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Allied Player Scenario 2 at end of Feb 1942.

I need suggestions/advise.

Japanese control Singapore and most of PI and all of Dutch Endies except Java and landed north of Bombay just south of Karachi end of Feb and is racing forward to Deli with about 5 armored units. Very good use of paratroops as well.

I'm stuck in Burma with a landing Cox Bazar (my defenders retreated south into a pocket by the way, and now I think i'm going to see India cut in half. Am I wrong to pull back to Deli in best order possible and give up most of India without a fight or can I continue the fight if India is cut in half?

I've started a massive withdrawal to Deli. I can't land reinforcements at Karachi now because KB is near Karachi. If it was a bit more than just 3 months into the game, I'd have something I could land on the home islands while KB and most of his army/navy are away NE of Bombay but I don't have much released now.

What is the best way to deal with the fact that this is actually possible in Scenario 2 (and maybe 1?). I'm thinking I should pull out of Bruma almost immediately because I can't secure my rear from a deep invasion that early if it comes. The alternative would be to move the US fleet to Capetown early, join the British and wait and use as necessary, but that's only a good plan if I knew NE India was a main target for the third-forth month of the war.

The USN was really needed dealing with surface raiders between US and Hawaii, so I'm really at a loss. The game allows a good Japanese player to do much more than I anticipated possible in the first 3 months and I want to know how Allied players deal with this problem. There are just to many ports to defend and the Allied troops are not very good.

What do you do? My plan is to avoid losing my emergency reinforcements piecemeal to KB and just let him have India and try to come back with the USN in a year when I can.


Any ideas?

A couple of things to keep in mind:
KB does not have unlimited sorties and fuel. If he does not capture a port big enough to replenish KB and fill it with supply, he will have to withdraw KB to someplace like Singapore. Or put AKEs in one of the smaller ports.

While KB is on the extreme W side of the map, you can strike anywhere - even Japan proper. Are you prepared to sacrifice a marine raider unit or army regiment to capture and destroy all the air industry at a port base? I'm thinking of Tsu and Gifu here. Too iffy? How about a port strike on Truk? Bombardment first at night (AMs clearing mines first and DMS embedded), then the carrier strike. Have two sqns of fighters on each CV to fend off the Netties and escort the strike.

Cut the long rail lines with some of these battalions in India to disrupt flow of supply to the forward units.

To address your question, my answer would be more often "No, you cannot succeed with a divided India". By far. If you can't ship, put on yer runnin shoes

Burma is not worth defending. My 2 cents.....GP

I don't know how much the Japanese need to invade India, but I would think that Sakhalin would be a GREAT place to base 4 engine bombers...

Hokkaido even.

joliverlay wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 9:56 pm
What do you do? My plan is to avoid losing my emergency reinforcements piecemeal to KB and just let him have India and try to come back with the USN in a year when I can.

Late to the conversation. Sorry.

But goodness no-don't give him India. India is the ultimate 'tar baby' for the Japanese. Sure, in the first 6 months, as Yamamoto said they can 'run wild' in the Pacific. But then reality hits and they have to choose. Defend Sakhalin / Hokkaido / Aleutians / Gilberts / Marshalls / Marianas (choose one) but not the others? Have the IJN defending India from the Allied wormhole? What about China?

The Japanese have some flexibility in the first 6 months. They can probably go *most* places that they want to go. But what then? "He who defends everything defends nothing", says Frederick the Great.

India's rail network is its greatest asset. In order for the Japanese to take the subcontinent, they must capture *all* main rail nodes in a timely fashion. If they don't, Allied forces can scoot around 'em and avoid capture / destruction. Japanese will need BOTH Karachi AND Bombay to dam up resupply to the West Indian land mass. Deny one and it's game over. And then the Allies can press them to either disengage or be destroyed in situ.

Pile lots of supplies in Aden so they can be rushed when you defend Karachi. Bombay is too hard to reinforce while it will take awhile to get to Karachi overland and the Allies can make an invasion at Karachi rather difficult.