Game Controls You can pause the simulation at any time by pressing the Pause/ Break key (toggle). The Home key will speed up the simulation 2, 4 or 8 times. The End key will slow down the simulation (if things are happening too quickly) 2, 4, 8 times. Once in the air and in formation, the B-17 will head for the target, perform the mission to the best of the crews current ability/initiative, defend itself against any attack, and try to return home and land. If you want to skip large chunks of time when nothing important is happening, press the Return/Enter key to Time Skip. You cannot skip when there is an important game event happening (flak attack, fighter activity etc). You need not do anything if you dont want to. But the fun of this simulation is that you can jump into any position and take over manual control of that job! Similarly, you can jump into the escort and enemy fighter cockpits and dogfight with your enemy. Or, you can simply admire the views of the aircraft crossing a fully mapped Northern Europe! In this tutorial guide well jump into a variety of positions. You should still be in external view, in the B-17 squadron formation. Skip time (press Return/Enter) as much as you can to speed up the getting there procedure. If you are unable to skip time that means that a game event is happening, such as escort fighters scrambling, flak firing or enemy fighters engaging you in combat. Now lets look at the Pilot and Co-Pilot controls. Return to the Pilots Compartment view by pressing F1. You should be on the flight deck just behind the Pilot and Co-Pilot. (If you are not press key 3 and select Compartment View from the right hand pop-up menu.) Select the Pilot (if hes not already selected) by clicking on the figure on the left. All members of the crew have their own set of specific views. The Pilot has an Action view (accessed by pressing key A) which drops you into his seat looking out of the front window (and left/right in the cockpit), and an Instrument view (press key I) showing the fully functioning cockpit dials and switches/levers. All these views can also be accessed via the View Menu panel by hovering the mouse cursor on the central right edge of the screen.
In addition, some crew positions have additional instrument views that relate to their jobs. The Pilot and Co-Pilot have specific zoomed-in instrument views (F5, F6, F7, F8 and F9). Press key A to access the Pilots Action view. Look left/right in the cockpit using the joystick hat or Camera view keys. Press key I to access the Instrument view.
This is a fully functioning B-17 cockpit with dials, switches, levers etc all working. If you hover the mouse pointer on a switch or lever a tooltip will show what it does. Press F5 or F9 to see the Co-Pilots instruments. Press F6 to see the close-up engine dials. Press F7 or F8 to see the close-up Pilots dials/switches.

Press key F2 to get an exterior view of the B-17.
In Bomber Commander mode, only one bomber can be selected out of the six in the squadron. In the Squadron Commander game you can select all six bombers. Your B-17 will be centred in the middle of the screen. To access the fighters, hover your mouse pointer on the extreme right side of the mid-screen. This area will show a pop-up menu with a white icon representing your B-17, your fighters (if there are any on your mission) and the enemy fighters types (if there are any around).
If there are any friendly fighters around, click on the icon to jump to an outside view of the fighter. Press F1 to enter the cockpit of the fighter. Press key M to take control of the fighter and fly around (be careful and check the keyboard/joystick controls on the Reference Card).
Take a moment to examine the detailed cockpit and fully functioning dials, levers and joystick. Press the camera keys to view the virtual cockpit. Press key F2 to go to the outside view (youll still be in control!) Press key M to return to AI control. Return to your B-17 by accessing the B-17 icon in the pop-up panel. Press F1 to go back into your B-17.

Crew Management

Youve now looked over the basic areas of the bomber simulation. Now lets look at aspects of crew management that youll need to know when things get rough and you experience casualties or emergencies such as fires. Depending on their level of initiative set up, crew can be told to takeover other crew positions, and made to perform certain actions in emergencies (apply first aid, unjam guns, take over in case someone panics etc.). If all else fails, they can be ordered to bail out! Make sure youre in the nose section in the Compartment view (you can see the figures of the Bombardier and the Navigator).
Select the Bombardier by clicking on him and check that he is highlighted. Place your mouse cursor on the Bombardier and right click.

Icon Rose

This will open an Icon Rose. All the icons in the circle are instructions you can issue to individuals; all 10 crew in the B-17 can be given these types of orders (but they do vary depending on the job). Place your mouse cursor on a few of the icons and read the pop-up tooltips associated with these icons.
The central icon is the instruction you are issuing (such as Move To a different position). If you click on the central icon the instruction will change (Give First Aid, Repair, Use, Bail Out etc). If you select Give First Aid and you see a portrait (or portraits) with a red cross on that means there is a crewman who requires first aid. Click on the injured crew portrait and the selected crewman will go to him and help. If there is a fire additional icons with pop-up tooltips will show which fire extinguishers can be used in what compartments. Remember to put out fires as soon as you get a warning (or see smoke). Fire is your worst enemy aboard the B-17! The Bombardier also has control of the Chin Turret thats located just under his bombsight station. This is useful when he has completed the bomb run and can function as a defensive gunner on the dangerous journey back home. Now, lets change his job to that of a chin turret gunner. Right click on the Bombardier and open the icon rose. The central icon will be the Move To (walking man) order (if it isnt then right click on it until it is). Move your mouse cursor to the top of the rose and click on the Chin Turret icon (the pop-up tooltips will confirm this) and left click.

Mission 6: Gunnery

You are in the air above the airbase at an altitude of 12,000 feet and an airspeed of 150mph IAS. The Navigator is in his alternative position on the Cheek gun. You must shoot at a target B-17. It will come up alongside you in various positions to cover all gun positions. You should experiment with leading a target and the effects of range on bullet arcs. You must hit the bomber with 50 rounds from each position but dont worry about doing any damage all guns are loaded with special paint rounds. You will begin in the Top Turret position. Press key M to take control (of Bombardier). 1. Wait for the target B-17 to appear. 2. Aim and fire. When 50 hits are recorded you will not be able to fire anymore and have to move on. 3. Press F2 to get an outside view of the B-17. 4. Press [ to select the target B-17 and use the Camera keys to look at the colourful damage. 5. Press [ to select your B-17 and press F1 to return to Chin Turret station. 6. Repeat the above for all gun positions in this order: Chin Turret, Cheek Gun, Top Turret, Ball Turret, Left Waist Gun, Right Waist Gun and Tail Gun. 7. When you have succeeded in hitting the B-17 with all guns the mission will end. All Training Missions will be debriefed. You will be told in the Debriefing File if you have achieved the required competence.

The Quickstart Missions

These Quickstart missions all have limited objectives and are specially designed for a quick blast of realistic flight combat action when time is short. Select New Game. Select Choose a Quickstart Mission (the top panel on the right) and flip the Continue switch.
You will be shown a list of missions in the panel at the top of the screen. Scroll down the list (by clicking and dragging the slider on the right) to review all the missions available.

Mission 1: Limping home

You are flying a B-17 as part of the low element of your squadron on a mission to Berlin. Over the target you were hit by flak, damaging you quite badly. Limping home you were savaged by a group of Bf-109s who were driven away by your faithful fighter escort. You made it home to your airbase and are just performing the flight checks for landing when you realise that your undercarriage has been badly shot up! You now have to plan and execute an emergency landing.
Mission 2: Attack of the Axis
In this mission you must endure a savage attack by German fighters against your formation. Luckily you have little friends along for the ride, but they will be outnumbered and in many cases the only thing between you and the long drop will be the guns of your formation. A full formation of B-17s, minus one that has been shot down, accompanies your bomber. A formation of P-51s is riding shotgun, in their usual position about 1,000 feet higher than the bombers. They have just arrived and none have been engaged so they have their drop tanks and full ammo loads.

