The Allies Air Force has been decimated with one Mustang only still airworthy after Week 7. The mechanics work around the clock on 4 P-51 Mustang and 22 B-17 aircraft trying to fix what can be fixed before the next enemy raid hits. But how many units can they recover? First damage assessment says no more than 30 or 35% in the best case scenario, so that’s roughly 7 or 8 aircraft overall including 1 or 2 fighters at most. The situation is critical as without enough fighters many of the B-17’s could well fly for the last time next week…

The last Luftwaffe attack has also inflicted heavy losses to Allies industrial centers. Only 5 factories are still operating with a maximum production total capacity of 25, which is the meager equivalent of one fighter and one bomber.

With their back to the wall, Allies have no other choice but trying to repair and turn out as many aircraft as possible before the Luftwaffe hits again. The morale of the troops is very low, will we see a capitulation or will they keep on fighting to the last breath? Could a handful of Mustang drivers pull off an heroic performance and turn the tide?

The Luftwaffe has also suffered heavy losses as only 4 fighters are still operational after week 7 but that’s a 3 airworthy fighter and 5 bomber advantage over their foes and at this stage of the war, even a tiny upperhand can make the difference. Maintenance capacity is weak however compared to the Americans, and although 30 aircraft are being worked on, only 3 to 4 at most are expected to be cleared for combat by next week. Germans have also twice as much production capacity so they are looking to receive up to 5 brand new fighters or 3 new bombers for the next battle.

Overall, Axis forces seem to be in a better spot to win the war although because of their limited aircraft numbers, both sides will have difficulty dealing with the deadly Flak and AAA units, which will obviously be positioned around the remaining industrial centers. Both teams have invested heavily in Air Defense units since the conflict broke out so both commanders will have to carefully plan their attacks in order to preserve the few remaining aircraft in this war of attrition.

Breaking news: Ceasefire announced

Cease Fire!

This reporter has just found out that both commanders have agreed to a cease fire. Though it seemed the Axis had a bit of an advantage, they are not willing to risk anymore resources against the tenacious Allies. The Allied maintenance crews had pulled off some miraculous efforts in getting their damaged aircraft combat ready even though their industrial centers are down to about 25% capacity, so they are also no longer willing to lose anymore lives.

For now, this campaign is effectively over, with the Axis commander able to declare Victory by the narrowest of margins. – Shahdoh