- Seeing close-up the effect of your guns, bombs, and rockets on the enemy does a lot for your confidence and your feeling that the results are worth the risks. Flying close air support also provides a sense of personal power and effectiveness that is only tempered by the fact that the clean blue sky of high-altitude plane-to-plane combat is replaced by distressing glimpses into the hellish landscape of the war on the ground. - Another plus for the tactical pilot is the knowledge that just being there over the front lines gives a real lift to your guys on the ground, while depressing the spirits of the enemy.
A DIRECT A THUNDERBOLT SCORES ON AN AMMUNITION TRUCK. HIT
Subject: EVENTS AND PEOPLE
Events and People in the Tactical Air War

The campaign in CFS3.

As a pilot in Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3, you fly in the historical framework of the tactical air war in northwest Europe starting in mid-1943, but theres a significant difference. The skill and perseverance you and your squadron or Staffel bring to each battle can alter the tactical situation and the timeline of the campaign. This open-ended and flexible campaign means you can influence events, alter history, and extend the timeline to add new technology to your arsenal. How you handle these tactical and technological advantages will determine the outcome. Before you take to the sky, it helps to understand what really happened during WWII. This will not only give you something to shoot at--but also something to shoot for. In CFS3, its 1943, and no one knows whats going to happen, or how the war will turn out--but heres the way it was.
.and what really happened
The campaign in northwest Europe during 1943 and 1945 marked a dramatic high point in the events of WWII and the fortunes of the warring nations. It began with the Third Reich in firm control of Fortress Europa, and ended with Germany--and much of Europe--in ruins.
ACES OF THE 354TH PIONEER MUSTANG FIGHTER GROUP.
Subject: EVENTS AND PEOPLE The situation in mid-1943
In mid-1943 there were no dedicated tactical air forces operating in northwest Europe. Of course the tactical role was always part of the Luftwaffes mandate, but most of its tactical efforts were focused against Russia. The Allied focus was on a strategic goal--using heavy bomber forces, escorted by fighters, to destroy Germanys ability to make war. German day- and nightfighter pilots first responsibility was to attack the bomber formations that threatened the expanding Reich. All this began to change as planning for the Allied invasion of Europe took shape. It became clear to the Allies that the invasion would never take place without air power. Air power techniques worked out in North Africa and Sicily during 1943 showed how effective tactical air power could be, and plans were put in motion to use this weapon to the fullest. Air power would pave the way for forces on the ground by providing close air support.

Armored Column Cover Speeds the Allied Advance
Four- and eight-ship flights hovered over the lead elements of armored columns, ready to attack on request, to warn the tanks of hidden opposition, to eliminate delaying actions. These flights never returned to base until new flights came to relieve them. With this airplane cover always present.obstacles, which might have taken hours to surmount, were eliminated in a few minutes. --Air-Ground Teamwork on the Western Front (published by Headquarters, Army Air Forces, Washington, D.C.)

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Subject: EVENTS AND PEOPLE The Falaise pocket: Tac air in all its glory and horror
The next four days demonstrated the full and terrible potential of tactical air power. As more and more German troops and armor were crowded into the shrinking pocket, British and U.S. fighter bombers reduced the milling men and vehicles to a bloody, burning shambles. Rocket-firing Typhoons and strafing Spitfires, in coordination with Allied infantry and armor, relentlessly pounded the packed enemy columns. U.S. Ninth Air Force pilots flew deep interdiction missions against enemy road, rail, and bridge targets, as well as aggressive sweeps to maintain air superiority, swatting down Luftwaffe fighters before they could get into the air. Allied tactical pilots stayed on the job as long as the daylight lasted, flying as many as five or six missions a day, stopping only to refuel and re-arm. The air over the Falaise pocket was so crowded with aircraft that coordination became an issue, and midair collisions took a toll among pilots focused on destroying the enemy. As the Allied advance gained momentum and the carnage reached a crescendo, one Allied air objective changed significantly. Instead of destroying bridges and routes by which German forces and supplies could enter the area, bridges were to be left intact for the pursuing Allied ground forces; the goal now was - 14 to prevent the Germans from escaping and reforming the remnants of the Seventh Army to fight another day. Thus bottled up, 10,000 German soldiers died along a road that came to be called the le Couloir de la Mort-the Corridor of Death. Another 50,000 were taken prisoner. And the remnant of von Kluges army--perhaps 20,000 men-managed to escape to the east only after abandoning almost all their vehicles and heavy weapons. Some fighter bomber pilots who swooped down to strike the fleeing enemy were shocked by the devastation and carnage. What they found was a hellish scene beneath a blackened sky full of the smoke and stench of the battlefield. The piled corpses of men and horses, the shattered and burning remnants of soft-skinned and armored vehicles, and a litter of abandoned equipment were all that remained along the cratered roads near Falaise. For those who had wondered about the effectiveness of tactical air power, Falaise was a gruesome revelation. Even for those who had counted on its effectiveness, the results, while beneficial to the Allied cause, were disturbing.

U.S. SOLDIERS GET SOME CHOW IN THE WINTER LANDSCAPE OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.

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ds Administration Photo National Archives and Recor
Subject: EVENTS AND PEOPLE Pattons weather prayer pays off
Chafing at the uncooperative weather that made life miserable for infantryman and airman alike, General George Patton ordered the Third Army chaplain to devise a weather prayer to be published throughout the Third Army by December 14, two days before the Battle of the Bulge began:
Almighty and most merciful God, we humbly beseech thee, of thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon thee that, armed with thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish thy justice among men and nations. Amen.
timed airfield attacks to coincide with the return of fighters low on fuel and ammunition. Now Allied medium bombers joined in to cut off rail transport into the area, while U.S. and British fighter bombers pursued enemy tank columns down increasingly narrow roads. Once they hit the lead tank, the immobilized column could be destroyed in detail, a scene played out over and over again. German troop concentrations suffered the same fate as the tank columns. Thunderbolts bombed enemy positions just a few hundred yards from friendly forces. German road and rail traffic fell under the same hammer blows. By Christmas Eve, the German advance ground to a halt. On Christmas day, the Allies counterattacked, Patton relieved the 101st Airborne in Bastogne, and Montgomerys forces attacked from the north to cut off a German retreat. Allied tactical aircraft ruled the skies over the battlefield, but they would soon face the Luftwaffe in a decisive air battle.
The Tactical Air War from Two Points of View
We took a bit of a beating on the ground but boy did we dish it out in the air. --General Pete Quesada, IX TAC after the Battle of the Bulge
The Third Reich received its death blow in the Ardennes offensive. The American fighter bomber destroyed us. --General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland
This higher version of air-ground teamwork apparently did the trick, and on December 23 the murky weather that had hung over the Ardennes broke, unleashing Allied air and ground forces and dooming the last major German offensive of the war to failure. With massive numbers of American and British fighter bombers filling the sky and blasting ground targets at will, the Luftwaffe could no longer affect the situation on the ground. Even returning from a mission was dangerous for German pilots, as their Allied counterparts

