RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J) DBB-B

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/6/2017 9:27:49 PM

apbarog

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2 Mar 42

DD Hokaze spots my newly laid minefield adjacent to Espiritu Santo, and sweeps 2 of the mines. No hits.

Sub Swordfish fires 2 torpedoes at DD Urakaze, spotting 2 other destroyers and CL Jintsu guarding the entrance to Port Moresby. One torpedo hits, and it's a dud.

Sub Dolphin spots DMS W-18 NE of Koumac, fires 2 torpedoes at the ship, and one hits. And it's a dud. The minesweeper is inbound to Koumac to sweep Argonaut's mines.

The last isolated Chinese corp gets hit by every bomber in the area.

21 Anns bomb the 13th Burma Rifles Battalion near Lashio. This is the unit in the path of the enemy coming up on the inland trail. No doubt a recon bombing.

B-17Ds fly from Brisbane to Koumac, at long range. Unfortunately, there are 57 Zeros on CAP today. They were moved into Koumac. 8 bombers are lost. The D models have more range than the E's, but less survivability. Time to do more upgrades.

Since I mined Koumac, an Allied surface bombardment is less expected. US cruisers will move south of Noumea in a few days and prepare for a bombardment. The mines will be swept by then anyhow.

In China, I have a Chinese HQ unit with no combat value blocking a rail line. Aurorus sent a small unit to clean it up, but the attacks were rarely causing any losses. So now a bunch of units arrived and attacked, but they are likewise having any affect. This is bothering me some, and I'll bet that Aurorus isn't happy about it. I wanted the unit to be a nuisance on the rail before it gets eliminated, but didn't expect it to be somewhat invincible. I will talk with Aurorus and see if I should do something like move it off of the road and forget about it.

Ground combat at 90,49 (near Pengpu)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 661 troops, 4 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 404

Defending force 1069 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 24

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 24 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), disruption(-), fatigue(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:

Assaulting units:
56th Infantry Brigade
52nd Infantry Brigade
62nd Infantry Brigade
26th RGC Temp. Division

Defending units:
Lusu War Area

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/6/2017 9:53:56 PM

BBfanboy

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That sub with 1/1 detection could have been spotted by a Glen. I wouldn't bet the farm that his Carriers are over there as opposed to all the places you have ships in motion.

Re: that odd attack result near Pengpu - I was playing head-to-head in the early going in China and noticed that a bunch of units (especially the RGC ones) have around 50 squads that are not disabled but seem to have no fighting strength (in spite of the AV). I put this down to not having been issued rifles yet or very low experience. All the units also had very poor leadership. Your opponent should look at the units in detail.
I also noted that HQ units are very hard to destroy despite having no AV. I thought maybe they were good at ducking, but I think I read that it was a bug that was addressed in the latest patch - not sure though.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/6/2017 10:41:22 PM

apbarog

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I talked with Aurorus, and he said that the 3 sizable units had just arrived in Strat mode and did not participate in the attack. Also, the RGC unit is weak, and that is the one attacking, so far.

I'm just guessing where the carriers were. They were just a bit to the east yesterday, and nothing seen elsewhere, including within my Catalina search.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/7/2017 12:31:17 AM

apbarog

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Also, I can't rule out that one or more divisions of KB are one of those "surface groups" to the north. The divisions have split, at times. Could be both by the sub to the west and one of the groups to the north.

Regardless, the same game plan is being executed. Filtering in parts of units and supply to Noumea. Careful movement of cruisers and destroyers, looking for an opportunity. Selective mining. Building up Noumea to hopefully get to the point to be able to sweep Koumac and bomb it.

Hold, for now. Hold Noumea, Suva, Pago Pago. Keep supply and fuel coming. Prepare for future actions elsewhere.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/8/2017 1:22:35 AM

apbarog

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3 Mar 42

I-175 misses xAK Timber Rush near Suva.

All of the mines at Koumac are swept, as the DMS TF spotted yesterday arrives. At least we got a destroyer.

SW of California, I-2 fires 2 torpedoes at huge xAP West Point. Both miss. West Point has half of a Marine Corp regiment loaded.

