Tour of Duty ....26Choose an active pilot 27Choose another Pilot 27Enlist a new Pilot 27Restore a Pilot KIA or POW 27Discharge a Pilot 28Clear Roster 28Review A Pilot's Stats 28Show Top Aces 29

Congratulations 29Mission Types 29Ground School 30

Enemy Fighters 31Bfl09 31Me-110 31Fw-190 31Me-262 31Battle Damage 32Flak 32

Fighter Tactics 32Fighter Sweep 32Pull out keyboard map 33Bomber Escort 37Strafing Run 37Special Weapons 37V1 Intercept 38

The Yoxford Boys 39Appendix of Airplanes: 51PROBLEMS WITH THE GAME? 64About the Artists 65

Brian Hilchie 65Dan Hoecke 65

INSTALLING HEROES OF THE 357THTo play Heroes of the 357th, you need 640K of memory and an EGA, MCGA, orVGA compatible video adapter.

Before playing, you must install the program onto a hard drive. The easiest wayto do this is to use the install utility that comes with the game. The install utilitycreates a directory named P51 on the disk and then copies the contents of alldisks into that directory. You need 1.5 megabytes of free space on your harddrive. If you have a problem installing the program, you might not have enoughmemory available.

1. Boot your computer with DOS (any version 3.0 or greater).

2. Insert Disk No. 1 into drive A (or any appropriate floppy drive). Note: Ifyou're using the 5.25 inch high density version, there is only the one diskto insert.

3. Type A: and press Enter. (Type the appropriate drive letter if you haveinserted Disk No. 1 into a drive other than drive A.)

4. To install the disk, type Install followed by the drive letter you areinstalling from and the drive letter you are installing to. For example, toinstall from drive A: to drive C: you would type INSTALL A: C:. PressEnter.

5. Follow the on-screen directions and swap disks when prompted.

6. Once the game is copied onto your hard drive, put your original disks ina safe place.

Installing ManuallyIf you're having trouble installing the game using the above install procedure,here's how to do it manually. Below is a step by step procedure for making theP51 directory, copying the files into that directory, and uncompressing them.

5.25" Floppy Disk UsersIn the following step-by-step procedure, we're assuming that you want toinstall the game on C: drive from floppy drive A:. If your configuration isdifferent, use the appropriate hard drive and floppy drive letters.

1. At the C: \ prompt, type MD P51 and press Enter.

2. Type CD\P51 and press Enter.3. Insert the Heroes of the 357th floppy disk into drive A:.

4. Type COPY A:HEROES.EXE and press Enter.

5. Type HEROES and press Enter to run the uncompress program andinstall the complete game into the P51 subdirectory.

6. Once the program has been uncompressed, you can delete theextraneous file from your hard drive. Type DEL HEROES.EXE and pressEnter.

67. Type CD\ and press Enter to return to your root directory.

8. To finish installing the game in your P51 subdirectory, type COPYA:P51.BAT and press Enter.

3.5" Floppy Disk UsersIn the following step-by-step procedure, we're assuming that you want toinstall the game on C: drive from floppy drive A:. If your configuration isdifferent, use the appropriate hard drive and floppy drive letters.

1. At the C:\ prompt, type MD P51 and press Enter.

2. Type CD\P51 and press Enter.

3. Insert the Disk No.l into drive A:.(Note: Type the appropriate driveletter if you inserted Disk No.l into a drive other than A.)

4. Type COPY A:HEROES1.EXE and press Enter.

5. Remove Disk No.l and insert Disk No.2 into the A: drive.

6. Type COPY A:HEROES2.EXE and press Enter.

7. Type HEROES1 and press Enter. When the computer is finishedexecuting, type HEROES2 and press Enter. This will uncompress bothfiles and install the complete game into the P51 subdirectory.

8. Once the program has been uncompressed, you can delete theextraneous file from your hard drive. Type DEL HEROES1.EXE andpress Enter. When the computer is finished executing, type DELHEROES2.EXE.

9. Type CD\ and press Enter to return to the root directory.

10. Insert floppy Disk No.l into drive A:. Type COPY A:P51.BAT and pressEnter to finish installing the game onto your C: drive in the subdirectorycalled P51.

Starting Heroes of the 357thThe program automatically detects the best graphics and sound modes for yourcomputer and starts the game in that mode. If you want to play the game in adifferent graphics mode, see Startup Parameters.

Note: You may need to remove TSRs present in your system (Terminate-and-Stay-Resident programs, such as Sidekick®) before starting Heroes of the 357th.These utility programs can take up space needed to run the program. You cantemporarily avoid these TSRs by booting from your original DOS disk. SeeProblems With The Game? for instructions on removing TSRs.

Starting From a Hard DriveIf you installed the game using the Install utility that came with Heroes of the357th, use the following procedure to start the game.

1. Type C: and press Enter. (If your hard drive isn't C:, enter the correctletter.)

2. Type CD\P51 and press Enter.

3. Type P51 and press Enter.

4. The game will load the logo screen. Press any key to continue.

STARTUP PARAMETERS

When you start Heroes of the 357th, the program automatically detects the bestgraphics mode for your computer and starts the game in that mode. However, ifyou want to start the game in a different graphics mode, you can do so byadding a few extra characters (called arguments) to the start command.

EXAMPLE: Let's say you want to load the game with EGA graphics mode andmusic generated with an Ad Lib board (you must have an Ad Lib boardinstalled). You'd type P51 adlib and then press Enter.

The order of the extra arguments doesn't matter as long as there's a spacebetween each argument and they are typed in lower case.

These are the arguments you can use:

vga Loads game with VGA graphics.

ega Loads game with EGA graphics.

j Loads game with joystick flight control.

k Loads game with keyboard flight control.

lo Loads game in low graphics detail mode (less detail speeds upgame play).

med Loads game in medium graphics detail mode (less detail speeds

up game play).

hi Loads game in high graphics detail mode.

sound Loads game with sound on.

nosound Loads game with neither music nor sound.

pc Loads game with PC internal speaker sounds.

adlib Loads game with AdLib sound card sounds.

tandy Loads game with Tandy sound (VGA required).

quiet Loads game with neither music nor sound.

music Loads game with music on.

Loads game with music turned off.nomusic

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Note: When you quit the game, the program automatically remembers all ofthat game's startup parameters, as well as all of the options selected from theOptions menu (except Time Factor, Unlimited Weapons, and Unlimited Fuel).The next time you start the game, just type P51 and press Enter, and those sameparameters and options will be in effect.

Hand ControllersThere are several hand controllers on the market which plug into the joystickport. Most models have a directional pad on the left and four buttons on theright. The directional pad works exactly like the handle on a joystick. The topbutton toggles the cockpit and enemy views. The left button fires the machineguns. The right button fires the missiles. The bottom button fires the cannons.

PRACTICEAfter you install and start the program, the Midnight Software Inc. companylogo appears. Press Enter to go to the title screen. The title screen flashes thecredits. Press Enter to go to the Opening Menu. Select Practice.

SIGNING OUT A FIGHTERBefore you can fly, you have to sign out a fighter. Type in a name (no more than14 characters) and press Enter.

SELECTING A MISSIONNow you're in the briefing room, awaiting orders. Since this is only practice,you can choose what kind of mission you'll fly.

The names of the mission types should give you some idea of what they call for.See Mission Types for more detailed descriptions of the mission types. If this isyour first time using this simulator, you should select Free Flight. The FreeFlight mission is a strafing run in Paris in which you can't crash or be shotdown. Fly this mission to get a feel for the controls and the weapons.

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Mission BriefingThe Briefing Report informs you of your orders and provides useful facts aboutthe mission, such as the name of the city where the target is, the kind of target,the expected level of opposition, who leads the flight, the date the actualmission occurred, etc.

Target site

Once you've read the Briefing Report, press Enter to enter the Briefing Room.Your commanding officer shows you the target site — the location is indicatedby a white box on the map of Europe. Note the distance between the target siteand your base in England and use this determine how much fuel you shouldcarry.

After the commander shows you the target site, watch the Briefing Film. TheBriefing Film consists of pictures of the various targets you'll have anopportunity to destroy on the mission you've selected. The film runs at aconstant rate unless you speed it up manually by pressing the spacebar. Afterthe film begins, you can cycle through all the targets on the film screen as fast asyou like.

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Picture of enemy ground target

Since Free Flight is only a training mission, there are no actual targets on thebriefing film. Press Enter or the joystick button if you wish to skip past theBriefing Film.

When the Briefing Film ends, the Fighter Configuration screen appearsautomatically.

CONFIGURE THE P-51The Fighter Configuration screen lets you outfit the P-51 with the armament,ordnance, and fuel tanks you require for the mission you've selected.

Press the up/down arrows or move the joystick up/down to highlight an item;press the right arrow or move the joystick right to select. The moment you selectan item, the P-51 rolls over and displays the underside of its fuselage, where thetanks and weapons are mounted. Items are added in pairs to maintain theairplane's centre of gravity. The items you select appear on their hardpointsunder the wings.

12You can remove items as easily as you added them. Press the up/down arrowsor move the joystick up/down to highlight the item you with to remove. Pressthe left arrow or move the joystick left to remove the item.

Notice that the combined weight of the pair of items you have highlightedappears at the lower left hand corner of the menu, where it says weight. To theright of that number is the avail. weight, which indicates how many morepounds can be added to the P-51. Keep in mind that the heavier you make theP-51, the slower its maximum speed and the more sluggish its handling.

It's important to choose the proper configuration for the mission you're going tofly. For example, if the target site is very far away, you need the 110 gallon droptanks to complete the mission and return safely home. For hints on configuringyour fighter for different missions, see Fighter Tactics.

When you've finished configuring and examining the P-51, you're ready to taxionto the airstrip. Press Enter or the joystick button to watch the takeoffsequence. If you want to bypass the takeoff sequence altogether and go straightto the air, press F1; if you just want to speed it up, press Enter.

The takeoff sequence followed by a map of Europe and a depiction of yourformation heading to the target site. Now is your last chance to change yourmind — press Esc to return to the Fighter Configuration screen.

IN THE COCKPITYou need to develop a"second-nature" familiarity with all the instruments andcontrols at your fingertips to get full use out of the P-51.

]Once in the air, press H to call up the Help Menu. The Help Menu lists all the in-flight key commands. This section explains all the commands in detail. Whenthe Help Menu is up, the action is paused.

FLIGHT STICK CONTROLSThe pilot uses the flight stick to roll, climb, and dive. In Heroes of the 357th, the

flight stick is automatically coordinated with the rudder to produce even turns.

You can control the flight stick with a joystick or the keyboard. A joystick is

highly recommended.

Joystick — The default control. Press Ctrl-J to activate the joystick.

Pitch down

Pitch down & roll left Pitch down & roll right

Roll left

Pitch up & roll left

Roll right

Pitch up & roll right

Pitch up

Keyboard — Press Ctrl-K to activate keyboard.

