RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia

RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (Full Version)

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GreyJoy -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/26/2012 9:36:33 AM)
Olorin, I AM reading![:D] We're playing the same faulty mod, so i feel your pain. I had to stop any further offensive advances when i realized my supply levels in Japan were getting just too low! I think your overall situation looks good thou. If you want my unexperienced thought, i think with the loss of the Gilberts, it is time to move some serious reserves to the Mariannas and to the 4th Fleet. Kusiae needs to get at least as garrisoned as Ponape imho. Same for Wake island. It can handle only 6,000 men, but what really matters here is the composition of those 6,000 men. I wouldn't use the usual SNLF units there. i've found that a somehow best composition is an Combat Eng unit (in 1943 they upgrade and get a way better AT value), a IJA BN (i use one of those very experienced that starts attached to the 5th Fleet in Hokkaido), a Tank Co. (used the one that pops up at Truk), a SNLF (using one of those that have some artillery and engineers embedded) and a AT gun unit). Same for Marcus island (but for Marcus you actually have more room because there isn't any static CD guns unit) My fear is that the supply levels (that now are more or less stable) will start to drop when all those infantry units will start arriving in 1943/1944... by that time, maybe, we'll both need to ask to our esteemed opponents to ask Michealm to add a kind of an off map convoy monthly giving us some supplies cause i really do think the supply problem will strangle us by that time With the loss of the Marshalls i don't know how wise is to keep all those divisions near Noumea...

jrcar -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/26/2012 10:13:38 AM)
Agree situation looks good, time to pull out of the SOPAC, minimise your use of fuel... Rest your units where possible to reduce use of supply. Having all those extra divs for garisons would be nice, sigh, but they will cost you a lot of supply. I think you will be ok until you start taking big losses.... you will then have difficulty rebuilding destroyed units, and builing the new units that are coming. Cheers Rob

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/26/2012 3:16:10 PM)
Thanks for the comments guys.[:)] Kusaie Isl. is currently defended by just 70 AV. I agree that it needs a garrison as sizeable as Ponape's. My next goal is to reinforce this region with at least a division from the Kwantung Army or the Southeast Fleet. Atoll defense: Interesting thoughts, Greyjoy. My current atoll defense is ineffective I am afraid, mainly consisting of SNFL troops. I also have aviation support taking valuable space. I have prepared atoll counter-invasion forces, consisting of one inf and one tank rgt, with combat engineers supporting. Two such forces are fully prepared for Wake and Johnson Isl. I suppose the latter will not be ever used now. SE Fleet: Jrcar, I have plans to withdraw from SoPac all the way back to New Guinea, Horn Isl. and Shortlands if needed. But I am not just going to hand this region over to Michael for free. He needs to show that he is willing to fight for it. My current positions in New Caledonia and New Hebrides can only be taken with carrier support. It's costly to maintain garrisons there, but losing Numea and/or Luganville opens the way for a LBA supported advance in the Solomons and, more importantly, landings behind my lines in the Australian east coast and/or New Guinea. When I withdraw from Numea, I will also withdraw from Brisbane, but I need some more time to prepare adequate defenses in NG and NE Oz. Bellow is a screenshot showing the planned defensive "lines" in the SE Fleet AO, after the withdrawal. The second line is already manned. The third, main line is still incomplete, especially around NG. [image]http://i48.tinypic.com/2wdwupe.jpg[/image] For now, I will just withdraw the more valuable units (the air HQs and half the infantry) and start building in New Guinea. In southeast Australia, the Imperial Division will be pulled back to Townsville. Forts there have just reached lvl 4. In total, this partial withdrawal will economize roughly 700 AV. Another division will be redeployed from Manchuria in a about a month, to be sent in the 4th Fleet AO.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/28/2012 3:55:48 AM)
28 Sep, 1942 China: I was moving most of my reserve divisions to Canton, in order to attack Wuchow, and what did I run into? 3 New Chinese Corps attempting to infiltrate behind my lines near Kanshien! Actually the town was completely empty and it reverted to Chinese control as they were passing two hexes away, which alerted me that something was there. My recon planes spotted nothing. What are they up to? A prelude to a larger offensive? I think not. At the moment it looks like minor guerrilla action. Assessment of the Australian campaign so far: Some my assumptions prior to invading have been proven wrong. Thinking I would be able to cause firestorms and thus destroy the Australian industry was unrealistic. I did disable most of the HI in Sydney, Adelaide and Newcastle, gaining 3000 permanent VPs. Also, I wasn't able to engage the Allied airforces much. Michael wisely refused battle and only engaged in hit and run attacks. One of them was truly devastating, catching 200 bombers without escorts. The Allied airforce emerges stronger from this campaign. The ground battles went much better. I destroyed the 18th British Division, an Australian Division, three Australian brigades and also roughed up another American division (the 32nd). The ground I captured pushes the Allies further away from the Empire's vital regions. There are at least 2 or 3 extra divisions reinforcing the Australian Army. I will not gift this ground back to the Allies for free, but I already started preparing lines of defense further back (see screenshot in previous post). Marshalls: I am getting swept by P-38s in Maloelap, Jaluit and Mili daily. About 50 heavy bombers and 30 medium bombers raid my airfields also daily, steadily burning supplies. I have 45 Zekes in Roi-Namur and 18 Rufes in Maloelap on rest. Today, I ordered all of them to cover Jaluit. The P-38s arrived after the bombers and I was able to shot down 6 B-24s and damage more of them, for the loss of 2 Rufes. Nice!

