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RE: Preparing for Downfall - 1/12/2015 11:36:04 PM

Lowpe

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Joined: 2/25/2013
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quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

I'm just putting in a quick update, seeing as I won't have much time over the next fortnight.

Very cryptic!

Will you have time to flip our downfall game before your hiatus?

Your done with the Marianas already? I am impressed.

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 391

RE: Preparing for Downfall - 1/13/2015 12:25:17 AM

mind_messing

Posts: 3393
Joined: 10/28/2013
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

I'm just putting in a quick update, seeing as I won't have much time over the next fortnight.

Very cryptic!

Will you have time to flip our downfall game before your hiatus?

Check your email :)

quote:

Your done with the Marianas already? I am impressed.

I had engineers (abiet in small numbers) working from Dec '42 onwards. Guam forts are near level 9, Tinian and Saipan are pushing to level 8 and Rota is either forts 6 or 7.

I'm not sure if I am "done" with the Marianas in terms of construction work. If reinforcements and the pace of the Allied advance permit, I might dig up one of the dot hexes in the northern chain to a size 2 airbase to give the Allies another airbase to try to suppress.

It's unlikely though, as Babeldoab and Pelelui still need reinforcing, as do various other regions.

(in reply to Lowpe)

Post #: 392

RE: Preparing for Downfall - 1/20/2015 3:15:10 AM

mind_messing

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Joined: 10/28/2013
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Another short update, not much time for more.

Current game date is August 23nd, 1943

Allies land in strength at Lunga, Tulagi and on the Russel Islands on August 20th. Allied troops occupy Rossel Island (dot hex) on August 21st.

A super-wolfpack of IJN subs lands torpedos on CV Essex and CV Saratoga. Both duds. Several subs lost and more damaged to Allied ASW for nothing in return

Japanese defenders on all three islands still hold the bases, but supplies are low at Russel and Lunga. Tulagi will fall within a week. Russell might last a bit longer. Lunga will hold until the supplies are gone - they beat of the inital Allied shock attack quite nicely.

CL Oyodo sunk with three old DD's for nothing in return. One Allied CL and CA damaged by IJN land-based dive bombers off Milne Bay.

No major air combat other than Allied raids around Guadalcanal and annoying night 4E raids on Shortlands and Rabual. Shortlands is 50% damaged, but should be open in a day or two.

KB is sitting tight in Batavia, and they'll stay there. I'm sending some small E-class warships to float about the edges of the battlezone, but I will commit no capital ships. With none of the bases in Allied hands and the Allied CV's heading for Noumea, I'll try to slip a fast transport convoy in to Tassafaronga under LRCAP from Shortlands.

Transport aircraft are already at work. I'd be flying some troops onto Tulagi but the Allies have a big P-38 CAP over it.

The focus now is on the next line of defence. Japanese air groups are concentrated at Rabual and Hansa Bay. I want to keep Shortlands open, so I've a good number of aircraft over it to let the engineers do their work.

The next few turns will determine if I can funnel supply into the Guadalcanal complex and prolong the fall of the bases.

(in reply to GreyJoy)

Post #: 393

RE: Preparing for Downfall - 1/23/2015 3:11:06 PM

mind_messing

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We're up to August 30th now, I'll get a full update posted in a day or two.

General situation: Tulagi and Lunga has fallen, the 60th Division still holds Tassafaronga, though supply is low. I've got some in, but it won't last long under constant bombing and I'll have less chance of getting more supply in once the Allies get Lunga and Tulagi airbases up and running.

The Allies have also taken Roussel island (South-east of Milne Bay), and they seem to be building it up at a good speed. This base is quite isolated, so I'll see if I can't shut it down before things get out of hand.

The Allied air campaign seems to be two-pronged - they want Shortlands and Lae closed down. I've stacked Lae with as many fighters as I can spare, and I've extra groups to rotate in. The P-47 makes it's combat debut in massed sweeps over Lae, but we hold our own, though the Tojo is evidently an out-dated airframe. The Allies are building Port Moresby up at a pretty impressive rate, so I expect New Guinea to be a scene of some heavy air battles.

Shortlands is another story - a couple of fast Allied bombardment task forces closed it down, and night bombing has kept it shut. I'm moving more aviation support to Torokina (the adjacent hex) and trying to ram Shortlands full with as many engineers as I can.

On the whole, I'm a bit disapointed.

The Allies weren't really bled very well at sea, despite the absurd numbers of submarines I had on station. If the two duds on the Saratoga and Essex had actually exploded, I'd have been much happer. The Yorktown, however, took a torpedo, but it's evidently not damaged enough to merit it heading back to port. The only ships my submarines managed to sink were a bunch of xAP/xAK types, and we got a hit (and ammo explosion) on a CVE. It may be nice, but isn't what I'm looking for at this stage.

I kept all my surface units back, bar a few E-class ships that converted from the torpedo boats, which didn't achive much bar sinking an xAK or two.They got into a tangle with some old American BB's, which gave me some hope of a Tsushima style battle, but it was not to be. As an amusing side story, one of those dinkly little 850 tonn ships took a 16 inch shell from one of the US battleships and had nothing to show for it bar some system damage.

The KB will remain in the DEI. I'm fighting the temptation to move them to the Central Paciifc, but I get the feeling that Lokasenna has his CV's set up for operations elsewhere in expectation of me running the KB to the frontline.

The air war is much the same - with Shortlands closed down, my ability to make life difficult for the Allied was pretty limited. I probably got Lokasenna worried when I sent 50 Jill's on night naval attack against his CV's at 5000ft - no hits, but a bit of luck would have been nice. I'm going to keep a fairly defensive posture in the air, and keep my forces concentrated on the Hansa Bay-Lae-Rabaul axis, and keep my strike aircraft within easy transfer range.

The only thing that went quite well was the ground combat. None of the bases fell on the first day, and Lunga did a good job in holding off the Marines and forcing Lokasenna to land a US Army division to help take the base. Tulagi was a lost cause, seeing as the Allied troops were mostly armoured units, and Russel Islands are still Japanese.

