Altitude and strike coordination

[erstad]

Some of the devs have mentioned the best way to ensure strike coordination is to have your strike aircraft and escorts at the same altitude. In a PBEM, my opponent flew off some carrier air to a base and struck at KB. In the original turn, the Wildcats and Dauntlesses were around 20K, and the TBDs were at 5K. The TBDs came in unescorted. Just for fun, we re-ran the turn where he put them both at 10K or so.

With all the randoms involved, re-running one turn does not prove much. However, at least in this case matching the altitudes did give better coordination.

Summary:
Original turn - 12 SBD and 2 TBD made it through CAP to make attack runs, no hits.
Revised turn - 22 SBD and 12 TBD made it through CAP to make attack runs, one hit. There was also a strike against a bombardment TF that got another 13 TBD to make attack runs, no hits.
SBD losses similar between the turns, TBD losses went from 24 to 11 (because they no longer went in unescorted.)
Unescorted strikes went from 3 in original to none in the revised turn


Detailed strike summary
Original
Day 1
34 wildcat, 13 dauntless
17 wildcat, 14 dauntless
Day 2
16 wildcat, 4 dauntless
6 wildcat, 3 dauntless
13 devastator
8 wildcat, 13 dauntless
2 dauntless
13 devastator

Revised
Day 1
52 wildcat, 27 dauntless, 12 devastator
10 wildcat, 13 devastator (To an alternate TF, not KB)
Day 2
none

Note that altitude doesn't explain why the SBDs were split into two waves the first day and one wave the second, that could well just be the luck of the draw. however, it could well be the difference between the TBDs coming in unescorted versus joining the main strike.

[Djordje]

If I am not mistaken his airfield was heavily overstacked which would cause many more coordination checks, so way too many variables could be in play there.
But you are right, same altitude does help. I try not to overstack AF, have air HQ in it, put good leaders, set same altitude and hope for a nice shiny sunny day...

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Djordje

...hope for a nice shiny sunny day...

Crossed fingers, prayers, tithe, .... [&o]

[akdreemer]

Historically a loaded Devastator could not climb to 10k feet. To do so would burn so much fuel that would significantly reduce its already poor strike range. Don't you think that when early war US naval strikes were launched this was part of the consideration? This was one reason why the early war US air strikes were usually uncoordinated. Flying loaded Devastators at 10k in WITP is gamey at best.