Pitch down

Pitch up

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14INSTRUMENT PANEL

Gunsight

Altimeter

Flaps indicator

Throttle handle

Artificial horizon

Airspeed indicator

Drop tank fuel gauge

Compass G-force meter Internal fuel gauge

Throttle HandleThe throttle handle indicates the percentage of maximum power your motor isputting out. For example, when the needle on the handle points at 75, theengine is putting out 75% of it's total power. Each key press increases ordecreases the throttle by 5%.

Press the + (plus) key on the numeric keypad to increase the throttle; press the -(minus) key to decrease the throttle.

Flaps IndicatorWhen the flaps indicator is highlighted (red), the flaps are down. Putting theflaps down increases the wing's surface area, thus increasing both lift and drag.When the flaps are down, it's easier to pull out of a steep dive. Also, whenyou're flying low and slow, as on a strafing run, having the flaps down makesthe P-51 more manoeuvrable.

Press F to toggle flaps down/up.

AltimeterThe altimeter indicates your altitude. The small hand shows feet above theground in thousands. When the long hand is turning clockwise, the P-51 isgaining altitude. One complete revolution of the long hand indicates a change inaltitude of 1000 feet.

CompassThe compass indicates your heading. North is at the top.

Airspeed IndicatorThe air speed indicator shows your forward velocity in miles per hour.

G-MeterThe G-Meter shows the number of g-forces you're pulling. If you pull more than3 g's, you'll begin to blackout. Ease off to let more blood flow into your brain soyou can see. Blackouts are not available in EGA.

Artificial HorizonThe artificial horizon shows the attitude of the wings to the ground. Think ofthe wings as a line and the ground as a plane. Whichever way the line in theartificial horizon is tilted, that's the way your wings are tilted.

Fuel GaugesThe left fuel gauge shows how much fuel remains in your internal tanks. Theright fuel gauge shows how much fuel remains in your drop tanks, when you'recarrying them.

WEAPONS CONTROLS

There are four different kinds of weapons to choose from.

Machine gunsThe P-51 comes factory-equipped with six Browning machine guns, three ineach wing. You can't get rid of them and you can't add more. They are yourprimary weapons; you'll rely on them in every mission. The machine guns aremounted to fire in a line directly to the point at the centre of the gunsight. Inlevel flight, destroying a target is not difficult. Aiming your guns while rolling,diving, or climbing is another matter, as you have to lead your target using adeflection angle.

Press the spacebar or the firing button on your joystick to fire machine guns.

20mm CannonsThe cannons pack a much stronger wallop than the machine guns, but theyhave a slower rate of fire. It's difficult to use them effectively in a dog fight,since you can squeeze off only two rounds at a time. Cannons are best usedagainst larger ground targets — such as bridges or a locomotives — where toomany machine gun rounds would be required. They fire along the same line asthe machine guns. Each cannon carries 43 rounds.

Press 4 on the keyboard to fire cannons.

5 inch RocketsThere are eight hard points under the wings for rockets. The rockets areunguided and therefore very hard to aim at moving targets. They're morepowerful and have a greater range than the cannons, which makes them goodfor taking out the largest ground targets — industrial buildings, etc. Be awarethat the rockets fire alternately from either wing. The ones from the right wingwill fly to the right side of the gunsight, the ones from the left will fly to the left.

Press 1 (one) on the keyboard to fire a rocket.

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16BombsThere are two sizes of bombs to choose from: 250 lb. and 500 lb.

Press 2 on the keyboard to drop a bomb.

Drop TanksDrop tanks are intended for use as auxiliary fuel tanks, but when dropped theycan cause destruction. Generally speaking, you'll drop the tanks to make the P-51 lighter so you can manoeuvre more deftly in combat, and the tanks will fallharmlessly onto the wide terrain below. But if you find yourself flying low overenemy territory, you might try to hit a target of opportunity with your droptanks.

Press 3 on the keyboard to release a drop tank.

FLIGHT VIEWS

Heroes of the 357th comes with numerous different flight views. The two viewsused most often are the Pilot View and the Combat View. Accordingly, theprogram uses the number 2 button on your joystick as a toggle switch betweenthese two views.

Pilot View F1At the beginning of every mission, you see the Pilot View with the instrumentpanel. The Pilot View is the only view that offers the gunsight, so you shouldreturn to it often when in combat to fire at the enemy.

You can also hide the instrument panel to give you a wider view of the combatenvironment. Press backspace to remove/replace the cockpit.

Chase Plane View F2

The Chase Plane View shows a view from directly behind the P-51, as thoughyou were in another plane chasing yourself.

Weapons View F3

When you fire a weapon, the Weapons View follows the bomb or the rocket toits target, or until it explodes. You can press F1 to get back to your cockpit afterwatching the bomb or rocket.

Front View F4

The Front View shows a view from directly in front of the P-51 looking back.

Left View F5

The Left View shows a view from the left side of the P-51.

Right View F6

The Right View shows a view from the right side of the P-51.

Top View F7

The Top View shows a view of the P-51 from above. The Top View isparticularly useful in formation flying, allowing you to keep track of yourbombers and wingman.

Combat View F8

As stated above, the Combat View is critical. If there is an enemy in the vicinity,the Combat View shows you the enemy in his position relative to the P-51. Ifthere is more than one enemy in the vicinity, the Combat View shows you theenemy nearest to your P-51, unless you have selected a different enemy usingthe E key (see Engage Enemy), in which case the Combat View defaults to thatenemy.

Overview F9

The Overview continuously pans clockwise a wide circle around the P-51 fromslightly above the plane. This view is useful for taking stock of your generalsurroundings, both on land and in the air.

Moving View F10

The Moving View offers a rapidly changing pan of the P-51, from close up to faraway, from beneath the wings to overhead. If you're between dogfights and youwant a full appreciation of the 3-dimensional world, try the Moving View.

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Background plane = yourwingman

Foreground plane - you

View to Target Shift-F1The View to Target shows the P-51 in the foreground and the nearest majorground target in the background. Major ground targets are indicated by icons orflags on the flight map (for more information, see Flight Map). Some missions,including all bomber escort missions, do not offer any major ground targets, inwhich case this view remains inactive. The major targets on bomber escortmissions, while indicated by icons or flags, are assigned to the bombers.

View from Target Shift-F2The same circumstances apply to View from Target as to View to Target (seeabove.) You see the target closest to the P-51 in the foreground and the P-51itself in the background.

Fly-by View Shift-F4The Fly-by view show the P-51 and your wingman (if present) approaching thecamera and flying past it. The camera then follows the P-51 from behind.

Other Plane Views Shift-F6This key command toggles through the cockpit views of all the fighters in theair. Note that this is a mode change, in which all view commands work for theplane whose view you chosen. The name of the selected plane is listed on theleft side of the screen.

Even though you're looking out of the cockpit of another fighter, you maintaincontrol of all the functions of your P-51- flight stick, weapons, bail out, etc. Toreturn to your own Cockpit View, keep toggling through the Other Plane Viewsuntil you come to yours, or press the joystick button 2 twice.

Wing Leader Views Shift-F519

You are the Wing Leader (also called Red Leader and Red One by yourwingman). The Wing Leader Views command reverses the Shift-F6 commandand restores the F keys to their primary functions. You can accomplish this alsoby pressing Shift-F6 until you return to your P-51's view, but Shift-F5 is usuallya little faster, especially when there are more than two planes in the air.

Bottom View Shift-F7The Bottom View shows the underside of the P-51.

Reverse Combat View Shift-F8The Reverse Combat View shows your enemy in the foreground and you in thebackground. It gives you a chance to predict just how your enemy might chooseto manoeuvre into an advantageous position.

As with the regular Combat View, the Reverse Combat View shows theperspective of the nearest enemy fighter, unless you have chosen a differentopponent with the E (Engage Enemy) command. (See Engage Enemy fordescription of Engage Enemy command.)

COMMAND WINGMAN TO REGROUP

Your wingman automatically engages an enemy at the beginning of an airbattle, but if you would rather have him protecting your rear or protecting thebombers, you can command him to regroup. Remember, on escort missions, thiscommand orders him back to the bomber formation, and on all other missionthis orders him to fall in behind you.

Press Shift-R to Command Wingman to Regroup.

When you issue this command, your wingman disengages from the enemy andregroups. If, on his way back, the wingman encounters a new enemy, he willengage that enemy. When this happens, you must issue the command again ifyou want him to break off combat. When there are no more enemies in the area,the wingman returns automatically. (See the Bomber Escort for more aboutCommand Wingman to Regroup.)

ENGAGE ENEMY

This command serves two distinct purposes. First, the Engage Enemy commandcountermands the Regroup command. If you ordered your wingman to regroupand then decide you want him to re-engage his nearest enemy, go ahead anduse this command.

Press E to countermand the Regroup command.

Secondly, the Engage Enemy command works in conjunction with the CombatView (F8) and the Reverse Combat View (Shift-F8) by giving you theopportunity to select from among more than one enemy for viewing.

Press E to toggle through separate Combat Views (or Reverse Combat Views) ofactive enemies.

When there is more than one enemy in the sky, pressing E shows you the fighternearest you, just like the F8 (Combat View) command, except the F8 commanddoes not give orders to your wingman. Pressing E again shows you the nextnearest fighter, and so on. Now, when you switch to the Combat View or theReverse Combat View during that same engagement, you see the last fighterselected by the Engage Enemy command, as long as that enemy fighter is still inthe air. When the engagement is over and the next wave of fighters arrives, thecommand is reset to default to the nearest enemy.

AUTOPILOT

The Autopilot is active only on Bomber Escort missions. Press A to activate theAutopilot. To deactivate the autopilot, move the joystick, change the throttle, ormove the flaps.

By activating the Autopilot, you command the P-51 to fly the shortest routeback to the bomber formation at top speed. This is useful when you get lost, orfind yourself too far away from your bombers and want to get back to them asquickly as possible. If all the bombers have been destroyed, the Autopilotbecomes inactive. (See Bomber Escort for advice on Autopilot.)

THE FLIGHT MAP

The flight map is useful in virtually every mission. At high altitudes, use theflight map to locate cities and target sites and to track V1 "buzz" bombs. Targetsites are marked with colourful icons — when you destroy a major target, theicon representing that target disappears from the flight map.

At low altitudes, use the flight map to locate both major targets and targets ofopportunity on the ground. A target of opportunity is defined as an enemytarget whose destruction is useful but not critical. Targets of opportunity do notappear as icons on the flight map and their point values are relatively small.(See Ending A Mission for a complete explanation of the scoring.)

Press M to toggle the flight map on/off.

You Major targets

The airplane silhouette on the flight map represents the P-51. If you lose yourbearings, you should zoom the flight map out to get a larger perspective. Whenyou go down low to strafe, you might like to zoom the flight map in to findtargets more easily.Press Z to zoom the flight map in; press Shift-Z to zoom the flight map out.

PILOT BAIL OUTYou can eject anytime you want, but it's always bad form to bail out too early.When you bail out, you will either be taken prisoner or escape capture. PressShift - B or Shift-J to bail out.

REPLAYYou can replay the last few seconds of any mission at any time. The replay tapeshows a wide-angle panning view of the action. Also, you can change todifferent views during the replay. The action is paused while you're watchingthe replay, but resumes automatically when the replay ends.