About Leadership and Pilot Initiative
A look at the leaders on both sides who were instrumental in forming tactical air doctrine in WWII reveals an interesting difference of approach, a difference with important implications for the pilots who had to transform doctrine into ordnance on the battlefield. Germany took an early lead in developing the collaboration of air and ground forces, and used the Spanish Civil War of

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Subject: LEADERS IN THE TACTICAL AIR WAR GENERAL WILLIAM BILLY MITCHELL (1879-1936)
Billy Mitchell was an air power pioneer, visionary, and evangelist. He was also an irritant to American military commanders who lacked his vision and enthusiasm. As commander of American combat squadrons in World War I Mitchell was one of the first to show what the airplane could do to advance the war on the ground, proving it to be a potent weapon against enemy positions and surface targets on land or sea. Mitchell joined the U.S. Army in 1898 and showed an early interest in technology, first as a telegrapher in the Signal Corps. When the Signal Corps formed its Aeronautical Division, Mitchell bought his own flight lessons. By 1913 he informed a congressional committee that America was falling behind in what he saw as a vital new technology. In 1917 he was sent to observe air operations in Europe, and, with Americas entry into the war, he was soon in charge of fighting units and promoted to Brigadier General. In September 1918 Mitchell planned and led a bombing attack on the Germanheld St.-Mihiel salient in which almost 1,500 aircraft dropped their bombs on German positions in coordination with an infantry assault on the ground. After the war, Mitchell tirelessly advocated an independent Air Service and sought every opportunity to demonstrate what air power could do. In 1921, to the dismay of naval officers who saw the battleship as the ultimate expression of military power, Mitchell led Army bombers in trials that sank a variety of vessels, including a submarine, a destroyer, a cruiser, and finally the captured German battleship Ostfriesland. This earned him enemies in high places, as did his criticism of government policies and defiance of the military leadership. In 1924, after a visit to Japan, Mitchell wrote a report that warned of Japanese ambitions in the Pacific. He foresaw a war with Japan that he said would begin with an aerial attack on American naval and air facilities at Pearl Harbor, starting with bombardment of the base on Ford Island at 7:30 a.m., to be followed by an attack on Clark Field in the Philippines.

y Images Hulton Archive/Gett
1920S BILLY MITCHELL: IN THE SHOWED THE SKEPTICS WHAT HE AIR POWER COULD DO.
In 1925, after accusing Army leadership of criminal negligence in the loss of the airship Shenandoah, he was court-martialed for insubordination and resigned from the service. Mitchell died in 1936, before he could see air power triumphant in World War II. In 1941 Lee Atwood, vice president and chief engineer of North American Aviation, proposed naming the new B-25 medium bomber - 22 -
in honor of Billy Mitchell, and although it was unusual to name aircraft for real people living or dead, the Army Air Corps agreed. No one could have devised a more appropriate honor, as the B-25 Mitchell went on to prove its worth as a potent weapon in all theaters of operation, from Doolittles Tokyo Raid in 1942 through the end of the air war in Europe. Although his court-martial was never reversed, Mitchell was honored posthumously in 1946 with a unique Special Congressional Medal of Honor featuring a likeness of Mitchell in aviators helmet and goggles.
Billy Mitchell on the Tasks of Tactical Air Power
Billy Mitchells definition of the air objectives of the St.-Mihiel offensive was one of the first systematic statements about the role of what would become tactical air power: We had three tasks to accomplish: one, to provide accurate information for the infantry and adjustment of fire for the artillery of the ground troops; second, to hold off the enemy air forces from interfering with either our air or ground troops; and third, to bomb the back areas so as to stop the supplies from the enemy and hold up any movement along the roads. --Alan F. Wilt, Coming of Age: XIX TACs Roles During the 1944 Dash Across France
Photo provided courtesy U.S. Air Force Museum
Billy Mitchells special Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously in 1946.

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Subject: LEADERS IN THE TACTICAL AIR WAR GENERAL ELWOOD PETE QUESADA (1904-1993)
A year after General Billy Mitchell was ejected from the U.S. Army Air Corps, 21-year-old Elwood Pete Quesada won his wings as a flying cadet. In WWII he would gain fame as head of the IX Tactical Air Command, a role in which he was both an active leader and an innovator, adopting new technologies to refine and perfect air-ground teamwork. The son of a Spanish businessman and an Irish-American mother, Quesada was born in Washington, D.C. in 1904. As part of the crew of an Army Fokker monoplane called the Question Mark, he helped set a sustained flight record in 1929 by remaining aloft for over 150 hours, during which the plane was refueled in the air 42 times. In 1934 he was chief pilot on the Armys New YorkCleveland airmail route. Quesadas career moved rapidly once WWII began. Promoted to Brigadier General at the end of 1942, within months he led the XII Fighter Command in North Africa and flew combat missions in Tunisia, Sicily, Corsica, and Italy. In 1943 he was sent to England as head of the IX Fighter Command to prepare for the Allied invasion of Normandy. His primary responsibility was to teach what he had learned in tactical operations in Italy. At the end of 1943, he was put in charge of the IX Tactical Air Command and directed its operations in the field. He set up his headquarters in Normandy on D-Day+1, and moved it constantly to keep up with the rapidly advancing front lines.

Under Quesadas leadership, IX TAC provided close air support for the American invasion forces. He was quick to appreciate the command-andcontrol possibilities of radar and radio coordination, and originated the idea of enhancd of ing air-ground cooperation by General Elwood Pete Quesada, hea l Air Command. sending Army Air Force liaison officers the U.S. IX Tactica with ground forces, often in the lead tank of a moving column. One of his biggest challenges was to convince seat of the pants pilots to put their trust in newfangled gadgets. His leadership in directing IX TACs air campaign, his support of General Omar Bradleys First Army after the breakout in Normandy, and his leadership of American tactical air power in the Battle of the Bulge were major contributions to the Allied success in Europe. Promoted to the rank of Lt. General in 1947, Quesada retired from the Air Force in 1951 and was named first head of the Federal Aviation Administration in 1959. He died in 1993.

