RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28

RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (Full Version)

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apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 8:14:52 AM)
19 Jun 43 (continued) Then another US strike. The enemy CAP is dwindling. Morning Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Thunderstorms Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 37 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 21 A6M5 Zero x 5 Allied aircraft F6F-3 Hellcat x 18 TBF-1 Avenger x 18 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed Allied aircraft losses F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed TBF-1 Avenger: 2 destroyed, 12 damaged TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships CV Kaga, heavy fires CVL Ryujo CV Soryu CV Shokaku BB Kirishima No hits. Another AM strike arrives, with decent escort, and few Zeros left on CAP. Morning Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Thunderstorms Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 27 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 10 A6M5 Zero x 1 Allied aircraft F4F-4 Wildcat x 36 SBD-5 Dauntless x 36 TBF-1 Avenger x 18 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed SBD-5 Dauntless: 1 damaged TBF-1 Avenger: 2 damaged Japanese Ships CV Kaga, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires CVL Ryujo DD Teruzuki CV Soryu CV Shokaku CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, on fire DD Takanami BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 1 BB Musashi DD Wakazuki Then another fragmented US strike. Morning Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Thunderstorms Raid detected at 47 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 22 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 6 Allied aircraft TBF-1 Avenger x 18 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships CV Shokaku CL Noshiro CV Hiryu, on fire CV Soryu And another. Morning Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Thunderstorms Raid detected at 14 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 6 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 4 Allied aircraft TBF-1 Avenger x 18 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses TBF-1 Avenger: 5 damaged TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships CV Hiryu, on fire CV Kaga, heavy fires CVL Ryujo CV Soryu And another, this time divebombers. No CAP to be seen. Morning Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Thunderstorms Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 13 minutes Allied aircraft SBD-3 Dauntless x 36 Allied aircraft losses SBD-3 Dauntless: 4 damaged SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships BB Musashi, Bomb hits 1 CV Shokaku CVL Ryujo CV Hiryu, on fire BB Kirishima CL Sendai, Bomb hits 1, on fire It is important to note that the US carriers were sitting in "Heavy Cloud" weather in the AM, while the Japanese carriers were sitting in "Thunderstorms" in the AM.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 8:17:48 AM)
19 Jun 43 (continued) In the afternoon, the Japanese start by striking the transport force at Denpassar. A force that hasn't started unloading yet, which wasn't part of the plan. The weather here is better for the enemy bombers. Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Denpasar at 58,108 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 29 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M3a Zero x 23 A6M5 Zero x 16 D3A1 Val x 9 G3M3 Nell x 13 Allied aircraft F6F-3 Hellcat x 32 Japanese aircraft losses A6M3a Zero: 4 destroyed A6M5 Zero: 4 destroyed D3A1 Val: 4 damaged D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak G3M3 Nell: 4 damaged G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed by flak No Allied losses Allied Ships CA San Francisco CA Sussex APA Zeilin, Torpedo hits 1 LST-461 CLAA Prince Robert DD Lang Allied ground losses: 4 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 8:19:58 AM)
19 Jun 43 (continued) In heavy rain now, the enemy strikes the US carrier fleet again. The strike is weak. Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Denpasar at 58,109 Weather in hex: Heavy rain Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 37 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 19 A6M5 Zero x 8 B5M1 Mabel x 12 B5N2 Kate x 7 Allied aircraft F6F-3 Hellcat x 82 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed A6M5 Zero: 3 destroyed B5M1 Mabel: 5 destroyed B5M1 Mabel: 2 destroyed by flak B5N2 Kate: 3 destroyed Allied aircraft losses F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed Allied Ships CV Yorktown

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 8:22:59 AM)
19 Jun 43 (continued) The next enemy strike is back at the Denpassar landing ships. The strike is from Soerbaja. The weather is now partial cloud. Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Denpasar at 58,108 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid detected at 74 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 26 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 2 D3A1 Val x 9 G4M1 Betty x 16 Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 25 Allied aircraft F6F-3 Hellcat x 25 Japanese aircraft losses D3A1 Val: 3 destroyed G4M1 Betty: 3 destroyed, 2 damaged G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed by flak Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 4 destroyed No Allied losses Allied Ships DD Redoubt DD Relentless LSI(L) Manoora, Torpedo hits 1 LSI(L) Dunedin Star, Torpedo hits 1 Allied ground losses: Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled) Then another raid here: Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Denpasar at 58,108 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 33 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 6 B5N2 Kate x 18 Allied aircraft F6F-3 Hellcat x 11 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed B5N2 Kate: 5 destroyed, 2 damaged Allied aircraft losses F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed Allied Ships CA Sussex DD Lang

