Air coverage over Germany

[21oliver]

Just looking for different views... How many INTs do you typically cover Germany with early in the game? where and in what groupings (2,3,4 etc...)? Do you typically move them forward (French/Dutch Coast)? Do you still cover the heartland too? Just interested in hearing some different strategies...

 

[SirArthur]

I think last time I had 5 - 6 x 3 INT. Should be more then enough. I usually cover France with 2-3 and the rest with 2. However, since I convoy-NAV the coast of Brest (and that is very successfull) I don't know if it matters if the UK is out of convoys. And then I usually blitz UK, by the time it gets important (later in the war) UK is no more. The STRAT attacks always target the same citys, however, I keep Netherlands and Belgium out of the war, so they always fly of Bremen and then the bombers run into the 2 x INT x 3.

 

[21oliver]

I normally run 10 sets of INTx2 but I have seen other set-ups was just wondering. Thx

 

[misterbean]

You don't need more than 3 or 4 groups. One each in Wilhelmshaven, the Ruhr area, Leipzig (based out of Prague), plus one other in reserve in Berlin. Each group is usually 4 int.

 

[Pugmak]

Heh.

I start building Ints in 2x parallel runs until I have 2 in every airfield Ger starts with, as well as 2 airports I build starting at game start. Those two fields being one at Dortmund and one at or near Dresden.

The interceptors at Dortmund are set to one province patrol over Dortmund because that place is a strat bomber magnet. The one I build at or near Dresden is just because that area looks so empty and... Dresden was a bomber magnet irl, and you never know when history will repeat.

I have found that pairs of interceptors are enough during the first year of war. I also have enough spread out that when a pair of interceptors starts getting beat up, I can simply cancel it's intercept mission and assign that area to a nearby airfield that was holding in reserve. This lets me keep fresh air fleets in rotation.

As the war progresses, I can regroup my air fleets into whatever size needed, and have enough on hand to spread out to cover conquests.

Early 1940, usually, I stop building interceptors and start building multi-rolls which I use in both ground attack and air superiority missions.

This method ain't min/max, and it's probably not all that wise a use of IC and resources, but it's a habit, and it seems to work well enough for me.

 

[misterbean]

Anyone still remembers HOI 2? I used to have like a minimum of 30 int before the war even started. I feel like it was needed more in that game too.

 

[Pugmak]

Heh, Yes. I do, misterbean. That's probably why I still build crap loads of ints. Habits get hard to break once a brain is old enough to begin calcifying.

 

[21oliver]

The thing with Germany is early on you reach a point where what else do you need to build? Its not like INTs are ever a waste... But I am interested in the different coverage strategies.

 

[misterbean]

The thing with Germany is early on you reach a point where what else do you need to build? Its not like INTs are ever a waste... But I am interested in the different coverage strategies.

You don't have to convince me. I am a solid backer of air supremacy first, bombing second. But after playing this game so often, I know where the Allies will usually strike after the fall of France.