RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled

RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (Full Version)

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

Message

Cribtop -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/11/2010 7:45:12 PM)
To return briefly to the Nadi op, you mentioned being afraid of using KB planes against land targets. I agree wrt Vals, but Kates at 16K seem pretty safe from land based AA in my experience.

crsutton -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/11/2010 9:00:10 PM)
It has been fun to read. You both have had setbacks and got bloody noses. Neither of them fatal. The Allies can lose warships as long as they are not carriers. I think in the end, I would give a slight strategic edge to Charbroiled. The issue is your wrecked divisions. At this stage, Japan can ill afford to have three critical divisions in SoPac off the table for a while. I am going to pay a lot more attention to my marine defense units. Don't leave home without them.... I notice that eventually the Allied 90 mm AA guns upgrade to dual purpose. I wonder if these will shoot up ships as well or if you really need then in an art or CD unit.

Capt. Harlock -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/11/2010 9:56:53 PM)
quote: The Allies can lose warships as long as they are not carriers. Actually, after early '43, the Allies can even afford to lose carriers. I think the most painful thing for the IJN is the loss of those three heavy cruisers in Kurita's force. They are the one ship type the Japanese never get any more of.

Cuttlefish -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/13/2010 8:32:25 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock quote: The Allies can lose warships as long as they are not carriers. Actually, after early '43, the Allies can even afford to lose carriers. I think the most painful thing for the IJN is the loss of those three heavy cruisers in Kurita's force. They are the one ship type the Japanese never get any more of. I completely agree with this. I hate losing heavy cruisers, they are enormously valuable and irreplacable.

Cuttlefish -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/13/2010 8:34:41 PM)
May 23, 1942 – May 27, 1942 In the aftermath of the recent struggles in the Pacific I evaluate my situation and make plans for future operations. The Rising Sun will continue to advance! Pacific: The Journey Home. My forces have been moving back to Truk, the transports shepherded by my carriers. Some troops have already returned to Truk while others should arrive and unload within the next day or so. As the battles around Nadi and Tabiteuea were going on I was busy moving supplies and fuel into Truk, so there is plenty there of both (150k fuel, 100 k of supplies at present). I am going to have to keep an eye on troop capacity, though, as the base holds 60,000 troops but more than that are inbound. A fresh division has arrived in the theater from Luzon and has been sent to Rabaul, where it will continue prepping for an attack on Shortlands. The region has not been entirely quiet. On 26 May submarine RO-34 put a torpedo into Yorktown northeast of Canton Island. There was a fuel storage explosion and fires reported, so the carrier is going to need some yard time (the hit was confirmed by Charbroiled, so it wasn’t FOW). On 27 May more Allied troops landed at Tulagi. Netties out of Rabaul attacked, which triggered a fierce air battle. The escorting Zeros fought the defending fighters, Warhawks and Lightnings, straight up, 16 fighters down on each side. I also lost 16 Netties and sank DMS Long and an AK. Fortunately I only lost 9 pilots KIA. Once everyone is back at Truk my ships will be rearmed and refueled and I can evaluate the state of my battered divisions. Since striking at the base of the Allied effort in the South Pacific did not work my inclination now is to start at the top and work my way down. Charbroiled has occupied a number of bases in force, including Shortlands, Lunga, Tagula (a few hexes off Milne Bay), and Ndeni. Shortlands and Tagula have about 10,000 troops each and will be easy to isolate and pound with air attacks and bombardments prior to an invasion. Lunga is the big base in the area. Right now Allied bombers there are a pain but again, the base should be easy to suppress. If this all goes smoothly I can evaluate the situation and think about moving further south. Also on the agenda is recapturing Tabiteuea. He has a US infantry division there but doesn’t have control of the sea in the region, so the plan for the moment is to make sure those troops start to get hungry. It might be a good opportunity to wear down his navy if he fights to try and keep the base supplied. Java: Hoist the Rising Sun. Java is pretty much all over but the shouting. Batavia and Soerabaja have both been captured and the Dutch presence on the island is down to four bases and some scattered refugees. The six Japanese divisions on the island are wrapping things up and prepping for new targets, mostly in Burma. All of the facilities at Soerabaja, shipyards, oil, everything, were captured intact. This continues a fortuitous trend. Across the DEI I would say the Dutch gave me their stuff over 99% undamaged. My tankers are busy and oil and fuel levels in the Home Islands are in excellent shape. Tokyo alone has 350k in oil and nearly 1000k in fuel. Burma: Lurking in the Bay of Bengal. The land war in Burma has been a stalemate for quite some time. That should change soon, with six fresh IJA divisions either en route or soon to head that way. In the meantime mini-KB has passed through the Sunda Strait and headed west into the Bay of Bengal. They have arrived undetected with a SCTF right at the center of the Bay of Bengal and are hanging there now, waiting like a spider in a web for prey to come along. China: Change of Plan. I have been unable to batter my way to Sian. Since further effort seems unlikely to bring success I am going to change tactics here. Rather than try to occupy ground I am going to make the situation fluid again and go back to doing what I had success doing earlier – mangling Chinese formations. I will wreck as many as I can and cut the Burma road, then see what effect this has on Chinese resiliency. I think I also need to get my air force more involved in this area.

