Lazy bombers bug

[Subchaser]

For the last several turns in one of my pbems my IJN bombers (4th and Genzan units) refuse to fly strike mission. I’ve tried everything with no success. They have high morale and no fatigue, commanders ratings are high enough, HQs are there, enough supplies, airfield undamaged nevertheless they don’t fly. I was hoping that the problem was weather, however, while watching those replays again I didn’t notice any cloud symbols over the target bases and over Rabaul as well. One turn there was even more ridiculous anomaly, no missions had been flown as before, but this time fatigue jumped up to 65-70 for all pilots with no new sorties added to their credit. WTF they were doing? Next turn with no missions again I’ve noticed that 2 Betty went for op.losses. So I now have bomber force which can fly only recon, supply and ASW missions. Nice. Have anybody ever seen this?

[DoomedMantis]

how many planes on the base and what is the base size?

[Subchaser]

It's begining of scen #17, base Rabaul, airfield 8. about 60 bombers, 20+ fighters, enough aviation support, huge supply stocks.

[fcooke]

Are the fighters set to escort? If the target is flying a strong CAP the bombers won't go there unless they have some fighters along.....

[DoomedMantis]

JUST FOR THE HECK OF IT GET THEM TO BOMB SOME UNDEFENDED BEACH AND SEE IF THEY FLY?

[general billy]

i also have the same bug in my PBEM game, ive got a whole load of heavies needing to pound enemy ground troops, and they not doing anything at all. They attacks airfields and ports, but not the enemy troops. Ive done recon mission, but they not doing anything. I guess this is the same bug.

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: general billy

i also have the same bug in my PBEM game, ive got a whole load of heavies needing to pound enemy ground troops, and they not doing anything at all. They attacks airfields and ports, but not the enemy troops. Ive done recon mission, but they not doing anything. I guess this is the same bug.

This is not a bug. If your target hex has an enemy base in it, you have to assign your bombers to attack either port or airfield (troop losses will result). The only time bombers will attack ground troops as a specific mission is when the ground troops are in a hex where their side does not have a base.

[Nomad]

Thats not true. As the allies I am attacking Japanese owned bases with troops in them. I am using P-39s, SBDs, TBFs, B-25s, B-26s, B-17s, A-20s etc. I set the mission to ground attack and they attack ground troops.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Subchaser

For the last several turns in one of my pbems my IJN bombers (4th and Genzan units) refuse to fly strike mission. I’ve tried everything with no success. They have high morale and no fatigue, commanders ratings are high enough, HQs are there, enough supplies, airfield undamaged nevertheless they don’t fly. I was hoping that the problem was weather, however, while watching those replays again I didn’t notice any cloud symbols over the target bases and over Rabaul as well. One turn there was even more ridiculous anomaly, no missions had been flown as before, but this time fatigue jumped up to 65-70 for all pilots with no new sorties added to their credit. WTF they were doing? Next turn with no missions again I’ve noticed that 2 Betty went for op.losses. So I now have bomber force which can fly only recon, supply and ASW missions. Nice. Have anybody ever seen this?

From my experience there are several factors that can do this:

#1
"No Fly" weather (denoted with "cloud buster" graphic - or alternative if you DLed it from Internet).

Note that weather can affect one and/or both sides (i.e. target HEX and your base HEX where your air strike force is).


#2
Presence of enemy fighters (and unavailability of friendly escort).


#3
Overall state of bomber strike force (morale, experience, leader) and base (enough supply, big enough base, HQ present or not).


Also please note that the sudden jump in fatigue without actually seeing your strike force flying means that they wanted to go but they turned back due to weather (and thus their fatigue jumped as if they were in most demanding mission).


Hope this helps...


