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ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

What is optimal engagement range for an Allied Air Combat TF in June 1943.

Assume mostly F6F's and SB5/SBC2 as dive bombers. That would seem near 10 max range but the AI applies coordianted strike penalties. Are those gone for the Allies now?

I think I will take a spare F6F 36 plane squadron and leave some TBF's behind.

Are you looking for a carrier battle or strike at a land base? AFAIK, the Japanese still have the advantage of the 8 hex strike while your dive bombers can only do seven hexes with their full bomb load. And then there is the CV react factor ...

Carrier v carrier fight. So it's still 8 v 7 in the code even with SB2C and SBD5 and F6F?

Apparently so, if you want the full bomb load.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

What is optimal engagement range for an Allied Air Combat TF in June 1943.

Assume mostly F6F's and SB5/SBC2 as dive bombers. That would seem near 10 max range but the AI applies coordianted strike penalties. Are those gone for the Allies now?

I think I will take a spare F6F 36 plane squadron and leave some TBF's behind.

You should aim for a strike no longer than 6 hexes which is the normal range limit of your escorting Hellcat fighters. Flying extended range increases pilot disruption which can be particularly a significant factor in a Naval Attack mission as that might be flown twice during the day phase with no possibility of reducing accrued pilot fatigue between the am and pm strikes. The only mitigating factor is if you have an excess of pilots the game will automatically shuffle into the cockpits for the pm attack pilots who did not fly the am attack who are less fatigued than some who flew in the am.

The code is hardwired for Japanese carrier air strikes to be limited to a maximum of 8 hexes and Allied carrier air strikes to a maximum of 7 hexes. There is however a very slim possibility of these limits being overridden by a hex under certain circumstances which are essentially beyond player control. As such one should never plan for that possibility. Always assume and plan on Japan holding a one hex flying advantage over the Allies.

Alfred

There you have it. Chapter and verse from Alfred the Great. Thanks for the help boys and girls.


Now I am going to try to find the table on the evolving strike coordination rules[:)]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake


Now I am going to try to find the table on the evolving strike coordination rules[:)]

S.7.2.1.11, page 167 of the manual.

Alfred

Reactions may mess up your planning as in my game we had a recent carrier battle which neither of us planned for. My carriers were at Truk with zero reaction hex selected and he sailed within search plane range from my CS and may carriers reacted 2 hexes, 120 miles, and he said his too were set to Zero reaction range and they reacted 1 and 2 hexes towards my carrier TFs. So a carrier battle occurred when neither of us planned it, had reaction range set to zero and both our carrier TFs reacted because of search planes flying beyond our carrier attack ranges.

It may also depend upon the aggression setting of your task forces.

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

Reactions may mess up your planning as in my game we had a recent carrier battle which neither of us planned for. My carriers were at Truk with zero reaction hex selected and he sailed within search plane range from my CS and may carriers reacted 2 hexes, 120 miles, and he said his too were set to Zero reaction range and they reacted 1 and 2 hexes towards my carrier TFs. So a carrier battle occurred when neither of us planned it, had reaction range set to zero and both our carrier TFs reacted because of search planes flying beyond our carrier attack ranges.

The reaction range setting does not affect an Air Combat TF reaction. That react is a separate bit of code designed to force carrier battles rather than have players dance around each other for ages.

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

What is optimal engagement range for an Allied Air Combat TF in June 1943.

Assume mostly F6F's and SB5/SBC2 as dive bombers. That would seem near 10 max range but the AI applies coordianted strike penalties. Are those gone for the Allies now?

I think I will take a spare F6F 36 plane squadron and leave some TBF's behind.

according to this video the Navy suggest no more than 12 dive bombers per ship.and use them as glide bombers. Not sure how the make that happen in the game. This is in the recommendation section in the last three minutes of the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV4m_thoDAM

Glide bombing was in the game in 2009, but was removed from the code several years later. The 12 DBs advice is applicable later in the war when more fighters were needed on the ship and the Avenger TB was available for most bombing roles. Early on, the US carriers need their SBDs in numbers because the Devastator TB is not very effective. The role is also different - early on US carriers are going to clash with IJN carriers or major warships. Later in the war, the IJN major ships have been sunk or are staying under their LBA protection while the US carriers shepherd amphibious landings or strikes at enemy bases.

