Fighters flying missions as bombers

[thedoctorking]

What is the thinking on this option? How do experienced players use this?

Seems like there's two ways to go. As the USSR, you can train fighter groups as bombers from the start. It seems like this locks you in if you should need more fighter numbers for gaining air superiority, since it seems that they use a greatly decreased skill level for air combat.

On the other hand, as either side, you can designate a squadron as a bomber even though it was originally trained as a fighter. This seems to be something that you would do just before launching a strike, and then go back afterwards and turn those squadrons back into fighters for the opponents' turn. Or would you? Is this just a poor substitute for not having enough real bombers? How effective are squadrons trained as fighters but them employed as bombers?

[thedoctorking]

Doing a few experiments and 36 Bf110's flying as bombers did as much damage to a USSR infantry division in the open as 30-some JU87's (different targets, turn 2, no USSR fighter opposition in either attack).

[tyronec]

I tried 110's as bombers and found them ineffective so they have done well for you, however Axis need all the fighters they can get.
Have tried converting the best bomb load soviet fighters to bomber and again poor results. I don't know for sure but they seem to work similar to LBs whereas they should perhaps be Tacs (like in WITW). However IMO the Soviet air force is already over powered so perhaps just as well. The Soviets already have lots of Tacs once you get into '42.

Probably difficult to play the air war against yourself as the AI or a human opponent is going to be using different tactics. Don't think I would have the patience to bother with all those masses of Soviet units without the pressure of human opposition.

[Telemecus]

For the Axis I usually find the fighter bombers as fighters not as good as fighters and as bombers not as god as bombers. Some models like the FWs can be very good fighters though. There are forum posts claiming the Bf110 are better at shooting down bombers unprotected - so perhaps useful for rear areas. And being trained for that mission (fighter or bomber trained) does help. But rather than sticking to one setting you can use the flexibility - I understand there is no permanent experience loss for switching. For instance switch to bombers when you need that, usually in your turn for a manual mission, and back to fighters at the end of your turn for your opponents phase when you need every fighter you can get.

[thedoctorking]

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

For the Axis I usually find the fighter bombers as fighters not as good as fighters and as bombers not as god as bombers. Some models like the FWs can be very good fighters though. There are forum posts claiming the Bf110 are better at shooting down bombers unprotected - so perhaps useful for rear areas. And being trained for that mission (fighter or bomber trained) does help. But rather than sticking to one setting you can use the flexibility - I understand there is no permanent experience loss for switching. For instance switch to bombers when you need that, usually in your turn for a manual mission, and back to fighters at the end of your turn for your opponents phase when you need every fighter you can get.

Yeah, I'm giving that a whirl with the German Bf110's. Seems to be working OK, though fatigue is becoming an issue. The USSR appears to have plenty of bombers, though the SB-2 doesn't seem to do much damage. In the earlier game, where the USSR was burying the German in numbers, I seemed to have plenty of USSR Tactical Bombers and didn't need many fighter-bombers. I did train a few regiments of fighters as bombers off the bat and they appeared to do OK though not nearly as destructive as Il-2's. So a mixed record. I'd love it if the model would just choose which weapon set to use by itself without the intervention of the player (also with dual-role ground weapons like the 88 or the Russian F-22 76mm gun).

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: thedoctorking
I'd love it if the model would just choose which weapon set to use by itself without the intervention of the player (also with dual-role ground weapons like the 88 or the Russian F-22 76mm gun).

Me too - the whole mission trained thing seems contrived - and defeats the concept of a fighter-bomber. Some of the problem comes from the wide definition of fighter-bomber. Many planes called fighter bomber were really just fighters adapted to carry some bombs (in some cases literally grenades hung by some rope underneath!) Perhaps they never should be called fighter bombers but just fighters doing general straffing. There were true fighter bombers in the war whose pilots could not only be said to be trained as fighters and tactical bombers, but in some way have a unique role made for themselves. Trying to fit them into the fighter/bomber dichotomy and making us choose just seems wrong headed.