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In general, the game will punish both sides for not following a logical course of conquest/landings....i.e. advancement in fairly short or medium hops from an established logistical point.

The Allied player can get away with it more easily than the Japan player because he has unlimited fuel (and supply) but the farther your "hop" the harder it will be to both supply *and* defend/react to the other player's moves.

For the Japan player especially, say you take Johnston Island and are holding it with a division + (to prevent a causual retaking) Your still in difficulties because for KB to react to it's defense, whether successful or not, will burn alot of fuel and increase incidental SYS.

I've only done one Japan PBEM GC so far.....up to almost march 42 and already i'm getting an appreciation for the sheer distances involved between Japan, her biggest bases and such distant targets.

I'm thinking Noumea and Suva alone would be tough nuts take and hold, especially if one first hasn't set up support bases in the lower solomons for supply and air cover.

oh yeah...the aircover...another quandry

I think it all depends on your plan. If you plan to concentrate in the Central Pacific, then Midway is essential, as it would bite to have your retiring/reinforcing TFs nailed by Midway LBA, and it would be a useful resupply base for an invasion of Hawaii.

forget the central pacific. Expand by pushing beyond Guadalcanal and PM. Try to take Noumea or/and Suva. It is much farther away from the west coast. You may have a long way to travel, but so does he.

dont follow your logic here. how is midway vital to a cenpac strategy? its too far from the mandates for easy supply and too far from other US bases to benefit Japan

ORIGINAL: Nikademus

dont follow your logic here. how is midway vital to a cenpac strategy? its too far from the mandates for easy supply and too far from other US bases to benefit Japan

And within range of very survivably B17E's vs the Nells Japan might try and send PH's way.... Plus the few US CV's early on can make hit and run raids as can Bombardment TF's. They can run out to MW and hit it, then run back before KB can do anything about it. Midway would quickly be an unsuppliable, unmaintainable hole, even early in the war.

I fail to see Midway as anything much more than it was historically, a target primarily designed to draw out the remaining US fleet from PH to engage it in a decisive battle.

And I'd like to see a Jap player try and invade Hawaii. I'm only at Feb 3, 1942 and I have already have three 300+ assault value USA divisions and a whole HOST of smaller, but capable land units, a very large air contingent, 4 CV's with F4F's that I could use and a fort level of 8. It would take a 6CV+ Air Combat TF, a bombardment TF with every Jap BB and CA in it, and a massive AP's ladden TF with AT LEAST 10 full combat DIVISIONS to make a dent.....then try and keep them in supply???? And while the Jap player is massing that force, what is happenning elsewhere????

Yea but what if you invade down through alaska, thus to take out the US industry base. Nail Dutch Harbor and Anchorage and work your way down.

work down from Alaska to Washington (state) via land? Using what for supply? [X(]

I see the logic of the earlier posts. Midway could, and most likely will, become a supply nightmare for the Japaneese. USN CV's Conducting hit and run attacks, like they did historically at Wake (became almost a live fire training ground for USN pilots) subs, bombardment and so on. If you want to use it as a reason to draw out the pacfleet- provided your intelligence is better then it was in '42, but it wouldn't try to hold it and expand it as a base. Much better to focus on cutting OZ's supplyline furhter south.

Diffrent line of thought here: How many out there try to hold an reinforce wake as the US player? i know it has certain stratigic value, but that seems insignificant compaired to the "pride" thing. You know "Send Us more Japs"[8|]

I am trying to hold Wake....It is not really in range of anything...(well, the one island to the Northwest...err..i can't think of the name now) but it is a good forward base...i have a AS and AR there.....the 111 RCT and the Marine garrison. as well as the Liberator unit. if nothing else...the japanese play has to hit it because he can't leave it behind him. that way it cuts down on how far the subs and bombardment forces have to go. also with the liberators I can just hit japanese supplies to the south. More important..i should be able to detect japanese carrier forces while i am doing my raids into the marshells....ofcourse not if they are leaving from the Rabaul area...but i think i can notice any departure.

I'm trying to invade Midway( as japs) during the first week of operations. My plan is to send a division plus some special aviation units to conquer the isle and then send back 2/3 of the troop garrison and let a small eng base force and send there a couple of mavis-patrol aircraft. I Know this tactic could work only vs AI but i think midway can be a quite interesting advanced obs point of view at the beginning of the war. I really need to know how and when american CVs take the see and where they do go. Let's see how it will work

ORIGINAL: Hornblower

Diffrent line of thought here: How many out there try to hold an reinforce wake as the US player? i know it has certain stratigic value, but that seems insignificant compaired to the "pride" thing. You know "Send Us more Japs"[8|]

For some reason, the initial invasion of Wake that started on Dec 7th failed miserably for the Japanese. I did not do anything special to stop it and eventually they just went away. Now I am building up wake as an advanced sub base and patrol/CAP airfield. Next time I play, I will make certain my side keeps control of Wake Island. Not the best tactical location, but strategically it has a lot of benefits.

I say let the japanse take Midway. Then the US can use it as a naval training ground, like they did with Wake in the real war.