Slaughter of the Innocents - RA - Marbakka (A) vs. John the 3rd (J) (Full Version)

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



Message

marbakka -> Slaughter of the Innocents - RA - Marbakka (A) vs. John the 3rd (J) (6/29/2012 5:24:49 PM)

Players
Japan: John the 3rd - Experienced, Known for his aggression, developer of the RA mod
Allies: Marbakka (me!) - Unbelievably naive noob

Mod
We will be using the Reluctant Admiral 4.6 mod with stack limits and extended map.

House Rules
Oh boy...

#1 - Turn 1 can have multiple port attacks but ONLY from carriers. Manila and Singapore may fly CAP. Allies cannot transfer new Squadrons reflecting prior knowledge. Orders for TF formed already OK.
#2 - PPs must be paid to move out of national borders (Japan - Manchuria, Thai; Allies - India, China)
#3 - No strategic bombing on EITHER side until July 1943
#4 - Manila subs can form TFs based on time stamp of the first turn email.
#5 - Settings: Non-historic turn 1, +/- 60 day reinforcements, PDUs ON
#6 - Aircraft limitations: No A6M3s on CVEs, No A6M4s on any carrier, A7MSam and B7A-DGrace cannot operate from CVE
#7 - Four Engine Bombers: 4EB restricted to 10k or higher for naval attacks and ground attacks; 4EB cannot bomb hexes that contain friendly troops
#8 - Night bombing must have 50% Moonlight (or higher) through the end of 1943. Starting Jan 1, 1944, night bombing is unrestricted
#9 - Max Fighter Altitudes: 20000 (12/41-5/42), 25000 (6/42-12/42), 30000 (1943), 30000+ (1944+)
#10 - Burmese Monsoon Rules (June 15 - November 1)

  • No deliberate or shock attack in the jungle hexes in the designated area
  • Deliberate Attacks allowed in non-Jungle Terrain
  • Bombardment attacks are still allowed anywhere
  • Movement into friendly or empty hexes are still allowed
  • The number of aircraft allowed to fly from a base is reflected in its sizex10 (Sz-5 mean 50% can fly. The others may rest/train.)
  • No offensive carrier operations in the Gulf of Bengal against Burma (other naval ops,
    including bombardment, are still allowed). Striking either Bengal, Northern India or Malaya
    from carriers in the Gulf is still allowed, of course.



Ok, so I'm not a COMPLETE newb, but I'm very inexperienced and playing against a very experienced guy. I expect this to be a slaughter (thus the title of this thread), but I think it will make an instructive AAR for newer folks if only insomuch as it shows the consequences of getting uppity.

As always, I welcome advice and I DO read anything written here, often implementing suggestions without necessarily saying so here.

[:-] No more John the 3rd beyond this point [:-]



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (6/29/2012 5:28:08 PM)

Step 1: Researching the Enemy

I have no intention of reading everything John has written, but perhaps some of you can recommend some "essential reading" to give me a feel for his gameplay. I'm told that he is a very aggressive player, though he keeps insisting that he isn't going to "do anything crazy" (riiight), but that's about all I know about his play. Tips, pointers, suggested threads?



ny59giants -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (6/29/2012 5:32:55 PM)

Since I talk with John 3rd by phone at least once or twice weekly for the last three years plus, we just need to discuss my monthly fee. [:D][:D]

Details to follow....



BBfanboy -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (6/29/2012 5:50:38 PM)

Man, you are one ambitious dude, taking on John the 3rd. I salute you! [sm=bow.gif]

I haven't followed any of his AARs but I did notice this post by him in Canoerebel's "War and Peas" AAR"
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3077611&mpage=18&key=�

If he believes India to be a bad target for Japan, it raises the likelihood of an attack on Australia. OTOH, if he wants to go easy on you because of the experience disparity, he may do the normal run through Burma to India just to see how you handle it.
I think he could wipe out China if he chose to. He may not be hyper aggressive but he knows his tools and how to use them!

[sm=00000613.gif]



denisonh -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/1/2012 2:51:42 AM)

Talk about going to school....

Good luck. You sure will need that as well as a supply of Maalox.....



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/1/2012 7:04:14 PM)

FYI, I'm leaving town for the night and won't be back until tomorrow, so no updates until then.

John did send the first turn, so as soon as I get home tomorrow afternoon, I'll tackle it.



Q-Ball -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/1/2012 7:12:54 PM)

John is a very good opponent, but one thing I have noticed about his aggressive play is that he splits his CVs up, and operates them in small groups alot. While the IJN can get away with that the first couple months when there is only 3 USN CVs in the Pacific ('til mid Jan anyway), that's playing with fire against a good opponent. Keep an eye out for that.

