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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports >> Bhamo Under Assault

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Bhamo Under Assault - 10/11/2010 4:00:46 PM

ADB123

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May 27, 1942 -

There was no Night action of any kind this turn. My subs are either in the wrong locations or else my opponent is focussing upon Ground Attacks instead of Invasions.

Daylight brought a big Japanese Air Attack from Mandalay against the pitifully inadequate Allied troops at Bhamo. An big Oscar unit accompanied a lot of bombers. Two British Hurricanes came over from Myitkyina, but upon seeing the scale of the Japanese attack the Brit pilots wisely went home.

Other Japanese Air Attacks hit Dutch stragglers in Borneo and also Chinese troops that are starving in Yenan.

And a Glen appeared again over Dutch Harbor. My build up in the Gulf of Alaska continues at a break-neck pace, with the exception of the building of the Air Field at Dutch Harbor, which is crawling along at a snail's pace. All of the other bases in the region have been built up quickly to at least Level 2 Airfields, but Dutch Harbor continues to be a real pain. I keep on shoving in more Engineers, so I will get to Level 1 eventually, but all-in-all that Base doesn't seem like a good place to have a General HQ for the region.

The only Ground Action was at Bhamo where a Japanese Infantry Regiment and an Engineering Regiment did a Deliberate attack. They achieved a 3:1 result and reduced the Fortifications from L3 to L1. Considering that the Defenders consist of a little Burmese Rifles unit and the British Base Force that was already kicked out of Lashio, thing aren't going that badly. Sure, the Allied troops ought to get kicked out next turn, but the road to Myitkyina is still open so they will just do what so many of their compatriots have done and start the long, slow crawl through the Jungle to India.

BTW � the Japanese column at Katha has started to move towards Myitkyina. I have to keep on reminding myself that; �It's only a holding action. It's only a holding action.� and not get too caught up with the defence of Myitkyina. The Burmese 1st Division is there and has been for months, along with its HQ, an AA unit and a Base Force. They are all 100% prepped for Myitkyina and the Forts are at Level 4. So they ought to slow down the Japanese for a while unless my opponent gets a couple of lucky dice rolls, and/or brings up a second Infantry Division.

In other news, a lot of B-17E squadrons showed up at March Field this turn. That would be Great News, except for the fact that those units will be permanently withdrawn in Three Weeks.

Uh, what's the point?

There is no use in considering �rushing� them to the Front, because the great majority of the pilots in the squadrons have experience levels of 40 or less. And because their �withdrawal� messages are already �orange�, I can't swap out any of the B-17s for less useful bombers. So I just picked out the few pilots with experience in the 50s, and set all of the groups to ASW/Search. My opponent isn't bothering to send subs to the West Coast any more, but I'll leave the Bomber Squadrons like this for a couple of weeks and then send them back.

BTW II � It is looking more and more that my opponent's excursion into Northern Oz is pretty much just a nuisance ploy to try to get me to panic and send lots of Forces there. I guess that he did succeed to a small extent because I am currently moving one of the two good Australian Infantry Division from India to Oz, but I haven't sent much else that way except for some of the US Tank Destroyer units. (I can't see any other place where much Japanese Armour has appeared, so it can't hurt to have the US units in Oz for whenever I finally start a Counter-Attack.)

So right now my main guess is that my opponent is still planning One Last expansion into the Bay of Bengal, but I don't yet know whether this will be yet another nuisance attack or a serious attempt to make Big Gains in India.

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Post #: 241

Helens Enter the War - 10/12/2010 3:02:05 AM

ADB123

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May 28, 1942 -

After several quite nights Allied subs got back into action, and some of that action was very painful:

- First off, USS Seadragon fired off a set of dud torpedoes against a TK near Balikpapan.
- Then Dutch sub KXVII hit a mine at Tandjoengpinang. The unlucky sub soon flooded and sank.
- Then USS Sealion hit a TK with its second try off of Singkep.
- Then USS Perch hit another mine at Tandjoengpinang. The US sub is attempting to limp to an unoccupied Allied base in Sumatra because there is no way that it will make it back to Colombo.
- Finally, Skipjack fired at and missed a DD in a CA/CL/DD TF off of Oosthaven.

So my opponent did a very smart move there because he has effectively blocked the direct route from Colombo to the north shore of Borneo and all the shipping routes in that region. Too bad that I don't have a mine-sweeping sub.

Daylight brought a bit of welcome vengeance on the part of the Allied Air Forces as the British Hurricane IIbs in Myitkyina confirmed that �what is good for the goose is good for the gander�. The weather was lousy but my opponent sent off a series of Air Attacks against Myitkyina anyway. But the Attacks became split up.

The first Japanese attack to reach Myitkyina had 16 Zeros in it while 8 Hurricanes flew High Altitude CAP. Two Zeros were shot down against the loss of 1 Hurricane. Next two more Zeros flew in and were jumped by 7 Hurricanes, but there were no losses. Then in the afternoon 14 more Zeros flew in and were again met by 8 Hurricanes. Two more Zeros were shot down. Afterwards some bombers escorted by Oscars flew in but there was no more CAP and they only had to deal with some flak and hit the Air Fields lightly.

BTW � that was the first appearance of Helens on a Combat Mission in the War.

When I looked at the Air Losses later it turns out that around a dozen Zeros were lost to A-to-A and Operational losses, while the single Hurricane loss held up. My opponent made some grumpy comments about �diving�, but he did grudgingly admit that this did appear to affect both sides. (Which is a good thing, or I would have written back and asked him if he �could spell Tennant Creek�...

) So I just mentioned back to him that as far as I knew, Air Combat was being �changed� again in the next patch. Will it be changed �for the better�, changed �for the worse�, or just �changed for the sake of change�? Who knows until we see it. In the meanwhile, I moved more Hurricane IIb squadrons forward and moved the squadrons with less �stratospheric� maximum altitudes further back.

There was other Japanese air action too. Tennant Creek was hit by bombers escorted by Oscars, Dutch stragglers were hit again in Borneo, and Oscars Swept the empty sky over Sian.

As expected, the Japanese troops at Bhamo kicked out the Allied troops this turn and captured the base. So I have the two small and beat-up units on the March to Myitkyina, from where they will then get to spend a month slogging through the jungle to one of the Rail Bases in India.

