Slowing Down the Japanese

[bradfordkay]

I LOVE playing defense...

That being said, I'm still going to lose Darwin (barring a miracle, which considering my church attendance record ain't likely).

[herwin]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

I LOVE playing defense...

That being said, I'm still going to lose Darwin (barring a miracle, which considering my church attendance record ain't likely).

In reality, the optimists believed they could take Darwin with 5 divisions; the pessimists with ten. The IJA just didn't want to waste the troops there.

[Feinder]

In CHS, it can be done (easily) with 2 Divs and a Bde. After a while, you need more to HOLD it, but there's only a Bde and few Btns there to start. And a whole lot of nothing at Derby, Wyndham, and Broome - those guys end up being freebies.

(* shrug *)

-F-

[bradfordkay]

Chez is invading Darwin with 6+ divisions. I have the Aus 3d Inf Div, plus a couple of brigades there (as well as what few troops that have survived the PI/NEI campaigns). I withdrew everything from Broome, Derby and Wyndham as I agree that those bases are traps.

The battle has been going on for three weeks and he's finally getting ready to close the deal. I was unable to build up the access bases early enough (Katherine. Daly Waters, Tennent Creek and Cloncurry) so that I could maintain a heavy air campaign against his invading forces. I am just now beginning to get the extra base forces to do this. We shall see how far down the line he can drive (or wants to).

[Feinder]

Frankly, you should retreat while you still can.  Dealing with my own invasion of Oz from Bilbow, the -last- thing you want to do is commit a defense/offense before you're ready.  If he defeats whatever you have thrown against him, he's just going to roll you all the way back to Alice Springs and Whalla.  If your army is still in bad shape by that point, he can keep going.
 
Bilbow invaded Darwin, and I deliberately retreated as far back as Tennet Creak.  Defending at Katherine or Daly Waters means he could bring in troops faster than I could reinforce, even if I had started with the advantage.  But while I'd be drawing reinforcements up thru the central desert, he could land troops and march by rail and have guys on the line in about a week.
 
But I didn't defend at Katherine or Daly Waters, because if he -were- route my troops, it's leaves the door wide open.  And when I do decide to push him out, I'll need to wait until I have enough troops to push him all the way to Darwin's beach - again because he can reinforce much faster than I can.
 
If he's landed 6 Divs at Darwin, you're gonna need outside help.  The 4 Inf and 2 Cav Divs of Oz, plus about 12 Bdes is -not- enough.  You'll need to bring in either US or UK divs just to hold him, much less push him out.  Take your time, and insure your defense FIRST.  Think on it this way, in CHS, even if he caputres all the northner towns, it's really nothing but deset anyway.  Granted, there's some pressure from the Prime Minister to linberate the Northern Territories.  But you should just mention the fact that if you can't hold the central destert, the Prime Minister will be Tojo's captive in Sydney.
 
Something else to be aware (or beware!) of ...
Before sending your army north, that he can lift -his- entire army and drop it elsewhere (east coast or Perth), in the time it takes you to march from Tennet Creek to Daly Waters.  If you move a huge mob north, and then he just pulls back and then sea-lifts to invade Townsville, your entire army is out of postion, and he could easily roll the east coast by the time you marched back south thru the desert.  So make sure you can -aslo- hold the east coast and Perth, -before- you march on Darwin.
 
But especially if he has 6 Divs, its important to you NOT lose (where your troops are retreated and suffer debilitating casualties).  Because once that happens, he's going to roll you.
 
(* scowls at Bilbow *)
 
Yes, I know you'll read this.  Yes, I will throw back into the sea.  But for now, enjoy the desert, for all good it's doing you.  You shall advance no further!
 
 

 
-F-

[ChezDaJez]

The battle has been going on for three weeks and he's finally getting ready to close the deal. I was unable to build up the access bases early enough (Katherine. Daly Waters, Tennent Creek and Cloncurry) so that I could maintain a heavy air campaign against his invading forces. I am just now beginning to get the extra base forces to do this. We shall see how far down the line he can drive (or wants to).

Well, level 9 forts, T-IVa's, Beauforts and Swordfish not to mention B-25s, B-26s and Hudsons do tend to slow things down a bit (and put lots of holes in my ships[:@]) but forts aredown to level 4 and the odds up to 3:1 so 1-2 more turns and I'll be able to throw another shrimp on the barbie. I do hear that Sidney has some great nightlife for my troops R+R...[:D].

KB was originally slated to provide extensive support for this operation but Brad made it clear early on that he didn't like this idea by putting a 1000lber on Zuikaku, another on Hiryu (from a naval search B-17 no less!!! <my gunners must have been asleep>) and a sub put a torp in Soryu. So long range bombing attacks from Koepang and Amboina plus LR CAP over Darwin from Lautern have been the only air support. Lethal AA over Darwin and pilot fatigue combine to make sure that the can only atttack every 2-3 days at most.

Chez

[bradfordkay]

Feinder,
Thanks for the reminder about how quickly (or not so) troops can be withdrawn from the Northern Territories. It's always a question of how much you can afford to risk in the fight for any location, isn't it?

One reason to try to hang on to some of those northern bases is to go after his shipping. This invasion has cost him quite a few transports, which should cut down on that ability (to quickly shift troops out of Darwin) to some extent. Chez has already been making comments about that nest of torpedo bombers in Katherine, so I can expect he's coming after it and Daly Waters ASAP.



Should he try to invade eastern Australia, he knows that he's coming into the face of a huge airforce flying out of several mutually supporting large airbases. I'm looking forward to that fight...

[Feinder]

One reason to try to hang on to some of those northern bases is to go after his shipping.

&nbsp;
True enough.&nbsp; I did make some attacks on his transports, but the invasion was covered by (most of) KB, so the losses were "unacceptable".
&nbsp;
I figure I'll get his transports on his way out...[;)]
&nbsp;
He says he's going to stand and I fight.

I said, "I sure hope so."
&nbsp;
We'll see.
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
-F-

[ChezDaJez]

I'm looking forward to that fight...

What's the old adage, "Attack where least expected." Let's see... Foster's or curry? Hmmmm.... [;)]

Chez

[bradfordkay]

Let's see... I'll bet this means he's atacking French Polynesia next... [:D]