Operation Watchtower Guadalcanal Boot Camp - Dante(A) vs AI

[Dante Fierro]

AAR Post #4: Allied Starting Ground Units

I've already posted a general overall breakdown of Allied starting Naval forces vs. The IJ naval assets for this scenario. I will discuss in further AAR posts the disposition of these Naval assets i.e. The Task Forces you begin the scenario with, and the general naval plans one is (pretty much) already committed to when starting the scenario, such as the Amphibious Invasion force that is pre-formed for you at Luganville, with loaded US Marines and supplies on various transport ships, and the three Allied Aircraft Carrier TFs already sailing toward Guadalcanal, to provide air cover for the amphibious invasion at Lunga and Tulagi.

One of the fascinating highlights of AE is the depth of detail, but it is also one of the banes. As not only do you get every naval ship involved in a given scenario or the campaign, but you also get and have to manage all ground assets at Regimental or Battalion level of detail, along with a wide variety of Base and Engineering units, Artillery units, Infantry, Armor ... and so on. The detail is impressive but also daunting. And then you have the Air Assets as well, with also a depth of detail I don't think any other game based on the war in the Pacific offers. At least i"m not aware of one that matches the same level of detail. There may be some military computer simulations that remain secret to non-military 'citizens' like myself – but AE is more than enough for any die hard Pacific War buff.


HEADQUARTERS
Starting with Headquarters units, the Guadalcanal scenario begins with 6 Allied HQs. And no further HQs until 45 and 53 days into the scenario. More importantly, 2 of these 6 HQ units are in Restricted mode, which means units assigned to a Restricted HQ, cannot move by air or sea until either the HQ itself becomes unrestricted, or a unit is transferred to a different HQ command.

However, one cannot just transfer units at will to mobilize them, or unrestrict a HQ. One must pay PP (Political Points) in order to free up units for use. And some units and HQs are more expensive than others.

The Guadalcanal scenario the Allied player begins with 20 PPs, and I believe receives 20 more per day (I need to double check this). This is a paltry amount, and means that many units that are present on the map at the beginning of the scenario you cannot use other than for defense, and what you decide to 'free up' becomes a critical decision. So - I will cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I will first stockpile some Political Points so I have more options as the scenario progresses.

Another somewhat confusing aspect of HQs in AE, that is not very well explained in the manual, is unlike in a real life military, there is not a strict hierarchy of HQ command where all ground units in the game follow a strict command flowchart that leads up the chain to a Central Command HQ. This is actually a good thing, as it frees up what could easily become a micro-management nightmare.

Instead units can be attached to different Command HQ but the other various types of HQs in the game (Air, Army, Corps, Amphibious, Naval) do not require units assigned to them, but provide in-game 'bonuses' depending on their location and proximity to other units (or bases) in the game. That is, I can have a US Infantry Regiment attached to South Pacific Command, and if there is a Corps or Army HQ in the same hex or nearby, that Regiment will receive some benefit, even if it is not assigned to the other HQ nearby (subordination is not required also of the HQ to South Pacific Command).

At the time of this writing, I am still not sure if I can assign units to all the different HQs or just some of them. Will need to investigate more. There is also one or two exceptions to the rule that attachment is not necessary. One important exception is that the administrative stacking penalty is reduced at a base if both the Base and Air HQ is attached to the same command.

I have also read that there are some tricks in reducing your Political Point cost of unit transfers by reassigning Restricted Command units to unrestricted 'smaller' HQs ... But I will look into that a bit later in the scenario.

All that being said the two Restricted HQs the Allies start the scenario with are:
SoPac Rear Area
Australia Command

The four Unrestricted HQs:
South Pacific
Southwest Pacific
1st Australian Corp
1st Australian Army


SOUTH PACIFIC (Unrestricted)
Under the command of Rear Admiral Ghormly, units attached to this command are the main invasion forces headed for Guadalcanal. All the ground units are already pre-loaded in transport ships at Luganville port. These units are:

- 1st USMC Infantry (2x Regiments)
- 2nd USMC Infantry (1x Regiment, and 2 Regiments arriving in 83 days)
- 3rd USMC Artillery Battalion

The 1st USMC also has an additional three Battalions, one Tank Battalion & two Parachute Battalions also loaded in transports for the initial amphibious invasion.


SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Unrestricted)
Under the command of Gen MacArthur (yes, the General MacArthur) the ground units under MacArthur are primary brigade level units located at Port Moresby or nearby.