Near Tagula Island, not far from Milne Bay, Sub Pickerel fires 4 torpedoes at CV Akagi, but all miss. KB has moved NW from Koumac to get here. 2 carrier TFs are here, plus a transport TF. It is unknown where it will go from here, as I don't know where the transport TF came from. Most likely that the carriers met the transports here, and will escort them to Koumac. Less likely is that KB escorted an empty transport TF away from Koumac. Even less likely is that the transport TF loaded units from Koumac and are going elsewhere, with KB (India?). Finally, this could be the start of an invasion of NE Australia. Paranoia still reigns for the Allies.

Recon at Koumac continues to be poor. I've seen up to 10 units here, but the troop numbers have always been low for those numbers. I have a few B-17s at Norfolk Island attempting to fly recon to Koumac, but the airfield is just size 2, and the heavy bombers refuse to fly.

There's lots of shipping at Koumac today. The long-tracked transport TF is here. There was just over 50 Zeros here that ambushed my B-17s a couple of days ago. With so much shipping here, I'm sure they are still on CAP. I decide to switch things up at Noumea. 2 fighter squadrons are flown out to Australia, and replaced with divebombers. A fighter squadron will sweep Koumac, and probably get mauled, but hopefully fly first and tire out the CAP. Then P-39s will, hopefully, escort 2 divebomber squadrons to attack shipping at Koumac.

More detailed planning took place today, including noting specific transport shipping needed for a possible invasion in the next month. The ships are now on the move, going to where they need to go.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/8/2017 8:10:11 PM

apbarog

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4 Mar 42

Enemy DMS sweep mines at Batavia.

Near Rossel Island, near the enemy carrier TFs, Dutch sub O21 fires 4 torpedoes at AO Kyokuto Maru, but misses. AO Toho Maru also spotted. In the same area, S-40 is spotted but not hit with depth charges.

Usual bombing on Java and in China.

My naval strike on Koumac goes badly. The only thing that went correctly is that the P-39s did escort the bombers. However, the bombing strikes went in before the sweep, and the strike fragmented into 2 strikes.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Koumac at 113,156

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 34 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 57

Allied aircraft
A-24 Banshee x 2
P-39D Airacobra x 12
SBD-1 Dauntless x 17

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
A-24 Banshee: 1 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra: 4 destroyed
SBD-1 Dauntless: 10 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CA Haguro

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x SBD-1 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb

*************
Morning Air attack on TF, near Koumac at 113,156

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 51

Allied aircraft
A-24 Banshee x 10
P-39D Airacobra x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
A-24 Banshee: 6 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
xAK Asosan Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x A-24 Banshee releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
************
Then 22 P40Es sweep, and take about equal losses with the enemy.

No hits and lots of losses. 15 SBD-1s, 12 A-24s, 11 P40Es, and 10 P39s lost. 9 Zeros are destroyed. Costly but I have to continue to pressure Koumac and mix things up from time to time. More fighters are moved back in to CAP Noumea.

KB is moving back toward Koumac. With the AO TF spotted, KB could have refueled, as well as escorting more transports to New Caledonia.

Undertrained Americal Divison remains in New Zealand. I could ship them to Noumea. I will eventually, but hopefully in a push to take Koumac, not defend Noumea. It's a tough call, but I'll stand with what I have for now.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/9/2017 7:59:44 PM

apbarog

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5 Mar 42

I-20 fires 2 torpedoes at AM Vireo near Pago Pago, but misses, The sub isn't found. At Pago Pago, I-18 spots DD Le Triomphant and fires 2 torpedoes, but they miss. I fly in some Bolos trained in ASW. Pago Pago is hot with subs now.

Northwest of Koumac, Dutch sub O21 fires 4 torpedoes at DD Hibiki, but misses. KB is here, amongst other things, inbound for Koumac.

South of the Solomons, Searaven fires 2 torpedoes at PB Aso Maru #3, but misses. Patrol boats are escorting at least 2 xAKs here.

Anns bomb a Burmese unit inland, and then the unit, the 13th Burma Rifles Battalion, is almost eliminated by the enemy 5th Division. I moved some AVG to Burma and they will LRCAP the Burmese unit tomorrow. The enemy is definitely pushing to Burma from the most inland route.

Movement indicator gives the first hint to where the big enemy stack in China will go next. Movement is shown west, which rules out going to the closest rail line for a far northern deployment. Movement probably means an attack somewhere from the Changsha area to the south. A concentrated attack can break the line just about anywhere here. I will deploy air units back to China soon to combat this. A Brit recon unit has deployed to keep an eye on the big stack.

