RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 1/27/2017 5:57:54 PM

apbarog

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The enemy ground strength is still strong at Soerbaja, and at Batavia. Mindanao is certainly getting reinforcements. My thoughts on going around Mindanao is to land at Jolo and surrounding islands, and Zamboanga, which is Mindanao but is isolated enough that I think it won't be attacked by land. Then moving to the northeastern tip of Borneo, and the 2 bases on the island of Palawan. This gets me part of the way to Manila. Maybe take Busuanga after that. Then Luzon is a possibility. Skip Mindanao entirely, or land after Walker starts ferrying troops out to reinforce Luzon, which inevitably would happen. I do have some troops prepping for parts of Mindanao, and they will continue to do so.

Brunei and Miri would be icing on the cake of taking northeastern Borneo. Not an immediate target though. The oil will be denied just by being close to those bases. And denying the enemy oil is more important than taking the oil. Balikpapan will be nice to have, not having to ship in as much fuel. There's no supply generation at oil facilities. I can't remember if that is a DBB mod thing, or a change to the base game. But it's still an important base to have. And bombers from Balikpapan and Sarmarinda can shut down the oil at Brunei and Miri, and may be able to do so at Palembang also, at least for one big surprise strike. Of course, once the B-29s arrive, Walker has already lost his oil, just with the bases I already have.

(in reply to Macclan5)

Post #: 1531

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 1/29/2017 12:22:52 AM

apbarog

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9 Sep 43

It was a good day.

AKAs continued to unload supply at Balikpapan. A YMS continues to sweep mines there.

Near Puerto Princesa, sub Skate spots destroyer Tokitsukaze, fires 2 torpedoes, and both miss. Later in the day, however, sub Whale spots the same ship, and hits it with a torpedo.

Sub Crevalle spots a xAK task force north of Ulithi. No engagement.

East of Aitape, on the east coast of New Guinea, sub Capelin spots a few APDs with an AMC, but 2 torpedoes miss an APD.

Buin, Boela, and Sorong are all bombarded by Allied cruiser task forces.

Midway between Thailand and Borneo, sub Cabrilla spots a big cargo task force, consisting of at least 2 xAKs and many xAKLs. The sub fires 4 torpedoes at xAK Meiu Maru. 2 torpedoes hit. The ship is loaded with fuel and is burning. Or was burning. Sinking sounds are heard later.

Some bombers attack Soerabaja's airfield again. There's are a handful of ranged CAP from somewhere else, but no planes based at Soerabaja.

Some heavies hit the oil field at Tjepoe, on Java. Results are poor. 6 oil are damaged, leaving 30 working. This isn't a priority for me. Just trying to move the targets around and maybe spread the enemy CAP out some. There's a lot more oil production at Soerabaja, but I will just capture that.

Allied troops attack enemy troops in the jungle at Manado. 1433 enemy casualties, 218 friendly. One unit is eliminated in combat. Three more evaporate from attrition afterwards.

US troops attack at Balikpapan and overwhelm the defenders. 2438 enemy losses. No US losses. The enemy retreats inland. I hope to sneak a commando unit into that inland base before the enemy gets there. I am happy to report that damage to Balikpapan's oil and refineries is minimal. Just 5 out of the 300 oil are damaged, and just 7 of the 400 of the refineries are damaged. The bonus is that over 216,000 fuel are captured. Now shipping carrying support units will move in and unload. Included is one of those huge naval support units. Balikpapan is going to become a hub of naval activity soon. And a huge airbase too. The two combat units here, the 3rd Marine Division and the 762nd Tank Battalion, are immediately retasked for a new objective.

The 4th Marine Division attacked at Buin, getting 2 to 1 odds, and reducing the forts to 3. 238 enemy losses and 57 friendly. I'll rest a day and repeat. It won't be necessary to land all of the other units that I intended to attack with here, including combat engineers, artillery, and tanks. These units, already loaded on ships and waiting to the south, will now head to Darwin.

