Noob question on Allies Tankers.

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toselli
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Noob question on Allies Tankers.

Post by toselli »

Hi everyone. I'm playing my first Campaign against the AI as Japan but I have never played the Allies so I have a question. Reading on these forums it appears that one of the problems the Allies have early in the war is a lack of tankers. I am now in July 1942 and I have sunk around 40 between TKs and AOs. Is this number enough to consider the Allies crippled in their ability to move fuel at this time or do they still have plenty of capacity?

Thanks a lot.
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EUBanana
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RE: Noob question on Allies Tankers.

Post by EUBanana »

In my pbem as Allies I'm quite short of tankers in late 42, but find it's irrelevant because I have so many AKs that I can just lasso up 30 AKs no problem and have them all ship fuel instead of supply.

I have well over 150 AKs that are more less permanently sitting idle, waiting to be used. The damage done to the Allied merchant fleet would have to be indescribably bad to have a serious impact I think.

One thing that I am short of for reals is APs and AKs as opposed to xAPs and xAKs. This puts a crimp on amphibious invasions and makes supplying small port hexes harder. I think for 1942 they are probably more valuable than TKs, though maybe not AOs.

I think TKs are required to haul oil, so that makes them important to Japan - but the Allies don't need to haul oil, only fuel, which can go in an AK.
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Bradley7735
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RE: Noob question on Allies Tankers.

Post by Bradley7735 »

Playing vs the AI is a lot different than playing vs a human. The AI gets a lot of cheats. Supply and fuel don't work the same in an AI game as in pbem.

I wouldn't try (or, you can't) to starve the enemy in an AI game. I'm fairly certain that a cut off LCU, with no supply will not die of it's own accord. It has to be attacked. I think the AI gets some fuel benefits too. I've seen subs sit in the same spot for months without returning for fuel. (FOW off, obviously to see that.)
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xj900uk
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RE: Noob question on Allies Tankers.

Post by xj900uk »

You can never have too many tankers or oilers. Also the latter (AO's) permit refuelling at sea which is crucial for the ALlied player once the 'Big Blue Blanket' starts in early '44.
True that AK's can carry fuel but if they are carrying it then they are not carrying anything else...
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EUBanana
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RE: Noob question on Allies Tankers.

Post by EUBanana »

ORIGINAL: xj900uk
True that AK's can carry fuel but if they are carrying it then they are not carrying anything else...

Yeah, but when you have 200+ just sitting disbanded in ports hauling nothing, having a few of them hauling fuel instead has no net effect. If I used my entire AK fleet I'd merely be oversupplying and losing a lot to wastage, probably. The Allies have such a vast surplus of merchant ships that I really don't think in a straight up attrition war, unless we're talking hundreds of ships lost, the Allies are going to be really bothered.

AO's are different due to their use in replenishment TFs. AKs laden with things scarcer than the AKs themselves (like, USMC divisions :P) are obviously different too. But the AKs/TKs themselves? Plenty where they came from.
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xj900uk
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RE: Noob question on Allies Tankers.

Post by xj900uk »

Well right now it's early Feb '42 and I'm using most of AK's/xAK's to ferry fuel across the Pacific especially to PH. TK's and AO's I am holding back on as they are too precious & vulnerable in the Pacific, although coming south out of Abadan to India/Sri Lanka and across the S Indian Ocean from Cape Town to Perth are pretty safe bets (unless the IJ player takes a leaf out of my book to invade Cocos and Christmas Isles (IO), build up the airbases then put LBA's there to harass the southern ocean shipping & anything daring to come down south from Sri Lanka...
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crsutton
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RE: Noob question on Allies Tankers.

Post by crsutton »

No matter the tanker fleet, it is imperitive that the Allied player use AKs to ship fuel in the first year of the war. I have about sixty running on a regular run to Cape Town from the East Coast and use them periodically to run fuel to OZ. If you are doing any real fighting there is just not enough tanker capacity.
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