I shouldn't join this discussion because it appears to be pointless, but I really really just don't understand your position.
So, please, explain how if the tables were turned you would have been "more observant" and prevented the HQ from being destroyed. Explain exactly what you would have done and why, with no indication the HQ was under attack, you would have decided to do that.
The tables WERE turned because I was a member of one of the countries (knight) who's HQ was dropped.
I figured out what was up even before the HQs were dropped, flew a C47 to my HQ, found the culprits, communicated with them on channel 200, and asked to join the mission.
I then flew a C47 10 sectors deep into bish territory NOE to drop supplies for the "other attack" on bish hq (my enemy as a knight) and then dropped field supplies on my own HQ to get it back up faster while observing how long it would take for knight to figure it out......very disappointing in the 5 hour time.
During the entire operation, both HQ were also dropped by some bomb and bailers totally unassociated with the operation.
The Dar rings are linked on the way in to the HQs at least 2 sectors away and neither bish n or knights even took notice of the flashing and did nothing to defend the obvious attacks.
Like I said, "not observant enough" and the few guys who flew in to investigate the HQ areas flew in high and generated a DAR bar which caused the attackers to stop shooting HQ.
I flew in NOE when I investigated HQ and found them easily because they didn't stop shooting until I was right on top of them.
I always investigate strats by flying in NOE unless I've been following a dar for the last hour as it slowly oozes toward our strats from a rear enemy field.
Stealth works both for defense and offense yet very few in this sim ever employ it.
This is obvious when I watch tanks spawn right in front of other tanks just to get killed over and over or the befuddlement that ensues among defenders when an attacker doesn't simply fly or drive in a perfectly straight line in from spawn.
This is war 101 type stuff and I'm blown away at how many here are not clued in on basic strategy, tactics, and stealth.