Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bandkanon

Hello everyone,

I am playing as Japan and my opponent has pulled everything out of Malaya (as much as possible) and garrisoned batavia and Java overall. He even threw in 11th Indian Division and the AVG into Java. He has about 2000av now in Java. Now its beginning of March and I have two divisions north of Batavia, but I lost several transports already getting those troops in.

First of all, I am a bit annoyed at this move. Is Fortress Java gamey by pulling out everything out to Java.

Second, how do I defeat this with minimal damage to my forces. Can I just ignore Java for awhile and take the rest of the SRA and leave Java last to wither away. Is there enough supply to make Java self sufficient?

Please help

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bandkanon
He has about 2000av now in Java. Now its beginning of March and I have two divisions north of Batavia, but I lost several transports already getting those troops in.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bandkanon

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

Yes, this is my first PBEM game. As for asking about it being gamey, I just wanted to know.

And Chickenboy is right, I absolutely screwed up on using my naval assets. I was too conservative and fearful of naval LBAs. So I didn't do as much as should in interdicting shipping.

Now, I think what is causing me to panic is the slowness of the game (not that it is bad, just that as someone coming from RTSs, I am somewhat uncomfortable to long term strategies). A strategy of slowly grinding him down and blockading Java will take how long? How deadly would land based bombers be to transports landing in the middle of Java. That was my biggest fear as to why I landed north of Batavia. I could actually give really heavy CAP from Sumatra.

Anyway, so now I think its best to start taking over the rest of the DEI and isolate Java. But how long would this take on average?

Thanks for all the replies, gentlemen.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bandkanon

Hello everyone,

I am playing as Japan and my opponent has pulled everything out of Malaya (as much as possible) and garrisoned batavia and Java overall. He even threw in 11th Indian Division and the AVG into Java. He has about 2000av now in Java. Now its beginning of March and I have two divisions north of Batavia, but I lost several transports already getting those troops in.

First of all, I am a bit annoyed at this move. Is Fortress Java gamey by pulling out everything out to Java.

Second, how do I defeat this with minimal damage to my forces. Can I just ignore Java for awhile and take the rest of the SRA and leave Java last to wither away. Is there enough supply to make Java self sufficient?

Please help

quote:

ORIGINAL: Numdydar

I thought the units would just eventually die off without supplies. Is that not correct?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I still don't understand the concern from an experienced Japanese player's perspective.  Nearly all of the IJ players I know would relish the idea of the Allies marooning a stack of units in the interior sections of Java.  The Japanese would isolate Java, bomb out the supplies, and attend to the Allied prisoners of war at their leisure.  Meanwhile, said IJ players would take advantage of the reduction in Allied forces elsewhere - said reduction occuring because the Allied player was foolish enough to create his own prisoner-of-war camp.

Two "telephone poles" in the jungle?  Hah!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I still don't understand the concern from an experienced Japanese player's perspective.  Nearly all of the IJ players I know would relish the idea of the Allies marooning a stack of units in the interior sections of Java.  The Japanese would isolate Java, bomb out the supplies, and attend to the Allied prisoners of war at their leisure.  Meanwhile, said IJ players would take advantage of the reduction in Allied forces elsewhere - said reduction occuring because the Allied player was foolish enough to create his own prisoner-of-war camp.

Two "telephone poles" in the jungle?  Hah!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nikademus

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I still don't understand the concern from an experienced Japanese player's perspective.  Nearly all of the IJ players I know would relish the idea of the Allies marooning a stack of units in the interior sections of Java.  The Japanese would isolate Java, bomb out the supplies, and attend to the Allied prisoners of war at their leisure.  Meanwhile, said IJ players would take advantage of the reduction in Allied forces elsewhere - said reduction occuring because the Allied player was foolish enough to create his own prisoner-of-war camp.

Two "telephone poles" in the jungle?  Hah!

Except that the units that were used in our case were expendible to begin with. They were largely native units with maybe a bit of reinforcement since noone in their right mind ever sends the Singapore reinforcements to Singapre. They were then concentrated in these two bases. All else in Java was abandoned including the very targets both sides either wanted to defend or deny to the other. It was a tactic strictly designed to buy time. Hence, there was no real reduction in Allied forces elsewhere. No as i mentioned there are counters but they are equally ahistorical hence i don't do them in my games. That being the "attack the fringes first" strategy before the hindsight and/or most valuable bases are invested with telephone poles.

So put another way, by early 42 our opponents had established 3 major telephone pole redoubts in the PI/SRA area in addition to whatever defensive nuclei were being developed else where. (3 other known TP positions building up were Darwin and PM of course along with Suva)

Its one thing to leave the PI TP to wither as it did historically....but with the two huge positions in Java as well at the same time....that equaled a tying up of considerable land assets. I don't see how Joe and I could just "ignore" all of that and move on. You can only leave so many forces cut off in the rear. It's not like "island hopping" where a overabundance of sea and air power could serve alone to isolate specific outposts. These were landlocked major enemy troop infestations.