Let’s go over the basics so you too can enjoy all the perks aircraft have to offer!
AIRCRAFT
Aircraft are special units – they obviously cannot take territory, and don’t fight like regular
ground units. You’ll recruit different types of aircraft to perform different tasks.
CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT
Fighter-bombers armed with rockets, cannons & machine-guns swoop down and strafe enemy units, inflicting minor damage but HUGE morale damage & stat penalties. Strafing runs won’t destroy enemy units on their own, but they apply huge stat penalties, making your own ground units have a decisive edge.
You can set your doctrine to have fighter-bombers automatically patrol and aid friendlies in need, or you can give explicit orders to attack enemies within a specified area for a set amount of time.
Close-air support isn’t very effective against enemies in fortifications – they’re most effective against enemies in the open. Use them to ravage exposed & unfortified enemy units pushing into your territory.
AERIAL RECON
Reconnaissance planes fly overhead, providing many benefits.
Enemy units are revealed, becoming visible to you on the map. Enemy supply depots can even be spotted from the air, allowing you to plan on capturing them in future offensives.
Enemy units & positions are ‘tagged’, giving them stat penalties due to friendlies knowing their positions ahead of time.
You also gain ‘intel’ on the enemy division, learning more information on them such as troop number, types, commanding officer and even their future plans!
CARPET BOMBING
In certain missions, medium bombers are available to make perform a singular ‘carpet bombing run’. Bombers fly overhead, dropping a deluge of bombs to plaster enemy positions. Fortifications are damaged or destroyed, enemy units are moderately damaged, and most importantly the majority of enemies break & panic. Use this brief window before their morale recovers to break through their lines and cut them off!
FLAK
Just because the Luftwaffe is mostly a non-threat at this point in the war doesn’t mean your aircraft can get reckless. Enemy flak units (such as the dreaded 88mm flak gun) will fire at your aircraft flying overhead. Flak deals minor damage, heavy morale damage and inflicts a devastating stat penalty. Don’t expect aircraft to perform close-air support or bombing runs very effectively whilst under flak fire! Flak is often positioned near enemy headquarters, so if your recon identifies their HQ you should be able to avoid flak.
FUEL & SUPPLIES
Aircraft take lots of fuel & supplies when performing tasks. After they run out of fuel, they’ll return to their headquarters/airfield (where they also hang out when idle). It’s important to position your headquarters/airfield near a supply depot so aircraft receive supplies quickly enough to refuel. You’ll want your headquarters close to the frontlines so the aircraft don’t have to fly as far, but not too close that they’ll captured or bombarded by enemy ground units.
WHISHLIST NOW: