RE: Empire of the Sun (Full Version)

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DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 12:55:58 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101
October 20-25, 1942

While seemingly the entire Soviet artillery park (now at 17 units!) continues to hammer Tachi Force in the Ulan Bator sector, the much enlarged Katana Force, having absorbed reinforcements from other fronts, is advancing towards Chita. Shilka should hopefully fall to the Empire in the next couple of turns.


Why did not you cross the river to put your units on a RR between Shilka and Chita? It appears that you don't even intend to go there? It is (maybe already was) a race against time with the possible catching of Mogocha group in the northern forests


Shilka will very likely already be mine and my troops should be pushing to the gates of Chita by the time the forces around Borzya get there. They are instead getting a head start on the secondary roads for some flanking maneuvers on the Chita position.

It is indeed a race against time with the Mogocha group. I think I have a strong chance of beating them through the secondary roads though, especially as I am busy slowing them down with airstrikes.




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 5:59:25 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

And We Are Off! - September 24, 1942

What looked to be like a perfectly synchronized arrival of my forces in the USSR was suddenly torn asunder by the accidental unloading of a small paratrooper unit in the middle of nowhere on Kamchatka. Oh well, we live and die by our decisions and the invasion will now happen a full five days before I wanted it to.

Given my advanced preparations, this in itself is not necessarily catastrophic but it could be quite bad in some places. The greatest issue is that it provides Andy with enough days to transport his forces (of which I am sure a number of them where likely already packed up for rail movement) pretty much wherever he pleases along the frontline. So again not necessarily catastrophic, but potentially really dicey for me....

Catching up. OUCH!




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 6:06:07 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

September 26, 1942

A Sentai of Tojos caught a gaggle of IL-2s heading towards advancing Japanese troops and knocked out about a dozen of them. The Sturmoviks are really tough though - took a really large number of gun hits to bring them down, so cannon is really quite needed when going up against them.

I have found Nicks to be particularly effective against SOV bombers of all kinds ... especially IL-2's.




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 6:33:51 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

To A6M5 or to not A6M5?

The A6M5 is now available to me for production and given this is the first time I am playing Japan I am not really sure how much of an improvement it is over the A6M3a. I really like the A6M3a's excellent range and maneuverability, both of which are better than the A6M5. The A6M5 however does have better speed, climb, and durability. So what's the general perspective here, to A6M5 or not to A6M5? I am leaning towards upgrading some production to the new fighter but keeping half for the A6M3a.

I tend to keep the A6M3a in production for most of the war, although once the A7M2 and/or Ki-43-IV is in production it falls off pretty hard.

I definitely produce the A6M5c ... the other variants depends upon what my needs are. Sometimes I build some, other times not. I also build the A6M8 for sure until the A7M2 is available.




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 6:41:45 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

The first battle around Ulan Bator was also rather disappointing. Bad weather prevented any Japanese bombing strikes but some Soviet ones did slip through. It will likely have to be a grinding battle in this sector over the next few months at least.


102 VEH's destroyed ... all except MotSupport are essentially irreplacable.




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 7:00:34 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Meanwhile closer to the Vladivostok area, Japanese troops are carefully advancing forwards. They have succeeded in taking Khabarovsk from the Soviet rearguards without a fight by forcing them to withdraw when Andy realized his troops were about to be outflanked and cut off. Detachments are marching to seize the factories at Komsomolsk and the coastal gun forts at Nikolaevsk and Sovetskaya Gavan.


These are a big deal. The air factories will convert to VEH for you ... a very nice bonus.




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 7:05:07 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

A couple of other events to mention, both good news:

1) CA Furutaka has thankfully made it back to Bombay where it is getting emergency repairs before likely withdrawing further away from the frontlines.
2) The first N1K1-J George factory has fully repaired itself! As a happy coincidence, this happened on the very same day that I accumulated more than 500 Ha-45 engines. Now research can go forward with the help of the engine bonus.

OK, roughly Nov 1 you get your 1st George factory ... yeah, on track for early George and bad news for AndyMac. He's got a handful going here ....




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 10:48:07 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

To A6M5 or to not A6M5?

