What it simply comes down to is simple objective planning and squad communication at the squad / base objective level. The scenario described in defense at A73 patrolling in 4 ships is destined to get overwhelmed by a concentrated attack / fighter sweep. Even if you had altitude, you are facing (for argument's sake) 12 to 17 planes sweeping in. By the time you realize what is happening, the other 4 ships are trying to collapse to the airfield only to see many dots over target. If you don't realize this is a fighter sweep and start looking for Jabos, you face losing altitude with Jabos coming in right on top of you.
With up to 17 defenders, you would want to concentrate your defense enmasse. The only way to accomplish this is to coordinate this between the other defending squads in the days prior to FSO and even possibly train together in the DA or in a custom arena. Properly setting up patrol CAP can be done with multiple squads as long as it is coordinated in advance. Every week, I always reach out to squads we may potentially work with for this very reason. Mission success.
It is obvious to me that Axis coordinated their attack and worked together well to accomplish their objective. FSO can be frustrating if you spend close to an hour flying around only to get your plane shot out from under you in the first developing minutes of the fight. It happens to all of us who participate in FSO.
I don't take offense to this thread at all. I think it is a good learning tool for future missions in FSO. If you receive an email from me after we receive orders, please respond. You now know that I am working to coordinate success in FSO!
