Grognards-could use some good advice.

[DeadpanDevilDog]

Hello to you all. After a weekend of extremely intense warfare, I'm exhausted and in dire need of counsel. This is the situation:

As CO of IJN and IJA forces in the SW and South Pacific, I can safely say that our position is relatively strong.

The date is July 16th, 1942. The Allies have lost all six of their fleet carriers, a half dozen cruisers, a dozen or so destroyers, and maybe another 15 lesser vessels.

We have not escaped without loss. The Zuikaku went down back in June. The Atago was sunk at Lunga. Four destroyers are also resting on the bottom of the Pacific. Several troopships and tankers, as well as PG/MSW have also been sunk. I guess about six noncombat ships total.

On the positive side, my forces are still numerous.

CV Junyo
CV Shokaku
CV Akagi
CVL Shoho (All but the Akagi have over 25 system damage points, but no floatation damage points; the Akagi is doing fine)

BB 2 (The Haruna and the Nagato; the former suffers from system damage, the latter is in good shape)
CA 11
CL 8
DD 41
CS 3
AV 4

TK 17
AO 4
AP 129
APD 8

Several dozen lesser vessels (PG/PC/MSW/ML)

Land Based Air:
Fighters 248
Dive Bombers 24
Level Bombers 146

Aside from perhaps a few hundred troops killed in bombing raids, my land forces are complete.

The following are full strength and ready to be deployed anywhere.

Yazawa Detachment
South Seas Detachment (currently in Gili Gili)
65th Brigade
35th Brigade
21st Ind Mixed Brigade
38th Division
2nd Division

Perhaps as many as 80 naval garrisons, SNLF, AA, CD, and engineering formations.

Rabaul is the hub of everything. 250k supplies, 130k fuel
Lunga and Gili Gili are probably by two major forward bases as of now. But the following are locations of ongoing construction and have at least level 1 airfields:

Wewek
Momote
Buna
Dobadura
Lae
Shortland
Buin
Buka
Vella Lavella
Vila
Munda
Tulagi

Port Moresby seems to be too strong of an airbase for my forces to deal with. I can occassionaly get in a good bombardment, but the losses I endure aren't worth it. My question: what should be my best course of action? Allied submarines are becoming more of a threat (at this stage they are still only a nuiscance[sp]). My forces are numerous, and the allied carriers are gone. This means they are reliant on land based aircraft. Surface forces are still getting throught to bombard my men on Lunga. Should I send my already suffering carriers to deal with these surface units? Should I build more bases east of Lunga? Should I keep my divisions/brigades in reserve, or deploy them somewhere? Should I invade?

Whew. I hope I was coherent. If you have any words of wisdom or questions, by all means, go ahead. All will be appreciated.

Cheers.

[mogami]

Greetings, I don't want to be short but all your questions and valuable experiance from others can be found in the AAR forum. Just go back to the beginning (when the players were as experianced as you now are) and start reading AAR's.

Good luck the discovery is a large part of the fun.

[Widi]

I'd suggest scrapping this AI game and playing a human for a more challenging experience . . .

[Raverdave]

You are going to have to bite the bullet and attack PM......build up your air units at GG and Buna and with bombardment units, you can soon put PM out of action......if you don't do this Buna and GG will fall.


Also......I agree with Widi !