Matrix Games Forums

I am a mere novice and have never played PBEM. When I play the AI i try to forget what I know about history and former games and inhabit the minds of the various ABDA commanders and think in terms of fighting in the moment as they would have.

In my current game, Force Z managed to inflict some decent, thought not decisive damage, on the Japanese invasion force off Khota Baru , Admiral Phillips benefited from the arrival of those Buffalo interceptors who dealt with the Bettys which he did not enjoy historically. He subsequently caught a surface action group led by the Ise off Borneo and sank the BB along with her companions 1 x CL and 2 x DD in exchange for a Royal Navy CL and DD. Over in the Philippines the Asiatic Fleet also won a surface engagement without loss and the Air Corps has kept control of the skies over Clark so far - thought it is only December 16.

I realize its a matter of time but it made me wonder, what is the best result you can achieve with the paltry pre-war forces available at the start? Hanging on to Singapore? Keeping the Japanese out of the DEI? Interested in your stories.

You can ship 8th AUS Div (present as 3 brigades in Singapore and Johore Bahru) and upcoming 18th UK Div to Java. You need more Political Points to free Australians, though.

That will cause lot of problems to Japan. There are also some Gurkha and Indian brigades arriving soon.

You can check my AARs, they are exclusively against Japanese AI, though I play modified LiteBabes scenario 26.

My best early Allied feat was navigating a part of CA Pensacola convoy to Manila. I brought the artillery units. A week later I realised PI units' TOE is very arty heavy (lots of field guns), and coupled with the unt's low exp and low supply available, I only exacerbated supply problem on Luzon this way by shooting those guns and damaging zero Japanese devices in return. The last thing you need on Luzon are additional arty devices.

Then I restarted.

Probably best was in recent game in Coral Sea, where US CVs basically sunk all Kido Butai in 1942.

Sardaukar wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2025 9:37 am Probably best was in recent game in Coral Sea, where US CVs basically sunk all Kido Butai in 1942.

How did you manage to set that up? Did you lose any of your USN CVs in the exchange?

Aerosol2207 wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2025 3:04 pm

Sardaukar wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2025 9:37 am Probably best was in recent game in Coral Sea, where US CVs basically sunk all Kido Butai in 1942.

How did you manage to set that up? Did you lose any of your USN CVs in the exchange?

Good die rolls, especially strikes didn't fragment. It is here, May 15-16, 1942:

https://forums.matrixgames.com/viewtopi ... &start=140

1 January 1943 when the computer surrenders, either side. It is hard on the Japanese in China when convoys with 200k+ in supplies unload in Nationalist Chinese Hong Kong starting in May 1942. That is, after supplies and reinforcements have cleared Luzon of Japanese! Up to 1 million in supplies unloaded in China, then I had to bring more in for my local stockpiles to continue those convoys.

Sardaukar wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2025 8:20 am You can ship 8th AUS Div (present as 3 brigades in Singapore and Johore Bahru) and upcoming 18th UK Div to Java. You need more Political Points to free Australians, though.

That will cause lot of problems to Japan. There are also some Gurkha and Indian brigades arriving soon.

Won't help. I once got the full British division into Singapore. Level 5 forts, about 80,000 supply and 3/4 strength when it surrendered.

jetjockey wrote: Wed Nov 05, 2025 2:48 am

Sardaukar wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2025 8:20 am You can ship 8th AUS Div (present as 3 brigades in Singapore and Johore Bahru) and upcoming 18th UK Div to Java. You need more Political Points to free Australians, though.

That will cause lot of problems to Japan. There are also some Gurkha and Indian brigades arriving soon.

Won't help. I once got the full British division into Singapore. Level 5 forts, about 80,000 supply and 3/4 strength when it surrendered.

I was talking about Java, not Singapore. Singapore is lost cause anyways.

What is it about Java that makes it more defensible than Singapore? Further from the Japanese airbases in Thailand/Indochina?

Aerosol2207 wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 12:54 pm What is it about Java that makes it more defensible than Singapore? Further from the Japanese airbases in Thailand/Indochina?

The Japanese have to invade . . .

Aerosol2207 wrote: Thu Nov 06, 2025 12:54 pm What is it about Java that makes it more defensible than Singapore? Further from the Japanese airbases in Thailand/Indochina?

Java is an island.

Thus, IJA cannot just march there unlike into Singapore.

1944!