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Subject: LEADERS IN THE TACTICAL AIR WAR GENERAL OTTO PAUL WEYLAND (1902-1979)
As head of the XIX Tactical Air Command from 1944 to 1945, O.P. Opie Weyland provided the perfect partner in the air to George S. Pattons hard-driving Third Army on the ground. Together they made history during Pattons dash across France and into Germany after the Normandy invasion. This was the high point in a long and distinguished career that began with a commission in the U.S. Army Air Service in 1923 and culminated with Weylands appointment as commanding general of the United States Air Forces Tactical Air Command in 1954. Weyland arrived in Europe as a new brigadier general in November, 1943, and four months later was assigned to head XIX TAC. Under his leadership XIX TAC wrote new chapters on the possibilities of air-ground teamwork, becoming a fastmoving and hard-hitting force that kept pace with and protected Pattons armored columns and lines of supply as the Third army surged forward, at times covering 20 miles a day. Once the Allied armies managed to break out of the invasion beachhead, XIX TAC set records for mobility, moving its headquarters five times during the month of August. In conjunction with General Pete Quesadas IX TAC, Weylands XIX TAC pilots flew three, four, or even five missions a day, bombarding road and rail transport and bridges. German tanks, trucks, guns, and troops all came in for a pounding by the tactical air commands. The port of Brest fell in part due to the relentless assault of XIX TAC on shipping and port facilities, and by the end of December, Weylands fighter bombers were attacking the enemy near the German border. Patton called Weyland the best damn general in the Air Corps, and offered this commendation for the unwavering support of XIX TAC:

Our Historical Advisors

No WWII flight simulation can be complete without input from those who flew the real thing, and we have been fortunate to recruit the following two veteran aviators as historical advisors. * * * Jack Stafford left his native New Zealand in January 1943, and was assigned to the RAFs 486 (New Zealand) squadron as a Sergeant Pilot in November. Based at Tangmere, he flew Hawker Typhoons in dive-bombing and ground-attack operations. In 1944 he flew Hawker Tempests on fighter sweeps, shipping strikes, and ground-attack missions before D-Day. He shot down eight V1 buzz bombs over southern England between June 19 and August 29, 1944, including two on the 4th of July. In September 1944 Jack flew fighter cover for the airborne attack to capture the Arnhem and Nijmegen bridges in the Netherlands. As part of the RAF Second Tactical Air Force in Belgium, he attacked locomotives in the campaign against enemy rail transport. On Christmas Day 1944 he shot down a German Me 262 when his squadron intercepted two of the jets. He also shot down a Bf 109 south of Munster, one of a group of seven orbiting over a group of American P-47 Thunderbolts.
And on April 12, 1945 he shot down a long-nosed Fw 190D. For these achievements he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Retired but still vigorous, Jack lives in Rotorua, New Zealand, where he enjoys boating, water skiing, and an occasional flight (now as a passenger) with local pilots.
Photo courtesy Jack Stafford J. Seal Photo
German retreat up the Italian boot) and in Belgium early in 1945. His primary missions were to intercept German nocturnal air activity, and to stop road and rail movement of enemy troops and equipment. After the war Al became a test pilot with Boeing and rose to become Chief Pilot of Flight Crew Training.
Photo courtesy Al Jones Photo courtesy Al Jones
RNZAF Flight Lieutenant Jack Stafford, 1944.
Jack Stafford on Anzac Day, 2000.
USAAF night fighter pilot Al Jones, 1944.
Al Jones on the Boeing 747 simulator.
American pilot Al Jones war started early, when he became a volunteer in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940. He was assigned to a squadron in England, then went to North Africa where he flew 40 missions in RAF Wellington bombers. In 1943 Al transferred to the USAAF and was assigned to a night fighter squadron, flying Bristol Beaufighters before switching to the P-61 Black Widow. He flew night intruder missions in Italy in 1944 (during the - 31 -
Subject: RECOMMENDED READING

Recommended Reading

Case Studies in the Development of Close Air Support, ed. Benjamin Franklin Cooling. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1990.

Hughes, Thomas A., Over Lord: General Pete Quesada and the Triumph of Tactical Air Power in World War II. New York: Crown Press, 1995. Hughes biography of General Pete Quesada provides a detailed analysis of the contribution his IX Tactical Air Command made to Allied victory. Its account of the momentous events of 1944 and 1945 and the role of tactical air power in shaping those events provides a helpful perspective on the workings of the Allied air-ground team. * * * Rust, Kenn C., The 9th Air Force in World War II. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1967. Rust provides a comprehensive look at the workings of this key tactical air force and its participation in the battle for France. * * * Shaw, Robert L., Fighter Combat Tactics and Maneuvering. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1985. Many consider Shaws textbook on fighter tactics to be the bible for those who seek combat success in aircraft, either real or simulated. * * *

Wrecked P-38 Lightning.

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Sortehaug, Paul, The Wild Winds: The History of Number 486 RNZAF Fighter Squadron with the RAF. Dunedin, NZ: Otago University Press, 1998. Through interviews and photographs Sortehaug brings to life the history of this aggressive team of New Zealand Tempest pilots and their contribution to Allied success in the air war over Europe. Jack Stafford, one of our Combat Flight Simulator historical advisors, flew Hawker Tempests in 486 Squadron, and some of his most colorful experiences are narrated here. * * * Spick, Mike, The Ace Factor: Air Combat and the Role of Situational Awareness. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1988. In this study Mike Spick focuses on a key factor for fighter pilot success: maintaining a constant awareness of an ever-changing situation and reacting to the threats and opportunities of the moment. * * * Spick, Mike, Allied Fighter Aces of World War II: The Air Combat Tactics and Techniques of World War II. London: Greenhill Books, and Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997. Spick, Mike, Luftwaffe Fighter Aces: The Jagdflieger and Their Combat Tactics and Techniques. London: Greenhill Books, 1996. In these two volumes Spick demystifies the tactics and techniques of combat pilots. His discussion of the aircraft and the men who flew them, and his description of air combat maneuvers all contribute to this excellent overview of the fighter pilots job in WWII. * * *
War Department Field Manual FM 100-20: Command and Employment of Air Power (U.S. War Department, 21 July 1943).

D-Day: (USAAF, before the Allied invasion of Europe 6/6/44) The planned day on which a major operation was to be launched (at H-Hour). After the successful invasion, D-Day came to mean the famous Sixth of June, when the Allies landed in France. dead reckoning: The navigation of an airplane solely by computations based on airspeed, course, heading, wind direction and speed, ground speed, and elapsed time. The term derives from deduced reckoning. Also known as ded reckoning. deadstick: A powerless landing. the deck: Ground (or sea) level; the surface over which you are flying. deflection: The angle of a target aircraft relative to the aircraft shooting at it. dicke Autos: The Luftwaffe code word for Allied heavy bombers; literally, fat cars.
element: (USAAF) A two-plane formation; equivalent of the German Rotte. elevators: Movable control surfaces on an aircrafts horizontal tail surface that control its pitch (nose-up or nose-down attitude). ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival. ETD: Estimated Time of Departure. ETO: European Theater of Operations.
feathering: Aligning stopped propeller blades with flight path to reduce drag and stop rotation. fighter group: (RAF) A fighter organization consisting of ~350 fighter aircraft, about 20 squadrons. (USAAF) 48 fighter aircraft. fighter sweep: (RAF) An offensive sortie without escort responsibilities. (USAAF) Rodeo. (Luftwaffe) Freie Jagd (free chase).

