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Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. David the Great (J)

 
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Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. David t... - 8/19/2013 5:09:12 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Okay, I'm going to take a stab at an AAR. I've tried it for my own benefit when playing against the AI, but I often tend to slack off when I'm the only one I'm doing it for. Maybe if I have an external audience I'll pay more attention!

This game will be CG 1 using the map with stacking limits. Aside from starting conditions, we're playing with no house rules. These are our parameters:

Dec 7 non-historical start w/ surprise on
PDU on
Advanced weather on
Realistic R&D on
Reliable torpedoes off
Withdrawals on
Reinforcements +/- 30 days
FOW on
Auto sub ops OFF -- repeat -- OFF!

First turn rules for the Allies:

Task forces already on the map are free to move.
Aircraft may be assigned missions but may not rebase.
No restrictions in China (they're already at war, after all).

This will be a rather slow game, as we're both quite occupied in real life. Don't expect more than 2-3 turns per week, and be happy if there are more.

We'll get started as soon as we synch up our beta versions (we thought we were, but it turns out there's a difference between h and n ). David is welcome to read this AAR until he sends his Turn 2 move, so I won't say anything strategic until then.

Dave
Post #: 1
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 9/21/2013 11:47:43 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Finally -- it's on! After some time getting our versions in synch, getting the game to start at all, vacation for David, and a secondary peak work period for me (filing date for business returns on extension), we've progressed to the point that I can post here.

Some more words about the AAR before I start. As I mentioned in the opening post, I realize that an AAR can be a lot of work. I know as well from my own attempts that sometimes I'll drift into writing from a character's viewpoint, and sometimes I'll just do a quick-and-dirty detached view. When I'm in character I'll refer to a BGen Rauscher. Jeff Rauscher was a good friend and AFROTC classmate of mine. His father, Norm, was career Air Force in the Air Weather Service and tried to talk me into working for him in my first assignment (I was a weather officer). Jeff was in Intelligence and retired as a major before working for a civilian contractor. Jeff passed away from a brain disease a couple years ago, so putting him in my AAR is my tribute to him.

Okay, now for more about the parties involved. David (David the Great) is playing his first game as the Japanese. I've been playing wargames for what seems like forever, but I've never been very good at them. In AE I have some definite strengths and some definite weaknesses. My biggest strength is handling submarines, my biggest weakness is China. All advice is always welcome, but having seen some deterioration of demeanor recently on some other AARs, I will insist on everyone's comments remaining respectful.

Enough of that. The AAR starts with the next post, as soon as I type it up!

Dave

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 2
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 9/22/2013 12:14:09 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Although the agreed-on rules allowed me quite a bit of latitude, I didn't do much on Turn 1. I like to at least start with a situation something close to reality, with the Allies being completely clueless (especially the US forces). The main thing is to get Force Z out of its suicide mode! I assigned defensive orders to most of the submarines already on patrol, and assigned training missions to all the CONUS- and Canada-based air units, but otherwise left most units alone.

David's opening move was fairly standard, with a few minor differences from the AI or my previous opponent. The KB was stationed farther away from Pearl Harbor, and the area doesn't appear to be flooded with submarines. There were the obligatory landings at Kota Bharu, but not at Batan Island. He did, however, land at several points on Borneo and at Jolo.

Despite the longer strike difference at Pearl Harbor, I saw maybe the worst results for the Allies in all the games I've started. Only 11 aircraft destroyed but 189 damaged. Three battleships (ARIZONA, OKLAHOMA, and TENNESSEE) sunk and five destroyers (CASE, CHEW, DEWEY, MacDONOUGH, and WORDEN). Damage to other ships at Pearl Harbor is in keeping with most games.

Attacks at Singapore and Hong Kong inflicted more damage than usual, with a large number of the merchant ships at Hong Kong now forming artificial reefs. Only two ships have dangerously high flotation damage -- two of the AMs at Manila.

Allied response has been to dispatch all the remaining submarines, put up CAP where aircraft were previously training and increase it where it was already being done, and initiate a Sir Robin on the Malay peninsula. Being completely unfamiliar with this opponent, I decided to evacuate Georgetown via ship just to try something different.

My second turn is admittedly not well thought out, but I rationalize that by saying that in Real Life the Allies were caught with their pants down and weren't really organized, either. The truth is that these first two turns took so long that it's been hard to wrap my brain around what's been happening. Future turns should be more frequent for both of us, but they will certainly not be daily -- we both have exceptionally busy lives outside the game. We'll see how it goes!

Dave

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 3
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 9/28/2013 9:47:28 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		8 Dec 41

We withstood some massive air attacks at Singapore, particularly, and to a lesser extent in other locations. Combat reports show four attacks on Singapore by a combined 71 Nells and 25 Bettys, met by CAP of up to 7 Blenheim IF and 62 Buffalo I. The movie showed practically all bombers being destroyed, although a few got through to place a grand total of 5 bombs on ships in the harbor. Combat report naturally shows less enemy casualties, with Nells suffering 33 destroyed and 9 damaged and the Bettys 13 and 1. Even those lower numbers are rather respectable!

Attacks at Manila and Clark Field were met with just as stubborn resistance, though fewer enemy aircraft were shot down. Still, only limited numbers got through except on one Manila attack There, 8 ships took one bomb each.

The ships were still in Manila because either (a) they were damaged the first day or (b) they were held back due to enemy submarines at the entrance to Manila Bay. We've lost contact with the submarines, although sure they're still hanging around. Today we will sortie the healthy ships to get them out of Dodge.

A bit disappointed with the lack of reaction by Dutch subs. All sub patrols have a reaction range of 1, and every single one is failing to react (not only Dutch, but they represent most of the opportunities). Not complaining, on the assumption that the sub commanders haven't been made aware of the enemy presence, but you'd think at least one would react somewhere!

Kota Bharu and Miri were taken by the enemy today. Miri, of course, offered no defense to speak of. The attack on Kota Bharu came as no surprise but I did my usual (usual in this case meaning every game except one) trick of forgetting to get the aircraft out of Kota Bharu.

Japan has also landed in force at Vigan and Laoag. Both will fall tomorrow as there are no Allied troops there to defend. We will move 3/12 PA Inf Bn from Tuguegarao to Bayombong to block the otherwise-clear road to the south. They can't offer much resistance, but at least they'll be a speed bump if the enemy chooses that route.

As usual, Allied air was almost totally impotent. On the final attack of the day some Swordfish from Singapore were able to score hits on CA MAYA and CL NATORI near Muntok. We suspect damage is minimal, nothing more than chipped paint and maybe a broken bottle or two of sake. Still, it gives the Japs notice that we are capable of hitting a target now and then.

Force Z ran into a bit of a buzzsaw, encountering a hitherto-undetected surface force of the IJN. Although the battle was prolonged, and several hits occurred, damage to both sides was minimal. BB PRINCE OF WALES has 17 system damage and 23 flotation; BB REPULSE is at 12 flotation; and DD ELECTRA is at 13 system. All other damage is in the green. Now we just have to stop the task force from returning to Singapore, which is still being harrassed. They will be sent southeast (all directions will be map directions, not true); another enemy task force has been spotted near Ambon and needs to be taught a lesson.

The KB has been spotted to the northeast of Pearl Harbor so we will be on guard against another attack. Runway damage at Pearl is remarkably light -- only at 14 -- so our limiting factor is a shortage of airworthy craft. KB is 240NM out, so maintaining a respectable distance. Will concentrate some of our patrol aircraft in that sector to be sure we don't lose them. There currently are no surface craft in danger, and submarines coming from the west coast can be redirected if the KB hangs around that long.

Japanese submarines have been spotted SE of Johnston Island, right in the intended path of CV ENTERPRISE and its task force. Will reroute them to avoid the danger and see if we have any viable ASW capability in the area.

China seems fairly quiet. There has been no ground combat, despite opposing forces being present in the same hex, and the only air attacks have been on Hong Kong. Ships have already been evacuated, and now it's time to send the planes away. Torpedo bombers and patrol aircraft don't really offer much of a defense against inbound attackers!

A Japanese task force has been spotted in the Solomon Sea. It appears to consist mostly of smaller combat ships, but one CL is reported to be among the 10 ships. Will have the air force in Rabaul take a look and evaluate an attack. The RAN is a little light on firepower and several days away anyway.

**********

It will be another week or so before Real Life allows enough time to pay attention to the game in the detail it needs, so this is all going to seem somewhat haphazard until then. That's one nice thing about playing the Allies; messing up in the first several turns isn't likely to have a long-term deleterious effect (as long as all the carriers don't get sunk).

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 4
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 9/28/2013 12:40:22 PM   
ny59giants


Posts: 9869
Joined: 1/10/2005
Status: offline 		Good luck and enjoy the game. China - run for the hills!!
Leaving any troops in clear terrain means they will get killed from the air and from the ground. Make sure you turn off industry repairs everywhere in China. I turn on repairs for HI and then LI in Chungking for about 5 to 10 days per month for the first few months while you have supply. That is while Rangoon is in Allied hands and you get the 500 supplies per day via Burma Road.