Player Options

Click on the icon to get access to Controls, Realism, Difficulty, Sound, Graphics and Save Menus. You can also access this Options screen by pressing ESC at any time.
Click on the icon to play a new game. A red warning light will be lit to show your selection.

Load Game

Click on the icon to load a previously saved game. A red warning light will be lit to show your selection.

Replay Intro

Click on the icon to view the initial screen sequences. After the animations are over you will return to this menu. You can also select the icons by clicking and dragging on the on-screen central dial.

Continue Switch

Once you have made your selection flip the Continue Switch (lower right) to carry on with the game set up.

Quit Switch

Click on the Quit switch (lower left) to exit the game.

PLAYER OPTIONS MENU

The Player Options menu gives you access to Controls, Realism, Difficulty, Sound, Graphics and Save menus.

Controls Graphics

Sound Realism/Difficulty Load/Save

The Controls Menu

The simulation will automatically detect if you have a joystick attached to your PC and will make this the intelligent default. Some joysticks have extra controls (R-axis or throttle) if these exist on your joystick they will be in force. You can of course re-assign most controls to suit your style of play.

Control Keys Assigned

The panel on the left shows a complete list of simulation controls. If you select one of the items (for example, Parking Brake On) the panel on the right shows the key or key combination required to activate that item. If other types of controls are possible (such as Joystick Buttons or Joystick Axis) then these are shown.
Assigning Joystick Buttons To assign a joystick button, highlight Activate: (Not Assigned) and click. The software will scan for a control input. Press the joystick button you want to use and this will be detected and shown. Assigning Joystick Axis If you want to assign a control thats based on the joystick axis movement, highlight the control (for example Pitch (Nose Up/Down) and, in the right hand panel click on the line below Axis.

Click on the files to go to read the specific reports.
Each B-17 has the following files associated with it:
Mechanical File Click on the file to open it. Here you will see bomber details including summaries of essential/ recommended repairs and maintenance. If you click on the right hand page you will see a form that allows you to order the aircraft to be scrapped for parts and to replace it with a new aircraft. If the B-17 is in a bad state of repair you will have to sign it off and ask for a replacement. You must click on the signature line at the bottom of the page. Click on the bonnet to close the file. Crew Management File Click on the file to open the file. This will give you all details about that bombers crew. On the front page is a summary of crew names and their specific positions (marked as Xs) with an indication of other specialist crew positions they could be assigned to successfully. Click on the right hand page to turn the page and you will see more details of the first member of the crew, including morale and skill levels for the key emergency tasks Gunnery, Piloting, Bomb Aiming, Navigation, First Aid and Technical. Get to know your crew and understand their strengths and weaknesses; particularly who would be useful to double up on a crew position and who is good at Technical or First Aid. You can also assign a crewmember to Ground Duties (for example, you might think his morale is too low). Click on the Ground Duties box to make the slash into a cross. A rookie will take his place and he will be shown in the Crew Replacement File. Click on the bonnet to close the file. Crew Replacement File Click on the file cover to open. This file only contains ex-flight crew that you have put there rookie replacements will always be provided to fill in any gaps but will leave when crew member is recovered. Click on the bonnet to close the file. Next Bomber When you have finished inspecting the first bomber, click on the Keys/Hat/Gloves to return to the Clipboard and inspect the other bombers in the Squadron in the same way.
When you have finished inspecting all the B-17s, click away from the Clipboard to return to the HQ Corridor. From the HQ corridor, return to the Operations room to continue planning the mission.
Clipboard - Choose Bombers for the Mission Click on the left-hand clipboard to assign the 6 aircraft for the bombing mission. You will see be shown a list of the bombers available. The other bombers not chosen will have crews who are being rested or are too badly damaged to take part (after a number of missions). Click on the selected column for the B-17s you want to go on that mission (the slash/symbol will become a cross). Click away from the clipboard to return to the Ops Room. Ordnance - Select Munitions for the Mission Now youll need to select the type of bombs to drop on the selected target(s). Click on the Ordnance File (the book in the middle of the desk) to open the Mission Ordnance Selection. This will determine what type of bomb load the B-17s will be carrying on this mission. Most of the targets can be hit with General Purpose Bombs but some will need Incendiary, Armour Piercing or Anti-Personnel ordnance. General Purpose bombs are the most commonly carried ordnance on 8th Airforce missions. Also known as Demolition bombs, they are used to break open multi-storey buildings and destroy other structures. GP bombs come in a variety of sizes in general harder targets require larger bombs. As a target becomes more armoured, General Purpose bombs achieve less and less, soon the size of bomb required to damage a target becomes prohibitive. This is when Armour Piercing and Semi-Armour Piercing bombs come into play. Both these types of bombs devote more of their weight to heavy casing, sacrificing explosive charge for the ability to penetrate far more steel and concrete. Armour Piercing bombs should be saved for heavily armoured targets, such as Submarine Pens or the largest factories. Much of their explosive weight has been converted to steel penetrator, so although they inflict massive damage to armoured targets, they have little explosive radius in relation to their overall weight. Semi-Armour Piercing bombs represent a halfway house. Roughly between General Purpose and Armour Piercing, they represent a good compromise solution if, for example, your Primary target is armoured, but your secondary target is not, and you wish to hedge your bets.

The Crew

Lets take a tour of the B-17 crew positions and compartments. Press F1 to move from exterior view to the B-17 interior view. You will begin in the Pilots compartment view looking at the Pilot and Co-Pilot. There are several different ways to select your crew and their specific views. On most internal screens you will be able to access the following:
Crew Portrait Panel (pop up menu) Hover the mouse pointer at the top of the screen and the Crew Portrait Panel will pop up. This shows the portraits of the ten crew positioned in the B-17. If you hover the mouse pointer over a picture you will see a name.
Click on a portrait to select and jump to that crewman.
Crew Position Panel (pop-up menu) This is another pop-up menu but this time it accesses the B-17 station not the man but if the position is not filled (for example, theres no one manning the Cheek Gun) you will not be able to access it. Note: Positions filled by wounded crewmen will also vanish from this panel making it an excellent way to judge the gaps in your gun coverage. Hover the mouse pointer to the left of the screen and the Crew Position Panel will appear showing icons of all ten jobs on board. Click on one of these jobs to jump to the action view for this crew position. This is very useful if you want to jump to different action stations quickly (for example in air combat). Note: These positions (plus an eleventh Cheek Gun action position) are also accessible from the keyboard keys: `. Bombardier; 1. Navigation; 2. Cheek Gun; 3. Pilot; 4. Co-Pilot; 5. Top Turret Gun/Engineer; 6. Radio Operator; 7. Left Waist Gun; 8. Right Waist Gun; 9. Ball Turret Gun; 10. Tail Gun.
Aircraft Crew Sight Dial Window
Crew Views Panel (pop-up menu) All crew positions in B-17 have a number of different views available. These are accessible through the Crew Views pop-up menu and keyboard shortcuts. If there are two or more crew shown in the compartment, the views will refer to the selected crew member (highlighted by a white border). Hover the mouse pointer on the extreme right side of the screen (about mid-screen) and a panel of icons will pop-up that allow you to access those views for a specific crewmember. Note: Some crew will not have all of these views available to them.
The Aircraft Icon External View (key F2) By clicking on the top icon (or pressing key F2) you will jump to the external view of the aircraft and be able to access all the 3D camera controls (see Reference Card). Press F1 to return to the internal crew position. The Crew Icon Compartment View (key C) Clicking on the crew icon (or pressing key C) will show the Compartment View. This is a general view of the section of the B-17 that your selected crewman is located in. There may be another crewman shown but the one selected will be highlighted with a white border. The Sight Icon Action View (key A) By clicking on the sight icon you will enter the Action View for that crewman. For example, for the pilot this will be looking through the front windshield; for the Gunners it will be the sight/machine gun view etc. The Dial Icon Instrument View (key I) This will show any instrument view and will vary depending on the crewman selected. For example, the Bombardier will have a general view of his Norden bombsight with adjustable dials. Note: Additional Instrument Views also exist for some crew that can be accessed by pressing the spacebar. Window Icon Window View (key W) This shows a view of the external world seen by the crewman through the nearest window.

