Yeah, keeping your wingmates focused on objectives is really crucial, because otherwise they really are dumb as bricks. I seem to remember obsessively commanding them to attack over and over as I approached the enemy for initial engagement, just to make sure they stayed on course, tight with me. There might even be a way to tell them to form up with you? Not sure what, but potentially ctrl+f.

You know, I bet we could find the keyboard reference sheet somewhere.

Anyway, I would then command them to attack any time I switched targets, so that our firepower was always combined. Hypothetically this wastes shots (If my shot destroys the enemy, and they fire after I fire, they've wasted energy), but I think effectively it turned out much better. Targets were destroyed faster overall, killing flights of targets piece by piece instead of all at once, which gradually decreases enemy shots fired over time (per flight) instead of all three gunboats or whatever ending at once and all having equal time to get off shots.

At least, that is my memory of years ago.

EDIT: Also, back then, I had to play with a mouse. I had a joystick briefly but it broke. Gosh flying with a mouse is a pain.

Later, I played most of XWA with a steering wheel and pedals.