The next combat I drop into is just after mid-day on 27th August. I've ordered patrols over several airfields in the approximate path on an incoming raid - Hostile 201, two hundred-plus; which when airborne, I re-vector to intercept the raid.

This is a bit convoluted - there are various ways of organising interceptions but I haven't been able to find a way to directly order Squadron X, sitting at airfield Y, to intercept raid Z. Or even, take off and patrol your own base, as there is an incoming raid which could be paying you a visit. You can leave it to the campaign AI in your thrice-daily 'Directives' to scramble squadrons of its choice to intercept raids; 'Authorise' the AI to scramble additional squadron(s), again of its choice; or you can 'Revector' (or if still on the ground 'Task') a patrol you have ordered over a possible target. To complicate things, in my near-defeated state, many squadrons are down to just a couple of fighters and/or are stuck on airfields which are unusable due to critical damage. Which makes the apparent inability to give orders directly to a squadron that could or should be in the air, all the more frustrating. I am switching 'Directives' off, as that takes all control away from the AI and will be worthwhile if it gives me the extra control I want, even if it means I also have to take over deciding when to rest squadrons and pay closer attention to their assigned readiness.

Anyway, this is me at the head of Red Section, and to our front is Hostile 201, stepped up like the Underground escalator at Piccadilly Circus during rush hour, as one RAF pilot described these things at the time.



I'm flying KL-B, the mount of famous New Zealand ace All Deere.



The opposition includes many Messerschmitt 109s, including I/JG51...



...and I/JG52.



And here they come! A bunch of 109s is racing in to block our approach to the bombers.



Our formation breaks up and a wild melee develops. I get some hits on a couple of the Huns, but that's all I can manage.



Hearing a call for help, I turn after a 109 who's chasing a damaged Spitfire. The Hun's wingman is not far behind him but I take a chance and go for the leader, in the hope of saving the Spit.



Hit him! The yellow-nosed 109 rolls out and the Spit is saved, for now.



I break hard to avoid the wingman and look around. The skies are suddenly empty, only outbreaks of distant flak bursts revealing briefly the locations of passing enemy aircraft. I spend a while chasing a couple of fast-moving 109s but when they see me coming, they dive away well before I can get in range and are quickly lost against the ground.

I was hoping for better results from a sortie by one of the very few squadrons still able to put up twelve aircraft, but the raid was heavily escorted and all we could do was strip away a few of its protectors.

Next to make contact with Hostile 201 are the six Spitfires of 616 Squadron, which I opt to lead, flying YQ-B.



They've come a long way down from 13 Group to the north and by the time they see the raid, it's nearing the Channel coast on its way back to France. More importantly, the short-ranged escorts have gone and the bombers are now on their own - this looks promising!



...to be continued!

As we race after them, the raid is engaged by the Ack Ack people as it passes above a defended location, probably a port as we're near the coast.



Closing in, we see two of the three groups of bombers - Heinkels, evidently - start to orbit, for some reason.



The third group presses on and I lead the boys after it.



I use up quite a lot of ammo but in my first pass, succeed in setting a Heinkel on fire...



...before breaking away, downwards...



...then pulling back up. There's the Huns, less one of their number, but where's the rest of the squadron?



By now, the other two groups of bombers are closing up behind the ones I attacked and I make my pass at a different bunch. This lot's gunners seem above average and fill the sky around me with their tracers as I start shooting myself, getting and taking hits.



Next thing I know, my Spit is rolling uncontrollably to the left and I can see orange fire in my mirror. I waste no time in trying to open the canopy, which fortunately isn't stuck, and succeed in getting out. At this point, the reason for the loss of control becomes obvious, whether caused by gunfire or a collision.



An the beggars are still shooting at me as I tumble through space!



I reach for my ripcord, hoping I wasn't going too fast...



...and am relieved when my 'chute pops open with a jerk. I can see that I'm just off the naval base at Portland and am going to get more than my feet wet. It could have been worse!



As to what the others got up to, I'm no wiser. Earlier, I heard more than one complaint of low fuel on the R/T, so maybe they've gone home!

That concluded the day's air fighting. The outlook isn't looking any better!



...to be continued!

I don't use Directives.