Window Icon Window View (key W) The Navigators Window view is a simple view of the 3D world looking out over the port engines (1, 2).

The Bombardier

The ultimate aim of any mission is effective and accurate bombing of a strategic target. Mission success depends on the Bombardier and what he achieves in a short space of time over the target. When he takes over control of the aircraft on the bombing run he is the commander and remains so until he signals bombs away. The Bombardier must understand his bombsight, all his bombing equipment and instruments, and must be thoroughly trained in target identification. During a bomb run the Bombardier looks through a sighting telescope to locate the target. The bombardier inputs bomb load and altitude data, then sets the telescope sight over the target. The base of the sight is gyrostabilised and, by keeping the telescope on the target, aircraft movement information is fed into the sighting computer. The computer produces course correction signals that are channelled into the pilots panel. When the bomber is close to the target, the sight telescope is almost vertical and the computer calculates that the release angle has been reached, a series of electronic contacts are closed and the drop bombs signal lights automatically. When the angle is exactly right, the bombs will be dropped automatically. The Norden bombsight channels data directly into the autopilot and the bomb aimer effectively flies the plane by fine adjustment of the sighting telescope. The main disadvantage of this sight is that it needs at least 20 seconds of non-deviational flight and loses accuracy if fire and smoke obscure the target.
Aircraft Icon External View (F2 key) Jump to the external aircraft view. Press key F1 to return. Crew Icon Compartment View (key C) The Bombardiers Compartment View is the same as the Navigators (see above). Sight Icon Action View (key A) The Bombardiers Action View is that of the Norden sighting telescope, search/release indicators and scales (for details see the section on Bombardier School). Its from this view that the search for target, finetuning flying and bomb release is controlled. Dial Icon Instrument View (key I) This is a view of the complete Norden bombsight allowing you to input the wind drift details (from the Navigator) and the mission altitude.
Bombing Panel (Spacebar) The Instrument View has an additional screen that shows the Bombing Panel accessed by pressing the Spacebar. The Bombing Panel gives you full control over the bomb bay doors, bomb arming, auto pilot and the way the bombs are released (trail or salvo). Press the Spacebar again to return to Instrument View. Window Icon Window View (key W) The Bombardier has a clear view from the front of the aircraft through the plexi-glass dome. Note: Cheek Gun and the Chin Turret In the nose section there are also two extra (and key) gun positions. The Cheek gun is to the right side of the nose and is usually operated by the Navigator (where appropriate) and the Chin Turret sits under the plexiglass nose and is usually operated by the Bombardier (where appropriate).

An Introduction to the Basics of Flight

The Forces

The only way to really be in control of your aircraft is to understand the forces acting on it and the way that the control surfaces manipulate those forces. There are five basic physical forces that are important to you when flying an aircraft that you must understand in order to be in full command of your aircraft.
Gravity Your airplane and everything in it are attracted to the surface of the Earth. The more weight (or mass) on your craft, the greater the attraction. If there were no other forces acting on your aircraft it would simply stay on the ground. Lift This is what keeps your aircraft in the air. The design of the wings uses a side effect of the law of conservation of energy. The shape of the wing makes the air move faster going over the top of the wing than it does going under the wing. Faster moving air has a lower pressure than the slower air and the difference in pressure between the bottom surface and the top surface of the wing lifts it up. When the lift force on both wings is high enough, the aircraft is held up in the air. In combination with Thrust this makes the aircraft fly. The amount of lift produced is governed by the angle at which the wings meet the airflow (known as the angle of attack). Thrust Thrust provided by the engine (jet or propeller) pushes the air backwards which, through an equal and opposite reaction, provides forward motion on the entire aircraft. The jet engine provides much more thrust than the propeller because the air is taken in through the front intake and the oxygen is burned with fuel creating an exhaust which leaves the engine at great speed. Drag Drag is the resistance that the air puts up to anything that is travelling through it. Without thrust a moving aircraft will slow down and stop because of the drag of the air around it.
Torque In prop driven aircraft the engine rotates in only one direction. This coincides with the roll axis of the plane, so as the engine turns it transfers some of the torque to the body of the aircraft making the plane try to rotate in the opposite direction as the engine (usually counter-clockwise) making the left wing drop. At low speeds and during landings the pilot must counter this force or it could prove very dangerous. Note: The P-38 has two props which counter rotate (they rotate in different directions) cancelling out each others torque.

The Three Axes

Although an aircraft can move in an unlimited number of directions, there are three axes of motion that you can control.
Roll Roll is the rotation of the aircraft around its length (tipping the aircraft left or right). Pitch Pitch is the rotation of the aircraft around the line of its wings (tilting the nose up or down). Yaw Yaw is the rotation of the aircraft around its middle (so if you were looking from above the nose would move left/right and the tail right/left).

For best control of the machine guns make sure you have a joystick fitted, this will give you the freedom of movement you require. Sight on the enemy aircraft. Press the trigger to fire.
Every 5th round in your ammo is a tracer round. This will flare and show up the path of your bullets giving you a visual guide to the path your bullets are describing. If you are getting low on ammo you will see red tracer appearing.

Red Text Warning

All messages you hear will be shown on the screen in black text but in combat when a member of the crew spots enemy fighters, this text will be in red. By clicking directly on the text you will be able to jump immediately to the source of the message and be able to take over manual control of the action area.

Unjamming Machine Guns

Guns will overheat and/or jam. If this happens, return to Compartment view (C), select the gunner by clicking on him (he will be highlighted) and right-click to access the crew management Icon Rose. Right click on the centre icon until you see the Unjam icon.
Left click on the icon to unjam the gun(s). You can watch the gunner try to unjam the gun(s). The simplest way of dealing with jams is to keep your bursts short and on target. This will also maximise your efficiency as regards ammunition.
If you are playing a historical scenario, you will have a limited number of rounds available to you in any mission so do not fire needlessly. Apart from the initial test firing (usually over the Channel) save your ammo for the fighter attacks. Select Instrument View (key I) or the Dial icon in the Crew Views pop-up panel to access the gunners ammunition box. Hover the pointer over the box to see how many rounds are left. Note: Space is limited on a B-17 and once you have used up all your ammunition there is no more available to you.
Section Five: Crew/Bomber Management
MOVING CREW TO NEW POSITIONS
All the B-17 crew can be re-allocated to other positions on board. This is crucial if you are attacked, suffer injury (or panic) and are short of a key crew (such as the Navigator). If you know your crew well enough you will be able to assign a substitute who has some level of skill in that key task. Note: If a crew station is not manned that station is unavailable to you to jump to. You must send a man to takeover before you can assume manual control. The crew of the B-17 are specialists in their particular skill but have to be prepared to do each others jobs in the event of injury. You must be able to manage the crew and re-allocate them to other positions in any emergency. At the start of any mission, the 10-man crew will be in their correct compartments. You can view them in their compartments by pressing the keyboard keys ` to 0. A white highlight will appear around the selected figure. Right click on a highlighted figure to open the Crew Management Icon Rose: a circular display of all other crew positions with a command icon in the centre.

