How do you defend Burma?

[grisouille_slith]

I'm playing the allies against an AI Japanese in scenario 15. By mid january, Japan conquered Singapour and all Malaysia, and pushed back my troops near the India-Burma border. I can't resiste, the Japanese LCU seems invicible...

What is the best defence strategy for allied troops in Malaysia and Burma?

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: grisouille

I'm playing the allies against an AI Japanese in scenario 15. By mid january, Japan conquered Singapour and all Malaysia, and pushed back my troops near the India-Burma border. I can't resiste, the Japanese LCU seems invicible...

What is the best defence strategy for allied troops in Malaysia and Burma?

Depends if you are playing stock or a mod... i am guessing stock?? [&:]

[Onime No Kyo]

The good news is, the AI wont invade India.
[:)]

[rtrapasso]

i've had good results in a controlled pullback in Malaysia - Change out Gen. Percival - evac most HQ staff from Singapore (esp. Air HQ), get most of your engineers into Singapore and build forts... meantime, have your infantry units defend your bases in the north... when the forts start to fall, withdraw... if you are forced into a withdrawal (i.e. forced to retreat) - that's when you take inordinate losses (and lose your supplies).

Eventually withdraw into fortress Singapore and make a stand there... evac as many av support and other noncombatants as possible... if you can, get oil and supplies into the hex before the Japanese enter...

If you are determined, you can also reinforce Singapore and stand an excellent chance against holding it against the AI.

As long as Singapore holds, you can prevent invasion of Burma... meanwhile you are building up strength.

EDIT: Actually defense of MALAYSIA (corrected) is relatively similar in most mods and stock... it's Burma defense that is different, but if you can stop the Japanese in Malaysia, Burma is pretty safe.

[grisouille_slith]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: grisouille

I'm playing the allies against an AI Japanese in scenario 15. By mid january, Japan conquered Singapour and all Malaysia, and pushed back my troops near the India-Burma border. I can't resiste, the Japanese LCU seems invicible...

What is the best defence strategy for allied troops in Malaysia and Burma?

Depends if you are playing stock or a mod... i am guessing stock?? [&:]

I'm playing with the official version (not mod)

[Gen.Hoepner]

I'm pretty sure that even in stock (despite i haven't been playing stock for ages now) you can think about holding Mandalay if you manage to get the SEAC attached chinese divisions to Burma in time. Eventually you can use the RAF Dakotas to fly in supplies and men from India.
 

[Q-Ball]

I've only played Japan, but that worked against me. You need Chinese to defend Mandalay. It helped that I had large commitments elsewhere, particularly Australia, and that delayed a major push. An opponent who focuses the IJA on Burma after Singapore will probably push you back before the Chinese can get there.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

I've only played Japan, but that worked against me. You need Chinese to defend Mandalay. It helped that I had large commitments elsewhere, particularly Australia, and that delayed a major push. An opponent who focuses the IJA on Burma after Singapore will probably push you back before the Chinese can get there.

Perhaps - but i've been (at least sometimes) able to delay the fall of Singapore until the Chinese are in position...

A good defense of Singers can greatly delay any Burma attack to the point where you can get significant reinforcements into position... esp. against the AI.

If the AI-Japan is able to push into Burma in standard WITP, don't seriously try to defend Rangoon - you'll get your troops trapped. Using Andrew Brown's map (often used in various mods) is a different story.

[Q-Ball]

Good points, I was thinking PBEM, against the AI Singers can be held. (And Burma, no problem at all).

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Good points, I was thinking PBEM, against the AI Singers can be held. (And Burma, no problem at all).

I have a game going against the AI (difficulty hard). Exactly what was said above needs to happen. Singapore must stand until at least February and the SE Asia Chinese Divisions must move to Mandalay to support. Don't try to defend Rangoon.

I now have the AI stopped cold at Mandalay and it's wearing its LCU's down trying to take it. This leaves most of the Indian army free to deploy to the DEI.

[niceguy2005]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

The good news is, the AI wont invade India.
[:)]

I'm not sure about this. When I first joined this forum there were still quite a number of AI games going on. I used to see posts like "The AI just invaded Ceylon", or, "The AI just took Palyrma." I think if players get their units too far out of position the AI just MIGHT do something bold.

[gladiatt]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

The good news is, the AI wont invade India.
[:)]

Good news, i was wondering about the same question !! (and playing against AI)

[Dino]

Defense of Rangoon is doable, but not in Rangoon itself...it should be defended along Moulmain(sp) - Rahaeng line with Rangoon as a supporting base.

If the line breaks, a retreat towards Mandalay is in order.

[spence]

Put some troops into the Andaman Islands (Port Blair in CHS) and build the base up. It starts as a lvl 1 field but with a lvl 2 there you can use Swordfish to make Rangoon unuseable as a port. Once to lvl 4, you can smash Rangoon completely and make it completely unuseable for supporting a Japanese advance in Burma.

I'll confess I've never done this in a Stock AI game but I did do it in a PBEM CHS game and the result was most gratifying. My opp took Rangoon but then had a hard time moving forward. There then developed a 2 month long battle over Port Blair which consumed lots of IJA and IJN aircraft, lots of ships including HIJMS Junyo and considerable manpower. My garrison consisted of assorted BFs, some AA regiments and battalion size combat groups of the 18th British Inf Div and 6th Aust Divs, supported by rotating (in for 2-3 turns then out) fighter and bomber units and appearances by the RN. (The Hurricane in Stock has a shorter range though: perhaps its too short to fly in from Akyab).