RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (Full Version)

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Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/4/2017 1:55:30 AM)

Welcome to the thread cwemyss! Sounds like you got the perfect Christmas gift this year.[8D]

To answer your first question:
I am currently using a version of the Yamato Damashii map mod by chemkid, I believe it is called sunny day or something similar. I was using the rainy day version in the screenshot you were commenting on. I switched to sunny day because I liked how it visually differentiated the deep and shallow ocean hexes (very handy when setting sub patrols). Chemkid also has another map mod called Topo Map project which is very good as well.

To answer your follow up:
You are correct, you do lose the visual terrain information, however, if you press 1 on the keyboard, it will superimpose the terrain code over each hex. If you are unsure about what each terrain code means, there is a table on the upper right of the main map which has all the codes listed, along with all the defense/movement effects...pretty handy.

To answer your follow up to your follow up:
I think chemkid has the monopoly on the map mods, as for other art mods, there is big b's ship art and Halsey's land/air art they are both very good.





jmalter -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/5/2017 4:07:01 PM)

hi Mr. Key,

0) Looks to me that you're doing pert' well in your campaign. Shame you've had to invade Rabaul, but its air is far too active to leave it behind. In my game, Rabaul has mebbe 9 airframes & doesn't present an air threat, so I'm bypassing it. As you stairstep up the NW coast of New Guinea, you might look for an opportunity to skip ahead to seize a better-developed / less-defended base further up the coast.

1) I used to use AKs to ship fuel (at 1/2 cargo capacity), but a recent thread by Yaab convinced me that it was 'unrealistic'. Now I only use AK shipping of cargo capacity <=1750 to load fuel, which allows me to use LSTs & small xAKs. I'm relieved to hear of your 2.5m supply at Sydney, I was v. worried that Oz was starving. Note: if you turn off the LA refineries for 4 days, you'll store enough Oil there to load a 4 x 14064 TK convoy to Oz, that's enough to keep Oz happy for 6 months. Also too, I use a lot of AmphTF to send/receive Supply to advanced bases & supply hubs. These TFs don't need to use port capacity to unload.

2) The sooner you neutralize & seize Paramushiro-Jima, the happier you'll be.

3) I use Tracker & CombatReporter extensively, without them I'm running blind. Still, having them running concurrently w/ WitP:AE maxes out my computer capacity, requiring frequent save/shutdown/reboots. I get that you're using running-notes, it's just that they don't contain enough info - what of fuel stocks, troop levels (AV), air-support level (AS), fleet auxiliaries, etc?

4)You're right to use [R] USArmy airgroups as training groups, also I find that there are too many USMC airgroups, many of those are training pilots in Southern California. The USN is a bit of a worry, so many groups are on active ops, I don't have enough groups for training. Still, I believe I've made great strides in developing my pilots:
- USArmy has 625 TRACOM pilots as of 26Jan44, they all came up from extensive training & combat as fighter pilots. 400 have been re-trained as bomber pilots (at least 71 GrdB skill), 125 are training GrdB. These guys will staff my strat bombers. I've got 12 groups of B-24Js, and the 1st flight of B-29-1s start to arrive in late Mar 44.
- USNavy has 125 TRACOM pilots, I've just transferred 96 to train GrdB. Again, they're destined for strat bombing, note that only the PBY4-1 is a strat-bomber, so I've turned off the 07/44 upgrade to its San Diego factory.

best regards,
jM



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/7/2017 6:18:40 AM)

Week 73: April 28th – May 4th 1943
North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. Base forces assembling in Seattle for Shemya and Agattu.




Central Pacific:
Long range recon of Ponape shows over 10 ships (all non-combat) at the island, possibly a re-supply mission. The garrison is still small (1K troops and 33 guns), so the assault force prepping for the island remains unchanged.




Southern Pacific:
Sporadic IJAF raids continue to target Tabiteuea. I have rotated out half the fighter pilots at the base and brought in fresh recruits. This may turn into quite the training ground.




New Guinea/Solomons:
4 EB continue to pummel the poor IJA defenders of Rabaul. Allied deliberate attack fails to reduce the forts (still at 7, but takes out about 1,500 troops.

The Japanese garrison at Kavieng finally surrenders, and 2,000 more soldiers are no longer fighting for the empire.

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied force is almost to the hex South-east of Madang (and should reach the hex in about two days). And in startling news, the enemy carriers at Hollandia seem to have vanished. In the past 4 days, dedicated recon planes have not spotted any capital ships in the harbor. Now the worry is where the enemy fleet is headed. Odds are on Truk, but from there it’s anybody’s guess. This may present an opportunity to amphibiously assault Hollandia…depends on where the KB shows up. I have recon squadrons searching the sea lanes around Truk and I have a recon mission scheduled for Truk itself tomorrow to see if it can turn up anything.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, Japan continues their intermittent Brunei bombings, but no sign of invasion. Nothing else of note in the region.




SE Asia/China:
Surrounded and starving, the Japanese resistance at Akyab finally capitulates on May 30th after two successful Allied shock attacks. Now all available forces begin the advance down the coastal road towards Prome. Hopefully the supply at Ramree Island (up to 18K and climbing) will keep this Allied advance rolling. Speaking of Ramree, it has been on the receiving end of lots of bombing raids with heavy escort. Allied CAP has done well, but has taken a hit in airframes (both in air combat and from bombing damage). Supply at the base is over 10K so replacement airframes should start arriving.

In central Burma, the British Chindit forces continue digging in at Magwe and Meiktila. Taung Gyi and Myitkyina are sites of bombardments, but since force strength is equal, no deliberate attacks are launched by either side. No rush here as the advance down the coast will cut off the enemy forces from their supply source…from there I can mop up as needed.

In China, not much is happening, the only action is the continuing Japanese bombardments at Nanning.




IJN Watch:
-No sign of KB at Hollandia. High detection on Allied subs around Truk, but this could be due to the base’s air patrols. All Allied shipping in the region is put on high alert.




Notable Base Captures:
-Kavieng [Bismarck Archipelago] captured by the Allies (4/28)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,518 [+145]
Biggest Losses (#):SBD-3 Dauntless (344), Hurricane IIc (334), F4F-4 Wildcat ( 298)

Japanese: 12,204 [+322]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (2,733), Ki-48 Lily (1,265), Ki-27b Nate (1162

Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 507 [+4]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,025 [+15]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.

Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 9,836 [+80]
Japanese: 5,891 [+230]
A/J Ratio: 1.66 to 1

VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 38,315 [+772]
Japanese: 27,858 [+134]
A/J Ratio: 1.38 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - UNDERWAY [Armed Force has captured Saidor and is advancing toward Madang]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE [Base captured and Seabees are expanding the facilities]
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 1,088:951 Forts are at 7]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. [IN PROCESS]
-Knock out Truk airfield.

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie.
-Assault & capture Ponape.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai.
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-ARD arrives in Seattle in about 5 days. DD escort is already present and will escort the vital repair ship to Noumea.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/7/2017 6:53:12 AM)

Hello Mr. Brew Master [I assume that's what a "malter" is [:D]]

Thanks for the info on aircraft training, its good to know that Allied reserve pools can still be strong in '44...even with all those green squadrons arriving.

Looking back Rabaul has been quite the vortex of men and material, and I constantly ask myself whether it will be worth the effort. I think while it has delayed further operations a bit, the large port will be put to good use, and should pair up well with my developing base at Manus. At the least, the Rabaul operation has been quite a learning experience and has further reinforced my decision to bypass Truk.

Funny you mention skipping ahead to better developed bases on the Northern NG coast. We must have a bit of a mind-meld going, as I have recently started reconning and prepping troops for Hollandia (P:6/AF:7) and Aitape (P:5/AF:8). Especially with the KB gone, this opens up the possibility of taking one (or both) of these bases with an amphib assault. I'll see where the KB shows up and then decide on a course of action.

I'm kind of limiting myself to too many further offensive actions in the North Pacific (due to the AI's limitations), but I will definitely look into neutralizing Paramushimo.

As for tracker, I think I should take a look at incorporating that into my game pretty soon. From what you and others have said, it seems like a really great tool.




Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/10/2017 5:54:40 AM)

Week 74: May 5th – May 11th 1943

North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. Base force loads at Seattle heading for Shemya.




Central Pacific:
Long range recon of Ponape continues to show lots of shipping entering and leaving the port. The garrison is still small (1K troops and 35 guns), so this is probably just supply. The invasion force will wait about two more weeks before embarking to allow recon to get a better estimate of the enemy garrison…and to hopefully allow time for the KB to show itself somewhere far-far away.




Southern Pacific:
Sporadic IJAF raids continue to target Tabiteuea. I have augmented the P-40s with two squadrons of Corsairs…their long legs will allow sweeps of Tarawa. Currently the squadrons are resting and repairing airframes damaged in the long flight in.




