Air Cover

[tbridges]

OK, first time as Allies in PBEM game that I'm actually in a position to plan a modest offensive mission. What's the best way for a carrier TF to provide air cover to a SC or invasion TF? Should the carriers follow the transports by a hex or two with its fighters set to LR cap? Or should both TFs share the same hex with fighters set to normal cap? If the fighters are set to regular cap and both TFs are in the same hex, they'll cover both TFs, right?

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: tbridges

OK, first time as Allies in PBEM game that I'm actually in a position to plan a modest offensive mission. What's the best way for a carrier TF to provide air cover to a SC or invasion TF? Should the carriers follow the transports by a hex or two with its fighters set to LR cap? Or should both TFs share the same hex with fighters set to normal cap? If the fighters are set to regular cap and both TFs are in the same hex, they'll cover both TFs, right?

If CVs are one hex away some of their CAP seems to bleed off. I usually have the CVs following one hex distant, and have some LRCAP set as well. Seems to work.

Having the CVs in the same hex as the transports would give the best protection of all, but if CVs (but not CVEs) are in coastal hexes they suffer a penalty I believe, so during the actual landing they shouldn't be in the same hex.

[bruin]

ORIGINAL: tbridges

OK, first time as Allies in PBEM game that I'm actually in a position to plan a modest offensive mission. What's the best way for a carrier TF to provide air cover to a SC or invasion TF? Should the carriers follow the transports by a hex or two with its fighters set to LR cap? Or should both TFs share the same hex with fighters set to normal cap? If the fighters are set to regular cap and both TFs are in the same hex, they'll cover both TFs, right?

I've always set my carriers to follow the TF, and stand off by 1 hex at target. I've noticed task forces generally stay away from coast hexes to begin with, so that should be an issue, then when you arrive at the target the CV TF will standoff by 1 hex.

[erstad]

ORIGINAL: EUBanana

If CVs are one hex away some of their CAP seems to bleed off. I usually have the CVs following one hex distant, and have some LRCAP set as well. Seems to work.

Oh yeah, that's an important point I forgot to make. If there isn't a reason to keep my CVs further away, I will sometimes park them adjacent to the invasion hex to get the bleedover cap. You can even get some bleedover from a couple hexes, but that's less reliable in my experience. You almost always get some adjacent.