GreyJoy
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ADB123
The thing to keep in mind as an Allied player is that you get huge numbers of Engineer units. These units allow you to build up regions from Dust Motes into Death Traps in reasonably short periods of time, if you plan in advance and understand how to best move your forces forwards. Your most valuable Engineering units for this process are actually your Port Services units – you should “cherish and protect” these with all of your might because they make a huge difference in the time it takes to move in forces.
So, for example, when you want to build up an area, send in Amphibious TFs with Port Service units first (one per base). Then send in Amphibious TFs with Seabees (multiple per base). Next, send in some Marine Defense units (one per base). Then send in Base Forces (1 Naval, 1 USA or USAAF). Then send in AA (1 per base.)
Note – you may ask “where is the Infantry”? Well, you aren't trying to defend an individual base against an invasion, you are trying to build up a region. If your opponent comes in while you are building, you will lose even if you have troops in place. So what you do is build where your opponent can't easily come, but where the next cluster or potential bases is within 4E range.
When your forces are weak the best place to do this is in continental land masses such as Australia or India. Island chains, such as the Aleutians are a good second choice. Atolls are your worst choice, but are better than nothing if you can build them up in isolation.
So let's look at some regions with potential. You are backed into a corner in India, so we will leave that for now. First Australia. You want to control/contain PNG, so northeastern/eastern Oz is your first priority.
If you build up the coastal bases your opponent can do to you what he just did – combine LBA, CVA and Naval Bombardments to close your bases. But there are alternatives – a number of bases with very good potential that are inland and attached to the Australian Rail lines. Here is a list:
Base Name – Air Size Normal and Potential Max Air Size
Charters Towers: 7 = 9 (meaning, you can build it up to Level 9)
Hughenden: 7 = 9
Winton: 6 = 9
Emerald: 7=9
Toowoomba: 5 = 8
Conanium: 7 = 9
Tamworth: 6 = 9
Bathhurst: 6 = 9
Wagga Wagga: 7=9
Conclurry: 7 = 9
There are also two good non-railroad bases:
Coen: 6 = 9
Canberra: 6 = 9
If you build those bases up to at least level 4 then you can base bombers and fighters and attack anything that comes near the Coast. Build the northern bases up to Level 7+ and you can menace PNG with your 4Es. Build three or four nearby bases to Level 4+ and you can mass enough AC there to seriously threaten the KB. (No sane Japanese player wants to send the KB against 200+ Fighters and 200+ bombers). (This is where NY59Giants' suggest does very well!)
And remember, your Carrier Planes can take part in the Fun – by flying them off of your CVs and having them operate from Land. This has the added opportunity that if you do damage the KB you can send your CV planes back to your undamaged CVs and then chase the KB.
Now, what about your Solomons Adventure. You have nearby the New Hebrides where you have built up Luganville. But you are missing an opportunity there to build up a region that can threaten the KB. Look at the bases in the New Hebrides and area:
Torres: P – 0=3, A – 4=7
Vanua Lao: P – 1=4, A 2=5
Santa Maria: P – 0=3, A 2=5
Aoba Island: P – 0=3, A 5=8 (!)
Luganville: P – 3=6, A 5=8
Lahtoro: P – 0=3, A 5=8 (!)
Pentecost: P – 0=3, A 3=6
Ambrym: P - 0=3, A 3=6
Efate: P - 2=5, A 5=8
Eromanga: P – 0=3, A 5=8 (!)
Tanna: P – 1=4, A 5=8 (!)
You have the potential of having 6 Level 8 Air Bases, 1 Level 7 Air base, 2 Level 6 Air Bases and 2 Level 5 Air Bases in that cluster of islands. You can then control the entire region from there.
However, for any of this you have to have a plan and patience. If you only build up one region your opponent can take the chance to interfere with your build up and score easy victories. So it is best to build up at least three regions simultaneously. This way you opponent is faced with throwing everything at one and letting the others become threats, or splitting his forces and going on the defensive.