New Guinea/Solomons:
4 EB continue to pummel the poor IJA defenders of Rabaul. Allied ground troops are trying a new strategy…instead of bombarding between deliberate attacks, they are just defending…relying on the air force to do the bombarding. This seems to shorten the recovery of infantry units. Said troops are rested up and are ready to attack again, hopefully this time we can knock down those forts (currently at 7).

On the other side of New Britain, the Allies have small raiding parties (prep in upper 80’s) on their way to Gasmata, Arawe, and Cape Gloucester. Arawe looks empty, but Gasmata and Cape Gloucester each have a base force present, as well as a small air compliment. All three bases have recently been the destination of some small IJN supply convoys, and I hope to end that by capturing them.

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied force reaches the hex South-east of Madang and begins bombarding. Currently the AV ratio is 391:118 in favor of the good guys…a deliberate assault is on tap for early next week.

KB is definitely gone from Hollandia. Mid-week the weather over the base cleared and recon got a good look at the base (9/10 detection), and not a single ship was sighted in port. To further add to the mystery, recon over Truk doesn’t spot anything either. This suggests the KB either beat a hasty retreat, or has something more dastardly in mind. Maybe a raid on Darwin or an attack on my South Pacific supply lines. PBY’s are scouring the possible approaches, but nothing has turned up yet.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, Japan continues their intermittent Brunei bombings, but no sign of invasion. Nothing else of note in the region.




SE Asia/China:
Fresh off their victory at Akyab, the main Allied body advances down the coastal road towards Prome, while a small recon detachment secures Bassein. Ramree is up to 48K supply and convoys are continuing to roll in…so supply shouldn’t be an issue. Now the priority is shifting Allied air assets south to bring Rangoon under siege. However I fear the grunts may have to do this the hard way (no bomber support), as early reports indicate Rangoon has over 160 fighters at the base. Not sure sweeps would be effective, so the current plan is for the infantry to approach the Burmese capitol under the cover of LRCAP, hopefully a defensive air posture will entice the Japanese to attack and I can whittle down their fighter strength.

In central Burma, the British Chindit forces continue digging in at Magwe and Meiktila. After a two week pounding by Allied 4EB’s, British Infantry assault Mandalay and capture the base. When the bombing started, the ground forces were about equal, but the Japanese got chewed up sitting out in the open. Now the objective is to begin a general advance towards Toungoo and meet up with the other Allied army advancing down the coast.

In China, not much is happening, the only action is the continuing Japanese bombardments at Nanning.




IJN Watch:
-No IJN capital ships sighted all week. KB is on the move…my spidey senses are tingling.




Notable Base Captures:
-Mandalay [Burma] captured by the Allies (5/11)
-Bassein [Burma] captured by the Allies (5/11)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,587 [+69]
Biggest Losses (#):SBD-3 Dauntless (345), Hurricane IIc (339), F4F-4 Wildcat ( 299)

Japanese: 12,456 [+252]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (1,864), Ki-27b Nate (1,438), Ki-48 Lily (1,049)


Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 508 [+1]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,056 [+31]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 9,862 [+26]
Japanese: 5,956 [+65]
A/J Ratio: 1.65 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 38,950 [+635]
Japanese: 27,952 [+94]
A/J Ratio: 1.39 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - UNDERWAY [Armed Force has captured Saidor and is advancing toward Madang]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 1,137:877 Forts are at 7]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS [Recon shows no fighter coverage, 4EB staging at Mussau Island].

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie.
-Assault & capture Ponape.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai.
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-ARD is on its way to Noumea at a lightning-fast 4 knots. At this pace, it should reach Noumea in about a month…I guess good things come to those who wait.



jmalter -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/17/2017 8:03:24 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Schlussel
I'm kind of limiting myself to too many further offensive actions in the North Pacific (due to the AI's limitations), but I will definitely look into neutralizing Paramushimo.

I don't see the need to treat the IJ AI w/ kid gloves, it's got plenty of combat power. I committed 6 USN oldBBs to my 1943 NorPac offensive - 3 were sunk & 2 were munged in surface combat, only 1 remains operational. While it's true that I limited my naval combat commitment to this secondary theater (only oldBBs, CVEs, CLs, oldDDs), I added a lot of naval auxiliaries & subs. Lots of subs.

I executed a slow, careful campaign against Paramushiro & points west. While I achieved all my objectives, the IJ AI conducted aggressive countermoves, & gave me a bit more surface naval combat than I wanted. It didn't help at all, when a roving IJ CL/DD force clipped out a poorly-protected convoy of 2 5400-cap AEs north of Adak, just after I starting my action.

Now I'm in Feb 44, kamikazes are active, & a single IJ DD just snuck in & savaged a large AmphTF supply convoy in night combat. My take is, the IJ AI has been trying to cut my throat for 26 months, & I'm not willing to give it any slack in return. My oldBBs gave as good as they got, and 1-for-1 BB attrition was just fine w/ me, as I moved down the Kurile chain.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/21/2017 11:20:58 AM)

So the AI can adequately react to a methodical advance in NorPac? Hmmm...that's good to know. I was under the impression (and it was an assumption on my part) that I could break the AI if I attacked it down a "non-historical" avenue. Now that I look back at the posts, I think what was said was, "a historical, deep penetrations" would break the AI. Thanks for the post jmalter, I think my forces in the Aleutians may now have a renewed sense of purpose. I don't have amphib shipping to spare yet, but at least they can begin prepping.



jmalter -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/23/2017 2:45:28 AM)

One can do far worse to break the AI's heart than engage in some attritional battles in the Kuriles, and if, by so doing, one happens to seize, build, defend & supply a base hex - well wouldn't that just be a nifty spot for a major sub-warfare hub?



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/24/2017 1:05:32 PM)

Week 75: May 12th – May 18th 1943
North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
IJN presence at Ponape disappears about mid-week. The garrison is still small (1K troops and 33 guns), which suggests the base is ripe for the picking. Embarkation date for the Allied invasion is about a week off. The port of Tulagi is buzzing…many of the invasion ships are getting minor damaged repaired.




Southern Pacific:
Corsair sweeps of Tarawa go fairly well. They run into enemy CAP consisting of about 24 Zeroes and the good guys down 4 while losing 2 of their own. Pilot fatigue jumps to the mid-teens after the raid, so the squadrons will stand down for a bit before sweeping again. Phase two will involve a small bomber component that will attempt to take out Tarawa’s airfield (currently at level 3). Not sure how effective this will be, but maybe they’ll take out a few more enemy planes in the process.




New Guinea/Solomons:
4 EB continue to pummel the poor IJA defenders of Rabaul. Allied ground troops try a deliberate attack early in the week. Losses are about even (75 squads disabled), but the big news is the forts are knocked down to 6. Troops are resting up for another attack next week.

On the other side of New Britain, the small Allied amphibious assaults hit Gasmata, Arawe, and Cape Gloucester. The landings go very well, and by the end of the week Arawe and Cape Gloucester are captured. Gasmata is still holding out, but forts are down from 3 to 1, so one more assault should do it.

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied force defeats the Japanese in the hex South-east of Madang. The enemy is in full retreat…next stop, Madang!




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, Japan continues their intermittent Brunei bombings, but no sign of invasion. Nothing else of note in the region.




SE Asia/China:
The main Allied body advances down the coastal road towards Prome, and advance forces should reach the base next week. Supply still looks good, Ramree is up to 61K supply and convoys are continuing to roll in. Japanese air assets at Rangoon have been targeting my small recon force at Bassein, causing some minor damage to the base. Not really worried about this as the main thrust will be towards Prome. Currently the Allied advance is under the cover of jungle terrain, which seems to be keeping detection levels low.

In central Burma, the British Chindit forces continue digging in at Magwe and Meiktila. The British 254th Armored brigade finally reaches Shwebo after a long trek through the jungle. The initial assault succeeds and the base is captured. Now the Allied unit heads North East towards Katha to relieve the battered defenders there.

In China, not much is happening, the only action is the continuing Japanese bombardments at Nanning.




IJN Watch:
-No IJN capital ships sighted all week.




Notable Base Captures:
-Arawe [New Britain] occupied by the Allies (5/13)
-Shwebo [Burma] captured by the Allies (5/14)
-Cape Gloucester [New Britain] captured by the Allies (5/17)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,663 [+76]
Biggest Losses (#):SBD-3 Dauntless (346), Hurricane IIc (345), F4F-4 Wildcat ( 299)

Japanese: 12,660 [+204]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (3,276), Ki-27b Nate (1,366), Ki-48 Lily (1,105)


Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 514 [+6]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,073 [+17]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 9,928 [+66]
Japanese: 6,054 [+98]
A/J Ratio: 1.64 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 39,378 [+428]
Japanese: 28,105 [+153]
A/J Ratio: 1.40 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - UNDERWAY [Armed Force has captured Saidor and is advancing toward Madang]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 1,173:817 Forts are at 6]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS [Recon shows no fighter coverage, 4EB staging at Mussau Island].

