RE: Notes from a Small Island

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

RE: Notes from a Small Island

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports >> RE: Notes from a Small Island

Page: << < prev 77 78 [79] 80 81 next > >>

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 1:27:32 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/27/44

L+6: Three Allied destroys, modestly damaged yesterday, apparently took the long way around Sikhalin Island. I didn't notice with all that was going on yesterday.

P.S. Just checked the Allied units at Shikuka. They are in fine condition and wish to attack again, but they'll rest one day.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2341

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 1:31:42 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/27/44

HMS Cumberland: Damage less than expected.

Heading to Bremerton as soon as Wakkanai falls - BBs Richelieu and Alabama; CAs Cumberland and Boston.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2342

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 1:41:07 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/27/44

L+6: Sobering air losses today - 150 Hellcats (all Death Star) and plenty of Corsairs. Erik lost good fighters too. How to play this? Protecting Death Star to replenish fighters is key; getting troops ashore is key.

I don't think the pilot situation will be critical, for most DS fighter squadrons are overstaffed. And I have enough replacment Hellcats and Corsairs to make good the losses.

But this pace is unsustainable for me. (I hope it is for Erik too, but I don't know that.)

I have working ideas for short-term and medium-term missions, and this situation helps confirm those.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2343

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 12:51:23 PM

Lecivius

Posts: 4845
Joined: 8/5/2007
From: Denver
Status: offline

IF he is still flush on supply, he can out produce you. It's a part of the game I am uncomfortable with.

_____________________________

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2344

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 10:34:54 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

I have to work on the assumption that he is flush with supply, and he probably is. (Fortunately, he can't produce ships outside the OOB.)

(in reply to Lecivius)

Post #: 2345

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 10:45:04 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/28/44

L+7: A small amphibious TF unloads at Wakkanai - the objective being to trigger an enemy bombardment.

This is an interesting turn, but not for combat reasons. I pulled Death Star and most amphibs back, to regroup a bit and on the possibility that Erik might order an all-out air strike. Erik either decided to stand down his forces or weather made that decision for him.

So it was quiet from that standpoint. But two major things are underway that require some chance-taking and thorough analysis:

1. It is critical to land the reinforcements tomorrow. Both amphib transports were ordered forward to rendezvous with DS. Based upon the "lay of the land," I must choose whether to send them in to the wooded hex or to Wakkanai tomorrow. Many factors will influence the decision but in the end it will come down to a hunch.

2. An armada is inbound from the Aleutians and CenPac, including a carrier TF, lots of reinforcements, and more supply. Erik got some 1/0 detection on the CenPac group (including the carriers) the past few days, making me increasingly apprehensive about continuing with this insertion in the absence of Death Star.

I considered detaching Death STar to steam east yesterday, but ultimately decided the Wakkanai/woods hex missions were more important. I steered the ingressers further north, hoping to avoid any combat ship/carrier trap Erik might spring from the Home Islands (I put the odds at 25% or so). But Parmushiro shows 75 "other" aircraft and Erik increased patrols substantially. The fear was that he might load up Para, Onnekotan and Shimishura with hundreds of aircraft that might overwhelm the carrier TF. The fact that it shows no detection and should come no closer than 8 or 9 hexes today gave me enough confidence to continue the mission.

This morning, when I awoke, I had immediate regrets. I should've stood down the ingessers and pulled them back to the Aleutians, until DS is available.

So let's see what happens.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2346

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 10:50:22 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/28/44

L+7: Weak bombardment.

The Iowa/NJ TF is to move from Shikuka to join Death Star today, preparatory to bombarding Wakkanai tomorrow.

If the map looks good when I open the turn, the Allies will attack at Wakkanai tomorrow.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2347

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 10:56:56 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/28/44

L+7: Most Allied 2EB and 4EB given the day off. A few B-24s were given a mission, mostly to see what kind of LRCAP Erik posts over the island today: None.

That information will be helpful in deciding whether to land the two inbound divisions at Wakkanai or the woods hex.

As the turn is running, now, I have a hunch how I'll handle that.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2348

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 11:33:46 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/28/44

L+7: Allied armor continues to block the road - third day consecutive. It will probably evaporate tomorrow.

Erik is still advancing over-land. The army is a stout one, but he'll need more than this to break through the woods hex, I think.

Or he might simply plan on establishing a strong blocking force to hem in the Allied army at Wakkanai. But my working plan does not envision an advance out of Wakkanai.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2349

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 11:39:07 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/28/44

Uruppu-Jima: The end is near. Several divisions here are prepping for Wakkanai but almost certainly won't be needed there. When they switch prep to a new target, the percentage will be at or near 0. So they'll be aimed at a medium term target, 60 to 90 days out.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2350

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/16/2018 11:46:14 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/28/44

L+7: Helpful bombardment phase, thanks mainly to Japanese bombardment.

Working plan is to keep 25th Div. in the woods hex, rather than letting it reinforce Wakkanai, even while the big combat engineer unit proceeds. 7th Div. (and perhaps 2nd Marine Div.) will land at Wakkanai tomorrow, partly to avoid enemy sweep activity over the woods hex (though Wakkanai has its own threats) and partly because those landings will trigger yet another destructive IJ bombardment.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2351

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/17/2018 12:00:41 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/28/44

L+7: For a non-battle day, this map holds much encouraging information.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2352

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/17/2018 4:07:00 AM

Capt. Harlock

Posts: 5358
Joined: 9/15/2001
From: Los Angeles
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

12/28/44

L+7: For a non-battle day, this map holds much encouraging information.

So . . . you have two Death Stars now?

