Philippines

[bobogoboom]

Has anyone ever tried to concentrate the units that are dispersed at those small islands to either manilla or caygan? does this work or does it just burn up to many political points and get to many of your transports sunk?

[Terminus]

Not worth it in PP's, troops or ships.

[ctangus]

Can't say I've tried. Though I have had success doing similar things in the DEI (Palembang, Balikpapan, Kendari, Amboina, etc.)

Supply is usually the limiting factor on Luzon, and you start the game with plenty of troops there, so I don't think it would be worthwhile to send any troops to Manila. Certainly try to get in some supply.

It might be worthwhile to concentrate troops at Cagayan or somewhere else in the Phillipines (Jolo or Iloilo also come to mind). Anything you can do to slow the initial Japanese onslaught and disrupt his invasion timetable is worthwhile IMO.

[6971grunt]

I would suggest that you not do any such thing. The Jap will take the islands in due time. I suggest that you concentrate your forces in Luzon in the Manila-Clark Field-Bataan triangle and dig in. I suspect that a good Jap player will cut-off any effort to reinforce the main island and you will only lose valuable shipping in the process.

The Phillippines will always suffer a "slow death", but making the Jap player "pay" for the honor of taking Luzon is your goal. However, transferring forces to the "death trap" will do you no good - IMHO. Trying to transport them out to Aussie-land may be a better option (for the Southwest HQ area).

[USSAmerica]

I'm pretty firmly in the "evacuate fragments" camp myself. 

[spence]

Though previously an "evacuate fragments" practitioner I am somewhat less certain IF ONE IS PLAYING CHS. I've gotten into two games so far: one on each side and in both Cagayan has proven to be a definite annoyance to the Japanese Player. And in both cases that is without any reinforcement from outside Mindanao.

Ultimately it will fall...it is simply too hard to supply to last...but in both games it has occupied the attentions of 2 Japanese Inf Divs for far more time than the Japanese Player (myself in one case) finds convenient. I originally had other plans for both divisions (so they're prepping for other places in a Phase II offensive) but my plan to grab the place "on the fly" has come to grief. My opponent in CHS apparently thought to do the same thing and ended up bogged down for some time and forced to reinforce the assault force several times plus commit BBs and lots of bombers to reduce the place.

My comments are germaine only to CHS as far as I can tell. If my memory serves correctly, in stock the place is pretty much a pushover for just a brigade or so. But since it has proved to be a much tougher nut to crack in two instances without any Allied effort to make it so I now wonder if some kind of gamut could be devised to really screw up the Japanese. Supply....supply....supply....hmmm.

[bobogoboom]

Glad i could slow you down some. [:)]I'm very glad i moved that unit from the south of the island otherwise i think cagayan would of fallen a long time ago.

[Thilo]

My experience shows it at least helps to have some extra troops in cagayan, and a small contingent down in darwin. transportation is best by subs, you have several of them and their torpedos are mostly crap in the beginning.
Even sending some supplies back from darwin to make for a prolonged resistance on luzon and mindanao is worth the effort in my opinion.

[KPAX]

As a new Japanese PBEM player, my opponent made a very smart move that will cost me. 
 
He consolidated ALL the Philly (home island) troops to Bataan, leaving Manila and Clark open.  Seemed silly, but Bataan is very tough and those damn CD guns keep you from moving anything in or out of Maniia.  The TF tracking in or out of Manila forces you to run into the Bataan CD guns. 
 
He also has the add advantage of consolidating all of his ENG to build forts in a single location.
 
I will take it, but the flak concentrated in Bataan, makes flying bombing missions tough as well.

[niceguy2005]

I don't think it is worth the points to move them to Luzon. Moving them to Cagayan is better, but honestly those units are horrible...exp 35...bad leaders. Better to use the points to move around DEI garrison units.

Also, I am of the camp that's its a tad gamey to use PI troops outside the PI. This referes to Philipine national troops, not the US forces located there.

[Q-Ball]

I always thought the best move was to collapse everyone on Clark. You have some forts there, and after all, that's the most important hex. After that, I would go Manila, as it's a city hex. Maybe I am missing something on Bataan.


But definitely, I think the best allied strategy is to collapse everybody on one spot as quickly as possible.

[niceguy2005]

I think with manilla and bataan its a toss up. Urban hex, but with less forts than bataan vs wooded hex, with more forts.

[bradfordkay]

Manila has a huge advantage in not being a Malaria zone hex (at least in CHS).

[zhengxuacmilan]

yes, it seems smart. But from a defense view, Manila, which is a city, gives more effectvie fort than Bataan, I think, and there has almost enough supplies and corps.