Japan, after Singapore and the PI...what next

[ZOOMIE1980]

Finding there is a shortage of the smaller, SLNF, LNF and Naval Gd units. I have the PI almost secured (all the small islands and everything on Luzon except Bataan) and Singapore is taken. Now what? I have begun massing all the little units I can find at Davao for taking that mass of bases south of there down through New Guinea, but now find I have nothing in Singapore but huge division and brigade size forces which seem gross overkill for small DEI bases like Medan?

So what do folks use where? What bases keep SLNF, and LNF units for garrison duty, what bases get Base Forces for building basic fortifications, what bases are typically left empty, and what units generally do you eventually use to move to the Solomon's campaign?

So many bases, so few units......and decisions must be made on what use in Burma as well.



And China, as nother poster so aptly stated elsewhere, is becoming a Tar Baby for me.....

[Wilhammer]

I am at the same point in time:

New Guiniea, New Britain, Bouganville are to be had.

Fortify the living hell out of Port Moresby and Gili Gili - this will help block on the north of Australia.

Fortify A few interlocked bases (by airpower and not more than a day or two away from a rapid response surface task force in the NEI.

Move resources as fast as possible, and don't be scared to commit too much to ASW.

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Basically, secure the resources Japan needs.

Establish strong locations to watch and slow down the Allied counter offensives - desiring to prevent any meaningful counter offensive until mid 1943 - and prepare your self for an active an bloody defense of Home and the Greater East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere.

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If the Japanese had stopped the Real thing and not gone after the Solomon Islands and take PM in force, then I say they could of delayed the Allies a good 6 months, and maybe a year from the timetable they did enjoy.

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At the height of your offensive power, and the peak of your conquests is the time to go on the defensive.

[von Murrin]

Split your divs into sub-units. You can garrison a lot of territory that way.

[Q-Ball]

Here is a question I asked myself: Do you really have to occupy all those little bases in '42? You have plenty of time to get to them eventually, and once you have rolled past you don't need them right away if they are unoccupied. Most have very small point values. You obvioulsy want the Kendaris', Amboina's, etc., and anything close to Australia.....but does it matter if you land on Biak in 1942?

Even if they are occupied, bypassing them for 6 months.....pretty much a couple squads could push over a Dutch unit at that point

[ZOOMIE1980]

Probably not. You still need to take them all, but I think I'd be putting base forces on the larger, more useful ones, to build foritfications One's that already have size 3 or 4 airfields and 2 or better size ports. I will want to fight a hard retreat in 1943/44 and these bases need to eventually host aircraft and be heavily fortified. But they don't have to be garrisoned, I suppose. Troops don't seem to have entrenchment levels in this game, the bases do.

[AmiralLaurent]

Troops don't seem to have entrenchment levels in this game, the bases do.

Troops build entrenchment when they are sitting in a hex that is not a base. In a base hex they will use the fortifications of the base.

As for taking the small islands, the best thing to do is to use the historical Japanese tactic: create a small transport TF, put a Brigade or a reinforced SNLF inside and then sail from island to island. Land, Attack, count POW and then embark to the next island.

In WWII, Japan occupied most of the tiny bases of DEI and New Guinea in July-August 1942.

[WhoCares]

Optionally, you can split of a ship or two from a bigger invasion TF. While the bigger TF goes for the important base the split unit can mop up the surroundings, probably even cutting of a retreat path for the target of the big invasion. With the speed of the invasion TFs you might have a turn ahead to decide for such an operation. In this turn, planes from cruisers (e.g. from a bombardment TF) can recon potential targets.
Problem is, that your little TF might be well in range of enemy air assets, but even in that case you might be happy to see 20 TBs going after your small TF while they could have seriously hit your main force [;)]

[esteban]

One of the things that I do is use my AG barges to take surrounding, unoccupied islands. Have them take a bit of a larger unit, go capture what you want, and then bring the pieces back to the larger unit.

That being said, you can completely bypass some of the defended islands, if you are playing Japan. Most Allied bases start scenario 15 with little extra supply, so most of the bypassed bases are no threat. As the Japanese, you can use some of these for practice ranges, for those air units that need training.

[ZOOMIE1980]

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but could you or someone clarify what those AG's are good for???

[AmiralLaurent]

ORIGINAL: ZOOMIE1980

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but could you or someone clarify what those AG's are good for???

AG are Japanese barges, created by converting supplies loaded aboard Japanese transports.

And yes, they are useful to occupy undefended area. In UV, I always conquered the Solomons in scen 17 with a Naval Garnison Unit and barges. Took more than a month but I took every dot.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: ZOOMIE1980

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but could you or someone clarify what those AG's are good for???

They are also useful for supply runs when you don't have air superiority. Because of their size, they are tough to spot, and too small to be targeted by torpedos or bombs. The only way to kill them in UV was fighters on strafing runs, or small PT boats. Because of their low point value, you can lose hundreds without it really costing anything, so high losses are acceptable. Run them from a nearby safe harbor. Very useful around the Solomons.

[sven6345789]

most of the small bases in the PI were taken in late may or even june 1942. Without air or naval support, they do not pose any threat at all.

[ZOOMIE1980]

ORIGINAL: sven6345789

most of the small bases in the PI were taken in late may or even june 1942. Without air or naval support, they do not pose any threat at all.

Alright, thanks, guys. Much help. I never made much use of barges and PTs and such in UV, never saw the need vs the AI (maybe because the AI never lasted past Dec 1942 for either side for me). And so far, just not far enough into the war to be at point where they seem of much use, although in hind sight, I could have possibly used them for all the mini bases in the PI. But hell, I've got 100 idle AP's sitting in Tokyo right now and have no need to use them for much of anything except moving new arrivals south when they arrive. I've 30 AP's in Singapore ready to hit Sumatra and over 50 massed in Davao ready to stage into eastern Borneo and all those DEI bases laying around. The KB is keeping watch off Sorebaja and has basically eliminated all Allied air resistance of substance in the whole SRA. I guess I'll use those AG's in the Solomons when the time comes.

[RUPD3658]

Maybe a strike into India? There are resouces, Oil, and HI there to be taken and they are lightly gaurded early on. In addition they can be moved overlandafter capture.

[AmiralLaurent]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

ORIGINAL: ZOOMIE1980

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but could you or someone clarify what those AG's are good for???

They are also useful for supply runs when you don't have air superiority. Because of their size, they are tough to spot, and too small to be targeted by torpedos or bombs. The only way to kill them in UV was fighters on strafing runs, or small PT boats. Because of their low point value, you can lose hundreds without it really costing anything, so high losses are acceptable. Run them from a nearby safe harbor. Very useful around the Solomons.

I disagree, in UV they can be killed by everything flying at 100 feet (medium, Avengers, FB...) and suffer most losses to naval search aircraft flying at normal altitudes (medium or heavy bombers mainly, but also more rarely a floaplane or a PBY). I had also have some TF surprised by bombardment TF and sunk by 14in shells....
But as they are valued 0 points, the real only is only the cargo.