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I'm now in Sept 42 and I've been using the same FB units in a bomber role for a year now. Losses are much heavier than normal due I suspect to the units not being trained in the bomber role. My question is how do you train them to the bomber role? I can find nothing covering the subject all the manual says is 'Units trained as bombers..' inferring that they are already trained.

No way to change this in WitE. But you can switch their planes to tactical bombers (for Soviets: Il-2) and they will be doing the job they were trained for.

There's no real reason to train FBs as bombers. You don't have any pure fighters aside from the P-40B early on. So the FBs should be engaged in that role. You really shouldn't be short LBs and later TBs.

ORIGINAL: morvael

No way to change this in WitE. But you can switch their planes to tactical bombers (for Soviets: Il-2) and they will be doing the job they were trained for.

That's why I can't find it in the manual, there is no way to retrain FB(F) to FB(B) in the game. The only way to get FB(B) is to build them as bombers. This also allows you to change them TacB or level bombers.

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

There's no real reason to train FBs as bombers. You don't have any pure fighters aside from the P-40B early on. So the FBs should be engaged in that role. You really shouldn't be short LBs and later TBs.

That does look like the case. When you first start playing the game in seems like a good idea to utilise FB in the bomber role considering they are supposed to be the multi-purpose a/c of they time, armed with rockets and bombs. Not to mention phrases like 'Trained as ' and 'Mission type'. This all led me to think using them in the bomber role would retrain them.

We all learn by our mistakes.

I thought that if you set an FB group as Bomber and then sent them to the Air Reserve they would train as such. I think I found that in the manual somewhere, ah see below. That plus the comment in the manual about switching FB to role they aren't trained for implies that they can be trained, will be trained if you send them back there.


8.4. National Air Reserve and Air Group Unit Transfer
Each country's national air reserve simulates the network of TRAINING and repair facilities well behind the lines that prepare new air group units and build back up old air group units worn out due to heavy losses.

Is this not the case? I was going to send some Me-110s out for training, but won't if they aren't going to actually train.

ORIGINAL: uw06670
I was going to send some Me-110s out for training, but won't if they aren't going to actually train.

And if they did train when is their training over with?

In WitW, I believe, it's possible to retrain groups. In WitE you can only change mission type, but their training will never change. Training in national reserve means only increasing group experience level, not changing "trained as" parameter. Best to switch bomber-trained fighter-bomber groups to Il-2 tactical bombers and be done with them.

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

There's no real reason to train FBs as bombers. You don't have any pure fighters aside from the P-40B early on. So the FBs should be engaged in that role. You really shouldn't be short LBs and later TBs.

There is one reason to raise new FB-B squadrons under the new rules for new air squadrons. Early game you will be short of Il-2s/Su-2s, so this is one way to create a block of units that can later be converted. That way once they are flipped to using proper tactical bombers they will have pretty high morale and decent experience.

I've started raising a fair few this way, no harm as they use up surplus LaGG-3/Mig-3 planes in 1941