_____________________________


(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 5
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 9/28/2013 12:54:34 PM   
JocMeister

 

Posts: 8262
Joined: 7/29/2009
From: Sweden
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Good luck and enjoy the game. China - run for the hills!!
Leaving any troops in clear terrain means they will get killed from the air and from the ground. Make sure you turn off industry repairs everywhere in China. I turn on repairs for HI and then LI in Chungking for about 5 to 10 days per month for the first few months while you have supply. That is while Rangoon is in Allied hands and you get the 500 supplies per day via Burma Road.


+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1!

(in reply to ny59giants)
Post #: 6
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 10/3/2013 8:15:34 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Thanks for the advice, gents, and apologies for the delayed response -- it's been a hectic past 4 days (annual all-day rehearsals and public shows with my radio theater group, then spent Monday and Tuesday moving my office 5 miles). I suppose it's indicative that I made my moves and then forget to send David the file! That little chore has now been added to my checklist (first PBEM in over a year).

Please hang in there between turns! One reason this game has the participants it does is that we are both extremely busy in real life and we don't mind going days between turns. More frequent would be nicer, of course, but we take what we can get.

(in reply to JocMeister)
Post #: 7
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 10/12/2013 7:04:26 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Well, this turn took a while. I sent my move to the wrong person, so after a week David checked to make sure we weren't waiting for each other. Sometimes I hate auto-fill for email addresses! Incidentally, my own response times should improve after the end of the month; I'm teaching weekly tax classes until then and need to spend an inordinate amount of time getting my materials ready.

Our naval forces certainly did nothing to distinguish themselves today! Two surface engagements -- one two of our ships against eight of theirs, the other six against seven -- and we scored a grand total of 5 shell hits and one torpedo. In return we lost both CLs (DURBAN and DRAGON) in the first battle, CL MARBLEHEAD in the second. At least CA ASHIGARA has been reported sunk from the first battle, but Rauscher is skeptical. And how can eight Jap ships sail brazenly into Palembang and only one of them even get hit?

Japanese landings continued at Vigan and Singkawang, and new ones took place at Aparri, Wake Island, and Nauru Island. Singkawang and Nauru both fell in the ensuing combat, whereas the enemy suffered significant casualties during the landing at Aparri and in the battle at Wake. Some ground units were forced to retreat in China, but they were already heading in that direction, anyway.

Numerous air raids in Malaya and the Philippines had typical results. The Japanese pounded ships in Manila that were already damaged, and we traded only a handful of air-to-air kills throughout the theater. The Allied air forces, of course, to use the purported words of Admiral Halsey, couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle [one of my favorite lines of all time]. Some Vildebeests were able to put bombs on BBs HARUNA and KONGO, but no others were able to hit even the right time zone.

We have not received any recent intelligent reports of planned attacks, but there is one unit reported to be headed for Manado. The number of task forces in that vicinity tends to support that idea. There also are numerous task forces along the coast of Borneo and the northwest Philippines. Of greater concern is the number of combat ships in the Java Sea or its approaches.

Philippines

Given the overwhelming forces approaching or landing on the north end of Luzon, we are withdrawing forces to concentrate in the Bataan-Clark Field-Manila triangle. [Interesting side note: on the map we're using, the road from Iba to Clark Field detours through the ocean hex to the west.] No air bases are in immediate danger, so we'll continue with dispersement of air forces for at least another day.

Ships were not evacuated from Manila on Day 1 of this conflict owing to the presence of multiple submarines outside Manila Bay. This threat has abated, so ships that are not heavily damaged will start to move out. They will be routed to the south on account of the number of enemy fleets to the north. The only impediment is an enemy minefield reported in the vicinity of Lubang.

Borneo

Miri and Singkawang have already fallen and enemy troops are ashore at Kuching. Our defenses are more than a little lacking at other bases! We'll see what we can do to move at least one unit from Sambas to another base on the island (to be determined as of this writing). At the very least we want to preserve our aircraft, although they can wait another day or more since no troops are immediately threatening the base.

Malaya

No change in operations here. Ground units will continue their movement toward the south and Singapore. Air units that have been repaired will join their squadron mates at other bases (mainly Singapore, some at Johore Bahru).

New Britain

Two large task forces are off the coast of Rabaul, but they appear to be composed of combat ships and no transports. Our air units at Rabaul will be prepared to evacuate in case of invasion, but until that time will be tasked with naval attack in the hopes of interfering with these TF's missions.

Central Pacific

CV LEXINGTON and CV ENTERPRISE are being routed around any known submarine threats. The KB is known to be retiring from Pearl Harbor and is also well clear of Midway Island. We won't let down our guard, but the immediate threat to the Hawaiian Islands chain is rated low. This gives us time to complete facilities repairs and plan redeployments.

China

We'll review the status of the various units, but most are already moving to better positions.

Elsewhere

Base expansions will continue where there are engineers present. Training of air units will continue. No further adjustments are required today.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 8
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 10/23/2013 6:38:07 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		I'll be very glad when this class I'm teaching is over (another week) and I can have some of my evenings back. Being able to work on turns only 10 to 15 minutes per day just doesn't work, at least not this early in the war!


No majorly significant air attacks this turn, but wow! Several surface engagements, only one which (surprisingly) turned out in the Allies' favor. The Allied ships got very few shots off, and less than a handful of hits out of four engagements. The worst surprise was when a Japanese task force appeared from out of nowhere and clobbered the gaggle of ships fleeing Manila. Most survived, but some are in bad shape (AV LANGLEY: 92 float -- moving now at cruise speed to Butuan, hoping she will last that long).

The surprising exception was SCTF moving up the Strait of Malacca which encountered a task force consisting of nothing but transports. Both sides turned tail and ran! The next question, though, is where that SCTF is headed. Too many possibilities to defend at this point, so will stay the course with current operations.

Dutch subs were mixed -- some missed their targets completely, but those that didn't got some good licks in. Nothing sunk by the end of the turn, but there are possibilities for tomorrow. The frustration is that these subs don't react to known enemy shipping in the adjacent hex, even though their reaction range is set at 1. From the American side, I don't have to worry about dud torpedoes -- these skippers haven't had a single hit. Understandable against the smaller, more maneuverable ships, but with the number launched you'd think at least one torpedo could have hit a CA.

The KB had departed Hawaiian waters heading north, but now it has moved westward. If it's heading toward Midway then it's going to run right up SS POMPANO's stern; could be interesting. I'm guessing it's heading toward Kwaj. Will know more next turn, when it will have moved far enough to show it's going one way or the other. Mouseover shows 10 CVs in the task force; somehow I'm a bit skeptical. On the other hand, I haven't identified any other CVs anywhere (a couple of CVLs is all).

There is a large number of Japanese TFs in the South China Sea, mostly transports. About half of those are empty and returning from delivering their troops to Borneo. We have no surface craft in the area, but maybe some of the subs can find them and pick off a ship or two (and maybe the moon will fall out of the sky).

For the most part the Allies are still gathering their wits (translation: I haven't had enough time to devote to figuring out what I want to do). Every base with engineers is expanding something, every Russian air unit is training, most stateside air units are training (the rest are either patrolling or getting fully repaired before shipping out). Forward units in China are maneuvering around the Japanese to get back into friendly territory and move to defensible ground; rear units are holding fast until the enemy is a little closer. Don't intend to put them in harm's way, necessarily, but want to see how DtG is proceeding before we commit to anything.

Turn has been sent off to DtG. Now it's time to get back to developing this week's course handout.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 9
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 10/28/2013 1:09:19 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Okay, took a bit less time to turn the turn. Last class is tomorrow night, and I already had its materials prepared! Hope to have next year's done well in advance for a change.

-------------------------------------

The most interesting aspect of this particular war is the number of surface engagements we've already had. I've gone through games with a single engagement for 2 or 3 weeks, and now we're getting 5 or 6 each day. The really annoying one is that SCTF in the Strait of Malacca. It doesn't seem to want to go anywhere, it keeps finding my transports, both sides try to retire. On the third "retirement" this turn they retired to 28,000 yards and then started shooting! Got a few hits on my ships, but nothing overly serious.

Thoroughly enjoyed the battle between his SCTF and my MTBs just south of Manila. I lost three of my four remaining MTBs (the others having been sunk the day before -- amazing how accurate the Japanese gunfire can be when aiming at such small, agile targets!), but in return we sank CA KASHII. There are also reports that we sank an SS, but absolutely no reports of ever having attacked that particular one. We're skeptical of this particular report. Of course, we're aware enough to not have 100% confidence in the CA sinking, but at least it was reported multiple times.

Our own submarine captains are starting to acquit themselves. SEALION put two fish into xAK KYOKUSEI MARU, S-36 put one into each of xAP TERUKUNI MARU and xAK KUWAYAMA MARU, and SPEARFISH put one into xAK MEXICO MARU. There were one or two additional hits without explosions, but I'm happy to see the accuracy of the shots. Now if we just find and hit the buggers while they're loaded instead of on their way back for another load!

Aircraft searches have located a Japanese SS hanging out to the northwest of Pearl Harbor. We're sending an ASW TF out that direction -- it isn't TOO far away -- to see if we can do anything about it. If he's loitering out there to intercept California-Pearl Harbor shipping, we have a reasonable chance; if he's on the move we'll probably lose track of his position.

