RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (Full Version)

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DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/1/2020 4:11:14 PM)

January 10, 1942

Submarines

I-5 sinks AKL Georgian with its deck gun south of Hawaii

S/SW Pacific

Having surprised me with his sweep last turn, I place my best P-40 squadrons (with the aces from the Philippines) on CAP over Port Moresby. 16 Betty bombers escorted by 25 Zeros come in. My fighters take down a few, but I set the CAP too high and most of the bombers make it through intact. A second wave of 15 Betty bombers is not so lucky, losing more than half its number.

Malaya

More sweeps of Singapore meet empty air.

Java Sea

8 Zeros and 5 Kates go after some shipping at Tjilatjap in Java. Heavy Dutch CAP meets them however, knocking out all but two Japanese planes. They try again in the afternoon and lose all 7 Kates that go in.

China

Japanese heavy cruisers shell the Chinese defenses at Wenchow.

Noting the opening at Chengchow, I launch a deliberate attack as my reinforcements finally arrive in the hex. My Chinese troops charge in with a 3 to 1 ratio in my favor, throwing the Japanese back across the river in disarray. Victory at Chengchow!

-----

With the northern front largely secure for now - I deliberated on what to do here. I decided to rest my battered troops and shift reinforcements to other sectors instead of pursuing.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/1/2020 4:14:07 PM)

Battle of Chengchow



[image]local://upfiles/55490/39A38B9843C04CA4AC0F299B7DB53793.jpg[/image]



BBfanboy -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/1/2020 6:39:13 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Battle of Chengchow



[image]local://upfiles/55490/39A38B9843C04CA4AC0F299B7DB53793.jpg[/image]

Nice victories at Chengchow, Nadi, Balikpapan and Bandjermasin!



CV10 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/1/2020 6:49:46 PM)

Nice job mauling him at Chengchow: That's a few divisions worth of squads wiped out.

Regarding your aces, any ace who attained their status in Buffalos and is still alive should be rotated home for some serious R&R!

I was a very-longtime lurker before ever posting anything, and reading this AAR has been very informative.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 9:32:23 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Battle of Chengchow



[image]local://upfiles/55490/39A38B9843C04CA4AC0F299B7DB53793.jpg[/image]

Nice victories at Chengchow, Nadi, Balikpapan and Bandjermasin!



Thanks! They went a long way towards removing the sting from the loss of the Enterprise.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 9:32:51 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: CV10

Nice job mauling him at Chengchow: That's a few divisions worth of squads wiped out.

Regarding your aces, any ace who attained their status in Buffalos and is still alive should be rotated home for some serious R&R!

I was a very-longtime lurker before ever posting anything, and reading this AAR has been very informative.


Thank you, glad you could find it informative!



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 11:46:16 AM)

January 11, 1942

Submarines

SS Plunger spots I-16 near Mili and launches four torpedoes at 2,000 yards. One hits but is a dud. [:(]

North of Roi Namur, SS Gudgeon empties out its entire inventory of torpedoes in a surface attack against AK Hokuzyu Maru without scoring a single good hit. The Mk14 is something else. [>:]

Near San Diego, I-26 blows YP-251 into matchsticks with a direct hit.

Malaya

I sent in my bombers on a night attack against Kuala Lumpur and they destroyed a Nell on the ground.

Oscars sweep twice over Singapore, finding my Buffalos on CAP. Surprisingly, we trade about even losses on the first sweep. The second sweep however wrecks the remaining CAP for heavy losses to my fighters.

China

Japanese battleships and cruisers shell Wenchow once more – this will be a nightly event for the foreseeable future.

My opponent sends wave after wave of IJN and IJA bombers to plaster my central thrust. Frustrating, as my fighter bases are not within range to intervene. Nevertheless, my troops press on, storming and capturing Anking this turn.

The Lusu War Area (Chinese HQ unit) is trapped behind enemy lines and destroyed.

-------

I know that destroyed Chinese infantry and HQ units come back as reinforcements in Chungking about a month after they are eliminated. I have a couple of questions on this subject however that I hope someone will help me answer:

1) Does this also apply to Chinese artillery regiments and base forces - do they also come back?
2) What happens if Chungking is captured by the Japanese - is there an alternative area where these forces come back or do they stop regenerating?

Thanks!



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 12:02:24 PM)

January 12, 1942

Submarines

SS Shark finds its teeth when it launches two torpedoes at AKL Amakasu Maru near Sorong. One duds but the other works, sending the small vessel down.