With the Allies now holding bases within both recon range and bombing range of Truk, that base is no longer of any use to me as a major hub. I've sent all the non-combat ships back to Japan proper, and I'll shift the support vessels to the Marianas. Rather than the hundred-odd ships of the early-war, Truk just now is a pretty empty affair with only a dozen or so destroyers and some crusiers.

Things that need to be done:
- Reinforce New Britain and New Ireland.
- Build up forces in the Central Pacific
- Start working on getting the second line of defence in New Guinea manned and garrisoned.
- Hold on till '44

Good things are on the way. Better planes for the IJA (Ki-84 and Ki-100 should be along before the year is out) as well as kamikazies and the Great IJA Expansion. I just need to hold the line.

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 394

RE: Preparing for Downfall - 1/23/2015 5:08:44 PM

Bullwinkle58

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Re your subs, they're going to be mostly scouts from now on. Their day is done.

DEs are pouring off the ways and soon many PFs. From memory the former are ASW 11 and the latter ASW 13. The 6/43 ASW upgrades should be done on the older stuff. Air ASW has the pre-war scrap retired. There are hundreds of excess TBs in the USN pools that can do very good ASW at good ranges from small AFs. Lots of float planes too for gaps. He doesn't have to invest 4E patrol assets in ASW anymore.

CV crews are also excellent by now at DC. I've seen 8-10 System damage only from a single torpedo in the later war years. One won't send a carrier back to a yard in every case now. Two will.

Re Truk, I get you, but it's also a scary place for Allies. Almost nobody invades it. It can be isolated and you shouldn't park too much there, especially once he gets Rabaul, but it can still be a good re-fuel, re-arm port into 1944. A few extra days of forward endurance.

_____________________________

The Moose

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 395

RE: Preparing for Downfall - 1/24/2015 2:25:11 PM

mind_messing

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Re your subs, they're going to be mostly scouts from now on. Their day is done.

DEs are pouring off the ways and soon many PFs. From memory the former are ASW 11 and the latter ASW 13. The 6/43 ASW upgrades should be done on the older stuff. Air ASW has the pre-war scrap retired. There are hundreds of excess TBs in the USN pools that can do very good ASW at good ranges from small AFs. Lots of float planes too for gaps. He doesn't have to invest 4E patrol assets in ASW anymore.

CV crews are also excellent by now at DC. I've seen 8-10 System damage only from a single torpedo in the later war years. One won't send a carrier back to a yard in every case now. Two will.

Yeah, I think I was expecting a little too much from my subs. If those two hits hadn't been duds, I think it would have changed the situation by a good degree. Lex, Sara and Essex all with torpedo damage might have delayed his next operation by a short while.

quote:

Re Truk, I get you, but it's also a scary place for Allies. Almost nobody invades it. It can be isolated and you shouldn't park too much there, especially once he gets Rabaul, but it can still be a good re-fuel, re-arm port into 1944. A few extra days of forward endurance.

I've mixed feelings over Truk. On the one hand, it's a great forward rearm/refuel base, but on the other, it's only one serious 4E attack away from being useless. I intend to keep it well stocked with supplies and fuel for as long as I can, because it can be a great thorn in the Allied side, and an excellent sub base one the Allied advance pushes past Truk.

(in reply to Bullwinkle58)

Post #: 396

Redoubt Rabual - 1/26/2015 2:16:04 AM

mind_messing

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News just in from the front:

1 US battleship confirmed sunk
Several amphibious transports sunk, sundry smaller ships damaged...

More news to follow...

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 397

RE: Preparing for Downfall - 1/26/2015 10:19:02 AM

obvert

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Joined: 1/17/2011
From: PDX (and now) London, UK
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Re your subs, they're going to be mostly scouts from now on. Their day is done.

DEs are pouring off the ways and soon many PFs. From memory the former are ASW 11 and the latter ASW 13. The 6/43 ASW upgrades should be done on the older stuff. Air ASW has the pre-war scrap retired. There are hundreds of excess TBs in the USN pools that can do very good ASW at good ranges from small AFs. Lots of float planes too for gaps. He doesn't have to invest 4E patrol assets in ASW anymore.

CV crews are also excellent by now at DC. I've seen 8-10 System damage only from a single torpedo in the later war years. One won't send a carrier back to a yard in every case now. Two will.

quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing
Yeah, I think I was expecting a little too much from my subs. If those two hits hadn't been duds, I think it would have changed the situation by a good degree. Lex, Sara and Essex all with torpedo damage might have delayed his next operation by a short while.

Conventional wisdom is not always correct. It all depends on what your opponent is doing in terms of ASW. I managed to get a lot of hits in 44-45 with subs, not just mopping up after a surface battle, but infiltrating hundreds of Allied ships to get hits on CVs and CVEs well protected by Allied search and DDs.

If you mass them, pulse them in and out of areas, use night search to guide them in and pick good aggressive commanders high in naval skill, they can still hit. Even one CV sunk for 20 subs lost is a VP win, and a big morale booster, and 5-7 subs for a CVE is still not bad. A few subs lost to damage a CV is pretty good still.

In areas like the Marianas it helps to send fast Es and TBs racing into big amphib TFs to stir things up. I thought of these as sacrificial, but some made it out after messing up a good number of slow transports too. Then the subs help mop things up. Subs can also delay invasion landings, even if they die, so that the Allied ships don't get everything off in the night phases and are more vulnerable during the day or not emptied by the time combat happens later, reducing Allied chances of taking an atoll.

< Message edited by obvert -- 1/26/2015 11:22:07 AM >

_____________________________

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 398

Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 1/26/2015 8:37:48 PM

mind_messing

Posts: 3393
Joined: 10/28/2013
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September 4th, 1943

The focus of action is the South-West Pacific. Below you can see just how the frontlines have changed.

The red hexes are the bases that have changed hands. Tulagi and Lunga have fallen. Russell Islands will fall within a turn or two, as they're about out of AV. Rossel Island was a dot hex that the Allies have occupied and are building an airbase up at.

Tassafaronga (in white) is cut off, leaving the 60th Division and some supporting units slowly running out of supply. I'll try to get a fragment of the 60th out by air, so that I can send it to the Bonin's once the bulk of the unit is destroyed.

Milne Bay (in green) is going to switch hands shortly as well. The 1st Austrailian Division won't take long to defend the single SNLF holding the base, and the loss of Milne Bay is going to open up the whole of the Solomons to Allied naval forces.

Already the USN is becoming problematic. Shortlands is becoming an aircraft graveyard - I move aircraft in and they either get bombed out by 4E's or trashed on the runway by Allied bombardment forces. On September 3th, both Buna and Shortlands were bombarded by crusier forces, so I think it's time to abandon both of those bases as frontline airfields and concentrate on the New Britain barrier.

So far, I've not been to willing to fight the Allies, either at sea or in the air. That changed last turn, with the Allies moving in to land at Milne Bay. Being so close to the size 9 AF at Rabual, I figured my chances were good of getting a good, co-ordinated strike.

You can imagine my suprise when the aircraft took off and headed for Munda (marked in gold) instead...

quote:

Morning Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 76 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 13
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 25

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 8
F6F-3 Hellcat x 35

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 7 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
BB Oklahoma, Torpedo hits 2, on fire

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 28,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 25 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B6N2 Jill x 46

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 3
F6F-3 Hellcat x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 9 destroyed, 5 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed by flak

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
BB Oklahoma, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DMS Perry
DD Endicott
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 92 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B6N2 Jill x 38
P1Y1 Frances x 9

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 2
F6F-3 Hellcat x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed by flak
P1Y1 Frances: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
APA Wayne, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
APA La Salle, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
DD Smith
APA Sheridan, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
APA Fayette, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Cassin
APA Warren, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
753 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 42 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 79 destroyed, 22 disabled
Vehicles lost 34 (34 destroyed, 0 disabled)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 119 NM, estimated altitude 31,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 35 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K1-J George x 10
P1Y1 Frances x 9

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
P1Y1 Frances: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
OS2U-3 Kingfisher: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
BB Oklahoma, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk Banzai! Perhaps only an old BB, but I don't complain!
APA Heywood
DE Pope

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x P1Y1 Frances launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 109 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 29
Ki-48-IIb Lily x 26

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-IIb Lily: 7 damaged

Allied Ships
LSI(L) Dunedin Star, Bomb hits 1, on fire
APA J. Franklin Bell, Bomb hits 3, on fire
AM Strahan, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
APA American Legion, Bomb hits 3, on fire
DD Endicott
APA Heywood, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
APA George F. Elliot, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires

Allied ground losses:
106 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 62 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-IIb Lily x 20

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-IIb Lily: 8 damaged
Ki-48-IIb Lily: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
APA Fayette, on fire, heavy damage
APA Callaway, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires
APA Bolivar, Bomb hits 4, on fire
APA Cambria, Bomb hits 2, on fire
APA Warren, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
168 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 9 disabled
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 28,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 27 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 13
N1K1-J George x 9
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 29

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 5
F6F-3 Hellcat x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 damaged
N1K1-J George: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
APA Heywood, on fire, heavy damage
DMS Perry
DE Pope
APA U.S. Grant

Allied ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B6N2 Jill x 27
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 10

Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 2
F6F-3 Hellcat x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 1 destroyed

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD Cassin
LSD Carter Hall
APA Elmore, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
APA Cambria, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk
APA Callaway, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
654 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 16 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 24 destroyed, 16 disabled
Vehicles lost 20 (18 destroyed, 2 disabled)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 76 NM, estimated altitude 26,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 25 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B6N2 Jill x 23

Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
B6N2 Jill: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DM Sicard
DD Conyngham
AKA Virgo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 52 NM, estimated altitude 26,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
P1Y1 Frances x 9

Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 1

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD Endicott
AM Wallaroo
APA Hunter Liggett, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 61 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-IIb Lily x 23

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-IIb Lily: 6 damaged
Ki-48-IIb Lily: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
DMS Dorsey
APA Hunter Liggett, heavy damage
DE Pope, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Wagga, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk
AM Wallaroo, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
APA Leonard Wood, Bomb hits 3, on fire
LSI(L) Dunedin Star, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires

Allied ground losses:
42 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Munda at 111,134

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 76 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 22 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-IIb Lily x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-IIb Lily: 10 damaged
Ki-48-IIb Lily: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
APA John Penn, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
DD McCook
APA George F. Elliot, on fire
APA Heywood, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Endicott

Allied ground losses:
42 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 4 (2 destroyed, 2 disabled)

While an old battleship and a collection of transports isn't much more than a drop in the ocean, it is a nice bit of attrition. I lost 107 aircraft, mosty consisting of 35 Jills (easily replaced), 22 Oscar IIb's (I'm swimming in them) and 13 Jack's that were sweeping Rossell Island, with the balance of losses coming from flak or OPS.

For the next turn, I'm abanonding Shortlands as an airbase and focusing on keeping Rabual open. One of my Jill groups is useless, so it's being sent back for some R&R,

I said I wouldn't commit any heavy surface assets to this theater, but I'm sending three of the Mogami's to the Rabual area, to see if they can't catch an Allied bombardment force on the way in and give them a drubbing. The Kongo and Haruna are both at Manila getting a radar set installed, and should be combat ready within three days. Once they're back in action they'll be sent to see if they can't stop the irritation of the Allied bombardment forces.

(in reply to obvert)

Post #: 399

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 1/26/2015 9:20:49 PM

Lowpe

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Joined: 2/25/2013
Status: offline

God, I love the Lilly IIb or IIc. What great target selection!

Very well done!

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 400

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 1/26/2015 10:47:59 PM

rev rico

Posts: 155
Joined: 5/7/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

God, I love the Lilly IIb or IIc.

I agree. Always surprised me how many players dismiss her.

(in reply to Lowpe)

Post #: 401

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 1/26/2015 11:08:37 PM

mind_messing

Posts: 3393
Joined: 10/28/2013
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

God, I love the Lilly IIb or IIc. What great target selection!

Very well done!

Yeah, torpedos for the high value stuff, and 100kg bombs for everything else.

I think the repairs from today should keep the Austrailian shipyards in work for a while.

quote:

ORIGINAL: rev rico

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

God, I love the Lilly IIb or IIc.

I agree. Always surprised me how many players dismiss her.

I really have come to like the Lily. It may not have the best payload for ship killing, but it does a good enough job.

