Creating barges

[decaro]

I'm no expert on IJN barges either, but re the History Channel, they were armed w/heavy machine guns; they also had a flat bottom so that a torpedo should never be able to touch them, which sometimes happended anyway in UV.

[Panther Bait]

I believe that I am KTN's Japanese opponent in one of those games (BigB 1.4). I have a few barges on-map on turn 1, and I have a few available to create (~10 or so) in Feb '42. I think those barges were available on the first turn, but I have not created any yet. I don't think the number has increased any either.

[String]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

I'm no expert on IJN barges either, but re the History Channel, they were armed w/heavy machine guns; they also had a flat bottom so that a torpedo should never be able to touch them, which sometimes happended anyway in UV.

Well, torpedoes do occasionally surface..

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

I just looked in the database.  The Allies get a lot more barges in CHS than in stock.  In stock, you don't get any until mid January 1943.  In CHS, you get a small number starting in May 42, but don't start getting very many until early 43.

I've found large fleets of barges are handy for invasions where the distance is not that far.  A fleet of 100 barges will get an entire combat unit ashore much quicker than with an AP.  They are also handy for supply missions between bases that are a few hexes from one another and the enemy's airpower is potent in the area.

Bill

Um.... in my stock game, I started to get barges in late 1942. October or November. Not many but some.

[Milman]

ORIGINAL: Milman

For stock , scenario 15.

First barges available from 15. november 1942.

This info is for allies . Japan have 40-50 barges from the start but i don't know when new japanese barges are available for "producing" them .

[John Lansford]

I've played UV for a long time, but just recently purchased and started playing WITP (about a month or so).  I've gotten frustrated with the Allied initial complement of barges (LCM's and LVMP's) after I foolishly clicked "create barges" at Lunga for an invasion at Munda further up the Solomons.

ISTM that these small landing craft should not be modeled in the game as individual ships; they were never intended to be ocean going and were carried by other, larger ships for use at the invasion site itself.  I've finally gotten them to Munda but the AP's and APA's are the ones with the men, not them.  Is there any way I can get them to do something useful, or am I stuck with them using fuel now that they've been created?

[Q-Ball]

I have a follow-up question on Barge Availability.

If a barge is destroyed, does the available number in the pool increase by one?

Or, is it lost forever?


Also, I suspect barges will be less useful in AE, because of how ships out of fuel will be handled. Apparently, if a barge is out of fuel, it will still paddle to the destination, but now will start taking significant damage and risk foundering on those types of trips.

[ctangus]

Barges, both allied & IJ, will respawn. There is a delay before they show back in the pool - I believe it's 30 days but don't hold me to that.

In addition to any plane strafing at 100', fighter-bombers set to any altitude will attack barges. Beaufighters seem to excel in the barge-busting role. I've yet to see how the Ki-45 does against them. I suspect they'd do similarly well unopposed, but I doubt they'd get that many chances.

[Q-Ball]

Speaking of losses, I learned this recently: Barges don't cost VP points, unless you SCUTTLE them. So don't scuttle them. I have sailed damaged ones closer to the Allies just so they finish them off and get them back in the pool.

[Gem35]

As has been mentioned, barges available to the Good Guys are in late November 42 in the grand stock campaign. They are not like AKs or Aps where their endurance is sufficent for vast ocean voyages. Consider them as a stop gap for short base jaunts.

[John Lansford]

So Allied LSM's, etc, are only good for ferrying supplies between two nearby bases?  I've been trying to figure out how to use them in a genuine opposed invasion the way they were used IRL and not coming up with a good way to do it.

[Q-Ball]

You can load them and use them like a regular invasion, you will just have to sail the entire distance in those barges; you can't load them from a larger transport, like real life.

The advantage of using them is that the troops will unload quickly, and hit the beach fast. Useful for assaulting ATOLLS, where you need alot of troops ashore in the very first phase.

Disadvantage, is that a TF of barges, even if mixed with other transports, will be very SLOOOOOOOOW, 1 hex per day once the fuel is out. The Japanese will see you coming for sure. You also will need an awful lot to make a difference.

[bradfordkay]

They are good for the war in the Solomons, New Guinea, DEI and the Philippines, where the  distance from your base to the next invasion site is minimal.