User manual GAMES PC EUROPEAN AIR WAR-PILOT S GUIDE

[. . . ] ª PILOT'S GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Book 1: Game Players' Guide . . 28 FRIENDLY SUPPORT ACTIVITY: SECONDARY AIRCRAFT . 30 ii Book 1: Game Player's Guide EXPECTED ENEMY ACTIVITY: ACTIVITY LEVEL . . 75 iv Book 1: Game Player's Guide Flying a Multi-Player Mission . [. . . ] Another softening factor was that the bombs dropped by the VIII AF were too small to be capable of destroying the vital machine tools inside the factories. Fighter production returned to near preattack levels within months. During the six day operation, Eighth and Fifteenth Air Force bombers flew 3, 300 sorties and dropped approximately 10, 000 tons of bombs, at a cost to the Allied forces of over 220 bombers and 28 fighters. Afterward, the Luftwaffe was still capable of mounting a strong defense, but this operation forever altered the course of the air war in favour of the allies. WHY YOU'RE HERE 121 BIG "B", MARCH 6, 1944 Assuming that they had struck a telling blow to the Luftwaffe during Operation Argument, the Allied air commanders wanted to keep up the pressure. They made a point of selecting targets that the Germans would be forced to defend in the air. It wasn't long before they decided to attack the biggest target of all-- Berlin. As a potential target, Berlin had many attractive qualities. Primary among these, the Eighth Air Force reasoned that the Germans would defend their capital with everything they had available. Drawing the Germans into combat would give the Eighth the opportunity to further the destruction of the Luftwaffe. As an added benefit, the city contained many strategic industrial targets, including a ball bearing plant, an aircraft engine plant, and an electrical equipment factory (to name just a few). Finally, the morale boost of bombing the Reich's capital would be tremendous. Berlin had been bombed several times by the RAF, but the Americans had not yet paid their first visit. The raid was originally scheduled for March 3, but due to weather conditions, that sortie was scrubbed. On March 5, forecasters predicted acceptable conditions over Berlin for the next day. On March 6, 1944, Eighth Air Force Mission number 250 took off for Hitler's capital (`Big B'). This mission would prove to be the costliest of the war, but it showed that the Eighth could go anywhere it wanted to, and that no place in German territory was safe any longer. The Plan The plan for Mission number 250 called for a maximum effort involving nearly all the operational fighter and bomber groups of the Eighth Air Force--a total of 810 bombers and 796 fighters. The bombers were organized into three divisions, and each division was assigned a target. First division targeted the ball bearing works at Erkner, on the east side of Berlin. Second division drew the Daimler Benz engine plant at Genshagen, slightly south of Berlin. Third division set their sights on the electrical equipment plant at Klein Machnow, to the southeast. The Second's original target had been an aircraft plant at Oranienburg, but weather conditions had forced a change in plans. 122 Book 2: Pilot's Handbook Weather dictated that the raiders travel the most direct route, with only minor deviations to avoid known areas of heavier flak. The bombers were to follow the 52 degree, 37 minute line of latitude to a town called Celle, after which they were to turn east-southeast and head to a point slightly north of Magdeburg. [. . . ] A three-plane manoeuvre used by two cooperating planes to bring a third (enemy) plane that is behind the leader repeatedly through the line of fire of the wingman. The pilot's primary device for controlling the RPMs of the engine and, thus, the thrust. GLOSSARY Roll Rotte Rudder Schwarm Scissors Sea Level Sink Rate Skid Slip Spin Split-S Squadron Stall Stick Tachometer Thach Weave Throttle 251 Tilt Torque Track Transverse g's Motion of the camera up or down around a center; roughly equivalent to the aircraft motion "pitch. " The twisting effect on the plane of the rotation of the engine crankshaft and propeller. Motion of the camera from one location to another, as distinct from the motion about a center described in pan, tilt, and roll. G forces acting in a direction perpendicular to that of gravity; these are the g's that make the pilot feel "pushed to the side. " Transverse g's are much more dangerous than either positive or negative g's, since they can rapidly causes organ damage. [. . . ]