Rookie Problems - Operation Shoestring

[DanielAClark]

I have begun the Guadalcanal operation as the allies.

I have really no idea about how logistics is going to work here. Do the majority of supplies and fuel come from Australia, or will it come from convoys from the US?

First things up...

Set bases to build defenses and airfields...PM, Milne Bay, Efate, Lungaville.

Set air search...using the B17s as naval search as well.

Identify forces available...why is the Australian HQ for the New Guinea forces in Brisbane? Why cant i transport it to Port Moresby?

Begin setting up convoys...to PM, Milne Bay, Lungaville, Efate, Espirito Santo...not sure how much to send but we will learn.

Invasion forces have set sail. Submarines moving to positions to ambush any reinforcements of the Solomons area.

What am i going to do with all these minesweepers? Ive sent some mine layers to Efate and will decide if mining the Tulagi area is worth it based on how things go.

Currently just holding on the defensive at PM, because i do not have the troops to go over to the offensive. Will i eventually buy out the 41st infantry division? Or will that remain locked for the duration of the scenario...

Feel free to gjve advice. I really do not know what i am doing.

[alimentary]

No off-map supply will be forthcoming. The majority of your fuel and supply will come in at Noumea. You can see this by looking at the panel with base information for Noumea. The numbers after the slashes give daily injections of supply and fuel.

You can see that you get 1500 supply per day and 2000 fuel.

Sydney has some daily supply and fuel -- not as much as Noumea. I have not played the scenario in a long while and do not know whether Sydney's industry contributes greatly to the supply situation (while eating all of the fuel) or does nothing much.

[SLeyers]

Some things I've been doing from a novice learning his way through.

Careful with resource management. Allied forces only get a minimal supply influx per day at both Sydney and Noumea (look at the base to see the amount of oil/supplies per turn) so too many convoys will deplete your supply bases fast. No other off map supplies will be coming in. Building up too many bases will also stretch you resources a bit so may want to focus on key strong points.

Would recommend using minesweepers as ASW patrol outside of your active ports (e.g. Noumea west towards Sydney and Noumea East toward Luganville/Lunga) where you will have a lot of traffic in transit or as cargo escort roles to Noumea and PM as they have ASW (albeit poor) capability to help chase off hostile subs.

Have used S-boat subs at Sydney to run a few mines into the slot north of Guadalcanal to slow reinforcement supply convoys into Tassaforanga then put them into patrol routes between Guadalcanal and Shortlands.

Change HQ for a base force and a Seabees to transfer to Lunga following landings using PP to repair/build-up airfield and provide air and naval support. Some forces at Luganville are prepped and have HQ ready for transport. Otherwise have to convert to be able to move them in.

Use PP sparingly as growth rate takes a while so try to stockpile for changing HQ assignments to allow for redeployment. Note that some of your land based squadron leaders in hot spots are fairly shoddy so consider some key ones that may need to be replaced.

Searching B-17s have horrible search experience so will have issues finding much. Might consider getting them repaired and staged to help defend PM as they have the range to fly from Australia where the B-26s/A-20s are short legged.

[DanielAClark]

ORIGINAL: alimentary

No off-map supply will be forthcoming. The majority of your fuel and supply will come in at Noumea. You can see this by looking at the panel with base information for Noumea. The numbers after the slashes give daily injections of supply and fuel.

You can see that you get 1500 supply per day and 2000 fuel.

Sydney has some daily supply and fuel -- not as much as Noumea. I have not played the scenario in a long while and do not know whether Sydney's industry contributes greatly to the supply situation (while eating all of the fuel) or does nothing much.

Thank you!

I've adjusted the first sets of transports accordingly.

I've also moved some of the cargo ships and tankers towards Lungaville so that I can then move supplies and fuel accordingly.

Day 2:
Invasion is just about ready to land.

IJA makes bombardment attack on the Kokoda track. Counterbattery fire damages the enemy more.

Our B-17s hit the enemy on the trail...and do minimal damage.

Our PBYs out of Luganville report multiple enemy ship formations close to the islands...this seems to be evidence of how poor they are at naval search.

Will the shit hit the fan tomorrow?

[RangerJoe]

Well, you don't always see the damage that the bombers do since they will raise fatigue and disruption. But the B-17s might be better used against a base.

