Playing Allies vs agressive IJN (human)

[wga8888]

Game progresses slowly but steady given opponents output of about two turns (days) a real week. Bad start for my Allies.
-My two CV TF were to meet at Johnston Island but Enterprise got there first then headed to Pearl, to be sunk by lingering IJN Pearl harbor CVs. Lesson learned about settings.
-Lost too many ships/subs in Phillipines as they were waiting on orders.
-My IJN opponent took Midway in late Dec 41.
-Took Noumea in late January
-I have a 2 CV TF in the area which stumbles into the invasion TFs. All USN planes were splashed during their attacks and the entire TF lost; had to mulligan that out.
-Sent a 4 BB TF to bombard Midway trailed by a 2 CV TF but a few IJN planes got through and the BB PA took a torpedo and bomb hit so that paln was aborted to save the BB [arrives in pearl with 75% floatation damage].
-Looks like Port Moresby will soon be invaded and fall by end of Feb 42.
-IJN seems to be making progress in China, took Yenen and moving to attack Kungchang, Lanchow & Sining. I am ignorant as to if China can resist an IJN drive.
-Air combat is greatly one sided
-have yet to see a successful attack by a Allied SS; several SS instead are sunk/damaged. My ASW DD TFs are likewise ineffective.
-None of the eight PH BBs are sunk but 7 are in repair in various ports.

Was investigating why bases with multiple engineers had Av Support of only about 30-50. Discovered that my units HQ were not aligned correctly and I still had the global no replacements on for all ground units. On the plus side I have a good pool and can selectively replaces certain units, will have to read up on what rate this will occur.

Still in the point of the game where the IJN/A can do anything it wants. Zero bonus still strong but receding. May not be until 2014 before my allies can start upgrading British and Australian planes. I predict whichever player dies first loses as could be years/[decade?] before I see this game in 1944.

[tocaff]

Historically the first 6 months of the war saw the Japanese running the table. In this game they can do better than that. You need to decide where to draw a defensive line, get your forces in place along with fuel and supplies and wait out the storm.

Your S class subs have fish that work. There are a few subs that are big and slow that are good for mining. The rest of the USN subs have garbage torpedoes so use them for mining until the improved fish arrive.

Stop throwing your CVs around piecemeal. Keep them together and in places where you know the KB isn't. Once you get TBFs and Hellcats you become dangerous.

Until 5/42 there is a decreasing Zero bonus. The P-40 is the best American fighter early on. Once the P-38G arrives and your pilots get more exp you become deadly and the Zero obsolete.

Your ASW early on is lacking so as you can upgrade those DDs and they become more deadly. All warships should get upgraded so they get radar and better AA.

It's a question of survival. In my game with Steve (see the AAR) I thought he would win an auto victory and I narrowly avoided it. We all make mistakes, but as the Allied player you are forgiven most of them, not so the Japanese side.

[dr.hal]

Bill, the allied strategy early on is survival. As tocaff indicates, don't throw things into the fire before they are somewhat fireproofed. Your carriers and their pilots need to be withdrawn and protected right away. This will allow them to TRAIN those pilots. To help train them try to use a few combat sorties against easy targets HOWEVER make SURE the KB has committed itself to some other area of operation before sending your carriers into a combat area (such as south Pacific islands who's defenses are weak) so that the pilots can run missions with little risk! If you want to engage air to air let your land assets do it. HOWEVER, that's a loosing game as they too need lots of training. I normally put my P-40s in Naval Attack mode and it is surprising what a 500 pound GP can do against a laden transport! Try to put your fighters in areas where the bombers will NOT be escorted and valuable training "kills" will take place. "Reluctant" defense is the name of the game until mid 42 at the earliest. Hal

[tankboy]

Does anyone else us US subs to evacuate US engineers from the PI? I can normally get a lot to OZ and they rebuild quickly once their parent is killed.

[BPRE]

I did in my previous game but I never got the chance of seeing them rebuild. My opponent got bogged down in Manila and above all at Singapore and gave up the game on the 1st of March -42.

/BPRE