RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A)

RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (Full Version)

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Bullwinkle58 -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/22/2015 5:31:23 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Yaab There is only a handful of B-17Ds at start. Some of the units do not upgrade to B-17E and get withdrawn after some time. If Japs start a fast offensive in China from the get-go aimed at i.e Changsha, the B-17Ds represent the most powerful Allied aid to China available at start. I cannot think of any other offensive asset (arty, tanks, LCU etc) that can be relocated to China as fast as the B-17Ds. Actually, their mere presence in Chungking should boost the Chinese morale by 10 points or so across the whole Chinese army. If I could get B-17s to Chungking right away I'd be burning down HI as fast I as I could at the big eastern China industrial cities. Bombing moving ground troops won't make much difference in the medium term. Every HI not produced in early 1942 is important in the long game, as is the supply to repair them if/when. And having Japan need to air-defend industry right now is gravy elsewhere too.

Bullwinkle58 -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/22/2015 5:33:01 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Lowpe I saw poor Penguin live once in an Obvert game.[;)] I got Penguin to Dutch Harbor in one game. The key is to go very close to the HI, ironically at that time one of the safest transit zones on the map.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/22/2015 5:49:16 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58 If I could get B-17s to Chungking right away I'd be burning down HI as fast I as I could at the big eastern China industrial cities. Bombing moving ground troops won't make much difference in the medium term. Every HI not produced in early 1942 is important in the long game, as is the supply to repair them if/when. And having Japan need to air-defend industry right now is gravy elsewhere too. Chinese HI is mostly in Shanghai and in Manchuria. Manchuria out of range, Shanghai is 21 hexes away, close to the maximum extended range of B17D (and other HI producing cities are at the same extreme range). With just a dozen planes flying from relatively small airfield, and with abominable service ratings, I don't think this would work. Francois

Bullwinkle58 -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/22/2015 7:46:48 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: fcharton quote: ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58 If I could get B-17s to Chungking right away I'd be burning down HI as fast I as I could at the big eastern China industrial cities. Bombing moving ground troops won't make much difference in the medium term. Every HI not produced in early 1942 is important in the long game, as is the supply to repair them if/when. And having Japan need to air-defend industry right now is gravy elsewhere too. Chinese HI is mostly in Shanghai and in Manchuria. Manchuria out of range, Shanghai is 21 hexes away, close to the maximum extended range of B17D (and other HI producing cities are at the same extreme range). With just a dozen planes flying from relatively small airfield, and with abominable service ratings, I don't think this would work. Francois The D has a bit better range than the E, and is worth keeping just for that as long as possible. I don't have the map open, but does Canton work? Shanghai in a night bombing would get you a few HI destroyed. I agree you don't have enough to make a major dent, the Allied story everywhere in the first year. And as others have said I wouldn't put B-17s in China. I put them in Oz. But if they're there already and the choice is any HI destruction at all versus disabling 150 IJA troops on the march, I'd go for industry. You might get one freebie day strike on HI itself rather than Manpower, but then I'd go to nights.

FeurerKrieg -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/22/2015 7:50:20 PM)
What about oil/fuel? Are there any well/refineries that you can hit that are closer to Chungking than Shanghai? Oil and fuel are usually in short supply in the long run.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/22/2015 8:24:34 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Feurer Krieg What about oil/fuel? Are there any well/refineries that you can hit that are closer to Chungking than Shanghai? Oil and fuel are usually in short supply in the long run. Not yet... At the beginning of the war, the KMT holds all the wells and refineries, and the only infrastructure that can be targetted is resources or light industry. Once Sian falls, of course... I see the basing of B-17 in China as an opportunistic move. I have little use for them in the Philippines right now, they are efficient in clear terrain and China has a lot of this, using them will train the pilots, and might slow the japanese advance by making my opponent cautious. The risk is very limited: it is only a dozen planes, and their long range allow them to transfer as far as Karachi, Ceylon or Java. Until all the DEI falls, I can rebase them anywhere I choose. Francois

Bullwinkle58 -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/23/2015 12:39:01 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: fcharton quote: ORIGINAL: Feurer Krieg What about oil/fuel? Are there any well/refineries that you can hit that are closer to Chungking than Shanghai? Oil and fuel are usually in short supply in the long run. Not yet... At the beginning of the war, the KMT holds all the wells and refineries, and the only infrastructure that can be targetted is resources or light industry. Once Sian falls, of course... I see the basing of B-17 in China as an opportunistic move. I have little use for them in the Philippines right now, they are efficient in clear terrain and China has a lot of this, using them will train the pilots, and might slow the japanese advance by making my opponent cautious. The risk is very limited: it is only a dozen planes, and their long range allow them to transfer as far as Karachi, Ceylon or Java. Until all the DEI falls, I can rebase them anywhere I choose. Francois Canton is 14 and has 81 HI.

Kofiman -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/23/2015 5:02:51 AM)
I would be very, very wary to remind your opponent that bombing industry in China is a thing, if your opponent is not already doing so. Your opponent would only need to make up the loss in industry by shipping a few more supplies. You can't, and thus have much more to lose. I would recommend not reminding your opponent of such a weakness.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/23/2015 7:05:07 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58 Canton is 14 and has 81 HI. Only 20 in DaBabes, but Hong Kong once it falls (which is soon) is the more promising target. quote: ORIGINAL: Kofiman I would be very, very wary to remind your opponent that bombing industry in China is a thing, if your opponent is not already doing so. Your opponent would only need to make up the loss in industry by shipping a few more supplies. You can't, and thus have much more to lose. I would recommend not reminding your opponent of such a weakness. I am sure he knows enough about China to have no need to be reminded. But I am not sure strategic bombing in China is such a good idea, from a japanese point of view. Even if he doesn't capture all of China, most of the resource and supply producing bases will be his eventually, and keeping them producing is a good thing, because it allows him to feed HI industry with chinese resources, and alleviates the supply situation (which get harder and harder as the game goes on, as others have noticed, supplies, much more than HI or even oïl, is the limiting factor to Japanese expansion). Anyway thanks for the comments, I will experiment on it and report back. Francois

Bullwinkle58 -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/23/2015 11:33:57 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Kofiman I would be very, very wary to remind your opponent that bombing industry in China is a thing, if your opponent is not already doing so. Your opponent would only need to make up the loss in industry by shipping a few more supplies. You can't, and thus have much more to lose. I would recommend not reminding your opponent of such a weakness. Any opponent who needs to be reminded in this way isn't a very good player.

