Good books on Pacific War

[henri51]

There are no doubt many good books on the Pacific War (for example "The Pacific Campaign" by Dan van der Vat is interesting), but most are not very useful for reference purposes. For example, say you want to know where were the other Japanese fleets during Pearl Harbor? The game gives a list of ships and their locations (which sea zone) using the unit maintenance menu, but will not tell you what ships were in which fleet and where they were headed.

A very good reference for this game is the "West Point Atlas for the Second World War: Asia and the Pacific" from the West Point Military History series (I got it in a bookstore). The book is essentially only big maps (the book format is 14x11 inch), but very useful. For instance one map shows "Major Japanese war objectives and planned opening attacks". I don't know how you could play the Pacific Campaign scenario without this map, that shows the locations of fleets, the objectives of each area and the perimeters, unless you are a lot more knowledgeable about the Pacific War than I am.

In case you don't have the book, want to play this campaign and don't have a clue on what to do except attack Pearl Harbor and conquer China, you need to use the two fleets near the Philippines to invade them, and the fleet near Malaya to invade multiple points there with a view to taking Singapore, while quickly taking Bangkok. The latter is the only supply source in the game for supporting the offensive in Malaya until you take Singapore, so make sure you take it.Once this is done use some of the same forces to invade NW Borneo.From there you are aiming for Sarawak and the Celibes, and maybe even Australia (probably not).The Japanese defense perimeter didn't extend further East than the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, and you might be wise to do the same.

The lack of any supply source between Bangkok and Singapore cold lead to gamey tactics for the Allied player until Singapore is taken (that is a helluva long supply line), so the Japanese player should be cautious when playing this pbem against a wily Allied player.

Henri

[Razz1]

You won't have to worry about supply if read the manual.

It tells you about supply coming from a fleet.

Also, the land units will say "Alternative Supply"

There are a couple of cities in Malaya that also have supply. So you will get it from those cities.


And please do play me me in PBEM. I want you to go into the Gulf of Thailand so I can repeat history and sink the Repulse and Prince of Wales.

[Tomokatu]

The land portion of the Malayan campaign is very sparsely documented, largely because of the destruction of unit War Diaries during the retreats.
The best book I've found, which deals specifically with the Australian 8th Division's actions and moves is "Against the Sun" by Janet Uhr (ISBN 1 86448 540 X).
She's writing (or may have finished) a separate book about the last fortnight of the campaign, on Singapore Island before Percival surrendered on the 15th.
 
The Battle of Savo Island is best covered in the Warners' book "Disaster in the Pacific"(ISBN 1 86373 273 X).

[henri51]

ORIGINAL: Razz

You won't have to worry about supply if read the manual.

It tells you about supply coming from a fleet.

Also, the land units will say "Alternative Supply"

There are a couple of cities in Malaya that also have supply. So you will get it from those cities.


And please do play me me in PBEM. I want you to go into the Gulf of Thailand so I can repeat history and sink the Repulse and Prince of Wales.

I have read the manual.Supply coming from a fleet is not sufficient to supply a big invasion force, and it assumes that you can keep a fleet in the aea indefinitely to keep supplying the invasion force if there is no port captured.

The problem with other cities for Malaya is the same as it is for Bangkok: An single enemy unit sitting on one hex between your force and Bangkok and other cities to the North can cut off all supplies from the North to a force headed for Singapore.

I haven't played this myself yet, so all of this is only information gleaned from inspecting the map.

And finally beating my butt in pbem would not prove very much (and is highly unlikely given that I don't play pbem...[8D]

Henri

[Tomokatu]

And finally beating my butt in pbem would not prove very much (and is highly unlikely given that I don't play pbem...

I played my very first two games of pbem in WWII:ToW (against edelweiss75) and was comprehensively beaten most humiliatingly both times. pbem is DEFINITELY worth exploring as a very different environment to playing against even the best AI. Most of my (ahem.. 30+ years of PC gaming - including A][s, C64s & Amigas) has been against AI and playing against a person is a real deal!
 
I recommend that you try it and ToW and SotP are probably the best platforms to start in.

[doomtrader]

Tomokatu, can I quote you?

[Tomokatu]

I should be honoured, doomtrader!
 
Please do.

[Rasputitsa]

'Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway' by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully, gives a good insight into the operational procedures and thinking of the both the American and Japanese commanders. Obviously concentrating on the one battle, Midway, but still a very good book.

[jomni]

Currently reading Crisis in the Pacfic by Gerald Astor.
Good collection of personal accounts from the people involved in the defense and retaking of the Philippines.