Swamped by IJN Carriers

[Schmeb]

Just started playing for a week and a half. Started my 3rd game vs AI. I only gave up Gili Gili in the PM attack and planted the aussies in Lunga w/ B-17's and B-25's w/ F4-fs and P400 as Cap.
It's end of June and I'm facing six IJN Carriers in an unbeatable battlegroup, many of which should have sunk at midway. I didn't send the Lex back to pearl after sinking the Shoho and Zuikaku (sp) at coral sea (yorktown was sunk). If I don't send my carriers back, do I in theory "lose" the Midway battle and face all those flattops at GC? Has anyone seen this before?

[denisonh]

It looks like you are playing SC #17, where Midway does not occur. Sending you carriers back to Pearl has absolutely no impact, other than you short yourself a carrier (especially if it is operational. Don't do that!)

Hell, the carriers got to damaged more than 30 for me to send it back.

Yes, I have seen the "SuperCarrier" TF(s) that rampage in June/July duirng SC#17. You just can't square off with it without help from Land Based Air(LBA). If you do, you die.

It is an assumption of the scenario that Midway doen't happen. Makes the campaign a whole lot more interesting that way.

[Luskan]

By August (on very variable reinforcement) you'll get 4 new and shiny CV's (Saratoga, Enterprise, Wasp and Hornet), while the IJN's 6 have been suffering two months of wear and tear + attrition vs your LBA, so it is a much more even fight (Still, don't go head to head until you're sure you've got a big tactical advantage).

[Q-Ball]

There have been a number of threads on this before, but I would agree with the previous comment, don't take on the 6 CV IJN Uber TF directly. Spend mid-'42 building up bases and areas where the TF isn't, and run like heck when it appears. If you're playing the AI, they will eventually bring that TF within range of LBA, where you can start picking off a CV or two. Even if you don't, the action will wear down the IJN aircrews. By late '42, you will get more CV's, with more on the way, plus lots of P-38's, Marine F4F's and SBD's, and more medium bombers. That will be enough to even the odds. Against a human opponent, strategy is more difficult, but at a minimum wait until you have all your early heavy CV's. Your odds of winning a CV to CV battle increase through '42, because of IJN aircrew attrition (replacements are much lower quality than initial aircrews), the arrival of new CV's, and also the availability of excellent AA platforms to help protect your carriers. (the CLAA's, St Louis CL's, Fletcher DD's, North Carolina/S. Dakota's, anything carrying the 40 mm Bofors)