The A6M5 is now available to me for production and given this is the first time I am playing Japan I am not really sure how much of an improvement it is over the A6M3a. I really like the A6M3a's excellent range and maneuverability, both of which are better than the A6M5. The A6M5 however does have better speed, climb, and durability. So what's the general perspective here, to A6M5 or not to A6M5? I am leaning towards upgrading some production to the new fighter but keeping half for the A6M3a.

I tend to keep the A6M3a in production for most of the war, although once the A7M2 and/or Ki-43-IV is in production it falls off pretty hard.

I definitely produce the A6M5c ... the other variants depends upon what my needs are. Sometimes I build some, other times not. I also build the A6M8 for sure until the A7M2 is available.



I decided to keep half of the production on the A6M3a as the range on that aircraft is very useful.

I really screwed up with the A6M research line btw. Given my inexperience, I accidentally allowed three research factories to convert to production so now I am shorthanded in my research effort towards the A6M5c. Fortunately, I did put a lot of emphasis on the A7M2 so my hope is that arrives early enough to redress the mistake.




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 10:48:57 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Meanwhile closer to the Vladivostok area, Japanese troops are carefully advancing forwards. They have succeeded in taking Khabarovsk from the Soviet rearguards without a fight by forcing them to withdraw when Andy realized his troops were about to be outflanked and cut off. Detachments are marching to seize the factories at Komsomolsk and the coastal gun forts at Nikolaevsk and Sovetskaya Gavan.


These are a big deal. The air factories will convert to VEH for you ... a very nice bonus.


Nice! I could always use more VEH factories.




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 11:57:08 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101


quote:

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

To A6M5 or to not A6M5?

The A6M5 is now available to me for production and given this is the first time I am playing Japan I am not really sure how much of an improvement it is over the A6M3a. I really like the A6M3a's excellent range and maneuverability, both of which are better than the A6M5. The A6M5 however does have better speed, climb, and durability. So what's the general perspective here, to A6M5 or not to A6M5? I am leaning towards upgrading some production to the new fighter but keeping half for the A6M3a.

I tend to keep the A6M3a in production for most of the war, although once the A7M2 and/or Ki-43-IV is in production it falls off pretty hard.

I definitely produce the A6M5c ... the other variants depends upon what my needs are. Sometimes I build some, other times not. I also build the A6M8 for sure until the A7M2 is available.



I decided to keep half of the production on the A6M3a as the range on that aircraft is very useful.

I really screwed up with the A6M research line btw. Given my inexperience, I accidentally allowed three research factories to convert to production so now I am shorthanded in my research effort towards the A6M5c. Fortunately, I did put a lot of emphasis on the A7M2 so my hope is that arrives early enough to redress the mistake.

I think you will find that this is less of an issue than you fear at the moment. Once George arrives, you will want a LOT of them. Together with Frank, these two aircraft can dominate 43/44. If you can get A7M early enough, 44 can be REALLY tough for the allies.




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/16/2021 11:57:41 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101


quote:

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Meanwhile closer to the Vladivostok area, Japanese troops are carefully advancing forwards. They have succeeded in taking Khabarovsk from the Soviet rearguards without a fight by forcing them to withdraw when Andy realized his troops were about to be outflanked and cut off. Detachments are marching to seize the factories at Komsomolsk and the coastal gun forts at Nikolaevsk and Sovetskaya Gavan.


These are a big deal. The air factories will convert to VEH for you ... a very nice bonus.


Nice! I could always use more VEH factories.

everyone can ....




RangerJoe -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 12:01:23 AM)

You bad you can't make IL-2s for very short ranged but tough Kamikazes . . .




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 7:21:08 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

You bad you can't make IL-2s for very short ranged but tough Kamikazes . . .

[:D]




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 7:31:47 AM)

October 26-29, 1942

Aside from capturing Shilka and bruising the trailing elements of the Mogocha force, the action over the past few days in the USSR has mostly been about moving forces into position. I have been taking a closer look at the area around Chita and I am rethinking my approach. It's really tough terrain and I imagine Chita itself is probably a fortress by now. I am also noticing a lot of Soviet reinforcements coming in from the Ulan Bator sector. Flanking maneuvers will go ahead and I will send in some divisions to test the position, but I won't fully commit myself here just yet. More on this in due time.






