JD Walter
Posts: 235
Joined: 6/20/2003 From: Out of the Silent Planet Status: offline
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Hi Cyrano, quote:
Next logical question (to me) is how important is Shipping then ? In the game for Germany for example it says you should have 6 transports in the Atlantic and 2 in the Baltic. If you send those out (all 8) you should according to the manual get an increase in food and materials. Does this increase lead to more economic pts shortly thereafter ? Shipping is helpful for the CP, but not vital. IIRC, the Baltic generally yields 3 extra RM's per TR. (Note: I cannot say this is anything but an estimate; it was just the average I got in the one PBEM game I've played.) These are useful (they translate to an extra 6 IP's per strategic phase), but you have to weigh that against the cost of escort and the risk of interception by the superior TE fleet. The RM's appear in your trade reserves the strategic phase after the shipping mission is first performed. As the CP, I generally shoot for control of the Baltic and place all 4 available TR's there in case one or two of them get intercepted by an English raid and are damaged or forced to retire. I have never been able to acquire sea superiority in the Atlantic; both the AI and my opponent patrol the North Sea and the North Atlantic aggressively, and all of my HSF sorties have met with combat. Generally, the HSF can hold its own and give as good as it gets, but the TE combined has more ships, and Britain can concentrate of building naval points for repair which Germany can ill-afford to devote the IP's to. Since loss of ships also contributes to exhaustion and decline of national will, I usually try to avoid sailing the HSF into areas I know where the British are going to be out in force. However, I balance that with a careful consideration of the losses the BEF is taking in France; if I perceive an opportunity to "overload" the British national will and damage it by inflicting additional losses on their navy, I will sortie the HSF to do so. quote:
If yes, is the usage of Naval assets to send out those Transports (as necessary) worth the expense ? My hunch is that it's probably worth it in the Baltic which you can probably control rather easily but in the Atlantic not so sure (if you have to send out your military fleet to defend your shipping). That's been my experience. Agreed. But note U-Boats are very effective in the North Atlantic if the TE does not invest in ASW. And, the AH & OE fleets, if combined, can contest British patrol of the Eastern Med, or French patrol of the Western Med.
< Message edited by Def Zep -- 8/9/2007 7:24:13 PM >
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