Assuming that Squadron X are Spitfires. Here's one way.
1. L-click Raid Z
2. Authorize
3. Task
4. Spitfire tab
5 . Click directly on the "Unit" on lower left. Then
select Squadron X from the Unit dialog.

Another way: When a hostile appears on radar on the French coast a "scramble" dialog will pop up , Select "Task and then select the specific unit to scramble as above .

You can also pre Launch CAP above a field by clicking on it and selecting patrol. Adjust waypoint and alt. Then use task dialog to select particular unit(s). Then vector them to intercept.
-Vox

Many thanks indeed for the tips Vox.

'Authorise' and 'Task' are generally rejected at the outset, due to 'insufficient aircraft' - even though there are still a few squadrons not resting and above the minimum Category/rest strength, which could respond (unless there is some other factor that I'm missing). This is with Directives on.

If I task 'Patrol' for a particular airfield, what seems to happen every time is that a different squadron from an airfield often far away is tasked, not the aircraft on the actual airfield, even if the latter is in action and has operational aircraft on it and 'patrol your own base' would be the obvious choice. No 92 Squadron were at full strength and at un-bombed Pembrey in Wales and were caught on the ground because I could not get them into the air by any method I could find (this was before turning off Directives). But from your description it seems possible to intervene and replace the tasked 'distant' squadron with one from the base.

I have recently turned Directives off and am hoping to find that I have more control and will specifically try the things you suggested.

Directives 'on' probably works better when the RAF is not in desperate straits and the AI isn't hampered by having to deal with most bases being severely damaged and/or most squadrons being on their knees.

The next day, 28th august, sees a major switch in Luftwaffe tactics. Instead of a few very large raids which sometimes split up, the morning starts with many smaller raids. And this time, they're going for the aircraft factories as well as the airfields.



I try to concentrate what Squadrons I can get off the ground on particular raids, rather than spread them out. The result is that no less than three Squadrons - albeit with only six aircraft apiece - smash one after the other into a formation of unescorted Stukas.

First into action is 616 Squadron.



My shooting is pretty rotten...



...with the result that on my second pass, trying to do better, I collide with one of the Huns.



Flying next with 609 Squadron, I have only slightly better luck, bagging a single Stuka before my ammo runs out.



Last in this series of engagements sees me leading the patrol from 92 Squadron into action. Having come all the way across from RAF Pembrey in south Wales, the boys are already complaining about being short of fuel.



Again, the boss succeeds in knocking down just a single dive bomber.



This should have been a real old Stuka Party, but sadly it fell rather flat!

...to be continued!

The last air fight on 28th August which I elect to jump into is later that day, when I lead six Spitfires of 41 Squadron out over the Channel in pursuit of a retreating formation of Heinkels.



The Huns are unescorted but higher. Throttles wide open, we race after them, keen to catch up before any fighter cover for their withdrawal cover shows up or getting too far out over the Channel.



The group I'm attacking makes a turn, which throws me off initially...



...but I use the time to make sure that the rest of the squadron is responding to my initial attack orders, before coming in again. Which they are, as can be seen from the falling bomber and the cluster of parachutes.



The leading Hun formation is taking a beating! So I decide to attack this lot, too, drawing past the other Heinkels on my right.



I have to watch out for attacking Spitfires as I come in - but that's all to the good.



A couple of well-placed bursts from my eight Brownings chew the right outer wing off the already-damaged Heinkel on the right rear of the group, while another Spit goes for one of the five remaining Huns, out of the original ten. This is more like it!



Have I time and ammo for one more? Let's find out!



I manage knock down another bomber, and the Spit on my right (whose wingtip you can see in the pic above) also gets his man, in flames.



Parachutes and Heinkels are falling from the sky!



I use my remaining rounds on a final pass but succeed only in damaging a bomber.



The other two groups of Heinkels have escaped almost unscathed, but we've almost wiped out the bunch we concentrated on!



I turn for home and tell the others to make their own way back, without reforming, as fuel will be scarce. A job well done - good old Forty-one!



The overall outlook remains bleak...



...but it was good to end the day with such a success.

