Strategic Bombers vs. Land Units (i.e., Carpet Bombing)

[MJY]

Hey all,

I have a question.

Strategic bombers can be very effective against ground units -- especially as the war progresses. They replicate the tactical use of these aircraft to "carpet bomb" enemy positions quite nicely. Think Operation Cobra or the attack on Caen in 1944.

There is, however, one thing I cannot understand.

Imagine the Axis has a ground unit in France in the town of Reims and a second unit in an adjacent, open hex. A full concentration of Allied strategic bombers can often completely obliterate the unit ADJACENT to the town, but those exact same bombers are almost completely ineffective attacking the unit located directly IN the town. It is almost as if the town absorbs all of the "hits" while the unit is virtually immune. (There is, of course, a chance that the ground unit will take a hit if located in the town, but the odds are very, very low.)

The problem is, of course, that players can use towns and other urban areas to protect their units from air attack. They sally forth on their turn and return to their urban setting at the end of their move to avoid any enemy response.

Is this a deliberate design element? Or is this a glitch? Based on what happened to Axis units in places like St. Lo, Caen, and elsewhere, it feels like a design glitch to me.

MJY

[Elessar2]

There really should be a toggle (for all bombers, as well as surface ships doing shore bombardment) to target the resource, or the unit. [and a Mix setting to attack both at reduced effectiveness vs. each]

[USGrant1962]

Of course in some of those cases the terrain was so chewed up from 1,000 lb bombs that the Allies couldn't advance, so perhaps strategic bombing of units should add entrenchment!!! [:D]

But seriously, strategic bombers in SC represent strategic bomber wings for strategic bombing. Sure they can be used one-off for carpet bombing but that shouldn't be routine. The current mechanism feels about right to me.

[CaesarAug]

Heavy Bombers game-default research increases the resource attack and fighter and anti-aircraft defence of strategic bombers, AND also the chance of damaging enemy units occupying the resource-targeted hex, by 10% per level of research. All moddable, of course. [:D]

[thekman]

My feelings on the whole bombing of units whether in a city or not are different. I don't feel you should be able to KIA an army, corp, tank unit etc, by using bombers, tac bombers or any planes. Because didn't in most cases if you were bombing the hell out of a unit, there would still be some men left? I can see them getting bombed down to "1" strength but not KiA. As mentioned above, some of the buildings bombed to hell acted as a great defense for those that were left.

[Raptor341]

ORIGINAL: thekman

My feelings on the whole bombing of units whether in a city or not are different. I don't feel you should be able to KIA an army, corp, tank unit etc, by using bombers, tac bombers or any planes. Because didn't in most cases if you were bombing the hell out of a unit, there would still be some men left? I can see them getting bombed down to "1" strength but not KiA. As mentioned above, some of the buildings bombed to hell acted as a great defense for those that were left.

1+

No Army unit should be able to be completely destroyed by aircraft in a WW2 setting, especially at the Corp and Army level. For the next SC I really hope the entire air and naval model is redone, much like WarPlan. Even the Military History Commander series limited the number of air attacks that could be done on a unit per turn to help with this issue.

[BillRunacre]

I think it should be kept in mind that no unit with a supply of 5 or greater is ever completed destroyed, it is just considered to have been shattered and incapable of any further combat at this stage, and it requires reforming at the rear.

In the same vein, units that are destroyed in land combat are not considered to have been completely destroyed because generally if a unit has a route of escape, i.e. is not totally cut off and surrounded (hence the supply rule on reforming destroyed units) then it will do so.