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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop (J) vs CF (A)

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/14/2011 2:40:42 PM

PaxMondo

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Watching with interest. I've never been able to do this successfully when in the same situation (lot'sa shipping sitting in Columbo and the KB nearby). I've always lost too many planes to AA. Obviously, I'm doing it wrong, but haven't figured out the right way ....

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/14/2011 5:07:18 PM

Cribtop

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quote:

ORIGINAL: obvert

About Colombo. I went in during May 42, let loose about 110 Kates and 50 Vals on Port attack. Kates were on 14k and Vals dive bombing from 12k. He had two Hurricanes squads there, so about 20 fighters on CAP, plus those guns.

Lost 40 Kates and 10 Vals, but hit about 15 ships. Maybe unfortunately there were a couple of CAs there that drew most of the bombs, both sunk. Also got a sub, several AKs burning, and a few other things. Worth it for the CAs, but didn't hit volume of ships. Abandoned day 2 strike after that.

I didn't LR CAP or sweep first, which I think now was a mistake.

Obvert, can you comment on the number of Kates lost to CAP vs flak? Pax, what altitude did you attack from?

Michael, great idea, especially because 5(!) Sentai of Oscars are just waiting for a less awful weather report to unleash sweeps in Assam as part of Operation Hamstring.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/14/2011 5:43:51 PM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/14/2011 5:42:52 PM

Cribtop

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April 23, 1942

Subs

No contacts. We have sortied numerous subs from Singers to lurk off Colombo as part of Operation Raging Bull.

4th Fleet

Bettys and CVE based Kates again hit Canton Island's port with little effect. Unexpected bad weather played a role, as did the fact that the CVE Kate pilots, while trained, are not the A team.

Jaluit makes level 4 forts. This is not individually important but is mentioned to give an idea of where the Marshalls and Gilberts are in terms of preparation for the inevitable counteroffensive.

SE Fleet

Manus makes level 2 airfield. Lots of naval guards load at Rabaul for destinations in the perimeter. A kamikaze xAK slowly unloads supplies at our Ndeni outpost. Tainan air group rests at Rabaul and the 4Es likewise stay home. Perhaps losing 3 B-17s out of 13 was too much for CF. Cribtop Intel is of the opinion that the recent small raids were an operational test of sorts for CF, who is still unfamiliar with Allied assets and capabilities. The monsters will be back in greater numbers, we believe. The question is where?

14th Army

Constant bombardment attacks are shaving AS from Clark Field's beleaguered garrison each day. It will soon be time for the coup de grace.

16th Army

Our main force enters Darwin and will BA tomorrow to test relative AS. No sign of pursuit at Daly Waters.

25th Army

Sweep and airfield attack at Soerabaja catches and shoots down 3 Demons on a training mission. The airfield attack then hits lots of planes on the ground, mostly damaged. This airfield is becoming crowded as other bases in Java fall one by one.

An airfield attack at Medan destroys a Vildebeest on the ground. Why didn't those torpedo bombers sortie against our invasion fleet a few days ago? Is CF training his Dutch pilots as long as possible before pulling them into the pools at the time of the fall of their bases? Odd.

15th Army

MKB sorties! Operation Raging Bull may still be called off, but for now here are the dispositions. First, 8 or more subs will loiter near Colombo. At the last minute they will clog the two hexes leading out of the port in the hopes of catching cripples and fleeing shipping.

An ASW TF of four DDs leads the carriers. Once in the Indian Ocean, these DDs, together with two DDs trailing the entire fleet, will switch roles into picket ships to avoid nasty surprises (we are particularly interested in keeping the AOs behind the fleet safe). Following the ASW TF is Tanaka Force, which will provide surface cover for MKB and stand ready to swoop down on fleeing shipping. Car Div 1 follows Tanaka Force, Car Div 2 follows Car Div 1. Behind comes the fleet Oilers, full of Dutch fuel. Last comes the two DDs mentioned above.