S/SW Pacific

Another one of my convoys comes into Port Moresby and my opponent launches an airstrike from Rabaul to thwart it. 11 Betty bombers come in with 30 Zero escorts, but are met with 11 Warhawks and 2 wildcats. My fighters do very well, knocking out some Zeros and a majority of the Betty bombers. Still some of them survive to put a torpedo into AK Coast Farmer, sinking her.

Malaya

More of my night raids on Kuala Lumpur, this time with two Nells destroyed on the ground.

China

The Japanese end their efforts to take Kukong, with their army retreating to the southeast – where is it going next? In the meantime, my opponent still has two divisions, a brigade, and an artillery regiment advancing towards Sian north of the river. I am confident I can hold them off and am pounding them with the Chinese Air Force.

-----

I start planning to increase my fighter strength further in Port Moresby to deal with the growing air threat from Rabaul.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 12:33:53 PM)

State of the Alliance

This is where things stand on a macro level following an intense start to 1942:

North Pacific

No sign of any movement by the Japanese since the start of the game – I took the opportunity to place a base force at Adak Island where I have good Catalina search of the Aleutians. I am also using Dutch Harbor as one of two (the other being Pearl Harbor) main bases for fleet sub operations against the Japanese Home Islands.

North America

Fuel, air squadrons, and ground units are streaming towards Australia in endless convoys as I attempt to avoid the concentrated enemy submarine activity off the West Coast. With Fiji in enemy hands, I also began to push my convoys further to the south. Better longer sailing time than sunken convoys.

South Pacific

Fiji is a problem, but not a major one as of yet. I haven’t seen him place air support troops there and my recon over the area is extensive. I start planning for an eventual counter invasion to take it back, but it’s going to need a lot of forces. In the meantime, I reinforce Pago Pago and New Caledonia.

South West Pacific

Port Moresby is the linchpin of my defense in this sector. I have 240 AV there at the moment and am trying to send more as fast as possible. I intend to use it as a springboard for my push back in the New Guinea/New Britain area. Rabaul remains a major enemy base.

Philippines

Not much I can do here anymore except hold on. Bataan is under siege and pounded from the air on a daily basis. The defense of Cagayan has been of epic proportions, but supply there is running very low with no possibility of securing more.

Dutch East Indies

Java is the center of my resistance here, and I have turned it into a bastion of long-range airpower with the deployment of several B-17 squadrons. I use these to pound his airfields and assembly points and frustrate his plans for rapid conquest. Java alongside Singapore also serves as a crucial base for submarine replenishment. Finally, my cruiser squadrons occasionally pop in to Java as I continue to search for opportunities to strike.

Malaya

Now that my actions at Kuala Lumpur have driven my opponent to abandon his attempts at a lightening advance down the peninsula in favor of a concentrated one, I am considering abandoning my second main position at Johore Bahru in favor of a fallback on the final position at Singapore.

India/Burma

The defense of Burma remains indispensable to my plans in China. I now have about 1,500 AV in southern Burma with the arrival of several Indian and British units, with more Australian units on their way. This won’t be an easy nut to crack. Luckily, my opponent’s heavy concentration of forces on the Philippines and my elevated activity in China has prevented him from marching in force against Burma and even weakened his thrust down Malaya. For instance, my opponent has kept both the 21st and the 38th Divisions in China (I believe those two could be taken out without paying PP).

China

The situation is somewhat stabilizing in China in a direction that I believe to be in my favor. Chengchow and Loyang appear to be safe for now, I am currently cutting his rail between Nanking and the north with the central thrust, and Changsha seems to be holding just fine. My two concerns are with regards to Wenchow which is coming under intense air and naval bombardment attack on a daily basis and the large Japanese Army that has moved away from its attempt to take Kukong towards an as yet unclear target.


Any thoughts on what may be my biggest mistakes up to this point? Are there areas where I should be doing better than I am doing now? If so, what should have I done differently? I would love to learn lessons to take into future campaigns.



BBfanboy -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 3:57:41 PM)

The base NW of Chungking is the alternate arrival location.
Don't know about the artillery and AA units - the availability of devices in the pools might have an influence on their return.

Your play looks good to me - better than I would have done.
You should probably move all your forces back to Singapore and use every US sub with Mk. 14 torps to hauls supply to Singers.



mind_messing -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 4:03:58 PM)

quote:

Any thoughts on what may be my biggest mistakes up to this point? Are there areas where I should be doing better than I am doing now? If so, what should have I done differently? I would love to learn lessons to take into future campaigns.


