Coastal AF

[dwesolick]

While waiting (patiently) for WitE2 to release, I've decided to jump back into WitW (after 2-3 years). I'm starting the 43-45 campaign as Allies and setting up my air directives. I have a question about Coastal AF's Beaufighter night fighter squadrons, namely what to do with them?

I've set 2 or 3 on night intruder missions over Sicily (prior to invasion) and wondering what to do with the rest? Should I just disperse them to other commands (BC, for example)?

Can they be set effectively to naval patrol? I know Beaufighters chewed up a lot of Japanese merchant ships in the Pacific but are they good for that in WitW? The load out options are pretty limited (extra machine guns or drop tanks).

Any advice/tips would be appreciated!

[cfulbright]

I transfer all the night fighters to Bomber Command. I think historically (or at least according to Gary Grigsby's Bombing the Reich), the No. 205 RAF group did night strategic bombing in the Med, and there were nightfighters to do escort and/or night intruder missions. Evidently the US nightfighter groups in the Med did convoy patrols and fighter sweeps, but I've never had the Axis AI opponent do anything offensive with night operations.

Cary

[dwesolick]

Thanks for the quick response. Yeah, that's about what I figured. I might keep a couple in the Med for later intruder purposes and I'll send the rest to England.

I would just like to add that, in preparation for starting another round of WitW, I've been going over the manual, tutorials and browsing the forum. I am struck at how often you and Loki provide helpful, thorough and friendly (and patient) advice to so many posters. I want to thank you both for that (been following Loki's excellent posts in the WitE2 forum as well). You guys make forums like this a pleasure and treasure for lurkers like myself!

Now that I've buttered you up nicely[;)], I do have another question, this time regarding Coastal Command in England. I've manually setup all of my ADs for the first turn, with the exception of CC in England. Is there a way to have CC automatically setup its ADs this turn without messing up the ADs I've already created?
Also, is it really worthwhile for CC in England to even do many naval patrols, except in the run-up to D-Day of course?

[cfulbright]

Thanks for the nice comments. I love to help people, so enjoy it. And I sometimes learn things from Loki and others. This game has more nuances than maybe any single person can know.

For CC in the 1943 turn 1: I'm pretty there's no way to have AI manage a single Air HQ, though this is a great feature enhancement idea!

As for what I do with Coastal Command from June 1943 through April 1944 - Because my primary objective for the air campaign for the first 3-6 months is to heavily attrit the Luftwaffe, I start running NP AD's in the English Channel in Turn 2, with Fighter Command flying AP AD's over those same areas. I fly the NP AD's at an altitude of 16K' while I have Sutherlands, then move them up to 19K' once I've swapped them out for something else. This also has the advantage of changing the max number of AC in those air groups from 9 to 12 aircraft.

I start the AS AD's at 21K' altitude, move them up to 24K'. And if you put your best FC fighters in a size-4 AD that is out over the North Sea toward Belgium and Holland, it does double duty to help out your 8th AF raids.

Cary

[dwesolick]

Excellent ideas for CC. I'll start implementing that on the next turn. I also want to whittle the LW down in the early going so I'm using air superiority missions as well. Also saving my deep penetration strategic raids for later. Hitting closer to home for now.

I did have another question, this time about use of drop tanks. I've set up a lot of my fighter groups to use them but will they take increased losses in air-to-air combat as a result? The game does take into account pilots dropping their tanks before dogfighting, right?

[cfulbright]

According to the handbook an air group equipped with drop tanks will have lower rates of speed and climb, so would be penalized for A2A combat. Fighters ARE supposed to drop their tanks. Not sure if that means that their range is immediately reduced.

I am on the micro-management end of the WitW spectrum, so I always review the drop tanks on FB-F's and NF's every turn so see if I can reduce or eliminate the loads if I change the target.

Cary

[dwesolick]

Yeah, I'm on the micro-management end of things as well. Love games like this. I'll go with the drop tanks for now and see how things go.

thanks!

[cfulbright]

I have to correct what I wrote before. It's the Sutherland flying boats that only have a 16K' max altitude. The great thing when you replace them with something else is that the max # of AC in the air group goes from 9 to 12.

Cary