Bullwinkle58 -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/23/2015 11:36:53 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: fcharton quote: ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58 Canton is 14 and has 81 HI. Only 20 in DaBabes, but Hong Kong once it falls (which is soon) is the more promising target. I could have opened either, went with stock. I never noticed that reduction. HK is still pretty nice.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/26/2015 4:29:23 PM)
December 17th 1941 Q-ships again Those are unlucky raiders. Today, they found themselves an hex away from the US carriers, near the Gambiers. There were two raids. Japanese Ships AMC Hokoku Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage AMC Aikoku Maru Japanese Ships AMC Aikoku Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires AMC Hokoku Maru, Bomb hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage Hokoku Maru is most certainly dead, Aikoku might live, but she is a long way home. My opponent now knows where my carriers are. I doubt he will try to chase them, as they are a bit far away. Drive on Changsha Joseph seems to be going for an early offensive in Central China. My troops in the woods one hex from Changsha were probed today. Ground combat at 83,52 (near Changsha) Japanese Bombardment attack Attacking force 1695 troops, 140 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1476 Defending force 20707 troops, 118 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 479 Allied ground losses: 36 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Assaulting units: 6th Division 2nd Ind Engineer Regiment 39th Division 13th Division 40th Division 8th Ind Engineer Regiment 14th Medium Field Artillery Regiment 51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion 1st Mortar Battalion 11th Army 15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment 2nd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment 52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion Defending units: 20th Chinese Corps 37th Chinese Corps 58th Chinese Corps Four divisions, two engineers regiments, artillery, and more units on their way, there is no chance my guys can hold. But Changsha is nicely reinforced, supplied, and morale is going up. Greed punished For a few days, I have been sending transports to Singapore, in order to evacuate some of the Indian third corps. My opponent noticed it a sent a destroyer squadron to try and catch them. The tincans were a bit late, found the last convoy just off Singapore, but hesitated in the face of the destroyer escorts. Day Time Surface Combat, near Singapore at 50,84, Range 19,000 Yards Japanese Ships DD Fubuki DD Usugumo DD Shirayuki DD Hatsuyuki Allied Ships DD Edsall DD John D. Edwards xAP Glenorchy xAP Kota Radja xAP Bontekoe xAP Tjisaroea xAP Van Riebeek xAP Van Neck xAP Van Overstraten xAP Van Rees xAP Van Spilbergen Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 19,000 yards CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 19,000 yards Both TF attempt to withdraw! Range increases to 19,000 yards... Both Task Forces evade combat And then, the Japanese admiral changed his mind, and reacted into the fortress guns… Naval Gun Fire at Singapore - Coastal Guns Fire Back! 58 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Japanese Ships DD Hatsuyuki, Shell hits 21, Mine hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Shirayuki, Shell hits 16, Mine hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Usugumo, Shell hits 3, Mine hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Fubuki, Shell hits 3, Mine hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage Singapore Fortress firing at DD Hatsuyuki Singapore Fortress firing at DD Shirayuki Singapore Fortress firing at DD Usugumo Singapore Fortress firing at DD Fubuki DD Fubuki firing at Singapore Fortress

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/26/2015 5:48:10 PM)
Yesterday’s unfortunate events around Singapore left my opponent more than a bit unhappy about the game, I am certain today will help… December 18th 1941 KB found After the landings in Kavieng, the cruiser squadron escorting the transports ordered to evacuate Rabaul, were ordered to try to catch Japanese ships on their way back. They were joined by a second task force, just arriving from the South Pacific. They found KB instead… Morning Air attack on TF, near Rabaul at 106,125 Weather in hex: Severe storms Raid detected at 67 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 25 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 42 B5N2 Kate x 95 D3A1 Val x 66 Japanese aircraft losses B5N2 Kate: 2 damaged D3A1 Val: 6 damaged D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak Allied Ships CL Adelaide CA Louisville, Bomb hits 14, heavy fires DD Voyager, Bomb hits 2, on fire CA Pensacola, Bomb hits 11, heavy fires xAP Raranga, Bomb hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage DD Le Triomphant CL Perth Louisville, Pensacola and xAP Raranga were sunk. The rest will try to escape. Fortunately, the Allied flagship, DD Le Triomphant, escaped unscathed. At least, I know my carriers are nowhere near… Evacuating After yesterday’s debacle, the sea south of Singapore was most certainly empty of enemy forces, so I rushed a Gurkha brigade to Palembang. I do not intend to reinforce south Sumatra, but my opponent is welcome to believe the contrary. I use Palembang because it is the closest port, and one Japan will hesitate to attack. Troops will move to Oosthaven, and ship to India.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (11/28/2015 12:53:14 PM)
We are playing fast, just exchanged the December 23rd turn, so here is another catch-up post. December 19th 1941 Not much to report today In the Coral sea, the Camberra was sunk by KB, the others ships will live, and this unfortunate attempt against Kavieng will have cost me three cruisers. Rabaul is invaded, it is also almost empty. December 20th 1941 Miri, Manus and Samarinda are invaded, Rabaul falls. The Miri base forces were evacuated by air (since I have few air support units in DaBabes, I am trying to save the RN base forces), Samarinda was empty save an air support squadron. In China, Chengchow was captured. Bot Chengchow and Loyang were left with token garrisons. I am evacuating Nanyang now. Hong Kong held against yet another deliberate attack. A second division reinforced the initial force, so it is now a matter of days, but holding after the 20th of December is a personal record of sorts. December 21st 1941 Malaya or bust Joseph is progressing towards Singapore, his spearheads are now between Taiping and Temuloh. I am trying to resist, and most of my units are either in Singapore, or on a line from Mersing to Kluong. At the current rate of advance, I expect the siege of Singapore to begin in the first week of January. By then, most of the third Indian corps will have been evacuated, and I will have about 500 AV in Singapore, behind level three forts I believe (level four would probably take another month). This suggests Singapore could be in Japanese hands by the middle of January. At present, and apart from China, Malaysia is the only active theater. The units that landed on Luzon seem to be staying in their bases, Mindanao has not been invaded, neither has Singkawang. It seems that my opponent is working on theater at a time. Why do so? This is by no means a necessity. From his previous games, I know Joseph is a cautious player, but this is pushing prudence a bit far. Besides, from his comments on the early turns, I have come to suspect that an early capture of Singapore is an important part of his overall plan. So, why would you need to capture Singapore early? I believe an early push on India is very likely. If this is his plan, it will be interesting, as I have been reinforcing both Burma and Assam. The road to Changsha The three corps holding the woods east of Changsha were defeated today. 500 KMT AV are no match for 1200 Japanese. The enemy is now proceeding on Changsha. Ground combat at 83,52 (near Changsha) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 40375 troops, 448 guns, 44 vehicles, Assault Value = 1145 Defending force 20737 troops, 118 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 485 Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 Japanese ground losses: 963 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 45 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled Engineers: 1 destroyed, 13 disabled Allied ground losses: 3633 casualties reported Squads: 286 destroyed, 20 disabled Non Combat: 167 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 13 destroyed, 5 disabled Guns lost 16 (14 destroyed, 2 disabled) Units retreated 3 In the North, there seems to be little willingness to attack my troops on a Yenan-Tsiaotso like, and it seems that some of the northern bases (Kaoping, Paotow), have been abandoned. A small stack is trying to move overland to Sian, inviting cut off, but by and large, most of his troops are moving south, toward Changsha, or Nanyang, which will be abandoned tomorrow.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/8/2015 10:02:54 PM)