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 8:27:47 AM)
19 Jun 43 (continued) The US carriers now reply in the afternoon. The attack is now overwhelming. Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 31 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 12 A6M5 Zero x 6 Allied aircraft F4F-4 Wildcat x 30 F6F-3 Hellcat x 14 SBD-3 Dauntless x 68 SBD-5 Dauntless x 35 TBF-1 Avenger x 50 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed Allied aircraft losses F4F-4 Wildcat: 2 destroyed F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed SBD-3 Dauntless: 6 damaged TBF-1 Avenger: 3 damaged TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed by flak Japanese Ships CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 2 CV Soryu, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage BB Musashi, Bomb hits 11, on fire CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage CVL Ryujo, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires DD Natsushio CL Noshiro, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires DD Oyashio DD Kagero, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage Ammo storage explosion on CVL Ryujo The battleships soak up some of the bombs, but Musashi did have at least one big gun put out of action. Then followup raids: Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 35 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 5 A6M5 Zero x 2 Allied aircraft TBF-1 Avenger x 12 Japanese aircraft losses A6M5 Zero: 1 destroyed Allied aircraft losses TBF-1 Avenger: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged Japanese Ships CV Hiryu, heavy fires BB Kirishima CV Soryu, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk And another: Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Kangean at 59,103 Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid detected at 65 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 25 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M5 Zero x 1 Allied aircraft SBD-3 Dauntless x 18 No Japanese losses Allied aircraft losses SBD-3 Dauntless: 2 damaged Japanese Ships BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 1 BB Musashi, on fire CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Kaga, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage Ammo storage explosion on CV Kaga

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 8:47:55 AM)
19 Jun 43 (summary) The exchange turned out to be a success for the Allies. Watching the replay, the carrier Zeros are still performing like they are manned by elite pilots. They were a match for the Wildcats, even when escorting. But they were overwhelmed over time. The only "for sure" sinking was Soryu. Plane losses show that more than just Soryu sank, probably the CVL. Total air losses for the day, including carrier battles, strikes on US carriers from Soerbaja, and my separate raids on Kendari were: (in parentheses are losses on the ground) 73 Vals (24) 61 Judys (18) 49 Kates (9) 37 A6M2 Zeros (18) 22 Mabels 22 A6M5 Zeros (4) 16 A6M3a Zeros 13 Jills 10 Oscars 7 Bettys 3 Nells 29 F6Fs 27 SBD-3s 20 TBFs 16 P38Gs 8 F4Fs 2 B24s One US carrier was hit, but damage is not too bad. Saratoga is SYS 15, FLOT 6, ENG 1. Still operational. I have 2 LSILs with moderate damage, as well as an APA. All will survive as is, and move to the carriers, along with everything else in the area. A damaged LST remains at Denpassar, continuing to unload supply. It wasn't worth trying to run with it. Sub Pike, badly damaged awhile ago north of Borneo, is now just north of the enemy carriers. Pike needs a nearby base and soon. Its damage has been slowly increasing, and is now SYS 66, FLOT 75, ENG 11. It will duck into Denpassar or Mataram after a base is captured. If the sub makes it that far. Note that I see a cruiser TF at Kendari now. Here's what I think Walker will do today. He will not risk whatever carriers are still operational. I don't think his damaged ships will go to Soerbaja. It's too close to me. He'll run to Singapore if he can, or hide in a nearby base on Borneo if he has to. I think that he'll try to get some bit of revenge, and will break off his battleships and run them into Denpassar to get at all my juicy transports. Because of this thought, I'm pulling out my ships, and moving them with my carriers a bit to the east. Then I plan on running them back into Denpassar and Mataram to continue unloading. I had loaded my combat troops onto APAs, and 95% of the combat units were completely unloaded. But I had a lot of support loaded for Denpassar, and they are on xAPs. Only about 20% of those units unloaded. So I need to go back to unload. I just think that I need to leave for a day. We had discussed cruiser Shropshire, the damaged Brit cruiser that I ran at full speed overnight. The damage went from SYS 13, FLOT 32, ENG 1 to SYS 15, FLOT 32, ENG 2. Maybe I had luck with that. Shropshire will head to Perth to repair the SYS damage, then on to Capetown for more extensive repairs. It was a great result. I wasn't seeking a carrier battle, but I wasn't trying to avoid one either. My objective was, and is, to protect the landings, and then escort the transports back to safety. I am running a group of Fletcher destroyers at high speed from south of Denpassar up along the coast of Borneo toward Balikpapan. Maybe Walker will detach some damaged carriers and head to Balikpapan. I've moved replenishment squadrons for the F6Fs and SBDs to Timor. I should have done so earlier. They should reinforce my carriers somewhat. [image]local://upfiles/6549/C553B96FAF5045F287EA29109805BB3C.gif[/image]

jmalter -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 10:38:39 AM)
Wow, that was a knife-fight! KB was too agressive, tried to cover too much area. Looks like Soryu & Ryujo are sunk, Kaga is in extremis, Hiryu & Shokaku are non-operational. You've got 3-4 landing ships w/ hvy damage, but only minor losses to embarked LCUs, & some damage to CV Saratoga. Looks like a great victory - assuming you take 4 of the 6 amphib target hexes immediately, I'll guess you've got follow-up engr & base-force LCUs ready to take immediate advantage.