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flipper turn: (U.S.) A sharp, steeply banked turn. Fw 190: Focke-Wulf Wrger single engine fighter. free chase: (RAF) An offensive fighter sweep without escort responsibilities, used to draw up enemy fighters. freie Jagd: (German) Literally free chase--an offensive fighter sweep without escort responsibilities, used to draw up enemy fighters. (USAAF) Rodeo. full bore: Maximum engine power. fuselage: The body of an airplane that holds the crew and passengers or cargo. From the French fusel, for spindle-shaped.
Gs: A measurement of the load factor, or apparent gravity, experienced by an aircraft during flight. One G represents the force of gravity exerted on a body at rest. When an aircraft climbs, turns, or changes speed, it experiences G forces. For example, a level turn with a 60-degree bank imposes a 2G load on an airplane and its occupants. Go 229: A Gotha twin-engine jet fighter bomber, designed by the Horten brothers as the Ho IX and manufactured by the Gothaer Waggonfabrik; thus assigned the official designation Go 229. group: A fighter unit consisting of (USAAF) 48 aircraft or (RAF) up to 350 aircraft.

Kette: (German) A v-shaped threeplane formation. (RAF) A Vic. An airshow formation used early in the Battle of Britain and replaced by the Finger Four or Schwarm formation. KIA: Killed in Action. kite: (RAF) Slang for plane. knot: Short for nautical miles per hour. One nautical mile (nm or NM) = 6,076 ft (1,852 m) or about 1.15 statute miles per hour. Therefore 100 knots equals about 115 mph (185 km/h), 150 knots equals about 172 mph (278 km/h), and 200 knots equals about 230 mph (370 km/h). Note that knots by definition assumes per hour.
Jabo: (German) A fighter bomber, from Jagdbomber. jackpot: (USAAF) Air-to-ground attacks on German airfields. Jagdflieger: (German) A fighter pilot. Jagdgeschwader: (German) A fighter unit consisting of ~120 aircraft.
Katschmarek: (German) Slang for wingman, the pilot of the trailing aircraft in a two-plane Rotte who is required to stick with his leader (i.e., following his lead). Literally, a dim-witted recruit.
German halftrack with four-barreled 20 mm Flakvierling can ruin a pilots day.

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landing gear: The wheels, struts, and other equipment that an aircraft uses to land or maneuver on the ground. LCI: Landing Craft, Infantry. LCT: Landing Craft, Tank. lift: The upward force produced by an airfoil such as a wing interacting with the air. Lift acts at right angles to the relative wind or the aircrafts flight path. Lift, one of the four fundamental forces in flight, is opposed by weight. Lightning: A Lockheed P-38 twinengine fighter. loop: An aerobatic maneuver in which an aircraft flies in a complete vertical circle. An outside loop, begun at the top of the circle, is considerably more difficult to perform, because the pilot encounters negative G-forces throughout the maneuver. LST: Landing Ship, Tank. Lufbery: A (WWI) defensive maneuver in which several fighters circle for mutual protection. Because of the power, speed and firepower of WWII aircraft, this maneuver was not very successfully employed in either theater. Luftflotte: (German) An air fleet, consisting of ~350 fighter aircraft and ~1,500 bombers.
Luftwaffe: The German air force. LVT: Landing Vehicle, Tracked.
Mustang: A North American P-51 fighter.
magneto: A device that creates an electric current by rotating a magnet. The crankshaft turns the magnetos, which provide the electrical energy to fire the spark plugs. This arrangement ensures that the spark plugs fire even if the aircrafts battery and electrical system fail. Marauder: A Martin B-26 twin-engine medium bomber. Marsden Matting: Pierced Steel Planking (also called PSP) used to create temporary airstrips; notoriously slick in wet conditions. meatwagon: Slang for ambulance. Me 262: A Messerschmitt Schwalbe twin-engine jet fighter (also built as the Sturmvogel fighter bomber). MIA: Missing in Action. Mitchell: A North American B-25 twin-engine medium bomber. Mossie: (RAF) A nickname for the de Havilland Mosquito bomber, also called the Wooden Wonder for its plywood construction. mush: The tendency for a diving aircraft to keep losing altitude despite being pulled into a noseup attitude. - 41 -

noball: Missions against V 1 and V 2 rocket sites. nose-over: To rapidly lower the nose relative to the horizon; decrease pitch. On the ground, nose over refers to an aircraft tipping forward or doing a somersault.
ops: Shorthand for Operations. Fighter ops refers to fighter operations in general. Each mission is called a Fighter Operation, or F.O. orbit: (RAF) To circle a given point or present position.
P-38: A Lockheed Lightning twinengine fighter. P-47: A Republic single-engine Thunderbolt fighter. P-51: A North American Mustang single-engine fighter. P-80: A Lockheed Shooting Star single-engine jet fighter. pancake: The radio code for land immediately.
pauke-pauke: (German) The fighter code word for Attack! Literally, rat-a-tat. Pfeil: (German) Arrow; the Dornier Do 335 twin-engine fighter. pitch: An aircrafts rotation about its lateral (wing tip to wing tip) axis, determining its nose-up or nose-down attitude; controlled by the elevators. pitot tube: A small metal probe, usually attached to an aircrafts wing, that measures ram air pressure. This data is used to calculate aircraft speed. The pitot tube usually has a heater to prevent ice from blocking the device. (Named after Henri Pitot (1695-1771), a French scientist.) POW: Prisoner of War.
razorback: Describes early versions of the P-47 and P-51 fighters in which the aft fuselage deck rises behind the pilots head and the canopy can provide only limited rearward vision. Eventually these were replaced by bubble canopy versions in which the aft fuselage deck was cut down to the level of the pilots shoulders. relative wind: The speed and direction of air striking an airfoil; that is, the air flow caused by an aircraft or airfoils movement through the air. revetment: A horseshoe-shaped embankment used for protecting parked aircraft against bomb blasts.
rhubarb: (USAAF, RAF) A small-scale harassing fighter operation against ground targets. roadstead: Operations by fighters, or bombers escorted by fighters, to attack by dive-bombing or low-level bombing attacks on ships at sea or in harbor. rockoon: RAF pilot slang for a rocket-firing Hawker Typhoon. rodeo: (USAAF) Offensive sortie without escort responsibilities, used to draw up enemy fighters. (RAF) Fighter sweep. (German) Freie Jagd (free chase). roll: An aircrafts rotation about its longitudinal (nose to tail) axis, controlled by the ailerons. See also: bank. Rotte: (German) A minimum fighting unit of two aircraft; leader and wingman. rudder: The movable control surface on the vertical portion of an aircrafts tail (attached to the fixed portion, or fin); controls the aircrafts yaw, causing the plane to skid left or right. RV: Rendezvous.

PSP: Pierced Steel Planking, also known as Marsden Matting--used to create airstrips; notoriously slick in wet conditions. PTO: Pacific Theater of Operations.
R.A.F.: Britains Royal Air Force. ramrod: (USAAF, RAF) A bomber-escort mission. ranger: Operations of squadron or wing strength (12-36 aircraft), as free-lance intrusions over enemy territory, the main aim being to wear down the enemy fighter force.
German troop carrier with 37 mm antiaircraft gun.

