RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A)

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports >> RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A)

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/8/2012 8:17:57 PM

HansBolter

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Billiton is sufficiently far away from Kendari to preclude intervention. What you want to be careful of is your retreat route from Kendari. You probably want to set your home port for Koepang or Darwin or the like so when you leave Kendari you will be headed away from potential intervention.

Also regarding your 3 days of high speed runs with your carrier that was carrier abuse plane and simply. I almost never make more than one days high speed run and will only consider 2 days under the most dire of circumstances. You've learned the hard way, first hand, how debilitating multiple days of high speed runs can truly be. As I have always said lessons learned the hard way stick with me the best, as I never forget them.

And, BBfanboy I meant no offense by my minefield post. Sorry if I came across a bit bluntly.

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Hans

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/8/2012 11:11:57 PM

marbakka

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December 21, 1941 Report

I was hoping that Force Z would savage at least a landing fleet and maybe a SAG. Instead, nothing happened. Those fleets invaded elsewhere.

- HMS Indomitable (CV) has arrived in Aden and has been ordered to Trincomalee to join the CVL Hermes in...err...I don't know what. Perhaps they'll do a traveling antique show or maybe travel from port to port doing morale boosting performances. They certainly won't be doing anything productive for the next 6 months. HMS Formidable is due to arrive in late February.
- CL Emerald arrived in Mombasa - the only use for that port that I've found thusfar.
- In Celebes, Japan landed at Gorontalo. In New Guinea, he landed at Waigeo and Hansa Bay
- I didn't bother mentioning that he invaded Guam starting last turn. Their fate was sealed on Dec 7, so why bother. I'll make a note of it when it falls, I guess.
- I'm concerned about his activity around Billiton. There is a strong SAG (2+ BBs) that has been sitting there almost since they took the island. PTs attacked that TF last night to no effect and at the loss of 2 boats. What is concerning is that there are three other fleets arriving now from the north. At least one is probably a TF with the construction group that has been in the SigInt for days, and another is probably supplies. However, I also know that one is a carrier group (it keeps shooting down my naval searches or I'd have better intel). I -think- it is the KBa (perhaps even rejoined by the KBb), but right now it is reporting as 4 CVLs and a CL (not helpful.). If he pushes south of Billiton, I may have to order Force Z to Australia or south and west to the IO.

Orders Summary - December 22, 1941

- Force Z is ordered to stand off and on Kendari until a) an invasion attempt is made or b) I figure out what is going on in the Java Sea. They're about halfway through their fuel and a small replenishment fleet is loading up in Soerabaja to top them off.
- Speaking of fuel...Lexington is still looking good and about 3 days from Pearl. She has a couple major damage points to her engines but the rest is SYS damage. I'll be disappointed if I find she has to stay in the yard a month. If that is the case, she'll be sent to the WC. Otherwise, sending her to the states seems a bit overly cautious.
- Enterprise continues to get into position for her strike. Unfortunately, the target TFs have disappeared. I think my Naval Searchers may have gotten a bit distracted by a fleet in the Marshal Islands, but I'd still like to be more sure of my target with my precious carrier racing into dangerous territory. If I recall correctly, she'll be in position for the attack the day after tomorrow. I'm still hovering my finger over the 'Abort' button. We'll see.
- Saratoga should arrive in the Bering Sea tonight or tomorrow. I've no reason to believe any attack there is imminent, so this is mostly a training cruise to occupy her time until Yorktown arrives at the end of the month.
- My SOPAC cruisers have about 3 more days before I'm ready to move them back toward the Java Sea. I'm thinking about leaving a fleet behind to disrupt enemy movement in the Solomon Sea, but I suspect they'll get more action in Java.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 4:07:44 AM

marbakka

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December 22, 1941 Report

- The (as yet) unidentified enemy carrier group is a hex or two north of Billiton. They sent a moderate size strike against Batavia's port last round. Judging from the number of aircraft, I would say that this is KBb, but I'm not sure.
- Enemy took a handful of undefended, minor bases in Celebes and New Guinea
- Manila is being occupied (should fall this turn)
- Some ridiculous losses in China. These Chinese are seriously pathetic.

Orders Summary - December 23, 1941

- Due to thunderstorms in the area, Enterprise will be waiting just NW of Wake before getting the green light on her strike. A replenishment fleet will finish fueling and move to Midway tonight to cover her retreat and/or abort path to the Bering Sea. (see Diagram below)
- Replenishment fleet out of Soerabaja has been ordered to meet Force Z and top them off. They continue to patrol around Kendari
- Moved a bunch of transport AGs out of Palembang and into Batavia. Still trying to get Palembang's AF down to an effective number of groups
- Let the dogs loose on the submarine just south of Pago Pago. I have search planes down there now, so that sucker isn't getting away this time
- Adjusted some training levels and check for pilots that needed to go to reserves
- Bah! Forgot to adjust China, so it will be another day of losses probably.

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< Message edited by marbakka -- 4/9/2012 4:26:54 AM >

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 4:08:35 AM

marbakka

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Good training attack for Enterprise and her AGs? Or utter disaster?

