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I'm playing as Japan. How to reduce planes lost?

CV vs. CV and with one battle I usually lost 90% of my dive and torpedo planes. It's impossible to replace them. Zeros are not the problem, but I do not have attack planes anymore. Can anyone tell which is best altitude for planes and any other tips. [&:]

Altitude is not the problem. How and where you use you naval aircraft is the issue. In any major action you will take severe losses. Vals and kates are extremely fragile aircraft. Here are a few rules.

1. Try to use them in mass. Go for the big punch. The goal of any carrier action is to sink the alllied carriers or put them out of action for a long time. If you do this, then the loss is worth it. Do not put yourself in a position where small or partial attacks take place. The results just don't justify it.

2. Use carriers within range of friendly bases. Two reasons. One is to give a close haven to heavily damaged carriers. The other is to allow air groups from heavily damaged carriers a place to land.

3. Don't send bombers without escort. I like my CAP to escort at about 50%- %50. No escort and his CAP is going to slice you up.

4. Do not attack with low morale and high fatique bombers. You will miss a lot and lose a lot more planes. If you pilots are worn out, best to avoid the fight and get some rest if possible.

5. Don't waste carrier aircrat attacking land targets. Not worth it. Use LBA and BBs to reduce ports. Save the vals and kates to kill big ships-especially carriers.

6. The same applies for surface ship TFs. Sometimes they have to be attacked, but they usually have great AA. Is it worth the planes, when you can save them for carriers?

7. Rest your carriers when you can. This will slowly allow you to build up your carrier groups.

8. Disband the few Land based vals that you have into your carrier air groups when you take large losses.

If you are playing a historcal scenario-your aircraft replacement rate dictates that you be very conservative with your carriers and carrier planes. If you are playing scens. 17 or 19, then you must be cautions but can afford to risk them a bit more.



Rinse and repeat as needed.

I tend to have my dive bombers set around the 15000 mark, and my torp bombers at around 7000 ft. This way they miss out on most of the flak received going into the target, and just cop it in the attack run.

The above advice is good as well