FighterBombers - How can i pimp them up ?

[Bee1976]

Hi there,

in my next playthrough im thinking about using fighterbombers. Normally i never use them they feel weak. Not much bombing dmg and due to low initiative real weak as fighters.

But, maybe there are ideas/tricks/heros/combos to make them more useful/viable ?

[Stormchaser]

I mostly use them to supplement both my Fighter and Bomber forces. Yes, they are weaker than a Fighter or Bomber in those respective roles, but they are often still strong enough to finish off those 1-2 Strength enemy Fighters so your stronger Fighters can focus on other targets or as an unescorted bomber into enemy territory as they are much less defenseless if an enemy Fighter goes after them. Then, when the skies are clear, unlike Fighters they are much better at supporting the ground units as they can actually regularly deal some damage to ground enemies, even if once again they aren't as powerful as a dedicated bomber.

As for Heroes, setting aside the general purpose Heroes that are good on anything like Double Attack, Zero Slots, etc, you have things like:

• If the low Initiative bothers you too much a First Strike Hero makes that a moot point (Readiness/No Retaliation give the same effect but only on defense/offense respectively).

• Crippling Blow/Exterminator/Butcher/Tank Killer to boost damage against particular targets.

• Aggressive Counterattack to improve defensive capabilities

• Shock Tactics can be useful for setting up captures.

• Aiming Assistance and to a lesser extent Leadership turn Fighter Bombers into mobile buff dispensers (Do Distraction or Fearsome Reputation work with planes? Might need to check that out sometime, would make debuff dispensers).

• Provocator gives a Fighter Bomber a way to escort regular Bombers and pairs well with Aggressive Counterattack and/or First Strike.

• An Avenger+Prudent combo could be interesting to pair with the low Initiative especially if you use Overstrength

[VirgilInTheSKY]

• Aiming Assistance and to a lesser extent Leadership turn Fighter Bombers into mobile buff dispensers (Do Distraction or Fearsome Reputation work with planes? Might need to check that out sometime, would make debuff dispensers).

Can confirm that Distraction works on aircrafts, but iirc they won't affect ground targets when placed on aircrafts.

[adiekmann]

Hi there,

in my next playthrough im thinking about using fighterbombers. Normally i never use them they feel weak. Not much bombing dmg and due to low initiative real weak as fighters.

But, maybe there are ideas/tricks/heros/combos to make them more useful/viable ?

I would second several of Stormchaser's suggestions as I do the same. If you are starting over in SCW, what I do is right away park my Recon aircraft in the reserves because I now know the maps well enough that I don't need it. I wait until I roll at least one Zero Slot hero from my Killer Team. Then I buy 2 more tac bombers. They are quite effective in this campaign and build xp rather quickly. So later, in AO39, I get the Il-2 I and end up having a total of 6 tac bombers, most of them with lots of xp already fairly early in the campaign (that is the entire AO series of DLCs). Two of them I convert eventually to Stukas, keep the Il-2 as is, and the other two I convert to Bf 110Cs. Those two fighter bombers have around 3000 xp by then and can do good work. They are flexible which makes them valuable plus with that much experience and boosted in ways that Stormchaser already outlined in his post, they are totally worth it! In fact, sometimes I only use them instead of Stukas just because of their lower core slot cost.

Hope that helps.

[Scrapulous]

I usually put entrenchment killer heroes (which I always seem to have in abundance) on fighter-bombers, to increase their versatility. It reduces the number of "well, nothing better to do, so I'll shave a little health off some infantry unit" turns and gives them the ability to tear down enemy fortifications.

[Bee1976]

Thx for the great input so far

The reason i am asking is, that there are amazing way to tune up "weak" units. Like the fragile "Neubaufahrzeug". But with AT and/or Artillery Support and Camouflage on it, its a killer. Traps with an expensive artillery unit in town, wood or even in the open with the camouflaged Neubahrfahrzeug behind it works great

But it seems those fighterbombers are usefull even without special heros on it. So i will try them out.

