Iwo Jima

[Cornwallis]

Has anyone ever tried to take Iwo Jima with US, built an airbase there and bomb Japan from there?

I noticed the position on the map is not that bad. From there you can send subs to some rich area´s.
Fighters from philipines can only reach you if they land on a carrier.

The problem I see is protecting the fleet there.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Cornwallis

No need to build an air base there, strategic bombers can bomb Japan from the island without it.

It isn’t in the best position compared to say, the home islands, Queensland, the Carolines or Hawaii, but due to its proximity submarines can probably use it as an advance base.

Protecting the fleet is the big problem, bigger than you seem to think, kamikazes can hurt there and it overstretches the Americans navally. You can hypothetically leave the garrison there and fly bombers, but the Japanese are probably going to come at you in force, and you’re not likely to have many ground units there (you can fly in fighters from Hawaii, but that’s expensive), and the island’s proximity means that Japan will be able to easily put together a force to retake the island.

[Cornwallis]

@SuperbattleshipYamato i would use it as a forward base for subs. The Airbase would serve to protect the subs and to project power for bombers and fighters.
It is naar impossible, especially Early game to base the US fleet there so i wouldn´t do that like you said. Kamikazes are there.
Maybe sacrifice a full transport to take it.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Cornwallis

That could work.

Still, the games where I’ve tried it have ended in loss for the US (although I doubt it’s because of the Iwo Jima thing). I’m also generally skeptical about such an overreach.

Let me know if you would like to playtest this.

[Sire Fred]

Last game I had with my friend, I invaded Iwo Jima early and it has been a great landing spot in a SZ6 strike for my bombers built in Western United States the turn before.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Sire-Fred

👍

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Cornwallis

I think overall though if a J1 attack is done correctly, this would be too little, too late, even if it is helpful.

Not sure did we all know this but it’s worth pointing out.

[shadowhawk]

@SuperbattleshipYamato
Not sure kamikaze would be an issue, they only work on the defence not on offense so the US fleet defending does not need to worry about them.

The airbase there would allo 3 planes scramble, if you got a mostly defensive fleet ( carriers + destroyers/subs having japan attack you might not be the worst thing as long as the odds are about even, your counter with subs will destroy their naval assets.

If you put 4 transports worth of inf there its a sizable enough force to demand a lot of resources to recapture and with an airbase and possible naval base japan has to suddenly defend a lot of areas or risk losing some critical stuff.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@shadowhawk

Hypothetically, that is.

I was referring to the kamikazes in destroying American ships if the Americans go after the island on the first turn (the cruiser is required to have a good chance to demolish the garrison).

Hypothetically, you’re right. I don’t remember exactly the past games that I tried this, but I think the Americans didn’t have enough resources to amass such a powerful force. I can’t remember why though, it could’ve been them going KGF.

[Sire Fred]

@SuperbattleshipYamato In my game, I took the island without a fight with 1 transport loaded with infantries because the Japanese player evacuated the garrison earlier in the game to reinforce China. My opponent sank my transport with air but was too busy to recapture the island.

If the island is garrisoned, a transport loaded with a tank and an infantry could do the job but that kind of battle could get dicey. To send more stuff seems to me like it’s too much money spent to invade a low income and strategically placed island like Iwo Jima.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Sire-Fred

Agreed.

[shadowhawk]

@SuperbattleshipYamato said in Iwo Jima:

@shadowhawk

Hypothetically, that is.

I was referring to the kamikazes in destroying American ships if the Americans go after the island on the first turn (the cruiser is required to have a good chance to demolish the garrison).

Hypothetically, you’re right. I don’t remember exactly the past games that I tried this, but I think the Americans didn’t have enough resources to amass such a powerful force. I can’t remember why though, it could’ve been them going KGF.

Depends what turn, Turn 1 then no they dont have the resources.
But turn 3 they could have well over 4 loaded carriers in the pacific and a decent fleet in the atlantic. With starting ground units so capture the island with ease.
You got over 100ipcs to spend the first 2 rounds, and start out with enough air to fill 2 new carriers.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@shadowhawk

Then of course it’s possible.

[Cornwallis]

@shadowhawk if you get a bunch of US carriers (with Anzac fighters?) there and force Japan to attack you against not overwhelming odds then they need to position themselves more north and you got a battle of attririon around a naar worthless island. This might be in the favor of the allies?

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Cornwallis

Getting there though would be a challenge. Takes two turns from Hawaii to Iwo Jima, the fleet can be destroyed on the way.

Also, land based aircraft from the southern strongholds like the Philippines, Carolines, and French Indochina can attack that fleet, so the navy doesn’t even need to be that involved.

[Cornwallis]

@SuperbattleshipYamato no from French indochina they can´t reach it. And coming from the Philippines they need to land on carriers. With a US fleet around Hawaii the Japs don´t leave lone fighters on Carolines. That´s why i chose Iwo Jima bc it´s that one space too far removed when the Jap fleet has just taken the money islands.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Cornwallis

Oh shoot, I was thinking of Okinawa, sorry. You’re right.

[Colonel Mustard]

Lost a P40 game with this strategy. Mid-game Allies were winning, having flattened Japan’s rise in IPC production and were outproducing them and gaining back territories, and I felt like I could start the endgame to take the home island.

I set up Iwo Jima as US forward base to attack Japan, with a Naval base. (As noted no need for air base with Strat Bombers). He max-bought subs, which (being inexperienced) I didn’t see coming - so I attacked them on my turn and wiped them out, it was that or give up my shiny new naval base and turn tail back to Hawaii (which would have been smarter).

That unfortunately left me sitting in his waters for the strafing counterattack by air force racing back from China and a couple nearby DDs. I had no DDs remaining, so his next round sub buy deployed silently under my wounded navy. I limped back to Iwo Jima where he sank what was left of my fleet before it could be repaired. I lost what was an easy win, if I’d been patient.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Colonel-Mustard

At least it didn’t seem to be Iwo Jima that caised you to lose. Did the bombers do a lot of damage?

[shadowhawk]

@Colonel-Mustard said in Iwo Jima:

Lost a P40 game with this strategy. Mid-game Allies were winning, having flattened Japan’s rise in IPC production and were outproducing them and gaining back territories, and I felt like I could start the endgame to take the home island.

I set up Iwo Jima as US forward base to attack Japan, with a Naval base. (As noted no need for air base with Strat Bombers). He max-bought subs, which (being inexperienced) I didn’t see coming - so I attacked them on my turn and wiped them out, it was that or give up my shiny new naval base and turn tail back to Hawaii (which would have been smarter).

That unfortunately left me sitting in his waters for the strafing counterattack by air force racing back from China and a couple nearby DDs. I had no DDs remaining, so his next round sub buy deployed silently under my wounded navy. I limped back to Iwo Jima where he sank what was left of my fleet before it could be repaired. I lost what was an easy win, if I’d been patient.

It wasnt iwo jima, actually it was a good move, you just had to attack their subs with 1 DD and all the subs + airforce you could muster. If it was only subs, if it was his whole fleet then you traded and should have won the game.

Also you should have bought DD’s when you knew you where losing them so you could have moved them up to your fleet and protect your ships with them.
If you can get to Iwo and keep it with a naval base japan has a whole range of issues, your fleet can attack them everywhere. You can deploy subs and kill destroyers without much risk.