Strategy Tips: Gaining Air Superiority by Aaron Price <mailto:aaronp@shore.

net> Here are a few hints

on how to gain air superiority in a campaign where it begins contested. These tactics will help win AS in all
but the most lopsided scenarios, and will even help restrict enemy interdiction in those. Turn 1 This turn
is the key to winning AS. If you get the enemy on their heals here then you are set, even if they have
superior reinforcements. Follow these steps: * Note all your air bases and enemy bases. Move your short
ranged aircraft to the front lines and your long ranged craft to the back. This gives you maximum striking
power while exposing the minimum forces necessary. * Strike! Strike! Strike! It's time to take out those
airfields. Place all your fighters and fighter bombers on AS. If you have a significant disadvantage don't be
afraid of using "ignore losses". Trust me, it will be worth it. Now take those bombers of yours and attack
the enemy airfields. Rank the importance of enemy airfields using this scale (most to least): 1. Fields empty
of ground units 2. Fields full of only fighters 3. Number of total forces on field 4. Number of ground units
surrounding the field. Allocate your bombers to these fields. This is where it gets tricky. If you have a
number of "ripe" targets then consider going after one, resolving combat, and doing the rest later. (I'll
explain why later on..) Place your best bombers against enemy air bases that house fighters further behind
their lines. This is because fighters staging from that far back must have long ranges. And fighters with long
ranges are typically the better quality ones, so get them first! Resolve all combat. Notice the outcome.
When your bombers go in those AS forces you setup first will automatically escort them and take care of
enemy defenses. Check the air war status screen and you will almost always notice a significant increase in
the number of enemy kills over friendly. Why striking first is the key When you hit an enemy air base you
not only destroy planes on the ground but you also tie up his fighters in the region. They will very likely be
disorganized and unable to participate in the next round of battles. So now you send in your next wave. Yes,
your AS units will be disorganized also but who cares, the enemy has no one to take out the bombers! At
this point you will likely score massive kills. I've had bombers take out hundreds of planes on the ground
for 0 losses of their own. Still, even when you can't get that first strike in, I've noticed a 75% chance you
will take out more of the enemy than you lose. No "turkey shoot" but not bad either! Why air superiority is
important With AS you severely limit your opponents mobility and initiative. He cannot move airborne
units, use combat support, use nukes, or effectively interdict (and thus reducing field intelligence). The best
thing isn't what it does to the enemy, though, but what it does to you. You get all that stuff he is denied, so
you have more freedom to dictate the flow of battle - initiative. Initiative = Victory. Finish them off Do
not let up! (Make Patton proud.) Every round go after those air units. Your bombers are much more useful
there than adding a wimpy 1 or 2 artillery attack to a close air support mission. If you keep attacking then
the enemy has no time to organize and his guys stay on the ground and slowly crumble away. Keep an eye
on ALL his bases and hit reinforcements immediately. These green troops can sometimes disappear in a
single attack. Countermeasures You can protect yourself from these strategies two ways: 1. Attack first.
Simple but true. Just change focus from fighter bases to bomber bases. 2. Place ground units on your air
bases. Yes, it uses up valuable manpower but enemy planes will go after the ground units first and thus your
air losses will be low. Also enemy AA ratings help increase protection. More fun with air units Here are
some hints: * Go after the enemy's navy with your air power and not your naval vessels. You will be
shocked at the power your planes have against an enemy battle group. Can you say "One turn wipe out?" *
Revenge! Go after enemy airfields with naval bombardment! It's a blast. Take a cruiser up the coast and get
it in range of en enemy airfield. Bombard it and watch his planes die with no losses of your own. TRICK:
Break an airborne down to its smallest set of units. Drop them all over enemy airfields in the interior. This
forces the planes to automatically be displaced. Eventually they will be displaced to the only free airfields
left, those near the coast. Then Bammo!! (This also works when enemy air bases are out of range of your
bombers. * Don't be afraid of using "ignore losses". I know I'm going to have many detractors here, but I
use it liberally and have no trouble. Sometimes on AS missions I keep units on ignore losses permanently.
Hell, that's what I pay them flyboys for! * Against ground units don't place your planes on CS unless you
must use them for defense. If you use them to attack an enemy group alone (and especially in the open) then
kills are higher than when they attack in a coordinated attack. Or at least that's the way it seems to me. *
Nukes. Don't use them. They suck. If you want to just for kicks then use them to contaminate areas where
enemy units are out of supply. They are simply not effective as destructive forces and almost never worth
the political cost. You do get a free attack from your planes, though.