More questions on night naval battles

[AmiralLaurent]

Well, I have been able to launch night naval attacks with both sides seaplanes (PBY, H36K, H8K), usually off bases but once in open sea (a ML attacked and sunk by PBY in an hex where a sub attacked it during the night movement phase. Ok it was 30 miles off Townsville but it is open sea).

My question is:
_ has anybody ever seen non-seaplanes launch a night naval attack ? Betties, Nells, Avengers, SBD, Kate and so on.... or even medium bombers of both sides.

[Subchaser]

ORIGINAL: AmiralLaurent
My question is:
_ has anybody ever seen non-seaplanes launch a night naval attack ? Betties, Nells, Avengers, SBD, Kate and so on.... or even medium bombers of both sides.

Hi Laurent, I guess nobody has seen that. That’s one of the serious flaws of UV and unfortunately of WitP design also. Night naval attack tactics doesn’t work at all. Whatever you do IJN bombers (US too) are useless at night and have to take huge losses in daylight even when such suicidal efforts were not required. Worst of all that developers don’t see the problem here.

[AmiralLaurent]

Nice image

I did our turn this morning. Check your mailbox

[scorryuk]

Have read about these night attacks by PBY`s but still not sure how to do them. Do you just leave them on naval attack/night ops and wait until sub or otherwise spots a target?

[Hoplosternum]

Yes you do [:)] I believe the best way is to have a squadron of Mitchells (say) and launch a port attack. Sometimes this causes the ships in taskforces to be detected (but not attaacked by the Port attack of course) in the port. Once detected there is a chance of very experienced PBYs launching an attack. Never managed to pull it off myself though.

[Tiornu]

Is RN night capability relevant? The British had developed this ability before the Pacific War broke out. It almost came into play in the Indian Ocean.

[AmiralLaurent]

To launch an air naval attack at night, you need a high-exp (85-90 unit level) seaplane unit, if possible near the point you want to attack.

And then you need to have a detection level high enough duirng the night air phase to trigger the sending of a raid. Problem is that the DL is set to 0 at the begin of each day (well, night in fact). So you need to detect the ships with as many things as possible and you can't fly naval search at night (or ASW or transport or recons.. all those missions were flown at night during the war).

So coastwatcher reports, submarine sightings, friendly TF, friendly troops in the hex may rise the detection level. Sending an air unit with night port attack order on the base you want to send a night naval attack may also rises the detection level enough. But it is basically unreliable.... at least for Japanese players. I only know one player who was very successfull with Emily and Mavis at night. I have been able to launch such attacks with Japanese but find it much easier with the PBY, thanks to the coastwatchers.

For both sides, it is also easier to use it to defend one of your own base than to attack an enemy port.