RIDERS ON THE STORM-THANK YOU

[Elladan]

While your estimations re your attack potential are absolutely right I would suggest small scale actions in different areas, say New Guinea and DEI just to throw him out balance and force to divert units for garrison duties. All you need for this is a battalion of infantry and some transport means (DDs preferably). Think asymmetrical warfare

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: Elladan

While your estimations re your attack potential are absolutely right I would suggest small scale actions in different areas, say New Guinea and DEI just to throw him out balance and force to divert units for garrison duties. All you need for this is a battalion of infantry and some transport means (DDs preferably). Think asymmetrical warfare

mmm....probably you're right.
I have at Darwin a small surface fleet (8 DDs and 2 CLs) and a lot of units (a total of 1600 AVs), attached to Anzac or Oz HQs...
i could easily mass in 2 months enough PPs to release a small infantry unit and attack a place like Ambonia, where at the moment there's only a base force and nothing more...
Yes, think it can be done[;)]. Fast transport TFs and some missions by the 36 4Es i have at Darwin...yes, i'll put this litle plan on my scheldue! Thx!
Ambonia could be also a very interesting point from where to start to develop a campaign against Palau and/or Mindanao...

[Mistmatz]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner
...
Ambonia could be also a very interesting point from where to start to develop a campaign against Palau and/or Mindanao...

I wouldn't count on holding it... [;)]
But you can surely annoy the japanese and reduce the raw material output. And after such a raid he might feel the need to better garrison other bases which in turn takes AV away he could project elsewhere.

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: Mistmatz

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner
...
Ambonia could be also a very interesting point from where to start to develop a campaign against Palau and/or Mindanao...

I wouldn't count on holding it... [;)]
But you can surely annoy the japanese and reduce the raw material output. And after such a raid he might feel the need to better garrison other bases which in turn takes AV away he could project elsewhere.

I do not count of holding it. However it depends on how long Karachi holds...at the moment all his major units are in India and some 1000 Naval AVs are at Luzon. Considring that there are 12 units trapped at Kwalajein and more 20 massed at truk he really has nothing on hands at the moment...and if Karachi holds all those divisions won't bother me for some time[;)]...however my goal is to advance in the CENTPAC at the moment and force him to an attrition battle!

[Andy Mac]

So thats 2,600 AV in Karachi x 4 (city) x 3 (Forts) = 12x 2,600 so he needs about 30,000 AV to get 1:1 assuming no disruption or morale failures and assuming no HQ bonuses.
 
And you have 310,000 supolies stockpiled ?
 
Even if his engineers knock down all the forts he will need more than 10,000 AV for 1:1 just because of terrain and 20,000 for 2:1....into the teeth of massed British and India Artillery lol
 
No chance keep him focussed on trying to take karachi if you can because he has NO chance of taking the City and stomp all over hime everywhere else.
 
Andy

[okami]

Marcus-Iwo Jima. Currently he probably has only the starting garrison on Marcus and Iwo might have nothing at all. Take Marcus and then land on Iwo with an RCT and Two BF and a EAB. Bring a transports with just supplies say 10000 in 5 or 6 AK's. Then build airfield and bomb Japan. It is bold but it is also doable. He will have to react to it and you can dictate the battle by saturating the area with subs.

[Andy Mac]

p.s. I would run the occasional single AK supply TF to Karachi...
 
Not because you need to but because losing the odd AK may decieve him i.e. your  apparent desperate attempts to resupply the port may keep him more interested when in fact you don't need to....
 
Andy

[okami]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

p.s. I would run the occasional single AK supply TF to Karachi...

Not because you need to but because losing the odd AK may decieve him i.e. your  apparent desperate attempts to resupply the port may keep him more interested when in fact you don't need to....

Andy

I like this!!!!![&o] It's sneaky and underhanded. In short it's brilliant.

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: okami

Marcus-Iwo Jima. Currently he probably has only the starting garrison on Marcus and Iwo might have nothing at all. Take Marcus and then land on Iwo with an RCT and Two BF and a EAB. Bring a transports with just supplies say 10000 in 5 or 6 AK's. Then build airfield and bomb Japan. It is bold but it is also doable. He will have to react to it and you can dictate the battle by saturating the area with subs.

At Marcus there are at least 2 units.
At Iwo he surely has fortified it because it already gained level 4 AF...that means he's focusing on it.

No Okami, i won't go overconfident. He surely has the KB in the Pacific by now. Won't go beyond my limits. The move might be bold, but at this stage i'm in a too good position to risk my whole fleet.
I'll stick to the original plan. Surely less bold but also more concrete and more doable.
At Iwo, being at level 4AF he can move hundreds of Betties in 1/2 turns...

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

p.s. I would run the occasional single AK supply TF to Karachi...

Not because you need to but because losing the odd AK may decieve him i.e. your apparent desperate attempts to resupply the port may keep him more interested when in fact you don't need to....

