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It is Oct 1942 and Darwin is out of supply. The Japs control - Port Moresby, Horn Island, Timor and the Timor sea. I am trying to supply Darwin from Perth and Cape Town but my cargo ships are continuously being bombed from Timor. Darwin itself is being bombed as well. I don't feel the Japs are ready to invade due to their activity in other theaters. Does anyone have any advice on how I can supply to Darwin?

Malta-style convoys i.e. heavily escorted with CV cover?

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget

Malta-style convoys i.e. heavily escorted with CV cover?

It's that or nothing.

You can try using subs, but that will be a trickle.

Fast Transports. Arrive at night and unload and leave. If I remember correctly. Make the convoys no bigger than a couple of ships, with at least one escort. Subs work, but one at a time per day. Also set the base at "YES" for stockpile and max the supple level. sometimes it helps. Also, Setup an airbase just south of Darwin and use LCAP to protect Darwin....GP

In addition to the above, have you considered air lifting supplies from the South of Darwin?
Without costing political points, you can shift some of the small Australian base forces to 'Conclurry' and Alice Springs. Using C-33/47 you should be able to lift supplies to Tennant Creek, then another airlift to Katherine (railroad should then finish the supply route to Darwin).
It would take awhile to get everything in place and suppliers moving. Not enough to supply a major counter offensive, but you could keep a fighter squadron or two operational.

just a thought.

I have changed Alice Springs to ABDA command in the past and airlifted supplies using the Dutch planes. You won't be able to supply combat operations or flight operations, but you'll at least be able to keep the units from starving.

Unless you use the heavy escorted convoy idea, (and accept the great risk) you will not get enough supply to Darwin. I would only do this if you know that KB is active elsewhere. Your choices are to greatly reduce the garrison by moving troop inland and back to the east coast. You get a small amount of supply that will flow overland via the road connection back to the East Coast but you will not get enough to sustain all but a minimal amount of troops. Basically, if Japan controls the sea, Darwin is lost. Not much you can do about that. Ideal play calls for the Allied player to move supply and fuel to Darwin from the DEI before the Japanese advance catches up. You need to stockpile in Darwin in the early months in order to have a chance to hold out there for any length of time.

If a good Japanese player wants Darwin, he will take it.

Well, it seems Darwin has tasted his own medicine. Survival of the fittest, pal!

Try small sneaky TFs.. use ships that you won't miss... maybe, with luck, one TF might pass

TF using single AKL's out of Perth.

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Well, it seems Darwin has tasted his own medicine. Survival of the fittest, pal!

Bravo!

ORIGINAL: General Patton

Fast Transports. Arrive at night and unload and leave. If I remember correctly. Make the convoys no bigger than a couple of ships, with at least one escort. Subs work, but one at a time per day. Also set the base at "YES" for stockpile and max the supple level. sometimes it helps. Also, Setup an airbase just south of Darwin and use LCAP to protect Darwin....GP

Why do you say one sub at a time per day for Darwin? I thought you could put a number of subs in a Sub Transport TF and load them with supplies, and have them all delivered as any normal supply delivery by sea?

ORIGINAL: JeffK
TF using single AKL's out of Perth.

I agree, this is your best bet. Send one ship every three or four days and then pray for rain as they get close to Darwin. Anything larger will get spotted for sure, only single ship task forces have any chance of slipping through if they can manage to get lucky and keep their detection level low enough. But plan to lose lots of ships even from single ship task forces.

If you haven’t stockpiled huge amounts of supply by February 42, it’s probably better to simply pack up and leave and return later after you’ve managed to build up strong air transport links from the south. Or via naval moves once your carriers are dominate and can assure large fleets can get through reliably.

I always try and get 20k-40k supply or more into Darwin ASAP before Japanese Betties can shut down your naval runs. That should be enough to keep the starting forces fed long enough to allow you to get airbases built up and get air transport supply hops going starting from the Alice Springs base. But if Japan comes calling or if you want to send more troops than the few that start there, keeping Darwin fed is going to be close to impossible in 42.

Jim

Personally I would ship supplies in from Normanton.

