Protecting Recon Units

[Kriegsspieler]

I have been finding that recon missions are among the trickiest to handle. Some are easy, of course -- you send the bombers in somewhere, they vacuum all of the inteceptors up in their wake, and then you send the recon units in behind them to take a look at targets in their rear. But the recon missions I find hardest are those sent in after a bombing mission to analyze how effective the bombing run was. I can't find a way to send the recon units in when there aren't at least some interceptors able to get in the air to shoot them down, and, given the disparity between the recon units and the interceptors, the recon units go down in large numbers. Even late in the day, when waves of fighter sweeps and airfield bombing missions have knocked back the number of mission-capable enemy fighters, they still manage to rouse themselves to boost their KIAs against my poor recon planes. Anyway, your tips would be appreciated.

And while we're on the subject, here's a question: does alititude make ANY difference for how effectively the recon plane can do its job? In the manual we're told that the Ju86 can fly higher than any interceptors, so they're practically impossible to shoot down. Well yes, but a plane flying at 40,000 ft, even with excellent cameras, is not going to get as much detail in its photos as one flying at 25,000 ft. But the game doesn't seem to care. Or . . .?

[joey]

I have the same issue. Per capita, my recon units have by far the greatest losses. No matter how high I send them they still get shot down in great numbers. Were recon units actually lost in such great numbers during the war?

[Golden Bear]

Well, I learned to send them in the following day... or at least wait until the end of the day to check. You shouldn't send recon in anywhere close to the time when the raid and the LW interceptors are in the air. If you bomb in the morning, then send them in at 1400 hours. And don't cluster them. I know that you just hit three targets near Bremen but don't send the three photo planes there at the same time. Scatter them around. Usually the AI just ignores them but it will send planes after some of them and if there is a bunch then they'll send a knot of planes after them

Altitude shouldn't make a difference in quality of work but has increasing chance of not finding the target because of cloud. If you send them in under cloud you will almost always get a picture but it makes interception easier. You really shouldn't lose too many recons but you will lose some.


Carl

[Hard Sarge]

in which game Joey ?

in the BoBs, most of the recon planes but the Ju 86, they going to get there head handed to them, if they don't work with the other units to get though, they are basicly low and slow

in BTR, they should get by, they can fly high, and they can fly fast

a lot of using recon is timing

[Kriegsspieler]

ORIGINAL: Golden Bear

Well, I learned to send them in the following day... or at least wait until the end of the day to check. You shouldn't send recon in anywhere close to the time when the raid and the LW interceptors are in the air. If you bomb in the morning, then send them in at 1400 hours. And don't cluster them. I know that you just hit three targets near Bremen but don't send the three photo planes there at the same time. Scatter them around. Usually the AI just ignores them but it will send planes after some of them and if there is a bunch then they'll send a knot of planes after them

No, I certainly don't have my recon following the bombers directly to a target. I try to have them delay to a time when I hope that the fighters have all gone back to their bases. But I have had no luck at all in waiting for the following day, unless I send them taling in the wake of a large mission that has pulled all of the interceptors away from the targets I want to take a look at.

Perhaps it's just as Hard Sarge says: I've been playing the Gemans in the BOB long scenario, and the large majority of their recon planes are "low and slow".

[Golden Bear]

Ooooh. Sorry. I just made a "duh!" posting there. Recon is entirely different for the LW in BoB as Sarge says.

[Hard Sarge]

we wanted to bring in some of the 109 Recon birds, but almost all of our info we could find on them, looks like they came in later

[Baron von Beer]

Please feel free to throw in a couple Ar 234s though, we won't tell.  [:D]

[Kriegsspieler]

ORIGINAL: Baron von Beer

Please feel free to throw in a couple Ar 234s though, we won't tell.  [:D]

Seriously. The Luftwaffe needs some TLC to get some of those recon planes home in the 1940 scenario.
Although it should be added that the Me 110's that are designated for recon are pretty decent. They fly up to 35000 feet, they're faster than the others, and if a Hurricane tries to blast one of 'em there's a decent chance that the loser will be the Brit! [:D]

[Nicholas Bell]

Per capita, my recon units have by far the greatest losses. No matter how high I send them they still get shot down in great numbers. Were recon units actually lost in such great numbers during the war?

The Luftwaffe recon units did in fact take a beating (other than the Ju-86 unit). If one takes out all the single recon planes shot down, those daily lop-sided RAF vs LW tallies don't quite so terrible for the Germans.