Scen 2: training for the big game (US side)

[AmiralLaurent]

An answer to some posts below.

In scen 1, the USN tries to stop invading IJN forces. Here the main goal is to defend and supply a base in the Solomons.

I thought the situation was worse for the USN player than it is really in this scen. To be a better exercice for PBEM, let's consider that:
_ IJN CV TF is more powerful than USN CV TF.
_ IJN subs may lurk out Noumea.
Two things false in this scen.

Two goals for the USN player:
_ bring supplies to Lunga, that is quickly eatin the some thousands points it has.
_ not lose his CV.

Main threats:
_ IJN CV TF
I thought that IJN would have more CV, as in many PBEM at this time. The best thing to do is to not engage it with USN CV.
_ IJN surface fleets bombing Lunga from Shortlands
That is the main danger for Lunga base, only force able to close the airfield here.
_ IJN subs.
In fact they are in Truk and will not be used by the AI.
_ Betties and Zeroes from Rabaul
Any naval force in Solomons will suffer from torpedo attacks from Rabaul but their bombing on Lunga have only nuisance value.

Main USN forces:
_ 3 TF, each one with CV and good escorts, including a BB.
_ four squadron of Wildcats, three of PBY, four of B-17, two of SBD, two of Medium bombers.
At size 2, Lunga is only able to perate in good condition fighters and SBD.
_ three subs

Strategy:
_ hit the bombardment TF so transports can carry supplies in Lunga.
_ no CV battle except in excellent position.

Turn 1:
_ all planes of Noumea and Lunga are transfered to Luganville. Lunga has not enough supplies to operate a good CAP and Japanese aerial raids can't do enpugh damage to justify that.
_ a PBY squadron goes to Lunga and carries part of a BF to Tulagi (useful later)
_ another PBY carries AA or ENG units in Lunga.
_ creation of a transport fleet in Noumea with 2 SC, 2 AK 1500, 15 knots, and 2 AP 2000-ton, 18 knots. Other ships are too slow.
_ reorganisation of CV in Noumea. A new TF is created with two DD under Adm Lee, create a new air combat TF with all ships of Adm Noyes TF and give it Adm Mitscher as chief.
Lee is the best USN surface admiral to command BB, Mitscher is as good with CV and surface TF.
_ creation of a resplenishment TF with 3 TK and 4 SC.
_ the APD in Noumea is sent to Tulagi with supplies, home base Luganville. Then it will bring supplies from Luganville to Tulagi, that is safer than Lunga.
_ put all 3 subs on human control and sent them between Shortalnds and Lunga on patrol.

Note: SC are only useful if they were subs in the aera but it's just a good thing to include them everytime in convoys.

Next turns:
_ the two DD TF will go to a patrol point off Koumac with orders patrol/not retire and not react. All three CV TF will follow it with orders patrol/not retire and not react.
So the CV TF will follow orders and not sail towards IJN CV TF. Important here, as you want to avoid CV losses more than you wnat sink IJN CV.
_ the transports will patrol after loading S of Luganville.
_ the tankers will follow th CV and refuel them in sea.
_ stop sending troops from Lunga to Tulagi with the PBY and return it to Luganville.
_ use both medium bombers unit to bring supplies to Lunga, they have no more role to play in this scen.
_ use B-17 to fly naval search

Then wait for IJN carriers to come. IJN surface fleets will bomb Lunga but the base should be repaired everyday. Most of the times they will be seen the same turn they sent planes bombing Lunga.
The AI bombs this base two days in a row then sails north. The second day, give your two DD TF the order to sail to a position S of Munda in open sea. The CV will follow.

So the day after the the second IJN CV raid on Lunga, your CV should be in position to hit anything from SHortlands from Lunga.

First possibility is that IJN carriers react and attack. Tired IJN crews are likely to achieve little and this should end as an USN victory.
Far more likely IJN carriers are out of range. Then 100 SBD and TBF will hit the IJN bombardment fleets in Shortlands and the adjacent hexes. And should do a good amount of damage.
AI uses two TFs. If both are hardly hit by USN planes, they will likely remain in Shortlands, if one one is seriously hit, the other will continue raids on Lunga.
This same turn, send back F4F-4 to Lunga to fly CAP and PBY to Tulagi to fly naval search. Some SBD can also be sent to Lunga.

At the end of the day, reorganisation of the Allied fleet. Put under command of Lee the BB, both CLAA, another cruiser and 6-7 DD. Transfer all CV in the same TF under Fletcher. Transfer all CA and DD (expet 2 or 3) to Mitscher's TF and change it to Bombardment or Surface combat.
End of the day, you have a CV TF with 3 CV and 2 DD. Give it orders to follow the TK fleet that is waiting off Koumac. So they will escape any return by IJN CV.
You also have two surface TF. Give both of them Tulagi as base. Then it depends of the airstrikes results. You can send them bth as bombardment TF to Shortlands to hit cripples and badly hit TF. Or you can send them to Lunga where they will wait IJN bombardment TF. The best tactic is maybe to send one TF in each location.
At the same time, the transport TF will be divided in as many TF has it has ships and all ships will be sent to Lunga and Tulagi. One-ship TF are far less likely to be attacked by LBA than big convoys.

The fact that your TF have Tulagi as home base assures that any ship hardly hit in the night battles will retire there or towards there and may be docked and saved rather than trying to return to Noumea.
If there is a battle off Lunga, any damaged IJN ship may be the target of SBD based here.

I played two times. First game, both IJN bombardment TF were hardly hit by USN avaiators and both USN TF attack them in Shortlands. IJN lost 1 CA, 1 CL, 3 DD (all sunk during the night), USN 1 CA and 3 DD (all scuttled) but most IJN ships were damaged (one BB was at SYS 99, FLT 80 after the game, another at SYS 70 FLT 30). US transports can unload without problem. Marginal US victory.

Second game, the BB Mutsu TF was untouched by air raid. I sent both USN TF to Shortlands and they hit the other TF, sinking 1 CA and 2 DD without loss. Next night, my both TF were off Lunga and battle Mutsu and escort, sinking 2 DD while losing 1 (to one 16-inch shell only). In both battles, only the USN CA TF engaged while the Lee TF didn't... But US transport can unload and Lunga has 5000 supplies and Tulagi 3000 at the end of the game. Last turn Betties manage to put a torpedo in North Carolina, SYS 15 FLT 25. In this game, most surface ships of both sides were damaged. Another time marginal US victory. If Lee has engaged situation could have been far better.

Any comments welcome