Where is a safe port?

[tocaff]

I'm wondering where is a safe port to keep my ships? The Japanese have the range to reach virtually anywhere when they control Lunga and PM so my thoughts are out of fighter range and a decent CAP make for a safe harbor. Any thoughts on this?

[btaft]

Oohh.....Lunga and PM. Not many places to hide

Brisbane should be safe and has the benefit of not needing to be supplied.

I would definitely work on getting PM back as soon as possible and at least make it painful for him to keep.....using LR LBA from Cairns to punish his supply convoys.

Best of luck

[tocaff]

I'm doing that but in Scenerio 19 life as an Allied player is brutal in June '42.

[Miller]

Just put plenty of CAP over the port with your ships in it. Jap bombs do little damage to big ships in size 9 ports.

Any smart IJN player will keep his precious Bettys and Nells for Naval attacks.

[anarchyintheuk]

As long as the port is out of escort range it's not much of a bother. Brisbane, Noumea, Luganville and Rockhampton (I think) are out of escort range. You've plenty of shite p-400s and throwaways. Capping remote bases is about all they can do. Like Miller says, IJN players will have them on nav attacks.

[tocaff]

Does it make sense for the Japanese player to throw away his LRBs on these attacks that at best put a ship or 2 out of action for 2 or 3 months?  Loses are high due to no escorts, CAP and attrition of a long range mission so I think as an Allied player I'd like this strategy.

[btaft]

Yes...I agree it is not very good strategy on the part of the IJN. I haven't played scn 19 yet, but I think if I was in this posiion I would wait out the IJN for a little bit, letting himuse up his LR Bomber assets to the point where the strikes are consisting of 3-4 bombers then start putting together an invasion force to get yourslef a forward base.

[tocaff]

He has hit Cairns with his carriers and put it out of action for a while, hit Noumea with a day time raid and again at night.  He claims that his loses are light, but I can't understand how damaged AC can make that kind of distance back to Lunga.  My LBA has been very disappointing so far against his shipping.  After playing against the AI I feel like PBEM is a very different game.

[btaft]

Yeah your CAP fighters at that point in the war are pretty pathetic. But don't worry too much since your replenishment rates are higher than his and eventually those long trips and operational losses will take there tolls on his LR Bombers to the point where his raids will consist of a few bombers and scores of Escorts. I wouldn't worry too much about the austrailia bases since they are too well supplied to stay out of business for long. Although if he is bothering to pummel them then it might mean that he intends to invade that base and possible get an automatic victory on 12/31 (not sure what needs to be held)

[Moondawggie]

Don't forget to put some serious triple-A assets in those ports, as well as fighter CAP...they make bombers and escorting fighters have a much more difficult time when port-bombing.

[tocaff]

I've beefed up my CAP and AAA as much as possible at this stage.  It's hard to fight off Zeros with P-39s and 400s.  A squadron each of Warhawks and Wildcats (3 model) aren't enough to do much and although better than the prior mentioned planes are of limited utility themselves.  I dream of Corsairs, Lightnings and Hellcats in the skies sweeping the Rising Sun from them.