Press R for a replay view. If you want to change the replay view, press F9. Ifyou want to end the replay early, press R.

PAUSE

Press P to pause the action. Press any key to resume flying.

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GAME OPTIONSHeroes of the 357th comes with a variety of useful game options. Press O tobring up the Options Menu. When the Options Menu is up, the action is paused.

Press the up/down arrows to highlight an option, and then press the left/rightarrows to change the option's setting. When you're ready to resume flying,press Enter to confirm your choices, or press Esc to exit without saving changes.

SoundTurn engine and weapon sounds on or off.

MusicTurn the theme music on or off.

Warning BeepsWarning beeps signal you when the P-51 is in danger of crashing or stalling.You will hear them when the P-51 is descending too rapidly at too low analtitude, or ascending too steeply at too slow an air speed (a stall).

For example, when you're flying at 20,000 feet, you can go into a steep divewithout hearing the warning beeps. But if you're at 5,000 feet and suddenly fallinto a vertical dive, the warning beeps will come on. This option is particularlyuseful on strafing runs, when you need to fly low to the ground. If you thinkyou're going to crash, pull back on the flight stick and put your flaps down.

When the warning beeps alert you that the P-51 is about to stall, point the nosedownward, pull the flaps in if they're out, and kick the throttle up to 100 %.When you're in a stall you can't manoeuvre, and this can cost you your airplaneand your life if an enemy has you in his sights.

Detail LevelThis option allows you to select the amount of graphic detail on the screen. Thegreater the detail, the slower the screen updates the images.

Shaded HorizonAvailable only with VGA graphics. The shaded, or dithered, horizon gives theillusion of distance. If you turn the shading off, the speed of the simulationincreases slightly.

Automatic ReplayWhen you select this option, the program automatically pauses the actionwhenever there's a kill and replays the dramatic moments of the battle.

View CutsWith the view cuts option on, the program automatically switches to a brief rearview of enemy fighters as they show up to engage you. First you receive themessage telling you how many"bandits" are approaching and from whatdirection, and then you actually see the bandits from behind for a few seconds.When view cuts is on, you can identify the enemy fighters long before youengage them.

Weapon View F3Turn this option on to automatically follow your bombs or rockets to theirtargets the moment you release them. The view will follow the bomb or rocketuntil it explodes or disappears.

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BlackoutAvailable only with VGA graphics. When you have the blackout option on, thescreen becomes dark when you pull too many g's, as the blood is forced out ofyour head and you begin to lose consciousness. These days pilots wear special ,vsuits to reduce the effect of g-forces, but you don't have the benefit of thatluxury.

Time factorThe time factors (l/2x, lx, 2x, and 4x) control the speed of the simulation. Whenyou start out, you are always on lx. You can use the Options Menu to change theTime Factor, or you can use the keyboard. Press T to decrease Time Factor;press Shift-T to increase Time Factor. To automatically reset the Time Factor tolx, press Ctrl-T.

As soon as enemies come into view, the time factor immediately drops to lx. Ifyou choose to make the action slower still by setting the time factor on 1 /2x, theprogram will keep it there until you change it. Otherwise, it will default to lxwhen you engage the enemy.

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Unlimited WeaponsThis option automatically gives you unlimited use of all the weapons in thegame: machine guns, cannons, rockets, and bombs. You don't need to select anyweapons from the Fighter Configuration screen to have them on board when youselect this option.

Unlimited FuelWhen you choose this option you have an endless supply of fuel, regardless ofwhether you outfitted the P-51 with drop tanks.

ENDING A MISSIONYou can end a mission at any time. Press Esc to bring up the Exit Menu. Whenthe menu appears, press Y to end the mission; Esc again to resume flying; or Xto exit to DOS.

If you complete a mission, crash, or get shot down, the program automaticallyreturns you to the base, where the debriefing takes place. Bomber Escortmissions, V1 Intercept missions, and certain Strafing Runs end on their ownafter all the enemy fighters and major targets have been hit and you receivethe"mission accomplished" message. Fighter Sweeps and Strafing Runs withoutmajor ground targets go on as long as you want them to, or until you run out offuel.

At the end of a mission you'll see the landing sequence, as long as you didn'tbail out or perish. If you want to bypass the landing sequence, press Enter.

If you shot down one or more enemy fighters or bombed a major target, you getto paint a symbol of your kill on the left side of the fuselage.

Next comes the Debriefing Report. In the Debriefing Report you learn all thesignificant facts about your mission and are given a score. The mission score canbe positive or negative, depending on how many aircraft you shot down or lost,how many civilian and enemy targets you destroyed, etc. The mission score isadded to, or subtracted from, your Total Score.

Press Enter or the joystick button to turn to the next page of the DebriefingReport, where you receive a written account of your success or failure, and howit will effect the war.

Once you've read the report, press Enter or the joystick button to go to theSquadron Room. Your buddies will make remarks about your performance forthe day. If you're not upholding the reputation of the illustrious boys from the357th, then you are tarnishing it and deserve their scorn. If you are KIA orPOW, naturally you won' t be there to know what they said about you.

Press Enter or the joystick button to open the latest News Bulletin. Read the NewsBulletin to find out how things are going in other parts of the war.

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Once you've read the news, press Enter or the joystick button to return to theOpening Menu. Once you've flown a mission, a new option appears on themenu: Replay Last Mission. This selections allows you to turn back the clockand try the previous mission again, as though you had never attempted it.

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26TOUR OF DUTY

The Tour of Duty consists of thirty-four separate missions in the samecategories found in the Practice mode. You can't alter the sequence in which themissions are flown — call it fate or the forces of history.

Pilots created during Practice are not saved and so cannot be used in Tour OfDuty. When you enlist a new pilot for the Tour of Duty, that pilot remains onthe pilot list unless he is discharged. Pilots are either Active, Killed in Action, orPrisoners of War.

The program automatically saves the stats for each pilot when you quit thegame. The next time you select a pilot for the Tour of Duty, you will beginwhere that pilot left off, without the option to replay his last mission.After you select Tour of Duty, the Pilot Selection Menu appears. Use this menu tochoose an active pilot, create a new pilot, get rid of a pilot, bring a pilot back tolife, erase all the pilots, look at a pilot's stats, or check the list of top aces.

There is one secret ground target in a certain patrol over Berlinwhich does not appear on the flight map: Adolf Hitler's bunker.

Find and destroy Hitler's bunker and you'll receive a huge bonus.

Create a PilotIf this is your first time attempting the Tour of Duty, you need to create a pilotbefore you can begin flying. The program automatically saves all the pilots youcreate, so they will always be available unless you delete them. The programprompts you to enter your name if there are no pilots available. If there is atleast one pilot available, the program brings up the Pilot Menu.

The menus display eight pilot names per page. If the pilot you want is not onthe first page of the menu, press the down arrow to highlight the last name onthe menu, then press the arrow once more to bring up the next menu. To bringup the previous menu page, highlight the name at the top of the page and thenpress the up arrow once.

CHOOSE AN ACTIVE PILOT

When you select Choose an active pilot, a list of all the active pilots appears.Select the pilot you want to be.

The Briefing Screen appears, followed by the Briefing Film, etc — just like inPractice mode.

When you return to Tour of Duty after performing a mission, you have theopportunity to choose that same pilot again from the top line of the menu. Oryou may choose another pilot. If all the active pilots are either killed in action orprisoners of war, none are active. In this case, you must either restore one orenlist a new one.

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CHOOSE ANOTHER PILOT

Select Choose another pilot for a list of all the pilots. Select one of the pilots andproceed.

ENLIST A NEW PILOT

Select Enlist a new pilot to bring up the pilot naming box. Type in a new nameand proceed.

RESTORE A PILOT KIA OR POW

Select Restore a pilot KIA or POW to bring up a list of all the pilots killed inaction or taken prisoner. Select a pilot and proceed.

29DISCHARGE A PILOT

Select Discharge a pilot to bring up a list of all the pilots available for dischargeappears. Select the pilot you wish to discharge. The program asks you to verifyyour selection. Press Y to confirm the discharge or N to cancel it. Remember,discharged pilots are gone for good.

CLEAR ROSTER

Select clear roster to delete all pilots, scores, and statistics. The program asksyou to verify your selection. Press Y to clear the roster or N to cancel it. If youpress Y, you're asked to name a new pilot. Type in a name and press Enter.

REVIEW A PILOT'S STATS

Select Review a pilot's stats for a list of all the saved pilots. Select one of thepilots from the list.

A box appears showing the pilot's name, number of missions flown, number oftargets destroyed, the number of kills in the air, and his score to date. PressEnter or Esc to return to the Pilot Selection Menu.

SHOW TOP ACESThe list of top aces appears at the end of each Tour of Duty mission, but you canalso take a look at it at the beginning of a new mission by selecting Show top

aces.

The aces are ranked in order of points. The pilot with the most points is at thetop of the list.

CONGRATULATIONSWhen you distinguish yourself in battle, the high command offers you a heartycongratulations for doing your part in winning the war.

MISSION TYPESThere are 34 missions contained in the categories below.Fighter Sweep: A well-executed fighter sweep rids an area of enemy fighters.Here you will focus exclusively on air combat tactics. You'll probably need toconsult the Enemy View (F8) often to get your bearings during the manydogfights you'll have to win to complete the mission. Between waves of enemyfighters, or after the last wave, you can strafe ground targets if you want to. Theprogram will not end a fighter sweep automatically. You must press Esc whenyou want to return to the base.

Bomber Escort: On a bomber escort mission, your job is not only to keep enemyfighters from shooting down your bombers, but you might also find time todrop a load of ordnance yourself. Use the autopilot feature to return to yourbomber formation if you become detached during a fight. Bomber Escortmissions end automatically after the bombs are dropped and all enemy fightershave been shot down.

Strafing Run: On a strafing run you are responsible for eliminating groundtargets with your guns, cannons, rockets or bombs. Enemy fighters willprobably try to thwart your efforts — eliminating them should be your firstpriority. When strafing, make sure to cut your throttle a little and put out yourflaps. This way you can fly slowly and low to the ground while still maintaininglift. Strafing Runs selected from the Practice menu do not end automatically,though when you run out of fuel and/or ammo it's time to return to the base.Press Esc to return to the base.

Special Weapons: Special Weapons missions are just like Strafing Runs andrequire the same tactics. The only difference is that on a Special Weaponsmission you must take out one or more major ground targets in order tocomplete the mission. Major ground targets are indicated by colourful icons onthe map. When you destroy all the major ground targets, the mission endsautomatically.

V1 Intercept: The V1 "Buzz Bomb" is an unmanned, unguided, jet-propelledmissile. All you have to do is catch up to it and knock it out of the sky, but thelonger you wait the more likely it is for the V1 to crash over friendly territory.You may also have to contend with enemy fighters. When you destroy the V1and kill all the enemy fighters, the mission ends automatically. If you miss theV1, you might as well strafe targets of opportunity until your fuel and/orammunition runs out.

