Alright, lets get the background out of the way. Multiplayer game between USA, USSR and Japan (me). Now I wanted a challenge by playing Japan and I know i might not be able to beat my roommate who is playing the Americans (especially with no human Germany to trouble his thoughts), but I wanted to give him a run for his money
My plan was (and still is) to control a network of naval and airbases all across the pacific surrounding Japan. Formosa, Okinawa, Truk, Eniwatok and Kwajalein and and Iwo Jima have been fortified with coastal forts, radar and heavy AA as well as the mainland of Japan (minus the coastal forts). Smaller installations have been installed on Saipan and Marcus Island as well as Palau. To support this strategic plan I have invaded and conquered India as well as Indonesia in late 1940. The theory being that if I take away all available airbases around Japan, I won't be suspect to his strategic bomber force (nearly positive this is the approach he's going to take to defeat me, we did it before to an AI Japan as the Allies and it was devastating) because they won't have the range to do any damage to my industry.
I expected to be heavily outgunned in naval forces so apart from a small serial run of carriers I've done little expansion of the Japanese navy, rather I've sunken IC into a force of about 25 naval bombers and growing. Uses my wide network of airbases I hope to essentially whittle away at any of his fleets moving through the pacific, lure him into traps with my small fleet, and in general make it a pain to invade any island I want to contend by having huge air fleets ready to sink his landing force (unprotected by his own air cover)
But then I had an epiphany, Guam. Guam is close enough to Japan that he can hit it (Tokyo being the key target) with strategic bombers once he gets advanced enough (in this mod he has 10 tech teams, I have a mere 6). So the obvious solution is to take Guam, indeed it falling was always a part of my plans, but then I put some more thought into it. He's going to use the same strategy I am for defending islands (massive naval bomber force) putting ANY fleet anywhere near Guam (let alone an invasion force) in huge danger.
So, how do I take a Guam likely to be defended by enough divisions to stall a beach invasion for weeks that's going to be under heavy air cover? A thought I had was to base a large interceptor force over Saipan to try to wrestle air superiority over the island from him, but how do I destroy his naval bombers if he keeps them grounded until a fleet comes? Do airbase strikes hurt planes on the ground or do they only hurt the ability for them to repair? Starving out the island seems impractical because I invested nothing into submarines and naval bombers on convoy strikes seems like it would divert attention away from bombing his fighting ships.
If I can't take Guam I can't hold him off the way I envisioned it, when I attack him he'll likely go from his current 283 available IC to an upwards of 500 which would be 3 times mine without taking into account the advantages of free market vs central planning. Is the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor event going to give me any real advantage against his naval forces? I'm pretty sure it gives him loads of favorable slider moves, but he's already maxed out on Hawk, so I think I should still try to use the surprise advantage it gives.
Thoughts?
My plan was (and still is) to control a network of naval and airbases all across the pacific surrounding Japan. Formosa, Okinawa, Truk, Eniwatok and Kwajalein and and Iwo Jima have been fortified with coastal forts, radar and heavy AA as well as the mainland of Japan (minus the coastal forts). Smaller installations have been installed on Saipan and Marcus Island as well as Palau. To support this strategic plan I have invaded and conquered India as well as Indonesia in late 1940. The theory being that if I take away all available airbases around Japan, I won't be suspect to his strategic bomber force (nearly positive this is the approach he's going to take to defeat me, we did it before to an AI Japan as the Allies and it was devastating) because they won't have the range to do any damage to my industry.
I expected to be heavily outgunned in naval forces so apart from a small serial run of carriers I've done little expansion of the Japanese navy, rather I've sunken IC into a force of about 25 naval bombers and growing. Uses my wide network of airbases I hope to essentially whittle away at any of his fleets moving through the pacific, lure him into traps with my small fleet, and in general make it a pain to invade any island I want to contend by having huge air fleets ready to sink his landing force (unprotected by his own air cover)
But then I had an epiphany, Guam. Guam is close enough to Japan that he can hit it (Tokyo being the key target) with strategic bombers once he gets advanced enough (in this mod he has 10 tech teams, I have a mere 6). So the obvious solution is to take Guam, indeed it falling was always a part of my plans, but then I put some more thought into it. He's going to use the same strategy I am for defending islands (massive naval bomber force) putting ANY fleet anywhere near Guam (let alone an invasion force) in huge danger.
So, how do I take a Guam likely to be defended by enough divisions to stall a beach invasion for weeks that's going to be under heavy air cover? A thought I had was to base a large interceptor force over Saipan to try to wrestle air superiority over the island from him, but how do I destroy his naval bombers if he keeps them grounded until a fleet comes? Do airbase strikes hurt planes on the ground or do they only hurt the ability for them to repair? Starving out the island seems impractical because I invested nothing into submarines and naval bombers on convoy strikes seems like it would divert attention away from bombing his fighting ships.
If I can't take Guam I can't hold him off the way I envisioned it, when I attack him he'll likely go from his current 283 available IC to an upwards of 500 which would be 3 times mine without taking into account the advantages of free market vs central planning. Is the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor event going to give me any real advantage against his naval forces? I'm pretty sure it gives him loads of favorable slider moves, but he's already maxed out on Hawk, so I think I should still try to use the surprise advantage it gives.
Thoughts?
