The advantages of moving slowly as IJN

[Chaplain]

In my PBEM game (#15), I am moving quite slowly as the Japanese in the SRA. I am giving him ample opportunities (apparently) to evacuate his ground troops from the Malaya peninsula and Burma in general. But the fact of the matter is that I am trying to lure his surface assets within range of my LBA. (I am having some success in this.) It seems to me that this strategy can work very well because I not only damage/destroy his LCU's but also his surface assets this way. The big surprise will be when KB shows up in the middle of his in-transit troop convoys. Just a suggestion ...

[worr]

I've thought of this too, because against the AI there are great rewards for moving quickly.

Sometimes the advantage is getting into those oil reserves quickly, denying them to the enemy, but having no need to rush them back to Japan, but just let them build up over time and then when the SRA is clear start shipping them in mass.

If you move too quickly you open yourself up to a more concerted counter attack. The USN cannot go toe to toe with the IJN, but when you have too many offensives going at one he can be selective as to where to confront you. Much depends on the daring of your foe!

Worr, out

[Mr.Frag]

This also pays good dividends against the submarines hunting you. The slower you move, the more escort that is available to ensure all groups have high levels of ASW protection. Every sub just kill is potentially 5 ships you save. Good to think of it in those terms.

[esteban]

ORIGINAL: Mr.Frag

This also pays good dividends against the submarines hunting you. The slower you move, the more escort that is available to ensure all groups have high levels of ASW protection. Every sub just kill is potentially 5 ships you save. Good to think of it in those terms.

And every ship you save is an added bit of late-war prodcution, from the resources or oil that ship might carry. If you save a small tanker, so it can make 5 more trips to/from the SRA to Japan, that's 45K oil. Enough for 45000 heavy industry points. That's 15000 naval/merchant shipyard points, or 7500 armament points, or 125 single-engine fighters.

[esteban]

Wow, I think I got my math wrong. 45000 heavy industry points would be 1250 single engine fighters!! 36 HIP for the engine and airframe, times 1250 would equal 45000

[Chaplain]

In other words, my strategy is absolutely BRILLIANT (to coin the ad campaign of a certain English brewer) and I am the present-day incarnation of Nimitz/Yamamoto/Genda/Halsey and/or Sun Tzu himself, right?

Right? [:D]

[SunDevil_MatrixForum]

Wasn't Sun Tzu chinese? [:D]

[esteban]

ORIGINAL: Chaplain

In other words, my strategy is absolutely BRILLIANT (to coin the ad campaign of a certain English brewer) and I am the present-day incarnation of Nimitz/Yamamoto/Genda/Halsey and/or Sun Tzu himself, right?

Right? [:D]

That depends on what you do with the single-engine fighters. Building 1250 Nates = bad, building 1250 Georges or Reppus (if you can get them) = good!!

[2ndACR]

If only 4 groups use the George your wasting you energy building that many. I have not counted them up, but you are stuck with alot of Oscar groups that go no further.

[esteban]

ORIGINAL: 2ndACR

If only 4 groups use the George your wasting you energy building that many. I have not counted them up, but you are stuck with alot of Oscar groups that go no further.

It was a figure of speech!! But still, you have to admit that building the Georges would be better than building such award-winning, Allied-ace-creating, aircraft as the Ida, Nate and Oscar 2.

[2ndACR]

Yes I agree with you. You just cannot use that many. It be my sore spot.[:(]

[Caltone]

Can't Oscars become kamikaze's? That could be a good use for em [:D]

[2ndACR]

I kinda hope I do not have to use them.[:D] And if I do I want them to be the crappiest pilots I got since they are going to die anyway.

[esteban]

Yep, the Oscar 2 has about the shortest window of being a usable fighter of any of your aircraft that are built. If it weren't for their very good range, they would be useless after early 43.

They are better than Nates though.

I replace the Nates, and once good Allied fighters show up, I try to pull the Oscars out of anything other than long range escort and rear area CAP against unescorted LRA.

I have played the 45 scenario, and so far I have not figured out how to make Oscars into kamikaze units. I seems a unit has to be a bomber of some sort to become a kamikaze. If they weren't, I would gladly try crashing Oscar 2s into Allied carriers.