Xilana -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 2:41:02 PM)
Based upon the heavy fires, heavy damage statements, these carriers may be toast. CV Soryu, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage - subsequently Sunk message CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Kaga, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage Ammo storage explosion on CV Kaga (x2) - I'd surmise definitely a goner. I think you may have a Midway victory a year later than the historical event. Even more impressive were the landings, Java and the Celebes are in immediate peril with Borneo and Singapore not far behind. Flawless Victory even if you only scored 1-2 carriers!

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/11/2016 6:30:36 PM)
So much attention detail, and I miscounted the number of hexes on the map! The enemy carriers reacted to a range of 6 from the US carriers. Makes me wonder how if no reaction could have meant a one-sided carrier strike. Things did work out. The bases should be taken today. I should get the turn later today.

IdahoNYer -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/12/2016 12:03:15 AM)
Very very impressive apbarog! Was surprised to see the KB still using A6M2s, no chance against the Hellcat!

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/12/2016 5:30:00 AM)
20 Jun 43 Unloading at Waingapoe, Memboro, Endeh, and Ruteng continues. South of Mataram, I have a bunch of subchasers running around, and they have plenty of subs to chase. Subs are seen in almost every hex to the south of the western invasion points. I-159 is hit by depth charges, and is sunk. Just before sinking, however, it gets into a gunfight with SC-709, and the sub lands one shell hit, which sinks the ship. At Merak, on the western tip of Java near Batavia, sub Cabrilla is trying to run the straits to intercept anything headed to Singapore. Merak is mined. The sub takes moderate damage, and is now heading home to Darwin. Both ends of Java have enemy mines. There was an ACM at Banjoe-something-or-another. It fled today. Sub Pogy elected not to fire on it, as it headed toward Soerbaja. B-25s hit Taberfane's airfield, keeping the damage very high. 2 squadrons of B-24s didn't get the orders to stand down, and flew to Kendari again today. They do destroy a few Zeros on the ground, but take a lot of damage. The US carriers were 7 hexes from Soerbaja today. I had gone back and forth over whether to limit bomber range, and decided not to. 47 fighters escoted 33 SBDs to Soerbaja, and found over 60 fighters on CAP including fragments of Zero squadrons, a big Oscar unit, Tojos, and a few Tonys. Lots of US planes were lost. There was one bomb hit, on CL Noshiro. I spotted another destroyer. So some ships did go to Soerbaja, but nothing major was seen. I will limit my range today, as I move back closer. Waingapoe was captures. The 2nd Marine Division was up against a tiny AF Company. Overkill, as at Denpassar, but I don't just want to capture these islands, I want to keep them. Unoccupied Ruteng is captured. Denpassar is captured. The 2nd British Division, and support, was up against the 48th JAAF AF Bn. There was a surprise bonus here. Apparently some Zeros and Vals diverted here when their carriers were lost. About 30 Zeros and 6 Vals were destroyed with the base capture. At Endeh, the 1st Australian Para Battalion went up against the 29th JAAF AF Company, got 1 to 3 odds with level 1 forts. The enemy had 29 casualties, and none for the Aussies. I will reinforce with the commando unit from nearby Ruteng and take this base. There is an adjacent enemy base that I have not targeted, so there will be a retreat path for the enemy. At Memboro, the 2nd Fiji Battalion takes the unoccupied base. I had thought that Walker would give his battleships something to do and run into Denpassar to catch my APAs, but he did not. Today, the US carriers will move to between Denpassar and Mataram, where they where when I invaded, and lots of shipping will return to Denpassar to unload. 2 squadrons of fighters have been flown into Denpassar to aid in the protection of the base. 5 DMs will unload 240 mines at Denpassar. A CM will unload some mines at Mataram. Today I see battleships at Balikpapan, and a cruiser force at a base north of Kendari. I don't see any carriers today, but during the night phase, I did see task forces northwest of where I had engaged carriers, meaning ships fled toward Singapore. I don't know if I'll try to unload stuff at Denpassar for more than this one day. I may leave and worry about ferrying in the fragments later, with less valuable shipping, and with more air protection from airbases still to be built. And building is the name of the game now, for awhile. Dig in and build. IdahoNYer - Thanks. Note that this is a PDU off game. He may be stuck with A6M2s for longer with some units, I don't know. jmalter and vvv - Thanks. I don't think that I did anything outstanding with this operation, just applied a lot of force to a weak area. If I had anticipated this weakness months ago, I guess I could have gone completely this direction instead of taking southern New Guinea. But I'm happy with things. These bases are a real threat to the Japanese. We'll have to wait and see if Walker counters. [image]local://upfiles/6549/C006B4A031F04198B2E1CD848884D419.gif[/image]

