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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports >> RE: Burma Wars

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RE: Burma Wars - 12/6/2011 12:07:49 AM

ADB123

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jeffk3510

I've never said anything in your AAR, but I am enjoying reading it! Keep er' up!

Thanks! This is an AAR that requires a LOT of patience from the readers, because our turns are relatively infrequent. But I'm enjoying the match and I'm glad that other folks are enjoying what I am writing.

(in reply to jeffk3510)

Post #: 691

RE: Mystery Theater - 12/6/2011 12:09:43 AM

ADB123

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quote:

Mk13 are air dropped mines. You can start using them as soon as they go into production. I have.

I haven't found any bombers that can use them yet. I presumed that I had to wait for B-29s. How do I find out which planes can use them?

Thanks -

(in reply to crsutton)

Post #: 692

RE: Mystery Theater - 12/6/2011 12:30:41 AM

GreyJoy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ADB123

quote:

Mk13 are air dropped mines. You can start using them as soon as they go into production. I have.

I haven't found any bombers that can use them yet. I presumed that I had to wait for B-29s. How do I find out which planes can use them?

Thanks -

Go to city bomb...it's the option left of "commander choice"

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 693

RE: Mystery Theater - 12/6/2011 3:28:49 AM

ADB123

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quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

quote:

ORIGINAL: ADB123

quote:

Mk13 are air dropped mines. You can start using them as soon as they go into production. I have.

I haven't found any bombers that can use them yet. I presumed that I had to wait for B-29s. How do I find out which planes can use them?

Thanks -

Go to city bomb...it's the option left of "commander choice"

Ah, I see. That's not very intuitive...

Unfortunately, it appears that I can't mine my own ports by air. That's where I really need the mines right now, not as nuisance mines in enemy ports.

Thanks -

(in reply to GreyJoy)

Post #: 694

A-36s Arrive - 12/7/2011 2:34:44 AM

ADB123

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April 12, 1943 -

There was some Night Action, however it wasn't very successful Night Action for the Allies. First off USS DE Lawrence spotted a Japanese sub southwest of Suva but couldn't find the sub afterwards.

Then USS Finback shot a half dozen torpedoes at an E-Class escort at Amami Oshima, but the only torpedo that hit was a dud. Finback was chased away but not damaged. But this was another Japanese Tanker Transport TF with 4 TKs in it, so this was another opportunity wasted.

Daylight saw the Allied Bombing Missions in Burma all rained out.

Japanese Bombers in China hit Chinese Troops in Liuchow and the Air Base at Ichang. Neither attack was particularly successful.

The only other major Air Activity was an increase in Japanese Air Search and Patrol in the South Pacific. It appears that my opponent has a fair number of Glen-equipped subs in the region.

Finally, at the end of the day Japanese Paratroops captured the empty Philippine base of Guiuan.

The Pseudo-Big News this turn was the arrival of four A-36 Squadrons at the US East Coast Base. The A-36s are very underwhelming � lousy manoueverability, low ceiling (25.1K), and unremarkable range. They can carry 2 - 500lb bombs, but I really wonder whether they will actually be effective as fighter-bombers, considering how poorly my real bombers do on an on-going basis.

In any event, with only 4 planes per squadron, and no replacements until October 1943, I decided to fill them up with Rookies, send them to Cape Town, and use them to Train Pilots until the end of 1943. Sure, I could fill them with P-39Ds, but I don't need more P-39D Squadrons on the US West Coast, and I don't see how I could use them effectively anywhere else.

Finally, thanks to Greyjoy's instructions, I have set my Indian 4Es to dump mines on Rangoon. Air Recon tells me that there is a Tanker TF there, so maybe I can cause some headaches for my opponent. In any event, it will be interesting to see just what happens.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 695

Mines from the Sky - 12/8/2011 1:05:21 AM

ADB123

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April 13, 1943 � Interim Report -

My opponent only sent the Combat Replay this evening because he said that he was caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of mines being dropped from 4Es over Rangoon. Apparently, he was unaware of this capability. He was also surprised by the inability of his Fighter CAP to engage the 4Es � again he obviously hasn't followed the discussions in the Forum on this topic.

So he wants time to think about it because he sees Air-Dropped Mines as a real game-changer. I wrote back to him and told him that as far as I'm concerned this is a deliberately designed game-changer and as such I'm going to use it. We will see how he responds. But after giving him a re-play during his initial disasterous invasion of Perth, way-back-when, because he was unaware of the BB re-arming rules, I'm not keen on giving him another break. My decision at Perth has caused my a lot of grief in the long run.

BTW � I was interested to see that while the Fighter CAP didn't do anything to the 4Es, the Flak in the Base did hit a few. I'm glad that I suspected this in advance and sent in my Bombers at 12K in order to minimize potential Flak damage.

Now I'll have to wait to see just how many mines my Bombers actually dropped.

BTW II � I was surprised to see that my opponent had Oscar Is on CAP at Rangoon, along with Tojos. He must have overproduced the Oscar Is. That is very tempting to me, because Oscar Is are useless against 4Es.

In any event, back to the rest of the turn:

There was no Night Action.

Daylight brought Japanese Bombers out against Liuchow, against some Chinese troops that I've moved near to Paotow, and in something of a surprise, against Changsha. Changsha is fully supplied so there was Flak to greet the incoming Japanese bombers. But I may fill the place with Fighters next turn too, just to draw a line in the sand.

Next it was the turn of the Allies as various Bombers flew against Targets in Burma, in addition to the Air-Mining 4Es. Once again, dozens of Vengence DBs flew against Japanese Troops at Warazup, and once again the British DB Pilots couldn't find their targets. However, Allied 2Es flew in against the Air Base at Myitkyina and hammered it pretty good.

