Unescorted carrier strikes

[alfrake]

Can anyone advise me on how to convince the idiotic computer not to send my unescorted carrier bombers into heavy CAP?

Playing PBEM as Japan, I have repeatedly had the Zeroes go flying off somewhere else to fight nothing while most of the bombers charge in alone against CAP. Every attempt to bomb Palmyra, for example, has resulted in unescorted bombers flying into the CAP, even if Zeroes will escort some strikes at the same target. Today at Port Morsebay I lost the entire attack capability of Shokaku and Zuikaku (4 vals and 1 Kate left) because the entire TF Zeroes escorted the SECOND strike only (Hiryu's bombers) and butchered the CAP. The Zeroes fly somewhere almost every time, they just regularly leave bombers unescorted and worse sometimes leave the first strike unescorted.

I have tried ordering the Zeros to specifically attack the base, but that doesn't solve the timing problem. I have tried putting them on sweep missions, but that still leaves totally unescorted bombers against the remaining CAP that without being disrupted by escorts shreds the bombers. I have tried combinations and I still sometimes lose lots of bombers. My TF commanders are the best I can find (Yamaguchi most recently).

Having my entire carrier squadrons wiped out when I did everything right is just debilitating. If this is going to happen, what's the point?

[dtravel]

ORIGINAL: alfrake

Can anyone advise me on how to convince the idiotic computer not to send my unescorted carrier bombers into heavy CAP?

No.

[Nomad]

ORIGINAL: dtravel

ORIGINAL: alfrake

Can anyone advise me on how to convince the idiotic computer not to send my unescorted carrier bombers into heavy CAP?

No.

There is dtravel being very verbose. [:D]

If you figure it out, please post it. [8|][8D]

[anarchyintheuk]

Use the Nagumo method, set your strike aircraft primary mission to airfield attack and use a low cap %.

[Feinder]

It happens to the best of us.
 

 
-F-

[spence]

Though the circumstances are not precisely what you describe there were several occasions where IJN fighters assigned as escorts for a strike essentially abandoned their charges to attack American aircraft that were sighted while enroute to target (Hiryu's first strike at Yorktown - Midway, Shokaku/Zuikaku's strike at Hornet/Enterprise - Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands). In both cases the strike aircraft suffered at the hands of the USN CAP "unnecessarily". If this happens ALL the time though something is definitely wrong somewhere. I have not seen it personally but there are so many variables to anything that happens and so many settings that I am quite sure I have NOT figured anything out (magically speaking)[:)]

[hosho]

to alfrake
how many carriers do you have in kb? what is your cap rate?
i found out that more than 4 carriers in kb produce u c s more often ( altought it can happen even if you have one cv in a tf ).
i suggest you keep your carrier bombers for naval attacks only. bring some bbs and provide aircover for their bombardement missions. it`s more economical and saves nervs[;)]

[jeffs]

You also have to remember the radio on the zero was so bad, that it either was not installed in many planes or
did not work...Needless to say, that hurt teamwork, especially with attack craft...