I wonder if he'll try for Australia again, since that opponent has apparently faded away a bit, and he probably wants to test that again



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/3/2012 3:49:51 AM)

I just sent turn 1 back to him. Here's the highlights:

- The Chinese army begins to redeploy - reinforce the north, hold the center, retreating from the south
- 46th Indian Bgd to Diego
- 18th UK Div to Colombo
- All other IO troop transports redirected to Rangoon. The plan is to put up as much fight as possible in Burma while protecting India from a seaborne invasion by supplementing the British Navy.
- Loaded Aussie troops to PM
- Loaded US BFs to Luganville
- Force Z full speed to the south.
- CV Enterprise to Wake thence either north around to the WC OR south for a brush by Truk on the way to Australia
- CV Lexington to Balboa thence to Cape Town

General Plans:
- I'm going to see how I like the idea of having my troops, supplies, and fuel move to Australia via Cape Town (ala Canoerebel). I'm a little bit hesitant, but I think it will work out. I'm considering establishing at least a fuel station of some sort in SOPAC, but mostly I'll be leaning heavily on Perth & vicinity.
- Hornet is scheduled to arrive at the end of February. Until she does, I want there to be a giant question mark in his mind as to the location and activity of my carriers - which, at first, will be Cape Town.
- I'm not going to fool around in Malaya. All troops will head to Jahore and Singers right from the start. I understand he likes the Mersing Gambit, so there is some urgency here.
- In Luzon, I will make my stand at Clark and Manila. Bataan is for suckers.
- In DEI, I'm going to try to make Timor a speedbump he won't soon forget. I'm tempted to send CDs from Australia up there. In any case, that will be my main effort up here. I'll go through the motions at Palembang, but the chances of him letting me get something going here are next to nothing.
- I will once again attempt to fortify Adak immediately.
- I'm going to do a better job of building up Noumea and Luganville. I will also attempt to set up Ndeni as a useful base from the start.
- China sucks.



Prydwen -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/3/2012 5:19:06 AM)

Hi,

Good luck! I'll be watching both sides so probably won't comment much but want to drop in and wish you good luck.

Joe



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/3/2012 4:21:05 PM)

December 7, 1941

How easily one forgets the agony of watching the December 7th replay!

The day - no, the war - started out in splendid fashion when the USS Seawolf encountered a task force off the west coast of Luzon and attempted to put 4 torpedoes into the Kaga. No damage was done, but that kind of light in a day of darkness is what I like to see!

Pearl Harbor
An estimated 4 CVs (hereafter known as "KB1") moved to a location 4 hexes north of Pearl Harbor and launched air raids against my air force and naval installations. The results were good for me. In the port, I lost a DD, but the next most damaged ship is the USS Nevada which did not take anywhere near fatal damage. Sure, I'll have some repairs to do, but unless he attacks again, I can probably have most of these ready to go by mid-spring. On the ground, I lost a moderate number of aircraft in general and had 47 Catalinas damaged. I should have enough fighters to put up quite a fight should he come back for a second attack.

The Philippines
The damage from his LBA and 2 other CVs (hereafter known as "KB2") was somewhat worse than at Pearl Harbor. I lost 5 fleet subs right out, but the damage spread across the fleet as a whole is what will get me. Many of these ships cannot sail anytime soon and that means death in Manila.

I'm a little puzzled as to his strategy on the ground here. He landed in the two northern bases as expected, but his southern Luzon force did not land yet. I'm wondering where he is sending them. Meanwhile, and Mindanao he landed paratroopers at Cotabato. I'm kinda relieved by this since it means he didn't come after Ternate on the very first day.

KB2 is reportedly headed west (Mersing?), but there are several other fleets that appear to be racing into the Celebes Sea to intercept the inevitable flight from Manila.

Elsewhere
- It seemed like he bombed everything everywhere, but my main concern is that he seemed to focus on Loyang in northern China. I have reinforcements already on the way there.
- SigInt reports radio traffic near the USS Enterprise. I suspect he has a submarine over there. Lets hope I can shake him and get out of dodge once I pick up the marines from Wake.
- In Malaya, the usual landing at Khota Baru.
- Force Z made it past Billiton safely and will continue at normal speed to Java

I'm quite pleased with this start. My only big mistake was to forget to send the Hong Kong DDs running, but they wouldn't make it far anyway with KB2 about, and I couldn't have asked for better results at Pearl. Now it is time for the eternal allied turn 2. I hate this part.


[image]local://upfiles/41421/4859431F22894447A0A560F756EE5F7D.jpg[/image]



Prydwen -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/3/2012 4:33:30 PM)

Hi,

Pretty good results for you at Pearl. If I was Allies I'd sure take it!

As far as your ships in the Philippines goes, I say send them running. The worst that happens is they're lost and they're lost anyway so you won't actually lose anything you weren't going to already. Maybe you can force him to shoot some ammo or use up some airstrikes.

