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Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/3/2009 2:27:16 AM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
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Since the AI is new, and AE is so different from stock, I thought it might be fun/helpful to post an AAR about the game I'm playing. There won't be long, detailed AAR's copied in this post. Instead, it will just be a running summary (updated every few days of playing time) of the general strategy used by me (the Allied player) and the AI. Hopefully somebody will find it interesting.

Settings for the game : Historical first turn (not that it helped any!). Allied withdraw of units on. Player defined upgrades off. One day turns (1 day turns seemed the best way for me to "break into" this game...first game mistakes won't be quite so "lethal" this way).

My play style - In stock, I tended to be quite conservative...both to reduce the "gaminess" and to better emulate what happened in r/l. I usually did a "Sir Robin" for many areas...while sticking around in a few places to fight it out. And Allied CV's were rarely sighted during the first few months of the war due to the uber-cap issue of KB. For this game, the style will be different. With the defanging of "Ms. Betty", mid-ocean intercepts, the more deliberate method the Japanese have to use to advance and the "less frantic pace" of the game in general...it opens up possibilities to fight back at select places of my choice.

The First Two Weeks

Philippines

- I did what I always do...evacuated all non-combat ships ASAP. I did send two AKL's to Bataan to dump off some more supplies (one of which actually made it!). As usual, I divided my TF's by speed, and amazingly, ALL ships escaped. And only one ship was tagged by the submarine that inhabited the strait near Balikipan (and that sub was later damaged). So who says running unescorted merchant ships can't work?? Unlike in stock, I kept my surface TF's around with some wonderful results. PT boats wrecked a large transport TF that was docked and unloading. British MTB's from Hong Kong then got into the act and shot up another TF. And the three British destoyers from Hong Kong then had a mid-ocean intercept that utterly destroyed a large transport TF that was transporting some LCU units. I also sent the Houston, Boise and some Dutch DD's to Davao. Here, I got VERY lucky. First, my surface TF hit a transport TF going into Davao and sunk/scattered it. It then continued to Davao itself, where it met a Jap BB in a night engagement! Yet, while the Houston was lost, the Jap BB was left burning and a Jap CL and DD was sunk. To top it off, while my surface TF retreated from Davao the next day, it bumped into yet another Jap unescorted transport TF mid-ocean and sank every ship!

All in all, the Japanese have lost a lot of transports (and LCU's) to surface action in/around the PI. Sadly, however, my PT boats...while alive and kicking...are out of action, since they are out of torpedoes and don't have any place to reload them. Plus, the AI did something pretty smart...it parked the Ryujo and a large surface group at Jolo and Tarakan...essentially "sealing off" the PI's from my marauding surface TF's. So, with the PI shut down, I'll be concentrating my surface TF's now on Burma and the DEI.

US subs also had a good time hunting transports, although they quickly ended up heading back to Pearl since they used up all their "dud torpedoes" rapidly. Thus, the big transport hunt by USN subs is pretty much over for now. I didn't lose any subs, but several ended up getting shot up pretty good. I suspect USN subs probably sunk/heavily damaged a dozen or so transports along with a few escorts.

On land, I retreated all LCU's to Bataan and Clark Field. Since the Japanese got so shot up landing in the PI, I might be able to make a decent stand in Bataan. I also upped the supply to Bataan to maximum (thanks for the tip TreeSpider), and right now have 45K supply plus 5K in Clark Field. It will be interesting to see how long the Allies can hold on. In stock, I could hold out until June...but I'm not expecting that result this time around. I do plan on holding onto Clark Field as long as possible...I have 600 AV there, so the Japs will have to work at it to dislodge me.

In the air, the P40's have put on a good show, but there isn't much left of the squadrons now. I evac'd the Catalina there as well as the B-17's (they weren't accomplishing anything except getting shot up).

Elsewhere

- Ouch. KB stuck around for three days, despite the historical first turn! 5 BB's sunk and the other three, if they don't sink, are out for at least a year.
- Pow and Repulse were heavily hit and limped into Singapore, where they remain in dry dock attempting to repair enough flotation so they can get the heck out of there.
- Wake Island promptly fell.
- Japanese landed without losses in Malaya, although Dutch and US submarines took a big toll on the transports behind the initial invasion force (as a sidenote, I send some of the shorter range USN subs from Mainla to Colombo, which is why they ended up over by Saigon).
- China : I truthfully have no idea what the hell I'm doing here. For the first few days I basically did nothing beyond turning off repair of resources/industry and stopping expansion of all but a few airfields. After a few days, and lots of time studying the map, I started to see the vague outlines of what to hold and what not to, so I started retreating some Chinese forces out of the "bulge" and toward the safety of Ichan (which I promptly took since no Japanese are there, for some odd reason) and other controlled Chinese cities. Still, I'm on the defense in China and will be very "reactionary" for the foreseeable future, until I learn what the Japanese have in China. One thing does seem obvious...Wuchow (the only Chinese port city) will inevitably fall. But, the Japanese will have to take it, as I won't abandon it.
- Burma : What to do in Burma? In stock, it was so easy...bug out! Here, it isn't quite so clean-cut. In the end, the strategy I came up with was a bit of "let's fight" and "run like hell." Using strategic transport, I risked many, many unescorted convoys and took them into Rangoon (under the CAP of AVG) and pulled out several LCU's that were in Rangoon. These LCU's were sent either to Calcutta or Colombo. The rest of the British forces, as well as those retreating from Tavoy, etc...are meeting up in Mandalay/Shebow where I'll attempt to put up a moderate fight. However, I will also be evacuating some of those units in Burma directly to Imphal. Above all, I want to avoid the encirclement/total destruction of the forces in Burma, which would happen attempting to defend Pego/Rangoon. The goal here is just to annoy the Japanese and slow them down, while buying some time to build up the pretty pathetic defenses in India.
- Malaya : I think I screwed up something here. I'm not entirely convinced that all my units are going to make it back to Singapore before being cut off by the fast-driving Japanese. One, maybe two, India brigades might be stuck. Needless to say, this won't help the defense of Singapore at all. Normally, I do a fast retreat into Singapore in stock. But, I tried something different, and I think I'm going to get burned because of it.
- Australia : OMG...talk about a continent begging to be invaded. So few army forces, and not that many militia forces, either (none of which seem to be worth anything beyond being used for a desperate defense of Australia itself). So much for my plan for beefing up Port Moresby anytime soon. I'll drag one militia brigade up there and maybe a small tank battalion, just to make it more difficult to take. But I'm under no illusions I'll be able to hold PM if the Japs try to take it in the next 1-3 months. I also used strategic transport to move around many Australian units to various spots...particularly out toward Perth and Koog (forget the full name). Also pulling up troops toward Townsville.
- Supply runs to various Allied bases, such as Johnson Island, Palmyra, Alaskan bases, Suva, Pago, and, of course, Noumea.
- Christmas Island : I never once even looked at Christmas Island in stock. But now...hmm...the island can take 60K troops vs the 6K at Palymra. Which one would you rather hold? The last thing I want as the allied player is the Japs holding this island, putting a huge airbase here and loading it up with 60K troops. So, I'm rushing one of the infantry regiments from the West Coast to Christmas Island. I also parked a small cruiser/destroyer task force on Palymra itself, to provide some naval cover.
- Canton Island...reinforced with a Marine Defense Battalion. Will also drag a field artillery regiment up from Suva (I forgot about that task force that is "afloat" at the beginning of the game and didn't remember it until it offloaded everything at Suva!). I also parked a small surface combat force of 1 cruiser and a few destroyers here, just to prevent the Japs from "walking" on the island. If they want it, they'll have to fight for it!
- Pago Pago...another island I ignored in stock but won't here. Sent a tanker and supply convoy here. Also sending an Army infantry regiment from the West Coast here, too. My "line of bases" to Australia will be Pearl, Christmas Island, Pago Pago, Suva, Noumea. Ideally, I'd like to keep ownership of Canton, but, with the 6K troop limit, Canton is pretty much indefensible.
- Noumea..took one of the base forces that unloaded at suva, reloaded it, and sent it to Noumea. Also sent several LCU's from the West Coast (the 8th Marines, a US Army Regiment, 2nd Marine Parachute, a field artillery regiment (from Suva) and a tank battalion). If the Japs don't invade the place before the 1st week of January, Noumea should be reasonably well set. I also sent two supply convoys here, too.
- Suva...kept one of the base forces dropped off, as well as one of the field artillery regiments. Plan to move an Army regiment to Suva once I get enough PP to change the HQ. Plan to keep a small surface force parked off Suva in January, but I don't have enough forces to do it now.

