Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Macclan5

Excellent question Scott

Verses the AI

Rabul is taken more easily than Truk - depending upon time frame. Rabul lacks coastal artillery (at least in my experience) and you can take it successfully - quickly - with about 3 Infantry Divisions / Armor / Artillery support. It develops to a size 9 Airstrip and a good harbor for large ships including an AR / ARD allowing solid damage repair / support.

Is it worth the investment though ?

1) It allows you a great airbase - with Liberators - to suppress Truk.
2) It allows you a great airbase - with all bombers - to suppress Hollandia / Northern New Guinea et al
3) It allows you a good port with an AR ARD to support significant ship repairs to a point if operating off the Philippines Sea
4) You can isolate a significant garrison in the jungle and "play bomber practice" with American Airframes building up significant experience with minimal risk.

However all of the above can actually be accomplished by taking Kaveign / Admiralty Islands as well - with significantly less troop concentration - disruption - amphibious shipping deployment - Carrier support - etc

However you will also have to suppress Rabul as an airbase (likely in addition to Truk)

I think it is mostly a personal choice dependent on your "timing in the game" and resource deployment.

Historically of course it was bypassed.

There is no one answer fits all.

In a PBEM game ? No idea.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

quote:

ORIGINAL: Macclan5

Excellent question Scott

Verses the AI

Rabul is taken more easily than Truk - depending upon time frame. Rabul lacks coastal artillery (at least in my experience) and you can take it successfully - quickly - with about 3 Infantry Divisions / Armor / Artillery support. It develops to a size 9 Airstrip and a good harbor for large ships including an AR / ARD allowing solid damage repair / support.

Is it worth the investment though ?

1) It allows you a great airbase - with Liberators - to suppress Truk.
2) It allows you a great airbase - with all bombers - to suppress Hollandia / Northern New Guinea et al
3) It allows you a good port with an AR ARD to support significant ship repairs to a point if operating off the Philippines Sea
4) You can isolate a significant garrison in the jungle and "play bomber practice" with American Airframes building up significant experience with minimal risk.

However all of the above can actually be accomplished by taking Kaveign / Admiralty Islands as well - with significantly less troop concentration - disruption - amphibious shipping deployment - Carrier support - etc

However you will also have to suppress Rabul as an airbase (likely in addition to Truk)

I think it is mostly a personal choice dependent on your "timing in the game" and resource deployment.

Historically of course it was bypassed.

There is no one answer fits all.

In a PBEM game ? No idea.

So tasty for that harbor so few in the area! I should go read up on Rabaul and what happened to it after bypassed. So much to read so little time!

quote:

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

That was at Ulithi if I remember correctly.

quote:

USS Mount Hood (AE-11) was the lead ship of her class of ammunition ships for the United States Navy in World War II. She was the first ship named after Mount Hood, a volcano in the Cascade Range in Oregon. On 10 November 1944, shortly after 18 men had departed for shore leave, the rest of the crew were killed when the ship exploded in Seeadler Harbor at Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The ship was obliterated while also sinking or severely damaging 22 smaller craft nearby.

quote:

SS John Burke (MC hull number 609) was an American Liberty Ship built during World War II, one of the 2,710 type 'EC2-S-C1' ships that carried all kinds and types of dry cargo during the war.[4] The ship was named for John Burke (February 25, 1859 – May 14, 1937), the 10th Governor of North Dakota. Burke was built at Kaiser Shipbuilding Company's Oregon Shipbuilding yard in Portland, Oregon. Burke's keel was laid November 20, 1942[4] and the hull was launched on December 13.[4] After fitting-out, Burke was delivered to the US Maritime Commission on December 23,[4] just 33 days after construction began. The War Shipping Administration then placed Burke under management of the Northland Transportation Company.[1]

On December 28, 1944, while transporting ammunition to Mindoro, Philippines, Burke was hit by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft, and disintegrated in a tremendous explosion with the loss of all hands.[5][6] John Burke was one of three Liberty Ships[7] and one of forty-seven ships sunk by kamikaze attack during World War II.[8]

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

That was at Ulithi if I remember correctly.

