Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

What is the point of basing anything there in the first place.

Alfred

quote:

ORIGINAL: jmalter

A YMS on patrol in a base might detect an enemy sub, & may soak up an anti-ship air strike, but it has NO recon capacity, except for the combat report that tells you what sank it. If you create a local minesweeping TF, it'll need fuel to function.

It's a good idea to evacuate exposed BFs, but what those islands need is a disbanded, loaded APD & a subgroup of PBYs doing NavSearch. As your assets increase, add add'l APDs & flying boats.

quote:

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

What you've done is create a line between Pearl and Oz. Build it up. Make it an inpenatratable line which can safeguard convoys running to Oz, allow a "lily pad" approach to ferrying aircraft across the Pacific , and a series of fueling/emergency repair bases. I use YMS's as pickets , PC's and SC's later (which also can be used as localized asw patrols) subs and lots of PA type air craft. FP's make localized ASW aircraft hunting groups at "choke points".

By detecting anything approaching "the line" , you can run if something too big comes (like the KB) and kill anything smaller. Think of it as a WW2 version of the Cold war DEW LINE. You likk or suppress anything approaching it , depriving your opponent of intelligence on anything happening below it. It's the only way to survive during the period of Japanese superiority. And you can keep your CV TF's "short stopping" behind the line. Once you've built up suffient LBA , backed up by CV TF's , even the KB won't be able to penetrate it.

One key point. If the base isn't big enough to hold a division of troops , don't build it up or garrison it. Use AVD's, AV's and other auxiliaries to make up you base. On the bigger islands, go all out. Start with an infantry division then add whatever you can. Especially LBA.

Feel free to email or PM me if you'd like more suggestions.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jmalter

You've not said your campaign date. Starting SW from PH, it's good to have as much air NavSearch coverage as you can provide over the 'southern convoy route' from WC to Oz. Some islands are only useful as expendable advance bases, esp if they are in the Japanese expansion zone. Others (Noumea, Suva, Pago) are needing garrisons & construction (USMC Defense Battalions, AA battalions, SeaBee battalions, USN Port Svc detachments).

AW1Steve's analogy to the 'DEW line' is apt.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trugrit


Quote from slane:
They are there to protect my supply line

I’ve never really understood this. I’ve read books on Guadalcanal that say the Japanese were building an airfield on Guadalcanal to “cut the allied supply line to Australia”.

I have never understood how this was possible. Slow it down maybe, but the Pacific is a big ocean and God knows how many Japanese planes and ships it would take to achieve that. Maybe someone can explain it to me.

That said. I like to see the Japanese expand their perimeter as much as possible. Remember that for every hex the Japanese expand they add two hexes to their supply chain. The ships have to go out and back. I like to see the Japanese burn supply and fuel to upkeep bases in “no money” hexes.

By no “no money hexes” I mean places where there are no resources or oil.
That would be a net drain on the Japanese supply.

I understand that if you are playing for victory points there are certain bases you would want to control.

If you want to form an aircraft leap frog across the south pacific then you will need aviation support.
You will have to supply those bases.
The allies have the fuel, supplies and manpower to do that.

I think Alfred’s point is well taken. A lot of trouble for little gain.

I don’t think the AI or even a PBEM opponent is going to try to capture a bunch of small bases.
That would be a time and resource consuming endeavor.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trugrit

Maybe I’m dense and that’s O.K. even mentally challenged old folks like me can enjoy the game without being at your very superior level.

I think we were talking about small bases. I don’t consider Noumea and Suva to be small in a tactical sense.

About the YMS: The YMS needs fuel to do all this mine sweeping and running scared from the big bad gator and getting blasted and limping around to find cover and finally sinking. You are going to have to haul some fuel to the small bases unless you run them back and forth.

And by the way, you don’t need 100 kates and 100 vals to kill a YMS or a cargo convoy.
Japanese heavy cruisers will be able to wipe all the small base YMS’s to heaven and gone.

Cargo convoys can't out run the KB in any case. The Japanese will use spotter planes from subs to locate
the convoy.

I agree, don't waste units on small bases. Better than YMS would be a seaplane tender. Float planes can
spot the KB from much longer distances.