Side notes:
Rabaul now has 193 enemy fighters. Cagayan has 102.
I see ground movement out of Soerabaja for the first time. I suspect that air support is moving out, with the heavy damage at the airfield. It would be nice to see combat troops move out. But I think that will happen later, when I invade the eastern tip of Java.
The Indian 111 LRP unit, at Samarinda, is now retasked for Miri. A big para drop is possible from Samarinda.
3 heavy bombers units are moved to Manado to bomb Taytay's port. I've consistently seen at least 2 AKE's there.
SigInt reports an AA unit at Butuan. Another indication of the enemy buildup on Mindanao. Many airbases are being expanded here.

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Post #: 1532

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 1/30/2017 2:46:45 AM

apbarog

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10 Sep 43

The small minesweeper YMS-281 completely sweeps the enemy mines at Balikpapan. Unloading of support troops continues there.

Brit cruisers bombarded Bandjermasin, southwest of Balikpapan. No invasion imminent here, but I do have an Commonwealth division prepping for it. Other tasks to attend to first.

Fulmars and Corsairs sweep Madang on New Guinea, finding some Tojos on ranged CAP. The Fulmars don't do well, losing a few. Just a sweep to show some interest here, where I really have none.

B-25s bomb enemy troops on Buin. Will deliberate attack today.

Heavy bombers hit Ambon's airfield, keeping it damaged.

Another deliberate attack today at Manado to clear out the isolated enemy in the jungle.

All of the Allied CV's and CVL's will be at Darwin today, and a task force with 12 CVE's and a CVL will arrive there also. There are only 2 other CVE's on the map, and they are nearing the east coast of Australia and headed to the front also.

A commando unit is unloading at Makassar, where it will combat load for a landing on the enemy base inland from Balikpapan. I hope to win the race with the enemy retreating from Balikpapan.

Support units continue to unload at Tanjoengselor, next to Tarakan. Fletchers continue to guard.

I noted that there are now 201 fighters at Rabaul. And the troop numbers have recently increased, not decreased, now up to about 35,000. Walker may think that my Buin and Torokina landings foreshadow a Rabaul landing soon.

On Java, Soerabaja still has 10 units, with 20940 men, 194 guns, and 218 vehicles. Adjacent Malang has 3 units with 17360 men, 104 guns, and 11 vehicles. My upcoming landing at the eastern tip of Java, with just one division, won't get far towards Soerabaja. And that's not counting if Walker moves something into the mountain hex. It will be interesting to see what I do with the 2 Indian divisions and the huge Chinese Corp that has prepped for Soerabaja.

But another operation comes first. And all APAs needed for it will get to Darwin today. Loading will begin, and then we're off to push further. Will Walker finally intervene? I have to think that the hammer will fall eventually, somewhere.

(in reply to apbarog)

Post #: 1533

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/2/2017 3:10:40 AM

apbarog

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11 Sep 43

Just north of Mindanao, sub S-42 spots tiny ACM Oi Maru, gets a torpedo hit, and undoubtedly sinks her.

West of Formosa, sub Tinosa spots a big tanker convoy, fires 2 torpedoes at big tanker Tonan Maru #3, and gets a hit. The sub then reattacks, and fires 2 more torpedoes at the now smoking tanker, but misses this time.

Allied troops attack again at Manado, and causes almost another 1000 casualties to the isolated defenders in the jungle.

Good news at Buin. The 4th Marine Division attacks and captures the base, getting 9 to 1 odds with level 3 forts. 528 enemy casualties, and only 18 friendly. The Marines will rest a day and then start reducing what is left.

2 bits of big news today. First, loading at Darwin begins for the next round of invasions. Allied carriers have refueled and start to move to staging areas.

And the first units begin prepping for Luzon. Landings on Luzon before 1944? That goal sounds good to me. Mindanao is being reinforced heavily by Walker, but I haven't seen the same attention to Luzon yet.

As shown on the map, I'm sending the 8 Fletchers that are near Tarakan out into the South China Sea. I'm hoping to intercept the big tanker convoy that is westbound near Formosa. Admiral Burke is leading the task force. Hoping for some fireworks. I'm doing a full speed run to get out into the open ocean. I'm hoping that they have enough fuel to get back, at mission speed.

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Post #: 1534

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/2/2017 1:21:54 PM

jwolf

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I am fearful when I do that kind of full speed run very far with a purely DD force. It's just too easy to get stranded. The alternative problem is that if your ships get into some hot water they won't be able to run away fast if they need to. Do you think Walker might change the convoy route now that it was spotted?

