IJN bottled-up in Lae
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:37 pm
Hi Gents !
Have been playing scen. 4 as Allied with "historical AI", just to learn the differences in mechanics from WitP to UV.
Rant Mode: on
It is now 5/30 and my Intelligence Officer keeps telling me about ca. 50 IJN ships in harbour in Lae - most of them damaged .... and no air cover near
Here goes: Took the risk to air-lift most of the initial infantry brigade from PM to Buna - this blocked an early attempt to invade by the IJN. To cover PM, a regiment of the 7th Div - (fast transport) was tranferred to PM.
At the same time airlifted an air support regiment from Coocktown to PM, split a like unit from Townsville to help out in Cooktown and started sending air units into PM (fighters, torp. bombers, A-20s, B-26s)
Gili, Lunga and Tulagi have been invaded at the first turn, taken by the 2nd or 3rd - no chance to stop that.
Till the end of the month a pitched air-battle evolved between these air units at PM and an IJN carrier TF (two large fleet types and the Shoho) in the Lae/Finshaveb/Buna area. While the carriers had a high priority, other surface craft (esp a "Yamato" ??? class BB and a few CAs and Transports got stabbed at, some small fry sunk)
The attrition in the air units has been high - but I think well worth it: One large carrier sunk, one at least heavily hit (three fish plus bombs), the Shoho took bombs and a torp. Both now without air groups.
And all the time no air-cover over Lae - where the Ai has send all the damaged stuff. At this last day, the Air Force has started to convert Lae into a ship graveyard. With very small losses to themselves. The damaged BB took 10 Bombs today ! Well according to the "reports".
Around the 25th a Japanese force has landed in Buna - airlifted one Regiment of the 7th from PM to the place. This force is now reduced to half strength - three squads of Wirraways and a P-39 Group having a field day attacking the invaders as well.
Now it is time to bring the grunts in, in strength and start a ground offensive. Most likely Gili first.
The best thing was: With the single IJN Carrier TF committed to support any landings on New Guinea, my own TF was free to disrupt any movements in the "Slot". And it has been used to cover landings on Rennel Island and Irau. As long as there is no new IJN Carrier TF around, any moves in the Slot will be quite dangerous for the AI. Hope to get some bases going on both islands before the new carriers are comin. This should give me a good start at "starving out" the garrisons at Lunga and Tulagi.
My losses: an AK, an MSW and a PG by a Sub attack.
Rant Mode: Off
The keys to that outcome as far as I can see:
No air-cover for Lae.
The IJN carrier TF could not go after my carriers in the Guadalcanal Area without either exposing its own surface TFs to serious punishment by my air forces - or calling off the whole NG business.
The Japanese air assets on Rabaul made a single large scale attack on PM - and was handled very unfriendly. Attacks on the carriers had - besides losses to themselves - not succeeded at all. A 90% Cap plus some luck made sure of this. AS opposed to UV, the Rabaul Air is pretty ineffective.
The Rabaul Air does very rarely go after single ship transport TFs - if at all. However, the IJN Air does - this is how I lost the AK. But the cost to the carrier air groups was very high, helping a lot in the attrition battle.
Early on, Japanese recon is very small in size. A few TFs got through without notice.
Air Lift Ops are very effective - the striking part of a unit is always transported first, taking care of the red tape later.
Loading any transports is slow, unloading AKs with supplies in smaller (up to size 4) harbours is funeral ..
Guess that makes base building a key issue.
Cheers
vonSchnitter
Have been playing scen. 4 as Allied with "historical AI", just to learn the differences in mechanics from WitP to UV.
Rant Mode: on
It is now 5/30 and my Intelligence Officer keeps telling me about ca. 50 IJN ships in harbour in Lae - most of them damaged .... and no air cover near
Here goes: Took the risk to air-lift most of the initial infantry brigade from PM to Buna - this blocked an early attempt to invade by the IJN. To cover PM, a regiment of the 7th Div - (fast transport) was tranferred to PM.
At the same time airlifted an air support regiment from Coocktown to PM, split a like unit from Townsville to help out in Cooktown and started sending air units into PM (fighters, torp. bombers, A-20s, B-26s)
Gili, Lunga and Tulagi have been invaded at the first turn, taken by the 2nd or 3rd - no chance to stop that.
Till the end of the month a pitched air-battle evolved between these air units at PM and an IJN carrier TF (two large fleet types and the Shoho) in the Lae/Finshaveb/Buna area. While the carriers had a high priority, other surface craft (esp a "Yamato" ??? class BB and a few CAs and Transports got stabbed at, some small fry sunk)
The attrition in the air units has been high - but I think well worth it: One large carrier sunk, one at least heavily hit (three fish plus bombs), the Shoho took bombs and a torp. Both now without air groups.
And all the time no air-cover over Lae - where the Ai has send all the damaged stuff. At this last day, the Air Force has started to convert Lae into a ship graveyard. With very small losses to themselves. The damaged BB took 10 Bombs today ! Well according to the "reports".
Around the 25th a Japanese force has landed in Buna - airlifted one Regiment of the 7th from PM to the place. This force is now reduced to half strength - three squads of Wirraways and a P-39 Group having a field day attacking the invaders as well.
Now it is time to bring the grunts in, in strength and start a ground offensive. Most likely Gili first.
The best thing was: With the single IJN Carrier TF committed to support any landings on New Guinea, my own TF was free to disrupt any movements in the "Slot". And it has been used to cover landings on Rennel Island and Irau. As long as there is no new IJN Carrier TF around, any moves in the Slot will be quite dangerous for the AI. Hope to get some bases going on both islands before the new carriers are comin. This should give me a good start at "starving out" the garrisons at Lunga and Tulagi.
My losses: an AK, an MSW and a PG by a Sub attack.
Rant Mode: Off
The keys to that outcome as far as I can see:
No air-cover for Lae.
The IJN carrier TF could not go after my carriers in the Guadalcanal Area without either exposing its own surface TFs to serious punishment by my air forces - or calling off the whole NG business.
The Japanese air assets on Rabaul made a single large scale attack on PM - and was handled very unfriendly. Attacks on the carriers had - besides losses to themselves - not succeeded at all. A 90% Cap plus some luck made sure of this. AS opposed to UV, the Rabaul Air is pretty ineffective.
The Rabaul Air does very rarely go after single ship transport TFs - if at all. However, the IJN Air does - this is how I lost the AK. But the cost to the carrier air groups was very high, helping a lot in the attrition battle.
Early on, Japanese recon is very small in size. A few TFs got through without notice.
Air Lift Ops are very effective - the striking part of a unit is always transported first, taking care of the red tape later.
Loading any transports is slow, unloading AKs with supplies in smaller (up to size 4) harbours is funeral ..
Guess that makes base building a key issue.
Cheers
vonSchnitter