Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: mind_messing

Single ship task forces are easy enough to spot and destroy within the current game mechanics.

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ORIGINAL: Bif1961

The Bismark wasn't alone it had the CA Prinz Eugene and those two took out the Hood and damaged the Prince of Wales and old BC, yet the pride of the British prewar fleet and a modern BB.

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ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

I"m pleasured to join this interesting discussion;

to the point: I dont think that the use of "single" ship raider forces by Allies may disrupt in any way the advance of Japan in first months...;

I think the Allied side should be let free to explore/exploit this "tactic" if he feels to;

I'm also in favor to the use of single yard/fishing boats as pickets (that's so realistic), but when this used to "soak" air strike packages (or to expend ammunition and "ops point" from major surface fleets), so then we may enter some "danger zone" but still I would not forbid or ask to from the opposed player; I may think though that he's a "freak"...

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ORIGINAL: DanSez

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ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

I"m pleasured to join this interesting discussion;

to the point: I dont think that the use of "single" ship raider forces by Allies may disrupt in any way the advance of Japan in first months...;

I think the Allied side should be let free to explore/exploit this "tactic" if he feels to;

I'm also in favor to the use of single yard/fishing boats as pickets (that's so realistic), but when this used to "soak" air strike packages (or to expend ammunition and "ops point" from major surface fleets), so then we may enter some "danger zone" but still I would not forbid or ask to from the opposed player; I may think though that he's a "freak"...

In this game we discussed the'fishing boat' defense and have an agreement that xAKs xAKLs without excort can troll out about 15 hexes from the Japanese main island coast.

I agree one or two raiders might only cause disruption of a couple of invasion sites. It it were used across the whole Pacific, then half a dozen or more small but necessary invasions could be twarted, kicking the Japanese time table back a month or more and past the invasion bonus in some cases.

Also this doesn't address the difference in skill between the opponents. A novice could be crippled by an advanced player using this tactic in the early game.

I maybe overly concerned.
Still it is worth discussing and thanks for joining.

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ORIGINAL: mind_messing

This isn't true. It could thwart a half dozen or so necessary unescorted invasions.

Dividing up the Allied (or Japanese) fleets into single ships to thwart invasions has upsides, but it has it's downsides also. A single DD or CL might do great against an unescorted invasion, but it will be blown out the water by an escorting surface combat task force.

It's a valid tactic, intended to punish players who send out invasion forces without sufficent surface assets to protect it.

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ORIGINAL: Bif1961

It was actually a British PBY with an American pilot on board that spotted and help tract the Bismark until it could be engaged by British aircraft than the final surface battle.

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The question is, will I eventually see a carrier launch or land based squadron launch to hit a raider in a PBEM game?