Building New Airbases

[Longshanks]

As I understand it, we are supposed to be able to build air groups and air bases as the Soviet player starting in August 41. No further requirements are listed. I'm in February 42 and when I hit Shft-B on a light urban hex nothing about air bases or groups shows up. I can build other land units, but nothing about air units.

Am I doing something wrong or is this bugged?

[loki100]

The basic rules are the same as for any other new unit. Select a large city, go to the mapmode and you should see the icon with a tank symbol that allows to choose a new unit. Air units and bases are part of that menu, it'll look a bit like (here I have clicked on Gorky but any surrounding hex would have done):

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: loki100

The basic rules are the same as for any other new unit. Select a large city, go to the mapmode and you should see the icon with a tank symbol that allows to choose a new unit. Air units and bases are part of that menu, it'll look a bit like (here I have clicked on Gorky but any surrounding hex would have done):

Be aware that if you do not have enough APs to create something or you have reach the turn limit (e.g you can only create one A/B per turn or 8 air groups) they will not appear in the list.

[Longshanks]

Thanks guys! My screen does not look like yours, Loki. My builds list stops at HQ Combined Arms Army. My current game lists 1.08.01 at the top of the screen, even though I downloaded and installed 1.08.02. Still, my understanding was that the Air Builds feature was part of the 01 build, so it seems it should be there. But it's not. (I'd add a screenshot but I don't have that privilege yet.)

I've lost 9 airbases during Feb due to involuntary disbanding (they weren't listed on the Withdrawals list btw), and have got way too many air groups in national reserve. Guess I'll just add them to existing bases, but some of those already have 9 or 10 air groups, which seems like a lot.

I can't see starting over just because of this glitch though!

[morvael]

AB and AG building is part of 1.08.02.

[VigaBrand]

Can german create airbases and air groups, too?

[morvael]

No, they can't build anything except forts.

[micheljq]

I need a chrash course on the types of airbases available.

[Mehring]

Nice touch, adding AB creation. Do we get to create AD DD and TAD bases as per 1942 scenario or SAK airbase as per 1943?

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: Longshanks

Thanks guys! My screen does not look like yours, Loki. My builds list stops at HQ Combined Arms Army. My current game lists 1.08.01 at the top of the screen, even though I downloaded and installed 1.08.02. Still, my understanding was that the Air Builds feature was part of the 01 build, so it seems it should be there. But it's not. (I'd add a screenshot but I don't have that privilege yet.)

I've lost 9 airbases during Feb due to involuntary disbanding (they weren't listed on the Withdrawals list btw), and have got way too many air groups in national reserve. Guess I'll just add them to existing bases, but some of those already have 9 or 10 air groups, which seems like a lot.

I can't see starting over just because of this glitch though!

In 1.08.1 you got new airbases the old tedious way. If, on average, you have 6 or more air units per base, then the AI will generate new ones for you. Its good to use U2s etc as means to generate this load as they have low supply/truck needs but still count as a unit.

The ones you lost were the generic SAD bases that are removed in Jan-Feb 42. A lot of players (incl me) disband them very early in the war, the manpower and equipment you gain in the pools is very worthwhile and you don't really need them in 1941 (when the VVS is pretty rubbish in any case)

ORIGINAL: micheljq

I need a chrash course on the types of airbases available.

Only 2 really matter.

If its PVO it can only be used for interception, so really you can only put fighters here and those fighters won't escort. PVO is the acronym for the Soviet air defense systems and includes both AA and designated airbases.

VVS are the bases the game first checks to use for partisan resupply. So you may as well allocate long range bombers (best are the Il-4s) or transport planes to these (put to fly at night). will help you to control the flow of supplies to the partisans. Otherwise they have no in-game impact and can be used as any other base type and host whatever planes you need.

