Japanese instant win

[ckwfelix]

If Midway is assumed not happened, I find it is difficult to stop the Japanese from getting an instant win by capturing Townsillve in early 1943. The USN reinforcement come very late in the game. Any good strategies for USN? Thanks.

[Chiteng]

I have never seen a successfull landing in Australia.
You simply beatup the Jap CV and destroy their CAP for the transports. I suppose Mogami may have seen something like what you are speaking of, but not me. The Jap CV are simply too fragile to risk against the big airbases in Australia.

[mogami]

Hi, I have players landing in Australia in summer of 42 hoping to hold Townsville until Jan 43 (rottsa ruck)
But if the Japanese wait until 43 to try there should be 5 divisions in SWPAC (3 Aussie and 2 US) and Brigades in each city as well. Since Cooktown and Cairns are not auto victory cities.
The allied player should not even try to garrision them (just keep base forces there and enough ground strength to prevent a sub load of Japs from capturing the place.
The Japanese in order to Capture Townsville in 43 would need to transport 4-5 divsions all at once????? (I don't know if that is possible-but I think the rest of the South Pacific would be pretty empty. Once I saw something like this building up I would send one or two of the five or six SOPAC divsions to watch Brisbane and scamper up to Irau/Lunga/Tulagi

In the current PBEM game where the Japanese are invading Australia they have lost all 6 fleet carriers and 2 CVL (I have lost 3 USN CV)

[denisonh]

It sure is difficult to land in Australia without PM or GG.

I had a PBEM player try that one time, and my airpower out of Australia and Gili Gili made a mess of him. I also saw his transports moving and dispatched a surface TF from Noumea to Townsville. It got there about the same time he was getting close to Cairns. Din't even bother moving my carriers into the area, as it was unecessary.

If you have a hold of GG with a PBY sqn and a sqd of SBDs/Havocs, it is hard to get around it without damage or warning the Allies.

[rawink]

I have managed to break into Aussieland as the IJN.

I began by sacking GG and Buna early on, then moving forces down from Lae and Buna simultaneously.. after a brutal assualt on PM, I was able to take PM.

I then began airfield attacks against the northern Aus airbases with massed bombers to supress their bombers. I massed a force and hit cairns. After that, I just trucked more and more forces into Cairs, then began using the roas South to other towns. The troops move fast along the roads, and the units arrive together and in one piece, unlike the piecemeal approach of amphib landings.

I would have taken Townsville if the other guy hadnt given up He had lost every carrier he got amost instantly. (I had Noumea staked out with 4 CV and 2 CVL), so his posistion was dire indeed, I had also managed to sack Efate and was bombing Noumea into ruin.


and just tonight, I was able to drop Rabual as the US! I couldnt believe it, the luck I have had this game.. At Coral Sea the Yorktown took 40 Sys and heavy Flt damage.. the Japs Lost 1 CV sunk, and 1 CVL sunk, and the other CV got picked at the whole way back to truck, and a SUB tagged him 3 hexes out from Truk and finished it off!

I now have 8 CV's and 5 CVE's in 1 large TF, and I go where I wish to, and nobody can do anything about it. I setup Woodlark Is. As a bomber base, and after 2 months of dialy raids by B-17's, I was able to push 67,000 troops up from Gaie and fought it out for 3 weeks to break Rabual. wow, now it's all downhill! I hold all of New Guinea, All of the Solomons except Shortland Is. and the Admiralty Is. From here I am going for Kavieng.. SHortland is bypassed and no threat anymore.

[ckwfelix]

I have only played against AI, and often I find it easy to capture Townsillve even if AI is set to 'very hard'. So I wonder why if it is as easy in a PBEM game.

With about 10-11 CVs/CVLs/CVEs, I can usually sink all the 6US CVs before 1943 with 3 to 4 carriers survived. And within the 6 months after, USN is almost crippled, and can take no operations at all. Port Morseby can be softened by continued LB attack at night (I find less LBs are lost because of less CAP at night), then followed by a naval bombardment by BBs and CAs. Troops will land on PM without much problem. PM and GG will soon be captured and used as bases for invading Australia. I notice that US will lose lots of planes when PM is captured, it further reduces the air defenses of Cooktown, Carins, and Townsillve.

I use the same strategy to capture Townsillve as well. Though I lose many ships in invading Australia, I win the game before the US major reinforcement arrives.

[denisonh]

Want to play a little PBEM?

PBEM is a whole different ball game. Human players are far more cagey than the AI, and can "school" you on all those bad habits you developed playing the AI. And good human players can formulate a good plan (read some of Mogami's posts, he is a planning master)

I have suprised my IJN opponents in a couple of games, and I have been suprised as well.

Recommend trying it, as it is addictive as hell, and makes going back to the AI difficult at best.

[ckwfelix]

Thanks. I know it will have more fun to play with someone instead of AI. But I can not play many turns a day, and sometimes I can not play for a whole week. I am afraid I will disappoint my opponent.

[corbulo]

Originally posted by ckwfelix
Thanks. I know it will have more fun to play with someone instead of AI. But I can not play many turns a day, and sometimes I can not play for a whole week. I am afraid I will disappoint my opponent.

Most people have multiple games going so that any one can fall through and others take their place. ALso, as people lose they begin to drop out, turns come rarer and rarer, then stop altogether. I just send a message saying "I surrender". A good rule is that both sides commit to 100 turns, however