IChristie
Posts: 673
Joined: 3/26/2002
From: Ottawa, Canada
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OK, let me start by reminding everyone that I am using a very early beta version of the game (so early that I have been having to set my computer date back to early April to continue playing). There are a few results in this report, that I freely admit seem, well, anomalous. It was never my intention to give the design team any kind of grief, so I would appreciate it if everyone keep that in mind.
10 Dec - Oh now that's interesting! Another US CV TF shows up. All of the US carriers Seem to have married up west of New Caledonia right in the middle of the Coral Sea. It will be Be interesting to see which way they jump. For now, I take no extra action. I can shift my LBA around wherever it will be needed.
11 Dec - Noumea LBA launches Large scale raids on shipping at PV. I lose 2AP badly damaged and 1 APD sunk. Over on L'ville the airbase is getting very active - 50+ fighters and a few SBD's. The next Fuel convoy finally arrives at Nevea. Using that fuel I immediately plan a Bombardment of the L'ville airfield. Scraping up enough DD's is becoming a full time chore. The escorts on the latest replenishment convoys are the latest victims of the press gang, I add them to the bombardment TF.
12 Dec - The shipping in PV harbour gets a well deserved break as Weather grounds Noumea and L'ville. PV, though is in the clear and the boys get busy on yet another convoy this time they catch an AK en route to l'ville and put 4 bombs into her.
13 Dec - The phantom US carriers show up off Gili Gili. The Betty's and Nells in Rabaul lick their chops in anticipation.
14 Dec - Oh well another case of strikus interuptus for the flyboys. The US carriers head back east out of range.
A Large convoy protected by 2 CA's arrives in L'ville. Obviously more US surface units have arrived. The LBA from PV attacks the convoy, meets strong CAP from L'ville and gets mauled. In a stroke of luck a second strike uses a passing thunderstorm and avoid the CAP. The manage to put a bomb into a DD and a Torpedoe into one of the CA's.
17 Dec - With the blockade deteriorating, I decided to throw caution to the wind and make an all out attempt to take Luganville. We mount a shock attack with everything in the beachead. That worked well... Not. The final casulaty estimates are 3700:80. BANZAI!
On a happier note, PV LBA hits a TF near Noumea, 2 DD's are bombed and and a DM is Torpedoed.
Not to be outdone Nells from Rabaul sink 3 AK's off Gili Gili. The allies must be having a heck of time finding recruits for the merchant marine. A quick check of the information screen reveals that at least 75 transports of all types have been sunk in just over six months.
Another Wild night off L'ville. I send down two bombardment forces. In pay back for the debacle ashore they catch a big convoy unloading in port and sink 6 tpts, 1 MSW, 1 DD.
18 Dec - So my shock attack finally seems to have attracted the attention of the allied high command. Or maybe that last convoy finally dumped significant supplies. At any rate the allies counter attack the beachead. I'm a bit stunned to find that it is all over in 24 hours. 43000 imperial warriors apparently lay down their arms and march into captivity. WTF? Somehow the Allies achieve 5:1 odds despite being numerically inferior in troops, guns, vehicles. This seems to me to be a strange result. Now, it is true that i only had fewer than 4000 line infantry in the beachead and they had all been compromised seriously by the months of sitting around, but this is still a bit of a surprise, especially since my all out assault did not even dent the defences. Maybe its a beta thing.
In the end, it's not really a big tactical blow (tell that to the families back home!). I don't need to capture L'ville with PV, Koumac and Basse Poya in hand, and the ground forces were not contributing materially to shutting down the L'ville airbase.
19 Dec - The airforce on PV don't pause to mourn their fallen comrades ashore at L'ville. In the morning they sink 3 DD's off L'ville. The US Carriers show up again, now south of New Caledonia. They seem to be content with continuing to to pound Basse Poya. An infantry reg't from Noumea meets the vaunted 2nd recon south of Basse Poya, gives them a bloody nose and sends them back down the island. As they are still one hex south of Basse Poya, there is no way that the US LCU can walk all the way to the base by New Years day now.
Just out of interest, I check Supplies at PV. They are up to 17000 with a Daily Req: 2700. I also have a couple more convoys on the way so I'm in good shape for the auto victory.
20 Dec - The AI decides to make its final days interesting. I spot fast transport Convoy off Rennell I. Not sure where they think they are going. They don't get there! The birds of paradise at Lunga finally get a chance to get back in the act, they sink 3 APD's sunk in rapid succession. Later that night the bodies of marines of the 1st division start washing ashore on Rennel I.
Farther south the LBA on Pv the LBA goes after a DD in L'ville harbour. This time they have to fight through CAP of 35+ fighters from L'ville airbase. OUCH!
Well, at this point the game pretty much degenerated into a standard pattern of the allies bombing the bejeezus out of Basse Poya with LBA from Noumea and carrier air from CV's south of New Caledonia. My LBA on PV keeps patrolling the supply lanes. I occasionally send a bombardment force down from Nevea to harass the airbase and generally keep his convoys honest.
To tell you the truth, it was 2:30 in the morning and I just REALLY wanted to see how (if) it was going to end...
_____________________________
Iain Christie
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"If patience is a virtue then persistence is it's part.
It's better to light a candle than stand and curse the dark"
- James Keelaghan
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