A word about unescorted convoys for the Allied player

In stock, I ran most convoys unescorted. Due to all the changes in this game, I didn't plan to do it in this game. But, I ended up doing it anyways during these first two weeks since I simply did NOT have anywhere near enough escorts for all the convoys that I needed to run. Nearly every merchant ship out of the PI and DEI that is heading to Oz and the USA has been run unescorted. Similarily, I used about 30 transports of various kinds of pull out troops from Rangoon and Georgetown.

For the curious...what were the results?

I've lost 6 transports to subs and a few more to planes in Rangoon. So, out of the hundreds of ships that "had to run", losing 6 xAKL or xAK's to submarines isn't bad at all. Granted, this is NOT a tactic I'll use throughout the game. But, at the beginning of the game, I felt it was better to get my ships moving and working for me instead of sitting around the dock for weeks at a time while waiting for an available escort.

I made extensive use of waypoints (sending ships all over the place in various directions) and did my best to avoid choke points (that sub by Melbourne got three of the ships!). I even felt so bold as to send a large, unescorted merchant TF direct from the PI to Pearl (using waypoints to stay well North of Palau, going South of Guam, then heading to the North of Wake Island...and it worked!). I also put an ASW combat force at Horn Island...the one choke point that can't be easily avoided. I damaged at least one Jap sub that was haunting this area, and maybe damaged a second.

This does not mean all transports were unescorted. I escorted all my US amphib task forces as well as my tanker convoys to Oz/Suva and Pago Pago. But, beyond that, most allied merchants have been sailing around the globe unescorted and, so far, so good.

Anyways, just bringing this out so other allied players aren't too terribly fearful during those opening weeks of running unescorted convoys. Yes, you'll lose a few ships, but it's a small price to pay to get your ships where you need them.

Post #: 1

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/3/2009 3:32:43 PM

John Lansford

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Joined: 4/29/2002
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I kept an AS ship in Manila and was able to rearm all my subs up to January 1 in my game. PT boats were able to rearm until supply in Manila fell below 20k, and now the city's been taken by the AI so it's time to start getting out whatever I can evacuate.

(in reply to jimh009)

Post #: 2

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/3/2009 3:57:05 PM

Sardaukar

Posts: 9847
Joined: 11/28/2001
From: Finland/Israel
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quote:

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

I kept an AS ship in Manila and was able to rearm all my subs up to January 1 in my game.� PT boats were able to rearm until supply in Manila fell below 20k, and now the city's been taken by the AI so it's time to start getting out whatever I can evacuate.

Playing Allies vs. IJ AI too, Scen 6 (Dec 8 start). I started to lose submarines that came to rearm/refuel to Manila to air attacks, so I had to set their home base to Soerabaja after Jan 15. Manila is still holding, mostly because I sent 4th Marines there from Bataan right from start.

Canton Island, was quite peevad that I had Inf Reg on the way to reinforce it, but IJN got there first..grrr...

One of the first things I did was also use PP to release AUS 7th Brigade and ship it to Port Moresby. It's weaker unit with Militia squads, but better than nothing. Plus I shipped couple of independent companies there too. And flying boats are rescuing Rabaul BF and inf battaillon there too, after Rabaul was lost.

< Message edited by Sardaukar -- 8/3/2009 4:05:16 PM >

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(in reply to John Lansford)

Post #: 3

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/3/2009 8:33:26 PM

bsq

Posts: 517
Joined: 1/5/2007
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Also running an Historical 1st turn scenario against an Historical AI.

Giving up on 16 Jan (due to a problem with subs reverting to computer control in an odd fashion) - however at this point:

KB 4 attacks on PH
Most of Philippines gone
Most of Malaya gone
Massive ops going on in mainland China
KB currently in Dutch East Indies (had it boxed in by subs until they reverted (un-demanded) to computer control)
Bismarcks gone
Solomons invasions starting
Espiratu Santo gone
Noumea about to go
Gilberts and Marshalls gone
Canton Island gone
Baker Island gone (these last two effectively making West Coast US support for Aus/NZ very hard)
Port Moresby gone!!!

Now when the last event happened (16 1 1942), I checked the AI settings and lo and behold that Op is not scripted to start till May!!! That made me check the other settings and all of the above is not only ahistorical, it is also not supposed to happen by the AI's own settings, looks like for my next attempt I need to batten down PH, West Coast and India for the first 6 months and just let the AI over-extend itself.

(in reply to Sardaukar)

Post #: 4

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/3/2009 8:52:21 PM

scott64

Posts: 4019
Joined: 9/12/2004
From: Colorado
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

One of the first things I did was also use PP to release AUS 7th Brigade and ship it to Port Moresby. It's weaker unit with Militia squads, but better than nothing. Plus I shipped couple of independent companies there too. And flying boats are rescuing Rabaul BF and inf battaillon there too, after Rabaul was lost.

I'm doing the same with Rabaul, as it fell on Dec 13th I think. The Aust 7th Brigade is on its way to PM.

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(in reply to Sardaukar)

Post #: 5

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/5/2009 7:51:41 PM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
Status: offline

Well, another update. So far...one month into the campaign. Dates for this AAR are the last week in December and through 1/8/42

General Situation

Fairly quiet...no big battles. I've bee moving lots of troops and supplies around, with naval forces finally becoming concentrated in a few areas. When I evacuated the DEI, I did it a little at a time. As such, there was an "endless supply" of TF's coming through Cape Horn. Despite that, subs only sank 2 AKL's. The last ships have passed Cape Horn now, though, so my ships are through the last big choke point.

Jap subs are all over the area between Seattle and Alaska. Thankfully, the sub captains must drink too much Sake. They've fired many torpedoes and they either miss or have "mechanical problems." I've been a bit lucky, as the subs have had many opportunities here (about the only place any of my ships are running into subs, actually), but the subs keep coming up short on all but two occasions. Happily, the biggest wave of ships being sent to Alaska unescorted is over for the moment...all bases are now well supplied and Dutch Harbor has three LCU's now, for a total assault value of around 150. Not the greatest, but the best I can do with what I have.

I moved three CV's (in two task forces) and have them parked off Pago Pago. For a while, a smaller Jap CV task force was covering the invasion of Tulagi. Thinking that the Jap CV force might take a joyride down toward Noumea, I moved my carriers down in that area. But once Tulagi was taken, the Jap CV's disappeared toward Truk. For the moment anyways, I'll be keeping my carriers in the Pago Pago/Suva area due to the big influx of land units starting to arrive. Fuel is also starting to arrive, and I have two replinishment groups here as well (one parked in Pago Pago, another in Noumea). So, my CV's have some fuel for defensive operations (limited offensive operations, too, should the opportunity arise). Yorktown just arrived at Pearl. Once a few more escorts show up, I'll send her down to Suva too, but for the moment, she's sitting disbanded in Pearl.

The British navy, such as it is, is concentrated in Columbo for the moment...including about 70 transports of various sizes. I plan on moving these out shortly to the various off-map bases for supplies and fuel. Before doing that, though, I like to concentrate everything so as to get a better idea of what I have. Amazingly, the Prince of Wales and Repulse will survive. I thought for sure they'd sink on the way back to Colombo, as both had 30+ major float damage. But the float damage didn't get higher during the transit to Colombo...which surprised me. So, in a few months time, I'll have two BB's I was never planning on having.

China

The line seems to be stabilizing. NEVER again will I attempt to hold that one last Chinese port city. One shock attack and it was over, decimating the chinese corps that was there. In the future, I'll bug out of there ASAP, keeping that force in-tact and useful for defensive operations elsewhere. Japanese forces are also about to take Pakhoi. They are also threatening to take Nanning. I've brought down reinforcements from Chungking and Changsha. They are now making the short march over to Nanning from Kweilin or whatever that city is named that is on the railhead two hexes away from Nanning (sorry, don't have the game going at the moment).