Supply is amazingly good in China, much better than my last game. I suspect that reducing my Burma troops allowed more supply to flow into China. Just a guess. I haven't flown any supply into China yet.

KB is nearing Koumac. There's already a cruiser TF there. More troops flowing in, I guess. I expect an enemy push on Noumea after these ships unload. There's already enough engineers there, judging by the airfield expansion.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/10/2017 6:47:29 PM

apbarog

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6 Mar 42 - Highlight

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/10/2017 7:46:33 PM

BBfanboy

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Very highlight!
How many torps went off? With only one + ASE I would say only 25% chance she burns up and sinks. With two+ ASE - 60%. Three torps + ASE 95%.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/10/2017 9:11:28 PM

apbarog

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6 Mar 42

AM Cessnock is patrolling Pago Pago, and finds I-8 there. A few minor reports of damage to the sub.

Near the south coast of Japan, sub Skipjack spots SC Ch27 patrolling. 2 torpedoes miss. Skipjack has been working out of Manila, where there is plenty of fuel but no AS for support. I send Skipjack to Pearl Harbor to redeploy from there.

Sub Sealion spots cruisers and destroyers near Koumac, and for the second day in a row, DD Hibiki is attacked, but again, 4 torpedoes miss the ship. The same task force is later spotted by sub Thresher, only this time CV Soryu is spotted. 6 torpedoes are fired at the carrier. 2 torpedoes hit. The first hit reportedly caused an ammo storage explosion. The second hit was a dud. The ship is reported to be on fire, but no mention of damage or heavy damage.

I have a heavy sub presence north of New Caledonia, hoping that sooner or later, even low odds would pay off over time. Here's to hoping that the ship burns.

Aurorus guessed correctly in Burma today. The Burma battalion that was kicked back toward Taung Gyi has been being bombed by unescorted Anns. After the retreat, the unit was 4 units from an Allied airbase with support, so I flew in some of the AVG and put LRCAP over the unit. Well, both of the big Oscar units swept the hex today, with about 40 Oscars each. Only about 8 H81s were on LRCAP at the time, and 5 were lost to combat and the trip home. The unit heads back to India to regroup.

Kudat is captured by the enemy. The Brit base force that was at Jesselton retreated to here, but was eliminated today. I had pulled out a fragment of it by Catalinas long ago, and the fragment is now at a Western Australian base. Now it will rebuild.

It appears that Aurorus is all-in on Koumac. He probably plans on taking Noumea, but could be just defending Koumac in force. But probably attacking. Koumac can hold 45,000 men. Noumea can hold 35,000. Today I got SigInt that the enemy 4th Infantry Division was loaded on an xAP and headed to Koumac. It could already be there, as there are lots of ships there now, and KB protecting to the east.

What to do...

I know that Koumac was taken by an infantry regiment. I know that enemy armor was headed to Koumac. Now an infantry division. I see 15 units there now, but the recon remains very poor and I've never gotten a good look at the number of men there.

If there are multiple divisions, by 2 Marine regiments will have problems at Noumea. I do have a tank unit there, and just snuck in an AA unit. Some base support is there. The wildcard for me is the Americal Division at Auckland. I'm starting to think about maybe using some fast transport to get more troops in. I'm trying it with another base force in a couple of days. If I can unload and run away by daylight, I may stay away from KB. But fast transport doesn't always work as fast as you'd like, so we'll see.

As it is, I welcome a stalemate or Guadalcanal-like situation here. It keeps the enemy's focus here, not advancing somewhere else. I just have to try to avoid losing nice big ground units. Of course, if I ship Americal to Noumea and lose, New Zealand is less defended, and that can absolutely not be lost.

The early war tension as the Allies continues. But hey, we hit a carrier today!

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/12/2017 12:56:08 AM

apbarog

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7 Mar 42

The interesting and long-tracked transport TF is seen near Rennell Island, heading toward Rabaul. It must be empty now, having visited Koumac already. Searaven misses DD Kawakaze with 4 torpedoes.

I-26 is spotted SW of California. A US ACM is seen with a Canadian KV.

Bombings in Java.

Tanjoengbalai is invaded. One xAK and 5 PBs are used. The 41st Infantry Regiment is landing. The Dutch troops here are completely disrupted from bombing. It would have been nice if Medan was being invaded. There's a CM's load of mines waiting there.

