[Matt Wiser]

OK: here's a few answers:

1) The F-111 (and A-6) squadrons mainly fly at night. It's what they're trained for, and they also exploit gaps in enemy lines-or go in along unit boundaries where one unit may not be talking to their neighbors-especially if it's, say, East Germans and Nicaraguans, to give one example. The deep-strike people go in at low level always.

2) Strikes in daytime go in this way because the mission calls for it: it's BAI for the most part, and also CAS. Not to mention that Weasels are in short supply, and not every strike can have F-4Gs (or Navy A-7s or Marine Hornets) with antiradar missiles. If it's a CAS run, the Army or Marines do the AF a favor and dump artillery or MLRS rockets onto enemy air defense assets, and tank crews get told to take out any air defense vehicles (ZSU-23s and SA-9 or -13 launchers) they see. A 105 or 120 HEAT round does a wonder on those.....

3) This squadron's loss rate is lower than expected, mainly due to good leadership in the air (though the early days were rough: two COs and an XO were KIA, and there are exactly ten pilots or GIBs left who were flying on Day One), good tactics, and having support assets (Weasels, A-7s doing IRON HAND, or Marine Hornets for flak suppression) around. It's been two weeks since the squadron took losses (two birds down with one pilot KIA and the other three crew rescued), but that won't last. if more SA-11s or ZSU-30-2s show (Tunguskas), that makes things...ugly.