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Whats the strategic value of taking Wake and Midway, beyond the historical perspective, as Japan? The bases are somewhat close to Japan, but their facilities are not very large, and unless one is planning an audacious attack on the HI and Pearl, their uses seem very limited. The only thing I can think of is the possible use as sub bases, but subs can always sneak by them to get to Japan from PH.

So whats the thinking on this, are they usually a target in PBEM games?

Denying those base to the allies is a good reason.
You don't want the us basing subs or worse in wake in 1942. From Wake the US fleet can get to the heart of the Japanese territory and threaten the shipping lanes. You don't wan't that to happen. Midway further covers Wake and is a good place from where to threaten Pearl Harbour.

Also, the Coronado flying boats have a very good range. You don't want those planes peaking that far into your territory. They could spot convoys fotr allied subs.

You seem to have a passing knowledge of history but have not grasped the strategy of why the Japs wanted these bases. Needless to say reasons enough have been put forth as to why having them is a good idea.
You could get into a PBEM game with some of the better players here with you as the Allied player and things would become very clear in a hurry.

Madgamer

The Japs took Wake to delay the US march across the Pacific towards the Philippines (as per the Rainbow plan). Whether or not there was a serious intention to land troops on Midway is debatable; the main IJN objective was to force the US carriers to give battle.

IMO Japan HAS to take Wake as a buffer zone.  You don't want to start the defense of the central pacific in the Marianas.  Not sure how historically accurate it is but once you get the airfields up to level 4 Bettys can keep the allies at arms length for a while.

Midway is a nice to have as it really threatens PH.  From there Japan can easily launch quick raids on THE most significant naval base in the Pacific. 

To give a direct answer to the second part of the question, yes they are usually a target in a PBEM game.

What you are saying sounds like what has been said. If the Allies kept Wake it could be built up and give the American Navy the ability to strike Jap ports and fleets a lot closer. Keeping it from the Allies was more important than having the Japs build it up as a forward base.
What actually happened is it was bypassed by the Allied forces and used as a bombing milk run for new bomber crews. Keeping Wake in Allied hands in the game is as important as Keeping the Marcus Is. in the Jap camp.
Perhaps what the poster of this thread is saying is that there should be an option to use the carrier forces and perhaps LCU's as well in a in a player optional setup rather than having to bomb Pearl harbor. Striking Pearl only works if you use the optional Allied setup where there is a chance of the CV's being in the port and letting the Jap player bomb the fuel dumbs at Pearl which if done historically as the Jap air commander wanted to do with a third strike would have put areal blow on the American Pacific fleet.

Madgamer

XXzard: Midway and Wake in Japs hands really hurt allied submarine campaign.

ORIGINAL: madgamer

What you are saying sounds like what has been said. If the Allies kept Wake it could be built up and give the American Navy the ability to strike Jap ports and fleets a lot closer. Keeping it from the Allies was more important than having the Japs build it up as a forward base.
What actually happened is it was bypassed by the Allied forces and used as a bombing milk run for new bomber crews. Keeping Wake in Allied hands in the game is as important as Keeping the Marcus Is. in the Jap camp.
Perhaps what the poster of this thread is saying is that there should be an option to use the carrier forces and perhaps LCU's as well in a in a player optional setup rather than having to bomb Pearl harbor. Striking Pearl only works if you use the optional Allied setup where there is a chance of the CV's being in the port and letting the Jap player bomb the fuel dumbs at Pearl which if done historically as the Jap air commander wanted to do with a third strike would have put areal blow on the American Pacific fleet.

Madgamer

Wake was bypassed, but how much sooner might the US have attacked the Marianas had they held Wake?

Also, not sure what you're referring to about a player optional setup; this is supported in the game to a large extent, in stock anyway. With the first turn movement rules there are more than enough troops to assail both Wake and Midway on turn 1...or 2. THe KB can easily be redirected to attack there, or screen for CVs.

TO requite that US CVs be in port at PH, really would be a bit of revisionist history, though I see nothing wrong with allowing the player that option.

The reason I ask about PBEM games is that I'm looking at my player vs AI games and considering the cost for these island bases that have no resources, no really large ports or airfields, and cannot lead to anything as productive as the invasion of a larger base, especially on a shipping lane.

If its the start of the war, and I am assigning task forces and invasion forces, I ask myself, why attack a base with coastal defenses and planes that is not important in the early days when I could use the wake force for taking another south pacific base that is less defended, and more useful intercepting traffic from the US to Australia. Yes this is shortsighted, but against the AI it works well. Against a human player it could ensure an early victory on a pacific island elsewhere that would later be reinforced and completely impregnable. I see a diversion of the force as a very attractive option, and especially against the AI there is little need to take it quickly. (unless the effect on US subs is particularly dramatic.)

As far as Midway goes, I can't see that, unless as I stipulated one intends to attack PH (a virtual fortress, not advisable) Historically, yes, the Midway stike was intended to draw out the US carriers, but they still planned to land and take the base, yet in the game... why try?