Leo "Apollo11"

[general billy]

When the japs launch an attack at laganville, i was pounding the enemy ground forces every day with 2 sets of bomber wings. Planes are taking off from level 9 bases and I would rest my pilots every other turn, Morale is high, since there were no loses. That was working well. The japs then dropped 4 divisions on the beach on top of laganville. after that i ordered my bombers to start bombing them away, and nothing happened. Only once in a while they would attack. They be seating around doing nothing every turn. They not even taking off at all. I decided to move them, and come back. A when I done that, they did attack. But after that nothing. Even on that attack there were no loses at all to my planes or pilots. My pilots are pretty experience. I set up my daultless bombers to attack, and a whole load of them attack, after that nothing. They just wont attack anymore. I done recon mission every turn, to help them find their targets. And their morale is high.

This must surely be a bug.

[Subchaser]

ORIGINAL: Apollo11
#1
"No Fly" weather (denoted with "cloud buster" graphic - or alternative if you DLed it from Internet).

I use my own

Note that weather can affect one and/or both sides (i.e. target HEX and your base HEX where your air strike force is).

I’m well aware of this, weather was good over the target bases (Wau, Marilinan, PM, Gili Gili) and over Rabaul.

#2
Presence of enemy fighters (and unavailability of friendly escort).

Tainan is available for escorting (no fatigue, high moral etc.), enemy CAP was only over PM.

#3
Overall state of bomber strike force (morale, experience, leader) and base (enough supply, big enough base, HQ present or not).

Everything is okay, check my original post.

Also please note that the sudden jump in fatigue without actually seeing your strike force flying means that they wanted to go but they turned back due to weather (and thus their fatigue jumped as if they were in most demanding mission).

Yes, I know. Usually you see message, which says that planes did not find the target, sometimes not. But with message appears or not you can check pilots info and look for sorties flown, if they did fly, sorties flown stats reflect this. In my case no sorties were added to their credit. It was 4 sorties average like the day before, I’ve made some screenshots to compare and it’s not a case unfortunately.

[Subchaser]

ORIGINAL: DoomedMantis

JUST FOR THE HECK OF IT GET THEM TO BOMB SOME UNDEFENDED BEACH AND SEE IF THEY FLY?

I DID! NOTHING HELPS!

One genzan daitai was ordered to bomb Gili port, another one airbase. No effect.. oh yes, there are no enemy forces in Gili.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Subchaser

Yes, I know. Usually you see message, which says that planes did not find the target, sometimes not. But with message appears or not you can check pilots info and look for sorties flown, if they did fly, sorties flown stats reflect this. In my case no sorties were added to their credit. It was 4 sorties average like the day before, I’ve made some screenshots to compare and it’s not a case unfortunately.

I have seen this several times - it's almost as if they didn't fly that far out for mission to be counted (and I even got, sometimes, some operational looses this way) - so the mission counter didn't change...


Leo "Apollo11"

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Subchaser

For the last several turns in one of my pbems my IJN bombers (4th and Genzan units) refuse to fly strike mission.

Few more things...

How far was the target from the bomber base?

What exactly was intended bomber mission type?


Leo "Apollo11"

[Oznoyng]

ORIGINAL: Nomad

Thats not true. As the allies I am attacking Japanese owned bases with troops in them. I am using P-39s, SBDs, TBFs, B-25s, B-26s, B-17s, A-20s etc. I set the mission to ground attack and they attack ground troops.

Same experience here. I have a pile or B26B's and SBD's at Irau pounding the Japs at Lunga. I started out on the airfield, but i have it at 100 percent damage already, so I diversified my targets to include ground units and ports. Four missions flown against ground units generated 5 men killed. Three of those missions generated no results other than tired crews. Ground attacks do hit, but the damage from them is miniscule compared to the damage you can get by hitting the airfields and ports.

[marky]

just to check on sumthing....



can u send a force of engineers and or seabees to land on an island and build a base and an airstrip and a port?

[2ndACR]

If it is a dot, you sure can. If the dot has port 0/(2) it as currently at size zero but it's optimam size is 2. Means you get to size 2 real fast with 2 seebees. You can overbuild 3 sizes so a port (2) can be built to size 5. Size 0/0 can be built to size 3.

These overnuilds cost alot of time and supplies.

P.S. Did you get it going?