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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945 >> Burma advice

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Burma advice - 1/20/2009 4:48:45 PM

SuluSea

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It's my first time playing , it's April 29, 1942 and suprisingly enough I'm still holding on at Manila and Clark against the AI .

The IJA has rolled over my troops in Mandalay and pretty much had their way with my forces in Burma thus far, right now I'm trying to hold Akyab. I have a ton of troops located there and plenty of LBA pummeling the enemy.

The map looks like-

I've made many mistakes in Burma so far , I'm not dismayed because I've learned quite abit while playing my few questions at this point are

Should I fall back from Akylab? Suprisingly enough imperial forces are losing 3 to 4 times of what I'm losing in the area.

As you can see I lost Myitkyina and Lashio will China supply be cut off/ if so advice on supplying it.

On a side note I saw on the intel screen 4th fleet is planning an attack on Wake, I'm trying to get some shipping east of the outpost incase the Kido Butai doesn't show up in force.
FWIW the IJN shipping in the pic I snapped is Zuikaku, I was lucky enough to get a bomb on her flight deck and now shes heading SW.

Thanks all !

< Message edited by SuluSea -- 1/20/2009 4:52:59 PM >

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RE: Burma advice - 1/20/2009 6:11:24 PM

Terminus

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Well, if he does break your force at Akyab, there'll be plenty more losses during the retreat further north. If you think you can hold, then obviously you won't have to re-take it later.

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RE: Burma advice - 1/20/2009 10:44:57 PM

niceguy2005

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Sulusea, Akyab is a nice to have, but never really a necessity for the Allies. It sounds like you're strong there. How is the supply situation? If you can fortress there you may be ok and it's a nice air base to have in '43.

Regarding China, yes, I believe the Burma road is now closed to you. In China you have to watch your "spend rate" on supplies whether the road is opened or closed. Use them to build forts and rebuild damaged units. Don't go on unnecessary offensives. In a PBEM I was able to keep supplies in a good state by holding Kunming, Chengtu and Chunking and using a couple hundred transports to fly in supplies.

I think the AI is pretty passive in China so I think you'll be ok.

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RE: Burma advice - 1/21/2009 3:59:31 PM

Bogo Mil

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Supplies are the key in this theatre. You should use all transport planes you have in India to fly supplies from Chandpur to Akyab. Move in more supplies with barges, too. This improves your position there, and you don't waste that much on the trail. If there is no Corps HQ at Akyab, send one immediately.

Your troops north of Mandalay/Myitkyina probably have very low morale because they lost ground battles and Burma is a malaria region. Send these units to a large and well supplied base (e.g. Calcutta) immediately and let them rebuild their morale to at least 60. This is a slow process, it might require several months. A unit with low morale just eats a lot of supplies, but has very little combat power.

For the same reason, you should check your troops at Akyab. If some of them have very low morale, you should try to replace them as soon as possible. One good brigade can replace 2 or 3 brigades with low morale. You'll get the same fighting power, but much less supply usage. And eventually the rested troops can form the core of your counteroffensive. Warships in a fast transport TF are good to move troops in and out if you don't have air superiority over Akyab. Don't use the trail if it's not absolutely necessary.

You can send a good brigade or division to Ledo and Imphal, just in case the Japs march over these trails. There's no hurry - they will need much more than a month (probably 2 or 3 months) to cross the terrain. You don't need many troops to hold these places, because the Japanese supply situation will be very very bad there.

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RE: Burma advice - 1/21/2009 8:28:44 PM

Mickrocks201

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Load up a bunch of transports run a big heap of supplies into Akyab. You'll loose some to air attacks but once you get a nice pile of supplies you can build up the airbase and port. Once I can get adequate air cover I move the British BB's into the port to bombard the Japanese besiegers and start transporting more and more infantry and armor in. It will take a while but sooner or later you will break the siege and start to move to Rangoon.

