Air Ground Attacks - No damage caused on Units?

[WingedIncubus]

I tried using Ground Attack Air Directives on Highest Unit priority, with no other target priority, on a single hex with a aim to weaken localized Soviet units. While it does inflict some minor interception, it never seems to destroy any equipment or cause any casualties.

Anything I am missing? As it looks right now, Ground Attacks seem to be nigh-on useless, not very cost-effective compared to the flak and operational costs paid in airplanes by the Axis players, except to attack airfields on D1.

a) Is it a question of altitude? I fly LBs usually at 20,000 yard to decrease flak damage on the way to the target. I'd fly lower if it weren't for the flak slaughtering my AOGs.

b) What ordnance would be best to damage to units? Smaller ammo for infantry divisions, heavier bombs for fortified hexes, tanks and vehicles?

c) Localized ground attacks often end up in a slaughter due to target hex flak. However, shouldn't Level Bombers on ground attacks bomb targets from the altitude they are set at? Shouldn't these bombs also damage flak and decrease its rating?

d) Should I use recon on the day after on that hex to have a clearer picture of the damage caused?

Thanks!

[loki100]

Some of this is judgement, the wider area of flak interaction is being tweaked so make sure you have the latest beta patch.

1 - far too high for GA, you are bombing blind, work around 15k for LB
2 - If its in the open/moving lots of small stuff, if its static/poor terrain/decent fortress. fewer and bigger
3 - see below
4 - not a bad idea, but better to do a couple of sweeps before the bombers go in

Tac bombers and FB at over 5k drop to 1k to deliver the attack, LB attack at the designated height.

In the main GA-unit is not a killer, you'll get some damage but mostly disruptions. Disruptions flip to fatigue at the end of the air attack, fatigue comes off CV and possibly MP later on. So GA-unit is a bit of a specialist mission, it can work well with LB with heavy bombs on a target you know you will attack (that fatigue carries into the ground phase), its not really a mission in isolation.

In WiTW, GA-unit was a standard part of the Allies' tactical air usage, its harder in WiTE2 to get the level of commitment that makes a difference.

In effect, its the usual question about your use of air assets in WiTE2, if its not on GS, ask yourself why.

[WingedIncubus]

Some of this is judgement, the wider area of flak interaction is being tweaked so make sure you have the latest beta patch.

Yes, sorry. I forgot to mention I was on the latest 1.02.21 patch.

[jubjub]

If you're bombing soviet forces with level bombers, you need to bomb from 22,000 feet to stay out of range of their 37mm flak. Level bombers will mostly cause disruption, but can still kill a fair amount of stuff. If your goal is to kill men, you should use tactical bombers.

Try to avoid bombing on/adjacent to units with high altitude flak (76mm and 85mm flak). You can see this if you toggle the flak overlay.

Unfortunately, the way they nerfed ground attack means that about 50% of your bombing runs will miss and cause interdiction instead.

[WingedIncubus]

I wonder also, would be more cost-effectiveto assign given number of aircraft to a local unit-bombing hex mission (like 8-12 bombers with their escorts), instead of using the Auto feature? Auto basically means "throw every sink that can fly at the wall and see if it breaks".

The logic being, if the flak inflicts damage based on ratio of airplanes, instead of individual direct hits, it would make a difference if you send sorties of 20 bombers to a single hex, compared to 200 aircrafts for that same space, avoiding the dozens of German planes lost on a single mission due to flak and operational losses.

[dudefan]

1 - far too high for GA, you are bombing blind, work around 15k for LB

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think all bombers bomb at their optimal height. You can only change the height for their approach

[loki100]

No its recon that auto-adjusts to camera type over the set hexes, LB work as you order. FB/Tac bombers drop to 1k (if set at 5k or more) to actually deliver their attack