Do fighter escorts automatically sweep when escorting bomber attacks?

[pbiggar]

I noticed in a carrier battle that in the raid that hit my carriers the enemy fighters showed up as sweeping in the combat report of the carrier air battle when the bombers attacked. Do escorts taking part in battle always display in combat report as sweeping, or is it required to set fighters to sweep with no target and they will automatically fly with the bombers. Maybe this has always been the case and I never noticed as carrier battles are quite rare.

[RangerJoe]

No, sweep and escort are two different missions and sweeping fighters will not escort other aircraft.

However, what you saw is that the escorting fighters arrived just before the bombers and those fighters got a jump on the CAP. Then the bombers showed up with the fighters still escorting them.

[Sardaukar]

There can also be coordination problems and such.

None of it usually bode well for bombers. Sometimes it works well...sometimes it is like torpedo bombers in Midway.

[Uhionk]

My personal theory on this is that the group number plays a big part in when a group is activated. The engine starts at the first entry on the list and executes its mission, dragging any other groups with a similar mission along with then if they pass the coordination checks. Once the first group is done the next group is checked, if it has not flown then the process is repeated.

Based on this the USAAF are the worst sweepers as the USAAF fighters are the highest numbered groups. I have had success in using USMC Fighters to sweep and USAAF as escorts.

This is only theory however.

[RangerJoe]

My personal theory on this is that the group number plays a big part in when a group is activated. The engine starts at the first entry on the list and executes its mission, dragging any other groups with a similar mission along with then if they pass the coordination checks. Once the first group is done the next group is checked, if it has not flown then the process is repeated.

Based on this the USAAF are the worst sweepers as the USAAF fighters are the highest numbered groups. I have had success in using USMC Fighters to sweep and USAAF as escorts.

This is only theory however.

There is a way to change the sweep order . . .

[Gratch1111]

And how do you do that?

[BBfanboy]

I think it is done by setting the bombers to Naval Attack in the morning and AF or Port attack in the afternoon. The sweepers have the entire morning to sweep the target.

[RangerJoe]

I think it is done by setting the bombers to Naval Attack in the morning and AF or Port attack in the afternoon. The sweepers have the entire morning to sweep the target.

That is one way to do it but then the defending fighters can get damage repaired, and reserves activated but I was referring to having the sweeping fighters appear before the bomber stream. There is also a way to increase the chances of having fighters to help defend all elements of the bomber stream.

[GrosserKreuzer]

I think it is done by setting the bombers to Naval Attack in the morning and AF or Port attack in the afternoon. The sweepers have the entire morning to sweep the target.

That is one way to do it but then the defending fighters can get damage repaired, and reserves activated but I was referring to having the sweeping fighters appear before the bomber stream. There is also a way to increase the chances of having fighters to help defend all elements of the bomber stream.

I think you are referring to long range cap over the target, and these figthers might join incoming figthers/bombers against enemy cap figthers plus increase enemy ops losses, right?
I have no idea on how to motivate my fighters to sweep before the bombers are coming, maybe changing squadrons that fail to do so to kamikaze mission will help .

Congratulations on reaching 14000 posts btw.

[RangerJoe]

I think it is done by setting the bombers to Naval Attack in the morning and AF or Port attack in the afternoon. The sweepers have the entire morning to sweep the target.

That is one way to do it but then the defending fighters can get damage repaired, and reserves activated but I was referring to having the sweeping fighters appear before the bomber stream. There is also a way to increase the chances of having fighters to help defend all elements of the bomber stream.

I think you are referring to long range cap over the target, and these figthers might join incoming figthers/bombers against enemy cap figthers plus increase enemy ops losses, right?
I have no idea on how to motivate my fighters to sweep before the bombers are coming, maybe changing squadrons that fail to do so to kamikaze mission will help .

Congratulations on reaching 14000 posts btw.

Thank you.

Yes, LRCAP will do that. But there is a way to usually have the fighters sweep in the morning before the bombers reach the target. Including for the Allies which don't do kamikazes.

[Chris21wen]

It can be a pain as it was for real. In theory setting ac to sweep that are closer to the target should work. They are not escorting the bombers so should arrive earlier but even if they fly from the same a/f they should arrive earlier, they are faster. Height difference may also play a part. I'd like to think the game gives perference to groups set to sweep?

[RangerJoe]

It can be a pain as it was for real. In theory setting ac to sweep that are closer to the target should work. They are not escorting the bombers so should arrive earlier but even if they fly from the same a/f they should arrive earlier, they are faster. Height difference may also play a part. I'd like to think the game gives perference to groups set to sweep?

I don't think that there is any preference for sweeps. Plenty of players have noticed that the bombers came in before the sweeping fighters.