Matrix Games Forums

Oil, oil, oil, life blood of Japan.

There are quite a few options around the Netherlands East Indies...

You can take all the oil available as fast as possible...or go for the killing blow quickly so that you can capture Palembang.
Without Palembang the Japanese will wither and die.

So lets start with just outside the NEI, Malaya.

For me this is pretty straight forward.

1) Move the 25th army to 38,46 so that the Indian unit in Kota Bharu has no retreat.
From here you have a couple options.
a) You can just attack with the 18th Division and the 25th Army and hope to destroy the unit. You should ONLY attack twice and I will show you why later.
b) You can perform the same attack but with some naval support.

I most of the time opt for A...you almost always destroy the unit on the second attack...and this way you keep your navy free since it has FAR to much to cover. In my test game it took 2 attacks to destroy the unit. NOW is why you always only attack twice.
Split the Army. Take the army that has 2 movement and capture the iron ore in 38,44.
This will also capture the port of Kuala Lumpur.
You are one step closer to cutting off Singapore without a naval blockade.

Make sure the 25th HQ stays on the rail line so that it can quickly head to Burma...it will be needed there next turn.

Borneo

Here you have quite a few options...though one is a no brainer.
The others all depend upon your plan.

1) Using the lowest exp unit you have invade Kuala Belait. Land in the port then move to 54,46 and then back to the port. That will capture the port and both oil fields.

The next moves are all optional and depend upon your plans for the NEI mainland, but I will show you what you can do.

2) Now you can take the rest of the island and Surabuya

a) Land a marine unit in 56,44 and move to 55,43. b) Land a marine/div from unit in 56,42
c) Land a division in 55,39
d) You will need naval support for these attacks so bring out the BIG guns.
e) Move the Yamato to 56,41 to support the attack on Balikpapan
f) Move the Mutsu to 57,42 to support the attack on Tarakan
g) Now move down a few coasal units next to the marine in 55,43 and supply beachhead. This will provide about 5% efficiency.
h) Now move a coastal unit next to the unit and supply beachhead. This will provide about 5% efficiency. i) Attack Tarakan with JUST the marine in 55,43. The unit there is extremely weak and should be destroyed.
j) YOU will notice you can not move in to caputure the port, but no worries. Now move the divsion in 56,42 to the oil field in 55,41. The port of Tarakan will become Japanese controlled.
k) Attack Balikpapan with the 2 units. This unit will not always fall, but most of the time it will retreat.
In my test game the unit was overrun.

NOW is when you make a decision. You still have a few units to move / land...2 are marines and the other can be an HQ or division.
I will attack just Surabuya and show you the attack on Bandar in the next section. l) Invade with a marine the oilfield in 50,34. Now you have a decision. You can either invade with another unit to smash the port into submission with a 100% chance or you can risk the attack with your one marine and some naval support.
I will test with just the one saving my others for invasions elsewhere. I suggest supporting with either 3 destroyers or 2 BCs. Either will work. Probably better with the 2 BCs since it will leave you more ships for blockading.
m) Also send down a coatal unit to supply beachhead the marine. You should have 10 to 1 attack odds. The unit should be destroyed.
n) Once the unit is destroyed deprive the NEI of any PP by moving onto their iron ore.
o) Finally you have to blockade quite a few ports...Singapore is the main one...then make a decision if you allow the UK to get 30 oil. It does not matter in the first few turns but does matter later in 42 when they are using their oil more heavily. This should leave you enough units to invade the Philippines and blockade Singapore /

This is very helpful. I spent my first several games just learning which hexes were available for invasion. I like what you have offered. And it seems, then you have no oil shortage.