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RE: Burma advice - 1/22/2009 1:27:24 AM

wwengr

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quote:

ORIGINAL: mickrocks

Load up a bunch of transports run a big heap of supplies into Akyab.� You'll loose some to air attacks but once you get a nice pile of supplies you can build up the airbase and port. � Once I can get adequate air cover I move the British BB's into the port to bombard the Japanese besiegers and start transporting more and more infantry and armor in.� It will take a while but sooner or later you will break the siege and start to move to Rangoon. � �

Unless you have built up the port at Akyab, the transports will unload at a deperately slow rate while the planes from Rangoon blow them to pieces. I don't think you have any barges (i.e. LCI or LCT), so the only way by sea is Subs and Fast Transport TF's. Fast Transport is a little risky though.

Use transport aircraft to supply Akyab.

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RE: Burma advice - 1/22/2009 4:00:42 AM

niceguy2005

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wwengr

quote:

ORIGINAL: mickrocks

Load up a bunch of transports run a big heap of supplies into Akyab.� You'll loose some to air attacks but once you get a nice pile of supplies you can build up the airbase and port. � Once I can get adequate air cover I move the British BB's into the port to bombard the Japanese besiegers and start transporting more and more infantry and armor in.� It will take a while but sooner or later you will break the siege and start to move to Rangoon. � �

Unless you have built up the port at Akyab, the transports will unload at a deperately slow rate while the planes from Rangoon blow them to pieces. I don't think you have any barges (i.e. LCI or LCT), so the only way by sea is Subs and Fast Transport TF's. Fast Transport is a little risky though.

Use transport aircraft to supply Akyab.

THis is true and in fact, IIRC Akyab starts at level 0 port which means you can't offload cargo ships at all.

If the port is size one they will unload slow. However, assuming this is a stock game the UK has plenty of AKs and supplies. I would load up a convoy of at least 10 AKs and run them in. Each will unload at least a little each phase. You can always bug out if losses start to mount to high, but really the supplies are more important than 10 AKs.

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RE: Burma advice - 1/22/2009 9:38:57 AM

Alfred

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It is possible to unlead AKs even at a size 0 port, provided it is a base. If it is an AF then it isn't located on the coast.

Alfred

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Post #: 8

RE: Burma advice - 1/22/2009 10:26:52 AM

Bogo Mil

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It is not necessary to break the siege and throw the Japanese out of Akyab. Just hold the place. You need enough troops to ensure this, not more. All these Japanese troops in the hex are tied up and can go nowhere fast - that's great for the Allies. Move troops out if you are "too strong", never attack.

I think the trail from Akyab to Rangoon is the worst possible vector for a counteroffensive later. It's painfully slow, supllying the troops is difficult, the trail wastes huge amounts. You have to do two river crossings. The first one is quite difficult because of the defensive bonus of the jungle hex behind the river.

It is much more effective to do an amphibious landing somewhere between Victoria Point and Rangoon. If you think a large amphibious landing in this theatre would be gamey, you should attack Mandalay from the north, imho. When you reach Rangoon, all the Japs at Akyab are doomed.

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RE: Burma advice - 1/22/2009 3:51:55 PM

Shark7

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Burma is probably the worst place in game to have to fight. And while I normally come at it from a Japanese point of view I might have a few pointers to help you.

The troops you have there are not up to the task early in the war. Pick a spot and over-load it till you get enough assault value to counter-attack.
Use your long range bombers to take out the supply lines (meaning bomb the airfields further south). Use shorter range ones there to attack the troops at Akyab.
As has been mentioned, get enough transports and counter attack somewhere with a rail connection. Rangoon or Moulmein are good, then move up the rail lines and cut off the Japanese forces near Akyab. You'll eventually starve them out or attrit them out.

Remember, the AI, unlike a live player will put itself in a position to get troops cut off. I tend to only push far enough into Burma to keep your 4E bombers from hitting my HI and major resource centers, and I would never get myself into a position where my troops were so over-extended I would lose them to being cut off.