[DanielAClark]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Well, you don't always see the damage that the bombers do since they will raise fatigue and disruption. But the B-17s might be better used against a base.

Interesting...i thought i might try them against Buna tomorrow and see.

Invasions of Lunga Point and Tulagi go in. Shock attack tomorrow.

Mine layers returned to Noumea because i forgot to select remain on station...oops. rerouted north to Tulagi.

No response yet from IJN. I want to get the airfield operational so that my carriers are not so tied to one location.

Recon of Kokoda track shows i am significantly outnumbered. However, i maintain an artillery advantage for now. Will stand on defensive until pushed back to PM.

[HansBolter]

Why shock attacks?

Did the enemies bombardment of your landing reveal a sufficiently weak force to warrant a shock attack?

What are the fort levels?

[DanielAClark]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Why shock attacks?

Did the enemies bombardment of your landing reveal a sufficiently weak force to warrant a shock attack?

What are the fort levels?

The bombardment was heavily in my favor...plus i have a large superiority in guns.

However, i do not actually know the fort level...will need to review the combat replay.

It may be prudent to deliberate attack...

[DanielAClark]

Deliberate attacks go in at Tulagi and Lunga Point...

Lunga Point and Henderson Field fall to the marines! We fly in a squadron of fighters from Efate and land a squadron of dive bombers from Enterprise on the island. I'm not sure if I can land dive bombers back on Enterprise though...maybe that was a mistake. Will see if I can transfer planes from Noumea later to the Enterprise.

Tulagi still holds out. I will have to let the marines rest a moment before continuing the attack.

The enemy bombards us on the Kokoda track...they are building up a sizeable force and will probably eventually fight a battle there.

The B-17 raid on Buna does little. There are no enemy airplanes around so my only losses are damaged planes to flak. I rotate the squadrons a bit to let them rest. I occasionally use the P39s on ground attack whenever I feel the bomber squadrons are a bit thin.

The Savo Island area has been mined. Empty cargo ships are withdrawing to Noumea.

Two enemy task forces have been sighted...one coming down the slot, one south of Rabaul. Our carriers will cover the withdraw of the cargo ships...but I'm not really interested in a big carrier engagement. I just want to tell the IJN to back off until I can get more supplies into the area.

Cargo ships have almost arrived at Noumea and will be organized into convoys to send into the Solomons. I still haven't decided an optimum arrangement...speed vs capacity vs ASW or surface protection. My surface combat assets are THIN.

[RangerJoe]

By bombing either the airfield or the port and causing damage, it slows down the building of fortifications at that base. It can also destroy supplies and with a port strike, also fuel.

I would just keep fighters at Lunga for now.

[DanielAClark]

11th August, 1942

Enemy transports show up at Buna...as do about 20 Zeros. The Zeros damage a few B17s that are bombing the track...as well as engage in a dogfight with my P-39s escorting a few Beaforts on an attack run over the track.

Loss of 2 Beauforts and 4 P-39s...for damage of five Zeros. Not great. I shuffle out the Beauforts back to Australia for some Marauders. I move one of the P-39 squadrons back to Australia and replace with a fresh P39 squadron. Resupply convoys are closing in on PM and Milne Bay. So far no sign of enemy combat vessels in the area. However the Zeros are concerning. I do not have high confidence that I can do much more than distract any long range bombers he may send.

I have gotten 6th Corps headquarters loaded up on transports and they are heading to Port Moresby...where they should have been all along. Damned generals not wanting to be in the malaria zone.

The IJN shows up rather stupidly at Tulagi...the heavy cruiser Chokai and Yubari arrive with a destroyer...in daylight. Our dive bombers from the carrier fleet strike them and get a 1000 lb bomb into each. I am not sure if their plan is to add supplies (no cargo ships) or to bombard (Tulagi is still in IJN hands)...but its free damage for me.

Our forces manage to reduce the fortifications at Tulagi back to 0, but the base still holds out. 28 casualties so I am pretty sure I will eventually win this.

Cargo ships are now heading in toward Lunga with supplies. I am looking to get some transports out to Espirito Santo to move the base force over to Henderson Field. Should have planned that out earlier. Ah well. Things to learn.

