LR CAP Failure

[Admiral DadMan]

Is it possible for Japanese LR CAP to totally fail from:

-2 level 3 AF (9 & 12 hexes),
-2 level 5 AF (16 hexes each)
-1 A/C TF within 4 hexes

Weather over target
-Current: Extreme Overcast
-Forecast: Rain

Over 300 fighters (80% LR CAP) available, none showed up.

[Lokasenna]

Can we get a screen capture of the settings?

[Admiral DadMan]

I'm asking for my opponent, so I'll have to back out of this thread if he wishes to post.

[rustysi]

(9 & 12 hexes)

(16 hexes each)

Are these supposed to be ranges? If yes then you will fail.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

(9 & 12 hexes)

(16 hexes each)

Are these supposed to be ranges? If yes then you will fail.

+1 to the Nth

at 16 hexes there would be no time left on target as the travel would eat up all of it.

[rustysi]

Yeah, I seem to recall that LRCAP is not effective past 3/4 hexes.

[Lokasenna]

I'd believe 9 hexes with drop tanks, but you won't get many planes there.... 16 hexes definitely not. 12 hexes, maybe - if it's A6M2 or an Oscar. Big maybe.

You can't really LRCAP very well outside of Normal range. In fact, the game may not let you do so - it may spit an "OUT OF RANGE!" message despite letting you set the target. I know that message exists because I set LRCAP on TFs that are currently out of range all the time, and in some cases they might be within Extended range... but I also know that by the time the air phases roll around, the TF will be well within range and the LRCAP will work.

[koniu]

From my experience 4-5 hexes is max distance of effective LCAP. 6-9 sometimes but most of planes will have very long interception times. Usually most of planes will not intercept.

Also bigger distance of LCAP bigger impact of fatigue. Two days of such mission and pilots will be fatigued 40+ and morale will start decreasing.

Also LCAP work only if range is inside normal plane range.

[m10bob]

Sometimes I will assign an LRCAP to an enemy city, but range and rest time are MAJOR considerations.
I generally set ANY LRCAP to "0" CAP and maybe 30% LRCAP.
All LRCAP missions will offer a "target", of course, and if I am having them cover a certain location, I use that target option.
NOTE: By using a single squadron of maybe 24 planes, on LRCAP, over distance of 7 or more hexes, I do not expect more than maybe 5-7 planes to be there at once.
I use them on B29 bomber assist, and send scads of sweeps there as well.
One city at a time, airfield and attrition first.

[crsutton]

Long range cap is always a crap shoot. Sometimes it will be there for one package of bombers and not be there for another. Makes sense to me. I still prefer it over regular escorts though. All the factors that affect any other type of mission come into play. So, good leaders, experience, range---you know the drill.

[IdahoNYer]

interesting discussion with regards to ranges - which has me think of a question of using drop tanks. If a fighter has drop tank capability, will using the drop tank option (expending more supply) provide a greater number of fighters to be available on LRCAP if in normal range? Reasoning being using the tanks gives the planes more loiter time on station? Realistically I would think it would make a difference, but does it in the game? Example - F4Fs doing LRCAP at 5 hexes - max normal radius w/o tanks. Using drop tanks, its max normal radius is now 8 hexes - will using the tanks provide more fighters on LRCAP at the 5 hex target?