Advanced Example: Counter-Offensive in the Solomons
The situation here (drawn with some modification from an actual game), is as follows.
- Turn 5
- Initial Japanese expansion has been very successful. All of New Guinea has fallen except Gili-Gili, and so too have the Solomon Islands.
- Allied Political Will is dangerously low and the Allies can't risk a Progress of War setback
- Allies are under ISR
- Two U.S. non-LRB air units have diverted to Europe
In other words -- except for the ability to push up New Guinea with the army -- all the Allies have to fight with, and make Progress of War, is the fleet, and the Essex-Class CVs do not show up for 2 more turns. Lose the fleet and the Allies will surely lose the game.
The Allies must make Progress of War one of the next two turns, and absent surprise attack cards (which the Allies did not get), the most promising location on the board is the Solomons/New Guinea, where dispositions are as follows (Solomons Japanese controlled)
The Allies lack big offensives, not to mention assets, to "smother" reaction invasions, which are menaced from numerous locations -- Biak, Palau, Saipan, Rabual, Guadalcanal, Truk, and Kwajalein, not to mention off-map from Manila where Combined Fleet sits. The Allies also do not have Commonwealth naval units to operate with the big US Corps in New Guinea (remember, the Allies are under ISR).
What, then, do the Allies do? The Allies use low OC cards to launch some attrition attacks (hoping for surprise); and the Allies claw their way into Buna with their only offensive and land on New Britain. Finally, the Allies see a way to take New Georgia using a 3 OC.
Picture 6 shows the 5 units activated in this 3 OC Allied offensive (one that could not be played as an Event). The US CVs move into position to cover the invasion of New Georgia by the 4-6 Special Forces Brigade; a MAW is activated to PBM to New Georgia, which is the Allied plan. The Allies could attack Akagi too in Rabual during this Offensive, but elect not to because (i) the MAW cannot participate and still PBM to New Georgia, so the priceless CVs are on their own; and (ii) successful massive reaction could find the US CVs on the bottom.
Critically, the combination of (i) the Allied CVs, (ii) the unneutralized AZOIs projected by Enterprise (noted by the “Critical AZOI” markers), and (iii) the Allied ground units in New Britain and Buin block supply to the Japanese air unit in Buin, preventing it from exerting an AZOI that could trigger special reaction to the SF Brigade’s invasion of New Georgia.
Note that the supply line to Buin would follow the Green line indicated, as the Japanese Air unit is assumed to have an AZOI for the purpose of determining its supply status. The reason the unit is out of supply is the combination of Allied-occupied hexes and unneutralized AZOIs.
The next card play, the Allies follow through on their plan to make progress of war. The Allied fleet has taken a few hits, and the Allies have taken two hexes in New Guinea and need three more for Progress of War. The Allies continue to face more possible reaction invasions than they can realistically soak off (especially under ISR). The situation in the Solomons at this point is shown in Picture 7.
The Allied uses SW Pacific, with an EC Offensive permitting activation of six units, to perform the following maneuver to take the three hexes necessary to make Progress of War
The blue lines depict the movement of the three Allied ground units. The location of those units, along with the Allied CVs and the unneutralized AZOIs of the Allied CVs and Air units creates a ring around the Japanese air units the Solomons. Neither Japanese air unit is in supply; and the two Allied ground units can seize Kavieng and Buka Island without facing special reaction (the US Corps marched overland and its movement does not trigger special reaction). Once again, the Allies can attack or not attack as they see fit, depending on the situation.
