Naval Med War

[jusi]

Hello,

I'm wondering how to get an acceptable result with Italy in Mediterranean Sea Areas in 40/41 after France is fall out. I used to play with the Limited Overseas Supply and that is my main concern. The submarine war in the Atlantics was going pretty well since the English gets only about around 12 BP each turn but it will quickly become more difficult because Barbarossa is beginning. That is not the main point here anyway.

If you want to have actions in Africa (at that time, 7 italians corps and 3 divs there and 2 german corps + 1 div as well, so quite large) you have to have convoys in Eastern Med and Italian Coast (and potentially in Western Med too if Algeria and Tunisia got into actions, but ok: forget this possibility). So you need to defend these convoys at all cost but you have not so much planes and the fleet.

I build 1 one CP each 2 turn: maybe it is not enough but Italian production is low even with the German help.

I tried to use most of the planes & fleet in the highest sea box but it is usually in the 2-box section only because the range of the fighters is low: being engaged without fighters is hopeless. But the English is usually in the 3- or 4-box and they can attack too easily my convoy because I cannot find the Navy. Also air naval combat are not so easy because even if the Axis planes are better than the CW ones, they can easily return to base compared to the planes on the CW carriers (Axis was unlucky too: while being regularly +2 in air-to-air combat, they lost 1 plane by fight!).

I also tried to use most of the planes & ship in the 0-box section to easily defend my convoy but it becomes very easy to get surprised and be attacked by the powerful Navy guns with my planes being useless.

Probably the best strategy is to mix both options but that is very difficult because I have not so many usable ships (playing with oil, around 10 Italian ships are useless each turn because out of oil).

Any hint?
Julien

[Orm]

The Italians should fight with its air force from the 2 box. Fly out with some fighters to the two box and react out with the naval bombers that has the range. One should seriously consider if not the German naval bomber(s) should help out here as well. Demand that Germany send the He 100 (FTR2) to Italy and fly out with it to the two box. If you have convinced Germany that the He 100 is best used in the Mediterranean you will often have the advantage in the air combat.

Try to have some fighters and a naval bomber or two that can react out to the zero box for CP defence.

Mainly use the Italian surface fleet for shore bombardment or TRS escorts. Usually a fleet of 7 or so ships can be enough for the mission. Do not send out to many ships at once. Usually you do not gain so much by doing so and it costs plenty of oil.

Conquering Greece can help with supply to the Eastern Mediterranean since then you do not need to keep a supply link through the Italian Coast as well.

And do remember that at times it can be best to abort from the sea area to return later rather than stay and be eliminated.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: jusi

Hello,

I'm wondering how to get an acceptable result with Italy in Mediterranean Sea Areas in 40/41 after France is fall out. I used to play with the Limited Overseas Supply and that is my main concern. The submarine war in the Atlantics was going pretty well since the English gets only about around 12 BP each turn but it will quickly become more difficult because Barbarossa is beginning. That is not the main point here anyway.

If you want to have actions in Africa (at that time, 7 italians corps and 3 divs there and 2 german corps + 1 div as well, so quite large) you have to have convoys in Eastern Med and Italian Coast (and potentially in Western Med too if Algeria and Tunisia got into actions, but ok: forget this possibility). So you need to defend these convoys at all cost but you have not so much planes and the fleet.

I build 1 one CP each 2 turn: maybe it is not enough but Italian production is low even with the German help.

I tried to use most of the planes & fleet in the highest sea box but it is usually in the 2-box section only because the range of the fighters is low: being engaged without fighters is hopeless. But the English is usually in the 3- or 4-box and they can attack too easily my convoy because I cannot find the Navy. Also air naval combat are not so easy because even if the Axis planes are better than the CW ones, they can easily return to base compared to the planes on the CW carriers (Axis was unlucky too: while being regularly +2 in air-to-air combat, they lost 1 plane by fight!).

I also tried to use most of the planes & ship in the 0-box section to easily defend my convoy but it becomes very easy to get surprised and be attacked by the powerful Navy guns with my planes being useless.

Probably the best strategy is to mix both options but that is very difficult because I have not so many usable ships (playing with oil, around 10 Italian ships are useless each turn because out of oil).

Any hint?
Julien

If you have taken out Yugoslavia and Greece, things are a little easier since you only need convoys in the Eastern Med - one less sea area to control.

[jusi]

Thanks for your answers. I will try to go out the Italian ships more wisely. I took Yugoslavia, but not Greece, so that is no help for reducing the Italian convoys line. So perhaps I will attack Greece next game.

Also I already send my long-range German fighters into Sicilia (and my NAV too). Unfortunatly each time I sent a new one, one of the old ones was destroyed although the air-to-air combat factors favour the Axis: maybe just unlucky here.

In the current game, the African war is lost for the Axis since my last convoy was just destroyed this turn (Jul/Aug 41): few ones will arrive quickly, but the Egyptian front line is already destroyed, while Tunisia is conquered and Tripoli not so far...

Will focus on the defense of Italy right now.