Grouping Carrier task forces together?

[MButtsworth]

Is it better go group carrier task forces together in one hex to maximize defence and strike power or is it better to form a one hex equalateral triangle so they are not all sunk together?
All advice appreciated.
I have not fought carrier to carrier battles for many years and am not sure what to do.

Matt Buttsworth

[BBfanboy]

It's a craps shoot - together is better for CAP (range 0 instead of range 1) but that means bad weather could keep all your aircraft on deck while the enemy might still be able to bomb. Then there is the danger from surface forces seeking to engage at night and into the day. And finally is the consideration of what the mission is - are you trying to launch strikes or to protect your amphibs with CAP? Strikes are more coordinated with all carriers in the same hex traveling the same distance to target.

[Chris21wen]

Is it better go group carrier task forces together in one hex to maximize defence and strike power or is it better to form a one hex equalateral triangle so they are not all sunk together?
All advice appreciated.
I have not fought carrier to carrier battles for many years and am not sure what to do.

Matt Buttsworth

It is better to keep them together.

CAP/LRCAP primary objective is to defend their target but they will also defend targets upto 3 hexes away but at reduced numbers and only under certain circumstances. See 7.4.1 Combat Air Patrol (CAP) latest manual. It says two in the manual, it's not it three.

They also will not coordinate their defense, going in as separate CAP so with three CV TF in a hex you'll get three separate CAP engagements, if in different hexes your only likely to get one and for TF that is most likely. The dice gods prevail.

Have a read of this. https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3&t=396274

[Zeckke]

could be an HEX attack, so all task forces can be bombed, not an determinated task force attack.

but is better one strong TASK force than two week

there are house rules for that; as japan player no more than 4 carriers USA and limit the number of ships in task force

[Arkham]

Also IIRC , different TFs don't share AA. Since a hex is supposed to be 40ish miles long, having multiple TFs in there might mean that the two formations are twenty miles apart from each other, so their AA guns wouldn't be able to mutually support.

What about having two TFs, one following the other and trailing by 1 hex while setting up 50/50 LRCAP missions? 50 percent of the fighters are local cap while the other 50 percent are LRCAP assigned to the other TF?

[btd64]

Keep in mind the coordination problem between TF's and within TF's in regards to air units....GP

[RangerJoe]

Also IIRC , different TFs don't share AA. Since a hex is supposed to be 40ish miles long, having multiple TFs in there might mean that the two formations are twenty miles apart from each other, so their AA guns wouldn't be able to mutually support.

What about having two TFs, one following the other and trailing by 1 hex while setting up 50/50 LRCAP missions? 50 percent of the fighters are local cap while the other 50 percent are LRCAP assigned to the other TF?

Just set the CAP to range 1 and it will respond accordingly. Also at that rate of 100% usage, the fatigue level will go up while the morale will go down plus the aircraft will experience fatigue/damage. Those things can and will result in higher operational losses if it is prolonged.

[Arkham]

Also IIRC , different TFs don't share AA. Since a hex is supposed to be 40ish miles long, having multiple TFs in there might mean that the two formations are twenty miles apart from each other, so their AA guns wouldn't be able to mutually support.

What about having two TFs, one following the other and trailing by 1 hex while setting up 50/50 LRCAP missions? 50 percent of the fighters are local cap while the other 50 percent are LRCAP assigned to the other TF?

Just set the CAP to range 1 and it will respond accordingly. Also at that rate of 100% usage, the fatigue level will go up while the morale will go down plus the aircraft will experience fatigue/damage. Those things can and will result in higher operational losses if it is prolonged.

Only issue with setting cap range 1 is if for some reason the CVs get seperated by two hexes that might cause a problem.

Though TBF I wouldn't really be doing this anyways, I'd just have a ACTF with 3-4 CVs in it and call it a day.

[RangerJoe]

Also IIRC , different TFs don't share AA. Since a hex is supposed to be 40ish miles long, having multiple TFs in there might mean that the two formations are twenty miles apart from each other, so their AA guns wouldn't be able to mutually support.

What about having two TFs, one following the other and trailing by 1 hex while setting up 50/50 LRCAP missions? 50 percent of the fighters are local cap while the other 50 percent are LRCAP assigned to the other TF?

Just set the CAP to range 1 and it will respond accordingly. Also at that rate of 100% usage, the fatigue level will go up while the morale will go down plus the aircraft will experience fatigue/damage. Those things can and will result in higher operational losses if it is prolonged.

Only issue with setting cap range 1 is if for some reason the CVs get seperated by two hexes that might cause a problem.

Though TBF I wouldn't really be doing this anyways, I'd just have a ACTF with 3-4 CVs in it and call it a day.

Then why have the trailing CV TF be behind the other TF? Just have the CAP CV loaded with fighters in the same hex as every other CV!

[Chris21wen]

...

What about having two TFs, one following the other and trailing by 1 hex while setting up 50/50 LRCAP missions? 50 percent of the fighters are local cap while the other 50 percent are LRCAP assigned to the other TF?

Why? CAP works prefectly well in protecting anything upto a 3 hex range from it's own hex. At range zero, it's own hex you get full cap as the range increase to 3 hexes the % chance of an intereception decrease as do the ac but never to zero. All this assumes you have enough ac flying for your CAP setting. CAP doesn't need a target. By default it's it own hex.

The same applies to LRCAP except the target can now be further, up to the range of the ac. If LRCAP always needs a target if it doen't have one it behalves like CAP.

Ready ac not flying or set to another mission will take off to help CAP, they will not do this for LRCAP. Further the game deals with CAP/LRCAP differently in the number flying. You tend to get more with CAP.