The bombers must fly in squadron formation to the target for greater safety so when you are controlling the aircraft in manual mode you must try to stay in formation. Use the camera keys to best effect and if you find thats too difficult use the Pilot Helper key (H). This will create a white box to show you where you should be flying to stay in formation. If you lose formation find this box with the outside views and try to fly close to it.

Accelerate Time (Home)

There will be periods in the simulation when you will need to speed things up; you might be itching to get to a target or a particular waypoint or airfield. In this case you can use the accelerate time feature (Home key). You can accelerate time 2x, 4x and 8x by pressing the Home key (cycle through). Press End to return to previous time.

Decelerate Time (End)

There may be times when you actually want to slow down the action; things may be happening too fast for you to see them (such as in air combat or a tricky landing). In this case you can choose to decelerate time by pressing the End key (cycle through) this will give you three speeds half, quarter or eighth.

Skip Time (Return/Enter)

If you want to cut out large chunks of time and want to get on with the action, press the Return/Enter key and the simulation will skip to the next time period. Note: You can also skip time from within the bomber. So that you dont miss any of the action when you skip time the feature will not work when there is something important happening in the game world. You may receive a message that the Skip Time feature is halted and be given a reason such as Fighters are scrambling, Bomber on Bomb Run etc.
Mini-Time Skip You can also Time Skip short periods of time by holding down the CTRL key and pressing Return/Enter. This gives you more control over the time skip period (if you are approaching a vital waypoint etc.
Pause Simulation (Pause/Break)
There may be times when you just need to call a break and stop the action in this case press the Pause/Break key. A Pause icon will appear on the lower left of the screen and all action will be frozen until you press the Pause/Break key again.

7. Whilst holding Starter wait 6 seconds 8. Whilst STILL holding Starter right click and hold to start engine Engine should start. FW-190 Startup Sequence 1. Mainline switch to ON 2. Magnetos to M1+2 3. Throttle to ZERO (Use Controller or Keys) 4. Lift Starter cover 5. Left click starter switch and wait till engine starts Engine starts automatically.
Twin-engine/jet Aircraft Controls
P-38 Startup Sequence 1. Mainline Switch to ON 2. Both Magnetos to BOTH (3 Clicks) 3. Throttles to ZERO (Use Controller or Keys) 4. Fuel Mixture levers to one third 5. Left click Engine Starter 6. Wait 6 seconds 7. Left click and hold Engine Engage switch until left engine starts Left engine should start. 8. Right click Engine Starter 9. Wait 6 seconds 10. Right click and hold Engine Engage switch until right engine starts Right engine should start. 11. Fuel Mixture levers to Full Me-262 Startup Sequence 1. Mainline Switch to ON 2. Depress Left and Right RPM Scale indicator buttons 3. Throttles to ZERO (Use Controller or Keys) 4. Lift Left Starter cover 5. Click Left Engine Starter Switch 6. Watch RPM. When Revs hit 800 hit Left Engine Starter button. 7. Throttles to 10% 8. Left Fuel Cock to Full Left engine should start. 9. Throttles to ZERO 10. Lift Right Starter Cover 11. Click Right Engine Starter Switch 12. Watch RPM. When Revs hit 800 hit Right Engine Starter button. 13. Throttles to 10% 14. Right Fuel Cock to Full
Right engine should start. 15. Throttles to Zero 16. Click on Left and Right RPM Scale Indicator buttons

Compass

A simple, magnetic direction indicator, the needle shows the direction the nose of your aircraft is flying in. Headings are numbered 0 to 360 with the indicator moving clockwise. Due North is either 0 or 360, East is 90, South is 180 and West is 270.

Artificial Horizon

The artificial horizon, or attitude indicator, is a floating ball that shows your airplanes relation to the surface of the Earth. This is important in poor visibility when you cant see the actual horizon. In level flight the indicator will be centred and flat. If you are banking or rolling it will be at an angle. In a climb, the light part will cover more of the gauge; in a dive, the dark part will show more. Bear in mind that this dial represents the natural horizon but will NOT take into account irregularities on the surface such as mountains.

P-47 Thunderbolt

Built by: Aircraft Type: Dimensions: Engine: Max Speed: Cruise Speed: Ceiling: Combat Radius: Fixed Weapons: * Models C to D
Republic Aviation Corporation Fighter/Fighter bomber; Single-seater 36 1" Length; 40 9" Span Pratt & Witney R-2800 Double Wasp 419 436mph* 210 275mph* 41,000ft miles* 8 wing-mounted.50 calibre Browning machine guns
Often referred to as the Jug by its pilots, the P-47 was designed around the new Pratt & Witney R-2800 Double Wasp 2000 hp radial engine the most powerful at the time. It was also equipped with a turbo supercharger that gave full power even at an altitude of 30,000 feet,
allowing the P-47 to outperform all German fighters at high altitude. The aircraft also served as a low altitude fighter-bomber making use of its heavy firepower and its ability to sustain heavy damage. The P-47s main weakness is its poor rate of climb but this is more than compensated for by its first class diving ability. Use this feature to regain height rapidly once you lose momentum from the dive, climb in gentle turns and not in a steep, straight ascent. Flying the Thunderbolt, your best defence is to initiate the attack. Use the planes superior speed and the quickness of its dive to make a pass at an enemy, and then drop sharply away. When threatened in combat, if all else fails and you cant shake off an attacker, take comfort in the fact that the P-47 can take a lot of punishment before it gives up the ghost.

P-51 Mustang

Built by: Aircraft Type: Dimensions: Engine: Max Speed: Cruise Speed: Ceiling: Combat Radius: Fixed Weapons: * Models B to D
North American Aviation Fighter/Single-seater 32 3" Length; 37 0" Span Packard Rolls-Royce Merlin V-1650-3/7* 439 437mph* 210 320mph* 42,000ft 450 miles (750 miles on drop tanks) 4 6* wing-mounted.50 calibre Browning machine guns
Considered by many to be the best fighter of the war, the Mustang began life with an Allison engine as an underpowered, low-altitude attack aircraft. But when it had the Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 engine installed it was transformed into an excellent high altitude escort fighter. With a pair of drop tanks, the Mustang could escort from England to anywhere in Germany. Entering service in 1944 this was an aircraft that became the vital lifeline for US bomber crews throughout the rest of the war.
With its vast range, great manoeuvrability and a speed no other fighter can beat, the P-51 is the shining star of the USAAF, taking more kills than any other plane. The Merlin engine gives you the power for quick, steep climbs and the Mustang has the firepower to take care of any situation, plus its accurate and stable in a dive. Beware that the P-51s guns can jam during tight turns (the ammo belts cause the gun breech to block). Its also very vulnerable to enemy ground fire due to an easily punctured cooling system.

