Mission 11: Now the fun starts.

[Rain Man]

Vaunted aircrew members, you are now veterans.

Your mission assignments will expand to 22 potential targets now. You may find yourself flying a group of rookie bombers on a short mission to France (like the ones you first flew), or you may find yourself heading deep into German territory with other veteran aircrews.

In addition to the airfields, rail yards, industry, ship yards, and aircraft plants that you've been attacking, the 8th Air Force has added a new mission: going after the U-boat pens along the coasts. These targets often have concentrated flak defenses, so your flights in the bomb zones are somewhat more risky.

Distances will also increase. Your longest mission to date has been 4 zones. While those shorter missions are still possible, you may be assigned to missions up to twice that far. A new feature will be added to the mission plans for the remaining 15 missions, which will let you know the distance to your target as you take off. The good news is that your flight routes will be over the Channel or the North Sea for as long as possible to minimize interception by German fighters.

Recall that fighter cover extends only to Zone 4. However, on longer missions you will be part of larger bomber formations, so it is possible that some fighters will actually be driven off by other B-17s flying in formation with you. It's good to stay in formation on these long flights.

Good luck and godspeed.