Q-Ball -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/13/2010 9:08:55 PM)
quote: Charbroiled has occupied a number of bases in force, including Shortlands, Lunga, Tagula (a few hexes off Milne Bay), and Ndeni. Shortlands and Tagula have about 10,000 troops each and will be easy to isolate and pound with air attacks and bombardments prior to an invasion. Lunga is the big base in the area. Right now Allied bombers there are a pain but again, the base should be easy to suppress. If this all goes smoothly I can evaluate the situation and think about moving further south. CF: Since your divisions are unloading at Truk without a mission at present, might I suggest prepping all of those guys for the Solomons? It's too late to launch a major knock-out offensive against a NZ or OZ or something like that. But it's way too early to cede the initiative, and way too early for the Allied player to be pushing units forward like that. WAY too early. You have an opportunity to capture a big chunk of Allied troops, and hopefully sink some ships as well if he tries to interfere. I would like to see a map of the area and know what you have available, but I would recommend the following: 1. Landings in the Lower Solomons, perhaps Lunga. Your objective is to secure an airbase, put Bettys there, and wait. 2. Your opponent will then have several thousand troops isolated in the Solomons. He will have two choices: -Let them starve and die -Contest IJN air and get ships in The absolute worst strategic situation is to be tethered to garrisons you feel you need to save, yet having to fight through superior airpower to get there. You should absolutely be able to assert control of the air over the Solomons, and the seas around it. Once you do that, all those Allied troops will be working on the Burma Railway within 90 days. Ideally, if he is choosing to fight you with troops he will also choose to fight you with ships, which is a losing proposition at this stage for the Allies, particularly if you can draw on LBA nearby. In conclusion, I would re-direct on a counterattack in the Solomons, with the objective of drawing the Allies into a fight on turf you ultimately control. The worst that can happen is you capture several thousand US Troops. He is already down a CV, so you can't lose if you keep your forces concentrated, and play your cards right.

Cribtop -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/14/2010 4:31:01 AM)
+1

ny59giants -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/14/2010 5:12:42 AM)
You have probably already done so, but double check to ensure that all possible Zero, Val, and Kate units have been resized to at least 30 planes. The Solomons are a great area to use Vals as only a size 2 AF is needed. While your at it, look at your FP. I usually use a damaged or non-critical CS to resize early and then train up my pilots. The Solomons are a good place to use random mining to create some havoc. Some of your 20 knot CM's should be able to get in and out while he looks for KB and/or large SC TF.

