Random Questions from a New Player

[brian800000]

to not only damage the air

The date is early May 1942. I've prepped for 3 islands.

2 6k atolls, and
1 30k atoll

I have 24 APs and 9 AKs on hand. they will be supplemented by very small xAPs and xAKs that seem able to unload quickly.

All my invasion forces are 100% prepped.

For each the 6k atolls, i have an invasion force of 1 US Army Infantry regiment, 1 Raider Bn, 1 armoured BN, and 1 combat engineer unit. That brings me just over the stacking limit--it seems like the only thing I could add to improve my odds is to replace the US Army unit with Marines, or go well over the stacking limit.

For the 30k atoll, it is a similar force but a US division.

I only have 2 BBs on hand to support this, but about 15 cruisers. My thoughts are to hit the 3 simultaneously with cruiser based bombardment fleets, while the invasion forces are slightly staggered to allow the BBs to replenish at newly conquered islands and support the ground combat. If I can take the first island, i'll also land some fighters with AKVs to get some air cover.

[rockmedic109]

Can one of the islands support an airbase up to size 4 and be close enough to the others for medium bombers to hit them?

Sustained operations chew up the number of sorties a carrier can use before needing to resupply. You do not want to use up all your avgas and bombs before an enemy carrier force makes an appearance.

Also, I tend to spread out my Land Units on more APs than required. Puts more of them in harms way but should you loose one on the way in, you might be able to rescue more of the hapless soldiers. I am unsure of how this works in the game. I see the "some survivors rescued by task force" in the reports, but I do not know how the game factors this {just adds a few troops back to the pools?}.

[brian800000]

No enemy carriers will be making an appearance, following a series of unfortunate carrier battles for the Japanese.

[BBfanboy]

1. Do not worry too much about the stacking limit up to a about 2X the limit - the penalty is apparently small. Just have some ships loaded with supply only that can land enough to support the troops and pay the minor penalty for overstack. Then be prepared to withdraw some of the troops once the island is taken.

2. Be aware that islands designated "Atoll" cause the landing troops to shock attack on landing. If forts are high and the defenders are not much disrupted the landing troops could be roughly handled. High forts protect fairly well against CA bombardment but multiple BB bombardments can disrupt the enemy. Bombing is also helpful.

3. Keep a couple of CA per island to embed in the landing TF. Embed one only, to suppress enemy fire during the landings, and it will use up most of its ammo doing that. At the start of the next turn, swap in the fresh CA to continue suppression support on day two.

4. Survivors picked up from a sinking ship lack all the heavy equipment their unit might have had and are treated as disabled, but they will land with the rest of the troops and can fill out the missing TOE stuff later. They just aren't much help!

5. You can use one round of carrier sorties to support the initial landings by bombing the target islands, but reserve the rest of your sorties to take on enemy TFs that the AI will throw at you if the targets are on the "defend" list for that script.

6. Don't land your aircraft right away - the airfield will likely be inoperable and landed aircraft will just be targets for enemy bombing or bombardments.

7. Make sure you have TFs to deal with subs, mini-subs, PTs, mines and SCTFs.

[BBfanboy]

PS - I like your mix of forces but would also suggest a battalion of 155mm artillery for each landing. Good for battering defenders behind forts. I would recommend them over the Raider units which are small in AV and small in firepower because of the lack of heavy weapons. Use the raiders as a mobile reserve to land on an island that is close to falling but your other units are getting fatigued and you just need a little more oomph.

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

PS - I like your mix of forces but would also suggest a battalion of 155mm artillery for each landing. Good for battering defenders behind forts. I would recommend them over the Raider units which are small in AV and small in firepower because of the lack of heavy weapons. Use the raiders as a mobile reserve to land on an island that is close to falling but your other units are getting fatigued and you just need a little more oomph.

I actually had artillery in the mix but forgot to mention (that was the only unit i forgot)!

I was reflecting on the advice you guys had. Reserve forces for an atoll are going to need to be prepped, right? Meaning if i don't want to push off the invasion i'm going to need to wait a few more months.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

PS - I like your mix of forces but would also suggest a battalion of 155mm artillery for each landing. Good for battering defenders behind forts. I would recommend them over the Raider units which are small in AV and small in firepower because of the lack of heavy weapons. Use the raiders as a mobile reserve to land on an island that is close to falling but your other units are getting fatigued and you just need a little more oomph.

I actually had artillery in the mix but forgot to mention (that was the only unit i forgot)!

I was reflecting on the advice you guys had. Reserve forces for an atoll are going to need to be prepped, right? Meaning if i don't want to push off the invasion i'm going to need to wait a few more months.