In Malaya we continue our contraction to Singapore. All aircraft units have relocated to other bases -- Singapore, Johore Bahru, and Rangoon -- while the ground units are either on the train to Singapore or in trucks headed to the railheads. The only ships are those trying to get from Georgetown to points south and keep running into that SCTF.

Speaking of which, it appears said SCTF is in no hurry to head north through the strait, preferring to stick around and harass us. We are therefore sending a small division to Port Blair along with an AA unit. There are also significant reinforcements on the way to Rangoon, with no indication to this point of Japanese interest in that area.

Ground combat was routine, with a couple units retreating in China. They were moving in their respective directions already, so this is actually a good thing (aside from the troop losses and added disruption).

Japanese air attacks were limited, with minimal results. The port on Guam was hit (1/1/0), and the 6th Indian Brigade lost 14 men in the middle of nowhere. Our own aircraft managed to drop some bombs on BBs HARUNA and KONGO, although damage was superficial (still, gotta love those Vildebeestes!).

------------------------------------------------------

A review of units in China shows that our retreats there are still going well. I find this theater somewhat overwhelming, but the added time available with the end of class should help alleviate that feeling to some extent (I'll be able to do something the same day I see the combat results, along with having more time available in the first place).

From a logistical standpoint we've started building and reinforcing some bases. The first supply convoy between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor is loading, and as soon as it sails we'll create the next one. We've sent some supply trips from Pearl Harbor to Midway and Johnston, and there are already shipments en route from the west coast to Palmyra and Christmas Island. It doesn't do much good to have wayside refueling stations with no fuel or means to support them, after all! We're also preparing a shipment for Dutch Harbor in preparation for building a small base there to coordinate local operations. At this point we're not anticipating offensive activity, although we haven't ruled it out for the future; we just want to be in a position to counter any enemy action in the region.

We've already lost Manado, and enemy troops are ashore at some other points: Rabaul, Kuching, and Wake. All are likely to fall, probably in the order listed, but air attacks continue to attempt inflicting disruption on the ground units.

--------------------------------------------------------

Thought I had mentioned it in an earlier post, but don't see that I did. My strengths in this game are logistics and submarine operations. My active duty service was as a weather officer, so I don't have much training in tactics (okay, I have none at all) and have never been serious enough about my wargaming to come even close to advancing beyond novice level. I do have a good memory, though, which is why I try to avoid playing against the AI -- too easy to remember what it's going to do. Can learn a lot from reading AARs, but there's no substitute for learning by doing! Fortunately my opponent is not a long-time JFB, so he's simultaneously learning the ropes of that side of the equation. Should be an interesting journey.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 10
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 11/5/2013 9:07:09 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Next turn was played, but notes are at home. Highlights I remember:

We continue to have task forces meet, both turn tail and run, and then engage at 28,000 yards. Usually hurts me, since mine is transports and his is men of war, but my TF has finally broken clear of Bengkalis on its way to Batavia. Suddenly can't see his on the map, something to look into next turn.

Sub commanders are starting to get hits without explosions, an improvement over 2 or 4 misses. Occasionally a torpedo actually explodes and causes some damage!

To this point I've not built up defenses in Palembang because I had no units to send there. He has a small ground force that outnumbers mine, but to date has shown no aggressiveness. Have to decide this coming turn whether to divert my Batavia-bound TF to Palembang. I don't believe any of his warships are in the immediate waters, but I'll definitely look at that before making a rash decision. I do have submarines 1 day away from blockading Palembang -- in the shallow water they'd better all be Dutch boats, and such is the case.

A bit over half the ships that fled Manila made it to Butuan with varying levels of damage. I don't remember that being their original destination, but it's a good one on a very temporary basis. Will re-evalute to see where best to send them from there.

From nowhere, enemy LCUs appeared in Cagayan. No landings, none previously on the entire island of Mindanao. Air drops, perhaps?

Also from nowhere, enemy troops landed on and captured Canton Island. My CVs weren't yet quite close enough to intercept any transports heading that direction, but one has been ordered to do an end run around the Jap subs and pass close by to see if it's worth shooting at anybody. Both CVs are headed for Auckland -- close to the action, safe (for now) from attack.

General retreat continues in China. Making moves to reinforce Port Blair before opponent develops an interest. Monitoring Burma and will be trying to stay a step ahead of him.

Following bases have expanded successfully since the start of the war:

Adelaide (to Forts 2)
Albany (to Forts 1)
Anchorage (to Forts 1)
Auckland (to Forts 2)
Bacolod (to Forts 1)
Batangas (to Forts 1)
Bengkalis (to Forts 1)
Blenheim (to Forts 1)
Bombay (to Forts 2)
Bowen (to Forts 1)
Brisbane (to Forts 2)
Broome (to Forts 1)
Brunei (to Forts 1)
Bundaberg (to Forts 1)
Burnie (to Forts 1)
Cairns (to Forts 1)
Calcutta (to Forts 2)
Carnarvon (to Forts 1)
Chengchow (to Forts 2)
Christchurch (to Forts 2)
Darwin (to Forts 2)
Derby (to Forts 1)
Diamond Harbour (to Forts 1)
Dunedin (to Forts 2)
Esperance (to Forts 1)
Geelong (to Forts 1)
Geraldton (to Forts 1)
Gisborne (to Forts 1)
Greymouth (to Forts 1)
Iba (to Forts 1)
Iloilo (to Forts 1)
Invercargill (to Forts 1)
Jesselton (to Forts 1)
Junean (to Forts 1)
Kodiak (to Forts 1)
Koggala (to Forts 1)
Launceston (to Forts 1)
Lingayen (to Forts 1)
Loyang (to Forts 2)
Lucena (to Forts 1)
Malaybalay (to Forts 1)
Mangalore (to Forts 1)
Manila (to Forts 1)
Midway Island (to Forts 1)
Moulmein (to Forts 1)
Newcastle (to Forts 1)
Palmerston North (to Forts 1)
Pegu (to Forts 1)
Perth (to Forts 2)
Port Heldand (to Forts 1)
Portland (Australia) (to Forts 2)
Portland (Oregon) (to Forts 1)
Rangoon (to Forts 2)
Rockhampton (to Forts 1)
Sale (to Forts 1)
San Francisco (to Forts 3)
San Jose (to Forts 1)
Spassk-Dalniy (to Forts 2)
Tacloban (to Forts 1)
Waipapakauri (to Forts 1)
Wellington (to Forts 2)
Whyalla (to Forts 1)
Wyndham (to Forts 1)
Zamboanga (to Forts 1)

Appearances notwithstanding, it's not just forts being upgraded. As we all know, ports and airfields take longer. My general philosophy, especially early, is to get forts built up in bases that are in positions vulnerable to attack (I subscribe to Patton's thoughts that you need to prepare based on the enemy's capabilities, not his intentions). Unless forts are already at least at level 3, bases near coastlines and national borders get forts built first. Some ports are being expanded where the forts are more than adequate (Vladivostok, for example) and some inland airfields are being expanded. There are isolated deviations from these guidelines, and requirements are being continually re-evaluated. Not bothering to build airfields or ports in locations that are strongly suspected to be on target lists. Never have a problem expanding forts as they ten to get destroyed in battle, anyway, rather than reverting to supporting the enemy.

Currently I have 79 ships with any level of trackable damage. Trackable damage is defined as (a) any damage if in port, or (b) damage points of 10 or more in a single category if at sea. For some reason it took a few turns to remember to put some in the yards, so repairs in many cases are about 4 days behind where they should be. Worst off are (format: Sys/Flt/Eng/Fire/Wpn):

91/16/14/00/01 DD ISIS
89/49/24/00/02 AVD CHILDS
82/26/14/00/01 AMC KANIMBLA
77/25/22/00/00 DD JUPITER
77/21/24/00/00 SS SAURY
74/18/08/00/00 CM KUNG WO
53/38/30/00/00 DD STEWART
45/58/06/00/03 BB NEVADA
44/34/04/22/01 AO PECOS
39/63/61/00/03 BB WEST VIRGINIA
39/57/33/00/01 CL RALEIGH
35/65/03/00/01 AM BALLARAT
34/52/27/00/00 CA SAN FRANCISCO
25/76/05/00/03 BB MARYLAND
21/57/21/00/01 BB PENNSYLVANIA

Criteria for this list are SYS >= 70, FLT >= 50, ENG >= 30, FIRE >= 20. All weapons damage levels are negligible.

Combat results for the next turn are in my inbox, but the turn isn't. With meetings every night this week I might not get to a turn until Saturday, but will post a new report when there's something to say.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 11
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 11/5/2013 9:08:20 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		For the record, those lists were formatted but the HTML eliminated white space. I hate "intelligent" formatting!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 12
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 11/24/2013 4:24:26 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Missed one day, but nothing of great consequence so will continue to miss it.

12/14/41

Lost several bases today: Basilan (simple change of allegiance), Kavieng, Kuching, Palembang, Sidate, and Wake Island. None was completely unexpected, although Palembang and Wake fell a few days sooner than expected. Also lost a couple battles in China in unnamed locations, with our units retreating.

