Close Escort - Tour 11 "Lorraine"
Close Escort Tour 11
"the Lorraine Campaign"
One outstanding feature of the Lorraine Campaign was the co-operation between the XIX Tactical Air Command and the Third Army. Despite the poor weather and the short days in November the XIX TAC was able to give considerable support in the initial phases of the Third Army offensive, flying 2,114 sorties between the 8th and 19th. A concentrated effort was made, as in early October, against the Metz-Thionville position. In one respect the entire course of the Lorraine Campaign was affected in demonstrable fashion by the strategic air war. Few of Patton's troops ever saw more than a single German plane at a time. - excerpts from The Lorraine Campaign by Hugh M. Cole
Co-operation between the US 3rd Army and XIX TAC created a situation of mutual support which resulted in an advance to the German border ahead of projected schedules and ahead of other elements of the Allied push. German defenses and counter attacks proved unable to stop the fall of Metz and the creation of major bridgeheads across the Mosselle. Following the crossing of the Mosselle the Sarre region fell under determined attack by the 3rd Army under General Patton, putting at risk a great part of Germanys industrial strength.
Co-operation between the US 3rd Army and XIX TAC created a situation of mutual support which resulted in an advance to the German border ahead of projected schedules and ahead of other elements of the Allied push. German defenses and counter attacks proved unable to stop the fall of Metz and the creation of major bridgeheads across the Mosselle. Following the crossing of the Mosselle the Sarre region fell under determined attack by the 3rd Army under General Patton, putting at risk a great part of Germanys industrial strength.
Country Percentages:
Allied 50%
Axis 50%
The Lorraine Campaign Frame One
The planned assault on Metz would test the mettle of Patton's army. Reinforcements from the surrounding areas could be critical to the defenses. The allies must disrupt the staging of these troops while thier safety is paramount for the axis.
FRAME ONE: The Assault on Metz (options below are provided to allow the CM a variety of set ups)
|
Option One: 9th AF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
A20G (8)
B26B (8) P51B (8) P51D (4) P47D-40 (12) P38J (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12) Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the AAA factory north of Metz (7.10.3)
SECONDARY TARGET: the City and Radar factory at Metz (7.9.6)
|
- Launch out of A33 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the AAA factory north of Metz (7.10.3)
SECONDARY TARGET: the City and Radar factory at Metz (7.9.6) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 15,000 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (P47 and P38) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target.
|
- Do not fly west of the 7 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes
- It may be possible for the attackers to reach target before you. Scramble and get into a defensive position with all haste. |
|
Option Two: 8th AF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
B17G (8)
B24J (8) P51D (12) P47D-40 (12) P38L (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12) Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the AAA factory north of Metz (7.10.3)
SECONDARY TARGET: the City and Radar factory at Metz (7.9.6) |
- Launch out of A33 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the AAA factory north of Metz (7.10.3)
SECONDARY TARGET: the City and Radar factory at Metz (7.9.6) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 20,000 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (P47 and P38) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target.
|
- Do not fly west of the 7 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes
- It may be possible for the attackers to reach target before you. Scramble and get into a defensive position with all haste. |
|
Option Three: RAF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) | AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
Lancaster (8)
Spitfire IX (12) Spitfire XIV (4) Spitfire XVI (8) Typhoon (8) Mosquito (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12) Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the AAA factory north of Metz (7.10.3)
SECONDARY TARGET: the City and Radar factory at Metz (7.9.6)
|
- Launch out of A33 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the AAA factory north of Metz (7.10.3)
SECONDARY TARGET: the City and Radar factory at Metz (7.9.6) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 17,500 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (Typhoon and Mosquito) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target.
|
- Do not fly west of the 7 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes
- It may be possible for the attackers to reach target before you. Scramble and get into a defensive position with all haste. |
The Lorraine Campaign Frame Two
Reinforcements are headed moving toward Metz as the American attacks have stalled. A planned breakthrough to the south will cut off the German defenders. To ensure the operations success, the reinforcements and support elements must be disrupted and dispersed.
FRAME TWO: Mosselle Crossing (options below are provided to allow the CM a variety of set ups)
|
Option One: 9th AF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
A20G (8)
B26B (8) P51B (8) P51D (4) P47D-40 (12) P38J (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12) Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Fuel factory at Saarbruchen (8.9.9)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Troop Training and Airfield (A60) at Nancy (7.8.6) |
- Launch out of A17 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Fuel factory at Saarbruchen (8.9.9)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Troop Training and Airfield (A60) at Nancy (7.8.6) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 15,000 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (P47 and P38) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target. |
- Do not fly west of the 7 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes |
|
Option Two: 8th AF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
B17G (8) B24J (8) P51D (12) P47D-40 (12) P38L (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12)
Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Fuel factory at Saarbruchen (8.9.9)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Troop Training and Airfield (A60) at Nancy (7.8.6) |
- Launch out of A17 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Fuel factory at Saarbruchen (8.9.9)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Troop Training and Airfield (A60) at Nancy (7.8.6) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 20,000 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (P47 and P38) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target. |
- Do not fly west of the 7 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes |
|
Option Three: RAF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
Lancaster (8)
Spitfire IX (12) Spitfire XIV (4) Spitfire XVI (8) Typhoon (8) Mosquito (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12)
Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Fuel factory at Saarbruchen (8.9.9)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Troop Training and Airfield (A60) at Nancy (7.8.6) |
- Launch out of A17 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Fuel factory at Saarbruchen (8.9.9)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Troop Training and Airfield (A60) at Nancy (7.8.6) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 17,500 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (Typhoon and Mosquito) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target. |
- Do not fly west of the 7 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes |
The Lorraine Campaign Frame Three
Breaking through into the Saar and cutting off the German defenders at Metz, the Allied armies threatened the very heart of Germany's industrial strength.
