Air Attack Question

[legend42]

Why cant an airplane be directed to attack a specific tagret much like an arty barrage can be?

I would like to tell a plane to attack that tank near the bldg, or attck that treeline at the bottom of hill x.Is this a realistic request?did ground troops have control over where a plane would attack?

[xerxes]

In WWII they didn't .

[von Lucke]

Well, the US Marines worked long and hard at developing their own Forward Air-Controller system, and it was fairly successful --- but that was in the PTO. Several other countries / branches took stabs at it, but usually it was in concert with well-planned offensives.

On the tactical scale of CMBB, it's more a case of some Stuka-jockies are briefed back at the base on the general location of the MLR, and then go out looking for something to kill. That's why all the early-war German vehicles have swastikas draped all over them, and the late-war Sov's have crosses painted on the turrets.

[Sublime]

Hmm... Yes I agree, as far as they didn't really have close air support with a forward observer directing strikes in WW2, especially not on the Eastern Front. I knew about the swastikas on the tanks, but the Soviets painted crosses on their tanks late in the war? Interesting, crosses as a sign of recognition for their own planes...? Or was it to confuse Germans?

[BulletRat]

Hmmmm, as far as I know some tank commanders actually had direct contact with airpower so they could direct the Stukas where and what to attack.

I'm not sure if that still existed during the Barbarossa but it was defidently around during 39-40 in the Battle of France.

[Ant]

Don't know about the Eastern front but in the west they had the 'cab rank' system. Basically flights of fighter bombers were airborne constantly in a rotation system (hence the term cab rank) if any ground unit required air support it was theoretically available in a very short space of time. Of course reality doesn't always match up to the theory but it was supposedly a very effective system nonetheless.

[Neuer Art]

I think the availability of close air support depended on the situation and time. There were occasions where Stuka strikes could be requested through the battalion net to pummel Soviet assaults, such as during the struggle for Seelow Heights in April 1945.

On an aside, it's interesting to read the stories of Stuka pilots such as Hans Ulrich Ruder, where they mentioned their preference for ground attacks towards the German side of the front line. That way if their aircraft was hit badly, they were already heading back towards friendly territory before having to bail out.

[MikeyD]

In the West Army Air Corps fighter pilots would rotate as forward observers for close air support. Really gave them a feeling for what they had to do. But the U.S. surpassed all the rest (including the Germans) in radio technology at the time. Before 43 I doubt the Germans had the technology for it, after 43 I doubt they had the resources. As for the Russians, like everything else I'd bet (based on not much) that any forward air control was attached directly to higher command and was specific to certain operations, like river crossings and the like.

[ February 06, 2003, 05:43 PM: Message edited by: MikeyD ]