I have not been updating this AAR, for lack of time, but we have been playing fast, about six turns per week, and just exchanged the 31st of December. Overall, this looks like a fairly slow beginning, and losses are low on both sides. Here is a theater by theater round-up. December 31st 1941 China The Japanese seem to be hesitating. They have been clearing the central plains, capturing Chengchow and Nanyang, but not Loyang. I have a few large units stranded there, and managed to surprise a tank regiment on the 27th. After capturing Nanyang, which I had evacuated, my opponent spotted a KMT stack on the road south of the city, and dispatched a tank regiment. A first attack revealed the enemy was larger than expected. Ground combat at 86,46 (near Nanyang) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 348 troops, 0 guns, 70 vehicles, Assault Value = 39 Defending force 16836 troops, 81 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 540 Japanese adjusted assault: 11 Allied adjusted defense: 142 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 12 Japanese ground losses: Vehicles lost 18 (1 destroyed, 17 disabled) Allied ground losses: 8 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Assaulting units: 12th Tank Regiment Defending units: 48th Chinese Corps 85th Chinese Corps And on the same day, the two Chinese corps attacked… Ground combat at 86,46 (near Nanyang) Allied Deliberate attack Attacking force 16829 troops, 81 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 539 Defending force 330 troops, 0 guns, 69 vehicles, Assault Value = 24 Allied adjusted assault: 255 Japanese adjusted defense: 1 Allied assault odds: 255 to 1 Japanese ground losses: Vehicles lost 36 (36 destroyed, 0 disabled) Units destroyed 1 In the north, the columns marching on Yenan and Sian doubled back, and my troops are happily resting in the mountains, slowly recovering morale and experience. The Eighth Route Army is in very good shape, morale in the 90s, and a few other units are improving. Most of the troops beginning the war in the north of the central plains were sent to Tsiaotso, which has over 1200 AV, behind level three forts. The neighboring base, Kaoping was abandoned and captured. Both roads leading to Sian are now garrisoned, I am trying to stack the hexes so that a retreat from the front does not overstack the hex behind. So basically, I have an hex at 100% stacking limit up front, and hexes garrisoned at 50% just behind. I don’t know if this might work, but it is worth trying. So far, there seems to be no attempt to march on Sian, or Yenan, or Ankang. In Central China, Changsha now sports 2800 AV, behind level four forts, soon to be five. The wood hex east of Changsha has a 420 AV corps garrisoning it. Joseph has been moving troops here, I have good leaders, and decent field fortifications. A week ago, Changsha was invested by 16 units, which then retired. They seem to be marching on Pingsiang, where I have 650 AV behind level one forts. They will have to overstack to attack, which might complicate their situation. On the coast, Wenchow fell about ten days ago. Most of my units had been evacuated. There is some maneuvering around Chuhsien. The south is very calm. Chungking is now a level five airfield, and my B-17 are bombing whatever they can find in the open. I am not sure it does a lot of damage, but judging from my opponent’s reactions by email, it seems to have a decent psychological effect. I have been using the Chinese bombers as well, hoping to train a few pilots. Overall, China is doing well. I have 136 000 tons of supplies, moving up, most of my units are still supplied, and I can even afford the luxury of nursing a few replacements in Chungking and Changsha. Burma, Port Blair and India There were, so far, no attempts at invading Burma by land. I suspect my opponent is planning and invasion by sea, after Singapore falls. I now have about 1000 AV in Burma, 600 in Moulmein, the rest in Rangoon. They are not excellent troops, but they probably can fend off a division-sized attack. In India, I have been reinforcing Calcutta and the area around it. Apart from Karachi and Bombay, which are garrisoned, I am trying to concentrate my troops in Assam, which I believe a possible invasion would target. Three brigades, evacuated from Malaysia, are on their way to Calcutta. Port Blair now has 125 AV, behind level two forts. It will not resist a large invasion force, but it will force Joseph to work for it. Malaysia This is the area where the Japanese advance was fastest. The enemy is now in Kluong, and most of troops (about 400 AV) are bottled up in Singapore. The two Australian brigades, retreating from Mersing were cut off in Kluong two days ago, when enemy paratroopers captured Johore (a bright move). I attacked today, and took the base back, but failed to dislodge the enemy. If I can save my Australians, I will have over 500 AV in Singapore, behind level three forts. Joseph should cross the causeway in about a week (the time to move to Johore), and I believe Singapore will fall by mid January. This is fast, but not extremely fast. I evacuated about half the Third Indian Corps, to Palembang, and then to Oosthaven, where it is now shipping to Calcutta. Palembang is not reinforced, but I hope my opponent doesn’t realize it too soon, and takes his time. In Borneo, Singkawang was invaded by land, and fell only today. I am happy with this rate of advance. Philippines Nothing happened. The enemy seems to be bottled up in Vigan and Appari, and not trying to march south. I am fine with this, and it gives time for my units to rest, train and recover. Jolo was invaded a few days ago, together with the base at the south-eastern tip of Mindanao. I managed to evacuate a good part of the Asiatic fleet eastwards, to Midway. Dutch Indies After Manado, Sorong and Ternate, Ambon and Samarinda were invaded. Samarinda fell quickly (it was almost empty), but the infantry regiment crossing the river to Balikpapan suffered, and the was bombarded from the sea, and Balikpapan is still ours. Ambon was invaded by a brigade a week ago, and several deliberate attacks failed to capture it. The forts have been reduced yesterday, and my garrison, from 120 AV at first, is now down at 50, all fatigued and disrupted. It will probably fall soon, but I am pretty sure the Balikpapan and the Ambon experience will make Joseph careful for his next move, be it Kendari, Koepang or Horn Island. Darwin is being reinforced. I am ready to lose it, but I want to fight there. New Guinea and South Pacific All my troops in New Guinea are now in Port Moresby, which has 190 AV behind level 2 forts. If he comes there with a regiment or a brigade, in Balikpapan or Ambon style, it should fail. Judging from his moves so far, I suspect Joseph will rather land in Buna, and invade overland. I am more than welcoming this as it will slow everything down. In the South Pacific, for the last 10 days, KB has been marshalling a very large force, which looks like an invasion. It was north of Koumac a week ago, and I thought it would go for New Guinea, but then it sailed west, towards Brisbane, and again south off Sydney. There were no landings, no KB raids against my ports, a few submarines trying to catch fleeing merchants (but I keep them in ports). I have grounded carrier squadrons from the Lexington and Enterprise, to protect Sydney and Melbourne, and try to catch some lone task force that might stray close to the shore. Other fighter squadrons are on their way, but I am not trying to attack, and I am more than a bit perplexed by what Joseph is trying to do. His ships are south of Brisbane, which means any invasion would trigger emergency reinforcements. New Zealand seems a bit far (and I don’t see the point of it), and if New Caledonia or Fiji were the targets, why sail so close to Australia? The only sensible destination I see is Tasmania, from where he can probably bomb my Australian industry, but this looks like a very risky move, as it is far away, and I get quite a few troops in the emergency reinforcement package. I am pretty sure these questions will be answered soon, but this expedition is strange. One interesting side effect is that I know where the KB is now, and will remain for a while. The war so far My opponent seems very methodical, proceeding one theater at a time. Most of December was devoted to Malaysia. A second phase seems to be in the process, with this “deep South” invasion. China and Luzon both seem on backburners, as is Burma. I am trying to avoid reacting too soon. I am sending my Brits to India and Americans to the Pacific. I have a few troops on their way to Cape Town, but this is pretty much all. I am trying to set up roadblocks everywhere, but I am not committing to specific strategy before I understand what Joseph is up to. Losses were low, so far. I have lost 300 planes, for 200 Japanese, LCU VP are 45:857, nothing really huge, and ship losses are minimal (on both sides). On the Japanese side, two cruisers and a handful of destroyers are reported sunk. I have lost four cruisers, a battleship (probably two in fact, as Repulse is stuck, in damaged state, in Singapore), and three destroyers. VP ratio is 2.75:1, in my favor.