Cribtop HQ predicts being in position to attack in 8 or 9 days, depending on re-fueling needs. Prior to H Hour the Op may still be called off if MKB is spotted too far out or if last second recon reveals increased enemy strength (or if Cribtop HQ's Fringe Division determines that flak losses at Colombo in parallel universes have been unacceptably high). Plan B would involve a massive bluff in which we recon and sweep Colombo, hoping that CF panics and heads for the hills, thus exposing his ships to naval attacks away from the flak umbrella. Plan C is to call the whole thing off and turn for home.

May the AE gods find favor with this venture! BANZAI!

China

Bombing and marching on Sining. The KMT's various counter thrusts have all been parried for now. We are currently executing a sneaky plan that will be revealed to the readers shortly.

Industry

We need more 4E search planes to fill newly arrived groups. We will increase airframe and engine production and this will give us an excuse to post our Tracker engine screens this weekend.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/17/2011 4:12:40 AM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/15/2011 12:35:22 PM

Mike Solli

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

April 23, 1942

15th Army

MKB sorties! Operation Raging Bull may still be called off, but for now here are the dispositions. First, 8 or more subs will loiter near Colombo. At the last minute they will clog the two hexes leading out of the port in the hopes of catching cripples and fleeing shipping.

Tactics questions: Do you plan on packing all 8 subs in those two hexes or spreading them out within a couple of hexes of there? Also, will they sit tight or will you have them move around?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Cribtop
China

Bombing and marching on Sining. The KMT's various counter thrusts have all been parried for now. We are currently executing a sneaky plan that will be revealed to the readers shortly.

Industry

We need more 4E search planes to fill newly arrived groups. We will increase airframe and engine production and this will give us an excuse to post our Tracker engine screens this weekend.

I need to pick your brains about China. I've never been nearly as successful there as you are. What do you think is the key to your success? Is it maneuver (surrounding Chinese units) or something else? Also, how much reinforcement (from Manchuoko or somewhere else) have you done?

Those Mavis & Emily are very nice planes, but man are they engine hogs!

< Message edited by Mike Solli -- 9/15/2011 12:37:01 PM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/15/2011 3:37:50 PM

John 3rd

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OK. Got caught up on the Thread. GOOD LUCK!

You've read the recent results of my PH Raid. I only lost 15 Kates (of 99) to AA fire. The altitude varied from 9-12,000 Ft.

BANZAI!!

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/15/2011 4:36:33 PM

ny59giants

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As John 3rd can testify to, unless you have sacrifice one of your children, then your chance of success is significantly diminished.

As you advance towards Colombo, remember to do some hex clicks in their projected path to get an idea of what weather will be ahead of you. It is not 100% fool proof, put it will give you an idea of what 'may' be ahead. Look around Colombo, to the west, and to the north to see if bad weather is coming. Don't want you to get into a good position and have your third opponent, weather, win this round of combat.

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/15/2011 4:43:32 PM

Canoerebel

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If Cuttlefish caught wind of Glen reconnaissance aircraft at Colombo, his spidy senses should begin to tingle. When spidy senses tingle, players look at a port, see 86 ships docked there, and immediately begin to make evacuation plans.

Of course, he may not have caught wind of the Glen, or his spidey senses may not be tuned. And, in any case, all you can do as a Japanese player is give an operation its best chance and then see what happens.

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/15/2011 6:09:36 PM

John 3rd

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My Noble Former Opponent is correct. If you REALLY want to hit him then come in from the WEST. If he decides to flee then you can have at those ships. Would leave the Kates down and set the Vals to kick some Allied buttocks...

PS: I don't think that my Spidey Sense works anymore. Is there a treatment for this? A little blue (or in this case RED) pill perhaps...