Now I'm probably going to go back to just reading since I'm going to follow both AAR's. I'll be reading though!

Joe



moore4807 -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 3:31:01 AM)

I too am going to be lurking on both AAR's (for the learning curve). Best of luck to you and please keep posting!



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 6:38:39 AM)

I just sent him Turn 2. What a headache.

China
In the north, I'm reinforcing the "line" at Loyang. The random troops in the plain are split between those who can make it back to the line and those who will converge on the dotbase to the east where they will make a last stand. In central China, the plan is to hold the forest hexes outside of Changsha for as long as possible. I don't want to make the same mistake in this game that I made in my game against TexasD where I allowed him to flank south of Changsha. I think I have enough troops headed to Ichang to take it without problems, and I've ordered a few units to try to cut off his retreat if possible. In southern China, almost everyone is being evacuated WNW toward the railway. I may leave a few units behind to cause problems on the coast.

Burma
I have a lot of troops coming here by sea, so I left a lot of the garrisons in place to protect against paratroopers. I will attempt a stiff resistance here in the hopes of using the monsoon seas to slow any advance. I may even try to make him fight for Moulmein if I can get enough troops ashore in time. Unrestricted Indian troops might also join the fray.

India
I sent almost all the ENGs to Karachi where they will combine forces and move along the coast building up each port. I'm paying special attention to the Bombay area. I will, of course, build up the Chittagong Defense Line as well. Colombo will serve as the supply connection with Cape Town, and Karachi will be the main fuel intake. Trincomalee will serve as the Admiralty's Eastern Command. The various island bases, including Port Blair, will receive reinforcements as soon as they come available.

DEI
All of southern Sumatra is rushing to Palembang, though they won't amount to much. I don't plan on any major defense here, though I will try to sneak out a load of fuel. In Borneo, the only thing I did was order the nearby troops to assemble in Singkawang for the welcome party. In Java, there is a general southeastern movement toward Soerabaja and nearby bases. The idea is to airlift these units to Timor via an intermediary base. That may be a bit ambitious, but even if I can't do it, my forces will be concentrated on the south end of the island. As for Timor, I have started airlifting out of SE Borneo, Ternate, and NW New Guinea. Koepang will be the main focus, but obviously Dili and the other bases will need strong garrisons. I will have to save up for a few days before I can even think about buying Australian or Dutch CDs.

Australia
In general, I am sacrificing defenses around Melbourne and Sydney to fortify the Perth area a bit better. Most of the US troops will be moved to those areas when they arrive anyway. Engineers will soon begin work on the Alice Springs airbase as well as the NE coastal airbases. Supplies are already en route to Horn Island and Port Moresby. Cruisers are headed for the party at Rabaul, and I have begun airlifting units out of that port.

Pacific
His oilers are almost directly north of the French Frigate Shoals. This seems pretty far east. In addition, there is some sort of fleet NW of Midway. Mouseover says that it contains transports. My suspicion is that he plans to make an early landing in Midway, or perhaps Adak. There isn't much I can do about it if that is the case. There is the possibility that Enterprise might be able to make a suicide run at his oilers, but that will depend on what we see next turn. Christmas Island is building up its airfield and will serve as a stop in the 4EB train to Australia. Troops bound for Adak Island will begin loading in the next day or so. Kodiak will be almost undefended for a week or so.

West Coast
Prince Rupert will service NOPAC. Seattle will service Hawaii. Los Angeles and the Bay area will be almost exclusively for repair work. San Diego is obviously the fleet headquarters. Saratoga and Lexington are already bound for Balboa thence to Cape Town, as are a myriad of transports and tankers. Troops bound for Australia are on trains for the East Coast. Most of the V Bomber Command is already headed for CT.

Miscellany
- The most damaged ship at Pearl is the BB Nevada which will require 10 months for repair. I believe the next longest repair time is 100 days. It almost isn't worth it to move the BBs to the WC for repair. As slow as they are, by the time they get there they could already be ready for sea again!
- The Enterprise is in a real bind. She is headed for Wake to get those Marines, but there are two other options available: 1) to make a suicide run to the NE to hit his oilers and 2) swing a little wider to the north to bomb what I suspect is a Midway invasion fleet. In either case, the KB will be on her before the week ends. Even just going to Wake poses a problem. I've never taken a carrier very close to Truk, but I'd thought about running her down that way to Australia and around into the IO.
- Any suggestions as to the most efficient way to fortify Timor?



[image]local://upfiles/41421/196082A351C844B4B2A08A98A20D7579.jpg[/image]



ny59giants -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 12:43:40 PM)

China - John likes to go after Sian hard at start to get the extra Oil centers. Look to defend in the wood, rough, jungles three to four hexes away. The trails that come in due east of the base needs to be reinforced quickly.

Burma - Don't over forward deploy here. John will just land at Akyab to Chittagong area and try to cut you off. John hates ground combat, so he will try to use maneuver to beat you.