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie.
-Assault & capture Ponape.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai.
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-After a few fast transport missions, Darwin finally has enough supply to begin repairing its facilities. A base force is making the long pilgrimage from Alice Springs and should arrive next week with some much needed air support. Once this happens, we’ll fly in some p-40’s and see if we can break up the constant Betty raids. Even if they continue, at least the Japanese will be forced to escort them.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/24/2017 1:08:10 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jmalter

One can do far worse to break the AI's heart than engage in some attritional battles in the Kuriles, and if, by so doing, one happens to seize, build, defend & supply a base hex - well wouldn't that just be a nifty spot for a major sub-warfare hub?


As usual you are spot on. Plus that goes with my "Advance on a wide front" strategy. Watch out Paramushiro, here we come![:D]



cwemyss -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/28/2017 6:32:16 PM)

D'oh. I caught up to live TV. I guess this means I need to start playing more, reading less. :-)



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/30/2017 3:35:50 AM)

Week 76: May 19th – May 25th 1943
North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
Minor ship damage is almost repaired and Ponape invasion force should begin loading on or around the 27th. KBs whereabouts are still unknown, but clues are revealing some possibilities.




Southern Pacific:
This week’s Tarawa raid does well. Over 30 Zeroes contest the skies, but Corsair sweeps cut that down to 10. We got only 4 kills, so the rest must have been damaged or had technical difficulties. Next, two Liberator squadrons go in, they score a few runway hits and damage 4 enemy fighters, but that’s about it…not too shabby. Fatigue is up again, so I’ll rest up and try again next week.




New Guinea/Solomons:
4 EB continue to pummel the poor IJA defenders of Rabaul. This week’s deliberate attack results in the loss of 200 combat squads on each side. The difference was the ratio of destroyed to disabled squads was 2:1 for the Japanese and 1:2 for the good guys. On top of that, the forts were reduced to 5…which will make Allied future assaults more effective. Troops are resting up for another attack next week.

On the other side of New Britain, Gasmata falls to the Allies. Now all that remains is a little clean-up work…herding the remaining Japanese unit fragments to the peninsula of Talasea so they can be wiped out.

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied force is marching with utmost urgency to Madang. The journey is a trek through the mountainous jungle, so it looks like it will take about a week and a half. The good news is Madang has a road to the north, so the advance will go faster once it is captured.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, Japan continues their intermittent Brunei bombings, but no sign of invasion. Nothing else of note in the region.




SE Asia/China:
The main Allied body continues to advance down the Burmese coast and is about 2 hexes NE of Ramree Island. Advance elements reach Prome and assault, as recon indicates the garrison is just a few base force units. After two deliberate assaults, the base is captured. From here most of the Allied units will pursue the fleeing Japanese towards Rangoon, however a small detachment heads NE to link up with the Chindits (and friends) that are stirring up trouble in the Mandalay area. The hope here is to open a supply route so air supply units at Ledo can refocus on bringing supply into China. Speaking of supply it still looks good, Ramree is up to 68K supply and convoys are continuing to roll in. Japanese air assets at Rangoon continue to target Bassein and Prome, causing some minor damage to the bases.

In central Burma, the British Chindit forces continue digging in at Magwe and Meiktila. The British 254th Armored brigade reaches Katha and subsequently dispatches the small Japanese force laying siege to the base. Next stop is Myitkyina, where a much larger enemy force needs to be dealt with.

In China, the Japanese show up again at Wuchow in strength, but they shock attack and take almost 5,000 casualties. The Chinese take advantage of this setback and assault the following turn, ousting the Japanese and sending them scurrying back to Canton with their tails between their legs. The only other action is the continuing Japanese bombardments at Nanning.




IJN Watch:
-No IJN capital ships sighted all week. However a patrolling sub gets high detection near Woleai. It’s been patrolling there for the last month with no detection. A second sub halfway between Woleai and Guam reports being spotted by carrier aircraft….interesting.




Notable Base Captures:
-Gasmata [New Britain] captured by the Allies (5/21)
-Prome [Burma] captured by the Allies (5/23)





Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,728 [+65]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (348), SBD-3 Dauntless (346), F4F-4 Wildcat ( 299)

Japanese: 12,882 [+222]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (2,970), Ki-48 Lily (1,237), Ki-27b Nate (1,219)

Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 515 [+1]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,089 [+16]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 9,972 [+44]
Japanese: 6,175 [+121]
A/J Ratio: 1.61 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 39,829 [+451]
Japanese: 28,256 [+151]
A/J Ratio: 1.41 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - UNDERWAY [Armed Force has captured Saidor and is advancing toward Madang]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 1,167:732 Forts are at 5]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS [Recon shows no fighter coverage, 4EB staging at Mussau Island].

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie.
-Assault & capture Ponape.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai.
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-Base support arrives at Darwin and I transfer in two squadrons of Kittyhawks. IJAF ceases daytime raids, the only raids on Darwin now occur at night.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (1/30/2017 3:37:35 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: cwemyss

D'oh. I caught up to live TV. I guess this means I need to start playing more, reading less. :-)


Appreciate you following along. Stay tuned for the next broadcast. [:D]



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/3/2017 6:22:52 AM)

Week 77: May 26th – June 1st 1943
North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
Ponape and Kusaie invasion forces are ready to load, but incomplete evidence suggests the KB may be patrolling near the invasion targets. Loading has been put on hold until next week when I will have 2 more CVEs at my disposal…and most likely a clearer picture of the KBs whereabouts.




Southern Pacific:
Both 4EB squadrons are repairing airframes, so this week’s Tarawa raid is scrubbed. The IJAF tries their own raid on Tabiteuea and runs into P-40s and Corsairs on CAP. Allied fighters rack up 12 confirmed kills, and damage 4 more. I’m sure a few of those didn’t complete the long flight home.




New Guinea/Solomons:
4 EB continue to pummel the poor IJA defenders of Rabaul. This week’s deliberate attack results in the loss of about 170 combat squads on each side. The ratio of destroyed to disabled squads was about 1:2 for both sides…not as good as last week, but the forts were reduced again (they are now at 4). At this pace, I should have the base by mid-June. Troops are resting up for another attack next week.

On the other side of New Britain, the small allied units are clearing the wilderness areas of Japanese, not an easy task.
On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied force reaches Madang. Attacks early in the week make little headway, but by the 1st of June, the Allies have reduced the forts from 4 to 2, and have a 380:70 AV advantage. Fatigue is somewhat high among the Allied ranks, so the infantry will stand down for a few days before resuming the offensive. In the meantime,2 and 4EB target Madang, so the defenders will get no respite.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, the Brunei bombings cease. No Japanese activity noted in the region.




SE Asia/China:
The main Allied body continues to advance down the Burmese coast and is about 2 hexes NE of Ramree Island. The advance elements that captured Prome last week pursue the fleeing Japanese to the South East and begin attacking after a brief rest. The Japanese stand and fight, but they are outnumbered 139:11 in AV. Shouldn’t be long until they head towards the temporary safety of Rangoon. The supply situation still looks good, Ramree is up to 76K supply and convoys are continuing to roll in. Japanese air assets at Rangoon target allied troops in the open (between Ramree and Prome). I task some of the fighters at Ramree to LRCAP these forces, but the escorting Japanese fighters mow right through the two squadrons of Allied Hurricanes. I would add more LRCAP into the mix, but all other fighters are needed to provide cover for the convoys unloading the precious supply at Ramree Island harbor. For the time being, the Allied troops will have to fend for themselves, until they can reach the relative safety of the jungle to the south of Prome.

In central Burma, the British Chindit forces switch from a defensive to an offensive posture. And begin clearing the northern valley of scattered IJA units. Two Japanese base forces are destroyed west of Shwebo and another is vaporized southeast of Magwe. The British 254th Armored brigade continues its advance towards Myitkyina, hopefully I can get there before the IJA Division overwhelms my rag-tag garrison holding the town.

In China, Japanese reinforce Nanning again and I decide to retreat one hex to the east to avoid the eventual attacks. Supply is an issue in this region of China, so I am content In slowly giving ground until the supply situation improves.




IJN Watch:
-No IJN capital ships sighted. Mid-week, three patrolling subs near Eniwetok suddenly get high detection. This could mean the KB is in the area…or maybe it’s just a coincidence. As stated above, I am having my Ponape and Kusaie invasion forces stand down for a few days to give the situation time to develop.




