:-D
In the movie; Battle of the Bulge, there is a scene where the german generals are discussing this story about the chocolate cake, still very fresh, ( I think they may have actually eaten it) and saying if the Americans have ample resources to spend on shipping cake to their soldiers then we are lost. Something to that effect anyway.
Another story, off topic, sorta, is that some bomber crews were talking about all the different kinds of ordanance that we were dropping on germany, and one crewman said, “We’ve dropped everything but the kitchen sink!” So on the next mission, you guessed it, they brought along a kitchen sink and threw it out one of the side gun windows during Bombs Away! :roll:
Strategic Bombing Raids
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You need a 4th poll option…
Save BOM for attacking only, except in rare cases where it is not needed the current round, where a successful SBR is actually worth attempting, and where the BOM’s presence in an upcoming battle is not critical :-)
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If the bomber is not really needed for support (for instance, 10 tanks attacking 1 infantry doesnt need an additional bomber) then I would send the bomber on an SBR.
That scenario is included in option 2.
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Not exactly.
I may not need it for the current attack, but it may be essential for my follow up attack.
Using your example, I may not need the BOM for 10 ARM attacking 1 INF. But on the following round when I send those tanks against the 12 INF in the NEXT territory, having the bomber changes my odds from about 50/50 for the battle, with me likely only having 1 ARM left after the battle to an 80% chance of victory and 3 ARM likely left after battle.
So, while I do not need the BOM THIS turn, I also do not want to risk it to SBR because I DO need it next turn. And by letting my BOM sit idle and guaranteeing that it is around for the battle the folowing turn, I will keep an extra 10 IPC of units alive and the end of my next turn on average, which is far better than even a maximum damage SBR. Plus I also guarantee that I won;t lose a 15 IPC Bomber.
You decide…
18% chance of losing the BOM and then have a risky battle the next turn where you basically WILL lose all of your forces in exchange for 1-6 IPC of damage to your opponent, or have 3 ARM extra alive after your next turn AND still have your BOM.So in reality, my request for a 4th option is actually far closer to “never SBR” than it is to “SBR when the BOM is not being used this turn.”
Doing an SBR JUST because the bomber is not being used this particular turn is in general a bad idea. Always have a purpose to your attacks. And that MAY include an SBR, especially on the turn before you are plannign a major assault to reduce the number of reinforcements that can be built… effectively when you can use the SBR as the openning salvo in your pending attack for the following turn.
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yes, you make a very good point. I think the answer you are looking for is never SBR…
if you can anticipate needing your bomber (let’s just say) 4 rounds in advance for an attack, then of course dont risk your bomber. however, you never can predict what exactly is going to happen. those 12 infantry in the next territory will see your bomber and realize the odds they are up against and retreat … now, your bomber wont be used for a second straight turn.
i understand your point… everything is situational. It is very difficult to answer a poll question because there are an infinite amount of situations that you would do different things for.
Sometimes, if I am losing, I may make a desperate attempt to catch back up. When you are losing, you have to take risks in order to catch back up. SBRing is a risky way to lessen the gap.
Everything is situational … however, IN GENERAL, I SBR only when there is nowhere else to attack (there are other cases, as you mention) but this is a general poll.
I appreciate the conversation.
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I’d add in that option ncsswitch recommended.
" Buys more bombers, bomb the enemy cities
Only strategically bomb if there is nothing else the bomber can do (such as helping an attack)
Never strategically bomb"–
Well, if you’re US with Superfortress in OOB rules, yeah, buy more bombers.
But if you’re Germany / Japan going for Tank Dash to Moscow, then you want to industrial bomb as part of your strategy of focusing hard on Russia. (Note that Tank Dash follows an overly aggressive Russian turn, optimally resulting in loss of 6 infantry in Burytia, plus a good number of Russian units on the German front; hopefully Russia also did something not great for defense like purchasing a fighter and sundry). But you don’t want to buy MORE bombers for Tank Dash. You need tanks.
Strategic bombing isn’t just something you do if your bomber has nothing else to do. Sometimes, you do it as part of a deliberate strategy.
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Exactly Paint.
And “Never” SBR is not the answer I would make.
I gave an example above: you know you need your BOM for a planned attack in 2-3 turns, as a reason to not SBR.
I also gave the example of when the move before you are going to attack Moscow that you would SBR in order to reduce the Russian build just before the assault (and thus give you 1-2 fewer troops to kill, and likely STILL have your BOM to use for the attack).SBR is, for most people, an option that is used for a very specific purpose and with a very deliberate impact that is related to their other combat ops and troop movements.
The “Never” bomb and “Bomb anytime the BOM is not is use” are indiscriminate and unfocused, and most folks that are highly rated here would dismiss all 3 of the choices in the poll as being incorrect, or to use the catch phrase from a few month ago on these boards… all three choices are sub-optimal. :-)
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I will rarely if ever strat bomb a territory that has an AA gun in it. If there is no AA gun, then I will certainly bomb if there is nothing else for the bomber to do. But I can’t think of any common situation (in an evenly contested game) where testing my luck with an aa gun for a strat bombing raid is worth it to me.
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I pretended as if I was coerced into choosing one of the choices, and picked ‘if theres nothing else to do’.
But actually, in a game against a new player, he made the odd buy as the UK for 2 bombers. I told him it was a bad move, and he looked at me with more confidence than ive ever seen in a new player and said ‘trust me’. Pretty soon germany’s economy was shot to sh*t.
Good thing Moscow was overrun with Japanese tanks.
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Max SBR from 3 UK BOM is 16 IPC per turn.
With no UK land or naval forces on UK1, and crappy defense units…
SEA LION! -
He destroyed my navy on turn1, but I wish that I wouldve bought a carrier and pulled that.
Ive only tried Sea Lion once, and it succeeded. Its all about opportunities like that. I always put myself in a position to try it on turn 2 just in case.
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