skip bombing?

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945 >> skip bombing?

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skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 8:09:02 AM

doktor1957

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Is it possible to skip bomb? Will my bombers do it automatically? Or do they have to be set at a certain (low) alititude?

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 8:16:25 AM

bradfordkay

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You have to set them at 100' altitude. They'll take heavy losses, but if their experience is high (like in the 80's) they'll get a lot of hits.

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 8:18:25 AM

doktor1957

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Thanks, got to love the image of 500 lb bombs coming through the hull!

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 8:28:15 AM

bradfordkay

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Level bombers also take morale hits when performing missions below 6000'. You want to save the skip bombing for important situations, or you'll get a lot of pilots having a hard time "finding the target".

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 10:13:51 AM

Knavey

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According to the manual, level bombers have the possibility of taking a 30 point morale hit if they have and altitude set for less than 6000 feet AND have more damaged a/c than intact a/c near the end of the resolution phase.

Keep in mind this is only a POSSIBILITY.

I have several B-25 groups operating at 100 feet and they continue to have high morale. Just watch them closely, because 30 morale points means a long R&R period.

Another question...I have noticed that when skip bombing I am getting a lot of messages that say the MGs are hitting the ships, but I have yet to see one that says a bomb hits the ship. However my opponent says his ships are coming up pretty damaged, and so it looks like the bombs are out there, but they are just not showing up on the reports. Anyone else seeing this? Or are my MGs just that effective?

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 11:04:23 AM

LargeSlowTarget

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AFAIK bomb hits should be reported when skip-bombing. Maybe your pilots are not experienced enough to obtain bomb hits, but they are good enough to strafe the targets. Some Mitchell versions carried a dozen or so forward-firing .50 cal MGs - the receiving end should be shredded!

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 1:06:25 PM

Knavey

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High 70s for experience for the 25 crews. Figure that should be good enough for 1 bomb hit from over 100 sorties.

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 2:44:46 PM

saj42

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When pilot experience gets into the 80s you will see more bomb hits.
The A-26B invader and B-25J Mitchell are great in this role - don't you just love all those .50Cal MGs in the nose

- will chew up transports and anything up to Destroyer size.

The only use I ever found for P-39s was low level strike on Jap supply convoys into Buna / Lae etc - the 37mm does some damage. IMO you take less losses to flak than if you use them A2A.

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 6:33:00 PM

dereck

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quote:

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

You have to set them at 100' altitude. They'll take heavy losses, but if their experience is high (like in the 80's) they'll get a lot of hits.

I noticed at 100 feet all they do is strafe ... I set my bombers (B-25s, A-20s AND B-24s) to 1000 feet and watch them plaster the ships with bombs. I've destroyed more than one merchant convoy and once, in an act of sheer desparation since I had no carriers around, sent all my bombers, fighters and fighter/bombers on naval attack at 1000 feet and played havoc with a computer controlled carrier force (2 CV and 1 CVL sunk and Port Moresby saved from all but a very bad naval bombardment).

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 6:37:28 PM

bradfordkay

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Dereck, sure you can set your bombers to 1000', but they will not be skip bombing. It's well known that setting level bombers to 6000' gains far more hits on ships than seems historically correct; setting them to 1000' will be further improved. Keep in mind the chance of morale hits.

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 6:46:09 PM

dereck

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quote:

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Dereck, sure you can set your bombers to 1000', but they will not be skip bombing. It's well known that setting level bombers to 6000' gains far more hits on ships than seems historically correct; setting them to 1000' will be further improved. Keep in mind the chance of morale hits.

Well I only reported what I've noticed in my game. When I set the altitude to 100 feet I only noticed strafing and no reports of ships sunk (I'm playing the AI with fog of war off so I'd know) BUT when I have the altitude at 1000 feet I regularly sink ships. I just go with what gets the best results for me which has been bombing at 1000 feet.

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/21/2005 7:27:04 PM

niceguy2005

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quote:

ORIGINAL: dereck

quote:

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Dereck, sure you can set your bombers to 1000', but they will not be skip bombing. It's well known that setting level bombers to 6000' gains far more hits on ships than seems historically correct; setting them to 1000' will be further improved. Keep in mind the chance of morale hits.

I thought that the only bombers to skip bomb were DBs set at 100ft. Other AC at 100ft will strafe.

Well I only reported what I've noticed in my game. When I set the altitude to 100 feet I only noticed strafing and no reports of ships sunk (I'm playing the AI with fog of war off so I'd know) BUT when I have the altitude at 1000 feet I regularly sink ships. I just go with what gets the best results for me which has been bombing at 1000 feet.

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/22/2005 8:17:51 AM

bradfordkay

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" I thought that the only bombers to skip bomb were DBs set at 100ft. Other AC at 100ft will strafe. "

According to the manual, any bombers set to attack ships at 100' will attempt to skip bomb.

(Planes flying a Naval Attack Mission with an altitude of 100 feet will skip bomb and strafe their target. Skip bombing is a very accurate way to bomb a ship if the experience of the pilots is over 60, but the accuracy falls when their experience is below 60 and very dramatically below 50. Of course, flak from ships will be very intense at 100 feet.)

IMO, it's a waste to use dive bombers on skip bombing missions, as they are already quite accurate. Skip bombing is used to increase the accuracy of level bombers, which historically were pretty ineffective against moving naval targets (sure, there's a few spectacular examples of success). Anyone who has played a lot of UV/WITP knows that level bombers at 6000' or below are good enough to not have to resort to skip bombing. Remember, the lower you go, the more intense will be the AA.

< Message edited by bradfordkay -- 10/22/2005 8:26:08 AM >

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/22/2005 1:52:22 PM

Sardaukar

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Skip bombing is very good against lightly armoured targets. And those nose-mounted .50cals are very good too. But beware when you encounter BBs and CAs when have bombers set to skip bomb. Ships get only belt hits from skip bombing, and that is the best armoured part in those ships. Plus flak will eat your planes alive. So have to be careful what to skip bomb..

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/22/2005 10:07:39 PM

rogueusmc

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Even if you are just getting hits with the .50s, the ships will take a good chunk of system damage. Maybe not Float but whatever it is carrying is getting chewed to pieces too. Yard time plus loss of cargo is a real irritant.

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RE: skip bombing? - 10/23/2005 6:33:31 AM

shall59

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Skip bombing is very good against lightly armoured targets. And those nose-mounted .50cals are very good too. But beware when you encounter BBs and CAs when have bombers set to skip bomb. Ships get only belt hits from skip bombing, and that is the best armoured part in those ships. Plus flak will eat your planes alive. So have to be careful what to skip bomb..

I don't know how it's modeled in the code but in actuality the bombs were fused with about a two to three second delay so they would hit the side of the ship, sink, and then blow a hole below the waterline.

(in reply to Sardaukar)

Post #: 16