FRAME THREE: Into the Saar (options below are provided to allow the CM a variety of set ups)
|
Option One: 9th AF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
A20G (8) B26B (8) P51B (8) P51D (4) P47D-40 (12) P38J (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12) Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Ammo factory at Saarbruchen (9.9.7)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Vehicle Bases V61 (8.10.8) and V23 (9.10.5) |
- Launch out of A33 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Ammo factory at Saarbruchen (9.9.7)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Vehicle Bases V61 (8.10.8) and V23 (9.10.5) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 15,000 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (P47 and P38) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target. |
- Do not fly west of the 8 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes |
|
Option Two: 8th AF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
|
UNITS: |
B17G (8)
B24J (8) P51D (12) P47D-40 (12) P38L (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12) Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
| ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Ammo factory at Saarbruchen (9.9.7)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Vehicle Bases V61 (8.10.8) and V23 (9.10.5) |
- Launch out of A33 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Ammo factory at Saarbruchen (9.9.7)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Vehicle Bases V61 (8.10.8) and V23 (9.10.5) |
| RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 20,000 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (P47 and P38) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target. |
- Do not fly west of the 8 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes
|
|
Option Three: RAF raid |
ALLIED (48 mission slots) |
AXIS (48 mission slots) |
| UNITS: |
Lancaster (8)
Spitfire IX (12) Spitfire XIV (4) Spitfire XVI (8) Typhoon (8) Mosquito (8) |
Fw190A-5 (12) Fw190A-8 (12) Fw190D-9 (8) bf109G-14 (12) bf109K-4 (4) |
|
ORDERS: |
- Launch out of A65 and attack:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Ammo factory at Saarbruchen (9.9.7)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Vehicle Bases V61 (8.10.8) and V23 (9.10.5) |
- Launch out of A33 and defend:
PRIMARY TARGET: the Ammo factory at Saarbruchen (9.9.7)
SECONDARY TARGET: the Vehicle Bases V61 (8.10.8) and V23 (9.10.5) |
|
RESTRICTIONS: |
- Bomber max altitude for this frame is 17,500 ft, minimum is 10k
- There is no altitude limit for fighters
- Fighters are to remain in vox range of bombers until contact
- Only assigned targets are to be attacked
- Fighters with ord (Typhoon and Mosquito) may engage in ground attacks at the assigned target.
|
- Do not fly west of the 8 column until contact is made with the enemy, or the target under attack warning flashes
|
the Lorraine Campaign Settings and Notes
MISSIONS:
Please form missions with time to target and climbrate taken into account. Loadouts should reflect these issues.
All missions should reach target no later than T+45.
P47's, P38's, Typhies and Mossies should have ord loaded for ground attack. Pilots may choose to carry them to target or to drop them at launch. Max ord is NOT recommended.
Fighter on fighter missions should launch at as close of range as possible for quick action. Do not load ord for these second missions.
TARGETS:
There are primary and secondary targets. These can be assigned as necessary if attendance is higher than expected. (use 1 target for each 8 bomber pilots).
alternative: Allow the bombers to hit any of the available targets by choice.
Arena Settings
Ack = 0.4
BadWordFilterCnt = 0
BoatWarningRange = 26,400 (5 miles)
BomberWarningRange = 63,360 (12 miles)
DeathMaxCount = 0
DownTimeMult = 200 (max)
EnemyMidAirsOn = 1 (on)
ExitInFlight = 0 (off)
FigherWarningRange = 63,360 (12 miles)
FlightModeFlags = 1154 (use: Stall Limit Disabled, Formations Enabled and Auto Calibrate Bombsite)
FriendlyMidAirsOn = 0 (off)
FuelBurnRateMult = 1.0 (50% of MA standard)
KillMessagesDisabled = 1 (on)
KillShooter = 0 (off, but have it on during launch)
MuteTime = 300 (5 minutes)
PerkPointsDisabled = 1 (on)
ProtectObjects = 1 (on)
RadarAlt = 500 (feet)
RadarMode(Allied Country) = 49 (full friendly dotdar on and all counters and enemy dotdar off)
RadarMode(Axis Country) = 49 (full friendly dotdar on and all counters and enemy dotdar off)
RadarMode(CM Country) = 0 (off)
RadarUpdateRate = 20 (seconds)
SectorCounterRange = 96,000 (to slightly overreach the actual warning ranges)
StratDisabled = 1 (on)
TaskGroupCommandCnt = 0 at start / switch to 1 once the TG warning is flashing
TaskGroupRespawnTime = 360
TowerBasedRadarRange = 96,000 (to slightly overreach the actual warning ranges)
VehicleWarningRange = 26,400 (5 miles)
ViewModeFlags = 2 (External Bomber)
WarningFlags = 15 (all)