Kofiman -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/9/2015 1:53:31 AM)
Any evil thoughts brewing about the situation in the PI?

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/10/2015 5:01:32 PM)
January first and second 1942 – And the winner is ! Australia it was, not your small and half-hearted attempt at Darwin, Perth or Townsville. No, I had the grand gamut, the whipping whoopee, the big banzai. Five divisions, off Sidney, heedless of emergency reinforcements, happy New Year, forces of Good! But let me recap… The north ships For more than a week, Kido Butai, marshalling a large number of task forces, had been cruising south, off the Australian coast. I had first thought of an invasion of New Caledonia, then Eastern Australia, but the Empire sailed past, and ended up about eight hexes off Sydney, near Lord Howe Island. No Australian ports were attacked or raided. My ships stayed in the harbor, except a small surface force, CA Australia and CL Perth, which had been sailing north, along the coast, undetected. For a few days, it seemed that a number of ships were falling behind the rest of the armada, and on the 31st they were off Rockhampton, out of range of KB. My cruisers were sent to investigate, and found the enemy, and it was ours (it always is). Night Time Surface Combat, near Rockhampton at 100,152, Range 6,000 Yards Japanese Ships PB Fukui Maru, Shell hits 5, heavy fires PB Hakkaisan Maru, Shell hits 1 PB Shoei Maru, Shell hits 1 PB Shotoku Maru, Shell hits 17, and is sunk xAK Matsue Maru, Shell hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage xAK Venice Maru xAK Cheribon Maru xAK Daifuku Maru xAK Daihachikyo Maru xAK Daijukyo Maru, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk xAK Kuraido Maru xAK Macassar Maru, Shell hits 1 xAK Nittai Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire xAK Shinsei Maru Allied Ships CA Australia CL Perth Japanese ground losses: 919 casualties reported Squads: 15 destroyed, 9 disabled Non Combat: 43 destroyed, 22 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled I had dispatched several squadrons from the US carriers, and had Dauntlesses and Vindicators in Rockhampton, which should have done a massacre, had they flown. But I am pleased with this already. Later that day, another part of the northern armada landed in Rockhampton. Pre-Invasion action off Rockhampton (95,152) 15 Coastal gun shots fired in defense. Japanese Ships xAK Kamogawa Maru, Shell hits 1 E Uji E Hashidate xAK Asakaze Maru, Shell hits 1 xAK Yamagiri Maru Japanese ground losses: 16 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Allied ground losses: 92 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled The next day, my cruisers, though low on ammunition, gallantly made a second pass at the enemy forces. Night Time Surface Combat, near Mackay at 102,148, Range 11,000 Yards Japanese Ships PB Shoei Maru, Shell hits 8, and is sunk xAK Venice Maru, Shell hits 3, on fire xAK Cheribon Maru xAK Daifuku Maru xAK Daihachikyo Maru, Shell hits 4 xAK Kuraido Maru, Shell hits 7, heavy fires, heavy damage xAK Macassar Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire xAK Shinsei Maru, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage Allied Ships CA Australia CL Perth Japanese ground losses: 333 casualties reported Squads: 2 destroyed, 13 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Guns lost 10 (2 destroyed, 8 disabled) And my dive bombers, relocated to Charters Towers, flew… Morning Air attack on TF, near Rockhampton at 95,152 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 15 minutes Allied aircraft SBD-3 Dauntless x 12 Allied aircraft losses SBD-3 Dauntless: 4 damaged Japanese Ships xAK Kamogawa Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires xAK Yamazato Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires xAK Tatuwa Maru, heavy fires xAK Asakaze Maru, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage Morning Air attack on TF, near Rockhampton at 95,152 Weather in hex: Partial cloud Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 17 minutes Allied aircraft SB2U-3 Vindicator x 13 No Allied losses Japanese Ships xAK Kamogawa Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage xAK Yamazato Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires xAK Tatuwa Maru, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage xAK Asakaze Maru, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage I only have a small air force unit in Rockhampton, but my opponent did not attack yet. I suspect his forces are in bad shape. The big bubble On the 31st, the rest of the armada was halfway between Lord Howe and Sydney, and expanded in both direction. Lord Howe was invaded and captured (by an infantry battalion) in the first, and on the second, simultaneous invasions of Newcastle and Port Kembla went in. In Newcastle, mines and coast guns damaged several destroyers from the escort, and several transports were damaged. In Port Kempbla, the coast guns did less damage, but still. KB did not attack, and Sydney was left untouched, which is too bad since I had carrier fighters on patrol there… At the end of the day, KB is two hexes off Sydney, large task forces are unloading, and Allied bombardment revealed 1100 AV in Port Kembla, and as much in Newcastle. The unit mix is enlightening : Port Kembla Defending units: 16th Recon Regiment 9th Infantry Rgt /1 1st Raiding Regiment 16th Infantry Regiment 7th Tank Regiment 4th Tank Regiment 2nd Tank Regiment 20th Infantry Rgt /1 24th Infantry Regiment 16th Engineer Regiment 21st Div /3 16th Army /1 23rd Air Flotilla 11th Air Fleet 8th JAAF AF Bn 1st Base Force 47th Field AA Battalion 48th Field AA Battalion 16th AA Rgt /3 Newcastle Defending units: 56th Recon Regiment 4th Division 33rd Div /3 148th Infantry Rgt /1 56th Engineer Regiment 113th Infantry Rgt /1 56th Field Artillery Regiment So, yeah, three divisions (4th, 21st, and 33rd), seven infantry regiments (9th, 16th, 20th, 24th, 113th, 148th, 1st raiding), five armored regiments, two air HQ. I don’t know the mix in Rockhampton, but there must be at least a regiment, maybe a brigade, which means we have the equivalent of six divisions getting ready to waltz Matilda in unintended ways. Of course, landing without air cover, or into coast guns, has a price, and enemy LCU VP went up by 33 points, which translate into 200 devices lost. That is almost a regiment worth of bad boys. But this is no raid, and one can’t help but feel impressed by such a bold move. Conséquences Landing six divisions in southern Australia for New Year 1942 sure means harm, and many consequences, most of them unpleasant. I understand I have to do something about supplies, because they all flow to Sydney for some reason, and if Joseph captures the city (which might take a while)or just bottles it up (which might happen sooner), and the rest of the land down under will starve. Anyone knows how to handle this? Should I just max Melbourne? Or draw from all neighboring bases? I also understand that southern Australia means a lot of victory points if some bases are captured. Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Portland are worth over 2000 VP each, for a grand total close to 10 000. You don’t get auto-victory out of this, but it sure helps. More VP can be gleaned by bombing the industry. It is difficult to know how much exactly, as this takes some time, but the presence of two air HQ in the landing unit mix suggests this is on the table. And talking about the industry, there is a strong likeliness that the four aircraft factories in Melbourne, and the one in Sydney, will stop producing soon. This means ten less Wirraways a month, I think I can live without. There are a few nice consequences, though. First, I do get a pretty nice reinforcement package. Today, arrived in Cape Town, all at full strength, a British infantry division, an infantry brigade and an airborne brigade which looks great, although I wonder where I will find enough transports, an armored brigade sporting 100 Valentines III and 50 Stuarts VI and a regiment with Marmons Herrington (this is war, and war is hell). I also get a nice AA brigade in Aden, with 72 3.7” guns, that looks like a cool defense outfit. Together, they represent about 900 AV, almost half of what my opponent landed, most of them equipped with modern devices. The best part of the package is a mobilization convoy, which will reach the pools in three days. Included are a squadron worth of Spitfire Vc, and over a hundred assorted planes, about 200 australian infantry squads, a regiment worth of British infantry, a hundred replacement tanks (Matildas and Stuarts I). This will definitely help. The second nice consequence is that the five to six divisions that just landed in Australia represent about half of my opponent’s unrestricted units. Japan begins the war with ten division equivalents (five proper divisions, and five more in assorted regiments and brigades). One more might have been bought over the last month, but if I add the five that just landed in Autralia, a regiment in Balikpapan, a brigade in Ambon, whatever is left on Luzon, and the troops marching on Singapore, I now understand why there was no advance on Luzon, no landings in Palembang, no march on Rangoon, not even an attack on Guam. This also provides useful hints on the way the beginning of 1942 should unfold. The Australian beachhead must be held, which means most of those troops are here to stay. Yet, the DEI needs to be conquered, as is Burma, and the Philippines. This opens a number of opportunities. So, there. Enemy intents are much clearer, I have an unusual situation to cope with, nothing desperate, or even critical, but I have some thinking to do. I am taking the evening to think about all this, and will probably post a few ideas later, and the war will be back on, tomorrow or the day after. Here is a picture of new year 1942 in Sydney… [image]local://upfiles/36309/19C9104DDBA94C9FB6B20598BB33344B.jpg[/image]

Rio Bravo -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/10/2015 6:07:55 PM)
I can't say much as I have been and continue to also read your adversaries AAR. However, I can say that this is interesting and damn fun to read! Thank you for the time and effort you put into updating the latest events. Best Regards, -Terry

Yaab -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/10/2015 7:43:17 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: fcharton I understand I have to do something about supplies, because they all flow to Sydney for some reason, and if Joseph captures the city (which might take a while)or just bottles it up (which might happen sooner), and the rest of the land down under will starve. Anyone knows how to handle this? Should I just max Melbourne? Or draw from all neighboring bases? Supply tends to pile up at the most developed bases. Since inland bases have no ports, thus every time the base is a coastal port (Bombay, Colombo, SF, Tokyo, Shanghai etc). The more developed the base the more supply it attracts - the 10 port/10 airfield bases are the best magnets for supply. You could build up Melbourne, but you can also try to move some supply from Sydney to other bases by manipulating their sup required levels. Also, Sydney produces a lot of supply, but all its resources come from outlaying bases.If I were the Japs I would also land at Sale to speed up the death of your Light Industry. t