Happily, things in China elsewhere are alright, for the moment. One squadron of the AVG is in Changsha (with the AVG support group that I air-transported in via Kumming > Chungking. The second squadron of AVG is in Chungking. And the third squadron is in Calcutta. I thought it rather weird how each AVG squadron had "different bases" that they are limited to...only one AVG squadron can go to Chungking. Only one can go to Calcutta. All three can go to Kumming and Chungking, though.

Additionally, the "bulge" in Chinese troops have been evacuated toward Nanyang, Changsha and Ichang. Thus, the Chinese are finally starting to form a line. The Japanese are making a push in the far northeast. So far, troops there are holding out...but supply is very low, so I suspect sooner or later the handful of forces there will be pushed back. But that's a problem for another day.

Pacific Islands

Canton Island - Well, on December 22nd my cruiser force arrived and parked itself off Canton. I do this in stock, too...even though I always knew Canton was safe. On Dec. 24th, the Japs showed up with a weak escort. The entire invasion TF was sunk...thus saving Canton, at least for the moment. A few days later, a Marine defense battallion arrived and is now fully unloaded. I also unloaded a field artillery regiment, too.

Midway Island - Supplies have been added and a coastal artillery regiment will soon arrive. Midway will be an unpleasant nut to crack should the Japs try it. But with the 6000 man limit, Midway, like all other islands this size, are still pretty much indefensible against a determined attack.

Pago Pago - 8th Marine Regiment is unloaded, reinforcing the island, along with a large dose of supplies and some fuel.

Noumea - First LCU's about to unload...the 2nd Marine Regiment, an army regiment, a second baseforce...followed in a few weeks by the 2nd parachute, 2nd marine tank, naval support, Amphib HQ and some AA. Once I get some PP's, I plan on releasing an army regiment to. But, before I do that, I plan on releasing an army regiment to join the 2nd Marine Defense battalion and a base force for Luganville. The plan is to land forces on Luganville in, oh...early february, I guess, will be the earliest I can get them there...maybe even a few weeks later.

Port Moresby - First reinforcements arrived...an armored regiment. Loading up a second wave of reinforcements...the 9th brigade, another armored regiment, some artillery and a AA unit. The first fighters will be arriving in Brisbane in a few days, so I'll finally have some escorts to join the A-24's. For one turn (only, it turned out), I put some A-24's on Port Moresby and they bombed the Jap TF's at Lae. But both squadrons were decimated by Oscar's, so I had to withdraw them. On the other hand, they did heavily damage a Jap CL, so something good came from it.

Dutch East Indies

Japanese carriers are in multiple task forces and cruising around Borneo and Southern PI. They caught two CL's and sunk them near Kendari, but beyond that, have done little more than bomb the hapless Dutch and catch one unfortunate AKL I forgot about in the port at Tarakan. I'm VERY glad I did a "sir robin" of all my transports and support ships in the PI and DEI...these two Japanese carrier groups would have had a field day if I had delayed the evacuation of these ships by even a few days.

On the flip side, some PT boats that I pulled down from the PI via a meandering route eventually reached Soerbaja. There, they re-filled up their torpedo tubes. I saw a Jap invasion fleet south of Davao, and figured it was heading toward Tarakan. The PT boats didn't have the legs to go to straight to Tarakan, so I sent them to Balikipan instead. And wouldn't you know, they ran straight into a lightly escorted invasion force at night at Balikipan. All ships in the invasion force were sunk, taking the troops with it. The next day, Betty's at Jolo found the PT boats and dropped a LOT of torpedoes at the PT boats. But, not surprisingly considering the small size of PT boats and how maneuverable they are, all missed.

Also got lucky in another way, too. I forget the name of the base...the one on Borneo very close to Singapore. Anyways, the Japs had invaded it and pushed back the Dutch to the base right next to it. Then a strange set of circumstances arose that allowed my surface TF's to REALLY inflict some damage. The Japanese had a surface TF covering the invasion in Borneo. But then one of my PT boat groups stumbled into some Jap transports at initial invasion spot in Borneo (Mili?). These PT boats didn't have any torpedoes left after mauling the PI invasion force, so they didn't do much beyond make some noise. But, apparently the sighting of the PT boats caused the Jap Surface TF covering the second invasion to make a beeline over to protect the transports of the first invasion spot. Well, as soon as it left, I snuck in two surface TF's (two CL's and 3 DD's in each group) and absolutely pounded the second Japanese invasion force. First that force was decimated while docked. What little survived then ran into my second surface TF one hex out to sea.

If that wasn't enough, two British Destroyers "passing by" then decided to challenge (reacted) to the Jap surface task force rushing to protect the first invasion force. They must have achieved surprise, because they sunk one Jap CL and one DD, and sustained little damage in return.

I have five squadrons of PT boats operating in the DEI. One is based one hex from Palembang. One is, for the moment anyways, at the port next to Balikipan (on it's way to Soerbaja to rearm). One is at Balikipan (also headiing back to Soerbaja to rearm). Two more are based on that island near Batavia (midway between Batavia and Palembang). I have AGP's at both Batavia and Soerbaja, so long as those ships stay afloat, the PT boats should get a few more licks in before they finally run into a superior surface combat force.

Much has been made in these forums about the ravaging PT boats. However, keep this in mind. The Japanese just have FAR too many task forces to properly escort. There are dozens and dozens of Jap TF's meandering around the PI and Borneo and elsewhere, and the Japanese have no hopes of properly escorting them all unless they choose to wait months. So, it isn't too terribly surprising that these PT boats are stumbling into unescorted or weak task forces. Additionally, this is what PT boats were designed to do...quickly dart in and dart out...and being hard to hit and spot due to the fast speed and small size. PT boats DO pack a lot of firepower for their dinky size, too.

Sadly, the ever-present Japanese carrier forces (there are two of them marauding around the DEI), forced me to withdraw my two surface task forces I had planned to do some more raiding with. Although I did try to hold out...the arrival of the first Betty's dropping torpedoes at my surface forces at both Batavia and Soerbaja changed my plans in a hurry. Happily, the Betty's missed their targets, and I managed to slink my two surface combat task forces in-between the "gaps" of the carrier groups. I'm sending one of these surface TF's out to Perth. The other is headed to Brisbane. A few destroyers from the British were also peeled off and are headed to Colombo.

In other news, a few more invasions occurred on some of the outlying DEI bases (Menado?). But other than that, it's been pretty quiet. By and large, the AI is progressing quite quickly...about as quickly as in stock so far. But I expect the pace to pickup considerably...I know I won't be holding Soerbaja in April like I usually was in stock!

Malayasia

What an epic disaster. In stock, I always do an immediate Sir Robin of all forces in malaysia back to Signapore. For something different, I tried to hold some ground. The Japanese blew right through the forces...one shock attack and my defenders scattered or surrendered in mass. As such, I'm going to be way down in strength for the defense of Singapore itself, as two full Indian brigades have been destroyed and several other smaller LCU combat units are destroyed or effectively useless. I'd be surprised if Singapore lasts another two weeks, and probably much less than that.

Burma

On the other hand, seeing the disaster that unfolded in Malaysia made me feel much better about withdrawing my forces to Imphal. The terrible experience and moral of the Burma forces basically guaranteed a rout and, in my opinion, would accomplish little. If the experience in Malaysia is any indication, I doubt trying to do a stand-up fight with the Japanese would hold them back more than one day! As such, I saw no reason to throw my first-line defenders away in a battle that seemed like it would accomplish nothing beyond utterly destroying forces I need for the defense of Imphal.

As such, right now, Burma is completely empty except for Mandalay and Shebow. And shortly, those two towns will be empty too...as my forces are crawling across the mountains to prepare to make a stand at Imphal. I'll be sending a brigade or two from Colombo there as well, along with artillery and armor. Never forget the armor and artillery...they are an important force multiplier and work wonders in helping to improve the odds when facing off with the Jap infantry divisions.

Philippines

Somehow one of my Philippine divisions didn't evacuate Manila...it got left behind, I guess, although I SWEAR that for nearly a week Manila was empty. Then presto, some division just showed up there unexpectedly. Well, whatever...that division was crushed by the Japs on the very day I first noticed it! Clark Field, which I really did try to defend, is about to fall. So the siege of Bataan is about to begin. I have 35K supplies now at Bataan, so am in decent shape. Wish the fortification level was higher, but with some luck, I might hit fortification 5 before lack of supplies stop any further building.