Andy

Yes, great advice! It won't cost me anything and can be interesting![:D]

[Gen.Hoepner]

And here are my future plans for the CENTPAC.
We'll try to bypass Truk.
It will however take a lot of time and in the meanwhile many things can change, so do not count at 100% on it!

[Gen.Hoepner]

And this the big picture

[PzB74]

Since your opponent is playing by the extreme the best way to overcome him could be to strike back with the same tactics since this would expose his biggest vulnerabilities. If you'd like to play it 'safe' I wouldn't recomment these 'by passes' this early on.
This could very well lead to Woleai being surrounded and reinforcing it would mean running the Betty gauntlet
from Truk and Palaus.

What about New Guinea? Were's your current stand - and cand you start expanding AFs here and prepare to move 'up the ladder'?
Having southern part of NG, all of the Solomons and Marshalls by autumn 42 would put you in a very good spot.

You also need to send out scouts to find the KB - if it's not near Karachi the British heavy hitters could intercept
the Tokyo Express soon!

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: PzB

Since your opponent is playing by the extreme the best way to overcome him could be to strike back with the same tactics since this would expose his biggest vulnerabilities. If you'd like to play it 'safe' I wouldn't recomment these 'by passes' this early on.
This could very well lead to Woleai being surrounded and reinforcing it would mean running the Betty gauntlet
from Truk and Palaus.

What about New Guinea? Were's your current stand - and cand you start expanding AFs here and prepare to move 'up the ladder'?
Having southern part of NG, all of the Solomons and Marshalls by autumn 42 would put you in a very good spot.

You also need to send out scouts to find the KB - if it's not near Karachi the British heavy hitters could intercept
the Tokyo Express soon!

Hi John. As i said before it will be a long term plan.
As soon as i'll conquest Panope and will start the attrition air battle against Truk i'll start sending men and stuff to Darwin. From there i'll advance directly towards Ambonia and then the northern part of NG, completely bypassing Rabaul and Admiralty Isl.
In NG and solomons at the moment everything is quiet because neither of us has focused on this theatre.
The Northern NG is probably the best way to go.The idea is to have a double claw that bites and immobilize the whole central pacific japanese fortress: Truk,Rabaul and Palau. So threatening directly the Mariannas and the PI.
It's clear however that if Karachi will be lost and he will be able to transfer all those troops back to CENTPAC, everything will have to be rewritten

[PzB74]

Yees, exactly - it may have to be rewritten. If Trollelite frees up all his troops for CentPac he will be able to dictate terms until Spring 43.
So you have a difficult decision indeed; Play hardball and take big risks - or go for the slow methodical build-up. As usual the middle way will most likely be the most fruiteful one [;)]

[Andy Mac]

Aye I genuinelly dont believe Karachi is takable in these circumstances you need to have cut up and defeated the CW army in south central India (as PZB did) once its back behind the forts in a city hex its dammed hard to take (ask Nemo he tried and failed)
 
Its a tough ask.
 
On the other hand if trollelite accepts that he cannot take Karachi then he can pull out all but minimal delaying forces who will benefit from the city defensive bonus if you try to attack them.
 
So you will need to amphib behind him or bring in Paras
 
The worst option for you is if he leaves say 1,000 AV at Karachi.
 
Garrisons the rest of India with 4 or 5 Divs and pulls everything else out to head south.
 
Andy

[PzB74]

I'm still a bit uncertain about the infallability of Karachi.
Quality of Allied troops vs quality of Jap troops + constant air and sea bombardments.
But we shall see [:)]

Do you know how many assault points Wobbly managed to stack up in Karachi during our game Andy?

[Gen.Hoepner]

ORIGINAL: PzB

I'm still a bit uncertain about the infallability of Karachi.
Quality of Allied troops vs quality of Jap troops + constant air and sea bombardments.
But we shall see [:)]

Do you know how many assault points Wobbly managed to stack up in Karachi during our game Andy?

As is said before, in a game against MC3477 i managed to conquer Chungking despite the WHOLE chinese army was in there! Yes, ok, maybe he was a bit off with supplies but bombing it for months (and here at Karachi he has the BBs in aide of his bombers) can really burn a lot of supplies.
I'm not that certain that Karachi will hold neither.
But it will however take him some time...that's pretty sure

[Gen.Hoepner]

Anyway i'm pretty happy in CENTPAC, even if Trollelite brings back tomorrow his whole army from India.
I'm far away beyond the historical advance and i really feel safe right now where i am (Eniwetok and the Marshalls).

[Andy Mac]

In your game ADavidB had c 1600 AV all of which had been retreated multiple times and lvl 4 forts at Karachi.
 
He or Wobbly fought it out at Ahmabad, Delhi and Lahore and didnt get the troops and AA guns concentrated.
 
ADavidB also decided to fight at Malir as his MLR and was retreated out of the base wrecking a Corps worth of forces. (also his troops were prepped for Malir)
 
Broadly I view GH's position as much better he has more rested full strength forces and I think all three Armoured Bdes are back and dug in as well.
 
I would not want to be attacking that base
 
Andy