Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

His KI-84rs kill everything isn't a P-47s. The 2nd mvr band rule makes those beasts unbeatable.
And I cannot bomb him back either... simply too few planes that can sweep bases with 1000 fighters (as I say, only the P47s is a viable option because it's the only one that can fly above 31K) and his concentrated flak is HORRIBLE, even at 20k feet!

quote:

ORIGINAL: koniu

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

His KI-84rs kill everything isn't a P-47s. The 2nd mvr band rule makes those beasts unbeatable.
And I cannot bomb him back either... simply too few planes that can sweep bases with 1000 fighters (as I say, only the P47s is a viable option because it's the only one that can fly above 31K) and his concentrated flak is HORRIBLE, even at 20k feet!

And what about F6F? Hellcat is also able to sweep above Ki-84r max celling

Everybody are telling that Ki-84r is so great plane. Is this true that he is so much better from "a" version? Minimally better speed and climb rate plus maneuverability bands and that all. On paper he should be only marginally better

If this is true and 2nd mvr band rule is making from Frank r real killer i cant wait to have it in my game

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

Singer is untouchable! 100k men, behing probably 8 or 9 forts. at least 300 CD guns, at least 4/500 mines, with countless number of heavy AA units and 1000 fighters (KI-100s, SAMs, N1K5s, J2M3s, KI-84r...). I've already lost 200 4Es, several cruisers and DDs trying to close it down...simply impossible. Not even 3 bombing runs the same night with 5 BBs, 5 CAs, 5 CLs and not less than 70 DDs did the trick... despite heavy losses on the ground the following morning my 4Es arriving over it found more than 300 fighters on CAP!.
The "economic war" will take another course: not destroying the HI but conquering/destroying the oilfields. With Miri at 55/300, with Djambi at 50/200 and isolated, and with Palembang that will soon be conquered or neutralized, the Japs will remain with only Balikapan and Tarakan as decent oil sources in the DEI. I need to be patient... brute force won't work in this match and I'm not keen to tolerate any more major losses for no gain at all

quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Pretty good positions GJ but how much of his DEI oil production have you cut off or shut down? Does not look like he has any air defense of Palembang so I am assuming that you have bombed it out already.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

Singer is untouchable! 100k men, behing probably 8 or 9 forts. at least 300 CD guns, at least 4/500 mines, with countless number of heavy AA units and 1000 fighters (KI-100s, SAMs, N1K5s, J2M3s, KI-84r...). I've already lost 200 4Es, several cruisers and DDs trying to close it down...simply impossible. Not even 3 bombing runs the same night with 5 BBs, 5 CAs, 5 CLs and not less than 70 DDs did the trick... despite heavy losses on the ground the following morning my 4Es arriving over it found more than 300 fighters on CAP!.
The "economic war" will take another course: not destroying the HI but conquering/destroying the oilfields. With Miri at 55/300, with Djambi at 50/200 and isolated, and with Palembang that will soon be conquered or neutralized, the Japs will remain with only Balikapan and Tarakan as decent oil sources in the DEI. I need to be patient... brute force won't work in this match and I'm not keen to tolerate any more major losses for no gain at all

FANTASTIC!!!

You have 100K of troops bottled up in one place meaning they cannot be somewhere else ;]

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy
Allied subs completely useless...

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

Singer is untouchable! 100k men, behing probably 8 or 9 forts. at least 300 CD guns, at least 4/500 mines, with countless number of heavy AA units and 1000 fighters (KI-100s, SAMs, N1K5s, J2M3s, KI-84r...). I've already lost 200 4Es, several cruisers and DDs trying to close it down...simply impossible. Not even 3 bombing runs the same night with 5 BBs, 5 CAs, 5 CLs and not less than 70 DDs did the trick... despite heavy losses on the ground the following morning my 4Es arriving over it found more than 300 fighters on CAP!.
The "economic war" will take another course: not destroying the HI but conquering/destroying the oilfields. With Miri at 55/300, with Djambi at 50/200 and isolated, and with Palembang that will soon be conquered or neutralized, the Japs will remain with only Balikapan and Tarakan as decent oil sources in the DEI. I need to be patient... brute force won't work in this match and I'm not keen to tolerate any more major losses for no gain at all

FANTASTIC!!!

You have 100K of troops bottled up in one place meaning they cannot be somewhere else ;]

mmm...yes, but i need to neutralize Singapore if i want to advance towards Borneo....

quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Well, you are at the point where he won't be able to run much supply into Singapore. So it does not matter where you fight him on the peninsula. It is going to burn up his supply.

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy
However Palembang will be a very tough nut to crack... 800 AVs behind 7 forts in swamp terrain?...