In terms of lessons to take forward, sending raider task forces into the IJ shipping lanes can be profitable in the early war if the Japanese player makes a deep push for the likes of Fiji. A pair of long-legged USN DD's cutting between Ocean Island and Ndeni can hit traffic across a large stretch of ocean.

A Japanese response is difficult, as surface assets have a lot of ocean to cover and the infrastructure for a proper air search network won't be set up until March.

With Wake in Allied hands, that can be applied to the seas around the Bonins. USN ships that close to the Home Islands will make any IJ player twitchy.

One further thing that the Allies can jump on in the face of a lax Japanese commitment to the Central Pacific is Marcus Island. It starts ungarrisoned, and if Japan isn't diligent in garrisoning, it can be grabbed on the cheap. Impossible to hold against a serious Japanese commitment to retake the island, but worthwhile as a distraction effort.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 4:10:11 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

The base NW of Chungking is the alternate arrival location.
Don't know about the artillery and AA units - the availability of devices in the pools might have an influence on their return.

Your play looks good to me - better than I would have done.
You should probably move all your forces back to Singapore and use every US sub with Mk. 14 torps to hauls supply to Singers.


Ah I see, thanks BBfanboy. Do you happen to know if there is yet another location if that base (Chengtu right?) also falls or is that it?

Yes in fact, I did end up making the decision to pull the troops back to Singapore. I didn't really think about using the fleet subs to haul supply to Singapore but I can certainly see the benefit of that for the future.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 4:12:25 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

quote:

Any thoughts on what may be my biggest mistakes up to this point? Are there areas where I should be doing better than I am doing now? If so, what should have I done differently? I would love to learn lessons to take into future campaigns.


In terms of lessons to take forward, sending raider task forces into the IJ shipping lanes can be profitable in the early war if the Japanese player makes a deep push for the likes of Fiji. A pair of long-legged USN DD's cutting between Ocean Island and Ndeni can hit traffic across a large stretch of ocean.

A Japanese response is difficult, as surface assets have a lot of ocean to cover and the infrastructure for a proper air search network won't be set up until March.

With Wake in Allied hands, that can be applied to the seas around the Bonins. USN ships that close to the Home Islands will make any IJ player twitchy.

One further thing that the Allies can jump on in the face of a lax Japanese commitment to the Central Pacific is Marcus Island. It starts ungarrisoned, and if Japan isn't diligent in garrisoning, it can be grabbed on the cheap. Impossible to hold against a serious Japanese commitment to retake the island, but worthwhile as a distraction effort.



Excellent tips, thanks. I remember entertaining the idea of a carrier strike on Marcus before realizing it was completely empty. [:D]



mind_messing -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 5:35:32 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101


quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

quote:

Any thoughts on what may be my biggest mistakes up to this point? Are there areas where I should be doing better than I am doing now? If so, what should have I done differently? I would love to learn lessons to take into future campaigns.


In terms of lessons to take forward, sending raider task forces into the IJ shipping lanes can be profitable in the early war if the Japanese player makes a deep push for the likes of Fiji. A pair of long-legged USN DD's cutting between Ocean Island and Ndeni can hit traffic across a large stretch of ocean.

A Japanese response is difficult, as surface assets have a lot of ocean to cover and the infrastructure for a proper air search network won't be set up until March.

With Wake in Allied hands, that can be applied to the seas around the Bonins. USN ships that close to the Home Islands will make any IJ player twitchy.

One further thing that the Allies can jump on in the face of a lax Japanese commitment to the Central Pacific is Marcus Island. It starts ungarrisoned, and if Japan isn't diligent in garrisoning, it can be grabbed on the cheap. Impossible to hold against a serious Japanese commitment to retake the island, but worthwhile as a distraction effort.



Excellent tips, thanks. I remember entertaining the idea of a carrier strike on Marcus before realizing it was completely empty. [:D]


An early offensive at Marcus and the Bonins has been used in the past to great effect. Considering Marcus itself, best move to my mind would be a sacrificial USMC Defence Battalion or two and some AA aboard xAK's. Dump them, let them take the empty base and annoy the Japanese. Should generate a decent return, if not in VP's but in "sand in the gears" as stuff has to move away from the spearpoint to respond.

