Air Group mission allocations

[Buck Beach]

I am just a little confused here, but I couldn't find it specifically stated in the manual.

Say I have an Air Group set for 60% CAP and I don't designate a secondary PATROL mission. I am thinking that the remainder of aircraft (40%) will be at rest automatically, without having to set "Rest" as the secondary PATROL mission. Now if I would like to further break down the Group in to PATROLs (eg 20% LRCAP), does that get auto deducted from the at rest portion or do I have to specifically reallocate each portion of the group on the PATROL chart. Example: CAP 40%; LRCAP 20%; Rest 40%.

Clear as mud?

[GB68]

You have to specifically apply each action. Such as 40% CAP, 20% LRCAP and 40% rest.

If you leave it as 40% CAP and the balance unassigned. Because the default CAP mission is "Escort", the remaining 60% could fly an escort mission with nearby Bombers. Or they may indeed rest, but it is dependant on the Leader and Morale and other factors as well.

Hope this helps a little.

[Central Blue]

ORIGINAL: Buck Beach

I am just a little confused here, but I couldn't find it specifically stated in the manual.

Say I have an Air Group set for 60% CAP and I don't designate a secondary PATROL mission. I am thinking that the remainder of aircraft (40%) will be at rest automatically, without having to set "Rest" as the secondary PATROL mission. Now if I would like to further break down the Group in to PATROLs (eg 20% LRCAP), does that get auto deducted from the at rest portion or do I have to specifically reallocate each portion of the group on the PATROL chart. Example: CAP 40%; LRCAP 20%; Rest 40%.

Clear as mud?

I hope you don't mind if I tag on to your question, but lets assume that there are no nearby bomber units to escort, will the unassigned portion scramble to meet an incoming attack? Or is some portion of the percentage assigned to CAP at rest, or always in the air? As you say: "clear as mud?"

[Buck Beach]

ORIGINAL: Central Blue

ORIGINAL: Buck Beach

I am just a little confused here, but I couldn't find it specifically stated in the manual.

Say I have an Air Group set for 60% CAP and I don't designate a secondary PATROL mission. I am thinking that the remainder of aircraft (40%) will be at rest automatically, without having to set "Rest" as the secondary PATROL mission. Now if I would like to further break down the Group in to PATROLs (eg 20% LRCAP), does that get auto deducted from the at rest portion or do I have to specifically reallocate each portion of the group on the PATROL chart. Example: CAP 40%; LRCAP 20%; Rest 40%.

Clear as mud?

I hope you don't mind if I tag on to your question, but lets assume that there are no nearby bomber units to escort, will the unassigned portion scramble to meet an incoming attack? Or is some portion of the percentage assigned to CAP at rest, or always in the air? As you say: "clear as mud?"

Yes (or I don't mind), and GB68 should I only set the CAP 40%, LRCAP 20% and leave the Rest blank wouldn't that be the same effect for those at Rest. I guess the question is "Why have a specific Rest allocation"?

It really doesn't matter if it is just a duplication entry, I just don't want to miss something if there is some other reason for it.

[GB68]

The only reason I would set it as rest, is if you leave it unallocated, then the planes might fly on an escort mission. Then they obviously would not be getting the rest you desired.

Of course if there were no bombers at the base or nearby, then they would not fly.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Central Blue

ORIGINAL: Buck Beach

I am just a little confused here, but I couldn't find it specifically stated in the manual.

Say I have an Air Group set for 60% CAP and I don't designate a secondary PATROL mission. I am thinking that the remainder of aircraft (40%) will be at rest automatically, without having to set "Rest" as the secondary PATROL mission. Now if I would like to further break down the Group in to PATROLs (eg 20% LRCAP), does that get auto deducted from the at rest portion or do I have to specifically reallocate each portion of the group on the PATROL chart. Example: CAP 40%; LRCAP 20%; Rest 40%.

Clear as mud?

I hope you don't mind if I tag on to your question, but lets assume that there are no nearby bomber units to escort, will the unassigned portion scramble to meet an incoming attack? Or is some portion of the percentage assigned to CAP at rest, or always in the air? As you say: "clear as mud?"

Not always, it depends on a variety of factors. Such as , radar, leadership, fatigue, morale, weather and experience. So at 30% CAP, the entire unit might scramble to meet an incoming raid, or part of the unit or just the 30% you have in the air. But you will find that set to more than 30-40% cap and the unit gets tired and morale suffers. If it is a good unit and you have radar in the hex you do not need to set your CAP so high.

[Djordje]

ORIGINAL: Buck Beach

I am just a little confused here, but I couldn't find it specifically stated in the manual.

Say I have an Air Group set for 60% CAP and I don't designate a secondary PATROL mission. I am thinking that the remainder of aircraft (40%) will be at rest automatically, without having to set "Rest" as the secondary PATROL mission. Now if I would like to further break down the Group in to PATROLs (eg 20% LRCAP), does that get auto deducted from the at rest portion or do I have to specifically reallocate each portion of the group on the PATROL chart. Example: CAP 40%; LRCAP 20%; Rest 40%.

Clear as mud?

Note that unassigned is not same as rest. Rest is the setting that is set same as any other setting (CAP, LRCAP), while unassigned planes will do their primary mission.
Primary mission is the key to your question, it determines what the squadron will do. Let's say you have selected escort as primary mission, and then you adjusted CAP slider to 60%.

If you set CAP at 60% and leave 40% unassigned those 40% will fly escort mission if there is strike from their (or sometimes nearby) base. If there is no bomber strike they will rest. Sometimes coordination check will fail and bombers will fly without escorts even though escorts were available but that is different thing and not relevant to the question asked. Leaving 40% unassigned in fact tells the game engine that you want those 40% on escort mission since CAP mission is part of escort primary mission.

If you put those 40% on rest instead of leaving them unassigned, then they will rest no matter what happens at the base. Your bombers might be attacking something, your base might be under attack but those 40% on rest will not participate neither as escorts nor as CAP.

I am not really sure what you mean as "secondary PATROL" mission. Perhaps you meant CAP? If that is the case CAP can never be primary nor secondary mission, it is always set as percentage of some other mission like escort, sweep, ground attack...

Total of assigned percentage can't go over 100%, which means that if you set escort mission as primary, then assign 40% to CAP, 20% to LRCAP and 40% to train then none of the planes will actually be flying original primary escort mission.

[michaelm75au]

Another way to limit escorts from flying is to set the max range to 0 (or 1).
They usually wont be assigned unless there are bombing missions in the adjacent hex.