Slitherine

Hi,

I'd like to solicit advice and opinions. How do you respond if the RN bombards the coast of France (garrisons in port cities) during 41/42/43?

Pull out garrisons?

Station fighters and bombers in France?

Just repair losses and let the RN gain experience for their ships + cost you manpower/pp?

Something else?

Thx

Having some bombers with a fighter for each bomber would certainly prevent the British from bombarding the coastal garrisons, at least in 1941 and 1942. Later they will have so many fighters in Britain that they would welcome a chance to engage the German air units.

The Allies can actually run out of oil if they use many of their naval units to bombard coastal hexes. Each movement will cost 1 oil and the same with each attack. They seem to have a lot of oil reserves, but late in the war the oil cost for air units are so high so all their airstrikes will drain their oil reserves more quickly than you imagine.

As long as you only have garrisons in the coastal hexes I don't see it as a problem. Just repair them from time to time and see the Allies expend a lot of oil. It's not a good idea to move out of the coastal cities or partisans can pop up there.

Hm, having air there in 41/42 seems tough because you need that air against USSR.

Letting the navy bombard at will seems like the only real option - but that gives the RN free max experience w/ their ships. It seems like hoping for them to run out of oil is a long shot but we'll see I guess.

You can always move one or two u-boats to port and hit the BB. The port protects the u-boat from attacks from surface ships and strategic bombers. In 1941 you should be able to knock off 5 or 6-steps to every 1 or 2 that the u-boat loses. Assuming they have fighters in place then you could let the fighters have their shot or station one or two German fighters in range to intercept.