Matrix Games Forums

Command Ops gets a Massive Update!Lost Battles AAR: Smolensk 41War in the East: Lost Battles is here!Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! Let's Play videoLost Battles Scenario Manual excerpts available!A sneak peek from Allied Corps!Harpoon 3 ANWs Free Ultimate Update!All good Deals always come in threesDistant Worlds: Shadows Approaches!Lost Battles AAR: Moscow 41		 Forums  Register  Login  Photo Gallery  Member List  Search  Calendars  FAQ 

My Profile  Inbox  Address Book  My Subscription  My Forums  Log Out

Taking back the Pacific

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> Taking back the Pacific Page: [1]
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
Taking back the Pacific - 7/27/2012 5:51:32 AM   
Auchinleck

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 2/9/2006
Status: offline 		I'm appreciating the good feedback I've received from the more veteran players of this game. It's better than sifting through the 300 page manual and still not finding answers. I got a little ambitious and decided to try my hand at an amphibious landing early in 1942 to take Wake island back from the japs. Mainly as a propoganda victory, and to see if I could counter Tokyo Rose's constant lying about how the Imperial Government is always reporting that the IJN is always "sinking 2 carriers, a battleship, and numerous cruisers and destroyers". (lol) I'm really starting to dislike her, but I do enjoy the Tommy Dorsey records she plays for us.

I brought in a 4 battleship bombardment squadron to crater the port and runways, to 'soften up' the awaiting japanese marines stationed there. Perhaps I was a little too thorough. I attacked with a 2 to 1 margin, which unfortunately landed about 12,000 troops to their roughly 6000. After eliminating the last resistance on the little atoll, I found myself with about 6000 too many troops landed there and no easy way to reload them again, since the port was at 100% damage and the airfield and runways weren't much better. It's taken weeks to recover troops and land supplies, not to mention rebuilding the mess I made with my pre invasion BB bombardment. My point leading to my question is, if taking back this little atoll is going to be this much difficulty, what's it going to be like when I attempt to take back the Phillipines or Iwo in 44' and 45'?

At this rate it will take General MacArthur until about 1953 before he'll be able to utter "I have returned" (finally). By the way, he's still holding out at Bataan in late April, also commanding the Manila garrison, which is costing me more and more transports to keep those armies supplied, since Betty and Sally and Nell are so prolific around there.
Post #: 1
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 7/27/2012 9:20:43 AM   
jmalter

 

Posts: 978
Joined: 10/12/2010
Status: offline 		hi Auk,

Wake has only 6k stacking, so that's a drag. but any experience you get from early amph-assaults will serve you well as you move forward, that is, bringing in the 2nd wave w/ loaded amph-supply & baseforce/engr troops, as well as empty amphTFs to load up your over-stacked/disrupted assault units and get them back for R&R.

in early '42, you just don't have the specialized 'amph' ships (APA/AKA/LST etc.) & must do as best you can w/ what you've got.

even in mid or late-war amph-assaults on small atolls, you've gotta land big initially, smash'n'grab, then get the assault troops back onto the ships as quick as you can, replacing them w/ the 2nd wave. this is always gonna be messy, and take longer than you wish it would. you can improve your action, if you include a USN BF w/ NavSupport in your assault. (but it best be fully-trained for the target, if it goes in w/ the 1st wave.)

kudos to you for grabbing Wake back - propaganda victory, sure - but now you must extract your assault force, & replace it w/ Marine Defense Btns, Seabees, and air sqns, while keeping it well-supplied. if you're playing against the AI, it might likely decide to counter-assault you.

you're on the learning-curve here, so ask yourself what worked well, what screwed up, what did i forget?

you'll get more amph-toys as time passes, but you'll make better use of them if you re-examine your Wake assault & make a list of 'lessons learned'.

(in reply to Auchinleck)
Post #: 2
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 7/27/2012 10:38:59 AM   
aztez

 

Posts: 3702
Joined: 2/26/2005
From: Finland
Status: offline 		Atolls are tricky to capture. Make sure you prep points are high, bomb the target from sea and air.

Always have some armoured units mixed with infantry.

As already stated you need to withdraw those assault units / extra troops once you are done.

It is never 100% guaranteed that you seize an atoll... bad dice rolls do happen.

Whatever you set your targets upon try have LBA bombers avalaible.

Use the specialized ships once they become available.

That Wake invasion was good thing to do in a sense that you now have an feeling how those atoll invasions play out.




(in reply to jmalter)
Post #: 3
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 7/27/2012 10:39:01 AM   
jmalter

 

Posts: 978
Joined: 10/12/2010
Status: offline 		Auk,

you should also do a comprehensive review of ALL your transport ships. there are some dozens of AP-types that can be upgraded to APA in 3/43, and at least a dozen AK-types that can upgrade to AKA in 6/43. many other ships can be upgraded to xAP or LSI.

you've got to find these ships, remove them from current ops, & return them to a safe base, Mare Island or Alameda, for upgrade. they'll form the core of your future amph-assault capability. review arriving reinf ships for possible conversions, too.

meanwhile all your CV and Surf ships will be wanting upgrades as well, ntm all the subs returning from patrol. take heart from your Wake victory, but be careful, shade towards the defense. & don't be wasting transports into a lost-cause defense of Bataan - if your fighter groups there have been trashed, there's nothing you can do to aid the defense.


