Invasion - How?

[ILCK]

I returned to UV over the break. The Japs have dug in 12k guys at Lunga, lovely.

Anyways, I decided to make a bid to seize the base. The problem is that my guys are apparently unaware that there is a war on and they need to move fast.

When my transport fleets arrive off Lunga it takes them forever to unload. After about 3 days I've gotten 4400 some odd guys off the ships. I recall in PacWar there was a different between an Assault TF and a Transport TF but I see nothing about that in UV. Obviously the Japs won't give me the week, at this rate, it is gonna take to unload all my forces.

What am I missing?

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: ILCK

... What am I missing?

LSTs, but you don't get them 'til later in the game.

Perhaps a TF commander w/invasion experience would help; fast transport is quicker, but surface ships carry much less troops and equipment than APs.

[ILCK]

So does this make my best effort then to land next to Lunga and advance overland?

[decaro]

It might be safer to land at Taivu; you could even secure it first w/paramarines and C-47s from Lungaville, if both are available.

But recall the Naval Load Rate pdf that came w/the game; the smaller the port (number), the lower the load rates for APs/AKs, esp. on an empty beach/no port, i.e., "0".

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

It might be safer to land at Taivu; you could even secure it first w/paramarines and C-47s from Lungaville, if both are available.

But recall the Naval Load Rate pdf that came w/the game; the smaller the port (number), the lower the load rates for APs/AKs, esp. on an empty beach/no port, i.e., "0".

I think that's the key here. It is the abominably slow unloading rate at a beach that is being experienced. Since the enemy holds the base and thus the port, a counterinvasion has to go in over the beaches. Taivu will be just as slow and then you will have to march overland and suffer atrition, fatigue and supply attrition just to get them to Lunga. The only reason I could see to chose Taivu over Lunga would be if your initial wave is so small that landing it in the same hex as the 12k defenders would put it at risk.

Actually it is the same problem the Japs suffered historically. We took the port and they had to land over the beaches. Since they couldn't afford the losses a huge transport fleet would suffer over the long duration it would take to unload over the beaches they took the approach of fast transports delivering small penny packets of troops to adjacent hexes, The just weren't wise enough to wait until they had accumulated suffficient strength before launching an assault. They attacked peicemeal with each penny packet and were decimated.