Wake - Get your CVs close enough to take off the Marine fighter group (the rest of it is at Pearl).

John WILL divide his CVs into groups of 2. He will be aggressive in their use. I would strongly recommend that you get all four of the American CVs together over the next 2 months. I form single CV TF with 3 CA/CLs and 8 DDs. I place an extra Marine fighter group on each CV to bring the number up to 45 fighters. The important thing is 'survivability.' When in doubt, John will attack.




Historiker -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 1:39:31 PM)

quote:

John WILL divide his CVs into groups of 2. He will be aggressive in their use. I would strongly recommend that you get all four of the American CVs together over the next 2 months. I form single CV TF with 3 CA/CLs and 8 DDs. I place an extra Marine fighter group on each CV to bring the number up to 45 fighters. The important thing is 'survivability.' When in doubt, John will attack.


This will also mean that you are getting a chance to take his carriers out one after the other! [8D]



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 5:38:41 PM)

December 8, 1941

What a wretched day for the allies! I believe I counted 37 ships sunk. The majority of those were fleeing from Manila when they encountered what must have been 4-5 separate combat TFs. However, many of the losses came from his very successful day of submarine attacks. Everywhere his submarines were sinking or heavily damaging whatever they saw (and the seas are filled with ships redeploying to key ports, so there was plenty to see!).

An enemy carrier has appeared south of Mindinao and appears to be headed east to intercept any survivors from the slaughter coming out of Manila. I'm pretty sure Houston and Boise will make it out, but I don't think anything else is going to survive out of Manila (other than subs, of course).

The KB1 did NOT attack Pearl again and has moved NW toward Midway and his oilers. My search planes out of Midway have confirmed that the TF hanging out to the north is a fleet of 7 transports. They appear to have moved off to the north a bit, but I still suspect they are bound for Midway. Enterprise will cut west toward Wake tomorrow morning.

The KB2 did NOT attack Manila again and has moved westward out of sight as if headed for the Mersing area.

He continues to use paratroopers in Mindanao, where I am concentrating all my forces into the mountainous Malaybalay. In Luzon, he has taken the northernmost bases but still has not landed a southern force. SigInt reports that he has troops bound for Rabaul.

Suggestions?
- He did minimal damage at Pearl. I've never had the opportunity to use the BBs early. How would you suggest they be deployed and used during '42?
- I'm not set in stone on my Strong Burma strategy. I just don't know where I could make better use of those troops. I know that India will get some good troops early in '42, so my thought was that I could use those to secure the Chittagong/Akyab area while deploying these initial transports to Rangoon/Pegu. Better ideas? I just hate to give anything up easy and Burma starts with a pathetic defensive force.
- I have never tried to fortify Timor before, so any suggestions you guys have would be welcome!

[image]local://upfiles/41421/E83BED5F628B4FB89369C04FE6740D91.jpg[/image]



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 10:03:56 PM)

December 9, 1941

Another rough day as expected. His submarines are uncannily placed exactly where they need to be to sink my shifting assets. He even had one outside of Lae to hit my lone AP that tried to sneak up there. In all, he sunk another 27 of my ships, which I suppose is an improvement over yesterday's 37.

The KB2 has reappeared in the south part of the Sulu Sea and appears to be joining the killing frenzy in the Celebes Sea. The mini-KB (hereafter known as the "mKB") is just north of Celebes moving west toward the Makassar Strait. Houston and Boise should be safely out of his range unless he continues straight down the slot toward Soerabaja.

The KB1 is refueling SE of Midway...in plain sight. Cheeky. [:@] The mystery transports disappeared in the overcast day. Enterprise is now close enough to Wake to take on the marines but I want to sail one more day west before deciding what to do with her (and that gives the marines a chance to repair their only inoperable aircraft). My choices are 1) to head directly north toward Kodiak to the WC, hoping to hit that mystery transport on the way but risking a run in with the KB1 (YELLOW), 2) to swing SE toward the Christmas Island area to the WC - predictable but possibly the safest route (BLUE), 3) to circle back directly east toward Pearl Harbor in the hope that he tries to intercept north or south and leaves a gap for me to get through (GREEN), or 4) to proceed SW between Truk and Kwajalein toward the Solomons and eventually Australia/Cape Town (PINK). The safest option is probably the BLUE route, but the price is that it is predictable and with fresh fuel, he'll be prepared to race down to intercept just such a move. The next best option is the YELLOW route, but if his transports are there for a Midway invasion, then I can count on trouble up there. The PINK route is probably the most daring and interesting route, but the fuel is iffy and the invasion of Rabaul could...interfere. The GREEN route sucks but is included for giggles.

Suggestions?