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/16/2011 5:19:49 AM

Cribtop

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Mike Solli: There are 2 "blue" hexes out of Colombo. For now, I plan on putting 4 subs in each. Additional subs are en route and will be placed behind those 2 hexes if they get there in time. Regarding China, thanks for the compliment. No question the key in China has been flanking movements. We have put Cuttlefish in the position of Joe Johnston vs Sherman in northern Georgia (ironic given that I'm a Reb). Flanking moves forced him to either abandon good defensive terrain (Sian) or accept encirclement (Nanyang). That said, some of my success is a result of the fact CF typically plays Japan and probably is not yet fully acquainted with the value of defensive terrain in stiffening KMT units. He has abandoned some terrain where I believe he could have stopped me.

PS - To date most PPs were devoted to buying out 1 Division and 1 Regt for SE Fleet and 3 Divisions for China. So, China has been a big focus.

Update tomorrow as I am at a Coldplay concert tonight (living in Austin is cool). Suffice to say that events will require a delay in the Colombo Op as CF's search planes spotted MKB.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/16/2011 5:20:47 AM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/16/2011 1:36:01 PM

PaxMondo

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Suffice to say that events will require a delay in the Colombo Op as CF's search planes spotted MKB.

Rats, although not entirely unexpected. What the MKB DL?

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/16/2011 4:40:53 PM

Mike Solli

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

PS - To date most PPs were devoted to buying out 1 Division and 1 Regt for SE Fleet and 3 Divisions for China. So, China has been a big focus.

Wow, that is a lot for China. What are your plans on the units you get to flesh out the two tank divisions? Are you going to combine them? If I recall, there's a tank regiment or two for each division in the DEI/Burma to start. The reinforcements come in Manchuoko.

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/16/2011 5:01:18 PM

Cribtop

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I will assemble the Tank Divisions once I have the PPs. The bought out China divisions were put under the Southern Army HQ. The long term plan is to get China neutered and move these divisions to the perimeter. Kind of like a 2 for 1 special on PPs.

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/16/2011 5:05:11 PM

Canoerebel

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What the heck is ColdPlay?

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/16/2011 5:31:57 PM

Mike Solli

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Clever on the infantry divisions. Where do you plan on using the tank divisions?

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/16/2011 7:22:13 PM

Cribtop

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April 24, 1942

Dan: Coldplay is a very cool group that fits my definition of good music - namely a dramatic sound with smart lyrics that inspires the listener to participate in a bayonet or cavalry charge. I have very specific taste in music! That said I also like Jimmy Buffet, which only inspires me to charge the margarita machine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldplay

Mike: Cribtop HQ's Fringe Division reports PzB has found the tank divisions to be useful in Burma and I suspect I'll send them there. One might be used as a fast delaying force in NW Oz once we are on the defensive there.

Subs

Seal is DC'd by MKB's ASW TF and by escorts for Tanaka Force near Toboali. No big hits on the sub but we keep her away from the high value targets. This is the beginning of a treasure trove of intel this turn for Cuttlefish regarding MKB's location.

Gudgeon torpedoes an xAK ferrying part of an Air HQ to Truk. Good choice of target as the convoy had other less valuable units and supply only xAKs. The xAK doesn't sink outright but is probably doomed. Hopefully our lifeboats will rescue much of the unit fragment.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

We have a horde of subs camping out near Fiji, which appears to be a major base for the enemy. Hoping for a return on this investment. No sign of the 4Es, which reinforces our opinion that the raids on PM were a test run.

14th Army

More central PI bases will soon be on the menu.

16th Army

CF moves 9 LCUs to within a hex of Daly Waters, where 2 and soon to be 3 IJA tank regiments are holding the line. They are now in range of our bombers and we will bring them under air attack.

