HOW TO GET THE BLOCKADE TO WORK?

[XLegion]

Title says it all. When I'm playing as the Union player I make sure I have cruiser and Ironclads fleets off of every major city on the Confederate coast. For example I'm into the second year of the war and when the blockade report comes in I get something like this:
Wilmington Blockade: 25%
New Bern: 16%
Elizabeth City: 25%
Norfolk Closed:

I DO have cruiser and naval vessels off of those ports but I also have vessels off of Savanah, New Orleans, Jackson and many others and yet supplies just flow in to the confederacy. Sometimes equal to Union supplies. What am I doing wrong here?

[elmo3]

Invade the coastal islands and build a depot on each one.

[XLegion]

I would love to do that but I never get naval initiative in any kind of quantity to do it. I once got naval initiative and placed a Union force on the North Carolina coast and it has now sat there for nearly a year and never been able to move.

[PyleDriver]

Ironclads and GB's are poor in blockade. I put 5 crusiers off Wilmington and that does it. Dont forget a good leader. The 5 islands are a must (and depots) for the blockade. Crusiers can chase, Ironclads and GB's can't, thier to slow, plus you will lose them in bad weather...

[8D]
Jon

[XLegion]

Where are these five islands? And can you create a depot at sea while on blockade? I thought depots could only be built by land units? Like I said, I don't get naval initiative enough to land forces on the entire coast of the confederacy. Are you playing with 'your own production'. If so, I may have to convert as the AI production is not giving me enough Ocean cruisers.

[Bo Rearguard]

The Union AI sure does a lovely blockade. Especially once it's chased your river fleet off the Mississippi thereby depriving you of those inland ports. I'm sealed in tighter than Tupperware.

[Bo Rearguard]

ORIGINAL: XLegion

Where are these five islands? And can you create a depot at sea while on blockade? I thought depots could only be built by land units? Like I said, I don't get naval initiative enough to land forces on the entire coast of the confederacy. Are you playing with 'your own production'. If so, I may have to convert as the AI production is not giving me enough Ocean cruisers.

The five island you wanna grab are Dauphin, Ship, Tybee, Hilton Head and Roanoke. They're completely undefended too.

[Erik Rutins]

XLegion,

It's really easy to get amphibious initiative. Any unit in a region with an AC when he gets initiative gets it. Similarly when the TC gets initiative he can give amphibious initiative to linked units. Just look for the little wavy lines under the red arrow.

I keep a bunch of the 2-3 command Leaders stocked up with one brigade each on Turn 1 and parked in Washington or wherever my Eastern AC is. Then when he gets initiative again, they go off and invade the islands. They're tiny specks off the coast. Mouse over them and you'll see their names. Send a brigade with a leader to invade each one, then have the leader build a depot, then you can pull the leader out if you want (but leave the unit) and your blockade strength will go up. Make sure all your blockade fleets are linked to a supply net via at least one transport fleet. Make sure you build plenty of Cruisers as they are the best blockade ships.

Regards,

- Erik

[XLegion]

OK, I have now figured out where the islands are that everybody is talking about. It's not as if I can't see them, they are there all right but here is the problem.

1.) I get enough transport, let's say at Washington and all along the right of way to let's say Tybee Island off of Savannah.

2.) I wait for initiative from an army commander at Washington

3.) I finally GET naval initiative AND when I click on the unit that I want to move to Tybee island I get a clear invasion path TO THE SEA AREA that Tybee island is BUT NOT TYBEE ISLAND itself. There is no place to land! I click anyway, and the infantry forces I have remain AT SEA forever. They never seem to get naval initiative again because they are nowhere near their army or theatre commander. HOW DO YOU LAND ON THESE ISLANDS???? Are these not considered to be Amphibious invasions??

What am I doing wrong here????

[Erik Rutins]

Make sure you have not only enough strategic transport capacity on the way, but enough at the actual island sea zone (for example, to land a leader with one militia unit you'll need four amphibious transport there). Then move your mouse around the island area until you see a second arrow go from the sea zone to the island.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: XLegion
the infantry forces I have remain AT SEA forever. They never seem to get naval initiative again because they are nowhere near their army or theatre commander. HOW DO YOU LAND ON THESE ISLANDS???? Are these not considered to be Amphibious invasions??

They won't get amphibious initiative again while at sea, so just move them back using strategic move to your army commander's area if you ended the turn with them still at sea.

[Berkut]

To expand on what Eric said:

Your transports ahve two transport values - strategic movement and amphibious assault.

So a singel transport will show something like 25/2. The first number is how much it can move when moving units across sea zones, the second is what it can move when it the in the final sea zone before an assault. That is why you can move into the zone, but not assault, since a single infantry unit needs 4 transport points.

For the most part, you are in decent shape with one transport per space in the path, but you need two at the end for a single unit assault on one of the islands - as far as I can tell, a single unit is all that is needed as well.

[Treefrog]

Blockades have two components: use cruisers supplied from depots on off shore islands to blockage the big ports (Charleston, Savannah, MObile, New Orleans) while you seize the remote ports outright (Pensacola and the Atlantic Coast Florida port - sorry, no map as I write, Galveston (Texas), New Bern, Norfolk, and the other one on the VA-NC coast).
 
