Post-target intercept

[Yaab]

What decides chances of the post-target intercept phase?

Many times you can see bombers are spotted just 5NM from target, their ETA is 1 minute, weather is severe storms, and somehow fighters still get to the bombers in the post-target phase.

Is it fighter speed? Their endurance?

Does the intercept happen over the target hex or fighters can chase after bombers into adjacent hexes?

[Yaab]

OK, I will hazard a guess.

Scrambled fighters take part in the POST TARGET intercept phase as per the manual.

If you look at combat reports, fighter air groups that have to scramble some of their aircraft have a way longer intercept times than those groups that need scrambling. Scrambled groups can have interception times between 30-45 minutes compared to 1-10minutes of airborne+ready groups.

Now, as I understand, after having delivered their bombs, bombers turn back and return to base, thus those long interception times mean the scrambled fighters have to chase the bombers on their return flight. After i.e. 45 minutes , the fighters catch the bombers. Say, they fight for 15 minutes. Now, your fighters accumulated 60 minutes of flight (or more, since they may burn more fuel diving/climbing agianst the bombers or using bursts of max speed in combat). Let's say your fighter has a total flight endurance of 2hrs 15 minutes. He needs to safely return to the base -add another 45 minutes of flight. Let's say it all adds up to 2 hrs of endurance. Thus, the fighter now has to prematurely exit the combat and fly back to the base, or risk running out of fuel, and crashing itself on its way back.

[PaxMondo]

Does the intercept happen over the target hex or fighters can chase after bombers into adjacent hexes?

To my knowledge, intercepts can only happen over target hexes. The bombers route to and from the target hex is not part of the air routines.

[PaxMondo]

Does the intercept happen over the target hex or fighters can chase after bombers into adjacent hexes?

To my knowledge, intercepts can only happen over target hexes. The bombers route to and from the target hex is not part of the air routines.

[BBfanboy]

Does the intercept happen over the target hex or fighters can chase after bombers into adjacent hexes?

To my knowledge, intercepts can only happen over target hexes. The bombers route to and from the target hex is not part of the air routines.

Not the normal air combat routine, but every once in a while you get a message in the Ops Report saying one of your aircraft was shot down while returning from a mission. One of those random events that spice up the game.

[PaxMondo]

Does the intercept happen over the target hex or fighters can chase after bombers into adjacent hexes?

To my knowledge, intercepts can only happen over target hexes. The bombers route to and from the target hex is not part of the air routines.

Not the normal air combat routine, but every once in a while you get a message in the Ops Report saying one of your aircraft was shot down while returning from a mission. One of those random events that spice up the game.

Yep, but I've never known if that we in the target hex or not ... I don't recall hex coordinates being part of the message.

[Yaab]

I sometimes see bomber raids, which come last in AM or PM phase, facing no airborne/ready CAP, but only a HUGE number of scrambling fighters. However, those scramblers do not trigger a post-target intercept, especially if the last raid is just spotted with a short ETA time. I get several
late-coming Lily attacks on Clark Field/Manila this way, where Lilys bomb my airfields with impunity (a 100kg bomb can presumably destroy a damaged B-17 bomber)