Can you defend your bases as the Japanese?

[segorn]

I'm beginning to wonder if the Japanese can win the long scenaro; even the new Scenario 19 that gives them extra troops.

Its easy to stake out a perimeter that includes Lunga and all of New Guinea north of Port Moseby. Alternately, you can gamble and try to get Port Moseby too, but that's kind of like opening with idiot's mate in a chess game. It either works, or you've just sacrificed opening position for no gain.

The concern I have with the japanese though can be described in two words : medium bomber.

As far as I can tell, defending even a massive airbase like Raboul from 1000 foot mitchell/P38 strikes is an impossibility. Given a week or so, the allied player can, by rotating squadrons through, take your base out of commission.

Conversely, its virtually impossible for the japanese to neutralize a late game allied base b/c their betties and nells are too frail and carry too few bombs to do the job. They go off, drop their bombs, take 50% casualties and put 10 or so holes in the runway. In controls Mitchels take 10% kills, and put 50 holes in the runway.

Given that the allies can neutralize any Japanese base in the game, it makes their counteroffensive an inevitability since as the Japanese you dont' really have a lot of defensive options except to sortie your surface fleet and hope you get lucky.

[Raverdave]

Indeed.

I also find it surprising that as the Allies you could lose a game. Sure in the first 6 months everything seems to be against you, but after that the steamroller really starts to fire up. The ONLY way that I can see this being stopped is by controlling the sea, and maintaning that control.....something that is not easy to do as the allied airfarces build up.

I too have pondered this same question, and have tried different tactics.....none of which have worked over a long period. To really test any strategy you need to play from the Japanese side in Clash of the Titans S#15. I have tried twice now to do a rush for Noumea and have failed each time.

Guess that I need to play against an "expert" IJN player

[Burch]

I have found as the Japanese that using the long range of your bombers to interdict supplies in conjunction with carrier raids south of the Lunga--Gili Gili line will severly hamper allied bombing. The allied bombers are effective with their larger loads (and bombs) but they use a tremendous amount of supplies in a sustained effort. Japanese BB and CA bombardment of PM will keep it suppresed.
That being said... I think a quick aggressive victories that put all allied bases under your LBA early on and relative mastery of the sea is the only hope for the long haul.

[Drongo]

Conversely, its virtually impossible for the japanese to neutralize a late game allied base b/c their betties and nells are too frail and carry too few bombs to do the job. They go off, drop their bombs, take 50% casualties and put 10 or so holes in the runway. In controls Mitchels take 10% kills, and put 50 holes in the runway.

Out of curiosity, have PBEM IJN players been using Bettys and Nells on massed, long range, unescorted night strikes against the allied bases operating B17's and B24's? I have been using it in '43 to reduce the allied air offensive in S17 and it works quite well against the AI. I have not seen it mentioned too often in forums concerning PBEM and was wondering whether or not it was a viable tactic once the allies start their bomber offensive?

The same goes for massing every AA battery possible into the bases likely to be prime allied targets. It took a lot of AA cover but eventually I got improved kill/damage results on allied bombers (or so it seemed). If you kept your fighters safe elsewhere, you could still eat away at allied airpower (or at least force him high) without having the CRAP beaten out of your CAP. You would also need heavy engineer support to keep repairing the base quickly in case you had to move your air force back in to meet an allied move.

I know that the PBEM situation is nowhere near as controllable as when you play the AI but I was curious as to whether the above tactics could be of any use. Might have to find out the hardway if I ever get a chance against Raverdave.

[Lrfss]

Hi Guys:

Jap Night Bombing of Allied Bases can work and does reduce losses for the Jap especially later on!

Later,

Lrfss

[Q-Ball]

Besides the medium bomber strikes, the updated Allied fighters are death to anything with a red sun on it. P-38's and Wildcats are decent, but Corsairs, Hellcats, P-47's, Boomerangs, etc. are totally unstoppable, and attacking anything in the daylight with those planes flying cap is futile. Even green pilots shoot down dozens of planes in a strike at the stick on one of these planes. No wonder the Turkey Shoot was such a lopsided battle!

[Drongo]

G'day Q-Ball.

There comes a time when, as the Japanese, you give up the air contests except where you can mass your fighters. Thats when you give thanks to the Son of Heaven for the invention of the shovel. Dig, dig, dig. Caves are nice, especially the ones stocked with saki.

[XPav]

Originally posted by Q-Ball
Besides the medium bomber strikes, the updated Allied fighters are death to anything with a red sun on it. P-38's and Wildcats are decent, but Corsairs, Hellcats, P-47's, Boomerangs, etc. are totally unstoppable, and attacking anything in the daylight with those planes flying cap is futile. Even green pilots shoot down dozens of planes in a strike at the stick on one of these planes. No wonder the Turkey Shoot was such a lopsided battle!

Waitaminute. Boomerangs are totally unstoppable? The books I have, while saying that CAC did a good job in actually making a fighter, point out that its performance is barely that of a pre-war fighter.

[RUPD3658]

One word: ATTRITION! Remeber, the Japenese strategy never was to conquor the whole Pacific Ocean. Their plan was to grab as much as they could, dig in, and wear the US down until they negotiated a peace. You should do the same. You have 6 months before the Allies have the capacity to kick your butt back to Tokyo so make the most of it. Build Rabaul and Laguna into beehives of meduim bombers and fighters. Put every AA unit you have on these bases. I had the AI lose 4 US carriers in one ill thought venture to Laguna! Also dig in. Mine every friendly harbour that you can during the first few months, even the ones at which you have no troops. Mine The Slot and the approaches to Laguna. The more ships the Allied player loses the harder it is to supply the bases he has let alone go after new ones. Subs can also take their toll going into US ports. Granted their life expectency is short but if they take out an Allied CV it is worth losing 10 of them.