[i]...to be continued![/]

My first action on the 29th of August comes when I lead twelve Spitfires of 92 Squadron away from Manston to intercept a raid of thirty-plus. I had recently ordered 92 to move from Pembrey in Wales, where there too far away to be of much use yet not to far away to be bombed. They were still able to put up a full-strength patrol and Manston, near the North Foreland at the north-eastern tip of Kent, was one of the few bases in 11 Group that was still functioning and had the capacity to accept a fresh squadron. In the pic below, we're flying south, past Deal and Walmer, with the North Foreland extending into the North Sea at top right.



And there are the Huns, heading inland and well above us. Up and after them we go.



The three groups of bombers seem to be moving into line, one group behind the other.



They're moving fast - Junkers 88s, they are, from Kampfgeschwader 54.



I keep the boys on a tight rein...



...giving orders for the attack only when the squadron is nicely lined up behind the hindmost bandits.



Contrary to my usual practice, at this point I throttle back and let some of the others draw ahead. I want to see that they're attacking together as I'm hoping, before pitching in myself.



This goes rather well. The Spits tear into the Huns and at least three bombers are swerving out of formation before I fire a single round.



Right, now it's my turn!

...to be continued!

Short bursts from my eight Brownings rip pieces of my target which is soon streaming dense smoke as it reels out of formation.



There he goes!



I break right to avoid return fire, although not conscious of any.



There already seem to be a lot fewer Hun bombers than there were before we started, and still no sign of any escorts.



Another one goes down in flames as I close in for my second pass.



I send the Hun on the left reeling then bank right to fire off my remaining rounds at the one on that side.



By the time I break, my first target is falling in flames with the crew bailing out.



Coming up and around for a better view, I can see that the rear group of bombers seems to have been wiped out, and the middle one is short of a bomber.



Today has started as well as yesterday ended!

...to be continued!

At this point, I begin to wonder where everyone else has got to. I start by repeating my order to attack, this time directed to one of the surviving groups.



Nobody seems to be attacking, though.



So I order the boys to report their status on the R/T. Nearly all reply, which is good...and tell me they are engaged, which is strange. Engaged, where and with whom?



I follow the Huns a little longer to see if anything happens, but nothing does. So I recall the Squadron.



They are soon rejoining...



...until there are ten of us altogether. I get a vector to base from the Controller and lead the boys back towards Manston.



We descend into a wide belt of clouds...



...and come out below.



Manston will be near the base of the North Foreland, which I can now see up ahead.



Reaching the base, I have a good look. Apart from a patch of rubble where one hangar should be, all looks well.



The boys need no further bidding and break off to join the circuit.



I waste no time in getting down.



That was a very good show for one squadron, but can Fighter Command last much longer?

...to be continued!

33Lima..Outstanding post.I have one question..The other day I saw the Win10 patch so installed from my original CD's (need to root around here for the manual).I see one big difference between what I have and your posts...My terrain doesn't have any buildings and looks drab compared to your screen shots..I'd like to mod it up a bit but don't have a clue where to start.I flew BOB II a few years ago and loved it..I like the blend of flight and planning on the maps.Any help to get me going in the right direction is appreciated

Thanks RW!

Your terrain should look at least as good as this (taken from page 2 of the A2A BoB2 forums thread on the Win 10 patch):



Some objects, including buildings added to many towns or targets, were added in later releases of the BDG updates, 2.10 in particular, so there may be fewer buildings in your version, at least in some areas. To see all available buildings, make sure Ground Object Density is set to the highest setting available (=FULL in BDG 2.13) in Options/More GFX.

Max out the other settings there too like Horizon Distance and Texture Quality (not Particle Density in my experience).

There is also a gamma setting in there somewhere, which can step up colour intensity.

There are many terrain texture mods available in the subscriber mods thread (later pages especially) on A2A/BoB2/General. They may be compatible with your version but are best installed with JSGME mod enabler so they can be easily backed out if not. I'm not using any terrain texture mods at the moment.

Good hunting!

Thank You Lima..I've got a good place to start and going to do a fresh reinstall..I know some of the patches added a lot but It's not clear to me what level to patch it to before adding the Win 10 paatch..Heading into my archive room and going to try to find the manual..I've forgot a lot of things,,But did find the key card.

