Pacific Battles

[Imperator91]

Haven't been playing for long, and really, I haven't been doing very well. Tried a little USA vs. USSR, and they sent so many tanks in, I didn't have a chance, even though I bought nothing but tanks as my core force. Anyways, my preference is the pacific theatre. Unfortunately, my printer isn't functioning so I'm unable to really complete the tutorials as intended, but I was considering the WatchTower Mega-Campaign. A longer, more complete Guadal Canal campaign, right? Also, interested in how you all go about selecting a core force. I've heard to buy cheap units at first, and upgrade as you go, but don't you get ripped apart horribly early on with this approach?

[Clipper1968]

Imperator91,

you don't have to buy any core force in every Mega Campaign including Watchtower.
Your core force is already available in the first scen and you have to lead them through battles where you can sometimes receive reinforcements.

[Imperator91]

Sounds interesting. At least I can't screw myself over by choosing a poor force.

[Imperator91]

Well, downloading Watch Tower Mega Campaign. Thanks for the information, and even without text, the tutorials were more helpfull than I expected. That Tiger, was unbelievable. 109 men, 17 AFV's dead.

[Imperator91]

Ok, the Mega-Campaign is great, but I've yet to do better than a draw. Just seem to run out of time.

[RayM]

Imperator91,

Don't give up on the Western and Eastern Fronts, but by all means, give the Pacific Theater a try. It calls for a whole different set of tactics and operational thinking.

FYI, for my learning curve, I played the Guadalcanal Campaign included in the basic SPWaW set a couple of times before starting MC Watchtower. Also, the Tanks at Munda scenarios are absolutely worth working through because it will teach you combined arms (infantry and tanks) like nothing else will for the Pacific theater. Humbling but well worth the lessons. Bottom line: infantry protects tanks, tanks support infantry. No "hey-diddle-diddle-up-the middle" with your armor. Resist the temptation for tank charges.....

For a great set of USMC Core Forces see KG Erwin's post which I have attached below. I've used it in several WWII full campaigns and have found it to be very good. Highly recommended!


From KG Erwin post of 2/15/03:

"After much experimentation, and now in using the soon-to-be-released 8.2 OOB, I've got the default point allocation down to a science. Using true troop on/rarity off, and setting up a customized August 1942 company, here's my ideal USMC core for August 1942.

Firstly, I tinkered with the OOB to set up my own idea of what a Marine Company should be--it's a self-contained maneuver element:

Infantry Company GH
Unit
175 USMC Co HQ
1093 Infantry Plt D
1093 Infantry Plt D
1093 Infantry Plt D
1114 HMG Section
1114 HMG Section
1121 Lt Mortar Plt
1088 Engineer Plt
1109 Inf Recon Sqd

Now, my core force recipe is this--take three of these customized Infantry Companies, and add these units:
Unit 62 Dodge WC57 (command vehicle for A0)
1088 Lt Tank Co (M2A4s only)
1023 75mm GMC M3
1023 75mm GMC M3
1135 AT-Gun Section
1048 Jeep Sec (to transport the 37s)
1123 81mm Med Mortar Section
1123 81mm Med Mortar Section
1074 1 Bn Raider Plt (three of these, with unit 145)
1078 2 Bn Raider Plt (one, with unit 138)
1110 USMC Sniper

There you have it. In a default long campaign, you have 4280 points to spend, and this method uses all of them.
This doesn't mean the campaign will be easy, as your AI opposition will be in correlation to your core-force total, but you have a historically-based reinforced Battalion Landing Team to work with, and the upgrade paths are pretty straightforward.
Besides, the Pacific campaign isn't for the faint-hearted.
Let me know what you think of my recipe. "

Give a shout if you have any questions...lots of folks are willing to help....

Enjoy,

RayM

[KG Erwin]

Ray, thanks so much for your kind words. [:)] Since Feb 2003, the USMC OOB has undergone several changes, even after the recent release of 8.2, so my basic recipe has altered slightly. I added a Motorized Med Mortar, so the 81mm comes with a jeep to carry it. You can now also buy AT Guns singly, along with individual transport jeeps.

I did some more research on the Para, Raider and Engineer Units, so their armament is now more historically accurate. The 1942 Para squads now have Johnson Rifles and either Reising SMGs or Johnson LMGs. The pre-1943 Engineer DC and FT squads are carrying M1903 Springfields. The only USMC units that had the Garand M1 in their official TOE in 1942 were the 2nd (Carlson) Raider Bn Squads.

The USMC allowed much room to add units and formations, but I kept to my mission of providing both historical accuracy and maximum flexibility in customizing your core force. With the addition of the improved Japanese AI force selection routines, a Pacific long campaign in 8.2b should be rewarding, challenging and tension-filled.

Welcome to the jungles, beaches and close-quarters "utmost savagery" that await you.

[RayM]

Hello KG:

In adding the Motorized Med Mortar w/Jeep to the Core Force, did you replace a unit in your list or just add it to the overall list?

[KG Erwin]

Ray, what I did was replace the second 1114 HMG section in each D+ company with formation 1116, an MMG Platoon. This allowed me the points to add the four jeeps necessary to carry the existing four 81s. As you well know, the 81s are way too slow to keep up with an advance in clear weather, so this was the best tradeoff I could come up with.

Also, by doing this, I could afford to add a Parachute Platoon to my core battalion landing team, and an additional jeep for later conversion into a third 75mm GMC. This revised core costs 4279 points (with True Troop ON).

[KG Erwin]

While we're on the Pacific, let me discuss upgrade paths (D to E series TOEs) for this notional core force.

During 1942, I would concentrate on upgrading your M2A4s to M3A1s, and leave the infantry alone, with the exception of the Raiders. You can replace the 2nd Raider Bn units with better ones, and replace your MG units in the other Raider platoons with the Satchel-charge armed USMC Raiders.

In your second battle in 1943, you will get a huge purchase point jump. This is to allow conversion of your line infantry to the "E" series 12-man squads, armed with the Garand M1, a quantum leap over the 1903 Springfield. (Some old salts retained the '03 for its superior accuracy and ruggedness, though). However, the first units to be upgraded should be the Para and Raider units. All of these have January 1943 upgrades, with all Raider units adopting a standardized TOE (historical note: the Raiders adopted the "fire team" concept, which was formalized for all line rifle units in 1944 and is still in use today.)

Next , upgrade the Recon Patrols to LR Patrols. Then, convert your infantry squads to "E" squads, and your BAR units to either a second 30 cal MMG or an Assault Squad. The Assault Squads are expensive and relatively weak in defense, but they are great for dealing with the fortifications you will soon face. Lastly, upgrade the Engineers, Platoon HQs and Company HQs, in that order.

As for the tanks, you must be careful, as each upgrade costs a hit in experience. I'd recommend converting two or three tanks in each platoon to an M4A1 at first. Leave at least one M3 in each platoon--in summer 1944, you can replace these with a Satan Flame Tank. The flamers will help you tremendously as the Japanese resistance gets tougher.

[Wild Bill]

Your core force is already there, Imperator, in order to keep as much an historical element as possible. This was done so that you might get a real feel for what it was like (which you evidently have [;)] ).

Choosing a core force on your own can move you far away from the actual historical units involved.

It is true that a couple of the battles in MC-W are hypothetical, but nearly all of them are based on actual historical events on the Canal.

And you may want to check out the dozens of scenarios included in 8.2 on the Pacific. You'll find nearly every kind of fight you can imagine, in every major area of conflict of Asia and the islands.

Its a great experience to play them all.

WB