CV Bern

[Jagdtiger14]

I'm surprised to see in the AAR's and some photos from Tech Support, etc...how many Allied players seem to use the carrier. From my experience its normal to hide it as far away as possible (Brest?) and to intern it immediately.

[Ur_Vile_WEdge]

Well, at least in my playgroup:

-Italy usually enters the war the first chance she gets. All that lovely lend-lease from Germany can't happen until Italy's active.

Some players will try to declare war on only the CW (or only the French) but a lot of them will DoW both at once to avoid double dipping on entry.

At the very start of the game, Italy's surprisingly weak. They've only got one nav, a single LND 3 which might or might not be effective on the water, and their fighters all have awful ranges. They've only got 2 battleships, and even those are pretty lame, with 5 defense values. A single, slow, low factor carrier like the Bearn can project a surprising amount of force in the Med, or, if you're more chicken, can give a search bonus against the Kriegsmarine, or sit in the North Atlantic and give cover to that convoy weakness. It's got uses.

And honestly, when you do intern it, the Bearn's #1 job is usually to be a bomb sponge at Pearl Harbor. If worse comes to worst and the Bearn gets sunk, you put the Ranger and the Wasp together there instead. The question you should ask yourself is this:

Which helps me more? The Bearn active in the first few turns of the game before France falls, or the increased possibility that one of my 5 moving pre-war carriers lives once the U.S. enters the war?

And I don't mean to imply that one or the other answer is right; but that's the strategic calculation you're really making.

[warspite1]

Re Bearn, I don't think I have used her for anything other than a US TRS.

[Centuur]

I also like the use of the Bearn in Pearl Harbor as a loss taker.

But having said that, I usually let the French have the ship for a turn or two, unless it becomes clear that Paris might be taken by the Axis next turn.

The ship gives the French a nice advantage against the weak Italian navy in 1939, especially if the 6 range FTR isn't drawn by the Italians at start.

[Jagdtiger14]

As Warspite mentions, also our group has only used it for the US TRS. Soak off at Pearl sounds interesting though, although Pearl Harbor does not always happen in our group...in fact less than 50%...and trending downward.

[paulderynck]

And even when it does happen, it is really tough to catch any US CVs there. You'd have to stay out with your CV fleet in an adjacent sea zone at the end of the turn and then move first in the next turn.

I too find the Bearn most useful as a US TRS build.

[AllenK]

Or, you start with good intentions to not use it but then, due to CW CVP FTR losses, necessity takes over when you need the naval air cover and it's the best you've got [:(].

[michaelbaldur]

never use it as a transporter. it is not a additional transporter, it is just one of your you get for free.

and I always build all 3 range or better transports, so for me it is only 1 ship less for the allies.

it is good enough to be used as a carrier in Europa, and USA have endless amount of class 2 carrier planes.. or 2 class 1.

it can giver cover to convoys or the British fleet, really nice when it forces the opponent to use 4 surprise point to select naval or submarine combat

[Courtenay]

I, on the other hand, always use the Bearn as a transport; the US does not have an infinite number of build points, and it either costs them to get a bad carrier on the map, or they get a TRS that they would otherwise have built for free. It is a difference of nine or ten build points (two for completing the Bearn, two for its pilot, and either five or six points for the TRS, depening on how lucky you get); I find nine build points of other units to be worth far more than the Bearn.

[brian brian]

If Italy stays neutral the first four turns, send it to the Americans. It is useful as a CV with the Atlantic Fleet, or even with the Battleship Row fleet from Pearl on Shore Bombardment duty.

If the Allies DOW Italy early, or vice versa, fight with it. You have a 2/3 chance of drawing the CV-plane that adds one to the French search # - very handy with their WWI BB fleet. The Luftwaffe will be showing up in the Med soon enough with cutting-edge airplane designs, chewing up the CW Gladiators. A little French help is worth a lot if Italy does something serious like invading Algeria on the first turn.

If it ends up in the Repair Pool, let the Italians spend their BPs on getting it back in operation perhaps.

[Admiral Delabroglio]

Im my (only) AAR, France has been using the Bearn it with enormous effect, with a 3 air to air CVP.

1- It protected Toulon from an Italian port strike while at sea in the Western med. I forgot about it with Italy, but when it waas France's turm to intercept, the computer kindly reminded me of it's existence. If I had thought about it as italy, I would not have risked the port strike.

2- With huge CW, France and Italy surface fleets in western Med, I picked "Air combat" 2 times as the Allies, when Italy had 3 surprise points, and used the CVP as a fighter. No AA, no bomber. And I chose surface when the Allied had surprise points.
It (with poor Axis play and unbalanced luck) enabled the Allies to cripple the Italian fleet in 1 turn.

Best regards