See the map for KB's latest movements. No sign of a damaged carrier, or any other TF's in the area, for that matter. Bad weather is probably the reason. It's also possible that the torpedo hit and ammo storage explosion on Soryu was incorrect.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/12/2017 10:47:21 PM

apbarog

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8 Mar 42

More unloading at Tandjoengbalai, Sumatra. The base falls easily to an attack.

During the day, CL Natori, 5 DDs, and 3 DMS pull into Noumea, and engage 6 PT boats. The PTs close the range, and do fire off 3 or 4 torpedoes, but none hit. 3 PTs are sunk. The minesweepers don't find any mines because there aren't any. I hope to change that once they leave.

Buitenzorg, Java is lost. The only remaining Dutch base on Java proper is the inland mountain base to the north.

A cleanup attack in the jungle south of Kuching, Borneo pushes 2 Allied units further into the jungle.

KB has passed between Noumea and Suva and is headed due south, so far. It could strike Auckland in 2 days at normal speed. Or it could just be on a fishing expedition, or maybe hoping that I can't pass up the opportunity to hit back away from his bases. There's nothing to stop KB from going wherever it wants to, at this point. I am sure it will end up back at Noumea, to help shut down the base and aid in the inevitable ground attack to come.

Allied shipping keeps moving to stay out of KB's way, and still get to the intended destinations. Parts of 3 fighter squadrons continue to fly CAP at Noumea. That will be fine until the naval bombardments start, and with the port cleared of mines, that could be anytime now.

2 fighter squadrons from Australia move to Norfolk Island, to move to Auckland tomorrow. Several B-26 squadrons fly to New Zealand from Australia, trained in naval attack.

Preparations continue elsewhere for something else.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/13/2017 3:23:48 AM

apbarog

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Aurorus may have wanted KB to disappear as it headed south. And he still may. But I'm still benefiting from having all of those Catalinas from Pearl Harbor. Raoul Island and Norfolk Island both have Cats now. I still need to move a support vessel to Raoul, but now may not be the time. They should be operational for a few days, and that's what I need right now.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/13/2017 8:41:30 PM

apbarog

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9 Mar 42

The 3 US PT boats that survived yesterday had moved out of Noumea, and now moved back home during the night, finding the same ships as yesterday, minus the minesweepers. CL Natori and 5 DDs sink 2 of the 3 PT boats, which didn't get to fire.

Just NE of Koumac, sub Seal spots a huge transport TF:

Sub attack near Koumac at 113,155

Japanese Ships
xAP Suwa Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Tama
CL Abukuma
DD Nagatsuki
DMS W-1
APD Shimakaze
AK Ayatosan Maru
AK Kinka Maru
xAP Mizuho Maru
xAP Yoshino Maru
DD Asakaze
DD Yuzuki
DD Mikazuki

Allied Ships
SS Seal

xAP Suwa Maru is a huge ship, part of a TF apparently leaving Koumac, as it is empty. Not enough to sink her, but always nice to get a working torpedo hit from a US sub. I suspect that this TF dropped off the 4th Infantry Division.

Sub Perch misses xAK Nojima Maru near Buin.

I-171 hits and sinks tiny yard oiler YO-14 at Norfolk Island. The ship had taken a bit of fuel to Noumea.

KB did not move directly toward New Zealand. Instead, it moved west toward Norfolk Island, and hit it hard.

First, 21 Zeros swept. 44 P-40E were on CAP. The 2 US fighter squadrons were just moved here from Australia yesterday, planning on moving to New Zealand today. I had them on CAP, which may or may not have been a good idea. The pilots are very poor and it showed in the results. Many lost in this sweep. No enemy downed.

Next, 25 Zeros sweep, finding 19 Warhawks still up. Again, many lost, no enemy downed.

9 Vals with 4 Claudes and 35 Zeros escorting hit tiny AMc Moa at Norfolk and sink the ship. Interesting to see Claudes.

13 Kates escorted by 21 Zeros then hit a small TF inbound to Norfolk, to the west. xAKL Darvel is sunk, carrying 4 vehicles and a radar set for a unit already at Norfolk. The escorting PC Kybra survives.

Finally, in the afternoon, 109 Kates escorted by 4 Claudes and 56 Zeros hit Norfolk's port and airfield. 3 P40Es are on CAP, but can do nothing but get shot down. AVP Pollux is sunk. Damage to the airbase and port is minimal, and is gone already when I see my turn. This attention to Norfolk is obviously part of a plan to isolate Noumea.

