Feinder
Posts: 6589
Joined: 9/4/2002
From: Land o' Lakes, FL
Status: offline
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USN
AK – You know what to do with them. I don’t tend to use them for invasions. They’re slow and units suffer from more disruption when using AKs. Still they’re fine to transport LCUs and Eng units around the back-field. Special note: There are a few AKs that have a capacity of 4500, and can make 18 kts. Watch for them, these guys are great. They can accompany your faster AP invasion TFs and can carry the supplies for the landing. Note that AKs are more efficient at carrying Tank and Gun LCUs than APs. They’re also the only transports that can carry planes (crated).
AP – Troops! Early ’42, hoard/guard/protect these guys. They’re faster than AKs, and your LCUs will suffer slightly less disruption on landing when using APs. The small APs (2000), are ok because they unload quickly. But they’re also slower (usually only 14 kts after a few pts of sys damage), so I don’t like to use them for my initial invasion. They often carry the second wave and extra supplies with the slower AKs. The medium APs (4000) make the best assault transports. They’re faster (around 17 kts) and unload faster than the the large APs (6000). Large APs are fast enough, but they take a while to unload when attacking (if you’ve filled them up). I usually use the large APs to move large LCUs (Inf Divs or Av Rgts) around quickly.
TK – Another “duh”. Also, keep moving fuel to the Hawaiin Islands, to SoPac, to Oz. Gas (and the location of KB) will become the primary limitation on your ops. Keep a string of fuel dumps, so you can stay topped off, for when you’ve got get some where (or somewhere else!), fast! Keep your fleets topped off! HI can/will become a massive fuel depot once you build up the islands, you’ll –need- to store the gas, because your fleets will use a LOT. And don’t’ forget to keep a handful of TKs available in LA and Karachi to occasionally load up with oil, and make the trip to Oz.
You have a LOT of extra shipping in India at the start of the game. You can steal about 2/3 of it and send it the long way back to Pearl, where you’ll actually need the shipping.
AO – Replentishment. You have plenty of TKs to transport fuel normally. Keep your AOs as replentishment. You’ll learn to love/rely on replentishment to sustain your operations. Also note that you have two types of AO. Fast ones (about 17 kts) and slow ones (about 14 kts). The fast ones can trail behind your CVs for fleet replentishment. The slower ones I tend to keep at various ports so they can run out and refuel nearby ships that are low/out of gas.
AE – Not much use for these guys before ’45. But you can park them at a base, and resupply your TF from them, instead of drawing supplies from the base. They will eventually accompany the fast AO TFs.
AR – I keep these guys in groups of 4 (max per port). Keep them at your repair yards to make things go faster. Also, have a few groups of 4 of these guys, scattered around some “just behind the line” bases, to sort of act as a MASH repair yard for ships damaged in combat.
AS/AD – I mostly put one of each of these with each group of 4x ARs. They help destroyers and subs additionally (and can reload torps).
MLE – I not really one of those freaks that mines everything (to each his own). But you can park these at Port(3), and mine the environs to your hearts content.
APD – I don’t use them much (there are only 6 to start). But you can fast tran troops/supplies to a base slightly within enemy LBA range. Or have fun with a Raider Btn.
AV – Just call these guys “Patrol Tenders”. If you park them at a base where you have PBYs and other planes, the PBYs will draw support form the AV, and not count against your air-support for your combat planes.
AVD – Same as AV. I tend to put these guys closer to the front, because they can make 26 kts and skeedadle if they need to. But don’t leave alone or in place for long, or an enemy surface TF –will- show up and kill you.
PT – Point defense for enemy bombardment TFs. I tend to keep them in a “reasonable” group of 4 or 6. But some folks mass 25 together, and they can put up stiff fight an enemy bombardment TF.
MSW – The “bird” class minesweepers I actually use them as MSWs. They have good range, but their ASW is lacking. The 1200 endurance MSWs (usually RCN actually) are fine for ASW for conoys, and you know, minesweeping. You can use the RCN (1200) MSWs with your faster invasion TFs (they can make 16kts), but make sure you top them off before making the run in to land. If your MSWs have to be refueled on the turn you land, you’ve just burned 250 ops points from transports that –should- be unloading troops.
DMS – Unlike MSWs, these guys can be included with your surface or bombardment TFs (and they are fast enough), so I mostly use them exclusively for that. They have fairly short legs tho (only 3200 endurance), so you’ll need to top them off –before- you make your run into enemy waters. These can also accompany your faster invasion TFs.
DM, ML – I usually group these guys together, to drop 1000 mines somewhere. The Oglala (ML) is slower than the DMs. But they have shorter legs, so it all comes out in the wash.
PC – Reliant et al, are kinda lacking. They have a little ASW, so they get put in convoy duty. A 2 ASW rating from Reliant in a convoy is almost the same as a 2 ASW rating from a DD, and it frees up the DD for fleet work. I hate “wasting” DDs on convoys.
