Close Air Support (Civ6)/Civilopedia

In military terms, close air support (CAS) is aerial attacks on enemy ground forces that are in close proximity to friendly forces, demanding coordination with these friendly forces so as not to accidentally bomb and strafe them. There had been some CAS operations during World War I, and the British debuted the first ground attack airplane – modified F.E.2b fighters – in late 1917. After the war, the victorious powers weren't particularly interested in further research and designs for CAS ... but the defeated Germans were. Forbidden strategic bombers by the Treaty of Versailles, the Luftwaffe turned to CAS dive bombers, with the famous Junkers Ju-87 (the Stuka) the first result. Incredibly successful in the Spanish Civil War for the Condor Legion, it proved able to hit enemy positions with near pinpoint accuracy.