Macclan5 -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/12/2016 3:40:22 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: apbarog I don't think that I did anything outstanding with this operation, just applied a lot of force to a weak area. If I had anticipated this weakness months ago, I guess I could have gone completely this direction instead of taking southern New Guinea. But I'm happy with things. These bases are a real threat to the Japanese. Summary: 20 June 1943 BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 1 BB Musashi, on fire CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Kaga, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage CV Hiryu, heavy fires CV Soryu, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 2 CV Soryu, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage BB Musashi, Bomb hits 11, on fire CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage CVL Ryujo, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires CV Hiryu, on fire CV Kaga, heavy fires BB Kirishima, Bomb hits 1 CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, on fire CV Kaga, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires CV Kaga, heavy fires CV Kaga, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires BB Musashi, Bomb hits 1 1 Apr 43 - Japanese Ships Lost A big carrier, probably Akagi, was definitely sunk by 4 sub torpedoes in February. Soryu is listed as sunk, but it just showed up on the list, and sunk near Daito Shoto, which is near the southern Home Islands. It is most certainly not sunk, and almost back home for repairs. CVL Ryujo may or may not be sunk 3 Feb 1943 CV Akagi, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage Ammo storage explosion on CV Akagi -- We'll have to wait and see if Walker counters. I think you are entirely too modest. [8D] Well planned , well supported, correctly positioned. Congratulations. I would opine that Southern New Guinea is/was just as important to this operation as the result i.e. cause - effect. Mixed signals, mixed intelligence, mixed strategic options leave Japan without the initiative on where to deploy what with what strength. The ability to attack at multiple points of weakness. Had your opponent correctly guessed 'all in' in the DEI he could have deployed 'all in' in the DEI. Finally the succinctly defined target of taking bases within bomber range of Japan's oilfields. Given 2 carrier battles now ~ you have recovered but he must be facing a critical shortage in dock or actually down. I only summarized CV and BB but you have additionally put a handful of CA CL DD down and at least 8 - 12 tankers / oilers. -- Where can he strike back?? Do you have any thoughts on the issue ? I was convinced he would strike back in New Guinea to liberate supply stranded/ trapped troops to regain the initiative in the Coral Sea. No evidence that is so. Burma is static seemingly. You are simply holding the line. Central Pac is static at least in so much as there is no action there. You may have severely crippled his ability to demonstrate ANY initiative..

jwolf -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/12/2016 7:19:14 PM)
Really great planning and execution, Apbarog, and it looks like you have a very successful operation in progress with the IJN crippled and numerous critical DEI bases about to be taken. Even in the best case for the Japanese, all their carriers are out of action for a long time, so they can defend with surface fleets, LBA, subs, and mines -- but you have assets to neutralize all of those as long as you don't get careless and try to rush things. Before long, you will be able to mount two major ops simultaneously in two very different theaters.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/12/2016 10:38:46 PM)
I've played AE many times as the Japanese. This is my first game as the Allies, at least the first that got past the very beginning of the war. When I started this game, it was like a breath of fresh air. Playing as the Japanese is so different than the Allies. The mindset is different. My experience as the Japanese is that you start out being able to do pretty much whatever you want, for a time. You take all the usual locations, try not to lose anything in the process, then reach a point where you must either go beyond the historical locations or start to prepare the defense. You can have great success early, but it is more or less expected. Not losing ships is very important. Once the war starts to turn, in my experience, you have to change your way of thinking. Things are going to go badly, sooner or later. I switch my thinking to a defensive mode, where I come to accept that I am going to lose every base, every ship, every plane, eventually. My goal is to make every battle count, and try to inflict as much pain on the Allies as possible. More than just even losses. Even losses are an Allied win. Make it painful for each Allied advance. Make the Allies more timid, slowing the advance out of fear for strong counterattacks. In this game, I'm Allied. From the beginning, if I have a rough battle, I just look at the reinforcement list. Help is on the way. If I lose a capital ship, like the many slow battleships that I've lost, it bothers me for a bit, but I get over it quickly. Help is on the way. I try to keep the Japanese reacting to me. The earlier in the war, the better. As time goes on, it will become harder for the Japanese to do anything that really makes a difference. With this set of invasions, I've landed in areas that are a grave threat to the enemy's oil. I've taken 5 bases (will be 6). 2 bases are going to be major bases for me. What can the Japanese really do that will make a difference? Taking any of the minor bases back, ones that are not heavily defended, just won't make a difference. Taking one of the major bases back, Denpassar or Waingapoe, will have some effect, but only by destroying the divisional troops that are there, not by taking the actual base. Walker's choices are limited. And he has the problem that if he starts prepping now for a counterattack, by the time he's satisfied with the prep levels, I've already landed somewhere else, somewhere more threatening. The steamroller is already rolling. But, let's face it. It's June 1943, not 1944. I can keep this going as long as I don't throw away my carriers, or my APA's. It's just so much easier, mentally, for me to play as the Allies rather than the Japanese. I'm really enjoying this game. Walker is a good opponent. I'm still learning his tendencies. He seems to be willing to counterattack in strength, but only with good preparation. This happened at Taberfane. I think that his division that he used there was already prepping for it. So where can Walker strike back? I don't have a good answer to that. Any of the bases north of Australia just won't make a difference. A huge offensive to take back Milne Bay would cause me more problems than anything else, I think. So much shipping is moving between Australia and New Guinea. I've left a division at Milne Bay, though. I don't think he's coming. Today, Walker made a maximum air effort to hit my shipping at Lae, Buna, and Milne Bay. Details later.