PG – Charleston is fun. Her 6” guns and armor are a match for CL, and will certainly blow the snot out of an IJN DD. She’s slow tho, but can be used as a raider if you keep her generally under your LBA umbrella. The other PGs (Ashevills) have a limited utility in SC TF with Charleston, but I tend to turn them into PT boat tenders, because their AAA and ASW either are lacking or non-existant. The RCN Swan class PGs are great for ASW work.
DD – With the exception of Flush Deckers, mostly a DD is a DD is a DD, main distinction is by it’s endurance. Keep the ones with 6000+ endurance with your CVs. The ones with 5000ish end, I keep with heavier SC TFs. Using the longer legged 6000 guys with your CVs, means your CVs don’t have to refuel them as often. Having your CVs burn ops points to refuel DDs in the middle of a CV battle, will cost you a strike, and probably your CVs. The Flush Deckers (4000 end) make great raiders and hunter ASW groups. I like to package 4 of these guys, and run 6 in and out to shoot up transports at enemy perimeter bases. Bear in mind that they are vulnerable to the 3” guns on enemy transports (and certainly escorts). But constant ****s by a these “wolf packs” will compel IJN to tie up more escorts to those front-line convoys (then you can send in a CL, to shoot up the escorts). But if you lose a few Flush Deckers, nobody will care. Again, their ASW rating of 4 makes them good hunter killers early on (if you can find a sub stupid enough to squat in the same spot long enough to stomp him). With only 4000 end tho, you need to keep them topped off. But they can scoot around your trail of fuel depots in SoPac, just fine.
CL – Pretty much, a CL is a CL is CL. They’re a slightly cheaper version of AAA for your CVs. After July ’42, their AAA is as good as your CAs. I often use an older CL (Omaha) as either lone raiders, or flag for DD raider TFs. The Omahas have weaker AAA, so they don’t do your CVs much good. But they can add some punch to your raider SC TF (5” guns of DDs won’t penetrate CL armor, although torps are of course nasty). As raiders, you can sprint in and out at 6 hexes each way, which will usually avoid retribution by LBA. Again, I’m more likely to risk the Omahas as raiders.
CA – Pretty much, a CA is a CA is CA. These will be your heavy units in 1942, because most of your BBs will be in the shop. They’re fast enough to accompany your CVs (and should). If an enemy CL has intercepted your DD/CL raiders, you can trump him by putting in a CA with your SC group. But avoid CA vs. CA, because IJN CAs are better than yours. Mostly, these guys stay as AAA for my CVs.
BB – Not much use for these (slow) guys in ’42 (if they’re not already crippled in port). They’re too slow to put your CVs, and their AAA is about the same as CAs, so why slow down? Also a little dangerous to put them in bombardment TFs, because their slow speed exposes them to enemy LBA for too long. The faster BBs (NoCal and SoDaks), are fine. Good AAA, and fast enough to accompany your CVs (although you lose 2 hexes of speed at full). And fine service in bombardment TFs. Note that if an enemy bombardment TF is in the area, and I happen to have slow BBs around, I might be tempted to move them in for point defense. IJN CAs will ruin your day tho, so I don’t usually risk BBs in ’42.
CVE – The VR CVEs, keep them between a base with 20k supplies and your CVs, and they’ll keep you stocked with aircraft. Regarding Long Island and the other offensive capable CVEs… I actually normally use them aircraft transport. My CVs get stuck with this duty early on, but using Long Island to ferry Wilcats and P-39s past the “hump” between Palmyra and SoPac is useful. You should try to have built up SoPac so that you plane can transfer around with LI. But the ‘Cats and P-39s have shorter range, and need to ride LI. You can use LI and others offensively. I don’t like putting them with my fleet CVs, it slows them down too much. Sometimes put LI with Hermes or other slower carriers. If offensive, I put a sqn of USMC SBDs on her, for a few extra bombs. The USMC Wildcats don’t have the exp to actually make a difference if you’re in a CV battle, but the USMC SBDs might actually land a bomb. Some folks use her in a historical role as ASW platform, but I haven’t found her to be all that effective (SBDs will only have a range of 2, and frankly, she’s as much a tempting target for IJN subs).
CV – They carry planes that have bombs. You know what to do. They can make strikes on Japanese perimeter in 1942. But I’d genrally stay away from KB. If KB is split up, you can maybe engage, but if KB is around (or worse mega-KB), it’s usually best to keep your distance (or at least stay near a base with B-17s). Note you can also use them early on as aircraft transports. You can ferry an extra USMC sqdn on them, without shutting down flight ops. I don’t usually use USMC planes on my CVs offensively (a battle with orphan’d CVs planes landing on your already full deck, will shut down ops). But if you do add a USMC sqdn offensively, I again recommend the SBDs or Avengers, because the USMC Wildcats aren’t going to buy you that much on CAP. You could put the USMC Wildcats on 0-CAP all escort, and they’ll provide a few extra bullet sponges for your bombers. But I personally would simply prefer the extra planes be USMC bombers in the first place.
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