(in reply to apbarog)

Post #: 1535

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/2/2017 8:40:08 PM

Bif1961

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Why not include a large light cruiser with a lot of fuel to help them, it can keep up, give added firepower, provide a float plane or two and help them search and give them needed fuel.

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Post #: 1536

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/2/2017 10:19:41 PM

apbarog

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With the large number of subs in the South China Sea, I've been watching the tanker convoys go back and forth for quite awhile. I don't always get a tanker, but I see them frequently. Walker has been using a mid-ocean route from Formosa to Singapore. This won't change because of another sub attack, but if my destroyers engage, I expect convoys to start hugging the Vietnam coast. I've had subs there for awhile also, but no convoys there, yet.

A light cruiser would help with fuel, but would slow the task force down. I didn't plan on using these Fletchers for a South China Sea raid. Their mission was to protect the landing next to Tarakan. But when I spotted these tankers inbound, and had the Fletchers where they were, with almost full fuel tanks, I decided to go for it.

Looks like no turn today from Walker.

< Message edited by apbarog -- 2/3/2017 1:26:29 AM >

(in reply to Bif1961)

Post #: 1537

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/3/2017 11:32:51 PM

Bif1961

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True on the speed a 6 knots difference, but wouldn't that be offset by having float planes fuel and heavy guns available? At flank speed what would be the range different 18 instead of 19?

(in reply to apbarog)

Post #: 1538

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/4/2017 1:52:01 AM

apbarog

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The Fletchers have a full speed of 11 per phase, so theoretically, they could move 22 in a day. I don't know if they really manage this though. Taking a light cruiser along can be a good idea though. I think we shall soon see if I wish I had one with them.

Sep 43

Southwest of Formosa, and southwest of yesterday's intercept, sub Seawolf spots the big tanker convoy, but misses with 2 torpedoes fired at the large tanker Omurosan Maru.

To the far west, and east of Singapore, an eastbound tanker convoy is spotted by sub Cabrilla. 4 torpedoes are fired at large tanker Teiyo Maru. One hits, the tanker is full of fuel, and it was left burning. Sinking sounds heard later.

Southeast of Mindanao, a US patrolling subchaser group finds RO-38, and probably sinks her. The subchasers were sent out a bit far. I wanted to show something approaching the southeastern area of Mindanao. Walker has subs deployed tactically, again, to guard future landing spots.

US troops at Manado continue to clear out the enemy in the jungle. 2 units destroyed and another evaporates from being surrounded. 2759 enemy casualties. I'll rest a day and repeat.

A fragment of the Indian 111th LRP Brigade, at Samarinda, paradrops into the inland base of Melak. Enemy troops retreating from Balikpapan are heading here, and since Melak is an airfield base of size 1, I didn't want these units escaping by air. I'll continue to ferry in more paratroops until the base isn't threatened any longer. Then I'll extract them.

Lots of shipping leaving Darwin for the next round of invasions.

I got SigInt of 1/32 Div/B is at Busuanga. This base is southwest of Manila and is a possible future target. No worries if just 32 Div/B is there, but if all of the division is there, I will bypass.

The fun part of the next turn is with the 8 Fletchers now out in the South China Sea. They are not spotted. See map.

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Post #: 1539

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/4/2017 10:19:21 PM

apbarog

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13 Sep 43

My 8 Fletchers in the South China Sea came up empty today. The westbound tanker convoy disappeared. The good news is that the Fletchers are still not spotted, and they have enough fuel to try to intercept an eastbound convoy today.

It was a good day for the submariners.

Southwest of Cam Ranh Bay, sub Drum spots a big tanker convoy, fires 2 torpedoes at tanker Palembang Maru, but both miss.

Sub Truant is spotted amidst the islands south of Manila, but evades depth charges from patrol boats in shallow water. Truant drops mines in a likely ship passage area from Manila.

South of Cam Ranh Bay, sub Guardfish spots a big tanker convoy, maybe the same one that Drum spotted. Guardfish fires 2 torpedoes at the large tanker Kyokuho Maru, and gets one hit. The tanker is loaded with fuel, and is burning. Sinking sounds heard later.