So tomorrow will tell how my opponent decides to respond to the new Allied Capability.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 696

Jaw Dropper - 12/9/2011 2:14:12 AM

ADB123

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April 13, 1943 � Final Report -

My opponent sent the Turn this evening, and of course, as soon as I opened the Turn I went to the Intel page to see just how airborne mines my 4Es laid.

My jaw dropped as I saw a grand total of 95 Mk13 Mines used.

Huh?

That's how many 4Es I sent out. So the Big Boys only carry 1 mine per trip.

Hmmm � this is definately not going to be a game-changer.

Oh well...

So I went about my normal tasks of checking Forces, setting orders, and looking around for Opportunities or Perils.

I was interested to see that my opponent now has 3 Submarines around Canton Island. That's fine, I'm building up plenty of other bases in the Region, so I hope that he continues to focus on Canton Island.

I received a number of Soviet LCUs this turn, along with a fresh, useless Chinese LCU.

So it's business as usual again.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 697

Spreading the Joy - 12/11/2011 12:35:47 AM

ADB123

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April 14, 1943 -

There was no Night Action.

Daylight started out with a few Japanese bombers attacking the Chinese troops that are northeast of Paotow. I noticed afterwards that a Japanese LCU was moving from Paotow towards the Chinese LCU, so I ordered the Chinese LCU to retire one hex.

Some Japanese bombers also attempted to hit the Chinese LCU that is blocking the southern road to Myitkyina, but the Japanese couldn't find their target in the Rain and Jungle. I'm not going to bother putting up any LR CAP over that Chinese LCU for now because my opponent rarely flies twice in a row against a target that can be Capped, and anyway, this LCU may be as hard to hit as the Japanese are in Warazup.

Speaking of Warazup, British DBs attacked the troops at the base and once again they couldn't find their target. At the same time various Allied 2Es hit the Air Base at Myitkyina nicely. My Recon is telling me that some Japanese Troops are leaving Myitkyina. I'm surprised at that. The first Allied troops ought to reach Warazup in another day or two.

Otherwise, it was mainly a day of Recon Wars for both sides.

This turn brought a lot of new ships for the Allies, most of which were escorts and transports, but there were subs in the arrivals too. I'm sending some of the subs to the Indian Ocean and some to the South Pacific.

I received no reports that any Japanese ships ran into any mines at Rangoon, but then that is always going to be a random chance sort of thing. Never-the-less, I decided that I ought to use up some of the Mark 13 Mine stockpile, so I ordered a couple of 4E squadrons in northeastern Oz to drop some mines in some PNG bases, and I also moved a couple of 4E squadrons from India to Chungking. I've got plenty of Supply in Chungking, so I can fly at least one day's worth of 4E Air Mining flights. I actually hope that my opponent does notice what I am doing so that he spreads his forces out a bit more.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 698

Letting the Whole World Know - 12/13/2011 10:12:12 PM

ADB123

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April 15, 1943 �

There was no Night Action again.

Daylight brought reports that Allied Air Missions were cancelled everywhere due to Bad Weather.

Japanese Bombing Attacks did fly against Liuchow and against the Chinese troops that are northeast of Paotow.

In something of a surprise, Japanese Bombers hit the Chinese troops that are southwest of Myitkyina again. My opponent doesn�t usually do that sort of attack twice in a row, outside of China. So this time I set some P-38s on LR CAP over the Chinese troops, just in case my opponent lets the Bombers fly again.

Finally, in the Afternoon some Allied 2Es flew against the Japanese Troops at Myitkyina and also Warazup. The Allied DBs didn�t fly.

And I received another surprise as the 4Es that I sent out on Airborne Mining Missions showed up in the Combat Replay, even when there was no enemy CAP present. That makes air-dropped mines pretty much useless anywhere. Oh well, I�ve got hundreds of Mark 13 mines in stock so I�ll use them up in the dim hope that some Japanese ship becomes terribly unlucky.

BTW � although I only had 2 squadrons of 4Es in Chungking doing airborne mining, the Supply Level in Chungking immediately dropped into the Yellow Zone, so I pulled those Bombers back to India.

Finally, in something of a miracle, 4 squadrons of B-25s showed up in Eastern US this turn, and all four had full complements of Bombers. I can�t remember the last time that happened.

So I set the new squadrons to Training and put them on the Railroad to the West Coast.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 699

Subs on the Attack - 12/14/2011 1:29:04 AM

ADB123

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April 16, 1943 � Interim Report

My opponent is tied-up with a number of pre-Christmas activities, so he was only able to send the Combat Replay this evening, and may not be able to get the turn back for a couple of days.

The Night Phase brought a bit of Allied Submarine Aggression. First off, Dutch Sub KXIII hit a PB in a Transport TF about half way between Moulmein and Tavoy. The PB went down and KXIII got away from the Japanese Escorts.

Then US Sub S-44 hit an xAK with a torpedo at Onnekotan-jima. This time the Escorts hit S-44 and the old sub will be limping back to Port. But the Japanese Freighter went down.

Daylight brought Rain-Outs to most Allied Air Missions. Japanese bombers hit Liuchow again. The Japanese Escorts are fairly spread out and there continue to be a number of older Fighters in the mix, so I may try another Chinese Ambush over Liuchow soon.

Speaking of Ambushes � no Japanese Bombers flew over the Chinese troops that are southwest of Myitkyina, so my P-38 Pilots didn't get a chance at some easy kills.

In the Afternoon a few of the Allied Air Missions over Burma flew, but most continued to be Rained-Out. The Allied 4Es attempted to hit the Japanese Troops at Warazup, but most of the Big Bombers missed. But they still did better than the one DB Squadron that flew.

And the Allied 4E Aerial Mining Missions flew again. They appear to be Weather-Proof. B-24s dropped Mines at Lae while B-17s dropped Mines at Buna. A mix of A6M2s, Tojos and Tonys flew at each base, but of course, they couldn't intercept of interfere with the Allied Bombers.

