Questions about Port Attacks

[Grotius]

I have a couple questions about Port Attacks.

1. Is it true that the bomber conducting a Port Attack uses its "Land Attack" skill rather than "Ship Attack"?

2. Do ships in port fire back with their anti-aircraft skill?

3. I assume other ground units in the province might fire back -- e.g., flak?

4. Can a Port Attack damage or sink submarines in port?

[Grotius]

Anyone? Joel?

[mavraamides]

I'm pretty sure the answer to number 4 is yes. I think I remember bombing subs in Western France's port and sinking one.

[Paul Vebber]

I haven't had a chance to double check, but I'm pretty sure port attacks still use ship attack, flak units and ships fire back nad air units hit are aborted before attack, but not ground units, and all ship targets are chosen randomly to hit.

I think it basically it works just like an attack on ships at sea, just that only air can participate, Flak units get to defend, and what gets hit is more random.

[Dalwin]

I am thinking that you would be able to tell some of this by looking at the combat details after such a raid. You will see how many dice the bombers rolled to attack, unless they have the same value for ground and sea attack this should answer that.

The combat details would also show you which units were returning fire.

[Grotius]

Yeah, I'll try that, Dalwin. I've only done one Port Attack in my current PBEM game, and it was a complete flop; I don't remember if I looked at the detailed-combat-results screen or not aftewards.

Mostly I'm curious about #4 -- can you hit subs in port? I'm wondering whether there's anything Allied air can do about U-Boats that scamper out, hit a transport, and return to port.

[Joel Billings]

Yes yoyu can but it uses ASW attack. Best way to block out and back subs is to use teched up carrier air and bombers to fly patrols over key blocking areas (assuming you have fighters to protect them if there are enemy fighters that can reach your patrols. Nothing like an ASW equipped plane to make sub transit difficult.

[Grotius]

Thanks. Yep, ASW patrol seems like a viable option.

To hijack my own thread slightly, while we're on the subject of air patrols: on occasion I seem to lose fighters flying CAP when the ship they're guarding gets destroyed. E.g., I flew fighter-CAP over a transport in the Black Sea; my Russian opponent killed the transport; and the fighter was thereafter nowhere to be found. Did it die, or port back home, or what?

Great game, BTW.

[Paul Vebber]

There is still a bug that is hard to pin down where CV air is occasionally being destroyed when it shouldn't be...

Often you will see a message "CV air unable to retreat and is destroyed".

Training accidents for now [:o]

You have to be careful when dealing with CV air (or any air and transports) that teh air unit doesn't get "linked" to the transport (or another CV) wehen you don;t want it "linked". you can tell if its "linked" by the little matching numbers that appear on teh counter of teh air unit, and teh CV or tranpsort its 'linked to".

Right click on the air unit to "erase the link".

If the CV or transport a unit is linked to is killed, then the linked unit often dies too (if it can't make it back to land or something - I'm not sure). Air units "linked" to transports are "boxed up aboard" and won't fight either.

[Grotius]

Ah, that explains it. Thanks.