Cuttlefish -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/17/2010 6:40:59 PM)
May 28, 1942 – June 2, 1942 Q-Ball and ny59giants, thanks for the suggestions. I agree just about 100% with Q-Ball’s evaluation of the situation. My opponent has continued to occupy forward bases in the Pacific. I welcome these attacks – my operation at Suva failed to force my opponent to shove his arm further into the wood chipper but in the aftermath he seems intent on doing it on his own. Pacific: Feast of the Netties. The Allies have occupied Tarawa and Nauru Island now as well. Netties from Roi-Namur and carrier planes from Junyo and Hiyo (who had the fastest turn-around time at Truk) have inflicted losses on both invasion forces. Allied losses include DD King, a DMS, two APs, and AK, and three xAKs. Junyo and Hiyo are heading back to Truk to rearm. In the meantime Kido Butai has circled north of Kwajalein and is now heading southeast, intending to position itself between Pearl Harbor and the Gilberts, a region my subs indicate is currently heavy with Allied traffic. All units from the failed Suva operation have safely returned to Truk. There are now 65,000 troops there, with more on the way from Tokyo and Manila. This is 5000 over limit already so at least one division, the 20th, is being shipped out again immediately to Rabaul. With the four divisions ashore it is now possible to really evaluate their losses. Three of them (the 4th, 54th, and 19th) are around half strength. The 20th is at about three-quarters strength and is the one heading for Rabaul, where it will prep to join a fresh division for the attack on Shortlands. That base will be used as a springboard towards Lunga. Japanese battleships are already beginning shuttle bombardment of Shortlands. Yamato, recently arrived in theater, will not join the bombardments, mostly because those 18” shells are hard to replenish. Yamato instead will form the core of an SCTF that will join my carriers in interdicting Allied supplies and reinforcements to their new possessions. My overall plan for the Pacific is to completely isolate these conquests and other forward bases and then devour them one by one. I think my opponent believes that he can defend them with LBA but my experience in this game tells me that isolated island air bases are easy prey for repeated bombardments and carrier forces. LBA from mutually supporting bases and defended by SCTFs can be lethal; LBA in isolated forward bases are “destroyed on ground” statistics waiting to happen. Submarine Warfare: Hits and Misses. Japanese submarines sank two ships during this period, an xAK off Ceylon and an AM near Vancouver Island. A Japanese submarine was lost to ASW attack in the Central Pacific. And, in a hair-raising moment, an Allied sub bounced a dud torpedo off of Zuikaku as it departed Truk to head east. Right now I have my submarines deployed in several major areas. Both sides of the Australian coast are infested, as are the coast of India and the waters around Ceylon. There are several more on the US West Coast and a belt of them between Pearl Harbor/West Coast and the South Pacific. The last major group is in the Central Pacific trying to pick off stragglers and giving me intelligence on Allied ship movements.

Q-Ball -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/17/2010 7:12:28 PM)
Split the depleted divisions into 3s; they will rebuild quicker if you do that. Nauru? He is really putting his neck in the wood chipper. Turn it on.

Cribtop -> RE: The Calimari War - Cuttlefish Gets Charbroiled (9/18/2010 3:17:50 AM)
I concur. In the long run the Suva op may yield a perverse strategic benefit by leading the enemy to believe his strategy is sound. Overconfidence can be deadly.

