The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[JocMeister]

If you don´t suffer too high fatigue I would keep the CAP percentage as high as possible. As long as fatigue is in single digits. Remember that the higher the CAP is set the faster the pilots get fatigued. So if you have the P38s at 39k with 80-90% CAP their fatigue is probably shot to the roof!

[JohnDillworth]

Yes, range for all fighter squadrons is (and has been forever) set at range zero. I have CAP staggered from around 14k to 39k (the latter being the P-38G squadron). I do not know anything about altitutde bands. I've heard you guys talk about them, I know they can have signficance, but I don't know how to find them nor what to do when I do find them. IE, my P-40K squadrons, the backbone of my defense force at Sabang, is scattered from 14k to 29k. If they should be concentrated at specific altitudes to match the altitude bands, I haven't done that (obviously).

Silly thought, and it probably will not make a difference at range zero, make sure that the fighters are not carrying drop tanks

[Canoerebel]

John, that's a timely reminder too. Just the kind of thing I often overlook. But, for once, I was on top of that aspect of the game.

I'll take a careful look at fatigue levels tomorrow and adjust some. When dropping them, do you guys favor something like 70% CAP/30% rest or, instead, just 70% CAP with no rest set?

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
When dropping them, do you guys favor something like 70% CAP/30% rest or, instead, just 70% CAP with no rest set?

I'd go with the former with the caveat that I don't really know why that is preferred. I'm really grasping beyond my knowledge here, but I *think* that maybe the unrecruited 30% in your latter setting may be able to scramble given sufficient radar warning. In other words, even if they're not supposed to fly CAP some of them *may* fly CAP given sufficient alert. But this is stretching my memory and recollection of this discussion considerably.

[Miller]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
When dropping them, do you guys favor something like 70% CAP/30% rest or, instead, just 70% CAP with no rest set?

I'd go with the former with the caveat that I don't really know why that is preferred. I'm really grasping beyond my knowledge here, but I *think* that maybe the unrecruited 30% in your latter setting may be able to scramble given sufficient radar warning. In other words, even if they're not supposed to fly CAP some of them *may* fly CAP given sufficient alert. But this is stretching my memory and recollection of this discussion considerably.

I think it depends on how many excess pilots are in the sqd. If it has 20 planes and 20 pilots then only 14 a/c will fly. If it has pilots maxed out (25 or 26) then perhaps more a/c will scramble. Another mystery of AE.....

[JohnDillworth]

any naval attack aircraft on hand?

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I must have 50 units at Sabang, including tons of engineers and base forces (aviaton support is now at 1,100 - which is doubled to 2,200 since it's a level eight field). Surely I have radar, but I confess I haven't checked. Will do so next turn. Tell me, though, do you guys trust radar enough to lower your CAP percentages? If so, how would you configure your fighter squadrons if you considered an overwhelming attack imminent?

I should note that none of my fighter squadrons have any disabled aircraft - not a single plane out of 350+. Probably this is due to the size of the airfield and the tremendous av. support.

Dan,

It does depend on the device, and number of them on hand. Allied radar gets better as the war progresses.
By 1/43 your base air search radar is pretty dependable. Make sure you have the latest models. Sometimes I just set my CAP to 10% in 1945. The radar is so effective that they mostly all scramble anyways.

BTW, I got my first copy of Georgia Backwoods today. Gonna take it to the beach with me next week. It looks enticing. Thinking of giving it as a gift to some of my cousins as we all have roots in North Georgia,

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I must have 50 units at Sabang, including tons of engineers and base forces (aviaton support is now at 1,100 - which is doubled to 2,200 since it's a level eight field). Surely I have radar, but I confess I haven't checked. Will do so next turn. Tell me, though, do you guys trust radar enough to lower your CAP percentages? If so, how would you configure your fighter squadrons if you considered an overwhelming attack imminent?

I should note that none of my fighter squadrons have any disabled aircraft - not a single plane out of 350+. Probably this is due to the size of the airfield and the tremendous av. support.

Dan,

It does depend on the device, and number of them on hand. Allied radar gets better as the war progresses.
By 1/43 your base air search radar is pretty dependable. Make sure you have the latest models. Sometimes I just set my CAP to 10% in 1945. The radar is so effective that they mostly all scramble anyways.

BTW, I got my first copy of Georgia Backwoods today. Gonna take it to the beach with me next week. It looks enticing. Thinking of giving it as a gift to some of my cousins as we all have roots in North Georgia,

That would be Georgia Backroads...[8|] It is just that that guy in the Confederate uniform big head is in the way, so I could not see that letter...

