Gents.
Fighters frequently did cruise at 30K to escort. The Jugs we were in weren't quite that high.
The A model 190 is going to have a problem above 23K. Although I believe it's ceiling is listed in the 38K range.
What happened was close to real in the tail end of 1943 thru 1945.
LW was receiving more fighters but did not have enough Pilots and most new ones had little training (fuel shortages)
In that case we are very close to historical fact. Face it LW, you have a tough nut to crack.
The icon problem is a challenge for sure. But....it is equal to all.
BTW during the Scenario DGS there were more aircraft in the air. And if I remember the LW won.
Much as I like the historical aspect, I'm not showing up to FSO to play cannon fodder so we can re-create the actual battle and outcome. I'd like a good chance to 'change history' if I'm on the Axis side, or to 'beat the Axis even better' if I'm on the Allied side.
Even accepting that occasionally, you're not going to see action or the reverse, you're going to be swamped by the enemy, I'm find the later happening in almost every FSO night. If I'm in bombers, we get murdered by 2-3 fighter squadrons, if we're in fighters, were assigned as one of two squads to defend, and, like last night, have 6 A-5's to go up agains 10-12 P-51's and another hand full of P-38's.
The had so many fighters at alt when we showed up that I carried 6 P-51's on my tail all the way to the deck repeatedly, as did another squaddie. And they still had fighters to spare covering the buffs. There has got to be some last minute way to level the sides to the proper balance based on actual turnout, if that was in fact, part of the problem.
Overall, it dawned on me and some of my squaddies that what's happening in FSO's it's getting very, very old. I'm sure not everyone is having the same experience, but I know I'm not alone in having this type of experience.
Unfortunately, I can't say I have any great idea for a solution, other than several of the ideas I've read here might help the situation.