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/28/2012 5:42:10 PM)
29 Sep, '42 China: I have to discontinue my airfield attacks because over 100 allied fighters have been redeployed to forward Chinese airfields. A few P-38Es and P-43s were destroyed on the ground, but no CAP was encountered. 4th Fleet: Lots of strange TFs are spotted near Tarawa heading west! Soryu and Hiryu will finish upgrading tomorrow, Akagi and Kaga in a week. Jaluit is visited again by P-38s and heavy bombers. The airfield is completely trashed, but my float planes aren't affected. SE Fleet: 49 B-17s attack Numea, but a CAP of 30 Zeros and 14 Nicks damages 9 and destroys 2 of them. 6 Liberators arrive separately and are chewed up by CAP and flak. Australia: Broken Hill and Burke are stripped of their garrisons. Only base forces remain. Since Michael isn't reconing at all in Australia, I think it will take him some time to notice it. I economized 400 AV and 6 naval construction units, which are now tasked with preparing fall back positions in the SE Fleet AO. Burma: I've been thinking on the defense of Burma a lot and I just can't get my head around it. No solution seems satisfactory other than withdrawing to Mulmein. In the end, I decided to abandon northern Burma and defend the line Lashio- Mandalay-Magwe and the two hexes southwest (true) of Magwe, all the way to the coast. I am bringing lots of AA from Kwantung Army to aid the defense of open hexes. I plan to buy out another infantry division from Manchuria. In 2 months, the rest of the 3rd Tank Division will also arrive. That will bring the Burma Area Army to a total strength of 3 divisions, 1 separate brigade, 1 regiment and 1 armoured division in reserve, which I feel is still an inadequate force to defend this region. I think at least 7 divisions are needed to truly secure the line, but such a force cannot exist until mid '43. Redeployments: I paid lots of PPs in recent weeks to buy out most of Kwantung Army's support units. A swarm of engineers, flak and artillery is on its way to various fronts, mainly Burma and SE Fleet. The 5th Sentai of the 51st Air Div in the HI is filled with 42 Nicks and 84 PPs were paid to buy it out. It will reinforce the 4th Fleet.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/28/2012 9:19:43 PM)
30 Sep, '42 4th Fleet: The allied ships have moved one hex off Ocean island heading directly west. Three taskforces are spotted, with one CV, three CVLs, 5 CA, 2 CLAAs, 2 DDs and 3 DMSs. Directly west lies Shortlands...interesting. I am not sure if this is a feint or not. The Marshalls continue to be reconed by allied planes (including Wildcats) though no bombers visited today, except 30 Mitchells over Mili. I have 16 subs in the general area and the KB moved to Rabaul, but I won't commit it while 4 of its CVs are in the HI. My LBA in the Solomons is very strong though, as are my surface assets (5 BBs, 7 CAs, 5 CLs, 28 DDs). China: The Allied fighter force retreated to the Chinese capital. There must be 200 in total. Just being there affects my air operations, as I stood down my bombers today. The 3 Chinese divisions near Kanshien are being pushed back with ease. SE Fleet: Shortlands is reinforced with one brigade from Tulagi. Tulagi itself is defended now only by one infantry regiment with ample support (220AV) and the 25th Air Flotilla. The 23rd Air Flotilla HQ moved to Luganville from Kumac. New Caledonia is stripped of one infantry regiment, which will go to Port Moresby.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/28/2012 11:42:25 PM)
01 Oct, '42 4th Fleet: The answer to the riddle is Ocean island. That's where the allied ships where heading. Well, since I lost the Gilberts that base couldn't be held, so I left it empty. There is a small SNFL unit in Nauru. Over Mili, I set a trap for the Mitchells that are attacking daily without escorts, using 40 Zeros and 18 Rufes based at Roi-Namur. 6 enemy bombers were shot down and 8 were damaged. Soryu and Hiryu finished refitting and will join the rest of KB soon. China: A Chinese division is manhandled near Kanshien. Around 100 squads were destroyed in the last four days. Meanwhile, my hit and run airfield raids continue, despite the presence of allied fighters. Each day I pick new bases to hit and I burn their supply steadily.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/30/2012 10:23:43 PM)
03 Oct, '42 Slow turns, mot much news to report. China: One of the three Chinese Corps near Kanshien is destroyed, the other two are pushed further back. 4th Fleet: Maloelap and Mili were bombed again. Allied CVs and CAs remain in the Gilberts. The 5th Sentai (42 Nicks) arrived at Roi-Namur. Soryu and Hiryu joined the KB (now 4 CVs in total). A curious thing happened: about 5 days ago Akagi and Kaga needed a week to fully upgrade. Now they need 12 days. Why did the ETA increased? 5th Fleet: Three heavy artillery battalions are bought from Manchuria and will reinforce my three main strongholds in the Kurilles. Australia: The gradual withdrawal of support assets continues each turn. I still have strong air presence here, but I disabled all the industry I could, within fighter range. My raids have become increasingly inefficient due to allied flak. Over 200 IJA bombers are redeployed to Burma and China. Burma: We decided to scrap the monsoon rule. Operations can restart any time here, but there is no sign of allied forward movements. I am pulling everybody back from northern Burma anyway.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/30/2012 10:58:20 PM)
A word on my R&D: The A6M5b is already accelerated by 5 months and is gaining 12% daily (6x30 factories, multiplied by 2 from over 500 engines). when a sixth month is gained, I will switch to the A6M5c model. 3x30 Judy factories have been completed in the last weeks, which brought overall progress up to 30%. I have over 500 Aichi engines in the pool now, which means that Judy gains 9% daily and production will start in November. I will expand one factory to 60, which will be the one to become operational, the other two factories will switch to the next Judy model. 1x30 Jill factory is completed, with two more following during October. I estimate that production can begin in January '43. 6x30 George factories will be completed within '42. The most important long term IJNAF project is the A7M2 Sam, with three x30 factories devoted to it, but they are a long way from contributing yet (only 4/30 are repaired). Ki-44-Ic Tojo is already accelerated by 5 months and is gaining 3% daily. 4x30 Frank factories are being repaired very slowly. Long term IJAAF project is the Ki-201 Karyu (4x30 factories).