BA Darwin makes an interesting discovery - CF has assembled 8th Aussie Division there, but it only has 102 raw AS. Lots of support troops are present along with a few other small infantry units. Raw AS is 893 vs 245 with good prep for our LCUs. We should be in good shape to take the base but at this distance from our beach head supply draws are slow in coming. Add to that the 9 LCUs near Daly and we need to take Darwin before the enemy cuts our LoC to Wyndham. A worrying situation that spurs Cribtop HQ into action. We make contingency plans to pull 2nd Division out of Java if necessary (we hope it isn't), to shift more LBA over to bomb the enemy, and will even bring MKB to the party if needed (more on the rationale for this later).

Still, we won't panic. Darwin has been out of supply for some time now (recall the re-supply convoy destroyed by Nells well over a month ago). If fort levels aren't too high we should take it pretty easily and bag a nice capture, but there is some danger so we will address the soft spots. CF's actions here perhaps indicate the importance of NW Oz to his plans and hint at an intention to pursue the Darwin-Timor axis of attack.

25th Army

IJNAF planes from Denpasar sweep and bomb the now crowded aerodrome at Soerabaja. Even in extremis, CF's planes prefer to die on their fields rather than rise to do battle. Tomorrow Malang should fall, leaving Soerabaja as the last functional Allied airfield on Java.

We try another DA on isolated enemy units at 53, 104 but only net a 1:2 with casualties 108(1) vs 184(0). We will soon have more troops here to finish this pocket.

Now the big news. MKB is spotted by Catalinas making for the Sunda Strait. Specifically, Tanaka Force is pegged with 8+ DL and a "Main Body" message, while CarDiv 1 gets an "Enemy Carriers" message and a similar DL. Car Div 2 only has a DL of 4, but the jig is up.

Why did we go the Sunda Route? We knew Batavia was closed and hoped to damage Soerabaja enough to stop his search planes. Further, it will take 2 or more weeks for 18th Division to slog to Sabang and we knew search a/c based there would spot us if we used the Malacca Strait. Therefore we decided to try Sunda, knowing there was a risk of detection.

Now what? We could push on into the IO, but if that doesn't get CF's spidey senses tingling nothing will. We would probably have to go full speed tomorrow to avoid being spotted in the IO and even then if planes from Sabang spot us, or CF gets another sub intercept, we're dead to rights. We could fall back to Singers and try again when Sabang falls, and in fact plan to do just that in the future.

However, in the short run we have to deal with the fact CF now knows the location of MKB for the first time in over a month and also have that little issue in NW Oz. Cribtop HQ is of the opinion that we would be advised to create a narrative that MKB had something on its mind other than Colombo, and further believes that moving toward the Torres Strait will discourage any sudden moves by the enemy in SE Fleet AO.

Thus we give orders to move toward Soerabaja and hammer the airfield with Kates. This will put us close enough to Oz to intervene there if things get ugly and will hopefully lead CF to believe that supporting the ground attack on Soerabaja was all we were up to. No doubt he will think we are misusing MKB, but this should throw him off the scent of Colombo and allow us to try again when the Malacca Strait is open in mid May. Not ideal, but there you are.

15th Army

BA Myitkyina shows raw AS 127 vs 122, but we have another regiment about to enter the hex. The defenders consist of Burma Army refugees and we believe them to be low EXP units that can be shoved aside.

Waiting on the last Sentai of Oscars to get in position to open up our air offensive.

China

We shift air assets to Hankow in furtherance of our devious plan, namely the attempt to encircle and destroy CF's army currently sitting on Wuchang. More on this in later posts.

5th Fleet

Umnak Island makes level 2 airfield for the bad guys. We will nose around to determine whether CF building up for a summer offensive or merely taking defensive precautions. Our subs up here have yet to detect major convoys in the area, but we will use the Amchitka Jakes to make sure. These waters may even get a visit from the CVE Raiders and the main body of 5th Fleet.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/17/2011 4:14:33 AM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/17/2011 2:11:26 AM

princep01

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The margarita machine produces a product that is far more pleasing than a bayonet charge and it is a lot less hazardous. Let's hear it for Buffet and peace:)!