We continue to consolidate our positions in China. At this point the plan is to pull back to positions of about two hundred miles ahead of the Japanese, sticking to high-defense terrain in the process. We are using a limited number of level bombers in an attempt to disrupt the most bothersome enemy LCUs, all the while keeping an eye on available supply. One or two of our units will have to go the long way around to get out of the pocket the Japanese have them in, but there are clear paths available.

We've started supply and fuel convoys between the west coast and Pearl Harbor, and supplies and fuel are traveling to the Aleutians. An engineer unit we'd prefer to use elsewhere is on its way to Midway on temporary duty to speed up the atoll's expansion, with plans to replace it later with a support unit.

We also have started convoys from off-map ports to appropriate bases. We're doing a one-time run from Cape Town to Darwin with supplies and fuel, with another set of shipments to Perth. I doubt we'll have open seas long enough for more than one Darwin trip, but do want to beef it up since it's our emergency evacuation base in the region. Right now there are no long-term plans for Darwin, but we'll be flexible depending on Japanese actions.

The start-of-game Rangoon reinforcement TF is well on its way with no opposition. There have been no enemy air attacks in Burma to date, and we're taking the considered risk of reaching Rangoon without problems.

Troops are being loaded on the west coast for transport to Australia. There is a drastic shortage of escorts, so routing is somewhat south of direct. There is an enemy submarine operating around Fiji, and if it hasn't been eliminated by a couple weeks from now we'll need to watch out for its position, as well. Additional troops will head that direction on a staggered schedule.

So far David doesn't seem to have any intentions out of the ordinary. Aside from the Fiji submarine, everything else is pretty similar to the way the AI is programmed (except he hasn't attacked Brunei). I'm trying not to be lulled into a false sense of knowing his intentions!

--------------------

One of these times I'll get more into this writing. I like writing, and I want to write, but getting into the groove of an AAR is a new challenge. Any comments, suggestions, and requests are more than welcome!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 13
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 11/29/2013 11:24:41 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		12/16/41

Submarines in two areas are really wearing out their welcome! At least two in the vicinity of Canton Island are playing havoc with CV LExINGTON and her task force (LEXINGTON was hit yesterday, CA NORTHAMPTON earlier). At least two others are in the waters around Fiji, where we actually have very ineffective ASW patrols.

Our stalwart troops on Guam staved off an attack by the Japanese. Rauscher reports that to our knowledge we are only slight outnumbered, and the enemy suffered greater losses than we did (but by a number small enough to be statistically meaningless). Now that we have some submarines repaired, maybe we can get one or two into the area before any reinforcement-bearing ships. We'll explore that possibility.

A number of DDs finally arrived in theater at the Panamanian ports. We need them desperately to escort the convoys from the west coast. It would be nice if they could also beef up the ASW effort around Fiji, but it'll take some time to get them that far. We will explore other options there, as well.

Yesterday saw only one encounter on the surface, and both sides turned tail and ran. In our case, we had a single ship -- AM PENGUIN. The Japanese force included a number of transports, but no indication of whether they were heading toward Wake or returning therefrom. If the former there is a good chance they are loaded and worth a special effort to intercept. If the latter they are still a worthy target but not of extraordinary measures. LCDR Ready, PENGUIN's skipper, reported some ship names in the enemy task force, but with the proviso that they were indistinct at a difference and positive identification is well below certain. Nevertheless, we'll have Rauscher and his staff compare this list with known ships in the area.

Air attacks were reduced on both sides yesterday. We had many flights grounded for weather, and indications are that enemy forces were just taking the day off. The pilots from ENTERPRISE had a decent showing, dropping two bombs on a CM operating in the central Pacific area. Our other squadrons remain lucky to be attacking in the proper time zones!

Hong Kong, Rabaul, and Dadjangas fell to the enemy. Dadjangas was unopposed, Rabaul was only a matter of time, but we expected Hong Kong to last a little longer than it did. The loss of so many of our forces there is a sad event, but every cloud has its silver lining. In this case, the lads at Hong Kong diverted enemy troops that could be employed against us elsewhere and who are now out of position to have an immediate effect. We're realistic, though, and realize that we only have two or three days' reprieve. It will take them longer than that to get any air or sea transport there, but we have many ground troops in the vicinity that the enemy must see as juicy targets. These troops are already being redeployed, of course, but we'll need to review their destinations.

A large number of Japanese moved into Changsha, so it's time to get out of Dodge, so to speak. Aircraft are being relocated to Kweilin, where they will stand down for the remainder of the day to relieve their accumulated fatigue. Troops will head off to the northwest, eventually toward Chungking. Our withdrawal strategy in China is to have three focus points for amassing our troops: Chungking, Kweiyang, and Kweilin, with an eye toward stacking limits. When these positions become untenable we will further withdraw to Kunming and surrounding areas, which are mountainous and provide 50% more defensive benefit than the rough and wooded areas. There will be other pockets where we'll gather units before moving toward these same areas, but they are merely logical waystations (and flexible, depending on enemy movement in the interim).

Our overall plans continue unchanged. Local situations may dictate minor tweaks, but we are just beginning a more extensive review of the overall situation to determine how we might better deploy our minimal forces. We eagerly await planning reinforcements from the States!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 14
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 12/16/2013 6:08:58 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		502
12/18/41

How the enemy's submarines keep finding my CVs is really vexing! Just north of Fiji LEXINGTON got some hits and now has 45 flotation damage. I've altered her course to the east a couple hundred miles to make it look like she's heading to Sydney rather than Auckland; that will remain an option if I find those underwater beasts blocking the path southward. ENTERPRISE is a couple hundred miles behind, having already made a similar detour the opposite direction long ago after being attacked off Canton Island.

There was no report for 12/17/41 simply because nothing noteworthy happened that day. There were the usual land skirmishes and a very reduced number of air attacks.

The air attacks remained low on the 17th itself (reported on the 18th), except in isolated areas. Rauscher suggests the enemy may be recovering his strength.

Our PT flotillas based in Bataan took on a task force of much larger ships. Only one plywood pushover succumbed, but they did score several hits on the CAs and CLs. We have no reason to believe these hits were at all debilitating, but perhaps they'll give their skippers something to reflect on -- they're not invulnerable to little craft. Hmm, I think the Spanish learned this lesson at Trafalgar, didn't they?

Consolidation in China continues. Some units have been redirected as the enemy has moved into their next hexes; we're not inclined to send a practically-non-combat army HQ into a hex containing several enemy units! Note that we are truly consolidating in strategic locations; this is not a full-blown Sir Robin although it may seem that way at first glance. With units scattered all over creation, though, there needs to be some logic in their withdrawal to strategic positions. To the extent possible we're trying to combine masses sooner rather than later, but where necessary it's every unit for itself. Two or three will have some creating routing to get through the Japanese lines.

Lingayen and Kinhsien fell, but this is not an operational disaster (really, the only harm is Victory Points).

The task force on map at the beginning that is carrying reinforcements to Burma happened to run into a very hostile force in the middle of the night. I guess the Japanese had trouble identifying them since they made haste to break off. BBs and CAs could have made mince meat of a force of xAPs and xAKs! Our force tried to return to Madras; while stepping up our air patrols in order to locate the Japanese STF we've turned our ships around to head back to Rangoon.

We have been studying where to establish support bases on the Indian coast. For now we've settled on Cochin as it's far enough forward to do some good and already has a sizable port. Rauscher's men will continue monitoring Japanese maneuvers in the IO, but so far it appears there is only the one TF (and we knew it was there somewhere). Cochin will, until further notice, be the destination for our fuel and supply transports coming from Aden and Abadan. Troops will go where they are required, and the occasional fuel move will go to Colombo instead.

Troops inbound from southwest Asia right now are headed to Port Blair (set out several days ago to build up the island), Colombo (there are practically no defensive forces in Ceylon), and Calcutta (armored units for use in the east). One AA unit is also on its way to Trincomalee, but that won't be a routine destination.

Supplies and fuel are moving from Cape Town to both Perth and Darwin. Our ships in Darwin sortied to intercept an enemy force just to the north; in absolute numbers it was a draw so we count it as a tactical victory as our ships were weaker and much less numerous. CL BOISE had a separate scrap with that same TF and came out slightly ahead. All hail the super ship!

No great revelations are expected with the next turn -- but are they ever?


(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 15
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 12/21/2013 7:20:19 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		544
12/18/41

Two Jap submarines are reported sunk by mines! Serves them right for investing Singapore and Rangoon. Two others were reported hit, one in each location. The reports from Singapore are suspect, since the combat reports said coastal guns were firing back, SS xxx 1 mine hit. I'm more inclined to believe the mine report than I am the coastal guns, especially since no number of guns was reported (besides, what were they firing back at?).

SS PIKE at Manila has been fully repaired, so it is being dispatched to patrol the western gap at Batan Island. It appears numerous Japanese task forces are slipping through in spite of SKIPJACK patrolling the eastern side. Three more subs from the west coast have arrived at Pearl Harbor and are taking care of minor repairs. In the absence of any emergencies I like my boats to be at 100% before they're sent out, and spending some time in port mimics real life. I'm not a slave to historical doctrine, but when something is this easy I do like to follow it somewhat (I probably won't keep the crews around for 2 full weeks of training).

