in games i've played where i've lost 2 carriers on one day, with highly variable replacements, the ships started out on the list relatively close together, but after a while they were a month or two apart on the arrival list. So, take the 550 day as a goal, not as an absolute.
Sort of had this happen to me in a TEAM game. Had laid a perfect ambush on KB. It was operating south of Noumea and had lauched several strikes against Noumea, then chased some transports to the south. I moved the USN CVs to block their retreat believing that they were close to out of bombs and high on fatigue.
Unfortunately this was VERY early in the WitP era and many of the doctrines players use today were not out there and so I had put CAP on 90% and grounded my DBs and TBs believing that I could chew up his fighters and launch the next day.
No so...glug glug glug went my CVs.
That game is still going on. The Allies have survived without CVs. Very slowly my LBA has made up for my shortfall in CVs...and then, the IJN made a mistake. They went an island too far on trying to capture stuff. They went after Suva. Too many nearby bases to supress and I returned the favor by sinking at least 2 CVs and putting holes in several more.
Its just the fortunes of war...but you will recover.
x-Nuc twidget
CVN-71
USN 87-93
"Going slow in the fast direction"
What to do, if all this happened?
You have a lot more LBA than Japs will ever had. Use them, cover your landings, supress his airfields, bomb his bases to the stone age and have some in reserve.
If KB dont shows, you will be slowly advancing (SoPaC and DEI is ideal for LBA suported operations due to proximity of bases). If it shows, bring in your reserve and send it to the bottom.
Or you should try to lay ambush to KB.
"Victory goes to the side with bigger reserves." (and that is the US)
"All warfare is based on deception.
Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable;
when using our forces, we must seem inactive;
when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away;
when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
Sun-tzu, art of war
And there's always Burma, Malaya, Indo-China ... [;)]
You need no ships there [:)]
I have a game in Nov '43 and I've just taken Hanoi. I jumped from Rangoon to Georgetown, but you can take a bit more time and move by land.
And from Darwin to the North you need no carriers at all. I didn't need any to take DEI back. All with LBA.
Cheer up! The Allies simply cannot loose. You've just made your opponent happy for a while ........... that is in your hypothetical hypothesis [:D] [:D]
And from Darwin to the North you need no carriers at all. I didn't need any to take DEI back. All with LBA.
Cheer up! The Allies simply cannot loose. You've just made your opponent happy for a while ........... that is in your hypothetical hypothesis [:D] [:D]
And from Darwin to the North you need no carriers at all. I didn't need any to take DEI back. All with LBA.
Cheer up! The Allies simply cannot loose. You've just made your opponent happy for a while ........... that is in your hypothetical hypothesis [:D] [:D]
Stupid laptop touchpad.....
What I was going to post was a question regarding Timor being in LRCAP range of P-38s stationed in Darwin? Any transports w/o aircover invading/unloading in Timor might be decimated. A few landings where 10-12 tranports and a few escorts get sunk and Jap points start to pile up. I think caution is needed when invasions w/o aircover might exposed the transport fleet to Bettys.
I play Japan. I already have a false sense of security[:D]
Don't ever make a witty remark like this again! My wife and kid think I've gone nuts bending over with laughter in front of the comp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [:-][:D]
After 16 years, Civ II still has me in it's clutches LOL!!!
Now CIV IV has me in it's evil clutches!
The Banda Sea varies a bit depending on the map type. I play almost always AB map.
However, whichever the map. There are several bases around Timor. You do not need to invade Timor straight away.
You can capture and develop a couple of smaller bases to provide LRCAP for Timor. And that you can do with fast transports and/or paratroopers.
Japan can hardly garrison all of them strongly enough, and since they are no atolls you can make several runs before attacking and you can easily soften the defenses with 4Es.
The Allies can develop a base very quickly with Seebees.
Ok, reporting back. I am going on with the game. Although my overall carrier situtation is not too good right now ( I saved the Enterprise but the other five are gone), my stragetic situation is pretty strong. It is mid September and the Allied air force is starting to look pretty imposing. I have great positions in China and Burma and hold Port Morsby in strength now. To my surprise, my stranded marines took Lunga and I hold the whole island. It might be touch and go getting supplies to Lunga for a while, but overall I can't complain. It will be a challenge to fight a campaign with just LBA but might be fun. It is really what the Allies had to do in 1943 anyways. Of course, the Japanese were missing a few carriers as well.
This is not rhetoric to me! I am playing a scenario 16 campaign game (Japan computer). In April 42, one carrier TF was too close to rabaul and 42 betty's ruined my day....Lexington (59 flot, 60 system damage) and Yorktown (0 flot, 36 system damage).
Two weeks (game time) later, my second carrier TF, while destroying a IJN troop convoy off Gili Gili, gets ambushed by the entire (all 6 CVs) Kido Butai. Enterprise and Saratoga sunk.
I'm down to the Hornet and the CVE Long Island to hold the MLC to Australia open! If there is any interest in further developments, I'll post more updates.
I've played without carriers as the allies and you can still take the offensive. You just have to attack in areas that are in range of your land based aircraft. Its slow tough work but it can be done.
I hold PM with some force now, but don't see how I can stop him from interdicting supply there.
And, considering he has an unscathed KB, what is to stop him from just rotating some fast carriers, a few oilers and a CS or two out to my supply line from the West Coast and just sort of shutting off the faucet for a year or so? I think that is what I would do if I were the IJN.
Just supposing here.
If it’s not too late, secure Thursday Island. Most likely the Jap player can't afford to take both PM and Thursday Island. The island is close enough to PM to allow your fighters to escort you LBs in attacking PM once the Japs have it. You can make it very costly for him to get supplies in. Also, when you go to take it back you can cover your invasions fleet from there. And remember if the KB is at PM then its not anywhere else and you KNOW where it is. That leaves you the option of making supply runs and bombardments in other places you might be hesitant to if you did not know the location of the KB.
Former War in the Pacific Test Team Manager and Beta Tester for War in the East.