Need help with B-29's

[Koniev]

It is late Nov. 44 and I have 5 B-29 squadrons at Saipan, 5 on Tinian and 5 on Guam. They're all protected by a squadron of P-51's. The bases are all well supplied. There's just one problem - They Won't Do Anything!! I wanted them to bomb Iwo Jima land units when I sent in the Marines but - nothing. I'm trying now to get them to bomb the Phillipine airbases in preparation for an assault on Leyte by 6th Army but they just sit there. Anybody have any idea what's going on??

[MXB2001]

I assume they're in range and the base target isn't set, etc. I have seen occasions when bombers just won't bomb one turn. Usually they get back to it on the next turn. Sounds like they've gone on strike 2 turns in a row? Unusual. Things that might also affect it are low exp and a poor air leader rating. Well I'm just guessing...

[Capt. Harlock]

Things that might also affect it are low exp and a poor air leader rating. Well I'm just guessing...

Two other possibilities: In Pacific War, squadrons become more cautious when there is a shortage of replacement aircraft in the pool. Second, the strike selection routines are heavily weighted in favor of attacking Heavy Industry. The B-29's may be looking at bombing Tokyo, and then calculating it's out of P-51 escort range.

[MXB2001]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

Things that might also affect it are low exp and a poor air leader rating. Well I'm just guessing...

Two other possibilities: In Pacific War, squadrons become more cautious when there is a shortage of replacement aircraft in the pool. Second, the strike selection routines are heavily weighted in favor of attacking Heavy Industry. The B-29's may be looking at bombing Tokyo, and then calculating it's out of P-51 escort range.

I concur. After my post I also thought that it could be because sometimes it seems they just decide there are no worthwhile targets and don't attack. It is a fact that bombers surrounded by empty enemy bases will ignore them as "insignificant". The program probably has a minimum target value threshold below which they won't attack. You can use this as a sort of recon to find targets because they have more intel than you do.

[Rich Dionne]

Yes, I can see your issue. I tried it and saw the same problem. It doesn't seem to be affected by pool size, air group experience, air leader aggressiveness, or HQ target. B-29s (heavy bombers in general?) appear to be very sensitive to target designation when they're in range major oil or factories. They just don't seem to want to go for anything else, and if their base is assigned to another target, say Iwo Jima, they do seem to refuse to fly (perhaps LeMay is pissed off at your target choice [:D]). It's oil and factories they crave. (As a test, I put some oil on Iwo, and then the B-29s happily attacked the base.) If you move the B-29s to a base where they can't reach Japan (like Eniwetok), but can reach Iwo, then they do appear to go after Iwo when you select it as the target for the base. You could do the same for Leyte from some place like Manokwari.

I can understand your frustration. If you want to plaster Iwo Jima with 150 B-29s on Saipan, then by God, you should be able to! [:@] Sometimes the AI just decides it sees a more important target than what you want to go after. B-29s are happiest when they're free to go after major oil or factory targets.

Regards,

Rich

[Capt. Harlock]

I can understand your frustration. If you want to plaster Iwo Jima with 150 B-29s on Saipan, then by God, you should be able to!

Amen, brother!

[MXB2001]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

I can understand your frustration. If you want to plaster Iwo Jima with 150 B-29s on Saipan, then by God, you should be able to!

Amen, brother!

Bah! Buncha war criminals.

[Koniev]

Well, after trying a few things I think those prima donna B-29 jocks feel like THEY should pick the targets and prefer bombing rice warehouses in Nagoya to real fighting. I fixed them though. They're currently flying b-24 Liberators out of Manila and they do what they're darn well ordered to do. Now, if i can just keep the Avenger pilots from flying off into who-knows-where without their fighter escort I'll be happy.

[Capt. Harlock]

Now, if i can just keep the Avenger pilots from flying off into who-knows-where without their fighter escort I'll be happy.

That's why I never allow CV-based Avenger squadrons to upgrade from TBF's to TBM's. That increase of range from 3 to 4 often gets them into serious trouble. Note that strike ranges are rounded down, so that TBF's can only hit fixed targets at four hexes, while TBM's can strike out to six.

Land-based TBM squadrons do nicely when escorted by range-4 fighters such as Lightnings and Thunderbolts. But alas, CV-borne fighters are limited to range 3. (For the Allies, at least.)

[bradk]

In my revisions, I replaced all carrier based TBMs with TBFs. To avoid having to switch produciton back and forth, I have both a TBF and TBM factory. To avoid excessive production, the TBM factory is located central US which has lower overall production capcity than other factories in the US. Which brings up another subject.

Maximum factory capcity is determined by aircraft cost and the base where its located. There are three types of bases, US, Allies but not US, and IJ. US has the highest, IJ has the lowest. Maximum capacity seems to be about in thirds, that is, if US is 100, Allies but not US is 67 and IJ is 33.

When Matrix added Central US it used a base number recognized by the program as Allies but not US. So its possible to prevent over production of an aircraft by putting its factory at Central US, rather than rasing its cost, which distorts its desireability versus similar aircraft no matter which base holds its factory.

[Capt. Harlock]

Maximum factory capcity is determined by aircraft cost and the base where its located. There are three types of bases, US, Allies but not US, and IJ. US has the highest, IJ has the lowest. Maximum capacity seems to be about in thirds, that is, if US is 100, Allies but not US is 67 and IJ is 33.

When Matrix added Central US it used a base number recognized by the program as Allies but not US.

Some very interesting information. People may want to make House Rules for PBM play that British planes may not be produced in U.S. bases, giving an oversupply of such things as the dual-use Beaufighters or potent Fireflies.

[bradk]

The reduced number of factories make it difficult for a player to do that. For example there are two tac bomber factories in the US which for most of the game would be used to produce the B25 and B26. So unless a player can first create an oversupply of one of those, switching one of the factories to produce extra Beaufighters might not be feasible. Despite the potential impracticality, all my opponents have agreed to a rule that US factories can't be used to produce British aircraft.