HansBolter -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/10/2015 9:51:44 PM)
Move your command HQs out of the bases on the coast and move them inland and they will increase the draw at the locations they occupy.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/13/2015 11:05:38 AM)
January 2nd 1942 Mister Lemon down under Nothing surprising happened today, for a change. In Rockhampton, CA Canberra and CL Perth apparently found a couple of shells left on board, and gave the unloading cargoes a few parting shots. Night Time Surface Combat, near Rockhampton at 95,152, Range 11,000 Yards Japanese Ships E Hashidate, Shell hits 4, heavy fires xAK Seia Maru, Shell hits 42, and is sunk xAK Yamakaze Maru, Shell hits 5, heavy fires Allied Ships CA Australia CL Perth Rockhampton fell later to a shock attack, the small units I had rushed there did not have the time to unpack. But the northern Japanese beachhead is in jeopardy. Rockhampton has a base force, and two air force units, for a grand total of 38 AV. I doubt they have a lot of supplies, after many of they transports were sunk. Around Sydney, I tried to sortie a few surface ships I had in port. PT boats, one light cruiser and a destroyer, a Q-ship. It didn’t work, and all were sunk before they could harm the enemy. KB sortied against Sydney swept eight fighters (and probably lost a few zeroes in return), and we shot nine Kates and two Vals down. I am standing the fighters down tomorrow (and might lose a couple of ships if Joseph decides to attack the port), but I will be back. Both Newcastle and Port Kembla fell to deliberate attacks. There were about 1100 AV in each of the enemy stacks, and Japanese losses were very light. The enemy is marching on Sydney. I have 445 AV there, behind level two forts, in good defensive terrain. I changed their leaders, they are supplied, and not disrupted, and several more units are on their way. I believe I can have about 700 AV, and perhaps level three forts, by the time Joseph is ready to attack. I think he will have about 2000 AV, as he needs to garrison, and probably cut railways, and take neighboring bases. I believe Sydney will eventually fall, but I hope I can damage his forces in the process. My Australians, about 1800 AV overall, are moving in three different directions. In the north-east, two pincers are being set, which will retake Rockhampton in earnest. In the South, a few crossroads are being garrisoned, but most of my troops are moving either to Melbourne or Sydney. I need to know whether landings further south happen, notably in Tasmania, before I plan my defense. Over Rangoon Since the war began, I have been preparing, and waiting, and waiting more, for the air battle over Rangoon. I had two squadrons of the AVG, at full strength, with decent support. The first enemy sweeps arrived today, and I believe we won that first engagement. Morning Air attack on Rangoon , at 54,53 Weather in hex: Heavy rain Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 5 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 23 Allied aircraft H81-A3 x 52 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 7 destroyed Allied aircraft losses H81-A3: 3 destroyed Morning Air attack on Rangoon , at 54,53 Weather in hex: Heavy rain Raid spotted at 22 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 7 minutes Japanese aircraft Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 35 Allied aircraft H81-A3 x 37 Japanese aircraft losses Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 8 destroyed Allied aircraft losses H81-A3: 2 destroyed At the end of the day, reported losses are 20 Zeros and 11 Oscars, for 8 H81-A3. Some of the Zeroes might be KB planes downed over Sydney, but I believe I can count this as my first victorious air battle. This, of course, is only the first one of a long series of sweeps, but reinforcements are on the way: a squadron of Hurricanes is in Chittagong, I might buy one of the Warhawk groups from the Philippines, too. Another day in Ambon You might remember Ambon has been invaded (by the 65th Brigade) a couple weeks ago, but as it had been reinforced (by KNIL forces flewn in from Manado, and the Gull Force), Japan did not manage to take it at once. Today, my Dutch cruisers bombarded Ambon. There is some risk doing so, since mini-KB is lurking in the Celebes. But then, mini-KB is, well, mini… Anyway, both bombardment runs went fine, few casualties were reported, but I suspect their value is more in the disruption they cause. And in fact, later that day, the 65th attacked once again. Ground combat at Ambon (76,109) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 7199 troops, 33 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 186 Defending force 4103 troops, 56 guns, 20 vehicles, Assault Value = 69 Japanese adjusted assault: 118 Allied adjusted defense: 169 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), experience(-) Attacker: leaders(+) Japanese ground losses: 339 casualties reported Squads: 1 destroyed, 24 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Allied ground losses: 82 casualties reported Squads: 3 destroyed, 5 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled The forts were not reduced, odds were below 1:1, which means disruption, and 25 disabled squads is a good result. Between Ambon and Balikpapan, more than a division is tied up. Elsewhere on the map The Japanese are in Johore. I forgot to order my Australians to march on Singapore yesterday. Corrected it today, but it is likely Japan will attack before they are gone, and I will lose some of their strength on the way. But I will have a little more than 500 AV, behind level three forts, when he crosses the Causeway. Most of the ships in port have been evacuated, new commanders have been given, let us see how many IJA squads we take down. In China, the two KMT corps stranded south of Nanyang were defeated today. I am unhappy about it, because one of them was 375 AV strong, but there is no way to evacuate those, and clear terrain is just untenable. I am losing a lot of troops in China. Since the war began, I lost about 1000 infantry squads (out of about 31 000), but so far, the Japanese advance was limited to the central plains, and the coast and hinterland around Wenchow. Supply situation is good, China has about 140 000 tons of supplies, and the total has been stable since the beginning of the war. Que faire? Since the beginning of the game, I have mostly been reacting, and tried not to commit to a specific strategy until I had a clearer picture of what my opponent was up to. As the initial Japanese advance was slow, and mostly focused on Malaysia, such a picture was difficult to draw. The landings in Australia clarify everything. I see three consequences. First, I don’t think this can be a deception operation, or a small part of a larger picture. Commiting five divisions so far south, so early in the game, while de DEI, Burma and the Philippines are still under Allied control, severely limit Japanese capabilities in other theaters. I doubt a large scale move on India, or the Pacific is possible now (even though I will guard against small operations). Second, it opens a number of defensive possibilities. Many invasions will now have to either be delayed, or conducted with limited forces. This means reinforcing Java, or Burma, or the Central Pacific, become serious options. Third, an early invasion of Australia speeds the game up. The Allies cannot let Japan just have Australia, there are too many victory points there, and the strategic situation becomes impossible if Japan is let to extend so far south in the Pacific. Also, these five divisions represent a large part of the Japanese forces in the Pacific, fighting, and possibly defeating them, will complicate the defense of the Japanese perimeter. On the other hand, letting them take land, and get experience out of it will both slow my buildup, and create stronger opponents for the late war. Defending Australia can probably be achieved with the troops I have now. There are about 1800 AV in Southern Australia, if I can regroup them, make use of defensive terrain and of the superiority in armor I will get once the mobilization replacements arrive (ie in a few weeks), and transport a few decent fighter and bomber squadrons, I don’t think the 2 200 AV Joseph brought in can conquer the continent. Now, the mobilization package increases my forces by 50%. With those, I think I have enough to defeat Japan in Australia. This means the other troops I have, the Commonwealth units, the Indians I evacuated from Singapore, and the US, can be sent elsewhere, either to consolidate my defense, or even to counterattack if Japan moves too slowly in some theaters. So, in an ideal world, Australia would fend for itself, with the help of the invasion reinforcements, the Brits would defend India, and maybe counterattack in Burma, and the US would launch an earlier offensive in the Pacific. But then, depending on what Joseph does once Singapore falls, if Java is left unattacked for long, reinforcing it seems very tempting, just like getting back early on Guadalcanal early might create interesting problems when Japan decides to either support, or evacuate his Australian conquests. In practice, I will swap some of the reinforcement package troop for British brigades I just evacuated from Singapore. Reinforcing India, their original destination, seems less urgent right now. But the general plan remains : I want to reinforce Australia from Cape Town, build up Assam, and prepare for a forward defense in Burma, and move US troops to the South Pacific, over a an area ranging from Tahiti to Noumea and Tarawa. But right now, in Australia, the first order of business is to eliminate the Rockhampton beachhead, consolidate Sydney while the railroad is still open, and build up Melbourne. I am waiting to see whether he invades Tasmania (I think he should). If he doesn’t, it will be built as an air base. In the South Pacific, I am consolidating Pago Pago, Fiji, and Noumea (I am ready to let him have New Caledonia, but he will need more than a few SNLF for that). By doing this, I want to draw the war as far south in the Pacific as Japan will accept. This means longer lines, more fuel, more dependence on the IJN. In the long run, it must be a good thing. Meanwhile, I am going on with the preparation in Assam and Burma. I have about 1000 AV in Burma right now, and am seriously considering reinforcing Rangoon again. The idea is to force him to react eastwards, lest I can go on supplying China in mid-1942, and use the troops that will soon be available in Singapore for that. If this can be done, he will have a large force in southern Australia, another large one in Burma, and he might prove very thin in the middle