(in reply to Lowpe)

Post #: 402

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 1/30/2015 4:11:52 PM

mind_messing

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Joined: 10/28/2013
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September 5th to September 11th, 1943

The war carries on it's course.

North Pacific

The two Yamato's enter Hakodate for an upgrade. Just some 25mm AA guns and an air radar, but it leaves me with just a single DD flotilla to cover NorPac. Nothing seems to be at work over in the Aleutians, and winter is soon approaching this theater.

Central Pacific

Not much going on here either. Supply convoys have been keeping the frontline bases topped up, and there's some aviation support en-route to Kusaie Island. I could do with some extra troops at Ponope and Kusaie - I want to defend Truk, and the best defence is keeping Allied fighters away from Truk, and the best way (that I see) to do that is to hold Ponope and Kusaie for as long as possible.

Thankfully, there are two Ind. Mixed Brigades due in 40 days: one will go to each island.

South-West Pacific

The situation you can see below.

The Allies have made pretty good progress since mid-August, and they've kept a pretty steady rate of advance. The green arrow represents where I'm seeing the bulk of their movement, but they've taken Tagula, Rossel Island and Milne Bay, so it's obviously a two-prong move towards Rabual.

The red line is my next line of defence, and it's pretty decent. The three key bases (Buna, Kiriwina Island and Shortlands) all have pretty respectiable garrisons, and all three are in easy range of Rabual. Hopefully I can get a repeat of September 4th and get at some APA's.

The move on Ontong Java (in white) has me somewhat concerned. The base was taken by Allied paratroopers, and engineers are being moved in. I've sent my own paratroops in to contest the hex, but I doubt they'll retake the base. Ontong Java in Allied hands gives them a fighter-base in range of Narau, Ocean and Kusaie Islands (if I had known that it was in P-38 range of these bases I'd have given it an Naval Guard unit as garrison). The prospect of the Allies cutting through CentPac rather than grinding through New Guinea has me concerned: I'm well ahead of the historic timetable, I want to stay there.

DEI

Quiet.

Manado reaches size 9 AF, Maksassar will follow in a few turns. I'll get the engineers to dig some forts and do a little development of the nearby bases.

I'm playing a nice mini-game off the coast of Western Oz. I lost 2 AMC's in convoy raiding (sunk by the battleship Ramiles, no less), but I sent out a third, and a floatplane sub just sent word that there's a convoy departing Perth heading west - right into the path of my lurking AMC. Depending on what the Allies send out in response, I might swing a couple of CVE/L's through this area. I'll happily bag an old Allied BB if it's going cheap.

Burma

A stack of 20 Allied units is marching to force the river crossing east of Akyab. I've 4 divisions (all 88 EXP or better!!!), 1 tank regiment and most of the artillery from China. In total, just under 2000 AV. In x2 terrain I'm fairly confident I can hold. Then again, this Allied stack could have 10k AV or upwards, so I've the tank divisions ready to react just in case.

A smaller stack of 3 units is trying to cut the rail-line at Katha, but I've one division waiting for the Allied units once they complete their jungle march, and two more marching to the hex in question.

Three IJA divisions are being removed from Central Burma: two are going to the Burma pan-handle (Mergui and Tavoy, bringing my strength their to two divisions in each hex) and a third is being sent to Georgetown, Malaya. My commitment to the pan-handle is overkill considering that the Andamans are still in Japanese hands. There are two Ind. Mixed Brigades due as reinforcements for the Burma Area Army arriving in Tokyo in January '44 , so I'll probably use these to free up two divisions for either Central Burma or elsewhere.

China

The northern front is a sitzkreig. Some aviation support at last makes the thousand mile trek to Urmuchi, so I'll at long last get some eyes on what the Allies are doing in North-Western China.

There are about six IJA brigades due in China in the next three or four months. There aren't really any more units left in China worth freeing up - all the good divisions are either overseas or in Burma and those that are left have little in the way of artillery, so I'll likely buy four brigades out for the Pacific and send another two to Burma.

Paoshan reaches level 6 forts - the Allies won't be getting back into China from Burma without a great deal of effort...

Industry

I grow lax, and make a couple of mistakes. I massively over-produce the Ha-34, so I've a thousand engines to use between now and the end of the game. Thankfully, I intend to keep building the Tojo till the cows come home, and I can build out the excess with Helen's for kamikazies.

I also didn't realize that the N1 Jill uses a different engine to the N2 Jill - lesson learned.

I forgot to keep track of fuel in Manchuria, and we ran out for a short while. A diversion of a tanker TF or two quickly solved that.

J2M2 and N1K1 production is going well. This leaves me with a big excess production of A6M5b's now, but that's life. The Ki-100 is now online, and should see frontline service next month.

R&D should also show some promise in the next few months. We're looking at the Dinah night fighter and the Peggy T in mid-44, and the Ki-84a Frank should make a combat debut in late '43!

HI Resource Totals

Supply: 4,087,990 - Over 4 mil!
Oil: 2,246,889
Resources: 9,928,080
Fuel: 1,324,098

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 403

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 1/30/2015 8:04:49 PM

Lowpe

Posts: 22133
Joined: 2/25/2013
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Ontong is tough! Hard to get there with ships, and I can't see your paratroops dislodging those troops. Drop some mines there ASAP, restricted area should be nice and effective.

I believe I had a guard unit, and 5k supply on Ontong, it just fell to a coordinated invasion in 24 hours.

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 404

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 1/31/2015 1:49:06 AM

Lowpe

Posts: 22133
Joined: 2/25/2013
Status: offline

Here are your goals from Page 1 of this AAR:

Long-term goals

- Last longer than my last AAR. Feb 1942 is not a hard goal to beat - we're nearly there already!
- Keep the KB a competitive force until 1943
- Establish a perimiter to prevent strategic bombing of the Home Islands or the SRA.
- Conduct a defensive war from late 1942 onwards based on the principle of active defence.
- Establish sufficent stockpiles of resources in the Home Islands in order to meet these goals.

Looks like you won!

Especially if your supply/resource numbers are for what is physically located in the home islands.

Now, just don't lose the game and you will really win!

