I must agree with the general consensus that buffs need work. While they are not the aerobatic uberplanes they were in AW (thank the Dark Gods), they have the same AW-style LGBs and uberguns, at least the .50cals.
In the January TD, the B17 and B26 had a K/D vs. most fighters of about 60%. In the same camp, gunners had a K/D well over 1.5 vs. fighters. Although gunners rarely seem to die when their plane crashes, it still paints a pretty nasty picture. In a 1 on 1 fighter vs. US buff situation, the fighter is more likely than not to lose. It's even worse when the buff has a gunner.
The Lanc and Ju88, OTOH, are MUCH less formidable, however, either due to less latent toughness or only .30cal guns, or both.
So basically, at the bottom line a single B17, without even a gunner aboard, can cruise serenely at 20k over the furballs from 10k on down, beat off the 1 or 2 interceptors willing to come up to them, and then drop individual bombs on individual buildings, crippling their target. The strategic result is way out of proportion to the number of peole required to achieve it, and their skill level.
Furthermore, it requires a disproportionate defensive effort to keep this from happening. Looking at the statistics, it's evident that to be sure of killing a single, 1-man B17 prior to it dropping its bombs, the defenders need to commit at least 2, more likely 3, interceptors. These guys will be out of other action for the time it takes them to grab alt, reach patrol station, and make their attacks. Meanwhile, their side has less forces available for stopping jabos, GVs, and goons at lower alts. So it's a real Hobson's Choice.
To me, the solution to all this must start with making it MUCH more difficult to do precision bombing from high alt. IMHO, it would be GREAT to go back to a WB-style bombsight in which the buff had to fly straight and level for a long way just to get the thing set up, and then couldn't zigzag over the field to hit dispersed buildings. I would also require buffs to drop their full load at once--no more individual bombs on individual buildings.
Being of this opinion, I wait the promised 1-man FORMATIONs of buffs with great dread. IMHO, the LAST thing AH needs is something that makes individual buff drivers any more effective than they already are. OK, so maybe this 1-man formation will only be able to carpet bomb, all at once with no aiming at individual buildings. But the result IMHO would still be close to the same in terms of damage done by 1 dweeb. Furthermore, if the odds say the fighter will lose most of the time against a single buff, always having to fly into the fire of 3 in close formation will be sheer suicide.
