CAP doesn't mean you wait right over the CV waiting for something to come by. It LITERALLY means what it is abbreviated for: "Combat Air
Patrol". Same with guarding and escorting goons and buffs.
You fly within certain radius of the CV and see if there is a suspicious single dot which floats around high above the usual CV furball. Chances are, you'll find out its a single P-38L or a P-47D-30. You see him, you attack him before he comes near the CV. That's what i call CAP.
If only two~three people stop to think before engaging into a vulched sea-side base in a low F4U-1C or Seafire, looking for easy kills, one-man kamikazes are most of the times, easily prevented.
It's def. not about gameplay, rather, "immersion" and "thinking tactics".
There's a vulched field, defenses down. Do I have to go there? Yes, I might get easy kills, and feel real superior with the "look of an armada behind me(
quoted from you-know-who)", but In my case, I usually grab a high alt fighter like P-51 or 109G10 and patrol around our CV. I like doing it, and I've always advocated the use of cooperative fighter power.
You don't need 8~10 fighters over bashed field with ack and VH down. 3~4 is enough, and I always suggest the rest grab alt and fly CAP nearest nmy base.
If when actually someone agrees with me, CVs are safe. If not? Oh well, it goes down as easily as the "Invincible" Yamato went down. Fleet ack is merciless against horizontal attacks like low Torpedo bombers, but quite helpless against attacks from above. Thus, the great Billy Mitchell foresaw the use of Carriers as main tactical unit rather than battleships.
That's why remeber him.