Notable Base Captures:
-None




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,802 [+74]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (349), SBD-3 Dauntless (346), F4F-4 Wildcat ( 299)

Japanese: 13,040 [+158]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (3,579), Ki-48 Lily (1,439), Ki-27b Nate (1,379)


Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 517 [+2]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,097 [+8]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,010 [+38]
Japanese: 6,275 [+100]
A/J Ratio: 1.60 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 40,118 [+289]
Japanese: 28,475 [+219]
A/J Ratio: 1.41 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - UNDERWAY [Armed Force has reached Madang and is assaulting the enemy base.]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 1,146:734 Forts are at 4]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – IN PROCESS [Invasion forces assembling].
-Assault & capture Ponape – IN PROCESS [Invasion forces assembling].
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai.
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-The Allied situation at Darwin is looking good. Supply is almost 10K and the base facilities are fully repaired. More Aviation support is on the way to allow for an offensive strike capability at the base.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/9/2017 5:13:49 AM)

Situation Report – June 1st 1943
[img]http://i.imgur.com/tZWmj51.jpg[/img]




Central/North Pacific:

Capital Ships: 1-BB (@Pearl Harbor)

Fuel Reserves: 1,960K @ Pearl Harbor

Near-Term Plans: Continue developing bases in Aleutians. Advance on Paramushiro-Jima.

Long Term Plans: Operation to secure critical bases in Marshalls/Gilberts. 27th, 43rd, and 7th Inf. Divisions are prepping for Tarawa, Kwajalein, and Roi Namur respectively.







New Guinea/Solomons:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/915Nmbb.jpg[/img]

Capital Ships: 5-CV, 6-CVE, 1-CVL, 12-BB

Fuel Reserves: 1,151K @ Noumea
281K @ Milne Bay
175K @ Shortlands

Near-Term Plans: Capture Rabaul. Move up northern New Guinea coast towards Hollandia.

Long Term Plans: Advance up the New Guinea Coast towards Philippines. Isolate Truk and develop bases to be used as launch points for Marianas Invasion.






SE Asia/China
[img]http://i.imgur.com/zanszst.jpg[/img]

Capital Ships: 4-BB (@Colombo)

Fuel Reserves: 1,457K @ Colombo

Near-Term Plans: Advance down Burma coast towards Rangoon. Chindit Raid in Central Burma to force Japanese from Irrawaddy Valley.

Long Term Plans: Isolate/capture Rangoon.






Base Construction Status:


Akyab:
Port Size: 4.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 8.40 (+0.11)
Supplies: 94K (30 Weeks of normal operations)

Amchitka:
Port Size: 4.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 7.00 (MAX)
Supplies: 6K (12 Weeks of normal operations)

Attu:
Port Size: 3.11 (+0.20)
Airfield Size: 3.29 (+0.18)
Supplies: 3K (30 Weeks of normal operations)

Buka:
Port Size: 1.96 (+0.31)
Airfield Size: 4.06 (+0.36)
Supplies: 26K (16 Weeks of normal operations)

Buna:
Port Size: 4.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 9.00 (MAX)
Supplies: 66K (7 Weeks of normal operations)

Kavieng:
Port Size: 4.01 (+ 0.01)
Airfield Size: 6.02 (+0.02)
Supplies: 82K (46 Weeks of normal operations)

Lae:
Port Size: 2.34 (+0.34)
Airfield Size: 5.50 (+0.26)
Supplies: 12K (11 Weeks of normal operations)

Lunga:
Port Size: 4.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 8.00 (MAX)
Supplies: 21K (3 Weeks of normal operations)

Milne Bay:
Port Size: 5.74 (+0.40)
Airfield Size: 6.92 (+0.35)
Supplies: 151K (30 Weeks of normal operations)

Manus:
Port Size: 3.32 (+1.88)
Airfield Size: 2.90 (+2.78)
Supplies: 83K (33 Weeks of normal operations)

Mussau:
Port Size: 3.78 (+0.52)
Airfield Size: 6.18 (+0.52)
Supplies: 12K (4 Weeks of normal operations)

Myitkyina:
Port Size: N/A
Airfield Size: 5.22 (+0.84)
Supplies: 7K (3 Weeks of normal operations)

Pago-Pago:
Port Size: 3.66 (+0.12)
Airfield Size: 6.17 (+0.07)
Supplies: 5K (4 Weeks of normal operations)

Ramree Island:
Port Size: 1.93 (+1.09)
Airfield Size: 4.56 (+2.42)
Supplies: 76K (17 Weeks of normal operations)

Tulagi:
Port Size: 6.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 5.00 (MAX)
Supplies: 171K (150+ Weeks of normal operations)

Umboi Island:
Port Size: 4.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 7.42 (+0.42)
Supplies: 27K (3 Weeks of normal operations)

Umnak:
Port Size: 3.00 (MAX)
Airfield Size: 7.78 (+0.77)
Supplies: 5K (15 Weeks of normal operations)



Macclan5 -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/10/2017 12:58:23 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Schlussel

Near-Term Plans: Continue developing bases in Aleutians. Advance on Paramushiro-Jima.

Long Term Plans: Operation to secure critical bases in Marshalls/Gilberts. 27th, 43rd, and 7th Inf. Divisions are prepping for Tarawa, Kwajalein, and Roi Namur respectively.




Thank you once again for the update.

As always the maps and logistics information is so very informative for a new player such as myself.

--

I really look forward to more details on these plans.

Do you have good Recon in place ? Any idea what you may face in terms air cover / fortifications / etc?

I wonder and suspect mostly because you have dealt the IJN a significant blow; those Carriers that were (??) sleeping in Hollandia (if that is what there were) must have moved to Truk for example.

It will certainly take some skill to re-orient and plan / execute a third perhaps fourth corridor of advance;

Vis a vis Northern New Guinea, Burma success and now Tawara and Aluetians



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/14/2017 5:30:00 AM)

Glad you are enjoying the maps and such. I have always loved maps since I was a little kid. I remember on family vacations I would call dibbs on the Thomas Guide, and use it to keep track of our car's progress while we traveled down the interstate. Good times.

As for recon, Tarawa is currently Lvl.3 Port/Lvl.3 Airfield...14K troops/50 Guns/22 AFV's...15 Fghters (mostly Zeroes). Roi Namur (3 Port/ 4 AF) and Kwajalein (3 Port/ 1 AF)are farther from my bases, so I have very limited info on them. All indications are that the Betty raids that target Tabiteuea originate from Roi Namur, so I assume there will be a significant air component to the base. However, if I can take Ponape quickly, I have some PB4Y Liberators that will be able to do some recon of Roi Namur and Kwajalein before I send in the troops. In addition, the capture on Einwetok will effectively isolate the Marshalls/Gilberts from Japan, making the eventual assault that much easier.

The main focus of the upcoming Mashalls/Gilberts operations will be to isolate and neutralize the aforementioned Japanese strongholds and allow the Allies to shorten their supply route to the South Pacific. Currently the route swings south to Canton before heading due east, then up to Shortlands. Its like a large 'U'..so a route through the Marshall's would significantly shorten the boat ride.

As for the KB, their location is still unknown, so any large scale Allied operations require the services of the entire carrier fleet (5 CV/6 CVE). It would be great if the KB would show itself so I could whittle it down a bit, but the AI seems to be playing somewhat cautiously right now. Once the enemy carrier threat is seriously reduced, I can entertain those 3rd/4th corridors of advance you mentioned.

As always, thanks for following and commenting. All the comments from you and the other fourumites are helping me immensely.[&o]





jmalter -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/19/2017 7:04:48 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Schlussel
Week 76: May 19th – May 25th 1943
SE Asia/China:
In China, the Japanese show up again at Wuchow in strength, but they shock attack and take almost 5,000 casualties. The Chinese take advantage of this setback and assault the following turn, ousting the Japanese and sending them scurrying back to Canton with their tails between their legs. The only other action is the continuing Japanese bombardments at Nanning.

Nice riposte at Wuchow. I've tried counter-attacks in similar situations twice before, & got stuck w/ the check (a real butcher's bill) both times. What's your program for upgrading & fleshing out the Chinese LCUs?



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/20/2017 2:06:10 AM)

Thanks jmalter,

China has proven to be quite a conundrum for the Allies, as the Chinese are woefully short on experience. But in order to get experience, they need to see combat...but combat eats through supply (another thing they lack). After stumbling though the first year of game time, my current solution is to pick and choose when to fight (not often) and when to retreat (much more often). Even when I do stay and fight, I do so for a short duration. The situation at Wuchow was initially one where I considered retreat, but when the Japanese shocked multiple times and got punched in the face, i found myself with a 820:180 advantage in AV. I knew if I was to attack, this was the time to do it (before the Japanese could recover AV and morale).

As for my strategy for the Chinese LCU's, I wish I had a grand master plan, but currently all i have done is replace poor leaders with mediocre leaders, and position troops to help spread out the supply. My current task has been to begin spreading out the LCUs from the major bases to the countryside. I am doing this to ease the supply strain, as troops in bases force the base to store 3x the supply needed....while troops in the countryside seem to only draw 1x their supply needs. The problem with this is doesn't put the Chinese in a position to advance on the Japanese positions.

The good news is, the Burma road may be re-opening soon, so I might have more opportunities to advance in the near future.

