Free French Blue Fighter Aircraft

Occasionally it has a shot at sinking Germany’s wounded battleship.

It goes where I need it the most.

Some says the 2 Russian fighters are the most important pieces on the map, but no, I think it is the French fighter, actually. It is very versatile if used skilled. A simple way to use it is to let it reinforce US and UK landings with a hard hit unit, since the current OOB rules deny the landgrabber to land his own aircrafts in newly taken territories. It can also be used to protect Gibraltar, Malta, Moscow or a US or UK carrier that is short of fighters. Used in an offensive role, it can take shots at lone Axis ships, being can opener, or my favorite, embark the 2 UK based French infantry on a US Tranny and the Fighter on a US Carrier, stage it outside Gibraltar and let it threaten a lot of places. Based on the current situation this French Expeditionary force can be used as flank protection to a main US/UK landing by landing in an adjacent territory, or just to reinforce that landing by landing in the same territory, or as can opener.

@ABWorsham:

The blue plane has become a fan favorite in our household.

Same here. We actually use the sculpt of a blue bi-plane from HBG instead. :)

For me it always starts out in England just as a defense for naval units or from Sea Lion. However as soon as it is clear that a Sea Lion isn’t happening I use this piece in whatever way is most beneficial. Can opening, reinforcing landing, threatening boats. Whatever opportunity presents itself.

Well in my experience, I usually use the Free French Airforce to defend London or Moscow but I have loaded them on a carrier before and use them against Italy.

Most of the time (barring a Sealion), it avoids scrambling round 1, heads to Morocco round 2, and is in Tunisia or Malta round 3. From there, it usually heads to Egypt.

Do you sometimes explicitly spare it from scrambling on G1 to use it later for other purposes?

Of course if the odds are good, scramble. But is it always just no scramble vs full scramble?

I have also experienced the annoyance that plane can cause for the axis…

@Koala:

Of course if the odds are good, scramble. But is it always just no scramble vs full scramble?

I’m yet to see a case where a partial scramble makes sense.

@simon33:

@Koala:

Of course if the odds are good, scramble. But is it always just no scramble vs full scramble?

I’m yet to see a case where a partial scramble makes sense.

Fair enough,
follow up:

If you do a full scramble, do you always sacrifice the french fighter before the uk fighters?

Basically the question behind the question: Is the french fighter more worthy than the uk ones because it has some unique usecases?

@Koala:

If you do a full scramble, do you always sacrifice the french fighter before the uk fighters?

Basically the question behind the question: Is the french fighter more worthy than the uk ones because it has some unique usecases?

UK realistically needs 1 fighter to send down on the Taranto raid.

@weddingsinger:

UK realistically needs 1 fighter to send down on the Taranto raid.

yeah, haven’t thought about that.

Then let’s say the german has only enough hits to kill one fighter.

I want to know if it’s an automatism to always kill the french fighter first. I think I’ve seen that a lot, but this thread keeps me questioning :-)

Just a thought: what if you land the french fighter on a US carrier in the Pacific? It will take two turns to get there, but it might work out nicely instead of using an ANZAC fighter to kill lonely Japanese transports.
Move US carrier forward and in the French turn fly of to kill.

I would sacrifice the French fighter first. The Scottish fighter can reach Taranto.

Correct, it makes a hell more sense for the Free French Airforce to be destroyed over London than a British one.

@simon33:

I would sacrifice the French fighter first. The Scottish fighter can reach Taranto.

@Caesar:

Correct, it makes a hell more sense for the Free French Airforce to be destroyed over London than a British one.

But isn’t the consensus of this thread that the french fighter has some unique applications?

@Koala:

@simon33:

I would sacrifice the French fighter first. The Scottish fighter can reach Taranto.

@Caesar:

Correct, it makes a hell more sense for the Free French Airforce to be destroyed over London than a British one.

But isn’t the consensus of this thread that the french fighter has some unique applications?

The only advantage it has is that you can take it anywhere you need an extra fighter for defense without paying for it.

I guess its only unique application is its after Italy but before Germany.  Not a frequently useful window of opportunity.

If you wait until after G2 so you know no Sea Lion, the fighter can be in Moscow or Calcutta before G6/J6

@weddingsinger:

I guess its only unique application is its after Italy but before Germany.  Not a frequently useful window of opportunity.

If you wait until after G2 so you know no Sea Lion, the fighter can be in Moscow or Calcutta before G6/J6

Mostly my French Fighter ends up in Egypt.