Sub Pargo spots another large tanker convoy south of Cam Ranh Bay. The ship names are different from the earlier task forces, but with fog of war, it could be the same ships. Pargo fires 4 torpedoes at tanker Tonan Maru #2, and gets 2 hits. The loaded fuel is burning, and sinking sounds are heard later.

(Does anyone know if a tanker that is loaded with oil says "oil burning" instead of "fuel burning" when it is hit? Seems like I've only ever seen "fuel burning", and some of these tankers have to be carrying oil.)

Cleanup at Buin continues with the 4th Marine Division attacking. One unit is destroyed, and others evaporate from being surrounded. Just one enemy unit left at Buin.

There are 3 enemy units left in the jungle at Manado. One unit evaporated by being surrounded today. Allied units will attack today to help speed up the process.

Lots of Allied shipping on the move for the next invasions. Fletchers still on the prowl in the South China Sea, for one more day, anyhow.

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/5/2017 5:36:56 PM

apbarog

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No turn from Walker today. The drama in the South China Sea will have to wait until tomorrow.

In the meantime, troops at Port Hedland wait for the APAs that are currently loaded and on their next invasion mission. I won't be committing enough troops for Java to take the island. Maybe not enough to even land at Soerabaja, like I hope. At least, I'll gain a foothold on the eastern tip, and give Walker a reason to keep strong forces there. I'll be sending one US division for the landing at the eastern tip. The "B" team consists of two Indian divisions and one monster Chinese corp.

But first, Allied shipping nears Makassar, heading for the next set of landings.

And to be honest, the success that the US subs are having in the South China Sea could be a war winner by itself. Cargo ships can, and are, being used to ferry fuel back to Japan. But oil can only go on tankers, and we're steadily reducing their numbers. Some would argue that the US subs won the war in the Pacific historically. I can see how that could play out here. And it's just September 1943. Lots more subs (and everything else) in the pipeline.

(in reply to apbarog)

Post #: 1541

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/6/2017 8:39:02 PM

apbarog

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14 Sep 43

Sub Harder avoids 2 destroyers on ASW duty south of Formosa. Walker is raising his ASW defenses, near Formosa, and on the coast of Thailand/Vietnam.

Sub Escolar, taking a scenic route from Pearl Harbor to Darwin, spots an xAKL, an ARD, and a PB just west of Yap. One torpedo hits the xAKL, probably sinking it.

Enemy patrol boats immediately spot mines laid yesterday at Calapan, south of Manila.

Sub Billfish spots a huge tanker convoy south of Cam Ranh Bay, but misses with 2 torpedoes fired at a patrol boat.

Cleanup at Manado continues, with US forces attacking. 2 more enemy units disappear. Just one left.

The Fletchers came up empty in the South China Sea, and were spotted today. 3 of them split off, slowed by some damage, and will move 6 hexes south towards home. The other 5 can still move 8 hexes a day, and will do so, retiring towards home and fuel.

There was a large increase in sub detection levels south of Cam Ranh Bay. This could be due to land-based search, or there could be carriers.

Invasion forces continue to move toward staging areas.

I received my first AGC ship today in Panama. It will move to Pago Pago and then on to the front.

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/7/2017 9:25:40 PM

apbarog

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15 Sep 43

Walker is certainly increasing his ASW efforts in the South China Sea. E-boats get a hit on Seahorse near the Vietnamese coast. D/L levels here are very high, so there's aircraft at work here too. This is where his tankers will eventually be sent. Along the coast.

Vals, escorted by Zeros and Oscars, fly out of Brunei (I think), and attack the 3 slower moving Fletchers as they withdraw from the South China Sea. Flak does pretty well considering there's just 3 ships. Renshaw is reportedly hit by a 250kg bomb, but it shows no damage from it. 30 Bettys then attack with torpedoes, flying all the way from Thailand or Vietnam. The 3 destroyers dodge all torpedoes, and flak damages some Bettys. In the afternoon, 16 Bettys return and try again, but the results are the same.

Judging by the detection levels of my subs in the South China Sea, I think that there are carriers out hunting my destroyers. Fortunately, I ran low on fuel and went south. Today is another problem though. I plot my Fletchers to move further south, but not to my closest base, which has some fuel but has no airfield yet. It is within easy range of Brunei. My ships will stay east of Borneo as they move south. If they move their full movement, the 3 destroyers will rendezvous with a light cruiser and destroyer, and take on some fuel. The other 5 destroyers will move a bit further south and rendezvous with an AO. This is risky. They could be hit by Bettys from just about anywhere. Jolo and Zamboanga are nearby, and divebombers could be based there. I send some Corsairs on extreme LRCAP from Goronatalo and Manado to guard the task forces. One more day in the danger zone.