In my view, the optimum carrier raiding territory is the North Pacific, specifically around Hokkaido. The resource/manpower sites on Hokkaido are virtually undefended, and IJ air presence in the Home Islands on Dec 7th is pretty anaemic. Bombing resources there is a VP piñata until Japan shifts units into there. Plenty of shipping in the area too, and it tends to make IJ players verrrrry worried.

Other good carrier raid material is the Gilberts, given the pretty dismal Japanese air presence on Dec 7th - with no KB in the Central Pacific, it can be worth smashing IJN shipping in that area. Land based air is a threat, but unless there are Zeros to escort the Betty/Nell strikes then the risk is fairly low.

If you're a bit more aggressive/bolder/reckless, Truk is the high-risk, high-reward strike. Sinking the support shipping (especially the ARD) can be a real nuisance to Japanese capabilities in the early war.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 5:45:11 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101


quote:

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

quote:

Any thoughts on what may be my biggest mistakes up to this point? Are there areas where I should be doing better than I am doing now? If so, what should have I done differently? I would love to learn lessons to take into future campaigns.


In terms of lessons to take forward, sending raider task forces into the IJ shipping lanes can be profitable in the early war if the Japanese player makes a deep push for the likes of Fiji. A pair of long-legged USN DD's cutting between Ocean Island and Ndeni can hit traffic across a large stretch of ocean.

A Japanese response is difficult, as surface assets have a lot of ocean to cover and the infrastructure for a proper air search network won't be set up until March.

With Wake in Allied hands, that can be applied to the seas around the Bonins. USN ships that close to the Home Islands will make any IJ player twitchy.

One further thing that the Allies can jump on in the face of a lax Japanese commitment to the Central Pacific is Marcus Island. It starts ungarrisoned, and if Japan isn't diligent in garrisoning, it can be grabbed on the cheap. Impossible to hold against a serious Japanese commitment to retake the island, but worthwhile as a distraction effort.



Excellent tips, thanks. I remember entertaining the idea of a carrier strike on Marcus before realizing it was completely empty. [:D]


An early offensive at Marcus and the Bonins has been used in the past to great effect. Considering Marcus itself, best move to my mind would be a sacrificial USMC Defence Battalion or two and some AA aboard xAK's. Dump them, let them take the empty base and annoy the Japanese. Should generate a decent return, if not in VP's but in "sand in the gears" as stuff has to move away from the spearpoint to respond.

In my view, the optimum carrier raiding territory is the North Pacific, specifically around Hokkaido. The resource/manpower sites on Hokkaido are virtually undefended, and IJ air presence in the Home Islands on Dec 7th is pretty anaemic. Bombing resources there is a VP piñata until Japan shifts units into there. Plenty of shipping in the area too, and it tends to make IJ players verrrrry worried.

Other good carrier raid material is the Gilberts, given the pretty dismal Japanese air presence on Dec 7th - with no KB in the Central Pacific, it can be worth smashing IJN shipping in that area. Land based air is a threat, but unless there are Zeros to escort the Betty/Nell strikes then the risk is fairly low.

If you're a bit more aggressive/bolder/reckless, Truk is the high-risk, high-reward strike. Sinking the support shipping (especially the ARD) can be a real nuisance to Japanese capabilities in the early war.



In this campaign I went for a somewhat more cautious carrier raid in the Gilberts, attacking a landing force at Tarawa. Being more aggressive in the areas you outlined would definitely be something I would consider in the future.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 5:49:25 PM)

January 13, 1942

Submarines

I-23 launches four torpedoes at DD O’Brien north of Hawaii but misses.

S/SW Pacific

31 Zeros sweep over Port Moresby encountering 32 fighters. I lose 8 Warhawks for 7 Zero kills.

Philippines

The Japanese test the waters at Bataan with a deliberate attack. It fails with 3,524 casualties for 619 Allied losses.

Moluccas

Japanese troops land at Ternate.

China

Tonight was a particularly heavy night of bombardments at Wenchow with 3 battleships and 7 heavy cruisers. This is followed during the day by about 150 bomber runs on the base. This was all in preparation for a shock attack that failed with 1 to 2 odds in my favor, leaving 1,165 Japanese casualties for 899 Chinese losses.

I put up a massive CAP of 42 Flying Tigers over Kukong where he bombed heavily over the last few turns but unfortunately every IJA bomber was focused on Wenchow this turn. The only Japanese that came to play were 18 sweeping Nates that were eaten for breakfast. This battle leads to the first Flying Tiger to reach 10 kills.