I made it a full day without my CVs being attacked by the I boats, so they're on their way down to Auckland. Should get there in 2 days or just a little over. Emphasis on "should" -- the submarine that's been harrassing us has fallen off our radar, so to speak. She has three different task forces to pay attention to, though, and may be following the crippled transport that's returning to Suva.

We've started moving bombers to Australia, hop by hop. One squadron is flying to Palmyra. Another will follow each day playing follow the leader. Next stop will be Suva, then on to the continent.

CL ADELAIDE was obliterated by an enemy STF that sailed past Port Moresby on its way to the Arafura Sea. It was unfortunate that ADELAIDE reacted, but this was the first sighting of these ships. There is a full recon flying out of POM, and the flyboys let us down. Corrective action is being applied.

In the Indian Ocean there is one STF running around wild and one submarine off of Colombo. Air and sea ASW patrols are active. A supply TF is on its way into Colombo, so we've dispatched a pair of KVs to go meet it and escort it past the sub on the way in. The STF is the one that attacked the supply train to Rangoon, and it is no longer detected. Air patrols have shifted directions to see if we can spot it, and the supplies are on their way back toward Rangoon. We've also put some KVs on ASW duty around Rangoon in case any more of those little buggers are hanging around. Back on Ceylon, 6/15 Punjab Bn is moving from from Dambulla to Colombo, where the partisan activity is killing us. Right now port damage is at 15 and runway damage is at 14, solely due to an inadequate garrison.

In China we continue to consolidate positions, although it's slow going. Fighters sweep Changsha every day, which is fine -- the aircraft bugged out long ago so he's using avgas for nothing. His massed LCUs have found more of me than he might have expected in the city; a bombardment reveals that his raw strenght outnumbers mine 42K to 35K, but our defense will be doubled for the light urban terrain. I'm sure we'll lose points for other factors, but we should be able to withstand a siege for enough time to let other units in the area skedaddle to better-defended locations.

LCUs in Malaya continue their movement toward Singapore. Once they are one hex short of Johore Bahru I might move some troops across the causeway from Singapore, allowing the new arrivals to enter the island and rest up a bit before the Japanese arrive in force. They'll then be ready to do the defending when the front-line units have to retire.

The Japanese have taken Palembang -- no surprise there since this scenario gives me almost nothing to defend it with -- and orders have been issued to pummel the airfield. Six 139WH-3 squadrons will attack at six different altitudes. They'll be accompanied by a half-squadron of Brewskies. The escort may serve as nothing more than a diversion, but if it allows the bombers to get in then all's right with the world (knock on wood). There are always ships coming into the harbor, but there are four Dutch subs stationed outside the harbor across three hexesSo far they're doing a better job of being attacked than of attacking, but we just shifted some positions as a large TF approaches. Let's see if we can do something right for a change!

A couple days ago the ships at Naga left for less hostile climes, and got waylayed en route. They were originally headed south to Brisbane, but with detection levels of 10/10 they've reversed course. Their new destination is Dutch Harbor, where the sailors will be treated for pneumonia before they head for either Hawaii or the west coast (to be determined at an appropriate time). It does get frustrating that the Japs seem to find my task forces no matter where they are, no matter their size, no matter what else is happening at the time!

Overall, facility damage is minimal. Singapore has been at 14 airfield damage for over a week, but Colombo is the only other important location with any damage right now. For two days David has been bombing Kwangchowan heavily and the port damage reflects this, but the port and the town are empty. This is probably a case of cheap pilot training. Hmm... wonder if a one-day visit by the AVG might dissuade him a bit.

Twelve days into the war and the Allies are starting to pull themselves together. There won't be any offensives for quite some time, of course, just little pin ****s here and there as opportunities arise.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 16
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 12/28/2013 7:05:11 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		581
12/20/41

Yesterday saw a number of submarine attacks being reported. One of our ships was fired upon (unsuccessfully), while five of our boats report launching torpedos against the enemy. O19 reported one hit on AV KAMIKAWA MARU followed by a massive explosion, but no sinking was reported. The Dutch boat KX reported putting one torpedo into DMS W-13 which then sank. KXVII took at least 4 depth charges after an unsuccessful attack on another DMS.

The Japanese air force continues its sweep attacks at Changsha, finding nothing there. Of greater concern is that Cagayan has now become a bomber target, as well as a bombardment target. We lost some B-17s on the ramp as a result of the naval shells; the bombs from above caused minor damage to two aircraft. Nevertheless, it may be time to start thinking about moving to a new base.

Our own air forces staged a mass attack on Palembang, getting pretty well chewed up in the process. Six different waves from Batavia and two from Singapore were each met by several dozen CAP with almost none of our aircraft getting through to attack the target. Initial reports are that we lost 24 of 86 aircraft dispatched, with one enemy aircraft shot down (by a gunner in a bomber, no less; the fighter escort recorded no kills at all).

On a more positive note, those venerable Vildebeests put several bombs on two Japanese cruisers: TAKAO and ATAGO. Neither seems to have suffered significant damage, with fires spotted that were quickly extinguished. Perhaps some of their newer sailors were shaken up, but veterans almost certainly took it in stride.

The Japanese army invested Chengchow unopposed, and defeated the 8th Indian Brigade in Malaya, forcing their retreat. Since the 8th was already on the move, this is a loss only in terms of personnel (i.e., not a strategic loss).

Both sides have huge numbers in Changsha. The Allies have the advantage in numbers, the Japanese have the advantage in firepower. Mutual lobbing of shells resulted in no troop losses on either side (no word on civilian casualties). Other skirmishes at various locations were inconsequential.

Engineers are unloading at Midway Island to help expedite the expansion of facilities there. Supplies are being unloaded at both Midway and Johnston, but Palmyra is running extremely short. A task force is on the way, but aircraft ferrying operations may need to be suspended for a few days. The first squadron of B-17s is there now on its way to Australia. Since Canton Island was captured, we need to use Palmyra as the first stop on the trip southwest.

ENTERPRISE and LEXINGTON and their task forces are 2 and 4 days from Auckland, respectively. The shipyard there isn't big enough to fully repair LEXINGTON, but they'll at least be able to repair her to the point she can safely transit to a larger facility. SARATOGA is on the way to Pearl Harbor (2 days away) for refueling, and YORKTOWN should be available in about 10 days.

The China situation right now can be best described as organized chaos. Our objectives, in no particular order of importance are to get all of our troops on the correct side of enemy lines, withdraw to defensible positions, and block the Japanese advance in key locations. The Japanese are attacking the ports at Pakhoi and Kwangchowan, but all they're doing is assuring they'll have repair work to do should they ever occupy those sites.

Of significant concern is that we've lost track of all Japanese naval forces in the Indian Ocean. A task force along the west coast of Java has disappeared. The force that attacked our transports headed for Rangoon has disappeared. We've lost track of the submarine that was spotted off Colombo two days ago.

The Mini KB appears to be in the middle of the Java Sea, reportedly heading east. Numerous Japanese naval units also are heading in and out of Palembang -- no surprise -- and we have four submarines patrolling the choke point leading to the port. Even the Dutch have been missing their shots; we are less than pleased with the competence of our underwater navies.

Coastwatchers report the harbors at Rabaul and Kavieng are empty, but our recon flights tell us otherwise: an unknown number of ships at Kavieng, four including a TK at Rabaul. Rauscher has some concern that the Japanese have gotten to the coastwatchers and either turned or spooked them. We will have to view their reports with a jaundiced eye for the time being.

Other Japanese naval forces are moving down the outer coast of New Guinea, undoubtedly heading toward Kavieng and/or Rabaul with reinforcements. We're not in position to do anything about it right now, though submarines are moving toward the New Britain area to take up their patrol stations.

The task force that tangled with us off Port Moresby moved on to the northwest and is now somewhere unknown. We will reduce the react distance of our surface forces in Darwin, which are nowhere near large enough to survive contact with that force. We still need to defend Darwin, though, so we won't take them completely out of the picture.

The corvettes from Colombo have linked up with the supply force, so in a few days Ceylon will have enough supplies to last at least a month, depending on how much we trans-ship. Punjab Battalion is roughly 1/4 of the way to Colombo to help combat the rebel activity there.

We have elected to make Cochin our primary hub in southwest India and supplies are being loaded in Abadan. Reinforcement troops are en route to various locations to establish above-minimal garrisons; later arrivals will deploy to long-term strategic locations. Most currently-expected arrivals will come from the western hemisphere or Australia, although ships and air units are coming in all over the theater. No withdrawals of any type are required for over a month.

PRINCE OF WALES took some serious hits off of Bali and really needs to visit a repair port. Rather than route her to Singapore, where we expect she'll be a sitting duck, we're sending her to Colombo, the nearest port with a repair yard large enough to accommodate her. The safe routing makes the port just out of range, so she'll stop in Tjilitjap for a minimum top-off of her tanks and those of her escort.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 17
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 1/21/2014 9:25:08 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		681
Just for the benefit of the handful of you following this thread, turns have obviously been very slow lately. It normally takes the two of us about a week to do both sides of one turn, and that is now being complicated by both our work. In my case, it's the busy season for accountants (about to start on income taxes, but in the meantime need to take care of year-end payroll filings). In his case, he's been doing some traveling.

