FITE AND AIR POWER

[loveman2]

Hello out there,

What is the best way to use air power in this scenario,
after the initial opening phase where the germans have air superiority, the red army seems to amass a huge amout of air superiority later in the game?

How on earth do they manage that ?
Also when I try to bomb my opponents airfields I get slaughtered?

So what is the secret on using fighters and bombers together ?

Any help please.

[m5000.2006]

just an extra question from me:

does it make sense to use interdiction during the first turns of the game - i mean when i chose interdiction for a section of my aircraft, the interdiction level is very low (probably due to the huge map), about 1, and i was wondering if it's effective and actually affects the russian player in any noticeable way, obviously, when my aircraft fly interdiction missions, they can't do other things, so i was wondering if it is perhaps a waste of my aircraft

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: loveman1

Also when I try to bomb my opponents airfields I get slaughtered?

So what is the secret on using fighters and bombers together ?

Any help please.

Here you do something wrong. Attack airfields with bombers only, be sure that your fighters are on air superiority mission and in range, but don't use them to bomb airfields. Enemy fighters on air superiority and in the bombarded airfield will react, thus being slaughtered by your fighters, while the bombers can "savely" bombard the airfield.. This is the general procedure and can be used in every scenario.

I wouldn't use the bombers in interdiction missions in FitE, the map is quite huge, it has almost no effect except if you concentrate them in a small area maybe. I did this initially but it drained too much supply and i thought bombing airfields (and bridges) was more important.

Bomb them wherever you can, you can sometimes attack airfields out of friendly fighter range when the target hex contains only bombers and you are relatively sure no enemy fighters are in the neighbourhood.

Another good use for the bombers might be to blow bridges on possible retreat routes of enemy units so you might be able to achieve an encirclement with your motorized forces, but take your engineers with you.
Also, in the direction of your main axis of advance, when the enemy tries to make a stand, you can use the bombers to try to 'undig' enemy artillery before the ground attack, your infantry will appreciate it very much.. But be aware of AA units!

My 0.02 cents - those who have played this scenario for a longer time can surely bring in more, as well as those from the soviet side.

[Monkeys Brain]

ORIGINAL: loveman1

Hello out there,

What is the best way to use air power in this scenario,
after the initial opening phase where the germans have air superiority, the red army seems to amass a huge amout of air superiority later in the game?

How on earth do they manage that ?
Also when I try to bomb my opponents airfields I get slaughtered?

So what is the secret on using fighters and bombers together ?

Any help please.

I disagree to some extent with Telumar.
First you gotta take as many as you can replacements points up to first ceasefire. That would also lower Russian flow of planes as well. I use interdiction a lot because it is useful for reducing Soviet readiness and it bombs them to hell a lot. heh But, stop with interdiction missions when you see first serious losses.
Forget bombing of enemy airfields - aroound 10 or even less turn unless you have really big air sup around airfield you want to bomb. Do that later in the turn when lot's of Soviet plenes will go into reorg. You imagine that on air report, in the beginning you see bigger Soviet air sup but it will god down with lapsing of the turn.

There is no way you can stop your opponent of getting all lost air units back, but use all of his errors to your advantage. Ie. golden rule - make attrition benefitial to you - somehow make his losses bigger. For example slaughter his air force that do Interdiction or Combat Support mission.
I don't make Combat Support mission during opponent turn, only when I am sure that I have much greater air sup there and that I need that urgently on some sector.

All said you must develop a TOAW sense for all of this and gut feeling. No exact formula. And don't do interdition around areas where he have a big air sup, check the ranges etc.

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: Monkeys Brain
Do that later in the turn when lot's of Soviet plenes will go into reorg. You imagine that on air report, in the beginning you see bigger Soviet air sup but it will god down with lapsing of the turn.

That's a good point.

From my experience interdiction seems not to be that effective in FitE, i could be wrong though. However, regarding the soviet negative shock in the beginning and until the counteroffensive, hit units are more likely to go into reorg than normally, so Monkeybrain has a point here. That means you can trap them. Destruction of as many as you can catch enemy units seems to be as important as a fast advance if you want at least to knock at the doors of Moscow after the 1st Mud season.

More 0.02 Euros...

[Monkeys Brain]

ORIGINAL: Telumar

ORIGINAL: Monkeys Brain
Do that later in the turn when lot's of Soviet plenes will go into reorg. You imagine that on air report, in the beginning you see bigger Soviet air sup but it will god down with lapsing of the turn.

That's a good point.

From my experience interdiction seems not to be that effective in FitE, i could be wrong though. However, regarding the soviet negative shock in the beginning and until the counteroffensive, hit units are more likely to go into reorg than normally, so Monkeybrain has a point here. That means you can trap them. Destruction of as many as you can catch enemy units seems to be as important as a fast advance if you want at least to knock at the doors of Moscow after the 1st Mud season.

More 0.02 Euros...

Yes, and as you said, agressive bridge bombing will at least keep his engineers busy away from the front (they have habit to eat your turn). Interdiction is useful believe me just as I said only if you keep your losses light, if he is taking a big toll on your interdiction missions than they are not useful because German player must keep his losses at minimum or at least recoverable.