air interceptions?

[Cheesehead]

Hi

Just learning the game. I'm playing Germany and I've moved a number of fighter over to the French border in September and october 1939. The British and French are attacking my ground units with tactical bombers. Is there anything I need to do with my fighters to prevent this? Will my fighters automatically intercept these ground attacks? What is the range of my fighter intercepts? On the flip side, if I fly my bombers to attack French ground units can I position my fighters to "escort" my bombers or "counter-intercept" the Allied planes?

Thanks

John

[gwgardner]

Look in the reports for intercept actions that were carried out. You have to keep your fighter squadrons above a certain level of strength, in order to get them to intercept. Can't remember what that minimum level is. I note that my fighters don't intercept strat bombers unless the fighter has a strength above 5, I think.

Fighters have to be in range of the bombing target to intercept. Have to be closer if you want to carry out your own fighter attacks on enemy air bases.

Remember to make a network of fighters available for recon to find those enemy bases.

One easy mistake to make is to allow your fighters and bombers to go too low in strength. For instance, you make a slew of raids against enemy bases
or units, and you take losses during those raids. You let your squadrons get down to 2 or 3 or so, and suddenly the enemy discovers your bases and totally wipes you out with a couple of lucky hits.
In this game fighter escorts are abstracted into the combat table for bombing runs.