In Burma, unoccupied Pegu is captured by the 18th and 21st Divisions, along with the 6th Tank Regiment. Rangoon is minimally manned and evacuations begin. They probably won't get out, seeing the armor approaching. These 3 units alone are enough to conquer Burma. I stick to the plan to delay and defend.

Total air losses today were 29 P40Es. No Zeros were lost. KB had great coordination, getting the 2 sweeps to go before the base attack. I wouldn't be surprised if even a Claude pilot got a kill. Better to keep the planes on the ground when the pilots are this poor. Pilot training is occurring everywhere, but it takes time. And, at best, results in adequately trained pilots, not comparable to the highly trained pilots on Japanese carriers. Every day things get a little bit better. But today wasn't a good day in the air.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/14/2017 1:03:33 AM

Bif1961

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That is the hard way to get pilots trained.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/14/2017 1:39:00 AM

apbarog

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Unfortunately, most of the pilots survived, and not the planes. Considering their low skills, the planes were more valuable. One squadron is due to withdraw within a week. I thought that New Zealand was under imminent threat (and still may be), and that more fighters, any fighters, were needed there.

Going to have some rough days as the Allies this early in the war.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/14/2017 1:53:13 AM

BBfanboy

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He is burning beaucoup fuel for no real strategic gain. You will get back SoPac bases eventually and he is nowhere near your carriers. Become a cloud and let him grope around hoping to find something. The more frustrated he gets, the more likely he is to make bad decisions.

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

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/14/2017 6:13:12 AM

apbarog

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Well, he's isolating Noumea, and will probably take it. When he was approaching Luganville, I had to decide where was I going to draw the line. I decided to try to hold Noumea-Suva-Pago Pago. If I had decided to not reinforce Noumea, it would already be an enemy forward base and we could be in a similar situation now with New Zealand. Let's face it. It's March 1942. The Japanese can go anywhere they want. With no Philippine invasion, and Java winding down, and Malaysia long-conquered, a bunch of divisions are free to go wherever. Sure, I could have thrown my 3 operational carriers, with poor pilots and even Buffaloes still on at least one, at KB. Poor odds there. So I drew a line, and I'm buying time more than real estate. He's having to build Koumac and Luganville, and keep KB tied to the area. That may have already caused one KB carrier to take a torpedo (if the report was accurate). Time is what is on my side.

As the Japanese, I would certainly go after Noumea if I knew that it was being actively defended. Kill Allied ground units if you can. Holding the base is not as important as that. But like I said, if not here, where? I may lose 2 USMC regiments, but they are buying me time. In the summer, the reinforcement spigot really opens up, and we enter the period when sides are as even as they are going to get. By the end of the year, the advantage switches.

I hope to throw a wrench into the Japanese plans soon. Then the enemy will have to start choosing where KB is going to be, and it can't be everywhere. Once my opponent is reacting to me, instead of vice versa, the war is won.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/14/2017 6:23:33 AM

Zecke

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quote:

ORIGINAL: apbarog

Well, he's isolating Noumea, and will probably take it. When he was approaching Luganville, I had to decide where was I going to draw the line. I decided to try to hold Noumea-Suva-Pago Pago. If I had decided to not reinforce Noumea, it would already be an enemy forward base and we could be in a similar situation now with New Zealand. Let's face it. It's March 1942. The Japanese can go anywhere they want. With no Philippine invasion, and Java winding down, and Malaysia long-conquered, a bunch of divisions are free to go wherever. Sure, I could have thrown my 3 operational carriers, with poor pilots and even Buffaloes still on at least one, at KB. Poor odds there. So I drew a line, and I'm buying time more than real estate. He's having to build Koumac and Luganville, and keep KB tied to the area. That may have already caused one KB carrier to take a torpedo (if the report was accurate). Time is what is on my side.

As the Japanese, I would certainly go after Noumea if I knew that it was being actively defended. Kill Allied ground units if you can. Holding the base is not as important as that. But like I said, if not here, where? I may lose 2 USMC regiments, but they are buying me time. In the summer, the reinforcement spigot really opens up, and we enter the period when sides are as even as they are going to get. By the end of the year, the advantage switches.

I hope to throw a wrench into the Japanese plans soon. Then the enemy will have to start choosing where KB is going to be, and it can't be everywhere. Once my opponent is reacting to me, instead of vice versa, the war is won.

