RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (Full Version)

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Andy Mac -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (10/28/2016 4:13:01 PM)

muhahahaha <evil laugh>



BBfanboy -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (10/28/2016 9:25:46 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

muhahahaha <evil laugh>

Uh-oh ... is Alfred coming to scold me for not knowing things in enough detail?



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (10/31/2016 5:59:12 PM)

Update: October 20, 1942

Northern Pacific: Comatose. Construction continues on base at Amchitka. Ironman still has troops on Attu and Kiska but he hasn’t run a big convoy in for some weeks.

Central Pacific: Dead quiet. I’m adjusting assets at Midway.

Canton Island: Lots of guys catchin’ rays.

South Pacific: Active. My Guadalcanal invasion force is just passing Luganville. Most of my sub inventory is operational between Guadalcanal and Truk. My CVs will NOT venture farther than six hexes north of Luganville which is the range of my land-based fighters. The CVs can put LRCAP over Guadalcanal to cover the invasion. Limited shipping restricts the invasions to two regiments of the 1st Marine Div, a tank battalion, a Marine artillery battalion and Marine engineers. Airedale recon shows about 2800 men there.

Concurrently, I’ll drop the 1st Marine Raiders on Tulagi. Airedale recon shows a thin garrison.

BTW, I also have the 2nd Marine Raiders on all my APDs at Christmas Island. Once Ironman is distracted by the bigger invasion of Guadalcanal, I’ll nab Baker Island and then bug out.

I am in a major air war in NE Australia and the Burma-India border. Apparently this scenario equips Ironman with a bottomless supply of Oscars. I am in a totally defensive mode for now. (100% layered CAP and range = 0) This is furiously training up my fighter pilots. Oscars are chewing up my P-40s but rarely killing my pilots. I just transferred Pappy Boyington to TRACOM with 25 kills. I’ll let my “5 kills or less” boys carry the load til more and better planes show up.

My Chinese have reduced the Kweilin pocket by 50%. I have three corps driving on Nanning (thinly held) and intend to drive Ironman back to Vietnam and then liberate the little coastal towns.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/4/2016 2:21:55 PM)

Update: October 28, 1942

After month of mundane logistical activity, some excitement in the Solomons.

My Guadalcanal/Tulagi invasion force finally got to its destinations and began unloading.


Some surprises:

Ironman's IJA has magnificent camouflage skills. I found 19,000 troops on Tulagi and 23,000 at Lunga. They completely fooled my airedales' recon.

I'm evacuating Tulagi. Too many for just the First Marine Raiders if I can get 25% of them out I'm feel lucky.

Better luck at Lunga. Ironman outnumbers me 2:1 but can't oust me. I have the First and Fifth Marine regiments mostly ashore along with a tank battalion and some engineers. I used a whole TF of AKs to drop off supply so my units are in supply. Bad news is I'll have to send in more invasion forces to follow up and grind down his garrison.

Needless to say this triggered an appearance by KB. 5 CVs and some surface forces. They hit the invasion force but didn't seem to have found my CV forces. I put 20% of two VFs on LRCAP over the invasion force and kept most of my carrier fighters over my carriers. Sure wish I had the Saratoga but she's still in LA and will be for the rest of the game-year.

His KB strike planes were less effective than I feared. They did hit the Warspite and a Brooklyn-class cruiser with single torpedoes and now they are limping off to Luganville. a couple of transports got hit, but I expected that. My LRCAP Mildcats weren't too deadly on is strike planes (carrier and land-based) but they must have disrupted their attacks somewhat. Also Mildcat vs Zero was about a wash. His Betties are coming in from Lae or Buna (not Rabaul)and are only carrying bombs. I look for Ironman to get some based at Shortlands to get land-based torpedo bombers on the job.

I think I can get unloaded in 2-3 days. Then I'll bug out and go back to Noumea for reinforcements. I have I Amphib Corps in Noumea and have two Marine and two Army divisions chopped to it so prep for follow-up forces will not be a problem. I have more shipping moved as far as Sydney and they should be in Noumea by time I'm ready for a follow-up.

I think my CVs are at an advantage over KB. My Catalinas and B-24s out of Luganville spotted KB but I think I'm beyond his earch arcs (for now). My LRCAP fighters got some snoopers over Lunga but my CV CAP planes haven't seen anything. I briefly moved out from under my land-based fighter cover trying to flank KB and get in a first strike but both of us lost each other. I thought better of that and moved back under my LRCAP out of Luganville. A hundred fighters (even if they are P-39s) can be very dangerous to Kates and Vals. Ironman is too strong to get overly aggressive with right now.