One nice side benefit of sending out Aerial Mining Missions is that the Allies get to find out exactly what the Japanese have on CAP at a Base without any risk.

Otherwise, Japanese Float Planes, most likely Glens, continue to snoop at the US TFs that are unloading at an ever-increasing pace in the South Pacific. I've got Tons of Engineering Troops that I no longer need in the Aleutians, and they are all moving South.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 700

RE: Subs on the Attack - 12/14/2011 11:35:00 AM

Erkki

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ADB123
--

And the Allied 4E Aerial Mining Missions flew again. They appear to be Weather-Proof. B-24s dropped Mines at Lae while B-17s dropped Mines at Buna. A mix of A6M2s, Tojos and Tonys flew at each base, but of course, they couldn't intercept of interfere with the Allied Bombers.

One nice side benefit of sending out Aerial Mining Missions is that the Allies get to find out exactly what the Japanese have on CAP at a Base without any risk.

--

One of the betas fixes that, and aerial mining missions have a chance to get intercepted by local or LR CAP. Cant remember when it was introduced, but it should be at least in the last 5 or 6 betas.

_____________________________

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 701

RE: Subs on the Attack - 12/17/2011 3:22:52 AM

ADB123

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erkki

quote:

ORIGINAL: ADB123
--

And the Allied 4E Aerial Mining Missions flew again. They appear to be Weather-Proof. B-24s dropped Mines at Lae while B-17s dropped Mines at Buna. A mix of A6M2s, Tojos and Tonys flew at each base, but of course, they couldn't intercept of interfere with the Allied Bombers.

One nice side benefit of sending out Aerial Mining Missions is that the Allies get to find out exactly what the Japanese have on CAP at a Base without any risk.

--

One of the betas fixes that, and aerial mining missions have a chance to get intercepted by local or LR CAP. Cant remember when it was introduced, but it should be at least in the last 5 or 6 betas.

We are still using the last official patch.

Does the Beta change also remove the Airborne mine-laying from the Combat Report if there is no CAP present? If not, the change to allow enemy CAP to intercept makes airborne minelaying ever less useful.

Thanks -

(in reply to Erkki)

Post #: 702

April 16 1943 Final Report - 12/17/2011 3:23:26 AM

ADB123

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April 16, 1943 � Final Comments

My opponent escaped, for now, from the clutches of Christmas Get Togethers and sent the Turn.

The most surprising thing was that the Japanese suffered 12 Ops losses this turn, including 7 Bettys. My opponent almost never loses so many planes to Ops, even when he is running an intense Air Campaign. Is he shipping large quantities of Bettys and other planes over long distance? My subs aren't reporting any significant changes in Aircraft Sightings.

Also, my opponent has a fairly sizable TF at Onnekotan-jima and a sub at Paramushiro-jima. He so rarely has any Naval Traffic in that region that those two sightings stand out.

Another surprise is that my opponent continues to allow me to move all sorts of small Supply and Troop TFs around northwestern Oz. There is only one Japanese sub hanging around.

One odd-looking thing is the distribution of Japanese troops around Sian. I can't tell if he is building up forces or moving them away. But Japanese troops are appearing in more road hexes to the east of the base.

Finally, in the South Pacific, there are still plenty of Glens on Patrol over my bases, but my opponent is not actively attempting to interfere with all of the Forces that I am unloading at multiple bases down there.

So will he continue to wait for my next move, or are Japanese forces steaming towards my bases as I write?

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 703

Burmese Scramble - 12/18/2011 3:43:45 AM

ADB123

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April 17, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw Sub attacks fail on both sides. First off, USS Jack attempted to sneak up on a Japanese Troop TF at Pamekasan but the sub was spotted by the DD Escort in the TF. The IJN DD hit Jack once and drove the US sub off. There were 3 xAPs in the TF so it was too bad that the US sub didn't get past the Escort.

Then USS DD Strang chased away a Japanese sub from Pago Pago. I've been constantly moving TFs in and out of Pago Pago so I'm a bit surprised that my opponent hasn't sent in any subs before this.

Daylight brought Rain-Outs for the US 4Es in Burma, but Japanese Bombers flew in droves in China where they hit the Air Base at Hengyang repeatedly. I'm not sure why my opponent bothers to hit the Air Base at Hengyang, because I almost never have any planes there, and there aren't any significant Japanese Troop concentrations nearby. But I'm not going to complain because this gives my other Bases in the Region a chance to be repaired.

In a surprise move 22 Nicks escorted 28 Helens in an attack on the British Division that has just now come out of the Jungle south of Kalemyo. The Japanese planes were met by 4 Hurricane IIcs that flew over from a nearby base, but the Nicks overwhelmed the Hurricanes and them off. So the Helens were able to fly their Bombing Runs, although they did suffer Flak losses.

Next in were 4 Tojos Sweeping at Max Alt. A lone Hurricane IIc showed up and was shot down. Other scattered Japanese raids of Helens and Tojos eventually arrived, but no more Allied Fighters.

Allied Bombers finally started to fly in the Afternoon as some Vengence DBs flew in and actually hit their target at Warazup for a change, albeit in a weak manner. Allied 2Es also flew in and hammered the Air Base at Warazup too.

So the Situation in Burma gets even messier as my opponent moves more and more troops around in an attempt to contain my multiple End-Around moves. Inlight of the latest revival of Japanese Air Missions in the Region I've ordered most of the Allied Air Force in the Region to concentrate on Mandalay and vacinity next turn. I'll have Bombers Bombing, Fighters Sweeping, Fighters Flying LR CAP, and all sorts of Recon flying in the Region too. We will see what happens.

