Fighter escort or not?

PinkPanzer · Post by **PinkPanzer** » Mon May 16, 2011 10:57 pm

I tried doing a search but couldn't find anything relevent.

It seems like when my axis fighters escort bombers they suffer big step losses at the start of the game, so I started using them as bombers to draw off allied fighters first. Then let the bombers go unescorted.

What is the consensus forum wisdom about fighter escort?

schwerpunkt · Post by **schwerpunkt** » Tue May 17, 2011 1:55 am

If the FTRs are striking targets that you intend to attack and they are reducing entrenchment, then its can be a good approach. There is the possibility that they might suffer flak damage, which may accelerate their strength and efficiency reduction, which is the main downside.

PinkPanzer · Post by **PinkPanzer** » Tue May 17, 2011 3:37 am

schwerpunkt wrote:If the FTRs are striking targets that you intend to attack and they are reducing entrenchment, then its can be a good approach. There is the possibility that they might suffer flak damage, which may accelerate their strength and efficiency reduction, which is the main downside.

I was trying to hot seat a high probability turn 2 capture of belgium and average probability capture on turn 2 capture of poland. ie I was trying to put the boots to the french asap. Saving holland pp's for when france was on the ropes. So I railed 3 inf corps(northern, southern and western most) and the northern most tank and mech inf corps and moved all the fighters and tac bombers near the Belgium border and hot seated about 200 game starts. Yep that's a lot of pp's for over railing.

I probably did about 50 turn 2 tries of fighters escorting bombers on a turn 2 capture of belgium after after suffering numerous 3 or 4 step losses occasionally, I just went with 2 fighter 1 inf and one mech infantry attacks on liege, 1 strat bomber and one inf corps attack on the gar to the nw of brussels to bump it out of the way, and 2 tacs 1 tank and 2 inf attacks on brussels. I found it usually neccessary to attack holland on turn 2 to use the 2 southernmost hexes of holland to facilliate the turn 2 capture of belgium.

The whole experiment left me wondering about whether fighters should escort bombers or attack first to soak off enemy fighter interception.

A ww2 german schwerpunkt was a recon vehicle with big radio anteniis supported by 2 tanks. Do you know what a nebelpunkt was?

OT A year ago I posted a link to a pdf of Ted Williams: The science of hitting on the Blue Jays website forums. I wonder if Jose Bautista read it. The dude has become a hitting ma-fricking-chine. He should change his name to Babe Ruth. I worship Jose as a god of baseball. Dude is fricking sick.

kvadra · Post by **kvadra** » Tue May 17, 2011 2:39 pm

I'd say use the FTRs to bomb, and I think most people do it. The fall of France has to happen as quickly as possible, so one should put a tremendous effort into it.
One strategy I sometimes use, is attacking The Netherlands on turn 1, postponing Denmark until spring of '40, saving 8 PP. That way I may get about 30 PP, before launching blitzkrieg into Belgium and France, instead of only about 15 PP, and the attack on France can start on 2nd turn of spring.

PinkPanzer · Post by **PinkPanzer** » Tue May 17, 2011 6:12 pm

kvadra wrote:I'd say use the FTRs to bomb, and I think most people do it. The fall of France has to happen as quickly as possible, so one should put a tremendous effort into it.
One strategy I sometimes use, is attacking The Netherlands on turn 1, postponing Denmark until spring of '40, saving 8 PP. That way I may get about 30 PP, before launching blitzkrieg into Belgium and France, instead of only about 15 PP, and the attack on France can start on 2nd turn of spring.

I like attacking holland on turn 1 too. 2 inf and a gar attacking arnhem gives about a 50/50 chance to capture it on turn 1 plus you get 1 or 2 dutch hexs(the southern most) that you can rail reinforcements from the east to on turn 1.

kvadra · Post by **kvadra** » Sun May 22, 2011 12:57 pm

It just hit me, that if it is possible in GS 2 to attack Den Haag/Amsterdam from the north, then the fall of The Netherlands may be even quicker than before. So, say, if I railed 1 MECH and 1 INF to Rhinland on turn 1, the INF would help in the south and the MECH would attack from the north. Out of British FTR attack range, if I'm not mistaken. Of course, I'd have to be careful with British BBs and STR.
Just a thought.

rkr1958 · Post by **rkr1958** » Sun May 22, 2011 6:48 pm

kvadra wrote:It just hit me, that if it is possible in GS 2 to attack Den Haag/Amsterdam from the north, then the fall of The Netherlands may be even quicker than before. So, say, if I railed 1 MECH and 1 INF to Rhinland on turn 1, the INF would help in the south and the MECH would attack from the north. Out of British FTR attack range, if I'm not mistaken. Of course, I'd have to be careful with British BBs and STR.
Just a thought.

There's now a Dutch garrison that's north of The Hague guarding this approach.

kvadra · Post by **kvadra** » Sun May 22, 2011 6:52 pm

So there's a total of 3 GARs and 1 INF in The Netherlands?

rkr1958 · Post by **rkr1958** » Sun May 22, 2011 6:59 pm

kvadra wrote:So there's a total of 3 GARs and 1 INF in The Netherlands?

Yes. However; this third garrison really doesn't come into play if you take Holland out in 2 turns or less. On the first turn of the invasion Dutch units have no rail. However; if you don't take Holland out on the second turn and the allied player moved this 3rd garrison next to The Hague on turn 1 then they can use the swap function to replace a badly damaged infantry corps if applicable. That is, provided this garrison has not been badly depleted.

In one game against Borger I did this as the allied player. However; in our current game he dedicated a German infantry corps to deplete this unit to ensure I wouldn't do this again.