Allied sitzkrieg air activity

[brucesim2003]

Hi guys,

I dunno if I'm doing something wrong, but the western allies in late '39 seem to be able to inflict all sorts of damage on my military, and I cant do anything about it. I've currently got 3 Fighter units in the Rhineland, and although I'm not getting many reports of air interceptions, they loose 3-4 strength each turn, in addition to the losses the allied strikes do to my army. The allies have been doing this since turn 2 (now turn 9), and the economy is having a hard time keeping up with just these losses, let alone refitting the rest of the army and air forces. Considering Guderian's 19th korps took 12% losses in one turn from air attacks alone, this cannot be sustained. And it seems the allied air are taking far less losses than my defending fighters are taking. Anyone help please?

Cheers


Bruce

[macroeconomics]

Don't move your armor up close to the front until you need it and are ready to launch your offensive. The Allies will shift to air striking your infantry. Those are cheap to replace and the Allied air losses, though infrequent, will actually be more expensive than the infantry attrition you are taking.

As far as you fighter losses, I'm going to guess that you reinforce your fighter wings with replacements each turn, right? I don't think you should do that. When you reinforce, your AP drop to zero and then you can't intercept enemy recon (which the Allies use to target your fighter squadrons with air superiority missions) and enemy air strikes (which is why your armor got hit in their assembly areas). Instead pull out your fighter wings when they get to low strength and reinforce them in a more secure area far behind the front. Ultimately you'll want to simply build more fighter wings. Once you get air superiority over the front, then you can reinforce weakened fighter wings at the front while other full (or near full) strength fighter wings continue to stand watch over the front.

[brucesim2003]

Macroeconomics.
Tried what you suggested with regards to the fighter units. It's making no difference. The British are actually inflicting more losses on my Luftwaffe than they are taking, just by bombing my army! This is absurd.

Cheers


Bruce

[aspqrz02]

If it is any consolation, the same seems to be true of the French. The Luftwaffe seems to be inflicting the same sort of losses.

And in the Goetterdaemerung Scenario! The Luftwaffe is massively disrupting allied airforces in the UK!

Seems to be WOD, I suspect.

Phil

[brucesim2003]

Another issue I have discovered. If your unit is upgraded to a tech level past your tech (like a lot of German units start in '39) you cant upgrade a division to a corps.

Cheers


Bruce

[macroeconomics]

Tried what you suggested with regards to the fighter units. It's making no difference. The British are actually inflicting more losses on my Luftwaffe than they are taking, just by bombing my army! This is absurd.

Then just pull out the Luftwaffe until you begin your offensive. Yes, the British/French air will cause a lot of ground casualties. But it's actually not a good strategy for the Allies. The PP cost of Tac Air is very high and the PP losses for them is actually higher than it will be for you. You don't notice it yet. But you will. You'll see it once you begin your offensive and punch through the Dutch and Belgians. There just won't be much there in the form of French ground troops. It's because they spent all their PPs on aircraft replacements. Personally I think the AI should be taught not to air strike units unless the hex will be attacked by ground troops. Because the PP economics just don't work (nor should they).

And as far as your fighter losses, it is not the tac air that is shooting your planes down. It's the air superiority missions. I don't think you get any pop up messages for those.

[brucesim2003]

The problem with the air superiority missions, is that, I went on the aerial offensive and wiped out the allied fighters in one turn. And my air units were still taking losses, even though they weren't intercepting anything. And now the allies have built 4 more fighters, and they are at full strength! Also, I don't think the AI plays by the rules regarding FOW. I moved my one panzer corps around west Germany, but deeper than FOW, and they managed to find it every turn. They didn't stop bombing it till it was moved back to central Germany.

Cheers


Bruce

[macroeconomics]

Keep in mind that they may have had fighter units unsighted by you that continued to hit you. Once I moved my panzer units about 10 hexes behind my front lines, I didn't get any air strikes on them. Also in that time period (post-Case White), I don't have my fighters up near the front lines. I keep them 10+ hexes behind my lines. I really don't care if the Allies air strike my level 1 infantry while they are in level 6 forts.

On the other hand if you can take out their entire fighter force in one turn, with an advantageous kill ratio, do it. I wouldn't get too discouraged about your own losses as long as they are lower from a PP perspective. Every PP the Allies spend on planes is less they spend on infantry. Which simply results in you overrunning Allied airfields once you break through past the Dutch/Belgians.

[Razz1]

One of your problem is leaders and experience.

Follow the path above. Do not intercept the Allies until you are ready to attack.

[NativeTexan]

This is the exact same situation that I tried to post a question about yesterday. My fighters are getting slaughter by the Allied air Oct 39' but I am only seeing messages indicating interception infrequently. I have instances where in one turn my three fighters lose strength points but no notification that they were involved in an interception mission.

Is there a way to tell your fighters to stand down other than moving out of range?

[doomtrader]

All fighters are trying to intercept the enemy if their strength is above 50%. This modifier is in the consts.ini file and can be modded by each country separately.

[Razz1]

Damn... I believe that is in the strategy guide or manual.

Keep the unit below that threshold and they will not intercept or move them backwards out of range.

Also see here.

tm.asp?m=2978256