The Big News this turn was that the Forts at Midway reached Level 5. If my opponent attempts to invade Midway at this late date he might receive a quite unpleasant surprise.

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Post #: 242

Some Successful Sub Attacks - 10/14/2010 2:03:20 AM

ADB123

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May 29, 1942 -

Allied subs returned to successful action this turn, although it didn't start out looking so promising. First off USS Sturgeon shot four torpedoes at an xAKL near Miri, but the ones that hit were duds. Then the Sturgeon's captain decided to do things the right way and surfaced to attack another unescorted xAKL in the same local. The Sturgeon's gunners hit the freighter with 9 shells, leaving it burning. But the Japanese gunners hit the Sturgeon once in return, so that combined with a shortage of shells and torpedoes caused the Sturgeon's skipper to break off the attack and head for repairs and ammo.

Next, Dutch sub O19 hit an xAK near Billiton with two torpedoes. Later on during the day O19 hit another xAK in the same locale with another torpedo. So now 019 is also heading home for ammo.

Daylight Air Attacks started out with an Oscar-escorted Lily attack on Tennant Creek. As usual, the Japanese bombers landed a few hits on the Airfields, but nothing major. Afterwards, Dutch stragglers were hit in Borneo again, and some Oscars swept over Yenan. (I suspect that my opponent doesn't realize that I no longer have a Base Force in Yenan. And even if I did I wouldn't base any planes there because the base has no Supply.)

This turn's Allied Air Attack was on the Airfields at Charter Towers. I sent the B-17Es from Brisbane and as expected, a handful of Zeros covered the base via LR CAP. My opponent hasn't put any LCUs in Charter Towers, so it makes a good Practice Target. As I had hoped, my Bombers blew past the Zeros and hit the Airfields nicely. My opponent lost 4 Zeros to Operational Losses, however, I lost one B-17 too, so it wasn't as �perfect� a raid as I would have liked.

What was very interesting, and rather satisfying, was that there were no Japanese flights over Myitkyina, or any other Allied base in the Indo/Burma border region. Maybe I've discouraged my opponent just a little. (Never-the-less, he has brought more fighters back to Mandalay, so I expect that he will attempt to overwhelm by shear numbers my CAP at some base sooner or later.)

BTW � my Recon says that there are now 40K+ worth of Japanese troops at Katha, so it looks as if my opponent has moved another Infantry Division there to assist in the attack on Myitkyina. It will be interesting to see how well he will be able to provide Supply for that attack.

Finally, SIGINT reported heavy radio traffic at a point just south of Nauru and Ocean Islands. I wonder what is sailing out there?

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Post #: 243

Some Unsuccessful Sub Attacks - 10/15/2010 4:09:47 AM

ADB123

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May 30, 1942 -

Allied subs were active again during the Night phase, but they were not successful. USS Gudgeon shot a load of torpedoes at an xAK near Chiba, but the torpedoes that hit were duds. Then USS Silversides was first attacked by an ASW TF consisting of a couple of SCs. A little while later the Captain of the Silversides came back, took a better look, and then decided not to spend any torpedoes on the ASW ships anyway.

Day Phase action consisted solely of Japanese Air Raids. The first was yet another bombing run against Tennant Creek. This time the bombers hit some ground troops. It's too bad that all of my P-38 squadrons are in Hawaii, otherwise I'd bring a Surprise to play, even given the difficulty in keeping Tennant Creek supplied. Japanese bombers also hit Dutch stragglers in Borneo, and the Air Fields at Yenan. It doesn't look like my opponent intends to actually capture Yenan. Instead he seems to want to use it as a training ground.

The Big News this turn was that I received a number of LCUs that were spread nicely across the map. Most of the LCUs were Support Troops, but I am still glad to get them and I've got places for them to go immediately.

I was also pleased to find out that those short-visit B-17s can actually be Withdrawn and the pilots and more importantly, the Planes, go into the Pools. So I Withdrew all of the three-quarters empty squadrons which allowed me to replace two more squadrons of B-18s with B-17s. Afterwards, I checked out those short-visit B-25 squadrons that I received a while back, just in case I could put those planes into the Pool too, but for some reason I couldn't do the same thing with the Mitchells. So when I send the Mitchells off, they are gone.

My Base Building continues in the Gulf of Alaska. The Glens and Japanese subs appear to be gone again. My experiences playing the Japanese side have shown me how fragile Glens can be, so I'm not surprised that the Glen-subs aren't sticking around too long. One thing that my effort in Alaska has shown me is that I have to be very conscious of what sort of LCU I drop off where when base-building, and in what order. LCUs with large Support contingents don't unload very quickly. I only wish that I had more Port Services units � those have got to be the Absolutely Most Valuble units in the Allied LCU inventory. I need to be very, VERY careful to not lose those units.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 244

Unsuccessful Subs, but Successful 4Es - 10/16/2010 5:02:34 AM

ADB123

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May 31, 1942 -

The Night phase brought more �good try, but...� attacks by Allied subs. Off of Soerabaja O23 shot at CL Tenryu but missed. Then off of Hamamatsu USS Silversides once again spotted an ASW SC but the captain of the sub decided not to fire.

Daylight brought relative quiet. The only Japanese Air Attacks were on Yenan. Once again, there were a lot of Oscar flights followed by bombers. However, the nearby Japanese LCUs aren't moving towards Yenan. So it looks more and more like Yenan is being designated a Training Target by my opponent.

The Weather was �almost good� in Australia so my 4E bomber attacks against the Air Fields at Charter Towers took off as planned. However, they didn't reach the Target at the same time so the planned �coordinated� attack turned into four separate attacks instead. Fortunately, my opponent only had a few Zeros on LR CAP over Charter Towers so my Bomber Raids got through easily and hit the Air Fields hard. And as a bonus a Zero was shot down.

So there were no Air Raids by either side anywhere else. However, I've come up with an odd idea that I am going to test out next turn. I am going to send in some B-17s at their Max Altitude, which is higher than the Max Altitude of Oscars, and see if the B-17s �dive� the Japanese fighters! I don't really expect it to happen (and at that altitude I don't expect the Forts to hit their targets either) but it will be fun to see just what happens.

BTW � I hadn't realized just how many Allied ships become eligible for Upgrades in June 1942. They will certainly keep the Backwater ports busy for some time.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 245

RE: Bhamo Under Assault - 10/16/2010 5:32:11 AM

jrcar

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You can swap them for any other aircraft you have in te pool... if you have them!