(in reply to Lowpe)

Post #: 405

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/4/2015 8:27:44 PM

mind_messing

Posts: 3393
Joined: 10/28/2013
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Ontong is tough! Hard to get there with ships, and I can't see your paratroops dislodging those troops. Drop some mines there ASAP, restricted area should be nice and effective.

I believe I had a guard unit, and 5k supply on Ontong, it just fell to a coordinated invasion in 24 hours.

In reflection, Ontong is one of those bases I wish I'd had the foresight to see it's value. I hadn't even considered the reefs: any attempt to run a bombardment force from the west has to go around them, making it hard for any bombardment force to be "gone by daylight".

Of course, I wouldn't have been able to hold it, but a Naval guard would have forced a serious invasion, and that would have meant APA/AKA's within striking range of Rabual.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Here are your goals from Page 1 of this AAR:

Long-term goals

- Last longer than my last AAR. Feb 1942 is not a hard goal to beat - we're nearly there already!
- Keep the KB a competitive force until 1943
- Establish a perimiter to prevent strategic bombing of the Home Islands or the SRA.
- Conduct a defensive war from late 1942 onwards based on the principle of active defence.
- Establish sufficent stockpiles of resources in the Home Islands in order to meet these goals.

Looks like you won! Especially if your supply/resource numbers are for what is physically located in the home islands.

Now, just don't lose the game and you will really win!

Those supply/resource numbers were for the bases in mainland Japan only. I'm pretty severe when it comes to logistics: my troops feed themselves where they can in the DEI and Burma, and China/Manchuria/Korea is my main source of supply for the Pacific theater. Now that I'm above 4 million supply in the Home Islands, I plan to be a bit more generous in shipping out generous portions of supply to the frontline, and to start building up reserves for important rear-area bases.

On the whole, I'm very pleased with the situation. The Allies are about a year behind schedual, and have a good deal of fighting ahead of them. The only thing I need to do is to keep the Allies behind schedual and attrition them as much as I can.

I have the hope that the Pacific will take the Allies the best part of 1944 to capture. Considering the effort that has went towards making Festung Marianas and the attention paid to CentPac, I feel pretty confident in getting a good 8 months fighting out of this theater.

If I still hold the Marianas when 1945 rolls around, I'll be overjoyed - by that point, the IJA will have raised that many new units that Luzon and the Bonin's will be very, very difficult to take.

My hold on the DEI is pretty secure, and there's not been much real interest in re-opening Darwin for Allied shipping at present. However, the Allies have been pretty diligent in building up a chain of bases towards Darwin, so I think this theater might start to take on a great deal more importance come 1944.

(in reply to Lowpe)

Post #: 406

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/4/2015 9:36:21 PM

Walker84

Posts: 850
Joined: 7/5/2009
Status: offline

Been dipping in to your AAR and finding it an interesting read as well as a great resource to think about how I will plan my own mid-war defences as Japan. One question I have if you don't mind.

quote:

Manado reaches size 9 AF, Maksassar will follow in a few turns. I'll get the engineers to dig some forts and do a little development of the nearby bases.

I get that building airfields up makes them more resilient and keeps the supply from degrading but why would you want to build the likes of Manado and Makassar as high as level 9? Will you have enough air support in each location to make the supply cost worthwhile?

_____________________________

The most advanced nations are always those who navigate the most -
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 -1882)

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 407

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/4/2015 10:26:16 PM

Lowpe

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Joined: 2/25/2013
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Walker84

I get that building airfields up makes them more resilient and keeps the supply from degrading but why would you want to build the likes of Manado and Makassar as high as level 9? Will you have enough air support in each location to make the supply cost worthwhile?

The Aviation support won't ever be there for Japan, but that level 9 base lets you do nifty things:

coordinate air attacks better
not overstack the air base allowing massive plane strikes
be less vulnerable to bombing runs a little and shore bombardments too

< Message edited by Lowpe -- 2/4/2015 11:26:54 PM >

(in reply to Walker84)

Post #: 408

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/4/2015 10:47:19 PM

mind_messing

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Good questions Walker. Feel free to ask more.

quote:

I get that building airfields up makes them more resilient and keeps the supply from degrading but why would you want to build the likes of Manado and Makassar as high as level 9?

In general, I like size 8/9 airbases as Japan. You're short of aviation support, so making 200 aviation support (ie, 1 big Air HQ and some small base units) into 400 aviation support is a massive bonus in my view. Also, in the late war, Japan needs a large number of aircraft to throw at the Allies in big raids in order to break through the Allied CAP. These big raids need big airbases.

They're also useful for kamikazies. If the Allies wander too close to a size 9 airbase, you can fly in as many kamikazies as you need without much worry. Sure, you may have more aircraft than you have aviation support for, but that won't be a problem for any more than a turn or two.

Makassar I've built up because of it's location. It meshes well with my bases in the lower DEI: Kendrai defends the Banda Sea and Makassar defends Kendrai. If the Allies try to advance on the Darwin>Timor>Soerabaja axis, they'll have a hard time of it trying to knock out one size 9 airbase when there are already two on Eastern Java (Soerabaja and some other base that starts with a B at the South-Eastern tip of the island). Don't get me wrong, the Allies can do it, but they might find it costly.

Manado, again, is built up because if it's location. The Allies will eventually take Babeldoab and the North-Western tip of New Guinea. My big fear is an Allied push through the Celebes Sea towards Borneo. That means the loss of both Tarakan and Balikipapan in the short term, and a whole lot more in the long term if the Allies move on North Borneo. Manado, along with some bases in Minadano, will serve to discourage such a move.

The short version is that the Celebes is an important chokepoint. The south of the island defends Java, the north-eastern peninsular defends Borneo.

quote:

Will you have enough air support in each location to make the supply cost worthwhile?

Yes.

I've three big and six small Air HQ's due in the next 200 days, and they're pretty much ear-marked for my next line of defence in the Pacific. On top of that there's the smaller AF Battalions that arrive, and I'm making a point of doing my best to withdraw or destroy any units with aviation support that stand a chance of being destroyed.

(in reply to Walker84)

Post #: 409

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/8/2015 11:30:38 AM

Walker84

Posts: 850
Joined: 7/5/2009
Status: offline

Thanks, that's really helpful advice.