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saddle, in the: (U.S.) Being immediately behind a target aircraft and ready to attack. sandwich: A tactic by which two fighters turn to keep an attacking fighter between them, making the would-be attacker the target. saunter: (RAF) Minimum cruising speed. Schwalbe: Swallow; a Messerschmitt Me 262 twin-engine jet fighter (also built as the Sturmvogel fighter bomber). Schwarm: (German) A four-aircraft formation consisting of two Rotten (see Rotte). scramble: (RAF) To jump up, run to the aircraft, and take off in the shortest possible time. section: (USAAF) A unit consisting of eight aircraft (two four-plane flights). Shooting Star: A Lockheed P-80 jet fighter. Skytrain: (U.S.) The military (C-47) version of the Douglas DC-3 transport. slewing: In Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator and Flight Simulator, a method of rapidly changing aircraft position, direction, location, or altitude without flying there in real time.
sortie: A combat mission; originally an armed attack made from a place surrounded by enemy forces. Spitfire: A supermarine single-engine fighter. splash: (U.S. slang) Enemy aircraft shot down into the water. Split-S: (USAAF) An evasion maneuver allowing a pilot under attack to reverse direction, trading altitude for speed. Consists of a half-roll followed by a half loop. (RAF) halfroll. (Luftwaffe) Abschwung. Can also be used to attack an aircraft flying in the opposite direction at a lower altitude. squadron: A British or American fighter unit consisting of 12 (sometimes 16) aircraft. Staffel: (German) A squadron of 10-12 aircraft. strafing: (RAF/USAAF) To attack a position or troops on the ground with machine gun or cannon fire from a low-flying aircraft. Adapted into English from a WWI German slogan, Gott strafe England (God punish England). strike: Combat flight against ground or sea targets. stud: (USAAF) A dive-bombing mission.
Stuka: A dive bomber (specifically, the famous Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber); from Sturzkampfflugzeug. Sturmbock: (German) A specially armed and armored version of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter carrying 30 mm cannon and 21 cm rockets. Literally, battering-ram. Sturmvogel: Stormbird; the fighter bomber version of the Messerschmitt Me 262 twin-engine jet fighter. sweep: An offensive formation flight of fighters or fighter bombers, made with the object of drawing the enemy fighter force into combat.

Watch out for this one: a Panzer IV tank chassis with quadruple 20 mm flak guns.

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TAC: (USAAF) Tactical Air Command (as in IX TAC and XIX TAC). TAF: The British Tactical Air Force (as in 2TAF). Tail End Charlie: The last plane in a formation. Tallyho!: (RAF) Am about to attack (or have sighted enemy). Tempest: A Hawker single-engine fighter bomber, successor to the Typhoon. Thunderbolt: A Republic P-47 fighter. Tommy: (German) Slang for Englishman. Typhoon: A Hawker single-engine fighter bomber.
vector: (RAF) The course the pilot is following. Vic: A basic British three-plane formation, in the shape of a V. Vmax: Sustained top speed in level flight.
XP-55: A Curtiss Ascender rearengine fighter with a pusher propeller.
yaw: An aircrafts rotation in the horizontal plane, about its vertical axis (turning left or right); controlled by the rudder.
WAFS: (U.S.) Womens Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. WASPs: (U.S.) Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Wehrmacht: The German army. WIA: Wounded in Action. windmilling: The action of a freely rotating propeller on a dead or stalled engine. wing: (RAF) A fighter unit consisting of three squadrons (36 aircraft). (USAAF) A unit consisting of several 48-plane groups. wingman: (RAF, USAAF) The pilot of the trailing aircraft in a two-plane element; required to stick with his leader (i.e., following his lead). Wrger: Shrike; A Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-engine fighter.
USAAF: The United States Army Air Forces; until 1947 the Air Force was part of the U.S. Army, not a separate service branch.
Valhalla: (German) A large formation of aircraft. VE Day: Victory in Europe day, 5/8/45, when the Germans surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. Vampire: A de Havilland singleengine jet fighter.
Thirsty fighter: ground crewman refuels a P-38 Lightning.

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waveoff: A signal from the landing signal officer not to land aboard the carrier, but to go around for another try.

Joystick Commands

ACTION JOYSTICK COMMAND
Bank (ailerons).. Move stick left or right Pitch (elevator). Move stick forward or backward Yaw (rudder). Twist stick (if feature available) View direction.. Move hat switch Pan/Snap To view (toggle). SCROLL LOCK Fire guns and cannon. (Trigger) Button 1 Fire cannon.. Button 2 Release ordnance.. Button 3 Cycle ordnance.. Button 4 Flaps down. Button 5 Flaps up.. Button 6 Next target.. Button 7 Padlock on/off.. Button 8
Combat Flight Simulator 3

Battle For Europe

Microsoft

HAT SWITCH

TACTICAL AIR POWER IN THE ETO

UNC LA FI SSI ED

OAN NOT L DO

Prepared by

THROTTLE
ASSISTANT CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF

INTELLIGENCE

HISTORICAL DIVISION

1002 Part No. X09-25720

Get the strategy guide from Sybex!

Safety Warning

About Photosensitive Seizures
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Table of Contents

The Tactical Air War. 3 Whats New to This Theater?.. 7 Preparing for Combat. 9 Installing Combat Flight Simulator 3. 10 Starting Combat Flight Simulator 3.. 12 Calibrating your joystick. 13 Setting game options. 14 Learning to fly and fight. 15 The Main Screen: Four Game Modes. 17 Quick Combat.. 17 Missions. 24 Campaign. 25 Multiplayer.. 27 On the Fly.. 29 Tips and Tricks. 30 Additional Resources.. 33 Handbooks.. 33 Online Help.. 35 Combat Flight Simulator Web site. 36 Technical Support Options. 37
Air Force Historical Research Agency Photo

The Tactical Air War

So you thought you were going to be a knight of the air, jousting high in the clean blue sky, far above the mud and squalor of the war on the ground. Instead you find yourself in a fighter-bomber, scraping over hostile territory at 200 feet with the terrain rising to meet you. Youre flying down the muzzles of antiaircraft guns to attack the enemy. If cannon fire doesnt get you, the blast and debris from your own low-level bombing and strafing can bring you down. In this kind of war, theres more danger and less glory.
WELCOME TO THE TACTICAL AIR WAR, PAL!
Youre going to use planes like the P-47 Thunderbolt, the Fw 190, and the Hawker Tempest V to stop the enemys advance by destroying his entire arsenal. If you destroy enough targets, you can change the shape of the front line and even find yourself in the cockpit of a super-secret plane that has not yet entered service. The enemy means to dominate the European Theater of Operations (ETO), and we cant let that happen. Theres a lot to do in this war-lets get to it!

LETS GET TO IT!