Interestingly, Ironman's coastal defense gunners suck. They fire 300-400 shells a each invasion TF and didn't seem to hit anything. At Midway and Canton my CD units blasted 3-4 ships every pulse.

One does quickly find out just how badly I need LSTs. My motorized support and tanks have not landed well.

The grind continues on the Burma-India border and Ironman and I are sparring between NE Oz and Port Moresby. My P-40E pool has about dried up but P-40K production is in full swing. Half of my USAAF fighter squadrons in India are now equipped with P-40Ks.

My first two Fletchers appeared the last couple days.

The rest of the theater is quiet.



jwolf -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/4/2016 3:11:50 PM)

I am playing Allies against AI as well, although just the regular AI and not Ironman. [;)] My game is at the end of 1942. I have found that it is very difficult to land at a major enemy base, as the unloading for the major combat units takes forever. In the meantime I have many ships in a vulnerable position as my carrier fighters slowly get ground down defending from enemy strikes almost every day. My heavy bombers can take out some enemy airfields and relieve the pressure, but it takes time and recovery between ops. Basically, it's a challenging period for the Allies and the pace is always much slower than I would wish.

BTW air recon on jungle hexes seems to show very little if anything of enemy forces there, even sustained recon over many days.



mussey -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/5/2016 9:32:51 PM)

Taxcutter, what type of planes did you use for the recon? The ones with cameras are much better than the ones without.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/8/2016 2:05:50 PM)

Update: Game date - Nov.1, 1942

So far, so good at Guadalcanal. My initial invasion force is ashore and very well-supplied. My invasion force is almost completely unloaded. a couple more days and i will decamp to get the next lift (the last regiment of the 1st Marine Div. the americal and the 37th need more prep time, but they are prepping quickly with both the SoPac and I Amphib Corps HQ in Noumea.

Although he outnumbers me 2:1 with seemingly good combat units, Ironman's LCUs simply cannot work up any decent odds against me.

Inexplicably the Ironman script has let KB ignore this invasion. I was afraid it was a potential disaster, (if I were the Japanese player I would have gone for the US carriers and transports) but KB only brushed by once and has seemingly disappeared. Only two transports were sunk and one was a small xAP. Only two combatant shisp were hit and both are on theirway to bigger shipyards and seem to be in no danger of foundering. Still it is a long way to anywhere from Noumea and anything can happen. Ironman's timidity in light of his assets is puzzling.

If KB does not intervene, I will eventually push him out of Guadalcanal. Once Lunga is taken it gives me another "point of contact" to grind down his air power.

Beyond consolidating my hold on Guadalcanal, the rest of 1942 and the first two months of 1943 I will try to take the Rossel Islands and maybe the Ellice Islands. while on a limited strategic offensive, my fighters stay in a point defense strategy. I am building up a good staff of 80+ experience fighter pilots. At range = 0 my fighter piots are rarely ever killed when shot down. to a great extent, the short-legged nature of my fighters dictates this. I only have one squadron of P-38Fs available right now. I am moving the very experienced 49th FG to Brisbane to re-equip them with P-38Gs.

Big picture, my force build-up accelerates about Feb. 1942. By the fall of 1943 I'll be ready to go KB-hunting, and get ready to start invading the Marshalls.

Warspite is at 34 FLT and will make Sydney easily. I'll have Sydney knock about 10 FLT off then shift her to Capetown for withdrawal. Honolulu should be available by Feb 1943 at worst.

The Great Fighter Grind continues at the India/Burma border but it looks like I may getting the upper hand. I have managed to keep the airframe strength of my P-40K squadrons up but it looks like I can see the end of the P-40E pool. Ironman's Oscar escorts are getting thinner and thinner.

In China the reduction of his Kweilin pocket continues. The one-time 80,000 IJA force are now down to 18,000. In a sideshow, I'm knocking on the door to Nanning with three decent (AV= 250+) chinese corps against two weak IJA forces.



