Gunnery & evasion
All Aces High bombers, with the exception of the Mosquito XVI, mount defensive armament. The B-17 Flying Fortress along with the B-24 Liberator mount the most, covering practically every angle an enemy fighter may approach.
Although this added defense may seem formidable, bear in mind that you are manning every gun in either a single bomber or three ship formation and can only target one enemy fighter at a time. When gunning you will often have to nimbly switch from one view to another while tracking a fast-moving and rapidly turning target.
When manning a gunnery position, on the upper left corner of your screen you will see displayed the plane number you are in and the various gun positions in the plane. The position you occupy will be shown in white. All other positions will be shown in either green or red. Green indicates that the position is functional and hasn't been destroyed by enemy gunfire. Red indicates the opposite. The amount of remaining ammo in each position will also be displayed. The numbers to the left of each gun position indicate the number you must select to change to that position. Ctrl 1,2 or 3 will change you over to a different aircraft in your flight (you will retain the same gunner position and orientation).
Adjustment of gun position views is recommended since the default view may not be the most advantageous one. This may vary from position to position. Backing away from the default position and saving (F10) may result in a broader field of view while still giving you the option to zoom (Z) and adjust further by moving forward or back with the arrow keys. Some bombers may actually broaden your field of view by adjusting forward with the arrow key (He-111, for example).
Top Turret Default
Top Turret Adjusted
Top Turret Full Zoom
Tail Gun Default
Tail Gun Adjusted
Ball Turret Default
Ball Turret Full Zoom
Tail Gun Full Zoom
Ball Turret Adjusted
I found that using the mouse for gun control is more precise than using my joystick but bear in mind that leaving your map up will disable mouse control of the guns (diverting to controlling the cursor, instead). Only pull the map up for split second SA checks to see if additional enemy planes are approaching.
On a B-17 I find that the most important gun positions are the Ball, Top and Tail (2,3 and 4, in that order). The Chin Turret (5) is the next most important position for head-on attacks leaving left and right waists (6,7) the least important (I only resort to them when other guns have been taken out). When in large formations use 'single gun fire' by using the "F" Key. This is very important in large formations (whether killshooter is off or on). When using your trigger and all three bombers are firing, sometimes stray fire can hit friendly drones. Using the "F" key only uses 1 gun, aboard your bomber. Otherwise, all the guns on your plane (and in your flight) will fire at the target you track if within their scope and if they have not been taken out by enemy fire. Friendly aircraft may be in their line of fire.
Regrettably, any additional enemy fighters that are attacking you simultaneously will not be fired on, unless you are part of a tight group comprised of multiple player flights that can cover you from other attacking planes.
In cases where you may be separated from such additional support you may want to consider going evasive when multiple enemy planes approach or if a single aggressor proves too nimble to track.
The simplest method of evasion is an F3 view rudder turn while still in a gunner position. This will require use of rudder control through either rudder pedals, a 'twisty stick' or keypad controls (A for left, D for right).
If you feel coordinated and skilled enough, you may attempt to gun while evading (in either the F3 view or F1 view). Your success will often hinge on how skilled a bomber interceptor you are encountering. Sometimes their counter-evasion exceeds your attempt to evade, sometimes not.
In either case, hitting the silk is always the last resort. Even after release of your bomb load you should take every measure possible to bring as many of your planes and crews back to base as possible. Only bail from a plane on fire or unflyable.
*Special thanks to Nefarious for proofing and adding additional insight to this page.