The situation in the Region may get even more complicated because SIGINT reported a strong Radio Signal from around halfway between Victoria Point and Port Blair. A Japanese TF sign has shown up there. That's a bit odd, because Japanese TFs that come and go from Rangoon usually hug the coastline. So I've ordered more Subs into the area and also set more Naval Air Units to Naval Search and Attack. I don't think that my opponent would send the KB back into the Bay of Bengal, but I want to be careful anyway.

And one of the reasons that I don't think that the Radio Signal TF is the KB is that one of my Subs in the southern DEI spotted a big CAxBBx TF at Denpassar, heading southeast. That may be a Bombardment TF heading towards the northern coast Bases of Oz, or the KB. In either case I ordered more Subs into the Region, set my LBA to CAP and Naval Attack, and started to order TFs out of the Region. Any Japanese Attacks will find my Forces more prepared than the last time.

BTW � Air Recon reports that a Japanese LCU is pulling back from Katherine. I wonder if my opponent will use it to attempt to re-take some of the north-central Oz bases that I recently re-captured?

And finally, my Air Recon and Naval Air Search have reported multiple Japanese TFs at Onnekotan-jima and Etorofu. My opponent certainly has increased his activity up there. I wonder if he has been reading the Radar-Greyjoy AARs...

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 704

Filling the Sky with Planes - 12/19/2011 3:22:05 AM

ADB123

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April 18, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw USS S-33 unsuccessfully attempt to sneak up on the Japanese Transport TF at Onnekotan-jima. S-33 was spotted by the PBs in the TF and chased off with a couple of light hits. The sub is now on its way back to Port for repairs.

Then a couple of Australian AMs ran into two Japanese subs off of western Oz. The AMs spotted the first Japanese sub and hit it once while driving it off. Then the second Japanese sub spotted the AMs first but it missed with its torpedoes so the AMs drove it off too.

Daylight brought out the usual Search and Recon Flights all over the Map from both sides. Down in the Central South Pacific a Glen was shot down by the CAP at Suva.

Air Action proper then started up with the skies over Burma being filled with aircraft from both sides.

First off, the Japanese moved their Long Range Air Attack from the British Division that is south of Kalemyo to Kalemyo proper. The attack started with a Max Alt Sweep by 15 Tojos which was met by 4 Hurricane IIcs. The Hurricanes were outnumbered and outfought and several were shot down. Then Helens and Nicks flew in and attacked the Air Base at Kalemyo. I'm not basing planes at Kalemyo at this time so there wasn't much for the Bombers to see other than Flak. One Hurricane straggled over but it was chased off by the Nicks.

Then it was the turn of the Allies and for once most Allied Missions flew, although the missions were rather scattered about in time. Warazup was hit by DBs and 2Es, Japanese troops on the Mandalay-Katha Road were hit by 2Es, and 4Es hit Swebo and Mandalay. The Japanese units in the Clear were hammered pretty well, particularly the Japanese Tank Division at Swebo.

There was also a minor Japanese Air Attack on the retiring Chinese troops that are north of Paotow, and some B-17s hit the Air Base at Katherine, just to keep things �honest� in the region.

BTW � an Air Symbol turned up at Taung Gyi, so that means that the Indo-Burma 4Es have their flying orders set for that Air Base next turn. The rest of the Allied Air Force in the Region will be attacking Japanese troops in Warazup, Swebo and along the Mandalay- Katha road.

Afterwards a number of interesting INTEL Reports came in. Most interesting was the report of several Japanese TFs now heading southeast near Waingapoe. INTEL suggested that there were a number of BBs in at least one of the TFs. I'm sending more Submarines into their path in the hope of getting a better idea of what is the real composition of the TF.

That mystery TF in the Andaman Sea moved further south this turn and is now located between Great Nicobar and Phuket. So that doesn't appear to be a threat. Instead I'm guessing that it is a retiring Transport TF that happens to be taking a non-standard course.

And finally, 4 B-24 Squadrons arrive at the Eastern US base. Not surprisingly, each Squadron arrived with only 3 planes and 3 pilots. So it's Training Time again as I send the Squadrons to the West Coast. I may end up dumping old 2Es into the Squadrons so that I can send the planes to the Fronts.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 705

Death Over Taung Gyi - 12/20/2011 1:55:06 AM

ADB123

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April 19, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw USS Snook take a shot at an E-Class near Tanahdjampa but miss. The Japanese Escorts in the small TF didn't find Snook afterwards.

Daylight brought Oscar Is out Sweeping over the British Division that is south of Kalemyo. They were followed by Tojos on High Alt Sweep, and then by Bombers and Escorts. So my opponent had moved his attack and prevented any interception over Kalemyo.

But the Brits are there to get attention, and take their licks as they come, and the Allied Air Force went after the freshly re-filled Air Base at Taung Gyi instead of trying to combat masses of Japanese planes.

First in were 24 P-38Es who found 11 Ki-45-AIs Nicks, and 2 A6M3a Zeros on CAP. The Lightnings ate up the Japanese Fighters, shooting down 1 Zero and 5 Nicks.

Next in were 25 P-38Fs who found 5 Nicks on CAP and shot down 1 without any losses.

Then the 4Es started to come in and found clear skies and planes on the tarmac. The first run of 11 Lib IIs, 13 B-17Fs, and 22 B-24D1s hammered the Air Base and caught 1 Tojo and 4 Oscar Is on the Ground. Then 37 more B-24D1s and 14 B-17Es came in and hammered the Air Base even harder, catching 1 Oscar I and 1 Tojo on the Ground, and closing the Runways.

While the Big Boys were closing Taung Gyi the Allied DBs and 2Es hit Warazup again, with some reasonable success. Planned attacks against the Japanese Troops at Swebo were Rained-Out.

The only other Japanese Air Attacks were against the retiring Chinese LCU near Paotow. The Unit got away from oncoming Japanese LCUs despite the Air Attacks.

