Chickenboy
Posts: 24520
Joined: 6/29/2002 From: San Antonio, TX Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: USSAmerica As an Allied player with no game yet making it into 1943 (that will change with Mike and I) I think losing the bulk of the subs at Manila would be more damaging to the Allied effort. Sure, you would get more VP's if you manage to sink a BB or 3 at Pearl, but we all know those older Battle Wagons just aren't very useful for the first 6 - 12 months. The subs can go where BB's can't and actually get to your shipping. Even with an 80% dud rate, that can still mean a lot of sunk ships via subs at the end of '42. In my former game with Joseph (SqzMyLemon), I sank 25 subs at Manila on turn one. In my current game (FOW of course), I sank 24. Through May 1942, he's lost 35 submarines. The Manila strike expedited their demise and damaged submarines going to Soerbaja or Singapore to repair initial damage sustained at Manila were also bombed or mined in port. There's also several tankers, a handful of destroyers, two good AS, one AV IIRC and numerous other support ships for the taking. So the main advantage IMO is to eliminate resistance in a rapid sweep into the DEI and the Phillipines. KBs punching weight can aid in clearing the way. KB can be on site every day of the first week of hostilities versus attacking one day and spending the next 6 sailing back to rearm/refuel. Drawbacks: AV-point-wise, PH is the probable short-term winner for attack rationale. And, as others have pointed out, KB would not be in a position to deliver a knockout blow to ill-positioned Allied CVs in the first week of the war. Thirdly, PBY availability for the Allies will be greater in the first 6 months of the war if they are not destroyed on the ground at Hickham / Ford Island. These are very useful to Allies as their eyes and ears and can spoil any Japanese surprise moves deep in the Pacific.
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