Hi all!

Am beta testing the new campaign engine for BoB2 which will be rolled out with the 2.12 update in a few weeks. The campaign has had a major tuneup, especially the Luftwaffe side, so that will be the focus.

Your strategic and tactical advice welcome!

July 1940 was an unsatisfying month for the Luftwaffe. In attacks on convoys and ports, the LW managed only to destroy 77 RAF fighters and damage 43, for the loss of 66 fighters and 123 bombers. But Reichmarschall Goering has issued orders to begin Adlerangriff, the destruction of the RAF.

Hitler's Directive No. 17

Goering specified the key targets of the Luftwaffe to be Fighter Command airfields, the coastal radar towers, and aircraft production facilities.

The Luftwaffe strategy of the day is summed up by the gruppe commander of JG26, Adolf Galland:

"Our method of attack would this time be in far greater numbers than before. We still did not want to engage in aerial combat over English soil because that would mean a shorter stay in actual combat, and we had to make sure that we had enough fuel to get back to our bases. By engaging combat in mid channel it meant that we could dogfight for more than twice the time and not only was it only a short distance back to base, but if we ditched, our rescue would be guaranteed.

If we attacked in large numbers, then we know that the RAF would detect this and we would draw greater numbers of fighters from their bases, then we would bring in a second wave that would give us an absolute advantage. "

Our campaign begins on August 12!



We have the following resources at our disposal:



(Cat A units are at full readiness, Cat B at partial readiness and Cat C are non operational.)
Critically we have, 14 gruppe 109s at Cat A and 4 at Cat B, 2 gruppe 110s at Cat A and 6 at Cat B (the 110s are not faring well against the RAF).

Against this, our intel estimates the RAF has the following:

That is, 304 Spitfires and 544 Hurricanes of which we estimate about 650 are operational. Our spies tell us RAF production is currently at about 35 Spitfires and 62 Hurricanes per day. (Though this hardly seems possible, as we are producing 109s at 35 per day, and 110s at 23 per day.)

Here is the state of affairs on August 12. No raids have yet been directed against RAF targets and we have many options:



For this first phase of Adlerangriff, on the 12th of August, the game AI has allocated 40% resources to morning, 30% to midday and 30% to afternoon operations (we can vary this if we wish, but will leave it as is for now).

This means we have the following gruppen available:

7 Ju87 Stuka
4 He111
2 Ju88
4 Do17
7 Bf109
3 Bf110

As this is a flight sim, not just a war game, we will fly with Galland in JG26, every time that unit enters combat.

So, kamaraden! What shall we hit this morning (and where):

a) RDF (radar)
b) Fighter command airfields
c) Coastal command airfields
d) Aircraft production facilities (fighter or bomber)
e) Ports
f) Convoys (there are two which have been detected leaving Thames estuary)
g) Other production facilities (oil, power, support industries)

To help your deliberations, some resources below:

Map of identified RAF airfields: http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww152/whirlybirda2a/RAF_airfields_1940.jpg
Comparative analysis of RAF vs Luftwaffe intelligence: http://www.airpowerstudies.co.uk/APR%20Vol%203%20No%203.pdf
Fighter Command AOB 8 August: http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/document-31.html
Historical summary of BoB timeline: http://bobgamehub.blogspot.dk/p/about-battle.html

Great idea, an interactive AAR!

I'd have to go with raids on the two radar stations in sector c, followed by the bombing of the fighter airfield on the coast in sector c.

Hit the fighter factories!

+1

Yes, good choices - knock a hole in the RDF at Rye (high level radar) and also Dover (low level radar) in the first wave and hit Lympne (and Hawkinge) with the second wave. There are also RDF masts at Foreness and Pevensey which we might target.

We are asset heavy at this stage in the campaign, so we have capacity for more raids on coastal RDF.



@Smithcorp: We can hit the fighter factories to try to trim/disperse fighter production. Most are tucked away inland where I would be hesitant to attack until the RAF has been attrited significantly, but there is the Supermarine factory at Woolstone which is still located on the coast and a major Spitfire production site according to our intel.

Here is a recon photo from yesterday:



To hit this, we could use the same tactic as above. Knock out the radar station on the Isle of Wight at Ventnor, then go after the Supermarine factory.

Here is what I propose then (still open to other ideas). The first wave of raids will target the RDF:

0730-0800:
Ju87s escorted by 109s to attack RDF at Rye, Dover, Pevensey and Foreness
Ju87s escorted by 109s or low level Bf110C7s (unescorted) to attack RDF at Ventnor and Poling

0830-0900
Escorted He111s to attack RDF at Rye, Dover, Pevensey and Foreness
Escorted Ju88s to attack RDF at Ventnor and Poling

0930
Do17 recon of above

1000
Follow up raids on RDF targets if needed

This should blind the Tommies and set us up by mid morning for an undetected approach to RAF 11 Group airfields at Lympne, Hawkinge and Manston, and a heavy raid on the Supermarine factory.

Am I being too cautious? This first day with full LW resources at our disposal can be decisive. If we don't need follow up raids, we will still have assets unused with the current plan, primarily Ju87 and Do17 gruppen, with Bf109 or Bf110 escorts.

We could throw these against the 11 Group airfields at Tangmere and Westhampnett after we knock out Ventnor and Poling?

Cool Heinkill. What about your approach routes - direct or dogleg? Are you planning any misdirections like aiming at one target then splitting the force to your real objectives?

Definitely go against Tangmere and Westhampnett as well.

I would suggest the following target types in order:
1. Radar - blind the RAF
2. Fighter Command airfields - doesn't matter if they have a zillion Spitfires, they're no use on the ground
3. Fighter production - factories to slow down manufacturing. Include ancillary facilities like power stations, raw materials and supporting factories like engines, if they have an affect in-game.

Sorry, never played BoB but that's what I think I would do.

Good questions. As these are coastal targets, I'm hoping to hit them before the RAF can rally a large response. So I'll use two staffeln of dive bombers per target, with a gruppe of fighters as escort for the RDF targets, and send them in at about 10,000 feet so they don't get picked up by the British RDF until they are well over the Channel. The egress will be straight out to sea, and I might set up a 'return escort' for mid channel, to pounce on any RAF that try to pursue.

For the larger medium bomber raids, I will use a dogleg. No point trying to hide them by sending them in too low as they will be in Gruppe strength bombers with at least 1-2 gruppe escort. Send the easternmost raids all toward Dover and then split them, and the Westernmost raids toward Portsmouth.



Good overall strategy I think!

You don't need to have played BoB, the strategy options and dilemmas are the same as they were in real history. Goering chose mid August to ignore the RDF, believing his raids were having no impact on it (because the British kept transmitting, even when they could no longer receive, just to fox the LW).

We could choose to do the same, or keep knocking the RDF out in the hope we can create a blind corridor to the key RAF sector airfields around London.

Raids on fighter production factories and support factories definitely have an impact in game. I'm not an expert on where Spits and Hurricane production was concentrated though. No point knocking out a factory producing Blenheims! Anyone with more 'intel' on Brit fighter production is welcome to chip in.

Later we'll have to decide whether to switch targeting from RAF airfields to London targets, but that's a month away yet...

I'll be so watching this.


Are there scripted events, like the Blitz that could throw the planning off?


I'd push in one attack in the afternoon on RDF stations in A or D. The blinder, the better.