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/17/2015 5:22:17 AM)
A small word of advice. Both my opponent and I keep an AAR, both are up to date, and we try to be clear about what we do (I don’t think either of us plays the “mind game”). I can’t help but notice a lot of readers of this AAR comment on Joseph’s. If you read both please exercise caution when commenting on any. I have no doubt about the honesty of the regulars on this forum, but loose lips sink games just as easily as ships… January 3rd 1942 Raiders of the coast Around Sydney, Japanese cruisers and submarines are trying to catch the merchant ships fleeing from Port Kembla and Newcastle. Two xAK and one xAKL were sunk today, but a lot more are stuck in Sydney, and will be lost sooner or later. I am not sure this is the best use of the Japanese navy, since I really have a lot of cargoes, but it is consistent with the early war use of his cruisers in the Philippines (which, by the way, have been evacuated now). I sent most of the remaining ships west, to Midway, via the Bonins. KB raided Sydney airfield today. My carrier fighters and bombers had moved away, so little damage was done, but this will slow the fort building. Sydney is reinforcing nicely, and will probably end between 600 and 700 AV. The Australian Command HQ is now in Melbourne, and part of the extra supplies are now flowing there. KB is staying very close to the coast. This is a bit careless, and I suppose I could try to raid it, but I am concerned by the lack of pilots and bombers in my pools, and would rather use the very few squadrons I have for easier raids, once KB retires, which should be soon. Besides, encouraging carelessness in one’s opponent is always a good investment. The presence of KB close to Sydney suggests there might be no invasion further south, especially in Tasmania. I am still waiting for confirmation, but I am moving troops to be able to garrison it, and build it into some large air base. Lost opportunity This morning, my British cruisers (Exeter and friends) were sailing towards Ambon, for a second round of bombardment, when they were found by mini-KB. Enemy bombers were not very successful. I suspect my opponent only has one light carrier, which is not enough to make a difference against a surface force with decent flak (and the brits have decent flak, and excellent experience). Nells from Manado also attacked my retiring Dutch cruisers, without any success either. My opponent was a bit mad about it, but I am not really surprised. This is a reason why I am conserving my dive bombers now. Replacements When playing Japan, I never really looked at the device pool. I am doing it with the allies, especially for the Australian armored units. Many of them begin the game with “improvised tanks”, which are little more than glorified militia. As far as ratings go, they typically have 5 in armor and anti-armor, and 15 in anti-soft, which put then on par with Kiwi militia, or Chinese infantry. But most of them can upgrade to slightly better AFV, like MH Tanks (armor 12, antiarmor 9 antisoft 17), which then can become Stuarts I (25/42/17). The mobilization convoy will hit the pools tomorrow, I intend to see how I can draw some of the vehicles I get there. There are Matilda II, in particular, that I would love to use, even though I don’t quite see which unit they can reinforce. The mobilization convoy also has planes. I will have 50 Mitchell II, 50 Vengeance I, and as many Spitfires. Australian squadrons operating around Singapore are on their way back home. Other fighter squadrons, notably those from Luzon, are moving in too. Unless everything happens much faster than I think, I should soon have a nice defense force down under.

Yaab -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/17/2015 5:47:17 AM)
That is what I do not like about the WITP:AE. A convoy arrives in Cape Town, its devices are dumped into the pool, and once in the pool the devices are readily available for deployment in Australia. You should actually load the supply (tanks) in Cape Town on xAKs, sail to Perth, unload the ships, move the supply by rail to Sydney, and then upgrade a unit in Sydney. I guess there would be a monthly delay between arrival of the convoy and deployment of the tanks in eastern Australia.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/17/2015 6:30:22 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Yaab That is what I do not like about the WITP:AE. A convoy arrives in Cape Town, its devices are dumped into the pool, and once in the pool the devices are readily available for deployment in Australia. I agree, but I suspect changing this would mean turning the replacement pools into units, and having to move them around. That would represent a huge additional load for the player. It would slow the game, though... One thing I find amusing is that upgrades and replacements work at once, can apparently happen anywhere and in any mode, and function at once. Another Recce unit has been moving towards Darwin for about a month. It is in the north, in the middle of nowhere, but still gets new vehicles every other day... Francois

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/17/2015 6:33:28 AM)
The game has slowed a bit, as my opponent needs more time to process his turn. This is understandable, and helps me to maintain this AAR. January 4th, 1942 Wild day over Ambon As mentioned yesterday, I am retiring fighter squadrons from the Philippines. One of them was sent to China, where I hope it can intercept some hapless bombers, two are going to Australia, and one was in Ambon today on its way back. This is the day my opponent chose to send his Nells, they were escorted, but the US squadron had good pilots, and low fatigue, and it wasn’t nice. Morning Air attack on Amboina Defenses , at 76,109 (Ambon) Weather in hex: Light cloud Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 15 minutes Japanese aircraft A6M2 Zero x 8 G3M2 Nell x 23 Allied aircraft P-40E Warhawk x 17 Japanese aircraft losses A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed G3M2 Nell: 8 destroyed, 2 damaged Allied aircraft losses P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed Aircraft Attacking: 12 x G3M2 Nell bombing from 10000 feet Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb CAP engaged: 24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (1 airborne, 4 on standby, 12 scrambling) 1 plane(s) intercepting now. Group patrol altitude is 16000 Time for all group planes to reach interception is 49 minutes 8 planes vectored on to bombers Tracker reports 11 Nells and 6 Zeroes for two Warhawks, and air losses are slowly getting even (308 Japanese for 377 Allies today, it was 213/308 a week ago). This is a lucky shot that will have little effect on the Japanese advance in the Celebes, but I am pretty sure it helps my opponent believe he has a problem in Ambon (and perhaps in Balikpapan too), and that he needs to do something about it. I will try to send the cruisers again soon… Fun in Malaysia Of the two British Air HQ that begin in Singapore, one was air transported in Palembang, the other one is in Medan. My opponent bombed the base a few weeks ago, and I did my best to keep it looking abandoned, but Medan is in Swordfish and Vildebeest range to Kota Bharu. So, today, I moved two Swordfish squadrons there, one of them flew, and found a cargo. Morning Air attack on TF, near Kota Bharu at 51,75 Weather in hex: Heavy rain Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet. Estimated time to target is 10 minutes Allied aircraft Buffalo I x 4 Swordfish I x 7 No Allied losses Japanese Ships xAK Hokusho Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage My squadrons are now gone, and the return strike will fine nothing. Again, I don’t think this makes a real difference, but if it can force Joseph to CAP his rear area ports, I am happy. Waltzing Matilda Sydney has a small complement of PT boats. I sent them against Newcastle today. One of them, with a very aggressive skipper, found KB instead. The screen did its job, and I achieved nothing, but it was nice to watch the replay… Day Time Surface Combat, near Sydney at 91,169, Range 6,000 Yards Japanese Ships CV Kaga CV Hiryu CV Soryu CV Shokaku CV Zuikaku CV Akagi BB Hiei BB Kirishima CA Tone CA Chikuma CL Abukuma DD Akigumo DD Kagero DD Isokaze DD Shiranui DD Urakaze DD Hamakaze DD Tanikaze DD Arare DD Kasumi Allied Ships PT-36, Shell hits 1, and is sunk PT-37, Shell hits 1 PT-39 PT-40, Shell hits 1, and is sunk Japanese paras dropped on Katoomba, which is the first railway crossing inland from Sydney. I had reinforced the base, although most of the units were still in strategic mode, and the attack failed. For what I have seen, this is the only para unit Joseph has in Australia, if I can destroy some of it, his advance will be complicated. Katoomba now sports 178 AV. I need a day or two for them to be in combat mode, but the paras stand no chance. Elsewhere in Australia, Sydney now has 550 AV, Melbourne 350 and Brisbane 200. About 150 AV are converging on Rockhampton. It should take a week. I will bombard the base (I have B17 based in Brisbane) to prevent the forts from developing, and maybe attack them from sea, too. Alas, poor cargoes Nells from Newcastle, and then a full KB raid, attacked the port in Sydney. I have about 70 ships in port, mostly cargoes and a few tankers, which I never could evacuate, as KB was around. Most of them are doomed, I might save those that will still be in shipyard once KB retires. Before that, there is very little I can do for them. While tending my damaged cargoes, I noticed something strange with the crew experience. In Sydney, a lot of my damaged cargoes have experience in the 50s, which is uncommon for merchants. Looking at it, I noticed that being attacked, and damaged, seems to have a huge effect on merchant ship experience. Today, xAKL Carroo went from 6/5 to 56/5, and xAK Mangola from 6/7 to 56/7. The same seems true for other ships, and seems to happen even when they are not damaged. In Manila, xAP President Madison was damaged on the first day of the war, and has been in the yard since. Her crew experience jumped (on the second day of the war) from 13/10 to 42/10, and the floating docks went from 15/11 to 51/11. On the other hand, ships which begin the game with ‘some’ experience (in the20s, I think) do not get the experience boost (in Manila, Ethel Edwards was damaged on day one, and remained at 20/20).