Interested to hear your thoughts on the matter, jmalter.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/20/2017 2:17:36 AM)

Week 78: June 2nd – June 8th 1943
North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
In the deep water two hexes south of Kobe, a lurking US sub spots a juicy target (CVL Ryujo) and fires a spread of four torpedoes (with one confirmed hit), then turns and dives deep. As the hunter becomes the hunted, the Japanese escorts search endlessly, but fail to find SS Seahorse. Not sure of the damage inflicted, but Ryujo should be in the yards for a while.

Additional Intel reports and sub sightings suggest the KB (or a significant portion thereof) is NW of Iwo Jima. Wasting no time, Allied command gives the Ponape and Kusaie invasion forces the green light. The amphib TFs are escorted by the bulk of the Allied carrier fleet (5CV/4CVE), and are sporting new APAs/LCIs/LSTs so the plan is to get in, make the drop off, and get out as quickly as possible. Since the KB is out of position, the CVs are weighted for defense (1DB squadron replaced with fighters on each carrier), since LBA is the only real threat now. The only downside is my BBs are currently in the Bismarck Sea area bombarding Rabaul and Madang, so this operation won’t have the usual ground shaking bombardments at its disposal. Kusaie looks to be unoccupied, and Ponape has a very small garrison (3 ground units, 1K troops, 33 guns), so the risk is not high. There is a moderate pucker factor with the Ponape landings, as those guns could be of the costal defense variety. Most of my combat ships are dedicated to amphibs fleet protection, but I have a few CAs & DDs that will attempt to silence any guns covering the invasion beaches.




Southern Pacific:
Both 4EB squadrons hit Tarawa, scoring modest damage to the airfield. Two zeroes were destroyed on the ground, and more were damaged (10 hits registered). 2 Liberators were damaged, but they shot down 4 attacking Zeroes. All of this is good, as attriting the Japanese air strength in this area will make the inevitable invasions easier.




New Guinea/Solomons:
4 EB continue to pummel the poor IJA defenders of Rabaul. This week’s the Allies pull off two deliberate attacks, and they result in 4,000 enemy casualties, and fort reduction from 4 to 2. Troops are resting up for one final push next week. Additionally, I have begun loading naval support, engineers, and supply at Noumea in anticipation of the fall of Rabaul....this will be my main fleet hub in the area, and I need it up and running ASAFP.
On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied force at Madang resumes its offensive, and after two deliberate attacks, the enemy is crushed and Madang is in Allied hands. Its level 4 AF and level 3 Port will come in handy for the continued advance up the NG coast, but what I’m most excited about is the coastal road. American troops will no longer have to slog through malarial jungle wilderness…ahem…well actually they will still have to do that, but now they will have a trail to follow, which makes the pace much quicker. Onward to Hansa Bay!




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, the Brunei bombings cease. No Japanese activity noted in the region.




SE Asia/China:
The main Allied body continues to advance down the Burmese coast and is 1 hex SE of Ramree Island. Advance Allied elements assault the Japanese SE of Prome and force them to retreat again, South-Westward towards Rangoon. Later in the week, these same Allied forces arrive in the hex NE of Rangoon and force those same enemy units back into Rangoon. Before advancing further, the Allies will rest for a few days to allow a few other units (currently SE of Prome) to catch up. Then the whole bunch (550 AV) will all move into Rangoon together and lay siege to the base. The supply still looks good, Ramree is up to 82K supply and convoys are continuing to roll in from Calcutta. Japanese air assets at Rangoon keep targeting allied troops in the open (between Ramree and Prome). As stated previously, there’s not much I can do at the moment, but I do have a few base forces that should reach Prome next week. Once the aviation support is in place I’ll be able to more effectively defend the area around Prome.

In central Burma, the Allied forces begin the advance southeast towards Pegu/Rangoon. The one exception is the 354th Armored, which heads the opposite direction to take care of bypassed Japanese forces. At the end of the week, the 254th reaches Myitkyina and now the Allies AV advantage is 516:282. The Japanese 54th division located there has been cut off from supplies for weeks and has endured a steady diet of 4E bombing, so I have high hopes for the upcoming assault.
In China, no combat to speak of, which is a welcome development…as it helps my supply situation. Currently troops are in a defensive posture, eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Burma Road.




IJN Watch:

- 6/3 thru 6/8: High detection on all 5 subs near the Bonin Islands.
- 6/7: SS Seahorse puts a torpedo into CVL Ryujo south of Kobe.
- 6/8: 1 CVL spotted NE of Midway heading east.
- 6/8: SS Growler attacked by carrier aircraft NW of Iwo Jima (no damage).




Notable Base Captures:
-Madang [New Guinea] captured by the Allies (6/3)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,870 [+68]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (354), SBD-3 Dauntless (347), F4F-4 Wildcat (300)

Japanese: 13,357 [+317]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (2,278), Ki-48 Lily (1,653), Ki-27b Nate (937)

Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 522 [+5]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,105 [+8]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,044 [+34]
Japanese: 6,357 [+82]
A/J Ratio: 1.58 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 40,553 [+435]
Japanese: 28,606 [+131]
A/J Ratio: 1.42 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - UNDERWAY [Allied Force has captured Madang and is advancing on Hansa Bay.]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – UNDERWAY [Allied AV advantage is 916:310 Forts are at 2]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – IN PROCESS [Invasion forces in route].
-Assault & capture Ponape – IN PROCESS [Invasion forces n route].
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/1.9K troops/20 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-All Allied shipping losses this week were due to an oversight at Darwin. A supply TF of 5 xAKL’s had just finished unloading and I forgot to assign LRCAP to cover it on its journey back to Port Moresby. A group of Bettys intercepted the convoy and Type 91 torpedoes sent every ship to the bottom. Luckily the ships had already unloaded and were only worth 1 VP each, but the lesson learned here is still a valuable one.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (2/26/2017 6:51:56 PM)

Week 79: June 9th – June 15th 1943

North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. No IJN activity.




Central Pacific:
The Kusaie invasion goes off without a hitch. Troops were fully prepped and they hit the beaches with minimal disablements/casualties. On D+1 the base flips to Allied control.

Ponape was a different beast entirely…before the amphibs even reached the enemy base, they were attacked by a small IJN surface force (2-CL/2-DD). My CA/DD screen effectively fought them off, but not after an intense night battle which saw the Long Lance make its presence felt. 1 Allied CA had severe damage, and three DDs received a couple hits. While my amphibs continued on, they now lacked any pre-invasion bombardment…and the guns of Ponape made me pay for that. In the next few days,12 xAK’s were sunk while offloading supplies, most were not sunk outright, but eventually sunk after a few days. The weakness of the coastal merchant was exposed…their slow unloading rate made them sitting ducks for the Japanese coastal guns. The good news was that I kept all my troops in APA’s, LST’s and LCI’s, and they were able to get in and get out without any damage. After two days consolidating on the beaches, the Allied force attacked and captured Ponape. This invasion provided a good lesson on the xAK, they will be relegated to base supply for the rest of the war (probably what they were built to do anyway).




Southern Pacific:
4EB squadrons stand down this week. A group of Corsair’s sweep Tarawa and it results in an even exchange of Tojo’s/Zeroes.




New Guinea/Solomons:
Months of bitter fighting at Rabaul comes to an end as over 10K enemy troops are destroyed…Hurrah! The rest of the enemy force (25-30K) retreat to the South-West into the jungle, where Allied 4EB begin doing a little target practice. Troops at Rabaul get a little rest and begin prepping for targets on the Marianas.

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allies make good use of the coastal road and keep up the pressure on the retreating Japanese. On the last day of the week, the Allies liberate Hansa Bay and push the 5K remaining Japanese into the swamps to the North-West. The Allies halt their pursuit and allow 2/4 EB to pummel the enemy in their new location. Swamps provide no cover, and the Allied troops are content to let the Airforce finish the job.

SS Muskallunge puts a torpedo into CV Kaga 3 hexes north of Truk, but all Intel suggests she was alone. The KB is still MIA.
The continued absence of the KB means the Allies are ready for next assault in New Guinea…Hollandia. All troops are prepped and loading at Manus for the relatively short boat ride to the New Guinea coast. Once the Allied carriers covering the Ponape invasion return (2-3 days), the amphibs will begin their journey to Hollandia. Intel shows a small IJN surface component (1-BB/1-CA/2-DD) in the area, so this operation will have the services of 4 BBs (2 are of the non-ancient variety) 3 CA’s, and a host of DD’s for screening against surface and sub threats. Oh and of course…no xAK’s for this one.[:D]




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.




SE Asia/China:
The Allied advance in Burma is nearing its goal, the city of Rangoon. In about 3 days the first 500AV will arrive and begin bombarding to assess the Japanese defenses. About a week later the Allied AV in Rangoon should triple and the assaults should commence soon afterwards.

