SEVEN KEYS TO BEATING THE ODDS By Antony Woodward Vidmer  O.B.E. At first blush, winning the Battle of Britain seems rather random: after all, one can only wait for raids to come in, detail squadrons, and hope for the best, right? As those who have won (including Mr. Dowding during the real McCoy) know, that is oh so very wrong, old chap. Here are 7 tips toward earning your O.B.E. (or at least avoiding the dreaded "Operation Cromwell" transmittal): 1. Read the Manual Only Mac people need to be told this. But if you haven't read the manual yet, do it now, paying particular attention to how the Germans think, as well as how your squadrons match up against German Gruppen. It'll help -- no kidding. 2. Know Your Squadrons Isn't it funny how sometimes you send in only a couple of squadrons and turn back the raid, while sometimes you send in a whole bunch and get creamed? Chances are, you won with a smaller number of squadrons for one or two reasons: 1.The squadrons were Spitfires. 2.They had lots of experience. Basically, it comes down to this: Hurricanes with no experience are wimps, while Spitfires with sorties under their belt are awesome. You can figure out the rest. 3. Know Your Range You probably know that the squadrons at Hawkinge can pitch in to protect Biggen Hill. But did you know that Tangmere can protect Kenley, and vice-versa? One or two more squadrons thrown into a battle can mean the difference between victory and defeat, so you need to know just who can protect what. Final primo hint: the ³range circles² overlap -- you can protect more than one place at once with a respectable amount of firepower. 4. Read the Ultra Report British intelligence got it right. Read the Ultra Report first thing every morning, paying close attention to where the major and minor raids are going -- disperse your squadrons accordingly. 5. Don't Be Afraid to Commit Especially when major raids are in the offing, take your best guess and commit your squadrons to protecting a given area. By no means try to defend everywhere -- it can only lead to disaster. 6. Only Fight When You Can Win The old saying "He who fights and runs away..." was never more appropriate here. It is much better to let the Germans make a few points on an unopposed raid than to throw a couple of squadrons in to get slaughtered. Whereas even a bombed-out air base will be usable the next day, squadrons can be trashed for much longer, and you may lose experience, too. In short, when in doubt, don't oppose the raid. 7. Watch The Weather Targets near the coast can be jumped, even on a clear day, giving you little or no warning. Guard them closely. On cloudy days there is always the chance a bomber group will sneak in and bomb a target far inland with little or no warning (making the intercept range very small). If you happen to have a couple of squadrons nearby, it's easy pickin's. Moral: Take the time to position even the most remote squadrons over a possible target--it can pay big dividends. //