Port Moresby - Why Bother??

[Miller]

Playing my first PBEM game as the IJN (and losing badly but I digress..) and it seems most IJN players think that taking PM at all costs is vital.

But why? It will fall if you throw enough men at it, but once yours it will soon come under attack by every heavy bomber based in Austrailia and all Jap fighter types are too poorly armed to shoot them down (Oscar is useless!) - hence airbase closed down and ripe for counter invasion....or am I missing something...opinions welcome.

[Veer]

True, but I would much prefer the Allies to be bombing PM than Rabaul. That's really what the choice comes down too.

[The Dude]

The Importance of PM to the Japanese come out over time. When you are 6-10 monthes in to a game without taking PM one will realize how hard it really is for the Japs

[Naskra]

Japan takes Port Moresby to deny it to the Allies -- for a time.

[jeffs]

Naskra said it best....
1. It forces the Allies to mount an invasion of PM. Far from impossible, but still a pain (do not build up PM or put in air base. You can have other airfields for you bombers)...

2. With PM safe, a decent USN commander will bomb any position you have in NG at will. Once they do that, it is just a matter of time before they outslog you.

[crsutton]

You are right, but as said here, if you do not take Port Morsby then you are dead meat very early in the game. Play the Green Hell scen to see the effect of this. You can never dock a ship at any of your bases except Truk because Allied bombers will pound them if they own PM. This uses up fule and keeps system damage high, plus denies you any safe haven for your cripples. I take PM- (easy to do early in the game) but only garrison it lightly.

Quite frankly, IMHO, if you are the Japanes player, you will have either lost or won the game before the Allies are in any positon to take PM back. So it is not important except that you need to deny its use to the Allies.

[spence]

Ignore Port Moresby at your peril.
If you go for an AV at Luganville/Noumea and don't pull it off your situation will be completely untenable in 1943.

SCEN 19: Situation in Current PBEM as Allies: (Just barely survived the Japanese 1943 Auto Victory recapturing Luganville on 12/27/42 - heavy shipping losses in those battles is the principle brake on current operations at the beginning of June 43). Port Moresby was never attacked or even threatened. The Allies have the following important airbases on New Guinea or in the Solomon Sea.
Port Moresby - level 8 or 9
Dobadura - level 8 soon to be 9
Lae - level 5 soon to be 6
Gili Gili - level 6 with a level 9 port
Rossel Island - level 4
Woodlark - level 4
Kiriwina - level 4
Buna - level 3 soon to be level 4
Irau - level 4
Last turn I captured Gasmata (level 1 but...CBs on the way)


All Japanese bases except Truk are within range of LBA and P-38s. When Gasmata has been built up F4Us and other short range fighters will be able to join in the fun at any Japanese base except Wewak and Truk. There's nearly 7 months to go in the game and even though my fleet took a lickin in 42 and the IJN is basically intact (having lost no ship larger than a CL that I know about) the circumstances surrounding the next naval fight (should it occur) will not be favorable at all for the IJN.

He leads by 600 pts or so right now but I don't think that'll last very long - certainly nothing like almost 7 months and I am positioned to strike at any/all of Lunga, Shortlands, Rabaul right now any one of which would by itself close the point gap.
(The IJA suffered severe losses when it did not quite pull off the Auto Victory: essentially all of the 2nd and 38 Divs, the 35th Bde, the 65th Bde, the 21st Bde, the South Seas Detachment, and the Yazawa (sic) Detachment so my opps ground forces are spread relatively thin between those 3 points with only about 1 reinforced division at any given point - other than at Wewak the are not Japanese forces in New Guinea).

[Oliver Heindorf]

if PM is in allied hands later on in the war he will simply ripp you off. sooner or later it will be a pain in the arse.....[:'(]

[Miller]

Very true Spence. I am playing scen 17 and went for the autovictory at Luganville but made two half-arsed attempts to capture it rather than one big push, all the while leaving PM untouched.

It is now late Oct and I have Luganville but with no supply and my troops are being pounded to atoms by LBA[:(] I sense a long 43 ahead....

[Capt Cliff]

Don't bother! Take Gilli Gilli, build up the airfield and port, put CD galore in there and neutralize PM with air from Gilli Gilli. PM will fall like a ripe apple! Gilli Gilli is easier to supply than PM as well.

[crsutton]

Don't bother! Take Gilli Gilli, build up the airfield and port, put CD galore in there and neutralize PM with air from Gilli Gilli. PM will fall like a ripe apple! Gilli Gilli is easier to supply than PM as well.

Well yes, I always use GG as my main base and only garrison PM lightly. PM is much more difficult to keep in supply when the Allied airforce is stronger. And for that matter, I do not try to invade PM until GG is taken and built up to at least a level two airbase (four is better) You have the time to do it, there is no need to rush. The benefit is that if GG is a base with ample supply of fuel. You can base BB there for bombardment and it provide a safe haven for crippled ships if the Allies fight for PM.

You can take PM without holding GG but why take the risk. There is sufficient amount of time to do both.

[Capt Cliff]

Gilli Gilli, once built up, is a better base to use against Oz any way. It also gives you option to move aginst the Solomons and Noumea. I think the Japanese didn't do this because it was so undeveloped and their engineering ablitiies are over rated in the game. They went for the "already" develope base of PM. They held Guadacanal fron May till August and didn't have an airfield on it after 3 months! USN Seabee's could put an airfield down in two weeks! Wham bam thank you Mame! The Japanesse evetually went for Gilli Gilli but after the Allies built it up, but too little too late. Go for Gilli Gilli!

[CMDRMCTOAST]

ORIGINAL: Capt Cliff

Don't bother! Take Gilli Gilli, build up the airfield and port, put CD galore in there and neutralize PM with air from Gilli Gilli. PM will fall like a ripe apple! Gilli Gilli is easier to supply than PM as well.

With Gilli Gilli, Buna, Lae, Kavieng, Rabaul and shortland built up,
and then build up Gasmata, Buka, Wewak and Woodlark island you can successfully
bomb PM into the stone age for all of 42 and keep it there.
I find that rotating bomber sorties from around all of these bases and keeping
the allies from supplying it the base is essentially useless.
You have to monitor your aircrews and rotate constantly to keep fatiuge
down but I have a PBEM were PM has been useless for the entire war so far
leaving me the freedom to take the war to Noumea.
( now if it weren't for a fuel shortage I would have had Noumea in the bag.....)[;)]