Loose Formations

[Ed Holzman]

Rule 6.4 states that "If the Bomber Formation loses enough Bombers it becomes a Loose Formation." Table 6.4 indicates that a formation of 12/9/6 bombers becomes a loose formation when it loses 5/4/2 bombers. When is this checked for? As soon as the 5th/4th/2nd bomber is lost? Or at the beginning of the Loose Formation Check in Rule 5.3? If a Loose Formation is able to successfully tighten up, is it then immune from becoming loose again due to losses? Or does it risk becoming loose again (due to losses)? If so, when does it become loose again? After each new loss? Automatically at the beginning of the Loose Formation check step?

I assume that when a Formation Event in Rule 6.1 is rolled for that the Loose Formation result from Table 6.1 is simply another chance for the formation to end up being tight or loose regardless of the number of bombers that have been lost (theoretically, a full squadron with no losses could end up in a loose formation in this step). Is that true? Or is the result ignored unless the requisite number of losses have been incurred?

 

[Ed Holzman]

Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

 

[Ed Holzman]

OK, so after a conversation with Erik von Rossing on Facebook, the following answers were received:

A formation becomes loose if it begins the Loose Formation Check (Rule 5.3) with the requisite amount of losses. You may roll to see if the formation tightens up but it will automatically become loose again during the next Loose Formation Check (unless a roll to tighten the formation again is successful).

The event roll listed in Rule 6.1 that results in a loose formation is applicable regardless of the number of bombers in your formation.

 

[PABO]

Good morning, so if an ingress flak shoots down a lot of my bombers while on the target, they still benefit from tight formation bombing modifier for their current bombing run ? (As long as loose formation check is not performed in between ingress flak and bombing run phases.., I have to check the rules manual for that).