Some questions

[DougM]

I'm still playing the shorter scenarios but with an eye to learning "the big picture." A few random questions:
1. What are the two odd engineer units doing NW of
Noumea? Do you generally send supplies & have
them build?
2. During the Coral Sea time frame, I fly the extra P-40s
to PM and have no initial problems, but eventually the
air support goes slightly red. Is this partly a function
of supplies/fuel? There's an airbase engineer unit (808th
maybe?) in Australia, but the game ended before I got
it unloaded. Would that have helped?
3. What's the best way to recover airgroup morale quickly?
Just rest them at PM or rotate them back to Cooktown?
Thanks in advance,
DougM

[Mr.Frag]

Doug,

1. Those two ENG units are to build up your other size 9 airfields. The do not need supplies as they pull it up the trail from Noumea. They will need support though, but since it is a non-malaria location, they seem to be good for quite the amount of abuse before you need to shift them around. I personally throw them on Fast Transports and power build elsewhere during the early months as I do not need those airfields but there are certainly others that do need to be built in a hurry. Since SOPAC has it's own aviation support units, the base unit located in Noumea is a free one that can be quickly moved elsewhere. When coupled with the two ENG units, you'll power build a base in record time.

2. All air groups starting at PM are way understrengthed. As they fill in with replacement aircraft, the numbers swell to exceed the number of planes that can be supported by the base unit located there. This is why you are seeing it go into the red. Moving another base unit into PM will increase the aviation support capabilities.

3. Stand them down in a non-malaria base and let them do nothing at all until they have come back up from the dumper. Morale with the Air Force boys is pretty touchy due to the low training abilities when the game starts coupled with some really sad commanders.

[bilbow]

1. In v2.3 they will get supplied automatically. I usually send them elsewhere after a small airbase at Koumac is built for flying search. Early in the game there are ususally more important stuff for them to build, like Luganville
2. You can lose aviation support due to combat, and being in the malaria zone. Look at the unit screen and if you see a number in parentheses, at many support points have been diabled.
3. Best way to recover morale is to rotate them to a malaria-free base. Townsville or south, plus Noumea are the only ones.

Hope this helps

[ltfightr]

The 808th is a construction unit and does not have any air support attached. They will help repair/expand the base the are at but not operate the aircraft there to do that you need more aviation support ie Base force or AV to provide it

[DougM]

Thanks for the replies, all helped. Mr. Frag mentions poor air unit commanders. At what point is it worth reviewing their abilities with an eye to replacement?
Itftr mentioned base engineer units and AVs. Is there a downside (other than increased supply demands) to moving quickly to build up PM? Thanks again.

[Mr.Frag]

Doug, sadly you can't replace them, you just have to cross your fingers and hope they die in combat