Cuttlefish -> Carrier Duel at Canton Island (9/18/2010 9:00:36 PM)
June 3, 1942 – June 7, 1942 Carrier battles. They don’t happen very often. Even in a violently contested game there will only be a handful of them in several years of war. But they are the most exciting actions in the game, and always significant, sometimes game-changing. Certainly for many players they are the most psychologically significant. On 7 June the first carrier battle of this war erupted, with action and carnage aplenty. Pacific: The Battle of Canton Island. Kido Butai, as previously described, had passed just north of the Marshall Islands and then set course to the southeast, hoping to prey upon Allied forces shuttling between Pearl Harbor and the Gilberts. My carriers passed 4 June without seeing any Allied ships. On 5 June, however, as they moved further into Allied waters, they found and destroyed an Allied task force. This task force consisted of DD Dale, four APs (Harris, Wharton, U.S. Grant, and Tasker H. Bliss) and two AKs. A nice prize. My carriers continued on to the southeast on 6 June without finding any enemy ships. They were, however, shadowed by Allied recon. I ordered a course change to the southwest for 7 June, intending for my carriers to loop back south of the Gilberts and then return home. Morning found Kido Butai passing between Baker and Canton Islands. Allied carriers were spotted three hexes due southwest, with Allied transport TFs scattered about nearby. Both sides launched planes. My best guess is that four Allied carriers were present, very likely Lexinton, Saratoga, Enterprise, and Wasp. I had all six CVs, of course. The Japanese strike went in first: Morning Air attack on TF, near Canton Island at 151,141 Weather in hex: Severe storms Raid detected at 160 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 60 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 58 B5N2 Kate x 119 D3A1 Val x 73 Allied aircraft F2A-3 Buffalo x 6 F4F-3 Wildcat x 32 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed B5N2 Kate: 6 destroyed, 26 damaged D3A1 Val: 2 destroyed, 22 damaged Allied aircraft losses F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 4 destroyed Allied Ships CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire CV Lexington, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Indianapolis, Torpedo hits 3, heavy damage CL Helena, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CA Chicago CA Portland, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire DD Van Ghent DD Lawrence CL Honolulu, Bomb hits 1 CL Phoenix, Bomb hits 1, on fire DD Piet Hein DD Vendetta DD Tenedos This was not bad, though my planes showed a distressing tendency to ignore the Allied carriers in preference for attacking lesser targers. The Allied counter-strike met a distressingly low number of Zeros on CAP and hit hard: Morning Air attack on TF, near Canton Island at 153,138 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 15 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 35 Allied aircraft F2A-3 Buffalo x 5 F4F-3 Wildcat x 31 SBD-2 Dauntless x 28 SBD-3 Dauntless x 36 TBD-1 Devastator x 30 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses F2A-3 Buffalo: 2 destroyed F4F-3 Wildcat: 10 destroyed SBD-2 Dauntless: 1 destroyed SBD-3 Dauntless: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged TBD-1 Devastator: 2 destroyed, 5 damaged Japanese Ships CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Soryu, Bomb hits 3, on fire CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires CL Abukuma, Bomb hits 1, on fire BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 5, on fire CA Furutaka CA Chikuma, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Isokaze DD Urakaze No torpedo hits (I only saw one torpedo actually strike its target, and it was a dud). Still, good work by the Allied dive bombers. The second Japanese attack did a lot of damage – to a nearby Allied transport TF. Morning Air attack on TF, near Canton Island at 152,141 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid spotted at 25 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 9 minutes Japanese aircraft B5N2 Kate x 16 D3A1 Val x 16 Japanese aircraft losses B5N2 Kate: 2 damaged Allied Ships xAK Steel Navigator, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 4, and is sunk AP American Legion, Torpedo hits 1 xAK President Quezon, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage xAK Admiral Williams, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk AP Thomas Jefferson, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire AP Crescent City, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage xAP Rangatira, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage Now, I’m as big a fan of sinking enemy shipping as anyone, but I really don’t think these guys were the primary target at the moment. But my guys weren’t done. There was another transport TF nearby: Morning Air attack on TF, near Canton Island at 151,139 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid spotted at 31 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 11 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 10 D3A1 Val x 23 Japanese aircraft losses D3A1 Val: 2 damaged Allied Ships xAK San Angelo, Bomb hits 1, on fire DMS Perry, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk DMS Lamberton, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage xAK Maine, Bomb hits 7, and is sunk So much for them. We move on to the PM phase, which Japan opens by deciding, oh, why not, let’s go after that pesky enemy carrier force again: Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Canton Island at 151,141 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 51 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 42 B5N2 Kate x 50 D3A1 Val x 55 Allied aircraft F2A-3 Buffalo x 2 F4F-3 Wildcat x 12 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed, 14 damaged D3A1 Val: 2 destroyed, 24 damaged Allied aircraft losses Allied Ships CA Indianapolis, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 2, on fire CA Chicago, Bomb hits 3, on fire CA Portland, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk DD Vendetta DD Lawrence DD Tenedos, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Dewey, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk CV Lexington, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage CL Honolulu, Bomb hits 1 CL Phoenix DD Piet Hein, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk DD Van Ghent CL Helena, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk The Allies respond by launching two small strikes. The first is butchered but the second one breaks through and does heavy damage to Kaga: Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Canton Island at 153,138 Weather in hex: Clear sky Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 15 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 20 Allied aircraft F4F-3 Wildcat x 3 SBD-3 Dauntless x 11 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed SBD-3 Dauntless: 5 damaged Japanese Ships CV Akagi BB Hiei CV Kaga, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Murakumo Japanese planes launch a pair of small strikes against what is left of enemy shipping in the area, sinking DMS Lambertson and AP Crescent City. And with that the day’s combat comes to an end. Losses: On the Japanese side CV Shokaku and CA Chikuma are both sunk. Zuikaku and Kaga both have a lot of system damage and fires in the 40s and these carriers are in peril as well. The Allies seem certain to lose Lexington. I’m not sure about Saratoga but I doubt it. Confirmed losses are CAs Portland and Indianapolis, CL Helena, and DDs Dewey and Piet Hein. Oh, and two DMS and three xAKs. DD Tenedos is almost certainly sunk, as are another two xAKs and four APs. Not that the little guys matter a lot under the circumstances. Japan loses 30 planes in air-to-air and to flak; Allied losses are closer to 70. But Japan loses 125 planes on sunk or damaged carriers; carrier pilot losses on the day are about 50, which is acceptable. Allied carrier planes destroyed “on deck” are listed at 15. Analysis: This battle could go either way, depending on what sinks. If it turns out to be a swap of Lexington for Shokaku I would call it a Japanese victory because of the Allied cruiser and destroyer losses, losses they can ill-afford right now. If, however, I lose Zuikaku or Kaga or both then it clearly becomes an Allied victory. Either way it could have gone better for me. Japan failed to use its assets to best advantage, frittering away a chance to really pound the Allied fleet by attacking nearby shipping. In this regard the outcome has to be seen as a triumph for the Allies. I am disappointed in the results but carrier battles are always a uncertain thing in AE. When you send your carriers into enemy waters you really have to be prepared to not get all of them home again. I am not going to entirely discount the eight APs, destroyer, two DMS, two AKs, and five xAKs sunk before and during the battle. Allied shipping losses have been heavy. Scoreboard: For those who have not been keeping score at home here is what major ship losses look like at this point: CVs: Japan 1, Allies 1 BBs: Japan 2, Allies 4 CAs: Japan 4, Allies 10 CLs: Japan 1, Allies 8 DDs: Japan 4, Allies 32 [image]local://upfiles/23804/8D9AFCC6489A438CB4FEC5DA76353CFF.jpg[/image]

