Target: Rabaul or Truk

[Drex]

As a spin-off from Mark VII's thread, has anyone ever taken Rabaul or Truk in PBEM?

[redman1]

I've only ever played IJN, so obviously I haven't (or have, depending on how you look at it ) however it strikes me as a general matter that Truk would be somewhat easier to take initially while Rabaul would be easier to hold (depending upon date and scenario).

The problem with Rabaul for the Allies is that approaches to it are limited to one or maybe two directions as a practical matter, either through the Solomon Sea or from east of the Solomons chain. Even if the Allies own the Solomons, the IJN can flood the S. Sea with planes and subs and will easily spot an approaching TF.

Truk, OTOH, has no approach that must be funnelled through a choke point. It's useless for the IJN to post subs outside of Truk on sentry duty because there's too much ground to cover. In addition, the IJN often pull their planes forward from Truk, which means that if an invasion TF can slip north on the far east of the map, they might be able to take Truk before the IJN can spot them and react. Good luck keeping Truk supplied though . . .

[Drex]

I have an opponent who did try to raid Truk and succeeded only because he brought no troops so i let him sail around until he had to go home(meanwhile I invaded Noumea with troops). If you plant a small recon base on Nauru Island, you will spot any TF that tries to exploit the map edge.

[denisonh]

Never went past April 1943 in a PBEM game (and I have played a number since release almost 2 years ago0. Neither was an option up to that point.

[redman1]

ORIGINAL: Drex
I have an opponent who did try to raid Truk and succeeded only because he brought no troops so i let him sail around until he had to go home(meanwhile I invaded Noumea with troops). If you plant a small recon base on Nauru Island, you will spot any TF that tries to exploit the map edge.

That's relatively rarely done, though, which is partly my point. The NE quadrant of the map is usually treated more like empty space by both players than anything else, so why not exploit it?

[DoomedMantis]

I once tried to raid Truk (well actually the transports from Truk), and ended up losing 4 CV's, its a long way home with damaged ships

[Drex]

Evidently no one has successfully taken Rabaul or Truk in Pbem. there is evidently no need to.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Drex

Evidently no one has successfully taken Rabaul or Truk in Pbem. there is evidently no need to.

Yes, I think that is the point. If you have gotten to the point where you can take them-the game has been over for quite a while.

[redman1]

Operation Cartwheel, which was the true-to-life isolation (not conquest) of Rabaul and Kavieng in 1943 tells you what the Allies actually thought about the need to conquer these places.

Of interest, while all were attacked, neither Truk nor Rabaul nor Kavieng was taken during the war, and Truk when it was heavily bombed in early 1944 had already largely been abandoned by the Japanese as a major staging area for operations.

[DoomedMantis]

I had one opponent who thought that I was weak enough so that he could take Rabaul from me without first neutalising other bases other than PM, but I managed to surprise him with several surface TF's that he was unaware of (I had been hiding them for my last ditch defence) and managed to win the game from an unenviable position. Even so the battle was extremely hard fought, and my aircraft (I had been hiding them as well) losses were at least 2-1, but sheer weight of numbers eventually caused the sinking and/or withdrawal of his CV cover, and from there it was all over.

[Drex]

That operation sounds worthy of an AAR.

[DoomedMantis]

yes it was a hum dinger of a battle that lasted about two weeks, if I had of thought of it I would have done an AAR. I was playing against Luskan, and took great joy in it, as until then he had me well and trully on the ropes, just not knowing that I was secretly preparing my sucker punch[;)]

[Drex]

You better file it in your bag of tactics.

[DoomedMantis]

oh its there alright, along with many other tricks of the trade I have picked up. Ill try anything that I dont think is gamey (ie exploiting the AI to get unrealistic results), and I also dont do skip bombing until mid 43.