Aside from the choices facing the Enterprise, the big news of the day is his airborne invasion of Port Blair...on day 3 of the war. This seems extremely aggressive to me. Is it a clear sign that India is his ultimate goal? Is it meant to make me THINK that? Is it standard practice for aggressive players like John? I've only ever played one other opponent who hasn't touched PB in May '42, so I'm working in the dark a bit here.

[image]local://upfiles/41421/0E787A15F25849C4B5AF1266D7BEF231.jpg[/image]



Historiker -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 10:06:32 PM)

quote:

- He did minimal damage at Pearl. I've never had the opportunity to use the BBs early. How would you suggest they be deployed and used during '42?

Aleutians (bad weather and likely use of his BBs) and the Solomones (easy to hide, plenty of chances for LR-CAP).

I love your pictures! [&o]



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 10:13:24 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Historiker
I love your pictures! [&o]


Thanks! I figured I had to up my game if I was going to compete with readers from his AAR. I'm fascinated that he already has almost 60 posts in there.



Historiker -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 10:19:45 PM)

Well, I guess you know his style of play? That creates quite some interest... [8D]



denisonh -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 11:10:51 PM)

Don't delay for one airframe. Transfer the marines and then move out. Once transferred, disband the fragment and you can recover the airframe into the pool after a delay.



Historiker -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 11:15:21 PM)

You mentioned Sun Zu. You remember "If you know yourself and you know the enemy..."?

John is:
1. always splitting his CVs
2. VERY aggressive
3. always trying to encircle forces
4. Always goes for a "big throw"

ad1:
Look at the other AAR. I haven't seen a single time he had his CVs together. He even moved Hiryu alone around Western Australia! So all you need to do is keep your CVs together. He will have the majority of his CVs where his main operation happens (see 4), but he'll use the rest in singles and pairs around the map...

ad2:
Whenever he sees something, he goes for it. He sends SCTFs deep into enemy territory just to "bag" some xAK! Use this and lay traps!
That would actually be a good use for those old BBs from Pearl. When you sail one of them with a few DDs at the outer side of his perimeter, while you know that the KB operates somewhere else, you can use his greed to your advantage! When the BB is spotted at max range by a PA, you sail it along his perimeter, so he knows where it is going and has time to react. He will come for you with what he is - and that is likely one or two CVs, propably one smaller CV and a CVL, maybe a handfull of BBs and a few cruisers. So your CVs wait outside detection range and wait for it to come, to either intercept before the BB is sunk, but in doing so you risk detection before he strikes, or after the BB is down. This way, you can "bag" yourself - and bag something really juicy!

ad3:
Look at how he invaded Australia. He lured Australian forces north and West to land at Port Augusta and far in the south cutting the railway lines. Wherever his "big throw" (see 4) will happen, he will do the same. Also: If you defend in strength, you can be absolutly sure he'll go around the flanks. So by sending heavy reinforcements to Burma, you make sure his moves will be an invasion of Akyab, Chittagong and Ceylon. This way, he doesn't have to bother with your troops as they'll be starved soon, while you have opened a gate to your hinterland! So whatever you do: only do a forward defense with absolutly expendable units. Northern Australia, Western Australia and North_Western Australia should only be defended by those units that are withdrawing within a few monts, maybe until end 1943. If he cuts them off - so what? Your good forces defend your important road junctions and the main bases meanwhile. If he invades somewhere, let him come and trade land for time. Don't rush your reinforcements to counter him where he lands, as he will go behind you!

ad4:
Look at his games. He always trys something big! So you must nver expect that he'll stop at the historic perimenter. So be prepared for that.
I think he wants to a) achieve something memorable and b) likes the cheers from others for "wow, you did this?". So expect something big and don't waste your assets where they don't defend those things that are important!



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 11:18:57 PM)

IF I am going to send CDs to help defend Timor, the best candidates that I can find are in Australia:
-7th RAA Cst Art Rgt - 96PP (currently serving as a second CD for Perth)
-5th RAA Cst Art Rgt - 203PP (currently en route to Busselton, S of Perth)
-6th RAA Cst Art Rgt - 219PP (currently in Portland packing for Perth)

PPs are tight, so I'm unsure what to do here. I'd love to have a nasty little surprise waiting for him when he tries to land, though!



I've sent the turn back to him. The only thing I can think to report is that Hermes is headed south to pick up what remains of the Singers Swordfish.



denisonh -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/4/2012 11:22:05 PM)

In addition to CDs, you need fortification level 2+ and some Inf units to get enough AV better than 200. Otherwise, a Japanese Div with the amphib bonus will take it in a turn.



quote:

ORIGINAL: marbakka

IF I am going to send CDs to help defend Timor, the best candidates that I can find are in Australia:
-7th RAA Cst Art Rgt - 96PP (currently serving as a second CD for Perth)
-5th RAA Cst Art Rgt - 203PP (currently en route to Busselton, S of Perth)
-6th RAA Cst Art Rgt - 219PP (currently in Portland packing for Perth)

PPs are tight, so I'm unsure what to do here. I'd love to have a nasty little surprise waiting for him when he tries to land, though!



