Air squadron upgrades

[HansBolter]

I have a carrier fighter squadron that got depleted down to 3 F3Fs on the Yorktown and refuses to upgrade to F4Fs.

There are no more available F3Fs to flesh it out and it has been at this reduced strength for over 3 months without ever upgrading to F4Fs.

Since it is the only squadron of F3Fs I have I can't even transfer it to a land base and disband it.

This means that the Yorky is dependent on it's sister carriers for fighter protection and significantly hampers any carrier TF it is a part of.

Is there any way to fix this problem?

[Denniss]

Do you have enough F4F in pool ? AFAIK you need maximum size of your unit + 20% to have this unit upgraded.
Try to move it to a land base close to Noumea, maybe it upgrades there.
Have you tried to replace the carrier fighter unit with a marine VMF-squadron?

[HansBolter]

Almost all my carrier fighter squadrons were knocked down to about half strength when the Yorkie's got trashed so they have apparently sucked up all the F4Fs from the pool and continue to do so as new planes enter the pool.

I haven't tried moving it off the carrier and replacing it with a Marine fighter. I'll give that a try.

[Wirraway_Ace]

I have not had any luck moving Marine squadrons to a CV. I believe the game hardcodes a squadron as carrier capable or not, but doesn't display it clearly like in WiTP. I think you will find that you can transport them, but they will not fly missions from the carrier.

My only success with this sort of problem is to shut-down all my squadrons with the type of aircraft I need until the pool builds to squadron + 20%. Even then, the computer seems to pick the squadron to upgrade based on a historical hierarchy if more than one is within range of either Noumea or Brisbane. In this case, as long as your CV is docked on the day the pool reaches squardon size (at full strength) + 20%, it should upgrade fine.

[HansBolter]

So, if I keep all my other carriers at sea and all my marine fighters on stand down so they take no losse and keep the Yorkie docked I "should" eventually get it to upgrade?

I also haven't had any luck with marine squadrons flying from carriers. This seems to make the handful of CVEs that arrive without air squadrons good for nothing but shuttling.

[Wirraway_Ace]

If you lose a CV or have one heavily damaged, you seem to be able to move those airgroups to the CVEs as long as you don't exceed their capacity. Don't let them sit in port though, or the genius pilot assignment staff officers start doing strange stuff to the number of pilots and available aircraft.

[Wirraway_Ace]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

So, if I keep all my other carriers at sea and all my marine fighters on stand down so they take no losse and keep the Yorkie docked I "should" eventually get it to upgrade?

yes. Your other carriers can also dock, but if they are in need of replacement aircraft, they will suck the pool dry first.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Wirraway_Ace

If you lose a CV or have one heavily damaged, you seem to be able to move those airgroups to the CVEs as long as you don't exceed their capacity. Don't let them sit in port though, or the genius pilot assignment staff officers start doing strange stuff to the number of pilots and available aircraft.

My bane seesm to be that I haven't lost any carriers. Three got beat up heavily enough to need to be sent back to Pearl, but have long since returned.

[borner]

good point on teh CVE Wirraway. Moving and Avenger group from a dead CV to the Long Island and putting them on ASW partol is the best use I have found for it.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: borner

... Moving and Avenger group from a dead CV to the Long Island and putting them on ASW partol is the best use I have found for it.

I've tried using the LI for ASW w/SBDs and DD escorts and tocaff sank it w/a sub.
The LI is just too slow for ASW, or anything else for that matter.

[PizzaMan]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

ORIGINAL: borner

... Moving and Avenger group from a dead CV to the Long Island and putting them on ASW partol is the best use I have found for it.

I've tried using the LI for ASW w/SBDs and DD escorts and tocaff sank it w/a sub.
The LI is just too slow for ASW, or anything else for that matter.

After she gets sunk, it'll make a fine scuba diving site after the war.

[Marc gto]

hey we found a use for her lol...barrier reef

[Denniss]

If you are short of F4F then use the Marine squadrons to fill up your carrier units by disbanding/withdrawing the VMF units into VF (carrier) units. The F4F pool may now build up to upgrade your F3F unit.

The VMF (marine) pilot experience is often in the 50-60 experience range, it may be better to use only their aircraft and wait for Navy replacements pilots who often have more experience. (I'm always mixing up disband and withdraw, AFAIR withdraw is using a/c and disband is using a/c and pilots to move to the new unit.

[bradfordkay]

You should not be able to disband a VMF squadron into a VF squadron (the pilots being of two different types - marines and navy - so the VF squadron cannot absorb the marine pilots), but you should be able to withdraw the VMF squadron which can give the aircraft to the VF squadrons.

[ILCK]

Safe to say the whole replacement thing is way too mysterious amd too little info bleeds through to the players. Plus, the "decisions" by the AI stink out loud how which squadrons to updated. The old manual process in PacWar was actually better - plus if I still want a few groups of P39's for barge killing I'm out of luck.

[tocaff]

I've never had all of my P-39 sqds upgrade to P-38s.  Maybe because at a certain point the loses of the P-38s are soaking up the replacement pool ac faster than they arrive.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

I've never had all of my P-39 sqds upgrade to P-38s.  Maybe because at a certain point the loses of the P-38s are soaking up the replacement pool ac faster than they arrive.

If you don't throw the first squardeon you get into such a heavy fray that it sucks all the future replacements from the pool [8D] then eventually several squadrons of P39s upgrade to P38s. I have had as many as four squadrons of P38s by January.

[tocaff]

Very true, but what I meant was that I've been in mid '43 with many P-38 sqds in the midst of the fray and they kept sucking up the new planes.  I think that once a player realizes the strength of the P-39 and forgets thinking of it a a fighter then it'll shine for him.  Short range naval attacks, barge killing, ground support, really anything except CAP (unless it's out of fighter escort range) and escort missions and it's great.  Hell, I even use the CVE Long Island to transport them between Oz and the NHs depending on needs.