Any familiarity with USN Campaign Game Three must dictate an ultimately defensive plan to the Japanese player. Obviously at the beginning of the game the IJN must move aggressively, both to capture needed territory and to impede the Allied counter-offensive. By Turn 20, however, the Japanese should have their consolidation well under way and should have adopted a good defensive posture. This need for an eventual defense is prompted by two factors; first, the overwhelming U.S. superiority in available aircraft, and second, the vast geographical area of Australia and the island chain from New Caledonia to Pearl Harbor. Never forget that the Allies can afford to waste aircraft in a war of attrition, while the Japanese cannot. Penetrate too far south and your carriers will return under strength, with only a factor per turn to replace your losses. Similarly, the weakness of Allied bases to the south of Truk and in Australia may look inviting, but chances are good you will meet the counter-attacking Americans here head-on, while you have no bases because your engineers cannot keep up with the drive. Generally my game plan for the Japanese consists of forming a defensive line starting at Japan, going to the Gilbert Islands, thence to Truk, to the Vogelkop, to the Celebes and thence to the Dutch East Indies. Rabaul I generally destroy and abandon, as it is in too exposed a position; sometimes, however, judging by the U.S. player's reaction, I keep it, but never as more than an outpost. To take this territory, it is necessary to knock out the allied forces therein, and Turn 1, when the shock conditions are in effect, is the best time to do so. Allied strength is based on their naval and air power; these units must be the primary target. When following this strategy given below, all possible Pre-Game Turn movement should be made. In addition the following optional rules are used; Allied Variable Deployment, Optional Land Forces and Land Aircraft in Burma. Pearl Harbor The Pearl Harbor raid is the basic assault for Turn 1. With the Allied Variable Deployment you stand a chance of catching a carrier or two, plus sinking BB2 and BB3. The LAC at Pearl should not be attacked, as they can be too easily replaced by the TRs on the West Coast. The ships are more important. Also, CVE1 and CVL4 should not be taken on the raid, as a suicidal cruiser pursuit by the U.S. could easily sink both of them due to their Movement Factor of 5. This leaves you CVs 1-6, plus CVL1 and CVL3, for a total of 56 NAC. Assuming a roll of 5 for the Allied Variable Deployment, maximum AA strength in Pearl is 67; max. NAC losses are therefore 5/5. With your minimum of 46 NAC, your targets (all at 36 to 1) are as follows in order of importance: CV2 (4 NAC), CV6 (4), BB2 (15), BB3 (18), OIL1 (4). The extra NAC can be used to hit a stray cruiser or destroyer unit. Next movement phase, the Japanese head for home. It is always possible for them to launch another attack, but an intelligent U.S. player would merely pull his remaining ships off the board and out of range of the air strike. On the way back OIL1 can rendezvous with the carrier force somewhere around hex 946. Here CVL1 and CVL3 should use their planes to bring the others' complements up to full strength and then should return to Japan for replacements. Manila and Singapore The other two important air strikes of Turn 1 are at Manila and Singapore. At Manila the main target is the aircraft; DD5 is easily disposed of by attacking with 6 LAC (AA strength 11, max. LAC loss 2/1). 42 LAC are needed to strafe the air base (AA strength 11, max. LAC loss 2/1). This should leave you with 40 LAC (all LAC based at 378), enough to destroy all or most of the Allied aircraft. I must mention here that for strafing I consider aborted units (CRT 2) as destroyed, due to the planes' vulnerability on the ground. At Singapore the naval units are the main target; all Japanese LAC are based at Saigon. 25 LAC are needed for the ships (AA strength 27, max. LAC losses 2/2). The targets, all at 36 to 1, are: BB1 (6), CL2 (6), CL3 (6), DD7 (3). 