AA cover

[armin]

Is AA counted per taskforce in one sea hex or altogether? If taskforce is docked what has priority? Base AA or taskforce AA cover if attacked?

[dr.hal]

Only one TF in a hex of more than one TF is attacked by a flight of aircraft at one time that I know of. That's the beauty of having more than one TF in a hex! If your enemy launches an attack and it is coordinated, then it arrives all at once and can only hit one TF! If I have that wrong, others will step in. Thus only a single TF AA counts against that attack.

[Dan Nichols]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

Only one TF in a hex of more than one TF is attacked by a flight of aircraft at one time that I know of. That's the beauty of having more than one TF in a hex! If your enemy launches an attack and it is coordinated, then it arrives all at once and can only hit one TF! If I have that wrong, others will step in. Thus only a single TF AA counts against that attack.

Incorrect hal. It was true in WitP, but in AE all TFs in a hex can be targeted. Now, about the AA, I think it is only the TF of the ship that is under attack.

[dr.hal]

Really Dan??? Then I must be a VERY lucky person, as I've only ever had one CV TF subject to an attack at a time (in the same hex).... Ok, I sit corrected.

[armin]

Thank you guys. And how it works in port what has priority docked task force AA or base AA?

[Dan Nichols]

They should both fire.

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: Dan Nichols

They should both fire.

That's the way I understand it, too. Also, the AA fire for a TF that is docked is reduced.... I believe by 50%.

[PizzaMan]

ORIGINAL: USS America

ORIGINAL: Dan Nichols

They should both fire.

That's the way I understand it, too. Also, the AA fire for a TF that is docked is reduced.... I believe by 50%.

I believe that it is 50% as well, but often wondered why? Is it assumed that 50% of the crew is on shore leave, or that the guns are undergoing maintenance? Wouldn't a stationary platform provide more effective AA fire when compared to a ship turning rapidly at battle speed rocking on the waves?

[Sardaukar]

Yep, 50% of ship AA either docked or disbanded will fire. I think one of the devs confirmed that, but it's been looooong time ago.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Yep, 50% of ship AA either docked or disbanded will fire. I think one of the devs confirmed that, but it's been looooong time ago.

Not a direct confirmation of your statement above but see my post #12 in this thread.

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At least it nominates a specific developer, Nikademus as stating that port attack was SAIEW from classical WITP. That means one would in all likelihood have to go back to the old Classical WITP archives to get the correct answer.

Alfred

[Puhis]

I think that 50 % comes from Uncommon Valor. I did not play much original WitP, but I played UV a lot and I can still remember that 50 % rule.

[Alfred]

Getting back to the OP.

1. Aircraft on a port attack mission.

Strike aircraft will attack the port facilities and 50% of the time will also target ships which are disbanded in the port. The chance of the port attack also targetting those disbanded ships is affected by how many ships are actually disbanded. The odds decrease once there are less than 10 ships disbanded in port. This decrease based on number of ships disbanded is also proportional, so 9 ships in port are more likely to be targetted than if there are only 4 ships in port.

The aircraft will face 100% of available land based flak located at the port. Without going back to the classical WITP archives to check (see my preceding post) I am not convinced that the aircraft will face any ship based flak if no ships are actually targetted by the aircraft. The aircraft will face ship based flak if the attack also targets ships. I suspect that the oft repeated claim that 50% of ship based flak fires stems from the point made in the previous paragraph that there is a 50% possibility that ships disbanded in port will also be targetted as part of the "port attack" mission.

2. Aircraft on a naval attack mission.

Ships in a TF which is located in the 40nm range of the base (IOW the TF is "at" the base), are only attacked by strike aircraft on a "naval attack" mission. It is irrelevant whether the TF is docked or undocked.

Land based flak does not extend its cover to a TF. Thus the aircraft will only encounter ship based flak.

3. Aircraft attacking submarines.

Submarines are also placed into a TF, but a sub TF is never attacked by strike aircraft flying a "naval attack" mission. The rationale being that subs can dive. Only aircraft on either a "naval search" or "ASW" mission may attack a sub TF and they may encounter the sub's flak.

Alfred

[armin]

Awesome, very good description thnx.