How to capture runway within 45 turns in New Georgia

[dtx1759]

I agree with everyone that this is a fun game. I also like reading the posts on strategy. For example, Texican's excellent suggestion of a CVE in the Coral Sea was simple & effective idea.

What strategies to do use to get to the airfield before turn 45 in New Georgia? I've made it a few times, but usually I get bogged down with the defense of the remarkably tenacious AI (which even launches effective small scale counter attacks).

Here are the general strategies I use.
1. Deploy 2 fighters with the initial deployment. Even though you don't have an airfield yet, you have the command points to support them and they have enough fuel to last until you capture the airfield. You need the fighters to protect an attack on your transports.
2. Use all of the command air points for fighters. If you have the points, fully upgrade them - F4Fs to Corsairs & the P40 to P-47.
Even with the above, I'm still hard pressed to protect transports & supply ships from air attack. I've found the AI will attack even with heavily damaged (1-3 pt) planes.

Your thoughts/ideas?

[Lukas]

Clear Rendova island early on. The allied 155mm artillery will smash anything near the Japanese airfield as long as you provide spotting for them (fighter or recon aircraft).

Initially it can be useful to deploy some destroyers or PT boats to support the invasion of Rendova. After that, you can move them into the southern exit points to replace with a light carrier. This will allow much quicker refueling & repair for your fighters instead of using the southern airfield or exit points.

[brucemcl777]

Yes I took Rendova and managed to move infantry from Rendova up to take the airfield on 45th turn - but the Japanese were tenacious and I did not get to take the Northern strong point in time so now I have to go at it again.

I find the US campaign considerably harder than the Japanese one - I've had to repeat Pearl Harbor / Midway / Guadacanal / and now New Georgia at least once each to beat it - went through the Japanese campaign hardly ever having to repeat. Which is good by the way as I love the challenge.

[brucemcl777]

Lukas

Aside from the fact I am not the world's greatest player of this there may be a bug in the Japanese campaign - New Georgia Scenario - I am playing it now for the fourth time after losing 3 times - I think this happened in the third try too so I was watching for it - on my turn 21 - game said you are getting additional resources to consolidate your hold on New Georgia - usually I know that either some non- controllable forces appear - or some new transports in the entry squares - or something appears in the reserve list - but nothing appeared on turn 21 or turn 22. Which too me indicates a missing link or incomplete file?

Could you verify it either way - and I am using 1.8.3

[Texican]

ORIGINAL: dtx1759

I agree with everyone that this is a fun game. I also like reading the posts on strategy. For example, Texican's excellent suggestion of a CVE in the Coral Sea was simple & effective idea.

What strategies to do use to get to the airfield before turn 45 in New Georgia? I've made it a few times, but usually I get bogged down with the defense of the remarkably tenacious AI (which even launches effective small scale counter attacks).

Here are the general strategies I use.
1. Deploy 2 fighters with the initial deployment. Even though you don't have an airfield yet, you have the command points to support them and they have enough fuel to last until you capture the airfield. You need the fighters to protect an attack on your transports.
2. Use all of the command air points for fighters. If you have the points, fully upgrade them - F4Fs to Corsairs & the P40 to P-47.
Even with the above, I'm still hard pressed to protect transports & supply ships from air attack. I've found the AI will attack even with heavily damaged (1-3 pt) planes.

Your thoughts/ideas?

CVE (same from Coral Sea. Keeps the naval air up without having to fly all the way back to that airstrip. Just land and refuel and relaunch them one at a time.)
DD (along with Helldivers, will clobber that gun battery far west side of map. Note: there is an AA next to it. Up to you if you reduce that first. Don't worry about moving non-core transports close enough to be targeted. This keeps your DD alive long enough to do it's job. I say, go in at about the same time.)
Hit Renovo Island early on to get the 155's in action, let them clear stuff around the airstrip.
The PT boat (once the shore battery has been destroyed, should go up and clear a couple of mined spots so you can land later)

2 Corsairs
2 Helldivers
1 P38 (will keep your supply and convoys safe from the Val)
Sherman tank helps staying ashore once you capture the western most airtrip. Establish a foothold and drive north.

[Lukas]

Aside from the fact I am not the world's greatest player of this there may be a bug in the Japanese campaign - New Georgia Scenario - I am playing it now for the fourth time after losing 3 times - I think this happened in the third try too so I was watching for it - on my turn 21 - game said you are getting additional resources to consolidate your hold on New Georgia - usually I know that either some non- controllable forces appear - or some new transports in the entry squares - or something appears in the reserve list - but nothing appeared on turn 21 or turn 22.

If I remember correctly there are 2 "reinforcements" events. They both increase the amount of Command Points available to you, but only the first one spawns additional (auxiliary) units.

[brucemcl777]

Texican

Thanks your advice should help - I actually took the west airstrip before turn 40 on my last try - but still could not crack the last vp point by turn 55 as my guys were being pummelled by that fortress gun - did not think of a DD, helldivers and a Sherman tank - I'll try it - though conjuring up all the points to buy them is another problem.

And Lukas - I will watch again for what happens in that second event. Whoever wrote this scenario is a sadist.