SqzMyLemon -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/12/2016 11:16:27 PM)
That was a great post and you summed up Japan's problem in a nutshell. I'd love to comment further, but I'm afraid it would give my opponent too much information for how I plan on countering the same situation. Again, great post.

BBfanboy -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 12:53:05 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon That was a great post and you summed up Japan's problem in a nutshell. I'd love to comment further, but I'm afraid it would give my opponent too much information for how I plan on countering the same situation. Again, great post. Try the Chinese approach - build new islands!

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 8:37:57 AM)
21 Jun 43 My destroyers and subchasers hunt many subs near the invasion areas. I-29 is probably sunk. Near Madjene, sub Amberjack hits an xAKL with one torpedo. No men on it. East of Palembang, near Ketapang, sub Swordfish spots a big combat task force with BB Kongo, cruisers, and lots of destroyers. It looks like a carrier task force with no carrier spotted. It's headed to Singapore. Swordfish takes a depth charge hit and will now return to Darwin. My minesweepers at Denpassar sweep mines at adjacent Banjoewangi. Sub Raton spots a tanker convoy near Tawi Tawi, east of Borneo. No combat in the invasion areas. But Walker launched a maximum air effort in New Guinea, with sweeps and naval strikes at Lae, Buna, and Milne Bay. My CAP was eventually worn down and outnumbered, but I had some luck with the targets that his naval bombers chose, and the fact that they flew to three bases and not just one. Lots of fighters swept Buna. I had Fulmars, Spits, and Kittyhawks here. Many fighters swept, over 100. Milne Bay was targeted without sweeps. Bettys flew with Zeros, and ran into just 30 F4Fs. Brit cruisers were targeted, but missed. At Buna, PT boats were targeted by Bettys, and all torpedoes missed. At Lae, a big strike of just 11 Lilys escorted by 42 Nicks, 12 Oscars, and 11 Zeros ran into 15 P-40Ks and 12 P-47s. I had an xAKL at Lae, unloading a tiny bit of an infantry division. The ship was hit by one bomb and sunk. The ship was empty. Back at Milne Bay, after 2 unsuccessful Betty strikes on the Brit combat ships, the planes that flew to Lae in the AM attacked here in the PM. Just 13 F4Fs were on CAP. I had several xAPs here, ferrying in troops from Buna, as I extract a Marine Division. xAP Silksworth was hit by 2 torpedoes (SYS 51/FLOT 65-31/ENG 50-33/FIRE 50. xAP Clan Macneil was hit by 1 torpedo (SYS 17/FLOT 42-19/ENG 7-2/FIRE 9. Both ships were empty, and disbanded into port while burning. The port is size 6, so I can hope they survive, but Silksworth is in bad shape. Total air losses were heavy. 39 Zeros 18 Bettys 15 Nicks 27 Oscars 4 Lilys 18 Fulmars 8 F4Fs 4 Kittyhawks 4 Spits I've reinforced airpower at Lae, Salamaua, Buna, and Milne Bay. 2 new P-47 units are deployed as part of this. Most unloading at Denpassar is complete, so everything leaves today. I'll ferry in the fragments later. Soerbaja has 179 fighters and 82 bombers now. I expect Denpassar to start getting hammered soon, after Walker realizes that the shipping isn't there anymore. I've moved 4 fighter squadrons to the base. The armada will move along the island coastline toward Waingapoe to avoid all the subs to the south. All will head back to Darwin, passing just west of Koepang. Invasion shipping for Dobo starts to head to target. I expect this to be an easy landing, with both Dobo and Taberfane airfields shut down.