Cheers
Rob

quote:

In other news, a lot of B-17E squadrons showed up at March Field this turn. That would be Great News, except for the fact that those units will be permanently withdrawn in Three Weeks.

Uh, what's the point?

_____________________________

AE BETA Breaker

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Post #: 246

RE: Bhamo Under Assault - 10/16/2010 5:55:20 AM

ADB123

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jrcar

You can swap them for any other aircraft you have in te pool... if you have them!

Cheers
Rob

quote:

In other news, a lot of B-17E squadrons showed up at March Field this turn. That would be Great News, except for the fact that those units will be permanently withdrawn in Three Weeks.

Uh, what's the point?

Ah, the Great Question for the Allied player - where to get those few extra planes to allow you to swap our the better planes from those squadrons that will go away soon.

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Post #: 247

RE: Bhamo Under Assault - 10/16/2010 6:09:14 AM

jrcar

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Yes, you are not allowed to loose any bombers :)

It is a hard call, do those extra B-17 make the difference...

Cheers

Rob

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Post #: 248

RE: Bhamo Under Assault - 10/16/2010 9:30:25 PM

ADB123

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jrcar

Yes, you are not allowed to loose any bombers :)

It is a hard call, do those extra B-17 make the difference...

Cheers

Rob

I've worked quite hard to not throw away bombers. For one, I haven't been using many as bombers so far. Almost all of my 2Es spend their time on Naval Search and ASW Patrol, and most of my 4Es spend their time on Naval Search. There aren't a lot of good targets for my bomber forces and I don't want to throw them away to Fighter Traps or Operational losses. And my opponent has been quite careful most of the time to avoid giving me any "gimmies".

But even with that it is hard to maintain full bomber squadrons and still have enough in the pools to do swap outs. Oh, for the Good Old Days of hundreds of 4Es in the pools in mid-1942...

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Post #: 249

June 1 Screen Caps - Intel - 10/16/2010 9:32:20 PM

ADB123

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Here's the Intel Screen for June 1, 1942. Things haven't changed a lot, although my opponent is creeping up to a 2.5 to 1 ration in Victory Points:

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 250

RE: June 1 Screen Caps - Air Losses - 10/16/2010 9:33:25 PM

ADB123

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Here's the Air Losses Screen, in decending numbers of Total Losses:

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 251

RE: June 1 Screen Caps - China - 10/16/2010 9:34:19 PM

ADB123

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Here's the situation in China:

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 252

RE: June 1 Screen Caps - Indo-Burma - 10/16/2010 9:35:10 PM

ADB123

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Here's the situation in the Indo-Burma region:

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 253

RE: June 1 Screen Caps - Northern Oz - 10/16/2010 9:36:15 PM

ADB123

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Here's the situation in Northern Oz:

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 254

RE: June 1 Screen Caps - N/E Oz - 10/16/2010 9:37:04 PM

ADB123

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Here's the situation in Northeastern Oz:

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 255

RE: June 1 Screen Caps - Gulf of Alaska - 10/16/2010 9:38:02 PM

ADB123

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And here's the situation in the Gulf of Alaska:

Attachment (1)

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Post #: 256

Subs Keeping Busy - 10/17/2010 1:16:03 AM

ADB123

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June 1, 1942 -

The night phase started out with the dot island base of Aoba, which is next to Espirito Santo, being occupied by the Japanese. Then USS Sargo sent up some fireworks at Luganville by hitting an xAK. The escorts in the Japanese TF hit the Sargo four times in return, but the damage was minor and Sargo will be repaired quickly.

Next, USS Tautog hit an xAK near Kobe with four torpedoes, but all were duds. So the skipper of the Tautog went to the surface and started to hit the Japanese freighter with shells from the sub's deck gun. But by the time the Tautog's gunners got in 5 hits on the ship they were low on gun ammo and had to leave.

The Day phase started out with a surprise as British Hurricanes from the Indo-Burma border bases started to sweep in to Mandalay at high altitudes. I hadn't ordered them to do that, but I had ordered the B-17Es at Dacca to fly a High Altitude Bombing Run against Mandalay, so I guess that the Fighter Units were attempting to sweep ahead of the bombing attack.

The first Hurricane attack saw 7 Hurricanes against 10 Oscars. The Hurricanes had the advantage and ended up shooting down two Oscars for the loss of one Hurricane. Next 8 more Hurricanes swept in against 2 Oscars. The Oscars were damaged, but none were reported shot down.

Only later on in the day did the Bomber Attack show up with 13 B-17Es at 36,600 feet being met by a lone Oscar that struggled to catch up to the bombers. When the Oscar did arrive it was greeted by plenty of 50 cal MG fire and dove away in trouble. As expected, the Forts did not hit their targets on the ground but it did test out my experiement � the B-17s did not attempt to go down to engage the Oscar; instead the Oscar came up in an attempt to attack.

At the end the Aircraft Losses page showed 5 Oscars lost to A-to-A and Ops losses, against 4 Hurricanes and no B-17s. So all-in-all, it wasn't a bad experiment, although next time I'll make certain that my Hurricanes are not flying with Drop Tanks.

The only other Air Action was at Yenan where my opponent continues to bomb the base. This is probably meant to be a Distraction, because a Japanese column that is due east of Sian appears to be attempting to move to the north in order to cut off the base and to also avoid doing a River Crossing. I'll just move troops north too.

And the Big News was that a massive number of Allied ships started clogging up the Repair yards as the June 1942 upgrades started. I have lots of ships out to sea that also need the upgrade, so this will be a busy month for the ports. But I love ASW and AA, so I'm happy to see both get installed on my ships. And better yet, a number of transport ships are also getting a few deck guns so that they will be able to fire back at submarines.

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Post #: 257

Subs Getting Chased - 10/18/2010 2:35:58 AM

ADB123

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June 2, 1942 -

The Night phase was quiet, with only a couple of PBs unsuccessfully chasing USS Permit off of Balabac.

Daylight brought out the Japanese Army Air Force over Yenan again, with plenty of Oscars escorting bombers. They aren't doing a lot, and I can't do anything about it anyway, so I'm just ignoring it.

On the other hand, some Oscars swept Sian, and were followed by bombers escorted by Oscars. Now, this is a case where I can do something, so I moved the Chinese P-43 squadron to a nearby base and set the planes to LR CAP at Max Altitude over Sian. If the Japanese come back again the Lancers ought to cause them a bit of trouble.