_____________________________

Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?

--Victor Hugo

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2353

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/17/2018 1:45:47 PM

Lecivius

Posts: 4845
Joined: 8/5/2007
From: Denver
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock
So . . . you have two Death Stars now?

I saw that. The end is, indeed, very near

_____________________________

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

(in reply to Capt. Harlock)

Post #: 2354

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/17/2018 4:29:33 PM

Lokasenna

Posts: 9297
Joined: 3/3/2012
From: Iowan in MD/DC
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I have to work on the assumption that he is flush with supply, and he probably is. (Fortunately, he can't produce ships outside the OOB.)

Just one minor-ish thing that's on my fantasy mod wishlist: additional ships in the queue, or an ahistorical production schedule. Like maybe literally an entire run of CAs, or a couple of battlecruisers, or even more DDs. There's so much flexibility in the aircraft production in terms of "what if" (yes yes, you have to accept that the resources to build them are abstracted), but very little in the naval production schedule.

You'd have to pick and choose what you would build, however. I dislike the massive number of IJN subs that are in the queue and barely build any of them after 1942. They cost more to produce than the Agano-class CLs. I know some players like their subs, but I don't find much use for so many IJN boats.

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2355

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:48:07 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

Wakkanai (L+8): Decent bombardment.

Just prior to the bombardment, nightime nav search phase indicates the ingressors are at or near Ketoi. (Oops, I guess I can't refer to this as a second Death Star - it's just CV Lexington and a RN carrier.)

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Lokasenna)

Post #: 2356

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:51:21 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

Wakkanai: Lots of reinforcements coming ashore, including 2nd Marine Div. and 7th Infantry Div. Both are prepped in the 30s, so high disablements were expected...but not realized. Disablements were minor for both landings. This may be purely dice roll, but more likely due to the Amphib Force HQ (80% prepped).

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2357

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:58:04 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

Wakkanai: 150 2EB from Toyohara face no opposition and score decently (by what I typically see). Allied sweeps preceded this and encountered no enemy CAP.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2358

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 2:00:16 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

Wakkanai: 30 4EB from Shikuka don't do much. Most of the B-24s and B-29s are "resting" for a few days.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2359

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 2:11:24 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

Blocking Hex: Allied armor attacked, battered, and "surrenders" (per message). It held in the hex for four days - more than expected.

The Japanese army is big but shouldn't be big enough to dislodge the Allied army gathering in the key wooded hex (2nd Marine Div. is heading that way from Wakkanai).

I'm not sure why enemy base force units are included - perhaps for the AA or possibly for CD guns (Erik anticipating that Allied bombardment TFs will hit the contested hex).

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2360

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 2:20:26 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

Uruppu-Jima: The end.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2361

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 2:27:31 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

Wakkanai: Allied deliberate attack (and some armor shock-attacking) drops forts to 3 and does more damage to the enemy...but odds are low (which is odd, since the first two attacks were at 2:1 and 3:1).

7th Div. will remain in the hex to join the next attack. 2nd Marine Div. will head out to the woods hex to serve as the anchor there (the other division there, 25th Infantry, has '43 squads, and a fair number of those were disabled in the landing).

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2362

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 2:34:29 AM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/29/44

2nd Marine Div.: Only 35% preparation but comes ashore in great shape. I keep crediting the Amphib Force HQ, but possible it could also be the fact that it's landing where other units have landed previously? Perhaps, but I think the HQ is the main factor.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2363

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 3:09:56 AM

Anachro

Posts: 2506
Joined: 11/23/2015
From: The Coastal Elite
Status: offline

I've found that even in the absence of an HQ helping with landings, troops will land at Hexes already occupied in a much better state than they would otherwise if troops hadn't landed there previously.

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2364

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:03:17 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Anachro
I've found that even in the absence of an HQ helping with landings, troops will land at Hexes already occupied in a much better state than they would otherwise if troops hadn't landed there previously.

Several others have mentioned the same phenomenon, so I'll check that out. In fact, I think a TF is bringing in a tank destroyer unit without the benefit of the Amphib Force HQ next turn. I'll see how it compares to the units that came ashore today with the HQ present.

(in reply to Anachro)

Post #: 2365

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:04:47 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/30/44

Ketoi: A new days begins with lots of enemy search aircraft working the Ketoi area, where the ingressers began arriving yesterday.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2366

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:06:49 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/30/44

Wakkanai: Again, a modest bombardment.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2367

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:09:17 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/30/44

Wakkanai: A tank destroyer battalion begins unloading. The primary objective is to trigger another Japanese bombardment. The unit will also be helpful given the enemy armored units moving to the wooded hex.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2368

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:16:55 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/30/44

Ketoi: The Aussie and Kiwi fighters from Ketoi respond with a willingness, but there are two issues: (1) the Allied TF is too close to Ketoi - the intent was to get everything to Shikuka vicinity or, if they weren't close enough, to have them "hole up" at Ketoi; I apparently overlooked at least one; and (2) the Allied fighters are giving it there all here; there won't be many reserves to call on for further engagements.

Attachment (1)

(in reply to Canoerebel)

Post #: 2369

RE: Notes from a Small Island - 8/18/2018 1:27:42 PM

Canoerebel

Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline

12/30/44

Ketoi: This trailing TF takes station at Ketoi. The Aussies and Kiwis put up a decent amount of CAP but the enemy strike penetrates and hits good ships.

(This trailing TF carried support units - artillery, engineers - from Pearl Harbor. The core of the ingressing reinforcements - armor, artillery and 1st Marine Division - should be at or close to Shikuka and therefore unlikely to be targeted).