Bomber Crew

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Bomber Command didn't do formation flying with their heavies with the exception of a few specialist squadrons.  Planes went out as part of a dense bomber stream but each one acted individually.  There were a lot of collisions.

Really? I had no idea. I must read up on this.

I figured formations wouldn't be tight since BC did mostly night bombing, but I didn't realize they'd be THAT loose. ;D

Early in the night bombing campaign, they were very dispersed but the Germans development of the Himmelbett system forced Bomber Command to alter their tactics.  The Himmelbett system was deployed along what the allies called the Kammhuber line.  Basically, the line consisted of a contiguous series of 32x20km "boxes".  In each box was a Freya search radar (later supplemented with a pair of Wurzburg radars), a radar controlled searchlight, several manually controlled searchlights (lights later removed for city defence), and a nightfighter plus backup.  A ground controller would use radar data to vector the night fighter onto a passing bomber.  If they missed, the next box in the line would be able to pick it up and the night fighter stationed there could try to down it.  The drawback of the system was that the CGI could only direct one fighter to one bomber at a time so Bomber Command changed tactics to a dense, compact stream of bombers somewhat resembling a school of fish.  The hope was that they'd overwhelm the CGI in the boxes and the vast majority of bombers would get through.  It worked and the Germans were forced to change their tactics, relying more on airborne intercept radars and Tame Boar and Wild Boar tactics.

If you're interested, GMT's Nightfighter page has a good, concise history of the evolution of the night bombing campaigns broken into 10 parts.


http://www.gmtgames.com/p-233-nightfighter.aspx

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

This book gives a great overview and a lot of technical details.




https://www.amazon.com/Other-Battle-Luftwaffe-Versus-Command/dp/0785814183

[BanzaiCat]

Thanks, SDR.

Didn't you guys play Nightfighter in the forums a year or so back? That map looks familiar. That was a good game to watch as it was played.

[FarAway Sooner]

Interesting stuff, SDR.

Fast-forward 10 or 15 years, and technological change had introduced a new problem.  Jet-powered bombers and fighters were now so fast that radar-control ground stations could no longer manually route interceptors to within eyeball distance.  Or rather, even when they did, they'd only be in eyeball range for a second or so, and if the interceptor pilot didn't acquire his target during that time frame, he was SOL.

The math involved in intercepts (and approach vectors in specific) had to become much more precise.  And so was borne the world's first digital computer. 

It's a little known and hardly documented episode in history.  Which is kind of bizarre because, you know, digital computers today are kind of a thing.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Thanks, SDR.

Didn't you guys play Nightfighter in the forums a year or so back? That map looks familiar. That was a good game to watch as it was played.

Yup, Staggerwing and I played through a scenario and a half of the game.  It's got some interesting mechanics but it's a bit of an odd duck in that it's really a one player game that requires someone to act as an umpire.  Doesn't get a lot of play because of this.  There's a digital version stuck in P500 hell at GMT but it never quite gets to the 500 required.

[Barthheart]

Well... I drunk bought this Saturday night... wine + port = buying odd shit, who knew.  :P At least I was conscious enough to get it on sale at Green Man = $12.
WOW! This game is hard when yer reflexes are slowed by the grape.  :o Also didn't help that I could find out how to change the controls orientation....  :P
Could be interesting when I'm not blotto... but I think I'll still need a slow mode to play and enjoy it.

[BanzaiCat]

I only just got past the first critical mission last night - I think that was escorting the bomb ship to the French coast (Raid on St. Nazaire?). The first time I tried it the ship got destroyed literally inches from its target, which sucked because it was a long flight there and a longer one back. This second time it succeeded, and it was just as long a slog home, too. The bomber was shot to hell again. Second mission in a row, in fact, where we lost the outer port engine. Funny how that one has a death wish.

I upgraded the engines, fuselage, and most of the guns, all one level, and the electrical system too (that damned electrical system went out two missions in a row right after takeoff).

It's quite tense, and it's funny, the music sometimes sounds like something off of the Star Wars prequel soundtracks. Enjoyable so far.

Those of you that did the mission early on where you have to drop supplies to someone in the Channel...how does that work? I tried it once, thinking I'd have something marked as supplies in the bomb bay, but it was all bombs. I dropped one anyway thinking maybe it was 'supplies' somehow and failed the mission, but not because of that. Anyway, let me know if anyone knows.

[jomni]

The Supplies button is pressable. That's the one you drop.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I just finished the 4th critical mission.....and then the Me163s showed up.  Jets suck!

I limped home on one engine and crash landed with no landing gear.  Everyone got knocked out but survived the mission.  Bloody hairy!  Not looking forward to mission #5.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Just finished the Overlord mission.  That was brutal!  I managed to hit all of my targets but I got chewed up badly by nightfighters over Caen and had to ditch.  Only 3 crewmen managed to get fished out of the Channel.

[Jarhead0331]

I read that the game was financially very successful, so the developers plan to continue updating and have a series of three DLCs planned.

[BanzaiCat]

Question - if you add the ventral (bottom) turret, do you get to add another crewmember? Or do you have to play musical chairs?

[Tuna]

No, you'll have to use one of your existing crew members.. Still worth getting, once you start flying high (which you'll have to do on some missions eventually).

[BanzaiCat]

Thanks, Tuna. Yeah, after my last mission with the night fighter just sitting under my bomber and blasting away...

[Tuna]

I haven't gotten into the real late missions yet, but when going high, I usually just transfer the top gunner down to belly.