Aircraft

[Poor Yorek]

I suspect this due game requirements. PG is a ground game, deciding the results outside that scope.

I'd also like simply to point out that my post #7 said, I think, much the same thing when I wrote: I guess the other simple possibility is that APL selects actions in which tactical air power was not a significant factor simply to focus on actions in which ground combat operations were predominant and decisive.

So after all of the above, PLloyd and I agree on at least that much.

[JoeBuckeye]

How close to the front would many aircraft be at this point in time? Ground to Air coordination was in it's infancy and many times Allied AA gunners would fire on Allied planes.

I see the destructive air attacks as taking places outside of any PG scenario. More like the air guys would get an order to plaster anything within a pretty big area and then after that the ground troops would head in.

[larry marak]

U.S. forces would light yellow smoke flares to indicate their forward-most position and then be pounded by allied planes anyway. Now at Kursk all bets are off. Ground attack planes that survived the gauntlet were determined to deliver their ordinance on any target they could reach. Target identification often occured only when camera footage was studied after the attack.

[Shad]

What's with the Western Front fixation? I specifically mentioned the Eastern Front late-war and no one went with that?

People like this guy: Nelson Stepanyan (confirmed destroyed 80 tanks, 600 armored vehicles) surely had an impact on German armor?

For some inconclusive citations: Ilyushin Il-2 -- Effectiveness as attack aircraft

I know nothing compared to most of you guys, which is why I asked in the first place, but from my sissy readings of Wikipedia some German AFVs should be getting hosed by aircraft. I don't own Kursk... maybe they're more prevalent there?

[Poor Yorek]

What's with the Western Front fixation? I specifically mentioned the Eastern Front late-war and no one went with that?

Shad,

Perhaps the explanation is that this mention was in your second, not the original post (by which I mean simply that, if you'll allow the pun, it flew under most radars)?

In SeWp23 (Mandated Defense), I wrote in that AAR: "Russian Air Force seems to have been drinking too much Vodka (read poor air draw and attack rolls)."

I couldn't hit the broad side of a Centurian (I blame this on "TheDoctor" effect). Even though the British had no AA-specific units, perhaps they were able to put up enough ground fire to ward off the Soviet air power? But sure, this was frustrating having access to ostensibly excellent Soviet anti-tank capable aircraft, but getting nothing from it in game terms except a wasted activation.

[plloyd1010]

What's with the Western Front fixation?

In my case it is because it was the 2 notes I had handy. I also suppose it is because I am more familiar with the Western Theater.

[plloyd1010]

How close to the front would many aircraft be at this point in time?

Tactical support aircraft are 2-5 miles ahead of the ground forces, unless called for a specific target. Front interdiction patrols are 10-30 miles deep over specified sectors. Deep patrols are flying as far along the roads as they can. Mostly we would only care about the first type, sometimes a few of the second.

[larry marak]

By 1948 specialized hunter-killer aircraft at part of PG, see Special Rules 12 and 13 in IC: Patton's Nightmare. PG runs from 1933 when aircraft were still mainly observers to the dawn of modern strike fighters. By 48 they have a very strong influence on the battlefield with "called shot" capability.

[J6A]

If nothing else, aircraft have a deterrent value, which I believe mirrors history to some extent. While most good PG players hug the good defensive terrain for dear life, aircraft can definitely disrupt guys rushing from place to place across open areas (especially in Russia). I don't think aircraft won land battles, in and of themselves. However, they gave the side being attacked one more headache.

[campsawyer]

My problem with the aircraft is when they are available, they just don't preform well. With a 33% chance of missing the target, then having to suffer DF modifiers for there attacks it just makes them very useless. Per my other post, I will give this a try and see how this works.