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Tennessee suffers from low night experience and a mediocre Captain...somehow I didn't change him out. Most slow battleships have night experience mid 50s. Heck, they sat in a task force at Alameda in shakedown cruises the whole game to this point.

Neosho had only 4499 fuel left when she was torpedoed....

Very useful...I really like the replenishment task force. Need to test out their ability to restock carriers from land bases too. I wonder if that is automatic too, or I need to manually add the planes?

VF-6 at CV Lexington takes VR replacements

This happens at the end of the day.

Tabby invasion tomorrow...we are outnumbered. 2 Marine Regiments (one understrength due to an Iboat attack) and 1 Army Regiment plus a Marine Tank Battalion....relying upon the heavy naval bombardments to carry the day.

This is very interesting, Lowpe. By the way, those maps are beautiful!

VRF and VRB/VRT? squadrons will replenish from land bases if the carriers are within their transfer range. No supply is required because the aircraft already exist.

Very interesting move in Sept of 1942....I am not 100% sure what the naval losses are to-date, but if I am Japan I would be working on taking it back. He is probably already prepping a Division and some tanks for that purpose.

Are you going to try to hold it, or just leave a garrison that will be written off? It will occupy Imperial attention for a couple months and cause diversion of effort, so if that's your end-objective, mission accomplished I would say!

If your objective is to hold it, that could be really risky. You already know this, but it's a LOOONG way from any Allied base, so keeping a fleet nearby is going to be nearly impossible, and will be very exposed.

Right away as the Empire I would be showing up with the fleet, trying to sink any transports picking-up or dropping off, and blast the atoll with BBs. If you plan to support Catalinas with JUST an AVD, then I don't think that AVD is going to last long, you need a base unit.

Empire should also set-up a line of pickets to the east, floatplane subs or maybe some AKLs or something.

Anyway, he can't let you keep it, so I think you're going to lose it. As long as you're OK with that, I think mission will be accomplished.

Once Marcus gets repaired and some supply landed, Japan will have to divert shipping around it, slowing its support to SOPAC and NG areas.

Anything in '42 that forces Japan to react is good

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Are you going to try to hold it, or just leave a garrison that will be written off?

I am very flexible going forward.

I am definitely going to try and hold it.[;)] There is a unit of 24 or more 155mm CD guns headed there, past Midway...if they can make it, it will become painful to suppress. More support units are headed there:

Many months ago, I came up with a stock Atoll defense for Allies:

Marine CD unit
Regiment
Art
AA
Armor
USN Port Unit
USNConstruction
Mines

Of those, I have fully prepped but not at Marcus: CD unit, Artillery (big guys 155s), Port Unit, AA.

Already there is a regiment (fraction of the 3rd Marines for now), Armor, and unloading a construction unit.

I will change this a bit, and say that the Port Unit isn't the best choice since naval support doesn't help in this case. So more construction engineers, and a fragment of a HQa (or a Marine Air Wing which is small) to provide air support.

I don't want the base to fall easily, I want to rotate more and more subs in...especially making the transit to and from the Marinas and Jimas difficult, plus friction on any bombarding forces away from land based ASW search.1

It is 19 hexes to Midway...so I can run in a fair bit of supply with subs and move some air mobile troops.

If I hold it or not, it should be more than worth it....for a lot of the reasons you point out.[:)]

I have been in this position as Japan, but in the Kuriles with an Allied invasion fall of 1942. But here Marcus has no supporting bases, and crushing it will expose Japanese ships to frictional losses in an environment friendly to the USN...if I play my cards correctly.[;)]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I have been in this position as Japan, but in the Kuriles with an Allied invasion fall of 1942. But here Marcus has no supporting bases, and crushing it will expose Japanese ships to frictional losses in an environment friendly to the USN...if I play my cards correctly.[;)]

I do think it's different than the Kuriles....that is even more exposed and risky for the Allies, since it's so damn close to Japan.

Did you kick the Allies out of the Kuriles? Hope you did.......

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball


Did you kick the Allies out of the Kuriles? Hope you did.......

I did, but Americans can suffer lots of losses and recover easily. I do remember sinking the Yorktown? I also remember losing a slow battleship as it dithered on a bombardment run and was hit by torpedo bombers.

Biggest take away from it was it ruins Japanese plans and causes them to react...as I was in no way prepared for it. It was a pickup game where the previous Japan bailed after losing 4 division on Java in early 42.

Night of the 22nd, September, 1942

Much is a foot in the Gilberts...our float planes are busy spotting Iboats at night...a good thing!

Meanwhile, heavy bombers raid Nanning's light industry... 12 hits. I believe at some point the hits are already on damaged light industry.

Two ACMs are sunk at Marcus Island by destroyers, but the heavy action is in the Gilberts...for now we have avoided the Iboats, and Tabby is being pounded:

Losses are heavy...

Amazing....I thought for sure the KB would show up and launch a 600 plane strike....but instead Tabiteuea falls, although there is still some clean up needed as only one unit is destroyed outright.

No food, disease takes its toll on the Japanese defenders....wiped out to a man!

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Losses are heavy...

Only four devices were lost. The rest will recover, most of them by the next turn. Wet soldiers just need a new rifle and ammo!