KenchiSulla -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (9/18/2010 9:14:34 PM)
Cuttlefish, nice action. I hope your battered carriers make it home. I have been monitoring carrier battles and it seems there is an advantage in splitting up your TFs but keeping them in the same hex. In my scrap with Arnhem he had 5 carriers in a hex (in 5 TFs) and I only attacked 2 TFs resulting in the loss of 2 allied carriers, a BB and damage on ships ONLY in those 2 TFs (confirmed by Arnhem). He noticed something similar happening in a Guadalcanal campaign game he fought resulting in the destruction of all remaining Japanese CVs for Hornet.. How was your force organised? Edit: noticed your first attack was in heavy storms, which is unlucky.... also noticed he struck at Kaga/Akagi second run.. not on your other CVs. I bet those were in a different TF?

Cuttlefish -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (9/18/2010 9:25:33 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Cannonfodder Cuttlefish, nice action. I hope your battered carriers make it home. I have been monitoring carrier battles and it seems there is an advantage in splitting up your TFs but keeping them in the same hex. In my scrap with Arnhem he had 5 carriers in a hex (in 5 TFs) and I only attacked 2 TFs resulting in the loss of 2 allied carriers, a BB and damage on ships ONLY in those 2 TFs (confirmed by Arnhem). He noticed something similar happening in a Guadalcanal campaign game he fought resulting in the destruction of all remaining Japanese CVs for Hornet.. How was your force organised? My carriers were split into two TFs. One had Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Soryu, while the other had Kaga, Akagi, and Hiryu. Each TF also had a battleship and two or three heavy cruisers.

KenchiSulla -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (9/18/2010 9:33:07 PM)
Strike 1 CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Soryu, Bomb hits 3, on fire CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires Strike 2 CV Akagi CV Kaga, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage Looks bad.. he had weather going for him, and luck that he had TFs nearby that diverted attention from his carriers... At times it seems the Japanese torpedo planes have a thing with DDs. Many attacks on those that miss while you KNOW there are more CVs in the Hex.... War is Hell....

CapAndGown -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (9/18/2010 11:00:57 PM)
Don't discount the APs. They are a valuable catch, though it would of course be better to get the carriers. To find out which carriers you are facing, consult the combat report and check on which squadrons are flying CAP against your strikes.

adm -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (10/5/2010 9:22:01 PM)
It's been awhile since an update, is everything okay?

Cuttlefish -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (10/9/2010 1:29:19 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: adm It's been awhile since an update, is everything okay? Everything is good. I have been on a long road/camping trip. I will be home soon and will post an update then, as I have managed to get in a few turns while traveling.

