Alamander -> RE: Empire of the Sun (8/9/2020 9:10:16 PM)
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Much depends on the composition, experience, and ToEs or the enemy force. If it is just some light low experience infantry (New Zealand or Australian early war stuff) a regiment and an SNLF with a heavy BB bombardment probably will suffice. If it is higher experience infantry, such as a Marine battalion, with some artillery support and maybe some anti-tank or tanks, this will be much, much harder and probably will require a large combined arms overstack in addition to sustained bombardment over a couple days to build disruption in the infantry as well as any guns. With the amphib bonus, atoll invasions for Japan are not too difficult as you will get almost everything ashore in a day even with a limited number of ships disembarking. Things are much more difficult after the amphib bonus expires, since you will have to rely completely on AKs and the LSDs to unload both troops and supplies. You will have a hard time getting enough supplies ashore for a large overstack, even with a TF dedicated exclusively to supply. A TF dedicated to supply, composed of AKs exclusively is a good idea even with the amphib bonus, and essential without it. I don't typically use BBs in my amphibious TFs. I use them in bombardment TFs almost exclusively. I fill out the amphib TFs with CLs though depending on the number of coastal guns present: 2, 3, 4, or even 5 CLs. Having an AMC or 2 in each amphib TFs is helpful as well. Combined with a BB bombardment on the same turn, the CLs in the amphib group will use up all the coastal guns operation points, so they do not fire on the transports. Also, the CLs do not often get hit by coastal artillery. BBs in the amphib group will suppress the coastal guns somewhat, but a single BB or even 2 in an invasion TF is not going to use up any more operation points than they would in a bombardment TF. I have not lost a single ship to coastal artillery in my game with Mike so far, and if I recall correctly, his coastal guns have only hit 1 AMC in total in the entire game. Since many of your xAKs do not upgrade to AKs until June (I think this is the case in stock as well as DBB- though I might be mistaken), if you don't get your atoll invasion completed by April 1, you may have to wait until the end of June to have enough AKs to unload both troops and supplies in one day, unless you use almost every AK available. Don't forget mines and the possibility that he can create some PTs just prior to your landing. Coastal guns combined with mines and PT boats is deadly, especially for BBs: another reason I don't like embedding BBs in my amphib groups.
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