jrcar -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/30/2012 11:54:57 PM)
We didn't touch the c version, settling on the b. The c has armour, but is slower, has less mvr and a shorter range... Not so keen on the Sam either, but haven't used it (we have one factory building it to try out later). Prefer the George... interesting to see other opinions. Cheers Rob

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/31/2012 12:14:16 AM)
I agree, jrcar, I intend to keep the b version on my carriers and put George in all my IJNAF land based fighter groups. The c model will just be a step towards A6M8. I am looking for a CV capable fighter to replace A6M8 in the end game and the stats suggest that Sam is the only model with better stats. I could be mistaken. What are you researching in that area?

jrcar -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/31/2012 12:26:34 AM)
Don't expect to have CV's or fuel to spare by then :) The A6M8 uses a different engine (and we have stacks of the Ha-35) and the stats aren't worth the cost of supplies IMHO. The 5b is about the best, in fact we are still using the 3a as we have them, hardly any difference stats wise and it has an extra hex range which can be useful. quote: ORIGINAL: Olorin I agree, jrcar, I intend to keep the b version on my carriers and put George in all my IJNAF land based fighter groups. The c model will just be a step towards A6M8. I am looking for a CV capable fighter to replace A6M8 in the end game and the stats suggest that Sam is the only model with better stats. I could be mistaken. What are you researching in that area?

PaxMondo -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/31/2012 12:32:07 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Olorin I agree, jrcar, I intend to keep the b version on my carriers and put George in all my IJNAF land based fighter groups. The c model will just be a step towards A6M8. I am looking for a CV capable fighter to replace A6M8 in the end game and the stats suggest that Sam is the only model with better stats. I could be mistaken. What are you researching in that area? Sam is your only choice for IJN CV fighter. Your ultimate IJN fighter will likely be the Shinden. I wish it had better cannon, but CL, the 30mm aren't terrible. For the weight though you could have 6 x 20mm and that would be really deadly. Your only other real option is the Shusei, but it just has so short range ....

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/31/2012 1:10:18 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: jrcar Don't expect to have CV's or fuel to spare by then :) That's not very optimistic [:D] But you may be right, especially fuel wise. As for the supply cost of the A6M8, I will research it anyway, since I already have the factories and when it comes online, I will see if I can spare the supplies. quote: ORIGINAL: Paxmondo Sam is your only choice for IJN CV fighter. Your ultimate IJN fighter will likely be the Shinden. I wish it had better cannon, but CL, the 30mm aren't terrible. For the weight though you could have 6 x 20mm and that would be really deadly. Your only other real option is the Shusei, but it just has so short range .... Thanks for commenting, Pax. I wonder if you 've ever reached deep into '45 and seen the impact these late war models have.

PaxMondo -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/31/2012 1:39:52 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Olorin Thanks for commenting, Pax. I wonder if you 've ever reached deep into '46 and seen the impact these late war models have. Played the Armageddon scen for about a year, couple years back to work out my "end game" strategies. Speed is a very big deal in the Air2Air combat model (and that makes a lot of sense). Once the speed differential is greater than about 50, you have to have enormous numeric superiority (2:1 or more) to be able to compete, and over 80 more like 3:1 or higher. Given the speeds of the of the late war allied fighters, that means anything less than 400 is at a severe disadvantage, 400 is somewhat at a disadvantage. To be able to fight at somewhat of an even footing, you have to have fighters +450 speed. That is a real short list for the IJ.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/31/2012 2:03:30 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: PaxMondo quote: ORIGINAL: Olorin Thanks for commenting, Pax. I wonder if you 've ever reached deep into '46 and seen the impact these late war models have. Played the Armageddon scen for about a year, couple years back to work out my "end game" strategies. Speed is a very big deal in the Air2Air combat model (and that makes a lot of sense). Once the speed differential is greater than about 50, you have to have enormous numeric superiority (2:1 or more) to be able to compete, and over 80 more like 3:1 or higher. Given the speeds of the of the late war allied fighters, that means anything less than 400 is at a severe disadvantage, 400 is somewhat at a disadvantage. To be able to fight at somewhat of an even footing, you have to have fighters +450 speed. That is a real short list for the IJ. I've based my R&D in this game on aircraft speed, which you confirm is the correct choice. So, an advantage in maneuverability can't compensate for a disadvantage in speed? The consensus answer in the forum seems to be no. Does maneuverability have an impact in the air combat model at all?

