What is the best payload for aircraft?

[MrBlizzard]

I suppose it could depend of mission and target, but I'm not sure I'm doing well.
Each plane model has many payload configuration, how can I choose the best?
All the bombs/rockets have 2 values: against soft and hard target. And also have a precision value (i.e. is 0.25 for 250lbs bombs and is doubled, 0.50, for 500lbs bombs).
1)So for ground attack is it better to use 2 500lbs bombs instead than 4 250lbs ?

2) Rockets seems very imprecise, 0.08, so they almost always should miss? Are they useful for something? Interdiction?

3) c class incendiary bombs (is napalm?) seem to have lower values than HE bombs, what are they useful for?

Thanks

[loki100]

Some broad rules:

Rockets are inaccurate but are the best tool you have for hitting a moving target. So they are the weapon system of choice for interdiction. Key to interdiction is not so much what you hit (though you can hit a lot) but raising the cost of movement.

If the target is fixed and solid - say a factory or a level 3 fortification, then a big bomb is best. If you are attacking manpower using strategic bombers then the British payload of a bomb - to break open the shell of a building, and incendiaries - to start a fire is as good as it gets.

If the target is fixed and fragile, such as a combat unit that is not well dug in, lots of smaller bombs are the weapon of choice. So this is a good payload for planes doing a Ground Support mission but also if you have opted for a ground attack - unit mission. Generally for this type of attack the more bombs the better, so a payload of 8*250lb will outperform 4*500lb. But some mix is handy as there will be hard targets and the heavier bombs help there.

The napalm increases disruption and damage.

If you are bombing targets like rail yards or ports, I'd mostly go with intermediate (500lb) type bombs, but heavier are good as well.

For interaction between airpower and ground units, the goal mostly is to disrupt, possibly damage. Outright destruction is a bonus.

The reason for this is that disrupted/damaged units take no part in ground combat that turn. So you can badly weaken a strong defensive unit even before you actually attack. Even better, when at the end of turn they undisrupt, that leads to an increase in fatigue - and fatigue in turn leads to lower combat efficiency the next turn. Elements that are in a ZoC or low on supply may fail to undisrupt - even better as they again cannot fight. Also disrupted units from air attacks are more likely to be damaged or destroyed in any subsequent fighting or if the unit is forced to retreat.

So it does sort of 'depend' but there are some reliable rules you can follow

[MrBlizzard]

Very useful guide, thanks Loki

[bomccarthy]

I have started leaving the load out to auto select for most units - it seems to do a decent job of ordnance selection and gives me greater flexibility by allowing one unit to fly different types of missions during a single turn (i.e., city attacks and airfield attacks by heavy bombers). The one exception is Bomber Command heavies - for some reason auto-select chooses incendiaries for any target, including unit bombing.

For giggles, I once selected 12,000 lb tallboys for a unit bombing mission by Lancaster I B-specials - 20 planes did cause a decent number of casualties in one raid, but not enough to make it a standard practice.

I haven't been able to figure out if the rockets carried by US A-26 Invaders in the game are even fired. Since the A-26 is not a fighter-bomber, it won't dive to attack a target. In reality, the A-26 was the best medium bomber of the war and I don't believe was used as an attack bomber in WWII (It was in Korea and Vietnam).

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: bomccarthy

...

I haven't been able to figure out if the rockets carried by US A-26 Invaders in the game are even fired. Since the A-26 is not a fighter-bomber, it won't dive to attack a target. In reality, the A-26 was the best medium bomber of the war and I don't believe was used as an attack bomber in WWII (It was in Korea and Vietnam).

Like the Lancaster trick - must try that [8D]

For the A-26, the rules (17.2.3) state:

Tactical bombers and fighter bombers with a mission altitude of 5000 feet or greater will fly to and from the target at their mission altitude and dive down and conduct air to ground combat at an altitude of 1000 feet

So if that is really what happens then yes the rockets will fire. But I'm not sure how that rule applies in practice. Things like Wellingtons etc are not really designed for that style of attack so its one of those rules that I am not sure about the application?

edit - maybe that I am mixing up tactical and medium bombers, if so that explains how the A-26 works and may also explain why the earlier A-series bombers can take such horrific losses. I thought they were just built that way (for some reason writing that reminds me of Jessica Rabbit) when the reason maybe that they are tootling around at 1000'.

[bomccarthy]

ORIGINAL: loki100

For the A-26, the rules (17.2.3) state:

Tactical bombers and fighter bombers with a mission altitude of 5000 feet or greater will fly to and from the target at their mission altitude and dive down and conduct air to ground combat at an altitude of 1000 feet

So if that is really what happens then yes the rockets will fire. But I'm not sure how that rule applies in practice. Things like Wellingtons etc are not really designed for that style of attack so its one of those rules that I am not sure about the application?

edit - maybe that I am mixing up tactical and medium bombers, if so that explains how the A-26 works and may also explain why the earlier A-series bombers can take such horrific losses. I thought they were just built that way (for some reason writing that reminds me of Jessica Rabbit) when the reason maybe that they are tootling around at 1000'.

Ahh - I have to look more closely at this. It's annoying that rockets are in the default loadout - I always use the A-26 as a medium bomber and leave interdiction to fighter-bombers (they do a much better job even for rail interdiction).

[MrBlizzard]

One more question,
is it possible to demolish enemy forts with air attack alone?
I tried a ground mission with 4E targeting units entrenched and using big bombs (1000-2000-4000 lbs); I destroyed/damaged/disrupted some squad/devices but no effect with forts.
thanks

[LiquidSky]

No. Artillery and Engineers on the attack. You can launch weaker attacks to 'wear' the forts down before sending in more powerful units. Otherwise it is best just to fill your units with Assault Engineers and have plenty of artillery in your Corp HQ

[bomccarthy]

ORIGINAL: bomccarthy

ORIGINAL: loki100

For the A-26, the rules (17.2.3) state:

Tactical bombers and fighter bombers with a mission altitude of 5000 feet or greater will fly to and from the target at their mission altitude and dive down and conduct air to ground combat at an altitude of 1000 feet

So if that is really what happens then yes the rockets will fire. But I'm not sure how that rule applies in practice. Things like Wellingtons etc are not really designed for that style of attack so its one of those rules that I am not sure about the application?

edit - maybe that I am mixing up tactical and medium bombers, if so that explains how the A-26 works and may also explain why the earlier A-series bombers can take such horrific losses. I thought they were just built that way (for some reason writing that reminds me of Jessica Rabbit) when the reason maybe that they are tootling around at 1000'.

Ahh - I have to look more closely at this. It's annoying that rockets are in the default loadout - I always use the A-26 as a medium bomber and leave interdiction to fighter-bombers (they do a much better job even for rail interdiction).

Just checked the Editor - the A-26 type is "Level Bomber", as is the A-20 (and B-25, B-26, etc.). The A-36A is a "Tactical Bomber" - "TacB" in most of the game interfaces. So, that should mean the A-26 (and A-20) doesn't dive to attack. I wonder if it would fire its rockets if you set the altitude to 1,000 ft.