So the End-of-Day results were quite satisfying:

Ki-45-AIa Nick � 13 A-to-A, 2 Ops
Ki-43-Ic Oscar � 9 Ground
Ki-44-IIa Tojo � 2 Ground, 1 Ops
A6M3a Zero � 2 A-to-A

There were also a handful of Japanese Bombers that were lost to Flak and Ops on their runs.

So Taung Gyi is out-of-action for now, and I noticed Japanese Air Symbols at Magwe, so you can guess where the P-38s and 4Es are heading next turn. And just for fun, The Marine Corsairs will head in too.

In other news, Japanese Amcs started to sweep up the Air Laid Mines at various bases. Dropping Mines is such a Waste of Time because the Japanese player can see where they are dropped. So I won't be spending much time doing it. Instead I'll let my opponent worry about it by dropping a few every so often.

And off of northern Oz, the big Japanese TFs have disappeared, and only one smaller TF was spotted north of Timor. I've got most everything in place that I need right now, so I'm not too open to any sort of surprise attack. And who knows, if a Bombardment TF does show up I might be able to surprise it with Dive Bombers.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 706

RE: Death Over Derby - 12/21/2011 12:04:48 AM

ADB123

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April 20, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw USS Manley get hit by a dud torpedo off of Geraldton as the APD returned from a Fast Transport Mission to Broome. Manley hit the Japanese sub several times in return.

Daylight brought a nice culmination to my plans in Burma, and a great bonus in northern Oz.

First off 14 F4U-1 Marine Corsairs Swept in at Max Alt over Magwe. They were met by 2 A6M3a Zeros and the Corsair pilots had a field day shooting down 1 Zero and shooting up the other. This Sweep was followed by 3 more; 18 P-38Es, followed by 21 P-38Gs, followed by 25 P-38Fs. The Lightning pilots had to settle for cruising around the empty skies while waiting for the Big Boys to arrive.

And the Big Boys did arrive, in two massed attacks. First in were 10 Liberator IIs, 13 B-17Fs and 20 B-24D1s. The Bomber Crews enjoyed the clear skies and hammered the Air Base and Air Fields, catching 5 Oscar IIs on the Ground. Then the rest of the Attack flew in � 30 B-24D1s and 14 B-17Es � and they also hammered the Base and caught 5 more Oscar IIs on the Ground.

And the Allied Light Bombers also had a full day, hitting the Japanese Troops and Air Bases at Warazup and Shwebo, and the Japanese Troops along the Road to Mandalay. There were no Japanese Fighters over any of those targets.

That was because Japanese Army Air Force sent Bombers, escorted by Fighters, to hit the British Division south of Kalemyo again. I didn't bother to try to CAP the British troops. The large quantities of Japanese fighters over the Brits undoubtedly contributed to the success of my Raids on Magwe.

At that point a surprise Report came in of 28 G3M3 Nells attacking the Air Base at Derby. I had P-40Ks on LR CAP over a Transport TF at Broome, so I was surprised again as 11 P-40Ks showed up over Derby. The Nells got in and hit the empty Air Base at Derby before the P-40Ks showed up, but the USAAF Fighters caught the Nells on the way out, shooting down 5 of them.

But this wasn't the end. Unescorted Japanese Bomber Attacks continued to fly in from Timor. Next in were 24 G4M1 Bettys. The 11 P-40Ks caught the Bettys coming in and going out, shooting down 9 of them. Then 17 Ki-49-IIs Helens flew in and were jumped by 7 P-40Ks. This time 4 Helens were shot down. Then 38 Helens and 17 Lilys flew in. At this point there was only 1 P-40K left on CAP, but the Army Pilot shot down 1 Helen and damaged a few more bombers before having to head home.

Afterwards, my opponent complained about his LR Escorts not showing up. I commented back that I never expect my Fighters and Bombers to coordinate... <g>

To finish the Air Raids a squadron of B-17s hit the Air Base at Katherine again. The accompanying Recon confirmed that some Japanese troops moved out of that base.

So the Day was a great success for the Allied Air Forces, but not so for the British Army because the British Division south of Kalemyo was Shock Attacked by a big Japanese Infantry Division, an Infantry Regiment, an Armoured Regiment and two Artillery Regiments. The Japanese achieved a 3:1 result and sent the Brits back towards Kalemyo. But now I have a good idea of what the Japanese have in Central Burma, and many of the better units are out in Clear Ground, so the Allied Light Bombers should get some good practice in over the next little while.

BTW � Recon reported that the number of Japanese Fighters at Toungoo is down substantially, so you can guess where the Corsairs, P-38s and 4Es are going next. I also moved them all forward to make the attack a bit easier to do.

The End-of-Day Results were very satisfying:

Ki-43-IIa Oscar � Ground 20
G4M1 Betty � A-to-A 15, Ops 2
G3M3 Nell � A-to-A 11, Ops 1
Ki-49-IIa Helen � A-to-A 9, Ops 1
A6M3a Zero � A-to-A 2

The 49th FG/7th FS got its first Ace today.

(in reply to ADB123)

Post #: 707

Rain-Outs Return - 12/22/2011 2:24:28 AM

ADB123

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April 21, 1943 -

Remember the multi-BB TF that my subs spotted a couple of days ago? Well, it showed up at Broome this turn during the Night. 5 BBs, 4CAs, 1 CL, 6 DDs, and 1 E-Class showed up in the dark and jumped the poor little 1 AM, 1 xAK TF that I had at Broome unloading Supplies. It only took 2 shots for the AM and 3 for the xAK before they went down like rocks.

The Japanese TF then went on to Bombard Broome. For some reason the Ships focussed upon the Air Base and Port and left the Armoured Regiment alone.

This didn't bother me because I was expecting something like this to happen and I deliberately took the chance to let the Supply TF hang around as long as possible to dump as many Supplies as possible. The �good� side to this is that the Japanese TF will have to go far away to reload the Big Guns of the BBs, which will open up another window for me to ship in Supplies and Forces.

