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It's July 15th in scenario 17 with me as US forces, all units under human control and all historical options, 1 day turns and I'm stuck.

My plan early on was to reinforce Port Moresby and win the battle of the Coral Sea. It was scarily realistic as to dates etc, but I won it. Shokaku and Shoho went down, while the US carriers went back to Pearl with some damage....PM was defended, and soon reinforced with 7th AUS div, various support troops, and eventually 3rd Aus div as well. 7th Aus marched to Buna and recaptured it from the enemy, who at the end of May landed troops on Gili Gili, which I had not reinforced. They took it. I moved planes and engineers to Buna, and it's doing quite nicely. For the last 6 weeks the battle of Gili Gili has raged. Jap reinforcement has been constant to the point where they have an operating level 2 airbase and around 20000 troops. I pounded the place, and, believing erroneous recon reports, landed 3 Aus div with support troops thinking I could take it. This was 3 weeks ago. They are still there - I can get supplies in at night but it's difficult to run more than fast transport groups. The AI is making a stand over this.....it has bombarded PM, sent heavy carrier support to help Gili Gili and constantly resupplies and reinforces. I've done well in what can only be a limited response. My 2-carrier TF has stood to the south, interdicting the PM bombardment forces and the supply runs, helped by 180 aircraft at PM. I've mined the approaches to Gili Gili, catching the Hiei in the process, and in 2 long range air duels have sent Kaga and Soryu back to Japan, and sunk Ryujo. 6 Jap CAs have sunk, and I've won several night battles off Gili Gili with cruiser/destroyer forces on bombardment runs. It seems as though Gili Gili is my Guadalcanal.
The problem is this: I think I can maintain the force at GG, just, and it's causing real attrition to the enemy which I know benefits me in the long run, but it's getting harder. Do I pull the troops out or continue the battle? While the foe is occupied entirely with the death struggle at GG, should I run the 1st Marine div into Guadalcanal? I just about have the resources to do it....the Japs have started the airbase there. Would it pull Jap resources away from GG and let me win the base? Buna, GG and PM mutually supporting and I win. Or would the foe let me have an easy ride on Guadalcanal, where I could build up forces and threaten his supply line through Shortland etc. I've been playing this constantly since I got the game, and don't want to mess it up now. I guess I'm glad I wasn't making these decisions for real, although it seems pretty real when you're staring at the screen wondering what to do.

Ideas please - a free week's hospitality in the most beautiful bit of England to the most helpful. Incidentally, this game is the most amazing experience in the universe........I'm using historical settings, micromanaging everything myself and having a whale of a time!!!!!!!!!!!

One gripe. When Saratoga appeared I was real pleased - a chance to equalise the carrier air balance. I brought her out to join Enterprise and Hornet south of GG, forgot to switch off "react to enemy" and she promptly rushed 400 miles into the area south of Gasmata to engage 6 Jap carriers. Guess what happened.......it's not something I'll do again, but it would not have happened in the real world. I guess it's the game system's way of allowing the AI to function, but it's mighty frustrating to watch. Trouble is, at 4 in the morning you start to forget things.

Kids at school today told me I looked tired.......I told them it was the ravages of war.

Laughing hysterically. People look at me funny when I say "I fought in the South Pacific". They just don't understand.

Anyway, its going to be impossible to salvage the Gili situation without using your carrier groups to cover ferrying in both troops and supplies. I've had a similar experience. I had good recon and about a battalion of troops there when the japs started landing. Its just out of range of fighter cover from PM.

Initially Gili had no airbase. I managed to slip in some engineers and enough supplies to get that going. Then I could use Dakotas to ferry in more troops and supplies. Problem was that the Japs just kept landing more and more troops and I didn't have enough support. They also had 4 carriers (at least) to my beat up 2.

So I loaded up about 10,000 supplies and the entire AUS 3rd Division, and brough the carriers to within range of Gili. Now, the Japs started bringing down BBs and CAs to pound Gili. I mean it was getting VERY dicey there, the troops were barely holding on against Carrier strikes, air raids, and surface bombardment.

Finally I got a second carrier group which I moved up. All this time, the transport group had been sitting about 7 hexes south of Gili waiting for some break to get in. If it was clear, the carriers would come down, if it was bad weather Gili got crowded with Jap surface ships.

During a stretch of bad weather I sent in the small surface force to try and break up the Jap surface group. I lost three cruisers, but they caused enough damage to the Jap surface group that the transports got in. The next day the weather started to clear so I moved up the carriers to cover (about 5 hexes south of Gili). I detached some more cruisers and destroyers I had with the carrier groups into a new task force to provide surface cover. This all worked. The Jap surface fleet got to Gili, but was repulsed in a close action by my group. The entire division got ashore and did a shock attack which wiped out the Japs. I lost three cruisers, but it was worth it.

So my advice is to use some careful timing, monitor the weather, and have whatever you can muster in terms of carrier air and surface forces, and try to help from Cooktown / Cairns / PM with bombers that can reach the Gili area.

"should I run the 1st Marine div into Guadalcanal? I just about have the resources to do it..."


This is what I am seriously considering in my AAR. Gili-Gili has become the decisive battle for me also, but seeing minimal forces in the Solomons is so tempting. Though I believe I am saving my marines for an invasion of Lae, I may run some dogfaces up to Lunda soon.

Hi, Ian I have the reverse problem. It is Sept 2 and the Allies have 32k troops on Gilli, I have lost over 15k trying to establish a beach head and more troops are being dispatched. I really didn't want to get into this large a fight but now I have to win it.
Hopefully the AI will also concentrate at Gilli and leave Lunga to continue building up supplies (although there is going to be a shortage of AP's I am going to test the barges. I have 3 BB and 3 CV so I think I can control the waters off Gilli (the US has lost 4 CV)