Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

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ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

AKEs and AEs (of bigger size for BBs) can actually replenish your surface forces in a O-level port. Hopefully you have some ADs as well to replenish your DD torpedoes. EDIT: And AGPs to replenish PTs. So, no need to actually take a Level-4 Port if you brought enough aux vessels to the party. Of course, another consideration is providing sufficient air cover so they don't all get sunk.

Cheers,
CC

The problem with very small ports is that they cannot reload the AKEs with very much ammo per day. And, of course, it takes a while to unload cargo ships at the port so that it will have supply for the AKEs. I think Canoerebel's next nearest port (already owned) is quite some distance.

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ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

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ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

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ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

AKEs and AEs (of bigger size for BBs) can actually replenish your surface forces in a O-level port. Hopefully you have some ADs as well to replenish your DD torpedoes. EDIT: And AGPs to replenish PTs. So, no need to actually take a Level-4 Port if you brought enough aux vessels to the party. Of course, another consideration is providing sufficient air cover so they don't all get sunk.

Cheers,
CC

The problem with very small ports is that they cannot reload the AKEs with very much ammo per day. And, of course, it takes a while to unload cargo ships at the port so that it will have supply for the AKEs. I think Canoerebel's next nearest port (already owned) is quite some distance.

Very good point. They'd be good for about one or two reloads before going dry.

Cheers,
CC

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ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Where are your Wildcat recon planes?? There should be two types available - F4F-3P with range of 6/7 and F4F-7 with very good range of 21/27. Then, you should have a few old Buff F2A-2P with range of 13 /16. I pretty much double the early war recon plane production for Allies for all of John's mods.

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ORIGINAL: Powloon

Hi,

Just wanted to chime in to say what an amazing AAR this is (although I'm sure my boss would disagree if he knew how often I end up checking it )

Congrats on the initial stages of Roller Coaster fingers crossed the rest of the operation goes as smoothly. I was wondering with all the recent action in CENPAC and NORPAC what the current situation was in the other peripheral theatres China (not heard any mention from there for a while have you agreed to play a quiet China?), Australia, Burma etc

** Resumes lurking mode

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

There's a natural tendency that many players have, to some degree. We tend to concentrate our forces where the action is. I think in the old days of wargaming, the phenomenon was known as the players rushing all their forces to the center of the map, engaging in a titanic clash, and the game ended. The developers have done a good job of making this harder to do in AE (PP plays a big role in this).

John seems to concentrate his forces to an extreme extent. For months, essentially every combat ship and sub was in Sumatra. Now a host of subs are in the Aleutians. But by concentrating his forces he tends to leave big gaps (I hope - I hope that I'm not about to get pounced on by a KB to show me a lesson). When he had all his subs in Sumatra, I didn't see one in the Aleuts or West Coast for six months. Then, when he moved so many to the Aleuts, he left the Marshalls without any. The same goes with patrols: he tends to concentrate them where he expects action. Thus, in autumn '42, he had them all in New Guinea and left Sumatra totally unprotected. Then he moved them to Sumatra and left the Aleuts unprotected. Same thing with troops - he moved them all to Sumatra and left Hokkaido and the Aleuts open. Etc. etc. etc.

This makes for a fun game for the Allied player if he has enough experience to gather info and put it together accurately (and as I type this, I cross my fingers hoping I'm not conjuring bad luck in the form of KB arriving tomorrow). But John would be better served to not over-concentrate his forces. He should've had patrols in Sumatra in mid '42. He should've had decent defenses in Hokkaido and the Kuriles in early '43 (so that he didn't have to freak when the Allies showed up unexpectedly).

It's easy for me to point out things about John. And I could even be wrong about them, though I think it's pretty accurate. And John (and many of you) can spot the holes in my game. But it's a lot of fun trying to identify holes and take advantage of them. If the Allies manage to complete the Marshalls campaign without suffering a lopsided carrier battle defeat, they should be in great shape to build on these past two successes even while enduring the humiliation of Sumatra.