I've sent the turn back to him. The only thing I can think to report is that Hermes is headed south to pick up what remains of the Singers Swordfish.




obvert -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/5/2012 1:28:26 PM)

Port Blair is a place most Allied players use to ferry shorter range aircraft out of the SRA when they need to do so. It's also a VERY good lookout post of the japanese if they can get it. It's not a clear sign of anything and it's a very normal move.

For the CVs. Where do you want to basse them eventually? Now you should move to very safe locations. If you want WC then go far South first, below Christmas Island. North is a bit risky.

If you want them in OZ, DEI, India or even at Cape Town, then go far South toward Sydney. You should be getting Cats to all bases with support in Cent and South Pac.

+1 on what historiker said. Use his aggressiveness against him. Let him come deep into your territory, but make sure you either have nothing too important there or you can hit him harder than he can hit you. Also, don't base a lot of ships in forward spots like Darwin, Sydney, Suva, Perth or Colombo for a while, unless of course you're trying to lure him in.

After the safety of your CVs the two most important things in the early going are;

1. Naval Search

Your search capability is enormous and of a high quality. Use it.

2. recon

He has more much recon than you do now, but yours is better. Be careful with them.



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/5/2012 5:44:58 PM)

December 10, 1941

Another painful day of submarine attacks. I don't know if he is getting very lucky or if he is just that good at his submarine placement. I'm going to have to escort almost everything - which is probably exactly what he wants me thinking right now. Today's featured loss to a submarine attack: AO Tippecanoe.

China
I ordered my Ichang Army to make a deliberate attack. They did not. However, his own forces did and I got decent results. I'm going to have to replace some leadership here, I think. Hong Kong fell today.

Malaya
The usual run south. He roughed up the 8th Indian Brigade fleeing from the north, but only with his recon element and now that appears to have turned back northward. I'm curious if that means that he is planning to skip the southward march and just land at Mersing first. In anticipation of this and out of the kindness of my heart, I have around 300 mines at Mersing.

DEI
The mKB has planted itself in the narrowest part of the Makassar Strait. Normally, I'd be real happy with that as I always have a sub stationed there, but the assigned sub has not yet reached its place, so I can't take advantage. I'm curious as to whether he'll bring it around for a run through the Java Sea. Force Z is moving eastward out of 'Baja. KB2, which was at the south end of the Sulu Sea yesterday, has once again vanished. I won't speculate as to which direction she went.

Rabaul
As expected, his invasion force showed up near Rabaul. I had ordered CA Canberra, CL Leander, CL Achilles, and CL Perth to patrol the port and intercept any arrivals. I felt like they did a very good job overall, sinking 4 PBs, mauling his invasion fleet pretty badly (including a CA and CL), and then mostly surviving the counter attack by his own SCTF consisting of 3CAs, 1CL, and 5DDs. Unfortunately, Achilles took 3 torpedoes from the SCTF in addition to numerous shell hits throughout the day and went down. The remaining ships are moderately damaged, but they are low on ammo (at least the ammo that counts), so they will flee west around the island (they're stuck on the north side of it at the moment), and head to Brisbane. It looks like he has landed a force at a base near Lae, so they may even get some bonus sinkings along the way. The tally (for combat ships) at the end of the day:
quote:


CA Canberra - 14 shell
CL Leander - 1 shell
CL Achilles - 13 shell, 3 torps (sunk)
CL Perth - 2 shell

CA Aoba - 7 shell
CA Kinugasa - 4 shell, 1 torp (fire)
CA Furutaka
CA Kako - 1 shell
CL Isuzu - 4 shell
CL Abukuma - 1 shell (fire)

Also, I sunk the escort that the game assigned to Aoba and Isuzu, so hopefully that will hurt his damage control. 26 squads were destroyed.

CENPAC
KB1 moved just off of Midway Island and an invasion fleet (which had evidently moved a bit to the east) is racing in from the NE. There's nothing I can do about it but hope that my forces on Midway make them pay for every yard of sand. Intel says that he has another invasion force headed for Wake. The only thing I could do about that is leave Enterprise in the area a little longer and hope to sink it, but it wouldn't do a lot of good and it risks him sending his CVs racing down to sink her. Instead, I will transfer the aircraft and get out of there to the SE. She will head to the WC with a stop in PH, and then start her journey to the Cape.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that his LBA did a port attack on Manila today sinking a handful of Subs that were already barely afloat. Too bad.