-14th Inf Brigade (Port Moresby, AV 64)
-7th Inf Brigade (Milne Bay, AV 130)
-30th Inf Brigade (Kokado Track between PM and Bruna, AV 138, +2 Forts)

In addition, at Port Moresby there is an Anti-Aircraft Regiment, 2x Base units, and a Construction Engineer. Milne Bay has one RAAF Base unit.


SoPAC REAR (Restricted)
Under the command of Lieutenant General DeWitt a large number of ground units (primarily base support engineer units) are deployed between Efate, Luganville and Noumea. Since all these units are attached to a restricted HQ, I cannot move them by sea or air until I spend PP points to re-assign them.

A general breakdown by unit types:
-5x Infantry Regiments (4x Noumea, 1x Luganviille)
-5x Naval Construction Battalions (3x Seabeas Noumea, 2x Seabeas Luganville)
-4x USN Base Forces
-2x US Air Base Forces
-2x US EABs (Aviation)
-1x Marine EAB (Aviation)
-131st USA Aviation ENG Regiment (Large aviation support unit, Noumea)

In addition at Noumea there is 1 Calvary Rgt, 1 Tank Btn, 1 Field Arty Btn, and 1 USMC Arty Btn.


AUSTRALIAN COMMAND (Restricted)
Finally, spread out along the coastline of the continent of Australia, the largest amount of ground units under one command, all restricted. A general type summary:

-6x Artillery Regiments
-2x Coastal Defense (Static, Brisbane & Townsville)
-18x Engineer Units (Various Base Support, Aviation and Naval Support units)
-6x Infantry Regiments (US 32nd & 41st Inf Divisions)
-12x Infantry Brigades (Australian 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th Divisions)


Alright, to wrap up there are two additional HQs (1st Australian Corp & 1st Australian Army) . Interesting enough 1st Australian Army is attached to Australian Command – so I don't believe I will be able to move that HQ off continent. However, 1st Australian Corp is attached to MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Command – and it appears as if I should be able to transport that HQ to Port Moresby or elsewhere.

One might ask why would I go to the trouble of writing out the general Allied Ground Forces available in the scenario in an AAR. After all, I only need to click a few buttons in game and quickly have a 'database' table of forces and where they are located.

This is true. But when I first started this scenario. I really had no idea where everything was or even what I started out with. I also had no idea what the HQ structure was, and had to investigate how HQs work in AE. And I still need to read further up on how to use them well. Writing out the general outlay of Allied forces in an AAR – is showing what my own processes are in getting a handle on playing the Guadalcanal scenario. By getting a general bird's eye view of Ground forces and HQs, written out here, I am slowly focusing more on how I will operate and give orders to all the military assets, and know what is available and what is not (restricted).

Next up will be an overview of my Air assets. Including the types of Bombers I will have available, and Fighters, Naval search air units, and Carrier vs. Land air assets.

Over and Out.

[RangerJoe]

Just think of all the advice that I could give but this player blocked me after he insulted me. At leasthe stated that I was the first one to be blocked. Oh well, I wonder about his t. . . .

[Dante Fierro]

Just think of all the advice that I could give but this player blocked me after he insulted me. At leasthe stated that I was the first one to be blocked. Oh well, I wonder about his t. . . .

Hi Ranger Joe,

You first insulted and blocked me. So I responded in kind.

I have received advice from other players on this forum, so even though your advice might have been valuable, I will not be asking for it. I would however, ask that you refrain from making comments on this AAR thread if you have nothing positive to say. Thanks.

[Uncivil Engineer]

One thing you may not have noticed during your review of the Japanese OOB is that the Japanese side has no naval repair facilities in the scenario. There is a repair ship at Truk, but any Japanese ship that is seriously damaged is basically out for the rest of the game. I found this especially troublesome for Japanese subs (while playing Japan in a PBEM). The AI may not hesitate to send out damaged subs (as I did), but the Allies should have no problem putting ASW damage (both air and sea) on Japanese subs.

The Allies will take Lunga and Tulagi before the Japanese carriers arrive. The Japanese may be able to reinforce Tassaforonga, but there is NO WAY they can retake Lunga. Therefore, once these 2 objectives are secure, concentrate on Milne Bay and Port Moresby.

You will be limited by 3 things during the game - supply, fuel, and PP. Don't waste political points; you will need every one to free up Aussie units to reinforce PM and Milne. Don't waste fuel sending ships all over the South Pacific; go heavy and go hard when you go, but get in and get out as quickly as you can.