Should be something new very soon, but didn't want anyone to give up on us!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 18
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 1/25/2014 6:00:39 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		705
12/22/41

Two days are covered in this report -- partly because I've been too busy with real life to do the 12/21 report, and partly because not much has been happening. These two days have been relatively quiet. On the 21st we didn't even have any ground combat that forced Allied troops to retreat!

Since David was out of town this week, once I finished developing the handout for Thursday's presentation I was able to put some real thought into plans for this war. What this instance of the game has taught me so far, even more than when I've taken a couple months off with impunity in a game against the AI, is the important of committing my plans to paper (or, if appropriate, an electronic version)! That's one reason for the AAR, in fact; putting things down in a public forum not only opens the possibility of helpful advice but also helps hold my feet to the fire.

At this point it's still impossible to tell what David's long-term strategy is; our reconnaissance efforts have left much to be desired. It's unusual that we can track a task force for more than two days, a very unfortunate situation especially when submarines are involved! We know there is one sub to the southeast of Auckland, one task force in the South China Sea, and two others just south of Mindanao. Naturally, the last two -- the closest to land -- are the least defined. There was once a sub hanging around Rangoon, but it hasn't been seen in over a week. It might be the same one later spotted off Ceylon; this one has also disappeared. Where they aren't is along my shipping lanes. My transports have been proceeding mostly unmolested for quite some time (the only one that's had a problem had the misfortune to be moving along exactly the same track as the submarine!).

Not knowing what he's planning makes it more difficult to plan ahead for my own sake. There are certain obvious moves to make, of course, that apply in almost any situation, but at a more granular level things are more complicated while we're still in defense mode.

That's a rationalization for having come up with only short-term goals right now. At least I've set those goals and recorded them, though! Actually, according to one of my fellow Toastmasters right now they're only "wishes" because I haven't set time limits. Come to think of it, they're not terribly specific, either. Okay, so right now they're just general guidelines. That's all right; they still give me a picture of what I want to be doing. Here's the list (in order of thought, not necessarily priority)?

1. Build up Dutch Harbor, then some other nearby islands. The idea here isn't to build up an impregnable fortress but rather to have a show of force and dissuade the enemy from operations in this area.

2. Build up Midway Island to use as a forward sub base. This won't require a terribly large port, which is a good thing since it starts as 1(0). Fortifications are currently being increased; they just hit 2.00 and we'll continue building them until they reach 3.00. After that we'll shift to port expansion to get to level 2; with an AS present, I'm not sure it will be worth the effort to go to level 3. We shall see.

3. Move fighters to Australia. During my review of the current situation I realized that Australia has lots of bombers but almost no defense aircraft. The catch here is a lack of escorts for transport convoys.

4. Establish Palmyra as a way station. Canton Island is the prime base for this role, but it was captured early on. Palmyra and Christmas Island are ideally situated for refueling ships and for servicing fighters that are hopscotching their way across the Pacific. Of the two, Palmyra has slightly better potential for buildup so it's the one I chose for development.

5. Build defenses at Darwin and Port Moresby, including both air and ground. While I have no illusion of being able to hold either of these bases if he makes a concerted effort to take them, I also have no intention of rolling over and playing dead. The war is just only 2 weeks old, to be sure, but so far David has shown no serious interest in these bases and now is the time to prepare!

6. Establish a cohesive defense line in China. The main effort so far has been merely to get all Chinese troops on the right side of the Japanese lines. I haven't yet decided exactly where this defense line will be built, but naturally it will be in highly defensible terrain. It should be noted that right now my mega-stack in Changsha is significantly larger than his mega-stack in Changsha but not enough so to actually go on the offensive (besides, he gets the urban terrain bonus, too). Despite being bombarded for two or three days, my troops are showing little disruption and only slightly more fatigue. Of course, they're experience levels are still abysmal...

7. Build up Rangoon and Port Blair. Again, he's done almost nothing so far in Burma, not even nuisance air attacks. Nor has he shown any interest at all in Port Blair, which is widely recognized as an important base for the Allies. Reinforcements and extra supplies are already at Rangoon and are on the way to Port Blair (rounding the tip of India). The ground units that start in the Burmese tail are well on their way to the main country with lots of fatigue but little disruption.

8. Build up Ceylon. This little island actually can be a great fortress if given time to build it up, especially from a defensive standpoint. It has a good head start from the beginning of the war, needing mainly additional ground forces.

9. Establish Cochin, Madras, and Calcutta as operation centers. As nice as Ceylon is, it can't stand alone. The three bases named are nicely spaced along the coast, have high development potential, and are already at least moderately built up. The main idea here is to have some hubs for supply and fuel distribution.

Okay, now back to the current situation. David appears to be concentrating his efforts right now in the Philippines and Malaya, but even there his efforts aren't as concentrated as I've seen against the AI or in reading other AARs. He has a lot -- I mean a LOT -- of troops on northern Luzon, but nothing at all in the south. The only threat to Manila is the geography. The other major bases (Iba, Clark Field, Bataan) are not yet under any greater threat than the half-persistent air attacks. In fact, I haven't noticed the troops up north making any movement toward the south (but see my much earlier comment about the reconnaissance that's coming up short).

In Malaya I executed Sir Robin from the beginning of the war, so all my units there are well on their way to Singapore. Some of them have been taking their time getting to railheads, but only one movable unit was trapped in Georgetown (orders were SNAFU).

The Japanese have, of course, taken Palembang. Even if I had any decent troops to move there they didn't have the chance; this seems to have been a priority in enemy planning. I do have a number of Dutch submarines blockading the harbor entrance (well, right now they're an extra hex out) so moving in and out is hazardous for him. They've actually sunk at least one ship! Dutch sub and S-boat performance this time around has been well south of what I'm used to.

Aside from those two combat zones, all that has taken place is of a nuisance nature. Some of the surface combats have been pretty deadly (always when the Japanese TF suddenly appeared out of the fog), but I wouldn't say anything is significantly negative.

That's where things stand. I just sent the turn tonight (Friday night US west coast time; early Saturday morning his time) and expect I'll see the combat results by the time I get home from meetings and work on Saturday. Stay tuned!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 19
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 2/17/2014 5:43:45 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		803
12/25/41

It can certainly be frustrating when everything seems to go my opponent's way. TFs and LCUs show up out of the blue, ships get sunk by undetected submarines (even with patrols out), surface combatants break off yet continue to do battle. I need to keep reminding myself that the war isn't even 3 weeks old, so of course things aren't going well for the Allies! All the same, sometimes it seems like he's reading my mind, always having a reception committee waiting for me.

My apologies for not updating on a (game) daily basis. I tend to be very methodical in my play style and a meticulous administrative specialist, and by the time I get a turn done I'm too pooped to write about it! This time I'm writing as I go, so maybe I'll get caught up here.

It's too bad I don't take good notes about my plans. I'm glad to have found an opponent whose life, like mine, has other commitments that mean we're lucky to get a turn done each week, but that does make it hard to remember what my intentions are. I'll see what I can get written down and you all can help me remember.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

No Christmas for the troops this year, I'm afraid! We're in a shooting war and need to keep our guard up. Even those in the back waters have work to do.

In China I just discovered an isolated unit that must have been overlooked in the past. I've started moving it toward the rear, but it has a long way to go -- it's currently in the hex southwest of Haichow. Fortunately, there appears to be a clear path to join its countrymen. If the unit (Lusu War Area) had any AV at all it could probably turn two or three Japanese bases on the way. As it is, I'll be avoiding anything Japanese on the way. The move might be done in stages, pausing to rest every two or three hexes if necessary.

Elsewhere in China, things are progressing about as well as could be hoped. There are some tangles at the eastern front where we're both behind the other's lines, but except in one or two spots this shouldn't have to be an issue. The planned retreat to a solid defensive line goes smoothly but slowly.

To this point the enemy has shown little interest in Burma, executing only one or two air raids on Rangoon. To discourage this sort of thing we've moved one AVG squadron to Rangoon.

In addition to beefing up the air defense in Rangoon, we've diverted a transport TF to Moulmein that had previously been heading to Singapore. Increased Japanese shipping in the Indian Ocean off Malaya has turned the original route into a suicide mission. This TF should be able to reach Moulmein in 4 days, way before any known Japanese ground troops can get that far. The key word, though, is "known." We'll send out some extra recon flights so we don't have another unpleasant surprise.

One of those LCUs that appeared from nowhere has invested Kuala Lumpur, while another is in Malacca. These have the combined effect of cutting off the road route to Johore Bahru. As it happens we won't lose a lot of fighting value if we lose any of the units that are affected, but they can still get around via the jungle. We'll see how this plays out.

Intelligence reports a Japanese submarine at Noumea. Naturally, there is no indication of one on the map, and we have no aircraft in range to check it out. This is of concern only with regard to ships sailing west to Sydney.

There are now three enemy submarines spotted to the east of Auckland, effectively trapping my fleet there temporarily. Because they're in a neat little row, though, they're in a good position to be worked over by ASW air missions (assuming the pilots are competent; that's another issue). We'll set up to give them a good working over. We also have a surface fleet with mostly DDs coming in from the north, and they should be able to contribute to the effort.

