Notes from a Small Island

[BillBrown]

Yes, the Soviet Air Force was designed mainly for ground support, not strategic bombing.

[JohnDillworth]

I read an AAR a while back that said the problems with the Soviet air Force is that it is woefully short on aviation support in the game. I don't recall the AAR. Dan, how does Soviet aviation support look? Any house rule on using other allied support?

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

and will have the latest models in play.

Are you sure about that? I'm in September '45 and still have squadrons flying I15bis.

Mostly because they are stationed at airfeelds too small or too lacking in supply to be able to upgrade.

The Soviets are severely lacking in supply in my scenario. I blithely expected them to have all the supply they needed when they activated. What a surprise I was in for. I am not sure if my Ironman scenario differs from yours with regard to supplies available for the Soviets, but I would recommend being prepared to divert some of your massive supply lift in that direction.

Offensive operations have been slowed terribly by the lack of supply. I am now establishing supply convoys from my regional hub in Adak to Komsomolsk to get the Soviet army adequately supplied.

BillBrown is right about their fighters being short ranged. Most of the ground support aircraft (IL2s) are even shorter ranged than the fighters. The TU2s bomber has decent range and they get some medium ranged torpedo bombers as well, just no fighters that can escort them to their targets.

They do get a decent amount of airlift and a Brigade and Battalion of paras. I just dropped the Brigade on Uleungdo (sp?).
Well, actually they get a full Guards para division, but not enough airlift to deploy it.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

I read an AAR a while back that said the problems with the Soviet air Force is that it is woefully short on aviation support in the game. I don't recall the AAR. Dan, how does Soviet aviation support look? Any house rule on using other allied support?

They have enough for the bases they hold, but nothing to deploy forward as they take bases in Mancukuo.

[Canoerebel]

Here's some of the Russian fighter squadrons currently on map. These are late '44 and early '45 models.

You can see that some pilot experience is high while others are low. The latter are late-arriving units. I do have enough pilots in the reserve pool to upgrade a squadron or two or maybe three.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The Soviet air force is sizeable and will have the latest models in play. The pilots are trained well. But I don't know if a late-model Soviet fighter in the hands of a good pilot can handle a Ki-83 or Randy or Frank-R. I suspect I'll find out that they are adequate or even good on defense and poor on offense, which pretty much sums up the Allied air force in general.

It can't. They are comparable to short-ranged 1943/early-44 American fighters. They're OK in some roles, but overall not great.

The Ki-83 should eat them all for breakfast.

[Canoerebel]

Sometimes the Ki-83 stubs its toe against F4F-4 Wildcats acting in defensive roles! Of course, a Wildcat on an offensive role would stand no chance against that model. Even my best models usually get chewed up.

[JohnDillworth]

but I would recommend being prepared to divert some of your massive supply lift in that direction

Well, considering Dan's northern holdings and love of large supply convoys this sounds like you are just threatening Dan with a good time

[mind_messing]

Completely avoiding fighting for Shanghai in favour of expanding elsewhere is best, given the terrain.

Close the hex sides, keep the troops pinned in place and go elsewhere. Fighting in urban heavy terrain is just nasty, even for the Allies in 1945.

I understand the VP argument, but the reduction of Shanghai will take a considerable length of time, and in my view it's time better spent destroying smaller pockets of IJA troops in China and flipping control of bases.

[RangerJoe]

Only if his units won't get chewed up by airstrikes. He would have to move forward under a CAP that could get shredded or with a lot of AAA ready to fire which means moving in combat mode. That is why invading is better since it is faster. Now if he would just cross the Yellow Sea . . .

[CaptBeefheart]

The Soviets have some wicked twin-engined torpedo bombers if you can figure out where and when to use them.

I personally have never experienced a supply issue in the main area of operations for the Soviets. The outlying bases way east and on islands, however, tend to go dry.

Cheers,
CB

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

but I would recommend being prepared to divert some of your massive supply lift in that direction

Well, considering Dan's northern holdings and love of large supply convoys this sounds like you are just threatening Dan with a good time

Yes, he already has the route from Adak or San Diego to Komsomolsk cleared.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The Soviet air force is sizeable and will have the latest models in play. The pilots are trained well. But I don't know if a late-model Soviet fighter in the hands of a good pilot can handle a Ki-83 or Randy or Frank-R. I suspect I'll find out that they are adequate or even good on defense and poor on offense, which pretty much sums up the Allied air force in general.

It can't. They are comparable to short-ranged 1943/early-44 American fighters. They're OK in some roles, but overall not great.

The Ki-83 should eat them all for breakfast.

What types beyond the KI-83 do the Japs get in stock?

I'm facing all kinds of exotic types beyond that model in the Ironman scenario, but of course, they aren't employed nearly as effectively as they could be.