And to end the day, USS Seadragon was chased unsuccessfully by a couple of DDs off of Balikpapan. My opponent is starting to try to chase my subs; I guess he is getting tired of their occasional successes.

In other news, the Burmese Rifle unit and the British Base Force that were driven out of Bhamo reached Myitkyina this turn. But they aren't getting any rest there because I ordered them to immediately start the trek to Warazup. And once they get there it is off into the Jungle for a month or so until they reach the Rail Line in India and can ride on to their eventual back water destinations for R&R.

BTW � the Japanese column in Katha is still in Katha, despite having a �movement mark� on them that is pointed along the road to Myitkyina. I bet that my opponent is having a bit of difficulty keeping them supplied. At this rate the Japanese troops won't reach Myitkyina for several more weeks. And once the Japanese troops get a little further along the road I'll bomb them again, just to keep everything �honest�.

The Big News of the Day is that USS Houston finally got out the Repair Yard, almost six months after the Ambush at Ambon. There were plenty of times that I thought I would lose the ship, but it survived and is now Ready for Action once again.

And finally, I am accelerating my movement of Troops into the North. The Gulf of Alaska Operation has been very enlightening for me. I am using it as a Practice Run for a mass multi-base invasion of an Island Group, and I have learned a tremendous amount of what Works Well, and what Works Poorly.

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Post #: 258

Just Dots on a Map - 10/19/2010 2:37:21 AM

ADB123

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June 3, 1942 -

The Night Phase was quite other than some dot island called something like Nouconti being automatically occupied by the Japanese.

Daylight brought Japanese bomber attacks on Yenan, Tennant Creek, and Dutch stragglers in Sumatra. But what it didn't bring was a Japanese Air Attack on Sian, so my Trap remained empty and all that happened was that the Chinese P-43 squadron accumulated some Fatigue. The Weather Forecast is calling for End-of-the-World Weather for the entire northern third of the Map for next turn, so I just sat down the P-43s under the assumption that it will be difficult for my opponent to send an Air Raid against Sian next turn, and regardless, it will also be better for my P-43 pilots to rest.

SIGINT reported something sort of interesting for a change � a JAAF BF is being shipped to Horn Island. So my opponent is continuing to build up the PNG/Northeastern Oz region. Just-In-Case I sent a Dutch sub to Horn Island from the area in front of Port Moresby where it has been patrolling. We'll see if the Dutch skipper gets lucky.

It appears that Luganville may be being used as a Sub Tender base, since there is a ship in the Port but not much else going on. I considered sending the Hornet CG over for a look, but then I realized that the Catalinas in Noumea can easily reach Luganville with bombs, so I set the Cats on Port Attack for next turn. If it turns out that there are more interesting Targets in Luganville than I currently suspect I can still send the Hornet and Gang over for a look-see. Luganville is still a Level 0 Airbase so I can send bombers in past Escort Range without concern for CAP.

Otherwise, my opponent is back to sending out multiple Recon flights over the various Allied bases on the Indo/Burmese border. That's fine, the Recons will report back that there are fighters at each of the bases. If my opponent wants to risk the Weather and my Stratospheric Hurricanes, he is welcome to try.

And I am still busy untangling the minor messes that I got myself into in the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutians. I have too many bases where I either have Engineers and no Base Force, or a Base Force and no Engineers. And I'm still scratching my head as to why I started to build up some bases and not others. Oh well, it's all a Learning Experience.

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Post #: 259

Salmon Bites a Maru - 10/20/2010 3:47:01 AM

ADB123

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June 4, 1942 -

The Highlight of this turn for the Allies was USS Salmon putting a torpedo into an xAK off of Saigon. The xAK likely went down, and the Salmon got away safely.

Daylight brought the usual fare. First off, just to get things out of the way, a report was received from Noumea that all Air Missions were scrubbed due to Weather. So whatever is sitting in Luganville Harbor got to sit there safely for yet another day.

Then it was the Japanese turn, and surprisingly enough, only one Air Attack flew, and this one was against Dutch stragglers in Sumatra. But afterwards I noticed that the Japanese took a half dozen Operational Losses, so my opponent was obviously trying to do something in various places.

The Reinforcement Phase brought one of those incomprehensible things � in this case the British (T) Group RAF Air HQ. It arrived in Lahore. Now, I'm not one to turn my nose on any Air HQ, but something seems a bit odd about this arrival. It is a Restricted HQ that belongs to AHQ India (R), can't be switched to any other command, is static, and despite the fact that it is in Lahore, which is at the foot of the Himalayas, it has a Torpedo Ordnance of 100!

Huh? Just which Allied plane is going to use Torpedoes way off in Lahore � B-29s? Nothing else can reach the Indian Ocean from there. (Maybe they are assuming that the Japanese will sail up the Ganges, or some other river...)

The Mind Boggles...

In other news, the big Japanese LCU column on the road to Myitkyina finally moved one hex away from Katha.

Hmmm... Katha is now empty...

Just where is that Viper Para unit?

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Post #: 260

Cat Attack - 10/21/2010 3:19:52 AM

ADB123

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June 5, 1942 -

There was no action in the Night Phase, although on the Combat Replay map I saw that one of my subs off of Japan was in the same hex as a Japanese TF, but they didn't run into each other.

Daylight brought Japanese bombers and fighters over Tennant Creek again. They continue to keep the Air Fields there fairly well damaged. I'm no longer trying to fly anything out of there. Japanese bombers also hit the Dutch stragglers in Pakanbaroe.

The Catalinas at Noumea flew this turn and actually hit the ship in Port at Luganville. It turned out to be an xAK and I suspect that it was sunk in the attack. It may have been damaged previously by a sub attack.

One of my AVPs along with a couple of DEs were spotted by Japanese Recon planes as it neared Canton Island. I had intended to leave the AVP there to provide Air Support for the Cats at Canton Island because I don't want to put any forces there at this time, and the Civilian BF will be withdrawn in a few weeks. But I realized that my opponent can do the very same thing to me that I did to him at Luganville, so I'm going to find someplace else to park the AVP.