The controller looks through the glass roof of the van and signals with an Aldis lamp, trying to time the take offs at one-minute intervals. The captain releases the footbrake and selects the correct manifold pressure and opens the throttles. At 100mph, the aircraft takes off and the pilot eases up on the control column and raises the landing gear. This is an anxious time for most of the crew as the plane, packed full of bombs and fuel, climbs slowly and builds up speed. At the indicated air speed (IAS) if 150mph, the captain throttles back and reduces the rpm from 2,500 to 2,300 by adjusting the propeller pitch controls. The aircraft should now be climbing at about 300 feet per minute and flying through any overcast to assemble in formation above the clouds. This is the time when there is the greatest risk of collision with another aircraft in the Group. The captains next task is to assemble in formation with the other aircraft of the squadron (as requested by orders). A radio compass is used that works with short range radio beacons in selected location. A Morse call sign (called a Buncher signal) is transmitted and the bomber receives it via a small loop aerial located under the nose section. Lead aircraft fire different coloured flares at 10,000 feet to give a visual check for other pilots. Squadrons have to be built into Groups; Groups have to be built into Wings and Combat Wings into Divisional Columns. The process is slow because everyone has to keep up with everyone else. Above 10,000 feet the crew have to go to oxygen and the heating is fully operational. The two waist gunners wear electrically heated flying suits under their sheepskins but the rest of the crew have warm air ducts that channel heat to their stations.
The ball turret gunner is the last to get into position because the turret is very cramped and always assigned to someone of a small build. He has to spend about five hours curled up, looking down at five miles of sky without the comfort of a parachute (theres no room for it). If something happens to the B-17 it would take him, with help, about a minute to get out of the turret and put his chute on a long time in a crashing bomber! At 13,000 feet the aircraft climbs at 200 feet per minute, above 19,000 feet the Ball Turret gunner reports contrails (gases from the hot engine exhaust meeting the frozen air in areas of high humidity producing condensation trails). The formation levels off at 21,000 feet. The navigator, even though they are travelling in formation, keeps an accurate track of their position using his Gee box. The guns are loaded and test fired about 30 miles off the English coast, at the same time the arming pins are removed from the 10 bombs in the bay. The captain looks at the Airspeed Indicator, which registers 150mph. He knows this is not the true airspeed (about 206mph) because working on atmospheric pressure the AI reading reduces with increased altitude. Over the enemy coast, the crew put on their cumbersome flak suits, worn like body armour made of overlapping thin steel plates inside canvas aprons. They know the German radar and listening posts will have been tracking them for the last hour and the enemy defence controllers will be trying to guess their mission objectives. The gunners in the B-17 look all around their field of fire re-assured by the sight of the zigzagging little friends 6,000 feet above them P-47s fitted with long distance drop tanks.

Click on the round, red button to reshuffle all the names and faces. Click on the top left portrait (the Bombardier) and the bombardiers name will appear in the central panel Click inside the name panel and delete the name using the Backspace key Type in a new name (it could be your own) in the two panels and press Return/Enter to confirm each part of your name after typing it. Flip the Continue switch (bottom right) and you will be taken to the HQ Corridor screen. bomber commanders office mission briefing
Click on the door on the far left of the HQ Corridor and you will enter your office (you must try to be a bit more tidy!). Here you will find information about your crew and your bomber. Click on the book on the left of your desk and you will open the Crew Information File. The first page will open on the Bombardier details and will show the name you inserted in the Crew screen. Clicking on the tabs along the side of the book will show details for all ten crew (coded by position: TG Tail Gunner, N Navigator etc). Click away from the pages and the book will close Click on the book on the right of the desk and the Bomber Information File will open. This shows the details of the bomber you renamed. This is a new campaign so there will not be any details of any previous missions. Click anywhere away from the book to close the file. Click on the windows to go outside to Inspect Bomber and you will be taken to your Jeep. A clipboard will show the name of your bomber
This screen gives access to various mission planning and briefing screens. If you were playing the Squadron Commander game you would be able to plan all strategic operations but you, as Bomber Commander, will NOT have access to mission planning. But you do have your own office.
Click on the B-17s name on the clipboard. This will take you to the aircraft waiting at its dispersal point in the 3D world. Inspection is particularly useful when you have returned from a mission and want to see the damage your bomber has sustained. Full camera views are available:
Numeric Keypad Plus + and Minus Arrow keys PageUp/ PageDown Home / End Ins /Delete Mouse Alternately, you can use the mouse (with the right mouse button pressed in to zoom in/out and the left mouse button pressed in to rotate view.) Press Return to return to the jeep bonnet. This contains the Crew Management File. Click on the Crew Management File. This shows a summary of the crews abilities. A cross X shows the correct job of each crew member, a slash / shows a competence in another job. Its here that you can reassign your crew and manage their abilities as the campaign begins to take its toll and injuries accumulate. To change a crewmans job, click on the slash and it will become a cross. To ground a crewmember assign him to ground duties. Note that other crew positions will be automatically adjusted to fit in with your choices. = = = = = Zoom in / Zoom out move the view left/right/forward/backward tip view up/down move camera up and down rotate view left and right.

Click on the right hand page to turn it over and you will see details of each crewmans skills. These will improve as each man gets more and more mission experience. Click away to close the book and click on the bunch of keys to return to the airbase. You will be returned to the HQ Corridor screen. Now you have examined all aspects of your crew and bomber, youd best be briefed about your first mission. Click on the passageway to the near left to enter the Briefing Room.

Film Screen

Read Mission Briefing
The Briefing Room gives you all the current information available about your target (or targets) and the routes there and back. In the centre of the stage there is a projector screen where you can view a reconnaissance over fly of your Primary Target.
Click on the film screen and watch the film carefully. In this quick guide youll be sitting in the Bombardiers seat during the bomb run so itll help if you recognise the target. When the film has finished you will return to the Mission Briefing room. Click on the Map on the right of the stage to see bomber route, the target and the route back. The Map can be controlled by using the numeric keypad keys: Plus + and Minus Arrow keys PageUp/PageDown Ins/Delete = = = = Zoom in / Zoom out move the map left/right/up/down tip map up/down rotate map left and right.
Press the Return/Enter key to leave the map and return to the Briefing Room. Youve now seen a recon film and the route to the target but youve still to read all the target details. Click on the green Mission Briefing file on the desk in front of you. This opens on the Mission Summary page that includes details on the Primary and Secondary targets, type of bomb selected, distance to travel and fighter escort details. Click on the right hand page of the Mission Briefing file and it will turn to show the Primary Target details including Flak Strength, Fighter Strength and Target Intelligence. Click again on the right-hand page to view details of the Secondary Target. When you have read about the mission targets click on the right hand page again. You will now be asked to sign that you have read and understood the target/mission details. Click on the line (marked by an X) and a signature will appear. Click away from the book to close the Mission Briefing file and return to the Mission Briefing room.

