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SqzMyLemon -> Feb. 8/43 (4/1/2012 5:51:21 PM)
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Feb. 8/43 Update:
Sigh. You take a risk anytime you set orders in this game, and there is always the chance of some unexplained game mechanic coming into play resulting in a player getting burnt on occasion. Today, I got burnt and lost an extremely valuable ship. As feared, the Allies based some LBA at Lunga after the last two bombardment missions have gone astray leaving the airbase operational and CA Chikuma was the unlucky victim as a result. In hindsight, I should have cancelled the mission, but I was concerned about the possibility of a small Allied TF reaching Lunga today and I wanted to disrupt the operation. Right intention, wrong outcome. AAR follows:
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Lunga at 114,138
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid spotted at 9 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes
Allied aircraft
SBD-3 Dauntless x 17
Allied aircraft losses
SBD-3 Dauntless: 3 damaged
Japanese Ships
CA Chikuma, Bomb hits 2, on fire
DD Yugure
DD Suzukaze
Aircraft Attacking:
7 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
2 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
8 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb GP Bomb
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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Lunga at 114,138
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
Allied aircraft
SBD-3 Dauntless x 12
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
CA Chikuma, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage (System damage is 95%, she's done for)
DD Kawakaze, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Yugure
Aircraft Attacking:
1 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 2000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
7 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 3000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
4 x SBD-3 Dauntless releasing from 4000'
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring CA Chikuma
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring DD Kawakaze
Sadly, the CA Chikuma and four DD's shouldn't have even been at Lunga during the air phase. They were ordered on a full speed surface action mission to Lunga and should have retired back to base during the daylight naval phase. One of those AE mysteries causing the TF to be caught still at Lunga during the air phase, beyond range of CAP based at Munda. All ships were fully fueled and should have made the movement easily, especially encountering no enemy TF's. Normally I'd be pretty PO'd, but have learned it's the nature of this game. Today I was unlucky, as I have been most of the game, and getting upset by it is counterproductive. Next time, I plot my orders as if everything will go wrong and try to provide as best defensive CAP coverage as I can. Another lesson learned, a costly one unfortunately. Needless to say, I need to shut the airbase down again...pronto.
Burma:
Allied P-40K Warhawk's (25) sweep Bhamo prior to a bombing raid. There is no Japanese CAP. The bombing raid consists of B-24D Liberator's (36) and the damage is light at 0(1) infantry and 0(1) non-combat squad losses totalling 13 casualties. The base is then swept again by another group of P-40K Warhawk's (25).
China:
Most of my bombers were grounded today, and more importantly a single Chinese LCU holding the river line north of Kweilin was not bombed. Four Japanese divisions are about to perform another river assault tomorrow, and as much preparatory disruption caused by bombing right now will make a big difference. Hopefully they fly as planned next turn.
Japanese forces launch a deliberate attack in the north against withdrawing Chinese forces. AAR follows:
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Ground combat at 81,40 (near Tienshui)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 43528 troops, 322 guns, 186 vehicles, Assault Value = 1622
Defending force 22408 troops, 134 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 939
Japanese adjusted assault: 800
Allied adjusted defense: 1168
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2
Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), experience(-), supply(-) (All trumped by 3x terrain)
Attacker:
Japanese ground losses:
1483 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 128 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 29 disabled
Allied ground losses:
1105 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 78 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 17 (1 destroyed, 16 disabled)
Assaulting units:
63rd Division
110th Division
12th Tank Regiment
27th Division
2nd Ind.Mixed Brigade
North China Area Army
Defending units:
57th Chinese Corps
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps
9th Chinese Corps
43rd Chinese Corps
3rd Chinese Corps
7th New Chinese Corps
Terrain remains everything in this game. Despite three pretty substantial negative combat modifiers the odds are only 1:2. At least losses were tolerable on my end, but I think I suffered another bad roll considering the state of the enemy. I'm no longer surprised by these kinds of results.
Miscellaneous:
Japan:
Peleliu expands airfield to size 2
Tuyun expands fortifications to size 1
Soerabaja expands airfield to size 5
Long Island expands fortifications to size 2
Aircraft A6M5 Zero advances R&D
CV Taiho arrives at Kobe (The arrival of this CV is marred by the soon to be sinking of the CA Chikuma)
Allied:
Katha expands airfield to size 7
Luganville expands airfield to size 7
Previous report of sinking of CV Yorktown incorrect. Intelligence reports ship is still in service (No surprise here only taking one torpedo hit)
Thoughts:
Unlucky today, but getting used to it.
A note on the acceleration of CV Taiho. She arrives with A6M5 Zero's, Jill's and Judy's and these planes are not even in production yet. Under PDU off, I can't downgrade the aircraft, so any losses I suffer prior to production of these planes can't be replaced. Dumb. On the other hand, the experience levels of the pilots are the best in the entire Pacific.
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