When to adopt a defensive strategy as Japan?

[fcam1387]

It's mid June 1942 and as the Japs I've conquered Northern Australia and am in a position to take the east coast down to Townsville. Is it recommendable to launch major offensives in the July / August period? Or a should I adopt a defensive posture at this stage?

Just curious.

[Yamato hugger]

You should have a defensive line goal in mind Dec 6th.

[fcam1387]

True, but there simply aren't enough troops to go around (especially engineering units) to simultaneously go on the offensive and prepare defensive perimeters.

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: fcam1387

It's mid June 1942 and as the Japs I've conquered Northern Australia and am in a position to take the east coast down to Townsville. Is it recommendable to launch major offensives in the July / August period? Or a should I adopt a defensive posture at this stage?

Just curious.

What have you lost in terms of ships? How are your airgroups holding up?

[fcam1387]

I have lost many many ships. My airforce is in OK shape. That being said, Allied shipping losses are more severe.

[fcam1387]

I do have enough shipping to execute my planned invasion, though.

[Tophat1815]

 Carrier losses? And are your airgroups so thinned your experience levels are in 50's?

[fcam1387]

Moderate carrier losses. The relevant experience tends to be in the 60s-70s.

[John 3rd]

The decision of when to say when is tough.  I am HIGHLY aggressive but general can feel when the limit has been reached.  The key--from my view--is to gradually shift to the defensive in such a way that your opponent doesn't realize the change for a while.  This helps to buy time as you shift gears.  Additionally going over to the defensive doesn't mean stopping everything.  You can still raid and jab at your opponent to keep him off-balance.
 
Good luck!
 

[vlcz]

IMHO..Never go to defensive option in your own choice…. It´s a topic but best defense is offense, surely you pace need not be so frenetic as in previous months and your an “all fronts” assault can be over to consolidate your main choke points in prevision of the allied riposte. BUT , barring disasters , you should always maintain an offensive axis if only to have the capabilities of choosing the battlefield where it is more favourable to you.

[herwin]

ORIGINAL: fcam1387

It's mid June 1942 and as the Japs I've conquered Northern Australia and am in a position to take the east coast down to Townsville. Is it recommendable to launch major offensives in the July / August period? Or a should I adopt a defensive posture at this stage?

Just curious.

HISTORY

Australia had enough defensive assets to hold a line from Adelaide to Townsville. This included three armoured divisions. You probably don't want to get in a land war there.

[Historiker]

There'll also be additional australian milita units when the Japs advance too far south.

[fcam1387]

herwin,

One of the reasons why I invaded Australia in the first place was because I reckon I've destroyed a significant portion of their army. Their reinforced forces at PM and New Guinea surrendered and a division guarding Darwin was shattered. I figured it was low hanging fruit.

[khyberbill]

erwin,

One of the reasons why I invaded Australia in the first place was because I reckon I've destroyed a significant portion of their army. Their reinforced forces at PM and New Guinea surrendered and a division guarding Darwin was shattered. I figured it was low hanging fruit.

If you are playing the AI then keep going, if you are playing a human, then dig in.

[John Lansford]

If you're that involved in Australia you're going to get thin somewhere else.  If you're going up against a human opponent if I were you I'd be expecting assaults in CentPac or SEAsia.  Against the AI I guess it would depend on what its losses were.

[Hokum]

Against a human player, you should keep on probing him till 1943. He can't just let you advance in SE pac/centpac without risking his carriers or he will have to start his counter-attacks from too far when his essex CVs show up. Just don't make Yamamoto's mistake of dividing your fleet.

[fcam1387]

Come to think of it, despite the fact I'm playing the AI, it's probably a good idea to dig in. My shipping losses have been quite bad and I'm experiencing significant fuel shortages as a result. I've also taken reasonably heaviy aircraft losses. While I'm in position to invade the NE coast of Australia, it might just be too costly, risky and spread me too thin.


RE: "dividing your fleet"

I hear you, but sometimes CV upgrades present problems. Furthermore, those weak CVLs and slow Junyos might be better stationed seperately from the fleet carriers to serve as a first line of defence around the SRA / Caroline Islands...

[Mynok]

ORIGINAL: fcam1387

True, but there simply aren't enough troops to go around (especially engineering units) to simultaneously go on the offensive and prepare defensive perimeters.

What kind of engineering units are you talking about?

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: vlcz

IMHO..Never go to defensive option in your own choice…. It´s a topic but best defense is offense, surely you pace need not be so frenetic as in previous months and your an “all fronts” assault can be over to consolidate your main choke points in prevision of the allied riposte. BUT , barring disasters , you should always maintain an offensive axis if only to have the capabilities of choosing the battlefield where it is more favourable to you.

On the other hand, by prepping the inner ring of islands for the onslaught that will come, you are picking your battlefield. From the first turn, I start planning the points on the map where I will dig in and defend.

I also don't spend a lot of resources at first enlarging front line airbases, since it gives the allies developed bases when they fall and I have no second line of defense. Instead I tend to work my way from the inner bases out when building new airfields. There are some bases worth building up, IE Rabaul, Amboina/Kendari etc, but the ones out on the far edges...and the atolls...you can't hold them, so don't build up to defend them.