In my own game with Apbarog I'm still in April '42 expansion mode (Calcutta looks like its about to turn into the Stalingrad of the East) but I'm already starting to think about my future MLRs.

I like your analysis of the chokepoints. I also think there is potential around Umboi Island and Finschafen on New Guinea to protect the flank of Rabaul. There are too many bases on the Solomons to guard all of them adequately so I intend to use these more as early warning stations / tripwires. Playing with DBB-B you get Buin next to Shortlands, plus another decent base one to the north, so its tempting to build up an air complex there as well.

_____________________________

The most advanced nations are always those who navigate the most -
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 -1882)

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 410

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/10/2015 12:38:37 AM

mind_messing

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Joined: 10/28/2013
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Walker84

Thanks, that's really helpful advice.

Take it with a grain of salt, I've yet to see how the theory is compared with the reality.

quote:

In my own game with Apbarog I'm still in April '42 expansion mode (Calcutta looks like its about to turn into the Stalingrad of the East) but I'm already starting to think about my future MLRs.

I'm of the opinion that it's never too early to work on your late-war defences. Japan should send a small number of engineers to places like the Bonins and Okinawa almost as soon as the game starts. Yes, 12 or 24 engineer squads aren't going to dig airbases and fortifications up quickly, but they'll have a couple of years to work.

quote:

I like your analysis of the chokepoints. I also think there is potential around Umboi Island and Finschafen on New Guinea to protect the flank of Rabaul. There are too many bases on the Solomons to guard all of them adequately so I intend to use these more as early warning stations / tripwires. Playing with DBB-B you get Buin next to Shortlands, plus another decent base one to the north, so its tempting to build up an air complex there as well.

I agree with you in regards to Rabual - the geography of New Britain is a far better barrier to the Allied advance than any possible bases in the Solomons.

(in reply to Walker84)

Post #: 411

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/11/2015 3:35:53 PM

mind_messing

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September 12th to September 19th, 1943

North Pacific

Again, nothing. I wonder how long this is going to last - there's plenty of SigInt hits from the region and my subs have spotted a good deal of naval traffic in the area. I'm not hugely concerned about a move up here, I've plenty of aircraft (180 fighters, 220 bombers) and good bases to fly them from. Even if the quality of the air groups isn't great (most of them are being used as training groups) quantity has a quality all of it's own.

I've transferred a floatplane sub from SWPAC to bring my strength up to five submarines patroling along the length of the Aleutians.

Central Pacific

An Allied 4E raid obliterates the airbase on Nauru Island, but thankfully there was only a single squadron of 12 Dinah recon planes stationed at the base. The islands supply stocks are evaporated, but there's a shipment due in from Truk in a few days.

I've shifting some search planes from Wake Island to Ocean Island to give me better eyes on the Allies at Guadalcanal, and a big 18 plane unit fresh of the reinforcement queue will be sent to Wake, though probably distributed into penny packets for better search.

South-West Pacific

A Japanese night-raid on Tulagi does nothing thanks to a combination of bad weather and Allied night fighters.

Still no further progress from the Allies in this region. Japanese paratroopers are pushed off Ontong Java, but other than that there hasn't been any combat other than some Japanese airbase units shock attacking themselves to death on Guadalcanal so I can rebuy them to use somewhere else.

DEI/Austrailia

I'm shifting some air units to whack a small Allied supply convoy creeping up the Australian coast from Normanton towards Darwin - just because I can. I think this theater is being put on the backburner for the Allies at present - Normanton, despite being the main supply hub for the Allies on the northern Austrailian coast, doesn't seem to harbour anything bigger than a destroyer.

A small raiding party of the light cruiser Sendai and two destroyers is getting ready to attack a tanker convoy west of Perth. While the Allies had previously detached the British battleship Ramiliesto convoy protection duty here earlier in the month, I'm fairly confident that the Sendai and two modern destroyers can overcome a solitary battleship - if it can even catch the faster Japanese ships. I hope to be able to gather some cheap VP's and divert some of the better Allied ships to stopping my raids. If the appearance of a Japanese light cruiser doesn't divert some Allied ships to the region within the next few months, I may send the Mini-KB on a small excursion into the ocean west of Perth.

Burma

The main attraction at present. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Red arrows indicate Allied units on the move. I'm unsure what strength the Allies are moving at Akyab, but they've 22 units in the hex, so it's serious firepower either way. At Kaleyemo, there are 10 Allied units, plus 2 more in the hex east.

The green line is the line I'm trying to form against the Allied push from Akyab. It's going to be pretty weak, consisting at best of a Thai Division and two IJA tank divisions (marked cyan on the map), but hopefully the terrain will work in my favour. One IJA infantry division is moving out of the stack south-east of Akyab to help form this line, so we'll have some reserves to play with.

The white hex is where I'm engaging two Indian divisions with two IJA infantry divisions (combat report below), with a third IJA division a few days away. Despite both IJA divisions being crack formations, they're struggling to gain a decisive victory over the Indian troops. Once I get the third division in the hex, I plan to unleash every bomber I have in Burma on these two divisions and hopefully rout them into the jungle - at this point blunting two Allied divisions would be a nice boost to this theater, and it might enable me to pull another division from Northern Burma to keep as a reserve in case of an emergency on the coastal road.

quote:

Ground combat at 60,43 (near Katha)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 25877 troops, 263 guns, 95 vehicles, Assault Value = 715

Defending force 19648 troops, 299 guns, 280 vehicles, Assault Value = 579

Japanese adjusted assault: 384

Allied adjusted defense: 1071

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
526 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 53 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Allied ground losses:
73 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
12th Division
8th Division

Defending units:
7th Indian Division
26th Indian Division

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 412

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 2/18/2015 10:58:57 PM

mind_messing

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Allied carriers SW of Ocean and Nauru with amphib ships in tow. Japanese strike planes assemble in the Marshalls.

KB location unknown: previous moorings at Batavia are empty...

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Post #: 413

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 3/2/2015 7:29:38 PM

mind_messing

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September 20th to October 8th, 1943

Brief update of events.

North Pacific

Still boring and uneventful.

Central Pacific

Allies land at Ocean and Nauru Islands. Ocean Island swiftly falls, but the SNLF and Naval Guard on Nauru manage to throw a US Army Regiment back into the ocean. IJ air strength attempts to interfere with the landings, but can't get off a well-coordinated strike and lose a couple hundred aircraft for no results.