East of Sian, I launch an attack against the largely isolated 37th Division and 4th Independent Mixed Brigade but fail to make much headway with 1,290 Japanese losses to 1,936 Chinese. Could have been worse.

----

I haven't seen the KB in a while - this made me worried.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 6:00:11 PM)

January 14, 1942

Submarines

Nothing of note.

S/SW Pacific

The Japanese sweep over Port Moresby again but I rest my fighters and wait for more reinforcements.

Moluccas

The Japanese take Ternate.

China

The Japanese army that left Kukong is now at Kanshien. I start assembling a screening army to pursue.

-----

The last allied troops cross over from Malaya to Singapore today. This is it, no more retreat!



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 6:14:18 PM)

January 15, 1942

Submarines

I-175 intercepts a supply convoy near Christmas Island but fails to penetrate the escort screen.

S/SW Pacific

The Japanese sweep over Port Moresby today with 24 Zeros. This time they meet almost 40 of my fighters, including a number of US Navy Wildcats and Buffalos. I lose 7 fighters for about 10 Zeros kills.

China

The Japanese take Kanhsien. It looks like they are moving north towards Changsha where there is already a large army locked in a stalemate with my forces. I start assembling forces for a blocking position at Pingsiang.

I attempt to take Kiukiang with a shock attack but fail. Tough terrain and high forts here allow a single Naval Guard unit to withstand almost 800 AV. I decide to not attack again but to bring back these forces to help contend with the approaching Japanese Army.

-----

I notice that my opponents pace of attacks has slowed down markedly over the last few days, which suits me just fine.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/2/2020 6:28:50 PM)

January 16, 1942

Submarines

I placed a number of submarines in the Wenchow area to attempt to hit the nightly bombardments. SS Tautog launches 6 torpedoes at BB Kongo but misses.

Intelligence warned me that a Japanese invasion force was approaching Manado. I placed some good Dutch subs around the area and today SS KXVI sinks a Japanese sub chaser escorting the convoy. SS KVII for its part sinks an AKL that is part of the same convoy.

Singapore

Daily IJA sweeps over Singapore but I refuse to engage the Oscars anymore with my Buffalos.

Philippines

The Japanese launch another DA at Bataan. 6,955 Japanese are lost for 1,493 allied. Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2 however.

China

The Flying Tigers ambush 19 Sonia light bombes over Kukong, wiping them out.

Chinese bombers hit the Japanese army at Kanhsien, slowing it down and buying me time to shift my forces to meet it.

----

It looks increasingly clear to me that Bataan won't survive as long as it did historically. That annoys me as I had started the fight in the Philippines doing quite well.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 7:49:52 PM)

January 17, 1942

Submarines

Nothing of note.

Celebes

Japanese troops land at Manado.

China

The Flying Tigers alongside some Chinese fighters ambush 23 Sallys escorted by 8 Tojos from the experimental squadron. 5 Tojos are shot down before my fighters tear into the Sallys, knocking almost ten of them down. A subsequent Sally wave loses another 8 bombers to the fighters.

-----

Japanese troops are starting to assemble at Johore Bahru for the assault on Singapore. I spend a significant amount of PPs placing better leaders in command of my units in the fortress city. I hope they are worth it.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 7:54:01 PM)

January 18, 1942

Submarines

Nothing of note.

Central Pacific

Japanese troops land and take Nauru and Ocean Islands.

Burma

Half a dozen Ki-32 Mary light bombers hit Rangoon today – likely to test the waters. They were wrecked however by the large amounts of AAA I had brought into the city.

Celebes

The Japanese take Manado.

China

The Flying Tigers ambush a group of 13 Sallys near Sinyang, sending 11 of them down in flames. Zeros escorted a subsequent raid in the same area however, and we lost a few H-81-A3s as a result. Elsewhere, a small group of Tigers wreck 3 Sonias.

The Japanese 39th Division and an auxiliary traitorous Chinese unit sally out of Hankow and are met with a shock attack. Japanese bombers had disrupted my troops here however so they only get a 1 to 1 result with 961 Japanese casualties for 1,524 Chinese.

Chinese forces of the central thrust reached Kiangtu, and tonight were subjected to a heavy bombardment from nine Japanese heavy cruisers! [X(] Despite considerable disruption and casualties, they successful storm and take the town.

