Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

In my game with Chez, I had concerns about night bombing due to reports here in the forum.  When he started some night bombing attacks, I simply told him that if he did 'em, I'd do 'em, but that if he didn't do 'em, I wouldn't do 'em.  He's doing 'em now and then, so one of these days I will pay him back with interest.

Our game went to mid 45 and I don't think either of us did a single night attack[:D]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

I have been occasionally night bombing the oilfields and refineries in Burma with the RAF night bombers. This has been done with a total of five Wellington or Liberator squadrons. If the artwork shows a black belly on the aircraft, it is a night bomber in my book.

Once I get the B29s within range of serious industry I might use them for night bombing. Then again, I might not.

Yep - the RAF squadrons that arrive with Wellington or early Liberator (99, 159, 160, 215 Sqns) through to end 1943 were used more or less exclusively for night attacks from India into Burma, Thailand etc, along with naval search, mining and recon duties. Targets were generally aimed at army, logistical or industrial infrastructure (at least a couple of them have their operational records online) rather than airfields, but since we can't actually bomb railyards I'd say use in that role is absolutely appropriate - and aircraft replacement rate in those types is not high enough to really permit daylight operations against even minimal opposition, hence the grumbling and fussing when people try to use them in that way and inevitably get them all shot down...

I think if there's one big problem as far as night bombing it's in regards to weather - a clear sky and a bit of moonlight will permit attacks on point targets to some degree, even if accuracy isn't necessarily great - but trying to bomb through cloud should be a complete waste of time until introduction of high-capability airborne radar, and only area bombing at that. Of course, since we just have "cloud" rather than "X% cloud at Y altitude", that's not really a solvable problem.

Alfred, I've got the beta going in my game (with Paul) and the night fighters (without radar as it is early '42) do some damage occasionally, however their real benefit is to disrupt the attack's effectiveness (negative die roll?). My anecdotal evidence is that if a raid comes in and I don't have anyone aloft the results are usually less than desirable but if I have a few planes up there, the results are usually nil.. or close to it (which is much more to my liking). But I could be simply seeing what I want to see in the limited data that I have. So much for my scientific method. Hal

equipped fighters for night CAP.

I prefer non violent night caps.[:D]