Question concerning pilot skills

[Shark7]

Guys, I've been getting back into the game after a long break, playing an AI game ATM. And I've already done a forum search and haven't really found the answer I am looking for to a question, so maybe those of you with more play time can give some guidance.

Right now, I have several pilots in DB or TB squadrons with very high experience (>80), and an air combat skill of >65 to go along with their very good naval bombing and naval torpedo skills. Basically am I best served leaving these guys in their current DB and TB squadrons, or would it be better to move then to a fighter or fighter-bomber squadron?

Do you really get any benefit from pilots with high air combat skills in a bombing squadron?

[Rusty1961]

I would leave them. If they are Navy bombers with high Air/Exp and bombing they are in a good spot. It is hard to get bomber pilots up to those numbers and easier to just train new fighter pilots.

[Aurorus]

ORIGINAL: Shark7

Guys, I've been getting back into the game after a long break, playing an AI game ATM. And I've already done a forum search and haven't really found the answer I am looking for to a question, so maybe those of you with more play time can give some guidance.

Right now, I have several pilots in DB or TB squadrons with very high experience (>80), and an air combat skill of >65 to go along with their very good naval bombing and naval torpedo skills. Basically am I best served leaving these guys in their current DB and TB squadrons, or would it be better to move then to a fighter or fighter-bomber squadron?

Do you really get any benefit from pilots with high air combat skills in a bombing squadron?

This has been asked before and tested (a few years ago, I believe). I cannot find the test results, but if I remember correctly, the tests indicated that air-to-air does not benefit bomber pilots. Defense, on the other hand, does.

As Rusty mentions, it is harder to get good bomber pilots than good fighter pilots (especially torpedo bomber pilots). I would leave them as is, unless you are very pressed for fighter pilots.

[geofflambert]

In addition, you should consider their Nav Search and ASW skills. If you are Allied, you want your DB crews to be good at search and your TB crews at ASW. The reverse (in my view) for the Japanese. Those hard won skills in attack and the rest would be wasted on fighter pilots. Also those air-to-air skills correlate with the defense skills so that's no excuse to rebrand them either. It takes a lot less time to train a fighter pilot than a carrier bomber crew. If while training fighter pilots you find some dullards who are slow to pick it up, they might make good bomber crews so consider moving them to a different program.

[Shark7]

Thanks for the responses. So they get no benefit at all from their air combat skill as bomber pilots.

What I was considering was to move those guys into a squadron that will turn into fighter-bombers where they might be able to utilize all their skills, but I think I may not now.

Currently I'm playing the AI and basically having to relearn everything, so its been interesting to say the least. [8|]

[Aurorus]

ORIGINAL: Shark7

Thanks for the responses. So they get no benefit at all from their air combat skill as bomber pilots.

What I was considering was to move those guys into a squadron that will turn into fighter-bombers where they might be able to utilize all their skills, but I think I may not now.

Currently I'm playing the AI and basically having to relearn everything, so its been interesting to say the least. [8|]

It is my memory that they gain no benefit from air skill as bomber pilots. My memory is not infallible, however, so trust it at your own peril (I am forced to trust it often in my daily life... you are not).

They would make pretty good pilots for Nicks or a similar type of FB. Unfortunately, they are naval pilots, and most Japanese FBs are IJA. Generally, though, I like low naval bombing skill- along with strafe- for FBs (especially Nicks and others with armor who can shrug off some of the light AA) for attacking ships. LowN skill applies to attacks below 5K in altitude.

[BBfanboy]

Sometimes you will see evidence that SBD squadrons have scored some Kills. I am not sure if the AI counts this from the tail gunner or if they take into account the SBD had a couple of MGs on the wings and historically, sometimes engaged other aircraft with them.

There may be some minor boost to the chance of an enemy aircraft being shot down, but I agree with the assessment that the need for bombing skills outweighs the need for fighter skills in the overall scheme of pilot abilities.

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Aurorus

ORIGINAL: Shark7

Thanks for the responses. So they get no benefit at all from their air combat skill as bomber pilots.

What I was considering was to move those guys into a squadron that will turn into fighter-bombers where they might be able to utilize all their skills, but I think I may not now.

Currently I'm playing the AI and basically having to relearn everything, so its been interesting to say the least. [8|]

It is my memory that they gain no benefit from air skill as bomber pilots. My memory is not infallible, however, so trust it at your own peril (I am forced to trust it often in my daily life... you are not).

They would make pretty good pilots for Nicks or a similar type of FB. Unfortunately, they are naval pilots, and most Japanese FBs are IJA. Generally, though, I like low naval bombing skill- along with strafe- for FBs (especially Nicks and others with armor who can shrug off some of the light AA) for attacking ships. LowN skill applies to attacks below 5K in altitude.