But I'm not moving any Ships yet, because Port Hedland received a Fly-over by a Japanese Float Plane, so it wouldn't surprise me to find the KB nearby. But all that is at Port Hedland are a couple of PTs and plenty of Allied Fighters.

Over in the Indo-Burma Theater my Weather Luck ran out after 2 consecutive turns where my planes flew. So this turn none of the Fighters nor 4Es that were supposed to hit Toungoo flew. Now Toungoo is restocked with Fighters so I won't be sending in any planes at this time.

However, the Allied 2Es and DBs flew and hit Warazup, Myitkyina and the Japanese Troops along the Mandalay Road, so it wasn't a total loss this turn. BTW � there are still a LOT of Japanese Troops marching in the Clear near Shwebo, so they will be visited by 4Es next turn, Weather Permitting.

And as something of a Practice Run, a couple of Squadrons of 4Es hit the Air Base at Horn Island.

The only Japanese Air Action was some Lilys hitting the retiring Chinese troops north of Paotow again.

Afterwards, Allied INTEL brought an interesting report to my attention � apparently a Japanese Base Force is preparing to attack Broome. Is my opponent seriously going to try to recapture Broome? My 4E Pilots are waiting breathlessly for confirmation of this.

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Post #: 708

Hundreds of Planes, Hundreds of Misses - 12/23/2011 2:43:19 AM

ADB123

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April 22, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw two US subs in successful action. First off USS Grouper hit and sank a PB off of Koshiki-jima Ketto. Unfortunately, Grouper didn't get a shot at any other ships in the TF and so missed a shot at one of the many Tankers sailing along. Grouper was hit a couple of times by the other escorts in the TF and is now heading back to Port for minor repairs.

Then S-47 hit and sank an xAK at Paramushiro-jima. The Escorts in that TF hit S-47 a handful of times so the old S-Boat is limping back to Port.

Daylight started with some Lilys hitting the retiring Chinese troops north of Paotow again, but that was it for Japanese Air Attacks.

The Allied Air Forces in Indo-Burma then took over with greatly contrasting results. First to the Attack were around 60+ 2Es and DBs that attacked the Japanese Troops at Warazup. None of the Bombers found their mark. Then another 60+ 2Es flew in and they couldn't find their target either. Then 16 more 2Es flew in and had no luck. Finally, 16 DBs flew in and hit one of the Japanese LCUs at the base lightly. Those DBs were followed by two more 2Es attacks that couldn't find the Target again.

But the 4Es that went after Japanese Troops on the Mandalay Road didn't have any trouble hammering their targets. There are more Japanese Troops in the open in the area, so the 4Es will be sent after them next turn.

Finally, the initial Allied LCUs at Warazup had gotten into the �black� as far as Supplies go, so they attempted a Deliberate attack. Despite outnumbering the Japanese defenders 2:1 the Allied troops could only achieve a 1:3 result. Fortunately, the losses were equal on both sides. So I will wait until the remaining Allied troops reach Warazup before attempting another Ground Attack.

And in an interesting side note, a Japanese sub showed up off of Diego Garcia this turn. I haven't seen one there in so long I can't remember the last time. I assume that my opponent is snooping around in case I have some TFs coming out of the local wormhole, but I don't send troops to India via that route, so that sub won't accomplish much other than to provide some ASW practice to the Cats that I have at the Base.

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Post #: 709

Stepping on Ants - 12/26/2011 8:02:35 PM

ADB123

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April 23, 1943 -

There was no Night Action this turn.

Daylight brought about one of those rare turns where the Japanese Air Force didn't bother to fly any Combat Missions anywhere. But the Weather was pretty bad most places over the Map, so maybe some Japanese Missions were planned but just didn't get off the Ground.

The Allies did get to Fly despite Bad Weather. Lots and Lots of 2Es and DBs flew against the Japanese Troops at Warazup. A few of the Allied planes actually found their Mark.

Then the Allied 4Es went after some Japanese troops in the Open near Shwebo and definitely found their Mark � the Japanese 20th Division was hammered very hard. There are still more Japanese troops maneuvering around the Open in that Area so I've set the 4Es and some 2Es to other Targets next turn.

And there are now 3 Japanese Subs hanging around Canton Island. I've got a small Transport TF sitting at the Port unloading Supplies � this seems to be keeping the Subs hanging around. In the meanwhile, the rest of the Bases in the Region which are getting the Important Deliveries remain unmolested and with the exception of Suva, un-reconned.

So I'm moving more and more Forces into the South Pacific. There isn't much that I can do Elsewhere at this time other than waste Planes and Ships, so I'm setting up to start Long Range Bombing Campaigns against the Japanese-held islands in the range of the ever-growing Air Bases in the South.

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Post #: 710

Air versus Ground - 1/1/2012 1:52:21 AM

ADB123

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April 24, 1943 -

There was no Night Action this turn.

The Skies at Daylight belonged to the Allied Air Forces. Allied 2Es and DBs attacked the Japanese troops at Warazup, but couldn't find their target. However, Allied 2Es that went after Japanese troops in the Clear near Mandalay, and Allied 4Es that went after Japanese troops at Shwebo had a Field Day as they hammered a Japanese Infantry Division and a Japanese Armoured Division. And way off in the South Pacific over Suva USN Fighter pilots shot down a pesky Glen.

But Allied Ground Troops didn't have any luck as they tested out the strength of Japanese Troops near Akyab and Lashio.

First off an Indian Infantry Division and an Armoured Brigade attempted a Deliberate Attack on the Japanese troops in the hex due East of Akyab. The Allied Troops were facing a Japanese Infantry Division and an Artillery Regiment, and despite the Allies having a superiority in numbers, the Japanese troops were much tougher, and the Allied Attack only achieved a 1:3 result with the Allies suffering 3 times the casualties.

