Air support?

[mangus2000]

Whats the best setting to have our Air Units? Combat Support or Interdiction?
Also do we get better results attacking from Bocage into open terrain or Visa Versa?

[Heinz57]

In Two Weeks in Normandy, interdiction can have a gradual erosive effect on the Axis, albeit very random.

Attacks in TOAW proceed from the least complicated to the most complicated, considering a wide range of factors - number of units attacking, amount of support, terrain type, etc. Leaving air support on "global combat support" will have a tendency, however, for all or most available air units to support that first attack; but from there the amount of support has a tendency to drop off so that only a few, or even no aircraft will be contributing to attacks by the 5th, 6th or 7th attack.

Generally, it may be better to assign your air units to specific attacks in support of units with the same background color. Fighters will perform better against armored targets, bombers against soft - infantry/artillery type targets.

I'm pretty certain that terrain modifiers apply to air attacks, as does the weather in the hex you are attacking. JAMIAM will probably know better on the specifics.

[Dicke Bertha]

Air set to general combat support will also help in overruns (just as viridomaros said about artillery also helping if they're on anything but mobile) - at least I think so.

Also, Heinz is right about the disproportionate and diminishing contribution of CS on battles as they unfold, at least that is my observation. Might be wise to look at your air units before hitting the resolve button; assign some to the important battles, have some on general combat support, and have some on rest (you can shift these units and their assignments during your turn so as not to wear them all out). Interdiction works even during battle, for instance if enemy reserves move up.

Air is tricky. I don't master that well. My general approach is to premier interdiction rather than combat support, especially as the turn closes, and direct support rather than combat support, but still try to have something on general combat support. If I have air superiority, and know that the enemy must move a lot, interdiction becomes all the more important towards the end of my turn... The message: shift order weight during the turn.

And I think loss settings for air untis are not affecting time consumption, only loss tolerance.

Someone wiser than me should comment.

[JAMiAM]

In this scenario, I heartily recommend using all of your units, with the exception of the two heavy bomber units, as interdiction only. Set them on ignore losses, and interdiction on the very first turn, BEFORE you do anything else. Otherwise, they will be worn out and reorganizing before you're finished with all the first turn attacks and overruns.

As the game goes on, your interdiction level will generally rise as you gain more territory. This is because interdiction is based on the proportion of the map that you control vis-a-vis your opponent. You may have some dips, due to your medium bombers being withdrawn (see the briefing). As it does rise, and the Germans try to move and fight against you, the increasingly incessant interdiction attacks will cause your opponent to get "gun-shy" and be afraid to either move, or to risk multiple attacks, since the interdiction attacks hit before each series of attacks. This will even more firmly cede the initiative to you.

[JAMiAM]

To follow up here (sorry, I'm at work and a bit distracted)...

The two heavy bomber units I usually set to rest, and use them for directly supporting specific attacks that are out of range of my naval units, or that need special attention.

[viridomaros]

In this scenario, I heartily recommend using all of your units, with the exception of the two heavy bomber units, as interdiction only. Set them on ignore losses, and interdiction on the very first turn, BEFORE you do anything else. Otherwise, they will be worn out and reorganizing before you're finished with all the first turn attacks and overruns.


right but by doing this, it's likely you'll get less OA and some are really critical for the first turn to me. Especially that it also improves the profeciency of the air unit by quite a bit. I agree that the air units will go faster into reorganising mode though.
i'm going to play a game against Helmer and see how it works using your method.


As the game goes on, your interdiction level will generally rise as you gain more territory. This is because interdiction is based on the proportion of the map that you control vis-a-vis your opponent. You may have some dips, due to your medium bombers being withdrawn (see the briefing). As it does rise, and the Germans try to move and fight against you, the increasingly incessant interdiction attacks will cause your opponent to get "gun-shy" and be afraid to either move, or to risk multiple attacks, since the interdiction attacks hit before each series of attacks. This will even more firmly cede the initiative to you.

i have a tendency to prefer combat support over interdiction as it really lowers the axis capabilities of counter attacking. The advantage of interdiction is that it hits the artillery units with great succes and those are usually out of range for ground troops. But i fear the german panzers getting some good breakthrough with no planes being able to support the defenders.
going to try this method against Helmer as well.