PaxMondo -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (12/31/2012 3:38:21 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Olorin quote: ORIGINAL: PaxMondo quote: ORIGINAL: Olorin Thanks for commenting, Pax. I wonder if you 've ever reached deep into '46 and seen the impact these late war models have. Played the Armageddon scen for about a year, couple years back to work out my "end game" strategies. Speed is a very big deal in the Air2Air combat model (and that makes a lot of sense). Once the speed differential is greater than about 50, you have to have enormous numeric superiority (2:1 or more) to be able to compete, and over 80 more like 3:1 or higher. Given the speeds of the of the late war allied fighters, that means anything less than 400 is at a severe disadvantage, 400 is somewhat at a disadvantage. To be able to fight at somewhat of an even footing, you have to have fighters +450 speed. That is a real short list for the IJ. I've based my R&D in this game on aircraft speed, which you confirm is the correct choice. So, an advantage in maneuverability can't compensate for a disadvantage in speed? The consensus answer in the forum seems to be no. Does maneuverability have an impact in the air combat model at all? As I understand the model, manouver does have impact. However, speed allows you to engage and disengage at the pilots discretion. This is a big deal as it means aircraft out of ammo or damaged escape instead of being VP's for the opponent. So a big speed advantage is very hard to overcome. When speeds are more similar +/- 30, then manouver becomes more important. So, yes, I use speed as a key discriminator. Armament is also a big deal.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/1/2013 10:51:49 PM)
9-12 Oct, '42 China: I sent 2 more Sally groups to Indochina to start raids on Kumming and other airfields. I developed the dot base near the China-Indochina border to lvl 4 airfield. Michael reacted by rebasing 30 fighters to Kumming, so I sent 42 Tojos from Burma. They are were sitting there doing nothing anyway. I swept Kumming at 25.000 feet and met a CAP of 3 P-43A1 Lancers at 10.000, with another 17 scrambling their way up. We lost 2 Tojos and shot down 1 enemy fighter...I will sweep again tomorrow. 4th Fleet: Bad day over Maloelap. Of my 90 fighters based at Roi-Namur, only 19 appeared over Maloelap. 22 P-38s arrived before the bombers this time and shot down 8 Nicks, 3 Rufes and 1 Zero. 5th Fleet: On the 10th, the I-25, one of the two subs operating east of the Dutch Harbor, sunk an allied CVE escorting a large convoy heading west. I ordered the 9 Betties I have at Amchitka to search the area and the next day 3 fat convoys were discovered near the Dutch Harbor, including a BB and a BC. I immediately ordered the 4th Division at Wakkanai to load on transports and head to the Aleutians. 9 Kates were rebased to Amchitka from Paramushiro. On the 12th, the allied taskforces moved further west, just one hex off Adak island. I-25 intercepted two different taskforces, one with BBs Washington and North Carolina and the other one with 3 CAs and 1 CLAA. The presence of the CLAA means that there is an aircraft carrier there too, I suppose. Only 2 torpedoes were launched, against a DD, both missed. In the afternoon, 8 Kates attacked at 5000 feet and met 19 Wildcats that were too high to engage in time. The Kates went through without loss and scored two bomb hits, one on AP President Polk and another on BC Repulse. Not much I can do to stop Michael from retaking the Aleutians. I have 1 CA, 1 CL and 5 DDs based at Etorofu and they are already moving east. Akagi and Kaga will finish upgrading in 5 days and it's another week from Hiroshima to Amchitka island.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/2/2013 8:05:44 AM)
Oct 13-14 5th Fleet: My Kates were not so lucky this time in breaking through the CAP and I lost 8 of them. So, the allied landings in the Aleutians are proceeding without much hindrance at the moment. The 37th Infantry Division landed at Adak Island, while the allied battleships lay waste to the base. I have 65 AV there behind lvl 3 forts. The first deliberate attack failed to even drop them, but disabled 27 SNFL squads. I will lose Adak pretty soon. Amchitka was also bombarded and invaded the next day by Canadian forces (!), but their strength is not yet known. I have 83 AV behind lvl 3 forts. The bombardment leaves me without any usable airfield in the Aleutians. Meanwhile, the transport TF carrying the 4th Division is just east of Paramushiro, escorted by CruRon5. I will not send them yet, perhaps not at all. I think there are two American carriers near Adak, but my naval search has been neutralized. Akagi and Kaga (CarDiv1) will finish upgrading in 3 days and CVL Ryuho will be activated in 2. The Taiyo fighter group with 31 Zekes (from the sunk CVE Taiyo) will also arrive tomorrow. BB Kirishima will complete repairs in 8 days (from a sub attack in June), but I will cut them short, leaving 3 flotation damage, in order to have it available in 3 days. There are also 5 destroyers in Honshu. All in all, CarDiv1 will be battle ready in 3 days, with 2 CVs, 1 CVL, 1 BB and 5 DDs and it will take about a week to sail to the Aleutians. The 4th Div will wait in Paramushiro-jima, until the cavalry arrives. I only hope to still be holding at least one base until then. China: More Chinese supply dumbs are destroyed, but this time allied CAP is met over Kukong and Kweiling. We lost 3 Sallies but destroyed 2 P-40Es on the ground. 30 Oscars sweep Changsha and do battle with 29 H81-A3s. Both sides lose 4 fighters. Philippines: Yes, there is still action here. I left Cebu and the rest of the small islands to fester, until now. 12 Sallies were constantly bombing Cebu for months. 6 Garrison units of regimental size have recently arrived in Honshu. I used 3 of them to land in Cebu. The landing disabled lots of squads and my troops will need a few days of rest before they attack. 4th Fleet: A tank regiment reinforces Kusaie. A naval guard unit will also land in two days, which will bring the total AV to 210. 150 mines are layed in Ponape. Three artillery regiments and the 26th Sentai with 12 Tojos are bought from Manchurian and will arrive at Truk soon. SE Fleet: Swarms of engineers have recently arrived in this area from Australia and Manchuria. They are put to work immediately, building forts everywhere. Horn Island and Port Moresby now have garrisons (200 and 150 AV respectively). Shortlands is reinforced with a brigade from Tulagi.