A bit to the south of this activity, an armada is gathering for the next invasions. It'll take a couple more days to gather.

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/9/2017 12:41:58 AM

apbarog

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16 Sep 43

Sub Cabrilla spots one of the big tanker convoys near Groot Natoena. No engagement.

Southwest of Formosa, sub Tinosa spots another tanker convoy and gets one torpedo hit on smallish tanker Takane Maru. It is not loaded but is burning. The sub then reattacks, but misses an E-boat with 2 torpedoes. Later, Tinosa attacks again, and gets a torpedo hit on PB Kaiun Maru.

Interesting. Just southwest of Bataan, sub Searaven spots BB Haruna, 4 cruisers and 4 destroyers. 4 torpedoes miss DD Kazegumo. A battleship in the Philippines. Searaven then reattacks, and misses DD Shiratsuyu with 4 torpedoes.

Jolo and Tarakan are both swept by P-38s and bombed by a mix of heavy and medium bombers. No CAP at either. Bombing results are excellent at Jolo, but poor at Tarakan, where the weather was poor.

In the morning, 9 Jills escorted by 22 Zeros, flying from carriers on the north coast of Borneo, find my replenishment rescue force near Tawi Tawi. 3 torpedoes hit AO Enoree, and 1 hits AM Force. Both ships are sunk. LR CAP did not show.

In the afternoon, 18 Nells and 13 Bettys, escorted by 15 Zeros and 13 Nicks, fly from somewhere on Mindanao, and attack the 2 task forces consisting of a CL and DD and the 3 DDs low on fuel. 30 torpedoes miss. Some targetted the CL.

Then 18 Jills escorted by 41 Zeros, flying from carriers, find the CL task force. CL Raleigh is torpedoed once, and DD McCalla is also torpedoed once. Both ships have a decent chance at surviving. Raleigh is 23 SYS/38-30 FLOT/1 ENG/0 FIRE, and McCalla is 12 SYS/57-40 FLOT/4 ENG/0 FIRE. Raleigh was able to refuel the other 3 DDs, so those destroyers will move south. Raleigh and a DD will move slower south, but I'm moving my fleet carriers north to cover them tomorrow. The carriers are also the vanguard of the coming invasions.

I'm hoping for a turn on Thursday or Friday. Then Walker is headed out traveling, and there won't be another turn for about a week.

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/9/2017 12:53:56 AM

apbarog

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I chatted a bit with Walker about my destroyer move into the South China Sea. It turns out that his convoys reacted away from the surface threat, so he knew that something was out there, even though he didn't get a spotting during the day. I didn't know that I was spotted, since the detection level never went up. Bad luck for me. Good luck for me, though, that I left when I did, since my suspicions that there were carriers out there were correct.

I didn't get away without loss, but I'd try it again. And I will.

(in reply to apbarog)

Post #: 1545

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/9/2017 10:48:45 PM

apbarog

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17 Sep 43

Medium bombers hit Tarakan's airfield. Fairly poor results, again, with severe storms. No CAP.

Fighting at Manado has ended. The last enemy unit, the 16th Army HQ, has been eliminated. All bases on Celebes are now Allied. Troops at Manado begin to rest while they prepare for future actions elsewhere.

The only other action was ASW aircraft from Allied carriers hitting a RO sub east of Borneo. Lots of enemy subs here. And lots of Allied shipping will run the gauntlet of subs to the next set of invasion beaches.

But that will have to wait. Walker is now out of town for a week. I will take the next week to slowly do my turn, and pass the time micromanaging every little bit of the war. I'll do some region summaries during the week also.