At least the cruiser bombardment gives a bit of a reprieve to the defenders of Wenchow, which is fortunate as a Japanese shock attack went in today. 1,231 Japanese were lost for 815 Chinese.

----

The central thrust has largely accomplished its goals and is starting to cost me good troops now with its exposure to both naval and air bombardment. I start making plans for a phased withdrawal to concentrate my efforts elsewhere where I have air support.



BBfanboy -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 8:09:37 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

January 18, 1942

Submarines

Nothing of note.

Central Pacific

Japanese troops land and take Nauru and Ocean Islands.

Burma

Half a dozen Ki-32 Mary light bombers hit Rangoon today – likely to test the waters. They were wrecked however by the large amounts of AAA I had brought into the city.

Celebes

The Japanese take Manado.

China

The Flying Tigers ambush a group of 13 Sallys near Sinyang, sending 11 of them down in flames. Zeros escorted a subsequent raid in the same area however, and we lost a few H-81-A3s as a result. Elsewhere, a small group of Tigers wreck 3 Sonias.

The Japanese 39th Division and an auxiliary traitorous Chinese unit sally out of Hankow and are met with a shock attack. Japanese bombers had disrupted my troops here however so they only get a 1 to 1 result with 961 Japanese casualties for 1,524 Chinese.

Chinese forces of the central thrust reached Kiangtu, and tonight were subjected to a heavy bombardment from nine Japanese heavy cruisers! [X(] Despite considerable disruption and casualties, they successful storm and take the town.

At least the cruiser bombardment gives a bit of a reprieve to the defenders of Wenchow, which is fortunate as a Japanese shock attack went in today. 1,231 Japanese were lost for 815 Chinese.

----

The central thrust has largely accomplished its goals and is starting to cost me good troops now with its exposure to both naval and air bombardment. I start making plans for a phased withdrawal to concentrate my efforts elsewhere where I have air support.


You keep mentioning casualties but that does not tell the whole picture. The numbers destroyed vs disabled are important - the IJA can recover most of their disablements fairly quickly because they have more supply and maybe more support squads. The Chinese disablements tend to accumulate until they reach 50% + , when they start to turn into destroyed squads vs disabled. So in a grinding battle, you really need to rotate out Chinese units that have a lot of disabled squads and bring in fresh meat for the grinder.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 8:13:30 PM)

January 19, 1942

Submarines

Near Tarakan, SS Perch hits DMS W-4 with a torpedo but it fails to explode.

S/SW Pacific

Surprise! I sent a base force to land at Gau Island right next to Fiji so that I can start placing some LBA in proximity for the counterattack. Half way through the landing process however the force was hit by 50 carrier bombers, which sink the AP Santa Maria, AK Dakotan, and PC Kimball as a result. Japanese carriers are in the area – how the heck did my search planes fail to spot them?

Philippines

A Japanese shock attack goes in against the defenders at Bataan. Despite a lack of supply, the Filipino and US forces stand strong, inflicting 7,358 Japanese casualties for 1,490 allied.

Malaya

I attempt to forestall and disrupt the pending Japanese offensive on Singapore with my medium bombers but they are hit hard by a large number of defending fighters. It didn’t help that my Buffalo sweep came at the very end.

Borneo

A B-17 strike on Balikpapan sinks a sub chaser in the port.

China

My opponent brought in Oscar fighters to reinforce his beleaguered IJN fighters over China. The Oscars start off well by catching 17 of my Chinese bombers and knocking half a dozen of them from the sky.

A Japanese infantry brigade crosses the river near Hwainan and routes a Chinese Corps, inflicting 2,729 casualties for only a few hundred Japanese losses. All the more reason to pull back troops from the central thrust to avoid being cut off.

----

Good thing the Japanese got a bloody nose at Bataan as this turn was not that great for the Allies.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 8:14:20 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

January 18, 1942

Submarines

Nothing of note.

Central Pacific

Japanese troops land and take Nauru and Ocean Islands.

Burma

Half a dozen Ki-32 Mary light bombers hit Rangoon today – likely to test the waters. They were wrecked however by the large amounts of AAA I had brought into the city.

Celebes

The Japanese take Manado.

China

The Flying Tigers ambush a group of 13 Sallys near Sinyang, sending 11 of them down in flames. Zeros escorted a subsequent raid in the same area however, and we lost a few H-81-A3s as a result. Elsewhere, a small group of Tigers wreck 3 Sonias.