[DanielAClark]

12th August, 1942

Enemy forces attack the Australians on the Kokoda trail. We give them a hell of a bloody nose.

Our bombers and fighters are jumped by about 15 Zeros coming out of Rabaul...they damage some Kittyhawks but do not affect the Marauders on their bombing run.

The B-17s keep taking damage from the AA, will ask them to fly higher.

Our transports have arrived carrying supplies at both PM and Milne Bay. No sign whatsoever from Japanese long range bombers.

Our attack on Tulagi continues to fail to dislodge the defenders. I'm not sure how long they can hold out. We will need more supply here in a few days anyway. Our cruiser forces are meeting up with the supply ships coming out of Sydney and will be covering unloading operations for the next few days.

Mikawa's cruiser force fleeing the area is caught by the combined might of most of my carrier air power. Yubari is sunk and Chokai takes numerous 1000lb bombs and is heavily aflame. Still no sign of the rest of the IJN or any long range bombers.

My transports are returning to Noumea for fuel...then will pick up the base force at Espirito Santo and will take it to Lunga. Hopefully covered by the cruisers at least. We may or may not have carrier support by then as I'm watching the aviation fuel levels on the carriers.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: DanielAClark

12th August, 1942

Enemy forces attack the Australians on the Kokoda trail. We give them a hell of a bloody nose.

Our bombers and fighters are jumped by about 15 Zeros coming out of Rabaul...they damage some Kittyhawks but do not affect the Marauders on their bombing run.

The B-17s keep taking damage from the AA, will ask them to fly higher.

Our transports have arrived carrying supplies at both PM and Milne Bay. No sign whatsoever from Japanese long range bombers.

Our attack on Tulagi continues to fail to dislodge the defenders. I'm not sure how long they can hold out. We will need more supply here in a few days anyway. Our cruiser forces are meeting up with the supply ships coming out of Sydney and will be covering unloading operations for the next few days.

Mikawa's cruiser force fleeing the area is caught by the combined might of most of my carrier air power. Yubari is sunk and Chokai takes numerous 1000lb bombs and is heavily aflame. Still no sign of the rest of the IJN or any long range bombers.

My transports are returning to Noumea for fuel...then will pick up the base force at Espirito Santo and will take it to Lunga. Hopefully covered by the cruisers at least. We may or may not have carrier support by then as I'm watching the aviation fuel levels on the carriers.

Good job on hitting those two cruisers. Even if Chokai does not sink she is out for the duration of the scenario. But now you have launched several full-deck airstrikes and it is time to assess your readiness to fight the IJN CVs that will be coming. Check your torpedo and sortie levels left on your carriers. Nothing wrong with heading back to Efate (if there is an AE or AKE there to load them) or Noumea to restock.

You transferred dive bombers to Henderson Field immediately, and I presume without any Air Support. The other things aircraft need are a level 2 or more airfield and supply to be able to fly (avgas) and shoot or bomb (ammo). If Lunga does not have plenty of supply or the AF is only a size 1, get your DBs out of there first before bombardments begin. Once you have clear command of the air and reasonably good command of the sea at night, you can bring back your DBs and Avengers.

You have been using your B-17s to bomb troops in the jungle. That will have some small effect but not worthy of the effort. What you really need in this scenario is knowledge of enemy ship movements- troop transports, bombardment forces, and CVs. Your PBYs cannot cover all the area you need eyes on, and they are vulnerable to enemy fighters. B-17s on Naval Search can fill some gaps - they are not well trained in that but they have range and durability against fighters. But do not search at maximum range - the search will be spotty and the ops losses high. Beyond about 12 hexes range, the wedge of the search arc gets too wide to do a thorough search anyway, so be judicious in your range settings for your aircraft.

[DanielAClark]

13th August

Tukagi continues to hold out.

Chokai has disappeared, likely sunk as her DD escort is still in the area.

The DBs are all back on the CVs. I launch air strikes against Tulagi.

Supplies and fuel moving up to the Solomans. Transports have arrived back at Lunga so I can start shuttling base forces forward.

I send the Marauders after Buna port when i notice IJN ships in harbor. The zeros chew up the bombers and escorting P39s...but we hit the port hard. Hard to tell if its worth it.

