Island Hopping

[kennonlightfoot]

In the game, is there any reason to use this strategy?

There doesn't seem to be any benefit to controlling the small Islands. The historic strategy was to jump over these Islands and just take the ones need for bases. Then letting the bypass islands wither from lack of supplies. But there doesn't appear to be any supply penalty to bypassed Islands in the game unless you blockade them. The other historic objective was to build up the Islands as major naval and air bases once taken so that the Allies didn't need to take major Japanese bases like Truk. But in the game you can't build up naval bases and most of these minor Islands are level 3 ports so you have to take major Japanese bases like Truk which were bypassed historically. And, since any Island will support only one air unit there is no advantage to taking Islands to extend bomber range. You are going to have to take major land masses like the Philippines if you want to support massed strategic bombing.

[eskuche]

Islands exude recon value, so it’s useful to make sure there are no eyes remaining behind. I think every single port/clear hex being a valid airbase removes some of the value from island hopping.

[AlvaroSousa]

Small islands with ports = more supply stockpile = more air power = more bases for night actions if close by the enemy.

[incbob]

One thing you need to consider is Victory points. Remember the point of this game is not to defeat the Japanese, but to get victory points. (Japan defeat should be a forgone conclusion).


If you look at what the US actually did, they did very little "Island Hoping."
= Nov 1943 invade Tarawa Gilbert Islands (place for LBA when invading Kwajalein)
= Feb 1944 invade Kwajalein (Kwajalein is a victory hex)
= June 1944 invade Saipan. (Originally this was done to strategic bomb Japan. In game this is not possible until maybe 1945 but Guam is a victory hex. Also, note the allies passed up Truk. Truk is a victory hex, but it was felt it was to strong to take on.)
= Sept 1944 invade what in game is Palau. (At the time the Allies thought this was needed to invade the Philippines to provide LBA. It wasn't). One of the great battles in US history and no one knows about it because it turns out not to be important. So sad.
= Oct 1944 invade the Philippines. (The Allies really debated whether to go to Formosa or the Philippines. MacArthur and the Philippines won out. (Both the Philippines and Formosa have victory hexes and allow LBA to attack Japanese convoy routes.)


Basically in game you will probably do about as much Island hoping and for the reason the Allies historically did. To take important bases, to provide a base for the next attack, and the most important reason to take a base....LBA.


I mean IWO was taken just for LBA (By the way, it saved the lives of 51 pilots. That is all. 51 pilots. The reason they went in sounds great, to save wounded planes, but it never really happened.)

[amhendrick]

A related question is whether strategic bombing by the Allies is worthwhile given the high cost of strategic bombing groups.

[incbob]

IRL Strategic Bombing was not worth it. This is shown by the many reports that happened after the war. (I mean Strategic Bombing overall, not just the Pacific Theatre).

[stjeand]

For strat bombers...IF you can hit their production you can do some good lasting damage.

Especially against oil facilities...but I am torn whether you build many more bombers than 2 maybe 3...

Probably costs less to invade Japan than keep bombers flying.

[kennonlightfoot]

But I am not sure any of that applies to the Game's handling.

There doesn't seem to be any benefit to holding the single hex islands.

Historically all the major Japanese bases were by passed and the US just built their own. But in the game you can't build your own so you have to take the major ones that were historically by-passed.