Holding Timor...

[afspret]

...is it wise to try? I've been building up supply and fuel levels as well as moving in US and Dutch AF and Navy base forces along with some Dutch LCUs and I've also moved in some US, RAAF and Dutch air units. Am I wasting my time or should I abandoned the island and move all those units to Oz?

[BlackVoid]

Vs AI it could be possible.
In PBEM, do not even think about it.

[afspret]

Yea, I'm playing the AI. I'm just wondering 'cause in three previous starts of Scen 15 I've lost Wake 2 times and kicked some serious IJN butt and held the other time, and as a result, was able to build up forces. Thanks.

[2ndACR]

Alot depends on what the AI or your PBEM opponent does. I started to take Timor from Ron in one of our previous PBEM starts, but after getting a gander at all that airpower he packed North Oz with, I decided it was not worth it.

Timor will just get pounded to dust as the Japanese. You may take it just to deny it to the Allies as a base, but don't try and hold it.

As the Allies, Timor gives you a size 4 airbase close to Kendari to raid from. But once that starts, the Japanese side will probably decide to do something about it. I would not try and hold it with serious forces, but I would use it as a stalking horse to entice the Japanese to come and play.

[Bobthehatchit]

Done it against the Ai, fairly easily. The Ai will attempt to land Small inf units, i move the troops for the surronding bases back to Timor, plus the Aus Gull and lark forces backed up by the remains of the Dutch airforce and navy. Their carriers and BB will knock the place about abit but the eventually get board and just bomb the place every once in a while.

[kaleun]

At this time I'm holding it against Warspite. It is a useful base, but I have no doubt that Japan could take it if he wanted. [8|]On the other hand, I am holding Wake, and have just repelled an attempt to retake it. I am also holding Tarawa, which he could also take if he decided to.

[Bobthehatchit]

ORIGINAL: kaleun

At this time I'm holding it against Warspite. It is a useful base, but I have no doubt that Japan could take it if he wanted. [8|]On the other hand, I am holding Wake, and have just repelled an attempt to retake it. I am also holding Tarawa, which he could also take if he decided to.

Unit 43 the Japs have the strenght to take any thing they want, it just a question of how much you make them bleed them for it! I've mined the hell out of timor now, the next bombardment mission or invasion tf the hits the place will suffer some[:-]

[WiTP_Dude]

I lost East Timor as the Japanese in one my games as the Japanese. It can be hard to hold because it is so close to Darwin. The Allied bombers can reach you from airfields in Northern Oz. Even some fighters I believe can reach Lautern from Darwin.

[BlackVoid]

B-17s in Darwin? As Japan, I would welcome them with a bombing (if possible) and a visit with a large bombardment TF [:D]

[Drex]

Timor is the gateway to the DEI. the Jpanese are forced to taKe it and hold it as an outpost at least.

[Alikchi2]

I've held it (am holding it) in a PBEM. It only really takes one division to throw off the Japanese.

A perfect place to evacuate all your Dutch base forces to.

[captskillet]

Vs AI it can be done easily...vs Human I dunno. But if you can hold onto it you can build up the airfields large enough to handle B-17's or B-24's with a Sq. of P-38's and really put a hurting on any base the Japanese have in the area!!!

[Thurmonator]

Timor is good to build up. Im my scn 15 game vs hard jap AI, in May 42, I sent a 3 Brit CV TF from COlombo down to Darwin for some convoy escort duty . I still hold Soerajaba(sp?) and I had to build up Koepang and Lautern for Moral R&R for my beat up air groups from Java. The KB had been pounding Soerajaba for a month. I guess the KB got wind of the CV's near Darwin and came down past Timor, just about the time that around 100 p-40's and p-39s were coming on line in Timor from their long journey from SF.

The KB did get off a raid on the CV TF and damagerd the CVL Hermes. I was lucky. A few hits on Hiryu, Akagi, and the Kaga slowed them down enough so that the transit back to safe waters would be long. Once the escorts arrived, my bombers would finally attack the KB. Took about a week, but I sunk the three carriers above. So far, 3 Jap CVs and 2 CVL's sunk. No allied CV losses yet.


I have to think that a human player wouldn't have sent his CV's into so much Allied LBA. I know I wouldn't have.

[Hornblower]

I asked this same question some time ago, and received the same general response as you have. I managed to hold it so far against the AI- BUT when KB came to hit Darwin, they hit Timor too. Wasn’t a cake walk for KB, but wasn’t a disaster for the allies either.. I pulled the OZ brigades I saved from sing. into Timor and all the Dutch units I could when there positions became untenable - along with some hudsons and part of the P-40’s from PI.

[byron13]

ORIGINAL: Hornblower

I asked this same question some time ago, and received the same general response as you have. I managed to hold it so far against the AI- BUT when KB came to hit Darwin, they hit Timor too. Wasn’t a cake walk for KB, but wasn’t a disaster for the allies either.. I pulled the OZ brigades I saved from sing. into Timor and all the Dutch units I could when there positions became untenable - along with some hudsons and part of the P-40’s from PI.

I've done the same thing against the AI in two games. The Japanese AI will try and take it, or at least will swing KB between Australia and Timor looking for easy targets. If you can delay the Japanese enough in the PI and throughout the DEI, you can assemble quite a welcoming party for KB. Nothing like a couple of B-25 groups and P-40 groups to augment the torpedo-throwing Beauforts. If you're serious, get one of the large U.S. base unit/engineer combos and run it to Darwin, which will max out the engineer support. It can get bloody in terms of a/c losses, but Timor has been Japan's Midway in both AI games I've played; it just falls on its sword insisting on taking Timor. Once you've holed his carriers, the CAP drops off significantly making it much easier for the remaining Allied air forces to finish the job. You might even build up a base a couple of islands further up the DEI where you can transfer Beauforts to continue to harass IJN when they make their bloodied withdrawal.

Next game, I'll probably let the Japanese take it so that KB remains a threat for a longer period.

[Thurmonator]

In my game, scn 15 vs Jap AI hard, its now June 21st, 1942. Now that the remaining carriers are out of the theatre, I am creaming the Jap AI ships from my base in Soerajaba, where I have 250 AC, and from Keopang, 300 AC, and Lautern, 250 AC. Most of the ships are sunk from Soerajaba AC, where I have Beauforts, Hudsons, and B-17s.

The AI has half JAVA and has tried beach invasions three times, only twice making it to the beach. The units that landed quickly retreated out of the hex fro mmy attacks as I had beefed up the garrison there a lot. I really want to keep that base. I have sunk so many AK's and AP's that I think the JAP AI is wasting its ships. It doesn't stop sending them, probably because it holds all of Borneo and Kendari. THe Java sea is a Jap ship graveyard now.

I still hold Ambonia, but I evac'd it months ago, except for one CD unit. Now that I have Timor and Kai Island (2 Airfield) with 30 Fighters, I want to restock Ambonia with units and planes and start reversing the movement of the Japs in DEI. Is it too early to be thinking assaults in DEI? I've read that the AI usually takes all of DEI with overwhelming force.

[byron13]

ORIGINAL: Thurmonator

In my game, scn 15 vs Jap AI hard, its now June 21st, 1942. Now that the remaining carriers are out of the theatre, I am creaming the Jap AI ships from my base in Soerajaba, where I have 250 AC, and from Keopang, 300 AC, and Lautern, 250 AC. Most of the ships are sunk from Soerajaba AC, where I have Beauforts, Hudsons, and B-17s.

Sounds to me like the game is already over.

[Thurmonator]

Don't say that!

Actually, i was afraid of that, although, I still think it will be fun planning my invasions.