A really GOOD SPEACH�..keep on; let the japan spend FUEL and tell the japan that PHILLIPINES is very neccesary for the economy.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/15/2017 2:38:35 AM

apbarog

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10 Mar 42

25 Zeros from KB again sweep Norfolk, but the few operational fighters there flew off to New Zealand. No bombing of Norfolk today.

KB moved from east of Norfolk to a point northwest of Norfolk. Probably a reaction to seeing some ships out that direction yesterday. The APDs spotted yesterday fled to the Australian coast, aborting the transport of a base force to Noumea. The very fast Dutch minelayer successfully dropped 75 mines at Noumea, exiting to the east. The ship will head to base to refuel and rearm, and maybe make another trip in a week or so.

Enemy troops are about to enter Rangoon, while most of the units are about to exit in strategic mode. Which will happen first? If the Japanese move "first", then the exit won't happen. Not sure how this works. Doesn't really matter. The units are either going to flee or get defeated and flee. Rangoon is about to fall, something that was expected months ago. No sign of any enemy naval activity in the Indian Ocean. Too early to say for sure, but a big move to Ceylon or India probably isn't going to happen without KB. And KB is fishing in the South Pacific.

2 regiments of the 2nd US Marine Division is defending Noumea. The 3rd regiment has just appeared on the West Coast. The Queen Mary is going to rush the unit to the South Pacific. A tiny part of the cargo section of the unit cannot load on the ship, which is unfortunate for recombining the unit. But where it ends up is to be determined. Getting it into Noumea may or may not be possible.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/15/2017 4:52:23 AM

CaptBeefheart

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Interesting non-Sir Robin defense. Thanks for keeping it interesting and good luck.

I wonder if you could disband the part of that Marine regiment that didn't load on the Queen Mary. Maybe in San Francisco? I've never tried that, but if you have plenty of support and motorized support in the bank that might not be a bad idea. As my games advance, there are increasing numbers of fragments all over the place keeping my divisions from dividing.

Cheers,
CC

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/16/2017 5:47:19 AM

apbarog

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No turn from Aurorus today. He lost power due to bad weather in his area.

I read about Lieutenant Colonel Harold W. Bauer, Squadron Commander, who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions around Guadalcanal in November 1942. This information was on the WW2today website, at:

http://ww2today.com/14th-november-1942-naval-battle-of-guadalcanal-continues

Not having a turn today, I tried to look him up in the game, and he is the commander of VMF-212, flying F4F3-As at Pearl Harbor in my game. This unit has many untrained pilots for me, at this point, and is training, and probably won't be involved in any action soon. But it was interesting to see him in the game, and read about his heroism.

[the picture is from the mentioned web site]

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/17/2017 3:22:23 PM

Macclan5

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Great AAR thanks.

Nicely detailed.

It appears New Caledonia - Noumea is your early Guadalcanal. Interesting decisions ahead of you. Especially with the 4th division coming.

Question:

Is he heavily entrenched in Tarawa and Canton already?? - you may have mentioned but I did not see.

If you invest and defend a Suva >> Norfolk Island axis - your transports betwixt USA and Australia should be able to flow freely and out of land based air range ??

He cannot leave the KB there forever. One sub very early gave you a break and as you say - time is on your side.

Noumea may be a nice gain in March 1942 but by January 1943 - if Tarawa and other corners on the 'outer ring' are under supported ... hmmmmm

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/17/2017 9:13:33 PM

apbarog

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Thanks Macclan5. My style is just to go day-by-day.
Tarawa was captured by the enemy but not in strength. Canton and Baker are still Allied.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/17/2017 9:14:28 PM

apbarog

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11 Mar 42

Sealion is spotted near Koumac but not hit. AV Kamoi and PB Odatsuki are seen.

Enemy bombers hit Medan and Bengkalis on Sumatra.

A possible enemy spearhead is spotted in China. Allied fighters will sweep the clear terrain hex, and B26s and B17s will attempt to hit the enemy troops. Looks like multiple armor units in the lead. Aurorus will probably guess that I will hit here, as it's an obvious move, but a move that I need to make.

KB moves closer to Koumac, staying in range of Noumea. Lots of enemy shipping at Koumac. SigInt says that CM Naryu is at Koumac, and that the 23rd Air Flottila is there too. An enemy ground unit has come south from Koumac, and will flip the dot base just north of Noumea today. I decide not to send anything out from Noumea to counter. We will do our best to defend Noumea.

