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OK. RA 4.0 is out. Where are we at with this?

Approximately where we were a month ago, I think. I have a partially-updated CW squadron table on the basis of the aircraft reassignments I posted above, but it still needs a long afternoon and, frankly, some external review. UK aircraft production is a bit of a minefield; there's so, so many things that could have been done quite easily but weren't, due to institutional issues or the need to get something serviceable out yesterday, that it's hard to keep track.

After that, the Australian land and naval forces need reexamining in light of the situation in the ME, which will take another day or two on top of the air stuff, but I pretty much know what I'm doing there so less painful.

e: also, the French situation probably need to be looked at, to be honest. I know that's its own thing, but some of the deployments are rather odd and there are some issues around device specifications vis-a-vis the new Babes specs.

More tomorrow...the rest of today I intend to spend doing absolutely nothing, for once.

Skyland: Do you know what kfsgo is talking about regarding your Frenchies?

Well, for example:

- French merchant cargo capacities are still at 'stock' rather than 'Babes reduced' values;
- French gun (most relevant to DP/AA, but still) specs are still...well, they're whatever they were originally. The point is that they're not consistent with everything else in-game; these are the same gun, for example, in Japanese and French service respectively:



There are a few similar issues like that and some devices with very odd stats - accuracy twice as high as comparable guns etc. None of it is exactly game-breaking, since use of all these things is relatively small-scale, but all could use some tidying up.

- Some starting deployments are kinda strange. Why is there a submarine squadron at Nouméa, for example? There's a war on in the Med and submarines are priceless there - better to have them trickle in from Aden if they're going to be employed - there's nothing they can do in the South Pacific that a gunboat with a big flag can't do five times as well, practically speaking; submarines don't impress Pacific Islanders. We "know" the Japanese are going to be screaming down from Truk in a few weeks - but realistically we don't actually 'know' that, if you get what I mean.
- A few ship upgrades are, uh...questionable. 36 Bofors in April 1942, on a pair of battlecruisers tied to USN yards...oy.

Anyway, there's plenty else to do in the meantime...

I believe Skyland placed everything at Noumea due to the French being thrown out of Indochina. Noumea was their next strongest location for a fallback...

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

I believe Skyland placed everything at Noumea due to the French being thrown out of Indochina. Noumea was their next strongest location for a fallback...

I get that that's why they're there in practice, but conceptually (well, conceptually the whole thing with Indochina is kind of weird and handwavy, but I understand why) it makes no sense - they'd just go to Algeria, since not having surrendered that's where the Govt is.

ORIGINAL: kfsgo

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

I believe Skyland placed everything at Noumea due to the French being thrown out of Indochina. Noumea was their next strongest location for a fallback...

I get that that's why they're there in practice, but conceptually (well, conceptually the whole thing with Indochina is kind of weird and handwavy, but I understand why) it makes no sense - they'd just go to Algeria, since not having surrendered that's where the Govt is.

We discussed that point at the very start of the mod thread.
IRL, there was a sub squadron in Indochina, i send them to south pacific with others available forces from that theater in order to defend to remaining french territory against the jap.
The rest of the fleet is already in the Med, the remaining facilities are anyway unable to deal with the complete french fleet.

ORIGINAL: kfsgo

Well, for example:

- French merchant cargo capacities are still at 'stock' rather than 'Babes reduced' values;
- French gun (most relevant to DP/AA, but still) specs are still...well, they're whatever they were originally. The point is that they're not consistent with everything else in-game; these are the same gun, for example, in Japanese and French service respectively:

I will have a look and i will make change if you send me the files. As you said, it is possible that the values are the one from stock, not from DB mod.

Thanks Skyland! Good to see you Posting. haven't seen your avatar in a bit...

ORIGINAL: kfsgo


- French gun (most relevant to DP/AA, but still) specs are still...well, they're whatever they were originally. The point is that they're not consistent with everything else in-game; these are the same gun, for example, in Japanese and French service respectively:

There are a few similar issues like that and some devices with very odd stats - accuracy twice as high as comparable guns etc. None of it is exactly game-breaking, since use of all these things is relatively small-scale, but all could use some tidying up.

I remember now that i made some modifications for the stats of the french guns according to my documentations and by comparison with others guns.
I did not change the same guns stats for the japs as there were used in the "Vichy" units and not anymore in the mod IIRC.

ORIGINAL: kfsgo

- A few ship upgrades are, uh...questionable. 36 Bofors in April 1942, on a pair of battlecruisers tied to USN yards...oy.

Could you give more details ? May be you are talking about the Dunkerque class. Yes Bofors in 1942 is may be late as the weapons was in use in the french army before 1939 (same for 20 mm Oerlikon). Not in the navy but with the fall of France and no armistice (in the mod) we can suppose that the navy will adopt also this weapon from 1941/42. This "light" upgrade (AA weapons and radar) can be done in any yards including the french ones in Indian Ocean or in Med.

ORIGINAL: Skyland

I remember now that i made some modifications for the stats of the french guns according to my documentations and by comparison with others guns.
I did not change the same guns stats for the japs as there were used in the "Vichy" units and not anymore in the mod IIRC.

Right, but the Japanese devices aren't the issue - the French ones are. They just need to be gone over in light of the Babes alterations to gun specs - note the Thai and FR naval devices appear to be fine; I guess you did those at a later date. Frankly, I can clear it up myself when I do the Australian stuff, so don't worry about it too much.

