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Hirohito -> RE: Taking Western Australia (11/8/2004 6:51:20 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ctid98
I admit I'm an Allied fanboy and even with UV didn't play as the Japanese, however there seem to be more and more Allied PBEM opponents about than ever before so if I'm going to go down that road I may as well try it as the Japanese, though first I must learn the production system and get a strategy.
Now, as for strategy, knock Pacific fleet out for 6 months, grab SRA, Malaya / Burma, hold China at bay and build up defences in Central Pacific. Not a great deal different from history. I am however toying with the idea of invading Australia, or more precisely Western Australia.
Its far to big a country (though a very beautiful one) to take out right and I'm not sure Japan has the resources to do it, but to Attack Western Austalia should be possible. Hitting Perth and Darwin will cut off the southern and northern shipping routes and shouldn't prove too difficult to supply and hopefully defend. At least not if done early enough in the campaign, say the first three months. Both have good sized ports and airfields to start but aren't greatly defended, although Perth will be on its own for quite a bit of the time.
I'm wondering therefore if anybody has tried this yet and how they got on with it. Was it easy to accomplish, could they be easily supplied, or did it turn into a real pigs ear and should never have left the planning table????
Thanks
CTID98
If you are going to attack Australia, you need to set your sights higher. Conquer the whole thing. It can be done. Of course, this requires a lot of planning and preposition of troops, you also have to take out the islands along the east coast of australia including new zealand and tasmania. The key to taking Australia, because the aussies will outnumber you strategically, is to outnumber them TACTICALLY everytime you fight them. Because you can always pick the time and place of battles, and moving Aussie troops the long distances is time consuming, you can cut off bases, bring up superior forces and fight battles of encirclement. You have to pick your battles carefully, always pick a place that can be reduced before reinforcements can be shifted from other areas. Western Australia cannot be held against a determined Japaense offensive. Southern Australia has the same problem. Eastern Australia is more problematic. First you have to take eastern papua/new guinea and port moresby. Then you have to take all the islands off the eastern coast of australia including new caledonia, new zealand and tasmania. Then you have to put strong air and naval forces in these islands to keep America from reinforcing the Aussies. having done this you now land a large amphibious force at the midpoint in western australia, just pick one of the bases approximately half way between townsville and sidney. Make sure that armored forces are part of this landing,and move inland to cut the roads that run north and south. This will cut the australian army in half. Now you have to cut it into thirds so you have to land at one more place, you pick it. Once you have cut the Australian army into three pieces then you focus on one of the pieces and hit it with everything you've got. If you cut this one third piece off from supplies first, it won't be able to hold.
This is a tough operation to carry off but it can be done. The key is planning and prepositioning. While you are busy taking PI and DEI you have to be prepositioning forces in Truk and Kwajalein for the offensive that will take all the islands just east of Australia, places like Santa Cruz, Espirito Santo, Efate, New caledonia, New zealand, and tasmania. You'll need lots of engineers and air support and lots of air power.
The payback is worth it though as you gain the resources in Australia and you knock the australian army out of the war. America will of course launch a determined effort to keep you from taking Australia, so if you put large naval and air forces in the islands to the east of australia you may catch an amphibious fleet and send it tot he bottom of the pacific. My attitude is that Australian troops who are in prison camps in '42 cannot also be reconquering Papua New Guinea in '43 or '44. And, US forces sent to the bottom trying to reinforce Australia cannot also be attacking the Empire in '43 or '44.
Attack Australia but throw everything you have at it and spend a lot of time on planning and prepositioning forces to cut off the American reinforcement/resupply efforts.
Hirohito
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