Ocean is well-defended, but isolated. The Allies can't really risk flying in planes, and I can't land to re-take it, so we're at an impasse at present. IJN 2E's from the Marshalls are making the area dangerous for any Allied ships.

Ponape and Kusaie are being reinforced to make them a bit more of a problem if the Allies persist in moving through CentPac. It's going to be impossible to make a big stand here, as there are simply too few islands capable of hosting big airbases - the lesson I've learned from the loss of Ocean Island is that you can't get as big a coordinated strike from 5 small airbases as you would from one big one.

Tabiutuea has been kept closed by 4E's, but I'll be making an effort to get it re-opened and to keep it open.

KB moves to Truk, with Akagi taking a torpedo one hex from the base. 8 flt damage, but I'll send her back to the HI for repairs and bring her back with the two converted CS's. The main thing is that Lokasenna now knows the KB is at Truk.

Guam's fortifications reach level 9. Most of the engineers are moving to Babeldoab to dig forts there up to level 7 or so.

The fragments of the 60th Division (destroyed on Guadalcanal) are sent back to Peleliu, where they're refitting back up to 100% TOE. That gives me one weak division on Babeldoab and the framework of a second weak division on Peleliu. Reinforcements will need to follow.

Even further back, the Bonin's are shaping up well. Iwo-jima and Chichi-jima both have level 5 fortifications, while Haha-jima is nearly at level 4 forts. There's still little more than a token garrison, but hopefully we won't need a serious garrison here for some time.

South-West Pacific

Fairly calm. The Allies are creeping their way forward with fast transport invasions and the like, while building up their airbases in the background.

The bulk of my strength in aircraft is marshaled between Rabual or Hansa Bay, and I'm waiting for the Allies to come that "one hex too close".

DEI

No real change here. I'm more or less convinced now that the Allies are content to build the foundations for a '44 offensive from North-Eastern Australia towards Darwin and the Lower DEI.

Much as I predicted, I lose the Sendai to an Allied SAG. In response, I send three CVE's to the western map edge to hunt convoys. They trash one convoy of fuel-laden xAK's before I send them home - a nice little distraction that will hopefully tie down some Allied resources on the wrong side of Australia.

Depending on how brave I feel, I may try again.

Burma

Some good successes here. The 7th & 26th Indian Divisions are thrown back into the jungle in late September, and a few weeks later, two Chinese corps are also thrown back into the jungle with heavy losses.

These are obviously probing attacks, but so far, I've been quite happy with my ability to respond. With a quick-reaction force in Central Burma and the picket lines deployed forward enough to give good warning, I get to one Allied column and beat it before another breaks through the jungle.

How long things stay like this is anyone's guess, however. The bulk of Allied troops are still uncommitted.

Philippines

Manila's fortificaitons are at level 7 and expanding nicely. Cabanatuan is a level 7 airbase, and soon to be a level 8. I've plans to send some engineers from the Home Islands to start work on building up Bataan's fortification level, but there's a little work still needing done in Japan proper.

General Comments

The IJA is starting to bulk up now - I got the first of many reinforcement units a few turns ago, and they will all be sent swiftly to the front. At present, the priority is to fill out the secondary bases in the Central Pacific (Babeldoab, Pelelui,Yap, Woleai, the dot bases in the Marianas), then to the second line bases in the SWPAC, with anything left over being sent to either the Lower DEI or to the Philippines.

R&D is running nicely. Ki-84a is due by November, and one factory is already bring the 84r forward. A couple of other important airframes are also due in early 44, around the time when they'll be needed.

Industry looks great. A little low on oil, but nothing a few more convoys can fix.

So far, so good.

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 414

RE: Setptember Storm in the Solomons - 3/3/2015 9:35:44 PM

mind_messing

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October 9th to October 10th, 1943

Quiet turns, with the only action being in the SWPAC

South-West Pacific

Two crack N1K2 squadrons spring into action with sweeps over Munda and Ontong Java. The results are fantastic - 37 Hellcats and a smattering of various US Army airframes shot down for the loss of 9 N1K2s.

Both these squadrons are staffed with TRACOM level pilots, and they know their stuff. I intend to use them only for the offense. In an ideal world, they'll sweep ahead of any anti-shipping strikes to wear down CAP and let poorer quality air frames and pilots die escorting the strike craft.

Once I get the Ki-84a for the IJA, I'll create a couple of elite squadrons for the same purpose. The idea is to keep a core of expert pilots to put a dent in the Allied CAP when I need it, with the secondary purpose of trying to attrition Allied air frames if I get half the chance.

Lokasenna, however, is clever - his best aircraft and pilots are never on CAP, but I'll see if I can't "sweep snipe" leakers from his major airbases to boost the skills of my own pilots.

Allied carriers are hovering east of Ndeni. I'm unsure if they just don't want to go home or if they're prepping for an invasion of Tabiteuea. Either way, I'm ramming supply into Tabituea as fast as possible - it's the one hex in the area I'd love him to invade...

Interesting times...

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 415

RE: Wrangling Loki - Mind_Messing (J) vs Lokasenna (A) - 3/9/2015 11:21:22 PM

mind_messing

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October 11th to October 22nd, 1943

The Allied steamroller has made it's first stop.

CentPac

Tabiteuea falls. It's days had been numbered since the fall of Narau Island, and to be quite frank, I'm glad it's been taken, as I can buy back a few nice units that i had feared would be cut off.

The Japanese defence was lackluster, hampered by the lack of supply. Roaming Fletcher squadrons had prevented cargo ships from getting through, and 4E bombings and Fletcher bombardment runs served to keep the island a dangerous place for aircraft. The islands modest supply stockpile (around 7k, IIRC) had long been evaporated by 4E night bombing runs, so the defenders were on short commons long before the Allies made their move.

Lokasenna brought near enough everything he had, I spotted an abundance of CV's and CVE's, and plenty of battleships were engaged in bombardment duty and it was the 4th Marine Division, backed up by tanks that came ashore. The islands defenders, under the circumstances made a good showing - trivial damage was inflicted on a number of ships (to be expected, seeing as there wasn't anything other than some 12cm DP guns and a IJA regiment with 15cm guns), but massive naval and air strikes had disabled more or less all the combat units, so despite level 4 forts the island fell at the first attack.