Enemy troops move into Rangoon. Several Allied units railed out of town just in time today. A base unit and a small infantry unit remain.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/17/2017 11:35:56 PM

apbarog

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11 Mar 42 - China

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/18/2017 3:55:12 AM

apbarog

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The tide officially turned today:

The 1st US Naval Construction Battalion has formed on the West Coast. Can there be any doubt what the outcome will be now? Wedge Donovan is on the way!

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/19/2017 12:05:19 AM

apbarog

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12 Mar 42

H81s and P40Es swept the hex in China with the advancing armor. There's more than armor there now, essentially the units that took Wenchow. No CAP there today. It's clear terrain, and B-26s and B-17s bomb. They hit the 39th Division and the 15th Tank Regiment, doing some damage to the infantry division.

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 7

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied aircraft
B-26 Marauder x 6

No Allied losses

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

Not much, but it's something. China is heating up quickly. Some Chinese units start to move to cover the front when the next ground attack occurs. The enemy is moving west and will fight a single Chinese corp in favorable terrain. The tanks will eat up the Chinese unit. Moving units to the woods just behind, and hoping to stop any breakthrough. There's a good chance that the front will collapse, even with the limited number of units that the enemy is using. The key is the armor. The Chinese can't stop it.

La Foa, the unoccupied Allied base north of Noumea, is captured by the enemy 4th Infantry Division and the 56th Recon Regiment. Noumea and its defenses await. KB disappeared in weather to the west of Koumac. Sub detection levels show that KB moved somewhat west, toward Brisbane. Another D/L hotspot is to the NNW of Koumac. Maybe another KB split?

There's a Glen sub looking around Pearl Harbor now. This is new. I send out a few ASW TFs to find the sub. Bolos are looking too. The port itself hasn't been looked at, yet.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/20/2017 12:35:50 AM

apbarog

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13 Mar 42

Northwest of Koumac, sub Trusty spots 5 destroyers and CS Chiyoda, but doesn't get a shot. No doubt a carrier task force. Looks like KB is moving northwest, possibly to join up with a task force spotted by coastwatchers near Horn Island. It has done so previously. SigInt also supports this move. Could be just to meet AOs too.

B-26s in China hit Kanhsien's airfield, doing minor damage. A nuisance raid, just to show that I'm willing to hit targets other than ground troops. B-17s join in. No CAP.

Rangoon falls easily to the enemy's 2 infantry divisions and a tank regiment.

Merak on Java is lost. The only Dutch base on Java that remains is Bandoeng, the inland mountain fortress.

Enemy tanks in China are already in contact with a Chinese corp in rough terrain. It's almost a sure thing that the hex will have enemy CAP and maybe sweeps, as well as lots of bombers. I task B-26s to hit the tanks, with a fighter squadron flying LRCAP. B-17s will hit a nearby size 4 airfield.

Short of bringing down lots of Chinese from the north, I don't see a good outcome south of Changsha. I'll defend best I can, and commit air units from India as needed.

Aurorus commented in his email today that he wasn't happy about some ops losses taken by an Oscar unit. He said that it had 10% losses. Seeing that he lost 4 Oscars today to ops, it was probably one of the big units in northern Thailand going to China to counter my newly active air units there.

That is a sizable loss for a day, but not disastrous. Could have been bad weather. That seems to cause the most ops losses for me. That, and flying at extended range. Almost every time I transfer a unit in thunderstorms, I can expect a plane loss or two. Four is high, but it happens. Less often with fighters, more often with C-47s, in my experience.

I commented back that ops losses was higher and operational readiness was lower in the real war compared to the game. Units just had lots of unready aircraft. We maximize things in the game to boost readiness. In real life, jungle life and weather, even weather for planes on the ground, had a major effect.

The US 1st Naval Construction Battalion is beginning to load on ships on the West Coast.

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RE: Wedge Donovan Wins the War: Apbarog(A) vs Aurorus(J... - 11/20/2017 2:49:52 PM

Mark VII

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Make sure this convoy has an escort, don't want to have Wedge lost to a sub!

quote:

ORIGINAL: apbarog

13 Mar 42

The US 1st Naval Construction Battalion is beginning to load on ships on the West Coast.

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