PaxMondo
Posts: 9750
Joined: 6/6/2008 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Aurorus quote:
ORIGINAL: Xargun So reading other AARs and seeing discussions it made me think (I can still do that for short periods of time at my age) and I took a look at my fighter plans and noticed I was lacking a dedicated escort for my IJA bombers (particularly the Helen). After looking at my options looks like the only real choice I have will be the IIIa Oscar. I choose that model as I can advance it enough to get it a month or two ahead of the Helen so I can have a stockpile to upgrade to as I start filling out Helen sentais. The Oscar is an all around crap fighter - but I'm hoping it can keep enemy cap off my bombers long enough for them to drop their bombs and get out. The Oscar will need to do the job until the Frank b comes online in late 43 / early 44. The Oscar IIIa is not much of an upgrade over the IIb. The biggest advantage to Oscar is the manueverability and the one engine: not the range. You can use Nicks for bomber escort. You lose 2 hexes of range, but you should not be launching a large number of long-range strikes in 1943, because you will not be able to sweep out CAP at long-range. The advantage to Oscar over Nick as an escort fighter is the one engine: which is more efficient production, because escort fighters get shot down, especially when escorting bombers over unswept bases. I would not bother with research. Your Oscar factories will upgrade to the IIb in May of 43, which is pretty good timing actually. All you get with the IIIa is a little more manueverability: which is nice, since manueverability is the Oscar's thing, but not worth researching. I play PDU:off, so I use Oscar, lots of Oscar, only because I do not have a choice. Given a choice, I would have 2 squadrons of Oscars and the rest Tojos and Tonies, until Frank, not the other way around. Oh... and a final thing... as to bombing at long range in 1943... the best use of Oscar is not as the escort for the bombers... but as the bomber itself. So, I'll take the other side ... Ki-43 IIIa is ok, IV is what you wanted to RnD from day 1. Too late now (you're at about 1Jun42?) to change, so keep with the IIIa. All you get from IIa to IIb to IIIa is 20mph top speed each model. Useful, but in 42/43 not the key variable. Numbers are, and you can build more than the allies get and put more units at the point of attack. 2:1 sweep numbers is what you need to win, 3:1 will crush the opponent. At this point, I wouldn't put too much into Oscar, rather put your effort into Frank. You should be able to pull Frank into mid '43 if you can get enough on it. You can afford to invest as you will build a lot of Frank from the day you get it until the end (unlike Oscar). In late game you will be building over 400/mo, so you can easily invest 12x30 factories on RnD for it now. When you get Frank a, keep some moving forward on the Frank r model. the toughest decision I always have to make every game: will I build the Frank b model? fearsome fighter. Best armament of the IJ in a fast, agile, tough plane with good climb. Very good until late '45, after that just good. Always good against all bombers, including 4E's.
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Pax
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