[image]local://upfiles/41421/A20F0D4364B543FEA3B83C0F1AF51C74.jpg[/image]



BBfanboy -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/5/2012 6:09:36 PM)

M, you are probably already doing this but on the off chance you aren't I will suggest that you not escort your convoys everywhere. Keep a small number of escorts at the major ports blockaded by subs and have them meet convoys at sea to escort them in and out of port. Vary your convoy routings on the high seas so he has to be very lucky to intercept with a patrolling sub, and no escort is required.
This early in the game there will never be enough escorts to go on the offensive against the subs but you can make them duck!



obvert -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/5/2012 6:49:00 PM)

Well done at Rabaul. If you took out some of the transports, that could mean he is stalled here for a short while. Any delays help you of course. Looks like you also won the surface battle, but I was confused at the final tally. Could you post it with the merchies as well?



marbakka -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/5/2012 6:51:48 PM)

Here's the details:

quote:

Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Aoba, Shell hits 6, on fire
CL Isuzu, Shell hits 2, on fire
PB Tama Maru #8, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
PB Shonon Maru #15, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
PB Takunan Maru #2, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
PB Takunan Maru #5, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
xAK Ryunan Maru, Shell hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Kazan Maru, Shell hits 4
xAK Eizan Maru, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
xAK Yae Maru, Shell hits 4, on fire
xAK Daijukyo Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAK Hokuzyu Maru, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Shell hits 3
CL Leander
CL Achilles, Shell hits 5, heavy fires
CL Perth, Shell hits 2

Japanese ground losses:
715 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 12 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 73 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled




Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 57% moonlight: 12,000 yards
Range closes to 19,000 yards...
Range closes to 17,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 17,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards...
Range closes to 13,000 yards...
Range closes to 11,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 11,000 yards
Getting, F.E. crosses the 'T'
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 11,000 yards
CL Perth engages CA Aoba at 11,000 yards
CL Leander engages CA Aoba at 11,000 yards
CL Perth engages xAK Hokuzyu Maru at 11,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Perth at 11,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Perth at 11,000 yards
CL Achilles engages CA Aoba at 11,000 yards
CL Leander engages PB Takunan Maru #2 at 11,000 yards
Range closes to 7,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 7,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Leander at 7,000 yards
CL Achilles engages CA Aoba at 7,000 yards
PB Takunan Maru #2 sunk by CL Achilles at 7,000 yards
CL Perth engages xAK Yae Maru at 7,000 yards
Range closes to 5,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 5,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CL Isuzu at 5,000 yards
PB Takunan Maru #5 sunk by CL Achilles at 5,000 yards
CL Leander engages PB Shonon Maru #15 at 5,000 yards
CL Perth engages PB Tama Maru #8 at 5,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Hokuzyu Maru at 5,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Ryunan Maru at 5,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Aoba at 5,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Perth at 5,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Achilles at 5,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Leander at 5,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Daijukyo Maru at 5,000 yards
CA Canberra engages xAK Yae Maru at 5,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Ryunan Maru at 5,000 yards
Range increases to 6,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Achilles at 6,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Perth at 6,000 yards
PB Tama Maru #8 sunk by CL Leander at 6,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Kazan Maru at 6,000 yards
Range increases to 7,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Perth at 7,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CA Canberra at 7,000 yards
PB Shonon Maru #15 sunk by CA Canberra at 7,000 yards
CL Perth engages xAK Hokuzyu Maru at 7,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Daijukyo Maru at 7,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Eizan Maru at 7,000 yards
CA Canberra engages xAK Kazan Maru at 7,000 yards
Range increases to 8,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 8,000 yards
CL Achilles engages CL Isuzu at 8,000 yards
CL Perth engages xAK Hokuzyu Maru at 8,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Yae Maru at 8,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Ryunan Maru at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 9,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 9,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Perth at 9,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Achilles at 9,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Yae Maru at 9,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Eizan Maru at 9,000 yards
Range closes to 8,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 8,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Perth at 8,000 yards
CA Canberra engages xAK Hokuzyu Maru at 8,000 yards
CL Leander engages CA Aoba at 8,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Yae Maru at 8,000 yards
CA Canberra engages xAK Eizan Maru at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 9,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Aoba at 9,000 yards
CL Perth engages CA Aoba at 9,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Hokuzyu Maru at 9,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Leander at 9,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Yae Maru at 9,000 yards
CL Achilles engages xAK Eizan Maru at 9,000 yards
CA Canberra engages xAK Kazan Maru at 9,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Ryunan Maru at 9,000 yards
Range increases to 11,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 11,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Achilles at 11,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Achilles at 11,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Leander at 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages xAK Yae Maru at 11,000 yards
Japanese Task Force Manages to Escape
Task forces break off...