Are you claiming that your memory is less infallible than mine? Your arrogance is stunning to say the least. Certain bomber aircraft are capable in the sense of having CL MGs with which they may and often did fire on enemy aircraft including fighters. As an example IJN Jakes can be used to train fighter pilots. SBDs were sometimes sent up to battle fighters. They aren't designed for it nor were they accidentally well equipped for it but on occasion this occurred and I can certify the crews asked to do that were not happy about it, but they did their best and sometimes that was pretty flipping good enough.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: Aurorus

ORIGINAL: Shark7

Thanks for the responses. So they get no benefit at all from their air combat skill as bomber pilots.

What I was considering was to move those guys into a squadron that will turn into fighter-bombers where they might be able to utilize all their skills, but I think I may not now.

Currently I'm playing the AI and basically having to relearn everything, so its been interesting to say the least. [8|]

It is my memory that they gain no benefit from air skill as bomber pilots. My memory is not infallible, however, so trust it at your own peril (I am forced to trust it often in my daily life... you are not).

They would make pretty good pilots for Nicks or a similar type of FB. Unfortunately, they are naval pilots, and most Japanese FBs are IJA. Generally, though, I like low naval bombing skill- along with strafe- for FBs (especially Nicks and others with armor who can shrug off some of the light AA) for attacking ships. LowN skill applies to attacks below 5K in altitude.

Are you claiming that your memory is less infallible than mine? Your arrogance is stunning to say the least. Certain bomber aircraft are capable in the sense of having CL MGs with which they may and often did fire on enemy aircraft including fighters. As an example IJN Jakes can be used to train fighter pilots. SBDs were sometimes sent up to battle fighters. They aren't designed for it nor were they accidentally well equipped for it but on occasion this occurred and I can certify the crews asked to do that were not happy about it, but they did their best and sometimes that was pretty flipping good enough.

+1 on the Real Life info. I saw it on an episode of "Air Combat" on TV where an SBD returning to Guadalcanal from a strike on a Japanese troop convoy was jumped by three or four Zekes. The pilot knew his SBD was more rugged than the Zekes so instead of letting them ride his tail he turned into them and blazed away. IIRC he shot down two and damaged another before the Zekes turned away. The SBD was pretty shot up but he survived. I think his tail gunner was killed in the initial attack by the Zekes.

Having said that, we don't know how the game models fighters being shot down by bombers. My LB squadrons have kills racked up so the defensive guns must be counted to some extent.

[crsutton]

Unless their bombing, torpedo or naval bombing skills are well over 70, I would send the pilots to fighter units. I have yet to see an American pilot with an air skill over 80.

[MakeeLearn]

Thatch "Weave", I might have more, I have some at 80.

[Fallschirmjager]

The SBD Dauntless was actually a pretty decent 'fighter' when clean. i.e. no bombs, drop tanks and extra radio equipment taken out. The SBD was credited with 138 aerial kills and was especially good at shooting down snooping scouts. If it could get high enough and get into a good attack position and dive out of clouds or with the sun behind it, then it could jump unsuspecting scouts and damage them or outright down them.
It was rugged and and in the early war without bombs had decent speed and its weight meant it could really get into a high speed dive and was a stable gun platform even in a high speed dive since it was designed to dive at high speed. Getting into turning dogfights was never good but like a lot of US aircraft it was a good zoom and boom fighter.

[Fallschirmjager]

I tried to find out how many SBD 'aces' there were. I know of at least 3 but sometimes the Navy and and Marines would split pilot and gunner or give a half a kill to each so it is hard to track.

[MakeeLearn]

Ive got a SBD pilot with good Defense, but low Air. I might move him out of his squadron and into a fighter training squadron for awhile to build up A2A, then send him back to a active SBD squadron

[MakeeLearn]

Double post

[Luftmann]

On the Pilot Skills, what is LowN, LowG and Staf?

[btd64]

Low level naval bombing and low level ground bombing below 5k....GP

[rustysi]

LowN

Low naval, alt 1k, bombs (for naval a/c).

LowG

Low ground, alt 1k.

Staf

Strafe, alt 100', fighter/fighter-bombers.

[Luftmann]

Ok.
Thanks guys!

[BBfanboy]

Assigning fighters to Ground Attack at 1000 feet or 100 feet will result in both strafing and LowG bombing attacks.
I am using them thus in my current game (no enemy fighters around) and they even seem to avoid the balloons at built up bases. The only thing to fear is a lot of light AA. Strafing/bombing fighters seem to take out artillery guns much better than level bombers doing Ground B altitude strikes.