BBfanboy -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/8/2016 4:31:39 PM)

Ironman may be doing upgrades on the IJN carriers, or maybe on its way to raid somewhere like India. It should have reacted if it is at Truk/Babeldaob/Guam.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/14/2016 4:00:24 PM)

Update: Game date Nov 4, 1942

I spoke too soon. Ironman sent KB (7 CV + 2 BB) to beat up my transports. So far he's sunk 5 of them and I've suspended offloading at Lunga. Most of my troops (2 Rgt of 1st Marine Div +1 battlion of armor and one of artillery and each unit has 10,000 supply stashed. Warspite and three of my standard BB are damaged and are headed for Capetown/Bremerton. could be a long slog for the Marines at Guadalcanal.

I've sent a fast transport squadron (7 APD + 2 old DDs that won't upgrade + 4 DMS) to help out at Guadalcanal. This squadron is at least a week out, though.

The war of fighter attrition on the India border continues. I'm fixing to withdraw some beat down Hurricane IIb squadrons. Pool is empty and production is zero. Not enough IIc airframes in pool to upgrade them. So I'll rob the cream of their pilots (to reserve of TRACOM) and withdraw them.

How many top pilots do you guys like to leave in TRACOM?

I may have to relieve the CO of my only squadron of P-38Fs. They are my only squadron of long-range escorts and they just won't escort a raid on Port Moresby.

In Chinese I re-took Nanning and continue grinding down the Keilin pocket.



BBfanboy -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/14/2016 4:19:39 PM)

I don't use TRACOM, but it is a good place to stash your high EXP pilots. I guess if I was reserving them for later, better aircraft I would stash enough to fill most of those better aircraft. Leaving pilots in TRACOM into 1945 seems like too long.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/14/2016 10:19:35 PM)

Yeah, 1945 is way too long.

I was thinking about getting the best back on the line about Aug. 43.



jmalter -> TRACOM (11/21/2016 6:25:14 AM)

I use TRACOM as a Reserve Pool for 81+ Exp pilots, they're crack fighter pilots w/ high Def skill. Look ahead long-term, start training them in GrdB for strategic bomber attacks against the Home Islands industry.



PaxMondo -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/21/2016 11:41:26 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Taxcutter

Although he outnumbers me 2:1 with seemingly good combat units, Ironman's LCUs simply cannot work up any decent odds against me.


2:1 in jungle terrain isn't enough to win ... need 6:1 or better ... unfortunately the AI doesn't always know this and will waste units in attack ...

quote:

ORIGINAL: Taxcutter
Inexplicably the Ironman script has let KB ignore this invasion.

It showed up, so the script worked. My guess is that the AI didn't find enough ships to keep it there ... :(


quote:

ORIGINAL: Taxcutter
By the fall of 1943 I'll be ready to go KB-hunting,

Easy to do, but when done you will likely be done with your game. The AI cannot create a deathstar ... even 6 CV's is a rarity for it. KB is most often 4 - 5 CV's at most, 3-4CV's + 1-2CVL's is more common. Think early war when both sides used more numerous, but smaller CVTF's.

One of my HR's is 300 AC max CVTF in any one operation ... else the Naval AI will fail quite quickly ...



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/21/2016 3:26:36 PM)

Update:

November 8, 1942

I've pulled my transports away from Guadalcanal. The troops ashore are very well supplied and fatigue seems to have leveled off at 22-25. I don't have enough to chase him off the base, but he can't oust me either. In the next game week, I'll get the last regiment of the 1st Marine division ashore along with some more supply. Army units will follow later. Gonna be a long slog for the devil-dogs.

Pulled my CVTFs back to Noumea for fuel and some minor repair.

I have the 24th ID (and some armor & artillery) prepped to invade Rossel Island. I really don't have enough sealift to throw much more ashore in a single bound, plus I really don't want to mess with KB with the Saratoga still in LA.

I'm getting nowhere with B-17s bombing Port Moresby. I hit it about every five days but it mostly grounds a lot of my bombers and P-38Fs for four days or so and doesn't seem to diminish Ironman at that base.

Better news in the India-Burma air war. Ironman's endless Oscar supply seems to be running dry and I have a surprise for him in the next few days: a full strength FG staffed by all 7-+ experience pilots flying P-40Ks. He keeps raiding Chittagong so that's where I'll spring this on him. I need to do this as my Hurricane squadrons are getting thin on airframes.

Three Standard BBs and a Brooklyn limping for Bremerton.

I looked and my Navy/Marine recon Mildcats are not carrier trained. I'll unload one CVE at Pearl and use it to train up my carrier recon planes.