Olorin -> Oct '42, Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/3/2013 2:57:54 AM)
Oct 17 5th Fleet: The Japanese garrison at Adak still resist after two more deliberate attacks by the 37th Infantry Division. Forts are completely gone however and fatigue is over 40. If it still holds tomorrow I'd be surprised. The Canadians that landed at Amchitka amount to a brigade (around 160 AV) with artillery support. They are not enough to dislodge my garrison. Allied carriers continue to attack the airfield. The components of CarDiv1 set sail from various ports in the HI and will rendezvous east of Paramushiro-jima in 7 days. 4th Fleet: Efforts to reinforce this AO are ongoing. Kusaie gets a base force with some nice DP guns and other support elements. Reserves are massing in the Marianas. Meanwhile, the daily heavy bomber raids in the Marshalls continue as normal. Philippines: The 3 garrisons regiments at Cebu are in no condition to attack. I am sending a division from Java to minimize the time spent in this meaningless area and release the ground forces for garrison duties in other areas. China: 42 Tojos sweep Kumming and are beaten by 25 P-40Es...I lost 9 Tojos, they lost 5. [:@] On the ground, the days of the 3 Chinese Corps' near Kanshien are over.

Olorin -> RE: Oct '42, Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/4/2013 4:34:33 AM)
Oct 18-21 5th Fleet: Adak falls as expected. I managed to transport 10 SNFL squads to Amchitka by air. That naval guard unit is now a special base force, since its other component (23rd Port Unit) was also destroyed at Adak. It will slowly take replacements and increase the strength of Amchitka's garrison. Another allied amphibious TF is unloading supplies there. Or maybe troops? My bombardment didn't reveal any new troops, other than the existing Canadian units. CarDiv1 is 3 days away from its destination. Akagi's fighter group was upgraded and is now operating 44 A6M5s. BB Kirishima is a bit further behind, doing 29 knots despite minor flotation damage. The 4th Div was unloaded at Paramushiro-jima to avoid disruption, but it's now back on board again. 36 A6M3as will arrive from the Marshalls in 3 days to provide additional land based CAP. The airfield there wasn't raided in the last few days and should be operational by then. My goal is to unload the 4th Div, destroy the Canadians and send it back to Wakanai again. I may not even have to reveal CarDiv1 since the American CVs appear to have retreated to the Dutch Harbor. 4th Fleet: 2 PBs sunk an allied submarine at Maloelap, while unloading supplies there. I plan to move an infantry regiment from Ponape to Kusaie to increase my garrison there to nearly 400 AV. Burma: Another allied sub was probably sunk off Rangoon by my subchasers.

Olorin -> RE: Oct '42, Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/5/2013 4:00:19 PM)
Oct 23 5th Fleet: Allied cruisers bombarded Amchitka again, but the airfield still remains good enough for CAP. My own CruRon5 was spotted yesterday 10 hexes east of Amchitka, but not the amphibious TF it was escorting nor CarDiv1, which remained further behind. Today, however, all three TFs were discovered by Catalinas, so the enemy is aware of the presence of carriers. About 10 Hudsons attacked my cruisers not scoring any hits. A lone allied CL is spotted near Adak, but my search in area is provided only by 8 Jakes. Anyway, tomorrow the 4th Div will begin unloading under the cover of 36 land based A6M3a's, if there is no enemy interference. CarDiv1 will stay 7 hexes away to avoid trouble. 4th Fleet: A Glen-equipped sub is attacked near Pearl Harbor and is crippled (about 65 flt damage). I doubt it will make it back to Kwajalein. In the air, I set my Nicks to LRCAP Mili, but again the P-38 proved superior.