Could you give more details ? May be you are talking about the Dunkerque class. Yes Bofors in 1942 is may be late as the weapons was in use in the french army before 1939 (same for 20 mm Oerlikon). Not in the navy but with the fall of France and no armistice (in the mod) we can suppose that the navy will adopt also this weapon from 1941/42. This "light" upgrade (AA weapons and radar) can be done in any yards including the french ones in Indian Ocean or in Med.

Yeah, but it's just - where are they getting them from? I don't doubt that it's a reasonable fit-out (if anything I'd imagine they would have had radar fitted already, and there should be at least one more upgrade later in the war with later-war radar, extra LAA etc) but note even the USN fast battleships and carriers don't start to sprout Bofors until October-November 1942 - we have Algerie getting a bunch in Feb. and D&S getting them in April, which just seems odd - the things are in short supply in New York, never mind New Caledonia.

ORIGINAL: kfsgo


Yeah, but it's just - where are they getting them from? I don't doubt that it's a reasonable fit-out (if anything I'd imagine they would have had radar fitted already, and there should be at least one more upgrade later in the war with later-war radar, extra LAA etc) but note even the USN fast battleships and carriers don't start to sprout Bofors until October-November 1942 - we have Algerie getting a bunch in Feb. and D&S getting them in April, which just seems odd - the things are in short supply in New York, never mind New Caledonia.

The french have the license for the Bofors. In my mind (and in this parallel world), the production was transfered in mid-1940 in some new US based plant and several hundreds were build for the french needs before pacific war.
I agree that may be one more upgrade later is more plausible.

In my version using babes and Skylands mods, I have the French going into the US yards in 40/41. I assumed the French would pay for the licences to be used in the US or Commonwealth for manufacture of the AAA guns. So when the war starts they have an upgraded AAA suite with their first major upgrade (capital ships) happening in 43. The escorts upgrade in mid 42 if it involves ASW and 43 for radar and AAA.

Moving on...

---- I've worked most CW squadrons up with the new aircraft set; only half of RAF left to do. They all have appropriate upgrade paths (and mostly use the same aircraft, just in merged pools) so conceptually everything should work with PDU on, though obviously that's unlikely to be needed in practice.

---- Have updated Beaufort VIII, Beaufighter TFX, Barracuda and CW Avenger to use Mk XV versus Mk XII torpedo; the former replaced the latter through 1942-43 so I'm not sure why this wasn't the case already. Ideally aircraft would get torpedo type from the date and the nationality of the Air HQ, but...

---- Have altered Dutch slightly. In stock Dutch air OOB in the NEI period is as follows:

* Two fighter groups with 75 aircraft
* Three bomber groups with 70 aircraft
* Four light recon/army coop squadrons with 36 aircraft
* One transport squadron with 18 aircraft
* Thirteen marine aviation detachments with 40 aircraft

These are all assumed to snuff out in fighting around Java etc except the transports. Later-forming groups are:

* 18 Sqn RAAF with Mitchell (18 aircraft, April 42)
* 19 Sqn RAAF with Dakota (16 aircraft, August 45)
* 119 Sqn RAAF with Mitchell (18 aircraft, Sept 43)
* 321 Sqn RAF with Catalina (6 aircraft, August 42)

I have kept those, and added two:

* 26 Sqn RAAF with Buffalo (18 aircraft, June 42); upgrades through Hurricane II, Spit V, Spit VIII, Mustang IV. This arrives with one aircraft and one pilot, so use is dependent on what can be made available from elsewhere in that respect.
* 44 Sqn RAAF with Catalina (6 aircraft, August 42); upgrades through CW Catalina line. Same principle.

That gives a small outlet for competent Dutch pilots, a number of which tend to accumulate and who ordinarily can't be used for anything. That said, I have set their monthly pilot replacement rate to 2, so there'll be a tiny trickle - figure transfers from RAF, the training schools in the US etc. As with the torpedoes, ideally one would just be able to assign them to RAAF/RAF squadrons, but...

Ok, CW air squadrons are now worked up with the new aircraft list. Air units arriving from the Middle East in the 1941-1942 timeframe have reduced experience reflecting the reduced intensity of operations there. I need to go through the list of named pilots and ding a bunch of them appropriately, but that won't take too long.

On to Australia...this will take a little time, both because the organisational structure could do with being a little more flexible than it currently is and because there seem to be some TOE upgrade path issues; should have something solid by next weekend, at the latest.

Nice work Kfsgo.  I have a question for anyone here.  The Wirraways, I thought they were fighter bombers  (crappy fighters, but none the less)?  In my game they are just level bombers.  I am confused.

I want to say that they were trainers that were pressed into service as fighters/fighter bombers. I think the dev's decided to call them bombers because they were so crappy.

Thanks Oldman.

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

Thanks Oldman.

Yeah, anything can be a fighter if you're desperate enough - SBD, Val, Il-2 etc were also used in that way. Realistically, whatever the argument for making them FBs in stock (I think it'd be justified, with the caveat that they'd be more dangerous to their pilots than to the enemy) there isn't likely to be quite that level of desperation here as aircraft availability is somewhat better.

I have given it a camera, though, so it's more useful as a sort of Lysander-style battlefield recon aircraft than it was.

Makes sense...