Yaab -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/17/2015 2:16:35 PM)
It is imperative that you start moving US AA units to Australia, starting December 8th, just to avoid an easy replay of Pearl Harbor in Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/19/2015 4:24:16 PM)
@Yaab: I will know it next time. For now, I am trying to save as many merchants as I can, but I will lose some. January 5th 1942 More Ambon After yesterday’s debacle, it seemed likely that enemy bombers would avoid Ambon, and so I sent cruisers to bombard. The results were not memorable, a handful of squads were disabled, but I suspect this is keeping disruption high. I have 60 AV in Ambon, level one forts slowly moving up, and a full brigade has already lost ten days, and must be a bit low on supplies, now. In Darwin, a Hudson squadron converted to Mitchell II today, I want to try them on Ambon, see what damage can be done. A similar situation is happening in Balikpapan. The infantry regiment that invaded two weeks ago is not attacking anymore, and there were ships in Samarinda recently, probably unloading more troops. I have 120 AV, forts very close to level 2. The base will fall eventually, but it will have taken some effort, and there might be some damage to the installation (I understand a longer fight for the base makes damage more likely). In Singapore, enemy build-up is going on in Johore. I believe they will cross the causeway in a few days. We are on track for a capture of the city by the middle of January. I have to say I am happy with this state of affairs. We are in the beginning of January, the Japanese advance in the East Indies has been very slow, Singapore will fall earlier than historically, but not that early, and no move has been made against Burma. Meanwhile in Australia Not much happened today. A mobile column attacked Goulburn and failed to dislodge the Australian Brigade defending it (even though it was on the leave, and in strategic mode). KB bombarded Sydney again. He is preventing the forts from building, but the damage is relatively low. There are eight enemy units in Sydney now, and it seems obvious that Japan wants to take the city, and not just bomb it from the neighboring bases. About 2200 AV landed in southern Australia, some are now rampaging in Goulburn or towards Brisbane, some are needed to garrison his bases. If he commits the rest to Sydney, I am expecting about 1800 AV to attack my 600. Is this enough? I have no idea, but I do hope some damage can be done before the city falls. Sydney only holds a third of my troops in Australia, and more are on the way. If I can hold the city for a while, and damage his forces in the process, I believe my counterattack stands a good chance. Dive bombers from Charters Towers, and B17 from Brisbane attacked Rockhampton. We destroyed a few Sallies and Zeroes on the field, but nothing flew. I suspect his supply levels are low already. I will go on bombing, and expect the land battle to take place in about ten days. I wonder how long KB will remain, and what can be done when it leaves.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/20/2015 7:42:48 AM)
January 6th 1942 KB out? Since the Japanese landed in Australia, KB has been waiting south of Port Kembla, providing support to landing ships, and troops on their way inland. Today, the Japanese armada was north of Newcastle, and sailing north east. Are the Japanese retiring to Truk? KB must escort the retiring ships. I have carrier bombers (dive and torpedo) in Brisbane, cruisers around Townsville, and pretty good naval search in the area. Joseph knows it. Without KB, his transports are at risk. If they do retire, I expect KB to raid Brisbane on the way back, and have evacuated my bombers. Several fighter squadrons are on their way, more arrive soon as reinforcements, if he delays a little, raiding Brisbane, even with KB, will not be a good idea… Not having KB around Sydney opens a lot of possibilities. I have cruisers from the US carrier escorts waiting around Perth, that could raid the enemy beachheads. Also, without KB, I very much doubt Japan can have air superiority in Australia. I have four fighter squadrons on the continent now, three more are on the way, and four more squadrons of Warhawks are due to arrive in Brisbane next week. I am beginning to have decent pilots to man all those outfits, which means I should have about 300 fighters, with trained pilots, on the continent when KB comes back. The same holds for bombers. I have six squadrons of carrier bombers, plus four of Banshees, and am using the Vengeances I had in the reinforcement package to upgrade two other squadrons. Again, when KB comes back, it will not be able to sit off the coast, like it did recently. This means that, unless he can conquer a large perimeter that will act as a buffer against air attack, evacuating his troops will be difficult. I am on an Australia First policy. Given the fact that the DEI, Philippines and Burma are still mostly mine, and that half the Japanese are in Australia, I think I have enough in Burma and India to fend off an attack, and the Dutch will have to hold with what they have. All the others are going to Australia, first the reinforcements from Cape Town and Aden, and then the US troops, which I am sending to the Samoas, and perhaps New Zealand. The two Commonwealth brigades I diverted from Singapore should land in Perth in a few days. Reinforcements from the mobilization package should begin to arrive at the end of the month. I want to try to defeat his troops on the continent early, so that that units that were fighting there can be sent north, maybe to Java if it was not conquered already. Bombing troops Australia is good bomber country, with lots of open terrain, and many airfields. I have been experimenting today with attacking the armored column that is in Goulburn. There are two tank regiments (the fourth and the second), about forty tanks each, and a recon regiment (the sixteenth), which is motorized infantry and half a dozen tankettes. Intelligence tells me he has another tank regiment (the seventh), and one more recon outfit (the 56th), but this seems to be the largest part of his mobile units. Ten B17 attacked them today, destroyed two and disabled fourteen vehicles. They are flying from Brisbane, and so operate at half load. I might relocate them to Melbourne soon. I tried using Vindicators as well, it works too. Japanese ground losses: 11 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled Vehicles lost 5 (2 destroyed, 3 disabled) Overall, that’s four vehicles destroyed, and seventeen disabled. Not all of them will be front line troops (there must be motorized support among the losses) but I believe this is the way to go. I am resting tomorrow, lest he commits some fighters on long range CAP, but I will be back. Small victories We defeated the parachute fragment that made an unsuccessful attempt against Katoomba two days ago. It belongs to the first raiding regiment, the only paras he has in Australia. Unit TOE strength is 30AV (27 parachute and three heavy weapon squads), and this group was reported at 20 AV when it first attacked, so it seems a safe guess that the first raiding is below half strength now. They better succeed the next time they drop, or the expedition down under will have to do without them. In China, we lost Kanhsien. 280 KMT AV behind forts are no match for two divisions with artillery. I am thankful for the slow advance, but worried by the very light losses Japan is suffering. Japanese ground losses: 349 casualties reported Squads: 0 destroyed, 27 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled Allied ground losses: 3734 casualties reported Squads: 105 destroyed, 26 disabled Non Combat: 112 destroyed, 0 disabled Engineers: 23 destroyed, 3 disabled Guns lost 14 (8 destroyed, 6 disabled) Units retreated 2

