AmiralLaurent
Posts: 3351
Joined: 3/11/2003 From: Near Paris, France Status: offline
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1) C-47 are great to carry troops to a hot point but they can't support a base alone. If you want to support Gili-Gili sent every two days a lonely 1500-ton AP (or AK, the 1500-ton ones). If there is no Japanese plane based closer than Lae and Rabaul, they are likely to escape detection and even if they are seen, Japanese Betties and Nell will not take off for only one ship. If GG is regularly bombarbed by IJN ships or by CV planes, it's another story. But even if you lose some AP/AK, they are worth 7 points. To bring 1500 points of supplies will need 300 C-47 flights at long range (Australia-GG) and cause you maybe more than 7 operationnal losses. It works well for me both against AI and in PBEM. A regular service to PM is safer because bombardment TF are usually spotted when they turn round GG. Last PBEM, I supply both base like that for a month, made 15-10 trips to PM and 8-10 to GG and lost three ships (one fell to a bombardment TF, one was caught by the IJN invasion fleet and sunk by carriers planes flying 600 sorties against it and another was sunk by a sub...). That is 21 points lost to bring 30000 supply points (6000 C-47 sorties). The only problem with that is subs... lonely AP are easy to sink for them, so I have DD&SC patroling off Cairns and Townsville and tens of planes performing ASW from each port, with also some ASW planes in PM/GG (some Seagulls detached from my CA). C-47 carry troops. If you want to send troops and supplies to New Guinea, send the troops by air and the supplies by sea. Or you will see half of your troops drowned and the rest unable to do anything by lack of supplies. 2) AFAIK, only fast-transport and bombardment TF sail at maximum speed once they are in range of the target hex. In all other cases, they sail at cruise speed.
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