The Guadalcanal action has crimped my submarine warfare. I get good contacts but KB is (logically) escorted by the cream of IJN ASW assets.
I'm pulling half my S-boats and about a third of my Brisbane-based fleet boats into a close blockade of Guadalcanal.

Logistical (supply and fuel) situation very good. Building up alternative stockpiles at Rockhampton and Auckland.

In China, I've liberated Nanning and have nearly liquidated the Kweilin pocket. Initially, that pocket held 80,000 men but now is less than 10,000.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/29/2016 4:59:15 PM)

Update: Nov. 18,1942

Short report. Turns coming slowly. Annoying RL intrudes.

Balance of 1st Marine Div is unloading at Lunga. Other than distant passes Ironman's KB isn't pressing the transports. Should have the division rebuilt and at AV parity in a day or two.

Soon as I get 1st Marine Div unloaded I'll send the transports to Brisbane to pick up 24th ID for Rossel Islands. Airedale recon shows 7,000 troops there.

Big news is in China. Kweilin pocket (originally 80,000 men) was liquidated. Part of assault troops will go to Chunking for refit. Most are marching south to oust Ironman from Kukong and another small pocket NE of Kanhsien. Both of these pockets are <5,000 men. Once these are destroyed I'll be able to liberate most of the ports on the south China Sea and the Formosa Straits. Canton/Hong Kong appear too tough for now. I have a slugfest going at Nanning.

The 51st FG is grinding down his endless supply of Oscars at Chittagong. Just began strategic bombing of the refinery at Magwe. Indian troops are moving toward Akyab. Operation short-timer. I'll open offensive with some units due for withdrawal within a few months.



jwolf -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (11/29/2016 6:16:06 PM)

I'm curious if your operations at Kukong and Kanhsien will be viable due to supply. In my game against the AI, I had to withdraw from both bases in April 1942 because supply simply would not flow to either one, in spite of the direct rail line to Kukong. At the time the Japanese were just beginning to press against Kukong by land, and immediately took the base when I pulled my forces out. Ironically, in 9 game months since then, to January 1943 the AI never bothered to take Kanhsien and it has sat completely exposed and unoccupied all this time.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/12/2016 3:28:50 PM)

Update: Dec. 5, 1942

Sorry about the hiatus. RL and a WoT campaign cut into my time.

At Guadalcanal I have re-unified the 1st Marine division and all units ashore have months of supply available. I am approaching AV parity on that island. Outside of some fast transport TFs this island will go into hibernation til I can get some more reinforcements in.

My last transport convoy is safely withdrawing to Noumea and will proceed to Brisbane.

My carrier TF will go to Brisbane/Sydney for repair and refit. They've been on station for some time now and damage is mounting up. Many ships are due a 10/42 refit and some of my dive-bomber squadrons still have SBD-2s. A little time in port fixing up the equipment and chasing sheilas will do my fleet a lot of good. Saratoga will need two more weeks in LA and the Indiana is en route. I also have 3 Fletchers I want to blend into my CV escort.

I have three old BBs limping back to the west coast due to damage sustained in the Guadalcanal invasion. Looks like they will make it OK, but I don't look to have them available til (game) summer. I do have 5 more under repair on the West Coast and they should be available by February. These old BB are short-legged (by US standards) fuel hogs and are not easy to use in the South Pacific.

The Cairns vs Port Moresby air battle continues. Funny thing, the Zeros Ironman has a PM are murder on unescorted B-17s but when they tangle with P-39Ds (49th FG - all 70+ exp) they get slaughtered 3;1 to 5:1. Must be the drop tanks.
I am upgrading the 35th FG (all exp over 70) with P-38s to escort my bombers to PM. Should be ready by end of month.


Ironman keeps running unescorted Marus to Kiska. At current rate Capt. Connelly and his motley force of Omahas will be the greatest commerce raider since Sir Francis Drake. Otherwise North Pacific is quiet.

Likewise Midway and Canton have not been molested for months. Pago Pago and Suva are likewise quiet. Perth is quiet and building up supply and fuel sent from Capetown. Darwin is nearly comatose.

I shut off the HI at Sydney. I have 1 million+ supply stashed there.

Once refits are done, I'm sending the 24th (US) Inf. Div to invade Rossel Island. It's a small island so I think my air recon will be doing better than at Tulagi earlier. Recon shows 7000 men there. By scratching together every transport in the Pacific I think I can drop the 24th in a single lift along with a battalion of tanks.