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THE MISSION OF THE TACTICAL AIR FORCE
THREE CRITICAL FACTORS FOR FIGHTER-BOMBER PILOTS
.strafing passes. bring out three critical factors in a fighter-bomber pilots war. One, any misjudgment, target fixation, or too-late attempts at aiming corrections will send the airplane into the target, ground, or nearby trees or other obstructions. Two, if the target is a load of ammunition or other explosives, it can--and very likely will--explode right in the pilots face, sending up a fireball, truck parts, slabs of highway, still-to-explode ammo, and other debris right into the path of the airplane. Three, if a pilot is seriously hit by flak in [a] low-altitude attack, his chances of ever reaching enough altitude to allow a bailout are slim indeed. -From Bill Colgan, World War II Fighter-Bomber Pilot

MISSIONS.. THE MISSION OF THE TACTICAL AIR FORCE CONSISTS OF THREE PHASES OF OPERATIONS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER OF PRIORITY: FIRST PRIORITY.TO GAIN THE NECESSARY DEGREE OF AIR SUPERIORITY. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY ATTACKS AGAINST AIRCRAFT IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND, AND AGAINST THOSE ENEMY INSTALLATIONS THAT HE REQUIRES FOR THE APPLICATION OF AIR POWER. SECOND PRIORITY. TO PREVENT THE MOVEMENT OF HOSTILE TROOPS AND SUPPLIES INTO THE THEATER OF OPERATIONS OR WITHIN THE THEATER. THIRD PRIORITY.TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMBINED EFFORT OF THE AIR AND GROUND FORCES, IN THE BATTLE AREA, TO GAIN OBJECTIVES ON THE IMMEDIATE FRONT OF THE GROUND FORCES. * * * -from War Department Field Manual FM 100-20: Command and Employment of Air Power (21 July 1943)
the Tactical Air War, a handbook in
PDF format found on the Combat Flight Simulator 3 compact disc.
B-26 MARAUDERS OVER FRANCE.
Read more about the war in Understanding
Whats New to This Theater?
Previous versions of Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator focused mainly on the deadly aerial ballet of dogfighting. This time around, its you versus the entire ground army: their guns, hardware, and planes. The tactical air war is messy, personal, and very dangerous. To fight this war, you can choose from 18 aircraft (with variants, you get a total of 34 planes). The Aircraft section on page 19 of this manual has more information about planes, as does the Machines of War handbook included on the compact disc. To view this handbook, click the Options tab, click Handbooks, and then click Machines of War. Whether youre a rookie or a veteran, youll find an appropriate plane for any mission you undertake. You also get to take on new roles, like gunner and bombardier. Some of the bigger ships, like medium bombers, have gun positions and people need to man those guns--people like you. Use the F8 key to hop to the different gunner positions on a plane. Or, use the F7 key to jump into the bombardiers seat. Whatever you do, dont drop bombs on your own troops! Ready? Good! Lets get you in the air!

LET EM HAVE IT

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Preparing for Combat

Getting into the war is easy--follow the steps below to ready your gear and flying skills for battle. 1. Install Combat Flight Simulator 3. 2. Start Combat Flight Simulator 3. 3. Calibrate your joystick. 4. Select or adjust hardware and software settings. 5. Learn how to fly and fight with the handbooks, movies, and missions provided with CFS3. These steps are discussed on the pages that follow. Read on.

PILOT BRIEFING IN FRANCE, 1944.

WERE IN TO WIN

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INSTALLING COMBAT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 3
Before you can gun down planes and save your troops from the enemys advance, you need to get squared away with the latest tools, namely, Combat Flight Simulator 3.
Compact or full installation?
How big is your pack? Do you want to carry around your entire kit or go light and have just the essentials? You can choose from these installation options: Compact Install: Installs the minimum number of files needed, but yields slower performance. Full Install (default): Installs all of the files for the game and provides faster performance. When setup completes, you will be given the option to customize your video configuration. Normally you will want to keep the default settings, but the configuration utility will warn you if it has detected any incompatibilities with your video card or your current drivers. If you change your computers video card or experience video problems, you can always re-run the configuration utility from the Start menu: click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click CFS3Config.
If your computer has automatic install
1. Insert the Combat Flight Simulator 3 compact disc 1 into your CD-ROM drive. 2. Follow the on-screen instructions.
If your computer doesnt support automatic install
1. Insert the Combat Flight Simulator 3 compact disc 1 into the CD-ROM drive. 2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. (For Microsoft Windows XP, click Start, and then click Control Panel.) 3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. 4. In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click Add New Programs, and then click the CD or Floppy button. 5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

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STARTING COMBAT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 3
The war is on, flyboy! Its time to get your butt into a cockpit and start pushing the front line toward the enemy. Double-click the Combat Flight Simulator 3 icon on the desktop and youre good to go. Or, click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Combat Flight Simulator 3, and then click Combat Flight Simulator 3. Once you start CFS3, use the Quick Combat, Missions, Campaign, and Multiplayer tabs on the lower left to get in the fight. Or, use the Options tab on the upper right to access the handbooks and online Help or to set various game and hardware settings.

QUICK COMBAT

Cant wait to obliterate the enemy? The Quick Combat game mode puts you right where you want to be immediately, whether its intercepting a bomber or strafing ground targets. Before you start flying, use the Flight Type, Aircraft, Location, Pilot, Skill, and Objective options on the Quick Combat tab to select the specifics of your next fight. Also, be sure to specify your pilot name and attributes.

Flight Type

Flight types are short combat situations you can put yourself in before undertaking a mission or a campaign. These include Free flight, Dogfight, Intercept, Escort, and Ground Attack. Free Flight lets you roam the skies without enemies or specific targets. Use this opportunity to become familiar with flying the different aircraft or strafing targets. Dogfight puts you close to an enemy thats trying to kill you. Shoot him down before he shoots you down. Sounds simple enough, doesnt it? This flight type is great for learning how the enemy flies and practicing aerial combat maneuvers.

BACK EM UP

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Intercept has you destroy the enemys medium bombers before they drop their bombs. You must also stop fighter-bombers before they menace your troops. Escort teams you with bombers on their way to a target so you can protect them from enemy fighters and flak by any means you know. Ground Attack is where your attention is going to be most of the time. You must be able to destroy tanks, trucks, guns, ships, and anything else before theyre brought to bear on your troops. When it comes to bombing, you have to use your own reckoning--experience is the best teacher. What you learn here will be especially useful when you fly missions in the Campaign mode.

Aircraft

Before you fly a quick combat or mission, choose the right aircraft for the job, because if you dont, youre not making it back home. If youre going after a bridge, you might want the P-47. Flying a long way to bomb a few buildings? Maybe the Maurauder is right. If youre not sure what mission is coming next, try the all-purpose Fw 190. You have 18 aircraft (with variants, 34 total planes) to choose from. Your choices even include planes that havent seen service, like the Go 229, the German jet-powered flying wing, and the American Shooting Star jet fighter. How do you decide which plane to fly? Consult the Machines of War handbook (click the Options tab, click Handbooks, and then click Machines of War) for descriptions of each of the planes--including their strengths and weaknesses and how much ordnance they carry.

