B-17s won't attack land targets

[apiazza42]

I've got two BGs of B-17s at Port Moresby set to attack Rabaul's airfield (I've tried attacking closer airfields too) and they just won't do it for some reason. I have plenty of supplies, an AF HQ unit there, plenty of support, and the range is set correctly. I thought maybe it had to do with fighter escort, but when I tried to attack Salamaua (3 hexes away) that didn't work either. Any suggestions or ideas?

[TheTomDude]

I'm a jap player and I haven't played for a while so maybe this question is silly, but how big is your airfield at PM? Big enough for 4E bombers?

[apiazza42]

Its a six right now going on seven. Its weird because they're all over naval targets when I order it but they don't like the airfields.

[Feinder]

Supplies are white, yes?

What's their morale?

-F-

[apiazza42]

I've got three times the necessary supplies and one group's morale is 89 and the other's is 99. I've tried replacing the commanders with more aggressive ones and that hasn't worked either. I'm stumped.

[Feinder]

So am I.
 
What's the weather forecast?  You can get the weather forcast for the origin AF and target hex (since the boundaries are sometimes nebulous or just plain wrong), by pressing the "3" key.
 
-F-

[apiazza42]

Partly cloudy.

[jwilkerson]

Are you playing stock or a mod? Ignoring of enemy fighter cover is based on a check against the durability of the aircraft - one of the internal ways of trying to differentiate a 4E bomber from a 2E bomber. So potentially a mod could miss the threshold. There are about 8 or so reasons I can think of - but I believe they have all been mentioned otherwise.

[Jorm]

do you have any fighter escorts ?
I seem to recall a similar problem where for what ever reason hvy bombers didnt fly unless i gave them an escort ?

[Feinder]

Time to break out...

[apiazza42]

I'm playing stock- v1.5

[apiazza42]

Yes I agree Feinder...if only relieving commanders involved flogging........

[apiazza42]

I've got some P-40s there and I also thought of the fighter escort problem so I tried assigning the bombers to attack a base only three hexes away since I'm sure the P-40s won't make it from PM to Rabaul but that didn't seem to take either. The fighter escort issue does seem to be tied into this however. As I mentioned before, the bombers have no problem attacking naval targets except when the ships are near Rabaul, which I'm sure is stacked with Zeroes. I'd really like for these B-17s to do what they are best at which is attacking large stationary targets. Why use these guys to bomb moving ships when I have Beauforts with torpedoes for that? Its driving me mad because I've always hated Rabaul and its stupid Bettys. Lousy simulated bomber pilots.

[Yamato hugger]

ORIGINAL: apiazza42

I'm playing stock- v1.5

1.5? [X(]

[apiazza42]

Yeah I know I'm insane but when I tried to get 1.8 on my computer the game wouldn't boot so I reinstalled and started a game in 1.5 but now I'm worried that if I update I'll lose my game that I've put unhealthy amounts of time into.

[Feinder]

You can make a backup copy of your save game (pws file), anywhere on your computer.  Tuck a copy of it away somewhere first (just to be anal) then...
 
1.  Make a copy of your entire WitP folder (or whatever it's called).  Call it WitP2 or something.  Just put it right beside the existing WitP folder (directly under the Matrix Games folder).  This will create a 2nd backup of your game (as the Save folder will also be duplicated).
2.  Now run the upgrade vs. the WitP folder.
3.  Try firing up your upgraded version, with your game.
4.  If it dies horribly, kill the WitP folder, and rename the backup folder to be WitP.  Ta-da, you're back to v1.5.
 
That's actually sorta what I did for CHS.  I just made a copy of the WitP folder under Matrix Games.  Then installed CHS on top of the 2nd copy of the game (so I have a WitP folder, and a CHS folder under Matrix Games), and can run Classic WitP and CHS separately.
 
-F-

[jwilkerson]

Well I'm curious - so I'm looking at the code .... things that matter - sometimes - include:

01 supply
02 unit leader (air attribute)
03 hq leader (air attribute)
04 altitude
05 unit leader morale
06 base size
07 night
08 group morale
09 group experience
10 air field overloaded
11 cold zone
12 insufficient escorts for non-heavy bombers

But I definitely recommend using 1.8.0.6 ... virtually impossible for me to tell what was happening in 1.5.

[gladiatt]

ORIGINAL: Feinder

Time to break out...

Uh Oh, Captain William Blyth flag.....

Although from time to time i'd like to use it against squadron leader not following orders

[CarnageINC]

Yeap, definately go for the update.  I'm sure if you need help troubleshooting your system so you can get the game to boot, there is plenty of great support in the forums.  [;)]

[John Lansford]

I've got a similar problem with both B-17's and A-20's.&nbsp; The B-17's have very low experience (<60) and won't attack anything.&nbsp; They're at Kendari (airfield 6) with plenty of supply, and plenty of TF's to attack around Tawi Tawi and Macassar.&nbsp; They occasionally bomb Macassar but that's it.
&nbsp;
The A-20's make even less sense.&nbsp; They've got 70+ experience, high morale, lots of supply at Eniwetok, but every time the AI runs a resupply convoy down to Kwajalein from Saipan my B-17's and B-25's do all the heavy lifting while the A-20's sit on the runway.&nbsp; These resupply TF's have no fighter cover and hardly any escorts, but the 2E bombers won't go after them (except for the B-25's).