Palmyra and Christmas Island both suffered setbacks when submarines sank the tankers bringing them fuel. Again, our patrols gave us no indication of submarines in the area (out of fairness, there is only one aircraft available at any given time). Search parameters have been adjusted. The supply ships are unaffected, and they're more important at this point. Palmyra is being used as a transfer base for aircraft heading to the southwest Pacific (Christmas Island isn't yet built up enough to be suitable and needs more supplies, which are on the way) and those operations are unaffected.

Up in the Aleutians, Dutch Harbor has received a shipment of supplies and is in good shape for a while. Now we need to find some construction units to develop facilities at Adak and Umnak. The catch, of course, is that neither has any airfield right now (though they have potentials of 4 and 5, respectively) and both are only size 1 ports. Patience, grasshopper; the war isn't 3 weeks old!

In other areas which don't require any action today:

The Port Blair reinforcement group is 3 days out and it looks like they will remain unmolested. They can certainly get there more quickly than any known enemy naval forces, and we haven't noticed any air patrols out that direction. Maybe something will go right for a change!

We've added Chittagong to the list of bases to build up on the Indian Ocean perimeter. This will be a lower priority than the others for build-up, but is a good location for some of the air units formerly operating out of Hong Kong.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That's all for now. Turn has been sent, and with luck I'll another post next weekend.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 20
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 2/17/2014 12:17:20 PM   
guytipton41


Posts: 351
Joined: 2/26/2011
From: Houston, TX
Status: offline 		HI CaptDave

I would suggest a heavy investment in Chittagong. I consider this base to the critical back door to Burma. Maybe a 1000 AV and a CD unit as a minimum? And of course Diamond Harbour.

Cheers
Guy

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 21
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 2/19/2014 5:23:21 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Thanks for the input, Guy. I'll look at what's feasible how quickly when I get the turn back.

(in reply to guytipton41)
Post #: 22
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 2/24/2014 2:02:25 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		884
12/26/41

China

We'll start with China. It's very frustrating that 64 Chinese Corps was in hex 072,057 and had move about halfway to the northwest, then retreated southwest toward Pakhoi when defeated in battle. The unit is suffering from some fatigue, but rather than having them trapped in Pakhoi we're sending them immediately to the northwest (a jungle hex along the Indochina border). There is a slight supply problem; Pakhoi itself has 3 supply points and 64 Chinese Corps is below its desired level. We will do a one-time supply lift from Kweilin, which isn't exactly swimming in them, to support the 64th's survival. We need to remember to turn off this mission next turn!

We have three units in Wuchow -- 13 Chinese BF, 16 Grp Army, and 2 Prov Chinese Corps -- that have moved 32 of 46 miles toward the hex to the northwest. The Japanese 23 Army bombarded, revealing that enemy strength is roughly double ours. Our base force is suffering some fatigue, but the other two units are in good shape. If they can all get to the next hex they'll join 62 Chinese Corps for added defense. Their eventual destination is Kwailin, but the immediate goal is to get into better defensive terrain.

A sizable stack of units is in Kukong, waiting for isolated single units to gather with them. There don't appear to be enemy LCUs in position to ambush us in Kukong, although given our track record with reconnaissance we won't rely on this assessment.

Numerous units to the east of Kukong (generally east, not due east) continue to move westward. At present they're so spread out that this isn't a cohesive movement, but as they come together we plan to coalesce them into one or two moderate stacks. Our strategy, such as it is, is to have sizable stacks for defense until they are far enough west that a broad front is desirable (in suitable terrain). While they're still crossing the plains, though, there is strength in numbers.

The only other significant activity in China right now is in Changsha. Each side has 10 units stacked in Changsha and the Japanese have been bombarding every day. Our units are showing very little fatigue and no disruption, and we have superior numbers, so we're standing pat. If nothing else, we're tying down a number of enemy units that aren't annoying us somewhere else.

Burma

David is starting to show a little interest in the Burma theater, but we may be ahead of the game here. We have four units already in Moulmein, another only a day or two away, and a sixth that will arrive in about a week. In the meantime we have shipborne troops on the way, as well, and the only enemy unit appears to also be about a week from Moulmein (again, assuming there aren't others we haven't spotted). To date enemy air activity in the theater has been confined to recon but we have a reasonable CAP at Rangoon.

What is annoying is the SS that showed up at the Irrawaddy Delta and sank an empty transport, despite the presence of ASW patrols. Investigation revealed that the two ASW forces had been issued orders not to react, so they blithely ignored the activity 40NM away. This state of affairs has been remedied, but it's not likely the enemy will stick around to be clobbered.

Malaya

In Malaya we have some troops cut off in Temuloh and they may have to be sacrificed for the cause. They will continue moving toward the south, of course, but may not make it. The units in the hex northeast of Temuloh are pretty much doomed -- one has a single support squad left and the other is a low-strength infantry brigade. Both stacks are favorite targets of enemy air, so once again we view the situation as a welcome distraction of enemy attention.

We, in turn, are doing quite well in our air attacks on enemy units in Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. Daily casualties are reported to be just under a hundred, which for a ground attack mission is fairly respectable. We have no idea what effect we're having on soft factors, of course, but we'll be happy if we're increasing fatigue or disruption or decreasing morale.

Sumatra

I haven't discussed Sumatra in the past because nothing's really happening there. The Japanese took Palembang before we could even identify potential units to defend it, but no other major action has taken place. They've taken a couple of small bases by osmosis, and one unit is marching across the island toward Benkoelen. Of greater concern is a task force near Nias consisting of cruisers and APDs. If our task forth farther north doesn't get a move on, it will be in danger of being intercepted.

Borneo

Events on Borneo have proceeded in standard fashion. The Japanese have taken the coastal bases from Pontianak wrapping around to Kuching, along with Miri and Brunei. Tarakan fell yesterday. The ground forces either surrendered or retreated to Tandjoengselor, whence we'll attempt air evacuation to the extent possible (using amphibians, given the size 0 airfield). Otherwise we have no specific plans for the island at this point.

Celebes

Also as fairly normal, Manado fell fairly early. No additional action has taken place. It's about time we send a recon flight over Manado just to get some idea of what the enemy has there.

Philippines

The vise is closing on the Central Triangle -- Clark Field, Manila, and Bataan -- but slowly. A large number of enemy units are located at Clark Field, and we took the opportunity to attack before they could build up to critical mass. We ended up with 1:23 odds, so it looks like it's time to evacuate the airfield. We'll send the bombers far away and the fighters over to Manila to maintain some air defense. There is currently no threat at the southern end of Luzon, and we'll start consolidating our ground forces while we can.

On Mindanao, Davao and Dadjangas have already fallen. Cotabato was invaded yesterday and isn't likely to last beyond the first battle. We evacuated the aircraft from Cagayan a few days ago and the only airplane still there is being repaired.

New Guinea, its Environs, and the Coral Sea

Coastwatchers keep reporting empty harbors at Rabaul and Kavieng, but there is so much red on the map at Rabaul that you can barely see the base. There have been no moves to date on Port Moresby, and we're working slowly to reinforce it -- hopefully without being detected. A transport TF is on its way to Gasmata to extract our troops that were kicked out of Rabaul.

Another Japanese task force is off the coast at Shortlands, presumably carrying an invasion force. We have nothing with which to fight back, so we really have no choice but to let it go. What we will do, though, is look at the possibility of deploying fighting forces in the southern end of the Coral Sea to discourage the enemy from proceeding too far.

We have had reports of a submarine at Noumea, but these are so far unconfirmed. We'll be working to protect our forces crossing between New Zealand and Australia, particularly the CVs now at Auckland.

Central and South Pacific

Activity in this theater has been notably lacking. Japanese submarines have harrassed us around Suva, Palmyra, and Christmas Island, and Nauru Island was taken early. Ocean Island and Tarawa, other typical targets, are still in our possession with no obvious direct threat. Our intent is to build up Palmyra and Christmas Island as intermediate staging bases for aircraft and task forces with insufficient range to reach the southwest. We do have a number of submarine patrols around the Marshall Islands. We also just received a report of a transport heading to Kwajalein Island, though we don't know where it is right now, so we'll see who gets there first.

Aleutian Islands

No update since my last report.

Indian Ocean

One Japanese submarine has made its way into the area and torpedoed a tanker near Cochin. We have ASW patrols in the general vicinity, but in this case the vicinity is just a bit too general. Our practice has been to have them escort the transport TFs through the area, but this time they hadn't yet made the linkup.

Japanese air patrols were spotted yesterday over Port Blair, and our reinforcements are 2 days out. We'll move some fighters there to provide CAP.

Otherwise, things are quiet in this area. Our supply ships have arrived and are unloading at Addu; other task forces are moving fuel and supplies to Colombo, Cochin, Trincomalee, Karachi, and Bombay. SS TRUANT just arrived in Aden and will be deployed anon. As noted, we will build up Chittagong along with the other bases on the perimeter of the ocean.

