Defending India - any thoughts?

[tankboy]

I am frustrated by the ability of Japan to invade India in '42 and win the war. Any thoughts on defending India and how to survive '42?

[tocaff]

Versus the AI or a human?

[tankboy]

Against a human player. The ability to unleash the entire Japanese Army on India is a war winner. Do I just pull back to Karachi and hope for the best?

[tankboy]

I guess if he goes to India I should know where the KB is and take advantage of it?

[herwin]

Historically, the Japanese didn't invade India (successfully) due to problems supplying their troops. A naval invasion would have had the same problems an Allied invasion of France in 1943 would have faced--no sustained air support within range and not enough troops. For an example from 1944, look at Anzio.

[Capt]

Have played the Allies a few times. Certainly no expert. But, against a determined and capable human player I think India will fall.

The Brits do not have enough troops. The Navy is just a target for the KB

[tocaff]

I agree with Capt.  If the Japanese player throws enough at you even the terrain can do nothing more than to help slow him. 

If you throw everything forward then the flank is exposed to an amphib assault.  The RN really isn't up to a determined effort by the IJN. 

The best you can do is slow the Japanese and then in late '43 to early '44 throw your weight into them behind a relentless air bombardment.

[turkey]

Clearly the allies cannot prevent a Japanese invasion of India. Unless all has gone wrong, the Japanese up until late 42 can go wherever they like and do pretty much whatever they like. However if the allies retain all (US and Brit) carriers and can keep these in a single cohesive fleet somewhere safe and on the western edge of the map, then they offer a credible threat to the seaborne supply routes for IJA forces once these are ashore in India. From mid-42 this will be 5 US fleet carriers and 2 or 3 UK CVs and means that resupply convoys will need to be escorted by KB or a sizable portion of it, and this will lead to system damage and possibly bomb damage from allied LBA.
Having the KB in the Indian Ocean allows the possibility of allied carriers slipping away into the Pacific and conducting hit and run operations or of allied LCU island hopping campaigns in the Solomon Islands using land based aircover. Land ops in the central Pacific Islands without CV support are less easy to envisage until the P38s come along.
If the KB or part of it is drawn off from its convoy protection duty, into the Pacific then resupply of the IJA in India becomes hard to sustain against allied land and carrier air strikes and there is always the possibility of the allies attaining local superiority in carrier forces and significantly damaging the KB, a death blow for the IJN as the carrier fleet is arguably a single shot weapon.

[tankboy]

Thanks all. I just hope he can't rack up enough points in '42 to end the game. The loss of much of China and India might just do it.

[wga8888]

I can only offer insight from my last vs human game in Pacific War. I successfully defended India by pulling all the air from Java, Singapore, and Ceylon. However the British navy was destroyed after two IJN CV raids versus Ceylon (both times my fighters were on trianing missions). However by 1943, India ran out of supply after taking a few basis in Burma. The IJ success due to my misplay reducing the Allied threats in SWPac and CenPac. It seems to me IJ can do anything it wishes (not all at the same time) similar to the Germans in 1941 in Russia. Unlike historical results, the human IJ player will not retreat after effectively winning the battle (could have taken PM after Battle of Coral Sea as CVs accomplished the goal of negating the USN CVs), Midway (USN Carriers had not plane strenght left to contest IJN BBs and prevent capture, Leyte Gulf (the invasion force was just sitting there like roadkill), etc.

[wga8888]

My obvious question is if the IJ can commit and be successful in defeating India, which will result in winning the war regardless of what the Allies do elsewhere, is WITP still a viable game worth playing. Similar to thread of IJ invading Russia at the start of the game with high probabily of success due to the fixed Russian deployment. Failure of the design time, to consider either of these to is a decisive flaw. Unless I am assuming too much, the IJ player can save me a lot of time and just state up front they will make an all out drive vs India and/or Russia and we will not have to play as the result it pre-ordained.

I have scores of game titles I can play, but only time to play the ones that will be challenging and enjoyable against a reliable human opponent (as I tend to play campaign games that take years to complete).

[tocaff]

Taking India isn't a cakewalk. As long as Karachi doesn't fall the CW will increase in strength as the Japanese player needs the muscle elsewhere. The name of the game is logistics and if the Allies get into the SRA it's over for Japan. Sustaining a supply line to India is daunting and counting on supplies taken from captured bases is risky.

Invading the USSR gains little other than opening another front that will demand supplies, planes and replacements. A costly proposition at best.

If the game was so easy for the Japanese through the end of '42 then why don't the skilled players get an AV every time out of the gate. Remember is the gain worth the risk?