Taking Burma and India

[Raverdave]

This is more for the Jap fanboy club but an interesting topic none the less for everyone.
The more games that I play the more I am beginning to think that the Japanese have a chance at taking India and thus knocking Britain out of the war in the pacific ( And also therefore cut off the supply to China). The RN that is currently in the Bay of Bengal is not that much of a problem as a few carriers can hand this without too much of a sweat. (As I am finding out in my PBEM against Luskan). The hard part would be getting past Burma and doing so with some speed. I guess that you could even think about simply by-passing Burma all together and simply land two to three Divisions in India.
Once the Japanese have access to the Indian rail network they could fly across the map with little to stop them. Any of you Jap Fanboys have any thoughts on this that you like to add?

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: Raverdave

This is more for the Jap fanboy club but an interesting topic none the less for everyone.
The more games that I play the more I am beginning to think that the Japanese have a chance at taking India and thus knocking Britain out of the war in the pacific ( And also therefore cut off the supply to China). The RN that is currently in the Bay of Bengal is not that much of a problem as a few carriers can hand this without too much of a sweat. (As I am finding out in my PBEM against Luskan). The hard part would be getting past Burma and doing so with some speed. I guess that you could even think about simply by-passing Burma all together and simply land two to three Divisions in India.
Once the Japanese have access to the Indian rail network they could fly across the map with little to stop them. Any of you Jap Fanboys have any thoughts on this that you like to add?

Do bases in India / Burma require any garrison ? If not then it might work. Also, where do british reinforcements arrive ?

Xargun

[Raverdave]

Karachi (S?) Take that place and the Brits are stuffed, plus it is chocka-block with heaps of fuel and supplies.

[Mr.Frag]

Karachi (S?) Take that place and the Brits are stuffed, plus it is chocka-block with heaps of fuel and supplies.

Remember that supply gets turned OFF if you drop by and visit [;)]

[Fallschirmjager]

Three things.
If you are going to do it, do it fast once Britian begins pouring in reinforcments there is no way to wrest it from them.
If you take territory, dont lose it, if you do that would mean the loss of a run field army and lots of weaponary.
Knocking Britian out of the war wont nessacarily mean an Allied loss. America and Austrailia can still hold there own and go on the offensive.

[Deathifier]

ORIGINAL: Mr.Frag

Karachi (S?) Take that place and the Brits are stuffed, plus it is chocka-block with heaps of fuel and supplies.

Remember that supply gets turned OFF if you drop by and visit [;)]

And so does every british air/land/sea unit arriving there.
Good tradeoff IMO

You'd have to stick around to defend the place if you did take it, and you would have to get there with enough force before any significant reinforcements arrive...

Though it does look like an easy conquest

- Deathifier

[Xargun]

The bad thing is you cannot hope of taking anything in India until Singapore and Sumatra are pacified.

Xargun

[Grouchy]

ORIGINAL: Xargun

The bad thing is you cannot hope of taking anything in India until Singapore and Sumatra are pacified.

Xargun

And by that time the allied player has enough PP to divert some chinese units to the burma theater.
At least that's what I see in my current game against the allied AI.

[von Murrin]

I'd like to see someone try it; I don't think it would work. You absolutely have to bypass Burma for the garrison, but unless the Allied player is foolish and advances all his troops to Burma, you'll just end up Dunkirking the Pommies in Karachi until they have the strength to break out. Then falls the house of cards that is your defense.[:D]

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: Grouchy

ORIGINAL: Xargun

The bad thing is you cannot hope of taking anything in India until Singapore and Sumatra are pacified.

Xargun

And by that time the allied player has enough PP to divert some chinese units to the burma theater.
At least that's what I see in my current game against the allied AI.

Anytime the Allies want to divert chinese units to Burma go ahead. It will make china even weaker. And besides... I'm playing the japanese and I'm diverting Kwangtung units into china and chinese into Burma, so the Allies can play the same game --- it is only fair.

Xargun

[freeboy]

Quite agree.. my Burma first strategy against a computer ia is easy but what about a human, do I sound like a Feringi.. "HHUUUMAN" like what I see for balance

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: freeboy

Quite agree.. my Burma first strategy against a computer ia is easy but what about a human, do I sound like a Feringi.. "HHUUUMAN" like what I see for balance

The Brits - like the Chinese at first - are trading space for time.. You hold Singapore as long as you can so Japan doesn't roll up to Rangoon with 8 divisions and plow right through to Dacca. If you held Singpore long enough and are able to hold Rangoon and slow down the Japs you will have enough force to probably stop them north of Rangoon - depending on reinforcements. BUT you do not want to pull troops out of China while Japan is still on the move... If he sees those chinese corps in Burma, he will go on the offensive in China more - knowing the already poor units are even less in numbers than before.

