BTW I did a search in this forum but didn't see anything along the lines I need.
I'm surprised: I posted the comments below shortly after Version 3.2 was released. Probabbly it was one of the many things lost when the forum was hacked and brought down a few months ago. Anyway, here goes:
First and foremost, be aware that there are serious limits on which squadrons can fly which aircraft. US Army squadrons are almost the only ones that can be "manually" converted to US Army aircraft, which are generally the best choices. It is reasonable that USMC squadrons fly mostly Navy aircraft. BUT--the British, Dutch, and Australian squadrons can normally fly only "Commonwealth" or USN aircraft. This is something I strongly disagree with: P-40's and B-25's could be found at nearly every Allied airfield that could handle them during WWII. And if a land-base squadron can fly the F4F Wildcat, why shouldn't it fly the Warhawk? Still, the limits are hard-coded into the game, so the Allied player will have to produce some Commonwealth planes to keep his non-US squadrons going. There are, however, some work-arounds with upgrades in a game against the AI..
Speaking of production, the number of factories on the Allied side at the start of the game has been cut down significantly. There are only five active fighter plants on Dec. 7--and one of those is permanently stuck making the worthless Fulmar II, so effectively there are only four. Luckily, more factories quickly come “on-line” as more aircraft types become available.
Fighters: The best Allied fighter at the beginning of the game is, as before, the P-40 Warhawk. Happily, there is a way to get Australian squadrons equipped with it: although you cannot do it "manually", the computer will give you the option to upgrade to the P-40 from the Wirraway. There is now a surprising second-best fighter-bomber, though: the P-39 Airacobra. It has fair maneuverability, good firepower, it’s durable, it has double the bomb-load of the P-40, and it’s cheap. Admittedly, it's no match for the A6M2 "Zero", but then, none of the early Allied fighters beside the P-40 are. The ideal place to use it would be in the China-Burma-India area, where the opposing fighters are largely inferior IJAAF models, and there are Japanese ground troops to be pummeled. But alas, the UK fighter squadrons won't accept it. The F4F Wildcat is a reasonable fighter for defense, but its range of only two hexes cripples its offensive ability. (And makes it inconvenient to transfer from base to base, too.) On the Commonwealth side, the best early fighter is the Hurricane II, but it's a bear to produce in quantity. It’s a good idea to convert some of the UK squadrons to Wildcats. And definitely convert all of the RN carrier squadrons.
There is one other fighter worth mentioning: the Hawk 75A. It’s too expensive to produce, but its range of four hexes allows it to escort most medium bomber raids. The Allies start with one Dutch squadron of Hawk75A’s - use them wisely. (New comment: Jeremy Pritchard later changed his mind and believes that it should be allowed to produce the Hawk 75A. Those of you with editors might want to change the plane cost to simething like 5 or 6.)
At the start of the game, dive-bombers have become a no-brainer: you want the SBD Dauntless. The SB2U Vindactor has the same bomb-load and range, but Jeremy really doesn’t want you to make any more than already exist: the cost rating has gone up to 99. Also, against enemy fighters the Vindactor gets slaughtered. Starting around October 1942, the Vengeance becomes available, and it's a fine choice for land-based squadrons because of its impressive range of five hexes. (But be careful about attacking IJN carriers without fighter escort.) Lastly, the SB2C Helldiver has now become a super-plane: its bombload is double the Dauntless, and its manuever and cannon ratings allow it to defend itself well against many of the Japanese fighters.
Torpedo bombers: There is no American torpedo-bomber factory at the start of the game, so forget about making Devastators. When it comes on-line, however, the Avenger is superior to anything the British have. Start the factory in England on what’s available (the Albacore), but switch it over to Avengers as soon as you can.
Medium bombers or "tac-bombers" is where the Allied player has to make some tough decisions. The B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder are now very close: same bomb-load, range, cost, and durability, and not far apart in maneuver and cannon rating. Be aware that the program favors the B-25, but the Mitchell isn't available for several turns. If you leave everything up to the computer, the B-26’s will be phased out, but at a cost of a month’s production. The A-20 Havoc used to be a favorite because of its excellent performance against enemy fighters, but the bomb-load has been cut to only 12. My advice is to keep the Marauder factory making B-26's, but convert the Havoc factory to B-25's when they come on-line.
On the Commonwealth side, all of the early medium bombers have serious disadvantages. (And all of them are bloody expensive.) The Blenheim IV is a piece of junk, but it can be upgraded later into the Vengeance dive-bomber. The Hudson has good range, but the bomb-load is low, and they often are butchered by enemy fighters since there are no escorts that can fly as far as they can. The Beaufort has the advantage that it can use torpedoes and does not have to be set to Naval Interdiction, but the bomb-load is still small, and the range has been cut to only three hexes. My choice would be to wait for the Wellington (mid-February 1942) and then produce it exclusively until the Beaufighter becomes available (End of 1942). The Wellington's low bomb-load is compensated for by its range: targets four hexes away will receive more damage than those at the eight-hex maximum. It’s actually worth keeping a squadron of Martin 139’s around for a while for their bomb capacity: they work nicely against Japanese LCU’s if there are no enemy fighters present. But don’t set any factories to make them; their cost is 99.
Heavy Bombers: The B-17 is now maddeningly limited in its production. Use them sparingly, because you can’t replace heavy losses. Definitely, the B-24 should be produced with both factories when it becomes available. When the B-29's finally show up, set all heavy-bomber factories to produce them: it’s now cheaper than the B-24. Then, tell your opponent to kiss Japan good-bye!