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Post #: 1546

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/11/2017 8:29:29 PM

apbarog

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17 Sep 43 - The Solomons

I've spent some time looking at everything from New Guinea to the east, and have marked units for redeployment. I expected to move the major units in the Solomons that took Torokina and Buin, but I was surprised to find so many support units that can be pulled out. If I'm not going to advance further here, I don't need all of the support that I have here. Besides the 3 divisions, I have 45 other units that will be redeployed. They are currently in locations stretching from the eastern side of New Guinea, through the Solomons, Noumea, Suva, Pago Pago, and up to Christmas Island. Everything will go to Darwin. Just a few of them are prepping for future operations. Most will be assigned later.

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/14/2017 9:01:21 PM

Dirtnap86

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It's been fun to read this Ap, hope you keep fighting the good fight. I'm still learning the game so it's interesting to see what all the allies can do in '42-43. You've really handed him some nasty body blows, especially considering this is 43.

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Post #: 1548

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/15/2017 12:32:41 AM

apbarog

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17 Sep 43 - Where the Action Is

Thanks Dirtnap86. Glad you are reading. I do wonder sometimes if this war is a bit boring for the reader. I'm certainly happy with my current position, but Walker hasn't really contested any of my landings from Timor onwards to the north. Even at Boela, where I didn't land enough to take the base, he hasn't tried to reinforce and win the fight. Not that I recommend this, but I'm just saying that lately my winnings have been too easy. Some of that may be from my preparation and going places that Walker may not have expected, but it has not been opposed by his fleet or airpower, for the most part.

I do think that is about to change. With Japanese carriers hovering off the north coast of Borneo, and my imminent invasions not that far away, we may see some major action soon.

I haven't been bored. I love managing the logistics. I do better at that than the actual fighting. I'm no expert playing as the Allies, so I'm learning that part as I go, but with a really good understanding of what the Japanese are going through now.

Where will Walker draw the line? I think it is at Mindanao, and northern Borneo.

I've taken a number of days working on this turn. As I had said, I started the transfer of many units in the South Pacific. Every unit identified now has shipping headed to it. And I was able to start prepping over half of the units. Most are support, being engineers and base units, but they have become a part of the plan.

No turn from Walker until at least Friday. He'll get back from his travels sometime then or on the weekend, I'm guessing.

The only notable combat today was eliminating the last enemy unit at Manado.

For me, on this turn a huge armada of ships will move adjacent to Jolo, mostly covering 2 hexes, with CVEs in one and the fleet CVs in the other, mutually supporting. No invasion on this turn, but very soon. Paras are getting ready too.

My goal is having troops on Luzon by the end of '43, and free access to the South China Sea.

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/15/2017 1:41:46 PM

jwolf

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quote:

I do wonder sometimes if this war is a bit boring for the reader.

Absolutely not!! Please keep it up!

If you take Jolo and the other bases along that line such as Zamboanga, plus Palawan, would that clear the way for you into the South China Sea? I'm wondering, if both Mindanao and northern Borneo are strongly held, how much do you need to have control over a good sea lane through there.

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Post #: 1550

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/15/2017 7:46:28 PM

Dirtnap86

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Nice. I'm assuming a landing at Zamboanga, Jolo, Puerto Princess, North East Borneo, Panay and then on Luzon proper to open up the passageway?

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Post #: 1551

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/15/2017 8:40:46 PM

apbarog

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Taking such bases, jwolf, wouldn't ensure safety necessarily into the South China Sea, but once those bases have big airfields and can suppress any enemy airbases nearby, then yes. I do think that taking Palawan will clear the way for raiding task forces and carriers into the South China Sea. That risk will be something that Walker will have to take into account.

Dirtnap86, yes to Zamboanga and Jolo, as well as nearby islands. Puerto Princess and North East Borneo is later but soon. And an island or two east towards Manila. Then Luzon.

I don't think I've done anything too dramatic. No huge landings in the enemy rear. I've stayed fairly close to friendly air bases, although I haven't always waited for them to be built up much. Once the dominoes started falling, I've just continued on. Walker will have to be more aggressive soon. Well, in my opinion, it's already too late. But it will get worse for him.

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Post #: 1552

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/20/2017 11:42:11 PM

apbarog

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18 Sep 43
Walker has returned from his travels, so the war continues.

Subchasers go after I-124 near Jolo, but do just minor damage.

On the Rangoon to Singapore route, sub Balao finds a big xAKL convoy near Victoria Point, and sinks one. It is not loaded with troops.