Normantown is a lot shorter and there is a good road link. Plus it makes Timor less of a threat.

You might even be able to drop supplies at Gove and then shuttle them to Darwin using longer-legged landing craft. You would need to load about 2/3 of the landing craft with fuel to refuel mid trip or send out an AKL at night to refuel the incoming landing craft and then get back to the CAP at Darwin. Of course, that would still be a trickle. Single 1 or 2 point AKL's might escape attention. You would be surprised how often small AKL's are ignored by the AI attack routines.

Also, you could try amping up the supply request at Darwin and set a maxium supply request for Alice and hope some trickles up overland. Turn off all construction at Darwin and get out unnecessary units and aircraft.

Lastly, the daisy-chain airlift thing does work (Alice to one of the smaller airstrips on the way to Darwin and then a second leg) but it requires infrastructure and C-47 that coudl be working in China.

I agree with Jorge. You should have lots of AKLs sitting around various Aussie ports. Set them on coastal route from Perth and keep your fingers crossed.

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Well, it seems Darwin has tasted his own medicine. Survival of the fittest, pal!

Cool! A science joke. [:)]

ORIGINAL: sufaloofa

It is Oct 1942 and Darwin is out of supply. The Japs control - Port Moresby, Horn Island, Timor and the Timor sea. I am trying to supply Darwin from Perth and Cape Town but my cargo ships are continuously being bombed from Timor. Darwin itself is being bombed as well. I don't feel the Japs are ready to invade due to their activity in other theaters. Does anyone have any advice on how I can supply to Darwin?

Hi, my suggestion is that you send subs to form a reconnaissance sector. If you make sure that KB is not nearby or present, then send escort carriers with wildcats, wildercats or what ever to provide air cover, your transport vessels can form into the CVEs group, and this group may also include some cruisers with AA guns(if you have north carolina or south dakota, that would be terrific). Then you sent this group to Darwin along the coast, I think even if AI attacks you, their bombers may suffer from a lack of escorts and will be the prey of your fighters and AA guns.

Hi, my suggestion is that you send subs to form a reconnaissance sector. If you make sure that KB is not nearby or present, then send escort carriers with wildcats, wildercats or what ever to provide air cover, your transport vessels can form into the CVEs group, and this group may also include some cruisers with AA guns(if you have north carolina or south dakota, that would be terrific). Then you sent this group to Darwin along the coast, I think even if AI attacks you, their bombers may suffer from a lack of escorts and will be the prey of your fighters and AA guns.

Rather ballsy against a human player though[8|]

These are all well and good for short term or once in a while resupply. For a long term solution , I'd 1) build the air bridge from Alice Spring to one of the smaller bases (which can also be used for fast deployment of short range fighters). 2) build up each of the bases on the west coast from Perth all the way to Darwin to at least level 2. You can provide CAP for any convoy going to or from Darwin , as well as having a base to deploy strike aircraft if needed. I'd especially build up Exmouth gulf , both because it was done historically (great place for subs based in Perth to top up their fuel levels before heading to the DEI. IF you can hold Darwin , you can base Maritime patrol aircraft there , as well as long range bombers to be an absolute pain to your enemy in the DEI. Ideally you should try and hold the islands north of Darwin , but at the very least deny them to your enemy. If he holds them , he can sweep Darwin with zero's. If Darwin is to be any use to you , you need to shut down those airfields.

Also , if you build up those bases , it gives you the option of launching raids and invasions into the DEI. That will force him to keep large amounts of troops tied up that he could dearly use elsewhere. Two more points. Katherine is an excellent base to build up and put heavies. You can reach the islands , yet to hit you he has to go through the fighters you have CAPing Darwin. You might consider keeping a Division of infantry there. Bring them overland from Alice springs (take the railroad there , then walk). By keeping them at Katherine, they are out of sight of RECON planes checking out Darwin , and they can be moved up relatively if he tries to land.

Darwin is like the Aleutian islands. While it has potential , it's a pain to keep , but you must garrison it to keep it out of your opponent's hands. It's not a war winner for either side , but it's nuisance if the other side has it.