The air war on the Indian border continues. One US FG (all P-40K and exp 70+) has established a degree of control over Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar. Supplies are building up slowly. I did shift patterns and bombed the oil fields and refinery in central Burma for a few days. The Oscars there damaged almost all my bombers and maybe shot down one. My escort is not yet adequate, so I've stood down. Shortly (after building up some supply) I'll move B-25Cs to Chittagong and start softening up Akyab for Operation Short-Timer. I have eight divisions and five armored brigades moving to Akyab. The XV Corps will be all units due to be withdrawn within four months and I 'll use them to grind down the garrison. The IV (more permanent units) will follow up. Akyab has been cut-off by land.

I have two Chindit brigades ready to YOLO into the central Burmese Plain.

My Kukong assault force is moving the last hex into combat. I think my supply will allow 1-2 deliberate attacks a week. There is only one unit in the garrison. Only after polishing off Kukong can I eliminate the pocket outside Kahnsien. Not enough supply for two attacks.

I am withdrawing all my Midway subs back to Midway and re-establishing my sub campaign in Japanese waters. As I had feared my subs were useless in a tactical role. I will maintain a sub presence in the lower solomons using S-boats out of Noumea (Luganville as supply/fuel permits) and a handful of fleet boats out of Brisbane.




BBfanboy -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/12/2016 3:44:18 PM)

Your P-38s will get slaughtered on escort - they are not maneuver fighters but high flying fast sweepers by design. Use them to sweep or LRCAP the PM hex rather than tie them to the bombers as escort.



jwolf -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/12/2016 3:47:33 PM)

quote:


I have three old BBs limping back to the west coast due to damage sustained in the Guadalcanal invasion. Looks like they will make it OK, but I don't look to have them available til (game) summer. I do have 5 more under repair on the West Coast and they should be available by February. These old BB are short-legged (by US standards) fuel hogs and are not easy to use in the South Pacific.


Do note that some of those old BBs are due for very long refits beginning Dec 42 or Jan 43. You don't necessarily have to commit to them right away, but when and if you do, some of those jobs take 9 months!

Do you have enough heavy bombers to attack the airfield at PM and put it out of business? That would sure be nice.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/14/2016 2:01:36 PM)

Dec 7, 1942

Ironman must have put some really poorly trained Zeroes in Port Moresby. My first well escorted B-17 raids resulted in a 4:1 kill ratio in favor of the USAAF. Escort was P-38F and P-38G. 44 planes escorted, only one destroyed.

20% suppression of the airfield.

I also used B-25s escorted by P-40Ks out of Chittagong to take out the Magwe oil fields. Very successful. 3:1 fighter kill ratio and 40% reduction in oil capacity after a single raid.

A single deliberate attack drove the IJA out of Kukong and inflicted 15% casualties. Single brigade is isolated and out of supply. Chinese supply will stretch out reduction of the brigade, but won't change the outcome.

One of my damaged old BBs is about due for a 150 day refit. She only has 24 FLT damage so I'll divert her to the US East Coast for repair.

I'm transferring a bunch of CAs to Noumea. Once they and the BB Indiana get there, I'll pull the BB out of CVTF escort and substitute in 3 CAs for 1 BB and constitute Lee's Battle Line.

Otherwise, things are quiet.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/19/2016 4:27:30 PM)

Update: Dec.15, 1942

Ironman isn't pressing me, so I've got most of my striking power getting repaired/refitted in Brisbane & Sydney. My carriers had been on-station for six weeks and niggly little SYS damage was adding up.

So, I won't be particularly aggressive for about three weeks. Hopefully, Saratoga and Indiana will have joined up by then.

I just have a fast transport TF running 420 tons of supply into Guadalcanal for the time being. The Marines at Lunga have plenty of supply but Ironman's force there has been gaining AV.

I have most of my usable amphib transports (such as they are) at Brisbane readying up for an operation at Rossel Island.

Air campaign against Port Moresby is on hold as my mechanics patch up damaged planes. I am just short of having a third P-38 squadron ready to go there, and I have 30-odd more B-17Es at Pago Pago to transfer in.

The air grind at the Indian border shifts to Akyab. Magwe is pretty much beaten down.

Continuing to build up supply and fuel at Columbo, Perth and Karachi.

Ironman has aggressively used AMCs in unusual places. He had one nosing around in the Australian Bight but it blundered into the Warspite as it headed to Perth to refuel. Another has been pesky on the SF-Hono run. Two destroyers were not enough to repel the AMC, so I'll have to establish some escort service groups. A CVE, a major surface combatant and some cans. See if I can catch this rascal.

