small air strike groups

[auden]

I have 5 CVs in 2 task forces at the same hex, and they attack the Jap CVs in small groups, as a result, most bombers are shot down by the large CAP. On the other hand, the Jap planes attack my CVs in large groups of fighters and bombers, and cripple some of my CVs in one turn. The Jap CVs are also from different task forces in the same hex. Why?

[wworld7]

What's the date of the turn?

[auden]

In Dec 1942, and it is scenario 17 that ends on Dec 1943.

[a1981stingray]

compare the pilots experience from each squadron. The Japs have around 80+ exp while the Allied pilots are very green with 0 kills and 65+ experience. this could make a huge difference in who gets shot down - Ace fighters vs. green fighters. For the Dive Bombers the Japs are excellent and have very high morale with experience. If you set the DBs at an altitude of 15000 feet they will form into groups of 9 planes when they dive bomb. if they are set lower they will form into 4 planes per group to bomb. same for torpedo bombers.

1 last note is also - who is your Allied fleet captain? Spruance? Mitscher?

[borner]

I really do not think it matters who is in command or how the TF's are set up. I have discussed this with other players in games for years, and no one really knows why it happens. I am playing Miller in a game where he is Japan and it is mid 42, and the same thing just happened to him. My last game with Ralf it happened to me as the allies a a couple of times.

[Kingfisher]

Because it happened like that historically, and didn't turn around until later in the war. If you look at the Japanese carrier strikes at Pearl, Ceylon, Midway or even Santa Cruz you will see they favored massing the individual carrier air wings into one giant hammer blow. The tactic was simple; overwhelm the opposition by weight of numbers. They were able to do this by grouping their carriers into one tight formation at the time of launch. This allowed the air wings to launch, assemble and attack as a group.

The Americans, on the other hand, operated in smaller TFs consisting of 1 or 2 carriers, but with coordination issues still to be worked out. Midway, in particular, was a good example of these problems with coordination. Despite having a clear-cut command structure, fairly good communications, and three carriers operating in close proximity, they nevertheless launched fragmented strikes. Some groups went in with no fighter cover, others never found the targets, etc.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: Kingfisher

Because it happened like that historically, and didn't turn around until later in the war. If you look at the Japanese carrier strikes at Pearl, Ceylon, Midway or even Santa Cruz you will see they favored massing the individual carrier air wings into one giant hammer blow ...

Actually, it was 2 blows as there were too many planes for the IJN to launch into just one strike, so launching half its AC followed by the other half became IJN doctrine: it worked well, until Midway.