Macclan5 -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 3:51:58 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: apbarog So where can Walker strike back? I don't have a good answer to that. Any of the bases north of Australia just won't make a difference. A huge offensive to take back Milne Bay would cause me more problems than anything else, I think. So much shipping is moving between Australia and New Guinea. I've left a division at Milne Bay, though. I don't think he's coming. Today, Walker made a maximum air effort to hit my shipping at Lae, Buna, and Milne Bay. Details later. Very nice summary; thank you A ! Where can he hit back ? With so many carriers out of commission only where his LBA is very strong. I would still guess that is in the Coral Sea "area" with Rabul to back it up. More moves there seem to infer it. Is not retaining the initiative also a realistic IJN goal through 1943/44 ? Forcing the Allied Admiral to back track and use resources to secure back areas ? He cannot do much in the Timor Sea as you indicate ~ although he may be madly scrambling to counter punch you there.

jwolf -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 3:59:05 PM)
Walker may have a limited window of opportunity to use LBA in the Solomon Sea area. That's about it. I don't think he can counter-invade anywhere with the IJN largely neutralized for the foreseeable future. The Japanese can also use LBA in the DEI but that's where the Allies are pouring their strength. So I would expect a kind of strategic retreat there or a fighting withdrawal as the Japanese try to find a line of hardened bases that will hold, at least for a time.

poodlebrain -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 4:28:16 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: apbarog I've played AE many times as the Japanese. This is my first game as the Allies, at least the first that got past the very beginning of the war. When I started this game, it was like a breath of fresh air. Playing as the Japanese is so different than the Allies. The mindset is different. My experience as the Japanese is that you start out being able to do pretty much whatever you want, for a time. You take all the usual locations, try not to lose anything in the process, then reach a point where you must either go beyond the historical locations or start to prepare the defense. You can have great success early, but it is more or less expected. Not losing ships is very important. Once the war starts to turn, in my experience, you have to change your way of thinking. Things are going to go badly, sooner or later. I switch my thinking to a defensive mode, where I come to accept that I am going to lose every base, every ship, every plane, eventually. My goal is to make every battle count, and try to inflict as much pain on the Allies as possible. More than just even losses. Even losses are an Allied win. Make it painful for each Allied advance. Make the Allies more timid, slowing the advance out of fear for strong counterattacks. In this game, I'm Allied. From the beginning, if I have a rough battle, I just look at the reinforcement list. Help is on the way. If I lose a capital ship, like the many slow battleships that I've lost, it bothers me for a bit, but I get over it quickly. Help is on the way. I try to keep the Japanese reacting to me. The earlier in the war, the better. As time goes on, it will become harder for the Japanese to do anything that really makes a difference. With this set of invasions, I've landed in areas that are a grave threat to the enemy's oil. I've taken 5 bases (will be 6). 2 bases are going to be major bases for me. What can the Japanese really do that will make a difference? Taking any of the minor bases back, ones that are not heavily defended, just won't make a difference. Taking one of the major bases back, Denpassar or Waingapoe, will have some effect, but only by destroying the divisional troops that are there, not by taking the actual base. Walker's choices are limited. And he has the problem that if he starts prepping now for a counterattack, by the time he's satisfied with the prep levels, I've already landed somewhere else, somewhere more threatening. The steamroller is already rolling. But, let's face it. It's June 1943, not 1944. I can keep this going as long as I don't throw away my carriers, or my APA's. It's just so much easier, mentally, for me to play as the Allies rather than the Japanese. I'm really enjoying this game. Walker is a good opponent. I'm still learning his tendencies. He seems to be willing to counterattack in strength, but only with good preparation. This happened at Taberfane. I think that his division that he used there was already prepping for it. So where can Walker strike back? I don't have a good answer to that. Any of the bases north of Australia just won't make a difference. A huge offensive to take back Milne Bay would cause me more problems than anything else, I think. So much shipping is moving between Australia and New Guinea. I've left a division at Milne Bay, though. I don't think he's coming. Today, Walker made a maximum air effort to hit my shipping at Lae, Buna, and Milne Bay. Details later. I don't think Walker can strike back with sufficient effectiveness to justify the effort. You simply do not have enough valuable assets at-risk. He is better suited trying to react to places where you expose valuable targets. Right now his ability to react is severely compromised. What intelligence do you have regarding base defense on Celebes and Borneo? You might be able to snatch a defensible base on both while the IJN has retired for repairs, refits and replenishment.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 6:57:14 PM)
20 Jun 43 - New Guinea Summary A few days ago, I spotted movement of some of the trapped enemy troops inland in New Guinea. They are moving northwest, attempting to escape isolation. I have a US Army regiment there, in the jungle. Walker is bringing at least one of his trapped divisions. He could be occasionally dropping supply to his troops, but I haven't seen this or intercepted any transports. I think my regiment will hold, unless Walker brings additional troops down from Madang. This could be occurring, but again, I haven't seen the troops. I will start bombing the troops on the move, again, but I need to be careful, as Walker has lots of fighters in the area, as shown by yesterday's strikes. The Marine Division at Buna is almost completely evacuated. Some is at Townsville, with the rest at Milne Bay. At Townsville, the division will rest and continue prepping for its next objective. It should be combat ready again in about a month. It took a beating trying to attack in the jungle near Buna. A US infantry division, that was at Lae, is at Salamaua, and it will be extracted bit by bit, just as the Marines were. It is also prepping for its next objective. I've elected not to use these divisions to contain or mop up the trapped enemy in the mountains. If Walker does manage to break out with the troops, he deserves credit for that. If it happens, it would still take a long time for them to march out to the north. I want to keep them isolated, but if my success is just keeping them out of the action for months, I'll be happy with that. I'm not going to win or lose the war here on New Guinea. Better to use my divisions advancing the front west and north of Timor. In my opinion. [image]local://upfiles/6549/DB02DF1BF07E4465A2CE0A1361A1A188.gif[/image]

