Astarix
Posts: 45
Joined: 5/20/2008
From: Hampton, Minnesota
Status: offline
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Some thoughts on sub warfare.
My general strategy with sub warfare in AE is something along the following. I pick several places where I want to base my subs. Usually 1-4 major bases and then a couple of tender bases in somewhat out of the way locations that are still near the action. Use patrol zones, set 1-2 day loitering at each destination hex, with reaction radii of 3-6 hexes. When the boats run out of fuel or torps they will automatically head back to base to restock. About every 4-6 days of game time, I will check my all ships screens and filter only for my subs to check and see if any are particularly low on fuel but are not returning for a refill, or that are at 10 or higher system damage. Any that have 10+ system damage will become targets soon, so its time to send em home for repairs. 10sys usually repairs in only a couple of days. I then try to get about 8-16 subs in about a 200 hex region, with varying but overlapping patrol zones. Even with the high dud rate of the U.S. Non S Class boats you should get some hits. If you think he is going to keep KB in the area around Pago Pago, send a few more boats and see what happens.
In the DEI I tend to focus the boats at deepwater choke points. This minimizes the chances they will get hit by ASW, but doesn't tend to effect their attack rate. Given where your game is at, you are going to have to focus your boats in shallower water, but if you spread them out in overlapping patrol zones along the lines of approach to Palembang, Java and in deep water ocean hexes around Borneo and the Mulaccas you might get lucky. In other words, in places you absolutely know, he will have to send his ships.
Its important to have a reserve of subs that you can send out to fill the patrol zones of the subs that are heading back in for repairs. Historically the U.S. typically had 1/3 of the sub fleet on patrol 1/3 in transition to/from patrol and a 1/3 at base repairing or refitting. Lets say, for example, that I base 15-20 subs at Soerbaja. I will typically have about 12-15 of them on patrol and 5-8 in port repairing, or transiting for fuel or torpedoes. For the most part the subs that are heading to port for gas and torpedoes, will do this themselves and then return to the same patrol zones I have set up. Sometimes, I have to manually send them back, especially if they got hit by ASW.
I've put fish into Kirishima, Kaga, at least 2 cruisers and numerous merchant ships in a game that my son and I are playing Hotseat. Kirishima and one of the cruisers were confirmed kills.
From the combat reports I've been reading from the allied side, it really seems to me that allied subs tend to get very much underutalized due to the perception that its a pain to manage the subs given the return on results. But as I pointed out to Seydlitz from his AAR I really think his opponent is missing an opportunity to, if nothing else, annoy him endlessly with his subs. The Japanese just do not have enough escorts to both escort their invasion fleets, resource convoys and conduct effective ASW this early in the war. If you set up your sub warfare well, its really not that bad to manage. Just keep an eye out for damaged subs, if you keep them repaired the crews get a chance to get better and they won't miss as often. Its the high miss rate coupled with the dud rate that makes the subs feel so ineffective, but training the crews now, early in the war, will make your subs that much more effective when the torpedoes start exploding.
Also remember that the Dutch and British boats have working torpedoes and the S class electric boats have slightly better torpedoes than the Ocean class boats.
Great AAR so far.
Jason
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RE: Singapore falls.. ABDA cruisers engage enemy... bat... - 
while i expect to be high are astronomical. he must be running them ragged ! may also explain your success against them if hes happy to run at a high fatigue level. 
Regarding the withdraw date: If you withdraw/disband near a home base you will send all pilots and planes left back to the pool for use later. Hopefully by then you have moved some P40/fighter or Banshee/bomber groups from the US to OZ. You will have some banshee production to boot. The you can fill out those US groups (or upgrade others if you lost them) to replace the ones being withdrawn. The PP penalty is EACH turn and will severely hamper your accumulation if you don't withdraw them. 
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