Free Flight: Fly to Paris in an indestructible airplane. In Free Flight, you cannotbe shot down or crash. Roam the skies over Paris, dogfighting and strafing atwill. Practice gunnery, bombing, aerial manoeuvres without fear of dying. Thisis not a real mission as there are no objectives — press Esc when you want toreturn to the base.

GROUND SCHOOLThe following section offers general information about the enemy and thedifferent mission types, and specific advice on how to deal with the moredifficult situations you will encounter.

The ClockEver since pilots carried radios in their planes, the clock has been used tocommunicate the general direction of bogeys (unidentified aircraft) relative tothe pilot. Imagine your aircraft as the fixed point in the centre of a huge clock.The nose of your plane always points to 12. Enemy aircraft are identified asbeing located at positions on the face of the clock, with relative altitudeindicated as low or high. For example, "Bogey at 3 o'clock" would indicate anaircraft to the right; "Bogey at 3 o'clock low" would indicate an aircraft belowand to the right.

ENEMY FIGHTERS

Below are descriptions and flight characteristics of all the enemy fighters youwill face. In general, the enemy fighters are dark on top and light on theunderside, and friendlies are light on top and dark on the underside. If youwant to see a close-up of the enemy fighters, press Shift-F8 when the enemy ispresent in the skies. The briefing reports for some of the missions specify onlythe expected level of fighter resistance, not the actual type of fighters you willbe engaging.

B F 1 0 9The Messerschmitt 109 is a light, highly manoeuvrable fighter. Somewhatslower than the P-51, the Bf-109 can neither outrun nor outclimb you, but atlower altitudes you'll have a hard time drawing a bead on it in close combat.Few of the enemy pilots will climb to engage you when you have a significantaltitude advantage, and the Bf-109 pilots are particularly leery of high-altitudecombat. For armament they carry two MG-17 machine guns and one 20-mmMG-151 cannon.

M E - 1 1 0Although slower and somewhat less manoeuvrable than the Bf-109, the Me-110's powerful cannons can make up for its performance deficiencies. Avoidhead-on passes in general, and especially head-on passes with Mel10s, as youwill almost certainly sustain heavy damage if not lose the P-51 altogether. Whena flight of Mel10s is approaching, point your nose upward to attain greateraltitude, or turn inside toward the angle of their approach. Using this lattertactic, you should be able to take out some or all of the Mel10s as they pass toone side of you, without taking any hits. If one or more get by on the first pass,you should be able to outmanoeuvre them and take them down withoutexposing yourself to too much danger.

Fw-190The Focke-Wulf 190 is more dangerous than the Me-110. It performs nearly aswell as the P-51 at any altitude and is more heavily armed. In dogfights withFw-190s, the better pilot usually prevails.

M E - 2 6 2

The Messerschmitt 262 Sturmvogel is a thorn in the side of the Yoxford Boys.With its two wing-mounted turbojets, it's much faster than the P-51, and its fourcannons can rip you (or one of your bombers) to shreds in seconds. On bomberescort missions, try to keep the 262s occupied and away from your bombers ifyou can't actually shoot them down. As long as your bombers reach the target,site and drop their load, your mission is accomplished.

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BATTLE DAMAGE

When the P-51 takes too many hits, a series of messages appears from yourwingman warning you to return home while you can still save your plane. Ifyou wish to follow your wingman's advice, press Esc and then Y to return toend the mission. If you haven't completed your objective, the mission will becounted as a failure.

Even though you've been hit, as long as the P-51 hasn't burst into flames youcan still fly it normally. You just have to be careful not to take any more roundsor run into any flak. And there's an off chance that, even without being hitagain, the P-51 will burst into flames from the damage it's already absorbed.

FLAK

There's nothing you can do against flak, except take care of business as quicklyas possible and get out of the area. If you are forced to fly low, as on a strafingrun, and the enemy is firing off a lot of flak, you have little recourse but to prayyou don't get hit. The chances are good that the P-51 won't be brought down byflak, but there are no guarantees in war.

FIGHTER TACTICS

FIGHTER SWEEP

The purpose of a fighter sweep is to clear an area of enemy fighters. There areno bombers to protect, so your auto-pilot and recall wingman commands arenot functional. As in all missions where your first encounter is a gaggle ofbandits flying toward you, it's important to take out as many of the enemy aspossible in the first pass.

After the first pass, use necessary tactics to position yourself to get a good shoton the enemy. Tactics during fighter sweeps vary according to the kind ofairplane you're facing and your skill as a pilot — see the fighter descriptionsabove for general comments about the different enemy fighters.

If you're skilled enough, you can earn a lot of extra points during fighter sweepsby taking out targets of opportunity on the ground. Fighters come in waves, soif you wipe the first wave in short order you have time to swoop down andstrafe ground targets before the next wave arrives. There is a risk inherent inthis practice, though; if you return to dogfighting altitude too late, the enemyfighters will have the drop on you. Experience makes all the difference in mostof these missions.

COMMAND SUMMARY

Flight Views

F1

F2

F3

F4

F5

F6

F 7

F8

F9

F10

Shift-F1

Shift-F2

Shitt-F4

Shift-F5

Shift-F6

Shift-F7

Shift-F8

Pilot View

Chase Plane View

Weapons View

Front View

Left View

Right View

Top View

Combat View

Over View

Moving View

View to Target

View from Target

Fly-by View

Wing Leader Views

Other Plane Views

Bottom View

Reverse Combat View

Weapons Controls

Spacebar Fire Machine Guns

1 Fire Rocket

2 Drop Bomb

3 Drop External Fuel Tank

4 Fire Cannon

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BOMBER ESCORT

The Yoxford Boys fly bomber escort missions primarily. The most importantobjective in a bomber escort mission is to keep the enemy from shooting downyour bombers. As a rule of thumb, never stray too far from the bomberformation in pursuit of an enemy fighter.

Enemy fighters come in waves, often approaching head-on or nearly head-on.With the help of your wingman, try to take out all the fighters in the first pass.Sometimes you will miss one or more of the fighters. You wingman will alwayspursue an enemy (unless you command him to regroup), and it's up to youwhether to help him, stay with the bombers, or pursue another enemy if one ispresent.

Don't let an enemy fighter take you too far away from the formation. If you'rehaving trouble finishing off the survivors of a first pass, return to the bomberformation using autopilot and wait for them to come to you. Press the F8 keyoften to keep track of where enemy airplanes are.

STRAFING RUN

It's most important to remember to keep your flaps down and your throttle upwhen flying low. But watch your airspeed; pull your flaps in and lower yournose it if falls below 200 knots. Stalling this low is often fatal.

A strafing run can be easy or difficult, depending on whether or not the enemysends up fighters to defend his territory. If there are fighters in the air, youshould get rid of them first, as the low altitude required for a successful strafingrun leaves you in no position to dogfight.

If there is flak in the air, you might find it wise not to hang around too long afterfinishing your business. Getting killed by flak is kind of a fluke, but it doeshappen, and the longer you fly around in it, the better chance it has of takingyou out.

All weapons are useful in strafing runs. A few rounds from the machine gunscan destroy the smaller targets. The cannons are good for barges, bridges, smallbuildings, and other medium size targets. Rockets are more powerful still, andhave a long range. Bombs and drop tanks, accurately placed, will destroy majortargets.

SPECIAL WEAPONS

This is a fantasy strafing run on the river Spree near Berlin. There is no enemyopposition, and you are encouraged to carry weapons no Yoxford Boy everfired from a P-51. Practice flying low and aiming rockets and cannon-fire atdistant targets, and see if you can guess right with your bombs. No specialadvice here; just use your throttle to control your speed.

37Miscellaneous Flight Controls

Esc End Mission A (Autopilot) Regroup

H Show Help Menu With Bombers

O Show Options Menu F Toggle Haps up/down

P Pause Game E Command Wingman to

R Show Replay Engage Nearest Enemy

M Toggle Map on/off Shift-R Command Wingman

Z Zoom Map in to Regroup

Shift-Z Zoom Map out Backspace Toggle Cockpit on/off

T Decrease Time Factor + (keypad) Increase Throttle

Shift-T Increase Time Factor - (keypad) Decrease Throttle

Ctrl-T . Normal Time Shift-J Pilot Eject

Ctrl-K Select Keyboard Control Shift-B Pilot Eject

Ctrl-J Select Joystick Control

Ctrl-C Center Joystick

V1 INTERCEPT

The V1 Intercept missions are among the most difficult in the simulation.Typically, the V1 won't arrive until you're well into your patrol. While yourwaiting to spot it, you'd do well to drop down and strafe as many targets as youcan. But don't drop your flaps here, as you will need a lot of speed climb backup when the V1 arrives.

V1s usually come from the East at 10,000 feet. It's best to be at between 10,000and 12,000 feet before it appears. If you're still strafing when you get themessage that a V1 has been sighted, drop your bombs and tanks, switch on yourflight map (if it's not on), and beat it quickly up to 10,000 feet.

The P-51, not carrying any drop tanks or bombs, is slightly faster than a"buzzbomb". The best way to take out the V1 is to position yourself due west of it andthen fly east, straight toward it. The buzz bomb appears on the flight map, soyou can line yourself up easily, especially if you kick the time factor down to1 /2x. If you're lucky, you can take it out in a head-on pass.

If you find yourself behind the V1, make sure you drop all bombs and tanks andthen jam the throttle forward. At top speed, you'll eventually catch the V1before it explodes in a London suburb, as long as you have enough fuel.

If you're too close to take it head-on, but not yet behind it, pull back on the stickuntil you are inverted, roll to level yourself out, and then come in from behindat top speed.

39

Adapted from a work by MerleOlmstead of the same title

There can be no doubt thatAmerica's entrance into the Europeantheatre during World War II hastenedGermany's demise, if not thwartedHitler's dream ofglobal domination.For the first time inmilitary history," airsuperiority" wastantamount tovictory. Whereas inthe Great Warlegendary pilotsfought manyuncoordinated andlargely insignificantskirmishes in theskies above thearmies, the pilots,gunners, and bombardiers in WorldWar II manned aircraft of greatspeed, with the power to causemassive destruction. Gone were thedays of chivalrous knights joustingfor honour and glory in motorizedkites, while on the battlefields belowenemies and compatriots alike diedby the thousands of disease,starvation, exposure, and battlewounds. Now air forces had a potenthand in ending conflicts and sparinglives. And the primary role of fighterpilots in World War II was to escortbombers safely to strategicallyselected targets, where the bomberswould attempt to destroy theenemy's ability to make war.

When the U.S. Air Force arrived inEurope in 1942, Britain's beleagueredRoyal Air Force was barely holdingits own against Goering'sindomitable Luftwaffe. But a fewyears later the Luftwaffe was socrippled that it could offer only a

token resistance to the Allies'relentless bombing runs. During thelast year-and-half of the war, onefighter group of America's 8th AirForce distinguished itself as mostformidable—the 357th—known to

friend and foe alikeas"The YoxfordBoys".

