No unescorted bomber force survived a mission against determined fighter opposition without taking heavy losses. Period. The AAF took prohibitive losses in its' daylight raids against the Third Reich until the advent of long range fighter escorts. By 1943 there was talk of suspending the raids because of the heavy losses being inflicted by the Luftwaffe.
Claims for fighters shot down were wildly exaggerated by the bomber crews. The actual losses by the Germans were far less than the AAF had hoped for. Until the arrival of the Mustang and long-range drop tanks for all fighters the prospects for the bomber offensive were bleak indeed.
In Aces High, by comparison, it almost impossible to attack a group of bombers without incurring heavy losses among the attacking fighter force. Had real life been like this, the Luftwaffe's fighter force would have been bled white in 1942.
Some fixes, obviously, are necessary to restore a little realism.
Regards, Shuckins