Mynok -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (10/9/2010 2:33:23 AM)
The old Witp rule was to keep KB as one TF. I think AE changes that. Multiple TFs to make the strike pick. And have fodder TFs present.

adm -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (12/2/2010 9:58:33 PM)
Hello?

Cuttlefish -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (12/19/2010 11:01:25 PM)
Greetings! Cuttlefish here, trying to revive this AAR after a long hiatus. A lot has happened in the game since last I posted. I’ll try to get caught up with as much brevity as possible, though I think it will still take several posts before we are up to date in all theaters. I apologize for letting things lapse for so long. I went on a long road trip with my 23-year-old son. As we wandered the country in search of America the game continued, albeit fitfully for a while. But I fell out of the habit of updating the AAR. After I returned home other projects kept demanding my attention. I kept telling myself that I’d get back to the AAR tomorrow…next week…soon… Anyway, I’m back. The game has turned into a brutal slugfest that, if nothing else, should be rather entertaining. It’s also taken a couple of disappointing twists and turns. But the focus of this AAR is my quest to become a better player, as available evidence suggests that I have yet to master AE. So writing about my defeats has more actual value than writing about my victories. When we last left the forces of Japan they had just engaged, and gotten the worst of, a carrier battle. As it turned out it was the full Kido Butai, all six carriers, against Saratoga and Lexington. I lost badly; Shokaku, Zuikaku, Kaga and CA Chikuma sunk in exchange for Lexington, Indianapolis, Portland, Helena, and a bunch of transports and destroyers. From a tactical point of view things looked good going in. KB was rampaging in the Allied shipping lanes and, as it turns out, Charbroiled had no intention of offering battle with just two carriers. He was caught off guard by KB’s sudden move south and in a perfect world would have been soundly punished for leaving his two carriers anywhere in the area. Yet Japan suffered a serious defeat. Another carrier battle later on (which we will get to in due course) went about the same way: it looked good for Japan on paper but the results were, shall we say, less than optimal. I could complain about bad luck, poor die rolls, or whatever. But it seems more productive to observe that I seem to suck at running carrier battles and to ask what I might be doing wrong. Here is how I usually set things up. I run my fighter groups at 40% CAP, half of them at 11,000’, half at 15,000’. The Vals are all set on naval attack, height 11,000 feet, 10% search. The Kates are at naval attack, 11,000’. I keep my carriers in groups of three or four, between 150 and 190 planes in each task force, and keep my TFs in the same hex. I pick the best task force commanders I can find with air skill over 70 and aggression in the low 60s. Then I tell my guys to go get ‘em. It’s worth noting that in both carrier defeats (and in the carrier battle I did win, which we will also get to later) my bombers tended to focus on non-carrier targets. In both of the other carrier battles the Allies lost a battleship which became the main focus of the Kate’s attacks. Also in all three battles my CAP shredded the incoming Wildcats but failed to get through them to shoot down more than a handful of bombers, allowing far too many formations to make their attack runs without being harassed by Zeros. My own bombers get through too but they have a terrible hit percentage when attacking carriers, though they tear apart anything else they attack. So…any suggestions out there? Are there any obvious flaws in my set-up? I’d appreciate any and all comments as I get busy writing about the five months of the war that we’ve missed.

Captain Cruft -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (12/19/2010 11:33:44 PM)
More search perhaps, and lower alt for the groups doing search. I use Kates for search (20% or 30% at either 7k or 9k) since alt does not alter the way they attack with torpedoes.

Grfin Zeppelin -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (12/20/2010 1:12:03 AM)
Hmm I set my Kates to 8000, its a nice height for search and in case they have to use bombs. 10-20% normaly. Vals on 12000 and also 10-20% on search. Lotsa Jakes (6000) on the other ships too of course. Spoting makes a huge difference in the whole behavior of the carrier TF I think. Whenever possible also within search range of LBA.It might be foolish to attack with Netties at max range but for nav search/asw their range is amazing.

aprezto -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (12/20/2010 2:45:30 AM)
Hi Cuttlefish, I am almost certain that divebombers GLIDEBOMB when set to 11k feet. This is the only height at which they do it. I'll try and find the settings - it's hidden in the forum somewhere. Have been caught with this where I thought it was 11K feet where they DIVE bomb. But of course got it completely wrong. In that case 120 dauntlesses were only able to get 5 hits on all targets. Thankfully 4 of those hits were on the two carriers targeted, and both carriers got fuel explosions, rampaging fires, and were eventually sunk. But the point is, I see no point in glidebombing. If you divebombers get to the target I want them divebombing. No idea about the kates. I usually set torp bombers to 6k and have no problems with them, although no way of making them target the carriers.