And my opponent still refuses to do �dumb things� as four Japanese LCUs showed up at Katha this turn. So I will not get the opportunity to drop Paratroops in and cut his supply lines. Also, the Japanese Infantry Regiment that captured Bhamo showed up a hex away from Myitkyina this turn. If that unit shows up at Myitkyina before the main attack I'll try to kick it out using the Burma Division, but I don't suspect that my opponent will make that mistake either.

So things are looking pretty tough for my forces at Myitkyina. The situation is much different from what I anticipated when I set up my defence five months before. I was expecting to wear down my opponent's LCUs with constant Air Attacks, but I've since found out that my 2E bombers are pretty much useless for Ground Interdiction, and with so many Japanese fighters around the region I can't win a War of Attrition. So it's a bit discouraging, but I'll have to hope that the Monsoon Effect hinders the Japanese assault because I don't have any other cards to play.

BTW � at the end of the turn a Japanese Recon Regiment crossed the river at Pakanbaroe, staged a Shock Attack, and pushed my Stragglers one hex closer to the coast. I wanted them to do that direction, but I didn't want them to be kicked that direction. Now they will probably die in the Jungle before they get to the coast.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 261

Air War Over Imphal - 10/22/2010 1:20:48 AM

ADB123

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Joined: 8/18/2009
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June 6, 1942 -

There was one sub attack during the Night Phase as USS Cachalot hit an xAK with some duds off of Kobe. My opponent must be getting tired of the antics of my subs because he upped the ante as far as ASW goes and had a PB and a DD as escorts for the Transport TF.

Daylight brought another effort by my opponent to break the back of the Allied Air Forces in Indo/Burma. A sweep by 28 Oscars came in at high altitude over Imphal. I had 8 Hurricane Is there so they couldn't match the altitude, but the Oscars only shot down two of them.

Later the main Japanese attack came as 19 Helens and 41 Sallys flew in escorted by 2 Nicks and 19 more Oscars. Allied Aircraft flew in from nearby bases and 4 AVG P-40Es assisted two Hurricanes. Now that the Oscars were at Escort Altitude things changed. A Sally was shot down, 7 Sallys were damaged, and an Oscar was shot down. The Allies lost a P-40E and another Hurricane.

Finally, 3 more Oscar late-comers showed up and ran into 11 more AVG P-40Es and 8 more Hurricanes. One P-40E was shot down in the melee. But in the end the fighter losses were almost equal on both sides.

So I'm not certain why my opponent chose to hit Imphal. Sure, he damaged the Air Fields a bit, but I've got a lot of other Air Fields in operation and loaded with good fighters. Maybe he thought that I was basing my 4Es out of Imphal. In any event, I have to remain ready for more attacks, so I moved up my Fighter units to Max Altitude, upped their CAP levels to 50%, and set them all to flying on External Tanks so that more planes can assist different bases.

There was one Allied Air Attack in return � the B-17Es at Dacca flew in and hit the troops at Katha. There was no Japanese CAP, so the bombers got through easily, although they didn't cause much damage. But this gave me an idea, so I am trying something I don't usually do, and that is planning back-to-back Bomber raids for next turn. But I'm not just sending my 4Es, and I'm not hitting Katha. I have set the 4Es along with a number of British 2Es to hit the Airfields at Mandalay at 1000 feet!

I haven't had much success in destroying Japanese planes on the ground when my bombers have attacked at 6000 feet, so I am going lower to an attempt to cause some serious damage. Sure, my planes will take a beating, but I want to send a signal to my opponent that he can't just push without getting pushed back.

Of course, as one would expect, the Weather Forecast is calling for End-of-the-World Weather again, but if I waited for clear weather I'd be waiting for the rest of the War.

Otherwise, the only other Japanese attacks were on Yenan. The Japanese Troops in China aren't moving, so I'm not too concerned about things there at this time. And anyway, I can't do anything about it, so I just continue to be let China be run by General Alfred E. Newman.

Finally, Japanese sub I-29 shot off a half dozen torpedoes at a DE in a Troop TF near Nagai Island in the Gulf of Alaska, but missed. I keep on moving more Catalinas into the region, and I have them set for both Search and ASW, so those Japanese subs won't have much time to get comfortable.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 262

RE: Air War Over Imphal - 10/22/2010 1:58:48 PM

Arnhem44

Posts: 578
Joined: 11/23/2004
From: Singapore
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How do well do Cats work out on ASW duty? I've got all of them on nav search. For ASW I've been using Kingfishers almost exclusively, they keep the subs heads down but I've yet to score a hard kill.

Oh and I feel your pain there about untangling your rear areas, I never really bothered to plan in detail my unit moves till a couple of game months ago thinking I could keep it all in my head and now I kick myself for not doing it sooner. Been spending the past couple of game months trying to sort who goes where.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 263

RE: Air War Over Imphal - 10/22/2010 7:54:04 PM

ADB123

Posts: 1559
Joined: 8/18/2009
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Arnhem

How do well do Cats work out on ASW duty? I've got all of them on nav search. For ASW I've been using Kingfishers almost exclusively, they keep the subs heads down but I've yet to score a hard kill.

Oh and I feel your pain there about untangling your rear areas, I never really bothered to plan in detail my unit moves till a couple of game months ago thinking I could keep it all in my head and now I kick myself for not doing it sooner. Been spending the past couple of game months trying to sort who goes where.

I've only sunk two Japanese subs so far, and both were by depth charges. But my Airborne ASW chases a lot of subs and often reports "hits". There are very few Japanese subs operating in areas where I have a lot of Airborne ASW - the West Coast of North America, the Southeast Coast of Australia, and the Bay of Bengal - and I've got to think that the constant pestering by the Allied planes has to contribute to that.

I use Cats, Floatplanes and 2E bombers for Search/ASW. If Japanese subs show up I increase the percentage ASW until the subs leave. Otherwise, I usually have it roughly equal. If I feel that there is a particular threat from the KB or Japanese surface forces I will set the Cats to Search only for a while. I also use most of my 4Es for long range search.

So this seems to work for me and I've had few problems with Japanese subs so far.

As far as the Gulf of Alaska goes, I'm not treating it as a "rear" area but as a major Staging area that I have to get prepared before the Winter of 1942/43. I not only want to discourage Japanese incursions, but also be in a position to launch one of several multi-theater Offenses that I am planning for March 1943... (shish...

