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I train my Kikko Units at nights, hoping they'll have a better chance of conducting night attacks against the USN. Am I dreaming about this ? Is there actually a way to train your pilots to become proper night-fighting units.

There is no such skill as night skill.

The pilots improve in their skills depending on what is trained, not depending on time of day (the only thing you achieve by training at night is that you limit yourself to the mission types available at night).

A successful night naval attack is rare (as it should be). My last campaign my opponent had a few successful night torpedo attacks using Emilys. But not enough for me to fret about. We had limits on the number of units you could use at night though.

Don't tell that to Swordfish pilots, they put the plane on history with dozens of successful night attacks. Not such level success in daylight.

The Taranto attack by those Swordfish took place at night and it certainly was a success........

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

The Taranto attack by those Swordfish took place at night and it certainly was a success........

At anchor. In a well-charted harbor.

If you've never been to sea you might not get just how dark it is on a moonless night in mid-ocean. And how small a 300ft. ship is.

At Taranto they dropped flares, probably backlit those big Italian beasties quite nicely.

Yup, over 8 years as a deck officer in the navy and it was still an amazing attack given the conditions.

Check the link:

http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=fleeta ... FHome.html

Those "Stringbags" managed a good deal more than one night attack on anchored BB's in Taranto.

well back to my question, thanx for the answers direct and indirect. I guess I can assume the only way is that I have to increase their experience levels. No surprises that.

Do you think having a ASuW Radar helps ? Like N6 ?

The slow speed and controllability of Swordfish was an advantage in night attacks, that is why they got much more success than at daylight. In daylight they were too slow and much easier hit.

Unfortunately there is no night training. A radar helps.

This is great book about Swordfish operations in Mediterranian:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3389 ... -stringbag

ORIGINAL: crsutton

A successful night naval attack is rare (as it should be). My last campaign my opponent had a few successful night torpedo attacks using Emilys. But not enough for me to fret about. We had limits on the number of units you could use at night though.

Some late war allied planes had radar so am in the impression that allied were able to sunk submarines during night with help of radar even at night. For Japanese planes without radar it is next to impossible spot ships at open sea during night and even if some plane spot ships it is next to impossible other planes navigate there during night.

Even for allied with radar coordinated night time attack against open sea ships was next to impossible and attack were more like attack if oppurtunity comes with individual patrol planes and they did not even try to coordinate larger strikes at night against moving targets. Even night time raids against fixed targets was pretty hard.

If anyone is interested, here is every sub sunk by USN air during the war:

http://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/dictionary-of-american-naval-aviation-squadrons-volume-2/pdfs/Appen3.pdf.

It looks like most of the victims were u-boats.

Bill

ORIGINAL: wdolson
It looks like most of the victims were u-boats.

This is becouse it is very hard to sunk ship with airplane attack you need larger group of planes for that but submarines are pretty fragile and even allied never had so large number of planes that have radar to make very larger coordinated air attack at night time. Even if plane with radar spots something it is next to impossible planes eithout it to navigate there during night at open sea.