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/17/2011 5:28:03 AM

Cribtop

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April 25, 1942

...But there's booze in the blender,
and soon it will render,
that frozen concoction that helps me hang on...

- a Wise Man

Subs

KXVII misses a TB in an ASW TF in the Makassar Strait. Return DC is ineffective. A Val from MKB reports a hit on a sub near the southern coast of Borneo. Something Allied sinks, not sure what unless it's the xAK we hit at Canton Island. The xAK 1 hex out of Truk gives up the ghost. Lifeboats rescue lots of men in the Air HQ, but the unit is at a rather disappointing 64% strength given that it was divided between 2 ships to begin with. Unfortunately, the xAK that got sunk contained the parent and probably a majority of the devices, so I suppose we should be happy with what we got.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

Ndeni is fully supplied. 2 Naval Guards land tomorrow at Lae and will be flown into Meruake and Terapo. So far no enemy reaction to the sighting of MKB.

14th Army

No change.

16th Army

Nells bomb the enemy stack near Daly to good effect, scoring 94 reported casualties, including 3 destroyed squads. There is no enemy movement arrow reported and the Aussie force there is now spotted as 8 LCUs, down from 9 yesterday. So far, so good. Supplies at Darwin are still red and we will wait one more day before the first DA. Allied a/c recon Daly Waters, which is the only sour note here.

25th Army

MKB fails to launch due to bad weather. Denpasar LBA sweep and bomb Soerabaja, catching at least 1 Demon on a training mission. We get 1 B-25 on the ground at Batavia and 1 Swordfish at Medan.

DA Malang takes the base with 99:1 odds, forcing a base force out with 123(17) vs 10(0) casualties. 16 139s are destroyed on the ground as the base falls. Some of our best aces in this PBEM are IJA infantrymen!

15th Army

Awful weather prevents even recon flights here.

China

Recon spots another LCU moving out of Changsha. We will postpone our "evil plan" until this LCU is safely in the bag at Wuchang.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/17/2011 5:30:01 AM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/18/2011 8:16:34 PM

Cribtop

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Re-typing this as the first effort got eaten by the forum.

April 26, 1942

Subs

Our investment at Fiji does indeed pay off as RO-63 torpedoes AO Neches off Nadi with heavy fires. Not sure we got the big ship as there were no sinking sounds. RO-62 misses a DD in a big SCTF off Suva that contains 3 CA, 2 CL and 4 DD. More evidence of a buildup in SOPAC/SWPAC and that CF sees Fiji as his main SOPAC base.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

No change.

14th Army

Enemy raw AS at Clark Field is down 100 points in the past week. Starvation is setting in at last.

16th Army

Nells bomb enemy armor outside Daly Waters. The combat report and mouseover show a variety of mostly small units. We moved a third armored regiment into Daly today with 80 raw AS. Feeling better about NW Oz now. If needed, we could play the MKB card here in a few days as well. Supplies at Darwin aren't quite there yet, but we should be able to DA tomorrow.

25th Army

We sweep and bomb Soerabaja with both IJNAF LBA and MKB's Kates, shellacking the base with 5 supply and well over 100 runway hits and destroying numerous Dutch planes and B-25s on the ground. Still not thrilled to be using MKB as a decoy for itself in this manner, especially with all the subs about.

DA 53, 104 finally gets a 2:1, but casualties are only 66(1) vs 20(0).

DA Medan is more satisfying, taking the base easily with 16:1 odds. 1 LCU surrenders, 3 retreat with casualties 684(95) vs 158(0). Facilities are only 1% damaged.

15th Army

Not much today, but the weather report for tomorrow is overcast. Operation Hamstring will commence with sweeps and IJNAF port attacks on Chittagong. We should also note that as of today we have Zero escorted, torpedo enabled Netty groups operational at both Port Blair and Rangoon.