The rest, for the game, are flavour. In reality each indicated the type of planes that operated so:

IAD - fighters;
BAD - level bombers
ShAD - tactical bombers
DBAD - strategic bombers (in reality these were mostly scrapped in 1941 and not reintroduced till 1943)
NBAD - night bombers (basically the U2s)
SAD - a combined base (scrapped in early 1942, you may as well scrap asap in the game)

Since the Su-2/Il-2s are the plane types most likely to get 'kills' then you may want to concentrate these on particular bases (in turn that base will gain 'kills' and flip to Gds more quickly - not a huge gain but the support staff at the base will then have higher morale ... and you can't have too many red counters on the map [;)]). But other than that, just use as makes sense. I tend to roughly follow historical patterns as that helps me to keep things organised.

[micheljq]

Thanks Loki for the chrash course. [:)]

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: Longshanks

Thanks guys! My screen does not look like yours, Loki. My builds list stops at HQ Combined Arms Army. My current game lists 1.08.01 at the top of the screen, even though I downloaded and installed 1.08.02. Still, my understanding was that the Air Builds feature was part of the 01 build, so it seems it should be there. But it's not. (I'd add a screenshot but I don't have that privilege yet.)

I've lost 9 airbases during Feb due to involuntary disbanding (they weren't listed on the Withdrawals list btw), and have got way too many air groups in national reserve. Guess I'll just add them to existing bases, but some of those already have 9 or 10 air groups, which seems like a lot.

I can't see starting over just because of this glitch though!

Try reinstalling the .02 beta.

SAD airbases will automatically disband starting in Feb 42. As they are not withdrawals ( I don't think the Soviets have withdrawals) but disbandment they probably don't appear in the list. I always disband one or two SAD AB a turn, equipment tied up in them is better used elsewhere.

There is a limit to how many a/c an AB can maintain, the larger the a/c the more support needed. Look at the Support/Need figure on the AB but for the Soviets it's typically 250 ish.

If your in Feb 42 you haven't got way to many AGs, you haven't got enough ABs. Leave them there training, rotating them with fatigued and low morale AGs. You can gradually create more AB but if your asking me how many a/b per Air HQ you need I have no idea.

I'm currently in Feb 42 myself and each Front has an Air HQ (not BAK HQ) with 5 or 6 ABs each with 6 AGs. They are 1 x VVS, 4 x Another (read Loki100 post above), 1 x PVO (not all Air HQs have or I think need a PVO). As well as these I have 3 x BAK HQs (attached to STAVKA) each with 3 x DBAB ABs and one TBAB HQ in the Crimea all with LR level bombers. I've also kept the Northern Fleet Air HQ with one ABs to support Soviet units east and north of the Lake Ladoga. Some will say the last two aren't needed.

[Gabriel B.]

The support figure is 250 for both sides (axis and soviets ) , but at 100% toe .

All my airbases except Dbad , are around 75 % toe , so only 187 support is available.
But at this stage, it is enough to service 6 fighter airgroups .

[Longshanks]

[/quote]

... SAD airbases will automatically disband starting in Feb 42. As they are not withdrawals ( I don't think the Soviets have withdrawals) but disbandment they probably don't appear in the list....
[/quote]

So let me get this straight. The German player has a list of all the units that he'll be using for four years into the war, but the Soviet player doesn't have an inkling about the disbandments. WTF? Why is the game is that bias toward one side?

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: Longshanks

... SAD airbases will automatically disband starting in Feb 42. As they are not withdrawals ( I don't think the Soviets have withdrawals) but disbandment they probably don't appear in the list....


So let me get this straight. The German player has a list of all the units that he'll be using for four years into the war, but the Soviet player doesn't have an inkling about the disbandments. WTF? Why is the game is that bias toward one side?

To be fair, its set out in the manual:

8.2.3. Disbandment of SAD Air Base Units
After 01 February 1942, there is a fifty percent chance that SAD (composite air division) air base units will be disbanded at a rate of not more than three per turn. Attached air group units in disbanded SAD air base units will be automatically transferred to the Soviet national air reserve (8.4).

This is what happened, the Soviets scrapped the concept as they found it was complicating their logistics. Much easier to allocate single types of air units to a given base. Now in game, apart from as discussed earlier in this thread, that is no issue.

Word of warning, to avoid future shocks read rule 7.6.6 about the formation and removal of Soviet MD and Front Commands