Sinking Carriers is Bad?

[ILCK]

Trying as the IJN, make my move for GG right away. Send the carriers and the USN is, of course, there to respond. I blast their carriers right out of the water- mine also get ripped to shreds.

Thing is I now wish I hadn't since the entire CV AG's have now transferred into PM. I've actually made PM much harder to take. My AG's transferred off to Shortland (really) and Lae but of course I've got 5 and 6 size groups while the Americans put almost 70 carrier planes onto the ground at PM.

I didn't notice this that much in my first game but I'm almost rethinking rather it is worth it to sink those 2 CV's since I now have to sail into PM against their airgroups but without the ability to sink their platform.

[decaro]

As the Allies, as a rule I don't tangle w/the kido butai untill I have GC up and running in it's role as the ultimate, unsinkable carrier. It could also be argued that Midway Island was another unsinkable -- if ineffective -- platform, evening-out the # of CVs between Spruance and Nagumo.

As for PM as a platform, you can bomb/bombard its airbase, but if there are lots of engineers and supplys on hand, the airfield won't stay down for long. Further, Betty's aren't B-17s and IJN surface fleets operating west of PNG w/o CAP can be sunk w/tac bombers from several nearby Aussie bases.

[Ike99]

Trying as the IJN, make my move for GG right away. Send the carriers and the USN is, of course, there to respond. I blast their carriers right out of the water- mine also get ripped to shreds.

Thing is I now wish I hadn't since the entire CV AG's have now transferred into PM. I've actually made PM much harder to take. My AG's transferred off to Shortland (really) and Lae but of course I've got 5 and 6 size groups while the Americans put almost 70 carrier planes onto the ground at PM.

I didn't notice this that much in my first game but I'm almost rethinking rather it is worth it to sink those 2 CV's since I now have to sail into PM against their airgroups but without the ability to sink their platform.

Why use carriers at all? With the starting Japanese surface fleet you can capture Buna, Dobadura and Gili-Gili by turn 3 using fast transport and there isn´t a lot the Allies can do about it.

[ILCK]

I was trying land a substantial amount of supplies/men so I could get the airbase up and running. With the allied CV's cruising around off GG surface units wouldn't have done the job.

[DEB]

ORIGINAL: ILCK

while the Americans put almost 70 carrier planes onto the ground at PM.

I would think that the best way to deal with that, is to have your Carrier groups nearer to the Solomans than New Guinea. The idea being that the diverted USN aircraft run out of fuel & have to ditch at sea, if you can get the distance correct. Of course you then have to be aware that they may go to Henderson field if it is available. It should be possible as the IJN aircraft generally have a better range than the USN ones.

You can, if careful, also use that range advantage to attack the US carriers without them getting at you.

[ILCK]

ORIGINAL: DEB

I would think that the best way to deal with that, is to have your Carrier groups nearer to the Solomans than New Guinea. The idea being that the diverted USN aircraft run out of fuel & have to ditch at sea, if you can get the distance correct. Of course you then have to be aware that they may go to Henderson field if it is available. It should be possible as the IJN aircraft generally have a better range than the USN ones.

You can, if careful, also use that range advantage to attack the US carriers without them getting at you.

Can't seem to make that work since once that "TF # is reacting to enemy carriers in TF Y" message shows up they teleport across the great wide ocean. Frankly, I've never seen the IJN range edge in carrier battles show up for me or against me.

[DEB]

ORIGINAL: ILCK

Can't seem to make that work since once that "TF # is reacting to enemy carriers in TF Y" message shows up they teleport across the great wide ocean. Frankly, I've never seen the IJN range edge in carrier battles show up for me or against me.

The reaction aircraft carrier movement takes your TF to approx. 4 hexes of a sighted enemy TF ( per UV pdf ), so you would need to set the reaction status to "Do not React" to maintain max. range.
The destination hex needs to be within 6-7 hexes of the Solomans chain.

Re that IJN range edge. I'll admit it's not much (1-2 hexes), but it should be there sometimes if you can keep the IJN TF at max. range from the Allied TF.
It will never work though if the reaction status is set to react.
It works best when the Allies have the later 4F4 (for escorting), or send out TBD's.
It also fails badly if the Allies send out TBF's without escorts.