2 questions

[Admiral Scott]

1. Does it matter if I have fighter groups with leaders that are best suited as a bomber group leaders? They start that way, should I change them to fighter suited leaders who are more aggressive?

2. Do air units suffer higher operational losses if they fly in bad weather, including search missions with float type planes?
When its a blizzard or thunderstorm should I ground all flights and then resume them when the weather is better, or isnt this programed into the game?

[madflava13]

1. Pretty sure it doens't matter... But I am not 100%.
2. Planes definitely take more op losses in bad weather. Not as important to the allies, but be careful if you are playing Japan. Also it's a good idea to limit flights in the Arctic regions when the winter effects are on.

[Djordje]

ORIGINAL: Admiral Scott

1. Does it matter if I have fighter groups with leaders that are best suited as a bomber group leaders? They start that way, should I change them to fighter suited leaders who are more aggressive?

2. Do air units suffer higher operational losses if they fly in bad weather, including search missions with float type planes?
When its a blizzard or thunderstorm should I ground all flights and then resume them when the weather is better, or isnt this programed into the game?

1. There was a thread few months ago (can't remember who did the testing, but he did a great job) that explained a few things about fighter, bomber and third class (recon?) leaders. In short, things are little messed up here, but I'll try to explain:
- Leaders above certain value in air operations are "fighter" leaders, no matter about other stat values
- Leaders that are not "fighter" leaders and have land operations above certain value are "bomber" leaders
- Leaders that have both air operations and land operations above certain value are "fighter" leaders. This is the reason why you have so many fighter leaders, and so few bomber leaders. To be a bomber leader pilot has to be really bad as fighter leader. This also means that some of the fighter leaders are also good (and some probably even better) as bomber leaders, but there is no way you can tell which one, except by looking into the editor.
"Air operations" and "Land operations" are values that can only be seen in the editor, don't look for them in the game.
So, to answer your question now, if you have figher squadron led by a bomber leader, you are in trouble, change him ASAP. If you have bomber squadron led by a fighter leader, you really can't tell if he is good or not, so if he has good leadership and inspiration leave him be, if not replace him.

2. Bad weather is BAD. I really hate when I transfer my squadrons from one place to another and forget to look at the weather, and end up with few planes and pilots missing... Loosing good pilots just because I was lazy to look is bad [:)]
I don't bother with cancelling air mission because of the weather, if it is bad in base hex or at destionation hex they will cancel it on their own. It is much worse to have your base bombed and no CAP, so half of the planes get destroyed because your enemy was not so careful about weather and his pilots...

[Admiral Scott]

I had a fighter leader disappear and replaced by a brilliant bomber leader for the AVG.
His name is Burgard, but he isnt in the editor.
He kept morale up, but the AVG didnt perform well in air to air combat.

Are all the leaders that are available actually free for assignment, not assigned elswhere?

[Djordje]

ORIGINAL: Admiral Scott

I had a fighter leader disappear and replaced by a brilliant bomber leader for the AVG.
His name is Burgard, but he isnt in the editor.
He kept morale up, but the AVG didnt perform well in air to air combat.

Are all the leaders that are available actually free for assignment, not assigned elswhere?

Your new AVG leader was not good for fighter role. If he had been described as bomber leader by the game it meant that he has too low fighter value to be a fighter leader. Always replace bomber leaders leading your fighter squadrons, no matter how good they are. You can then reasign those now free bomber leaders to bomber squadrons.

[kypros]

At the risk of hijacking the thread....on a similar topic:

What is the difference between leadership and inspiration??

I searched the manual and found no explanation. Only the obvious: high values are a good thing.

[dtravel]

ORIGINAL: kypros

At the risk of hijacking the thread....on a similar topic:

What is the difference between leadership and inspiration??

I searched the manual and found no explanation. Only the obvious: high values are a good thing.

You're not cleared for that information. For that matter, you're not cleared to even be asking.

Fnord.

[Grotius]

So planes take higher operational losses not just when transferring, but also when flying missions? That makes sense; just checking to be sure.

[mogami]

ORIGINAL: kypros

At the risk of hijacking the thread....on a similar topic:

What is the difference between leadership and inspiration??

I searched the manual and found no explanation. Only the obvious: high values are a good thing.

Hi, If I was to guess I would say one impacts how a unit does in combat how often parts break/repair and the other impacts the units morale (that is used in combat and recovering from combat) For airgroups one would be used to see who has the bounce and the other when the pilot will break off and head for home. (And one for how many aircraft are ready the next day and the other how many of the ready aircraft take off)

[Roger Neilson]

The strange leadership ratings will I guess remain a mystery wrapped in an enigma.... I have no conception of why a simpe two sentences could not tell us what they mean?

Maybe it adds to the mystery of the game... but a bigger mystery would be had the designers not told us any ratings for the leadership, just said the leaders were rated but you can't find out!

Roger

[BlackVoid]

In UV I changed missions based on weather, in WITP it is just not worh it. Not even as Japan.
You need search planes all the time. You need CAP all the time. Don't touch these.

I only check for the weather before major air offensives and when transfering.