Ametysth -> RE: JFBs Unite - ASW (6/15/2010 9:43:40 PM)
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Protected sea lines is an answer (note; Not The Answer, but an...). You build a line of small island bases stretching from Japan to major forward bases while staying over shallow water as much as possible. Some bases along the way get Airfield companies to build AF 2 to house some light aircraft like Ki-30, but any ac with decent bomb (100 kg +) can do this. I use Ki-30's over 'safe' areas and Vals closer the front. Convert some of those small cargo vessels to AGs and stuck them into every other base on your line to keep rest of the class (Kiso's IIRC), which are converted to PBs, in depth charges and rice. These PBs then form ASW patrols to run between the bases while the aircraft are set on very narrow ASW search patern along the same route. This reguires fewer ac than it first seems, as single divided Ki-30 sentai fills 1,5 bases, so four groups is almost enough to staff two such lines (one South to Truk and another West to Hanoi and along the coast, Singapore). Add few SC groups, I prefer 10 kts variant due high number of DC's, to act as hunter-killer groups to be directed towards detected subs and lines are ready. Point of all this is to run main convoys along the corridor and thus concentrate every asset on one area. Enemy subs can and will hunt all over the area, but if you are dilligent in running of your convoys, these lines are only places where they can hope to hit anything important and if they try to enter them, they are detected and you can route your traffic around them while ASW ships pound the sub with anything they got (reloading from AGs). I find this a good way to get those vital resources and gallons of fuel back to Japan and supplies to the front. Added bonus; Most enemy subs waste time and fuel patrolling empty ocean.
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