Couldn't find the manual but discovered a few things I'd lost but Googled the manual and have a PDF file.So good to go..I'll spend some time at the forums and do some reading,,nothing beats being able to RTFM
*-

The Luftwaffe gets its revenge later on the 29th August when sixty-plus Messerschmitt 110s savage Manson. I saw the raid coming, but knowing that very few 110s could carry bombs (two staffeln of Erprobungsgruppe 210) I decided they were a fighter sweep and best left alone.

Goaded by this, I made the reverse mistake that evening by scrambling against another, smaller formation of 110s, which did turn out to be a fighter sweep. Contact was made by six Spitfires of 41 Squadron. I'm leading in EB-Z and you can see about twenty Bandits up ahead of us.



Some of the Huns quickly dive on us...



...and a dogfight quickly develops.



That's one for me!



But looking back, I can see that two of his friends are racing after me.



I manage to turn the tables and send one Messerschmitt tumbling out of the sky...



...before getting onto the tail of the other one.



He goes down too, after a couple of bursts...



...but I have no time to check if he's staying down. Yellow tracers flash over my canopy as another Hun comes in from behind. I call for help...



...but I'm hit hard. My motor is surging wildly and I can barely control my aircraft, let alone get out of the streams of bullets and cannon shells. But suddenly, there's a muted explosion behind me and the 110 is going down in flames!



I have no time to celebrate because my salvation is short-lived. There's another 110 taking his place! My Spit just wants to roll over onto her back and I've no chance now, except to get out while I can. Which is what I do.



In free fall, I can see the other Hun as he flies past. And some Ack Ack bursts - there are no Spits in sight so it looks like the ground gunners got the other Hun!



The 110 roars past....



...then, thank goodness, my 'chute pops open and arrests my fall with a jerk, as my aircraft smashes into the ground.



Mixed fortunes today, then, with the Luftwaffe pounding what's left of Fighter Command while also attacking its supporting industry. The only positives are that we can still claim local successes and are still in business, just about!

...to be continued!

Very nice

Many thanks SeafireS!

The morning of 31 August sees me scrambling patrols I can re-vector once airborne, to intercept the incoming raids. First into action is the recently-operational 312 Squadron, which is able to put up twelve Hurricanes against Hostile 802, ninety-plus, believed headed for the huge new Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich.



I order the boys to attack the leading wave of bombers, which are all Junkers 88s - with no escort in sight. In we go!



I come out the other side having damaged a Hun who pulls up and out of formation...



...then come in again and do the same to another one.



By the time I come in for my third pass...



...there's not much left of the middle formation, whether the missing bombers have been shot down or are running damaged for home.



The Squadron is literally carving its way through the Huns. As I come in, I need to watch out for other fighters and streams of tracers, not so much from the Huns as from my own people.



Another Junkers rolls out of formation after receiving the concentrated fire of my eight Brownings.



Instead of breaking, I switch targets to what looks like the last of the bunch...



...and send him down on flames.



The Squadron's combat debut could hardly have been more successful!

...to be continued!

Shortly afterwards on the 31st, I'm able to vector 41 Squadron to catch Hostile 802 on its withdrawal. The Spits complete the destruction of the raid, the squadrons involved between them claiming 31 kills.



The next interception is against a raid of unescorted Stukas. I manage to collide with one on my first pass and am lucky to get out of my blazing Spitfire...



...leaving me able only to watch, as the boys deal with the Huns.



Early afternoon finds me leading six Spits of 616 Squadron against yet another bunch of Junkers 88s.



This time they're escorted and we have little option but to do battle with the 109s who try to jump us. A wild dogfight is quickly in the making.



Twisting and turning while keeping up my speed, I find myself flying towards the Hun bombers.



I decide that I might as well have a crack at them now that I'm here, but the Hun gunners have much the same idea about me. My aircraft is hit heavily by fire from several directions. Down I go, engine spluttering and barely under control, expecting a 109 to finish me off at any second.



I manage to get my wings level nearer the deck without being swatted out of the sky, which is suddenly clear of other aircraft. I try a Mayday call on the R/T, and get a response from Brize Norton telling me where to go.