For some reason, the Japanese tried to "reinforce" Manila by landing some supplies and troops by sea. As such, the guns at Bataan essentially sank this TF as it passed by on the way to Manila. Why the AI was trying to send supplies/troops through that strait I have no idea...but it wasn't a good idea!

India

First Hurricane figthers are about to arrive...which is good, as the Brits don't have a single fighter in Colombo and only two fighers squadrons (one AVG and one evacuated Buffalo squadron) in Calcutta. I also landed weak land combat units on Diego Garcia and Addu. They won't stop even a moderately weak Japanese attack, but at least the Japanese just can't "walk on" them anymore, either. Reason I put troops on these islands is because they stand between Capetown and Colombo. Having a Jap airbase here would be inconvenient, to say the least.

Moved what forces I can down to Calcutta/Dacca/Chittatong. The garrison requirement in India has prevented more movement of troops, but quite a few (if rather weak) reinforcements do arrive in the near to mid-future. Calcutta has an AV of 600 now and Diamond Harbor of 100 AV. Colombo has 800 AV. Madras 200 AV. Not strong enough to resist a determined Japanese attack, for sure. But...it's a start!

Things I've Learned

1. NEVER load/unload a transport force of land combat units using strategic transport at a size 1 Port. It takes freaking forever, especially if you're unable to dock the transport because it's too large! I finally gave up with one my transports I had done with this, unloaded the TF, disbanded the TF, then reformed an amphib TF to move the LCU. Much better! Amphib TF's have definitely become the preferred method of moving all LCU's...even if moving between bases with large ports.

2. Tankers. The allies don't have that man tankers. You really have to be judicious with their use. I was expecting a nice surge of tankers via reinforcements in late January or early February. But then i looked at the reinforcement schedule...not a single US tanker shows up for months and months. Some British tankers are beginning to arrive, and I do plan on sending some over to the West Coast, but that will take months. For the foreseeable future, the allies are going to be very "limited" fuel-wise. They'll have enough for defensive operations, but that's about it.

3. Tanker Size. Tankers are large ships, I've discovered. As such, they often don't fit at size 1/2 ports...even if they are the only ship in the TF! So, check your tanker size to make sure they can dock at the port you're sending them too. Trying to unload a 15K tanker at Christmas Island didn't work out too well...it was unloading 300 fuel points a day. I finally gave up on that and sent it down to Suva instead.

4. Victory Points for AP's and Tankers. Wow. Checked the Victory Points for some transports and tankers in AE? Some AP's, if sunk, yield over 30 victory points. The Queen Mary yields 70!!! Tankers are often worth 30 or so VP's, too. With that in mind, it makes very good sense to protect these rather expensive ships from going down. Unfortunately for me, the Queen Mary right now is in Sydney...not Colombo. Oops. So, I have to sail it around the sub infested waters of Australia in order to withdraw it. The last thing I want to do is to use an escort with it, but considering the massive victory point total if sunk, I don't have much of a choice.

5. Keep an Eye on Off-Map Bases. While it's kind of a pain that AE is set up this way, you really need to check the off-map bases every turn to see "what showed up." Seems a good chunk of the British and US reinforcements show up off-map. Be a bummer to have your battleships sitting there instead of on-map when you need them!

6. China...trying to fight the Japanese outside of the big base areas (in the "Bulge" of Chinese forces at the beginning of the game or in that one port city that is left) is hopeless. Save your forces for more important fights later and bug out.

(in reply to scott64)

Post #: 6

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/5/2009 8:49:42 PM

John Lansford

Posts: 2662
Joined: 4/29/2002
Status: offline

FYI, QEII never sailed with an escort; her speed was so high that submarines never had a chance to get good shots at her, and most escorts couldn't keep up with her anyway. I had one sub get a shot off at her when she was clearing Puget Sound, but that's been it.

(in reply to jimh009)

Post #: 7

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/6/2009 1:48:15 AM

OldCoot

Posts: 262
Joined: 12/26/2008
Status: offline

Thanks much for putting this AAR together. As a wet-behind-the-ears NOOB, I need all the help I can get, and your AAR has been, so far, extremely helpful!

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Post #: 8

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/6/2009 11:52:23 AM

Joseph_Nevsky

Posts: 46
Joined: 7/28/2009
From: Spain
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: OldCoot

Thanks much for putting this AAR together. As a wet-behind-the-ears NOOB, I need all the help I can get, and your AAR has been, so far, extremely helpful!

Same over here!

_____________________________

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Post #: 9

Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/7/2009 7:32:03 AM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
Status: offline

Update to this AAR. Dates : 1/9/42 to 1/18/42

General Situation

Signapore has fallen...no surprise there, obviously. And since I tried, vainly, to put up a forward defense (only to have it collapse spectacularly), I only had 350 AV to defend Signapore. So, it lasted three turns under Jap shock attacks before everyone surrendered.

Beyond that...the last week has been very quiet. The Japs invaded a few places in the DEI and also captured Kendari. But, other than that...everything is quiet.

Too quiet, actually. I'm starting to wonder where the next "big hammer" is going to fall. KB has disappeared. It's no surprise that it disappeared for mid-December through early January. But since then...nothing. Makes me wonder exactly what "next" is planned. Although I have no information supporting it, my gut feeling says "Midway"...it would be the reason for the "dead silence" and lack of activity going on right now.

I have a rule I've always followed in stock, and definitely plan to in this game. Allied carriers avoid combat with a full KB (6 Jap carriers) anytime before June/July (when the allies have 6 carriers, full air squadrons and planes have been upgraded to Wildcats and Dauntlesses). Taking on the full KB early in the game, with old planes and with half the fighter compliment, is a recipe for disaster. While I will gladly trade "carrier for carrier" with the Japanese, having four understrength carriers going up against 6 Japanese ones is a recipe for a one-sided disaster (the allies losing most or all of their carriers, and the Japs likely at most one or two). And while the allies can make up their carriers...this take lots of time. If the Japanese can win a major carrier battle (sink 4+ carriers and lose only 1-2 themselves), they can essentially prevent the allies from taking any sort of major offensive operations throughout 1942 and early 1943.

Because of this, carriers are too precious to use "wily nily" early in the war (through mid 1942), when they are so much more vulnerable. I only use them to solidify a line AND have the ability to project power forward in the event that line is breached (so if Midway or Suva falls, I can retake it). And I will never throw them up against six Japanese carriers!!

Other things - Sent a big TF of AK's and TK's to the West Coast via Cape Town. Also begun to convert some of the xAK's to xAP's (very handy to be able to do this). Prince of Wales and Repulse have been moved off-map to Capetown to undergo repairs...freeing up the shipyard in Colombo to maintain/upgrade other ships. Someday it would be nice to free up Pearl Harbor, but the three BB's there all have 55-70 major float damage. With that amount of major damage, I have doubts they'll make it all the way back to San Francisco before they sink. All other ships, however, have been moved out and are repairing relatively quickly in San Francisco and Seattle.

China

Wuchow fell...no surprise. But otherwise, everything is holding. Since a picture is easier to showcase, below (or in the attachment) is the situation in Southern/Central China. In general, I have a solid line now and am only worried about Kulong, which is perilously low on supply. Supply is a huge problem in southern china right now...but in Kulong, it's nearly zero. I shudder to think about how China's supply situation will look once the burma road is closed.

Pacific Islands

Luganville - My cruiser force destroyed the "mighty" Jap invasion force before they would land. The enemy force consisted of one PB and one AK! Speaking of Luganville, I anticipate landing a large force on Luganville in mid-February. It's taking longer than expected because I need the PP's to release all the units I want to have. The landing force keeps "swelling" in size as I "discover" more land units lying around with nothing to do!

Vaiputu - I never heard of this island before. But the Japs invaded it (it's in the Ellice Islands...about 20 hexes to the east of Canton). Japs invaded this with one PB and one AK unit, too. But they got ashore and took the island before my surface force could arrive and sink everything, including, I assume, most of the supply and support forces. Since this island doesn't even have an airfield and just a level 1 port...I'm in no hurry to take this island (if ever).

