Recon planes question

[PoorOldSpike]

I'm still rusty after a layoff, so can somebody remind me if Recon planes support friendly units that are being attacked?
For example in this pic my US objective city is under siege by German units (Random Mission Generator 1942), so I've placed a Catalina recon over the city like a guardian angel in the hope that it''ll reduce the hitting power of any jerry unit that might attack my US infantry unit in the city.
Note the yellow boxed readout only says recon planes support friendly units that are attacking enemy units under a recon plane, it doesn't mention if the plane also supports our own units that are under attack.
In other words is there a guardian angel effect?

[VirgilInTheSKY]

Recom plane offers a precision bonus to friendly units attacking the enemy below it, and gets exp the same way ground recons do when such battle happens iirc. They don't actually "support" the battle in terms of dealing damage to the enemy or something.

[armedevil]

Benefit of recon planes in defense is limited, but:
1) parking a recon plane over your unit obviously prevents enemy air units from bombing it
2) parking a recon plane above te attacking unit (on the hex from where the attack will actually happen) provides the 10% bonus to the defending counterattack of your unit

/edit: By the way, recon planes are cheap and can be given 12-strength (for the same 1 core slot) and every star of experience adds 3% to the bonus (10-strength unit). So a five-star 12-strength unit gives a (10%+5*3%)*(12/10) =30% bonus, not 10%. Quite significant.

[PoorOldSpike]

Thanks guys, so even though recon planes don't have any "teeth" (guns or bombs) they still do provide useful eyeball support for the friends underneath them..

[adiekmann]

Thanks guys, so even though recon planes don't have any "teeth" (guns or bombs) they still do provide useful eyeball support for the friends underneath them..

Actually, the Fw 189 Owl does have a meager attack capability. It was originally designed as a light bomber and I pushed hard for its introduction into the game some years ago (along with a couple of other people). As I recall, the company rep asked for a good rationale to include it into the game other than "it's cool!" and I remember writing up a rather comprehensive one backed up by details from Wikipedia or some other website. I included a request to add the ability to have some limited attack capability and high defense since it was very maneuverable and difficult to shoot down. Anyway, it isn't going to replace your Stuka, but some offensive and defensive attack ability helps it grow its experience faster over the standard air recon aircraft they had before.

[PoorOldSpike]

Actually, the Fw 189 Owl does have a meager attack capability...

Yes-

[Tassadar]

Actually, the Fw 189 Owl does have a meager attack capability. It was originally designed as a light bomber and I pushed hard for its introduction into the game some years ago (along with a couple of other people). As I recall, the company rep asked for a good rationale to include it into the game other than "it's cool!" and I remember writing up a rather comprehensive one backed up by details from Wikipedia or some other website. I included a request to add the ability to have some limited attack capability and high defense since it was very maneuverable and difficult to shoot down. Anyway, it isn't going to replace your Stuka, but some offensive and defensive attack ability helps it grow its experience faster over the standard air recon aircraft they had before.

I sincerely hope that in Panzer Corps 3, heck, even in future DLC for Panzer Corps 2, we will see more planes like this with a mix of recon/light attack options. There should be more things like the Hs 126, WM-21, etc. and possible some redesigned or updated variants of already exists - so the Po-2 or Westland Lysander. There is a lot of untapped potential here.

[PoorOldSpike]

Another question about recon planes-
I've put my L-2 Grasshopper over that enemy panzer to give a combat boost to any of my ground units that are planning to attack the panzer, but the L-2's strength is down to only '4', so will the combat bonus be less than if it was '10'?
Same question applies to all other recon planes in the game.

[armedevil]

Accuracy boost is (strength)*(10 + 3*[experience level stars]) percent. So with strength 4, the boost is a lot less.

Combat preview ('L' shortcut when the prediction is visible, or afterward) has the calculations.

[PoorOldSpike]

Accuracy boost is (strength)*(10 + 3*[experience level stars]) percent. So with strength 4, the boost is a lot less.

Combat preview ('L' shortcut when the prediction is visible, or afterward) has the calculations.

Thanks, and I assume if I park a recon plane over one of my own units as below, it'll give my unit some protection if the enemy attacks it during his turn?

[armedevil]

You can check it with the 'L'-shortcut, but if I remember correctly, the recon unit must cover the location from where the attack takes place. Just like when you would be attacking the enemy instead of the other way around. Maybe a bit inconsistent, as combat takes place at the hex of your own unit.

/edit: On second thought, it is logical: you want recon info about the enemy, so the hex the enemy is attacking from. However, the enemy can sometimes choose to attack from another hex (not covered by recon) to avoid the disadvantage.

[PoorOldSpike]

You can check it with the 'L'-shortcut, but if I remember correctly, the recon unit must cover the location from where the attack takes place. Just like when you would be attacking the enemy instead of the other way around. Maybe a bit inconsistent, as combat takes place at the hex of your own unit.

Thanks, and yes I really must learn how to interpret the complex 'L' combat log..