I'm facing KI-93s, KI-94s, KI-100s, Shindens, Japanese ME-262s and what look like Japanese ME-263s (is that the correct number for the rocket plane?) as just a few examples I can remember readily. There are many many more. Had a large kamikaze group (72 planes) made of of Tokas that look like a fighter bomber come at my DS. It seems like the AI comes at me with new types every other week.

[tarkalak]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The Soviet air force is sizeable and will have the latest models in play. The pilots are trained well. But I don't know if a late-model Soviet fighter in the hands of a good pilot can handle a Ki-83 or Randy or Frank-R. I suspect I'll find out that they are adequate or even good on defense and poor on offense, which pretty much sums up the Allied air force in general.

It can't. They are comparable to short-ranged 1943/early-44 American fighters. They're OK in some roles, but overall not great.

The Ki-83 should eat them all for breakfast.

What types beyond the KI-83 do the Japs get in stock?

I'm facing all kinds of exotic types beyond that model in the Ironman scenario, but of course, they aren't employed nearly as effectively as they could be.

I'm facing KI-93s, KI-94s, KI-100s, Shindens, Japanese ME-262s and what look like Japanese ME-263s (is that the correct number for the rocket plane?) as just a few examples I can remember readily. There are many many more. Had a large kamikaze group (72 planes) made of of Tokas that look like a fighter bomber come at my DS. It seems like the AI comes at me with new types every other week.

Me-163 is the correct one. The Tokas are a purpose build kamikaze - cheapest plane possible with whatever engine is available and a large bomb inside. In the game it is listed as Level Bomber, but I am not sure that it can actually level bomb.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The Soviet air force is sizeable and will have the latest models in play. The pilots are trained well. But I don't know if a late-model Soviet fighter in the hands of a good pilot can handle a Ki-83 or Randy or Frank-R. I suspect I'll find out that they are adequate or even good on defense and poor on offense, which pretty much sums up the Allied air force in general.

It can't. They are comparable to short-ranged 1943/early-44 American fighters. They're OK in some roles, but overall not great.

The Ki-83 should eat them all for breakfast.

What types beyond the KI-83 do the Japs get in stock?

I'm facing all kinds of exotic types beyond that model in the Ironman scenario, but of course, they aren't employed nearly as effectively as they could be.

I'm facing KI-93s, KI-94s, KI-100s, Shindens, Japanese ME-262s and what look like Japanese ME-263s (is that the correct number for the rocket plane?) as just a few examples I can remember readily. There are many many more. Had a large kamikaze group (72 planes) made of of Tokas that look like a fighter bomber come at my DS. It seems like the AI comes at me with new types every other week.

Those are all available if you want to get them, you just don't really see them much aside from the Ki-100, Shinden, and occasionally the Ki-201 Karyu (that's the Me-262). Shusui (IIRC on the spelling) is, I think, the IJ version of the rocket fighter.

[HansBolter]

I think its Shusei.

The Ki-94 seems to be the top performer. I find it a tougher opponent than the Karyu.

[crsutton]

The real problem is that since the big patch, Japanese fighters have gotten unrealistic upgrades in stats (read speed) while the Soviet fighters are not up to snuff-even the late war versions. Maybe one or two have top speeds just over 400 MPH but they suffer in all categories. Soviet aircraft were under armed in comparison to most other nationalities and the game really rewards firepower. Combine this with minimal range, lack of support and lack of airfields and the only real thing helping the Soviet air force in 1945 is the fact that the rest of the Allies can throw so much at Japan. The reality is that in a pbmail game the Allies player will not really need the Soviets if the game has been played correctly, so it should not matter. But I think in real life-even with advanced models like the George and Frank, Japanese aircraft would have proven inferior to Yak 9s and the La5. And the La7 could have probably eaten any Japanese fighter for dinner. Inferior at least in combat. Utility is whole other story.

The real deficiency of Soviet fighters in the war was range. For that reason, virtually every Soviet plane and yes, the over rated Spitfire and ME 109 were not optimal designs. Great for defense but virtually useless in offense. You can't win wars if you can't project air power deep into enemy air space. One need only play AE for ten years to learn why the Mustang was the most significant aircraft produced in the war. [;)]

[crsutton]

Yes little Ross, there is indeed a Santa Claus....

[Canoerebel]

Hey, Ross, looks like you're set to go! Glad you dropped by for a visit while on one of your cycling tours. Your neighborhood looks a lot like mine. There's not a whole lot of difference between Appalachian Georgia and near-Appalachian Maryland, it seems. Keep having fun!

[Capt. Harlock]

The USAAF and RAF can handle the strategic war, once I get airfield on Korea or vicinity.

Korea? Doesn't that imply a Next Next Next Big Thing?