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US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:08 am
by bradfordkay
I ran a search but couldn't find the answer to this question:
I have reached 1945 in my DBB campaign and am starting to receive the VBF squadrons when I send the CV TFs into major ports. However, it seems that the VF and VB squadrons are not getting rid of the excess aircraft, leaving the carriers overloaded even when the VBF squadrons are only at half strength. How many days pass by before those aircraft are removed?
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:25 am
by RangerJoe
bradfordkay wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:08 am
I ran a search but couldn't find the answer to this question:
I have reached 1945 in my DBB campaign and am starting to receive the VBF squadrons when I send the CV TFs into major ports. However, it seems that the VF and VB squadrons are not getting rid of the excess aircraft, leaving the carriers overloaded even when the VBF squadrons are only at half strength. How many days pass by before those aircraft are removed?
How overloaded are they? They won't automatically remove the aircraft.
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:48 pm
by bradfordkay
Just slightly. At present we're looking at 114 aircraft aboard (limit 90), but that is only with 18 of the VBF's requisite 36 F4U-1D Corsairs. At this moment I have 11 CVs that just received the VBF squadrons on 1-6-45 as they just arrived in various ports the day before. I have one carrier, the Chesapeake, that received its VBF squadron the first day possible as it has been in drydock in Sydney for the past month recovering from a sub torpedo strike. It is now showing 22 F6F, 15 SBD, and 2 TBF in reserve but I can't do anything with them because it is in drydock and I had forgotten to remove the squadrons before putting her into the repair facility.
Does this mean that once the aircraft are put into reserve on the ship I have to manually return them to the pools?
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:53 pm
by btd64
bradfordkay wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:48 pm
Just slightly. At present we're looking at 114 aircraft aboard (limit 90), but that is only with 18 of the VBF's requisite 36 F4U-1D Corsairs. At this moment I have 11 CVs that just received the VBF squadrons on 1-6-45 as they just arrived in various ports the day before. I have one carrier, the Chesapeake, that received its VBF squadron the first day possible as it has been in drydock in Sydney for the past month recovering from a sub torpedo strike. It is now showing 22 F6F, 15 SBD, and 2 TBF in reserve but I can't do anything with them because it is in drydock and I had forgotten to remove the squadrons before putting her into the repair facility.
Does this mean that once the aircraft are put into reserve on the ship I have to manually return them to the pools?
To answer your last question, yes you have to move them manually....GP
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:55 pm
by RangerJoe
bradfordkay wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:48 pm
Just slightly. At present we're looking at 114 aircraft aboard (limit 90), but that is only with 18 of the VBF's requisite 36 F4U-1D Corsairs. At this moment I have 11 CVs that just received the VBF squadrons on 1-6-45 as they just arrived in various ports the day before. I have one carrier, the Chesapeake, that received its VBF squadron the first day possible as it has been in drydock in Sydney for the past month recovering from a sub torpedo strike. It is now showing 22 F6F, 15 SBD, and 2 TBF in reserve but I can't do anything with them because it is in drydock and I had forgotten to remove the squadrons before putting her into the repair facility.
Does this mean that once the aircraft are put into reserve on the ship I have to manually return them to the pools?
You should still be able to remove the aircraft squadrons and use them elsewhere. Otherwise, train your pilots as well as moving some pilots into and out of said squadrons if you want to do so.
Yes, you have to
manually remove the reserve aircraft.
Your aircraft carriers will
operate at 115% of capacity but with issues. I do believe that the carriers towards the end of the war had 99 aircraft in their air groups.
If you have the VR squadrons within range and are using them to replace aircraft and
if needed the pilots, you won't have to keep as many reserve aircraft on the actual strike carriers. Those CR squadrons can be at land bases and still replace the aircraft.
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 6:21 pm
by bradfordkay
Thanks, Joe.
The squadrons on the Chesapeake are all grayed out, so I guess that I can't do anything with them until the ship leaves drydock. The other carriers will remain in their various ports until enough F6F, SBD/SB2C, and TBF aircraft have been placed in reserve so as to allow me to return them to the pools and then embark the rest of the Corsairs.
I still have six fleet carriers at sea to respond to any action by the now much depleted KB. It appeared about a month ago off Carnarvon and destroyed a cargo convoy returning to Perth from Port Hedland - it comprised of three CVs, 3 CVLs, and 5CVEs at the time. While a couple of B25 squadrons out of Port Hedland were savaged in an attempt to cause some damage, submarines managed to put a couple of torpedoes into the Taiyo though I am pretty sure that she is still afloat.
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:53 pm
by RangerJoe
bradfordkay wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 6:21 pm
Thanks, Joe.
The squadrons on the Chesapeake are all grayed out, so I guess that I can't do anything with them until the ship leaves drydock. The other carriers will remain in their various ports until enough F6F, SBD/SB2C, and TBF aircraft have been placed in reserve so as to allow me to return them to the pools and then embark the rest of the Corsairs.
I still have six fleet carriers at sea to respond to any action by the now much depleted KB. It appeared about a month ago off Carnarvon and destroyed a cargo convoy returning to Perth from Port Hedland - it comprised of three CVs, 3 CVLs, and 5CVEs at the time. While a couple of B25 squadrons out of Port Hedland were savaged in an attempt to cause some damage, submarines managed to put a couple of torpedoes into the Taiyo though I am pretty sure that she is still afloat.
Those aircraft can't
fly off the carrier in the shipyard, they have to
disembark to the base itself. They should be able to do that. You could also
resize the squadrons first if they won't have any more mandatory resizings later. You can resize them to
one plane. You won't lose any pilots but if they are training, then they won't train as fast. Once the air units are on land, then any excess aircraft that are
repaired should be in the reserve and should be able to be removed to the stockpile but they may not show up there immediately.
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:35 pm
by Admiral DadMan
Try re-sizing the groups while in port. When you do that, is could force excess aircraft into reserve, and you can then manually move them back.
Re: US carrier air group resizing with VBF squadrons 1945
Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:36 pm
by bradfordkay
Okay, I figured out what was going on. I was trying to access the aircraft on the ship through the ship repair screen, not the "list ships under repair" screen. Using the latter I am able to adjust the numbers of aircraft in the various squadrons.