fochinell
Posts: 287
Joined: 11/19/2005 Status: offline
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14th January 1944. A: 6/367 (3aa), X: 0/12 (0gd). Short-range tac strikes in the MTO, bad weather grounds everybody in the ETO. 15th January 1944. A: 129/3640 (49aa), X: 99/1611 (0gd). Losses include 6 Mustang III, 15 Spit Vb, 6 Spit IX, 26 P-47D, 3 P-51B, 2 P-38L, 12 B-25D, 10 A-20C, 8 B-26B, 20 B-17G and 4 B-24J as well as 36 Fw190A on the German side. Relatively small attritional losses, but much more in my favour than it has been recently. MTO: The 15th AF attack Austrian industry with two forces of 96 B-25J's for the first time, with maximum escort. Steyr Daimler EFAC 0% but Libenau STEEL 100%. The interceptors scramble late, and it looks like OKL expected the bombing forces to go further north to Vienna, as only a couple of units chase cripples and the supporting two P-38H attacks see almost no combat. The Spit IX escorts on a MAC Baltimore raid to Zara kills 3 IAR 81's while covering the egress route, but otherwise the 15th are almost entirely unopposed - 0/288f 4/191b 1e. Elsewhere the A-20's and B-25's on tactical raids take heavy losses from Flak; the MAC raid to SIAP Vado Ligure OILS suffering particularly badly with 11/48b going down from 16,000 ft without a LW fighter in sight. That really needs to be toned down. ETO: The 8th AF are back in action at last, with three forces of 100 B-17G from the 1st Bomb Division hitting aviation targets around Brunswick. The inbound leg is quiet, and while the Nimo and Bussing NAG EFAC's escape significant damage, Luther AFAC gets hit for 100%, which is more like it. OKL scramble the interceptors to take on the fighter escorts, but while the inbound P-47's take significant losses without fighting back, it looks like the supporting 9th AF Marauder raid to Bremen overwhelms the attackers in the end, allowing the 8th bombers avoid substantial combat until reaching the Dutch coast on the return leg. The 8th (with FC and 9th AF escorts to cover the initial leg) manage 18/728f 20/300b 35e, while the 9th hits Vacuum-Oslebhausen OILR for 85% and score 19/231f 8/64b 76e. The following 2TAF Mitchell raid to Kaiserstuhl STEEL does a useful 92% damage but the escorts don't do as well, the Spit Vb's in particular suffering after exiting the Dutch coast - 18/356f 1/65b 12e. Overall a good day's work, with low B-17 losses (under 10% against LW opposition) and some useful bombing damage offsetting the high P-47 losses, which after all is what they're there for. Seeing the tactical raids soaking up Werner's efforts was particularly satisfying. Aside from that, a Tiffie raid hits Belgian industry without response. BC: 3 Group attack Rothensee OILS, and manage to get 168/240 bombloads in the target area, which should do some damage. The LNSF attack Berlin with 12 Mossie B.IV and 12 B.XVI for no losses, but 4 Mossie NF.II's go down to Flak while the NJG remain in hiding.
< Message edited by fochinell -- 10/16/2007 5:13:45 PM >
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