Once you land troops you establish a beachhead and subsequent landings will suffer much less from being under-prepped. They will not be as effective in combat because of their lack of prep but if you only need the equivalent of a few AV ...

[rustysi]

The date is early May 1942. I've prepped for 3 islands.

2 6k atolls, and
1 30k atoll

I have 24 APs and 9 AKs on hand. they will be supplemented by very small xAPs and xAKs that seem able to unload quickly.

All my invasion forces are 100% prepped.

The only thing I'll say here is if its an AI game go for it. In a PBEM I doubt its a good idea this early on.

For each the 6k atolls, i have an invasion force of 1 US Army Infantry regiment, 1 Raider Bn, 1 armoured BN, and 1 combat engineer unit.

That force is a bit slim if the atoll is defended by 4-5k troops.

Anyway.

[btd64]

If you lose those early AP/AK's your kind of screwed for any action in 42....GP

[rockmedic109]

ORIGINAL: btd64

If you lose those early AP/AK's your kind of screwed for any action in 42....GP

I think losses to the APs would be the biggest risk. Allies swim in everything but AP and APA losses will do more to limit future operations than losses to land units.

[brian800000]

It has been a while; I'm not so new anymore!

Question about ship withdrawals...I'm coming up on my brit carriers withdrawing...I've noticed that their air groups don't have withdrawal dates...is it common to withdraw them without air groups and keep those in the game? Or is that considered gamey? (I assume that British command wouldn't have been amused by their Pacific command if their carriers moved to the Atlantic without their airgroups).

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: brian800000
Question about ship withdrawals...I'm coming up on my brit carriers withdrawing...I've noticed that their air groups don't have withdrawal dates...is it common to withdraw them without air groups and keep those in the game? Or is that considered gamey? (I assume that British command wouldn't have been amused by their Pacific command if their carriers moved to the Atlantic without their airgroups).

Certainly not gamey, but depends on how historical you want to feel I guess. I think it is perfectly fine and even highly advisable to leave Brit air groups on the map for some pilot training. No withdrawal date - no scenario obligations implied. YMMV
In general, the question is more about airframes and pilots than groups as units. So you would also consider whether to strip experienced pilots and modern airframes from the groups if leaving the latter on Brit CVs?
Also, I imagine most of Allied players try to upgrade withdrawing US air groups to obsolete airframes to keep modern ones on the theatre, not to mention getting all the pilots off. European command would not be amused

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: brian800000

It has been a while; I'm not so new anymore!

Question about ship withdrawals...I'm coming up on my brit carriers withdrawing...I've noticed that their air groups don't have withdrawal dates...is it common to withdraw them without air groups and keep those in the game? Or is that considered gamey? (I assume that British command wouldn't have been amused by their Pacific command if their carriers moved to the Atlantic without their airgroups).

I haven't seen anyone consider it gamey- you can keep the air groups. When the carrier returns later in the game it will not have air groups on but in the meantime you will have gotten use out of them and hopefully increased their experience levels.
Be aware that matching air units with air support on land is a juggling act during the first year of game time. Adding several additional air groups to the mix will complicate this, but eventually you can get them all where they need to be.

[Edward75]

Weather Map. On screen show weather for last turn or next turn?

[BBfanboy]

The big weather map shows trends for the next turn. Weather in an individual hex will vary and can vary within the same turn. All you know is that, on average, the hexes within each square of the trend map will tend to get more like that "prediction".

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: brian800000
No enemy carriers will be making an appearance, following a series of unfortunate carrier battles for the Japanese.

Well, if you've effectively wiped out the Japanese carrier force in May 1942, why stop with dinking and dunking / nickel and diming around some worthless Pacific Atoll? Go for the jugular. If you've eliminated the AI's ability to resist, anything but a boot-to-the-throat / headshot is just playing with your food.

Take Rota, Tinian, re-take Guam. Nothing at Marcus / Wake? Go take those. Knock out Iwo Jima in 1942. Historical realism is shot, so why not dial it up to 11 and cut off the entire SoPAC before 1942 ends.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Weather in an individual hex will vary and can vary within the same turn.

Isn't this true ONLY if you have Advanced Weather Effects toggled on?

Otherwise weather is the same in every hex in the zone all day long.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Weather in an individual hex will vary and can vary within the same turn.

Isn't this true ONLY if you have Advanced Weather Effects toggled on?

Otherwise weather is the same in every hex in the zone all day long.

I have tried the switch on and off and haven't noticed any real difference in weather variability. But maybe I have been looking too much for the good weather and not noticing the differences in the 70% bad weather on the board (overcasts, heavy cloud, rains and storms are bad for flying missions; clear, light cloud and partly cloudy are the only good ones to me).