Nice to know that little bit of code now. I guess the only way to avoid a carrier battle is not to have carriers. Since I am the Japanese this time and it is March 44, I am working on not having any after the surprise carrier battle. My aggresiveness for my TFs were set at normal so that would have to be set even lower next time I don't want to come from under a large land base CAP and sortie to be beaten severely. Every time I play this game, since WITP early days, I learn something new, after the fact. [:D]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

Nice to know that little bit of code now. I guess the only way to avoid a carrier battle is not to have carriers. Since I am the Japanese this time and it is March 44, I am working on not having any after the surprise carrier battle. My aggresiveness for my TFs were set at normal so that would have to be set even lower next time I don't want to come from under a large land base CAP and sortie to be beaten severely. Every time I play this game, since WITP early days, I learn something new, after the fact. [:D]

Most of the early game successful Allied carrier battles I have read in AARs seem to have the IJN carriers distracted with attacking an amphib landing or BBs in a separate TF. Often the Allies also have some help from LBA fighters and bombers to tie up the Japanese fighters so the SBDs can get through.

You need strategic surprise to do this - keep your carriers incommunicado for a long time before you show your hand. In the meantime, you may have to put up with KB sinking everything in range.

I'm not sure if they do glide or level bombing, but as I recall less than 10,000 ft and DB's will not dive bomb.

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

Nice to know that little bit of code now. I guess the only way to avoid a carrier battle is not to have carriers. Since I am the Japanese this time and it is March 44, I am working on not having any after the surprise carrier battle. My aggresiveness for my TFs were set at normal so that would have to be set even lower next time I don't want to come from under a large land base CAP and sortie to be beaten severely. Every time I play this game, since WITP early days, I learn something new, after the fact. [:D]

Most of the early game successful Allied carrier battles I have read in AARs seem to have the IJN carriers distracted with attacking an amphib landing or BBs in a separate TF. Often the Allies also have some help from LBA fighters and bombers to tie up the Japanese fighters so the SBDs can get through.

You need strategic surprise to do this - keep your carriers incommunicado for a long time before you show your hand. In the meantime, you may have to put up with KB sinking everything in range.

Sometimes the best way to learn it is after the fact so you won't forget it. Sadly, some people still to not learn.

Glide bombing is out? I just learned about it and it's already gone

**************May 28, 1943(e)************

I am getting so much crap at work about keeping up my chart documentation. They put on this big effort for "provider wellness" because it is obvious to everyone that everyone is getting burned out by f'ing COVID...but at the same time they take away the scribes, mismanage system integration steps and don't have enough bandwith or IT support to properly use the EMR. Provider wellness my arse. I am also getting pretty f'ing tired of "Dr Mandrake is not good at computers" because I couldn't get Microsoft Teams to work. Well, I come to find that's because Bill Gates was too busy getting NEW voters in Georgia to get his OLD browsers to work with Teams (You have to use Edge). It would be nice if someone in IT TOLD everyone. I have worked out how to do my own Citrix updates on my own because the shitbirds are completely overwhelmed.

I wonder if everyone making fun of Dr Mandrake has written machine language code or even knows what a hexadecimal number is. Not to worry..we are "upgrading" to Epic soon. Nothing worse than an IT ugrade.

Anyway. I forget exactly what happened on May 29 except that Bataan AF was still crushed and I started the retreat from Clark. We lost 15 C-47's the day before trying to fly troops out of Bataan.

Sabang is getting bombed relentlessly but the infantry has already left and is marching down the coast.

**************May 30, 1943(e)************

Sumatra: Sabang gets the treatment from a shedload of Nells..probably moved up from Kendari.

Morning Air attack on Sabang , at 44,70

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 72

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged

No Allied losses

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 2

Wow...look at that 108 Nells. Santa Maria y el Nino Jesus! Important safety tip. Do not send any ships within 14 hexes of Singers in daylight.

Morning Air attack on Sabang , at 44,70

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 31 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 36

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Runway hits 1

Herens too.

Morning Air attack on Sabang , at 44,70

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 29 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 30
Ki-49-IIa Helen x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-49-IIa Helen: 6 damaged

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 1

RN and the fighter cover is pulled back to Greater Nicobar. Honestly, if you like "primitive" the place is OK but Lesser Nicobar has better restaurants and nightclubs