[Canoerebel]

12/26/42

We've been called Georgia Backwoods, Georgia Blackwoods, etc. About 75% of our new subscribers ask for a "prescription." I think my client demographic is getting kinda old.

Sumatra: To my utter suprise, no major attack on Sabang today. I was sure it was coming, but no signs of nearby enemy carriers or combat ships and the strike aircraft were mostly quiet today (a few small raids, including some Helens that were mistreated by RAF fighter bombers at Langsa). I still think John's coming and soon, but what do I know? One possibility is that he might target Diego, which was woefully undergarrisoned a few weeks ago, but that has since been addressed. Nah. He's got to come for Sabang. An IJN 6-DD TF sank three xAP heading back to Colombo, but missed some tankers and, on an inbound course, a supply TF bringing in 18k.

Carriers: No sign of the KB or any other enemy carriers, which is surprising. Picket DE Stewart shows no signs of detection. The Allied carriers are somewhere south of Ceylon. I'm seriously weighing moving a fighter squadron or two to Sabang. I'm also weighing another strike on shipping near Port Blair, mainly to try to deal with those IJN destroyer-raider TFs that are giving my shipping fits. Probably won't, but want to mull it over.

Elsewhere: Nothing significant to report.

[Canoerebel]

Here's some information that may be useful to many of you gents.

I think massive amounts of aviation supoprt must do wonders for fatigue and keeping aicraft in flying condition. Despite having all of my fighter squadrons set at either 80% or 90% CAP (and no rest) for weeks, and despite some of these flying at top altutude and having high service ratings, I don't have a single aircraft (including the P-38s) that isn't airworthy. Also, pilot fatigue ranges from 6% to 20%.

As an experiment, I've tinkered with the setting for those squadrons with pilot fatigue at or near 20%, setting them to 80% CAP and 10% rest.

I should also note that range is (and has always been) set to 0, which makes a big difference.

I'm also going Bullwinkle this turn, but I won't explain what that is as it might be an OpSec violation as a kind and alert reader pointed out before I edited this.

[KenchiSulla]

Isn't Chickenboy just talking about layered CAP (fighters high and low in order to drag sweepers down and bounce them with the high cover)

EDIT nevermind, was a page behind....

[GreyJoy]

Damn Dan, you are 400 posts over me now...[:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

[Canoerebel]

I work harder than you at making posts but get less than half the return. That's a pretty reliable indicator of the comparative quality of the two AARs, don't ya think? [:)]

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

any naval attack aircraft on hand?

All space is (usually) allocated to fighters, but on occasion I move in SBD or Avengers from Ceylon (an easy hop). SBDs killed two of his destroyers a week or so back, so I'm hoping that he has to at least allow for the threat.

[Cribtop]

IMHO don't return to Port Blair with your CVs. I was sweating you getting trapped last time and I wouldn't risk it again. If you really want to cream PB just 4E it to death and bombard with some SAGs.

Strategically speaking, you only lose this if John cuts the SLoC to Sabang, and he only does that reliably if he neutralizes your CVs. Thus, keep them afloat.

[Canoerebel]

I think the 4EB have a tenuous ability to shut down Port Blair. They bomb every day. The score meager hits. John's pulled out most of his aircraft. But, just when I think the field is toast, here come his fighters again. So PB is an irritant of the first order. (Why is it that my bombers are ineffective at closing bases while his pathetic 2EB make one strike, score 22,612 hits, and shut down my fields permanently?)

I probably won't hit PB any time soon, but it's an option I always consider from a due diligence standpoint. John has gotten frisky with the amount of shipping he has in the Andaman Sea. It's only temporary, though, unless he can close down or recapture Sabang.

[Cribtop]

Are the 4Es flying from extended range with 1/2 bomb loads? Is your DL good? Weird.

[witpqs]

Other guesses: 1) his pilots are better than yours, 2) he uses a much greater number of aircraft.

[Chickenboy]

Other other guesses:

1. The 4Es are bombing at high altitude and are inaccurate.

2. Japanese CAP is interfering with the bombing run.

3. The pilot Ground Bomb skill of the Allied pilots is poor.

4. Allied morale / fatigue is low / high respectively.

5. Sunspots, existential ennui and paranoia.

[Chickenboy]

And a totally superfluous post to even things out (as a counter to my Argletonian colleague's betrayal of Dan's quest for superior post count).