ET37's SBD mission last (EU) night

[bozon]

I wish there were more "missions" run. While most of ET's missions turn into hordes it is still better to have them than none at all. I still think it's up the mission leader to control the size of the mission, mission generate combat and that is what most of us are looking for.  

Hardly a horde. 8 SBDs and 3 P51D escorts as far as I recall. It was not enough to take down all 3 VH because too many bombs missed. Quite sad because a single lanc formation from 20k would have done the job better without missing a bomb, except it would be lame. Remember that if bombers are selected for the mission, each player gets 3, so a mission with just 3 bomber players is already 9 planes - more than our SBDs.

Then we deacked with the two forward 0.5s, which took nearly half my ammo. A single T34 and a single wirb were just sitting there and there was nothing we could do, but we strafed them anyway. A Spit16 showed up and started to shoot down the SBDs, until it foolishly passed close enough for me to kill it - if it just kept its distance there was nothing I could do about him as well. Just goes to show that 8 SBDs are still not a horde. Perhaps a small cloud of flies.

Out of bullets and seeing no friendlies except one of the P51 escorts I stared to crawl home at a snail pace. Attacked by the Yak3 and Ta152 I was still steaming ahead at 200 mph, except that now I had to weave and twist to keep avoiding them, making the way infinitely long. Unfortunately no ammo to shoot back. The Yak gave me a PW and now I was blacking out between dodges. Oysters in the P51 escort came to assist and kept me in the threats picture while I was blacked out. This went on for a few minutes until more friendlies arrived and I was able to straighten out and head for home. Landed my blood smeared SBD (only one to return) with 1 kill and only 565lbs of damage in the "attaboy" system message... Was still worth 10.5 bomber perks

This is what I love about the SBD - just making it back to land is already a feat. If you are going with the "horde" (i.e. mission), at least do it in a cool plane.

[Kodiak]

I join ET's missions as they give context and variety to a fight.  Whether its escorting heavy bombers, flying heavy bombers or flying heavy fighters, in any case there is a goal, a reason to be in the air. While I try my best to help with the base capture or strat raid the fun is more in the organized effort rather than the outcome.  Just flying around the MA looking for a dogfight without context is often boring and fruitless.  A mission just about guarantees a fight with some variety in plane categories and fighting styles which is so much more interesting for me than a furball without purpose.  With missions there is a sense of "you're trying to stop us from doing x" or vice versa as I also enjoy attacking missions.

Well done, ET and the other squads who run pickup missions.  We need more of them as they create a reason for a fight.

[earl1937]

In a way its too bad that level bombing are so accurate in AH. Dropping a hangar from 20k is no problem but in reality one should be glad if the bombs fall at the field at all. This makes the dive bombers pretty much unnessesary. it would be more fun if the dive bombers like SBD where the plane of choise when u wanted to drop hangars.

Until the 8th AF started using H2X radar systems, if a bomb landed with in 2 miles of target, it was graded a hit!

[earl1937]

True. But its a shame anyway. Dive bombing (the real vertical one) is a forgotten art in this game.

Edit: planting an AP-bomb in a cruiser or CV w a SBD is really fun, it just takes forever to reach the 15k u need to pull it of w/o get shot down by the ack.

Your point is well taken! I have always felt, since joining this game, than "auto-ack" should not be a part of the game. If a country wants to defend its CV and etc, let them man the guns! There wasn't any in WW2 and I think it hurts the game we play here by having it in the game.
That is why the JU87/SBD type of aircraft don't have much of a chance on flying missions. There is a numer of aircraft which sit in the hangar all the time, which would be used more, if guys felt like they had a chance of surving a mission in one of those things. But with auto-ack and slow speeds, well you know they rest of that story!

[save]

I love these type of actions.

Like  our real flying veteran said on squad channel: " I'd be happy to hit within a sector" 

ET, we don't even have guys to man one plane per field, when the big  maps are in use, and with the HQ shut down it would be a walk in the park to win a map with numerical superiority within a few hours.

[Puma44]

ET's mission are always great fun because he is about team work.  His leadership and the cool real world "extras" that he adds make it a fun immersion experience.