Oops in Midway, IJN captures 20-Dec-41

[wga8888]

My apparently agressive human iJN just captured Midway in the early turns. It seems B17s in Pearl will be a few hexes short of range. B17 strikes from Johnston Island will be in range but currently like most of my bases is iniitally underdefended. Will a gaggle of subs and long range B17 strikes challenge the viability of an IJN Midway? I am hopefully the iJN will have a challenge keeping it supplied. Once know if his cvs and bbs are elsewhere, I can try some bombardments after my Pearl BBs are repaired. Can the IJN realistically hold MIdway beyond the first 6-12 months?

Given this event, I can expect other bold IJN strikes that I need to defend against.

[dr.hal]

B 24s have longer range, so does the B 17D

[BPRE]

To answer your question I would say it totally depends on the priority you and him put on Midway. They can definitely hold it if they concentrate resources (which probably means KB) but then it leaves the South Pacific as a possible target for you.
I don't think it should be a problem retaking it during 42 if you really want it and cioncentrate your resources there.

In the end it's so dependent on where you concentrate your forces so it's difficult to give a straight answer.

/BPRE

[turkey]

It doesn't really matter if IJN holds Midway. Its not on your supply lines and as mentioned in other posts is a pain to keep supplied. Let him keep until you are good and ready and then it will be a suitable isolated base on which you can practice your atoll assaults [X(]. In the meantime if Betties swoop on Pearl: have a wing of F4's on CAP. They won't come back a second time.

[wga8888]

Update:
In Feb 42 I sent a 4 BB bombardment TF escorted by a 2 CV TF. Halfway there, was struck by Nells/Zeros from Midway. Shot some planes down but a BB took a torp so aborted mission. In March tried again with a faster 6 CA bombardment TF escorted by a 4 CV TF. TF made it to 6 hexes from Midway (max speed for bombardment run)then sat for two days. After the second day, was hit by massed raids. Cap chewed some the Nells and took down 13 zeros but a CA took a Torp. MIssion aborted as Bombard TF would not advance (for reasons unknown), then a IJN SS put a torp into the Hornet, which is struggling to make it to port. An SS took out its DD escort on the next day. Masses plane and ASW TFs sunk one ss and damaged another out of the four subs found. Fate of the Hornet to be determined.

PM fell in January, Noumea in February. Then the IJN CVs fell off the radar. Working down Java now. I cant stop him, at this point trying to avoid running into the IJN.

[tocaff]

Don't sail into Bettys and Nells unless you can supply a uber CAP. Isolate Midway with subs and lay mines there with subs. Make the Japs pay to keep it and when you're good and ready clobber it.

[wga8888]

Hornet made it to Pearl with 67 sys and 57 float. Still unknown why the bombardment TF made it to the start line of bombard run 6 hexes for Midway then sat for 2 days without advancing.

[BPRE]

Hi,

I suspect that it's a code problem. I have seen similar things with minelayers. It could be something like (this is just speculation and guesses) one check for enough with fuel to do the run that comes up with no and a second check for low enough fuel to return to homebase which also comes up with no.

The end result would be that it's not enough to perform the mission but not as low as to force a return to base and the TF just sits there.

/BPRE

[wga8888]

sounds possible, I could have checked or refueled from sea. didnt think it was all that far between Pearl and Midway.