ORIGINAL: obvert
ORIGINAL: GetAssista
WRT all this streamlined stuff. I don't see much point in trying to outline IJ plane management in an intermediate-simple way. When you are a beginner, you should just start with the simple "research your fighters and use chains to your advantage". When you progress, you are perfectly capable of reading what's been covered extensively on the forum about pros and cons of all the flying zoo Japan has, and about tastes and strategy of different players. And form your own opinion.
Oy, I'm sure Lowpe would disagree with you on the first one ) There is not enough IJN to put in everywhere where you can expect enemy transports inside a 9-11 hex range. Also only Grace has comparable coverage as a DB, and it arrives late.ORIGINAL: obvert
The Lily with two 100kg bombs is inconsequential. Just use IJN 1E.
The Patsy can be fine but it won't. change much late. A few P-40s or Hellcat NF on Allied rear area bases deal with this threat pretty easily. It's fast and can be a decent kami as well, but use another quick airframe (Helens are fine, FB better), if you want to streamline.
WRT second one, just recall that the number of bases to cover against is roughly proportional to range squared. That's a lot of effort spent.ORIGINAL: mind_messing
Disagree again here, it's a dive bomber, it's IJA and there's never enough IJN 1E's to go around come the late war.
Having played both sides late I agree and concede the Lily can be useful, and of course any good player can make use of any good airframe. I am an advocate of using virtually anything if you feel it'll be effective in a certain circumstance and will be more effecient than changing production. But, it's a 2E plane. I'd rather have 2x 1E at a base than half as many Lilys.
I personally cross train the plentiful and very experienced IJAAF pilots for low level naval bombing from day one. So I end up with plentiful kami pilots, EXP 70 piltos with 80 ground and 70+ low naval. These guys flying IJAAF 2E or 1E mid-war can hit shipping with bigger bombs than the Lily. So that has worked for me. I find having enough airfield capacity and air support at a specific point the limiting factor to hit Allied invasions or naval movements mid-war, not whether I've got enough IJN planes.
Generally the Allies aren't doing multiple big ops simultaneously, and unless you have level 9 fields everywhere (which certainly isn't a a good way to save on supply for the late war) it's better to use 1E against naval forces. The standard 2E Helens (or Peggy-T) can then add to whatever is happening close in from bases farther away, and have slightly better range than the Lily. The Peggy is best, and although I fend them not as effective as I'd like for torpedo attacks, as low level naval strike planes (kami or not) they're excellent.
I build (and advocate building) a lot of different airframes, but this is a thread about limiting production, so my comments followed that line of thinking.
Now there's a variation that hadn't occurred to me. I've been training LowN for kami pilots for the late war, but not for the frontline squadrons. Makes sense, will steal that. Only reservation from me would be the tactical ramifications of having a large portion of your air force forced to operate at 6000ft or less against Allied shipping...
I still like the accuracy bonus from the dive bombers, however.
ORIGINAL: Alpha77
Saving supply, factory slots and HI, which also puts less strain on fuel/oil..
I do not like Kamikazes, so do not plan to use them (reasons already given). I know they can get some hits, I have played Allies to mid 44 on the receiving end, they sank 2-3 CVEs and 20+ transports (vs. AI). How many were shot down however, is another butchers bill.
I also would not use "manpower bombing", even if morality is not part of the game. I am a bit crazy you know.
@mind messing plus obvert: Thanks for the links and detailed thoughts on the topic.
So, how exactly will streamlining help? It strikes me that if you're going for a restrained industry strategy in the first year that you need to expand at some point, and the supply cost still gets paid regardless (to expand R&D factories/convert and repair existing factories to new models).
Any supply savings would be marginal and not worth the tactical handicap IMO (but happy to be proved wrong if someone wants to crunch the numbers)
As for kamis, if you've not played Japan in 1945, you may not be aware of the multitude of squadrons that arrive flying biplanes and other trainer aircraft that have no function other than to facilitate training and kamikaze strikes. If you've planned properly, there won't be a need for them to be training, so it just remains to leverage them for kamikaze missions...
ORIGINAL: Alpha77
ORIGINAL: RangerJoe
Some people like the Lily DB to use against the Fletcher class and other DDs wandering around the Japanese rear areas.
Good idea, Fletcher (and Gearing etc.) are very durable, how many 100kg will it take to sink or damage them enough? In mid 43 already there is a lot of 20/40 mm on these ships, if Lily can get through that would be cool. Can I request combat reports of this?
Also another question: Do dive bombers attack PT-boats I mean with a dive not at 100ft. I had 2 or 3 times these PTs in range but DBs would not fly (I know could be other issues, wanna make sure DB fly vs. these. I had only some success with Nick on 100ft vs. PTs aka pest and cholera)
I've used Lily's to take out Fletchers.
The 100kg bombs are much maligned, but they do fine against anything that's not a BB or some of the newer Allied cruisers, though I think the bombs do bounce against the armoured Brit CV's.
; Julia Child
