question around squadrons

[Stonehouse]

Hi Pat,

I've been slowly working on creating a bunch of squadron jsons for a project I've contacted you about before, hoping that in the end what I'm doing is of use to you and saves time.

 

I had a question around mixed aircraft squadrons which I hope you can answer. I know squadrons like the 352nd uses P51Ds and P51Bs but these are both arch type P51 I think.

 

The particular Gruppe I'm looking at historically used Bf110s and Ju88C6s (soon to arrive) in the same time period (it was an operational choice not a transition period from one a/c to another) and I have several Allied squadrons that used Hurricanes and Spitfires in the same time period - can a squadron use more than 1 arch type?

 

Is it just a matter of adding another archType element to the plane assignments table/array or does PWCG assume only 1 archType?

 

Thanks

[PatrickAWlson]

Sure.  Just give them overlapping dates in the squadron file.  What PWCG will do is resupply and use both aircraft types, but it will tend to prefer the better one for future resupply.  If the better plane is not available, it will resupply with the other.

[Stonehouse]

Thank you. So just to be sure I've understood ok is the below what you meant?

 

    "planeAssignments": [
        {
            "archType": "bf110",
            "squadronIntroduction": "19410101",
            "squadronWithdrawal": "19450601",

            "archType": "ju88",
            "squadronIntroduction": "19410101",
            "squadronWithdrawal": "19450601",
        }

 

Does it matter that the Gruppe is ground attack ie III/ZG26 rather than a bomber gruppe? I guess I'm wondering whether you'll assign the Ju88C6 a different arch type?

Anyway if you do I can always catch up later.

[PatrickAWlson]

What the unit does is based on squadron roles.  I do not see myself ever assigning the 88c to a bomber unit.  Probably a specialized squadron with raider, anti shipping, train bust roles.  Not even generic front line ground attack.

 

Here's what I am curious about.  Until you posted I did not know that the 110 and 88c were supplied to the same unit.  What did that unit really do?  The 110, while used as an attack plane, is also used in PWCG in the fighter role.  I don't see that role for the 88c.  You can just eliminate fighter as a role for this unit.  I guess the real question is: did this unit fulfill a role that is not modeled in PWCG?

 

One thing that I do not have is maritime anti air, which the 88c did do.  We just don't have suitable opposition on the other side for those missions, so I am limited to anti shipping.

 

[Stonehouse]

Actually Pat I have to apologise. I should have said III/ZG26 was a heavy fighter group, hence the ZG - don't where ground attack came from. Must have just been your standard brain fart or creeping old age or both on my part. 

 

So with it being a heavy fighter group the problem I'd somehow latched onto goes away I think. Especially in light of your explanation about roles.  They did do a lot of long escort runs over water covering transport aircraft but not covering shipping against attack so don't think the maritime anti-air is an issue. They did also do a fair bit of ground strafing but that is also within the PWCG fighter role so ok. Weirdly it seems that at least once ZG26 aircraft landed at an abandoned British base and the crews deplaned and burnt and wrecked as much of the base as they could before leaving and flying home. But that isn't the ground attack we're talking about