11/12/16

Order of Battle Pacific: US Marines – AAR, Scenario 6 Part 1

Airboy’s Pacific campaign continues in the latest AAR episode ~

Avery Abernethy, 12 November 2016

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Scenario 6 – Gilbert Islands

Tarawa is surrounded by landing zones. It was tempting to use four or more landing zones to chop up the Japanese defenders. I (mostly) resisted temptation. Thus far the Japanese have limited armor and no mechanized units. This limits their mobility. The one time I did not concentrate my forces got my Marines chopped up.

My strategy is landing on one end of Tarawa and sweeping to the other end of the island. This provides two advantages. My forces are concentrated and heavy artillery can be landed on a secured beach. Long range fire from my 155s has been devastating. There are three landing zones, but they are clustered together. Landing zone one is a risk because it is slightly isolated from landing zone two and three. But if landing zone one is successful it should destroy the Japanese HQ and diminish the effectiveness of Tarawa’s defenders.

I must knock out five bunkers on the larger island of Makin. But the bunker locations are unknown. Because Tarawa has air strips I committed a larger force there.

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10/24/16

Order of Battle Pacific: US Marines – AAR, Scenario 5 Part 3

Airboy’s extended campaign AAR continues across the Pacific ~

Avery Abernethy, 24 October 2016

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Scenario 5 Bougainville – Avery Abernethy

In the Bougainville scenario you have to land, advance, build two airfields and then survive the Japanese Counter-Attacks. Your Marines must be aggressive to take the ground and build both landing strips within 20 turns. A large surface fleet naval battle must be won to protect your Marine supply ships.

The Land Battle, continued:

Turn 24 - buying corsairs — Turn 24 – buying corsairs

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10/23/16

Order of Battle Pacific: US Marines – AAR, Scenario 5 Part 2

Airboy’s extended campaign AAR continues across the Pacific ~

Avery Abernethy, 23 October 2016

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Scenario 5 Bougainville – Avery Abernethy

The Naval Battle:

The key to victory is keeping a screen of destroyers between your cruisers and the Japanese destroyers. If the Japanese destroyers get to close range and launch torpedoes your cruisers are doomed. But torpedoes can only be launched once every four turns. My destroyers are both shields to absorb torpedo attacks and spears to torpedo Japanese cruisers after the Jap destroyers are sunk. A second advantage of a tightly clustered fleet is better anti-aircraft fire.