Squadrons not replacing pilots?

[ShakyJake]

Hello all, I was just playing through a game (scenario 17), and noticed something a bit peculiar. It's not long into the scenario, and VMF-212 arrived at Noumea. Over the past few game weeks the squadron was topped off to twenty-four airplanes from whatever they originally came with, but for some reason there are only nine pilots in the squadron. I haven't suffered any serious losses yet, and every other squadron is at full strength, so it's not like all the replacements are being grabbed by the other squadrons. Anyone know what might be going on? I've had my carrier TF waiting on the issue to fix itself before going back out, but after 8+ days it doesn't look like anything's gonna happen. A bug? And how would I fix this?

[AmiralLaurent]

Don't know it is a bug or not. Replacement pilots may arrive far latter after you need them.

Just to be sure: did you load part of the VMF-212 in your CV ? I you do that and the unit has 24 F4F-4 and 9 pilots, so you have 9 planes and pilots in a CV and at Noumea a sub-unit called 2/VMF-212 with 15 planes and 0 pilots. Sub-units like that never, repeat never, receive replacement pilots in my games. So if you're in this situation you may wait unitl 31st Dec 1943. Send the whole squadron back on Noumea airfield and it may receive replacement pilots, but that is not automatic.

[ShakyJake]

I had indeed loaded the unit onto the Yorktown, but not a plane was ever damaged, and when I moved them there wasn't any splitting of the airgoup. I transferred them back onto Noumea just in case it was a problem with them being on the carrier causing them not to be getting replacements (didn't make sense, but I was trying everything), and this group is in fact the sole VMF-212 group. I suppose there's nothing left to do but withdraw them, and hope they come back at full strength.

[spence]

Your pilots were probably drawn from VMF212 to more fully man VF42 and VF2 on Lex and Yorktown. You should have noticed that they now have about 28 F4F3s instead of 17 and 21 respectively like they started the game. VMF 212 starts with 24 pilots or so in F4F3s which then upgrade. The F4F3s then augment the CAGs. Apparently the logic is that jarheads were carrier familiarized so they could fill in the Navy's depleted fighter squadrons. Wait a few turns with VMF212 ashore and it'll fill up.

[grraven2004]

Personally I don't think its a bug. I have read in several AAR's about this unit only starting with 9 pilots. I have also played this scenario and started with only 9 pilots. Be patient those pilots will eventually show up

[ShakyJake]

Yeah, this is just confusing for me because though it started with so few pilots, with no pilots being lost in other squadrons, and those other squadrons already being at full strength in terms of pilot numbers, there should be no reason for this air group not be be receiving more pilots. Unless there's just no pilots at all available in the pool, but that can't be the case because in this game I finally incurred some losses using VF-24 and VF-2 for LR CAP, and they got replaced immediately upon returning to Noumea. I've been using my carriers to provide cover for my APs and AKs as they drop troops and supplies off in Lunga and PM, and I'd drop a Devastator squadron for the extra fighter squadron in a heartbeat if only they could get up to full strength.

[AmiralLaurent]

There may be a reason. This unit is a Marines flying unit while VF units are Navy ones. They may use different pilot pools (at least in WITP they are using different ones).

[jcjordan]

Have you tried putting the unit on escort duty for a few days while it's on land & a complete unit? Sometimes I've found that a unit must go active in doing something besides sitting there training or resting to get a/c or pilots.

[infinitejest]

I've seen this problem in a Scen 17 game I have going -- 9 pilots that wouldn't get replaced. However I also had a P-400 squadron (67th FS, I think) with 53 pilots. So I used Mogami's trick to get rid of excess pilots and VMF-212 filled up the next turn, though this could have been a coincidence.

[ShakyJake]

AdmiralLaurent, I think you may be onto something there. If the Navy and Marines use separate pilot pools, much like how bombers and fighters use separate pools, then its possible that the squadron isn't getting pilots because marine replacements haven't started, yet. Probably very similar to how you start off with B-17s, which will never be replaced until a certain date when replacements become available? If that's the problem, I guess I just have to wait until more Marine aviators show up in the theatre.

I also noticed that the P-400 squadron based in Noumea has 55 pilots currently, even though there's only 14 planes in the squadron. I'll try using that trick, and cutting them back to the pool, but they're listed as US Army pilots unlike US Marines of VFM-212. All of them have experience of about 55, though. Yick.

[DoomedMantis]

Once the unit loses a pilot then it will start to get proper pilot replacements