How to adequately defend the Marshall and Gilbert Islands in 1942

[fcam1387]

As Japan I've noticed that these island chains are sparsely (if at all) defended in the early months of the war. Given that you are preoccupied with Burma, the SRA and Port Moreseby, it seems that these islands present low hanging fruit for an Allied player.

It would take take a minimal amount of troops to capture a high value airbase, nor would it necessitate a huge effort to build a base up and turn it into a stronghold. This would potentially be a boon for the Allies in the early war and loom as a very large thorn to the best laid Japanese plans.

Apart from a bunch of naval guard units, these islands don't receive many large reinforcements. I am wondering what steps other players take (if any) in the first 6 months of the war to boost their defences in the area? Would I need to divert several brigades that otherwise exist for the SRA, Philippines or Burma campaigns to boost my forces in the region?

[Fishbed]

Well, that's other what the KB is here for: keep the allied player honest in the area.

But well honestly the Allied players has bigger bones to go after too in the opening stages. Just beef the place up and build fortifications if you're worried, but the new atoll troop limitation system makes any possible early Allied assault tough to build up and execute, especially if the USN CV air is not yet up to the task.

[CEDeaton]

Agreed. With the KB at a Truk homebase it can work in the Coral Sea area and still respond reasonably quickly to any allied attemps on the Gilberts and Marshalls. Add some Bettys and Nells in the Kwajalien area and it's pretty untenable for the allies.

Even if the allies could sneak in the backdoor while the KB was away from the area, as soon as it returns, the offending island would quickly find itself out of supply and out of options unless they are willing to risk their three early carriers to protect it.

[John 3rd]

Only a CRAZY American player would try to attack in the first 4-6 months of the war.  The KB and Miss Betty should prevent that from happening too early.
 

[Sardaukar]

Though unescorted Miss Betty is extremely vulnerable to fighters. So smart IJN player might want to provide escort..or just use KB. US CVTFs could cope with unescorted Betty attacks just fine even in early 42. . 

[Zebedee]

Won't the KB be close by as the Japanese player will be hitting Noumea at round about that time? [;)]

[tigercub]

The japs get the 62-67 Nav GD units with 60 combat points each 69 days after the start and can be deployed there if you think it is needed.Keep good recon plus 2 betty and 2 zero units when you can afford them and a tip keep your bettys inside your zero range and if you attack use one zero on LR cap and the other on escort....if you do not get the chance to sweep the Allied units before hand.

Tiger!

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Though unescorted Miss Betty is extremely vulnerable to fighters. So smart IJN player might want to provide escort..or just use KB. US CVTFs could cope with unescorted Betty attacks just fine even in early 42. . 

While true, I had a carrier on an early shipping raid get tagged by two torps by unescorted Betties. Beware the leakers!

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Only a CRAZY American player would try to attack in the first 4-6 months of the war.  The KB and Miss Betty should prevent that from happening too early.

sounds like WITP though... [;)]

[herwin]

ORIGINAL: fcam1387

As Japan I've noticed that these island chains are sparsely (if at all) defended in the early months of the war. Given that you are preoccupied with Burma, the SRA and Port Moreseby, it seems that these islands present low hanging fruit for an Allied player.

It would take take a minimal amount of troops to capture a high value airbase, nor would it necessitate a huge effort to build a base up and turn it into a stronghold. This would potentially be a boon for the Allies in the early war and loom as a very large thorn to the best laid Japanese plans.

Apart from a bunch of naval guard units, these islands don't receive many large reinforcements. I am wondering what steps other players take (if any) in the first 6 months of the war to boost their defences in the area? Would I need to divert several brigades that otherwise exist for the SRA, Philippines or Burma campaigns to boost my forces in the region?

The only reason either side held an island in the Central or South Pacific was to operate aircraft from it. That cost lots of supply. Bases had to be supplied or they became useless sinks for troops. You seem to be proposing to set up prison camps for your troops in areas dominated by the Japanese.

[John Lansford]

I took Makin in January 42 in my first AE campaign game, but it took 4 CV's flying overhead CAP to keep the Bettys off the invasion force.  The Bettys were nearly all unescorted and lost over half their strength trying to get to the ships, but once my CV's left the island has been bombed flat.  The BF and combat engineering LCU there have enough supplies for a while, but getting more supplies in or them back out is going to take a big effort on my part.  The PBY squadron there is giving me some great search coverage though.

[fcam1387]

herwin,

What I'm trying to do is fortify the islands with large airbase capacity to prevent the US from taking them and using them as bases to control the entire region. I also plan on using some of those islands as bases for my LBAs.

[John Lansford]

fcam,
 
Upgrading all the Marshall/Gilbert bases to handle LBA's is a bad idea; you can't defend them all, so you'll be giving the Allies a nice shiny base they can start using as soon as the BF's arrive.  If I were the Japanese I'd build up only one or two and leave the others as small as possible.  That way the Allies would have to bring in construction units and supplies prior to the planes, and give me time to bomb and interdict them with surface groups.

[Kaletsch2007]

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

fcam,

Upgrading all the Marshall/Gilbert bases to handle LBA's is a bad idea; you can't defend them all, so you'll be giving the Allies a nice shiny base they can start using as soon as the BF's arrive.  If I were the Japanese I'd build up only one or two and leave the others as small as possible.  That way the Allies would have to bring in construction units and supplies prior to the planes, and give me time to bomb and interdict them with surface groups.

Exactly, what I do as Japanese.

[Bearcat2]

As the Allies, I think Tabiteuea in the Gilberts is critical, I built it up to it's 4 port 6 airbase by march42,  you can station up to 60,000 troops and you don't have wastage when it hits the 10 base threshold. It protects the sea lanes to Australia and and makes any Japanese base in the Gilberts untenable.   Of course, knowing this, I would make it a prime target at start for the Japanese as it theatens the supply lines to Australia.

[Kaletsch2007]

ORIGINAL: Termite2

As the Allies, I think Tabiteuea in the Gilberts is critical, I built it up to it's 4 port 6 airbase by march42,  you can station up to 60,000 troops and you don't have wastage when it hits the 10 base threshold. It protects the sea lanes to Australia and and makes any Japanese base in the Gilberts untenable.   Of course, knowing this, I would make it a prime target at start for the Japanese as it theatens the supply lines to Australia.

Sorry to quote myself:

That's exactly what I do as Japanese[:D]

Hopefully my opponent has not thought about that yet.

[P.Hausser]

should not be to hard to defend it..

[John Lansford]

What about Apamama?  It's also a sizable island and southern enough from Kwajalein to avoid the worst of the Betty attacks.  That one always gets my attention in WitP and is a good jumpoff spot to invade Tarawa.

[Q-Ball]

Taking these outer islands early is most definitely easier than in WITP. Bettys are substantially de-fanged, and the lack of start troops mean a quick grab is entirely possible.

The Japanese player, however, IF he chooses to commit forces, will recapture the islands and destroy all your troops. The quesiton to me is whether that loss of troops is worth the diversion in resources that would happen.

[ny59giants]

I look at this area of the map from a small arms perspective. you need multiple bases that provide interlocking fire (i.e. - support) so the capture of or the defense of only one base is not so critical. You may be able to capture the base, but can your reinforce and re-supply it??