That's my 2 cents.

[Dante Fierro]

Good strategic advice Uncivil. Thx. I was not aware the IJ had no repair facilities, but given the shortness of the scenario, was not expecting 'repair' to play the most decisive factor in what appears to be mostly a battle of attrition over two - four bases.

I've been thinking of diverting the USMC Regiment heading to Tulagi and using it to reinforce Lunga instead i.e. putting more boots on Lunga in the initial invasion. Is this a viable strategy? Having the marines split between two bases, one of which is not very critical to the scenario, seems like a bad idea, other than that it simply follows the historical operation.

Have not thought about PP points yet, but yes, very much aware of the limit here (along with supply and fuel) - which provides the tension needed for the scenario to be a challenge.

[Cheeks]

I’ve evaluated my own GC game along the same path that your doing now. Looking forward to your every post.

[Dante Fierro]

I’ve evaluated my own GC game along the same path that your doing now. Looking forward to your every post.

Thanks Cheeks. Any 'parallel' GC insight you can provide will be appreciated. Love the fine detail of this game, but it is the most daunting game/simulation I've attempted, ever.

[Dante Fierro]

AAR Post #5: Allied Land Air, Bombers

Now moving on to Allied Air assets. I shall begin with Land Air, and for this AAR post, review the Allied Land Bombers available for Guadalcanal at start. Included in this will be the omnipresent P-39D, Fighter-Bomber - a hybrid bomber, but very useful as a Low Ground bomber and Ground Strafer. In this list of bombers there are 6 types, that break down into 4 types of Medium Level Bombers, 1 Heavy Level Bomber, and 1 Fighter-Bomber. Note: I will include the 'Wirraway' Fighter-Bomber in a separate Fighters AAR overview. The 4 Medium LBs are: 3 squadrons of A20A Havoc, 4 squadrons of B-26 Marauder, 1 squadron of Beaufort Vs, and 2 squadrons of Hudson III(LR). The Heavy Level Bombers are of course the 8 squadrons of B17-E 'Flying' Fortresses. Rounding out the list are the 6 squadrons of P39D Airacobra Fighter-Bombers.

The majority of Allied Land bomber pilots start the scenario with training in GrdB (Level bombing & Dive bombing ground targets) and Defn Air to Air Defense. The skills of the Allied pilots in these 2 categories generally average between 50-60. Some squadrons do have markedly higher GrdB ratings such as the one Beaufort V squadron averages a strong GrdB (70) - useful to remember. The B-26 Marauder squadrons also have somewhat better avg pilot skills in the 60s(rather than 50s).

The B-17E Heavy bombers start at an average of (50) skills in GrdB & Defn. Nothing to write home about. And all other skill categories (not counting EXP) the Allied Land bombers are not trained much at all, in general the 30s to 20s skill levels. So training in Recon, Naval Search, ASW, Low level ground or naval bombing are all at mediocre levels for Allied Medium and Heavy Land bombers. I will need to investigate further to see if it will be useful to train level bomber pilots in other categories, or simply improve the level bombers GrdB & Defn only. Any suggestions here are welcome. The impact of pilot training of course, for a scenario that only lasts 150 days will likely be limited, so I'm not going to fret over this aspect of the game mechanics too much.

The P-39D Airacobra however proves the exception to all the above standard bomber training values. Here, one will find the P-39D pilots trained not only Defn, but also LowG bombing of ground targets under 6000', Air Escort, Sweep, CAP, LR CAP, and Staf, Strafing with Offensive missions below 100' altitude. This makes the P-39D Airacobra particularly useful in the GC scenario because of the additional pilot training available.

With the general overview above, I will now give a quick info snapshot of each Allied Bomber Type along with a photograph I was able to find online, that brought the bomber more to life for me visually for the Guadalcanal campaign. Note Range is given in hexes of the Radius. That is, how many hexes will the bomber fly out before it turns around and comes back. Extended Range is pushing the limits of the bombers fuel capacity, above the normal Combat radius.


A20A HAVOC - MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBER 3 Squadrons (36 planes), 23 Ready, 13 Not-Ready
Located: Charters Towers

Range: 6, Extended: 8
Max Alt: 28,175, Speed: 295/347, Climb: 1960, Maneuver: 14, Durability: 35, Guns Value: 14 (7x .30 Browning MG)
Max Payload: 4x GP 500 Lb Bombs
Avg Pilot: GrdB(48), Defn(51)

The Havoc has the least range of all the medium level bombers available to the Allies at start (in the Guadalcanal Scenario). However it is the most maneuverable, the fastest bomber the Allies have in their inventory, has the highest Max Altitude rating, and has decent Durability & good Gun values. So the trade-off for this bomber clearly is Range over Robustness. A good bomber to place nearest to the Allied front lines (or so it seems). Fast & Maneuverable with lots of guns.


