Well our night started off in a cluster. There was a fubar with what fields we had to use and by the time we got that sorted out about 5 minutes had passed. This hosed our timing a bit but I don't think it really affected the outcome much.
My general idea for attack was to use stealth and detached escort with both. I wanted to get your attention with the escorts and attack from another direction down on the deck. This seemed to work out OK on the attack to A30 as their operating field wasn't affected at frame start. They went in on the deck around A2 radar ring then West, around P24 radar ring to A30. I sent the P-39s around the North side of V38 to flash it and draw out your cap in that direction. The A-20s got in and hit the place fine but didn't make it out. A shame too as I had a plan to get them out of there down in the river canyon along the south side of 9,11 if only they could have made it that far.
The South attack did get a bit messed with the takeoff times but in the end it didn't matter. My path for those groups was through our territory mostly figuring you wouldn't try to come right though all of the radar rings from V11 to A25. Their path would have taken them on the deck again around V19 radar ring then following the hills West of there to 8,8,1 and attacking A18 from the SW. I had timed their escort P-39s to flash A42 a few minutes before they reached the area and to draw out and engage your cap over that way. Problem with that was your attack was on a pretty much direct opposite heading and your sweepers ran right into our attack formation somewhere between V19 and V27. A couple bled thru and hit A18 but for all intents you decimated that whole attack 75 miles out. Best laid plans. I really figured you guys would come around South on that attack.
Good job of getting our attention along the A25.V27 area. I assume you had your 110s down low following that ridge West of V44 and in that way? I really didn't get much feedback that I remember anyway on your attack to V31 but I see you hit that with 110s as well.
Both sides seemed to lose all their attack planes as none landed safely. The range and fuel burn rate really precluded a second run to anywhere. On my side I was limited in using the P-39s as escorts as they were the only ones with the legs to get over there and back. The Yaks and Laffers really did have to stay close to home even at max cruise. I figure you had much the same problem with the 109s. I wonder if next time we run this particular setup we could tweak the fuel burn to 1.2 or some other fraction as it did pretty much hose the 2nd half of the frame for both sides I think. Lot of flying around.
One question tho? Were you guys using a scorched earth tactic obliterating Budapest? Sax was with us defending the South approaches to V44 and he was telling me he'd seen this odd formation of a single group of Ju88s and a few 109s. They didn't seem to be attached to any other group at all. Looking at the logs, sure enough I see there was one group, the 357th that had a group made up that way. They knocked the hell out of Budapest (city at A1). Did these guys know that was your territory? Can we get the points for that? hehe j/k
It looked to me at first glance that you guys really crushed us with 85 objects destroyed. But ya knock out the 58 that GrnEglJr had on the Budapest run (heck he actually reloaded and hit it again!) and it ain't so bad. If we'd gotten that other attack in to A18 it'd really been a wash.
Good frame. Seeyas next month. <S>
Drano
