Battleground Italy - vs Axis AI

[Smirfy]

The hardest.part of the air war in this scenario is yet to come Speedy

[Speedysteve]

End of Turn 3. Only Trapani and Palermo remain in the west of Sicily. Catania and 1st FJ Div is cut off in the east

[Speedysteve]

End of Turn 4.

Palermo will be assaulted and hopefully taken next week.

[Speedysteve]

How long does it take for airbases to fill out? I've set them to 100% TOE and some of them now have Av. Support but nothing else and others are struggling to get anything

[Speedysteve]

After Turn 5 air missions. Focussed on the Sicilian Ports (all but Palermo reported closed this time) and Naval Interdiction.

[Smirfy]

Told you the hardest part of the air war was just beginning I find using. US air groups usually gets a base going, if your squadrons don't bite at one airbase move them to another keep it small at first like 3 squadrons. The process I find is like Alchemy

[Smirfy]

Did the axis units at Catania swap?

[Speedysteve]

Yup. Recon showed the port as being closed but oh no [;)]

Schmalz and Littori Division's reinforced he suicide city!

Airbases - that's nuts! Should be a more streamlined process to fill them out rather than that. Has it always been like that or is it a recent bug/addition?

[Smirfy]

Thats a new one usually the FJH div just jumps out.

[Smirfy]

It's always been like that in week turns the mechanic just ain't right. RAF and USAAF staff work was incredible.

[Speedysteve]

Agreed. Shouldn't take months for them to figure out what the hell office staff was needed!

Palermo resisted stubbornly and rebuffed the first attack before the 2nd Deliberate assault pushed the Italian out to the NW.

You'll also see in the east Attacks against the Italians on the Messina approaches were successful (although an early AM attack by the Canadians up the coast was rebuffed when a Rgt of 29th PzG rushed out of Messiana to 'assist')

[Speedysteve]

Shouldn't the hapless Italians has surrendered NW of Palermo rather than shattering as they had nowhere to retreat to?

[Speedysteve]

More slaughtering of Axis air in 'their Air Phase'. Turn 6.

Pav - I wonder if the Axis needs an additional setting so they don't fly when they reach x ready aircraft or x fatigue/morale etc as they seem to keep on flying regardless Japanese style?

[Speedysteve]

This bad boy has been waiting for 4 weeks for anything else to turn up! If I was those Spit pilots I'd have long gone into the Sicilian Countryside to find me some olive skinned girls, wine and sunsets......

[Helpless]

Pav - I wonder if the Axis needs an additional setting so they don't fly when they reach x ready aircraft or x fatigue/morale etc as they seem to keep on flying regardless Japanese style?

Steve, morale is part of the mileage allowance equation and pct ready is in doctrines, so it should be factored. But "brave" Ai likes to push to the limits. She "knows" that they going to surrender soon

[Speedysteve]

Does that also factor into auto naval? I assume it does Pav but have to ask as many of the AI sorties over Sicily have been in that format

[Seminole]

ORIGINAL: Speedy
How long does it take for airbases to fill out? I've set them to 100% TOE and some of them now have Av. Support but nothing else and others are struggling to get anything

This is what I've had the hardest time getting right as far as game mechanics.
See who controls the airbase. Is it British or American? Both sides may have units in the air support pool, but the Brits are usually scraping the bottom of the barrel in manpower and this will limit your ability to flesh out the air bases if there aren't british airbases bringing emptied in the rear to swap forward.
To switch air base nationality you have to have the max TOE set to Auto, transfer all squadrons out of the airbase and then pick an HQ for the airbase of the nationality you want (e.g. Tactical for switching to U.S.)
So you want to get airbase nationality right from capture/creation. Capture or create it with a unit under an army that is getting ground support from an air HQ of the nationality you want the airbase to have.
The process for allocating the air support seems hit or miss. In my latest BG Italy I had several airbases I set to 99 TOE get there immediately, but other bases haven't gotten any after several turns. I like to put a unit in immediately so that supply will go to the airbase. It can get air support and not supply if you have no planes at the airbase, which affects units you want to send there during that turn.

I think getting the production limits of the scenario make the manpower issue magnified in this case as well.

[Helpless]

Does that also factor into auto naval? I assume it does Pav but have to ask as many of the AI sorties over Sicily have been in that format

Yes, they share the same flight control functions.

[Speedysteve]

Thanks Seminole - Not happy with that at all. Shouldn't have to juggle around to hopefully get a trickle of some auxiliaries to run my AF's. My pilots are up in arms [;)]

Thanks Pav.

Good to see the nasty enemies are lacking for Spam in Catania due to the blockade.

Trapani was easily stormed from the Italians. US II Corps are now heading east towards Catania whilst the Brits/Canadians are on the gates of Messina (defended by 90th PzG and a Rgt of 29th PzG)

[Speedysteve]

Pav - is the airbase filling out 'challenge' WAD?