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Maybee this is an old question but i have nothing found serching this items.

I caputred in my solo game as Allied Rangoon in 3/1942. I came from the sea. I had two large transport fleets (71 and 94 AP/AK) and support through 3 CV groups (6 CV + 1 CVL) and two Bombardement groups with 8 BB. From my bases in Burma i launched air strikes against ground units in Rangoon. The invasion was a success. After 3 days Rangoon was in my hand and many japanese troos fighting in Burma now are traped.

But i had to pay a huge price. Ca. 30 of my AP/AK are sunk and a lot more are heavy damaged (sys 99) and i will at least lose the same number in the next days - perhaps even more. Till now in the entire war i have lost 56 ships and in week it will be over 100.

The reason for the looses are the coastal guns. The air strikes against ground units were worthless. The bombers attackt only an AF construction unit. What did i wrong ?

(In the next weeks the same show i will perform in Sulawesi. My LCI/LST fleet is waiting in PH for the operation against the Mariann.- Islands in 3-4 months).

You have to do port attacks with your airforce. Again and again and again and again..... Just don´t stop, also go in with your bombardment TF again and again and again.... It´s never enough and port attack is the only way to kill off the CD guns. And the more ships you have in your invasion TF the more (far more) shots will be fired at them (I don´t know why but that´s WITP).

But you were lucky there weren´t any US 155 mm FG. They would have sunk your whole invasion! [:)]

Hi
First thing, to soften up the CDs you need to bomb the Port, not the ground units. [See section 7.2.2.8] Bombing the port will damage port facilities, support troops and CD-type units.

Michael

The structure of your landing forces and method of attack can make a difference too. I typically incorporate a couple of CA/CLs, plus some DDs, PG,s and MSWs into the assault convoy. CA/CL's can hold their own against most of the shore batteries below 8 inch. The DD's and gunboats will be hurt pretty badly, but will draw fire away from the transports.

I also send in the assault in waves. Shock infantry and combat engineers go in on LSTs, LCIs and small APs in the first wave. The other ships enter the target hex, but have orders not to unload. In normal circumstances this gets your main fighting force ashore in one day, but keeps your supplies and support troops far enough off shore so that they take few hits. The next day, the assault ships ships withdraw and their supporting CA/CLs and any surviving DDs transfer to the larger AP and AK support TFs. These go in a little at a time or all at once, depending on how strong the CDs are.

Of course while this is going on, bombardment TFs are pounding the defenses (until their ammo runs out (at which time they either withdraw or join the assault TFs)) and CVs are providing cover for all and attacking port positions from the air.

As a final note, keep formimg sub-TFs as fast as ships unload and move the empty TFs off shore. I used to lose a lot of empty APs that were just sitting around waiting for the last troops or suppiles to be unloaded across a beach from the bigger support ships.

what about land CD Batallions? How do you nutralize those? and how deadly are they against invasion fleets?

They're very deadly - I recommend that you steer clear of them...