ORIGINAL: Tankerace
ORIGINAL: Herrbear
I would not change the AVG into squadrons. The Zero effectiveness rule doesn't impact them.
A good many people on this board feel it shouldn't, after all it is very doubtful the AVG actually fought any Zeros.
My concern was that the AVG exception may have been hardcoded to the specific slot and if the group was broken up into 3 then only one would retain the exception if an entire different sqd. could get it if it was assigned to a non-AVG group.
I agree that the AVG probably never saw a Zero , but I look at the manuever bonus reflecting that you do not try to dogfight with the Zero. Prewar training doctrine would have the allies try to dogfight and would lose. Until that was accepted by all, the bonus reflects that. The AVG was taught never to dogfight with the Japanese a/c. That is why they are exempt.
You could easily make the case that the bonus should apply to all Japanese fighters in the beginning, but I see the difference is the firepower of the Zero. The other Japanese a/c are armed with only 2x30 or maybe 1x30 and 1x50. This amount of firepower is not as devastating as the 20mm on the Zero. The allies could dogfight (mistakenly) and still survive the contact as there a/c was more robust and armored (for the most part). However, when hit with the 20's, that did serious damage and they would be shot down. As time progressed, the allies learned that and the bonus diminshed.
