Air Combat TF help needed

[jomni]

1) I noticed that for KB, my Kates are using bombs instead of torpedos against enemy ships. What are the conditions for them to use torpedos?

2) Also for mini KB, only one Kate is sent per raid. I'm pretty sure I have other Kates in other CVLs set to Naval Attack but they won't launch.

Any ideas?

[tocaff]

I'll assume that your Kates are flying at normal range as extended range will be bombs only in use.  Was this attack on a port or shipping at sea?

As to only flying 1 plane per raid:  Are you using the Kates for search purposes?  If so what is the % setting?  What's are the fatigue, morale and experience levels?

These are the things that immediately come to mind. 

[jomni]

Thanks for the leads.  For #1, I was attacking the Yorktown at sea.  Maybe it is the range.

For mini KB, fatigue and search % makes sense since there's only a few Kates per CVL.

Let me check and get back.

[kmitahj]

Hi,

for 1-plane naval strikes another likely reason may be lack of sorties. These japanese CVL/CVE have usually very limited number of sorties to support and such 1-plane attacks are often an indicator that all sorties were used up.

[jomni]

Ok. Regarding the Kates not using torpedos. It is because of range. Yesterday's raid was 5 hexes away (extended). They launched again today at ships 4 hexes away and they used torpedos.

Regarding CVL and sorties, so if sorties are intrisically low for these ships, then that means I cannot use them for (extended) strikes? Fighteres can still contribute to escort and CAP. So I just set the Kates to search? How do I replennish sorties? Go back to base?

[kmitahj]

Well, actual number of sorties depends on scenario. In CHS for example CVL Shoho/Zuiho have plenty of sorties (270 for 30 planes), but CVL Ryujo only has 141 for 48 planes, and CVEs Taiyo and later only 90 sorties for 30 planes.
AFAIK CAP and search missions do not use up sorties, only escort and strike missions do.
And surely replenishing in base will restore sorties too (they represent avga and plane munition after all)