Countering enemy air superiority missions

[Hardradi]

In my current server game when air dropping to air bases within my lines, enemy fighters will intercept over 100+ miles into my lines. I presume my opponent is running some sort of air superiority mission over my forward air fields and even into my secondary forward air fields.

I have tried fighter escorts of air supply drops and found them to be unreliable and perhaps bugged.

Air dropping supplies is not linked to any specific day of the week as far as I can tell. This makes it difficult to counter the enemy air superiority with your own air superiority mission. As far as I understand, you also have no idea what day or phase the enemy air superiority mission is flying in. You also have no direct indication that the enemy is flying air superiority missions. Running counter air superiority over every day is not feasible because of OP losses. There is no option, as far as I can tell, to send out smaller numbers of transports on the air drop to "test the waters". Even if you wipe out all enemy fighter cover during the turn and then do your air drops, the enemy air intercept seems to be still in place.

How can I counter this move by my opponent without attempting to use the unreliable escort function when air dropping?

[MarkShot]

I found the AI many times adds not an escort, but a sweep (even though you cannot define such an AD).

In real world parlance, they would mix it up with the CAP and give them something else to do.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: Hardradi

In my current server game when air dropping to air bases within my lines, enemy fighters will intercept over 100+ miles into my lines. I presume my opponent is running some sort of air superiority mission over my forward air fields and even into my secondary forward air fields.

I have tried fighter escorts of air supply drops and found them to be unreliable and perhaps bugged.

Air dropping supplies is not linked to any specific day of the week as far as I can tell. This makes it difficult to counter the enemy air superiority with your own air superiority mission. As far as I understand, you also have no idea what day or phase the enemy air superiority mission is flying in. You also have no direct indication that the enemy is flying air superiority missions. Running counter air superiority over every day is not feasible because of OP losses. There is no option, as far as I can tell, to send out smaller numbers of transports on the air drop to "test the waters". Even if you wipe out all enemy fighter cover during the turn and then do your air drops, the enemy air intercept seems to be still in place.

How can I counter this move by my opponent without attempting to use the unreliable escort function when air dropping?

AS is a bit complex in how it interacts.

In the air phase its day vs day, so a D2 AS will tackle a D2 GA or naval patrol. In the main this is more a dynamic in WiTW. Esp as in WiTE2 I'd tend to see AS an offensive mission designed to get fighters over the enemy territory whereas in WiTW it can be a defensive mission for the LW designed to box them into a defined zone of operations.

In the ground phase, the AS sets up a mileage over the target zone, that mileage is then drawn on to determine the probability and intensity of any interaction with both GS and air transport missions.

[AlbertN]

I've tried to put my own planes in Air Superiority over where I planned to conduct Air Supply missions - these do not show up as escorts nor provide air cover.

It is definitely a problem that Air Supply missions are intercepted even 12-15 hexes away from the closemost enemy airfield -unless- the enemy did Air Superiority specifically over the airbases / Units destination of the Air Supply mission.

[DeletedUser1769703214]

ORIGINAL: AlbertN

I've tried to put my own planes in Air Superiority over where I planned to conduct Air Supply missions - these do not show up as escorts nor provide air cover.

It is definitely a problem that Air Supply missions are intercepted even 12-15 hexes away from the closemost enemy airfield -unless- the enemy did Air Superiority specifically over the airbases / Units destination of the Air Supply mission.

A little off topic but related

There are other problems with AS too. If you assign an AS to an area and set it up to run in Enemy phase. You will still lose planes during your phase attacks even when no enemies show up. Every ground attack I did inflicted air plane losses on my AS missions I was running in the Enemy phase. Those AS missions felt like they were in a GS mission or intercept enemy, but no enemy showed up but I still incurred some pretty big losses. I feel something is wrong with AS missions but can't put my finger on it yet. I guess I should bring this up as a possible bug...

[DeletedUser1769703214]

ORIGINAL: AlbertN

I've tried to put my own planes in Air Superiority over where I planned to conduct Air Supply missions - these do not show up as escorts nor provide air cover.

It is definitely a problem that Air Supply missions are intercepted even 12-15 hexes away from the closemost enemy airfield -unless- the enemy did Air Superiority specifically over the airbases / Units destination of the Air Supply mission.

Supply drops require an escort if you want to protect. AS doesn't intercept everything.

Just a note I have had NON-AS mission auto intercept supply drops from 9+ hexes away. Are we sure an AS was set up over the supply drop hex?

[AlbertN]

I cannot know where the enemy player places their AS but I find it odd that there are AS missions 12-15 hexes behind the the enemy lines.

[Mehring]

"I presume my opponent is running some sort of air superiority mission over my forward air fields and even into my secondary forward air fields."
Unlikely. You will also find that your F/FB-F intercept enemy transports behind their lines with zero recon and zero AS missions. I reported this soon after game release, but don't recall any response.

[Hardradi]

ORIGINAL: AlbertN

I cannot know where the enemy player places their AS but I find it odd that there are AS missions 12-15 hexes behind the the enemy lines.

ORIGINAL: Mehring

"I presume my opponent is running some sort of air superiority mission over my forward air fields and even into my secondary forward air fields."
Unlikely. You will also find that your F/FB-F intercept enemy transports behind their lines with zero recon and zero AS missions. I reported this soon after game release, but don't recall any response.

I will ask my opponent, as the game has now finished. The last turn was not the first time just the most obvious as it was so deep behind my lines.

[Hardradi]

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

A little off topic but related

There are other problems with AS too. If you assign an AS to an area and set it up to run in Enemy phase. You will still lose planes during your phase attacks even when no enemies show up. Every ground attack I did inflicted air plane losses on my AS missions I was running in the Enemy phase. Those AS missions felt like they were in a GS mission or intercept enemy, but no enemy showed up but I still incurred some pretty big losses. I feel something is wrong with AS missions but can't put my finger on it yet. I guess I should bring this up as a possible bug...

Yes, I think I have seen this in one of my early games versus the AI. You mean this sort of thing:



If you run the same game turn and it triggers again, take a look at your Bf 109s before and after. I have seen this mess:

[AlbertN]

Hmm maybe the thread goes to the Tech Forum?