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OK, I thought I had a good handle on TF movement and all of the pitfalls.

I had a bombardment TF that started 7 hexes from Luganville and was to head in at full speed (speed 6). However, after the two movement phases it had only moved 5 hexes total and was sitting two hexes from Luganville in broad daylight. I lost a BB and several others took torpedoes. The threat at Luganville was moderate, 50 Netties or so.

Note:
1) TF set to full speed - not subject to "mission speed" adjustments (not that mission speed would have ended up being any worse)
2) TF set to high threat tolerance. And if it was threatened, why move towards the threat and stop? (Unless for some reason it didn't move the first phase and did the second)
3) The screen is sorted by reverse endurance, even the lowest endurance ship had enough to get to Luganville and then some before refueling
4) TF set to not refuel, didn't try to refuel and use op points
5) You don't see all the ships, but trust me that all have used 0 op points
6) TF commander aggressiveness wasn't all that impressive (57) but I would think that would only affect time on target, not partial disobedience.

So, what am I missing (if anything)? I thought I knew all the pitfalls.

I believe your problem is that the destination is 7 hexes away but the TF can only move 6 in one pulse. When set to retirement allowed, bombardment TFs will stand off until nightfall to bombard which is probably why they only moved 5 hexes. Try removing those slower ships from the TF and make sure it can move at least 7 hexes during the first phase. Hope that helps.

Yep, same with me. As bombard mission is only !!!! night mission, you need be in range of one pulse to hit and run away.

Both Travix and Swenslim hit the mark.
 
Retirement allowed triggers the TF to arrive at night. Since it has to be in range on the first movement pulse to accomplish this,
it does only close in but not enter the hex. (I call it the "Ah I´ll do it tomorrow mode" [;)] )
Cost me a couple of ships until I found out and if I´m not carful I still f*** up sometimes. 

4) I don't believe it impacted you in this case, but the Do Not Refuel setting for the TF does not affect larger ships from transferring fuel to smaller ships while underway.  The switch only affects refueling options when at a base.

I have found that even if you do put those ships right at the max range the pulse before like you're supposed to, sometimes they just linger in daylight. Maybe because of a refuel or burning too many OPS point on the bombardment or whatever, but often ships will get creamed in daylight.

Bombarding a Betty base like that is very dangerous, too many things can go wrong.

I seem to remember something with the original WITP that if the speed on the bombardment TF is set to "Mission speed" that the TF will move close enough so that the next turn it can attempt to bombard at night and leave the area before daylight and the bombers arrive.  If it is set to "Full speed" it will ignore daylight and/or bombers and move normally.

1) Did you have a waypoint set at 7 hexes from the destination?  There was another thread I think in the tech support where if you set a waypoint too close to the destination, the movement routine is interfered with and movement to the target gets screwy. 
2) Threat tolerance I don't think would interfere.  Not 100% positive.
3) The escorts have to have enough fuel to make the run in/out at full speed and make it back to their home port.  The ability to refuel doesn't matter, they have to be able to make it back on their own for the purpose of the run in to target calculation.  If needed, set the home port to a base closer to the target to allow that calculation to be in the green.

I've only had a Bombardment TF fail when I screw up on the human side.  I use the Mission Speed setting though and set waypoints far from where I want the run in to target to start.

Greg

ORIGINAL: USS America

4) I don't believe it impacted you in this case, but the Do Not Refuel setting for the TF does not affect larger ships from transferring fuel to smaller ships while underway.  The switch only affects refueling options when at a base.

Correct but not applicable here. None of the ships would have wanted underway refueling.

ORIGINAL: Lifer

1) Did you have a waypoint set at 7 hexes from the destination?  There was another thread I think in the tech support where if you set a waypoint too close to the destination, the movement routine is interfered with and movement to the target gets screwy. 

No waypoints set. Direct run in.

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

Both Travix and Swenslim hit the mark.

Retirement allowed triggers the TF to arrive at night. Since it has to be in range on the first movement pulse to accomplish this,
it does only close in but not enter the hex. (I call it the "Ah I´ll do it tomorrow mode" [;)] )
Cost me a couple of ships until I found out and if I´m not carful I still f*** up sometimes. 

I can't argue given the result I observed, but two followup comments:
1) Section 3.0 clearly shows Naval bombardment happening twice, once during night and once during day
2) Any idea why it parked only 2 hexes off? Even with "mission" speed it would have stayed one phase away. Might have helped (I had LRCAP from the origination hex)

I do see that 6.2.4 has a sentence that supports your comments.

ORIGINAL: erstad

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

Both Travix and Swenslim hit the mark.

Retirement allowed triggers the TF to arrive at night. Since it has to be in range on the first movement pulse to accomplish this,
it does only close in but not enter the hex. (I call it the "Ah I´ll do it tomorrow mode" [;)] )
Cost me a couple of ships until I found out and if I´m not carful I still f*** up sometimes. 

I can't argue given the result I observed, but two followup comments:
1) Section 3.0 clearly shows Naval bombardment happening twice, once during night and once during day
2) Any idea why it parked only 2 hexes off? Even with "mission" speed it would have stayed one phase away. Might have helped (I had LRCAP from the origination hex)

I do see that 6.2.4 has a sentence that supports your comments.

If I understand this right what happens is:

@1: Yes it does. But only when "remain on station" is active. If this is not the case you get exactly one bombardement phase and
this phase is the night phase.

I think this happens because the game engine tries to avoid neglecting two orders that are part of the package when retirement allowed is active:

- arrive at night
- retire with full speed after bombardement

Since the destination hex was out of range of what your TF could reach in a single movement phase, neither of the two points was doable.
So the TF closed in and positioned itself to complete orders on the next day.


@2: Why its exactly two hexes and not a whole movement radius or some other range, I´m not sure. Maybe because the TF
resets to cruise speed when not being able to reach the DH during the move phase but stays out of coastal hex?

Section 6.2.5 states on TF´s with "retirement allowed": "Certain Task Forces (Bombardement TF´s are specifically mentioned below) will stand off
until nightfall, run in at full speed under cover of darkness, and then run out again as soon as their mission is completed"

The key words seems to be "stand off" here.