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Rationale:
Most sorts of ships are adequately represented in World in Flames,
at least when using the Ships in Flames ships. There are exceptions.
The U.S. does not get the Brooklyn and Cleveland class cruisers, which
were heavy cruisers in all but gun caliber. This doesn't matter much, as the
U.S. never seems to be short of cruisers. What is left out is the
hundred and twenty or so escort carriers that the U.S. and Commonwealth
navies used in various roles.
Historical Background:
From the start of the war, the Royal Navy tried to get aircraft
operating with its merchant convoys. There were too few aircraft
carriers to go around, so the Navy would have to find ways to put
aircraft on merchant ships. The United States Navy saw the same
need, but since the U.S. was at peace for an additional two years
the U.S.N. was able to work on a better solution.
The Royal Navy came up with two quick solutions. The first was to mount aircraft catapults on merchantmen with a Hurricane fighter ready to go. If a German recon aircraft was spotted, the Hurricane would be launched from the catapult, shoot down the enemy, and the pilot would ditch and be picked up by one of the convoy's escort vessels. The second solution was to convert nineteen bulk carriers (grain and oil ships) carrying four aircraft each, with the ability to recover as well as launch aircraft.
The United States Navy took a longer view, and modified existing merchant ship designs to make true aircraft carriers. These were much slower, and frequently weaker, than the fleet carriers, but also much cheaper and faster to build. Almost all the Allied escort carriers were built by the United States, and some forty transferred to the British.
The escort carriers had originally been intended as convoy escorts, and worked very well in that role. They were also used to form submarine hunter groups, and that worked well. In the desperate struggles of 1943, they closed the gaps in the North Atlantic where land-based air power was difficult or impossible to supply. Once these carriers were available, both navies found other uses for them, such as providing air support for amphibious invasions (the first such use was in the Allied invasion of French North Africa in 1942) and supplying the fleet carriers with replacement aircraft.
CVEs In WiF
CVEs are available to the US and all powers cooperating with the US.
The effect of assigning a CVE to a naval unit is that that naval unit
may use one CVE carrier plane without detriment to
its other functions. CVEs are assigned as follows:
In addition, starting Jan/Feb 1944, carrier planes from the reserve pool may be placed at Naval Supply Units and friendly major ports in addition to the usual home-country cities.
A CVE plane is something of a notional unit, and when used in combat will be represented by small coins or other markers. A CVE plane has an air-to-air strength of 3, an air-to-sea strength of 2, an air-to-ground strength of 1, and cannot conduct strategic bombing. It has a range of 2. It neither requires nor can use a pilot. It is simply there.
Even more optional:
CVE-based planes do not count in naval search, but do in calculating
surprise points. (Example: 8 US CP have a carrier plane of range 4
based on them, and there are no other friendly units in the sea area.
The Japanese move a raider in, and try to initiate combat. The US
player rolls a 1 for his search roll. This does not by itself cause
combat. However, if the Japanese search roll is successful, the US
surprise point total is 2: one for the 1 on the search roll, and one
for the modified search value of 1 for the box the CPs are in.)
Carrier planes may be disbanded at friendly major ports and NSUs to recover the pilots. In this case, the planes are not returned to the reserve pool, but count as destroyed (junked on land or pushed over the ship's side). The planes return to the force pool or are scrapped, at the owning player's option.
Testing and Play Balance
This house rule has not been tested. It isn't intended as play balance,
but as a historical rule. It will free Allied carriers from certain
rules later in the war. It will probably speed the game up a bit, as
the Allies will have fewer fiddly things to do with their carriers.
I don't know how much it will affect play balance, as the Allies have
many small carriers at this point in the war, and CVEs will substitute
for maybe thirty or forty build points of carriers at a time when the
Allies are producing like gangbusters.
All contents of these pages Copyright 1997 by David H. Thornley, unless explicitly attributed to somebody else.