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Here are my tips on these very important little planes.

You start with quite a few old types but the excellent Jake coming on and you need to build more, I like to expand to 80 ( scn 2 )

All slow BB and odd ships get to keep Petes until used up ( ASW), they do not benefit from Jakes range that much. The sub you most want to find is the one before it fires.
CL keep Alf or Dave ( ASW and or search) CL usually find themselves in SF TF. Late CL Jakes, these are CV escorts only for me.
CA These units move fast and need to recon areas they move into , either as early war raiders or more especially with your CV, so they all need Jakes ( or 2 out of three planes as Jakes) , maybe except the Aoba class as I tend to put those in SF TF especially early war.
Fast BB including Yamato get Jakes or a mix
BBCV (if you do them) would get a mix of jake and Rufe and would stay with CV ( later I see no advantage for fast Jap CV TF - except for raids)
Mogami conversion - All Jakes, excellent CV TF ship
AV / CS again I tend to use them for training pilots ASW ( before CVL conversion in the case of CS ) and defending ports. The CS would generally have Jakes and could be needed with the CV TF but are more valuable as CVL.

All Petes I usually set at ASW 2-3000 feet all Jakes at Search 6-10,000 or higher if search exp is high( but I have no proof it helps)

When in port need to standown to get morale up fatigue down . Then training 100% 0 range ASW 3000ft Pete and search say 6000ft 0 or ASW for Jakes etc. A lot of these planes are taken for granted but their ASW and search ratings are low. i think to be effective they would need to be over 60 exp in ASW and over 50 in search but its just my guess. They may not hit subs but they do attack and disuade attacks.

At night before surface action I set the FP on some ships to spotting at 0 hex- not sure if its working as its new for me as well. For bombardment I would try and spot the target at night as well. Very occasioanlly most FP can be used as Cap and may drive off a search plane or damage a bomber who will then miss.

Subs have the Glenn which also usually needs training just in search. I put 4 or so Glenn equiped subs into an area before the CV go there. These subs are one of the best assets Japan has and I take out any agressive captains for use on the attack subs. These girls are for working with the CV or working with 2-4 other subs in a kind of wolf pack. Or on occasion Port recon. I think you need 70-100 Glenn for the whole war and then change the factory to another - there is a late war replacement but never got that far or got the I 400 dream boat.

Hope this helps anyone who is not sure and just on my experience.

Like you, I also use these planes a lot. I can never seem to have enough Jakes. I use them in conjunction with other disposable assets as OP's. An AV at any dot base with Jakes and a few PB's spread out in front provide early warning of any intrusion. Sometimes even throw in a small det of Mavis with them for even longer range. Using these as pickets, becomes very hard for the allies to achieve total surprise in spite of IJ's lack of intel.

Yes agree and recon FP seems to be the only area that comes to mind where the Japanese maintain an advantage all war. the Jake must be the only plane that acheives a good value from Dec 41 onwards in pretty much unchanged format. the thing I hate anbout the Mavis is the maintenance - is it 4? Its always out of action.

In other games I also was told or found that the allies were far less inclined to use FP from ships - for reasons that seem unlear - maybe op loss and recovery of pilots. Must have been quite dangerous at times.

cavalry -

Good stuff and very informative; thank you. It helps us little fishies to hear what the Big Boys do.... <grin>

Pax - always appreciate your input.

AE Fanboy Mac

The Jake is a lot more useful than any allied floatplane

The Type 0 float recon plane (Jake) is the only way to counter-act the smaller
airgroup size of japanese carriers (strike planes can perform strike only, without having to search like USN aigroups do)

Really though, the 4 japanese Seaplane carrier should have been put into the yards right when the war started
(like the shadow program intended) and turned into CVLs as quick as possible

The japanese CA (the 12 takao style) could have lost the rear turrets and put 12 float planes on the rear
(like they did on the mogami)


Jake could probably have been improved by putting a drop tank under the fuselage,
and putting that 20mm Type99 for the rear gunner instead of forward firing

ORIGINAL: cavalry

Yes agree and recon FP seems to be the only area that comes to mind where the Japanese maintain an advantage all war. the Jake must be the only plane that acheives a good value from Dec 41 onwards in pretty much unchanged format. the thing I hate anbout the Mavis is the maintenance - is it 4? Its always out of action.

In other games I also was told or found that the allies were far less inclined to use FP from ships - for reasons that seem unlear - maybe op loss and recovery of pilots. Must have been quite dangerous at times.

Hmmm why depend on a few FP'when you can fly a big bomber for hours covering thousands of square miles .. e.g. PBY ...

In terms of overall search the IJ are hurting pitting FP's vs. PBY's .. and thus the makings of "Midway" ..

In my game I put around Baker Island three interlocking search arcs to track a mini-KB while they plan a raid on Baker Island .... The result 1 CVL down 2 CVL's damaged 1 CVE running for thier life with no planes left .. the USN retire to the peaceful inclines knowing where the enemy is not ... [;)]

I am sure the IJN wished the had PBY's ...

Agree I was discussing FP, from ships mainly.
I also agree moving into an area where you are detected but cannot see far is very dangerous.

The PBY CAT at first sight is not as good as mavis but the service rating at 2 makes it much better.

You can fly big bomber like B17 but many will not have search skills quite low i suspect (and need training). Then there is the service rating, the US have the same problem at 4 . The Japs also have good planes to do this and the nell is only 2.

ORIGINAL: cavalry

the thing I hate anbout the Mavis is the maintenance - is it 4? Its always out of action.

Put them at a airfield of size 4, reduce range to NORMAL and SET THEM ON REST AT LEAST 10% better 20. Works like a charm and also reduces ops loses drasticaly.

ORIGINAL: cavalry

....
The PBY CAT at first sight is not as good as mavis but the service rating at 2 makes it much better.

The PBY CAT has air-surface RADAR and the Mavis is strictly hoping that some crewmember actually sees and detects something ..That being my point that some SigINT and a PBY go a long way ...

I will say one thing . and that is the superior IJN FP's can be exploited on raiding missions. Out in the depths of the oceans where no Allied bases can be found my opponet has used his FP's to find my elusive convoys very very well .. even though I am way off the beaten path. My FP's have not been as successful at finding his raiders and I am not ready yet to comitt CV's to the job in mid 42 ...

ORIGINAL: Gräfin Zeppelin

ORIGINAL: cavalry

the thing I hate anbout the Mavis is the maintenance - is it 4? Its always out of action.

Put them at a airfield of size 4, reduce range to NORMAL and SET THEM ON REST AT LEAST 10% better 20. Works like a charm and also reduces ops loses drasticaly.

+1. 20% is what I use. No issue.

And of course Nells. I "convert" several Nell ag's to "patrol" function. Nell's have great range, low SR, relatively cheap, and you have a lot of ag's (comparatively). Biggest downside is that they need a base unlike the Mavis/Jake.