The Japanese 39th Division and an auxiliary traitorous Chinese unit sally out of Hankow and are met with a shock attack. Japanese bombers had disrupted my troops here however so they only get a 1 to 1 result with 961 Japanese casualties for 1,524 Chinese.

Chinese forces of the central thrust reached Kiangtu, and tonight were subjected to a heavy bombardment from nine Japanese heavy cruisers! [X(] Despite considerable disruption and casualties, they successful storm and take the town.

At least the cruiser bombardment gives a bit of a reprieve to the defenders of Wenchow, which is fortunate as a Japanese shock attack went in today. 1,231 Japanese were lost for 815 Chinese.

----

The central thrust has largely accomplished its goals and is starting to cost me good troops now with its exposure to both naval and air bombardment. I start making plans for a phased withdrawal to concentrate my efforts elsewhere where I have air support.


You keep mentioning casualties but that does not tell the whole picture. The numbers destroyed vs disabled are important - the IJA can recover most of their disablements fairly quickly because they have more supply and maybe more support squads. The Chinese disablements tend to accumulate until they reach 50% + , when they start to turn into destroyed squads vs disabled. So in a grinding battle, you really need to rotate out Chinese units that have a lot of disabled squads and bring in fresh meat for the grinder.


You make a good point. I will start giving more context in terms of squads destroyed to round out the picture.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 8:35:00 PM)

January 20-21, 1942

Submarines

A couple of tiny US patrol boats were sunk by Japanese subs off the West Coast.

S/SW Pacific

I reorganize my search to better cover the Fiji area and start consistently sighting his vessels again. My opponent seems to have brought a convoy of APs and a carrier task force. But the carrier task force seems smaller this time – did he split his carriers? Is he attempting to pull out the troops from Fiji or reinforcing them? The Saratoga strike force (reinforced by the homeless Enterprise squadrons) starts converging on the area from the west while the Yorktown strike force makes haste from the east.

I place B-26 Marauder bombers in Port Moresby and start bombing the Japanese airfield at Lae.

Sumatra

The Japanese capture Djambi

China

19 Flying Tigers ambush 21 Sallys and 12 Lilys, leaving only three damaged survivors limping back to base. My leading ace now has 13 kills.

------

I will occasionally combine dates in a single post when events are sparse - nothing much happened on January 20th.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 8:57:14 PM)

January 22, 1942

Submarines

Dutch sub SS KXVII attempts to strike at the Japanese bombardment task forces near Wenchow but is prevented from doing so by the escorts.

Singapore

The Japanese shock attack as they cross over into Singapore. I will post the losses in the next post – the defenders did very well! [8D]

Java

What I wrongly assumed to be a portion of the MKB sailing through the Banda Sea turned out to be Japanese fleet carriers! They charged past Makassar this turn and struck a heavy blow against my British cruiser forces sheltered under a large Dutch CAP at Soerabaja. The 46 elite Zero pilots keep most of the Dutch fighters away from the more than hundred carrier bombers who proceed to heavily damage 2 heavy cruisers two light cruisers, and moderately damage two more light cruisers. Ugh..

I hatch an escape plan back to Australia, sending the cruisers first to hide in Denpasar port before breaking out into the Indian Ocean. We shall see if this works. Painful. [:(]

S/SW Pacific

With the bulk of the Japanese CVs off Java, it is clear that the Japanese have broken up the KB with the smaller portion of the force at Fiji. This is it then, we have a carrier battle on our hands! I’ve been training my naval aviators as much as possible since the start – I hope it will be enough.

China

6 Japanese battleships and 9 heavy cruisers bombard Wenchow this turn. This was followed by wave after wave of enemy bombers. A deliberate attack at the end of the day resulted in 1 to 1 odds and took down the fortifications to 1. My troops cannot hold against this amount of firepower – the end at Wenchow is near.

Chinese troops take back an abandoned Kanhsien as his army moves up towards Pingsiang. My Chinese forces must hold here to prevent a merger of his troops at Changsha.



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 9:00:15 PM)

Singapore Crossing



[image]local://upfiles/55490/C84B912008E541239EF110010CFACA3E.jpg[/image]



DesertWolf101 -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/3/2020 9:32:27 PM)

January 23, 1942

Submarines

Near Wenchow, Tautog launches 4 torpedoes at Japanese heavy cruiser Takao but misses.