Next, one more hex to the East, a Allied Motorized Brigade and an Artillery Regiment attempted a Deliberate Attack on a Japanese Infantry Regiment. This time the attack garnered a 1:11 result, although the Japanese suffered twice the casualties of the Allied Troops.

Then two Chinese Corps attacked a Japanese LCU near Lashio. It turns out that they were faced by the Imperial Guards. Now, anyone who has played the Japanese side knows that the I.G. often turn out to be Paper Tigers, but this time they hammered the Chinese attack, giving a 1:4 result for the Chinese, with the Chinese taking 7 times the casualties.

In all three cases the Japanese troops were aided by Terrain and Leadership. Obviously, it is much better to Bomb Japanese troops in the Clear than to Fight them in the Jungle.

Speaking of Bombing Japanese troops, an Aircraft Sign showed up at Shwebo this turn. I can't quite figure out why my opponent would move planes into Shwebo since it is a Level 1 Airfield and it is damaged from past Bombing Attacks. This smells of a CAP Trap being set up since I have been happily bombing the same targets for several turns in a row.

So I set all of my 2Es to Recon, rested my DBs, set my Fighters to Close CAP, and ordered the 4Es to Bomb the Air Base at Shwebo Back Into the Stone Age.

BTW � for the first time in quite a while I got some SIGINT Silliness this turn. There was a Radio Report for 218,69. I figured that a Japanese sub might be off of the West Coast. But that location is Mare Island.

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Post #: 711

Another Rain Day - 1/1/2012 6:43:29 PM

ADB123

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April 25, 1943 -

The Night Phase saw a US AVD spot and attack a Japanese sub just southwest of Suva. The AVD skipper reported hitting the sub 5 times. However, I was in for a surprise when the AVD docked because it couldn't re-arm with Depth Charges despite Suva currently being a Level 4 Port. It turns out that I haven't sent any Naval Base Forces to Suva so there is no Naval Support there, thus I couldn't re-arm the AVD. Oh well, I'll use the AVD to Support a Floatplane Detachment at a nearby island.

Daylight started out with multiple reports that Shweba was receiving End-of-World Rainfall, so I knew right away that this would be a quiet turn. Sure enough, you could hear the tiniest frog croaking in the rain from far, far away, as my Air Missions sat on the Ground. One 2E squadron did take off by accident and hit a Japanese Infantry Regiment at Myitkyina.

As usual (and as logically inconsistent as usual), although the Combat Missions didn't fly, Recon Missions did. So INTEL was able to report back that my suspicion last turn was correct and there are around 3 dozen Japanese Fighters at Shweba. So for next turn I ordered the P-38s and Corsairs to fly in Max Alt Sweeps, and the 4Es to follow with orders to make the Air Base at Shwebo look as if it were hit by a sizable asteroid.

We'll see what the Weather Gods say next turn.

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Post #: 712

April 26 1943 Interim Report - 1/2/2012 6:54:32 PM

ADB123

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April 26 1943 � Interim Report

My opponent didn't have time to do the Turn today so he only sent the Combat Replay.

The Night Phase saw US AVD Hulbert leave Suva with a hold full of Supplies but with empty Depth Charge Racks. Sure enough, a Japanese Sub took a shot at Hulbert southeast of Suva, but missed. The US DD that was escorting Hulbert chased the Japanese sub away.

Daylight brought Rain messages across the Map as usual, but despite this the Allied Air Attacks on Shwebo flew as planned.

First in were the P-38s on Max Alt Sweep. P-38Es were followed by P-38Gs, which were followed by P-38Fs. Unfortunately for the Pilots of the Lightnings, there were no Japanese Planes on CAP. That told me that either my INTEL Folks in India had been smoking too much Indian Gold, or that the Recon Reports were out-of-date and my opponent had pulled out his planes the day before.

The Lightnings were followed by Marine Corsairs who also Swept the Empty Skies, and then the 4Es flew in. The first wave consisted of 16 B17Fs and 11 Liberator IIs, which was followed by a second wave consisting of 47 B-24D1s and 16 B-17Es, which was in turn followed by another wave containing 12 B-24D1s. All three bomber waves hammered the Air Base and Runways hard. There won't be any reason for my opponent to try to base another CAP Trap there in the near future.

And Finally, some more Corsairs and P-38s Swept in Late-for-the-Party. So Everyone got some easy practice but little of value was accomplished.

So once again, Weather likely caused me to miss my opportunity last turn to catch some Japanese planes on the Ground in Shwebo. Oh well, there is always another day and plenty of other bases.

More interesting is the fact that my opponent once again didn't send out any Air Attacks anywhere. I wonder why he is waiting?

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Post #: 713

RE: April 26 1943 Interim Report - 1/3/2012 8:49:06 PM

crsutton

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A few comments on air dropped mines. They are not a game changer and your opponent has little to worry about. He has plenty of mine sweepers and dropping them in a base to the rear is only a nuisance as they are easily removed. They will not be useful if you try to use them in a historical way. I don't know why your bombers dropped so few but a liberator should carry and drop ten mines, so be careful as you can deplete your stocks fast. Yes, with the betas and next patch, mining aircraft can be intercepted. However, you can drop mines at night as well and that is pretty safe. Unfortunately, your opponent knows when they are dropped, nothing you can do about that but I imagine that historically they pretty much knew when bombers were mining as they were not dropping bombs. The difference in the game is that it is much too easy to find and remove offensive minefields.

I found that the best use is not to drop them far in the rear but forward at contested bases that are in range of your SBDs and mediums. They are great at disrupting fast convoys and enemy surface forces-stopping the flow of supply and reinforcemenst. And since virtually all of the Japanese mine sweepers are slow crap boxes, they can be easily intercepted by subs, PTs and attack bombers. Only problem is that your own surface ships are at a (lesser) risk to hit them as well, but that is war...