To choose a flight type

1. On the Quick Combat tab, click Flight Type. 2. On the Flight Type tab, click the flight type you want to use. 3. Click the Fly button to start your Quick Combat session.

To select an aircraft

1. On the Quick Combat tab, click Aircraft. 2. On the Aircraft tab, click the flag of the country you want to pick a plane from, and then click the name of the plane you want to fly. After you choose an aircraft, you control its fuel and ammo load, loadout (the configuration of bombs, fuel tanks, and rockets), and number of wingmen. To change your fuel or ammunition load, click the corresponding red bar and slide it left for less load, right for more. To select the loadout and number of wingmen, use the drop-down menus. Note that Clean means no bombs or extra fuel tanks.

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Location

You can choose where the battle takes place. Change the location based on where you would prefer to fight and practice.
Assigning pilot attributes
In CFS3, you can adjust your vision, g-tolerance, and health. Vision influences how far away you can spot enemies. If you cant see the bad guys, youre going to lose the advantage right from the start when they line up their attack on you. With better vision, you can see more information displayed about foes at a greater range. G-tolerance dictates how extreme you can fly without blacking out. You remember those books from flight school with fancy arrows showing you which way to jerk your aircraft when you get into trouble? If you cant take the Gs, you might as well stay on the ground reading about it. Health controls how much damage you can withstand while inside the cockpit. Lets face it: Youre going to be flying low enough for a one-eyed cook with a carbine to put a slug into your knee--and then you have to make it back to the base without bleeding out. Not to make you nervous, but you could die painfully on one of these missions. Health is the only thing you have to keep that from happening. If you have skill points available, you can increase one or more attribute values without taking a hit on the others; if not, you can still adjust the attribute values. If youre serious about doing the job and making it back alive, decide for yourself which attributes youll need most.
As a pilot in CFS3, youre more than some name sewn onto a fancy flight jacket. You have attributes associated with human qualities, such as vision and how many Gs you can pull. Adjust these qualities to be the type of pilot you prefer, be it an eagle-eyed flyer, a toughas-nails gunner, or someone who can pull out of any kind of dive. You can also choose your nationality and see how the other side is fighting the war.

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To flesh out your pilot attributes, go to the Quick Combat, Missions, or Campaign tab, and then click Pilot. On the Pilot tab, click the name of the pilot you want to fly as. To adjust an attribute, slide its red bar to the left or right to decrease or increase it.
Not everyone flies the same and thats true of the enemy. You can choose your enemys skill level and their position relative to you by clicking Skill on the Quick Combat tab. Your enemies can be rookies, veterans, or aces. Rookies perform, well, like you. Veterans shoot straight and can make more extreme maneuvers with their planes. Aces are expert veteran pilots and present the most serious threat. For dogfights, fighter position determines the enemys position relative to your own. You have three options: disadvantaged, equal, and advantaged. Select disadvantaged to start behind the enemy, select equal to go head-tohead, or select advantaged to start with a bogey on your tail and firing at you. Good thing you have high health and g-tolerance, right?

Viewing your dossier

The government loves paperwork and tracks how many medals youve won, your ratio of kills to the number of times youve died, the number of enemies youve killed, and so on. To see this information, click your name on the Pilot tab, and then click the Stats tab. The bombing, gunnery, and rocketry ratings reflect how accurate you are with your countrys ordnance. The sole reason youre in Europe is to deliver this firepower onto the enemy, got it? If you cant shoot straight, theres really no point in getting in the cockpit in the first place.

Fighter and Bomber

When you choose a new mission or quick combat, you can select your objective, such as bombing a bridge or strafing a train. On the Quick Combat tab, make this choice under Ground; on the Missions tab, make it after clicking Mission. See online Help for more information about ground targets in Quick Combat.

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MISSIONS

The Missions game mode, selected from the Missions tab on the Main screen, lets you choose from Historical, What If, and Training missions. Historical missions are scenarios that occurred in history and are based on accounts of actual pilots and official records. What If missions are missions that might have been if events had played out differently in the war. For example, what if the Germans had been able to deploy more of their jet planes sooner? Training missions are designed to help you become familiar with the tasks you will have to perform during your military-sponsored stay in scenic Europe. To go on a mission, select the mission title, and then click Go To Briefing. The briefing describes what your targets are and where theyre located. Consult online Help for more information about items in the briefing. The Missions tab also has Aircraft, Pilot, and Skill tabs, which are described in this manual on pages 19, 20, and 23, respectively.

CAMPAIGN

The Campaign game mode, selected from the Campaign tab on the Main screen, allows you to fly consecutive missions and earn medals and promotions if you perform well. The options associated with flying a campaign are documented in online Help.

Changing the front line

Campaigns are all about pushing the front line right back to the enemys capital. Your actions on the field of battle directly affect the position of the front line. The better you perform, the more ground the enemy loses and the more we gain--its ultimately that simple. Campaigns begin with a look at the map of the European Theater of Operations (ETO). This map shows your air bases, enemy air bases (and other targets), and locations of interest. The map also includes the front line, which shows the progress of your fellow troops in the ETO. The front line is influenced by your performance: if you win a battle, the front line moves to reflect your victory, and likewise, if the enemy wins, it reflects his gain.

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Earning medals and promotions
Push the enemy back far enough and you might earn a medal. Heres the lowdown on the awards and how you can earn them from the three air powers--U.S. Army Air Force (USAFF), British Air Force (RAF), and German Air Force (GAF): Award 1--First air kill or fourth ground kill. USAAF: Distinguished Flying Cross RAF: Air Force Medal GAF: Iron Cross Award 2--Three air kills or twelve ground kills in a single mission. USAAF: Legion of Merit RAF: Distinguished Flying Cross (officers), Distinguished Flying Medal (enlisted) GAF: German Cross Award 3--Ten air kills or forty ground kills. USAAF: Silver Star RAF: Distinguished Service Order GAF: Knights Cross Award 4--Fifteen air kills or sixty ground kills. USAAF: Distinguished Service Cross RAF: Victoria Cross GAF: Knights Cross with Oak Leaves Ace Award--Five air kills or twenty ground kills. USAAF, GAF: Letter of Commendation RAF: Mention in Dispatches Wounded Award--Pilot wounded. USAAF: Purple Heart GAF: Gold Wound Badge (severe injuries), Silver (serious), Black (minor injuries)

MULTIPLAYER

You and your buddies can fight the war over the Internet or a local area network (LAN). Consult online Help for more information about how to set up a multiplayer game.