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RE: Burma advice - 2/2/2009 3:37:42 PM

SuluSea

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Thanks for all the tips guys. It's�July '42�, I still have Akyab and things are well in hand. I have enough airpower at the base to protect incoming & loitering transports packed with fresh troops. I was able to take back Myitkyina with the help of Chinese forces. I'm working on building up some forts there and transporting in fresh troops.

The IJN lost�Zuikaku and Akagi�to some LBA when they sortied up to Akyab, however I was a little disapointed that the AI put the carriers at risk in that situation, although did did get some hits on my FTs/ bombardment force

I'd hope to start an offensive in the theatre by the end of summer.

< Message edited by SuluSea -- 2/2/2009 3:42:26 PM >

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RE: Burma advice - 2/2/2009 4:22:49 PM

Grotius

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quote:

The IJN lost Zuikaku and Akagi to some LBA when they sortied up to Akyab, however I was a little disapointed that the AI put the carriers at risk in that situation,

The AI did this in my current AI game, although in my case I'm playing Japan. I actually gave the AI's carriers a "do-over," heh. I like having them out there as a threat.

I impose several house rules on myself when playing the AI: for example, I never give myself a "do-over" by loading a saved game. The AI doesn't get this luxury (except for the one do-over I gave its CVs!). If I make a dumb mistake, I live with it -- makes the game more competitive.

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RE: Burma advice - 2/3/2009 12:54:46 AM

Pistachio

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quote:

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

...

I'd hope to start an offensive in the theatre by the end of summer.

You might want to rethink that - although I'm definitely not the expert. The Japanese have a couple advantages. In '42 you don't have much carrier power in theater - nor any figthers with range and ability - so your landings are going to be exposed to enemy air, particularly Bettys from just about everywhere. After you land, the Japanese can quickly move lots of troops along the rail lines to stop you, and yet you have nothing but trails leading back to India. I think it might turn out to be a campaign you throw large quantities of resources at for little in return.

Not saying it can't be done... just that I've never done it well.

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RE: Burma advice - 2/4/2009 5:01:10 PM

SuluSea

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Thanks for the info Pistachio. My�September push for Mandalay�is dependent upon the situation at Myitkyina.��

� I don't have plans for Rangoon or any of the beaches of SE Asia at this point.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Grotius

I impose several house rules on myself when playing the AI: for example, I never give myself a "do-over" by loading a saved game. The AI doesn't get this luxury (except for the one do-over I gave its CVs!). If I make a dumb mistake, I live with it -- makes the game more competitive.

I used my own house rules against the AI in UV and plan on implementing them in my next game, if I start another before AE is released.

Do overs are out of the question for me if I lose a major unit or vessel it's gone.

< Message edited by SuluSea -- 2/4/2009 5:09:14 PM >

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RE: Burma advice - 2/4/2009 7:53:12 PM

Pistachio

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quote:

ORIGINAL: SuluSea
...Do overs are out of the question for me if I lose a major unit or vessel it's gone.

That's the way! I always overwrite the last save at the end of each turn so I can't roll back more than one save. I do keep that option, just in case I inadvertently transfer an airgroup to a deserted island....

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RE: Burma advice - 2/5/2009 12:50:47 AM

stuman

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I do the same in this, or any other game. I don't rerun if normal bad luck, or if I make stupid tatical or strategic decisions. But sometimes I will be not thinking, tired, and hit the "end game" type button when I didn't mean to. Or if I think that the AI did something really stupid, I may rerun in an attempt to let it try a different move.

Now and again, rarely, I have jumped to the AI side to move a critical asset/unit(s) if there is a move or series of moves that is just really dumb. I haven't in this game yet. One problem is that the AI can undo your moves/builds what-have-you on your original side and it can be a royal pain in the neck to correct. It is usually about that time that the AI seems to have been stretched to the limit and I will quit before long anyway.This seemed to happen to me playing HOI2 against the AI by late 1944.

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