Oznoyng
Posts: 818
Joined: 4/16/2004
From: Mars
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Mistmatz
Dont want to hijack the thread, but I also have a question to the experts of the Japanese side. I'm playing CHS but I guess this is also valid for vanilla WitP.
There are quite some AG boats around, many of them with Endurance 360 @8kn speed. How do you use those boats effectively? I can think of some use for the AG's with better endurance, but those vessels seem to be utterly worthless. So what do you do with those? Is the 25% amphibious bonus worth the difference to some nice AP's?
I am by no means an expert on barges, but I have some things to share.
I tend to agree that they appear to be useless. Without grouping another ship in the task force, their round trip range appears to be only 3 hexes. However, that actually understates their range, due to the peculiar nature of WitP movement. In WitP, ships without fuel actually move 1 hex per phase anyway. With as slow as barges move when fueled, there is little difference in their performance unfueled. To get a bit more range, you can add an 10-knot MSW or two into the group and get some protection in case a sub tries to engage them with guns. You can actually use barges to transport supply between bases with no fuel indefinately, simply by changing the home base of the AG group each time you want to move (a TF out of fuel moves 1 hex per phase towards it's home base, so you simply load up the AG, change it's base, and tell it to return home). Also, they are small, cost no VP if sunk, and tend to avoid attention from air attacks. Finally, they enjoy a bonus in amphibious assaults over AP's. Not as good as LST/D/V class ships, but equal to other Allied amphibious assault ships. And by the way, the bonus is not 25 percent, it is 50 percent over an AP. If an AP delivering an LCU causes 200 causualties, you might be looking at 135 with barges - significant enough to consider them for short range invasions. So how to use them?
First, I use a few of them for continuous supply missions in the home islands. My main purpose in doing so is to provide a TF for my ASW and MSW groups to follow around (and keep areas around the Home Islands swept of subs and mines). With MSW in the group with barges, they sweep mines (and barges encountering mines is of little concern) as they encounter them. If they happen to make contact with a sub, the ASW group following them can prosecute the sub encountered.
Second, I use them for supply missions from a central hub. Choose a base that tends to build up supply and use barges to supply nearby locations. Some possibilities:
Rabaul can supply Lae, Salamaua, Buna, Kiriwina, goodenough, Kavieng, Buka, Green I, Buin, Torokina, shortlands, etc.
Shortlands can supply Lunga, Tulagi, Tassafaronga, Russel I, Munda, Vella Lavella
Toboali can supply Kendari, Pontianak, etc (and also sweep for mines and subs in a high sub threat area)
Taipei can supply Amami, Kadina, Naha, Ishieak, Sakashima, and Batan I
Manila can supply Tay Tay, San Jose, Puerto Princessa, and other bases around the Sulu Sea.
Kwalajein can supply Wotje, Majuro, Maloelap, Jaluit, Eniwetok, and Mili
Makin can supply Tarawa, Apamanna, and Nauru
etc., etc., etc.
Third, you can use them in invasions/evacuations. An 1.5k AP worth of troops puts all your eggs in one basket. Put the same troops in 22 70-capacity AG's and they are far more likely to survive invasions and evacuations.
Fourth, AG's are good fragmenters. Not as good as subs, but using them frees up your subs for other ops. If your opponent is fond of taking fragments of troops away to rebuild, you can do the same. Take a little bit of every one of your forward based land units (load a single AG, or possibly two) and send them to a rear area base. When fighting on the forward base destroys the unit, it will rebuild if supply allows. This is not a great tactic with some units, but for groups like CD units, SNLF's, and other "high density" fighting forces, it can make things rather interesting. Note: this is gamey, but so is removing fragments from the PI/SRA/etc. early war.
I would love to hear how others use their AG's.
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Playing Japanese Side - 
was in charge (apparently the other officers didn't make it) after replacing him with a LGEN with good admin skills, my unit is well on its way to recovery. 
RE: Playing Japanese Side - 
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