)

(in reply to Arnhem44)

Post #: 264

Allied Air War Over Mandalay - 10/23/2010 2:24:15 AM

ADB123

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June 7, 1942 �

There was no Night Action again this turn, then Rainy Daylight arrived, and despite Rain, Rain, Everywhere, action happened.

Things started out with the now daily Japanese bombing of Tennant Creek. The Japanese planes came in a little lower than usual so the Australian flak actually hit some of the bombers. Then Japanese bombers hit the Dutch stragglers in Sumatra again.

But then, despite the bad weather, the Allied Air Attacks in Burma began. I'm going to change my usual approach to commenting by pasting in some of the Combat Replay so that you get a clearer idea of what occurred.

First Attack � The Brits come in first and fast:

Morning Air attack on Mandalay, at 59, 46

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 45 NM, estimated altitude 3,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 5

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 30
Hurricane IIb Trop x 23

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 5 destroyed on ground
Ki-49-Ia Helen: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged
Hurricane IIb Trop: 1 destroyed

Airbase hits 6
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 25

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x Blenheim IV bombing from 1000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb
14 x Blenheim IV bombing from 1000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb
1 x Hurricane IIb Trop sweeping at 36000 feet *
8 x Hurricane IIb Trop sweeping at 36000 feet *

CAP engaged:
59th Sentai with Ki-43-Ic Oscar (1 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 38000, scrambling fighters to 38000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 14 minutes

Second Attack � It's now the afternoon and more Hurricanes sweep in:

Afternoon Air attack on Mandalay, at 59, 46

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 37 NM, estimated altitude 40,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 2

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x Hurricane IIb Trop sweeping at 36000 feet *
3 x Hurricane IIb Trop sweeping at 36000 feet *

CAP engaged:
59th Sentai with Ki-43-Ic Oscar (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 38000
Raid is overhead

Third Attack � more Hurricanes sweep in but the Japanese CAP is gone:

Afternoon Air attack on Mandalay, at 59, 46

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 44 NM, estimated altitude 40,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 7

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x Hurricane IIb Trop sweeping at 36000 feet *

Fourth Attack � the 4Es come in with more Brits:

Afternoon Air attack on Mandalay, at 59, 46

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 38 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 16
B-17E Fortress x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed on ground
Ki-49-Ia Helen: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 3 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 2 damaged

Airbase hits 5
Runway hits 30

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 1000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 500 lb GP Bomb
16 x Blenheim IV bombing from 1000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 lb GP Bomb
5 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 1000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 500 lb GP Bomb

So despite there being around 90 Japanese fighters stationed at Mandalay, only a handful flew CAP over the base. The rest must have flying LR CAP over the Japanese Infantry Columns that are moving towards Myitkyina.

So for the first time in the war the Allies were able to destroy a sizable number of Japanese planes on the ground and also damage an airfield. And this was despite Bad, Bad Weather. It appears that going in at 1000 feet instead of 6000 feet made a huge difference. And it appears that the Japanese ground units at Mandalay didn't have much capability for Flak. So all-in-all, the results were much better than I expected.

There were two other low altitude Allied Air Attacks this turn. B-17Ds and Liberators flew out of Alice Springs to hit the Air Fields at Katherine. The results weren't as good; the bombers ran into Flak and the Japanese Zeros were at a lower altitude. The Bombers got through and scored some hits, but it wasn't really worth the losses. Then B-17Es flew in and hit the Air Fields at Townsville. They caused a fair amount of damage, but since there were no planes there it ended up being a demonstration of capabilities only.

But the important point was made that the Allies can cause some serious damage to the Japanese Air Force if the Japanese Air Units are massed too much in a single location. Now my opponent has to be concerned to protect all of his key bases instead of focussing the majority of his Air Assets on single targets.

In any event, I sat down all of my bombers and re-organized my fighter squadrons to allow fresh units to come to the Front. I have posted the Air Loss Chart in this report, but there is a certain amount of Fog of War in it. Never-the-less I am pleased.

Then at the end of the day USS Silversides put a torpedo into the side of an xAKL off of Hamamatsu, just to remind my opponent that I intend to continue to be aggressive with my submarine fleet.

Finally, a big Japanese Infantry Division stormed into Yenan with a Shock Attack and captured the base, driving out the starving Chinese unit. Now my opponent can waste his units keeping Yenan garrisoned.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by ADB123 -- 10/23/2010 2:25:47 AM >

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 265

A (thankfully) Rare Occurance - 10/24/2010 3:27:10 AM

ADB123

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Joined: 8/18/2009
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June 8, 1942 -

The night phase opened up to show that a Japanese Transport TF was still sitting at Townsville this turn. I had sent a sub to check it out but the sub didn't find or engage the TF. So I've got the Hobart and some DDs heading in at Full Speed to try to hit the TF next turn. My opponent doesn't have any bombers in northeastern Oz yet, and the Weather is Bad, with a tendancy towards being Horrible, so I don't think that my incoming TF was spotted, nor is it likely that LBA from Port Moresby can find and hit it either.

A thankfully rather rare occurance happened during the night phase as Japanese sub I-22 caught one of the two US DDs leaving Canton Island and sank the ship with a torpedo. The other DD hit the sub once, but it was too little, too late. This was the first ship that I've lost to a sub in over two months.

Then Cachalot was chased by an SC off of Kochi. The SC didn't find the sub, and later on in the day Cachalot shot and hit an xAKL, but the torpedoes were duds.

Bad Weather interferred with the usual Japanese Air Attacks this turn, causing the attacks on Tennant Creek and the Dutch Stragglers in Sumatra to go in piecemeal. A lot of Japanese Recon flew over Imphal again, along with reports of Japanese Fighters cancelling their missions. I still don't get my opponent's facination with Imphal � I don't have anything valuable there, and it is hard to get in and out of it anyway. Oh well, this is better than if the Japanese were paying attention to my useful bases.

The Upcoming Big News-to-Be is that the Wasp Carrier Group will reach Panama tomorrow. I will send it to San Diego for plane upgrades, and then I am set with all of the Carrier �tools� that I will have for the rest of 1942.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 266

A Very Strangely Named Fleet Commander - 10/25/2010 4:12:20 AM

ADB123

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June 9, 1942 -

The Night Phase started with Dutch sub O16 being chased by Japanese ASW ships off of Phuket. The Escorts didn't catch O16, but the sub's skipper did get to see that the Escorts were protecting a Big Troop Transport TF that includes APs and AMCs. So the sub's skipper went back for another try a while later, got off some torpedoes at a Japanese DD but missed, and was hit with a depth charge for his efforts. So I sent that sub back to Port for repairs, and ordered more subs to cover the region between the Straights of Malacca and Rangoon.