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

August 20, 1944

After 20 days of harsh fightings, the III Indian Corp managed to conquer Singora, thus completely defeating the 29th Jap Army, that has been pushed back from Alor Star all the way to Singora. Now the Peninsula is really cut in two
and we have a small but important sea access on the easter side of Malaya.
The last days of fightings saw a desperate attempt by a strong SAG led by BB Fuso to support the demolished 29th Army. Despite the heavy bombings, the allied troops managed to hold their own and, also supported by 200 medium bombers (lost 35 due to flak in 4 days!)
we gave them a very good hit


round combat at Singora (51,72)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 41693 troops, 856 guns, 651 vehicles, Assault Value = 1155

Defending force 47766 troops, 1242 guns, 974 vehicles, Assault Value = 639

Allied adjusted assault: 1042

Japanese adjusted defense: 505

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Singora !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
14811 casualties reported
Squads: 246 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 803 destroyed, 44 disabled
Engineers: 185 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 743 (740 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 854 (854 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 8

Allied ground losses:
354 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 92 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
37th Infantry Division
754th Tank Battalion
25th Indian Division
IV Corps Engineer Battalion
26th Indian Division
III Indian Corps
18th SP Field Artillery Regiment
168th Field Artillery Battalion
88th Medium Regiment
209th Cmbt Engineer Battalion
33rd Medium Regiment
2nd Indian Field Regiment
8th Mahratta AT Gun Regiment

Defending units:
5th Guards Division
10th Exped.Force
2nd Tank Division
Guards Tank Division
2nd Machine Cannon AA Battalion
7th RF Gun Battalion
22nd Fld AA Gun Co
1st Ind. Field Artillery Battalion
11th Mortar Battalion
170th JAAF AF Bn


North of Kotha Baru, our armies are facing another strong Japanese Army

Ground combat at 51,74 (near Kota Bharu)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1773 troops, 116 guns, 88 vehicles, Assault Value = 734

Defending force 43100 troops, 1045 guns, 114 vehicles, Assault Value = 851

Japanese ground losses:
19 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
81st (West African) Division
38th Infantry Division
72nd British Brigade
134th (East Ang) Regiment
122nd British AT Gun Regiment
86th Medium Regiment
28th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
87th Medium Regiment
3rd (Special Force) Division
XXI Indian Corps

Defending units:
29th Division
55th Division
37th Ind.Mixed Brigade
2nd Ind.AA Gun Co
31st Ind.AA Gun Co
45th Ind.AA Gun Co
2nd Medium Mortar Battalion

While the 3 divisions the Japs had at Taiping fell back towards Kuala Lumpur last turn...


Near Palembang we're pretty exposed to enemy's aerial attacks cause we still don't have enough AV support in the area....But I hope to be able to estabilish the air supremacy over Southern Sumatra within the next month.
However Palembang will be a very tough nut to crack... 800 AVs behind 7 forts in swamp terrain?...



Another big plan is undergoing.... more infos soon....

quote:

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

There's a peculiarity in this game that, probably, I wasn't able to describe or explain much: we do not have any air superiority anywhere, not even over our own bases.
We've been able to conquer that part of Malaya with gamble. Para-drops and fast transports. But my TFs aren't safe anywhere. Not even at Sebang, where I have 1700 Aviation support and 300 fighters... Hordes of KI-84r come sweeping at 38,830 feet whenever I try to raise my CAP and everything get slaughtered.
The 4Es cannot bomb anything which is protected.
Singapore has 600 3rd generation fighters and more than 1300 of them are based between Kotha Baru and Jahore Baru and SInga.
I tried. God knows I tried to bomb Singapore or Kotha Baru. 250 P-47s on sweep at 42,000, followed by 90 B-29s and some 200 Liberators "J". Fun, right?
No. For 5 days I've tried that.
For five days I got slaughtered.
More than 80 planes shot down by flak (flying between 15 and 20k), 200 bombers lost in A2A. P-47s often shown up after the bombers (despite taking off from the same "super" base of Sebang). 200 Hellcats lost on escort...and, above all, Singa was always operative. Damages were minimal.

Then I tried the combo: Naval bombing + 4Es... same results. Several ships sunk due to mines or CD guns. The AF never closed...and the following morning my 4Es got slaughtered again.

So, the problem is... Palembang is the only possible port on the other side of Sumatra. If I don't get it, I cannot bypass Singapore. Having reached the sea at Singora and Pantani worths nothing because my ships can't get there. We can't bypass Singa and we can't reach Palembang by sea.

He can keep on sending convoys full of supplies to Singa. I simply cannot avoid it. My subs are sunk constantly or rendered useless. I even tried fast DD raids...but I can't pass Singapore... if I don't get sunk by mines+CD guns (already lost a complete TF composed of 3 CL+8DDs in that way), I got sunk by his dive bombers the very next morning.

If I could get Palembang then i'll have a port south of Singapore and I could start to move eastwards... Untill that moment, the door to the east is blocked