I struggle to keep the wings level as we follow the indicated bearing, slowly losing height and canopy open in case my kite drops away from underneath me and I need to get out. I call up the boys on the R/T but nobody answers; it looks like I'm the only one still in the air!



That must be Brize Norton.



The undercart goes down and locks, but not the flaps.



I come in off a short, curved final approach and let her settle.



The landing is fast and I bounce slightly, turning over when the wheels touch the second time. Pilot injured, aircraft a write-off.

We'll need to do a lot better than this if Fighter Command is going to get to, let alone through, September!

..to be continued!

Fantastic stuff Lima, and a big thank you for the Win10 patch Link

Thanks mate and I hope you get BoB2 up and running in Win10 with Felizpe's patch.

The first action of the afternoon of the 31st August comes the way of 56 Squadron's twelve Hurricanes.



We're up against a huge raid, which is heavily escorted and well above us.



A shower of Messerschmitt 110s suddenly drops upon us...



...and a wild dogfight develops. There's no chance we'll get to the bombers.



After sending down a 110 with engines smoking, I see another Hun who's chasing a damaged Hurricane. I turn to cut him off.



My deflection shooting gets hits on the Hun, who sheers off.



Another burst and he rolls left and goes down, shrouded in smoke.



Another damaged 110 gets similar treatment...



...then I line up behind yet another one. The air seems thick with these bloody aeroplanes!



Suddenly, yellow tracers flash past, close over my canopy. I break hard right. Two of the beggars are coming in behind me!



I go down to the deck in a high speed spiral with the two Huns in hot pursuit. As I go, I ask Control for a vector to the nearest airfield, whose Ack Ack I hope will chase the Huns off my tail - if I can get that far. The response is encouraging - Detling, in Kent south of the Thames Estuary, is just four miles away. But already, a glance in my mirror reveals that the two Huns are pulling up and away!



Anyway, there's Detling!



Reaching the airfield, I begin a spiral climb, checking the skies are clear...



...then I call control again, asking for a vector to the nearest enemies. There's nothing doing apparently...



...so I check up on the boys, most of whom reply and are no longer engaged, and call it quits.

...to be continued!

Mid-afternoon on the 31st August sees twelve Spitfires of 41 Squadron intercepting Hostile 201, a huge raid of two hundred-plus, as it crosses London from the south.



As I lead the boys in, I'm looking for a group of bombers we can get to, while watching carefully for any reaction from the smaller escorts.



Approaching the nearest bombers, I notice a group of escorts breaking formation, like a shoal of fish reacting to the presence of a predator. We've been twigged!



But we manage to get in behind the nearest bombers, first, ignoring the Ack Ack fire.



I get hits on one of them - they're Heinkels - before breaking upwards. Below us are the Royal dockyards in London's East End.



All around is mayhem, and a bunch of Messerschmitt 110s is now sweeping in behind us.



I reckon I've time for a crack at the next group of bombers up ahead, Dornier 17s. I hammer my target then pull up again...



...while the Dornier takes the final plunge, trailing a light trail of grey smoke.



Before I know what's happening I find myself flying through a shoal of 110s. I snap out bursts at several on my way, taking hits in return...



...then find myself right behind yet another group of bombers, Heinkels this time. I start shooting at once...



...but am hit hard and set on fire almost immediately, probably by one of the 110s.



I manage to get out as my kite goes down, but despite chopping the throttle and taking my time, my 'chute doesn't open!



Back in the Ops Room, the Mission Folder tells the tale of the fighting so far today.



The claims for each raid are totals not per squadron, so what this tells me is that:

Hostile 801 did slight damage to the Spitfire factory at Itchen, with ten raiders claimed destroyed by 615 and 65 Squadrons, in return for six losses from the latter;
Hostiles 802 and 807 inflicted light damage on the Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich in return for just two from each raid claimed destroyed, with eight fighters lost from 41 and 616 Squadrons and none from 56 or 312;
Hostile 803 did heavy damage to Hurricane production at Brooklands, with six claimed by 1 (Canadian) Squadron which lost eight; and
Hostile 201 did critical damage to Hornchurch fighter base, with 41 and 611 Squadrons claiming twelve of the attackers in return for three of 41's Spitfires and one Hurricane from 56.

And the day is not yet over!

...to be continued!