In central Burma, the 254th Armored vaporizes the Japanese 54th Division at Myitkyina after a few days of deliberate assaults. The enemy force was battered and out of supply, so the result was not surprising. With that threat removed, the Allied effort in central Burma turns to Pegu and Taung Gyi. Pegu has a large fighter presence, and Taung Gyi has at least a division of ground troops. Both will present their own challenges. My current plan is to push to Pegu and screen the enemy force at Taung Gyi…while simultaneously using the Chindits to interdict Taung Gyi’s supply.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Burma Road.




IJN Watch:

- 6/9: 2-CL/2-DD spotted near Ponape.
- 6/12: 1-CV and 3 more ships spotted north of Pearl Harbor.
- 6/13: 1-CV (Kaga) hit by a torpedo north of Truk.
- 6/8: BB Musashi/CA Oyodo/2-DD spotted North-West of Hollandia.


Notable Base Captures:
-Toungoo [Burma] captured by the Allies (6/9)
-Rabaul [New Britain] captured by the Allies (6/11)
-Kusaie [Central Pacific] captured by the Allies (6/13)
-Ponape [Central Pacific] captured by the Allies (6/14)
-Hansa Bay [New Guinea] captured by the Allies (6/15)


Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 4,950 [+80]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (357), SBD-3 Dauntless (347), F4F-4 Wildcat (302)

Japanese: 13,624 [+267]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (3,648), Ki-48 Lily (1,804), Ki-27b Nate (1,073)

Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 536 [+14]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,116 [+11]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,147 [+103]
Japanese: 6,753 [+396]
A/J Ratio: 1.50 to 1



VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 41,455 [+903]
Japanese: 28,868 [+262]
A/J Ratio: 1.44 to 1


Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - COMPLETE [Allied Forces have captured Hansa Bay.]

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – COMPLETE [Rabaul captured. Base damage: Port:79/Service:100/Runway:100]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia – IN PROCESS [Forces loading at Manus]



Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/1.9K troops/20 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.


Other Notes:
-While Hollandia is still enemy-occupied, Operation Tropic Thunder (for all intents & purposes) is complete. The operation closed with the fall of Rabaul and the end of the Japanese presence in New Guinea/Solomon island area. Taking Rabaul was never essential (I would have accepted neutralizing its airfield), but the opportunity presented itself, and the fighting, while bitter, gave the allied divisions there some much needed experience. Plus, having multiple Level 7 ports (Rabaul/Manus) close to the front lines will prove useful going forward.

-The first ARD has had its destination changed from Noumea to Rabaul. The ARD has reached Canton Island and should reach the new Allied base in about a month.

-The Allied steamroller is gaining momentum. Mop-up operations will continue in New Guinea while the Allies set their sights on the Marianas and the Eastern DEI/Southern Philippines areas. KB is still out there somewhere, which somewhat limits the boldness of Allied operations in the near future.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (3/11/2017 6:34:27 AM)

Week 80: June 16th – June 22nd 1943

North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. A 2 CV task force appears late in the week and sinks 2 xAKs unloading supply at Adak.



Central Pacific:
CVE Corregidor, fresh out of the Tacoma shipyards, joins a few escorting DDs and heads south west towards Pearl. About 20 hexes west of Eureka, 2 Japanese CVs surprise and overwhelm the Allied task force. Torpedo bombers put two fish into Corregidor…and she sank soon afterwards. Hats off to the AI for that bold move, I never thought I would see Japanese carriers that close to the US West Coast. Last week I had a report of a lone enemy carrier north of Pearl Harbor, but it disappeared the following day, and I assumed it was heading towards the Aleutians (as they had done in the past). Following assumptions and hunches can pay off, but they can also come back to bite you. Luckily CVE Anzio was nearby and was able to recover some of the displaced fighters before making a hasty retreat to Pearl Harbor, so it wasn’t a complete loss. No other ships were hit and early indications are that the enemy is heading back north west …good thing, because I have only a few surface ships in the area to protect my vital supply line. I have new CVEs arriving every few weeks now, so I will be sure to assign some to supply line defense (and patrolling of the dead zone between Midway and the Aleutians).




Southern Pacific:
4EB squadrons stand down again, as recon shows the Japanese have over 90 fighters at Tarawa. Gonna do some more fighter sweeps before sending in the heavies.




New Guinea/Solomons:
BB Musashi and friends (1-CL/2-DD) move aggressively to the southeast and engage a few screening Allied CLs near Wewak. The huge Japanese battleship singlehandedly sinks one Allied cruiser and mortally wounds another. The Allied cruisers get in their own shots, hitting Musashi 13 times, but none of these smaller shells penetrated the armor belt. TBFs and SBDs from Manus score another 8 bomb hits on the enemy battleship, but all it causes are some fires…but they can cause their own kind of damage.

Plans to turn Rabaul into my main forward fleet base and repair facility are fully underway. On the 16th, Allied engineers complete all base repairs (damage was 79-Port/100-Service/55-Runway less than a week earlier). Saratoga and Lexington get the honor of being the first ships to dock in Rabaul harbor, they will refuel and head northeast to investigate the IJN surface TF that sunk two Allied Cruisers near Wewak…they are now reported north of Manus. Neutralizing this force will clear a path for the upcoming amphib assault on Hollandia (scheduled for next week).

On the northern coast of New Guinea, the Allied ground forces pause at Hansa Bay, watching as 2/4EB blast the Japanese in the swamp to the northwest. With no cover or supply, the enemy is losing over 10 squads a day to air attacks. No supply means no AA fire…which also means it’s a nice training ground for newly arrived bomber squadrons.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.




SE Asia/China:
The first Allied troops (508 AV) reach Rangoon and the enemy promptly rebases all his able aircraft elsewhere (likely at Moulmein). Bombardments indicate only about 200 Japanese AV present, however the enemy has occupied the city for over a year, so I’m sure the forts are pretty high. I’m in no hurry, so no attacks will be launched yet. I have about additional 900 AV set to reach Rangoon in a few days and the city’s defenses will be tested soon afterwards.

In another surprise move, the Japanese 29th Division advances from Rangoon and ejects my recon force from Bassein (now I know why the Rangoon garrison was so small). The enemy had impeccable timing, as I had two British brigades set to arrive from the north east the following day. Despite knowing the river crossing will trigger a shock attack, I go ahead and let the Brits continue their advance. The idea is to tie this enemy force down until Rangoon can be properly liberated. Then I can defeat the 29th in detail. Losses in the Allied shock attack on Bassein were moderate, but all were disablements.

In central Burma, the Allied advance reaches Pegu. Force strength for each side is around 300 AV, so like Rangoon, I will wait to bring up reinforcements. The nice thing is the siege of Pegu should prevent enemy troops from retreating eastward out of Rangoon when it eventually falls.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the Burma Road.




IJN Watch:
- 6/16 & 6/17: BB Musashi/CA Oyodo/2-DD spotted North-West of Hollandia.
- 6/19: 2-CV/2-DD spotted off West Coast near Eureka.
- 6/20: 1-CA Oyodo + 3 other ships spotted North of Manus.
- 6/21: 2-CV and 3 more ships spotted South of Adak.




Notable Base Captures:
-Bassein [Burma] captured by the Japanese (6/16)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 5,078 [+128]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (370), SBD-3 Dauntless (350), F4F-4 Wildcat (317)

Japanese: 13,935 [+311]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (4,053), Ki-48 Lily (1,566), Ki-27b Nate (1,462)

Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 540 [+4]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CVE Corregidor, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,132 [+16]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,178 [+31]
Japanese: 6,753 [+396]
A/J Ratio: 1.49 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 42,000 [+545]
Japanese: 29,183 [+315]
A/J Ratio: 1.44 to 1




Operation Tropic Thunder:
Phase 1A - LAZARUS:
-Capture Finschafen – COMPLETE
-Capture Umboi Island – COMPLETE
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hansa Bay - COMPLETE

Phase 1B – FOUR LEAF:
-Capture Namatanai – COMPLETE
-Capture Kavieng – COMPLETE
-Capture Mussau Island – COMPLETE
-Capture Manus – COMPLETE

Phase 2 – TIGER BALM:
-Capture/Neutralize Rabaul – COMPLETE [Rabaul captured. Base fully repaired]
-Advance up Northern NG coast to Hollandia – IN PROCESS [Forces loaded at Manus]




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/1.9K troops/20 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-Between the hit on my CVE and the assault on Bassein, the AI has shown it still has a sting…its definitely not just hunkering down…a welcome sign that the game will continue to be competitive, but not so much for the crew of the Corregidor.



