Patrol and Interception Technique

[vimconfused]

Not sure I'm getting my interceptions right, particularly with long range/heavy fighters. My understanding is that interceptors assigned to a particular raid can be re-targeted by going through the recall process but selecting "patrol" as the option, and then selecting a new raid from the raid list, when I'm guessing they should appear on the intercept list as already in "fly" mode. However, I've had lots of groups that do not seem to still be shown in the total number of interceptors on their initial target, but are also not available to be re-targeted to another raid - they don't appear on the list of groups available to intercept. However, if you go to their original raid target they still show as "pat". I also think I've seen a/c circling their base but not appearing on the intercept list as "fly", which may be these groups I have been unable to re-target. Is there any way of making this process more efficient or am I doing something wrong?

A secondary question based on this is that when a group is already patrolling, and I want to move the patrol, how do I actually find them as some of them may be quite some distance away and, perhaps, didn't make it to their initial patrol location or were going to intercept but are now in patrol mode. I'm hoping there is a way of selecting them that I've missed because all I seem to be able to do is try and find them manually somewhere in the quite large area of Germany and manually re-target them.

[wernerpruckner]

for interceptions .....learn as British player in BoB.....it will teach you nice tricks [:D]

for BtR:
1) range!!
do not use interceptors too far away from the raid...keep them on the ground....sooner or later you´ll need rested units!
I usally use 50 to 100 miles based away interceptors for most interceptions......only if the enemy goes on a deep strike I will go up to 200 miles.....everything above that will probably not reach the raid!

2)
play with boxes on
than you will see patrolling units more easily! (green squares)

3)
retargetting is your friend!
zoom in and look for closest opponents to smash them
(later you may also target specific enemies........you see that certai planes have very specific economic and max speeds......)

[Erkki]

[:D]

[K.Pooley]

Ok, we're impressed. Now how did you do it?

[Erkki]

They forgot the escorts for return leg... Probably due to heavy weather, thats why they didnt bomb anything either, were going for Bremen aircraft industry again.

In the night shift, the first bomber stream went to Essen, flak got 2 or 3 out of it only, the 50 x Bf110s I had in air didnt get a single, but 2nd stream attacked Essen too, approaching the 1st at its returning flight nearly head-on...

EDIT: later in the afternoon a roughly 50-ship B17 formation tried a low-alt strike in the low countries, a couple of 109s had the little escorts it had busy, I think only one bomber survived turning back of flak damage before the Bf110s, FWs and G6/R1s caught the group...

[vimconfused]

Now coming up against increasing numbers of P-51B and overall kill ratios are dropping off a bit. Interested to know how people manage them. What seems to be the problem is that the fighters targeted to "bounce fighters" don't do so, and often end up attacking bombers and getting bounced themselves. I get that the P-51s have better performance than most of the other aircraft I've intercepted so far, but I would have hoped to get more interceptions... even if the result of the interceptions are not as good as I've had previously.

For example I've come up against a raid with almost exclusive P-51B escorts stacked at various levels above the bombers, outnumbering the bombers considerably. My 109G5/AS fighters were ordered from patrol at higher level than the highest escorts to bounce fighters and virtually none of them did, although quite a few intercepted the bombers... but not too successfully!

So basically I'm still getting through to the bombers (the Fw190A-8/R1s I think are doing well so far), but not really hurting the escorts which is a problem when the 410s join in. So do I order the 109s "direct fighter"... after all they may not do so well in dogfighting when starting on level terms with the P-51s, but they're also not doing much good attacking bombers either!

Any ideas please?

[Hard Sarge]

if and when you can, you want to hit the fighters on the way to hook up with the bombers, not after, catch them coming in, burn up there fuel, make them drop there drop tanks

set units to the side of the raids, and pick on the guys running out of gas

you may not nail this raid, but down the road you may get better chances

once the 51b starts coming in, in numbers (and more so, when the D comes in) your Twins are going to be in trouble other then very deep

[Nicholas Bell]

I appears to me that whether the German fighters hit the escorts or go for the bombers is related to the difference in performance.  In 1943 I have no problems with German fighters attacking the P-47 and P-38 escorts when ordered.  In 1944 when the later versions of these planes and the P-51s are available I also see the problem described.  Apparently they German planes are unable to get the bounce on the better Allied fighters and therefore target the bombers.

Remember that the Allied escorts drop their tanks when they attack the interceptors, so it is still possible to strip the escorts by sacrificing your interceptors. [;)]

[vimconfused]

Thanks, helpful stuff guys. Will try and get to the escorts before they form up with the raid. Wasn't aware of the drop tank thing, makes sense of course and glad to hear that its been modelled.

[pompack]

ORIGINAL: Nicholas Bell

I appears to me that whether the German fighters hit the escorts or go for the bombers is related to the difference in performance.  In 1943 I have no problems with German fighters attacking the P-47 and P-38 escorts when ordered.  In 1944 when the later versions of these planes and the P-51s are available I also see the problem described.  Apparently they German planes are unable to get the bounce on the better Allied fighters and therefore target the bombers.

Remember that the Allied escorts drop their tanks when they attack the interceptors, so it is still possible to strip the escorts by sacrificing your interceptors. [;)]

yep, if possible target the relief escorts while they are still over the channel, assuming you have a vector that will allow you to cut them off from the bombers instead of chasing them all over the map

[Rusty1961]

ORIGINAL: Nicholas Bell

I appears to me that whether the German fighters hit the escorts or go for the bombers is related to the difference in performance.  In 1943 I have no problems with German fighters attacking the P-47 and P-38 escorts when ordered.  In 1944 when the later versions of these planes and the P-51s are available I also see the problem described.  Apparently they German planes are unable to get the bounce on the better Allied fighters and therefore target the bombers.

Remember that the Allied escorts drop their tanks when they attack the interceptors, so it is still possible to strip the escorts by sacrificing your interceptors. [;)]

Agreed.

The LW pilots should be more consistent to abiding by their doctrine. I rarely see them adhering to it. The air battles seem to be just random slug-fests.

[Hard Sarge]

Doctrine don't mean much if the other side don't let you do what you want

those are the plans, what happens in combat is based on what happens, what you are allowed and what you can do

the RAF High Command kept asking Dowling why the Spitfires were knocking down bombers, and Canes were knocking down fighters, didn't his pilots know that was not the rules ?