I had hoped that the forts plus the CD guns would have lasted at least one shock attack, but the lack of supply put paid to that. Even so, the result was pretty encourging as a prelude for Festung Marianas.

The IJN has did what it's done so well so far: absolutely nothing. I debated long and hard over sending them to play long bowls with the Allied carriers, but I decided against it, and I think it was the right decision. A massive victory would not have saved the island, and may have bought me three months of time, but even a moderate defeat would have benefited Lokasenna more than me and foremost was that my nearby bases were too far from the battlezone to help make up for the Allied numerical advantage in carriers. Plus, I'm down Akagi (took 1 torp outside Truk and another off Yokohama, currently sitting in Tokyo for three months of repairs), so one more reason not to roll the dice.

The IJN and the KB will wait in the wings for the time being. If the Allies start moving up the Gilberts, I'll park the KB between the big airbases in the Marshalls and invite Lokasenna to come fight. I'll be getting kami's soon, so it's a good spot to use them as any. The Marshalls is a decent ground to give my strategy of massed air attacks a proper go if the Allies co-operate.

Kusaie, Ponape and the Marshalls are all going to be rammed full of supply and troops in preparation.

The CentPac theater will become a great deal more active now, as Tabiteuea and environs host a whole slew of 0(0) 0(2) bases, and Lokasenna has the engineers to dig those dot bases up to level 5 airbases - that means lots of 4E's and increased commitment of Japanese fighters to defend against them.

Even so, it's late '43 and the Allies are only just starting to move - 1944 is around the corner and the Allies have a long way to go to get to Japan, and plenty of obstacles in the way! Festung Marianas has been covered, Babeldoab has reached level 6 forts, Pelileu isn't far behind and I'm moving engineers to the Bonins shortly.

Thing's aren't ideal, but they could be a whole lot worse.

SWPAC

We're still pretty stalemated here, due in whole to the Allies not advancing. Lae get's blitzed by a massive 4E night raid that shuts it down and sparks a rant against the evils of night bombing from me.

I get the feeling the Allies are considering a move against Shortlands, as the Allies have being paying particular attention to it over the past fortnight. If they make a move, I'd seriously consider sending the KB in, as it's nice and close to my big bases at Rabual and Kaiveng

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 416

RE: Wrangling Loki - Mind_Messing (J) vs Lokasenna (A) - 3/9/2015 11:56:42 PM

mind_messing

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quote:

Ground combat at Tabiteuea (137,134)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 21635 troops, 260 guns, 680 vehicles, Assault Value = 769

Defending force 11570 troops, 186 guns, 37 vehicles, Assault Value = 201

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 4

Allied adjusted assault: 313

Japanese adjusted defense: 13

Allied assault odds: 24 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied forces CAPTURE Tabiteuea !!!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
E13A1 Jake: 2 destroyed

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), disruption(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
2631 casualties reported
Squads: 22 destroyed, 221 disabled
Non Combat: 36 destroyed, 53 disabled
Engineers: 53 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 100 (75 destroyed, 25 disabled)
Vehicles lost 25 (25 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 1

Allied ground losses:
478 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 36 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 18 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 36 disabled
Vehicles lost 28 (2 destroyed, 26 disabled)

Assaulting units:
763rd Tank Battalion
4th Marine Division
34th Combat Engineer Regiment
754th Tank Battalion
131st Combat Engineer Regiment
1st USMC Tank Battalion
857th Engineer Aviation Battalion
226th USN Base Force
8th USN Naval Construction Regiment

Defending units:
3rd Ind.Mixed Brigade - more or less wiped out by bombardment and bombing
Kure 7th SNLF - did a decent job, it's 8 12cm DP guns weren't made to duel with battleships, but they tried!
1st Shipping Engineer Regiment
40th Const Co
56th JNAF AF Unit
15th Medium Field Artillery Regiment - did a respectable job with it's 15cm guns!
24th Air Flotilla
11th JNAF AF Unit
51st Const Co
53rd Field AA Battalion
56th Field AA Battalion
7th JNAF Coy /2

Combat report of the attack.

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 417

RE: Wrangling Loki - Mind_Messing (J) vs Lokasenna (A) - 3/10/2015 12:33:24 AM

Lowpe

Posts: 22133
Joined: 2/25/2013
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

I'll be getting kami's soon

Why? How?

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 418

RE: Wrangling Loki - Mind_Messing (J) vs Lokasenna (A) - 3/10/2015 12:34:13 AM

mind_messing

Posts: 3393
Joined: 10/28/2013
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

I'll be getting kami's soon

Why? How?

A little base with a level 2 airbase off the Philippines that the war just happened to pass by...

(in reply to Lowpe)

Post #: 419

RE: Wrangling Loki - Mind_Messing (J) vs Lokasenna (A) - 3/10/2015 12:15:16 PM

Bullwinkle58

Posts: 11302
Joined: 2/24/2009
Status: offline

L. is sort of playing your game in our game. Not risking the IJN yet. I need VPs and he's not showing some of the richest stores of them to me at this point.

I would caution against being so sure he'll batter himself on the Marianas. He recons the heck out of things and does the math. If you're too strong he'll take another route to 4E heaven. Formosa maybe.

But for now the Tabis of the world don't cost him much, but don't get him much. In our game losing Chungking cost me almost 6000 VPs in base, troops, and the huge gifts gained from him building out the infrastructure. (One AF level is an absurd number of VPs. Very hurtful. Owwwww.) A lot of islands needed to get back 6000 beans.

Re time, remember that in RL Tarawa didn't happen until nearly 1944 and less than two years later there was a party on the deck of USS Mizzou. The rates of hardware and LCU arrivals for Loka not only accelerates in 1944--they become Niagara Falls. You're doing all the right things, but in the immortal words of Mr. Solo, "Great, kid! Don't get cocky!"

< Message edited by Bullwinkle58 -- 3/10/2015 11:21:40 PM >

_____________________________

The Moose

(in reply to mind_messing)

Post #: 420

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Slitherine

RE: Preparing for Downfall