Off shore island invasions can be done with a single infantry brigade (militia or regular) and a leader with initiative.  You need two transport fleets ( "25/2" times two is "50/4" and "4" is the transport point cost for a single infantry brigade).  Do your sea invasions prior to strategic movement; assuming a transport has not carried anybody for strategic movement, it can move to the invasion area (remember, you'll need two transports per island).  Leave some leaders with at least 2 attack value in Norfolk with a single infantry attached (if more than one is attached, you can detach an extra and still retain enough initiative to make the invasion).  Have a couple of such stacks and pairs of transports ready because initiative is kinda random and when you get it, you want to invade as many places as possible.  You must assign the infantry to a leader; if a leader with initiative attaches an infantry, you won't be able to use that pair to make an amphibious invasion this turn).
 
Start with the invasions to inhibit New Orleans as that may inhibit the entire Mississippi River free trade as well (I haven't checked that out let; if you find out, please post that result for all of us), then start with the islands close at hand on the Atlantic off Savannah and Charleston.  Do the one off Norfolk last, see below.
 
These off shore islands can be invaded with a single brigades because you don't need to worry about a CSA reaction move. 
 
To invade the small seacoast ports you'll be at risk from a CSA reaction.  I start with Norfolk if ungarrisioned or under garriisioned as it saves invading the off shore island and starting there is thus more efficient.  Invade ASAP before they build coastal forts.  Go with at least 3 or 4 brigades.  Once, ashore, next turn consolidate your position by building a fort, a depot, and putting in a couple of heavy artillery.  Over time you can reduce your infantry to just enough to hold off partisans and feed additional heavy artillery in to give the defenders firepower.
 
As soon as possible, and I consider doing this before Norfolk, invade an island at the outlet of the Mississippi River; either side will do.  Expect a fight.  I would strip all my transports from everywhere for this one.  Throw as many infantry ashore as you can and maybe even send the AC to help committing them.  Once you take it, consolidate with heavy artillery ASAP as that one gun will block all Mississippi River free trade.  This is probably the most important invasion you'll make in the entire game.  The sooner you block river free trade, . . . well, do the math on the impact on the CSA.
 
 

[JanSorensen]

You can also block the Miss River by landing west of the forts and moving one area inland behind the forts. A heavy art in that area will cut off all trade up the river as well.
 
As the USA you should aim to have the CSA trade below 50 at the end of 1861 and below 25 at the end of 1862.

[dthornburg]

ORIGINAL: JanSorensen

You can also block the Miss River by landing west of the forts and moving one area inland behind the forts. A heavy art in that area will cut off all trade up the river as well.

As the USA you should aim to have the CSA trade below 50 at the end of 1861 and below 25 at the end of 1862.

Below 50 at the end of '61????

I haven't even got close to that. I think I got them down to 68 by late 63. By then I was losing the battle of troop levels again.

[tedhealy]

Playing my first full game as union and my jaw hit the floor reading below 25 by the end of 62 [X(] 

I'm mid to late 62 and finally got them down to under 50 and I thought I was doing a good job.

[Treefrog]

I embrace the Anaconda Plan with a passion. I hold all the Atlantic Coast ports save Charleston, Savannah and Wilmington, and those are 100% blockaded. I block both Mobile Bay and the Mississippi and hold all the other Gulf Ports.

The result: by March 1863 CSA free trade was 15, but they also stole 4 of my supplies. In April 1863 is was 12 and they stole 6; same for May 1863.

As my Western Army drives south through Meridan Mississippi and east through Alabama towards Georgia, I notice the effect of that supply. The CSA is fielding lots of militia, but not enough to pull back to be trained as regulars. The militia die quickly in combat, causing a real fighting unit shortage in the CSA army.

Starve'm. It worked then, it works now.

[Bearcat2]

On the first turn; there are 2 union cruisers that you can move to the Mississippi river delta, move them there, but do not attack the fort.  In the confederate turn, the fort will attack the fleet; but at most will damage 1 fleet, leaving the other to blockade the river and all river ports.  You also have to start sending reinforcements on the first turn  from your Atlantic squadrons in case the fort gets lucky.  With 1 fleet in the delta, the confederates are unable to reinforce the fort and you will destroy the 1 arty there with your reinforcements.  On the first turn you get amphibious initiative, invade and build a fort, reinforce with Hvy arty[2] and forever more block Mississippi river trade.

[PyleDriver]

Ok guys I'll throw you another hint. Invade the smaller ports and get them out of the way. The CSA cant hold them all, if he tries then you win on other fronts.This allows you to move your navy to the large ports. Taking one of the two forts at the mouth of the Mississippi and placement of Hvy Art there stops ALL trade up the river. And you can't forget the 5 islands...

[8D]
Jon

[rjh1971]

ORIGINAL: dthornburg

ORIGINAL: JanSorensen

You can also block the Miss River by landing west of the forts and moving one area inland behind the forts. A heavy art in that area will cut off all trade up the river as well.

As the USA you should aim to have the CSA trade below 50 at the end of 1861 and below 25 at the end of 1862.

Below 50 at the end of '61????

I haven't even got close to that. I think I got them down to 68 by late 63. By then I was losing the battle of troop levels again.

As Jan said close the Mississipi, either take one of those forts and place a heavy artillery or do as Jan suggested.