CL Trenton and some DDs move to Jolo to bombard it, but find I-35 there, and sink it in the shallow water. The base is then bombarded, causing minor damage.

Dadjangas, south of Davao on Mindanao, is bombarded by a cruiser task force. Damage is very minor. This is a diversion.

Cagayan is swept and bombed heavily. All of my P-38s squadrons participate, and the they fly in before the bombers. CAP is very heavy, and P-38 losses are heavy too. This is bad in a PDU off game. My P-38Gs have no replacements and won't upgrade to the J model for awhile. But the mission is important: to shut down the biggest airbase on Mindanao and aid the Zamboanga landings. Bombers follow up and do well, but don't catch many fighters on the ground.

13 Bettys escorted by 13 Nicks attack the big carrier task force. CAP is over 250 fighters. No enemy survives. Then 33 Nells escorted by 26 Zeros attacks. The Zeros do rather well, holding off the F6Fs for quite awhile, but are eventually overwhelmed. One Nell drops its torpedo, but misses. Heavy, if not complete, enemy losses.

I attacked Magwe's oil and airfield today. 28 Liberator II's arrived first, and paid the price. No sweeps were planned. I don't know if this was an oversight or planned. Heavy bombers then arrived and did light to moderate damage to the oil. Oil at Magwe is now 69 undamaged and 232 damaged, according to mouseover.

Bombing of Jolo shows the Bandasan SNLF there. I should be landing enough.

I bombed the enemy troops on the road near Akyab. I'll do the same today, and combine with a land attack.

Zamboanga and Jolo will be invaded today. Tawi Tawi will have Aussie paras drop on it. With enemy carriers move west to the northwestern tip of Borneo, my landings are safer for at least a day. I have to be alert to the possibility of Walker moving his carriers down the west side of Borneo, to get in behind my forces. I don't think this will happen, given the size of my airbases on Celebes. It would be ugly for him.

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Post #: 1553

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/22/2017 8:54:44 PM

Dirtnap86

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Good luck shutting down Cagayan. PDU off means he can't jump everyone to Tojos right?

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Post #: 1554

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/23/2017 2:07:51 AM

apbarog

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Yes, it is PDU off, so we both have to make do with lots of plane types that a PDU game would disregard. I much prefer PDU off now, after trying it. The game is so much more interesting with varied combat, instead of both side's best plane going up against each other everywhere. Lots of issues to deal with. Like the low replacement rates of P-38s that I'm dealing with now.

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Post #: 1555

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/23/2017 2:08:25 AM

apbarog

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19 Sep 43

Near Zamboanga, sub Pompano finds heavily damaged RO-105, but misses with 2 torpedoes. Near Taytay, enemy subchasers get minor hits on sub Tinosa. Tinosa was transiting though the island chain, in the shallows, on the way back to base, already with minor damage.

Zamboanga was bombarded with minor effect. Troops then began to unload. The same for Jolo. Lots of friendly non-combat troops are disabled in the landing, as I landed them with the invasion at Jolo. I wanted to land quickly here. Maybe I should have waited. Followup troops, as well as some attackers like armor, haven't arrived at Zamboanga yet.

Fighters sweep Magwe. 2 P-47 squadrons and a P-40K squadron sweep, and do well. Then P-38s show up but find no remaining CAP.

Friendly medium bombers hit enemy troops on the contested road hex near Akyab. Heavies hit the oil at Magwe again. Magwe oil is now shown as 61 intact and 240 damaged.

Mediums bomb enemy troops at Jolo and Zamboanga.

For the first time, B-24s from the Aleutians bomb the Kuriles, hitting Paramushiro-jima. Damage is very light, and there is no CAP. This is a diversion.

P-38s sweep Cagayan. Then my carriers launch a small strike against a task force at Butuan. 16 SBDs are escorted by 35 F6Fs, but find portions of 6 enemy squadrons on CAP. Some are depleted units from the sweeps at Butuan, but they take a toll on the Allied planes. And the strike was against a tiny minesweeper, which is sunk. I feared a strike like this, into a strong CAP, but I didn't want to restrict my naval strike range in the vulnerable location I was in. If enemy carriers had appeared, I would have regretted that. These things happen.