Before you can do anything you must take control away from the computer AI. This is a feature of B-17. Everything will work on computer control but if you want to influence a position or character, you must take manual control.
Select the second icon down on the View Menu panel and you will return to the Compartment View (or press key C) You will now hear, or already have heard the four engines firing up. Press keyboard key 3 to go to the Pilots compartment view. Press F2 to go to an outside view to see the aircraft taxiing to its take off position.

manual control

Note that, if you return to the Radio Operators position he will now be back in computer control this applies to all crew management position in the simulation. The B-17 will now taxi to the main runway, followed by the rest of the squadron.
Press key M and the computer controlled icon will disappear and be replaced by the manual control symbol (a hand icon). You are now in control of the Radio Operator. Find the Begin Mission order and click on it. It will be issued (and therefore be crossed out, or disappear from the messages list). Click away from the book and you will return to the Radio Operators Instrument View. You should see and hear a message to Start Engines. Hover the mouse pointer to the right of the screen (near the centre) to open the View Menu panel. This is available in all internal B-17 screens.
Watch this from the outside view (using the mouse or numeric keypad controls). Use the camera keys especially the zoom out feature to see the whole airfield. The bomber will taxi to the main runway followed by the rest of the squadron and take up a position at the head of the take off runway. It will stop briefly for the final checks to be carried out then it will speed up and take off. Note that the B-17s may not taxi to the nearest runway for takeoff instead they will taxi to the runway that will allow them to take off facing into the wind.
The landing gear will retract and the other aircraft in the squadron will follow the leader. Your B-17 will circle until the other bombers form up with it. You can pause the simulation at any time by pressing the Pause/Break key. The Home key will speed up the simulation 2, 4 or 8 times. The End key will slow down the simulation (if things are happening too quickly) 2, 4, 8 times or Pause the game. The Return key will advance the simulation to the point where all the B-17s are formed up in midair. Once in the air and in formation, the B-17 will head for the target, perform the mission to the best of the crews current ability, defend itself against any attack, and try to return home and land. If you want to skip large chunks of the simulation when nothing important is happening, press the Return/Enter key to Time Skip. You cannot skip when there is an important game event happening (flak attack, fighter activity etc). You need not do anything if you dont want to. But the fun of this simulation is that you can jump into any position and take over manual control of that job! Similarly, you can jump into the escort and enemy fighter cockpits and dogfight with your enemy. Or, you can simply admire the views of the aircraft crossing a fully mapped Northern Europe!

The final compartment is where the Tail Gunner lives. Select keyboard key zero 0 and key A to view the Tail Gunners action view. Press key M to take over control and try firing the machine guns. Getting Around There various ways to navigate around the aircraft positions. 1. At the top of the screen is a Crew Portrait pop-up panel that allows you to jump to any member of the crew by clicking on his portrait. 2. To the left of the screen is a Crew Task pop-up panel that allows you to jump to any crew task (Navigation, Bomb Aiming/Dropping, Flying (as Pilot) etc.). 3. At the bottom of the screen is a panel that pop-up only in Compartment View that allows you to jump into the main B-17 compartments. Return to the Tail Gunners compartment view (key 0 and key C). Place the mouse cursor at the top of the screen and this will show a pop up panel with portraits of the crew in 1-10 order (see above). This allows you to left-click on the portrait to jump to and select another named crewman in his compartment.
Warning Red Text Throughout the mission you may hear speech from the crew giving headings (Navigator to Pilot) etc. This will be shown at the bottom of the screen in ordinary text. You have merely to note what is being said. However there will be times when you will be prompted to perform a task (such as during an enemy fighter attack) to man the machine guns etc in this case Red Text will appear when the message is heard. If you click on the red text you will jump immediately to the action station most associated with that message. For example, if you see red text message Bandits at 6 oclock, level and you click on the text, you will jump to the tail gunners station in action view. Either watch the tail gunner fire his gun at the enemy fighters or press M to take control and fire the gun yourself. Now lets look at where the aircraft is headed and jump to the Navigators station. Open the top panel and click on the second portrait from the left this is the Navigator. You are currently in Compartment view, so you will jump to the aircraft nose section (where the Bombardier also lives). The Navigator will be highlighted to show that he is the selected crewman. Press key I to access the Navigators Instrument view. This will show his desk and instruments: the Radio Compass, the Drift Meter (see later) and the Map. Click on the Map (on the left of the screen) and you will jump to the Map screen.

This map is very similar to the mission briefing map but it also has a track of the planes position (a green aircraft icon at the correct height and an aircraft shadow to show position across the ground) and its projected course (a broken blue line) and its actual course across the map (a broken and diminishing green line). All map controls are the same as for the map in the Briefing Room (see above). You are flying on Flawless level so the actual course flown by the aircraft will not differ from the mission briefing, but if you were to fly Easy or Historical navigation complexity you would have to adjust position by referring to the map and the outside views see the Navigator School in the complete manual. Exit the Map screen by pressing key C to go to the Compartment view. Select the Bombardier by clicking on him or pressing key (the crewman sitting right in the nose of the compartment) and he will be highlighted. Press the instrument key I to view the Norden bombsight. This is a complex piece of equipment that can locate and lock on to targets efficiently as long as it is given the correct data and used properly. For actual details of manual bombing see the Bombardier School in the complete manual, but for now lets look through the sight. Press the Action View key A. You will be looking at the ground (or the sea) through the bombsight.
In this tutorial you will not drop bombs manually; you will leave the crew Bombardier to do this for you. Return to Compartment view by pressing key C. Skip Time The simulation allows you to skip large chunks of time by pressing the Return/Enter key but you might not be allowed to skip if a game event is happening. Accelerate Time You can also accelerate time by pressing the Home key (3 levels of speed up) or slow down time by pressing the End key (3 levels of slow down). Throughout this time the Navigator will give the Pilot instructions about new turn headings and waypoints and the pilot will respond. You need do nothing in this guide but let them get on with it! Eventually you will reach the last turn before the target (the Initial Point). Check this on the Navigators map. This is the straight line run to the target. Now control of the aircraft is passed to the Bombardier. You may hear him call out "Were on the bomb run" or "I have the plane". Now make sure the Bombardier is selected and jump into the Bombardiers Action view (key A). You might have to be patient here depending on the length of the bomb run but watch carefully as the target is sought out by the AI controlled Bombardier, then acquired and locked into position. Youll notice two marker blocks on the right of the bombsight that are slowly approaching each other. When they meet, the release light will come on and the bombs will be dropped. The view will switch automatically to the bomb bay where you will see the bombs dropping. When this happens press F6 (to see the bombs in the air) and F6 again to view the bombs hitting the target. Xxx they are not armed xxxxWhat??? Use the mouse with left/right buttons pressed in to view the target from various angles or zoom. Press F1 to return to the Bomb Bay. Youve now looked at all the B-17 positions. Why dont you take a flight in one of the many fighters available in the simulation? Press key F2 to get an exterior view of the B-17.

In the Bomber Commander mode only one bomber can be selected out of the six in the squadron. In the Squadron Commander game you can select all six bombers. Your B-17 will be centred in the middle of the screen To access the fighters, hover your mouse pointer on the extreme left side of the mid-screen. This area will show a popup menu with a white icon representing your B-17, your fighters (if there are any on your mission) and the enemy fighters types (if there are any around). If there are any friendly fighters around, click on the icon to jump to an outside view of the fighter. Press F1 to enter the cockpit of the fighter. Press key M to take control of the fighter and fly around (be careful and check the keyboard/joystick controls on the Key Guide. Take a moment to examine the detailed cockpit and fully functioning dials, levers and joystick. Press the Joystick Hat to view the virtual cockpit. Along with the Instrument Snap view on CTRL + I, and the Snap view toggle, which will allow you to look around the cockpit freely, or snap to preset views with the Joystick Hat. Press key F2 to go to the outside view (youll still be in control!) Press key M to return to AI control.
Return to your B-17 by accessing the B-17 icon in the pop-up panel Press F1 to go back into your B-17

Crew Management

Youve now looked over the basic areas of the bomber simulation. Now lets look at aspects of crew management that youll need to know when things get rough and you experience casualties or emergencies such as fires. Crew can be told to takeover other crew positions, and made to perform certain actions in emergencies (apply first aid, unjam guns, take over in case someone panics etc.). If all else fails, they can be ordered to bail out! Make sure youre in the nose section in the Compartment view (you can see the figures of the Bombardier and the Navigator). Select the Bombardier by clicking on him and check that he is highlighted, Place your mouse cursor on the Bombardier and right click. This will open an icon rose. All these icons are instructions you can issue to individuals; all 10 crew in the B-17 can be given these types of orders (but they do vary depending on the job). Place your mouse cursor on a few of the icons and read the pop-up tooltips associated with these icons.
The central icon is the instruction you are issuing (such as Move To a different position). If you click on the central icon the instruction will change (Give First Aid, Repair, Use, Bail Out etc).

