Allied Ship Production

[jusi]

Hello,

I lack post-1943 experience in MWIF, so I'm wondering what/how many ships the CW/US should produce, and when. I guess that no new ships is required from 1943 because they would arrive too late.
- TRS/AMPH: all of them, but when should they arrive? If starting/producing them too early, they are useless, but if they arrived too late, the troops produced in the meantime are useless too because they cannot be shipped to the right places.
- CV: all of them? From 1941, I usually produce 1 new CV per month with the US, then 1 new CV and 1 from production in 1942. With CW, it depends but I usually produce the big ones in 1940/1941 because CW usually needs them in the Med. Is it ok?
- BB, cruisers: I usually clear the repair/production box, but is it necessary to build new ones from scratch? If so, how many? I usually produce a few new BB but no cruiser.

Many thanks for your advice

[AlbertN]

I think the biggest variable is with which ships you play.
If you play with CLiF too - I am confident the US and UK pretty much do not need many more SCS except some US BBs. (Beyond the Repair pool and sometimes the construction pool).

TRS / AMPH are always handy. If they do not ferry troops around they're reorganization power. And at times just the "threat" to invade something helps immensely to pin down Axis forces - even if you do not plan to invade yet!

CV - yes UK usually gets some of the early ones done and finished and that's it. US is a big variable, but seen them get the '43 Essex batch produced too. They arrive at the end of '44, sure thing - but by then they're pratically a very mobile FTR base that can go anywhere. And usually I see in '41 to produce as soon as possible all the Essex, not 1 per turn. But that depends also how quickly the USA wants to start operate aggressively in the Pacific. Their starting carrier force is stronger than the Japanese (Assuming a player does not send CVs in the Atlantic as the historical USA did and starts with all their 7 fleet carriers fielded) but to commit them can backfire (Even because the "4" class US CVs takes 6+6 turns to be built again).

A thing I've learnt is that CVs rule the seas when they've planes for. But after 1-2 CV battles in the Pacific (unless they're truly onesided) the CV squadrons of both sides are pretty short of quality planes and that leaves for a window of time the BBs to rule the waves. (Later on usually Jap has no reserve planes / pilots but USA does though).

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: Cohen

I think the biggest variable is with which ships you play.
If you play with CLiF too - I am confident the US and UK pretty much do not need many more SCS except some US BBs. (Beyond the Repair pool and sometimes the construction pool).

TRS / AMPH are always handy. If they do not ferry troops around they're reorganization power. And at times just the "threat" to invade something helps immensely to pin down Axis forces - even if you do not plan to invade yet!

CV - yes UK usually gets some of the early ones done and finished and that's it. US is a big variable, but seen them get the '43 Essex batch produced too. They arrive at the end of '44, sure thing - but by then they're pratically a very mobile FTR base that can go anywhere. And usually I see in '41 to produce as soon as possible all the Essex, not 1 per turn. But that depends also how quickly the USA wants to start operate aggressively in the Pacific. Their starting carrier force is stronger than the Japanese (Assuming a player does not send CVs in the Atlantic as the historical USA did and starts with all their 7 fleet carriers fielded) but to commit them can backfire (Even because the "4" class US CVs takes 6+6 turns to be built again).

A thing I've learnt is that CVs rule the seas when they've planes for. But after 1-2 CV battles in the Pacific (unless they're truly onesided) the CV squadrons of both sides are pretty short of quality planes and that leaves for a window of time the BBs to rule the waves. (Later on usually Jap has no reserve planes / pilots but USA does though).

You can't have enough carrier planes in the reserve pool. The rate that those are destroyed can be very high...

Apart from that, I don't build any CW CV or BB from scratch. All TRS and AMPH are build and that's about it for the CW, together with emptying the repair pool. The US has far better ships compared to the CW...

[jboldt007]

I’ve found (and I think it has been mentioned elsewhere) is that BBs have “staying power” and are less fragile than other sea units- important if the intent is to dominate a sea area (and for bombardment). But I still don’t have enough experience to know when and how many any particular nation should build. As has also been mentioned elsewhere, long range NAVs truly rule the high seas and fighter “cap” is critical (in the right box) to hold them at bay unless you have tons of AA.
TRansports are more valuable early on but of course AMPHs are needed by allies later on.

