HYLA did a 100 bomber/30 escort raid on Tallinn on turn 4 Soviets.
Tallinn had been captured on turn 3, on turn 4 an Axis fighter wing was moved to Tallinn. I made sure that the wing was fully supplied and had air support personnel (it may have had the yellow warning icon suggesting low support levels, I can't remember but the field was certainly functioning). Looking at my turn 5, still no AA guns have been deployed to this airfield, I presume that I have a general shortage of these.
During the enemy phase, I set 2 Air superiority missions, each of 12 planes flying due east towards the Narva river. One flying at 9,000 feet, the other flying at 14,000 feet. These appear to have been executed. (Not to be confused with the AS set in the friendly phase, where 6 planes flew and clashed with Soviet AS around the Narva area).
I am presuming that HLYA flew his bombing via the Gulf of Finland and thus missed much of my AS hexes, however, I should have had 24 fighters flying AS over the Tallinn hex.
- T5 D1 GA.png (1.24 MiB) Viewed 1676 times
- T5 Talillin.png (1022.85 KiB) Viewed 1676 times
As can be seen from the CR, my AS did not intercept on day 1. Of the 32 planes on the ground (despite the fact that 24 should have been flying), I lost 7. Perhaps the rain interfered with my AS and HLYA got lucky both with this, and the effectiveness of the first strike.
On day 2, an air combat took place. 9 Soviet bombers were shot down, at a cost of 1 Axis plane (opps). The Axis suffered further losses on the ground. Bizarrely, the Axis planes flew at 7,000 feet which is neither ordered nor in their AS doctrine
- T5 D2 air battle.png (882.36 KiB) Viewed 1676 times
Day 3, was a repeat, though with far higher Axis losses. etc through the week until the Axis air wing is so depleted that it no longer flies.
According to the CR, in total the Soviets lost 10 fighters and 20 bombers. The Axis lost 22 fighters.
Going through the individual battle reports, the Soviets lost 25 due to ops and 31 from air combat. The Axis lost 28 on the ground and 3 from combat.
Extrapolated across the front, the LwF will be made into mince meat before 1941 is through. Perhaps I have been very unlucky and no doubt my results would have been improved if I had extended my AS over the Gulf of Finland.
Questions for inquiring minds:
1. Why did no Axis AS occur on day 1?
2. Why did no Axis aircraft intercept other than those flying AS? Perhaps they were caught on the hop on day 1, but surely they would be ready on day 2.
3. A further wing of 30+ fighters based at Parnu did nothing, why did they not intercept?
Airfields appear to be sitting ducks, even when covered by AS. For the moment, I think it needs house ruling.
