Air Interdiction

[PaladinSix]

After experimenting with some air units (ASA set to off), I have a question regarding the effects of changing missions, esp. from combat support to interdiction (and back).

Previously, my tactic was to try and determine which air units were best suited or placed for certain missions, set those missions and leave the air units pretty much alone. This seemed to work pretty well.

Recently however, I have started putting most of my capable air-units on combat support, since I desperately need the firepower. However, before the end of the turn, I switch some or all of them back to interdiction. My thinking was that interdiction is near-useless during my own turn, but real handy during the PO's moves, even more useful than combat support.

What I noticed was that, during the POs turn, after switching back to interdiction, my air force seemed to run fewer interdiction attacks than when I had simply put them on interdiction on turn 1 and left them there. This may be my imagination or a temporary statistical anomoly, since I haven't tested it.

So, is there a penalty or a loss of effectiveness suffered by air units when constantly switching missions, either during a turn or at the end of a turn?

PaladinSix

[Dr. Foo]

I have tried this as well and then decided to leave it alone. I think (not 100% sure) but I think that the game limits the amount of times an air unit can participate in combat in a given turn. Therefore, if the unit was heavily engaged in CAS and then switched to interdiction then your units would not engage as much because many simply would not be available for interdiction.

However, I could be way off the mark here, my experience has taught me that switching air units back and forth from CAS to interdiction offers no benefits beyond enhance support for the combat round, but you will take a hit on interdiction when your opponent moves.

[Industrial]

I thinks it's probably just a matter of readiness, air units that engaged heavily in CS missions will have a low readiness and will be asily pushed back to 'rest' even after just one or two interdiction attacks. Fresh units will operate on interdiction far longer.

[PaladinSix]

That's what I thought at first as well, but did try to switch only those air units that were in high states of readiness (yellow-green or green), and the effect seemed to be the same. Again, this may be simply imagination on my part, but I thought I would check.

[Catch21]

The more missions your units fly, the more tired they'll become and the greater the chance they'll go to rest or the unit and eventually possibly entire formation to reorg. You can get a handle on this in your turn by reading your detailed combat reports to see which units supported which ground attacks though that's a little overkill perhaps. The colour health indicator and looking at individual units' proficiency, readiness and supply ratings give maybe a better idea or 'feel' for how the flyboys are doing.

Using them in Combat Support, then switching to Interdiction before turn end means you've got tired units heading out in your opponent's turn to try to interdict. So less chance they'll go at all. Keeping those units best suited to Interdiction off CS means they go on interdiction better rested.

Some hints: always read the Air Briefing at the start of your turn to get an overview of what's up Air Superiority wise (and help you decide you need to move more ME-109s from Interception to Air Superiority missions), though enemy casualties can be grossly exaggerated. Looking at a unit's particular equipment can help on mission use- find a scenario with Stukas, for instance France 40, and look at a JU87's Anti-Shipping Capability. Quite impressive even versus late Allied fighter bombers.

Hope this helps.

[Industrial]

the color is not the readiness of a unit, its a summary of assigned equipment and supply, readfiness plays only a very little part (if any) in this quick indicator. To look up the true readiness of a unit, examine the unit report.

[ralphtricky]

ORIGINAL: Industrial

the color is not the readiness of a unit, its a summary of assigned equipment and supply, readfiness plays only a very little part (if any) in this quick indicator. To look up the true readiness of a unit, examine the unit report.

I'm pretty sure it's 1/4 of the total. There's also a little window under the unit that shows readiness, proficiency and supply.

[PaladinSix]

So, Ralph, assume I have an air unit with high readiness and in good health that has just spent my turn on combat support, conducting only a couple of attacks and suffering no significant loss of equipment or readiness. If I switch that to interdiction before the end of my turn, does the game engine "remember" that the air unit flew some combat support missions and decrease the chance for successful interdiction?