Very Basic questions

[unmerged(30009)]

May I take advantage of this thread to ask one (more) newbie question?
I am wondering how to use optimally airfleet. Is it better to have mixed tactical bombers and fighter together or distinct fleets? In the Germany 1936 scenario, fighters and bombers are mixed up, which is good as it provides escort for the bombing missions. Now I guess that it will expose unnecessarily my bombers when I just want to send fighters on intercept/patrol missions ?
How do experts usually deal with that? Micromanagement?

 

[unmerged(17617)]

I personally prefer to keep the fighters and bombers seperated in several large stacksof 9 to 12 wings. That way, the fighters don't get mauled during bombingruns and the bombers can use their full range without having to build long range aircraft (their airattack is lower). In the first couple of weeks of the war I use these big stacks to hunt down enemy aircraft, and especially fighters. When the enemy no longer has big stacks of aircraft I put them on intercept along the frontline. It takes some micromanagement, but It works for me

 

[unmerged(28755)]

Hi Koop,

Thanks for the reply. I set up a convoy (supplies only) which I intend to use to keep the 3 Inf. Div. I sent to Nationalist Spain running for two days before my expiditionary force showed up. I assume that my units in Spain should be keept in supply providing enemy held land does not seperate them from the port that the convoy sends supplies to. Is this correct or have I overlooked something?

 

[unmerged(17617)]

If you send units as expeditionary forces they are supplied and reinforced by the host nation, so you don't have to run a convoy. But since they were having trouble it might be worthwile to keep it running. In the convoyscreen you can see how much supplies you are shipping to Spain, increase your supply production since it will not show up in the top of the screen but it will be subtracted.

 

[unmerged(28755)]

A strange problem developed in Vigo, Spain. My transports droped off the troops and suddenly,my flotilla is under a Spanish (nationalist) flag with a destroyer and cruiser added. As I saw republican forces coming towards me I attempted to send my troops to engage them yet for some unknown reason I can’t make them move at all. After giving up on having them move my ships took off to attack some British colony in Africa with no orders from me at all. I have no idea what’s going on but I don’t like it. Any ideas on what’s happening and how to control my own units in Spain?

 

[unmerged(17617)]

From your discription, I think you gave your transports as exp. forces to Spain. Unfortunately, the AI, somehow, can split large stacks of exp. forces. This happens mostly to ships, so you should't give ships as exp. forces. What happened to your troops I don't know . Perhaps it's best to return to an earlier savegame and try it again.

 

[unmerged(28755)]

After lots of struggling I figured out the expeditionary problem. Basically, if the transports are not given as expeditionary units they can't dock. If you unload the troops off the coast (in the same manner as you load them) they wither away and have a little skull next to them. To get around this, you make the transports part of the expeditionary force, have them off load the troops and then take the ships away from the expeditionary force. In the mean time (for reasons unknown to me) the troops you off loaded are not part of the expeditionary force any longer so you have to go back to the diplomacy screen and reinstate them as such. At this point you can move and use the units you sent to Spain although I have no idea if they will stay in supply or if they can be brought back up to strength after a battle or kept in supply as they are meant to be.

 

[unmerged(17617)]

Even when the troops are onboard the transports, you can give them as exp. forces just as if they were on land. When you have done that(scroll down the list untill you see units without a placename) , you can offload them, there's no need to give the tranports as well. Expeditionary forces are supplied and reinforced by the host, so you don't have to worry about that, but the AI will sometimes send them from one province to another and then into battle at low org. or have them wiped out in battle, so you might want to keep an eye on your forces.