Q-Ball
Posts: 7336
Joined: 6/25/2002
From: Chicago, Illinois
Status: offline
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First, 3 with butter and syrup please, 2 slices of bacon, easy on the syrup.
Second, you mentioned up top bombarding Billiton? No need! There's nobody home!
Third, first 6 months plans....this is the most important question for Japan at war's opening. And if you want to maximize your impact, you need to decide early, and have troops prepping for those targets. There are a number of good units in Manchuria (several high-exp Regts, plus tanks), and in the Home Islands (Gds Bde,53,54 div) that you will eventually have PPs for. Prep all those units for your phase-2 targets, so you will have some 100% prepped units available when you move.
So, what are the targets?
In my mind, not India. It's like Russia to the Wehrmacht; you can make big progress, but you'll never take it. And the restricted Indian army will grind you to dust. Don't IMO.
You can rampage in the South Pacific. The point of doing so is to capture ground units, and bring the USN to battle; there isn't alot of value to Fiji or those kind of places. Sure, they lengthen Allied supply lines, but it's not like the Allies don't have enough shipping to go around it. And more importantly, it lengthens YOUR supply lines, and the territory you have to defend. No, I would forget a move past Noumea, and even then, it's debateable.
I think your target should be AUSTRALIA! There are many real good reasons, but I would attack in this manner:
1. Northern Oz: This is essential no matter what you do; Allies too much of a threat here. You must take it. This is Phase 1 of your conquest.
2. SW Oz: Phase 2 is to clear all of Western Australia. Land at Geraldton and Albany; cut off Perth, and get to Kalgoorie as quick as possible. Once you capture the railhead at Kalgoorie, West Aus is effectively an Island, unless the Allies want to walk about 50 hexes through the desert, but that's not adviseable
Now, taking SW OZ will NOT trigger the extra reinforcements for Australia, as it's all north of Brisbane (someone confirm it works that way). YOu will trigger extra ground troops if you go as far as Brisbane. So after you get to #2, you will have a decision to make.
You could secure the NE Tip of Australia, at least as far as Cairns; this would be a defensive buffer only.
Overall, the Marshalls and Gilberts are less important than WITP, because they don't offer very good offensive platforms for the Allies, and at any rate, there are only so many troops you can put there. Focus on Australia.
I have a PBEM going now, and I am still in May 1942, so the Empire isn't done yet....but I did change my objectives in that one, so who knows. I found a large Allied buildup in the New Hebrides, and decided to try to destroy all those troops. So far I have captured 20K POWs, and have another 40K about to surrender at Noumea. The Allies have lost all their P-40s, about 12 cruisers, 2 BBs, and other ships trying to keep it. It has required a large commitment of both the IJN and IJA though, so it DID slow me down, the question is at what price. Point being, your opponent can change your plans depending on what he does.
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