China

Marching on Sining while building our Alesia-like defensive lines outside of Tienshui.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/18/2011 8:21:03 PM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/19/2011 6:32:31 PM

Cribtop

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April 27, 1942

A holy mess in the Java Sea.

Subs

MKB's ASW TF reacts to a nearby Dutch sub spotted by Vals yesterday. This results in a chain reaction of odd moves and non-moves by MKB and Tanaka Force. Ugh.

K VIII misses a DD in Tanaka Force and is the victim of 15 DC hits, 2 penetrating, in return. Vals later claim hits on the same sub.

4th Fleet

The CVE Raiders are almost back to Truk. We have a totally different destination in mind for them next.

SE Fleet

Emily recon of Suva spots the enemy SCTF at anchor but not disbanded. Transports are ferrying Naval Guard units to Meruake and Terapo by air from Lae.

14th Army

No change.

16th Army

The enemy armor near Daly Waters seems content to sit under air attack by Nells, neither advancing nor retreating. As hoped, supply levels at Darwin are in the white, so a DA is ordered for tomorrow.

25th Army

And now the holy mess. We had the MKB ASW TF followed by Tanaka Force, which was in turn followed by Car Div 1, followed by Car Div 2. The idea was to have the CVs enter any hex last, letting the DDs and/or Tanaka Force encounter subs. The ASW TF reacted to a Dutch sub as mentioned above (although I thought reaction was set to 0) and all hell breaks loose. For some reason, the ASW TF proceeds ESE to the hex ordered, Tanaka Force ends up 2 hexes short of that, and neither Car Div moves AT ALL. Finally, a second ASW TF decides to retire on Singers for some reason. Fortunately no sub, air or surface attacks come our way, but the precious CVs were loitering near Soerabaja with their you know what hanging out.

Nells destroy B-25s and Lodestars on the ground at Soerabaja. Three LCUs enter the Soerabaja hex from three different hex sides, thus isolating the base. DA 53, 104 gets 4:1 odds, but only 101(2) vs 65(0) casualties.

15th Army

Operation Hamstring kicks off with so-so results. Hordes of Oscars from Magwe, Mandalay and Rangoon sweep Chittagong and find 30 plus Hurricanes on CAP. A long series of air battles ends up with the CAP defeated at a price. 18 Oscars and 12 Hurris are destroyed, pilot losses are relatively small for the IJAAF. Analysis shows that we won all the battles save the Sentai from Rangoon, which suffered 1/3 of total daily airframe losses and 1/2 of pilot losses. No surprise given the distance to Rangoon, so we will stop sweeping from there. Still, not too bad given that unless CF pulls back we are getting an opportunity to attrit Britain's best fighter at the moment. Minus the Rangoon Sentai, we will sweep again tomorrow and add IJAAF bombers going after the airfield.

Nells from Rangoon then hit Chittagong's port, bombing two xAKLs, one of which suffers massive explosion damage. That threat should chase the UK fleet out of the base.

DA Myitkyina takes the base with 6:1 odds, retreats 7 enemy LCUs, and inflicts casualties of 1292(130) vs 325(0). Warazup and Bhamo are all that's left of Allied Burma. The fall of Myitkyina forces CF to move his China air supply operation back to Ledo, which we will soon bring under air attack.

China

An armored car regiment takes Ningsia. We BA Tienshui to confirm relative AS and to drain supplies with desultory results.

Other

Kendari makes level 5 port and will soon serve as the home base of Southwest Fleet. Kwaj makes level 4 port. Shortlands now sports a small airfield that will continue to grow.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/20/2011 2:36:51 AM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/20/2011 2:03:33 AM

princep01

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From: Texas
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Well, I think you can say good-bye to the K-XVII, but, my oh my, is that a traffic jam or what. Dangerous waters for that to happen in, too. I'm sure the Japanese MPs are scurrying all over the Java Sea in water taxis trying to restore order!! I'm also sure the REMFs and operational planners are running in circles in Toyko holding large sheets of paper over their posteriors, while the admirals are pointing fingers at everyone but themselves.