General Comments

This is the second long post in a row, but between the two I think they give a pretty detailed idea of where things stand. Comments and questions are always welcome!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 23
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 3/3/2014 7:09:15 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		928
12/27/41

Very little happened this turn. Invasion forces made some noise at Beaufort, the Japanese overran some unheard-of bases in China, and that's about it! Intelligence reports say a couple enemy ships sank (including a submarine hitting a mine), but I don't recall seeing any such messages in the scrolls-too-fast screen during the turn. I strongly suspect both these ships will be on the "oops, we made a mistake" report in a day or so.

The one point of concern is spotting an enemy task force at Port Blair when our transports are one day out. The TF doesn't show up on the map, though, so we can be sure it's not in that exact hex. If the movement is correct in the intelligence report (typical chances about 10%) then it's moving away and we should be able to get in safely. I'm not holding my breath!

Still having some trouble coming to grips with a master plan. This has more to do with a lack of time right now than with my low game skills -- it is tax season, after all. My opponent keeps saying not to worry about it and to take my time, but there comes a point where I start feeling internal pressure (like when I'm on the golf course and the foursome behind me is constantly waiting for mine -- even though it's because we're constantly waiting for the yahoos in front of us -- and I feel pressured to maintain pace of play). It's also a little bit like real life: I'm very slow to pull the trigger on major decisions, possibly because I tend to be aggressive in my intentions and the risk-averse part of me says "go ahead if you want to, but be sure you want to!"

The last of our B-17s are on the way from Pearl Harbor to Australia via Palmyra and Suva/Nadi. One unit is being kept behind simply because it withdraws in a couple weeks. Need to move some fighters, as well, but with their short ranges they'll need to go by ship and I'm short of escorts at the moment.

The ASW air patrols around Auckland are actually being somewhat useful, although they haven't actually attacked any submarines yet (there are four known to be in the area). We've added a surface ASW patrol that will traverse all known SS-occupied hexes. The idea is to disturb them enough to let LEXINGTON book out of there. Unfortunately, she has 28 major flotation damage and doesn't fit in the yards at Auckland. ENTERPRISE is there, as well, but undamaged. I may combine the two TFs at least long enough to get out of Dodge; the extra screen will be very useful.

Dang, I knew I forgot something (something important, that is; I'm pretty sure everybody forgets something every turn). SS SAURY is fully repaired and ready to go on patrol. I think the hex southwest of Bataan will be a good patrol area; an enemy TF has been loitering there for a few days now and could use some "encouragement" to go play somewhere else.

That's it for this update.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 24
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 3/11/2014 8:11:04 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		978
12/28/41

Not a lot to report, aside from one big OOPS! on my part. My forces depth charged some of his submarines loitering around Auckland, and next turn might -- emphasize might -- produce a glug, glug effect or two. I'm in a little bit of a pickle as LEXINGTON is too large for the yards at Auckland, and while it can most likely get to a larger port at cruise speed I'm afraid it has just a little too much damage for a high-speed breakout past the subs. I'll need to get rid of them before attempting to get the CV out of port.

Lost a couple more bases that had, at best, a base force unit defending them. No major battles.

I got extremely nervous when I received the turn and he mentioned that he had some success with his attack on Port Blair. Since my convoy was scheduled to arrive this turn, that was a very worrisome statement! He did score a hit on one of the smaller ships but the real damage was at Batavia, where he succeeded in sinking about half the ships in the harbor. This leads to the OOPS! I mentioned earlier; it just occurred to me that I didn't pay any attention to what's left before I returned the turn!

Nothing much else. We traded missed torpedo shots, and his ASW was ineffective. Approaching the 1st of the month, at which time I'll do a full review of all my air training groups and swap pilots in and out. I have a little over a week before any units need to be withdrawn. All B-17s from Pearl are on their way southwest, aside from one unit that has a mid-January withdrawal date (and only has 2 aircraft). Nautically, things are quiet in the southern Philippines right now so I'm evaluating how to get a few more ships out of the area (practically all the ground units are permanently restricted, so loss of shipping won't hurt them). Other than that, everything is a continuation of the previous day.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 25
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 3/17/2014 8:17:03 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		1013
12/29/41

Just an update for the two or three following this AAR with bated breath! My response this turn will take several days due to real-life commitments, but I can at least take a couple minutes to tell you what's happened.

This turn was a minor disaster. Before running the replay I got to thinking, "you know, I need to work on figuring out where the KB is." Never mind, I found them! Six to eight hexes (my notes are at home) northwest of Auckland, and they found my CVs in that port. Bottom line is that LEXINGTON is now the basis for a coral reef and ENTERPRISE is significantly damaged, to the point that her planes relocated to land. As at least one Queen of England is reported to have said, "we are not amused!"

To add insult to injury, one of the SBD-2 groups took it upon itself to fly out and attack the KB. Needless to say, that attack did not go well.

The one good thing about all this is that it happened the turn it did; one day later and SARATOGA might have been in range, as well. I did already change her course, and with some luck she'll give the KB and the SS patrols a wide berth.

As noted earlier, I sent the last return and then remembered the ships at Batavia. Of course there was another attack there, but only three new ships were hit. Between the two attacks one xAK accumulated 98 points of flotation damage, so she has been scuttled. A large number of ships are still undamaged or nearly so, and they're now all on their way to Soerabaja. There are four or five separate TFs, organized by ship speed, so chances are fair that most of the ships should make the trip. I'm still evaluating the viability of getting the damaged ships out; some might serve better sitting where they are and being bomb magnets, distracting the attackers from the fleeing ships.

The only other thing important enough for me to remember off the top of my head is that one of the Chinese units on the move has arrived in an unoccupied Japanese-owned base. We'll naturally conduct a deliberate attack to bring the base back into the Sphere of Righteousness before continuing on our way to more hospitable terrain.

I'll have another update when I've done all my work.

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 26
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 4/21/2014 9:35:07 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		1126
12/30/41

Tax season is more or less over, and I'm finally able once again to devote some time to the game. At the same time, some changes at David's end mean that he might be a little slower than usual for a short time. Good thing we're not in any hurry!

Very little happened this turn that is worthy of mention; the damage has already been done. I get the definite impression from David's comments, though, that FOW is deceiving him considerably. He talks like he's destroyed my entire fleet, while I find losses to be acceptable (well, except for the CV problems).

We took Ichang back in China, by merely walking through it. Similarly, he took Muntok. Pretty even trade there.

There is an enemy SCTF in the vicinity of Port Blair, so our convoys heading there are temporarily in holding patterns a safe distance off. CVL HERMES has sortied from Trincomalee with one CL; a CA and CL are coming around the island from Colombo to join them. They'll then head southeast to raise some havoc from across the islands, if the enemy is still there when they arrive. To the extent we can trust intelligence there are no CVs in the enemy force; its reported size is 9 ships and all have been identified (IIRC one CA, three CL, and five DD). Some swordfish coming in at low altitude just might do some damage.

Beyond that it's the same old same old for now. I've sent some supplies toward Port Moresby to keep it in good shape, but there is no immediate threat. The enemy has landed at but not taken Lae; nothing has been spotted coming by sea around the south side of New Britain.

One of these times I'll think about updating this AAR when I have my notes handy, instead of during my lunch hour!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 27
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 6/29/2014 10:47:26 PM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		1271

After a hiatus of roughly 2 months, we're in progress again. I was delayed by tax season followed by two conventions, in each of which I had major roles. It took about 2 weeks just to reacquaint myself with the situation at hand!

That $*%7^)# SCTF near Port Blair managed to wipe out my TF taking troops to the island, and now we've lost track of where it is. My supply TF is still in the vicinity, taking a long route to Port Blair and hoping to avoid that same enemy force. HERMES and the cruisers have linked up and are heading in the general direction though they'll remain a respectable distance away until we can get a better idea of what's going on.

Other than that, still not much happening. BB ROYAL SOVEREIGN arrived in Aden, so it's now on its way to Bombay. There are no indications of Japanese submarines being in Indian Ocean waters, at least not that far game north/real west, but just to be safe it's accompanied by a KV that doesn't do us any good sitting in Aden!

David is in the process of moving from one country to another (although the total distance won't even be as far as moving within some counties in the US), so his reply might take some time.

I'm somewhat amazed that after 2 months this thread was still on Page 2!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 28
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 1/5/2015 3:08:42 AM   
CaptDave

 

Posts: 659
Joined: 6/21/2002
From: Federal Way, WA
Status: offline 		Appearances to the contrary, this game has not been abandoned! David needed some time off to move, then I was held up by multiple medical issues, then I sent him a turn that he never received, and now we're looking at the aftermath of the Christmas holiday. There will be an update soon, I hope!

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 29
RE: Dave, David; Potato, Potahto -- CaptDave (A) v. Dav... - 1/5/2015 5:43:07 AM   
BBfanboy


Posts: 18046
Joined: 8/4/2010
From: Winnipeg, MB
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: CaptDave

Appearances to the contrary, this game has not been abandoned! David needed some time off to move, then I was held up by multiple medical issues, then I sent him a turn that he never received, and now we're looking at the aftermath of the Christmas holiday. There will be an update soon, I hope!

You did warn us in the first post that this would be a slow game!

Hope your medical issues have been effectively dealt with!

_____________________________

No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

(in reply to CaptDave)
Post #: 30
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