After the 1096 patches, I decided to restart my campaign game and I am now contemplating various CM and DM with full mine racks. Where should I place these to cause maximum unhappiness to the foe?
I'm playing Allies in this game, but would like to hear the Japanese perspective as well.
My current thoughts are some or all of the following:
Makassar Strait (deter access to Balikpapan and deter movement of major Japanese combat TFs)
Pontianak and Singkawang (deter him from immediately useful airfields)
Ambon (ditto)
Kendari (ditto)
Away from the DEI, I was considering mines in some of the small and unimproved base hexes (i.e. "dot" bases) near my rear area major ports to attrit the Japanese submarines, e.g. San Clemente, Niihau, Lanai, etc.
Hello minnowguy a quote from the manual gives you a hint to several places. Narrow straits are especially effective for mines.
20.3 APPENDIX C – STRAITS
There are two classes of strait hexsides in the game – wide and narrow. Of these two, narrow
straits have the greatest effect, so are listed here. Wide straits are numerous – they occur
in any location where the movement path between two adjacent hexes is restricted (say
by peninsulas and islands), but not so restricted that ships are forced to navigate a narrow
channel between two pieces of land. For a detailed description of the effects of the two types,
see section 4.2.1.3.
Narrow straits are located between these hexes:
104,57 (Shimonoseki) and 104,58
106,58 (Hiroshima/Kure) and 106,59
107,58 (Fukuyama) and 107,59 (Takamatsu)
107,59 (Takamatsu) and 108,58 (Okayama)
107,59 (Takamatsu) and 108,59 (Kobe)
113,61 (Yokohama/Yokosuka) and 114,60 (Tokyo)
210,51 and 211,51
211,51 and 212,52 (Seattle)
211,53 (Tacoma) and 212,52 (Seattle)
218,69 (Mare Island) and 218,70 (San Francisco)
218,69 (Mare Island) and 219,69 (Stockton)
218,69 (Mare Island) and 219,70 (Alameda)
218,70 (San Francisco) and 219,70 (Alameda)
56,104 (Soerabaja) and 55,105
56,104 (Soerabaja) and 56,105
78,77 (Bataan) and 79,77 (Manila)
80,171 and 81,171 (Portsea)
81,171 (Portsea) and 81,172
I love putting mines where the enemy has to go... as the allies you KNOW the jap will attack Rabaal, some basses in Malasia, some chinese ports... PI .. even if the enemy knows you are dropping these loads... he must divert resourses to clearingthem and slowing these precious days in DEC 41... others may opt for the "best" destructive placement, I count it as bonus when my foe strikes a mine...
Singipore and Minila get special treatment as do Battan.. I sure do not want a BB force shelling Bataan.. so it gets LOTS of mines after Dec41...
This is not the "best", simply what I like to do, my goal is to slow down the enemy advance..
Also, you probably know this, I found out hte hard way, often your mine layer miision defaults to " Do Not Lay Mines".. I always check now and set to Lay Mines" In March April May I see what the path of advance, pick some likely targets and try to load them with mines.. also love to do some sub missions laying in Truk etc... again, these should be readily seen by the enemy, but still COULD cause a hit, forcing a pbem player to fear them and divert forces to clearingthem off... I have dropped on Truck, Wake, a couple of Jap bases in IndoChina ... I love mines.
I think you do better by deploying mines in the bases as mines deployed in the open (Like Makassar Strait) tend to scatter. Since this is you opening turn strategy, I'd go heavy for Palembang, Sinkawang as you noted, and Tarakan.
If you know you are playing a very aggressive opponent then you might try mining Jolo base also.
Do you have subs that can deploy mines? Takao, Singora, Kota Bharu, Cam Ranh Bay, or maybe Yokohama would be cool targets for sub-mining operations.