12 LAC strafe the air base (AA strength 6, max. LAC loss 1/1). The last air operation is against Rangoon's 5 LAC. It utilizes 6 LAC, all you have left, based out of Haiphong originally, but moved to Bangkok. AA strength is 3, max. LAC loss 1/-. While not a sure kill, it's the best you can do. After the Turn 1 air strikes, LAC should be used for destroying damaged ships and surviving aircraft, ground support and bombing Coastal Defense Units. In contrast to the air strikes, initial Japanese ship operations are not so quickly destructive. The most obvious naval assault is at Guam, which all too effectively blocks you from moving south at double speed. 1 LAC is placed at Saipan to put them out of supply. TR1 with a 5-10 SNLF unit moves there from Palau while CAI comes from Japan to aid the LAC in ground support, arriving a phase ahead of TR1 to deal with the CDU. Having no chance to entrench, the 2-6 battalion is gone by the end of Turn 2. Since aircraft are the most effective suppliers of ground support, the BBs are best given the job of destroying enemy bases. Accordingly, BB1, BB2, and BB3 are formed into a task force comprising 80 attack factors for the needed 8 to 1 and sent south. If they destroy the air bases at Timor and Broome, no more LAC can get into the Indies area except by transports. In addition they are a threat to the Allied evacuation of any damaged naval units to Australia. This can be a moderately long-term operation, so OIL2 is stationed at Palau to support them. CVE1 and CVL4, with their NAC, move to Saigon where they assist ground attacks both by providing air support and by cutting off the defenders' supplies with their Zones of Control. Care must be taken, however, that they are not exposed to attack by surviving enemy LAC and naval units. CA2, CA3, CA4, and CL1 can serve as cover for them. The DDs and CL2 are used for emergency transport to provide quick movement of infantry. DD1 and CL2 are based at Palau to move regiments into the Celebes and southern Phillipines. DD2 is at Amoy to take troops from Formosa (378) and drop them on the northern tip of the Philipines (380 or 413). DD3 and DD4 at Saigon transport units to 250, to capture 217 and 283, and to 114 for the attack on Singapore. DD5 at Truk moves a 5-10 SNLF to 723, and then to 725 for an assault on Rabaul before it can be garrisoned by Allied infantry. For island attacks and base building, the TRs are necessary. TR2 is with a 1-1 Engineer at Saigon and TR3 is with a 1-1 Eng. at Truk; they are used to repair bases as they are captured. TR4 in Japan moves a 20-40 division south to garrison bases in the Bonin Islands area. The land forces are spottily deployed, mostly in areas where they can be picked up by DDs and CLs. 1 5-10 SNLF is placed at 146 to occupy Bangkok by crossing the border. Regimental garrisons are placed at Truk. Palau and Kwajalein; a 5-10 SNLF is also at Truk to support the Rabaul venture if necessary. A few words about the two paratroop regiments. Place the 5-10 at Palau, and the 6-12 at Saigon. If the Phillipines are well-guarded, then the 5-10 can go after Mindinao or the Vogelkop, while the 6-12 jumps deep into Borneo to take the Southern air bases. But if hexes 283 and 418 are unguarded, drop them there. Move in some aircraft next phase (those needed for 418 will have to come from 1 LAC stationed at Palau); using the LAC at Saigon and Formosa, plus CVE1 and CVL4, create a ring of air Zones of Control around the Phillipines and the Allied infantry is caught unsupplied outside of Luzon. Eventually LAC in the initial Japanese bases can fly into the Bonin Islands and free the two carriers for their other work. As the smoke clears after Turn 2, take a look around: west of New Zealand two naval units (CA5, DD6) and no more than 15 LAC oppose your progress. If you're unlucky there are three carriers plus a motley collection of cruisers and destroyers, as well as hordes of LAC, to the east. But keep in mind the fact that the Americans can afford to sacrifice carriers in this early part of the game as little as you can; and that there is little those cruisers and destroyers can do against a good air defense system; and that there are only two slow transports to move that horde of LAC west. In fact, as you sit in your home on the slopes of Fujiyama, relaxing after the strain of the first weeks of fighting, the war looks pretty good. Back to Table of Contents -- Panzerfaust #64 To Panzerfaust/Campaign List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1974 by Donald S. Lowry This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com