fighters atacking ships

[quelita]

Is my first time playing the AE.

I see from the beginning of the game fighter planes attacking capital battleships

This makes any sense? I don't remember this happening in WitP.

check the settings?...off course all fighter are on escort role, is frustrating to see every turn loosing planes and pilots in an unlikely and pointless battle of fighters against warships.

Any Clue???

Thanks in advance....Bye

[jcjordan]

If it's what I think it is, what you're seeing is fighter escorts getting separated from the raid & sweeping the target then the bombers they were supposed to be escorting attack ie you failed a strike coordination roll so your attacks happen piecemeal.

[herwin]

ORIGINAL: quelita

Is my first time playing the AE.

I see from the beginning of the game fighter planes attacking capital battleships

This makes any sense? I don't remember this happening in WitP.

check the settings?...off course all fighter are on escort role, is frustrating to see every turn loosing planes and pilots in an unlikely and pointless battle of fighters against warships.

Any Clue???

Thanks in advance....Bye

Later in the war, fighters could use rockets, but even at the beginning they did a decent job of strafing to suppress unprotected activities topside, like small and medium AA.

[Fallschirmjager]

I have had success using fighters against anything destroyer level or lower. Typhoons once you get them excel in the anti shipping role. Put them at 100 ft and let them go to work. The cannons do good damage again weak or no armor and it carries enough bombs to have some success.
Earlier in the war the cannon armed Hurricanes do a good job as well but during that time you probably need them flying against enemy fighters. You can never have enough Hurricanes early in the war.
On the US side I like the P-39 as a low level strafer against shipping but they are hobbled by poor range. And you don't get enough of them in comparison to a game like Uncommon Valor. Plus you get so many unattached squadrons of dive bombers both Naval and Army that you don't really need low level fighter bombers. The British and Anzac's don't really have an effective dive bomber.

[noguaranteeofsanity]

Aren't the fighters at Wake Is. at the start of the game, set to 100ft?  If it was this that you are referring to, I'm pretty sure that is a one off and is simply how the scenarios are set up,  I dont ever recall seeing the AI use fighters for naval attack, although it is possible to strafe as explained above.

[dr.hal]

There are many instances of fighters attacking major units, one that comes to mind is Taffy 3 during Layate Gulf. It is usually an act of desperation, but it was done. I've found the P-40e is a good attacker of ships, especially the 500 pd bomb they carry. I've had better results however at 1K altitude not at 100 feet. Hal

[crsutton]

I never really see it happen unless my fighers are actually set to naval attack-which so far I have avoided. Right now, late 43, I find that I just don't have enough fighters to expend them on bombing attacks. I use the p39s but they don't reach very far. However, most all Allied second generation fighters eventually end up carrying one or two 1,000 bombs. In the old WITP, my P38s were deadly ship killers. I am sure I will use them in the ship killing role as I get better air superiority, and have to luxury to train some fighter pilots in strafing and low naval skills.

[Chickenboy]

Yes, many fighter / FB types of aircraft on either side can be successful naval bombers.

On the Japanese side, obviously there's the Kamikaze side of things, but mid-war fighter aircraft (e.g., Oscar IIa, IIb, etc.) are capable of carrying 2x 250kg bombs at 'normal range'. I imagine an appropriately trained group of 27 such aircraft could put a hurting on an unprotected convoy by conventional bombing.

[Puhis]

Sometimes I've used zeros on low level naval attack. They were useless vs. PT-boats, but managed to sink couple of xAKLs. Zeros carry just two 60 kg bombs.