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Post #: 590

RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/20/2011 2:39:14 AM

Cribtop

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You know, princep, I had a similar vision. Remember how all WWII movies from the 60s & 70s begin in a huge map room with Germans pushing little unit counters with big shuffle board looking sticks around while clocks tick and phones ring? I imagined a similar map room in Tokyo with ever more increasingly concerned adjutants pushing task force icons in every direction like roaches in the kitchen when the light comes on.

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/20/2011 3:44:07 AM

Cribtop

Posts: 3890
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BREAKING NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

DARWIN FALLS! NUMEROUS ENEMY GROUND AND AIR UNITS SURRENDER!

Full update tomorrow, but our first DA at Darwin lowers forts to 2 and unexpectedly takes the base with 4:1 odds. Enemy adjusted AV was awful due to low supply. 14 enemy LCUs, including the 8th Division, surrender en masse (see screenie below for list). Casualties 14238(1746) vs 943(7).

Better yet, intel shows 17 Hudson, 12 Wirraway and 12 B-17D

destroyed on the ground! Looks like we caught a whole unit of the hated B-17s and bagged them. Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/20/2011 3:47:47 AM >

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Post #: 592

RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/20/2011 4:01:57 AM

Capt. Harlock

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quote:

14 enemy LCUs, including the 8th Division, surrender en masse (see screenie below for list). Casualties 14238(1746) vs 943(7).

Better yet, intel shows 17 Hudson, 12 Wirraway and 12 B-17D destroyed on the ground!

Oooh -- that's gotta hurt. Prospects in Oz are looking up for the Sons of the Emperor!

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Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?

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Post #: 593

RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/20/2011 12:08:36 PM

zuluhour

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From: Maryland
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I can't help but think the emporer is play'in with loaded dice.

Sweet Crib.
usnfb

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/20/2011 12:35:21 PM

PaxMondo

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BANZAI!!!

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/20/2011 5:43:36 PM

Cribtop

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April 28, 1942

A glorious day for the Empire as discussed in the breaking news post above.

Subs

No contacts. A relief as we get MKB into safer waters and re-unite the
CVs with their escorting surface and ASW TFs.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

No change.

14th Army

Tomorrow we finally load up a regiment stuck at Zamboanga by garrison requirements. This unit will deal with the remaining central PI garrisons like Cebu.

16th Army

The fall of Darwin, and the destruction of numerous valuable enemy air and ground units, changes this AO overnight from a worry to a strength. The port of Darwin is taken undamaged and opens a new LoC to the Empire, negating any threat the enemy forces near Daly Waters posed to our Wyndham to Darwin LoC. In addition, it makes intervention by MKB Kates, always a decoy to start with, thoroughly unnecessary.

What to do with MKB? After consideration, the options are to move East through the Torres Strait, to disappear in order to keep CF guessing, or to circle back West to try the Colombo attack once the IJA opens the Malacca Strait. Cribtop HQ opts for the latter course. We will move NE past Manado and then head for a safe port to refuel and fall off the map for a while. As soon as Sabang falls MKB will proceed with Operation Raging Bull II.

Darwin also means we have two unemployed divisions, the 21st and 38th. For now 21st Division will remain in NW Oz to mind the store and to serve as a theater reserve. We will move sufficient shipping to Darwin to load the unit at a moment's notice. One brigade may be detached to clean up the enemy as far south as Tennant Creek. 38th Division, a crack outfit with 80 EXP, will immediately shift to Java to hasten the end there. Later, this unit will move to China as part of Operation Red Dragon.

25th Army

The daily air attacks at Soerabaja continue to destroy B-25s, which is fine by me. DA hex 53, 104 nets 21:1 odds, casualties 130(5) vs 12(0). Enemy adjusted AV here is almost destroyed, the isolated unit will soon follow.

