may not have.
But for the sake of reasoning, you let the SB-2 get through, simply because he has a smaller bomb load, and is slower. Mind you he still may not make it to the base, he may still die horribly to your allies before he can get to his target. He probably will die after he drops his bombs, but by then his mission has been accomplished. Hopefully. But most people would go for the B-17. And underestimate the little SB-2s that're going through to pork your fighter hangars.
I am horrificaly bias on this though, I absolutly love the Early War Russian Bombers, I blame IL-2 (call me a dweeb, the game is awesome, and I can't wait for a patch so I can fly one of my beloved bombers. Which by 1946' DVD, will come out... sooner or later, I suspect two weeks.)
I also tend to view Early War Aircraft in the Late War arenas askew, as compared to late war equipment. Be it true or not, I like to think people in them know what they're doing to some extent. I don't remember who it was that has it, but they have a Quote about P-40s in their Sig. They're like a hobo with a crazy eye. You don't know what they might do. Not to mention alot of people in the LW arenas have little experience agaisnt Early War Aircraft. I have had countless people try to outturn my D3A low and slow, when they could simply walk away.
Knowing is, litterally if very cheesy, half the battle.
(on a side note, I really should make smaller posts.

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Edit: I seem to be wrong, after re-watching the DVD, to get a look at the cockpit of the SB series, it wasn't there. I am now sad, but one day! One day I will fly it in a game, on full realism, and I will be happy!