Pacific Ideas

[IBender]

I need some ideas and suggestions for the pacific..playing usa global all options. Its 1944.

See the screen shot for details of my game.

Basically I feel stuck. I have taken most if not all of the islands I wanted in the Pacific. My fleet is in Hawaii, Japanese fleet is in Japan currently. (japeanese feelt is strong so is usa fleet) My problem is simple. I want to engage the japanese fleet with mine, but I dont want to be at an extreme disadvantage of being in a really low box. I would like to at least be equal in the fight, but I cant figure out how to do that.

Rabual and Truk are major ports and all the others towards japan are minor. If I simply sail from hawaii and go as far as I can towards japan into a sea zone, japan will come out and be in a really high box and I will be in a really low box and certainly lose badly. If I sail to truk and rabaul with the idea of next impluse sailing east towards japan to engage him, that 'short time' I am sitting in that major port of rabual or truk he will sail out, be in a high box and port strike me. Yet...I feel I must stop over in one of those two ports to have a chance at a fair fight against him.

Seems like I cannot win. I need suggestions or ideas. Japanese player is just waiting for me to sail out to him. Either situation seems to both of us like a victory for him.

[paulderynck]

Go to sea, wait to go to Truk in the Return to Base phase. Japan has to be at sea and move first to port strike you.

But indeed, the Pacific is more about Land Based Air (LBA) than even CVs. You need it to protect you from Port Strikes and you need it to either get out ahead of your fleet with naval air missions to a high box (usually has to be a Combined or Super-Combined to get enough of it). Or to react to the 2-box and join your fleet there. With all the good 8, 9, 10, and 12 range FTRs the US has you can afford to give up a couple surprise points. The Japanese just can't match that and will avoid combat unless you can catch them already out at sea.

But keep taking major ports closer and closer to Japan and they will have to fight eventually. Islands that border more than one sea zone are very valuable to put your 7 and 8 range FTRs on, with the others back so they have range to fly to the 3 or higher box or react to the 2-box.

[Joseignacio]

Truk is the key to the way you want to expand. Getting it would let your unit be in a higher box.

Of course the Japs will protect it with excellent white Inf units and lots of planes - I have sen my opponent defend it with like 8 or more planes all based in the capital and the little islands, PLUS the ones from the 3 nearby seas' CVPs.So, yo may want to go through Rabaul and Philipines instead.

[Dabrion]

Seems you already have Truk, so that is where the fleet should be once you can protect it there. Keep a fighter reserve there. AA unit if you can spare, HQ plus supply unit. You will never be able to project into Bismark Sea / The Marianas from PH.

Manila is the next logical step and required to put pressure on the Home Islands imo.

[Joseignacio]

Wow, didn't realize that because of the scale of the map. Yes, if you have Truk, then you should Return to Base there, and you'll get muche better positions at sea, valid for possible combats, or even port strikes or invasions in Japan, China... Or/and you may want to deliver Philippines, get the resource, and an even better position to beat the Japs.

[jboldt007]

Timely discussion - in current game (my first GW)it has become painfully clear how important Truk is, and the risk for commitIng each sides' combined fleets. In current game US has Philippines and Japan has Truk. Keeping Manila supplied is an issue for the US. But Japan has to watch out for the CW fleet lurking in Indian ports or Sri Lanka I suppose- if Japan has to split their combined fleet it may give the US an opportunity. In current game, Axis (me) failed to take Singapore too after a siege went horribly wrong... but yes it seems the fleets have to sit there leaving the hard work to aircraft, cruisers, and submarines...

[jboldt007]

Ah ... right ... the Japanese elite units in Truk because the US will try and put Truk out of supply but the elite units would still defend with a value of '3' instead of '1'.

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: jboldt007

Ah ... right ... the Japanese elite units in Truk because the US will try and put Truk out of supply but the elite units would still defend with a value of '3' instead of '1'.

Later in the war, and perhaps earlier, the Japanese really want to get an AT gun or (better) and AA gun in Truk, so that the Allies won't be able to get a blitz on the place with their amphibious tanks.

Note that this whole discussion is predicated on the fact that the optional rule that gives the US two TRS that can be used to increase the capacity of a minor port is not coded. To me, this is one of the most important optional rules in the game, and actually understates the US late war capacity to create a major port. The US made a major port out of Ulithi, which had literally no port facilities prewar. The US never attacked Rabaul or Truk -- they didn't need to.

[4personalbusiness]

Don't forget that in 2.3.4 the amphibious tanks were not functional, i.e., they couldn't invade per a bug. I haven't heard anything or tested it yet in 2.4.3.

[Joseignacio]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

ORIGINAL: jboldt007

Ah ... right ... the Japanese elite units in Truk because the US will try and put Truk out of supply but the elite units would still defend with a value of '3' instead of '1'.

Later in the war, and perhaps earlier, the Japanese really want to get an AT gun or (better) and AA gun in Truk, so that the Allies won't be able to get a blitz on the place with their amphibious tanks.

Note that this whole discussion is predicated on the fact that the optional rule that gives the US two TRS that can be used to increase the capacity of a minor port is not coded. To me, this is one of the most important optional rules in the game, and actually understates the US late war capacity to create a major port. The US made a major port out of Ulithi, which had literally no port facilities prewar. The US never attacked Rabaul or Truk -- they didn't need to.

Although of course, a +10 size in a minor port doesn't make it a major port, even though it's very helpful. I have used that to transfer my allied ships massively to the Med with an axis occupied Giblraltar, using one of these in Tanger.

One of the reasons is that 12? 14? ships is not the same as "unlimited" ships in port, but the most important is the lower defense against Port attacks. And we are talking about Japanese CVPs.

[jboldt007]

Yes it would seem those TRSs would be very useful for the US. It's tough for them. Pago Pago is as far away as Honolulu and there is nothing close in AUS or NZ. Maybe one day these units will be coded- along with ASWs and Oil Tankers!

[jboldt007]

But ... of course I forgot about Rabaul - a major port. If allies have this it is a different story ....

[Joseignacio]

[:D] Told you in post #3 heheh

[jboldt007]

That's right! Didn't sink in. Rabaul certainly changes things ! Japan needs to
Make it priority one that they take and hold Rabaul-
As they did historically.