S/SW Pacific

The Japanese carrier force was positioned at Suva covering the Japanese troop transport convoy for the last couple of turns so I set my two carriers to simultaneously converge within striking range of that hex this turn. Unfortunately, this was also the turn that the Japanese convoy finished loading up the 4th Division and transported it to Gau Island to eliminate my force there. The Japanese CV task force, now identified as the Shokaku and Zuikaku, followed the convoy.

The Japanese search planes spot my carriers, and my opponent gets the first strike in. 25 Kates escorted by 7 Zeros heads towards the Yorktown, being met by 18 Wildcats. The Wildcats tangle with the Zeros and penetrate the fighter cover to knock out 10 Kates, leaving 15 of them attacking the Yorktown. Luckily, my opponent must not have been expecting a carrier engagement this turn as they were loaded with bombs and missed.

The Yorktown’s air wing then strikes at the Japanese. 36 SBD-3s escorted by 27 Wildcats encounter 22 Zero fighters defending. They fight their way through the Zeros with one SBD down, leaving 35 to go after Zuikaku and Shokaku. Unfortunately, none of them score despite repeated dives on the CVs. The Saratoga Strike Force did not see any action this turn, as it found itself out of position with the Japanese move to Gau Island.

Meanwhile as all this was happening. I had detected an incoming landing attempt at Koumac on New Caledonia. I left Saratoga’s TBD squadron at Noumea (being replaced by Enterprise SBDs), and the TBDs went in this turn wrecking an AP and an AK just as the landing force arrives one hex from Koumac. 15 Vindicators follow up this attack and sink three more AKs, 945 Japanese (~100 squads and guns) are lost.

Finally, over at Lae, my opponent brought over 18 Zeros to the airfield and they ambushed and wrecked half of the 11 Marauders attacking the airfield.

Singapore

I evacuate the airfield at Singapore after heavy Japanese bombing raids plastered my remaining aircraft there, destroying a dozen on the ground.

Java

The main Japanese CV force first sweeps my Dutch CAP over Java then sends in the bombers to hit the port. His bombers wreck havoc on the facilities but my cruisers are nowhere to be seen.

China

The Japanese shock attack and finally take Wenchow. At a cost of 1,729 casualties (8 squads destroyed), 5,488 Chinese casualties are sustained (255 squads destroyed).

------

My carriers will try again tomorrow!



BBfanboy -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/4/2020 3:34:58 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Singapore Crossing



[image]local://upfiles/55490/C84B912008E541239EF110010CFACA3E.jpg[/image]

Most of the report looks very good, but the low number of enemy vehicles destroyed suggests you have few anti-tank guns. Tanks are a big problem for Allied infantry in 1941-42.



Alfred -> RE: Revenge of the Enterprise (6/4/2020 6:47:24 AM)

On the evidence presented to date, I'm not impressed with your opponent's use of game mechanics.  In particular his land warfare technique is lacking.  Most egregious is his regular use of shock attacks instead of bombardment or deliberate attack.  Not that you are totally blameless in this area and against a better opponent you would have been forced to pay a much heavier price but in comparison to your opponent, your use of shock attack is much more restrained.

In AE, a shock attack should be the exception rather than the rule.  It should never be the first attack of a siege unless there is overwhelming verified evidence that the enemy is extremely week.  In a siege, Shock attack is equivalent to the me storming of a fortified position after a breach in the walls has been achieved.  Until then progress is measured by digging ever closer the assault trenches, the effects of attrition upon the defenders resulting from cutting supply lines, disease and intermittent long range trebuchet and archery fire.

Shock attack places more emphasis on the firepower values but most players who rush to use it overlook the effect of fortifications.  Rushing a shock attack against any defender who has any sort of fortification level is usually a boon for the defenders for the damage inflicted by superior enemy firepower will be mitigated by their fortification level whereas the attacker who almost certainly will have a lower entrenchment level (and it will always be zero if they shock attack immediately upon arrival in the hex) than the defenders, is fully exposed to the full force of defender firepower, even if that is inferior to the attackers own firepower values.

An unsuccessful Shock Attack is much more damaging to the attacker than a failed Deliberate Attack.  The malus of failure is not fully captured by the Combat Report. Failure results in significant unit debilitation as measured by fatigue, morale and disruption levels.  All intangibles not captured by the Combat Report but key inputs into the combat algorithms.  To follow up a failed Shock Attack with another Shock Attack after a couple of days resting in between, will usually not be sufficient to reduce the fatigue, morale and disruption levels.  Instead what is being set up is a carousel of failure feeding upon itself.

Alfred



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