The Bombardier also has control of the Chin Turret thats located just under his bombsight station. This is useful when he has completed the bomb run and can function as a defensive gunner on the dangerous journey back home. Now, lets change his job to that of a chin turret gunner. Right click on the Bombardier and open the icon rose. The central icon will be the Move To (walking man) order (if it isnt then right click on it until it is). Move your mouse cursor to the top of the rose and click on the Chin Turret icon (the pop-up tooltips will confirm this) and left click.
If you select Give First Aid and you see a portrait (or portraits) with a red cross on that means there is a crewman who requires first aid. Click on the injured crew portrait and the selected crewman will go to him and help. If there is a fire additional icons with pop-up tooltips will show which fire extinguishers can be used in what compartments. Remember to put out fires as soon as you get a warning (or see smoke). Fire is your worst enemy aboard the B-17! It destroys equipment, injures crewmembers and spreads from compartment to compartment through the plane. If the fire ever reaches certain points in the Bomb Bay or the Flight Deck, then your B-17 will be destroyed.
The Bombardier will now move the chin turret controls over the bombsight. Press key A to access the Chin Turret Action view and you will see the chin turret sight. Press key M to get manual control of the Chin Turret and fire off a few rounds. Now, with what youve already learnt, try to make the Bombardier return to his Bombsight (note that the Norden Bombsight icon will have replaced the chin turret icon in the topmost position of the icon rose).

Returning Home

After releasing their bombs the aircraft will go to the Rally Point and then take the route marked on the mission map home (check this on the Navigators map view). Again, except in flawless Navigation complexity, your Navigator will need to check the map to the actual geography. This is a dangerous time when all gunners have to be alert; you may be attacked by fighters or flak. This is a good opportunity to try out the gunners stations and to get an understanding for the zones around the B-17 that each gunner can defend. Be careful not to shoot at your own aircraft in the formation and note that, if the guns jam, you can attempt to unjam them in the following way: Return to compartment view (Key C) Right click on the gunner figure to open his icon rose Right click on the icon in the middle until you see the Repair spanner and click on the Unjam guns icon that appears above it. Gunners will call out bandits on the Clock System with 12 oclock in front of the aircraft, six oclock behind, and nine oclock on the left etc. Level means level with the aircraft high and low are relative to the B-17s level flight. Unless something happens to the Pilot, the B-17 will be flown back to base and landed.

Mission Debriefing

At the end of the mission (when the aircraft has come to a halt) you will be taken to the Mission Debriefing hut. Click on the mission debriefing file to view details of your recent mission performance (click on the page to turn it). Here youll find all details of the mission analysed and you may be informed of any medals and promotions. You have now completed your first combat mission in a B-17.

The Training Missions

If you have completed the guide above, you will have already been on a complete mission and had a quick taster of action. The more complex levels of the simulation however depends on your own skills and so, to improve these skills, the game provides a set of Training Missions (use of bombsight etc.). Remember to have the Key Guide to hand when attempting these missions. Select New Game. Select Choose a Training Mission (the middle panel on the right) and you will go to the mission selection screen. Look at the panel at the top of the screen to access a training mission topic (you can scroll down the list by clicking on, holding down and dragging the right hand slider). Select the training topic you want to practice and the mission brief or set of tasks will be shown in the lower panel.
Scroll this panel to read full details of what you have to do. Flip the Continue switch (lower right) to jump into a Training Mission. You will be taken into the 3D world so that you can perform the training exercise without risk to life and limb.
4. Use all camera views (especially the zoom in /out functions) to see where the main runway is. 5. Steer left- right using the Rudder controls (keyboard or joystick) 6. Stop at the top of the runway, lock your tailwheel (T) 7. Throttle up full using keyboard or joystick controls 8. Ease the aircraft gently into the air and perform a shallow climb 9. Raise gear (Up Arrow) 10. Raise flaps (Key F)
Mission 1: Taxi and Take Off
Your aircraft is on its dispersal point at an airfield with engines running, wheel brakes set, tailwheel locked and flaps fully raised. This is simply an exercise in taxiing the B-17 to the main runway and then performing a take off. Its here that you will learn basic ground handling skills and take off procedures. The mission will end once you get to 1,000 feet pull in your gear and raise your flaps. Press key M to take control 1. You will not be able to see much of the runway from the pilots position (just like the real thing) so youre advised to stay in outside view when manoeuvring the B-17 to the runway (F2 with camera keys). 2. Use the Pilot Helper function (Key H), this will give you taxi waypoints to meet, and direct you to the most sensible runway. 3. Set the plane up for take off by applying half flaps (Shift + F), releasing the Parking Brake (Shift + P) and unlocking the Tail Wheel (Shift + T).

Mission 2: Approach and Landing
You are on the approach to the main runway of the airfield. All engines are running, gear and flaps are fully raised. You are in the Pilots seat behind the controls of the B-17 as it turns onto final approach. You will need to follow the correct approach and ease the bomber onto the runway. The mission ends once youve landed brought the aircraft to a complete halt. Press key M to take control 1. Use the external camera views for maximum visibility 2. Locate the main runway where you will land (it should be lined up in front of you) 3. Drop main gear (Shift + Up Arrow)
4. Ease up on the all engine throttle 5. Lower flaps (Shift + F) 6. Glide in to the runway and land all three wheels 7. Cut throttle as plane rolls 8. Once the aircraft has stopped moving put the Parking Brake on (Key P)
4. Click and move the Turbo-Supercharger and Throttle to zero for Engine 1. Number one engine should now be feathered 5. Switch to the Action view (key A) and look to the left to verify that Engine 1 has been feathered. The prop will have turned visibly, and will not be spinning as fast as the other prop. 6. Locate the fuel system switches above the pedestal and turn on the leftmost column. 7. Click on the large, round red button marked "1" 8. Set the throttle and Turbo speeds to match the other three engines. At this point the engine has started and is developing the same thrust as the others the mission is successful.
Mission 3: Feathering / Restarting an Engine
An unfeathered engine adds drag, could cause a fire or even sever the propshaft so its very important to learn how to feather an engine in flight. You are flying above the airfield at an altitude of 5,000 feet and airspeed of 155 mph (IAS). The engines are running, gear and flaps are fully raised. You must feather engine number 1 and then restart it, all while maintaining speed and altitude. If you drop below 1,000 feet you will fail this mission. Note that if you leave the plane in automatic for this mission, the AI will stop you flying into the ground whilst you are concentrating on your instrument panel. 1. Go to the Pilots Instruments view in the cockpit (Key I). 2. Click on the large, round red button marked "1" 3. Find the fuel system switches above the pedestal and turn off the left most column.
Mission 4: Bombing Good Conditions
In this mission you must locate the target and release the bombs as accurately as possible. You will be the Bombardier just at the beginning of the bomb run. The Norden bombsight is already configured with altitude and speed correctly. Altitude is 8,000 feet, and airspeed 155mph (IAS). All engines are running well, gear and flaps are fully raised. The weather is good, altitude is low and there is no flak or fighter opposition to worry about.

