Night Bombing Overpowered?

[Nikademus]

you don't need to concentrate bombers to get good results, though it helps. particularily for the 4E's which have the best per bomber load. In a current Burma test game, my opponent is attacking with an average of 30 bombers and getting good results while i did similar with 15.

By "good results" mind you, i mean frequent hits on the field that cause damage to planes as well as destroyed and damage to the field itself. (these damaged planes do not show up in the combat report)

The tally quickly adds up with consistancy. The bigger raids can at times score spectacularily netting several dozen plane casualties. Consistant bombing with under 2 Sally Sentais has Rangoon airfield half damaged (50%)....all done at night.

City bombing is even easier which is why the Ozzie PBEM i'm in has a rule for no city bombing at all till 43 either side. Were it not in place cities within reach of 2E bombers can easily be plastered and Player one can cripple the Chinese economy using 2E and even 1E bombers range permitting. We also placed restrictions on tactical night bombing as well.

[ChezDaJez]

In reply to all regarding whether night bombing is too overpowered.

I have not had much experience with night bombing, either giving or receiving so I have no opinion as to whether it is overpowered or not. But a small litmus test should help answer the question.

Assuming all factors are the same (non-city target, bombing altitude, # of bombers, CAP, etc...) then:

1. If night bombing is achieving results equal to or greater than day bombing then it is probably overpowered.

2. If night bombers are shooting down fighters at a rate equal to or greater than day bombers, it is probably overpowered.

3. If fighters are shooting down night bombers at a rate equal to or greater than in the daytime then the fighters are probably overpowered.

Chez

[Nikademus]

I havn't found bomber def fire or NF fire to be overpowered. Much of the time NF's and bombers miss each other completely. Nothing out of wack there given lack of AI sets.

The 'overpower' comes from the consistant hitting of the target. Not every single time, but much of the time leading to a cumulative effect. Indiv results may not seem like much till you start adding up the damaged and destroyed planes.

Strategic bombing, (day or night) is so easy it would make Bomber Harris cry. This is largely unchanged from stock. Night ops are safer however given the difficulty in intercepting the strikes.

[Yakface]

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

In reply to all regarding whether night bombing is too overpowered.

I have not had much experience with night bombing, either giving or receiving so I have no opinion as to whether it is overpowered or not. But a small litmus test should help answer the question.

Assuming all factors are the same (non-city target, bombing altitude, # of bombers, CAP, etc...) then:

1. If night bombing is achieving results equal to or greater than day bombing then it is probably overpowered.

2. If night bombers are shooting down fighters at a rate equal to or greater than day bombers, it is probably overpowered.

3. If fighters are shooting down night bombers at a rate equal to or greater than in the daytime then the fighters are probably overpowered.

Chez

Chez. Your test is setting the bar far too low. If night bombing of airfields is even a quarter as effective as daytime bombing, then it's overpowered. If night bombers are shooting down even a fraction of the fighters it does in the daytime then it is overpowered (given that fighters can't engage bombers it is difficult to see how bombers engage fighters)

I'm with Nik. THe real problem is not the aircombat at night, but the effectiveness of the bombing. My opponent has closed at one time or another 5 different bases (2 or 3 at any one time) in Northern Oz, with sizes between 4 and 9. This is with an average of 35 4E bombers (mix of B17's and B24's) flying every night. It takes about 3 nights to get a base to essentially 100% damage, with reasonable numbers of engineers trying to repair the damage. I've tried 3 or 4 LRCAP night intercepts with the net effect.....fighters are shot down virtually no damage to bombers.

In my game as the Allies I have 160 4E bombers on the Burma border (roughly 40% of my entire force. I am fairly sure that I could close all airfields in Burma for with negligible losses. At this point that is just my opinion. I'm going to my opponent if we can run a 3 or 4 week test. If I'm right, that's curtains for an interesting game.

[ChezDaJez]

Chez. Your test is setting the bar far too low. If night bombing of airfields is even a quarter as effective as daytime bombing, then it's overpowered.

And I may very well be setting it too low. As I said, I have no experience with night bombing.

I would agree that night bombing should not achieve results anywhere near day bombing. A quarter as effective would probably be considered a good raid IMO but should not be the norm.

Chez