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 7:04:07 PM)
20 Jun 43 - Objectives Summary Celebes and Borneo. Exactly what I have been thinking. I could go for Java, but it would require a big commitment, and Walker is probably anticipating this. I'm thinking that the Celebes will be next, with a possible move to southwest Borneo to help isolate Java a bit more, and threaten more oil in northern Borneo. I'm prepping units for all of the bases circled in yellow on the map. Enemy strength in the Celebes is not very strong. Kendari is moderately strong. I will probably land at Kolaka, to the west, first, then either march from there or combine a march with a Kendari landing. Base to the west in the Celebes are targets also. Most are empty or weakly held, except for Manado. It's early, and I'm not going to rush these. Dobo is next. Not waiting for carriers or lots of APAs. Don't think I need them. [image]local://upfiles/6549/7041E2EC23134250BAF2A160E3D3441D.gif[/image]

Bif1961 -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/13/2016 8:05:13 PM)
Your game is about 35 days ahead of mine mid May 43. I am the Japanese and reading what you are doing is giving me some tips on how better defend against my opponents future operations.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/15/2016 1:43:42 AM)
22 Jun 43 Near Tawi Tawi, east of Tarakan on Borneo, sub Sawfish spots a tanker convoy, gets two torpedo hits on small tanker Toen Maru. One is a dud, but the other sets the fuel cargo on fire. I'm starting to be able to put more subs in between the oil fields and Japan, and keep them there a bit longer, now that I'm using Darwin as a big submarine base. It's starting to have some effect. It'll help even more when the dud rate goes down in October. At Namlea, adjacent to Ambon, sub Perch hits tiny xAKL P-29 with a torpedo. It then reattacks and hits another tiny xAKL once but it is a dud. Super tiny cargo ships at the front. B-25s attack enemy troops at Endeh. More friendly troops will land tomorrow, hopefully enough to take the base. Heavy bombers hit Dobo's airfield. Some US carrier bombers hit the enemy airfield at Bima. Bima is an airfield size 1. Bima is the only enemy base in the area that is at least size 1. Airfield damage is minimal. Heavy bombers were tasked to his Bima also, but did not fly. One B-25 squadron hit troops at Koepang. Today a general withdrawal from the invasion areas will start. US carriers, and CV Victorious, will start to retire to Darwin. Some ships will continue to unload at Waingapoe. There are lots of enemy subs waiting for my ships. I have lots of ASW taking place. It will take some luck to get everyone home safely. I have 4 fighters squadrons on Denpassar now, and one bomber squadron flying ASW. Soerbaja has between 150 and 200 fighters, with lots of bombers. It's a threat, but one that hasn't been used yet. They may stay defensive for awhile, but once it's clear that my carriers have left the area, I expect fireworks over Denpassar. My task force heading to Dobo will approach Taberfane today, and land the following day. Followup units will arrive a few days later.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/15/2016 9:32:43 PM)
No turn from Walker today. Hopefully tomorrow. I did forget to mention that I spotted a big task force at Singkawang, on the northwestern tip of Borneo. (This is modern spelling, not sure if I got the game spelling of the base correct) It looked a lot like a carrier task force, without seeing a carrier. I suspect that it headed north from the carrier battle, and is skirting the coast of Borneo to head toward Japan. It isn't on a direct route to Singapore, that is for sure. Things are winding down now in the invasion areas, but Dobo is about to be invaded. What happens next is to be determined. Lots of troops are almost fully prepped for Koepang, but I still think it's best to isolate this base for now. Preparations for other landings are still in the early stages, but just about every division that wasn't involved in this round of landings is prepping for future landings. As we approach the end of June 1943, we can appreciate the start of P-47 production in July. Early action by P-47 units has been very favorable for the US. Will be a difference maker.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/17/2016 2:54:40 AM)
23 Jun 43 Off the eastern coast of Borneo, sub Raton spots a small task force with AKE Kogyo Maru, but elects not to engage. A Brit cruiser bombards the small enemy unit at Endeh while a small commando unit lands to reinforce the small Allied unit that is already there. The small units will attack the small enemy unit. The battle will be small. Heavy bombers hit Babo's airfield to help sanitize the area around Dobo. Some B-17s hit Hollandia's airfield on the eastern coast of New Guinea. Mainly just to show they can. I start aggressively bombing the 1st Infantry Division as it marches north through the jungle in inland New Guinea. B-25s do very little damage to them in the jungle, but it slows movement and raises disruption. My big task force tasked with invading Dobo is one hex southwest of Taberfane, and is not seen. Enemy search in this area is very poor. I have bunches of transports and just one destroyer as escort. Should be an easy landing. LR CAP from Timoeka is provided tomorrow. Ambon has some cargo ships and some tankers, apparently, and (hopefully) just a small number of fighters. I will sweep with a P-38 squadron, bomb the airfield and port with many heavies, and attack shipping with several bomber units. I am pretty sure that Hiryu was sunk. It was reported sunk today, and at the location of the carrier battle, where I'm sure there are no ships currently. Kendari shows 116 fighters. Soerbaja shows 133 fighters and 75 bombers. Balikpapan shows 57 fighters and 14 bombers. I got SigInt that the 104th Infantry Division, that was moving to Singapore for quite awhile, is now headed to Palembang. I'm still guessing that Java will be reinforced. Apparently Sumatra is being reinforced. I also got SigInt that the 5th Infantry Division to Rangoon. (Not Palembang, as I originally entered here) Lots of Allied shipping is returning to Darwin, after successfully completing the invasions. Looking at my troop's prep levels, a landing at Makassar may not be too far away.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/18/2016 12:36:32 AM)
No turn today from Walker. I should get one tomorrow. He has an additional AE game going, so some days there isn't time for both.