The 357th beganoperational trainingofficially onDecember 1, 1942 atHamilton Field onthe shore of SanPablo Bay, justnorth of SanFrancisco. Four ofthe officersassigned early inthe training period

were to remain with the Groupthroughout most of its existence:Major Donald Graham, Major RobertRomaine, Captain Alfred Craven, andCaptain Irwin H. Dregne. Combatelements of the Group consisted ofthree fighter squadrons: the 362nd,363rd, and 364th. In command of thesquadrons were Major Hubert I.Egnes, Captain Stuart R. Lauler, andCaptain Varian E. White,respectively. That two of the threecommanders ,-Egnes and White, -werecombat veterans was a raredistinction indeed for the embryonicunit. The original cadre had little towork with apart from the menthemselves. There were no aircraft atall, nor vehicles of any kind for thatmatter; and office furniture consistedof empty crates. The Group was notintended to do any flying fromHamilton Field. Nonetheless, the357th began to take shape.

In March of 1943, the Group now

38

formed into some semblance of order,the 357th was transferred to thedesolate surroundings of the ArmyAir Base at Tonopah, Nevada for in-flight training. It should be noted thatduring World War II more Americanpilots died (and more aircraft werelost) in training than in actualcombat; and 357th's stint in Tonopahbears that out. In a one month periodduring June andJuly, there wereeight trainingfatalities andnumerous bail-outsand groundaccidents. Thefrequency of suchcalamities soondecreased, and bythe end of thesummer the pilotsand ground crewshad gained theexperience it wouldtake to make a first-class fightergroup.

In October, for their last phase oftraining before transferring tooverseas for combat duty, theGroup's three squadrons wereseparated. The 362nd went toPocatello, Idaho, the 363rd toAinsworth, Nebraska, and the 364thto Casper, Wyoming. It was at thesethree bases that the pilots learned toserve as escorts to bombers, mostly B-24s. This would be their primaryfunction. It's important to note thatsuch a protracted and specifiedtraining regime proved instrumentalfor the United States Air Force'ssuccess against the Luftwaffe. Whileit was important to join in the waragainst Hitler without adieu, it wasnecessary to make sure that the pilotsand attendant ground-crewsmaintain a high level of excellence.Indeed, the Allies pressed the war toits conclusion by bombing Germany's

petroleum refineries; and theLuftwaffe Command, short on fuelfor training operations, sent upyoung, poorly-trained, though well-indoctrinated Nazi flyers to combatwell-trained American fighter pilots.This fact accounts, at least in part, forthe astounding success of the 357thFighter Group in Europe.

On December 7th, trainedexclusively in thenow somewhatobsolete P-39, thepilots of the 357tharrived at a newlyconstructed airbasein Raydon Wood,County Suffolk,England. The groupcommander was Lt.Col. Edwin S.Chickering. Once inplace, the Groupwas assigned toGeneral Lewis H.

Brereton's 9th Air Force under the700th Fighter Wing as part of the IXFighter Command. The first NorthAmerican P-51B Mustangs beganto arrive a few weeks later, paintedolive-drab. The Royal Air Force(RAF) had been using the Americandesigned P-51 for some time, butfor the pilots of the 357th it was anew species altogether. TheMustangs were slow in arriving, andwhile the pilots waited for theirmounts, they took ground-schoolcourses in aircraft identification,communications, and weatherconditions.

By New Years Day, the 357th had15 P-51Bs. The principle virtue of theB series was its improved powerplant: the Packard-built Rolls RoyceMerlin. These new motors offeredsuperb high-altitude performance,something badly lacking in theAllison powered P-51A. Outfittedwith two 75 gallon drop tanks, the P-

51B ensured an unprecedented radiusof action, allowing bomber escortmissions deep into the heart ofGermany. By mid-January, at leastone veteran squadron-the354th-hadused the new P-51B to full advantage.Soon the pilots of the 357th would geta chance to show their stuff.

Late in January, officers from the358th Fighter Group arrived inRaydon Wood andannounced that theywere to take overthe airbase. This wasnews to thecommanders of the357th, as they hadreceived no officialtransfer orders. In afew days, theresulting confusionsubsided as theorders wereconfirmed unequiv-ocally by the topbrass. It seemed there had been high-level debate concerning the best useof the P-51. Initially, all the P-51swere slated for the 9th Air Force tohelp in the upcoming invasion ofoccupied France; but General WilliamE. Kepner thought they would bebest used for bomber escort missionsinto Germany. His arguments wonout, and on January 14 the RAF andAAF agreed that the majority of theP-51s would go to the 8th Air Force.Hence, the 357th swapped their basein Raydon Wood for a base 40 milesaway, near a village named Yoxfordjust three miles from the coast of thechilly North Sea.

By February 5th, there were 74 P-51s on hand, bringing the 357thnearly to full strength, and making itthe first P-51 fighter group in the 8thAir Force. On February 9th theGroup, now a little more than a yearold, was placed on full operationalstatus, and its first mission was

scheduled for two days later.The Group's first few missionswere uneventful, except for one bailout over the North Sea due tomechanical failure. Lt. Robert W.Brown of the 262nd Squadron, unableto re-start his failed engine, jumpedfrom his cockpit at 6000 feet, strikinghis legs on the tail group as hefell away. It was his dubious

distinction to bethe first of many357th pilotsrescued by theRAF's vigilant AirSea Rescue service.Brown contractedpneumonia frombobbing in thefrigid water for 30minutes (twice thenormal survivaltime) with one legbroken and theother fairly

mangled. Soon after rescuers pulledhim into the boat he slipped into acoma, which lasted for more than twoweeks. Happily, Lt. Brown survived.

It wasn't until a change incommand that the 357th saw any realaction. On February 17, Lt. Col.Chickering was transferred andreplaced by Col. Henry R Spicer,formerly Executive Officer with the66th Fighter Wing. Col Spicer,sporting a fierce moustache, hadrisen rapidly through the ranks. Alieutenant when the war began, ittook him scarcely a year and a half tobecome a full colonel. A consummatepilot and undauntable man's-man,Col. Spicer checked out a P-51 for thefirst time on February 19. The nextday he flew a long combat mission toLeipzig, Germany.

Since the previous Autumn, planshad been underway to mount an all-out campaign to wipe out theGerman fighter force, or at least

4140

cripple it substantially, as aprerequisite for the coming invasionof Europe. Operation ARGUMENTemerged in November 1943 as themain plan through which this goalcould be achieved. The plan neededone week of clear weather for theheavy bombers to carry out asystematic series of attacks on theGerman aircraft factories. Theensuing wintermonths afforded nosuch favourableconditions. Then, onFebruary 19, 1944,word came downfrom the WeatherSection of the USAFthat clear weatherover central Europewas probable forthe next seven days,soon to be knownby the Allied forcesas"Big Week." Theoperations during Big Week weredirected at aircraft factories inGermany and occupied Poland. Thefirst day of the attack was an overallsuccess, with 941 heavy bombersdropping their loads at a cost of only21 killed. Against modest oppositionfrom the Luftwaffe, the pilots of the357th claimed just two enemyfighters destroyed and two damagedon the their first day of real action.Only four P-51s were damaged, allfrom flak.

Their next escort mission was moresuccessful in terms of kills, with atotal of seven Bf-109s brought down,including one by Col. Spicer; but theGroup paid the price of two pilots.Col. Spicer claimed two morevictories on February 24 on an escortmission to smash an Me-110 factoryin Gotha, establishing himself as thegroup leader in more ways than one.On the last day of Big Week, Col.Spicer lead 47 P-51s to Regensburg,

where they were scheduled torendezvous with bombers. Theunusually high number of aborts thatday illustrates some of the problemsoften faced by airmen of this era. Twopilots turned back because their wingtanks would not feed, one for a lostwing tank, one because his prop wasthrowing oil, two for rough engines,and one because he misread a hand

signal. The 362ndSquadron ran intoall the action thatday, scoring fivekills and losing twopilots.

It 's hard toaccurately gaugethe effects of BigWeek's concertedattacks on Germanfighter productionfacilities, but as itmarked thebeginning of full-

scale long range fighter escorts intoGermany, it represents a turningpoint in the air war over Europe. Farfrom beaten, the Luftwaffe remaineddangerous for months to come, but itwas unable to respond in significantnumbers to the Allied invasion fourmonths later. Importantly for the357th, that week marked theirinauguration into the war. Untried atthe beginning of the week, by week'send the group was well on its way tobeing a battle tested unit. It hadinflicted losses on the enemy, and ithad paid the price in its own losses.

On March 4, the 357th escorted oneformation of 31 B-17s to Berlin. Cloudcover was heavy, and thebombardiers used radar to targettheir ordnance, with insignificantresults. Against light fighterresistance, the 357th downed justthree enemy aircraft and lost onlyone P-51. As a bombing run, themission is barely worth mention; but

since it marks the first time U.SForces had struck the German capital,it's noteworthy in the records of theYoxford Boys. One day later, Col.Spicer, group commander forscarcely two weeks and already verypopular with the men for both hisleadership skills and his airmanship,would fly his last mission. The 8thFighter Command had called for the357th to escortbombers toBordeaux, France, avery long haul tosoutheast corner ofthe country. On thewhole, the missionwas a success, withmost of the bombersdropping their loadson target and the357th claiming sevenkilled and fourdamaged. Col. Spicerand his wingman, Lt.John Pugh of the 362nd Squadron,were heading back home from thebattle over the target area whenSpicer's P-51 was hit by flak. Spicerradioed his wingman that heintended to climb up as high as hecould and ride as far as possiblebefore bailing out.. When theMustang caught fire, the colonelbailed out and was picked up by theGermans, who sent him to a POWcamp. Toward the end of the war, thecolonel was sentenced to death foruncomplimentary remarks about hiscaptors. But the sentence was nevercarried out, and Spicer survived thewar.

That same mission to Bordeauxmarked the beginning of a harrowingepisode in the life of another hero ofthe 357th: First Officer CharlesYeager. Yeager, who had notched hisfirst kill the previous day, was hit in abrief engagement with enemyfighters and forced to bail out.

Wounded in both feet, he was pickedup by the French underground andspent three weeks in several Frenchhomes recuperating from hiswounds. Finally, he made it acrossthe border into Spain on March 28,with one companion, a Lt. Patterson.Patterson was hit in the leg by a rifleround during the escape, and Yeagerlater received the Bronze Star for

staying with hiswounded fellowescapee.

Meanwhile, theuntimely loss ofCol. Spicer did notpostpone theduties of the 357thfor even a day.The mantle ofcommand fell onthe shoulders ofthe DeputyCommander, Lt.Col. Donald W.

Graham, and on March 6, before hispromotion had been made official,Graham lead the group out on itsbiggest day yet. Believing that theskies would be clear, the HighCommand deemed it a perfect timefor a visual bombing of Berlin, theGerman capitol being all butunscathed by previous aerial attacks.Specifically, the bombers were afterthe Erkner Bearing plant, the BMWengine plant, and the Bosch electricalworks. But, as it turned out, the skiesover Berlin were cloudy, and the 1626tons of bombs brought by the 8thwere badly scattered across the city.Being the only fighter group in thearea, 48 pilots of the 357th bore thebrunt of a fierce Luftwaffe resistance.When the fighting was over, theyclaimed 20 enemy planes destroyedand suffered no losses, by far the bestshowing of any fighter group thatday. As it happened, a flight of fivefrom the 264th Squadron found

42 43

themselves at treetop level near theairfield at Ulzen after downing a loneBf-109. These five pilots took thisopportunity to strafe the airfield,including several aircraft, the controltower, and a nearby locomotivefor good measure. This was the357th s first successful ground attack,unplanned as it was.

