jimh009
Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005 Status: offline
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August 29th, 1942 Strategic Overview AI has completely stopped expanding, except for perhaps a few nibbles in China that might be a prelude to some more offensives there. For now, the AI seems totally content to build up its line, fortifications and resources. Japan still has all of its CV's, CVE's, BB's and CVL's (minus the Zuiho). While Allied subs have taken a toll on Japanese shipping (and some dumb AI moves, such as invading Batavia directly and having the shore guns sink a lot of ships), compared to past games, the AI is pretty flush with shipping at this point in the game. The AI is in the process right now of doing its one "west coast" raid. Two CV's sunk a tiny transport convoy, giving me heads up to move everything back to port. For the next week or so, little will be shipped anywhere on the West Coast until the KB gets bored and moves North to Alaska - where it will find nothing to bomb either. The raids by the AI are a bit like diarrhea - an annoyance that will, in time, soon pass. By happen stance, all Allied CV's are in PH and could give chase. But I'll let the AI do its thing in peace, although this might be the last "big raid" by the AI that I let it get away with. It's been a busy two months, so a lot to go over. First Allied Offensive - Baker Island Allies took Baker in mid-August. I gathered up the entire US Navy, which by now includes 10 BB's (including the Repulse and Prince of Wales), and took Baker with nary a fight. In past games, Baker has always caused nasty losses to the Marines who wade a shore - due mainly due to lazy planning on my part and the sometimes "spur of the moment" offensive I'll take to get it back. This time I planned better. I moved a pile of AKE's to Canton, and bombarded Baker for 5 days with 6 different bombardment TF's. Result was a "walk on". The 160 AV the Japanese had there was reduced to 1 in the final combat once the Marines invaded. The KB didn't show itself during the fight to take Baker. Since Tarawa is still a level 2 airfield, there was also no air opposition. New Caledonia Region In early June I gave up "waiting" for the AI to take Luganville and Noumea, so I landed forces and started building bases. Bases now include Noumea, La Fae, Kourmac, Efate, Luganville and Tanna. Luganville is still just an AF2, so it has a ways to go to be built up. Until the AF gets larger, I won't be able to base any bombers there for the future operations I have in the South Pacific (see map). Future Operations Since the Navy right now is a bit of a mess with a lot of ships due upgrades, I pulled the entire fleet that participated in Baker Island back to PH. It will remain there for a few weeks, take some much needed shore leave, then likely be gone from PH for a long, long time - since operations will be shifting down to the South Pacific. Funafuti The first operation, to be done in late September or early October, is taking Funafuti. Japan hasn't built any of the Ellice Islands up, but I don't like the "dead space" in search over this region of the Pacific. This will be a small operation, with all units now nearly 100% prepped. Assault stages out of Auckland. The Isolation of Guadalcanal The big operation for the rest of 1942 is the isolation of Guadalcanal. In the old stock game, taking Guadalcanal was pretty simple...just gather up more LCU's then the AI had there, do a couple days worth of bombardments and voila, the base was in Allied hands. It won't be nearly as simple this game. Left unmolested, the AI has built up Guadalacanal into a mini-fortress. It's fully manned with at least one ID (perhaps two), tanks and one infantry regiment. All likely sitting behind 4+ forts. Lunga has a stacking limit of just 40,000. Since the AI is right up against the stacking limit, it is pretty much impossible for the Allies to just "overwhelm" Lunga in a few turns. While you can go over stacking limits by 10% or so without too many problems, going over by 20% or more is a recipe for fast disappearing supply and disruption among the units. Moreover, the KB is still running around and the AI has filled the skies with Betties in the Solomons. Because of this, it just isn't safe to keep the Allied fleet there all by its lonesome for any length of time. Because of this, to take Lunga it will be necessary to first establish a network of Allied bases that will, eventually, surround Lunga. The goal of the bases is to provide the necessary land based air cover that the Allied fleet can retreat beneath and, of course, to provide bases that will cut off supply to Lunga. This task would be a bit simpler if the Allies still had Port Moresby and Milne Bay - since the Allies wouldn't have to deal with Betties coming from multiple bases and multiple directions like they do now. But alas, with the AI having it, it becomes necessary to build up a solid base network. The allied bases will, as you can probably surmise, be covered with fighters and any torpedo/dive bombers I can scrape up. The big bombers will be based at Luganville. There's another big reason for the development of all these bases, too. To provide early warning of an approaching KB as well as to keep the KB busy with air battles. If the Allies simply leaped up and tried to take Lunga as it is now, the Allies would be "flying blind" to the location of any Japanese naval forces. The Japanese land based air alone will keep the Allies very busy - despite having 6 CV's. To throw the KB into the mix would, ultimately, lead to disaster. Thus, a more deliberate approach to Lunga is needed. And that means the development of multiple bases in the area. The goal is that once the Allies have taken Tulagi and the surrounding bases have been developed, the Allies will have a solid defense screen of land based air, giving the Allied fleet a relatively safe umbrella to operate under. Once that umbrella is established, the Allied Fleet will then essentially be operating out of Tulagi for a few weeks. The BB's - of which the Allies have many now with more on the way - will then do a round the clock bombardment of Lunga over several weeks that will quickly degrade the base, LCU's and supply level. This degradation should allow 2+ full divisions, plus armor, artillery and needed support, to land on Lunga and have a reasonable chance of taking it fairly quickly and without suffering horribly high losses in the process. While too early to fully know, I imagine I'll be basing one of those new port units (that have 100 Naval Support) at Tulagi during this time, to help keep the AKE's fully loaded. And there will be at least 10-15 AKE's disbanded in Tulagi's port, potentially more. Meanwhile, as the BB's and other ships bombard Lunga, Allied CV's and land based fighters will function mainly to keep the KB and Japanese SCTF's in check and away from Lunga. But should the KB show itself - and I think it is likely to do so - the land based air will prove a huge factor. Besides providing protection for the Allied fleet, land units will be able to launch their own strikes against the KB. Thus, if the KB shows itself, I think the combination of land based fighters/dive bombers from multiple bases and 6 Allied CV's can give Japan a very blood nose while suffering only light to, at worse, moderate losses.
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