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Is there any penalty to flying recon missions with the air commands that don't generally fly AD's like coastal or troop carrier? That could clear 3 AD's from each of my combat air commands. I read an AAR where the poster recommended this.

No penalties.

Historically 106 Group RAF, responsible for strategic recon, was under command of Coastal Command so don't think it's too gamey.

I believe the reason for the AAR recommendations to put recon in your transport commands is because you will never give those commands any other air directives since air/airborne transport missions are not assigned using air directives. That means the transport commands have free AD slots that would otherwise go unused.

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

Historically 106 Group RAF, responsible for strategic recon, was under command of Coastal Command so don't think it's too gamey.

In the USAAF, the photo recon squadrons were assigned to Photographic Reconnaissance Groups, which were attached to the numbered air forces such as the Eighth Air Force, similar to the Bomb Groups and Fighter Groups. Since we don't have those group HQ's in the game (we could edit them into a custom game I suppose), I don't feel game guilt at all assigning them to one of the transport commands as an alternative. I think we can get along without the bomber & fighter group HQ's but the recon HQ's would definitely be useful for this purpose.

Personally I use the IX Troop Carrier Command in 1943 as the holder for my high level recon and RAF Transport for the low level up north, and XII Troop Carrier for high level and Coastal for low level in the Med. I wish there was a second troop carrier command in the Med because I do have a few naval interdiction AD's assigned to Coastal which limits the recon AD's I'd like to have.