Daytime Operations - The Schweinfurt Raid

The Second raid on Schweinfurt (also called Mission 115) took place during on October 14th, 1943, when 291 B-17 Flying Fortresses of the USAAF Eighth Air Force attacked ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt Germany. The factories had previously been attacked on August 17, resulting in a disastrous loss of aircraft. The second mission turned out no different, and has become known as Black Thursday due to the heavy loss of men and aircraft. The USAAF lacked a long range fighter, and had only the P-47 Thunderbolt in service. The P-38 Lightning had the range, but had not yet been reintroduced, after an absence of a year from the European theatre.

?We were briefed to be met by about five hundred enemy fighters of various sorts. It turned out to be about seven hundred with fighters having come in from the Russian front. We saw every thing imaginable thrown at us. Fighters, usually twin-engine, lined up at beyond our gun range and began launching rockets that appeared to be like a telephone pole as they passed by us and exploded. Some enemy aircraft flew above us towing bombs on long cables hoping to entangle the cable on a Flying Fortress. We had never seen so many enemy fighters before or afterwards,? recalled John Piazza, a gunner in the 92nd Bomb Group stationed at Alconbury, which was attached to the First Air Division.

(Source - Wikipedia and http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/WW2/the%20Schweinfurt%20raids.htm) 

Allies

Bishops, 70% of participants
B-17 airstart A70 to SOUTH

Orders:
-Bomb ball bearing factory target at sector 14.10. (see map) (second life represents second wave)
-Land at any field in sector columns 5 and 6

Restrictions:
Bombers must maintain at least 10000ft (10k) altitude until they have reached the safety area, which is formed by sector columns 5,6 and half of 7 (the grey area in the map).

Axis

Knights, 30% of participants
Me 109G2 / G6 from A14
Fw 190A5 from A46
Me 110G-2 from A34

Orders:
-Take off and intercept the incoming USAAF bombers at all costs!
 

Restrictions:
-Axis planes cannot engage bombers in sector columns 5,6 and half of 7 (see map). Violation of this rule will not be tolerated!
-All plane types must be employed  

ARENA SETTINGS

Terrain: rhinesum
Event start, game time: 10:00
Time multiplier: 1.0
Icons: Icons short, 3k
Fuel Multiplier: 1.0
Radar: Axis - Full radar, Allies - No radar
Radar Update Interval: 90 seconds
Killshooter: Off.
Friendly collisions: Off.
Kill messages: Off.
2 lives for every player.
Axis planes may rearm/refuel on hotpads.
Formations: On
Auto calibrated bombsight: OFF

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