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ORIGINAL: crsutton

I think a lot of Japanese players curse the capability of Allied intelligence.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

He should've had decent defenses in Hokkaido and the Kuriles in early '43 (so that he didn't have to freak when the Allies showed up unexpectedly).

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

John's reactions to my moves in NoPac didn't stop me from going for Hokkaido. Once I decided to target the Aleutians instead, Hokkaido was off the menu.

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I have detailed plans for the balance of '43 and general ideas thereafter.

The overall goal, though, is to chip away at Japanese capital ships. I think that's the surest (and shortest, if successful) route to victory. I've never heard of a Japanese player conceding because he ran out of aircraft or ground troops. I've only infrequently heard of Japanese players running out of fuel or supply. But there have been a multitude of concessions when the navy vanished. And John is a navy man above all else. (It's similar for the Allies - many concessions are made after an Allied player loses an early and lopsided carrier battle).

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I think the Allies are ahead of schedule, even with the impending loss of Sumatra. I've said this before, but in most of the games I've seen of late involving experienced IJ players, the Japanese have made serious inroads way beyond the historical norm. John hasn't in this game. The main reason is that he's been reacting to a series of Allied offensives since early '42: Spring '42 counterinvasion in the Aleutians (recpatured by John); Assam and invasion of Ramree Island (June '42, still held by Allies); invasion of Gilberts (June '42, retaken by Japan); invasion of Sumatra (November '42, ongoing but about to end in John's favor).

John has successfully countered most of these Allied offensive operations, but at a cost. He lost the initiative early on (or surrendered it voluntarily to go after the Allies) and never made any serious pushes thereafter. So now it's mid '43, the Allies are on the move, and the Japanese outer defenses have been compromised in two theaters.

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Perhaps it's not possible to point out flaws in the enemy's game without appearing unfairly critical. I have noted where I think John deserves credit while also going into detail when as to why I think he's been stymied. I've also pointed out where I made mistakes (especially in Sumatra). The nature of this mod and the house rules might be also be taken into account by some, but I agreed to them and thus have no right to complain about them. But the imbalance in the fighter pools above all else determined what happened in Sumatra, and I get the blame for not fully understanding that going in.

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I think John will go on the offensive after Sumatra and will create bulges in the Allied positions in several places (my guess is Assam and/or China, but I'll keep watching). And I think the Allies have created bulges in the Japanese perimeter and are in relatively good position to prosecute the war now.

Sooner or later there's going to be a big carrier battle. If the Allies come out on the short end, the pace will slow for a time. If the Allies come out ahead, the pace should quicken somewhat.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Eric, I don't think you have a good picture of what happened at Hokkaido. John's reaction had nothing to do with it. The move was predicated on having surprise until the fast transports (by that, I mean APAs and APs of 17 to 21 knots carrying 2nd Marine Div.) were within two to three days of the beaches. I almost made it, but patrols picked them up about four or five days out. I immediately defered to the secondary target as was the plan all along. John didn't react at all before I made that decision - only because he had no time to.

Hokkaido was wide open, but the Allies had to have everything go just right for me to chance it this early and with only four complete divisions and the equivalent of two more. When that one important element didn't work out, I diverted. If it had been a month later when I would have had two or three more divisions, I wouldn't have diverted at that point.

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ORIGINAL: Alfred

Japan has not lost the initiative and it should be able to destroy the Sabang pocket.  This would all be so obvious with a Japanese player who is sang froid.  Try telling Nemo that Japan no longer has the strategic initiative and he would be very dismissive.

Alfred

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ORIGINAL: Alfred

Japan has not lost the initiative and it should be able to destroy the Sabang pocket.  This would all be so obvious with a Japanese player who is sang froid.  Try telling Nemo that Japan no longer has the strategic initiative and he would be very dismissive.

Alfred