Noumea/Suva/Pago Pago - Reinforcements and supplies arriving daily now. I made a mistake with one Noumea transport. Instead of having it be amphibious...I have it as a "transport." Since Noumea is just a level 2 port, I won't be able to dock the entire TF. instead, I'll have to dock and unload ships 2 or 3 ships at a time. Needless to say, this is going to take a while. Oh well, one lesson learned.

Dutch East Indies

Beyond Kendari falling and one small engagement where my PT boats sunk a PB and AK, absolutely nothing is happening.

India and Burma

The Australian brigades have arrived at Aden. Unlike many players, these brigades aren't destined for Burma or India. Instead, I'm moving up transports to whisk them down to Australia. I'll have far more uses for these units in Australia than Burma...as my strategy for Burma is nothing more than a strategy to force a "sitzkreig"

The last British unit has pulled out of Burma...not a single British unit remains in any Burma city. The units right now are all slogging it over the mountains to Imphal. I plan on forming a line along the river (and Imphal) itself, as well as having units in Kohima and Chittatong. It won't stop a REAL determined Jap attack, of course, but the Japanese will have to really commit to take Imphal.f

There's one advantage of leaving Burma. If the Allied player turns off repairs to the resources and oil centers at the cities in Burma...once the allied player has their LCU's leave the hex, partisans immediately flare up and start destroying stuff! As a result, the Japanese, when they arrive, will find all their resources and oil fields in shambles.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by jimh009 -- 8/7/2009 7:48:33 AM >

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Post #: 10

Map of Central/Northern China - 8/7/2009 7:34:13 AM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
Status: offline

Map of Central/Northern China (since you can only have one picture per post).

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 11

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/7/2009 12:13:15 PM

Blackhorse

Posts: 1983
Joined: 8/20/2000
From: Eastern US
Status: offline

quote:

Somehow one of my Philippine divisions didn't evacuate Manila...it got left behind, I guess, although I SWEAR that for nearly a week Manila was empty. Then presto, some division just showed up there unexpectedly. Well, whatever...that division was crushed by the Japs on the very day I first noticed it!

The 1st PA Infantry Division arrives as a reinforcement in Manila on December 19th. The Philippine Army was still mobilizing when war broke out. They'll also get new units in Bataan and on Mindanao.

Great AAR, btw.

_____________________________

WitP-AE -- US LCU & AI Stuff

Oddball: Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
Moriarty: Crap!

(in reply to jimh009)

Post #: 12

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/8/2009 7:37:03 PM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
Status: offline

1/19/42 - February 2nd 1942

General Observations

Still relatively quiet...no big battles. I've been busy repositioning stuff around, getting ready for when the tempo of the war begins to increase in the Spring.

The Japanese KB is still mysteriously absent. Where will it show itself? I'm preparing for three areas...Midway, Suva and Ceylon. I set up a sub screen along Malaysia to provide some "early warning" in the event the KB shows up in there. Midway, though, will be a total suprise...I don't have enough naval search units yet to really search that vast swath of empty water around Midway. If the KB hits Midway, I suspect I might have no notice whatsoever!

The Japanese are cleaning up the "remaining bases" in the PI and Borneo, as well as picking off more bases in the DEI. Since Singapore fell, a whole host of ships (surface forces and transports) are showing up in the area now...presenting some nice targets for my subs and bombers in Java and Palembang. I suspect Palembang is "next" on the hit list, judging by all the ships beginning to congregate nearby.

My first big "air transport convoy" has launched from San Francisco. I'm transporting 10 air units, plus a few aviation/support LCU's. I don't have enough escorts, so I had to wait to form one big convoy. This convoy will be making several "stops" along the way. At each stop I'll leave the ship/s carrying the air units behind...as they'll take time to unload. First to Pearl, to refuel and drop off one fighter. Then to Suva, to drop off another fighter regiment. Then to Noumea to drop off SBD's and two fighter groups, one avaiation group and a third base force. Then onto Brisbane to drop everything else off, including some medium bombers.

I'll be following this convoy in a week or so with another large convoy, consisting mainly of LCU's bound for Australia (base forces, engineers and aviation support) in particular. Also included will be lots of supply and some more fuel. A few P-40 squadrons will also be included, too.

I really need the air units and air support in Australia...the Japs are beginning to bomb away with Betty's now. The P-40's from Brisbane that arrived a few weeks ago are slowly getting mauled down, with few replacements. Similarily, the A-24's, while doing a great job of sinking transports that are offloading at Lai and now Buna...are getting whittled down very quickly.

Have converted a lot of xAK's to various xAP type ships. I seemingly never run out of uses for the xAP's. Also converted a few xAK's to AKE's and AG's. The AG's will be handy for using amphibious offloading of supplies at small, isolated ports.

Still having good luck sinking Japanese transports with subs...especially around Singapore. Conversely, except for picking off two crippled transports, the Jap submarine force has been completely ineffective the past two weeks. I'm not running many transports, strange as it sounds, and the ones I run I route all over the place using variable waypoints. Sooner or later the Jap subs will show up, I assume...but so far, so good. I'm also blanketing the Pacific Coast with ASW task forces and ASW patrols, which I suspect has really helped keep the submarine menace down.

China

Kulong fell, forcing a hasty retreat of the forces. The city was strong, but the supply was ZERO. I'm having supply problems everywhere right now in China...many units/bases have none at all. Hopefully this improves a bit in time. Otherwise, I have a solid defensive line from Lyong all the way to Nanning and along the railroad. In the far north, a stalemate seems to have ensued...the Japs aren't strong enough to push the Chinese back, but the lack of supply removes any possibility of any sort of counter-offensive against an otherwise weak opponent.

Pacific Islands

Midway - Reinforced with a coastal gun regiment. Japs will have an unpleasant landing if they launch themselves at Midway. No more resources will be put into Midway, as there is 5.5K troops there now. I'll put a few air units there when I get some availble.Isla

Another Atoll Falls - The atoll just south Viapatu (don't remember the name) was invaded by the Japs. My surface group in Canton was too far away to prevent the invasion, but arrived two days later and sunk every ship in three TF's that were unloading troops and supplies. That surface group is now heading back to Pearl to resupply with torpedoes. This TF has killed every TF that has shown itself at Baker, Canton, this atoll and Viapatu. When I get some free shipping and a Marine Defense Battallion reinforcement, I will put some troops on the one last atoll in that little chain of islands. If the Japs beat me to it, I plan on retaking one of the islands (not all of them), so as to set up a forward base for air reconnaissance and naval search...the only real uses for those atolls is to prevent the Japs from seeing what you have sailing around in the Suva area and to provide a "early warning" of an invasion of Suva itself.

Suva - A army regiment is on it's way from Pearl Harbor to reinforce Suva. I'll be replacing that unit taken from Pearl Harbor with an army unit that just arrived in Los Angeles.

Luganville - A big reinforcement group is on it's way...about 10 days out or so. I still hold Luganville as my surface TF I parked there destroyed both Jap TF's before they could land anything.

Noumea - A big reinforcement group...carrying the last of the 2nd Marine Division along with some support...will arrive in a week or so. Once this group is offloaded, I'll feel good about holding Noumea in the short-term, as I'll have over 300 AV, armor and artillery and all necessary support. The first "free full-strength division" I get will also be sent to Noumea, too.

Efate - Have a base force and ground units slated for Efate. But need the shipping to move it from LA.

Australia

Perth - Continue to reinforce Perth and expand it's port. A big tanker convoy will soon arrive...allowing the fuel to eventually disperse throughout Australia where/when needed. I have a small surface TF here, and will also have some PT boats here too, once I can "make them" when I have some in the pool. I have 280 AV in Perth and another 200 AV at Koogolarie (sp?), so as to hold the railhead. I really don't expect a invasion at Perth (Darwin is far more likely), but it's good practice to hold this part of Australia anyways. Armor and artillery is also present at Perth.

Northern Australia - Other than shipping up some supplies and increasing the supplies stored at Darwin, have done little here. Nothing the Allies can do can stop even a moderately strong attack by the Japanese...and their attacks will be supported by land based air. There is also no way I can meaningfully reinforce Darwin or run enough supply up for offensive operations...the Japanese will control the seas around Darwin due to the Betty's and other bombers. It's why I'm focusing on Perth...Japanese will have to make a very large commitment to take and hold Perth...using naval forces exclusively.