jrcar -> RE: Oct '42, Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/5/2013 7:34:46 PM)
Nicks are most useful defensively for bases outside enemy fighter sweeps against 4E, and for PT busting / low level attacks. Set them up over key bases you want CAP and use them as "experiance factories" 100% CAP at 16-20k. Then rotate pilots through. Alternatively set them for Naval attack training 50% (builds defensive skills) and 50% CAP at 1000 ft (builds exeprience) so you will get a steady stream of 60-70 exp pilots with 70 defensive skills, while still providing cover against 4E that may "raid" deep. Keep them away from enemy fighters though.... Tojo, Frank and George do well against P-38. Cheers Rob

Olorin -> RE: Oct '42, Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/6/2013 3:33:26 AM)
Thanks for the advice Rob, I was actually going after his B-17s hoping they arrive before the P=38 but it didn't work. 25 Oct 5th Fleet: My plan worked well and enemy interference amounted to 4 destroyers trying to interrupt my landing. My cruiser TF managed to repel them, sinking DD Frazer and damaging DD Farenholt. Later, a lone destroyer positioned one hex east of Amchitka met the retreating enemy destroyers and managed to escape with only light system damage. The 4th Division is 95% unloaded, only support squads and some light artillery remained on the transports. I will cut unloading short and pull the amphibious TF back, in case a heavier allied surface force appears. CarDiv1 will also retreat a few hexes westward. I ordered a deliberate attack on the Canadians at Amchitka and I 'm now waiting for the turn from Michael. China: My airfield attacks continue normally. The allied fighters appear to have left China. No significant news in other fronts, except some troop redeployments and fort building.

Olorin -> RE: Oct '42, Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/7/2013 9:13:39 AM)
26 Oct 5th Fleet: The deliberate attack failed to cause significant casualties to the Canadians and I ended up with lots of disabled SNFL squads. Luckily, the 4th Division is very much intact and will attack again in two days.

Olorin -> RE: Oct '42, Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/8/2013 7:51:47 AM)
Oct 28 5th Fleet: I decided to send the amphibious TF back to Amchitka to unload the remainder of the 4th Div and supplies, because after the deliberate attacks supply was reduced to 2000. Michael sent a surface force of two CAs, 2 CLs and 4 DDs, but luckily my escorting cruisers engaged them during the night before they reach my transports. Here is the report: quote: Night Time Surface Combat, near Amchitka Island at 158,52, Range 2,000 Yards Allied aircraft no flights Allied aircraft losses Walrus II: 2 destroyed Japanese Ships CA Suzuya CL Yubari, Shell hits 4, on fire DD Satsuki DD Minazuki DD Fumizuki DD Wakatake, Shell hits 2 Allied Ships CA Devonshire, Shell hits 13, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk CA Exeter CL Hobart DD Bagley, Shell hits 1 DD Ralph Talbot DD Henley DD Electra DD Encounter Poor visibility due to Thunderstorms with 89% moonlight Maximum visibility in Thunderstorms and 89% moonlight: 2,000 yards Range closes to 20,000 yards... Range closes to 14,000 yards... Range closes to 8,000 yards... Range closes to 4,000 yards... Range closes to 2,000 yards... CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 2,000 yards CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 2,000 yards Shafroth, John F. crosses the 'T' CA Suzuya engages CA Devonshire at 2,000 yards CA Devonshire engages CA Suzuya at 2,000 yards CA Devonshire engages DD Wakatake at 2,000 yards DD Encounter engages DD Fumizuki at 2,000 yards DD Electra engages DD Minazuki at 2,000 yards CA Suzuya engages CA Exeter at 2,000 yards CL Hobart engages CL Yubari at 2,000 yards DD Encounter engages DD Wakatake at 2,000 yards DD Fumizuki engages DD Electra at 2,000 yards DD Fumizuki engages DD Henley at 2,000 yards DD Ralph Talbot engages DD Wakatake at 2,000 yards DD Wakatake engages DD Bagley at 2,000 yards Task forces break off... CA Suzuya sunk CA Devonshire outright. CL Yubari and DD Wakatake suffered moderate damage, but will survive to fight another day. In the morning, 14 Hurricanes sweep Amchitka and are met by 18 Zeros, resulting in 3 lost aircraft for each side. Then two allied naval strikes are launched from Adak. The first managed to reach my transports, destroying 3 Zeroes in the process, sinking a xAK and damaging a xAP. In the afternoon, my CAP does better. 4 P-400 Anacondas and 1 Vindicator are destroyed, but the enemy still breaks through and sinks AMC Gokoku Maru and damages lightly two xAKs. The deliberate attack failed again. It seems that terrain and weather will not let us destroy the Canadians: quote: Ground combat at Amchitka Island (158,52) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 12943 troops, 102 guns, 14 vehicles, Assault Value = 434 Defending force 6524 troops, 157 guns, 169 vehicles, Assault Value = 155 Japanese adjusted assault: 154 Allied adjusted defense: 241 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 349 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 48 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled Allied ground losses: 99 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled Guns lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled) Assaulting units: 4th Division Sasebo 5th SNLF 23rd Special Base Force 7th Base Force 5th JNAF AF Unit Defending units: 14th Canadian Brigade Rifles of Canada Battalion 177th Construction Regiment 165th Field Artillery Battalion 28th Canadian AA Regiment 4th Fleet: I-25 sinks an allied submarine near Hawaii, but is then attacked by an allied ASW TF, suffering major damage (over 60 flt). It will try to make its way back to Kwajalein, doing 3 knots. This is the second sub that sufferes major damage in this area. PH will be left unwatched for a few weeks. At Makin, I sent two destroyers to intercept an allied convoy. 1 SC and 4 xAKLs were sunk before the destroyers made it home safely. The allied heavy bombers continue their daily raids on Maloelap and Mili. This is getting bothersome. Supply is burnt steadily and I have to send small PBs to resupply these two bases. I am pondering a raid on the Gilberts. KB is ordered to sneak its way as close as it can. If it remains unspotted, I will perhaps order last minute dash and attack Tarawa, whish I think is where most of the B-17s are based. R&D: The following types are accelerated by one month: A6M5b (11/43) Tojo IIc (9/43) Hellen IIb (4/43) Judy (12/42)