Note: apparently I can only upload one image per post. So will continue with separate posts for each bomber type.

[Dante Fierro]

B-26 MARAUDERS - MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBER 4 Squadrons (36 planes), 29 Ready, 7 Not Ready
Located: Townsville

Range: 9, Extended: 11
Max Alt: 21,700, Speed: 243/313, Climb: 1200, Maneuver: 6, Durability: 42
Guns Value: 13 (2x .30 Browning MG, 3x .50 Browning MG)
Max Payload: 6x GP 500 Lb Bombs
Avg Pilot: GrdB(60), Defn(60)

The B-26 Marauders are the least maneuverable of the Medium Level bombers (for the scenario), but can carry the largest payload, and has a longer range than the A20A Havocs (by 3 additional hexes). It's Gun values are slightly less than the Havocs, but includes larger caliber Browning MGs (not sure how much a difference this might make or not). The B-26 pilots have higher average training starting values in the scenario than the other Allied bombers excluding the one Beaufort V squadron.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

You might want to train your B-17s a bit on naval search; they are not that useful bombing on this scenario, because you start with few developed airfields and not enough time to build
I think I would put some on NE Australia, to support Moresby operations, some others on naval search

they are good for low naval attack, but people frown on it, because it is a gamey exploit (4Es were low level naval bombers IRL)

[Jorge_Stanbury]

P-39s should focus on air and strafing, you don't have enough fighters, you have plenty of bombers

strafing can sink small ships if the occasion arises, and single engine work OK under low airfield level, so overall a good plane to use on your forward bases (Guadalcanal)

[Dante Fierro]

Beaufort V - MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBER 1 Squadron (6 planes), 6 Ready
Located: Port Moresby

Range: 10, Extended: 12
Max Alt: 22,500, Speed: 200/265, Climb: 1400, Maneuver: 11, Durability: 32, Guns Value: 8 (4x .303 Browning MGs)
Max Payload: 4x GP 500 Lb Bombs
Avg Pilot: GrdB(70), Defn(65)

The Beauforts have the longest range of all the Medium bombers (given at start forces in the Guadalcanal scenario), and carries the same payload as the Havoc. But unlike the Havoc, they are not as fast or defensively equipped. Allies only start off with only 6 of these planes, all located at Port Moresby. However, the Average Pilot training is at the highest at start level of all the level bombers. Very precious pilot skills. Should these pilots remain at Port Moresby in Beauforts?

[Dante Fierro]

P-39s should focus on air and strafing, you don't have enough fighters, you have plenty of bombers

strafing can sink small ships if the occasion arises, and single engine work OK under low airfield level, so overall a good plane to use on your forward bases (Guadalcanal)

ok thanks Jorge for the suggestions. Didn't know about strafing small ships. Interesting!

[Jorge_Stanbury]

set naval attack as mission, altitude 100

obviously range is so short that it will only work for ships coming to you

[Dante Fierro]

Hudson III (LR) - MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBER 2 Squadrons (18 planes), 15 Ready, 3 Not Ready
Locations: Noumea, Brisbane (1 Squadron each)

Range: 9, Extended: 11
Max Alt: 26,500, Speed: 205/253, Climb: 1587, Maneuver: 16, Durability: 32, Guns Value: 14 (7x .303 Browning MGs)
Max Payload: 4x GP 250 Lb Bombs, 4x SAP 250 Lb Bombs ASW, *ASV II Radar
Avg Pilot: GrdB(54), Defn(58)

The most curious component of the Hudson III is the ASV II Radar payload. I had to Internet search to look this up and it turns out that it is a Sea Surface Search Radar. This bomber appears to be designed for either surface or ASW duties. Although oddly, the pilot training remains standard Ground Bomber, Defensive Air and all other skill levels remain mediocre. The Hudson also carries a lighter payload of 4x 250 lb, as opposed to the 500 lb bombs. It has good gun values, decent durablity and good maneuverability. So again, appears to be a bomber best suited for sea vs. ground bombing duty. I also don't know what the (LR) stands for.

[RangerJoe]

P-39s are nice can openers. P-38s are also nice can openers.

