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Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:23 pm
by Bullwinkle58
Just an aside on something I've tried and was happy to have done so . . .
PI patrol planes, with half the PI gone, were uselessly naval searching. Even when I found hordes of invading AKs and APs in the northern PI hexes I had nothing left to atack them with. So I switched my eight or so PBYs to naval attack w/ torpedoes and they have been SLAUGTERING Japanese mechants. Four sunk in the last five turns, mostly not on invasion beaches but far out to the west in open water. Put them at 2000 feet, max range, and let fly.
I also switched a few down in Java. Got a torprdo hit on an IJN battleship, and that wonderful (probably FOWed) "Listing, counter-flooding" message. Even so, a hit on a BB with a PBY.
Try it. You may like it.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:27 pm
by P.Hausser
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
Just an aside on something I've tried and was happy to have done so . . .
PI patrol planes, with half the PI gone, were uselessly naval searching. Even when I found hordes of invading AKs and APs in the northern PI hexes I had nothing left to atack them with. So I switched my eight or so PBYs to naval attack w/ torpedoes and they have been SLAUGTERING Japanese mechants. Four sunk in the last five turns, mostly not on invasion beaches but far out to the west in open water. Put them at 2000 feet, max range, and let fly.
I also switched a few down in Java. Got a torprdo hit on an IJN battleship, and that wonderful (probably FOWed) "Listing, counter-flooding" message. Even so, a hit on a BB with a PBY.
Try it. You may like it.
Did it in the one i'm in, as on Dec 7th... and so far I have sunk 11 AK's, 5 DMS and 1 CA! (My Intel think anyways)
Its a pretty nice strategy..
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:31 pm
by Bullwinkle58
The good thing is too, when there are fighters, PBYs fight back, and can take a lot of punishment with two engines and size. They usually get home when damaged.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:48 pm
by Dili
Meh it continues... that crews should be very bad in Naval attack, even less in Torpedo attack.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:32 pm
by Djordje
People keep reporting Catalinas causing carnage early in the war... There is a post where 12 of them had 7 torpedo hits on a BB and one more on CL in single attack. That's 67% hit rate from patrol planes in December 1941.
Now remember Netty and their 20% or so hit rate in WITP and them being nerfed to better reflect history.
This looks like a bug to me.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:47 pm
by AW1Steve
Read about the "Kiska Blitz" in the Aleutian camapign. Brian Garfield in "Thousand Mile War" gives a great account. Tokyo Rose talked about a new Allied Dive Bomber that looked suspiously like a PBY! [:D]
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:55 pm
by Zacktar
ORIGINAL: Djordje
People keep reporting Catalinas causing carnage early in the war... There is a post where 12 of them had 7 torpedo hits on a BB and one more on CL in single attack. That's 67% hit rate from patrol planes in December 1941.
Now remember Netty and their 20% or so hit rate in WITP and them being nerfed to better reflect history.
This looks like a bug to me.
That was me, I'm pretty sure, and while it happened in September of '43, I'd agree that it looks like a bug. That squadron had next to no NavT skill (the best pilot had a 39 in that rating, the others went down to the mid-teens). I think the game's failing to check that skill properly; perhaps using overall experience insted.
I don't mind PBYs picking off unescorted AKs and the like (sort of like an earlier version of a P-3 carrying Harpoons), but I can't imagine they'd even try their luck against a BB and escorts. I can just picture the AA crews licking their chops as those big, slow targets bore in on a straight-line course without even fighters and DBs to provide some distraction for them.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:27 pm
by Reg
Weren't the torps removed from the dutch flying boat in WITP for a similar reason...... [&:]
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 1:49 am
by Splinterhead
ORIGINAL: Reg
Weren't the torps removed from the dutch flying boat in WITP for a similar reason...... [&:]
Nope, The bombs were replaced with torpedoes
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 1:49 am
by elxaime
Heh, another reason why my brother and I bought AE but are waiting a few patches before starting a PBEM
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 3:25 am
by NAVMAN
Does the capability to attack w/PBYs exist in WITP? Don't recall seeing a naval attack
mission for them.
Thx.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:13 am
by sven6345789
switch them to night operations
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:38 am
by eMonticello
ORIGINAL: elxaime
Heh, another reason why my brother and I bought AE but are waiting a few patches before starting a PBEM
I suggest running a few simple tests using the Guadalcanal scenario. Open a head-to-head game and send a few Japanese TFs of various numbers of ships to within a few hexes of Efate. Stand-down all aircraft and save the game before the JTFs arrive. Then, run a number of tests using different TFs and attack settings. You may find the even PBY pilots tend to exaggerate their success.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:56 am
by John Lansford
Torpedo attacks with PBY's and Dutch patrol planes are probably more effective than they ought to be, IMO. I've gotten many hits from them but if fighters are around the hit rate goes way, way down.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 12:57 pm
by Shark7
Historically the 'Black Cats' would attack Japanese shipping at night with some success. I don't recall reading any instances of them taking on a full combat task force though.
PBYs on night naval attack should be a harassment tactic, not a crippling force. The results you are posting reek of a bug and I would consider using the tactic gamey at this point.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:28 pm
by Cathartes
Ok, let's see some combat report excerpts where these aircraft are accomplishing glorious feats. If there's something awry, we want evidence.
RE: Patrol Plane Warriors
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:23 pm
by NAVMAN
sven,
Thx for the info.
Navman