Port Moresby - 250 AV is ashore. More will be on the way once I get some PP's (the armored brigade and another artillery unit, along with an HQ). In the meantime, I'm shipping up a coastal artillery regiment that was based in Portland (Australia). Used 10 xAP's to allow for fast unloading as Moresby is now being regularly bombed by Betty's. With some luck, this coastal artillery will put a big dent in any Japanese invasion that might happen.

My defense plans for Moresby is pretty much the same as always. The strategy is two fold:

1. Get as many land units and supply there as possible, as I anticipate not being able to block a Japanese invasion. When the Japs decide to take Moresby, they'll likely have the entire KB and a huge battleship force...far too powerful for me to stop before a landing takes place. Best I can do is to have enough aircraft to sink some transports and make it difficult to take the place in the initial assault. I'll have "reserve air units" in Cairns and Townsville. When the air units on Moresby get wiped out, I'll remove them and fly in new ones...sort of developing a "air shuttle" between the mainland and Moresby of fresh, full-strength air units.

2. If the Japanese develop trouble taking Moresby (due to land defenses), and if the Japanese carriers are running low on planes and ammo (due to continuous raids of Port Moresby), I'll then take my carriers up against them (which will have fresh pilots and full ammo boxes). The idea here is to allow the air groups on the Japanese carriers to be "weakened". Additionally, I should have a reasonable chance of being able to sneak up on the carriers from the South, all the while knowing exactly where they are due to search planes at Moresby.

Australian 6th Division - It's on it's way to Perth. Once it arrives, I'll send it via rail to the eastern coast. Assuming it's still possible to reinforce Moresby by then, I'll try to sneak in all or at least some of the brigades.

Australian 7th Division - Will soon arrive in Aden. Will be shipped to Australia, too.

Java and Borneo

First Japanese invasion of Java squashed! A few days ago I saw a large transport convoy approaching Java at one of the unoccupied bases. So, I took every PT boat in my arsenal (all of which were based at Batavia) and sent them there. I didn't maul the transport convoy too much (only 5 transports sunk), but, the transport group beat a hasty retreat and hasn't been seen from again. So, it seems I bought a few extra weeks of having Java in the game. This is great news, as it means that it will be a few extra weeks before the forces that take Java will show up in other areas of the war.

Similarily, I still hold Balikipan. Two weeks ago my PT boats stopped the invasion cold...and the Japs haven't come back yet.

This is what the allied effort at the beginning of the war is all about...slowing down the Japanese advance WITHOUT sustaining high losses in the process.

India

A good chunk of the Burma units have reached Imphal...all of them should be there in two weeks or so. I'll be spreading them out to form a solid line. Also have sent two construction regiments I just received to beef up the fortifications. Also am sending some Hurricanes to India via Calcutta and then on to Imphal. Land reinforcements will include one brigade on Colombo and a tank brigade, aviation support, engineer units and a few other odds and ends.

Also have reinforced Diamond Harbor. Put a construction regiment there (it arrives in Diamond Harbor, actually), and will keep it there until the fortifications are 9. To get to Calcutta, the Japs have to go through Diamond Harbor first...so it makes sense to make Diamond Harbor strong.

Colombo has 1200 AV...one reason I'm sending some units to the mainland now. I won't empty out Colombo...not by a long shot. Will keep it around 800-900 AV plus 200 AV in Tricomalee. I've also begun the process of "emptying out the port" at colombo...I'm starting to base more and more of the normal supply stuff at Bombay and Karachi. Colombo is just too vulnerable to an attack by the KB. I have four hurricane squadrons here now, so if KB shows up, hopefully they can thin the ranks of Japanese pilots somewhat.

Alaska

Nothing going on here at all.

Hawaii

Hawaii has "production." Thus, Hawaii needs resources. Am starting to run some resource convoys from the West Coast to Hawaii, on top of the first big supply convoy I'm sending. Hawaii still has ample supply and fuel, but well, it's the main base in the Pacific..so I need to keep it well stocked. Will be sending two more Army regiments to Hawaii to reinforce it and to have those regiments closer to where the action will be in the future.

(in reply to Blackhorse)

Post #: 13

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/9/2009 6:29:45 AM

Ezriver

Posts: 9
Joined: 3/19/2002
From: Minnesota
Status: offline

Your AAR is an excellent resource for me and obviously others. Your strategic and tactical insight has been especially benificial. I'm a first time player still reviewing Allied units, rules, the map, and your AAR.

Keep up the excellent work.

(in reply to jimh009)

Post #: 14

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/9/2009 11:28:49 AM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
Status: offline

Thanks. I'm glad a few people are finding it interesting.

The strategy/tactics is what always interested me about the game...all that long-term planning the player has to do. The battles are fun, for sure, but it's just as fun watching a long-term plan come together. In other AAR's, I found reading the lengthy combat results stuff confusing and boring. So for something different, I tried this format.

For first time playing...go slow, and don't be bashful about doing "re-do's" in the game. Save the game each before ending the turn and moving on to combat results, and play one-day turns for starters. I played WiTP stock frequently, so transitioning to AE has been pretty simple once I figured out all the new ship types, understood repair and learned the effects of port sizes. For a new player, it is a daunting game, for sure!

Yet, while it's daunting, it is a superb game, even if some of the turns at the beginning of the war can be rather boring. The "quiet period" I'm going through now in the game happened in WiTP, too...mid-January through March was always kind of boring since the Japs are beating up on helpless, defenseless bases while the Allied player just moves stuff around preparing for the "future". Meanwhile, Allied carriers and BB's sit in port and do nothing.

Things will be heating up by April, I'm sure. And activity is also getting hot around Port Moresby.

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Post #: 15

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/10/2009 1:36:11 AM

Graymane

Posts: 520
Joined: 3/31/2005
From: Bellevue, NE
Status: offline

Great job so far. I like the overvew style much better than endless combat reports. Keep up the good work!

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Post #: 16

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/10/2009 8:21:03 PM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
Status: offline

This AAR...which spans 2/3/42 to 2/22/42, will cover multiple posts. As they say...pictures are worth 1000's of words. I'll make some general observations in this post, then analyze each particular area in follow-on posts.

Activity the first week of this AAR was slow, but picked up noticeably the past 10 days or so. The Moresby area in particular is getting "hot."

Big question - Where are the Japanese CV's??? ALL Jap carriers have mysteriously vanished. Haven't seen a single CV in weeks. My intuition says the Japs are planning something major....either Midway, a deep lunge into the South Pacific (Suva/Pago Pago) or India. But so far, I've seen no hint of any of that.

Palembang fell, as did Mandalay/Shebow. Japs finally took Balikipan, three weeks after their initial invasion force was slaughtered and turned back.

Luganville reinforcements have arrived, as have more forces for Noumea. My air transport convoy is taking it's damn sweet time, but should arrive in Noumea in 4-5 days and Brisbane in 8-10 days.

Moving a second CV TF (Yorktown, Lexington) and a BB TF (Warspite, Colorado) down to Noumea. This leaves 3 old BB's to defend Pearl Harbor. In Pearl Harbor itself, two BB's are finally nearing enough damage repaired to be able to set sail for Seattle. Another week or so and they should be off...leaving just the West Virginia behind.

Transport Slaughter - So far, the allies have sunk at LEAST 150 transports. I've been very, very aggressive in the Moresby/Central Pacific area...running around and sinking Jap transports that were unloading on small, undefended islands. Losing 150++ transports, even for Japan...hurts!

Noumea - One of the biggest slaughters of them all occurred when Intelligence told me that an invasion was planned for Kourmac. I already had a surface TF parked there, but I moved up a task force with two CV's. They caught that task force in the open and mauled it. Then I moved up the surface TF in Kourmac and it finished it off. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...10+ ships and one division (judging by the losses) lost forever.

That's enough for this post. check out the ones that follow for specific theatre by theatre analysis.

