AmiralLaurent
Posts: 3351
Joined: 3/11/2003 From: Near Paris, France Status: offline
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After a year of UV gaming, I have a theory about these orders for surface combat ships: They can do three kinds of TF: surface, bombardment or fast transport With orders "Do not retire" all these TF will sail to the target point and arrive during day or night phases depending or the distance. Bombardment TF will nevertheless retire after a bombardment run, except if they have orders to follow a TF remaining in the target hex ! Same things for the surface TF that became engaged in battle, they will return to base. With orders to "Retire", bombardment and fast transport TF will reach their target hex only during the night, so finishing the turn before at the good range to arrive there at night. They will leave at dawn. Surface TF will still reach the target point in daylight or night phases and then leave, even if they didn't engage anything. I tried to give bombardment orders to TF for open sea interceptions (of enemy CVs) but if the target hex is open sea, the bombardment TF behaves like a surface TF and may arrive there during the day phase. As for choosing the right type of TF, surface TF fight better than bombardment of FT ones, especially in the "surprise" phase. So if you want to attack enemy shipping at night but not especially to pound the ground, you can send a bombardment TF towards the target hex with orders 'retire'. It will finish the turn at 9-12 hexes of the target, a distance it could do during the night for the raid. Then change the type of TF to "surface TF" with the same hex target. So you are sure your surface TF will strike at night. No for reactions moves. A surface TF will only react to defend a friendly dot (or base, of course), never against a target in open sea or at an enemy base. It will react to the "attacked" hex if there is a transport or a fast transport TF unloading or a surface or bombardment TF. I'm still not sure if there is reaction against a minesweeping TF. I would say not but it seems to me that happens once in my games. Maybe this has to do with the detection level of the enemy TF. Reaction move has more chance to be launched if you have troops in the hex (at least I think so). It may also help to have an agressive TF commander in your surface TF (but I have no proof of that). As for the range of the move, it may be up to the maximum fast range of the TF (in upper left corner of the TF screen, you have its speed with two numbers like 9/5. The first is the number of hexes the TF will do at full speed in one turn = the max range of a reaction move). To be efficient, a "reaction" TF should have orders "patrol/do not retire" and stay at his maximum range of the threatened base (to avoid enemy planes). I use them only when I have no idea of the target, as several nearby bases may be hit. Or as patrols when small enemy TF use to cruise in friendly waters. Another use of surface TF: antisubmarine warfare. Two tips: 1) if an enemy sub is sitting off one of your ports, you can send/create a surface TF with orders "patrol" in the hex. When the TF is arrived, verify that it doesn't dock. An undocked surface TF will patrol off the port and is very likely to meet the submarine. Then you have to have enough good ASW ships to destroy it. 2) as for ASW TF, if you send only DD or SC, a submarine may attack any of your ship before being detected. If you send for ASW search a transport TF (for example an AV escorted by 5 DD and 9 SC) or a MSW TF (replace the AV by a MSW), the submarine is likely to try to attack the escorted ship and is more likely to be detected before launching torpedoes. Do this only if you like better losing an AV or a MSW than a DD, as there is always a risk. Now to transport TF: With "react" orders, they will flee away from enemy CVs (everytime) but also from enemy surface TF in the same hex (even if this TF never reaches them) and from LBA (sometimes, if they suffer losses). With "no react" orders, they will sail until they are destroyed or the mission is done. All my routine convoy are given "react" orders. All special convoys (invasion or special convoys to threatened bases) have "no react" orders.
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