The allies have cargo ships capable of hauling fuel and supplies all the way across the Pacific.
If you are going to take the chance of getting whacked by the gator why stop or even pass through a small base that could be mined. You would want to run close to them in case of trouble but that’s all.

And we are really only talking about 1942 and into 1943. Maybe 365+ turns out of 1,634 turns? At some point in the war the allies are going to have the capability to kill the gator and all his cousins. At that point the big bad gator is the endangered species in southern waters.

And by the way, New Zealand is not at the South Pole, I hear it’s ice free all year long.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trugrit


Yes Steve I would love to play you at some point.
I consider you to be one of the very best players of this game.

No joke, It would be an honor to be beaten into the dust by you.
I too have trouble with the production system.

Consider this. The Japanese can take anything they want in 1942. Including the picket line.
It just turns out that the Japanese will usually want the DEI more than small bases.
The question is can they hold what they take? That's the problem that the Japanese face.

Kates and Vals don't have to kill the first thing they see. It's a choice.
Dive bombers and torpedo bombers can be set to stand down and the fighters can maintain cap cover.
The KB can go right through a YMS picket line like it was butter and you will never know they are there.

Gators are compelled to eat ducks the Japanese are not.

quote:

ORIGINAL: General Patton

AW1Steve, I like your gator/duck thing. Good points though....GP

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trugrit
I’ve never really understood this. I’ve read books on Guadalcanal that say the Japanese were building an airfield on Guadalcanal to “cut the allied supply line to Australia”.

I have never understood how this was possible. Slow it down maybe, but the Pacific is a big ocean and God knows how many Japanese planes and ships it would take to achieve that. Maybe someone can explain it to me.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Buckrock
I've seen claims of the Guadalcanal airfield being built to cut the Allied supply line to Australia as well. As you noted, having an operational airbase there wasn't actually going to do much in that respect.

quote:

ORIGINAL: slane
Well if nothing else you all have given me some things to think about. Feels like a waste just letting these fighters buzz around in the middle of nowhere but I definitely have to protect my convoys. I’m not sure what to do now but thanks for your help.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trugrit

Chickenboy,

Yes,you are correct. I didn’t mean to imply that pickets were totally useless in the game.

They have their place and can be extremely useful. Yard Mine Sweepers should be in a defended yard sweeping for mines, not in some remote undefended front line base or on the open ocean just to soak up hundreds of enemy dive bombers.

I prefer subs, float and search planes as advanced warning pickets.

Like I say, my problem is I’m dense. I want to play the game like I would if I was back on active duty as a real naval officer. The Aux ships are valuable assets to the navy. The other factor is that they have men on board. I like to protect my assets and men.

You tell 150 men that they are going to have to die to get a scrap of intelligence that may in the long run prove to be useless and you are on your way out as a naval commander and a human being.

I have trouble even sending subs out with dud torpedoes.
In game terms it does not matter, nobody gets hurt. It’s just a game.
I’m just not comfortable doing something that a real naval officer wouldn’t do.

I think Steve just misunderstood what I was saying.
He got the idea that I was just going to let the Japanese walk into important bases
like Noumea, build up an airfield, and then I was going to run cargo ships under their
air umbrella just because I thought I had ships to spare. That is not what I was saying.
What I was saying is that I was going to move fuel to Australia and the Japanese could not
stop me from doing that even if they had Noumea. Then we sort of went off topic on pickets.

I have nothing against advanced warning tactics; just how to achieve that.

I’m O.K. with the AI, even if Steve thinks I’m a moron. I love the game.
I love moving ships around, repairing them, upgrading them, loading and unloading them, planning operations.
I don’t even care if the Japanese show up I’m having so much fun.
We all get something different out of it.

I don’t care if I’m beaten badly in a PBEM game,bad habits or not,in fact I expect it.
This game has a steep learning curve and I’m all in for that.
I’ll play the game my way,win or lose. Looks like I’m going to lose.

I've got a way to go yet.

Thanks,your kind advice is most welcome.

quote:

I assume that you've heard of destroyers used as RADAR pickets?