How to get your flight to do something useful

[ignition22]

Seemingly most of my flight follow me around while I'm getting shot to pieces no matter how many times I fumble through the menu to tell my wingmen, flight and second flight to engage enemy bandits. While they all agree this seems to be a good idea, telling me roger and affirm they seem more interested in the challenge of performing impossible maneuvers to stay on my wing while I attempt to take on half a dozen germans all by myself. The enemy AI seem to be in on the plan, ignore the other spits and make a beeline for me. It seems my direct wingmen get the hint and go do useful things, albeit in in far-away places, its one or both of the other flights that don't bother.

While I enjoy the formation flying on the way over the channel its mostly just a frustrating and then terminal experience once you come into contact with the enemy. Is there any way to actually make this work? Otherwise I feel it might be time to park WW2 SP stuff until one day ED makes some improvements to friendly AI and the command system. 

[Reflected]

Your own flight is controlled by the normal dcs radio menu. You need to give them orders. F1 for No2 F2 for the flighg, etc…

this is controlled by the core dcs logic, not the misison. 
 

the other flights, however, you need to give them orders via the F10 radio menu