Mr Kane vs Olorin

[ny59giants]

USA to Australia - Your Canadian KVs are your best early war escorts. I convert almost all of my Clemson DDs to APDs and use them to escort my AOs and TKs TFs, first and foremost. Now, depending on how far east Mr Kane expands, I like both Christmas Island and Vava'u (largest potential port in SoPac outside of Aukland) as my refueling hubs, but you can go further south towards Tahiti, if needed. Troops, construction, and naval support units go to both quickly. 18 plane FPs go to both for ASW patrols. Use the slow 11 and 12 knot AO/TKs to feed Christmas (Los Angeles is my AO/TK hub for USA). You can use bases like Hilo or Christmas as initial destinations and then reset the TF for others further south (there are many not too far south of Christmas) to minimize your escorts refueling so much. I set many to Christmas and some of the dot bases to the south. Then, to Vava'u and bases around it before finally Sydney. Now, make sure you have "Do Not Refuel" option set!!! Once they get to Sydney and unload they should have enough to get back to Vava'u. There, I click the TF to "Minimum Refuel" with the possibility to make another destination of Christmas before getting back to USA. Following all this means I don't use the fuel I got to Australia being used to bring back fuel to the USA in the ships own bunkers. Most of my TFs are in the red fuel wise once they get to SF/LA.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Olorin
I have a question. My WC to AUS convoys are red (not enough fuel for the whole trip). I have minimal refueling on. I suppose they will refuel in AUS and have enough fuel for the return trip, am I right?

Try and NOT refuel at OZ. The closer to the WC you refuel the more efficient you will be. So either top off the convoys somewhere in CENTPAC/SOPAC or have them refuel on their returnleg as close to the WC as possible. Obviously one just enough to get them home.

A few tips.

- As the allies shipping fuel in xAKs is perfectly viable.
- You have some long range shipping at CT. Move all of them to WC/Panama.
- CT is not a good base for supplying OZ as its fuel generation is too low.
- Get AA to OZ ASAP.
- Get a search network up in CENTPAC/SOPAC to cover your LOC.
- Don´t send too much naval assets to OZ as you can´t keep them fueled early on
- Keep your slow BBs in port until their 43 upgrades are done. Too slow and drink too much fuel.
- You will run out of fighters. Only use fighters when its needed for a greater good.
- Against Tom you will be short of fighters the entire game. Even in 45. Play accordingly.
- Never ever use 4Es unescorted.
- PDU ON games as the allies suck.

Tom will play very aggressively. He is not afraid to to take losses to grind you down. He will slowly but surely grind you down in China by relentless attacks both on the ground and in the air. Once you collapse by supply shortage you will crumble in a few months. Plan accordingly.

I´m not kidding about the fighter shortages. You will be chronically short the entire game. AA is your best friend and you will have to let it substitute for CAP in many instances. Never try an attrition war in the air against him. You will lose. Once he gets Tojos he will dominate until you get P47s. I strongly suggest reading GJs AAR to get some insight on how your situation in the air will look mid game. Its not a fun read for an allied player. [:)]

Good luck! [:)]

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: Olorin
I have a question. My WC to AUS convoys are red (not enough fuel for the whole trip). I have minimal refueling on. I suppose they will refuel in AUS and have enough fuel for the return trip, am I right?

Try and NOT refuel at OZ. The closer to the WC you refuel the more efficient you will be. So either top off the convoys somewhere in CENTPAC/SOPAC or have them refuel on their returnleg as close to the WC as possible. Obviously one just enough to get them home.

A few tips.

- As the allies shipping fuel in xAKs is perfectly viable.
- You have some long range shipping at CT. Move all of them to WC/Panama.
- CT is not a good base for supplying OZ as its fuel generation is too low.
- Get AA to OZ ASAP.
- Get a search network up in CENTPAC/SOPAC to cover your LOC.
- Don´t send too much naval assets to OZ as you can´t keep them fueled early on
- Keep your slow BBs in port until their 43 upgrades are done. Too slow and drink too much fuel.
- You will run out of fighters. Only use fighters when its needed for a greater good.
- Against Tom you will be short of fighters the entire game. Even in 45. Play accordingly.
- Never ever use 4Es unescorted.
- PDU ON games as the allies suck.

Tom will play very aggressively. He is not afraid to to take losses to grind you down. He will slowly but surely grind you down in China by relentless attacks both on the ground and in the air. Once you collapse by supply shortage you will crumble in a few months. Plan accordingly.