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On the Fly

When youre flying, you must use your planes instruments and watch for enemy aircraft. Instruments are vital to completing any mission. Your onboard instruments display crucial information like altitude and air speed. As you become more experienced with dropping bombs and strafing, youll learn which altitudes and speeds are best for each type of attack. For information about an instrument, move your mouse cursor over the instrument to view rollover Help. The Virtual Cockpit (turned on and off with the F3 key) allows you to look around your aircraft freely using the hat switch on your joystick. Your instrument panel works in this view. Press the NUM LOCK key to toggle between panning and snap-to views with the hat switch. When youre flying a fighter-bomber, you can shoot and drop bombs from the cockpit, but when youre in other planes, you must jump to the bombardier seat (press F7) or gunner position (press F8) to perform these tasks. To jump back to the pilot seat, press F6. In the bombardier position, you can use a bombsight for more accurate bombing, and you can make minor flight path corrections, but nothing extreme. In the gunner position, however, you cant make any flight corrections, so unless you want to watch your plane crash, get it flying straight-and-level before you leave the cockpit.

IN THE OFFICE

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TIPS AND TRICKS

Your missions are dangerous and the only way to get through them all is to fly, shoot, and bomb well. Here are some tips you can use when you climb into the cockpit. Read. Watch. Do. You can learn how to fight effectively in this theater through three resources: handbooks, training movies, and training missions. The handbooks provide you with all of the information you need to know. The training movies show you a few key maneuvers you need to learn. The training missions let you practice these skills. Access the handbooks through the Options tab, the movies through online Help, and the training missions through the Missions tab. Know your aircraft. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the planes you fly and those of the enemy as well. Some aircraft are particularly good or bad for any particular mission. The Machines of War handbook on the compact disc is an excellent resource for this information. Recognize their aircraft. Dont shoot your buddy! Planes can look alike, especially from a great distance. Use the Machines of War handbook to learn how to distinguish an Fw 190 from a Thunderbolt, a Mustang from an Me 109, and a Ju 88 from a Mosquito. Dont get shot. If your plane is taking hits from another plane, youre doing something wrong. Nothing is worse than getting shot so youre free to try anything to shake the enemy loose, no matter how risky. If you practice, practice. If you plan on flying with the flight model set to Hard, then do not practice on a setting lower than

Medium. Practicing on a lower setting teaches you bad habits that can get you killed when combat starts. Dont be a cowboy. Tactical combat is a tough job and not every mission is going to be winnable the first time you fly it. Its better to live to fight another day, so instead of fighting to the death, bug out of a deteriorating combat situation that could cost the lives of too many of your fellow pilots. Get some distance if you can, regroup, and aim to win the campaign, not the battle of the moment. Keep an eye out. When focusing on a bomb run or making sure you can find your target, its easy to forget that there are enemy planes in the sky whose only purpose is to shoot you down. Watch whats behind you as well as whats in front. Avoid fixation. Its easier than you think to forget about the ground and then fly right into it. Dont focus on a target so closely that you neglect to leave yourself enough altitude to pull out of a dive. Set trim. Set your engine power to 70% (press the 7 key), and then let go of your joystick to see if your plane climbs or dives on its own. If it does, the trim may not be set properly, which can be a problem when youre flying ten feet off the ground. Use the 1 and 7 keys on the numerical keypad to set the trim so your plane flies level on its own. Know your computer. Theres a lot to tweak on your computer to make the game run smoothly. Experiment with the settings in CFS3 to see which options create the most satisfying game experience for you.

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Additional Resources

Combat Flight Simulator 3 has three main information sources to help you fight better: handbooks, online Help, and the Combat Flight Simulator Web site.

HANDBOOKS

The Combat Flight Simulator 3 compact disc includes three in-depth handbooks in PDF format: Machines of War, Understanding the Tactical Air War, and Flight School. These handbooks cover the planes and weapons, the war, and flight instruction. To look at any of these handbooks, click the Options tab, and then click Handbooks. To view or print these documents, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is included on the compact disc. Heres the lowdown on what youll learn in each of these handbooks.

Machines of War handbook

This handbook includes intriguing historical notes about each of the 18 planes you can fly and the technical data you need to fly them. Plus, youll find information on the weapons youll use and the enemy vehicles youll blow up.
Understanding the Tactical Air War handbook
The tactical air war was, for its time, a whole new way to wage war, and there were many theories as to how to put the limited number of planes and pilots available to the best use. Some felt that air power should operate independently; others thought it should be under the command of the army. This handbook gives you

KEEP EM FLYING

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a historical perspective on how the tactical air war was fought.

ONLINE HELP

Online Help details the procedures for using the settings and features of Combat Flight Simulator 3. In addition, you can easily access a list of key commands in-game or use mouse rollover Help to learn the function of all of the cockpit instruments.

Flight School handbook

This handbook illustrates the basics of flying as well as air combat maneuvers, and it has instructions for accessing the training material in CFS3. The handbook begins with the basics of flying aircraft. You may want to read through this section, even if youre familiar with flying in general, because flying aircraft in this theater and situation requires you to remember details like the importance of using trim when flying at low altitudes. After the basics, the handbook covers combat maneuvers. Every pilot should know these maneuvers cold. By reading about them, you will understand how they work and know what to do when something goes wrong right in the middle of executing a maneuver. With the information in the handbook in mind, youre free to turn your attention to the training movies and missions.

To access online Help

- Press F1 (or click Help from the Options tab).
To see a list of key commands

- Press F2.

To use mouse rollover Help
- Put your mouse cursor over an instrument or other object in the cockpit to learn about its function. Some instruments (such as the altimeter) deliver constantly updated information.

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COMBAT FLIGHT SIMULATOR WEB SITE
As a CFS3 pilot, you will want the latest intelligence. The best place to get this information is the CFS3 Insider Web site at http://www.cfsinsider.com. Go to the CFS3 Insider Web site for all kinds of information about the game including: - The latest news and information about Combat Flight Simulator 3 - Campaign information and historical details - Air combat techniques that will help you fly and fight better - News, hints, tips, and tricks to enhance your success in single- and multiplayer arenas - Information and materials on the history of the game, including interviews with pilots who fought this campaign and lived to tell the tale - Additional information on the multitude of aircraft models and variants in CFS3 - Add-ons, technical data, and SDK (software development kit) information for those who want to get into the guts of the game

TECHNICAL SUPPORT OPTIONS
For all of our support offerings, visit http://microsoft.com/support/. In Canada, visit http://microsoft.ca/support/. To get started, try the following: - For articles targeted at specific issues, visit the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://microsoft.com/support/. - To work with a Microsoft Support Professional over the Internet, submit your issue at http: //support.microsoft.com/directory/onlinesr.asp. - For your products general support policy, visit http://support.microsoft.com/directory/ productsupportoption.asp. * * *
Phone Support: In the U.S., call (425) 637-9308.
In Canada, call (905) 568-3503 (toll charges may apply). These numbers are for technical issues only-do not use them to request game hints, codes, or cheats. TTY Users: Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services are available at (425) 635-4948 in Washington State, (800) 892-5234 in the U.S., and (905) 568-9641 (toll charges may apply) in Canada. Worldwide: Support outside the U.S. and Canada may vary. For regional contact details, visit http://microsoft.com/support/. Conditions: Microsofts support services are subject to then-current prices, terms, and conditions, which are subject to change without notice.

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