Two days later, the Yoxford boysagain wereassigned to escort abox of bombers toBerlin. This timethe Luftwaffe putup a much weakerdefense. Totalclaims for the dayamounted to six,one of which wentto Major Thomas L.Hayes. The victory,plus two earlier109s and twoJapanese planesshot down in the Pacific Theatre,made him the first ace in the Group.Hayes was one of the five pilots whohad strafed the airfield at Ulzen theday before, which whetted hisappetite for ground attack. He leadhis flight down to deck again, wherehe and Capt. Glendon Davis V eachdestroyed a locomotive on the mainline west of Brandenburg.

During these early missions, someof those who would become theGroup's high scorers had begun toshow their ability. Lt. John Englandand Capt. Joseph Broadhead of thethe 362nd, Capt. Clarence Andersonand Lt. Donald Bochkay from the363rd, and Lt. Richard Peterson of the364th had all scored multiples, butnone had reached the mythicpinnacle of ace. The end of the firstmonth of operations showed claimsof 59-3-17 (59 destroyed, 3 probablydestroyed, and 17 damaged) in theair and 0-4-0 on the ground.

The Group got a week's respitein March, during which pilotsand ground personnel alike enjoyedthe unprecedented luxuries of amplesleep and unhurried breakfasts.The vacation ended on the 16thwith a mission to Munich. 42Mustangs set out, but by the time theGroup reached the rendezvous pointat Stuttgart ten pilots had

aborted becauseof mechanicalproblems, leavingonly 32 fightersto protect thebombers. It wasover Stuttgart thatmost of the combattook place. The357th took onsome 40 or moreMesserschmitts,Focke-Wulfs andDorniers. Beside the357th's now

characteristically lopsided victoryscore over the Luftwaffe (12 kills vs 2in this battle), most noteworthy onthis day was the triple scored byCapt. Jack Warren, who single-handedly shot down two Me-110sand one Bf-109. Coupled with twoprevious victories, these three killsmade Warren the first pilot to reachace status with all five scores as a35th pilot. March continued quietly,with frequent missions but littleaction. A few pilots increased theirkill totals, a few died from severeweather conditions, and the warcontinued.

On March 28th, the 362ndSquadron conducted its first strafingattack on an airfield, ten miles southof Paris. While less glamorous andknightly than dogfighting, strafingruns could be just as dangerous.Airfields surrounded by automaticweapons, competently manned, sawthe deaths of many fine pilots. Events

on March 29th, last mission of themonth, underscored the constantthreat posed by the elements. A fewseconds of poor visibility and amoment of uncertainty sometimeslead to disaster in the air. Soon aftertakeoff, while climbing throughovercast skies, two flights becamemixed and Lts. Gutierrez andMcGinley collided and crashed intothe Channel. AirSea Rescue unitswere on the scene inshort order butfound no survivors.To cap an alreadybad day, Lt. EdwinSutton did notreturn for unknownreasons.

April started offvery slowly. On the8th there was asortie with about 15German fightersover Brunswick. Five enemy planeswhere shot down. The eventualleading ace of the Group, the renownLeonard "Kit" Carson, shared his firstcareer victory that day with anotherflyer. Three days later, in the samefamiliar area, ensued one of the mostspirited and violent engagements ofthe entire air war. The battle was soconfusing that some of the many killswent unattributed. The fight startednear the target area after two Germanspotter planes picked up theformations at the enemy coast line onthe way in. As Luftwaffe fightersbegan to swarm around the bombers,a group of unwitting P-38s bouncedthe 357th while it was still information and carrying drop tanks.Luckily, there was no immediateharm, and the 52 Mustangs wereprepared to defend their chargeswhen 50 single-engine enemyfighters attacked from below while 8others attempted to create a diversion

by diving in from above. Instantly,the squadrons broke up into flightsand elements and went after theenemy planes. As battles swirledacross the skies, the still present P-38sgot involved in the melees, and itquickly became apparent that P-38pilots were operating on the theorythat" if it has one engine, shoot at it!"As the air battle moved to

Brunswick and onthe Magdeburg,several P-51s werefired on by P-38s,including onewhich was busydestroying a Bf-109that had just firedon a bomber crewdescending in theirparachutes. Thiswas a goodillustration of thedifficulty in

identifying friendor foe in the confused and rapidlychanging events of aerial combat.

Later in the month, the Allies'tireless bombing of German militarytargets and the favourable margin ofair-to-air combat victories appearedto be taking some of the bite out ofthe Luftwaffe. For two consecutivedays in mid-April, the group escortedbombing runs to Germany withoutopposition. These two"free"missions, coming on the heels ofsome of the most intense fightingexperienced by the Group thus far,had a calming effect on most of thepilots' nerves. But in every air force,regardless of uniform or nationality,there are a few pilots who thrive onthe thrill of combat, and these fewoften extend their tours voluntarily.John England, the Group's fourthleading scorer at the end of thewar, extended his tour five times,so attached was he to the exhilarationof air-combat.

4544

46To the large majority of fighter

pilots, however, it was a job to befinished as soon as possible. (Therewas at least one man who joined theprofession to impress a woman.) Tomost of them, a long combat missionwas a grueling experience. Strappedinto a seat for five to eight hours,usually with an oxygen maskrubbing the face raw, headcontinually on aswivel, oftenfighting bad weatherand temperamentalinstruments, sweat-ing out the flak- itwas tough on theaverage man'snerves, even whenthe Luftwaffe chosenot to fight. TheBerlin runscontinued into Maywith good results.The third full monthof operations ended on May 9th, andit was the most successful month todate for the Group, with 73destroyed, 3 probables, and 20damaged. The three month air totalswere 152-8-44.

By the early Spring of 1944, Alliedplanners had reached a decisionwhich would have a devastatingeffect Germany's ability to continuethe war-the"oil campaign" was aboutto begin. Well aware of theirprecariously low supply of petroleumproducts and of the vulnerability ofoil refineries, the Nazis had longfeared the coming attacks. Thecampaign was begun by the 15th AirForce during April, with the 8thscheduled to join in on April 21st. Butcontinuing bad weather delayed itsinitial participation until May 12th.Late as it was, it was a spectacularbeginning, with over 1,700 tons ofbombs falling with excellent resultson synthetic oil plants deep in

Germany and occupied Czechosl-ovakia. The Luftwaffe reactedviolently and in force, inflictingheavy losses (34) on the bombers. 100single engine fighters, in wavesof about 30, tore through thebombers and then reformed foranother pass. When the 357th arrivedthe 2nd wave of enemy fighterswere attacking. In the melee that

followed, ten Bf-109s and four Fw-190's were shotdown. Once again,the pilots of the357th acquittedthemselves adm-irably, losing onlytwo P-51s, the pilotof one surviving asa POW. Later in thethe month theyattacked targets inoccupied Poland forthe first time and

shot down a few Me 410s.

The latter part of May was as full ofaction as the former was devoid of it.Lt. Bob Foy, who with 20 kills wouldend the war two kills behind KitCarson, scored a triple on May 19thon a now familiar but seldom dullrun over Berlin.

On the 21st, the 357th set out on aride across Germany for its first"Chattanooga Choo-Choo" groundattack mission. For a change therewere no bombers to watch over, asthe job was to shoot up any groundtargets worthy of a burst of 50 calibreammo. The three squadrons split upNorth of Berlin and set out indifferent directions. Most of theflights encountered little or no enemyfire and merrily strafed whateverthey could find: train cars, airfields,oil trucks, etc. But one group stirredup a hornet's nest at TarnewitzAerodrome. Ground fire was soheavy that the flight had to head back

almost as soon as it arrived, and evenso two pilots were killed, three P-51swere lost, and some nine or tenaircraft returned with damage.

Except for the 26th of May, theGroup flew a mission every day forthe remainder of the month. Inaddition to continuing its campaignagainst Nazi oil, the 8th AirForce began lending assistanceto the tactical airforces in theirpreparation forOperation Overlord.This includedattacks onNormandy's heavilyfortified coastline,where airfields,com-municationsand transport lines,artillery em-placements stoodready. While largelyunmanned, thesetargets needed to be madeunserviceable in preparation for theAllied invasion of German occupiedFrance.

D-Day came on June 5th, 1944. The357th flew eight missions that dayand four the next, most withoutevent. The Luftwaffe was all butabsent from the fighting, and, as itbecame apparent that the tactical airforces could handle ground supporton its own, help from the 8th AirForce dwindled. The Luftwaffe'slimited resistance during the weekfollowing D-Day testifies to theeffectiveness of both OperationArgument and Overlord. Normandynow secure, the 357th continuedflying missions to France andGermany in an effort to furtherweaken the Nazi war machine.

After the 16th, the 357th returnedto its usual escort duties. Germanplanes were scarce for the most part,and the Luftwaffe squadrons who

braved combat usually fared badly.On the 20th the Group added a newtype to its list when two pilots shotdown a Fieseler Fi Storch. Thedowning of the inferior Storch by a P-51 is indicative of how the air warwas going and would continue to gofor the Nazis. Four days later, Lt.Nicholas Frederick became the first357th pilot to land at an Allied air

strip in France andthen fly home.Clearly, theGerman occupationforces were losingcontrol.

An historicmission occurredon June 29th, whenthe 8th Air Forceescorted 1150 B-17sand B-24s on abombing run overLeipzig. Manypilots scored

multiple kills against the Luftwaffe,and only 17 bombers were lost—noneto enemy fighters. In an enthusiasticmessage at the end of the day,General Kepner ("Old Man" of VIIIFighter Command, as he signed themessage) commended allgroups," particularly the 357th andthe 361st, for the most outstandingescort job ever performed." Withalmost five months of combat behindit, the 357th claimed 3841 /2 airplanesdestroyed, all but 27 in the air. Twopilots were on the ace list, withone Clarence Anderson at the top, fornow.

The Group spent the remainder ofthe year primarily on escort missions,which were becoming more andmore routine. Due to the poorer andpoorer turnout by a reelingLuftwaffe, the kills tapered offslightly; but by January of the nextyear the 357th had its 40th ace andheld the 8th and 9th Air Force record

47

for the most enemy aircraft shotdown in one day, with 56.5 kills onJanuary 14. On that historic day Capt.Chester Maxwell and Lt. RaymondW. Bank scored triples, and a host ofpilots scored double kills. Lt. Gen.Jimmie Doolittle, Commander ofthe 8th Air Force, recommendedthe 357th for a Distinguished UnitCitation:"You gave the hun themost humiliatingbeating he hasever taken inthe air. Extendmy personaladmiration andcongratulations toeach member ofyour command,both ground andair, for a superbvictory." At the endof one year inEngland the Groupscore stood at 545enemy aircraft destroyed in the airand 54 on the ground.

