Have I Suffered an Amphib Disaster?

[GeneralDad]

Have I Suffered an Amphib Disaster? Playing the 43-45 scenario as WA. Landed at Salerno, then next turn at Taranto. One of my amphib TFs at Salerno started taking damage - then took huge damage in one turn and now has 48 points of damage. I will withdraw it, but how fast does it heal? If only one point healing per turn - then it will still have significant damage for D-Day.

Further - if every air superiority AD I can lay down day and night can't protect these things - I am unsure if I can even pull off a D-Day invasion. I am playing the beta version. The Germans seem have sent a lot more air and land south to Italy than in the Italian only scenario (and therefore history?). Anticipating these problems from sandman's experience I sent over additional ground but I had few places to base additional air even if I had sent it.

Unlike the Italian scenario - German units took Sardinia. Corsica is contested but I don't yet know by how many German units. In addition to the French division, I sent the 82nd airborne. I did not drop airborne for the invasion in Italy them because I got too many fatal scatters in previous Italian scenario games - why lose the unit and the game seems to harsh on airborne ops.

Maybe the beta version still has some issues that need working out? Will the TF heal or have I basically lost it for the duration?

GeneralDad

[loki100]

It will recover - I'd move it to one of the big uk ports to speed this up but it might be ok in N Africa.

I'd suspect you took those losses from shore based guns. If you leave a Tf next to a port that can be bad news - something to factor in to your planning for France. Also enemy units extract losses - this may be related to their make up and any attached support units. It's unlikely that axis air alone was the cause.

Agree the axis AI puts too much into Italy.

I find there are enough airbases but you might want to use longer range (if less effective) planes to spread them out more?

[cfulbright]

The bigger the port you send it to, the faster it will heal. Oran, Algiers, and Tunis all are size six in the Med, and Oran also is a "national port" (denoted by the white star in the hex).

Cary

[GeneralDad]

Thanks to both of you. I sent it back to Algiers and that has it healing reasonably. It probably got hit so bad because I left it next to Salerno which was in German hands. I won't do that again!

Air seems to be going my way. Either the AI is bonkers or my attacks on the rail yards have ruined their supply system. The AI just pulled back 3-4 hexes and now it will probably be a fight for Naples when I find out what is in there. The AI has made very few mistakes in this game so that is a credit to the designers, perhaps it is my attacks on the rail yards that have had an effect. The only AI mistake of consequence so far was to leave Bastia in Corsica undefended. That isolated the two German units there and I destroyed them with minimal forces.

Now my dilemma is Sardinia. There were modest German forces there that destroyed the Italian Allied forces there. I had no ports or troops to help out at the time. I am going to send the Malta Air Command to Corsica with some recon planes to try and see what I might be up against if I decide to invade. I don't really like the possibility of LW planes in my rear, but also I could consider bypassing it like the island hopping of the historical Pacific campaign. With a Southern France invasion in my future, Sardinia is a dilemma, ideas appreciated.

Thanks Again,
GeneralDad

[cfulbright]

Though it's too late for you for this time, the trick with Sardinia is to have the XII Transport Command air groups in Sicily with the 82nd Airborne and/or 1st BR Airborne division. When the Italians change side, get one of them to an airbase or at least so it's ZOC covers and airbase, then air transport one or both of the Allied airborne divisions to that airbase. The one by Oristano is my preference, because they can take the port and then you naval transport reinforcements to it.

Cary