Aircraft in reinforcing groups vs those produced in factories

[bomccarthy]

I am trying to understand the production structure for aircraft produced in the USA - do the aircraft that arrive with reinforcing air groups come from production, or are they in addition to those produced by the factories? In other words, if I set a reinforcing group to arrive with 75 a/c that are already being produced, would these a/c be pulled from the pool of existing a/c?

[Helpless]

Delayed air groups should get "rebuild" up to max aircraft allowance (set in air profile). They shouldn't use aircraft from the pool. Missing pilots will be "generated" for free as well.

[bomccarthy]

Okay. So, if I set a reinforcing USAAF FB group to arrive with only 2 P-47D-15 aircraft, it will subsequently build up to its 75 a/c maximum over the next few turns using these "free" a/c, not by pulling from the P-47D-15 pool, correct?

This question popped in my mind when I was comparing the 43-45 Campaign scenario with the 43-45 Addl HQs Campaign scenario, which has most of the USAAF delayed air groups arriving with a small fraction of their maximum a/c, but did not change the a/c factory production.

[Helpless]

If I understand it correctly it should "build" delayed groups one turn prior arrival, so they should arrive fully equipped.

[Denniss]

New groups should draw aircraft from pool, magically appearing aircraft would be a no go for me.

[bomccarthy]

So, if partially equipped reinforcing groups draw from the pool once they arrive, the revised 43-45 Addl HQs campaign deleted hundreds of US a/c from the game total (since they now arrive with only a fraction of their max strength and the US a/c factory production was not increased).

[Helpless]

Ok, I have reviewed the code and apparently air groups built up to max pilots, not planes. Aircraft are provided up to what is set by ready/damaged/reserve setting of air group. And these are "free", no pool usage.

[bomccarthy]

To be clear, then - when a delayed air group appears as a reinforcement with 2 P-47D-15 aircraft ready, no damaged, and no reserve, it enters the National Reserve with those 2 aircraft only (which are free). Since its maximum is set at 75 aircraft, the group will then begin drawing from the P-47D-15s in the pool in order to reach its maximum. Is this correct?

[Helpless]

Yes

[bomccarthy]

In light of this, I compared the USAAF a/c that arrive with air groups in the 43-45 Campaign with those that arrive with air groups in the 43-45 Addl HQs Campaign: Noting that USA a/c production is identical in both scenarios, the revised Addl HQs Campaign deleted approximately 2,300 US FBs and NFs from the game (mostly P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s), 1,800 LBs, and 630 TRs.

Was this an intended effect? Which scenario is more historically accurate? USAAF records show that some 19,000 fighters were delivered to the European and Mediterranean theaters of operations between January 1942 and Aug 1945 (source: Army Air Forces Statistical Digest, World War II, Office of Statistical Control, December 1945, p. 183)