(in reply to jmalter)
Post #: 4
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 7/27/2012 2:47:18 PM   
crsutton


Posts: 6184
Joined: 12/6/2002
From: Maryland
Status: offline 		Basically, if the enemy is around, you should wait until you have the specialty type landing ships before taking on atolls. As you can see, it is not only a matter of putting men ashore but then getting them off as well which is painfully slow if you are using xAP and xAK type ships. Already mentioned here is the APA and AKA type ship which are the backbone of your invasion force late war. But also incredibly useful are the LCI and other smaller landing ships. They will put a landing force ashore in one impulse with a minimum of disruption. They will also allow you to put ashore units that are not fully prepped and take much less disruption and loss. I try to have full prep for atolls but will not hesitate to put a unit that is only 40% prepped into a base landing if I am using the smaller landing craft.

The downside is that they are more vulnerable to shore batteries so you have to pick and choose your invasion targets. And, unlike in the old WITP, the landing craft fire support ships with rockets and guns work just fine in AE and will suppress shore defenses very nicely. You will not see this type until 1944.

IMHO, the LST is the most valuable ship in the game. It allows the Allies to seize, build up, and support major airbases on 0 or 1 port dot hexes where this is much more difficult for Japan.

_____________________________

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one." Godwin's Law

(in reply to jmalter)
Post #: 5
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 7/27/2012 3:17:38 PM   
Shark7


Posts: 6142
Joined: 7/24/2007
From: The Big Nowhere
Status: offline 		The real key to taking a fully defended atoll is actually 3 part:

1. Cut it off! If your opponent can't resupply it, the troops will suffer disruption and eventually disablement/desctruction.
2. Aerial bombardment. And this means LBA if possible as well as carrier attacks. You will find the dive bombers particularly useful for this.
3. Naval Bombardment. And I mean multiple bombardments. Naval bombardment seriously disrupts the defenders. Be sure to have some of your floatplanes set to night recon with the atoll as their target for improved results. I sometimes bombard for 3-5 turns prior to the landing (when close enough to do so).

One more bit of advice. Set 1-3 bombardment task forces to follow your amphibious group...these will all bombard the island the morning of your landing, so when that end of turn shock attack comes, it will be against a severely disrupted defensive force.

Anyway, that is the Shark7 methodical atoll taking system.

_____________________________

aka- Akula

Larry Bond's Harpoon - Commander's Edition

Development Team Member

(in reply to crsutton)
Post #: 6
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 8/12/2012 9:33:02 PM   
bushpsu

 

Posts: 221
Joined: 10/30/2007
From: san jose, ca
Status: offline 		crsutton,

Could you expand a bit on the role of the value of the LSTs in supporting a 0-1 base?

(in reply to Shark7)
Post #: 7
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 8/12/2012 9:45:13 PM   
witpqs

 

Posts: 12396
Joined: 10/4/2004
From: Argleton
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: bushpsu

crsutton,

Could you expand a bit on the role of the value of the LSTs in supporting a 0-1 base?

It's the speed of unloading. A base with no port requires an Amphib TF because it has no dock at all. xAK, xAKL, and XAP have only trivial ability to unload amphibiously unless they have help. AP, APA, AK, AKA all have landing craft built in, but they are valuable long range ships for invasions.

LST are great for invasions bu they are slow. They are also beaching craft (even though large), and can unload very quickly (usually all at once). So they can unload cargo very fast, far faster than xAK type ships.

(in reply to bushpsu)
Post #: 8
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 8/13/2012 4:11:40 PM   
Shark7


Posts: 6142
Joined: 7/24/2007
From: The Big Nowhere
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: witpqs

quote:

ORIGINAL: bushpsu

crsutton,

Could you expand a bit on the role of the value of the LSTs in supporting a 0-1 base?

It's the speed of unloading. A base with no port requires an Amphib TF because it has no dock at all. xAK, xAKL, and XAP have only trivial ability to unload amphibiously unless they have help. AP, APA, AK, AKA all have landing craft built in, but they are valuable long range ships for invasions.

LST are great for invasions bu they are slow. They are also beaching craft (even though large), and can unload very quickly (usually all at once). So they can unload cargo very fast, far faster than xAK type ships.


Though if you are fairly close to your objective for your forward base, then LSTs are the best way to go. Make use of them for shorter range attacks where their low speed is not a liability, and their fast unloading capability is an asset.

_____________________________

aka- Akula

Larry Bond's Harpoon - Commander's Edition

Development Team Member

(in reply to witpqs)
Post #: 9
RE: Taking back the Pacific - 8/13/2012 7:53:18 PM   
bushpsu

 

Posts: 221
Joined: 10/30/2007
From: san jose, ca
Status: offline 		That LST speed is why I think the APA/AKA are more valuable.

(in reply to Shark7)
Post #: 10
Page:   [1]
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> Taking back the Pacific Page: [1]
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

0.156