I think the Brits are in a no win situation. If given priority, the Japs can beat the hell out of them and possibly take Dacca and so forth - but this will divert troops from Oz and making fortresses on the pacific islands - which in the long run makes the US's job easier.

Xargun

[Raverdave]

I don't fully agree. Moving 4 to 6 Chinese Divisions into Burma is not going to make that much of a difference in China, but to will make a world of difference in Burma.

[Deathifier]

Well China starts with hordes of troops in Yunan, on the china/burma border.

A good number of those units can be sent to burma if the allies want.

Between the eternally spawning troops at Chungking, the masses that are pushed back by the japs, the garrison requirements and the putt-putt speed of movement on those trails it's unlikely the Jap player would be able to get in and break through the chinese heartland without it turning into one massive resource sink.

- Deathifier

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: Deathifier

Well China starts with hordes of troops in Yunan, on the china/burma border.

A good number of those units can be sent to burma if the allies want.

Between the eternally spawning troops at Chungking, the masses that are pushed back by the japs, the garrison requirements and the putt-putt speed of movement on those trails it's unlikely the Jap player would be able to get in and break through the chinese heartland without it turning into one massive resource sink.

- Deathifier

To be honest. I have 3 chinese bases so far and have like 3 left in my agenda to capture and then china can sit there and rot for all I care. You can't defeat china (AND have a chance to win the game), but china sure does have some nice resources and a couple oil spots too... like Changsha - 600 resources... thats 750 resources per day.. The base alone put my Chinese lands over the positive in resources with plenty - like 1200 a day - to ship back home.

Once I have the chinese bases I want, I'll bring in the engineers, setup defenses and pull out some units.. A lot of my China Forces will be sent west into Burma to route the British. There are a couple of nice bases in northern Burma I would like.... They have the one thing I need.... Oil...

Xargun

[sven6345789]

A full scale assault will probably be able to throw the british of balance. It might even be enough to throw them out. But units operating here cannot operate against the australians or the us. The job for the allied player in this theater will be a lot easier. Also the british are not a pushover. Looking a the forces they have and considering history, it took the japanese about 2 1/2 months to clear malaya. India has more, better supplied, and regarding some, better trained british units. A prolonged offensive in this area might take 3-6 months. by this time, the first counterattacks by the left alone US will have taken place.
personally, although this idea is taunting, i would concentrate on taking out burma, closing the burma road, and if everything goes well, an attack on the "hump" base in india (Ledo i think) + Imphal and Kohima might be undertaken. If started in 1942, this can be archieved (as opposed to the japanese trying this in 1944). Otherwise, fortify Burma to keep the British out of Thailand and Malaya for as long as possible.

[Adnan Meshuggi]

It depends...

IF you get some us carriers and kill em (without loosing too much own), you can hold back the americans more easy for around 6 months... use this time wisely is my suggestion.
So, as the japanese i would try to take india. THe ressource/oil you get is worth it... also, with zero brits in your flank, life is much easier and allied subs have a longer way to their stations...

on the other hand, as the brit i would try to draw japanese troops to my front, to do exactly what will improve the situation for the us navy...
but - if you (as the japanese) will succsessfully capture india, it is worth the whole thing. But you also can loose the war much earlier by doing this. Against a human, i bet this will do not work 9 out of 10 times...

[Mr.Frag]

Might work in an AI game, but it will get you screwed in a PBEM game when the smart Allied player outflanks you and cuts your supply lines by landing farther south after you move all your combat troops up north.

You will now find yourself completely out of supply with no way out.

[Onime No Kyo]

I'm just thinking out loud, but technically it should work fine. If the Jap player has complete control of the Bay of Bengal and Singapore, he can take Diamond Harbor and march north straight to Karachi. The troops will be supplied from Diamond and once Karachi is gone, the rest of India can be handled by the IJA at leisure. Besides, most of the inland Indian bases are hardly a threat. A subsequent march down the coast from Karachi should just about seal the fate. Meanwhile, Allied troops in Burma would be starving.

Of course this means keeping a strong garrison at Diamond, keeping Ceylon diverted (I would prefer not to land there, dilutes the effort), and bypassing Burma entirely (which is fine by me since I dont relish slogging through the jungles anyway).

I invite someone to comment on this.

[Mr.Frag]

Not enough supplies produced. You might get half way.