Taxcutter -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (3/13/2017 2:57:43 PM)

Be glad you aren't facing Ironman with his endless supply of Oscars and decent pilots. Offensives without air superiority is a tough proposition.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (3/17/2017 5:25:32 AM)

I 100% agree TC. I thought I had it tough at Akyab with the Japanese throwing endless Oscar-escorted bomber raids at me, but I see you are having to face an even more intense air offensive in your Ironman game. It can be a bit disheartening when your fighters fight off a few air attacks, only to be overwhelmed by a 3rd, 4th and 5th raid. As the saying goes "Quantity has a quality all its own". One good thing is soon your pilots will be highly experienced and that will help a little...as long as they have undamaged air frames to fly in. I guess we can both be thankful that the AI doesn't know how to sweep with his fighters. [:D]



jwolf -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (3/24/2017 6:43:54 PM)

Congratulations on a great game and AAR! As a fellow Allied player against the AI, I enjoyed reading your account very much. My game is almost at the same point, now early July 43. But you have been much faster and more aggressive than I in the CenPac, although I did reconquer Burma much earlier (from Nov 42 to Feb 43, more or less). Some comments:

1. You mentioned that the AI doesn't sweep; I found that to be true and some vets here confirmed it. This was a huge relief, as especially in the early war period the Japanese sweeps are an utter nightmare for the Allied player. On the other hand, since the AI won't use them, I decided out of a sporting spirit that I would refrain as well. It made some bombing campaigns a bit rough -- at Rangoon, for example -- but the air war against the AI is so lopsided that IMHO this was appropriate.

2. In my experience, intermittent bombing of a major enemy airfield doesn't really accomplish anything. Essentially, go big or go home, and once you start then keep it up to make sure the enemy can no longer use the field, ever. So at Tarawa, for example, I recommend waiting until you have a lot of bombers at Tabby and then hit hard, with a night surface bombardment and then a merciless daytime run of at least 50 heavy bombers, preferably more like 75. Once the heavies have done the hard work, the "ordinary" bombers like the Mitchells can keep the field closed and allow some rest for the big guys. Your surface force should be able to go from Tabby to Tarawa and back at full speed. I'm actually getting close to performing this op in my own game, so I'm curious to see if you can do it so my guys get the benefit of your hard earned experience! [8D]

3. Once you have Burma reconquered, you do get better supply in China, though at least in my experience it does not appear to be a revolutionary game changer. It is a bit frustrating because I have some 400K supply in Rangoon, and other Burmese bases are generally in good shape, but the amount going into China (except the automatic 500 points at Chungking) seems to be tiny. So I think you still need the massive airlift from Ledo.

4. I was discouraged to see Rabaul was at level 8 fort in your game, as I am about to invade there. I kind of suspected that was going to be the case, as I already saw level 8 at Rangoon before that. Almost all enemy bases have had forts at least level 4, and 6 is common. Bombing just doesn't seem to hurt the enemy much, if at all, under such high forts. But naval bombardments have really done the job. The only bad news is that the base is then completely demolished once you finally take it!

Good luck as you continue your campaign, and please keep going with the AAR! It's a great read!



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (3/28/2017 6:40:49 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jwolf

Congratulations on a great game and AAR! As a fellow Allied player against the AI, I enjoyed reading your account very much. My game is almost at the same point, now early July 43. But you have been much faster and more aggressive than I in the CenPac, although I did reconquer Burma much earlier (from Nov 42 to Feb 43, more or less). Some comments:

1. You mentioned that the AI doesn't sweep; I found that to be true and some vets here confirmed it. This was a huge relief, as especially in the early war period the Japanese sweeps are an utter nightmare for the Allied player. On the other hand, since the AI won't use them, I decided out of a sporting spirit that I would refrain as well. It made some bombing campaigns a bit rough -- at Rangoon, for example -- but the air war against the AI is so lopsided that IMHO this was appropriate.

2. In my experience, intermittent bombing of a major enemy airfield doesn't really accomplish anything. Essentially, go big or go home, and once you start then keep it up to make sure the enemy can no longer use the field, ever. So at Tarawa, for example, I recommend waiting until you have a lot of bombers at Tabby and then hit hard, with a night surface bombardment and then a merciless daytime run of at least 50 heavy bombers, preferably more like 75. Once the heavies have done the hard work, the "ordinary" bombers like the Mitchells can keep the field closed and allow some rest for the big guys. Your surface force should be able to go from Tabby to Tarawa and back at full speed. I'm actually getting close to performing this op in my own game, so I'm curious to see if you can do it so my guys get the benefit of your hard earned experience! [8D]

3. Once you have Burma reconquered, you do get better supply in China, though at least in my experience it does not appear to be a revolutionary game changer. It is a bit frustrating because I have some 400K supply in Rangoon, and other Burmese bases are generally in good shape, but the amount going into China (except the automatic 500 points at Chungking) seems to be tiny. So I think you still need the massive airlift from Ledo.

4. I was discouraged to see Rabaul was at level 8 fort in your game, as I am about to invade there. I kind of suspected that was going to be the case, as I already saw level 8 at Rangoon before that. Almost all enemy bases have had forts at least level 4, and 6 is common. Bombing just doesn't seem to hurt the enemy much, if at all, under such high forts. But naval bombardments have really done the job. The only bad news is that the base is then completely demolished once you finally take it!

Good luck as you continue your campaign, and please keep going with the AAR! It's a great read!


Thank you for the kind words jwolf. I have been fortunate to have great advice from some forum veterans and it has really aided my play, yet I have still made my share of mistakes. However the mistakes have been somewhat of a blessing, as they forced me to examine my tactics (along with the game manual) and adjust my play accordingly. Some comments on your comments:

1. Agreed, the lack of sweeps by the AI was a pleasant surprise. I still sweep with my fighters, but I feel its a fair trade since I play on Hard (VHard one day every week) and thus the AI gets a little supply advantage it wouldn't normally get. This has allowed the AI to keep some islands in supply that would normally be cut off (see Rabaul blurb below), so I feel the trade-off is fair, though I like your rule as well.

2. Good point about bombing tactics. My Rabaul bombing campaign was very successful because of the points you make. Shutting down the enemy AF is paramount, and using a little combined arms (4EB and bombardment TFs) work well at this. I have yet to try a surface bombardment, because I don't yet trust my fighters to handle the inevitable betty raids.I have some cruisers en route to Tabiteuea, so I might try some bombardment runs on Tarawa, I'll let you know how it goes.[:D]

3. Didn't know that about supply, I was hoping the flood gates would open once the Burma road was back in Allied hands. I have a bunch of air transports flying supply into Burma. Once my AV support reaches Lashio, I plan to transfer the bulk of my air transport squadrons there and beginning a large scale airlift to Kunming.

4. Yes the forts were daunting, but I found two things aided my success (it took me awhile to figure it out):

-Keep Rabaul from being re-supplied. This is kind of difficult when playing on hard, as Rabaul seems to get free supply no matter what you do. Nevertheless, keeping enemy resupply TFs away will work wonders for your ground assault, as the enemy will not be able to effectively repair diablements. I found having roving Fletcher TFs (with aggressive commanders and a reaction range enabled) worked very well in the 'supply TF-hunting' role.

-Rest your troops between assaults to make each attack count. Initially I thought continually attacking and wearing down the enemy was the key (and this may have worked if the forts were lower). However, I found that this strategy failed to reduce fort levels, which is the key to success at Rabaul. Once I realized this, was able to reduce the forts quickly by allowing my forces (and especially engineers, which seem to take the lions share of the assault damage) to recover and be in a great position to lower forts on the subsequent attack. Once the forts got low enough (around 3) I was able to attack on successive days, only resting those units that had excessive fatigued and/or disruption.

Base damage was an issue as you noted;however, Allied engineers had Rabaul fully repaired in about a week, so it wasn't too much of a hindrance.

Real life has really cut into my playing time the past few weeks, but the foreseeable future looks promising, and I should have another update in the next few days.

Thanks again for taking the time to follow and comment on my AAR.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (4/6/2017 7:34:07 AM)

Week 81: June 23rd – June 29th 1943

North Pacific:
Base building continues at Amchitka, Umnak and Attu. Japanese CV’s exit the area heading west.




Central Pacific:
Japanese CV’s retreat towards Marcus Island. This force is separate from the 2 CV force that appeared in the Aleutians last week, so that means there are at least 4 enemy flattops in the area. This presents an interesting opportunity.




Southern Pacific:
Supported by 3 CVE’s, the Allies land a small detachment at Nauru Island and quickly capture the base. Nauru provides a nice location to keep an eye on Tarawa, and moves the Allies closer to isolating the Gilberts.
4EB squadrons stand down again, this time to wait for additional bomber squadrons to arrive.




New Guinea/Solomons:
The Musashi battlegroup retires back towards Truk, and the Allies take the opportunity to assault the former home of the KB in Northern New Guinea. Four infantry regiments plus artillery and support troops unload on the beaches of Hollandia. Saratoga and Lexington provide CAP while the bulk of the troops unload on the first day (ain’t APA’s great?). Intel indicated most of the garrison was support troops, so on D+2, the Allies attack. Forts are at 5, so even though the Allies get a 4:1, the Japanese hold on. After two days of attacks, the Japanese forts are down to 3, so one or two more attacks should do it.