By February 1945 the Luftwaffewas dying under the steamroller ofoverwhelming Allied air power. Itwas short of everything exceptaircraft, the most critical shortagebeing aviation fuels and, as a result,the near elimination of training hoursand a drastic reduction in operationalflying. But contrary to the decliningactivity of the Luftwaffe as a whole,the frequent and aggressive attackson the bombers by Me-262s increasedmarkedly during March. The pilots ofthese jets made every effort to avoidcombat with escorting fighters,concentrating instead on the bomberboxes. To counter this new threat,new escort tactics were devised:Instead of the former loose perimeteraround the bomber boxes, thefighters now moved in closer to thebombers, permitting them to turninto attacking jets and drive them off

before they could break through. Itwas found also that the escort couldnot permit itself to be lured away inpursuit of the jets, because the latter,with their superior speed, were ableto turn back into the bombers,leaving the slower Mustangs farbehind.

On the 19th of March the Me-262sscored heavily on the B-17s, sending

four of them down.Col Evans' missionreport indicated19 chutes wereobserved from thefour bombers. ButMarch 24th showedthe return of Alliedsuperiority, as the357th scored 16 killswith no losses and agood number ofground targetsdestroyed duringan area patrol over

the Ruhr Valley. The 8th Air Forcecontinued its escort and strafingmissions, gradually reducing thenumber of functional Axisairfields.

As in many parts of the world, inmid-April there was considerabledismay at the death of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt; and memorialservices were held in the base chapelon the 15th. Across the Channel in.Europe, Hitler's Third Reich was.tottering and would soon fade into:history as another dark page. Withthe number of airfields available tothe Luftwaffe severely reduced, theremaining fields were packed withaircraft and provided lucrativetargets for strafing. One wasNeuruppin, about 40 miles north ofBerlin, where an estimated 150aircraft were dispersed in the woodsnorth of the field. The 357th arrivedon the scene just as the 339th FighterGroup and other assorted flights

finished beating up the area andquickly joined in the action. Col.Dregne, the last to leave the area,reported 50-60 fires burning at thattime; and claims submitted were for23 aircraft destroyed, including a loneHe 177. The description of this actiongives a good picture of the state ofthe war in early April- an almostdefenceless airdrome under attack byso many Alliedfighters that thebiggest danger forthe P-51 pilots wascollision.

In the daysfollowing, therewere escort missionson the 11th, 16thand 17th of April.That day Col.Dregne led 64 P-51sto Aussig, wherethe b o m b e r s hitthe chemical works.The 19th of April 1945 was the lasttime the 357th was to fire its guns inanger, and it was to be the Group'sbest day against the Me-262s. Itwas, appropriately enough, a bomberescort to Pirma, Czechoslovakia intwo formations led by Lt. Col. JackHayes. The Germans sent up a slewof Me-262s, but most of them avoidedcombat. And late in the afternoon ofApril 25, four Mustangs led by Lt. EdHyman in his"Rolla U-Bar" G4-Pflew the last wartime mission of the357th. Thirteen days later World War

II in Europe also ended.By the middle of July advance air

and ground parties had left forGermany and the Army ofOccupation. The move to an ex-Luftwaffe station at Neubiburg, nearMunich, spelled the end of the "old"357th. Great numbers of old-timersand officers began departing forhome. Because of the lack ofmaintenance personnel, the number

of P-51s in commission droppedto about ten. In August 1946, the357th Fighter Group reached the endof the line when deactivationorders became effective. Thefollowing day, the unit wasredesignated the 121st Fighter Groupand assigned to the Ohio NationalGuard. The orders concluded withthe statement that the 121st was

"entitled to history,battle honoursand any coloursearned by unitduring previousactive service. "Thepresent 121st TacticalFighter Wing, withhead-quarters atLock-bourne AirForce Base, is a fullycombat ready unitassigned to theTactical air

Command.In fifteen months of combat, the

accomplishments of the 357th FighterGroup had been varied and many. Ithad flown 318 combat missions andhad claimed 592-15-118 enemy planesin the air and 120-74 on the ground.Of the enemy planes destroyed in theair, 314 1/2 were Me 109s, 181 1/2were FW-190s and 20 wereunidentified in Group records,though most were 109s and 190s. Inaccomplishing these claims, 43 pilotsbecame air aces and 9 becameair /ground aces. Cold statisticalfigures cannot adequately picture thecost of these scores, but they do showthat it wasn't easy. A total of 144pilots were lost, either in action orthrough accidents, but almost half ofthem returned from prison campsafter the war. In June 1945 there were73 pilots known dead or still missingin action. This did not include the 13killed in training in the States. Maythey all rest in peace.

4948

50APPENDIX OF AIRPLANES:

North American P-51D MustangWithout a doubt the most famous fighter plane of World War II, the P-51Mustang was originally rejected by the USAAF. It was originally designed andbuilt as a ground attack aircraft for the RAF. North American's presidentpromised the British a fighter superior to the P-40, in spite of its being powered bythe same engine. And he was able to deliver on that promise because of the P-51'srevolutionary new airframe. On its first test flight the Mustang exceeded the topspeed of the P-40 by a full 25 mph. The RAF got its first P-51s in November of1941, but before North American could go ahead and sell them to the British theUSAAF wanted to take a look at them. But after extensive testing by experiencedcombat pilots (who unanimously favoured the new fighter), the USAAF did notplace an order.

The Mustang's one shortcoming lay in its Allison motor, which performed poorlyat medium to high altitudes, where most air-combat took place. For this reason,the RAF outfitted its first Mustangs with cameras and used them forreconnaissance. Realizing that the superior airframe of the Mustang was beingcheated of its full potential by a sub-standard motor, in November of 1942 theRAF sent five of them to Rolls-Royce to be outfitted with the best Merlinsupercharged engines. Predictable as the result might have been, the airplaneastonished pilots and engineers alike. The marriage had produced a plane at least50 mph faster (440 mph), with a much swifter rate of climb and a substantiallygreater range. Equipped with drop-tanks, the P-51D could traverse up to 2,300miles, making it ideal for long range escort. Its six .50 calibre machine guns madeit both a formidable opponent in the air, and an effective troop and airfield strafer.Also, the Mustang could carry 2000 lbs. in bombs, and it was occasionally calledupon to do so. Mainly, though, the P-51 Mustang was an awesome fighter. In thecourse of its service in Europe Mustang pilots destroyed nearly 9,100 enemyaircraft both in the air and on the ground-a full 49 percent of all his lost aircraft,not counting the some 230 V-l "buzz-bombs" it shot down. So fast and agile wasthe fighter that it even notched several victories over Germany's first jet-aircraft.After the war, the Mustang saw duty in Korea, where it performed well until theMiGs showed up.

Specifications: Type: Single-seat fighter; Power plant: One 1,590 hp Packard-builtRolls-Royce Merlin V-1650-7 liquid-cooled engine;Wingspan: 37.0 ft; Length: 32.2 ft; Height: 13.7 ft; Weight: 7125 lbs; Maximum Speed:437 mph; Climb: 3,475 ft/min; Ceiling: 41,900 ft; Range: 950 to 2,300 miles;Armament: Six Browning MG53-2 machine-guns in wings.

57

P-51 Mustang

52 Hoeing B-17F Flying FortressOriginating as a private venture by Boeing, the B-17 got off to a shaky start whenthe prototype crashed on takeoff in military trials. But evidence showed thathuman error was to blame, and the USAAC placed a small order in 1936. The firstB-17 powered by a turbocharged engine was the B-17B, 39 of which the USAACtook delivery of in 1938. As war became imminent in Europe, the RAF ordered 20versions of the subsequent B-17C, which they tested and helped improve. Thenext two models had better armour and self-sealing gas tanks.It was the B-17F that best befitted the appellation"flying fortress". It carried one.30 inch and twelve .50 inch guns positioned from nose to tail, and up to 17,600 lbsof bombs. Despite its heavily armoured airframe and wealth of defensiveweaponry the B-17F suffered severe losses against the Luftwaffe fighters overGermany, where it bore the brunt of U.S. daylight bombing missions. Numerousvariations on the Flying Fortress cropped up, including transports, air-sea rescueaircraft, even pilotless, radio-controlled bombers. In all, more than 12,700 B-17swere built.Specifications: Type: High altitude bomber; Power Plant: Four 1,200 hp Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone nine-cylinder radials with exhaust driven turbochargers.Wingspan: 103.8 ft; Length: 73.8 ft; Height: 19.1 ft; Weight: 31,150 lbs (loaded);Maximum Speed: 317 mph; Ceiling: 35,000 ft; Range: 1,100 miles; Armament: 13 0.50machine-guns and 17,600 lbs in bombs.

B-17 Fortress

54

Focke-Wulf EW.190

Focke-Wulf FW-190 A-8Patterned after the Hughes racer which had broken the air-speed record in theU.S., the FW-190 was a marvel in compact design. The bulky but reliable air-cooled radial engine posed a challenge to engineers, whose task it was to reducedrag and increase manoeuvrability; and the engineer, Kurt Tank, succeededadmirably. What he and his team came up with was a very small, light-weight,all-metal fighter-bomber capable of carrying heavy armament. Indeed, it was themost heavily armed single-engined fighter of its day. Although the first 190s werein service before the war began, the RAF knew not of their presence. Their firstappearance in the air-war over France in 1941 caused a great deal of alarm to theAllies. Not only was the FW-190 a far superior fighter to the Spitfire V, but it out-numbered her as well. Curiously, it never supplanted the Me-109, which it wasdesigned to replace.Not until the Mustang arrived on the scene did the Allies have an effectivecounter to the FW-190A, versions of which first appeared in June, 1941. The lastversion of the A-series, the 190A-8, was produced in greater numbers than any ofthe previous sub-types and modified to accommodate a power-booster, whichcould be used for ten minutes at a time at five minute intervals. The onlydrawback of the A-8 was its relatively poor handling at high altitudes, and for thisreason it served mostly as a ground-attack aircraft. Of all the Luftwaffe's differentweapons, the FW-190 in its dozens of versions had the greatest utility. It wasadapted to long-range missions, to fire anti-ship weapons and 21 cm. mortars,and to a dozen other purposes. There was even a ramming sub-type outfittedwith armoured leading edges. Arguably, it represented the crowningachievement of German aerial combat technology.

Specifications: Type: Single-seat fighter-bomber; Power Plant: One 1,700 hp BMW801 Dg 18-cylinder two-row radial engine; Wingspan: 34.5 ft; Length: 29.0 ft; Height:13.0 ft; Weight: 7,055 lbs; Maximum Speed: 408 mph; Climb: 2,350 ft/min; Ceiling:37,400 ft; Range: 497 miles; Armament: Two 13mm MG 131 machine-guns aboveengine, four 20mm MG 151 /20 cannon in wings.

