WW2 Grand Strategy Question SEA BASING - Pacific At War PO Version

[larryfulkerson]

I moved a couple of Phil. Infantry Divisions from Mandanao and I tried to move one from Legaspi ( the southern tip of the Manila island ) but it was sunk in three strikes from the 1st Air Bde, of the 44th Air Regmt Bmb group of the Jap air forces. I did a save game and advanced to the next turn so I could get a look at the Jap unit in question and I noticed that the Japs got rid of the Claude's and Zero's from the squadron somehow but kept the Sonia's and Lily's and the Betty and the replacement squadron. And ditched the rep. squadron NVL somehow. I'd like to find out how you can change aircraft types like that. Maybe with events?

Anyway there's still open port(s) at Port Moresby that I need to fill this turn. Also, I'd like a PBY and maybe a light bomber to be stationed there as well. I'll look into it.

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[larryfulkerson]

This is the Chinese situation near Naning right now. My front lines are working so far but they won't hold for long. I'm hoping my partisan unit can cut the road to Hon Gay which will cut off supplies to the Jap units further north. Maybe I can overrun an airfield as well.

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[larryfulkerson]

I decided to attack Guadalcanal and I'll at least get an ideal what I'm facing there. This is my second attack. In the first attack I managed to move the Jap engineer unit out of the port hex and get my units ashore. Now I'm hoping to gain Henderson Field.

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[larryfulkerson]

Here's the intel I got from my probes.

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[dtashji]

Larry, I noticed that you were one of the original play testers for this scenario so keen to see the sea basing strategy play out in a showdown with the Kido Butai.

I conducted some additional research in the archives of the war department in order to determine the feasibility of the proposed sea basing concept during 1943-44. Presuming that the US Navy has a properly functioning torpedoes' (modeled in this scenario?) and senate appropriations for auxiliary ships and in particular submarine tenders resulted in the proper force structure to conduct "from the sea" force projection with expeditionary forces, then it is possible to use this alternate Indo-Pacific War Plan to defeat the Japanese war plan.

Summary of US Navy Auxiliary Ships and Submarine Tender Appropriations:
Construction of World War II submarine tenders for the Pacific was not authorized by a single memo, but through a series of legislative acts, planning directives, and specific Navy bureau orders. Key authorizing documents are found within the records of the National Archives and naval history organizations, and reflect the U.S. Navy's broader pre-war expansion.

Legislation authorizing naval expansion: The construction of submarine tenders, like other naval vessels, was primarily enabled by large-scale congressional legislation. The Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940 (Vinson-Walsh Act): Enacted on July 19, 1940, this landmark legislation was the most significant authorization for U.S. naval procurement up to that time. It provided billions of dollars to increase the size of the Navy by 70%, authorizing dozens of submarines and hundreds of other combat and auxiliary ships. The conversion of auxiliary ships was also included.

Appropriations acts: Alongside the major naval acts, multiple supplemental appropriations bills were passed in the years leading up to the war to fund construction projects, including new building facilities and expansion of existing navy yards.

Naval planning directives: The details of construction were guided by the Navy's strategic planning, with documents from this period now held by the National Archives.

The Victory Program: In 1941, the Chief of Naval Operations directed the creation of the Navy's portion of the Joint Board Estimate of United States Over-All Production Requirements. Known as the "Victory Sea Plan," this directive laid out naval ship requirements, including the need for a larger auxiliary fleet to support forward operations.

Advanced base concepts: Planning documents from the Bureau of Yards and Docks in the early 1940s confirmed that tenders would be a central part of the Navy's advanced base strategy. This plan recognized that mobile repair and supply ships offered greater flexibility than fixed bases, a critical consideration for the vast distances of the Pacific theater.

Specific tender design and orders: The implementation of these directives fell to specialized Navy bureaus, which issued the design and construction orders.

Bureau of Construction and Repair: This bureau, which merged into the Bureau of Ships in 1940, was responsible for designing submarine tenders. The Fulton-class tenders, including the USS Sperry (AS-12), were designed in the late 1930s to service complex submarines. The construction of these ships began before Pearl Harbor, as part of the overall naval expansion.

Shipyard contracts: Following these directives, contracts were awarded to shipyards. For example, the keel for the Sperry was laid at the Mare Island Navy Yard in February 1941, following the pre-war authorizations for new construction.