I´m not kidding about the fighter shortages. You will be chronically short the entire game. AA is your best friend and you will have to let it substitute for CAP in many instances. Never try an attrition war in the air against him. You will lose. Once he gets Tojos he will dominate until you get P47s. I strongly suggest reading GJs AAR to get some insight on how your situation in the air will look mid game. Its not a fun read for an allied player. [:)]

Good luck! [:)]

I was thinking of posting something similar but Joc more than covered it.

You will not fight oscars in the game except for those already on the map at the start. You will be fighting tojo's, Nicks, and my new favorite Tony's. They can sweep at 37K and there is nothing I have in my arsenal that can combat that.

Mass AA is your friend. Finally in 1943 I am turning the tide in Australia which was not completely conquered because I begged for mercy.

I tried a defensive strategy and would have lost on Jan 1, 1943 if we were playing for VP.

Watching this AAR closely to see what I might have done differently.

[Olorin]

Thanks for all the advice guys. My SLOCS are a bit more risky compared to yours I see.
I have an AO at Hilo and Christmas in case my CS convoys need underway refueling. The problem is "refuel at waypoint" always does full refuel regardless of setting. Bug or am I missing something?

P.S.I somehow missed the Greyjoy vs Mr Kane AAR.

[ny59giants]

Refuel at waypoint - You can adjust what happens at a way point that is a base fuel wise. To the far right of 'waypoints' is yellow colored words. keep clicking on it until the fuel option you want shows up. Just like on main TF screen.

[Olorin]

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[HansBolter]

Haven't been following the entire AAR, but see now that you are fortifying Koepang.

I usually do that primarily with Dutch units airlifted by flying boats.

You can pull in a fair amount of force from the scattered garrisons that will be taken piecemeal if you don't concentrate them.

[paradigmblue]

I've always found it easier to supply Australia through Perth via Capetown once I have my East Coast --> Capetown off-map convoys established rather than running the supplies across the Pacific.

[Olorin]

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[Olorin]

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[Bif1961]

Will be interested in how it turns out and what the delay costs are to a Japanese expansion in resources and time table diversions.

[Olorin]

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[Encircled]

Good going in Darwin, but now you've destroyed his initial invasion it might be time to redeploy those forces to SE Oz.

Those citizen militia Aussie Divs are not much use if he decides to go really deep

[Olorin]

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[BBfanboy]

If you can get enough supply in there, the Aussie armoured/recce regiments start receiving some heavy metal really soon. Put them in rest mode so their upgrades can go ahead.

[Encircled]

But if he brings a lot of bombers, they won't last long in the clear, even if they have decent tanks

Every Japanese player knows just how weak both Oz and India are at the start, so the aggressive ones will really go for one or the other.

It does look like he's heading for Oz based on what you have said so far, though it is far too early to tell.

Hope you are building forts at Karachi, Bombay, Melbourne and Sydney!

[Olorin]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

But if he brings a lot of bombers, they won't last long in the clear, even if they have decent tanks

Every Japanese player knows just how weak both Oz and India are at the start, so the aggressive ones will really go for one or the other.

It does look like he's heading for Oz based on what you have said so far, though it is far too early to tell.

Hope you are building forts at Karachi, Bombay, Melbourne and Sydney!

It's true his focus so far seems to be towards Oz. KB is at Kendari and mini-KB raided Townsville recently.
Melbourne and Sydney are fortified in Oz. In India, Calcutta, Chittagong and Madras.

I will upgrade my Aussie tanks after the old ones get trashed once. [:D]

[Mike McCreery]

Are you playing for AV?

Mr. Kane can get 6-7000 VP off of Australia by strat bombing.

[Olorin]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

Are you playing for AV?

Mr. Kane can get 6-7000 VP off of Australia by strat bombing.

Yes we are.

I tried the "bomb Australia" strategy against ny59Giants. I didn't get an AV, although I can't remember how many VPs I gained from strategic bombing. It should be close to what Mr Kane got against you I think.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Olorin

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

Are you playing for AV?

Mr. Kane can get 6-7000 VP off of Australia by strat bombing.

Yes we are.

I tried the "bomb Australia" strategy against ny59Giants. I didn't get an AV, although I can't remember how many VPs I gained from strategic bombing. It should be close to what Mr Kane got against you I think.

A large problem with me was that the sir robin strategy left me with too small a denominator to divide into. Your more forward approach will lead to higher Japanese casualties and that certainly could make the difference. Plus you are distracting his troops from other missions.

That is why this AAR is particularly interesting to me.