55

Messerschmitt BM09G GustovBy far the most important fighter in the Luftwaffe's potent arsenal, the first Bf-109came off the line in 1935 and subsequently developed during operations in theSpanish Civil War, where 109s dominated the air. Perhaps the most advancedaircraft of its day, the Me-109 was one of the first low-wing monoplanes. Thedefinitive 109E was ready in great numbers by the time Germany invaded France,and time and time again it showed its superiority over all of its opponents, savethe Spitfire. The 109G enjoyed a fuel-injected power plant, which improved itsperformance greatly. As g-forces became greater, fuel-flow to the motor becamemore and more of a concern for pilots engaged in dogfights. Naturally, fuel-injection eliminated that problem.An outstanding fighter in its own right, the Bf-109 occasionally carried bombs.Along with two 7.9 mm machine guns on the engine crankcase and oneformidable 20 mm cannon firing through the airscrew hub, it could be made todeliver 1000 lbs. worth of payload. But it was used mainly as a fighter, andoccasionally as an escort. However, as an escort for slower bombers it ran intotrouble. The 109's greatest virtue was its manoeuvrability at high speeds, in the350 mph range. At slower speeds other fighters, such as the Spitfire and theHurricane, could out-turn it; so in a sense it was too fast to be a reliable escort.Specifications: Type: Single-seat fighter; Power Plant: One Daimler-Benz DB605AM inverted-V-12 liquid-cooled engine rated at 1,475 horse power for take offand 1,355 h.p. at 18,700 ft.; Wingspan: 32.5 ft; Length: 29 ft; Height: 8.2ft; Weight:5,893 lbs; Maximum Speed: 428 mph; Climb: 4,000 ft/min; Ceiling: 38,000 ft; Range:460 miles; Armament: Two 13mm cannon MG-131 machine-guns above engine,one 20mm MG-151 cannon in propeller hub.

57

Messerschmitt ME-109

56

58Messerschmitt Me-110G ZerstorerThe Me-110 represented one of the best of many mostly unsuccessful attempts byvarious nations to answer the need for a long-range escort fighter capable ofbattling the smaller, single-seaters. The intention behind the Me-110 was to build.1 fast, heavily armed two- or three-seater that made up in firepower what it lost inmanoeuvrability. The concept might have been sound, but no plane including theMe-110 fulfilled the theory's promise. A pilot coming up against an Me-110B hadto contend with two 20 mm. nose-mounted cannons, four 8 mm nose-mountedmachine guns, and one 8 mm machine gun in the rear of the cockpit. But mostsingle-seaters could outmanoeuvre it well enough to minimize the advantage ofits superior armament.

Until the Battle of Britain the Me-110 had made a good accounting of itself, butwhen it came up against Hurricanes and Spitfires its woeful inadequacies wereimmediately apparent. Before long Me-109s had to escort the M-110s which inturn escorted the bombers. Such a ridiculous state of affairs pointed up both the110s shortcomings and the Luftwaffe's growing disorganization and ineptitude.The one area in which the Me-110G cannot be justly maligned was in its role as anight-fighter. Its powerful weaponry wreaked destruction on countless Alliedbombers when their escorts were least effective.Specifications: Type: Three-seat fighter; Power Plant: One 1,100 hp Daimler-BenzDB 601A engine; Wingspan: 53.3 ft; Length: 42.8 ft; Height: 13.7 ft; Weight: 4,330 lbs;Maximum Speed: 342 mph; Climb: 2,255 ft. min; Ceiling: 32,800 ft; Range: 520 miles;Armament: Two 30mm Mk 108 cannons, one MG 151 cannon and one 7.9mm MG81Z twin machine gun.

Messerschmitt ME-110

59

60

Messerschmitt ME 262A-la

Messerschmitt Me-262 SturmvogelAnother example of bureaucratic interference and delinquency on the part of theGerman High Command came in its treatment of the Me-262. Hitler was obsessedwith the idea of having the supreme, jet-powered bomber, when what he reallyneeded was a fighter that could deal effectively with the myriad Allied bombersvisiting daily devastation on Germany's industrial complex. Had the Sturmvogelbeen introduced in time and in sufficient numbers, it could well have re-taken theskies over Germany and helped prolong the war.While Hitler undoubtedly wasted precious time insisting that the Me-262 bedeveloped as a bomber, there were other problems which held it back,particularly in the development of a reliable turbojet engine. The project began in1938, but the first flight-cleared turbojets did not arrive until the November, 1941,and even these proved faulty. In spite of the technological problems and a certainamount of apparent official indifference, which might have actually been politicalovercaution, in 1944 the Sturmvogel succeeded in being the first turbojetwarplane to engage enemy aircraft. But then it was too late to make much of adifference. Its virtues were simple: superior speed and powerful armament. As aninterceptor is was unparalleled. Indeed, it marked the beginning of a new age inaircraft. Fast enough at better than 540 mph to obviate the need for dogfighting, itcarried four 30 mm cannons, which packed enough wallop to down the stoutestAllied bombers. Only 100 or so actually saw operations, and of these only ahandful were shot down, while the rest sent down far more than 100 opposingaircraft.

Specifications: Type: Single-seat fighter: Power Plant: Two 1,980 lb thrust JunkerJumo 004B single-shaft axial turbojets; Wingspan: 41.0 ft; Length: 34.8 ft; Height:12.6 ft; Weight: 8,820 lbs; Maximum Speed: 540 mph; Climb: 3,940 ft/min; Ceiling:37,565 ft; Range: 652 miles; Armament: Four 30mm MK108 cannon in wings.

61

62

B-24H Liberator

Consolidated Vultee B-24 LiberatorThe Liberator was conceived five years after the B-17 and, while inferior to theolder bomber in some respects, was produced in staggering numbers. Indeed, theindustrial effort behind it far exceeded that of any previous aircraft. It'sperformance advantages over the B-17 were marginal at best, and at top speed itwas actually harder to control, posing problems for the average pilot. Still, it had alonger range than any plane of its day, being was the first to cross the mid-Atlantic gap, where schools of German U-boats lurked.It had a distinctive design, with a slender Davis wing situated above deep bombbays. This wing was ideal for cruising which, along with its enormous fuelcapacity, accounts for its terrific range. The"Lib's" great size necessitated that itscorrespondingly long gears be retracted outward by electric motors. In fact, justabout everything on board was operated electrically. The first versions were sentto the RAF, who deemed them unready for combat and used them to start theAtlantic Return Ferry Service. But improved defenses soon brought it into action,and by war's end more than 2,738 Liberators served US Bomber Groups inEurope and the Pacific. The B-24 saw action on every front in WWII for 15 alliednations. More versions were produced than any other plane, and total productionexceeded 19,200. The accomplishments of these Liberators justified such numbers,and lent credence to its moniker.

Specifications: Type: Long-range bomber with normal crew of 10; Power Plant:Four 1,200 h.p. Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder two -towradials; Wingspan: 110 ft.; Length: 62.2 ft.; Height: 18 ft.; Weight: 37,000 lbs.;Maximum Speed: 290 mph; Climb: 900 ft/min; Ceiling: 28,000 ft.; Range: 2,200 miles;Armament: Ten .50 inch Browning machine guns and 8,000 lbs in bombs.

63

PROBLEMS WITH THE GAME?If you are having a problem installing or playing the game, we want to help.

First, please make sure you have read the installation and start-up section of your manualthoroughly, and make sure you have at least 1.5 megabytes free on your hard disk. If youhave followed the directions in the documentation, and are still having trouble installingor operating the software, here are some hints that might help solve the problem. Beforeattempting any of the following suggestions, please make sure you are familiar with theDOS commands being used. Consult your DOS manual for more information.

TSRs/Device Drivers/DOS shellsTSR stands for Terminate Stay Resident. A TSR is a program, like SideKick® thatautomatically executes itself when you start up your computer from a hard drive. Theyare generally installed in your autoexec.bat file. Device Drivers and DOS shells also areloaded automatically. They are usually installed in your config.sys file.

These TSRs or Device drivers sometimes interfere with games, or take up valuablememory the game may need, and it is generally recommended that you not run any suchprograms, device drivers, or shells when attempting to install or play a game.

DOS Boot DiskIf you are having trouble installing, experiencing unusual lockups, or other problems thatdo not appear normal, we suggest you try starting up your system with a DOS Boot disk.Here are the steps for creating a DOS boot disk. Please follow these steps exactly.

1. To create a DOS disk you will need a blank disk the same size as your A: drive.

2. Type C: and press Enter.

3. Place the blank disk into drive A:

4. Type FORMAT A: /s and press Enter. Note: If you are formatting low density diskson a high density drive, use the following commands:

5.25 inch low density disk: FORMAT A: /s /n:9 /t:40

3.5 inch low density disk: FORMAT A : / s / n : 9 / t : 8 0

You will be prompted to insert a blank disk into drive A. Do so if you haven't. Pressthe Enter key when you are ready.

5. Once the disk is finished formatting you will be asked whether you wish to formatanother or not. Answer N and press Enter.

6. You now have a DOS boot disk. You can start your computer from this disk byinserting it into the A: drive and restarting your machine. Your computer will bootup to the A: prompt. This boot disk bypasses the autoexec.bat and config.sys on yourhard drive and starts up your computer in as clean a DOS environment as possible.Try re-installing the software if you were having trouble doing so, or try starting thesoftware from the drive and directory you installed to. If the software you are tryingto run requires a sound driver or mouse driver, don't forget to execute those beforestarting your game.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

BRIAN HILCHIEBrian was born in 1962 in Sarnia, Ontario, though he has lived most of his life inthe Ottawa area. He received a bachelors degree in mathematics and computerscience from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ont., as did his brother andone sister. His other sister has a degree in fine arts. While at university he lost hismind and wrote a C compiler and development system for the Commodore 64and 128 which was sold under the names C Power by Pro-Line Software andPower C by Spinnaker. After an ill conceived attempt at a masters degree inartificial intelligence, he joined Aero Animation in Ottawa where he worked on a "number of games including Thud Ridge. At Aero he met Dan Hoecke, withwhom he later became a partner. In his spare time he enjoys bicycling, reading,music, and movies.

DAN HOECKE

In 1981, Dan was managing the Graphics Department of Ottawa's NabuManufacturing, when he first began designing graphics for video games. Heknew immediately that this was more fun than producing brochures. Soon hewas designing game graphics and package artwork at Sydney Development forthe Atari CVS and Colecovision Games machines. These included Colecovisionconversions of Activision's"River Raid" and"Keystone Kapers". Graphics forCommodore 64 titles soon followed which included the best selling"Quest forTires" and"Grog's Revenge", based on cartoonist Johnny Hart's"B.C." comicstrip."Quest for Tires" won Billboard's top award for best use of Graphics andSound. Other titles followed such as"Desert Fox","Dambusters" and severaleducational products, based on the"Wizard of Id" comic strip, such as"Wiztype"and"Wizmath".

Newly formed Aero Animation was Dan's next stop and here he worked ongames such as"Divebomber" for Amiga, Atari and Dos computers. He met BrianHilchie while teamed on"Thud Ridge" and in 1989 they formed MidnightSoftware Inc. Dan and his wife Christine have an six year old daughter, Erin, anda five year old son, Kael. They live in Nepean, just outside of Ottawa, Ontario,Canada.