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mind_messing -> RE: Ooops, I did it again (Lowpe (J) vs ?(A) (8/31/2020 9:03:10 PM)
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I've put a lot of thought into how to manage the initial pilot pools and training programme for to provide Japan with the best start. You might already be doing some of this, however. So far, my process has been:
1. Dump everyone flying a Nate with decent EXP (60+) into the reserve and use them to feed your frontline Oscar squadrons. Backfill with rookies and make the Nates training squadrons (except where needed for rear area CAP).
2. Dump all the decent IJA bomber pilots in China, Manchuria and Japan into the reserve. They'll feed the IJA bomber formations on the frontline, and act as a cadre for ASW training. The squadrons in Manchuria start the training programme, the China squadrons get rookies for on-the-job learning. The squadrons in Japan get the good EXP pilots to start building ASW skill.
3. Take one Betty/Nell squadron off the frontline to start IJN 2E training regime, and use the pilots as a reserve. This hurts operationally, but I think it's worthwhile to have the reserve and jump start the training process.
4. IJN land-based floatplane units need stripped of pilots to serve the ship-based squadrons and the patrol squadrons. Replace the lot with rookies and start a crash course ASW/NavS training regime. This hurts a bit, but there's not enough Jakes to go around before 6/42 and I don't rate the capability of the other IJN floatplanes. By the time you get Jakes enough for the land-based squadrons, your pilots should be in reasonable condition.
5. Move all recon squadrons in China, Manchuria and Japan off the frontline, bar one squadron in China for operational purposes. Let them train the existing pilots with NavS, then rotate to training a fresh batch. As the IJA recon pilot pool builds, you can rotate the squadrons back into operational duties (timed so they'll be shifting over to the Dinah rather than the Babs at this point).
6. Pull all the IJN recon squadrons off the frontline, train existing pilots with NavS for a bit, then start a fresh Recon/NavS regime with rookies. By the time the Judy-C rolls off the lines, you should have a nice pool of weathered pilots, backed up by a solid cadre of trained ones, and enough floatplane squadrons to shift Recon training to them.
7. Any IJN fighter pilots in Claudes get pulled off the frontline, replaced with rookies and set to train. IJN fighter pilots are like gold-dust until the squadrons get resized and training ramps up.
Essentially, the theme is to draw down some of Japan's Dec 7th advantages in terms of pilot quality to provide some depth to the pilot pools, stalling for better airframes and using the reduced frontline capacity to jumpstart the training programme on day one.
This plan does have the impact of drawing down Japan's frontline capacity by a good margin, but Allied starting assets in the DEI are so weak that it shouldn't be serious.
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