15th Army

Sweeps of Chittagong find that CF has pulled out his air force. IJAAF bombers hit the airfield and destroy a good number of damaged Hurricanes from yesterday on the ground, along with several Vildebeest. Bettys from Rangoon sink 4 of 5 HDMLs at Chittagong as well (waste of torpedoes and we have to be careful to avoid letting CF set up an HDML CAP trap).

We will recon Ledo, the next target of Operation Hamstring, tomorrow.

China

The Chinese Communist army, probably starving by now, has pushed at least 3 LCUs west toward Sian. CF is presumably hoping to cut off or force the retreat of our stack at Tienshui. However, we have ample local reserves to meet the threat forming a defensive line at the river near Sian, and even inflict 300 casualties on 2 LCUs in a clear hex with IJAAF bombers. By the way, the last Sonia unit in China has now upgraded to Lilys.

On the central front, several divisions earmarked for Red Dragon quietly disengage from the line and will begin moving to the southern front.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/22/2011 4:23:35 AM >

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RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/21/2011 7:51:35 PM

Cribtop

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April 29, 1942

Subs

No contacts, but something sinks. Maybe the Neches?

4th Fleet

CVE Taiyo's Zeros achieve carrier trained status the day the Raiders return to Truk.

SE Fleet

More SNLFs arrive in Japan and will move out to the perimeter.

14th Army

No change.

16th Army

MKB moves East just past Kendari and will use our secret route to try to dodge subs and get north of Manado before putting in at Shangri La to await establishment of pre-conditions for Raging Bull II.

The enemy armor loitering near Daly Waters begins to retreat toward Tennant Creek.

25th Army

BA Soerabaja shows raw AS 906 to 319 even before 56th Division arrives. DA tomorrow.

DA 53, 104 gets 102:1 odds and 157(33) vs 8(0) casualties, but still the Dutch refuse to retreat.

15th Army

We sweep and bomb Chittagong, but the enemy is nowhere to be seen. No CAP, no damaged planes on the field and no ships in port. Tomorrow the thunderstorms are predicted to return, so our air force will take a break. Recon of Ledo shows that field already practically abandoned. This is good in that we have already achieved the goal of scaring the enemy transports off the Hump route, but bad in that it appears CF will pull his air force out of range entirely until he chooses to engage. Hmm.

China

No change.

5th Fleet

We get several small LCUs that will garrison the Kuriles.

< Message edited by Cribtop -- 9/22/2011 4:24:51 AM >

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Post #: 597

RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/21/2011 9:42:55 PM

ny59giants

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Letting the air out....

The 8th Aussie Division can be formed just from CF bringing over the single battalion from Rabaul here. The 2 other parts of that division start on Malaya (two brigades worth). If all three of these components were destroyed, then he could have formed it from the two battalions that start at Darwin. Thus, it is a very weak division. Most of those units either start at Darwin or come in as reinforcements in that area in the ealry part of the war and CF didn't try to save them. He can buy out those BFs and have them come back at Darwin for rebuilding in about 30 days.

It can be very difficult and costly to try to bring in enough supply for Darwin to keep those troops combat effective.

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Post #: 598

RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/21/2011 10:22:11 PM

Cribtop

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True enough, mostly I was excited about the B-17s. The 8th Division only had 102 raw AS, so you're right it's weak. However, it seems to me CF could have easily pulled most of those units south to Tennant and safety, and thus to me they were an unexpected bonus.

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Post #: 599

RE: Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop ... - 9/22/2011 1:45:59 AM

princep01

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I have put carrier capable A/C on fleet CVs and fought them from that deck, but have never had a squadron shift to CV trained in all the turns I've played WitP. I've put them on Allied fleet CVs, CVLs and CVEs and have yet to have an Allied squadron metamorph into a CV trained unit.

Other than operate the planes from a CV, is there some setting, action, magic phrase or secret handshake that is necessary for a squadron to become CV trained?

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