[Dante Fierro]

B-17E 'FLYING' FORTRESS - HEAVY LEVEL BOMBER 8 squadrons (67 planes), 43 Ready, 24 Not Ready
Locations: Townsville, Noumea (4 Squadrons each)

Range: 19, Extended: 23
Max Alt: 36,600, Speed: 223/337, Climb: 1430, Maneuver: 7, Durability: 68
Guns Value: 29 (9x .50 Browning MGs, 1x .30 Browning MG)
Max Payload: 8x GP 500 Lb Bombs
Avg Pilot: GrdB(50), Defn(50)
Service Rating: 4

The infamous (or famous) B-17E 'Flying' Fortress was a beast of a bomber (at the time). Able to fly at an altitude 36,600 ft, 3K above the A6M2 model Zero, and 350 ft above the A6M3 Zero which will put most at a distinct disadvantage, with nine .50 caliber machine guns and one .30 MG to boot, incredible durability and very good speed, with a payload of 8x 500 lb bombs - what made the B-17 one of the Allies most potent weapons was its remarkable range (19 combat hexes, 23 extended).

But the B-17E has its downsides: High maintenance requirements, including maintenance of airfield bases that can handle this monster 4-Engine bomber, and significantly more supply requirements. For the Guadalcanal scenario this is even more of a problem, and I'll have to work out how much I will use the bombers for ordinary bombing runs, and/or train the pilots for Search/Recon duties.

[Dante Fierro]

P-39D AIRACOBRA FIGHTER-BOMBER 6 Squadrons (87 planes), 55 Ready, 32 Not Ready
Locations: Townsville (4 squadrons), Port Moresby (2 Squadrons)

Range: 5, Extended: 6
Max Alt: 32,100, Speed: 231/368, Climb: 2631, Maneuver: 19, Durability: 32
Guns Value: 18 (4x .30 Browning MGs, 2x .50 Browning MGs, 1x 37mm T9 Cannon)
Max Payload: 1x 500 lb Bomb or 1x 250 lb Bomb
Avg Pilot: LowG(53), Air(52), Staf(54) Defn(52)

The most abundant Allied land based plane type in the Guadalcanal scenario, the P-39D can serve a dual role of low level bomber or ground strafing and Escort, CAP fighter. Although the IJ Zero out-maneuvers the P-39D quite a bit (33 vs 19), the P-39 does pack a punch with 6x machine guns and a 37mm Cannon. Perhaps what stands out the most is the pilot training for the P-39 falls into more than just the Defn category, unlike all the other Allied bombers. That being said, due to the scarcity of Fighters available for the Guadalcanal scenario, the P-39D role will most likely be more often Fighter than Bomber. But, when the opportunity arises - more options can be available ...

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Dante Fierro

Beaufort V - MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBER 1 Squadron (6 planes), 6 Ready
Located: Port Moresby

Range: 10, Extended: 12
Max Alt: 22,500, Speed: 200/265, Climb: 1400, Maneuver: 11, Durability: 32, Guns Value: 8 (4x .303 Browning MGs)
Max Payload: 4x GP 500 Lb Bombs
Avg Pilot: GrdB(70), Defn(65)

The Beauforts have the longest range of all the Medium bombers, and carries the same payload as the Havoc. But unlike the Havoc, they are not as fast or defensively equipped. Allies only start off with only 6 of these planes, all located at Port Moresby. However, the Average Pilot training is at the highest at start level of all the level bombers. Very precious pilot skills. Should these pilots remain at Port Moresby in Beauforts?

The longest range statement is not true. Look at the Hudson III, the Wellington and the B-25C.

EDIT: I forgot that you are not playing the GC, so the Hudson range is less and the Wellington and B-25C might not be available in this scenario.

[Dante Fierro]

The longest range statement is not true. Look at the Hudson III, the Wellington and the B-25C.

EDIT: I forgot that you are not playing the GC, so the Hudson range is less and the Wellington and B-25C might not be available in this scenario.

Thx for the note BB Fanboy. Yeah, I'm only looking at my starting bombers at the beginning of this Guadalcanal scenario, which is the modd'd: Justus2 Guadalcanal AI 044 Mod. It has some peculiarities I've noticed such as Rabaul having a 4(0) airfield which I believe should not be possible, but I guess scenario modders can make it so?

But good idea to double check my stats anyway. Perhaps make a note to readers the stats are only true for what Allies have at start of the Guadalcanal scenario (not true for the entire Pacific War).