[image]local://upfiles/55490/82048FC0923B49BC942ABE6D7C0A41F0.jpg[/image]




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 7:36:30 AM)

I lost my first submarine of the war to British KVs in the Karachi area. I-156, a Type KD3A/B submarine, was forced to the surface by depth charge hits and sunk by gunfire. I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about it, as on the same day it went down I also destroyed three confirmed Soviet submarines. Still, the first Japanese submarine (of many more to come) went down for the Empire, so it stings a bit.





DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 7:41:22 AM)

In more happier news, the absence of the Soviet air threat in the Vladivostok area has allowed me to put back my fighters on training duties. The interruption to my training program therefore lasted for less than a month which is significantly less than I expected.

Below is the status of my economy. Fuel is continuing to rise and is at 5.6 million. Amazingly, supply has not decreased but has actually continued to increase despite the heavy action in the USSR. It is now at 4.55 million. Not bad for a scenario 1 game I think.



[image]local://upfiles/55490/152784994C71478098B13B40E2ECA6E3.jpg[/image]




PaxMondo -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 11:26:47 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Fuel is continuing to rise and is at 5.6 million. Amazingly, supply has not decreased but has actually continued to increase despite the heavy action in the USSR. It is now at 4.55 million. Not bad for a scenario 1 game I think.



Quite good, particularly given the action. Not sure I'd characterize it as heavy yet though, based upon your commentary a lot of your forces have been doing containment around Vladi and a lot of maneuver ... (the one area where WitP modeling is weak is maneuver, there isn't a supply usage for this). These are all GOOD notes, you are effectively using IJ forces while minimizing supply use.

IJ forces don't have a lot of expensive organic AA so airstrikes against them don't use up a lot of supply. Also I haven't noticed any big arty duels, which with those heavy guns of the IJ do use a LOT of supply.

Just striking a cautionary note about the supply. I think you are doing really well, just continue to watch it carefully and understand what parts of the IJ armed forces are big supply users. Proportionately, the heavy arty and LB bombers are your 2 biggest supply eaters on the offensive side. Defensively, it is your heavy AA guns. Don't avoid using them, just be sure to think through the supply use when you commit them.




Alfred -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 2:23:17 PM)

1. Caliber size is not factored into supply consumption.

2. Artillery, when used offensively, the supply consumption rate is doubled.

Alfred




RangerJoe -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 2:35:20 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

1. Caliber size is not factored into supply consumption.

2. Artillery, when used offensively, the supply consumption rate is doubled.

Alfred


Thank you Alfred.

My understanding is that when defending and a unit is attacked, whether or not it responds nor the size of the attack, the supply consumption is increased by 10%.




Alfred -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 2:45:41 PM)

A unit can expend up to 10 shots in combat. Each shot raises the supply required by 10%. Hence if all 10 shots are expended the total supply requirement figure is doubled. Most combat doesn't result in all 10 shots being expended.

The only way to attempt to reduce a unit's supply consumption from combat is to have it in "reserve" mode, and hope it isn't automatically moved out of "reserve" status.

Alfred




RangerJoe -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 2:56:08 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

A unit can expend up to 10 shots in combat. Each shot raises the supply required by 10%. Hence if all 10 shots are expended the total supply requirement figure is doubled. Most combat doesn't result in all 10 shots being expended.

The only way to attempt to reduce a unit's supply consumption from combat is to have it in "reserve" mode, and hope it isn't automatically moved out of "reserve" status.

Alfred


Thank you.




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 11:38:51 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Fuel is continuing to rise and is at 5.6 million. Amazingly, supply has not decreased but has actually continued to increase despite the heavy action in the USSR. It is now at 4.55 million. Not bad for a scenario 1 game I think.



Quite good, particularly given the action. Not sure I'd characterize it as heavy yet though, based upon your commentary a lot of your forces have been doing containment around Vladi and a lot of maneuver ... (the one area where WitP modeling is weak is maneuver, there isn't a supply usage for this). These are all GOOD notes, you are effectively using IJ forces while minimizing supply use.

IJ forces don't have a lot of expensive organic AA so airstrikes against them don't use up a lot of supply. Also I haven't noticed any big arty duels, which with those heavy guns of the IJ do use a LOT of supply.

