LB not attacking

[Chris21wen]

Yet again I have this old problem. My LB just refuse to attack a base or the area arounf this base. And before I get advice about moral, leadership etc everything is high for all air units and the HQ. It's the rule about LB and enemy cap. Hoever I have 2 full FG in the same hex and within range of the base so this should not be a factor.

I'm not sure what others think about it but the rule is wrong and is ruining the game. I can understand why but it should nor prevent a/c from taking off, just pressing the attack.

[DW]

I had the exact same problem you're having when I played a stock game against the AI.

No matter what I did, my heavies wouldn't attack Rabaul from Port Moresby.

I checked everything, just as you have... No luck.

Finally I took Lunga and moved them there and they started attacking like banshees.

I think it's a bug and don't think there's any way to fix it.

[John Lansford]

I've seen it go the other direction too.  The AI will send waves of Betty/Sally/Jill bombers at my bases that have 2-3 fighter squadrons stationed there, with either no or minimal fighter escorts.  My bases in India are all getting this treatment from the Japanese bases in Burma, and the fighter pilots there are racking up the kills very quickly. 
 
Now I'm starting to see it from Rabaul; I've built several bases at Gili-Gili, Goodenough Island and Dobodura, and every day the Bettys fly over and get massacred with little to no fighter escort.  Meanwhile my A-20 squadrons STILL won't go after surface TF's even if they're just unescorted transports...

[herwin]

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

I've seen it go the other direction too.  The AI will send waves of Betty/Sally/Jill bombers at my bases that have 2-3 fighter squadrons stationed there, with either no or minimal fighter escorts.  My bases in India are all getting this treatment from the Japanese bases in Burma, and the fighter pilots there are racking up the kills very quickly. 

Now I'm starting to see it from Rabaul; I've built several bases at Gili-Gili, Goodenough Island and Dobodura, and every day the Bettys fly over and get massacred with little to no fighter escort.  Meanwhile my A-20 squadrons STILL won't go after surface TF's even if they're just unescorted transports...

GAME: I think it has to do with air balance. A big base with lots of bombers will try to sit on a small fighter base, despite a lack of escorts. HISTORY: Japanese bombers must have escorts.

[Charles2222]

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

I've seen it go the other direction too.  The AI will send waves of Betty/Sally/Jill bombers at my bases that have 2-3 fighter squadrons stationed there, with either no or minimal fighter escorts.  My bases in India are all getting this treatment from the Japanese bases in Burma, and the fighter pilots there are racking up the kills very quickly. 

Now I'm starting to see it from Rabaul; I've built several bases at Gili-Gili, Goodenough Island and Dobodura, and every day the Bettys fly over and get massacred with little to no fighter escort.  Meanwhile my A-20 squadrons STILL won't go after surface TF's even if they're just unescorted transports...

Having spitwad AA systems can be quite daunting to an inexperienced man.

[Dobey455]

DW,

What command was PM attached to when this happened to you?
I've noticed some strange behaviour when trying to strike from a base that is part of a restricted command.
I'm probably barking up the wrong tree, but if Lunga was under SOPAC command at this stage, and when the bombers moved from PM (Aus comand) to Lunga(SOPAC), they started striking again, then it might be something.

If Lunga was still part of AUS command then I just shot down my own theory![:'(]

[Chris21wen]

After a number of turns of not attacking anything I got really tired and p-off. I decided to try a sweep operation at the nearest airfield. I sent in three full FG (2 x P-40N and 1 x P-38J), about 200+ aircraft and came up against 150 Jap a/c with heavy loses on both sided. One of the P-40N FG was mauled badly I repeated the dose next turn with fewer a/c (but I did have a fresh P-40N FG) and again meet a large number of fighters with more heavy loses on both sides. All in all the ratio was about 2:1 in favour of the Allies.

Next turn the air base was reported empty so I instructed my LBs to attack and they did. It is obvious that it's the rule governing air superiority that does cause this problem dispite not have air superiority. The same three FGs were assigned to escort.

[John Lansford]

I've moved my A-20 squadrons all over the map, to big bases, small bases, all with large amounts of supply and plenty of naval search planes, and they just refuse to attack shipping.  I'm beginning to think it's the squadron commander since nothing else seems to apply.  They will fly attacks against airfield and bases, they just won't go up against even unarmed merchant ships.