Effective defense

[hawker]

Tip for Japanese player,play with PDU and convert all Bettys/Nells to Sonias. They are better ship killers[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[hawker]

I believe Repulse was also scuttled..apparently the chappies on PoW were laughing so hard it transmitted to the radio onboard Repulse. In thrun they laughed so hard the damage control crews opened the valves by mistake....

"With a little help from Japanese friends"[:D][:D][:D][:D]

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: Nikademus

thats part of the fun play Allies...you can afford to lose things. I always have fun using Force Z. A captain can never be in the wrong if he is placing his ship alongside that of an enemy one.

[:D]

I agree. The Force Z is important for slowing the Japs down a lot. Just the threat of it forces him to be careful with his tranports. I consider the loss of POW and Rupulse acceptable if they have done a good job of harrying the Japs.

[hawker]

I agree. The Force Z is important for slowing the Japs down a lot. Just the threat of it forces him to be careful with his tranports. I consider the loss of POW and Rupulse acceptable if they have done a good job of harrying the Japs.

If KB strike Singapore "force Z" is gone[;)]
If Nells strike Singapore harbor "force Z" is gone
In my game against GH i do neither and still i manage to criple "force Z" at sea with nells.
I do not afraid of "force Z" because aircrafts are deadly and time of big ships is passed.

[AirGriff]

Isn't the best use of POW as a CV escort?

[niceguy2005]

There's almost never a single use for anything. The best use of something is whatever slows/hurts the enemy. Besides, since I would consider sending POW over to the US early in the war for AA duty with carriers, while India is under heavy threat of attack very gamey and since UK carriers aren't a lot of use in the early months, I would argue that the best use is as a surface raider or for shore bombardment. However, this is highly situational, which was my original point.

[AirGriff]

Hmmm. I've been reading a book that says Churchill wanted to send his fleet, or at least part of it, over to join up with the Americans. I can see where some might consider it gamey, but then some of the stuff I've been reading suggests it was at least thought about historically.

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: AirGriff

Hmmm. I've been reading a book that says Churchill wanted to send his fleet, or at least part of it, over to join up with the Americans. I can see where some might consider it gamey, but then some of the stuff I've been reading suggests it was at least thought about historically.

That's very interesting. That Churchill was a real free thinker.

I suppose that you are right, in that we need to be open to possible alternate decisions in history. I think I would accept the UK sending a fleet to help the US on specific operations more than I would accept piecemeal ships being sent because the game makes them particularly good in one area. Did the book say what the conditions of the "reverse lend-lease" program was?

[ny59giants]

To help with the Defense of India/Burma, what do you do with the Chinese divisions assigned to SEAC?? Specifical on turn one.
Send them to Mandalay or Ledo or remain where they are??

[Feinder]

It takes forever for them to march into Burma. Between supply issues and the fact that they may never make it before Burma falls, I just send them to Chengtu, and airtran them (carefully).
But they don't have any heavy equipment, so you can haul the whole divison into Ledo using AirTran.

-F-

[AirGriff]

Reverse lend-lease, I like that Niceguy. Yeah, I know, I was a little surprised to read it, too. I should admit, though, that was Churchill's thoughts before the shooting started. He, like alot of experts at the time, knew the Japanese were likely to win any contest against divided allies. His thought was, once war broke out, his ships would link up with the Americans and they would form a great, united fleet that would majestically do the Jutland thing to the Japanese. To be sure, he was pushing hard right before the war for the US to send alot of it's fleet to serve with the British. If I'm remembering the book properly, his thought right after Dec. 7 was to send his ships to augment the American fleet since he knew very well the Americans would be very touchy about sending the fleet too far from Hawaii and the West coast. If memory continues to serve, I believe it was indeed the POW he wanted sent. Anyway, fate and circumstances got in the way big time.

[Kadrin]

AirGriff, alot of what I have read also states the British, Churchill mainly, wanted to send ships to operate with the Americans. But it was noted the US Navy refused and continued to refuse until sometime in early '45, when they allowed British carrier task forces to operate with them off Japan's last line of island defenses (Iwo Jima, Okinawa, etc.).

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: Kadrin

AirGriff, alot of what I have read also states the British, Churchill mainly, wanted to send ships to operate with the Americans. But it was noted the US Navy refused and continued to refuse until sometime in early '45, when they allowed British carrier task forces to operate with them off Japan's last line of island defenses (Iwo Jima, Okinawa, etc.).

Was it pride that had the US refusing the help or perhaps just the thought of having to share command decisions?

I think there are a lot of "political" issues in using one nations forces on anothers territory and I try to respect historical trends in that area. That being said, I don't think that one has to be exactly historical in the game. Doomsday scenarios by Japan I think would have forced the allies to react differently and since I find most PBEM players to be far more ambitious than Japan was historically some adjustments do seem to be in order.

[Nikademus]

Actually Admiral King did request UK assistance in late 42 after the loss of Hornet left only one rather battered CV left in the Pacific. (assistance in the form of a CV) The UK was initially resistant, earning them King's eternal scorn.

By 45, there was little need for 'assistance' and IMO, the USN upper lev'lers were jelous of sharing any credit for Japan's total defeat with anyone else (much less the UK...anglophobia was still present in some officers after all)

Pride can make men and nations do funny things.

[anarchyintheuk]

To be fair, from what I've read King didn't like the British prior to the carrier request incident either.

[Nikademus]

oh yes....King was a confirmed Anglophobe...despite the white washing job Clay Blair Jr. tried to do on him.

Then again....looking at Speedy, how can you blame him? lousy Brit.....won't send me my turn!

[niceguy2005]

Honestly, I can't blame the UK for not sending a carrier. As hard pressed as the allies were around the globe it would seem unlikely that there were really any to spare, with the very real possibility of it being sunk. Add to this the logistical problems of spare parts for both the carrier and the planes it doesn't really seem feasible. I wonder if the US was thinking of flying its own planes from the carrier.

[Nikademus]

The reasons listed were valid but the way King saw it....they'd helped out by sending Wasp to the Med, now it was time to return the favor, not offer excuses. Given his already acidic viewpoint towards Britian....it was probably the equivilent of a dress glove slapping the face after a brick had been inserted. One has to remember too that given King's pride and his phobia, just the act of "asking" for assistance must have been tough. To be told no after swallowing the pride.......[X(]

Never read any 'serious' indication of swapping planes and crews, but the issue of 'carrier integration' was brought up as one of the reasons for the delay. US and UK carrier ops doctrine were very different. This issue of course had been brought up before in general wargame threads....the issue of heterogenous TF's with units from different nations operating together. (nice bad case - ABDA) While UK/US ops benefited immensely from a common language, a work up period was still required. hell, King used the same excuse not to allow USN ASW forces to integrate with UK ASW forces (or be put under a central command with a Brit at the top)

[niceguy2005]

Thanks Nik your a wealth of information - some of it even usefull. [;)]

[Nikademus]

the THREAD hasn't sucked out all of my brain cells as of yet.......almost.....give it another 60 pages worth filled with pictures of penquins and stupid cats. [:D]