< Message edited by jimh009 -- 8/10/2009 9:17:01 PM >

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Post #: 17

RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/10/2009 8:52:03 PM

jimh009

Posts: 368
Joined: 5/15/2005
Status: offline

The Burma Theatre

I've completed the evacuation of Burma and am beginning to form a line along the river in front of Imphal. Japs just invaded Akyab, but I'll have forces in Cox's Bazaar before they do. Imphal itself as 500+ AV with tanks and two artillery regiments. Chittagong isn't nearly as strong, but reinforcements are on the way. Chittagong is currently at 200 AV with armor and some artillery on the way. Diamond Harbor has two coastal artillery guns and 300 AV.

Invasion Possibilities of India

The Japanese have six options : Do nothing, invade through Imphal, march down the road from Akyab, invade Chittagong by sea, invade Diamond Harbor or invade Ceylon.

Needless to say, the Allied player can't cover them all. As such, you have to take precautions against them all and be prepared to "move forces" once the Japanese intentions have been determined. Right now, it's simply too early to tell exactly what the Japanese is going to do. Just because they invaded Akyab with a small force means nothing. Here's my thoughts on the situation.

Invade Chittagong by the Sea - This is my "worse case" scenario. If successful, I'd be forced to abandon Imphal, otherwise the units could be stuck up there. Fortunately, there is a lot of tactical disadvantages to the Japanese by choosing this route. Small port, rather isolated...requiring long road marches to reach Calcutta. The Japanese Carrier and Surface Forces would be "stuck" there...unable to leave the area...until Calcutta has been taken...which would take a while. Otherwise, naval supply vessels would be nailed by bombers at Calcutta and the land forces would be mauled by bombers. The base itself would also be very vulnerable to Bombardments by British BB's. But...if the Japs REALLY commit...it can be done! The troops at Imphal...if promptly removed...would also reinforce Calcutta/Dacca before the Japanese could arrive there...leading to one big, long fight.

Road March to Chittagong - Suffers from the same drawbacks, really, except you don't even have a good base to work out of. Akyab is more defensible, but without strong naval support, Akyab is vulnerable to British Surface TF's and bombers from Chittagong/Dacca. Any force marching along the road can also be whacked by shore bombardment.

Diamond Harbor - The "second worse case" scenario. The Japs gather up everything they have and invade Diamond Harbor. I have 300 AV or so, with more on the way, and the troops are decent. I can also quickly reinforce this with one British Armor and one British Brigade I base in calcutta (my reserve force), quickly making Diamond Harbor have an AV of over 500.

The disadvantage for the Japanese of doing this is that the invasion would need to be VERY large...2 plus divisions with armor and artillery. That is a LOT of transports needed. Plus, the Japanese surface TF would have to be large and plan to stick around a while. Finally, the Jap KB would be forced to stick around until Calcutta fell to provide air cover...simply taking Diamond Harbor will not allow for enough air cover for the Japanese. The Japanese KB runs the real risk of "running out of ammo" while providing air cover...as the campaign to take Diamond Harbor and Calcutta would take weeks due to the fortification levels and the sheer number of troops.

Imphal Route - I'm mixed on this invasion route. On the one hand, the Japanese don't need naval forces to do it...which is a BIG thing. Additionally, land based air can provide all the air cover needed. Hence, this is the easiest route to do since the Imperial Navy really isn't needed beyond running in supplies to Rangoon.

A very large tactical advantage for the Allied player is that it takes so long for the Japs to slog through the jungle to reach Imphal. this allows time to determine the strength of the attack. Moreover, reaching Imphal is quick and easy for the Allies...it takes less than a week to move something to Imphal from Calcutta or Dacca (where my reserves are). Thus, if the Japs REALLY commit...2 or more divisions, I can quickly move stuff to Imphal from elsewhere.

The terrain also works to the defenders advantage. The Japanese player will need a minimum of 2 high quality divisions to take Imphal with what I have there now (500+ AV with armor and artillery)...so they will have to make a solid commitment to take it. Realistically, though, they will need 3 or more divisions, since once I notice them slogging through the woods toward Imphal, I can quickly move up the reserves.

Finally, the troops slogging through the woods are vulnerable to attacks by bombers.

Do Nothing

What I'd do as the japanese player. Don't waste forces. Garrison Burma...keep the British AF at bay...then forget about the theatre. The British can put up a strong defense, especially in a few months from now, but lack of CV's hinder any sort of real offensive for years to come. Jap land based air, combined with their powerful infantry divisions, can throw back pretty much anything the British hurl at them during the first two years of the war.

Invade Ceylon

The nightmare scenario. Taking Ceylon isn't easy...nor will it be quick. But, if the Japs gather up all their CV's and BB's and find the transports somewhere to move everything, it can be done.

The British can't prevent a landing on Ceylon...there are four ports there. Thus, it has to be expected that the Japs will land and create a base (see next post for map of Ceylon). However, I have 800+ AV in Ceylon with lots of armor and artillery, plus 200 AV in Tricomalee. Also have 200,000 supply in Colombo! Fort level is currently 3 and will be at least 6 by the time the Japs could get around to invading Ceylon. What this means is that the British can hold out a very, very long time in Colombo...sort of a worse version of Bataan.

Due to the location of Ceylon, the Jap naval forces WILL be trapped there until Ceylon falls and the Brits surrender. If the Japs pull their carrier and surface TF's back (which they'd have to do sooner or later to rearm and refuel), it opens up raids by British forces in Bombay. Addtionally, land based air in India (Madras) will do damage to Japanese TF's.

The Japanese will need 3 or more divisions to take Colombo, plus armor, plus artillery...plus all the support LCU's and gobs of supply. The Japanese do have what's needed to take Ceylon, but doing so essentially removes any/all other major operations for Japan for sometime to come. And, should the Japanese naval forces end up "pinned down" doing an invasion of India, the allied player obviously knows where they are. This opens up all sorts of possibilities in the Central/Southern Pacific.

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/10/2009 8:53:16 PM

jimh009

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Ceylon

See previous post for analysis of Japanese attack possibilities in Ceylon.

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/10/2009 11:01:43 PM

Andy Mac

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Good analysis

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/11/2009 12:08:46 AM

jimh009

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Port Moresby, Australia and Noumea Area

This is where the action has been getting quite hot the past two weeks.

General Overview

Lots of reinforcements streaming into the theatre. Using these to reinforce Noumea, Luganville and to begin setting up shop at Efate and Ndeni. All Allied CV's are in the region as is a surface TF with two BB's. There are also four small surface TF's running around and making landings miserable for the Japanese.

Japanese have taken all of the Solomons, but so far, Tulagi still doesn't have a 1 size airfield.

Base by Base

Buna - Japs took Buna two weeks ago, losing quite a few transports to the A-24's there. Immmediately following the invasion, I swung a surface TF up there, which sunk every ship. Oddly, despite the surface TF being there, no planes from Rabaul attacked...except at night!

A few days later, since the Japs continued to reinforce Buna, I made a second surface TF raid...sinking all the ships again, and sending a lot of troops to a water grave.

Yet, the Japs continue to try to land stuff there. Plus, as you can see on the map, a Jap force is slogging over the mountains. I believe the strength is quite weak (there are two units...one unit is confirmed weak, the other unknown).

Milne Bay : Intelligence gave me a few days warning of the invasion of Milne Bay about two weeks ago. My surface TF met them...and wiped out the invasion fleet. A few days ago, Japs took another stab at it. The managed to land a weak force, but then the same surface TF arrived and wiped everything out again. On top of that, two allied CV's sunk a bunch of ships that seemed to be following (more on the allied CV's later). Anyways, the Japs have Milne Bay...but it has no supply, no support forces, no engineers...and thus, for now, poses no threat. I'll be keeping a surface TF nearby until Jap carriers arrive and drive me away.

Retaking Milne Bay is of moderately high importance...it's ranks below several other priorities now. By keeping a small surface TF in the vicinity of Milne Bay, I can prevent the Japanese from doing anything with the place...and since the unit there was mauled on landing (it only had a 15 AV), retaking Milne Bay should be easy.

Port Moresby - I successfully landed a large coastal artillery regiment, but lost three transports in the process. Small price to pay. Currently, 240 AV there. One brigade from the Australian 6th, a large tank brigade and the Australian 1st Army is currently being loaded up on a large amphibious task force. Should be loaded in a few days and reach Moresby in 10 days or so. What Moresby needs is some engineer units and some aviation support. These units are loaded on a transport headed to Sydney, but won't arrive for a while. Until then, Moresby will continue to have rather weak air defenses.

