A question on troop cycling....

[aoffen]

Just read Luskan's response to RUPD3658's interesting post on taking PM and one of his comments triggered an question. I have been mainly playing as the Japanese player against the AI as it is a better challenge, but its always frustrated me that my units waste away so steadily. This is particularly true of the aviation support units that I need to keep my air units operational. The Japanese are always short of them and as time goes on the situation deteriorates due to this attrition.

So, my question - do people cycle their Japanese land units and aviation support units back to Truk for R&R to recover those losses?

I never have because I can't bring myself to face the short term loss of the resource. Am I being short sighted?

Regards
Andrew

[worr]

Originally posted by aoffen
So, my question - do people cycle their Japanese land units and aviation support units back to Truk for R&R to recover those losses?

I can't speak for the IJN situation, but in the USN I've found rotating divisions, and especailly Aviation Base Unites, a good strategy.

First, you can only reinforce them from your base harbor. Although historically reinforments were sent to units in the field...that is not the case with UV. You must rotate them back, or wait for patch units to show up and join them to the parent organization...but those are slow in coming.

Second, unit moral also gets a boost. Some of this is due to malaria, and sitting in a small base with little support.

1.4 should finally give us the shipping to do this properly too.

I would also help to have good HQ support at the bases you put these units into.

Worr, out

[Drongo]

Posted by aoffen

So, my question - do people cycle their Japanese land units and aviation support units back to Truk for R&R to recover those losses?
I never have because I can't bring myself to face the short term loss of the resource. Am I being short sighted?

If you're playing the Japanese, being short sighted is probably historically accurate (according to pre war propaganda).

I've played the Japanese in a lot of long term scenarios (including my current PBEM). On average, you'll always be at 70-80% of your maximum because of attrition (and that's even if you do cycle aviation support units). If you get sucked into keeping all available units on the front line to meet the growing allied air offensive from late '42 onwards, you'll just find it twice as hard later on when you have larger no's of a/c but only about 50% support capacity.

You need to plan your cycling (an accounting background helps). Cycling just one unit every now and then is pointless given attrition rates. If you can, you should probably select 2 bases (max) to maintain at full capacity (250 aviation) with maybe 2 more at minimum (40 - 80). Using AV's to support search seaplanes where ever possible. Everything else gets cycled (which wont actually be a lot). I've found Truk doesn't have to be one of the full capacity bases as units cycling through will normally give you sufficient levels of support to still use it as a safe, rear area rest/training base for squadrons.

I've found the best way of cycling is to use regular transports between Rabaul and Truk while Fast Transport Missions whip units in and out of the forward bases. In an emergency (if you're lucky enough to see a major attack coming), you can use fast transport to rush all avilable aviation support units to airbases in the threatened region.

The goal is to be able to have major bases in mid '43 still capable of supporting 200+ fighters for CAP and plenty of bombers. The pilots will be crap, the planes will be obsolete but the airbase propaganda photos will look great to the folks back home.