There were two different incidents of US ammo ships exploding in the Pacific. I will try and find the pictures.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

Yes PM is held by me, Guadalcanal area is held and landing at Kevieg(sp again)north of Rabaul. Every thing else in New Guinea is owned by Japanese, Milne Bay all the way across the north. Lost several ships at Kevieg and units. Including damage carriers and lost CVE, those things are magnets for attack.

Thanks for the suggestions. It just seems it is one of the most important points of the war.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

quote:

ORIGINAL: Macclan5

Excellent question Scott

Verses the AI

Rabul is taken more easily than Truk - depending upon time frame. Rabul lacks coastal artillery (at least in my experience) and you can take it successfully - quickly - with about 3 Infantry Divisions / Armor / Artillery support. It develops to a size 9 Airstrip and a good harbor for large ships including an AR / ARD allowing solid damage repair / support.

Is it worth the investment though ?

1) It allows you a great airbase - with Liberators - to suppress Truk.
2) It allows you a great airbase - with all bombers - to suppress Hollandia / Northern New Guinea et al
3) It allows you a good port with an AR ARD to support significant ship repairs to a point if operating off the Philippines Sea
4) You can isolate a significant garrison in the jungle and "play bomber practice" with American Airframes building up significant experience with minimal risk.

However all of the above can actually be accomplished by taking Kaveign / Admiralty Islands as well - with significantly less troop concentration - disruption - amphibious shipping deployment - Carrier support - etc

However you will also have to suppress Rabul as an airbase (likely in addition to Truk)

I think it is mostly a personal choice dependent on your "timing in the game" and resource deployment.

Historically of course it was bypassed.

There is no one answer fits all.

In a PBEM game ? No idea.

So tasty for that harbor so few in the area! I should go read up on Rabaul and what happened to it after bypassed. So much to read so little time!

US troops landed on the western end of New Britain (Rabaul's island) and took all of the island up to Rabaul. They then established a quarantine line to keep the 100K or so troops at Rabaul in their tiny perimeter. Not sure if the port was ever taken - I recall seeing pictures on this site of an ammunition ship exploding and I thought the caption said it was at Rabaul.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

Yes PM is held by me, Guadalcanal area is held and landing at Kevieg(sp again)north of Rabaul. Every thing else in New Guinea is owned by Japanese, Milne Bay all the way across the north. Lost several ships at Kevieg and units. Including damage carriers and lost CVE, those things are magnets for attack.

Thanks for the suggestions. It just seems it is one of the most important points of the war.

With your investment of Kavieng and your cordoning of Rabaul already underway, it sounds like you're pointing in the direction of 'cordon and starve' for Rabaul. Manus (Admiralty islands) is the next logical choice if it's reasonably attained. That's why it's one of the first defensive cordons that I reinforce as the Japanese. Start sniffing around Hollandia on P/NG too-MacArthur's capture of it was a real nail in the coffin for Rabaul. If you can get a defensible line Kavieng-Manus-Hollandia, that will cut off the Japanese in SoPac substantially.

Green Island or Gasmata may be good ancillary bases to help hem in Rabaul. Of course you will have to build these-a good use of your construction battalions.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Get Manus. More useful than Rabaul.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

So tasty for that harbor so few in the area! I should go read up on Rabaul and what happened to it after bypassed. So much to read so little time!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Get Manus. More useful than Rabaul.

Will check that out not familiar with it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ian R

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

So tasty for that harbor so few in the area! I should go read up on Rabaul and what happened to it after bypassed. So much to read so little time!

Adding to BB's summary-

Some marines landed at Cape Gloucester at the other end of the island; maybe some cavalry also landed, and after they pushed the IJA back down to the Rabaul end, 40th division put the 100k plus IJ there under siege; eventually the US troops were replaced by 5th Australian division (or parts thereof) who watched them trying to grow food on the Gazelle peninsula and generally starve to death. They did close the perimeter to the base of the peninsula, but stopped there. It basically became a self administered POW camp. At the end, only 69,000 IJ survived.

If you bypass it, your bombers in training can keep the runway shut easily - no supplies = no flak.

quote:

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_USN

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Get Manus. More useful than Rabaul.

Will check that out not familiar with it.

That is where the USN set up a major base.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

With Manus and Kavieng, you can completely isolate Rabaul.

Then you can mop up Rabaul later when it's out of supply.