Ground units and AA units couple of questions

[Cavalry Corp]

All a couple of questions based on japan side

What is the requirement for upgrades and replacements land units. Like supply - Base size and or location. Most of my units never seem to take many replacements or upgrade??

In order of type and gun size what are the best AA units for Japan against 4E bomber and other types like 20mm and so on what are they good for. Do leaders and or experience or prep point make any difference for AA units.

Thanks

[PaxMondo]

20mm will keep strafing and low level bombing at bay. Use them at bases until barrage balloons are available or with forces outside of bases.

10cm and up are the best, but you don't get nearly enough. Further, it takes +3 IJ AA units to create the equivalent US AA unit. So, simply put, you don't have enough AA to protect more than 2 or 3 targets. Even then, 4E's (heavy bomber designation) will prosecute attacks even in the face of high losses. This is in contrast to medium bombers.

So, bottom line:

- use what you have
- 75mm and up is hvy AA
- everything else is light AA for strafers
- you have to have good fighter cover wherever you want protection. AA is in support of the fighters.

[Cavalry Corp]

Thanks!! very clear on AA units - any AA units use generic replacement points from armaments? I cannot see if the guns are actually made otherwise. Not followed this enough in the past I know.

Hope some one will come back on the LCU question - just about to start a new game.

[rustysi]

What is the requirement for upgrades and replacements land units. Like supply - Base size and or location. Most of my units never seem to take many replacements or upgrade??

any AA units use generic replacement points from armaments?

Yes, as long as you have armaments points available it's possible to get replacements. Of course the unit needs to allow replacements and upgrades, whose buttons are found in the lower left hand corner of the unit screen. Units will take replacements almost anywhere in my experience. A well supplied large base is the best place to do so.

[Cavalry Corp]

OK and thanks.

[rustysi]

Oh, a couple of things I just remembered on taking replacements. The further from the enemy the better IIRC, and more important, dividing divisions will speed up rebuilding. Just watch you don't have an upgrade mismatch or the unit will not recombine. I generally turn off upgrades when a unit requires extensive replacements.

[Cavalry Corp]

Thanks again - did not know that about divisions seems bit odd. I have enough trouble getting them into the right place together anyway.

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: cavalry

Thanks again - did not know that about divisions seems bit odd. I have enough trouble getting them into the right place together anyway.

The check for replacements is per unit. So a full division checks once, but if you split it into its 3 pieces, each piece gets a check for replacements. Easy way to speed up recovery of larger units. Also, in my experience it seems putting a unit in Rest mode seems to increase speed of recovery and replacements.

[Aurorus]

Units at bases receive replacements and recover disabled squads faster than units at non-bases. Larger bases are better. It seems impossible for units outside of bases to upgrade devices. A base must be in supply (no red !) in order to provide upgrades or replacements. Each base that can trace a supply path to the unit can attempt to provide replacements. The longer the supply path, the less frequently the unit can receive replacements from that base. Bases with 20k or more supply will provide more replacements. So the best way to rebuild units is at a cluster of large bases, conntected by major roads or railroads, with 20k+ supply at as many bases as possible.

Be sure to watch for spoilage when hoarding supply at multiple bases to serve as an R&R center for your units.

[Cavalry Corp]

Great and thanks - also on Barage Balloons are they created in terms of numbers or just exist at a base - what is the criteria for a base to have them??

[PaxMondo]

balloons require level 3? to start to appear (or is it lvl3 for sub nets and lvl 4 for balloons? Ach I forget right now...). larger the base, the more there are. it is abstracted, you won't see anything except low level attacks will take more damage. for sub nets, only the midgets of the IJ can penetrate them.

[BillBrown]

This is what michaelm had to say about barrage balloons.

One of my very early addition to counter low level attacks.

The Balloon effect is determined by maximum value of (a) plus (b) below. The overall maximum of the sum is 9.
(a) Balloons are present in a base if the AF + port > 6. The value is the fort level of the hex.
(b) Balloons can be added to a base/LCU by creating a device of type BALLOON. The value is the number of devices. [not currently in use]

They affect aircraft flying below 6000'.

Twin-engine or higher planes increase the number of balloons by 4.

Balloon level is not reported but is usually the fort level if the combined value of the base is >6.
Pilot experience should help to avoid balloons (except for the bug I just found which is not always using the right pilot!!!)

[Cavalry Corp]

Thanks for all this great knowledge

[MakeeLearn]

If I have a AirHQ at a base I've been assigning all AA units there to that AirHQ.

Synchronizing all AA, radar and Squadrons at a base under one command.

[Cavalry Corp]

And does that do anything - I have always thought that changing commands was good and correct but there are way to few PP to do this.

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: cavalry

And does that do anything - I have always thought that changing commands was good and correct but there are way to few PP to do this.

?? Dont know. But it makes me feel better[;)]

Just started doing it, so Ive not noticed anything yet.

[MakeeLearn]

It makes a difference to have "Command HQ of the base to be the same Command HQ of the AirHQ at the base"

tm.asp?m=3064971&mpage=1&key=AirHQ&#3065072

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

This is what michaelm had to say about barrage balloons.

One of my very early addition to counter low level attacks.

The Balloon effect is determined by maximum value of (a) plus (b) below. The overall maximum of the sum is 9.
(a) Balloons are present in a base if the AF + port > 6. The value is the fort level of the hex.
(b) Balloons can be added to a base/LCU by creating a device of type BALLOON. The value is the number of devices. [not currently in use]

They affect aircraft flying below 6000'.

Twin-engine or higher planes increase the number of balloons by 4.

Balloon level is not reported but is usually the fort level if the combined value of the base is >6.
Pilot experience should help to avoid balloons (except for the bug I just found which is not always using the right pilot!!!)

At 6K feet or below is the only correction I have here.

Make sure you update to the later betas as they were not working against night attacks for a while.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Make sure you update to the later betas as they were not working against night attacks for a while.

+1

but I think the last official update has this in it ...

[geofflambert]

The Japanese have a few 88mm flak regiments. I'm not talking about the "Type 88 75mm" AA. They reverse engineered them from some captured (from the Chinese) German flak guns. These were early versions of them supplied to the Chinese at a time that Germany was friendly with them. The Japanese never got plans or license to build the most up to date ones. Nonetheless, these are the puppies you want sitting on a 4E target.