FatR -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (12/20/2010 3:58:56 AM)
13k for all bombers. Either 15k or a mix of altitudes between 13 and 16k for fighters. 50% CAP in hot zones and 40% when travelling areas where enemy carriers theoretically might be encountered. No carrier planes on search if I might expect a serious battle, only Jakes. Carrier aircraft range generally is set to 6 hexes. Two KBs (Yamaguchi and Nagumo) with 1-2 battleships, 2 CAs, (ideally) 1 CS, and 9 DDs each. Inserting battleships as bomber bait didn't work that well so far, though.

Cuttlefish -> RE: Carrier Duel at Canton Island (12/20/2010 7:36:55 AM)
Thanks for the comments so far about carrier operations. There doesn't seem to be anything like a consensus yet, though I am intrigued by the possibility that 11,000 might be glide-bombing altitude.

Cuttlefish -> Campaigns in the Pacific (12/20/2010 7:48:22 AM)
Events in the Pacific June – October 1942 To very briefly recap: after the Japanese invasion of Suva failed I successfully pulled out all of the units involved and returned them to Truk to rest and regroup. During this time American forces invaded and captured Tabiteuae, Tarawa, and Nauru and Ocean Islands. The carrier battle described above occurred as my forces struck back at these invasion forces. Though I lost three carriers I did inflict heavy damage on the transport task forces involved. After failing to cut off the Allied effort at the roots I set about pruning some of the branches. Japanese forces invaded Shortlands in early July and by July 21 had captured the base, destroying the bulk of the Australian 4th Division. Japanese forces also recaptured Nauru and Ocean islands, overwhelming the modest forces left to hold the bases. The Allies resumed the offensive in early August. Australian forces attacked both Milne Bay and Horn Island. Both invasions collapsed and the invasion forces were re-embarked. But Charbroiled is not easily discouraged. Stronger invasion forces soon landed at both Milne Bay and Port Moresby, both of which were held by Japanese garrison units. These are okay units but not able to stand up to an American or Australian division with armor support. Netties based out of Rabaul and Lae took a toll on the invaders, sinking BC Repulse and a number of transports. But the Allied invasion continued, supported by air power based in Australia, Tagula Island, and Lunga. I wasn’t willing to lose Port Moresby quite yet, so I loaded up the Japanese 21st Division at Shortlands and sent it around the tip of New Guinea. I protected the transport TF with my remaining carriers and this touched off the second carrier battle of the war on August 28. This took place right off the southern coast of New Guinea and battle pitted the remaining five Japanese CVs, plus three CVLs, against four American carriers – Wasp, Hornet, Yorktown, and Enterprise. The American carriers reacted to within range of the powerful Japanese air units based at Rabaul, as I hoped, and the situation was ripe for an Allied disaster. Japanese land-based air struck first. Almost 50 Zeros came in and shredded the Allied CAP. To my disappointment, though, of all but two of the 75 Nells and Bettys in the attack groups were “unable to locate target due to range or weather” or “failed to link up” and returned to base. The Japanese carrier attack met only 25 Wildcats on CAP, plus half a dozen P-38s out of Tagula. These were brushed aside and my carrier planes proceeded to sink BB West Virginia and CA Houston. They also did heavy damage to California, but I still don’t know whether or not it sank. Carriers Wasp and Hornet both took several bombs and were knocked out but not sunk. The Allied counter-attack did a lot of damage. I lost Junyo and Hiyo and CVL Zuiho, along with a light cruiser and a destroyer. Battleship Hiei and every remaining Japanese carrier took damage. The only grace note was that the Allied carrier force was pretty much denuded of fighters and had to withdraw, allowing my transports to unload safely at PM and all my surviving ships to withdraw unmolested through the Torres Strait. So much for this particular Battle of the Coral Sea. As my carriers limped back around the western end of New Guinea and headed for Japan Allied forces launched an attack at Mili in early September. The first Allied attack ended in disaster. After the first turn of unloading (a US infantry division was doing the invading) a Japanese SCTF built around Yamato and three heavy cruisers showed up and torched the entire invasion convoy, 12 xAPs along with four DDs and a DMS. Troop losses were heavy. Have