Bogo Mil
Posts: 286
Joined: 1/28/2008 Status: offline
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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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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. (Benjamin Franklin)
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