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Since I got great advice in the PI post........What is the best strategy in Malaya or DEI? Some quesitons:

1. AUSSIES: The Aussie Brigades are the best you got in Malaya; is it better to move them up to the front to help the Indians, or save them for the defence of Singapore? What is the best Land strategy in Malaya?
2. LBA in Malaya: What to keep, and what to pull out? When pulling out, where to send them? To DEI?
3. DEFENSE OF DEI: Should more troops be committed to DEI, or is that just tossing them away? It's easy to get a couple Indians Brigades or some Aussies to Java or Sumatra, but is it worth it? Or, is maybe a better strategy trying to hold Timor with Aussies for the long-haul? Or, is it just a waste of time, pull back to Darwin? In general, what is the best Land/LBA strategy in DEI? My instinct is to concentrate on Palembang and Soerbaya.
4. EVACUATE: When it's time to evacuate, has anyone had success in pulling land units out of DEI or Malaya? Which do you go for, the Engineers?

1/ It depends which strategy you want to follow, of which there are two, Give up Singapore without a fight as it is already a lost cause or fight with everything you have as it will slow the Jap time table down and give you time to build in other areas such as DEI and Burma. I have tried both, and I am now leaning towards the stay and fight strategy as the best to go with. In my current PBEM I still hold Singapore in early Feb and am shotting for the Historic fall date of the 16th of Feb.

2/ In Malaya keep EVERYTHING that has a wing and can fly, as Jan drags on you will find that your aircrews are getting very good at hitting IJN ships.

3/ If you have followed the strategy of fighting for Singapore, then this will give you time to suck the DEI dry of supplies and oil and fuel, which comes in very handy in Oz. So simply hold the DEI long enough to get as much supply out as possible, but don't waste good troops (Aussies) on trying to hold it. Why do you feel that Palembang is the place to hold? I only really fight java.

4/ Yes I have had succes in pulling troops out of Malaya, once I got both Brigades of Aussies out from under the nose of a human player. The problem with the DEI is that to wait too long to pull out and you will be risking your APs/AKs. And it is very expensive i terms of PPs to pull troops out of the DEI, better to use those PPs on Aircraft such as fighters and Long Range Patrol aircraft, as that is what is really needed elsewhere.

1. AUSSIES: The Aussie Brigades are the best you got in Malaya; is it better to move them up to the front to help the Indians, or save them for the defence of Singapore? What is the best Land strategy in Malaya?

I've been using them, mixed with some of the lesser units, to make stands where the terrain is best suited. I pulled out of those forward positions in Malay, and fell back to mountains about 2 hexes up from Sing. I've been pushed out of the mountains, and am now falling back another hex. I figure I'll make 'em pay for the ground, now that I'm defending a swamp, rather than a nice flat airfield. Haven't suffered too many casualties, and expect to last a while in Sing (altho I have no hope for these poor SOBs in the long-run).


2. LBA in Malaya: What to keep, and what to pull out? When pulling out, where to send them? To DEI?

I saved everything I could, by getting them out of Sing ASAP. I let 'em strike the first day against the KB landings, but immediately started the evac. The Buffalos aren't that great, but if you haven't noticed, the only fighters you have in Burma are the AVG. AVG is a good unit, but let's face it, they aren't going to stop Japan on their own. The Buffalos don't comepletely suck, and actually have a pretty good range as escorts. Besides, you're going to need every pilot that's even half-way competant when Japan starts to move on Rangoon. Same story about the Blens. They're not great, but again, you don't have much choice; they -are- what you have, so you might as well salvage them. Those torpedo bombers were probably a waste of AF space. The planes have very short legs, the pilots are only mediocre, and it'll be more of an anti-ground campain so they're not as useful; but I pulled 'em out anyways. Send them on the last trips tho, give the Buffalos higher priority. And no, I don't sent my aircraft to DEI. It's going to fall. I moved everything to Burma where they will be more useful, for longer. Most of the aircraft can jump immediately to Rangoon, then a little farther back (Diamond head and adjactent AF) so they can recoup. If not, they'll have to stage to Vicky Pt. and then to Rangoon. And for RN, it heads straight for India. The Japanese LBA in Vietnam will clobber you -very- quickly if you stick around.