[Courtenay]

I arrange my prewar builds so as to get all 5 Essex class started J/F 41, with 2nd cycle started N/D 41. One CV does not give the Americans naval superiority. Five, though....

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: jusi

Hello,

I lack post-1943 experience in MWIF, so I'm wondering what/how many ships the CW/US should produce, and when. I guess that no new ships is required from 1943 because they would arrive too late.
- TRS/AMPH: all of them, but when should they arrive? If starting/producing them too early, they are useless, but if they arrived too late, the troops produced in the meantime are useless too because they cannot be shipped to the right places.
- CV: all of them? From 1941, I usually produce 1 new CV per month with the US, then 1 new CV and 1 from production in 1942. With CW, it depends but I usually produce the big ones in 1940/1941 because CW usually needs them in the Med. Is it ok?
- BB, cruisers: I usually clear the repair/production box, but is it necessary to build new ones from scratch? If so, how many? I usually produce a few new BB but no cruiser.

Many thanks for your advice

warspite1

Definitely build the British carriers because they are prettier than their American counterparts and have nicer names. FACT [:)]

[brian brian]

To dominate the seas, the Allied navies need to build out 100% of one of their Force Pools, and replace losses from it steadily. The FTR3 pool.

[jboldt007]

The naval reserves of some nations, like CW, are huge - I think some new players may be wondering if they should be building out these reserves simply because they are there....

[jboldt007]

By reserves I mean force pools ...

[alexvand]

I've been experimenting with not finishing any of the CW BBs that end up in the construction pool. All those BPs build a lot of planes and the CW still has lots of ships. I build no CW cruisers, but keep the repair pool empty and complete all the CW cruisers in the construction pool. I even went so far as not completing any additional CVs for the CW. Most of their CVPs are terrible anyway. Built even more fighters and that seemed to work out.

As the US I build a few of the big BBs in 39 and 40, but no BBs later. I do find that I build some Cruisers because I play so agressively with them that the US starts to run short of cruisers late in 44 if I don't build some. I set it up so that all the Essexes end up built in the first two turns after they are available. I only stop building US carriers in late 44 or if I've actually sunk all the Japanese carriers. I've had too many games where the Japanese have sunk tons of US Carriers and if there aren't more on the way the entire offensive against Japan can stall for a year.

I love having a bunch of Free French Cruisers around. Especially to sail and activate a sea zone in the pacific when the US is taking a land for Europe so I repair those constantly.

[jboldt007]

Thanks - interesting comments ...

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: alexvand

I've been experimenting with not finishing any of the CW BBs that end up in the construction pool. All those BPs build a lot of planes and the CW still has lots of ships. I build no CW cruisers, but keep the repair pool empty and complete all the CW cruisers in the construction pool. I even went so far as not completing any additional CVs for the CW. Most of their CVPs are terrible anyway. Built even more fighters and that seemed to work out.

As the US I build a few of the big BBs in 39 and 40, but no BBs later. I do find that I build some Cruisers because I play so agressively with them that the US starts to run short of cruisers late in 44 if I don't build some. I set it up so that all the Essexes end up built in the first two turns after they are available. I only stop building US carriers in late 44 or if I've actually sunk all the Japanese carriers. I've had too many games where the Japanese have sunk tons of US Carriers and if there aren't more on the way the entire offensive against Japan can stall for a year.

I love having a bunch of Free French Cruisers around. Especially to sail and activate a sea zone in the pacific when the US is taking a land for Europe so I repair those constantly.

You are right on how to use the Free French navy. I try to build any TRS/AMPH of the Free French too...

[Courtenay]

One thing I have not figured out is how many and when of the US Independence class carriers to build. Any advice here would be appreciated!

Part of my problem is that I greatly disagree with ADG's rating of these ships. If one looks at the stats of the actual ships and compares them with other carriers, it seems clear to me that they should be speed six and size 2. I believe that ADG deliberately weakened them for play balance reasons.

[paulderynck]

I never build any US CVs that have a capacity less than 4. They just aren't needed. Ernest King would have built them all and more, but he was a bit eccentric.