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I read int eh manual that overland supply is possible. I am just wondering because I ahve over 200,000 supplies in Port Moresby and I am getting nothing to either Wau or Buna. It is mighty difficult to get Buna up as a field if I can't get supplies to it. I understand that ther is supposed to be a loss of supplies when moving over trails but I shoudl still get at least 40% to Buna from Port Moresby. Instead I am getting bumpkis. I haver been running a couple of APD's up from Gilli Gilli to supply Buna but those are Betty Magnets. I woudl try some larger transports but I am not sure they woudl survive nor if it is worth trying to continue to supply Buna with the transports. Does anyone know if this is normal, or if there is something I need to do to facilitate ground transport?

Buna is now a level 3 port and 4 airfield. I have troops and engineers there as well as a Base force. But I am having much dificulty gettign more than 5000 in supplies in there.

UB

The units will draw what they need overland, the base will not build up supplies but the units will not starve...

Thanks Mr. Frag. So if I place Planes in Buna they will start gettign thier supplies from Pt. Moresby? Will they draw enough to comence operations or woudl I still need to get extra supplies in to do the job? I lost Wau, so I guess that won't matter. I woudl love to figure out a way to use WAU as a Light Bomber and fighter base to strangle LAe and the rest of New Guinea.

UB

Your grunts will pull supplies, not a chance you are going to draw enough to keep aircraft flying in offensive roles ...

Well then I guess I need to risk some transports. Those dang Betties are just way to good. I have to get those heavies in action against Rabul. I just do nto want to overload Pt. Moresby with Heavies and attack planes. They have pretty much given up running transports into Lae and Samula, since i have sunk 150 of the transports hehehe. So Maybe some time in Oz is in order from a few of those SBD's and TBF's.

So you tink I will draw enough supplies to keep the Support units and other ground personel supplied but any offensive action will require supplies to be shipped in? I think I can do that. Time to force some transportsin. I have lots of them with goos Sys damage from use. If i use them and lose them to torps I will get more form teh states I hope. I was just trying to be less Gamy than that.

UB

Bring in a CV TF to escort the transports and fly lots of CAP over the group. It forces extra morale checks against the bombers and enough CAP will prevent them from committing suicide runs...

Do you think puttign soem decoy targets in teh Port woudl help? I mean stick a fairly sizable Destroyer force in the Buna lagoon to draw the Betties, maybe inflict some d on them and allow the transports to offload? I have plenty of fighters but they do not sem to be of much deterence to the bobmers and I am not knocking htem down with cap as it is. As for a CV tf, I only have one CV in theater teh Yorktown. She is undamaged but I woudl hate to lose her until I get soem of the Carriers back from Pearl. I sent them back a while ago for upgrades and one for battle damage, I am just in October and I should get them by Jan 1.

UB

A "decoy" can draw some fire, but you're probably still going to find the Bettys nailing your transport TF. Best bet is to use small APs (1k size) and run them in quick and then out again. Less time in threat area. Escort with AA DDs, and have the CVTF nearby providing air cover as an addition. One CV is tricky, though, since you can't get enough a/c in the air.

You might try using smaller transport TFs, too (2-3 ships). Can't get the AA coverage, of course, but more should get in/out without damage.

for supplies, you would be much better using the small (though slower) AK's since their offload time in port for supplies is much quicker than AP's. Also, I have build up Gili Gili into a major bomber base, which is nominally easier to keep in supply than PM, and have been bombing Rabaul a lot. Two to three times a week, the Libs and Forts go as high as possible and plaster as much of their airfield as I can. Of course, this means that you need to keep you escort at GG at a fairly good level.

I agree, those characters who put this game together gave the Betty's an all together too good chance of torpedoing ships in port. I've had three plane raids get three torpedo hits. Frank's book on Guadalcanal said quite plainly that the Betty's had problems with torpedo attacks because the crews were not experienced with flying into the caliber (ahem) of AAA that USN transports and AK's could put up - especially when launching a torpdedo means flying low and relatively slow and in a straight line right at the target. I know, the IJN air dropped torpedo could be dropped from a great height, but if you drop one of those things from 200 meters in a harbor at 175 kts, I still think you're going to blow a great big whole in the bottom of the harbor more than the bottom of a ship. Methinks something is amiss in this formula.

Well I forced 15K in Supply into Buna as well as two 60 strength Base forces. I then moved nearly 90 Naval Attack planes and 36 Fighters into it. I still have a very large supply base at Pt. Moresby 165K. I am havign trouble gettign fuel there however and I have run my transports ragged. I have many of them in Harbor to refit/repair they were all in teh mid teens for Sys damage.

Those betty's are amazing. Three plan atttacks into the teeth of a 15 Ship task force, all DD's and CLAA's and they hit one of the CLAA's, and two of teh Destroyers. This was with 4 seperate 3 plane attacks. 3 planes, I can't imagine that all of those gunners were not able to see them come in at 200 feet. My Next plane is to start building up Woodlark Island to get a nore forward base and have a field in range fr teh P-38G's when they get here in force. I am also contemplating invading both Lae and Salmua. I have them cut off from supply other than a fast transport by DD and even that is dicey for them with all those attack planes and my cordon of subs. I think that if I can get up there with a heavy mining of the harbors they will be well and truly #$%$#@ . My troops are gettign antsy and I need ot do something with them. But before I can I must get my sealift capability up.

Oh He did come down aftr what I am guessing were my Bombardment groups that had just plastered both Lae and Salmua. It was the Shokaku and Uyo. THe Uyo hit two mines off of Frisch, and I put two torpedoes into Mogami off of Salmua. However even with clear weather, aircraft and Sub spotting the TF's, over 100 Fighters for escort and 100 Naval attack planes and another 90 LB's they launched ZERO attacks on teh depleted carriers. Oh the JP CV's launced long range attacks at my ports of Pt. Moresby and Gilli Gilli, and teh DD tf's there tore them apart. Oh well I missed a chance to put two front line carriers out of the war but I had it set just no launch .

UB

I have better luck running 1 or 2 ships at a time to resupply remote bases. There seems to be a lower limit on target size below which the AI does not either see the target or accept the benefit/risk ratio of attacking it.

Using this method I evacuated PM for example. More than 2 AP's would draw the Betty's as would any warship, even a single PG. AK's seem less attractive targets than AP's also. Decoys can work, as can sending a host of small supply missions to several bases at once. The AI seems to have trouble targeting multiple TF's. I usually build several bases at teh same time, and send all the supply TF's to arrive at the same day.