PzB74
Posts: 5076
Joined: 10/3/2000 From: No(r)way Status: offline
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Another not so enjoyable turn as Kendari sends out another half hearted suicide attack that could have had the potential to destroy an enemy carrier task force AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 05/18/44 Air Combat After several days of trying Andy knows that I got a lot of ac at Kendari and send in a couple of relatively small strikes: Day Air attack on Kendari , at 33,71 Japanese aircraft A6M5 Zeke x 32 Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 2 Ki-45 KAIb Nick x 14 Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 4 Allied aircraft Mosquito PR.IX x 3 P-38J Lightning x 40 F-5A Lightning x 3 F-5C Lightning x 6 PB4Y Liberator x 6 B-24J Liberator x 18 Japanese aircraft losses A6M5 Zeke: 15 destroyed, 2 damaged Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 4 destroyed Ki-45 KAIb Nick: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 4 destroyed P1Y Frances: 3 destroyed G4M2 Betty: 2 destroyed Allied aircraft losses - Somehow the P-38 now completely out classes the A6M5 Zeke. P-38J Lightning: 5 destroyed, 1 damaged PB4Y Liberator: 2 damaged B-24J Liberator: 5 damaged Japanese ground losses: 14 casualties reported Airbase hits 5 Airbase supply hits 4 Runway hits 57 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on Kendari , at 33,71 Japanese aircraft A6M5 Zeke x 20 Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 1 Allied aircraft B-29 Superfortress x 10 Japanese aircraft losses A6M5 Zeke: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 2 destroyed P1Y Frances: 1 destroyed Allied aircraft losses B-29 Superfortress: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged Japanese ground losses: 21 casualties reported Airbase hits 1 Runway hits 18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enemy ships are spreading out in all directions and these LCI's are reportedly heading towards Java? Day Air attack on TF at 29,71 Japanese aircraft G4M2 Betty x 8 Japanese aircraft losses G4M2 Betty: 3 damaged Allied Ships LCI LCI-527 LCI LCI-535, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This strike was utterly useless! A 7-1 kill ratio for Andy. Day Air attack on TF at 33,76 Japanese aircraft A6M5 Zeke x 13 P1Y Frances x 8 Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 12 Allied aircraft FM-2 Wildcat x 25 F6F Hellcat x 39 Corsair IV x 9 F6F-5N Hellcat x 13 P-38J Lightning x 3 Japanese aircraft losses A6M5 Zeke: 13 destroyed P1Y Frances: 1 destroyed Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 7 destroyed Allied aircraft losses P-38J Lightning: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged P-38G Lightning: 2 destroyed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The second strike was somewhat bigger and again a fair amount of Zekes took of while only a handful of bombers took of. If the 70-80 bombers that stayed on the ground had joined in...... Day Air attack on TF at 33,76 Japanese aircraft A6M5 Zeke x 47 G4M2 Betty x 17 P1Y Frances x 9 Allied aircraft FM-2 Wildcat x 25 F6F Hellcat x 32 Corsair IV x 9 F6F-5N Hellcat x 13 Japanese aircraft losses 'Only' a 1-2 kill ratio' for fighters this time. Why didn't the Zekes perform as well against P-38s over their own base at Kendaro? A6M5 Zeke: 41 destroyed G4M2 Betty: 5 destroyed, 7 damaged P1Y Frances: 6 destroyed Allied aircraft losses FM-2 Wildcat: 6 destroyed, 3 damaged F6F Hellcat: 5 destroyed, 3 damaged F6F-5N Hellcat: 2 destroyed P-38G Lightning: 5 destroyed P-38J Lightning: 2 destroyed Allied Ships - torpedoes were launched and missed 3! enemy carriers. The damage cve's have been 'laid up' under a heavy P-38 CAP at Makale. CV Formidable CV Hornet CV Wasp CA Canberra Aircraft Attacking: 3 x G4M2 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet 3 x G4M2 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet 1 x P1Y Frances launching torpedoes at 200 feet 3 x G4M2 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet 3 x G4M2 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The attack on these ships were not successful either: Day Air attack on TF, near Makale at 32,67 Japanese aircraft G4M2 Betty x 15 Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 18 Allied aircraft Spitfire VIII x 7 P-38J Lightning x 26 Japanese aircraft losses G4M2 Betty: 7 destroyed, 1 damaged Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 18 destroyed