I mentioned that Charbroiled is not easily discouraged? Even as Yamato and company neared Truk to rearm a second invasion convoy struck at Mili. No atoll can hold enough troops to stand up to an invasion by a full US division. The fight was bloody but short and Mili fell before my ships could get back. While this was going on a force of six Japanese destroyers raided Lunga and sank two DDs and eight tankers caught unloading. While retreating from this action in the darkness my force blundered into an American carrier TF based around Yorktown and Enterprise. One Japanese destroyer was lost but the rest bounced a few 5” shells off Enterprise and BB North Carolina, more as a statement of defiance than anything else, I think, and then scuttled off into the darkness and made their way home. A Japanese DD also hit a mine at Lunga and was sunk by LBA in the morning. After planes from Mili and Tarawa neutralized Japanese air power at Roi-Namur the Allies next captured Maloelap and then invaded Roi-Namur. This touched off the third carrier battle of the war, on October 22. While the Allies were fighting for control of the air over the Marshalls I was frantically repairing carriers in the Home Islands. Akagi was going to be out for several months but Hiryu, Soryu, Ryujo, and Shoho were ready to go pretty soon. I rushed them to the Marshalls and, counting on the element of surprise, flung them at the modest Allied carrier force covering the Roi-Namur operation. This force proved to consist of Saratoga and two CVEs. This time Japanese forces came out on top. Sara took two torpedoes and was forced to retire, CVEs Copahee and Long Island were sunk, and BB New Mexico went down as well. Japanese losses were limited to minor damage to Ryujo. Best of all, the Yamato battle group went in and over the next couple of days destroyed both invasion task forces, sinking a dozen ships and inflicting thousands of troop casualties. Despite all this enough troops managed to get ashore before their ships were sunk to capture Roi-Namur. While all this was going on Yorktown and Enterprise were busy covering the New Guinea operations. Milne Bay fell to the Allies in September. The Allies lost a few ships delivering more troops to Port Moresby but were successful enough that the base fell in late October. Japanese forces from both bases withdrew successfully over the Kokoda Trail to Buna. I lost a heavy cruiser and a pair of light cruisers to Allied LBA trying to intercept Allied forces at Milne Bay. One last operation should be described, and that is the Allied 4E bomber campaign against Lae and Rabaul from August through October. Charbroiled realized that he needed to neutralize those bases, at least temporarily, if his effort at Port Moresby was to succeed. This touched off a war of attrition between my Zero daitai and his B-17E and B-24D groups. It was kind of fascinating, really. As Japanese fighters wore down and runway and service damage at my bases slowly accumulated fewer and fewer planes were available for defense. But at the same time losses, damage, and fatigue took a steady toll on the attackers. In the end he lost a lot of bombers and the survivors eventually either could not or would not fly. But my bases were pushed to the edge in the meantime and could not support offensive operations. At the current date, 7 November 1942, my air bases are completely repaired and both are guarded by two (Lae) or three (Rabaul) fully stocked Zero units. I presume that his heavy bomber groups are by now also tanned, rested, and ready. That’s the situation in the Pacific. As you can see it’s been a pretty busy five months or so. The maps below show where things stand now, which I’ll describe in greater detail soon. The situation around eastern New Guinea: [image]local://upfiles/23804/4AAC461535CF4F3F94912EC1523B9D77.jpg[/image]

Cuttlefish -> RE: Campaigns in the Pacific (12/20/2010 7:49:36 AM)
The situation in the Gilberts and Marshalls: [image]local://upfiles/23804/3FC78A17194B4364929B6BF18BFC981C.jpg[/image]

FatR -> RE: Campaigns in the Pacific (12/20/2010 8:27:29 AM)
Hopefully, you are accelerating Unryus for some months now... in this case your opponent might continue to pay for overaggression in the strategic direction that is the least immediately threatening to Japan. Othwerwise you are likely to face a total collapse in the Pacific and Allies in Marianas before 1944.

adm -> RE: Campaigns in the Pacific (12/20/2010 10:59:48 PM)
You're Alive! Good to see you back upand posting.

Page: << < prev 4 5 [6] 7 8 next > >>

Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

2.902344