Question about convoy protection

[Acme1970]

It's been a while since i played this game and i'm a little rusty, i'm attempting to send a supply convoy to Port Moresby and i want to use my carriers to defend it from the Japanese bombers flying from Lae and Rabaul but my trouble is i can't remember what i should do, should i set my Fighters for Cap or LRCap or Sweep or Escort?, I'm really blanking on this.[&:]

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: Acme1970

It's been a while since i played this game and i'm a little rusty, i'm attempting to send a supply convoy to Port Moresby and i want to use my carriers to defend it from the Japanese bombers flying from Lae and Rabaul but my trouble is i can't remember what i should do, should i set my Fighters for Cap or LRCap or Sweep or Escort?, I'm really blanking on this.[&:]

LRcap with the convoy (TF) marked as the CAP subject. Percentage of actual coverage should be marked, too. See to that the carriers are within fighter range of the convoy.

My best advice is to transfer the fighters, or part of them, to PM and protect the convoy from there, while the carrier(s) are withdrawn towards west.

Fred

[geofflambert]

Deploy a heavy thunderstorm over the convoy.

[HansBolter]

Why LRCAP? LRCAP leaves the carriers without CAP over them and runs up fatigue on the squadron?

Do you plan to trail the carriers so far behind the transports that LRCAP will be needed to reach them?

Why not just keep both TFs in the same hex, with the carrier TF following the transport TF at a distance of zero?

This way the normal CAP over the carrier TF covers both TFs.

[Sardaukar]

I'd second Hans with this.

Only problem is when CV TF enters coastal hex and CAP is halved, that could be dangerous.

[btd64]

If you have so Land Based Fighters, move them to PM and do what Hans suggested. What is the date? I assume it is 2/42....GP

[RangerJoe]

If the carriers follow the convoy, have them not enter the destination but rather have them stay one hex away. Have both the convoy and the carriers TF follow an ASW TF with a reaction range of zero. Also have your carrier bombers do Naval Search and ASW. The Naval Search at 6000 feet for best coverage and they may spot then attack enemy subs. The ASW planes set at 1000 feet as the best chance to damage the enemy subs.

If it is going to take awhile to unload, have land based fighters provide CAP while you carriers get to a safer location where they may also interfere with enemy surface task forces as well as enemy carrier task forces. The most that you want your carriers tied down is just a day or two, depending upon what the enemy has in the area.

[Acme1970]

The date is actually August 1st 1942 and what happened was earlier in the year my carriers kinda took it on the chin and while they were repairing the Japanese bombarded Port Moresby with battleships so the airfield is wrecked which means no land based air cover which is why i'm using my carriers to cover the convoy, i know the Japanese carriers are in Japan (my subs spotted them)so Japanese land based planes are the only threat, if i set for either cap or LRcap and the convoy as the target does it matter what i set the fighters group mission at?

[RangerJoe]

Set them at CAP with a range of 1 so they will still cover the convoy if the carriers are one hex away. Keep your Catalinas looking for any enemy surface combat task forces. If you see them, pull out and hit them with your carrier planes.

[Acme1970]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Set them at CAP with a range of 1 so they will still cover the convoy if the carriers are one hex away. Keep your Catalinas looking for any enemy surface combat task forces. If you see them, pull out and hit them with your carrier planes.

Ok i'll try that, thanks