But if instead you want to try to “react” to your opponent or “surprise” him, you stand a very good chance of continuing to be surprised yourself in continuous set backs. Sure, you can't always be “unlucky”, but as long as you make more mistakes than your opponent luck will be more on his side than yours.
Wow...thanks ADB!
Please consider that my advance in the Solomons HAD to take some compromises. I did exploit his absence...and i had to do it quickly! Till the end of summer 42 the only bases i had in the area were Fiji and Noumea...when i did understood that he wasn't garrisoning his conquests in SOPAC i had to throw all i had very fast (all my troops were supposed to partecipate to the Gilberts/Marshalls operation...that has been aborted at the very last minute due to his stiff countereaction with the KB) so i sent everything to 3 objectives: Efate, Lungaville and Lunga (but first i had occupied and built up Erromango which was the only green dot base in the area). Then i started to build some other places in order to create a "chain" of fortified islands. So i went for Ndani, Tulagi, Tessafaronga and now Russell Island.
I simply didn't have enough engineers and base forces to cover everything...so i decided to max out only those bases.
Now i have the following bases well built up (i think).
Suva and Nadi (maxed out)
Noumea (6-6)
Erromango (2-5)
Efate (3-5)
Lungaville (6-8)
Ndani (4-7)
Lunga (4-7)
Tulagi (4-3)
Tessafaronga (1-4)
Russell Island (1-2)
All these bases have forts between 5 and 7....
Was a hell of an effort if you think that i had to do it under the enemy pressure and in only 6 months. More could have been done and more could be done in the nearby future...but my resources are limited and i always have to make choices...
In NE Oz i gotta say that i didn't focused too much on other bases but Cairns and CookTown. Now with those 5 Seabees coming in from Brisbane i'll have more units to be used and my will is to follow your advice...however i do fear that it's already too late...i think that in the next months the front will be more concentrated in NG than in Oz...and i don't have much Aviation support to properly cover all those bases...but i'll max them out anyway!
The other 5 Seabees are being sent to Perth. I wanna start building up NW coast of Oz in order to be ready to threaten his SW perimeter by the second half of 1943... But again, my resources are limited...i need to bring many forces to UK for the upcoming India operation...so we'll see how fast we can advance in Western oz...
For what concerns India...if you look at the map with the roads in it you'll see where the problem of a "simple" advance from Hyderabad to Multan lies (sp!?)...this was one of my defensive strongpoints (one of those that made me chose Karachi instead of Bombay)...but now becomes a problem...
The road from H. to M. is very long and ends up in no more than a trail near Multan. during this long march i'll be exposed to his mighty bomber army and i won't be able to LRCAP my units...having placed so many AA at his main bases (Jodpur and Multan) means i cannot "splash" his bases with my 4Es...last time i tried i've lost 50% of my 4Es due to flak or CAP...without achieving nothing.....so a simple advance there isn't possible. I will advance but only as a "feint"...the game will be played on the coast...if i manage to get ashore and estabilish a strong beachead at Surat then he will be forced to move away his forces from Multan...and then i'll be able to open the way...once Multan is in my hands everything will change...but till then, an advance towards Multan will only mean a bloody nose for me. I do imagine 9 forts there and nearly 5000 AVs...at least!
I'm more and more convinced to divide my Carriers.
The CVEs will be fulfillled only with fighters and sent to UK, while the CVs will remain in the pacific...so that he won't be able to move the KB back to India...and i'll have free hands to land at Surat (will "only" have to deal with LBA).
How many CVEs will i have for this operation? 7 i think...meaning room for 200 fighters...should be enough if the KB doesn't pop up.
So my goal will be to keep the KB busy in the pacific...and to do that i'll have to "show" him my CVs...but without risking them...easier said than done obviously but this plan sounds sound to me.
My 4Es based in India will have the task of keeping suppressed all the bases around Surat....at least untill we're not ashore...when we'll conquer Surat everything will become easier cause it's a lvl 9 AF and i could easily transfer in the CVE fighters plus more units from Karachi (where i'm training a lot those units that are not involved in the daily fights against the Tojos).
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RE: 1943: I WANT TO BELIEVE - 
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