Imperial Expansion: Phase 2

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Mynok


ARMED angry tourists....

I try to not emphasise the "armed" and "angry" part. [:D]

[Mynok]

You hang Peace, Love and Sake banners on your rifles, eh? [:D]

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Mynok


You hang Peace, Love and Sake banners on your rifles, eh? [:D]

How'd ya know? [:D]

[Mynok]

I have JFB syndrome too ya know....[:'(]

[EwingNJ]

Funny you guys mentioned this. The casual tourists that showed up at Rabaul were ever so nice enough to put on a fireworks show for the locals. At Guam they were considerate enough to spare the islanders the bother and expense of a plebiscite and forthwith, incorporated them into the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. In Manila they have initiated a free program of urban renewal.

Very entertaining and polite people on the whole.

[ny59giants]

After that, my main thinking is a heavy reinforcement the position to be fortified as strong as possible and attack in the Indian Ocean to avoid the naval traffic between british and Aussies (that´s will be more easey that try to avoid the american traffic between west coast and Oz). Air attacks over Ceylan (March-April, like historical) are on my planning, of course is a temptation the north of Australia (but I´ll try to destroy facilities, not invasion to avoid the free british-aussie reforcements), IMHO.

Nice in theory, but easily defend in reality. I'll just have my tankers go from Abadan to Cape Town and then to points in Australia. It will take more time, but the Allies can afford it. You will get one or two shots at most to hit the tankers and transports before this is inacted.

You may have the fuel in the beginning, but a smart Allied player will have you going around using it to chase ghost.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Mynok


I have JFB syndrome too ya know....[:'(]

Ahh yes, a delightful disease. [:D]

[ny59giants]

Port Moresby and Australia
 
I'm playing against the AI as the Allies until Tracker comes out and the first patch. Then, I'll be going back to the "dark side." With the fighters restricted to the Philippines, the Allies are criticially short of fighters until they come from Pearl and the USA. They do have the transports to move troops and supplies into Port Moresby, but the question will be the ability to reinforce and resupply. So, how big of a speed bump will an Allied player make Port Moresby??

[Fletcher]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Port Moresby and Australia

I'm playing against the AI as the Allies until Tracker comes out and the first patch. Then, I'll be going back to the "dark side." With the fighters restricted to the Philippines, the Allies are criticially short of fighters until they come from Pearl and the USA. They do have the transports to move troops and supplies into Port Moresby, but the question will be the ability to reinforce and resupply. So, how big of a speed bump will an Allied player make Port Moresby??

I am not sure, but like JFB I´ll try to launch a main offensive against the Nueva Guinea-New Britain-New Ireland area with Car Div 1, Car Div 5 and 4 BB´s with 8th Fleet Cruisers (after Guam operations), inmediatly after PH attack. The 21st Division will land at PM, with 144 Infantry Regiment and SNLF landing at Rabaul-Kavieng. IN my timings I think I will be at PM January 1st 1942. I think the allied will not can reinforce PM enough to stop this main offensive. 23rd Air Flotilla will be deployed in the area when secured (21st at Cagayan), with 22nd at Kuching (Borneo) to support and gain air supperiority over Sumatra to main landings (2th and 38th Divisions to Palembang).
After the landings at PM, 1st and 5th Car Div probably will soft western australian air facilities (if timing let)and after refit at Truk launch a big operation against Timor before Sumatra landings (supported by 1st, 2nd and 5th Car Div).

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

The 144th Regt. is loaded and ready turn 1 at Chichi Jima; the more I think about it, the more I think it's wise to just skip Guam and land it at Rabaul ASAP. If you do that, and get some supply shipping moving too, you can pick that up from Rabaul and land on PM within the first month. The fact that TF has a Base Force with 100+ Nav Support, and Truk has an extra Naval HQ, means you can make that move pretty quickly. I think there is enough shipping. The CA's covering Guam, and a couple BBs from japan should be plenty of surface coverage. Truk begins with a pile of fuel, so you're good to go in that department.

Not alot of LBA though, I think KB will be needed to cover all this.

On the Rabaul thing...well I like to take the surrounding bases first and cut off the Allied retreat, then use a bigger force to actually take Rabaul. It means it takes me a bit longer to secure it, but then I don't have to starve out or chase down those two Aussie Bns that were stationed there. I might have to revise my usual strategy there with AE.

[Mynok]

Yeah, I don't think there will be time to be neat and tidy if PM is going to be an early get. One thing that affects the strategic decision as well is how 4E bombers are in AE. They seem to be far less the devastating menace they are by May 42 in WITP.

[ny59giants]

With merchant shipping for Japan being a lot more important, the question will be how expensive could it become to keep PM supplied by late 42?? If the Allies get Portland Roads up and running, then the cost will get very expensive, very quick.

[Mynok]

Yep. The old way was to get as much in as you can before they get setup in north Oz, then pile supplies at Buna and let them leak across the Kokoda trail. Not sure there is gonna be enough supply available now to do it that way. Have to look at the air supply capabilities, but I suspect that's gonna be much less as well.

Taking PM is just not gonna be a way to setup an impregnable fortress in NG anymore. It's just gonna be about buying more time, which seems reasonable.

[Mike Solli]

I'm really beginning to wonder if PM is worth the probable cost to take. Like you guys said, it'll be murder in critical merchant shipping to keep it supplied, and for what purpose. I guess it all depends on how effective the Allied 4E bomber campaign will be in 1942.

[Mynok]

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli
I guess it all depends on how effective the Allied 4E bomber campaign will be in 1942.

Bottom line right there.

[BrucePowers]

As severely as IJ merchant shipping is curtailed, the 4E bombers should be curtailed.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

I'm really beginning to wonder if PM is worth the probable cost to take. Like you guys said, it'll be murder in critical merchant shipping to keep it supplied, and for what purpose. I guess it all depends on how effective the Allied 4E bomber campaign will be in 1942.

The downside to not taking it is the Allies have a level 4 airfield that much closer to Rabaul that you can't shut down with Betties. And it will be a good place for Allied fighters. It's a real catch 22 there, neither action is going to have a good outcome.

[EUBanana]

Well, the Allies won't be able to retake Port Moresby without carrier support and great, IMO, risk.

If you don't take Port Moresby, then it can be resupplied without Allied carriers, which means they can be causing trouble elsewhere, while PM is a low cost thorn in the Japanese side.

...so I'd say its definitely worth it.

[Q-Ball]

This thread should be entitled "Taking Port Moresby". I think it's doable for sure in the first month, provided you commit KB to the task. This isn't a huge stretch, as Truk is a convenient place to go after PH anyway. It looks to me like a Rgt. in the first month should be enough; the troops that start there are pretty poor.

I just started a game against the AI, I'm going to check it out. Granted, against the living is different, but not really, because in the first month there isn't much the Allies can do if you bring KB. The limitation is available ground troops and shipping.

[Canoerebel]

Port Moresby is far more important to the Japs than to the Allies early in the war. It's such a forward base for the Allies that it poses a real threat to the Jap underbelly if the Japs don't take it. So the Japs need it bad, but it's no gimme. Even though the defenses aren't strong, it requires a big commitment to take it. Hmmmm, sounds sorta like the real war....