Basically, yes. Although there are still a few bugs.

It works just fine for US and British/Commonwealth, where shared kills were allowed.

It's also possible to have "shared kills" for Axis and Soviet aircraft if you turn on "shared kills" but turn off "historical kill claims."

Every air force has "half kill" markings.

This is a new post to an old thread, but here are some further wishlist ideas

AI ATTACK OPTIONS

1) Ability to Specify Targets in Advance: Currently, when ordered to attack a target that isn't in range, AI gives you an "unable to comply" message (at least in the QMB). It would be handy if you could "program" sections or divisions to perform various tasks BEFORE you get to the target, either in the FMB or as player commands.

As player commands, this option would let you fly your plane without being distracted with a lot of formation commands when things get hectic.

2) Ability to Specify Target Priority: In conjunction with Option 1, this allows you to program AI so that it will automatically "default" to certain targets after the primary target is destroyed. For example, "Flak first, then aircraft on the ground, then vehicles, then other ground targets."

3) Ability to Specify Attack Type: Currently, there's no method in the FMB or the player commands that allow you to tell AI which method of attack they should use first. There should be the following options: Strafe, Air-to-Ground Rocket Attack, Air-to-Air Rocket Attack, Torpedo Attack, Dive Bomb Attack, Glide Bomb Attack, Low Level Bomb Attack (specify altitude), High Level Bomb Attack (specify altitude), Guided Bomb Attack, [Aerial Bomb Attack, Depth Charge Attack (set depth), Mine-Dropping Attack].

Edit: Add Paratroop drop, Cargo Drop, Flare Drop, and Kamikaze to "attack" types.

4) Ability to Specify Ordinance Priority: As for Option 2, but for ordinance types. Options: Internal/centerline bombs, external/wing bombs, Air-to-air rockets, Air-to-ground rockets, torpedoes, guided bombs, fixed guns, flexible guns, [aerial bombs, depth charges, mines].

5) Ability to Specify Attack Formation: Currently, it appears that planes don't always attack at once when ordered to do so. There should be the following FMB/Player commands: Attack individually, Attack by section/Rotte, Attack by Division/Schwarm, Attack by Squadron/Staffel.

6) Ability to Specify Number of Attacks: either a number or "unlimited." Specifying just one attack is automatically interpreted as "one attack and evade/ egress" meaning just one quick attack followed by going defensive and leaving the target area at as high a rate of speed as possible. Multiple attacks defaults to appropriate ordinance attacks, followed by strafing until the number of attacks is satisfied. Unlimited is the current situation - the AI will attack indefinitely until destroyed/heavily damaged, or it runs out of ammo.

For fighter attacks vs. aerial targets, specifying just one attack means a "bounce" followed by an attempt to evade.

7) Ability to Specify Automatic Abort Conditions: AI aborts attacks, goes defensive, and returns to base when one or more conditions occur: >X% formation casualties, light damage to plane, heavy damage to plane, crew lightly wounded, crew heavily wounded, crew bleeding, <X% fuel, <X% ordinance (type), <X% ammo, >X number of hostile fighters in area, >X number of hostile AAA in area.

Does this help?

From game manual. 4.08 So make sure nothing changed with patches. I don't think any of this did.

Note:
1. For dive bombers, fighters with bombs, and fighter-bombers, you have to set target
objects for the GATTACK point. Otherwise, they will attack the enemy object nearest to
the waypoint, if they can find it.
2. For transports with bombs and level bombers, set the waypoint directly over the object
that you would like to destroy, and then set GATTACK for that waypoint. Planes will drop
the bombs in that area. (You must set the GATTACK waypoint without a target object!) Do
the same if you use planes with paratroopers as loadout.
3. For dive bombers and fighter-bombers with bombs, the altitude has to be more than 1300
meters for dive bombing. Otherwise, they drop bombs as level bombers.
4. If you want any of the selected groups of planes with bombs to do level bombing, see
item 3 above.
5. Don’t set an altitude that is too low in bomb target areas for level bombers. They may be
destroyed by their own bomb explosion.
6. Don’t set the previous waypoint too close to the point of GATTACK. Planes won’t have
time to rejoin the right formation for the attack. Usually it is enough to set 7 to 10 km
between these waypoints

At least this will differentiate between level and dive bombing.

And for Kamikaze attacks:

KAMIKAZE MISSIONS
Creating kamikaze flights is very simple. Any flight whose last waypoint is a GATTACK will ram
itself into the designated target.
However, if you set up too many waypoints before the GATTACK waypoint, the planes may still
decide to use regular attacks before ramming it. Therefore, it’s recommended that you only
give the kamikaze one waypoint before GATTACK. This will ensure that it attack the target on
the first pass.
Note: If you do not want kamikaze bombers, make sure the planes have another waypoint
after the GATTACK. If you fail to do this, you may end up with the bombers behaving in a completely
unintended manner.