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (1/9/2013 7:01:57 AM)
Oct 30 5th Fleet: I will attack again tomorrow for the last time. If it fails, I will extract the 4th Division out of Amchitka and send it to the 4th Fleet for the winter. CarDiv1 launched ground attacks, but they weren't very effective. It will also withdraw back to the Kurilles and then join the rest of KB. It lingered more than I was comfortable. I don't want any nasty surprises, like an ambush by 6 American carriers. 4th Fleet: I think KB was spotted a few hexes west of Nauru, so I will cancel the Gilberts raid. The two crippled subs are still afloat, but many days away from safety. China: The Wenchow assault is canceled, which releases 5 divisions and 3 brigades. I decided to commit the 21st Army for two months in northern China, for an offensive towards Lanchow. DEI: The 23rd Div landed at Cebu, which disabled hald its squads, but the base fell nonetheless. 3 garrisons regiments are released. One of them will merge with a mortar regiment bought from Manchuria to become an independent brigade and reinforce Burma. The other two garrison regiments will be split up and garrison various bases in the DEI. I forgot to mention that Sinabang and Sberoet, the two small islands west of Sumatra are now garrisoned by 170 AV each. Reinforcements: CL Agano will be completed tomorrow. CL Kiso finishes upgrading. Both cruisers will reinforce the 5th Fleet. I bought out one experienced infantry regiment from Manchuria. The entire parent division will be eventually bought and be sent to northern Sumatra, to replace the 56th division there, which will become the 4th Fleet reserve in the Marianas. Economy: I am now gaining close to 5k HI per day, as a result of shutting down 135 vehicle factories (vehicle pool now close to 22k) and some engine factories. It looks like by the end of 1942 I will have more than 700k in the pool. Supplies and fuel continue to rise very slowly.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (2/22/2013 2:46:04 PM)
Real life issues do not permit me to attend to my AAR and maintain a good pace in terms of turn output, so I chose the latter, naturally. Hopefully, things will settle down in a few months and I will be able to provide more regular updates. Until then, I will have to do with summaries. 27 Dec, 1942 4th Fleet: So, we will enter 1943 in 3 days. November and December saw the Allies advancing slowly but steadily in the Marshalls. I still hold Roi-Namur, Kwajalein, Wotje and Jaluit, but all my airfields are closed and resupplying is very risky. I was looking for an opportunity to intervene with KB, but allied naval search is very efficient in the area, so I did not commit. I foolishly lost CA Kako, two CLs and 2 DDs, while trying to disrupt allied landings at Mili. I was looking for a night engagement only, but forgot to order the TF to go in with full speed, so it ended its movement right next to the allied carriers. In compensation, my submarines have sunk 2, possibly 3 battleships in the last month or so. 5th Fleet: My little plan did not work. The 4th Division was not enough to dislodge the Canadians and so I immediately ordered its extraction. It cost me 5 AKs, 3 escorts, 2 DMSs, along with 3 severely damaged cruisers to extract the division, but I shot down around 100 allied carrier based aircraft in return and the division is now on its way to Truk. The cruisers will live to fight another day. China: The planned offensive towards Liuchow by the 21st Army has not been launched yet. The only action at the moment is me trying to clear a pesky Chinese stack behind Hankow (it's been there since the start of the game with lvl 4 forts). It cost me two months, lots of disabled squads, but the stack is now gone and I was able to buy two battered regiments and a division at a reduced price. In the meantime, 4 divisions and 5 brigades are marching through a gap in the allied MLR, south of Yenan. The goal is to occupy the Sian-Yenan road and draw his reserves in this area. Burma: Things are rapidly heating up in Burma. I abandoned northern Burma and I now occupy the line Lashio-Mandaly-Magwe-coastline. The Allies advanced to Lashio with a Chinese Corps and an Indian division. I only have a regiment there behind lvl 3 forts, but it managed to repel the first deliberate attack, achieving 2:1 odds. Army redeployments: The 3rd Tank Division is assembled at Mandalay, but it will take some time to reach its full TOE. Another independent brigade arrived at Mandalay a week ago. In 2-3 weeks, the division I bought from China will also reinforce Burma. The other two regiments bought from China will go to Cocos island and Engano. The 4th Division is headed to Truk. The 21st Army (minus a tank brigade) is about to be committed in northern China for at least two months. The DEI is slowly being reinforced by small units. 4 garrison regiments helped to secure my western Australia LOCs. Economy: I will close 1942 in relatively good shape. Supplies and fuel stockpiles are slowly increased, oil remains steady. HI: 700k (gaining 5k per day) Supplies: 2.2k (400k at home) Fuel: 4m (2.3m at home) Oil: 2.5m (only 1.5m at home, 70k in Formosa, 180k in Manchukuo, 750k in the DEI) Resources: 16.5m (only 6.5 at home) Vehicles: 26k Armaments: 90k Only the first 3 Unryu-class carriers are accelerated. Taiyo arrives in less than a month and then I'll be able to accelerate the other 3 as well. KB air arm is fully upgraded with the A6M5 and Judy. R&D: I forgot to switch Judy to the later models, so now all 3 factories are producing the first model. A6M5b will probably arrive in 4 months. Tojo IIc in July '43. Jill in January. 3 George factories are completed, 3 more will be completed in early '43. I will probably gain 2-3 months. 6 Frank factories are still being repaired.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (2/26/2013 9:43:53 PM)
Early January 1943 China: The 21st Army is on the move. A lone Chinese unit is encountered three hexes north of Kweisui, it will be shock attacked tomorrow. 100 Sallies are supplying by air. The 3 Guard Divisions are marching on the improved road one hex north of the road the tanks are advancing, so as to not affect their supply. Lanchow is the objective. Another army, comprised of 5 divisions and 3 brigades is exploiting the gap between Yenan and Sian. A Chinese stack of 4 units is reconed for the first time, occupying a road hex behind the river. His units in and around Yenan begun moving to the southwest to avoid being cut off. The Mongol Army, opposite of Yenan, will take the spoils. Burma: The failed attack at Lashio gave me time to rush in reinforcements. I am still in doubt over the whole Burma defense. I have 2 infantry divisions, 1 tank division, and 3 independed brigades on the frontline and around 600 AV of the Siamese Army covering rear areas. In any case reinforcements are needed. In 4 days I will have enough PPs to buy out a division from China. The 2nd Army is sitting in Java with two divisions doing nothing. If a crisis develops in Burma, I might call upon them. 4th fleet: Wotje fell easily after being nuked by BBs and then he landed at a dot base south of Kwajalein that can be developed into a lvl5 airfield. Kusai is swept by 20 P-38s and my Nicks suffer heavy casualties. I must bring more fighters. Truk and Rabaul are now inside allied recon plane range. KB is not there. SE Fleet: Luganville is continuously hit by heavy bombers and the airfield is barely operational. Horn Island will get a full division and its current garrison (160 AV) will move to Merauke. Preparations are made for a swift evacuation of Australia, if the need arises. Australia: The 48th Division at Port Augusta, along with the entire 5th Air Division will be withdrawn initially to Perth and then further redeployments will be decided. That will leave only 3 divisions of the 25th Army in SE Australia.