Been managing pilots, trying to get my rookies flying in relative safe defensive situations. On some of my more experienced units, I have pulled out the bottom five and brought in replacements, so my reserve gets sweeter.

Sam Dealy and the Harder just showed up. That is good because I am beginning to re-establish my Japanese-waters sub blockade.

In China, I liquidated the Kukong pocket and am now moving to the pocket outside Kanhsiang. I am also trying to drive Uncle Ho out of Nanning.



BBfanboy -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/19/2016 9:49:19 PM)

Not sure if you know this but here are two things about the Ironman IJA that will affect what you do in Guadalcanal:

1. If I understand correctly, Ironman gives the IJA supply every turn (at least up to their needs)
2. The Japanese can create infantry squads out of supply and stockpiled Manpower points. Pools of devices are not required for this.

This explains why the Japanese AV on Guadalcanal is climbing every turn. The infantry squads from supply will replace their destroyed squads up to TOE levels.
The only way you can counter this (since, I think, the supply is automatic and does not have to be brought in) is to mount a massive assault and keep the pressure on so that you destroy the units at a greater rate than Ironman can replace losses. So build your forces and bring in massive reinforcements before launching your attempt to take the island and destroy Ironman's forces. Poking at him occasionally will not wear him down.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/19/2016 11:39:13 PM)

I did not know that.

Thanks for the insight.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/20/2016 2:54:37 PM)

Sounds to me like I need to expedite hitting Rossel Island.

From there medium bombers can hit the airfield at Lunga and force Ironman to burn supply.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/21/2016 2:14:45 PM)

Update: Dec 17, 1942

Not much has changed.

I'm sending out Gato-class boats from Midway to renew the strategic offensive in Japanese waters. Still 20 boats in Midway getting 12/42 refits.

I did a deliberate attack at Lunga to probe Ironman's position. Ouch! 427 casualties. Level 5 forts. gotta get some combat engineers in.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/23/2016 2:10:13 PM)

Update: Dec. 17, 1942

I got a taste of just how strong they have made Ironman.

I thought the time was ripe for an air offensive in Burma.

It started off OK. I have beaten down oil production and refinery operations at Magwe by 75%. My one BG of B-24s is repairing damage for a while but losses were not unacceptable.

I opened an attack on Akyab. I committed two squadrons of P-40K, a bomb group of B-25C, a squadron of Hurricanes, and six squadrons of Blenheims. The sweeping P-40Ks did OK but the bombers and their escorts got mauled.

My B-25s, Hurricanes, and Blenheims are all back in Calcutta, licking their wounds. Given their low replacement rates they might be comatose for some time.

Saratoga (with her air groups) is en route to Christmas Island and points SW. Hopefully she'll be in Brisbane before all the refit ships are ready to go.

Other than difficulty keeping fuel in Sydney (I did turn off the HI), my logistics are going well.



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/25/2016 1:20:35 PM)

Not a new update, just an observation.

I've been spending a lot of time managing my fighter pilots - particularly in the India-Burma area ad northeast Australia.

I try to build up depth in my squadrons so the loss of a single guys doesn't hugely degrade the squadron. As a rule I periodically ground my aces to force the newbies to fly (get better or die). At 20 kills I send aces to TRACOM.

Seems to be working. My kill ratios are improving.

As more and better airframes become available, I'll bring my studs back on line.



BBfanboy -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/25/2016 2:34:18 PM)

Interesting. Is it always the case that aces with 20 kills have the 80+ Experience needed to go to TRACOM?



Taxcutter -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/26/2016 4:24:23 PM)

Its not a hard and fast rule, but is the general direction I'm going.

Right now, I'm playing 'moneyball' with my fighter pilots. I'm still fighting mostly defensively and am trying to build up my stash of 5+ kill - high70s EXP pilots. If I leave my superstars active all the time they'll continue to hog the kills and EXP and I'll have squadrons with top-heavy EXP distributions.

Fighting defensively my fighters are at short ranges and a high percentage of my shot-down pilots are rescued and go back into action.

TRACOM is just a handy place to stash my stars til I get big numbers of better airframes in time for offensive operations.



BBfanboy -> RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman (12/26/2016 5:49:46 PM)

Never thought of the Stars being hogs problem - but that sounds about right. I will have to have a look at my squadrons.



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