---------------------------------------------

Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 11,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Walrus II: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Kinugasa
CA Furutaka
CA Kako
CL Abukuma
DD Yamakaze
DD Oboro
DD Uzuki
DD Kikuzuki
DD Yuzuki

Allied Ships
CL Achilles, Shell hits 8, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk




Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 57% moonlight: 12,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 11,000 yards
CA Kako engages CL Achilles at 11,000 yards
Range increases to 12,000 yards
DD Yuzuki engages CL Achilles at 12,000 yards
CL Achilles engages DD Kikuzuki at 12,000 yards
Range closes to 9,000 yards
CA Kako engages CL Achilles at 9,000 yards
CL Achilles engages DD Yuzuki at 9,000 yards
Range closes to 7,000 yards
CL Achilles engages CA Kako at 7,000 yards
CA Kako engages CL Achilles at 7,000 yards
CL Achilles engages CL Abukuma at 7,000 yards
CL Achilles engages DD Kikuzuki at 7,000 yards
CL Achilles sunk by DD Uzuki at 7,000 yards
CL Achilles sunk by DD Uzuki at 7,000 yards
Combat ends with last Allied ship sunk...


---------------------------------------------

Night Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,125, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Kinugasa, Shell hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CA Furutaka
CA Kako, Shell hits 1
CL Abukuma, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Yamakaze
DD Oboro, Shell hits 1
DD Uzuki
DD Kikuzuki
DD Yuzuki

Allied Ships
CA Canberra, Shell hits 11
CL Leander, Shell hits 1, on fire
CL Perth




Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions and 57% moonlight: 12,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards...
Range closes to 9,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 9,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 9,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CA Canberra at 9,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Furutaka at 9,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CL Leander at 9,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Kikuzuki at 9,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Uzuki at 9,000 yards
Range closes to 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Kako at 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Furutaka at 4,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CA Canberra at 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CL Abukuma at 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Oboro at 4,000 yards
DD Yamakaze engages CA Canberra at 4,000 yards
Range closes to 2,000 yards
CA Kako engages CA Canberra at 2,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Furutaka at 2,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CA Canberra at 2,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CL Abukuma at 2,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Oboro at 2,000 yards
Range increases to 4,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CA Canberra at 4,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CL Perth at 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Kinugasa at 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Kikuzuki at 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Uzuki at 4,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Yamakaze at 4,000 yards
Range increases to 7,000 yards
CA Kako engages CA Canberra at 7,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CL Perth at 7,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CL Leander at 7,000 yards
CL Abukuma engages CA Canberra at 7,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Kikuzuki at 7,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Oboro at 7,000 yards
Range increases to 11,000 yards
CA Kako engages CA Canberra at 11,000 yards
CA Kinugasa engages CL Perth at 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Kinugasa at 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Yuzuki at 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Uzuki at 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Oboro at 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages DD Yamakaze at 11,000 yards
Task forces break off...

Day Time Surface Combat, near Rabaul at 106,124, Range 22,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Aoba, Shell hits 1
CL Isuzu, Shell hits 2
xAK Yae Maru, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CA Canberra
CL Leander
CL Perth

Japanese ground losses:
649 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 13 destroyed, 51 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)



Maximum visibility in Clear Conditions: 30,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 21,000 yards
Japanese TF attempts to evade combat
Range increases to 22,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 22,000 yards
Range increases to 25,000 yards
Range closes to 23,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Yae Maru at 23,000 yards
Range closes to 21,000 yards
CL Perth engages CA Aoba at 21,000 yards
CL Perth engages CL Isuzu at 21,000 yards
CL Leander engages CL Isuzu at 21,000 yards
Range closes to 17,000 yards
CL Perth engages CA Aoba at 17,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Leander at 17,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Perth at 15,000 yards
Range closes to 12,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 12,000 yards
CL Perth engages CL Isuzu at 12,000 yards
CL Leander engages CA Aoba at 12,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Aoba at 11,000 yards
CL Leander engages CL Isuzu at 11,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Leander at 11,000 yards
Range closes to 8,000 yards
CL Perth engages CA Aoba at 8,000 yards
CL Perth engages xAK Yae Maru at 8,000 yards
Getting, F.E. orders Allied TF to disengage
Range closes to 7,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Perth at 7,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Leander at 7,000 yards
Range increases to 11,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CA Aoba at 11,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Perth at 11,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Yae Maru at 11,000 yards
Range increases to 17,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CA Canberra at 17,000 yards
CA Aoba engages CL Perth at 17,000 yards
CL Leander engages xAK Yae Maru at 17,000 yards
Range increases to 21,000 yards
CA Canberra engages CL Isuzu at 21,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Perth at 21,000 yards
CL Isuzu engages CL Leander at 21,000 yards
Task forces break off...



obvert -> RE: Slaughter of the Innocents - RA 4.6 (Allies) - Marbakka vs. John the 3rd (7/5/2012 7:27:46 PM)

Yeah. He didn't like that at all I'm sure!



Page: [1] 2 3   next >   >>

Valid CSS!




Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI
1.296875