IMHO,
 
The japanese must take Wake, it opens the way into the central pacific for the USN and as well as Coronado's, B24's can hit Marcus, Kwajalein, Eniwetok & Ponape.
 
Midway is more of an optional, but with Betty flying out of a Lvl4 airbase it can cause a lot of trouble to the USN for some time. They could cover Johnston Is, the approaches to PH and Emily & Mavis could spot the USN coming from afar.
 
The japanese investment doesnt have to be big, once the Islands are captured the majority of attackers could be used elsewhere.

I'm only a newbie at this game (less than a year), so take this for what it's worth.
But in my current Allied game vs AI Japan, I managed to keep Wake Island.  And it's a real PITA for the AI, as my carrier force can refuel/resupply there and run towards Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Saipan or Iwo Jima every few turns, hit shipping for a while, and come back quickly.  With a few AS/AD/AR, it's a great forward staging base, it doesn't matter that port and AF are not 9/9, so long as you have enough fighters, patrols and medium bombers to defend.  Hell, it's hardly March '41, and I'm already planning to invade Marcus Island at the end of the month or early April !
 
The only thing that would prevent that in PBEM, are the KB (who lost Hiryu & Akagi, as well as a severly damaged Soryu, against a heavily reinforced Manilla air force in my game), which would be tied in that area instead of roaming the DEI/IO/SoPac, or several daitai of Betties (who are overpowered anyway) in different bases.  By taking Wake, it allows to protect SLOC much more easily, if only because the US CV and subs have to start their run farther away, and consequently have to sail further before hitting essential shipping lanes (thus, giving more time to detect and sink them).
If Wake is not taken immediately, there'll be a US division with 9 forts there before the end of December, and more support & CD units, and LBA, and heaps of supply.  So, if it's not taken at start, it's IMHO impregnable.

As the Japanese player I'd ask why take Port Moresby?

It is close enough to be under constant air attack from Australia. The Allies can more easily invade PM from Australia than Japan can reinforce it. And, it will be difficult for the Japanese to build up a force there to invade Australia.

My reason for taking PM is simple, it makes the allies have to take it back or keep forces there pounding it, rather than as a staging base for allied bombers to make the entire area around it uninhabitable for Japanese shipping[X(] very early on in the game.

Ditto Miller41.  One of the keys for the Japanese in 1942 is that the only decent Allied fighters have a range of 5 or less so you want to advance out until you have that six hex barrier so the Allies can only come at you unescorted until the P-38's start showing up in late 1942 or they have to commit carriers.  With PM, the Allies have a spring board to counter-attack in that whole sector. 
 
WRT to Wake & Midway, there is also a late game air-bridge for your aircraft into the Western Pacific there.  Midway-Wake-Marcus-Bonins/Iwo-Okinawa.  If you'e playing AI and ahead of schedule, you can start bombing Tokyo with B-17/B-24 from Iwo without needing to wait for B-29s from the Marianas. 

Engineer is right, when you set up your defensive perimeter as Japan, you have to set it up so that there are "Moats" everywhere.

What is a "Moat?" A moat is at least 5 hexes separating your base from the nearest Allied base. 5 hexes is the longest-ranged fighter before the P-38; so, that means until late '42, he can only a) bomb it with unescorted bombers, and b) can only put CAP over the hex from CVs.

Basically, he can't attrite you in an air war over a "Moat", and unless he has CV superiority, can't attempt an invasion. Because he can't escort bombers, you can keep the airbse open, and stack it with enough Bettys to threaten his CV's, even if you somehow lost all your CV's, or they are elsewhere. That is why you need PM: It's a Moat. Otherwise, he can crawl up NG, or at least attrite your airpower, either of which is not good.

So, the moral of the story is: Moats are very tough to scale for the Allies unit the P-38 makes its appearance. This makes PM and by extension NG safe for the empire through most of 1942. This is also why you would occupy Lunga for example, when it doesn't have inherent value. It's important because it's at the edge of a Moat.

About the only place you can't set up Moats is SE Asia.

If its the start of the war, and I am assigning task forces and invasion forces, I ask myself, why attack a base with coastal defenses and planes that is not important in the early days when I could use the wake force for taking another south pacific base that is less defended, and more useful intercepting traffic from the US to Australia.

 
If my opponent in a PBEM game does not take Wake directly, he can count on it that I will reinforce it with at least a division and will treaten Marcus immediately. Perhaps even try to take the Marianas (usually undefended in the early war) and reinforce the Philippins while Japan uses KB to raid islands in the far pacific. WAKE IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!! 

It's easier for the Japanese to take Gili Gili and isolate Port Moresby than it is to take the latter base.  If Gili Gili is built up so Bettys can fly from the base, no supply convoy east of Australia is safe, and any trying to reach Port Moresby would need a very strong escort to get there at all.  Gili Gili can be reinforced and resupplied easily from Rabaul and also serve as a refueling base for light surface forces that can be used to raid the northern Australian ports.
 
If Gili Gili is taken very early in the Japanese expansion surge, they've got a good chance of cutting Port Moresby off early enough to neutralize the base.

John Landsford: Its also my opinion. Gili Gili is the real key to New Gunea.