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Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2026 5:00 pm**

Can't find it, any one know?

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2026 11:04 pm**

Chris21wen wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2026 5:00 pm Can't find it, any one know?

Can you provide more details....GP

Posted: **Mon Apr 27, 2026 6:32 am**

Air missions are not free theres a supply cost. Section 15.4 in the manual says this;

Planes other than level bombers flying an Offensive Mission and planes flying an Escort Mission expend one supply point
per plane per Mission. Level bombers flying an offensive Mission expend supplies equal to their Maximum Load divided by
1000 per Mission. All planes flying other Mission types (search, CAP) expend 1/3 of a supply point per plane per Mission.
These supply points must be available for expenditure, or the planes will not fly.

There's not mention of what Escort mission use. Yes I know it say later that for '.. other mission it's 1/3 etc' and Escorts may fall into this category, if so, why does it bother to even mention them in the same breath as level bombers? I'm after clarification.

Posted: **Mon Apr 27, 2026 8:41 am**

Well, Escort is when planes fly escort.

CAP is CAP.

If your planes do not fly offensive mission that turn (which Escort is), they fly CAP (if % set so), so they spend 1/3 of supply instead of 1 per plane.

Posted: **Mon Apr 27, 2026 8:42 am**

To add, using drop tanks cost more.

Posted: **Mon Apr 27, 2026 9:08 am**

Chris21wen wrote: Mon Apr 27, 2026 6:32 am Air missions are not free theres a supply cost. Section 15.4 in the manual says this;

Planes other than level bombers flying an Offensive Mission and planes flying an Escort Mission expend one supply point
per plane per Mission. Level bombers flying an offensive Mission expend supplies equal to their Maximum Load divided by
1000 per Mission. All planes flying other Mission types (search, CAP) expend 1/3 of a supply point per plane per Mission.
These supply points must be available for expenditure, or the planes will not fly.

There's not mention of what Escort mission use. Yes I know it say later that for '.. other mission it's 1/3 etc' and Escorts may fall into this category, if so, why does it bother to even mention them in the same breath as level bombers? I'm after clarification.

Thank you for the extra details. I think that your question has been answered....GP

Posted: **Tue Apr 28, 2026 12:35 am**

Interesting to see that there are more missions that use 1 supply instead of 1/3 than I thought. The "Logistics 101" said

D.2) Cost of air missions

Each sortie flown consumes supply. Lack the requisite supply, the air mission is not flown. The actual supply cost depends on the type of mission flown and the type of plane as follows:

• Offensive Mission flown by a Level Bomber, the cost is (Maximum Load/1000) per plane
• Offensive Mission flown by a Dive Bomb or Torpedo, the cost is 1 supply point per plane
• Other missions such as Search and CAP expend only 1/3 of a supply point per plane

Hence a 12 plane Liberator squadron sent to bomb an airfield will consume 96 supply points. A USMC torpedo squadron of 18 Avengers will consume 18 supply points.

I guess the manual is more up to date than a post from 2011. (?)

And drop Tanks double the supply cost of a mission (manual 7.2.1.6.4).

Posted: **Tue Apr 28, 2026 5:04 am**

So it's one then.

Thanks

Posted: **Sun May 03, 2026 6:33 am**

A large bombers, like B-29's use a LOT of supply (Max Load/1000) ....

Posted: **Sun May 03, 2026 6:42 am**

In one of my games, I tried to base B-29s into Shanghai..they drained it's supply up very quickly...

Posted: **Sun May 03, 2026 12:55 pm**

Sardaukar wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 6:42 am In one of my games, I tried to base B-29s into Shanghai..they drained it's supply up very quickly...

Even though the B29 is such a supply hog, the allies with their "bottomless pit" of supply can always support them with planning ... the IJ OTOH ... even 36 Betties supported by 36 Zekes use 108 supply/turn at normal range, at drop tank for the Zekes, that goes to 144 supply/turn ... that's a supply burn that can be hard to support for the IJ for any extended length of time.

Posted: **Mon May 04, 2026 6:23 am**

PaxMondo wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 12:55 pm
Even though the B29 is such a supply hog, the allies with their "bottomless pit" of supply can always support them with planning ... the IJ OTOH ... even 36 Betties supported by 36 Zekes use 108 supply/turn at normal range, at drop tank for the Zekes, that goes to 144 supply/turn ... that's a supply burn that can be hard to support for the IJ for any extended length of time.

Somewhere I read that the designers meant it to hurt and be unsustainable over normal range, with or without drop tanks.

Posted: **Mon May 04, 2026 12:49 pm**

PaxMondo wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 12:55 pm
Sardaukar wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 6:42 am In one of my games, I tried to base B-29s into Shanghai..they drained it's supply up very quickly...
Even though the B29 is such a supply hog, the allies with their "bottomless pit" of supply can always support them with planning ... the IJ OTOH ... even 36 Betties supported by 36 Zekes use 108 supply/turn at normal range, at drop tank for the Zekes, that goes to 144 supply/turn ... that's a supply burn that can be hard to support for the IJ for any extended length of time.

China used to be really bad for supply, it has changed a bit in 1128.

Posted: **Tue May 05, 2026 4:32 am**

Chris21wen wrote: Mon May 04, 2026 6:23 am
PaxMondo wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 12:55 pm
Even though the B29 is such a supply hog, the allies with their "bottomless pit" of supply can always support them with planning ... the IJ OTOH ... even 36 Betties supported by 36 Zekes use 108 supply/turn at normal range, at drop tank for the Zekes, that goes to 144 supply/turn ... that's a supply burn that can be hard to support for the IJ for any extended length of time.

Somewhere I read that the designers meant it to hurt and be unsustainable over normal range, with or without drop tanks.

I'm sure they did because it is accurate. IJ struggled with supply, and fuel in particular, throughout the war. The game captures this. Good IJ players need necessarily excellent tactics, but to win, they need a strategy that deals with the finite amount of supply. Just like any good S4, you can (and should) calculate the supply expenditure for every operation envisioned and decide to proceed only if the results of the operation merit the supply expenditure. In the early war, the reasoning is pretty simple: I should gain more supply than I expend. Later in the war, it's more about losing less ....

Posted: **Tue May 05, 2026 4:33 am**

Sardaukar wrote: Mon May 04, 2026 12:49 pm
PaxMondo wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 12:55 pm
Sardaukar wrote: Sun May 03, 2026 6:42 am In one of my games, I tried to base B-29s into Shanghai..they drained it's supply up very quickly...
Even though the B29 is such a supply hog, the allies with their "bottomless pit" of supply can always support them with planning ... the IJ OTOH ... even 36 Betties supported by 36 Zekes use 108 supply/turn at normal range, at drop tank for the Zekes, that goes to 144 supply/turn ... that's a supply burn that can be hard to support for the IJ for any extended length of time.

China used to be really bad for supply, it has changed a bit in 1128.

I'll have to take your word for it, I'm staying with 1127 at this point.

Posted: **Tue May 05, 2026 5:09 am**

They added lot of small Light Industry bases, IMHO, good change.

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Supply cost of Escort Missions

Supply cost of Escort Missions

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