You will begin in the Chin Turret position in the Bombardiers gun station. Press key M to take control (of the Top Turret Gunner) 1. Wait for the target B-17 to appear 2. Aim and fire. When 50 hits are recorded you will not be able to fire anymore and have to move on. 3. Press F2 to get an outside view of the B-17 4. Press the ] key to select the target B-17 and use the Camera keys to look at the colourful damage 5. Press [ to select your B-17 and press F1 to return to Chin Turret station 6. Repeat the above for all gun positions in this order: (Dont forget you can use the positions toolbar on the left of the screen to swap more quickly between the manned stations!) Chin Turret, Cheek Gun, Ball Turret, Left Waist Gun, Right Waist Gun and Tail Gun. 7. When you have succeeded in hitting the B-17 with all guns the mission will end. All Training Missions will be debriefed. You will be told in the Debriefing File if you have achieved the required competence.

Mission 6: Gunnery

You are in the air above the airbase at an altitude of 12,000 feet and at an airspeed of 150mph IAS. The Navigator is in his alternative position on the Cheek gun. You must shoot at a target B-17. It will come up alongside you in various positions to cover all gun positions. You should experiment with leading a target and the effects of range on bullet arcs. You must hit the bomber with 50 rounds from each position but dont worry about doing any damage all guns are loaded with special paint rounds.

The Fighter Escorts

The task of the fighter escort squadrons is to give the heavy bombers maximum protection to and from their target. This means that the fighters have to stay with the bombing force as long as possible. Each fighter squadron has three or four flights stepped down behind the lead flight so that all can keep an eye on the leader. Flights are kept 150 feet apart with individual aircraft 40 feet from each other. As soon as they achieve formation, P-38 Lightnings and the P-47 Thunderbolts immediately turn on their long distance drop tanks, while the P-51 Mustang uses up about 30 gallons from its main tanks to maintain balance before turning to wing drop tanks. Pilots have to avoid any supplementary combat activity because this will mean that the long distance drop tanks have to be jettisoned and the bomber fleet abandoned. On rendezvous with the bombers three fighter squadrons are allocated to each combat wing. One squadron is divided and positioned ahead and above the bombers; another squadron also splits and takes up position above and about a mile away on either side of the formation. The last squadron climbs 4000 feet directly above the force and ten miles into the sun, trying to anticipate the standard enemy fighter strategy of diving out of the suns glare. The escort fighters weave or orbit so that they can stay in touch with the slower bombers.

P-51 Mustang

Built by: Aircraft Type: Dimensions: Engine: Max Speed: Cruise Speed: Ceiling: Combat Radius: Fixed Weapons: * Models B to D
North American Aviation Fighter / Single-seater 32 3" Length; 37 0" Span Packard Rolls-Royce Merlin V-1650-3/7* mph* 210 - 320 mph* 42,000 feet 450 miles (750 miles on drop tanks) 4 6* wing-mounted.50 calibre Browning machine guns
Considered by many to be the best fighter of the war, the Mustang began life with an Allison engine as an underpowered, low-altitude attack aircraft. But when it had the Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 engine installed it was transformed into an excellent high altitude escort fighter. With a pair of drop tanks, the Mustang could escort from England to anywhere in Germany. Entering service in 1944 this was an aircraft that became the vital lifeline for US bomber crews throughout the rest of the war. With its vast range, great manoeuvrability and a speed no other fighter can beat, the P-51 is the shining star of the USAAF, taking more kills than any other plane. The Merlin engine gives you the power for quick, steep climbs and the Mustang has the firepower to take care of any situation, plus its accurate and stable in a dive. Beware that the P-51s guns can jam during tight turns (the ammo belts cause the gun breech to block). Its also very vulnerable to enemy ground fire due to an easily punctured cooling system.
Germany entered with a decided edge in technology and aerial combat skills. The Germans did not build warplanes in the 1920s but they did organise the personnel and facilities that would slot in when they did. Civilian aircraft models were designed that could easily be converted into a military function. In 1935, the German government announced the formation of a new air force, the Luftwaffe, and began full-scale production of warplanes. State of the art innovations such as beacons and radio stations were developed to help night flights and the Spanish Civil War was used as a proving ground to test out the new planes and strategies. When the war began Germany was the most advanced power in aviation in the world.

FW 190

The Luftwaffe
From the earliest days of combat flight, Germany has always been a leader in military aviation technology and during the 1920s and 1930s the country was consumed with a passion for flight. State funded flying and gliding clubs (military aviation was banned under the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WW1) were to be a fertile source of many future pilots and, on the advent of war in 1939,
Built by: Aircraft Type: Dimensions:
Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau Fighter / Single-seater 8.8m 10.24m* (290"- 33 5"*) Length; 10.5m (34 5") Span Engine: BMW 801D / Jumo 213A* Max Speed: 654 km/h 685 km/h* (mph*) Cruise Speed: 480 km/h 518 km/h* (298 - 321 mph*) Ceiling: 11,400m 12,000m (37,403 39,372)* Combat Radius: 266km 282km (miles)* Fixed Weapons: 2 cowling mounted 13mm MG131 cannon 2 wing-mounted (inner) 20mm Mauser MG151 cannon (A8 only) 2 wing-mounted (outer) 20mm Mauser MG151 cannon * Models A8 - D9 The Focke-Wulf 190 is thought to be Germanys best fighter of the war. When the first version entered service in 1941, it showed marked superiority to its opponents in almost every aspect. The FW 190 could out run, out turn and out climb anything it encountered. However the later models were mainly intended for bomber interception and so carried more firepower and armour making them considerably heavier and less manoeuvrable. Heavily armed with four 20mm cannons and two machine guns this proved to be the Allied bombers most feared adversary.

Me-262

Built by: Aircraft Type: Dimensions: Engine: Max Speed: Cruise Speed: Ceiling: Combat Radius: Fixed Weapons:
Messerschmitt Fighter / Single-seater 10.6m (349") Length; 12.5m (41 0") Span 2 Junkers Jumo 109-004B-4 turbojets 868 km/h (540 mph) 670 km/h (416 mph) 11,448m (37,560) 241km (150 miles) 2 fuselage-mounted 30mm MK108 cannon (above nose) 2 fuselage-mounted 30mm MK108 cannon (below nose)
The first combat jet aircraft to be actively used in WW2, the Me-262 was faster than anything the Allies could put into the sky in 1944. It could rip through bomber formations and turn well at high speed, out-performing any pursuing escort fighter. However, its development and widespread use was stifled by the lack of competent pilots, the scarcity of fuel and German failure to recognise its full combat potential at an early stage. When it did appear, in October 1944, it was a stunning success. Heavy bomber gunners did not have time to aim, let alone fire, and even the fastest Allied fighter was left behind. Unfortunately, the Me-262 pilots were themselves unused to combat at such high speeds and often chose to slow down for the actual attack (and it was then that they were most vulnerable to conventional bomber defences). Beware that the Me-262 is slow to accelerate and not very manoeuvrable, Allied pilots may try to attack you when you are most vulnerable during take off and landing.