And the idea of "no retaliation" + readiness + agressive counterattack sounds promising aswell.

[VirgilInTheSKY]

Thx for the great input so far

The reason i am asking is, that there are amazing way to tune up "weak" units. Like the fragile "Neubaufahrzeug". But with AT and/or Artillery Support and Camouflage on it, its a killer. Traps with an expensive artillery unit in town, wood or even in the open with the camouflaged Neubahrfahrzeug behind it works great

But it seems those fighterbombers are usefull even without special heros on it. So i will try them out.

And the idea of "no retaliation" + readiness + agressive counterattack sounds promising aswell.

And the only problem of making them useful enough lies within that RNG that generates heroes for you.

[nexusno2000]

Assuming Bf110s you get 11 str for 2 slots or 13 str for 3 slots (the same as str 10 stuka).

Str 13 makes for a fairly good bomber, giving 30% more shots than a str 10 stuka. Not GREAT vs heavy tanks but you have Stukas for that

But perfect for softening up inf/cav/low AD hard targets. And for killing off those pesky units that retreated with a point to two of str...

It can also double as a fighter. Not alone, but to give your 109s that mass attack bonus and finish off a damaged defender.

Speed 16 is pretty damn good too, letting them reach where they need to go.

Their cost is low, so repairing mid-scenario isn't a problem. Just don't hurl them too far forward early on or they'll get ganged up on (str 13 makes for a safer plane btw).

Typically I run 2xstr 11 Bf110s early on then later go up to str 13 to make them more durable.

Relatedly: In SCW those 1-slot bombers are super fun. Str 12 for 1 slot. Sure, they are slow and don't hit hard, but that's 24 str for 2 slots!

[scorehouse]

Galland with OS 15 plus any of the others recommended that aren't already included with the Galland Hero. at OS 15 my 110's can finish off 3-5 strength fighters. add 1.5x or 2x to be sure. very versatile also the long range helps in tracking fighters to their bases and killing them before they can resupply. to rally pimp it up add dpuble move and double attack

[Tassadar]

• Shock Tactics can be useful for setting up captures.

Out of that whole list this does not just well with me somehow. I'm not really sure that it's the best place for them - tactical bombers and lighter artillery seem best for that hero. Sure, fighter/bombers do not deal that much damage to ground targets on average, but most of the time you will find that even that little bit is too much when trying to get surrenders thanks to Shock Tactics.

As for other comments in this thread, I agree completely. Fighter/bombers are useful for their ability to perform versatile roles. They soften targets for ground troops to finish off or to be able to fight on equal ground. They take out or weaken key support units when needed, chase 1-2 strength planes that the fighters or AA guns did not manage to finish off and all that while being able to operate independently with the right heroes. It's just a matter of getting used to actively finding a purpose on the battlefield. It pays off to have one or two in the core and keep them busy between missions.

There's one point to add here however. They work much better in AO DLC than in the base campaign, as they have much more time to earn experience and operate on theaters where the enemy has relatively weak fighters. If other DLC come out for other factions, things will look slightly different there as well.

[Panzer73]

I keep two in my core as they are very versatile. I've been building up my tactical bombers to 2.5 - 3 starts before converting them to fighter-bombers in the AO DLCs. Really good to have at least +1 SA and +1 HA before conversion. I play with "No Overstrength" so can't comment on that, but I've been using "entrenchment killer" heroes along with "first strike" or "no retaliation" in AO41. The Beaufighter and the Bf109Z make good long-distance replacements for fighters over the USSR.

Also, if you skip the IL-2 reward in AO39 for logic or moral reasons, a double-attack Bf110 is the only way to save the Blucher (or one with double-attack & double-move and the other with double-attack...).

[sakura006]

They have longer range, lower core cost, and more versatile than both fighters or bombers. I usually bring one to most scenarios. There are some scenarios you don't want to bring any stuka due to some intense air battles. But if you still want to have some air support, just bring fighter-bombers.