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/20/2015 11:27:17 AM)
January 7th 1942 Rule Australia, rule the seas CA Australia and CL Perth are slowly becoming the bane of the Imperial Navy. After wrecking the Rockhampton invasion, and coming back at the unloading cargoes more than once, they had been ordered to bombard the Shortlands, which were invaded two days ago. But they found an empty invasion task force on the way. Night Time Surface Combat, near Shortlands at 110,132, Range 7,000 Yards Japanese Ships E Uji, Shell hits 11, and is sunk xAK Sinko Maru, Shell hits 21, and is sunk xAK Tamagawa Maru, Shell hits 28, and is sunk xAK Toa Maru, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk xAK Teikoku Maru, Shell hits 28, and is sunk xAK Yamabiko Maru, Shell hits 17, and is sunk xAK Yamagiri Maru, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk Allied Ships CA Australia, Shell hits 1 CL Perth, Shell hits 1 Then they bombarded, damaging the port installations, and were found on their way back by a submarine, which missed. They are returning to Cairns to replenish. You don’t want to meet them in a dark alley, Perth night experience is 73, Australia 70. Several other task forces are prowling around the Australian coast, getting ready to take advantage of the absence of KB. Meanwhile in Sydney KB is definitely moving north. The Imperial Armada was northeast of Newcastle, today. It did not prevent it to raid Sydney, and damage a few more ships. So far, there is a lot of damage, but nothing actually sinks. My harbor firemen and the yard dogs are obviously doing their job. What is left of the Japanese paras attacked Bathurst, a railway junction north (mapwise) of Sydney. The base was empty, so it was easily captured, but I have troops a hex away. I am afraid this is the last fait d’armes of the first raiding regiment. Tomorrow, I am launching an all-out raid on Goulburn, where the Japanese armored column is resting. Brisbane is getting ready for a possible raid by KB. Call me naïve, but prospects look good in Australia. Chinese setback I complained, yesterday, about the lack of Japanese losses in China, the game gods heard me, and proved me wrong (this seems to be their favorite pastime, they’re just a bunch of no-life geeks!) The IJA, probably exhilarated by their success in Kanhsien, attacked Pingsiang today. I had level two forts, and odds, although in their favor, were close to 1:1. So things got wrong. Ground combat at Pingsiang (82,54) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 27497 troops, 327 guns, 14 vehicles, Assault Value = 821 Defending force 24034 troops, 183 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 673 Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1 Japanese adjusted assault: 430 Allied adjusted defense: 477 Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 1) Combat modifiers Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-), experience(-) Attacker: Japanese ground losses: 714 casualties reported Squads: 4 destroyed, 134 disabled Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 19 disabled Engineers: 3 destroyed, 16 disabled Guns lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled) Allied ground losses: 466 casualties reported Squads: 2 destroyed, 30 disabled Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled 1:2 odds mean disruption, 134 disabled squads look like Christmas, my opponent was obviously mad about it. Pingsiang will fall eventually, but one has to be thankful for such little blessings.

fcharton -> RE: Being good, for a change – SqzMyLemon (J) vs fcharton (A) (12/22/2015 8:10:26 AM)
My opponent lives in Alberta, I am in France, and the time difference is quite handy. He will usually go to sleep just after I wake up, I have the day to send a turn, and he will reply while I sleep. On some of the better days, we can exchange two, maybe three, turns and still have enough time to play them correctly. My turns usually arrive with a small commentary, and by the tone of it, I know what I can expect from the replay. Today, the commentary was : “Here's the turn for you and guess what? No complaining ;).” January 8th 1942 – not their finest hour In the air, and down Air battles depend a lot on anticipation. Today, I think I got pretty much everything wrong.Over Goulburn, I had expected my opponent, having capped his troops yesterday would let me bomb them today (long range tends to be expensive in term of pilot fatigue). This certainly was not the case of the Zero squadrons guarding his units. I had Warhawks ready to escort, but they were fatigued, and didn’t fly. And finally, the big bombers, my 4E, chose not to go today. The result was ugly, I lost about 35 bombers over Goulburn. A squadron of Vindicators and one of Wirraways were wiped away, and five Banshees and as many Dauntless were shot down. Almost no damage was done to the enemy troops which, reinforced by an infantry regiment, took Goulburn (smashing an Australian brigade) later that day. I had also planned that KB would be close to Brisbane, and had retired my dive bombers. But KB remained north of Newcastle, and a cargo force, returning from Sydney I believe, showed up three hexes away. I will try to catch them tomorrow and I have cruisers on patrol in the area, so not all is lost, but rats, stil! My opponent bombed Sydney, and lost a few Vals, whereas I lost a couple of stray Warhawks, and bombarded the airfield in Singapore, for little effect save half a dozen Sallies downed. Overall, I lost 45 planes to 11 enemies. Nothing catastrophic, but this had better not happen too often. Over the first month of the war, I lost 434 planes, and the enemy 344. This is more than I produce, but the reinforcements more than compensate for it. For Japan, losses are quite light. Joseph lost about 70 Zeroes and 20 Oscars, which is certainly less than what he is producing (his Zero factories start at 56, and certainly went up, Oscars begin at 32) Sydney under siege A first deliberate attack happened in Sydney, which reduced the forts one level (to level one). Ground combat at Sydney (90,167) Japanese Deliberate attack Attacking force 54913 troops, 461 guns, 134 vehicles, Assault Value = 1725 Defending force 30131 troops, 419 guns, 337 vehicles, Assault Value = 569 Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1 Japanese ground losses: 1322 casualties reported Squads: 7 destroyed, 160 disabled Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 36 disabled Engineers: 26 destroyed, 13 disabled Guns lost 10 (3 destroyed, 7 disabled) Allied ground losses: 2261 casualties reported Squads: 54 destroyed, 80 disabled Non Combat: 12 destroyed, 37 disabled Engineers: 5 destroyed, 30 disabled Guns lost 76 (5 destroyed, 71 disabled) Vehicles lost 29 (4 destroyed, 25 disabled) Units destroyed 1 26 destroyed engineer squads is a nice result, as are the 160 disabled combat squads, but prospects of holding Sydney are bleak, and the fall of the city will mean the loss of about a third of my forces in Australia and would provide Japan with a nice stack of supplies (143 000 at present, they are flowing to Melbourne, but very slowly). What then? I have a decent amount of troops North of Brisbane. Rockhampton should be recaptured in about a week, and once this is done, these troops will be available to march south, towards Sydney. I also have about 300 AV around Katoomba, in the hinterland north of Sydney. I am planning to harass his vanguard while most of his troops are tied in Sydney. The rest of my Australians are in Melbourne, about 400 AV, which will be reinforced by two British brigades now arriving in Perth, and mobilization reinforcements later on. Once Rockhampton is dealt with, I intend to concentrate troops south of Brisbane, to force him to keep troops around Sydney (which already has steep garrison requirements) and thus limit the forces he can send towards Melbourne, thus buying time to defend it. Of course, he can choose to march north, on Brisbane, and then all the way to Cairns, perhaps landing more troops on the coast. But I think I would welcome this, as it would allow me to concentrate enough troops in Melbourne to hold and prepare a northern expedition.

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