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Convoy Summary - 12/22/2011 8:59:24 AM

Cad908

Posts: 1333
Joined: 10/9/2009
Status: offline

I was logging convoy reports, as I thought it might be of interest to other players. Here is a brief summary, and some thoughts.

Playing Great Britain, France and the allies in the Grand Campaign against the Axis AI. As below, this summarizes each turns convoy activity from the BRITISH COLONIES to the British Islands. This is ONLY those convoys.

Playing a "whack a mole" defense, as this seems to be what the developer and testers are hinting at with their posts. This defense has a Patrol Group screen in all the Sea Areas adjoining the British Isles. When any raider or surface group is discovered, fleets of CV's, TAC groups and the battle fleet sortie to destroy the enemy elements. Do not know if this is a proper strategic focus, but I thought lets give it a try. Any fleet that did come out to play, was quickly dispatched to the depths.

I was planning on running through 100 turns, and then doing a quick analysis against actual losses. However, for some reason my game ended a turn 50, see Tech Support thread "Demo, Huh?" After my game ended, hopefully a bug of some sort, I was given control as the German player. I started looking around, and I noticed the the South Baltic Sea the they had a massive force. I looked in the unit report, and sure enough. This seems to be most of the Kriegsmarine's Plan Z force in place May 1940.

Now, I do not have the best of sources in my study, but off the top of my head, the German fleet in 1940 (not counting u-boats)

4 modern battleships (counting both Bismark and Tirpitz)
10 relatively current CA's and CL's
20 - 25 assorted DD's
plus auxiliaries, ect

minus the Norway sinkings.

I hope this is some kind of fluke. I thought the losses were running a little high, but what if the German AI had actually used a small portion of the Baltic Fleet against the sea lanes? I really do not see to point of doing any further analysis.

Do not want to be overly dramatic, but "Houston, we have problem"

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Post #: 1

RE: Convoy Summary - 12/23/2011 4:26:44 AM

Razz1

Posts: 2560
Joined: 10/21/2007
From: CaLiForNia
Status: offline

Your post on the units in the South Baltic sea is incorrect.

Is it not in the manual? Same on us if it isn't.

That's only an estimate and changes upon reconnoiter. It is never accurate unless your lucky.

There could be have the number of units there or 25%. The mix can be completely different.

It will also show allied axis countries.

Remember the AI can build what it wants depending upon the human players reaction, so it can build a large Navy.

Germany had one CV in the war and another that wasn't complete.

I've seen that screen many times until you do a reconnoiter and succeed.

It looks like German propaganda is working.

They were masters at that.

(in reply to Cad908)

Post #: 2

RE: Convoy Summary - 12/23/2011 7:40:17 AM

Cad908

Posts: 1333
Joined: 10/9/2009
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Razz

Your post on the units in the South Baltic sea is incorrect.

Is it not in the manual? Same on us if it isn't.

That's only an estimate and changes upon reconnoiter. It is never accurate unless your lucky.

There could be have the number of units there or 25%. The mix can be completely different.

It will also show allied axis countries.

Remember the AI can build what it wants depending upon the human players reaction, so it can build a large Navy.

Germany had one CV in the war and another that wasn't complete.

I've seen that screen many times until you do a reconnoiter and succeed.

It looks like German propaganda is working.

They were masters at that.

Razz,

An issue developed with my game, please review Tech Support thread, "Demo, Huh?" for more details. The post is from the GERMAN side, not the British, as the game was deemed to have "ended". I went into the German unit summaries, and, sure enough, they were actually there. Now, as this is just a fun game, I restarted and set the German to human control and took this screen. Sure enough, here are the BB's and CV's.

So perhaps my post on the Baltic is correct.

As most of these units have been at sea for 11 turns, my hunch is you have a problem with an event firing and giving the Germans all these units in mass. I hope you would agree this is a bug.

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(in reply to Razz1)

Post #: 3

RE: Convoy Summary - 12/23/2011 6:39:01 PM

Cad908

Posts: 1333
Joined: 10/9/2009
Status: offline

Moving along slowly. Couple of turns later, and some the Kriegsmarine units that do actually seem to exist, sortied into the Channel. Attached is a summary of the resulting battle.

Bottom line,

British: 15 lost TAC factors, and a massive training opportunity for its TAC air arm.

German: 2-BB, 4-CA, 17-SS sunk, with heavy damage to another 3 BB's and 5-6 CA's (lost count on damage, should have charted)

A couple of brief points should be made:

1. German AI should NEVER sail into the Channel in the face of British air power.
2. TAC air does suffer losses to fleet strikes. Rate, 15 lost / 40 engaged, 37.5% seems a little high for early war ship borne AA. (There were no air intercepts)
3. The one TAC with no commander, seems to have had the poorest performance (13 hits) versus 34, 30, 26 for the others. It did have the lowest starting experience, but is seems wise to have commanders attached to TAC wing first, and fighters second.
4. Strikes seem to have been dedicated a little to much toward the subs. They sink the quickest, but around half the strikes targeted them, though I did not chart this (should have, my fault). Strike priority should be: CV then BB then CA then SS, and this is only one sample size.
5. With this mauled fleet in the Channel, I will sortie most of the Home fleet, and I bet:

there is be little or no naval combat in the Channel and all Convoys transiting it will be destroyed.

Again, this is most certainly not an example of superior play, as the AI should never attempt such a tactic.