Lots of questions

[Wannabe]

I need help from the veterans for my eventual victory over the Rising Sun. (Scenario 16, the one that starts in June)

1. How do I actually upgrade? I have 36 B-24s waiting to spring into action, and 2 B-17 squadrons sitting in Brisbane that I would like to see upgrade. What else do I have to do?

2. When do I get P-38 replacements? You know how well my current USAAF fighters are performing, so I am looking forward to something more effective. Do they arrive before the first P-38 reinforcements? At what rate will I receive them? Will they be as effective as I read the Corsairs are? And do I get Corsair upgrades before my first Corsair replacements or am I in for half a year of serving as target drones for the IJN?

3. AAA- will it start to shoot down the enemy again if I ship it back to Noumea or Brisbane then bring it back to fight? I have not been carefully tracking, but it seems they shot down a lot more in the early days.

4. How do I know where the good bases can be built, other than reading on the forums? It seems that information cannot be found until I have built a base to at least level 1 port or airbase. Is there some other way to discover the potential for a base?

5. CAP- how do I get 100% CAP? I know how to for long-range, but I don't understand why I can send every fighter I have over another TF, but can't get 100% over the home carrier.

6. Does CAP over the base protect unloading/loading TFs? Does it matter if the TF is docked? Should I disband the TF for better protection? Does land-based AAA help the TFs at the port?

7. Heard a lot about the wonders of AA upgrades at Pearl. Do I need to wait for certain date for these to become avaialble, or can I just start sending my ships back immediately to get better armament? Is there a way to find out if there is an upgrade before I ship it back?

8. Do ship radars repair like other weapons systems? I am doing a very comfortable job with the enemy carriers-- sunk 2 CVL and one CV, and put 3 bombs into a fourth (didn't sink) for no loss, other than the Saratoga's radar. How long do I have to sit in port for repair?

9. Why are my minefields sinking more of my ships than his? I mined the area around Lunga to stop his buildup before I could counterattack, but I hit the mines more than he does. Any ideas? Five of my 22 ships lost are to my own mines. (He has lost four to my mines.)

10. Any insights on unloading ships quickly for invasions? I got smacked taking Lunga, and need to take Tulagi to get rid of his free target acquisition for my Lunga unloading activities, but after I get this emergency under control, I would like to suffer fewer losses in my future invasions. I plan to take time and build up some supply in the Tulagi/Canal area, but will eventually retake the offensive. Most ship losses to this point are in base hexes unloading supplies or invasion troops.

11. How can I get my aircraft to attack the dozens of AGs off the coast and unloading at Lunga, which I own (for the moment)? No one seems to want to attack the AGs.

12. BIG strategy question-- what are the strategies for killing Betty? I turned off the fog of war for a few turns to see if it was my imagination before I asked your help, and found that I have killed 88 Betties as of mid-August. (Also how I confirmed Zuikaku escaped those 3 bomb hits.) I used up a LOT of PM B-17s in an attempt to destroy planes on the ground and on landing at Rabual while desparately trying to retake Lunga, and I have lost 32 of those bad boys. (Am I going to regret that later, or will B-17 eventually get some replacements or upgrade quickly enough that I am not screwed for the entire game?) I have found that little Betties do more damage to PM than B-17s do to Rabaul. I don't know what else to do, as I am not successful in baiting with CV task forces loaded with just fighters in an attempt to attrite his Betty force. Strategies for killing Betties? She is killing more of my ships than any other enemy weapon; seems that what she sees she torpedoes, and what she torpedoes, and what she torpedoes, she kills.

Any and all advice/observations welcome.

[scorryuk]

1 & 2. To the best of my knowledge you get them when u get them... Helpful I know. But in early stages of war US planes will just do worse than JAP counterparts. Look after morale and fatigue, get your planes exp. up and just hold on to `43. Don`t think any SQD. that just sits in Brisbane without getting in on action is going to upgrade. Also bombers attacking at night will take less damage from CAP.

5. Long range CAP. Just target your own fleet

12. Killing Betties. If they wont go for your carier TF then assemble a surface fleet of AA ships. Mostly DD`s , a few CLs or CAs if you have them. Make sure they have good AA defences on them. 40mm AA guns especially good. Send them north near Gili towards Buna keeping them in range of PM fighters which you set on long range CAP to provide air cover. Or for something less risky send fleet of PGs and SCs (expendable in my opinion) to same location and again set all fighters to long range CAP with TF as its target.
Worth a go...

9. Be careful where your minefields!! Have MSW or DMS in any TF that has to sail through. But if possible sail around them through different HEX. Thought I read somewhere that you can lay offensive/defensive minefields but not sure how!

[Maserati]

2. Yes, you get the P-38 upgrades before you get the reinforcements. It happens sometime in September-October '42, I never notice exactly when it happens. And yes, having escorts to Rabaul or Shortlands helps a great deal.

3. The tactical AI for the Japanese may be getting wise. Or you're getting unlucky. Has the organization of incoming strikes changed ? If they're coming in higher, your AA will have less effect - just like his when you send bombers over at 20-25,000 feet. 25,000 feet is very good for initially softnening-up an airbase.

5. Turn the CAP percentage on a group with Escort orders to 100%. It seems to be working for me.

6. Yes, if the transports are docked.

7. Your first damaged ships in May '42 will get upgrades when you send them back for repair.

8. Quite a while, and somewhat random. I've had the Indianapolis sitting at Noumea for months. It's been repaired from 40% to 15% and there's still one 40mm battery that hasn't been repaired. I'm irked.

9. Were your mines deployed after you set up the base at Lunga ? If not, they were an offensive field laid against a Japanese-held base and not charted for your transports. Sweep 'em and lay a new field. If yes, then the field wasn't laid properly. Sweep and re-do the field. And sack whoever commanded the TF that laid them originally.

10. Beaches are always slow for unloading. The trick is to put LR CAP over the transports. Even then, some ships will get torpedoed.

11. Put lots of fighter-bombers at Lunga, set them to Naval Attack at 100 feet altitude and they'll gleefully slaughter AG groups. Lunga AF needs to eb at at least level 2 for FBs to launch naval strikes.

[DoomedMantis]

http://uncommon-valor.chez.tiscali.fr/

The above site has a list of all the upgrade paths and also when you start getting each type of aircraft. There is some other really useful info here as well.

As for upgrades if you have enough planes in the replacement pool (sqn size plus I think 30%), then as long as the sqn is in range of either Noumea of Brisbane then it will upgrade.