3. DEFENSE OF DEI: Should more troops be committed to DEI, or is that just tossing them away? It's easy to get a couple Indians Brigades or some Aussies to Java or Sumatra, but is it worth it? Or, is maybe a better strategy trying to hold Timor with Aussies for the long-haul? Or, is it just a waste of time, pull back to Darwin? In general, what is the best Land/LBA strategy in DEI? My instinct is to concentrate on Palembang and Soerbaya.

[/i]I'm actually only playing the Brits (have everyone else set to computer control), which explains my sentinments above. I'm kind of writing off the DEI tho. I'd pull back the naval assets to Darwin (again, might as well save a scratch fleet, instead of letting it killed piece-mail or in port). But no, I don't baother helping the Dutch. [/i]

4. EVACUATE: When it's time to evacuate, has anyone had success in pulling land units out of DEI or Malaya? Which do you go for, the Engineers?

The only glimmer of hope here is, the 2 transports in Sing -could- reinforce a single port in DEI, but I don't see that as the wisest use of resources. I'm moving a base-force out of Sing (if they don't get bombed), because Sing obviously doens't need it now, and I could sure use it in India. While I could salvage one of the better Australain brigades, they will be replaced by the time they're needed, and I can use the base forces now. Sorry guys, but Malaya gets the "martyr" medal. I don't see any way of saving them. The main purpose in my mind is to hold out and hopefully tie up the Japanese long enough for you to build up Rangoon. Sending transports to pull them out, just means they're going to get sunk either empty on the way there, or full of men on their way out. But you don't have aircover for anything around Malaya (even if you didn't pull it out, all your AFs and planes are wrecks by now). Don't feed the Nells!

-F-

Thanks for the response guys! The interesting thing is Raverdave recommended keeping LBA in Malaya until the bitter end, and Feinder says evacuate LBA as soon as possible. I've kept them in place, they have taken some knocks, but my opponent is staying out of Torp Bomber range.

My plan was to hold Singapore as long as possible. In fact, several units including the Australians failed to get back there and are currently still on the mainland, whilst the japs are on Singapore Island, and it looks like falling about a month early. But some of those Aussie stay-behinds are doing a useful job as general nuisances. They've just retaken Kuantan, and destroyed a respectable number of Jap a/c on the ground. Doomed of course, but not totally wasted.

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Thanks for the response guys! The interesting thing is Raverdave recommended keeping LBA in Malaya until the bitter end, and Feinder says evacuate LBA as soon as possible. I've kept them in place, they have taken some knocks, but my opponent is staying out of Torp Bomber range.

It is not a hard and fast rule and it also depends on the caliber of the guy that you are playing. Another thing to keep in mind with the air units in Malaya is to consider their future use in the defense of Burma/India. A really good IJN player will make a grab for Burma early, and might even consider landing at some of the larger ports on the Indian east coast such as Diamond. Always keep what mght happen in the future and plann occordingly.

Take a look at moving some of those squadrons to Oz too.....I take the RAAF squadrons and sections and move them southward in hops and recombine them in the buildup in Oz. I move the torp planes northward turn 1 so they can hammer the transports unloading over the beaches. As far as the ground troops they have some points built up for defending those bases just north of Singapore but a previous poster was correct that the terrain sucks for defense. I move the Indian troops northward and the little engineer forces northward and put up a little offense/defense action halfway up the peninsula under some fighter and bomber protection

I´d agree with raver, keep those torpedobombers in Singapore - with a little time, they become real ship killers. Later on I evacueated them to the base southwest of Kendari, smashed 2 AI landing attempts at Kendari with them and sunk a hell lot of shipping, including 3 modern DDs. Those Vildebeests are very effective, even using their 500 kg bombs.
Btw. I upgraded one squad to Beauforts, but they prooved not as effective as the oldies.

The Torp bombers have no range sitting in singapore. If you move them a little northward they can be of some use on the peninsula and take a few potshots at the Jap convoys coming in with troops. All the while they are gaining experience. When the ground forces get close then pull them back to singapore for the defense there.