Farther down the northern coast of New Guinea, Allied 2 and 4EB enjoy target practice on the ousted defenders of Hansa Bay.




DEI/Philippines:
In the Philippines, all my base are belong to Japan.

In the DEI, no Japanese activity.




SE Asia/China:
The Japanese garrison at Rangoon begins the week at an AV of 141 with level 8 fortifications. Daily Allied attacks (1,400 AV) drop the fort level by one each day thereafter. By the last day of the week, forts are at level 3 and Japanese AV is down to 18 (while the Allies has climbed to over 2,000). The final attack succeeds in ousting the defenders and securing the base along with its 2,500+ victory points…oh and the 1.4 million fuel and 330K supply is nice too. Now the focus is on base repair (Port:22/Service:42/Runway:4) and neutralizing Japanese airbases to the south (Moulmein and Tavoy) so that supply convoys can make the transit to Rangoon unmolested.

In Bassein, the British are holding on. Early in the week, the Japanese division shock attacked and got repulsed with lots of disablements. They then went back to bombarding for the rest of the week. With the fall of Rangoon, their supply situation looks pretty dire. Bombardments and a visit by Wellingtons/Mitchells are planned next week to intensify the enemy’s supply problems.

In central Burma, the Allied force at Pegu bombards, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. On the last day of the week, an Indian Infantry brigade and tank brigade arrive and a hasty deliberate assault is ordered. Despite a large AV advantage, the Allies only manage a 1:2 result and lose over 50 squads to disablements (no vehicle losses though). Fatigue s high, so the force will rest up and resume assaults in a few days.

In China, troops are in a defensive posture, hopefully the opening of the Burma road will allow supply to stockpile…although from what I hear from advisors, I won’t expect much.




IJN Watch:
- No capital ships sighted this week




Notable Base Captures:
-Ningsia [China] occupied by the Japanese (6/23)
-Nauru Island [Southern Pacific] captured by the Allies (6/24)
-Rangoon [Burma] captured by the Allies (6/29)




Campaign Overview:
Aircraft Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 5,180 [+102]
Biggest Losses (#): Hurricane IIc (376), SBD-3 Dauntless (350), F4F-4 Wildcat (317)

Japanese: 14,272 [+337]
Biggest Losses (#): G4M1 Betty (2,474), Ki-48 Lily (1,848), Ki-27b Nate (1,585)


Ship Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 544 [+4]
Notables: CV Enterprise, CV Victorious, CVE Copahee, CVE Nassau, CVE Corregidor, CA Astoria, CA Portland, CA Adelaide, CL Durban, CL Sumatra, CL Java

Japanese: 1,139 [+7]
Notables: CV Soryu, CVL Shoho, CVL Zuiho, CVE Taiyo, CVE Hosho, BB Kongo, BB Fuso, BB Mutsu, CA Mogami, CA Mikuma, CA Suzya, CA Adoba.


Army Losses to date [change]:
Allies: 10,200 [+22]
Japanese: 6,950 [+139]
A/J Ratio: 1.47 to 1


VP Totals [change]:
Allies: 45,180 [+3,180]
Japanese: 28,837 [-346]
A/J Ratio: 1.57 to 1




Operation Forbearance:
Phase 1A: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Establish naval blockade of Truk using DD’s and submarines. - IN PROCESS
-Knock out Truk airfield - IN PROCESS

Phase 1B: [May 1943 to July 1943]
-Assault & capture Kusaie – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Ponape – COMPLETE.
-Assault & capture Eniwetok.

Phase 1C: [May 1943 to August 1943]
-Assault & capture Woleai [Recon sights 1 unit/1.9K troops/20 guns].
-Assault & capture Ulithi.
-Assault & capture Yap.
-Assault & capture Babeldaoab.




Other Notes:
-The capture of Rangoon spurs a 3,500 VP swing this week in favor of the Allies. The operation began with the Chindits leading a recon-in-force, and ended in the re-opening of the Burma Road. Quite a nice haul in a secondary theater without any real Allied naval assets available. Post-Rangoon, the importance of SE Asia will take even more of a backseat, with the Allied advances toward the DEI/Philippines taking the focus in the near future.



Macclan5 -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (4/6/2017 3:37:19 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Schlussel

-The capture of Rangoon spurs a 3,500 VP swing this week in favor of the Allies. The operation began with the Chindits leading a recon-in-force, and ended in the re-opening of the Burma Road. Quite a nice haul in a secondary theater without any real Allied naval assets available. Post-Rangoon, the importance of SE Asia will take even more of a backseat, with the Allied advances toward the DEI/Philippines taking the focus in the near future.



Congrats.

Well executed.

The Land Combat loss ratio would seem to indicate that you have successfully destroyed some very valuable Imperial Units in Burma. These are prime units such as "the guards" as I recall and this is no small feat.

Supply through the Burma road is less than advertised in my opinion; perhaps its rookie perception between us. [8D]

Gather up as many low endurance xAK in Madras / Calcutta (6000 endurance) that seem to float around India. Pair them up with a spare KV you likely have sitting dockside in Columbo (for ASW) and string them in one after another into Rangoon / Ramee Island. Also helps with TOE upgrades if your HQs are nearly forward i.e. HQ RAF221 or HQ Eastern Army / XV Corps / III Corps (if you bought any or some of those out from the fall of Singapore)

--

I am curious why the shift to backseat though ?

I guess I fully appreciate you need to rest these troops / move forward supporting ENG and HQ etc. Get TOE upgrades if you can as above.

Moulemain is a real tough nut to crack in my experience. You need to get independent brigades (Chindits to the rescue) to slow march and surround it; and sustain bombing to chew through supply / disruption.

However if you have any Catalina's (saved from the Phillipines or British) - get them on Recon. My best guestimate would be that Chaing Mai / Rahaeng / Ayuthia are "empty" and potentially only requires the patience to march overland to them....and Tavoy is full of empty fragments... easy to push down that great once Moulemain is done.

In a few months with pressure you may be able to cut the 'magic supply highway' assuming the AI actually is able to utilize it (??)



Taxcutter -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (4/6/2017 3:45:30 PM)

Great AAR. I always look for this one.

Wish my computer would run all your graphics and assist apps but Windows 10 damaged my WitP so it won't even run unles I strip off all the nice little things. It's slow enough as is. two hours to give orders. I've been at PCs since Carter was in office and still can't fathom some of the stuff MicroSoft does.

FWIW, before this game i ran a complete game against normal AI until Japan surrendered in Nov. '44. Mostly a "Plan Orange" strategy through the Marshalls and Marianas, but with a drive through the eastern DEI from Darwin and a sideshow driving down the Kuriles. Didn't fight in the Solomons/NG beyond holding PM and taking Lunga.

I'm going back to the Solomons against Ironman. The "Plan Orange" strat does not give you enough "points of contact" to wear down Japanese air assets. It took me a long time to wear the standard AI down.

I fought fairly aggressively in China but even after re-opening the Burma Road, about the best I could do in China was to clear southern China up to the Yangtze River. Never re-took Canton/Hong Kong although i had a British corps poised to attack Hong Kong as the game ended. I wouldn't have been as aggressive against Ironman except he is so careless of his flanks. I can punch out isolated units and advance. All the same if I can drive him away from Nanning, I don't think I'll waste time and supply trying to move far north. Given where you are, you might consider the same - just get the chinese onto good defensive terrain and don't worry about them too much.

jmalter is right. Once you have Rangoon in hand and the Burma Road open, it is waste of resources going any further. By time I marched overland to Saigon (ignoring Malaya)the war was over.

I ignored the PI and took Formosa instead. Had the same effect in that all the Southern Resource Area was utterly isolated. Formosa was a much easier battle and required less in the way of amphibious assets.



Schlussel -> RE: Back for the First Time – Allied AAR vs. AI - War in the Pacific: Admirals Edition (4/11/2017 2:26:27 AM)

Thanks Guys! Appreciate the comments and suggestions, I always find plenty of valuable 'advice nuggets' every time I am on the forum.

Taxcutter, I agree with your sentiments on the SE Asia theater...the urgency is gone now that the Burma road is open. As for your PC...I had a bit of trouble getting Windows 7 to run the game, but it wasn't too difficult once I found some posts from other forumites who had the same problem. Windows 10 is a different animal though. I hope you work out your windows troubles.

MacClan: Good call on the Catalina's. I have been reconning Chiang Mai already (its empty) and have a recon unit set to snatch it up, but I'll add the others to the hit list. Also, I probably should have clarified my backseat comment. Offensive operations should continue at their current pace, but I plan to move some units (tankers/infantry/air units) to other theaters. Once Moulmein is cracked, the bulk of the enemy resistance in SE Asia will be gone, I can maintain my advance with fewer units. I could try leapfrogging down the coast, but I don't have any CV assets in the theater. From here forward, Allied units in SE Asia will focus on threatening Singapore from the north by hoofing it down the peninsula.




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