At least, I'm assuming that the TF is bringing more troops to Rangoon for the Japanese Burma Campaign. If the TF is heading elsewhere for an invasion, then it will be the job of the RN to do something about it.

Overall, Allied Naval Efforts were much like that of O16. The Australian CA TF hit Luganville during the night, but they didn't cause any damage to anything, despite having their Float Planes on Recon. I did find out that an SNLF unit is at Luganville � maybe it is just too small a target to hit.

And the Hobart and Friends didn't reach Townsville this turn, despite being set to �Full Speed�. The Japanese Transport TF is still there, as is the US sub which still hasn't found the Japanese Transport TF, so maybe the Hobart will get lucky next turn and arrive before the Japanese ships depart. (But I doubt that because they Japanese ships ought to be unloaded by now.)

BTW � an �Airplane� sign popped up at Townsville this turn, although my Recon didn't find out what sort of planes. So I'm sending in the 4Es to see if they can get lucky. I've also got some Hurricanes at Max Altitude with Drop Tanks at Rockhampton, so maybe they will get the �urge� to fly a sweep over Townsville in support of the 4Es. (But, of course, the Weather Forecast is for Rain, as always, so who knows what, if anything, will fly.)

Surprisingly, the only Japanese Air Attacks this turn were on the Dutch Stragglers in Sumatra. The Australian troops at Tennant Creek were thankful for that respite. I didn't have any Allied Air Attacks planned.

CV Wasp and it's escorts arrived at Balboa this turn. I formed them into a CV TF and ordered them to San Diego. I will change the Devestators for Avengers there.

Just out of curiosity, and because the TF will spend its time in the Off-Map corridor, I didn't select �Computer Selected Leader� for the TF. When I checked the TF after it formed, I saw the following �Fleet Commander�:

LTC K. Rajendran.

Huh?

I clicked on the LTC and saw that there were only a handful of alternate Fleet Commanders available, and none of them had reconizably �American� names, or at least for the America of 1942.

I started to laugh as I imagined the reaction of the Crew of the Wasp as they stood at attention to welcome aboard their new Skipper and Fleet Commander, LTC �Ramdamdirty�...

Ah, the Game Engine is so �entertaining� sometimes. And when you add this to the situation that I reported elsewhere in the Forum of seeing that the Weather Forecasts for Cape Town and Mombasa are calling for �Blizzards�, this does raise the question � if the Game can't get the �little things� right, how do we know that it is getting the �big things� right?

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 267

Kippered Herring - 10/27/2010 10:15:00 PM

ADB123

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Joined: 8/18/2009
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June 10, 1942 �

The Night Phase started out with a dot island named Beru occupied by the Japanese. Then USS Herring ran into some fatally bad luck while on its maiden war mission just off of Pago Pago. Japanese sub I-16 spotted the US sub on the surface and put a torpedo into the unlucky Herring, sinking it with all hands.

But the Allies got some revenge at Townsville as Hobart and the four DDs in its Surface Combat TF caught the big Japanese Transport TF still unloading. The weather and visibility were bad so the Allied SC TF got in very close before the fireworks started. The Allied ships started out by shooting up the Japanese escorts, but they also found the time to shoot up a number of Japanese Transport ships too before the Japanese finally got away. None of the Allied ships were damaged badly in the encounter. The only down side was that the Japanese ships were almost unloaded, so there were few Japanese troop casualties. I'm going to past in this portion of the Combat Report so that you can see the results:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Townsville at 92,144, Range 1,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Kamikaze, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Asakaze, Shell hits 6, heavy fires
DD Matsukaze, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Hatakaze, Shell hits 11, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
E Susuki, Shell hits 15, and is sunk
AK Kinka Maru
AK Kyushu Maru
xAK Tatuwa Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
xAK Toho Maru
xAP Yoshino Maru
xAP Mizuho Maru, Shell hits 4
xAP Kitano Maru
xAP Atsuta Maru
xAP Kanzyu Maru, Shell hits 4
xAP Manzyu Maru, Shell hits 3, on fire
xAP Teikyo Maru, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
PB Okuyo Maru #2, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CL Hobart, Shell hits 5
DD Tjerk Hiddes, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Napier
DD Nestor
DD Nizam

Japanese ground losses:
5 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Poor visibility due to Rain with 10% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Rain and 10% moonlight: 1,000 yards
Range closes to 20,000 yards...
Range closes to 17,000 yards...
Range closes to 14,000 yards...
Range closes to 11,000 yards...
Range closes to 9,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
Range closes to 7,000 yards...
Range closes to 6,000 yards...
Range closes to 5,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 5,000 yards
Range closes to 4,000 yards...
Range closes to 3,000 yards...
Range closes to 2,000 yards...
Range closes to 1,000 yards...
CL Hobart engages DD Hatakaze at 1,000 yards
DD Matsukaze engages CL Hobart at 1,000 yards
DD Asakaze engages CL Hobart at 1,000 yards
DD Napier engages DD Asakaze at 1,000 yards
DD Hatakaze sunk by DD Tjerk Hiddes at 1,000 yards
xAP Teikyo Maru sunk by DD Napier at 1,000 yards
Range increases to 2,000 yards
DD Matsukaze engages DD Napier at 2,000 yards
DD Asakaze engages DD Tjerk Hiddes at 2,000 yards
DD Kamikaze engages DD Tjerk Hiddes at 2,000 yards
CL Hobart engages E Susuki at 2,000 yards
CL Hobart engages PB Okuyo Maru #2 at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages xAP Manzyu Maru at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages xAP Kanzyu Maru at 2,000 yards
DD Matsukaze engages DD Napier at 2,000 yards
DD Asakaze engages DD Nizam at 2,000 yards
DD Kamikaze engages DD Tjerk Hiddes at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages E Susuki at 2,000 yards
CL Hobart engages PB Okuyo Maru #2 at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages xAP Mizuho Maru at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages xAK Toho Maru at 2,000 yards
CL Hobart engages DD Matsukaze at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages DD Asakaze at 2,000 yards
DD Asakaze engages DD Nestor at 2,000 yards
CL Hobart engages E Susuki at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages DD Kamikaze at 2,000 yards
DD Nestor engages xAP Kitano Maru at 2,000 yards
CL Hobart engages DD Matsukaze at 2,000 yards
DD Nizam engages DD Kamikaze at 2,000 yards
DD Kamikaze engages DD Tjerk Hiddes at 2,000 yards
E Susuki sunk by DD Nizam at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages DD Kamikaze at 2,000 yards
CL Hobart engages xAP Kanzyu Maru at 2,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages xAP Yoshino Maru at 2,000 yards
DD Napier engages xAK Tatuwa Maru at 2,000 yards
Range increases to 3,000 yards
CL Hobart engages DD Matsukaze at 3,000 yards
DD Asakaze engages DD Nestor at 3,000 yards
DD Kamikaze engages DD Tjerk Hiddes at 3,000 yards
DD Napier engages DD Kamikaze at 3,000 yards
DD Kamikaze engages DD Tjerk Hiddes at 3,000 yards
DD Tjerk Hiddes engages xAP Kanzyu Maru at 3,000 yards
DD Nestor engages xAP Mizuho Maru at 3,000 yards
CL Hobart engages DD Matsukaze at 3,000 yards
DD Asakaze engages DD Nestor at 3,000 yards
Japanese Task Force Manages to Escape
Task forces break off...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Allied success was primarily due to the fact that my opponent did not cover his Transport TF with a Surface Combat TF, as he did the last time that Hobart and Gang came calling. In addition to that message, there is the more subtle message for my opponent that I can hit Japanese targets with my older, minor Naval forces and still cause destruction, while my newer, major Naval forces remain hidden at my pleasure.