Allied aircraft losses P-38J Lightning: 1 damaged Allied Ships CVE Corregidor, on fire, heavy damage Aircraft Attacking: 4 x G4M2 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet 4 x G4M2 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day Air attack on TF at 32,71 Japanese aircraft Ki-49 Helen x 18 Japanese aircraft losses Ki-49 Helen: 1 damaged Allied Ships LCT LCT-148 LCT LCT-354 LCT LCT-166 LCT LCT-167, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage LCT LCT-328 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My bombers refuse to attack enemy carriers when a heavy Zeke escort is available, but it's ok to take off unescorted....This strike was from Macassar. Day Air attack on TF at 33,76 Japanese aircraft P1Y Frances x 18 Allied aircraft FM-2 Wildcat x 12 F6F Hellcat x 32 Corsair IV x 8 F6F-5N Hellcat x 12 P-38J Lightning x 2 Japanese aircraft losses P1Y Frances: 17 destroyed Allied aircraft losses F6F Hellcat: 5 damaged P-38J Lightning: 1 damaged -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We really punished Andy's mid ocean barges today! Day Air attack on TF at 32,71 Japanese aircraft Ki-49 Helen x 14 No Japanese losses Allied Ships LCT LCT-141 LCT LCT-149, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage LCT LCT-353, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage LCT LCT-356 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Losses Getting a bit frustrated, mostly because of game mechanics but also about Andy's shoestring operations and the fact that the game allows him to get away with them. Sent him a 'rant' mail today and explained my grievances: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For 3-4 days I've been trying to get Kendari to launch a coordinated strike against your carriers near Makale. On a size 6 airfield with 300 air support, Air HQ and plenty of supplies there have been max 270 ac. 140 fighters and some 120 bombers, all with high morale and good leaders. Not ONCE have they managed to launch a sizeable strike. 80% of all attacking ac have been cut down in a 1-10 kill ratio. It's so frustrating to work so hard to train units and prepare missions only to see your carriers sail in and out of a tiny 'arm' almost unmolested. Attaching a picture of one of the Zeke Daitais after todays single mission. Took 2-3 months to train and one day to destroy for absolutely no results. Makale, a tiny size 1 airfield and malaria pit is now reported to field 120 ac and 17k troops that have been airlifted and barged in. This ia an isolated base far away from your nearest secure forward base. The game is really enjoyable, but the shoestring operations into Sulawesi just annoys me. I know you got a lot of ground to cover, and you play an excellent game! Still, I get so annoyed by the combination of suicide tactics, that the Allies would never have conducted, and game mechanics that allow you to get away with it >:o I did invade and capture India, and the game allowed me to - so I guess it's an eye for an eye. But please don't let the game turn into a madman slaughter house because it's possible to make it so. When I put my cursor over Kwajalein I'm told that there are 857 enemy vessels in the size 5 port :-\ If you got any issues with my game play, please let me know. I have and will try to play a somewhat realistic game, both in regards to doctrine, deployment and realism. Japan was reckless in its use of men and material, and I try to simulate this by defending most places to the end. Had to rant a bit, annoyance has been higher than enjoyability for the last few turns.... :-X -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When this game started I was a completely green WitP player and during the years that have passed I've found many tactics and approaches to be 'unworthy' and disbandoned them altogether. With the amount of material, reinforcements and high quality units I don't think Andy have to take this game to its extremes. I've tried to be careful in not imposing any house rules, but when WitP enters 1944 I feel that things just take off completely and I fear what it can turn into. Am I completely off here, or does my rant have any merit?
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< Message edited by PzB -- 7/2/2006 8:13:44 PM >
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"The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without" - Dwight D. Eisenhower
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