6. DAS Reconsidered and A Revised Air Sequence

This is my proposed air phase sequence:

1. Phasing Player Staging Step. The phasing player performs all eligible staging missions. Staging fighters are eligible to fly in the reaction step.

2. Non-Phasing Player Reaction Step. The non- phasing player flies any desired defensive air support (DAS) missions. All type B, HB, LB, SB, VB, T, and all Soviet air units (regardless of type) are restricted to 1/2 their printed movement rating. Note: Types B, HB, LB, SB, VB, and T that fly in a reaction step may not fly in their next friendly air phase. DAS missions may be escorted by non-phasing fighters, and may be patrol attacked, opportunity intercepted, and/or intercepted by phasing fighters. All non-phasing air units performing DAS bombing return to base after marking the bombed hex, and following air combat and AA fire (if any). Note that the fighters return later.

3. Phasing Player Mission Step. The phasing player flies any desired missions except DAS (DAS may only be flown during a reaction step). These missions may be escorted by phasing fighters, and may be patrol attacked, opportunity intercepted, and/or intercepted by non-phasing fighters. All nonphasing fighters (including those that flew during the reaction step) return to base following air combat and AA fire (if any). All phasing air units not flying ground support (GS), escort, or air transport (not air drop) missions return to base at the end of this step.

4. Ground Combat Phase. DAS bombing strengths are halved.

5. Air Return Stop. All phasing air units that flew GS, escort, or air transport (not air drop) return to base.

My proposed air phase sequence does four things:

1) It reflects the extreme flexibility of air power in most air forces by allowing DAS to react from base.

2) It allows true counter-air campaigns by having bombers always be at their bases when the enemy attacks.

3) Fighters are able to keep up with advancing ground troops to provide interception capability against DAS in the friendly air phase.

4) It reflects the different capabilities of air forces and their improvement over time.

As noted above, this sequence gives a great deal of flexibility to the defender. This is fully justified given the length of a Europa turn and the historical flexibility shown by air forces themselves. This flexibility is balanced by the attacker's ability in the staging step above to bring up interceptors to within striking range at the beginning of the air phase, and the fact that planes on GS missions fly after DAS has flown.

This allows the attacker to see the defensive set-up before committing his air units. Restricting Soviet air units flying DAS to 1/2 their movement rating is a historical command and control restriction and lasts the whole war. A final and important modification is that all planes flying DAS have their bombing strengths halved. This is justified on two counts: the fact that the defending forces do not have the initiative and must react without being able to plan, and the fact that each defending strength point is worth proportionately more than what an attacking point is worth, depending on the odds.

Halving DAS tends to equalize this. You will also notice that now more air units (such as types D, H, and A) can fly two missions per game turn, one in each player turn. I believe that this is appropriate given the flexibility of air power. I could never understand why a Yak-1 or Me-109 could fly two missions per game turn, one of them a bombing mission, while an IL-2 or Ju-87 could not.

"Messing" with the Europa Air System

Introduction
1. The Popularity of GS missions
2. Type B Bombers
3. Harassment
4. Patrol Attacks
5. Gratuitous Air Missions
6. DAS Reconsidered and a Revised Air Sequence
7. Optional Rules