_____________________________

I am the Holy Roman Emperor and am above grammar.

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Post #: 714

RE: April 26 1943 Interim Report - 1/4/2012 3:01:59 AM

ADB123

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Yes, I've been seeing in the Combat Report the Japanese Amcs clean up a few air-dropped mines each turn. I like your suggestion - I'll try it when I get the chance. In the meanwhile I'll continue to use my 4Es as bombers - it is a much more satisfying activity.

Thanks -

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Post #: 715

April 26 1943 Final Report - 1/4/2012 3:03:41 AM

ADB123

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April 26, 1943 � Final Report

The Turn didn't bring anything particularly unexpected to my attention, other than a surprising lack of activity from the Japanese. So since things are fairly quiet I am continuing along with my plans.

In Burma most of the Japanese Fighters are hunkered back in Toungoo and, I presume, Rangoon. My opponent is building up more of the bases around and to the immediate south of Rangoon, likely in anticipation of an eventual pull-back.

So with the Air Base at Shwebo nicely in ruins I've ordered my Bombers to go troop-hunting again. I've spread out my 2E attacks in order to keep my opponent guessing as to where my next main hit will be. However, I've left the 4Es together as they head back to Shwebo to hammer the Japanese troops there this turn. I'm not concerned about my opponent attempting a LR CAP Trap against 4Es.

Otherwise, I'm just moving forces and resting-up 4E squadrons. I hope to catch my opponent by surprise with my next major Air Assault.

Finally, in around 2 weeks I will have my final CV Fighter unit upgraded to Hellcats, and concurrently, the Essex should show up. I wonder if it will come with full or empty Air Groups?

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Post #: 716

Yet another hiatus - 1/6/2012 2:47:56 AM

ADB123

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April 27, 1943 -

I'm going to be away for just over a week without my game pc again, so this will be the last post for a while.

The Night Phase was quiet.

Daylight brought out the Allied Bombers over Burma, with the 2Es hitting multiple targets. Many of the 2E attacks missed or did little damage, but they still met my objective and displayed the Allied ability to hit every target in the region.

Then the 4Es flew in and really hammered the Japanese Armoured Division at Shwebo again. My opponent is going to have to Up his production of armoured vehicles if he leaves this unit in clear territory much longer.

Once again the Japanese Air Forces were quiet, other than Recon and Naval Search. Some Bettys flew over an Allied Fast Transport at Broome, but with the Allied LR CAP over the TF the Bettys just Looked and Left. That Fast Transport ought to be out-of-there before any Japanese Surface ships can show up.

So going into this latest Break I'm fairly happy with the Allied positions. My opponent is having difficulties covering all of my Threats, and I will be opening up new Threats very soon.

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Post #: 717

Return of the Hundred Years War - 1/18/2012 3:07:44 AM

ADB123

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April 28, 1943 -

I got back a couple of days ago, but my opponent has been busy with work, so he only had time to send the Combat Replay today.

There was no Night Action.

Daylight brought the Allied Air Forces out to Play in Burma again. Allied 2Es hammered Japanese Troops out in the Open near Shwebo, shook up some Japanese Troops in Myitkyina, and missed the Japanese Troops at Warazup. Only the British DBs were able to hit the Japanese Troops in Warazup, and those attacks didn't do much.

Then the Allied 4Es went into Action at Shwebo, but to my surprise the Big Bombers hit the Air Base rather than the Japanese Troops in the Base. I can't remember why I did that � perhaps I just forgot to switch them to Ground Attack. In any event, there won't be any Japanese planes flying out of Shwebo for quite some time.

Japanese Air Units flew various Recon and Naval Search Missions, but not Combat Missions. The LR CAP that I have flying over a Supply TF near Broome caught and shot down one Betty on Naval Search and kept the rest from attacking.

So with any luck tomorrow I will get to see just what I was doing.

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Post #: 718

April 28 1943 Final Report - 1/19/2012 2:50:04 AM

ADB123

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Now that I've had a chance to review the Turn I feel as if I have been away from this match for a year.

The main things that I did for this turn:

- Chose new Air targets in Burma - the DBs get Warazup, the 2Es get the Japanese Troops in the Clear near Shwebo, and the 4Es get to Dig a Deeper Hole at the Air Base at Mandalay.

- Set more Troops and Supplies moving to northern Oz and the South Pacific - I already have a lot on the way, but I'm sending even more

Such is Logistics Life in the Pacific.

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Post #: 719

Excavating Bigger Holes - 1/20/2012 4:25:08 AM

ADB123

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April 29, 1943 � Interim Report -

My opponent was busy again this evening so he only had time to run and send the Combat Reply.

The Night Phase saw a US AVD chase away a Japanese sub near Funafuti. Otherwise, everything was quiet.

Daylight brought out the Allied Bombers over Burma again. This time my more rationalized approach gave better results.

First in were the British Dive Bombers which hit the Japanese Troops at Warazup and actually caused casualties � something the 2Es never do.

Next in were the 2Es which hammered the Japanese troops out in the open near Shwebo. The 2Es not only caused plenty of casualties but they even destroyed some squads.

Finally the 4Es came all at once over the Air Base at Mandalay and excavated the existing Giant Crater there even wider and deeper with over 300 hits on the Runways. And just to keep my opponent a bit edgy � 2 squadrons of P-38s flew alongside the 99 4Es.

So the Japanese Air Force pretty much kept its head down most everywhere, other than Recon Flights over the usual areas � northern Oz, the Front in Burma, and surprisingly, several times over Chungking. I'm not sure why my opponent is doing that � every time he tries a Chungking attack he has Escort/Bomber coordination problems and loses lots of planes.

And I got a number of interesting Troop reinforcements this turn, along with a British Convoy for the first time in quite a while. The Brits will be moving to Burma while the Yanks will be moving to the Pacific.

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Post #: 720