Air Units and Bases

[Dr. Foo]

When a unit enters an enemy airbase with air units staked the air units move to another base. Do the moving air units suffer any losses? Surely not all the aircraft would be able to escape also what if no air bases are available do the aircraft go into the replacement pool or are they lost?

[golden delicious]

The units go into reorganisation immediately but take no losses. However, this is an abstraction- they're assumed not to be just frantically taking off as the enemy halftracks are disgorging infantry onto the airfield, but to have done so when they were still a few miles away, but still in the hex.

However, if your opponent is dumb enough to leave substantial air forces at the fields as you approach them, try some airfield attacks with artillery. These tend to be devastatingly effective and should compensate for the absence of losses when you actually get the airfield.

I assume that if the units evaporate through lack of space, the planes are variously lost or sent to replacements just as if the unit had been lost in combat.

[jimwinsor]

"However, if your opponent is dumb enough to leave substantial air forces at the fields as you approach them, try some airfield attacks with artillery. These tend to be devastatingly effective and should compensate for the absence of losses when you actually get the airfield. "

I can vouch for that. I just got done playing the Sevastopol scenario as the Germans, and targeting a Soviet airfield with an 800mm rail gun from 17 hexes away is fun fun fun! Got about 50% casualties per strike, heh! [:)]

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: jimwinsor

I can vouch for that. I just got done playing the Sevastopol scenario as the Germans, and targeting a Soviet airfield with an 800mm rail gun from 17 hexes away is fun fun fun! Got about 50% casualties per strike, heh! [:)]

That 800mm rail gun is overrated in TOAW. The thing can hardly have been accurate- and as I recall only fired about one shell a day (for a total of 48 during the entire seige). The 600mm guns were much more successful, to my understanding, but they don't appear to be in the database.

[Catch21]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious
However, if your opponent is dumb enough to leave substantial air forces at the fields as you approach them, try some airfield attacks with artillery. These tend to be devastatingly effective and should compensate for the absence of losses when you actually get the airfield.

Yes. In fact I sometimes find it better NOT to take airfields if you find significant numbers of planes on them (unless you really need the real estate), just hold back or go round them and pound with arty. It's usually far more devastatingly efficient against an air force than air-to-air combat.

It's also a tactic that can come as a huge (and psychological) surprise to an unsuspecting opponent who has moved his air as far forward as possible thinking that there it will be most effective. They then tend to be much more careful and cautious (even frightened), which will ALWAYS work for you.

[LLv34_Snefens]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

That 800mm rail gun is overrated in TOAW. The thing can hardly have been accurate- and as I recall only fired about one shell a day (for a total of 48 during the entire seige). The 600mm guns were much more successful, to my understanding, but they don't appear to be in the database.

It was more than that. At the most it shot 14 rounds on a day, but theoretically it could manage 4 shots an hour.

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: LLv34_Snefens

It was more than that. At the most it shot 14 rounds on a day, but theoretically it could manage 4 shots an hour.

So it seems. Actually by the sounds of things it fired sixteen shots on 6th June. Having had a look at some of the maths involved, the sheer quantity of high explosives which could be delivered by this thing would seem to justify the AP strength.

[BillLottJr]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

However, if your opponent is dumb enough to leave substantial air forces at the fields as you approach them, try some airfield attacks with artillery. These tend to be devastatingly effective and should compensate for the absence of losses when you actually get the airfield.

SSM's are also great for brutalizing aircraft and with their range, means that you have to base your A/C well behind the front.

[Szilard]

I notice that the AI in the stuff I'm fiddling is very careful now at moving air units away from the front. Another nice little TOAW3 touch, if I'm not mistaken.