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/19/2016 3:51:18 AM)
24 Jun 43 Landing at Dobo begins. My landing group has just one destroyer and lots of xAPs, one APA, and some AKAs. It will take a few days to unload. The group wasn't seen en route, so I'm hoping for no enemy intervention. The ships have LR CAP from Timoeka. P-38s sweep Ambon, destroying a couple of Nicks and Oscars, and losing a couple of P-38s. Heavy bombers arrive, destroying a couple of Dinahs on the ground, and doing minor damage to the airfield and just a little to the port. Back in the Solomons (remember the Solomons?), the newly arrived 4th Field Artillery bombards the enemy at Munda, doing minor damage. Also recently arrived i s the 10th Marine Defense Battalion. My infantry is the 102nd Infantry Regiment, and they face the 21st Division/A. Even forces at the moment. That will change in a bit, once prep levels rise for another regiment at Luganville (the one that was destroyed at Taberfane or Dobo awhile ago, and rebuilt). At Endeh, the last base for the recent landings is captured. The 2nd Fiji Battalion reinforced the 1st Australian Para Battalion, and defeated the 29th JAAF AF Company. Lots of shipping heading back to Darwin. The carriers will get there today. Base support for Dobo is now on the way from Merauke. A tank regiment is loading for Dobo also, but probably won't be needed. The enemy 104th Infantry Regiment, originally reported heading for Singapore, was reported heading to Palembang yesterday. Today it is headed to Batavia. Walker is reinforcing Java, as expected. It's the obvious next place for me to go. But I'm not. [image]local://upfiles/6549/CAF8ACCE2DF94D3894DB0C79E5F8D376.gif[/image]

apbarog -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/19/2016 7:33:45 PM)
June 1943 Planning Here's my tentative plans: 1 --- US forces will clear Celebes, with some British help. 2 --- Brit forces will then concentrate on Borneo. 3 --- US forces will then move on to Mindanao, and also securing Ternate and Sorong to secure the right flank. 4 --- Indian and Chinese forces will land on Java. This would be in the not-so-near future. Forces for this are still in India. The Chinese have been promised that they will return to their homeland by amphibious assault sometime in the future. I'm leaving Burma as a quiet theater. Japan will withdraw if and when Singapore is being threatened. Maybe just with Borneo being captured. Celebes could start within the month. The others will take longer to prepare. [image]local://upfiles/6549/6963FF888E6E42D1BBA433BE1C292CB8.gif[/image]

jwolf -> RE: See you in Tokyo Bay - Apbarog(A) vs Walker(J) DBB-B Scen28 (9/19/2016 8:13:49 PM)
It will be interesting to see this plan unfold during the next few months. (or weeks??) The Japanese will certainly have opportunities to lurk and strike, though at high risk to their own forces. If successful, you will outflank pretty much the entire CenPac theater as well as cut off most/all oil imports to Japan.

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