newbie starting May '42 campaign help

[sw_myers]

Alright, well i've decided to play the whole war from the may '42 start date as the allies...but i think my questions could revolve around any campaign scenario.

My first question is:

What do I do first!?!?!?! ha ha, i've spent a little bit getting come routine convoys going stateside to pearl. but to get any sort of convoy system that works its way to the south pacific is going to take some time.
What kind of opening moves do you do? get the convoys running to every base? or just the main ones?

since i've only played the south pacific scenarios, what is a good plan for china/india? defensive? will a major offensive in those areas really affect the ocean theatre?

anyways, this is my first full map scenario so any general tips for helping to organize the war would be helpful.

i'm sure i could figure it out by trial and error, but i though i'd check what the more experienced players do...

thanks.

[rtrapasso]

What you do first depends on what your strategy is. It also depends on if you are playing AI or PBEM. Sounds like you are playing against the AI. I will assume you are.

Some people want to oppose the Japanese whereever they can, and have everyone fight to the last man in DEI and Philippines.

Others feel that general withdrawal is in order.

Others are someone in between - oppose the Japanese where you can make a difference, but withdraw other troops where they don't think it can make a difference.

Get lots of supplies to forward areas if you can - move troops assigned to Central Pacific, Southwest Pacific, and South Pacific forward from West Coast ASAP.

Use some of your transport to get fuel, oil and resources out of DEI. Get it to Australia. This will help Australia and keep it out the hands of the Japanese.

You might check some of the AARs for ideas.

[Grotius]

First, rest assured that your first turn is your hardest. After you set things in motion, things get easier to manage.

Second, I did find it helped me to get going to begin with logistics. I started with LA and San Francisco and gradually worked my way west, ending with Karachi. You don't have to worry about every little base on the first turn; get your big convoys moving from the USA and Karachi, and once you've supplied major bases like Pearl Harbor and Colombo, then worry more about forward bases.

Third, militarily I personally like to examine each sector at a time, and again I tend to move east to west when I play the Allies. First I move ships around if necessary; then I make sure they have air cover if need be; and then I manage any other air operations.

Also, on the first turn you may want to think about giving your ground units "target" hexes. I.e., prep them to hold or take a certain base. It's tedious, but you gotta do it, and earlier is better than later.

All in all, that first turn will probably take you hours, but take heart; the second one will probably take 45 minutes or so.

Have fun!

[sw_myers]

thanks for the ideas...