That said, the A-24's...what's left of them...is making life miserable for Japanese transports unloading at Buna and Samarinda. The P-40's, due to be withdrawn in three weeks, have earned their keep...killing one jap plane for every P-40 lost.

Moresby has significant armor and artillery assets. This greatly helps in the combat modification. This is especially so if the Japanese will invade Moresby by land (via Buna) instead of by sea. If the Japanese invade Moresby by marching over the mountains, they won't have armor or artillery units. My gut feeling is that the force approaching Moresby overland is going to get slaughtered. Once they arrive in Moresby, I plan on doing a shock attack. The Jap units are weak and fragmented (since they couldn't unload fully before the transports sunk), and likely low on supply.

I expect to lose a LOT of transports keeping Port Moresby functional and operational. But it's a small price to pay. Better to fight in Moresby than on the shores of Australia.

First plane reinforcements from the USA arrived in Brisbane. These planes will join the Cairns-Port Moresby "air shuttle system". They'll be especially important in a few weeks, since the P-40's are due to be withdrawn.

Perth - 1st echelons of the Australian 6th arrived. I shipped them to Sydney. I've loaded up the first brigade and another tank brigade to reinforce Port Moresby. Perth is safe now from anything but a true determined Japanese attack....300 AV in Perth (with armor and artillery) plus another 200 AV in Koolgorolie, which are there to protect the railhead.

Rossell Island - I saw the Japanese planned to invade Rossell island in the intelligence reports. I never paid this island attention in stock. But I checked it out and got a big surprise...the island has a 4 size port potential and a 7 size airfield potential. After seeing that, all of a sudden Rossell Island took on more importance. So, I scratched together a few Autralian "coy" units (I had no other PP's available to activate other units, since I used them all to reinforce Moresby), loaded them on a weak amphib TF and sent them up to Rossell Island...covered by an Allied CV TF. I dont even have a base force for the place yet. Right now, all that is there are two "coy" units for a grand total assault value of 18...although the units do have awesome experience (90).

Once I have enough PP's, freeing up some "real units" to better garrison Rossell Island is high on the priority list. I'll also be maintaining either a carrier TF or a surface TF in the area...to beat back any attempt by the Japs to take it.

Ndeni - (see map of area in following post). This has become another vital area in AE. In stock, it was a rather useless island. Now, it has a size 4 port potential and a 8 size airfield potential. Once I realized that, putting some troops on Ndeni became very important. About to land the 2nd Marine Defense Battalion on the island. A few days later, an engineer unit and a Marine Parachute battalion will land.

Why is Ndeni important? Because the Japs have Tulagi...and one would assume, sooner or later, will begin to construct a large airbase on Lunga. Ndeni is the counter to this airbase...and is close enough to Lunga to provide at least some land based air support for efforts to retake Lunga in the future. Finally, Ndeni makes a wonderful "early warning" base...giving the Allies more time and opportunity to see what the Japanese are doing.

Luganville - First LCU's have landed, along with naval support and a base force. Eventually will build this base up with a lot of supplies and fuel. But for now, Luganville pretty much has what it will have for the forseeable future. The AF and Port both need to be built up, and that will take time. Currently, there is about 250 AV here.

Noumea - 400 AV here now, along with ample supplies and at least "some fuel." I'm worried the two CV TF's and one BB TF is going to drain this fuel in a hurry. But the BB TF is there to provide some serious firepower, for future bombardment and to protect Noumea. Plus, they weren't doing me any good sitting back in Pearl. I'll keep this BB TF (which has the Warspite and Colorado) here for the forseeable future. The other BB's will remain back in Pearl.

Currently have one solid fighter group (with super high air to air experience levels), and two more will be landing shortly. An aviation unit along with a few other LCU's will arrive shortly, too.

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/11/2009 12:11:03 AM

jimh009

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Map and annotations of Luganville area.

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/11/2009 12:21:49 AM

clasky

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Hey all. New to the forum, but have had the original game since 2001. Does anyone know how the AI (jap) plays in the later months of the game (about may 42 on)? It seems very weak as I recall from playing original version. Thanks. PS be kind I have never participted in a forum before!!

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/11/2009 12:24:47 AM

jimh009

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The Ellice Islands

The Japanese have lost a lot here, for very little gained. See the map for details. A Japanese "surface raider" was sunk by a passing carrier and BB task force. Meanwhile, the surface group I based at Canton since the first days of the war (I do this in stock, too) has sunk at least 5 Japanese invasion task forces, although it couldn't stop three islands from being taken (the Allied TF sunk the invasion fleets before most could be unloaded).

The Japs have taken two of the Ellice Islands, but I want the third one. A Marine Raider is on the way to garrison it, and I have a tiny surface TF of two DD's and one PC providing for at least some naval protection. When I get a free base force and construction unit, I plan on building up Funafuti to a degree. The base is important in providing early warning of advancing Japanese fleet units toward Suva and Pago Pago...as well as covering the supply route with air search for Japanese submarines.

Further south, Suva is about to be reinforced with an Army Regiment. Pago Pago and Suva both are adequate supplied and both have some fuel stored here. An AKE has been disbanded in each port...allowing surface TF's to rearm.

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/11/2009 12:25:52 AM

jimh009

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The AI was weak in the original WiTP. It's definitely better in AE. I think it's too early to say how it will be in late 1942 and beyond...the game is too new.

Time will tell.

quote:

ORIGINAL: clasky

Hey all. New to the forum, but have had the original game since 2001.� Does anyone know how the AI (jap) plays in the later months of the game (about may 42 on)? It seems very weak as I recall from playing original version. Thanks.� PS be kind I have never participted in a forum before!!

quote:

Matrix Recruit

Posts: 1
Joined: 8/11/2009
Status: online Hey all. New to the forum, but have had the original game since 2001. Does anyone know how the AI (jap) plays in the later months of the game (about may 42 on)? It seems very weak as I recall from playing original version. Thanks. PS be kind I have never participted in a forum before!!

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/11/2009 12:37:39 AM

jimh009

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The Dutch East Indies

The Japs have been having a tough time here, courtesy of poor planning by the AI's part and PT boats poking some holes in the plans.

PT boats nuked the first unsupported invasion of Balikipan a few weeks ago. Yesterday, the Japs came back and finally took the place. I suspect this put a hole in the AI's plan, since it basically did nothing after that for two weeks. Only now is it showing itself again...taking Balikipan and finally Palembang.

Worse, PT boats drove away the invasion force the Japs tried to land, unsupported, at Semarang more than three weeks ago. The PT boats sunk a few transports, and the rest scattered...never to be seen again. Semarang is the logical landing spot, since it's undefended and you can easily cut Java into two pieces.

Since the Dutch still hold Semarang, Java defenses are still in-tact...and I imagine the timeline for taking Java has been thrown way off. The reason for this is because a week ago, the Japs then landed at Merak.

Now, landing at Merak...if the Japs already have Semarang and control of the sea and air in/around Java...makes sense. However, landing at Merak without air cover and minimal naval support...combined with NOT having any other forces on Java...is a terrible idea. The results show it.

The Japs landed the assault infrantry. But, I then PT boat swarmed the landing force...sinking a few transports and one DD. The follow-on transports (the ones containing supply and support units) then retreated. Bombers then started sinking japanese transports with seemingly impunity, while submarines took a toll, too.

As such, the Japanese have a lone division (it's what I think it is, anyways) essentially stranded without supply or any support units in Merak.

Why the AI is having such problems taking Java remains a mystery!

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RE: Allied vs. Jap AI - 8/11/2009 12:41:38 AM

jimh009

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China

Everything is pretty quiet here. In one puzzling move, the Japs took Kulong (I had a very strong force there, but it had zero supply!), but then abandoned it. So, I moved back in and took it. Elsewhere in China, nothing is happening...the classic "sitzkreig" seems to be setting up...which is fine by me.

One thing I have noticed...the Japanese seem very weak in China. I suspect the AI has pulled some units out of here. If the Chinese had better supply, I think I could probably boot the Japanese out of a few areas of China. But many units in China are deep, deep in the "red" in terms of supply...and some units have none at all!