Unfortunately, the US sub that has been hanging around Townsville for the past couple of turns still didn't find any of the Japanese ships. However, Japanese sub I-29 did find an Allied TF off of Akutan Island, but the Escort hit the sub twice while driving it off.

Daylight brought the usual Japanese Army Air bombardments of the Dutch stragglers in Sumatra, but surprisingly, that was it for Japanese air attacks.

The Alert for the Japanese at Townsville continued into daylight, however, as US 4Es flew in to hit the Airfields. As usual, with the constant rain the Heavy Bomber Air Attacks were split up. The first attack consisted of 10 B-17Es and 4 B-17Ds which were met by 9 Zeros. The Zeros and the Flak on the ground hit the Forts hard, but the bombers still got through to hit the Airfields. Next, 5 Liberators flew in and faced 4 Zeros. This time the Liberators brushed off the Zeros and even destroyed a few on the ground as well as hitting the general Air Base facilities. Finally, 10 more B-17Es flew in, brushed past the lone Zero on CAP, and hit the Air Base once again.

The attack cost me three B-17s, but it was worth it because it also destroyed and damaged a number of Zeros and damaged the Air Base at Townsville fairly well. This also continues to send a message to my opponent that Japanese Air Bases will be attacked at my will.

Finally, RN sub Trusty took at shot at a PB off of Tavor this turn but missed. Trusty took a couple of minor hits but is still fine to stay on patrol. But this attack brought important information because the PB was in the same big Transport TF that my other sub spotted previously. So it looks like that TF is heading towards Rangoon to unload more troops � probably an Infantry Division or two.

That's important news because it means that at this time my opponent is likely going to strengthen his offensive in Burma rather than attempt a flanking attack in Ceylon or India. I much prefer to see the Japanese forces slogging their way across Burma with all of the problems associated with Supply and Monsoon. Everything that the Japanese want to do there will take time, and Time is what I need.

In the meanwhile, the main Japanese Attack Column moved a hex closer to Myitkyina this turn. My opponent has bumped-up the numbers of Fighters in Mandalay again, but that's okay with me, I'm not planning any attacks on Mandalay at this moment. Instead, I am sending my B-17s on a Port Attack on Rangoon. Maybe they can damage the Port a bit and slow down the unloading of Japanese troops.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 268

RE: Bhamo Under Assault - 10/28/2010 5:43:04 AM

crsutton

Posts: 9590
Joined: 12/6/2002
From: Maryland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ADB123

quote:

ORIGINAL: jrcar

Yes, you are not allowed to loose any bombers :)

It is a hard call, do those extra B-17 make the difference...

Cheers

Rob

I've worked quite hard to not throw away bombers. For one, I haven't been using many as bombers so far. Almost all of my 2Es spend their time on Naval Search and ASW Patrol, and most of my 4Es spend their time on Naval Search. There aren't a lot of good targets for my bomber forces and I don't want to throw them away to Fighter Traps or Operational losses. And my opponent has been quite careful most of the time to avoid giving me any "gimmies".

But even with that it is hard to maintain full bomber squadrons and still have enough in the pools to do swap outs. Oh, for the Good Old Days of hundreds of 4Es in the pools in mid-1942...

Just started reading your AAR. If I recall correctly were not those B17 units that have to withdraw inked in white rather than red? If they are white, you will get to keep the planes and pilots when they withdraw and the planes will go into the pool. If the withdraw button is red then you will lose all pilots and planes. However, you can put green pilots into the units and slowly draw the experienced pilots out before withdrawing a "red" marked group. I am much further along in my game so I can't remember their status.

_____________________________

I am the Holy Roman Emperor and am above grammar.

Sigismund of Luxemburg

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 269

RE: Bhamo Under Assault - 10/28/2010 9:31:22 PM

ADB123

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Joined: 8/18/2009
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quote:

Just started reading your AAR. If I recall correctly were not those B17 units that have to withdraw inked in white rather than red? If they are white, you will get to keep the planes and pilots when they withdraw and the planes will go into the pool. If the withdraw button is red then you will lose all pilots and planes. However, you can put green pilots into the units and slowly draw the experienced pilots out before withdrawing a "red" marked group. I am much further along in my game so I can't remember their status.

You're correct, they were "white", so I did get to keep the planes which have now formed the basis for a little pool of B-17Es for me. (Most of the pilots were not much better than rookies, so they weren't a big addition.)

What struck me was, in the context of the "Game War", the fact that the squadrons would show up for only 3 weeks. If you wanted to use them (and if they had more than one or two planes apiece) there wasn't a lot you could do with them in three weeks, unless your opponent was attacking the West Coast at that point.

(in reply to crsutton)

Post #: 270