Put your fighters on patrol over their target. Divide your fighters in Groups of 5 to maximize damage. Wait for them to hit their target with your fighters on patrol over the target, then after they have hit the target, attack them. You should always be able to catch them because your fighters are faster than the bombers.

This way you get to hit the bombers twice, once when they hit the target (because your fighters will be on patrol over the target when they hit it) and then again when you hit attack on them.

After that your fighters will return to base to refuel, but you should usually have time to return on patrol over the target before the bombers make a second attack because your fighters fly faster, so will make it back to base before them, refuel, and return in time for their next strike.

Of course, if your enemy is actually dumb enough to refuel at a base that is within range of your fighters, try to catch them on the ground while they are refueling. You will massacre them.

I like having mostly 5 and 5 stacks myself, Sometimes I stick an extra plane in each if I don't have exactly the right balance.

I also patrol all my groups in the same spot, so if someone tries a suicide direct attack on my patrol group he also incurs the wrath of the other groups.


Any way you slice it you are going to lose a bunch of planes of your own. I always start building as many new planes as I can before tackling a group like that