Right but I wouldn't even reduce the area. That's just makin it too simple. I'll use the example of the last FSO where the Damned flew B-26's against shipping.
I had bomber lead. I know the NME task force is somewhere in a 4 sector area. I'm coming from one of our few active bases. I'm apt to sneak around a little bit on bomber missions anyway so just bulling right in from the anticipated direction just isn't my style. I'm skirting the box area sending in a fighter or two to look around. I'm trying to determine not only the location of the NME fleet but also its direction and also strength of the CAP and its disposition so that I can make a bomb run from the safest quadrant of the area. Idea being to at least make it to the target. I can't hit a ship to save my life anyway but I gotta be there to do it.
That night we took off and flew SW before turning due South putting us West of the NME task force area. I'm sending in a fighter now and then to find the TF but they don't find it for quite a long time. Was prolly past T+60 easy. The TF was actually in the far NE corner of the box and didn't get found until we were off the SW corner. So it took us a while to get over there anyway.
So I prolly could have been more methodical in sending scouts in and found the TF earlier but I didn't want to give away my position(we did get spotted by scouts on our south leg anyway). Was just a strategical thing. We took our lumps but did get a cruiser out of the deal. Those of us that lived did RTB with plenty of time left but not nearly enough for a 2nd strike.
On a mission like that chances are you wouldn't be able to get out to alt, find the TF, hit it, RTB, re-arm and repeat inside a 2 hour timeframe anyway--unless you found the fleet right off. Ya with me?
I'd be against dumbing it down. While some guys don't like the bomber missions, I do. Even as a fighter guy I like the change of pace--I do prefer the targets that don't move around so danged much tho! I dont' know how guys like 999000 do it. : )
Drano