Invasion Advice Needed

Invasion Advice Needed (Full Version)

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btaft -> Invasion Advice Needed (11/13/2006 4:34:17 PM)
I am in the middle of a pretty successful game as the US. It is Mid 43' and I am starting to put a strangle hold on Rabaul. In order to do that I have leap frogged over Shortland and Lae which were heavily defended with troops. Any thing that comes near those ports are pretty much LB Dauntless and Avenger fodder. I am alos able to suppress Rabaul's airfields with my level bombers as needed. My question is, do people just generally leave Lae and Shortland alone or do you try to mop it up. Along these lines what is a good strategy for taking these bases. They are pretty heavily fortified and have fairly good defenses (CD, and about 6-7 infantry units). Do I just continue to dump troops on these locations until they eventually get worn down. Is there an effective way to soften up the location ahead of time (Ground Attack seems pretty ineffective). Any help is appreciated. Thanks, BT

tocaff -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/13/2006 5:24:03 PM)
Strangle their supply lines, reduce the ports and airfields and all the men and material there won't matter as being out of supply is akin to not existing. If your opponent tries to resupply these bases enjoy killing off the units sent on the suicide mission. Air and sub resuppply are not enough to keep a base in action. No supplies, disruption and low morale leave a unit ineffective.

btaft -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/13/2006 9:24:37 PM)
Thanks tocaff. I figured it was something like this. I think I will focus on Shortland first. I have pretty good stanglehold on the area.....at least no AP is safe anywhere near there or south of Kaeving for that matter. The barges have been a bit of a nuissance. I have been dwindling them down with SS and FB groups (set at 100 ft) but there are so many of them. I guess the best deterent might be to sit a Surface Combat group on top of Shortland to attack any barge TF that tries to enter. I have been able to ward off the air transports with a LRCAP of P38's over the base. I guess my next course of action should be to start bombing the port and airfield into the dark ages (they will miss bombing Rabaul....but that is OK). I assume that this makes the base use up supplies to try to repair the damage. Is there anyway to determine when the base is out of or very low on supplies? Thanks, BT

tocaff -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/14/2006 1:51:43 AM)
My guess would be that it's a best guess on your part as to when an opponent's base is out of supplies since you don't know what was there to begin with and how fast they're being consumed. Remember that the more active the units are the more supplies they use.

btaft -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/16/2006 11:37:12 PM)
Well after I have bombed shortland into oblivion for approximately 6 weeks (amount of time it took to get some of the forces recalled and up and on transports), I have landed a good sized group (Marine Div 1 + 2 and two oter divisions) on the island and have started the assault. I think they must be fairly low on supply since the shore batteries did little or no damage to the invasion fleets. The battle goes slow. I believe I am about 1-1/2 weeks into the assault. Is this normal...the enemy looks to have about 7-8 infantry units in a size 9 fortress which took about a week to reduce to 0. I am hoping to only take a few more days to finish them off, their assualt values seem to be dwindling significantly in the land combat screen. How long do well defended seiges typically take? I am hoping to have enough time to make another assualt on either Lae or Rabaul before the end of the scenario.....

tocaff -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/17/2006 1:30:55 AM)
What's the date now in the game? When does the scenario end? Why not take the APs with values of 1500 and 2000 out of the Shortland OP and move them over to Brisbane, an assumption, or wherever you have the Allied troops that are rested and ready to go for an invasion of Lae (or wherever)? You can use the 3000 APs for follow on troops such as support (BFs) or shift them also for another invasion and let your AKs bring in the supplies for the new (impending) base. I'm assuming that you have surface support, meaning escorts to go with the APs and supporting CVs can shift as soon as feasable. If you're going to invade Lae and want to cut off retreat routes then move troops overland from PM and land a force on the other side of Lae, 1 regiment is enough in all probability.

btaft -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/17/2006 4:07:00 PM)
We were thinking exactly alike :-) As soon as the troops were off loaded at shortland I sent them to Brisbane and now have most of my troops staged at Gili Gili. I finally conquered Shortland around the end of Sep 43 and have been bombing Lae for the last two weeks and have it surrounded in Mid October. Looks like I will have enough time to get all of the troops to Lae and hopefully take the base before the scenario is done. The game is long since won (I am not certain if the IJN has an AP or a CV for that matter anywhere).....I have just been using it to try to refine my invasion skills Thanks for the help

tocaff -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/17/2006 6:11:22 PM)
You are most welcome. Now if only I could have my "issues" resolved and become a more worthy PBEM opponent.

btaft -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/17/2006 8:52:31 PM)
You must be getting pretty decent at UV....you have been posting some very good advice. I find in games like these there are usually numerous ways of getting things done but only about 1 or 2 that are a "good" way of getting them done. One lesson I learned this game was it seems to be a good idea to have "ready" troops at mid-forward bases (close enough to the next target to get there in a few days but far enough away to be outside of bomber escort range). Of course I am saying all this behind the protective veil of only playing the AI [:)]

tocaff -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/17/2006 10:48:00 PM)
The AI is another world. You should try PBEM, with me perhaps? PBEM is totally different because a person will not play the same situation exactly the same way twice. People adjust in unexpected ways and even getting your ass kicked in PBEM is more fun than thumping the AI again and again. I'm not dumping on the AI, Just lauding the human competion.

btaft -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/20/2006 5:11:42 AM)
I agree....there is nothing like playing againsta another human opponent. I used to have a lot of fun playing the Campaign Series games against a friend of mine a number of years ago. I appreciate the invitation but I don't feel I have the time available to dedicate the time or the schedule necessary to maintain a PBEM game (it wouldn't be considerate to my opponent to have to wait a day or two between turns to get a response.......especially on a game that could possibly have over 500 turns). The campaing series were a little better suited for this in my opinion because they last about 10-15 turns typically. I did have a successful completion of my last game though.....Lae, Rabaul and even Kaveing feel rather quickly following Shortland....they were desparately low on supplies. I found out the reason after the completion of the game....the IJN only had a single AP and only a couple BBs with 1 or 2 escorts.

tocaff -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/20/2006 11:29:18 AM)
That'll do every time. Better to have fewer, but well supplied units than a bunch of targets with nothing to fight back with. What setting was the AI on in your recently completed game?

btaft -> RE: Invasion Advice Needed (11/20/2006 5:10:04 PM)
I just had the AI on the default (historical setting?). It has been a while since I checked but I think the other levels just give the AI supply bonuses? If I was to play it again I tink I would probably assign some house rules to myself, something along the lines of restricting 4 engine bombers form using the naval attack option....this had a very large impact onthe IJN AP fleet not to mention sending a warship or two to the bottom or at least to the ship yard for an extended stay. I did learn quite a few things in that campaign scenario

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