Olorin -> RE: An unexpected update. Olorin (J) vs NY59Giants (A): A wizzard's guide to Australia (2/28/2013 4:38:01 PM)
Jan 12, 43 4th Fleet: Kwajalein is bombarded for the second consecutive day by allied battleships, this time the Prince of Whales and repulse. I 've written off Kwajalein and Roi-Namur long ago. Once Michael is in possession of Roi-Namur, Kusai, Ponape and Truk will be pressured, but I intend to defend more actively there. China: The big offensive in northern China is going well so far. No supply problems encountered yet. About 250 army bombers and 36 transport planes are supplying my tank divisions by air, but many of them are operating from Manchurian bases, which means that once my tanks are out of range, air supply will be reduced by 40%. Currently, two Chinese Corps are beaten back, one on the improved road by my infantry divisions, the other on the road leading to Lanchow by my tanks. After the initial attack, I split the tank divisions, attacked only with one brigade at a time, having the rest on pursuit mode. I was able to gain a few days of advance in this way. Still a long way to go though. South of Yenan, my army will cross the river in about 6 days and will shock attack the Chinese stack defending the river (probably one or two Corps'). Sian has gone from 110.000 to 65.000. I saw Chinese units moving towards Yenan and Lanchow. Lanchow itself is defended by 12.000 troops. 5th Fleet: I begun evacuating Amchitka by air. I can no longer supply it without putting my transports to risk. I will hold Attu during the winter and then evacuate it also. Burma: No action here for a the past few days. It seems that the Allies are having supply issues. Nevertheless, two allied units are trying to flank Lashio fromj the north through the jungle. I reinforced Lashio the 33rd Div and will move out one infantry regiment, one tank regiment and other smaller support units to counter the flanking move. I decided to redeploy the 2nd Army from Java to Burma. It's already past Singapore. A battered division (�330 AV) is bought from China and headed to Burma as well. Australia: Port Augusta is gradually being emptied. Only minor units remain in the area now. I don't think he knows of my movements yet. Same for Broken Hill, Burke and Toowoomba. Units in Brisbane are already preparing for bases in northern Australia. SE Fleet: New Caledonia and New Hebrides will also be weakened in the near future, but not emptied completely.

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