All SOPAC B17s are on naval search still. SWPAC B17s are supporting PM.

RO-34 torpedoes Achilles outside of Brisbane harbor. I need better ASW everywhere. Achilles will be under repair for a month.

[DanielAClark]

15th August

One of my xAKLs unloading at Tulagi is surprised by a midget submarine and is sunk. Tulagi still holds out.

In addition, a fleet of IJN ships arrives and hangs out in the hex without being attacked by my carriers. This is fascinating because my cruiser force is covering my transports unloading at Lunga Point...and no one engages. I need to check my ships reaction settings and my captains aggressiveness.

My other xAKL unloading at Tulagi is set to flee to Lunga Point.

One of my three carriers has only 160 sorties remaining...the other two have over three hundred. In theory they should be ok to attack still.

At Port Moresby, the IJA bombards again, but the 30th Australian Brigade holds firm. My planes are back to bombing the track.

I took a look at the aircraft pools...wow. I've been burning through aircraft like I had way more than I do. I will have to be a bit more sparing in their use.

[DanielAClark]

16th August

Tulagi still holds out. Enemy surface vessels that were spotted at Tulagi last turn have disappeared. I really hope they were not supply ships. My men on Tulagi have insufficient supply to attack.

Our carriers go after a DD and E two ship squadron west of Lunga and fail to hit either. Saratoga is running low on sorties <100. Enterprise and Wasp are still good >300. I assume the CVs need to rearm at an AE or base and I can not just resupply them with an AO...right?

Lots of supply and fuel moving up to Lunga...will have it wait out of range if i have to withdraw the CVs.

The Japanese launch a deliberate attack on yhe track...and the results are indeterminate. Thats not a good sign, IMO. My plan is to continue holding the blocking position for a bit longer while fortifications at PM still build.

The Japanese send a Bettie raid against PM...our P40s and P39s take losses driving away the 5 zero cap...but once that is done, the destroy 12 of the 21 Betties. The P39 is fearsome against bombers...

[Taxcutter]

I play mostly whole-war scenarios against AI. But a couple ideas here bear repeating.

Aussie minesweeper are at their best performing local ASW patrols. They are too short-ranged for anything else.

B-17Es are at their best bombing bases, but if you are searching an area where you fear there may be a CAP, B-17s at high altitude are not all that likely to get shot down. Every Zeros are sucking air at 20,000+ feet and are slowed down enough that these fragile fighters have to take long slow passes. B-17s and B-24s have some of the best turbochargers available in 1942. Those turbos moved the whole ETO air war argument up to over 25,000 feet.

[DanielAClark]

16th August
Another poorly escorted raid on Port Moresby. A zero and three Betties shot down for the loss of one P-39. Unloading of supplies and the headquarters for the Australian Corps proceeds while the airfield is lightly bombed.

B-17s are back bombing the track. I rotated another squadron of P39s in for the squadron that was showing some wear and tear.

No fighting at Tulagi or Lunga Point. My forces on Tulagi are waiting for supplies.

The Japanese destroyer and E patrol boat are met at night by Admiral Crutchley's cruiser force and neither side does much damage to each other. In the morning, Admiral Scott and the San Juan find the enemy destroyer group and maul them. Probably sinking the E boat and heavily damaging the destroyer. It is likely that the follow up air strike from my carriers sank her. In addition, our carriers sink a destroyer to the north of the islands...seemingly operating alone.

I remember that my B17s on Noumea have enough range to hit Tulagi so I order them to do so. Hopefully once I can get supplies up than we will be ok to continue the battle.

My transports leave Espirito Santo before loading the base force for the Lunga Point airfield (forgot to click 'remain on station' until the base force was ready to load). Rookie problems...

Long Island has arrived, but no planes came with her.

[RangerJoe]

The Long Island had not assigned aircraft if I remember correctly. It was used more as an aircraft ferry which would get close enough to launch the planes which would then fly to the new airbase - or at least try to.

[BBfanboy]

Be careful with your long range bombers. Flying them at max range is very hard on both the pilot and the aircraft. Check your aircraft fatigue levels by clicking on the "Planes" text at the bottom of the air unit screen. Once you start getting over 20, operational losses increase - especially on long flights. You do not have many long range bombers in early 1942.