As for setting the level bombers to high or low level bomb, set the ground attack waypoint as described above. On the waypoint tab you will see settings for airspeed and height. This is the height the plane will fly at that waypoint. For low level attack, set the height some number under 500m. For high level, probably whatever number above 3000m.

There doesn't need to be options for torpedo or guided bomb attack. Either the aircraft has one of these weapons (and will attack appropriately, as long as mission builder set waypoints right) or it doesn't have one of these weapons. You can't have a mix of say bombs and a torpedo, or regular bombs and 1 guided bomb on the same aircraft. However the mission builder needs to set waypoints appropriate to these munitions. Low waypoints for torpedoes, and above 4000m for guided bombs.

But I do agree with you on option to fire either rockets and regular bombs. (As many aircraft can carry both at the same time)

There are no depth charges or mines currently in game, so I have no idea why this was even brought up????????

Interesting article on US P-38 tactics, with some discussion of late-war Japanese tactics, written by Thomas McGuire, the US's 2nd highest scoring ace.

http://www.475th.org/home/475th/othe...t-pacific-area

Note the emphasis on flight (schwarme/division)-based tactics.

The existing method of specifying attack type aren't bad, and has the virtue of simplicity, but could be better.

Say you've got an aircraft which could attack in three different ways, like a solid-nosed B-25 armed with guns, bombs and rockets, or a TBF armed with guns, torpedoes and rockets. Say that the target is a small ship.

By default, the B-25 will glide or level bomb first, then use rockets, then use guns. The TBF will make a torpedo attack first, then use rockets, then maybe guns.

But, suppose that you wanted to create a patrol mission where you take out the small ship first, then attack a larger ship later. In that case, you'd want to keep your heavy ordinance for the bigger ship.

So, you'd want the option of making the planes make rocket or gun attacks first, and hold onto their bombs/torpedoes.

Or, say that you want the B-25 to use skip bombing rather than glide bombing. Currently, there's no way for the FMB to specify that attack preference.

Or, suppose you have a Ju-87 flying at 1,200 m. Currently, if set to bomb, it will make a level bombing attack rather than a glide bombing attack. Why couldn't it make a glide bombing attack instead, or just try to gain the 100 m needed to get sufficient altitude, and then make a dive bombing attack?

I can think of several ways the GAttack command could be made more useful.

First, give more attack options, and the option of different attack sequences, like I've described.

Second, have a flag in the FMB that reminds mission builders of the parameters required for planes to make certain attack types, and/or which automatically adjusts the planes' altitude to the minimum/maximum height required to make a particular attack.

For example, paratroop drops are always going to be at a minimum of ~200-300 m altitude, torpedo attacks are always going to be at 200 m or less, skip bombing attacks will always be at 100 m or less, dive bombing attacks will always start at 1,300 m or higher, and guided bomb attacks at 4,000 m or greater (plus whatever standoff distance is needed).

Why not? Is this a limitation of the game's AI, or just something that happened historically?

I can't find historical loadouts to make my case, but I could imagine that a big patrol bomber might carry a mix of torpedoes, bombs and/or rockets, or that if guided bombs were scarce that a bomber might carry a mix of guided and "dumb" bombs.

These types of ordinance are available as mods, and would be highly appropriate to patrol bomber and bomber ops were they added to the official game. Since those weapons use slightly different attack techniques I included them [in brackets] as potential options should they ever appear.

Further Attack Options

*"Kamikaze" if severely damaged or destroyed - If a plane meets the damage parameters, and the pilot is still alive and able to control the plane, he will will choose a suitable target (ground, air, ship, etc.) and dive at it rather than attempting to bail out.

* Opportunistic Kamikaze attacks - Planes will only kamikaze if a particular target, or type of target, presents itself. Otherwise, they don't suicide. For example, if you've got two waves of kamikazes and the first wave successfully destroys all the carriers and battleships in a task force, then the second wave might choose to not die to destroy second-line ships like destroyers or fleet auxiliaries.

* Optional Attack - Only attack using a certain method if a certain target, or type of target, is present. For example, only use torpedo attacks vs. large ships, only make rocket attacks vs. small ships, only use guns against soft vehicles or severely damaged small ships.

This option would be very handy to make sure that planes behave exactly as you want them to. No more strafing attacks vs. tanks or battleships.

* Maneuver to optimize attack. AI planes change formation, altitude and position as necessary to optimize their chances of destroying the target using the specified method of attack.

Admittedly, this option could be handled using proper waypoints in the FMB, but not all mission designers know the preferred historical tactics - like making torpedo runs in line abreast from a 45 degree angle abeam or astern to the target, or circling behind a Tiger tank and getting very close to it before making a rocket attack.

Thanks. It's always interesting to study first hands notes of aces.
I love the part about clouds. I use clouds whenever possible in online game.