Nabire, on the east coast of New Guinea, is taken by the Australian 20th LH Motor Regiment, which crosses the 2 hexes from the west coast at Timoeka. Defending the dot base of Nabire was the 8th Indpt SNLF Company, a tiny unit.

The 1st Australian Para Battalion dropped on an empty Tawi Tawi, and captured it. A support unit will land by ship today.

In Burma, the Allies attacked on the road between Cox Bazar and Akyab. Heavy losses for both sides, with 1106 enemy and 1417 friendly casualties. One enemy unit was destroyed. This was a good result considering. Allied units are still in pretty good shape, and just need a few days of rest. The enemy does show movement out of this hex.

Jolo is defended by the Bandasan SNLF and the 37th Construction Co. The 24th Infantry Division, with support of tanks and combat engineers, should take the base today. At Zamboanga, defenders include the 14th Naval Guard Unit and the 64th Construction Battalion. The 1st Marine Division, with a combat engineer unit and the XI US Corps HQ, will attack. The base should fall, although terrain and forts could delay things a bit. A slow battleship for each target will bombard Jolo and Zamboanga.

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RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/23/2017 2:39:24 PM

jwolf

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This looks like really great progress in the Celebes Sea and Sulu Sea areas. Once you get to January 1944 do you think you could cut off the entire flow of oil and fuel from the SRA?

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Post #: 1557

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/23/2017 3:23:26 PM

Lowpe

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jwolf

This looks like really great progress in the Celebes Sea and Sulu Sea areas. Once you get to January 1944 do you think you could cut off the entire flow of oil and fuel from the SRA?

I checked the scenario -- #28. Since the Allies are ahead historically, things start to snowball on the Japanese - sadly. Troops don't spawn where they are supposed to and get delayed...there isn't enough troops, PPs, AA, AV support, better air frames available.

It just looks grim for Japan. Compare and contrast this with CR & John's game which is a full year later and Japan is/was uber strong.

I have no clue what the Allies will do next, not really, but I am looking forward to it. I always thought that 1st time Allied players with a fair bit of Japanese experience are really difficult. Not so true for 1st time Japanese with Allied experience.

< Message edited by Lowpe -- 2/23/2017 3:24:32 PM >

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Post #: 1558

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/23/2017 4:35:06 PM

apbarog

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I think that Walker has lost some of his enthusiasm for the game. His latest comments include that the Allies can pretty much do whatever they want, if massing their carriers and using heavy bombers, preceded by P-38/P-47 fighter sweeps. There is some truth to that, but I replied that a way to stop the heavy bombers is to prevent them from having big bomber bases in range. Easier said than done, I know, but I don't think it is quite that easy in 1943. Facing 200 fighters at Cagayan means heavy losses to the P-38s, which is what occurred. I also mentioned the low replacement rate for the P-38s. Right now the 2 P-38G squadrons are half strength and getting no replacements, and must wait for the J model.

We can't forget that Walker still has a strong navy. Losses for both sides have been unusually light. He's lost some carriers, but still has most of them. He's lost one battleship at most, and it may not have sunk. When he brings it all together in a counter-strike somewhere, it will be tough. My last landings are in the heart of his bases. He sent small strikes of Bettys/Nells, and my 200 fighters on CAP dealt with them easily. If it had been 100 Bettys and 150 escorts, combined with KB, things would have been different. And it still may be different. It's just a matter of when and if Walker responds aggressively.

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Post #: 1559

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-... - 2/23/2017 5:32:12 PM

jwolf

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quote:

ORIGINAL: apbarog

We can't forget that Walker still has a strong navy. Losses for both sides have been unusually light. He's lost some carriers, but still has most of them. He's lost one battleship at most, and it may not have sunk. When he brings it all together in a counter-strike somewhere, it will be tough. My last landings are in the heart of his bases. He sent small strikes of Bettys/Nells, and my 200 fighters on CAP dealt with them easily. If it had been 100 Bettys and 150 escorts, combined with KB, things would have been different. And it still may be different. It's just a matter of when and if Walker responds aggressively.

I've been wondering about this ... in an area like the Moluccas and Philippines, with lots of sea passages and very many bases in every direction ... I would expect some Japanese surface forces to stage some quick hit and run type missions against your landing TFs. Granted these would be risky, but so is the opposite strategy of doing little or nothing.

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Post #: 1560

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