Just striking a cautionary note about the supply. I think you are doing really well, just continue to watch it carefully and understand what parts of the IJ armed forces are big supply users. Proportionately, the heavy arty and LB bombers are your 2 biggest supply eaters on the offensive side. Defensively, it is your heavy AA guns. Don't avoid using them, just be sure to think through the supply use when you commit them.



Excellent notes and all very well taken, thanks Pax.

I will keep a close eye on the intensity of use and the associated levels of supply. Like you said, I managed to avoid a lot of pitched battles thus far by relying on maneuver, but I am starting to hit some walls that need blunt force. For instance, I am bringing up some heavy artillery units to see if I can counter his massed artillery use in the Ulan Bator sector - let's see how that goes!




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 11:43:07 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

A unit can expend up to 10 shots in combat. Each shot raises the supply required by 10%. Hence if all 10 shots are expended the total supply requirement figure is doubled. Most combat doesn't result in all 10 shots being expended.

The only way to attempt to reduce a unit's supply consumption from combat is to have it in "reserve" mode, and hope it isn't automatically moved out of "reserve" status.

Alfred


Thanks for the info Alfred.

Speaking of reserve mode, I have been attempting to rotate my troops that are being heavily shelled in the Ulan Bator sector between reserve and combat modes and it seems to work pretty well. It helps keep disruption levels across the army relatively low by giving respite to the units that go into reserve for the rotation.




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/17/2021 11:52:02 PM)

October 30-November 2, 1942

The very next day that I lost my first submarine I lost a second one to a Dutch destroyer! My destroyers avenged the submarine though when they sank the Dutch ship in turn. Nell torpedo bombers also sank the CL Durban near Karachi.

In the USSR, I will know tomorrow whether I have succeeded in cutting of the retreat path of the Mogocha force before the first Soviet units reach the road. If they do, I will immediately attack and attempt to claim the hex again.

Andy ramped up the Soviet activity in the air when he sent MiG-3 sweeps for two days in a row against my CAP at Shilka. The Tojo's proved their mettle when they handily defeated every sweep, knocking out about 20 MiG-3s in total and an additional 20 supporting I-153 fighters for only a dozen or so lost Ki-44s for the two days.



[image]local://upfiles/55490/12F2CD9FAE284B2E8772B2B79343AE5A.jpg[/image]




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/18/2021 12:22:58 PM)

November 3, 1942

My troops won the race - the Soviet forces that originated around Mogocha are cornered once again.



[image]local://upfiles/55490/A343FB5FA1F3482BA780787DCD6D24C4.jpg[/image]




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/18/2021 12:24:56 PM)

IL-2s in India? Strange, they definitely don't have the range to make the jump from the Soviet Union, so how did they get there? Any ideas?



[image]local://upfiles/55490/E9980775063846EC9AC4846940744DBC.jpg[/image]




GetAssista -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/18/2021 1:30:54 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101
IL-2s in India? Strange, they definitely don't have the range to make the jump from the Soviet Union, so how did they get there? Any ideas?

Andy could've used another airframe to fly there, then upgrade to IL-2 to free the said airframes for another group to make a hop. Soviet ILs can turn out quite useful over Indian clear terrain




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/18/2021 2:14:30 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101
IL-2s in India? Strange, they definitely don't have the range to make the jump from the Soviet Union, so how did they get there? Any ideas?

Andy could've used another airframe to fly there, then upgrade to IL-2 to free the said airframes for another group to make a hop. Soviet ILs can turn out quite useful over Indian clear terrain


That must be it. Interesting move by Andy. Now I have to watch out for the Soviet Air Force elsewhere as well. IL-2s can be annoying, but more concerning to me is the potential flow of the Soviet torpedo bombers. I haven't seen them much over the USSR so he could have sent them with the IL-2s as well.




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/18/2021 11:20:11 PM)

November 4-7, 1942

Japanese forces capture Komsomolsk, and sure enough, I suddenly find myself in possession of some additional vehicle factories. Nice!



[image]local://upfiles/55490/4AE6E9A4A06948759FAFE5ABF36163BE.jpg[/image]




DesertWolf101 -> RE: Empire of the Sun (2/18/2021 11:23:16 PM)

Some airfield raids with good results against Andy's seemingly limitless number of Soviet bombers.



[image]local://upfiles/55490/00868C2B7D6747AB99DA7C510440D175.jpg[/image]




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