(NOTE: "Full Speed" will only be for one turn starting when she gets the green light. By my count that should put her back even with Wake before the next day)

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< Message edited by marbakka -- 4/9/2012 4:09:34 AM >

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 4:47:28 AM

BBfanboy

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Re: the transmission at Maloelap: In my game against the AI there was a CVL [Ryujo or Zuiho, IIR] that stopped in at Maloelap to join up with the invasion convoy for Wake. One of my SS put a torp in it as it left the port so I had a postive ID on it. I think Maloelap can only go to a level 4 port and I don't think a level 4 can re-arm [bombs, torps and avgas] a CV, although it can refuel one. This leads me to doubt that any large carriers would stop in there - just can't be positive about that.

Re: Lexington: Isn't it due for a major upgrade soon to remove the 8" guns and boost the AA? Just thinking if that means dry dock time it could tie up one third of PHs capacity for quite a while. In my campaign against the AI, I soon had PH dockyard completely socked in with damaged ships [darn those working Japanese torpedos!] and was sending everything to the West Coast, even minor refits that needed only 10 days or so in dockyard. Since then I always tried to keep a little room at PH for emergencies. That was my experience but it's your call on how you want to manage it.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 5:03:54 AM

BBfanboy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: marbakka

Good training attack for Enterprise and her AGs? Or utter disaster?

(NOTE: "Full Speed" will only be for one turn starting when she gets the green light. By my count that should put her back even with Wake before the next day)

Question: Can the escorting destroyers make a two day full speed run without pausing for refuelling? That usually seems to happen within range of enemy retaliation!
Overall the situation makes me want to get inside your opponent's head. Does he try to lay traps? Does he sometimes send SAG forward without good air cover? If this was a trap set-up, where would his attack come from?
Can you creep in half way, run in to attack on the morning phase and then by having "retirement allowed" set, retire in the naval movement phase before the afternoon air attacks start. This would reduce the high speed run to one day [unless you were being chased].

_____________________________

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 5:47:13 AM

marbakka

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Question: Can the escorting destroyers make a two day full speed run without pausing for refuelling? That usually seems to happen within range of enemy retaliation!
Overall the situation makes me want to get inside your opponent's head. Does he try to lay traps? Does he sometimes send SAG forward without good air cover? If this was a trap set-up, where would his attack come from?
Can you creep in half way, run in to attack on the morning phase and then by having "retirement allowed" set, retire in the naval movement phase before the afternoon air attacks start. This would reduce the high speed run to one day [unless you were being chased].

I wouldn't put a trap past my opponent, but I am much more suspicious about what is going on in Celebes than here. The target SAG is the same one that I hit pretty hard with Lexington last week. It never left that position (unless it's disappearing last night meant that it moved). If it IS a trap, I'd expect his KB to come flying in from the West along with bomber cover from the Marshals. That is why my flight path is toward the Bering Sea with the replenishment fleet already positioning for just such a contingency.

I confess that movement distances is something I'm still getting a grip on. I hadn't thought about the DDs needing to stop for a drink. I don't have the turn right now so I'll have to take a look at that tomorrow. I'd rather not ease her down south because I don't want her spotted by search aircraft out of the Marshals. I wish these thunderstorms hadn't shown up because she was going to be about a third of the way down the attack line at the end of the day otherwise.

I'm counting a little on his not thinking that I'd do this twice. This is essentially the same thing that Lexington did. I'd love to finish off the CAs that were sitting down there, and I view it as a training opportunity. That said, I'm beginning to wonder if the fleet in Java is really the KBa. If it isn't, then I don't know where it is.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 6:08:13 PM

marbakka

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December 23, 1941 Report

- Manila fell (uncontested) in Luzon. George Town fell in Malaya
- He has begun to attack the 167 AV worth of troops that are stuck in central Malaya. I'm supplying these troops by air from Singapore, so perhaps they can inflict some damage
- My picket sub east of Celebes has spotted 3 TFs moving about. I can't tell if they are moving SW or E. One is a 4 ship TF that reports 2 BBs present. I suspect this is the Kendari landing force that I've been expecting, but its hard to tell.
- The KB group that was hovering near Singapore has disappeared. My PT ghost-pickets (they are floating around out there out of fuel) came into contact with a TF of about a dozen xAKs last night. They are apparently unloading in Billiton now. For giggles, I set every bomber within range (from Palembang and Batavia mostly) to conduct Naval Attacks.
- The Pillow Fort has 325 pillows in it now!
- Saratoga is on station in the Bering Sea, but needs replenished. A fleet is already there but needs to top off the SAG group first.

Orders Summary - December 24, 1941

- Enterprise has been given the green light now that search planes have confirmed that the ships are still present in the target area. The weather has been downgraded to "rain" which still may cancel the mission, but we'll give it a shot. Fighters set to 50% CAP 50% Escort (no enemy CAP is expected), DB/TBs set to 100% Naval Attack (the area is being thoroughly searched by float planes out of Wake).
- Until I know more about the TFs near Celebes, I have moved Force Z to a position SE of Kendari. Those BBs may turn out to be CVLs. We'll see.
- The lead element of the 7AUS has arrived in Karachi. They will hang out there until the rest of the division arrives in about a month and a half.
- Troops should begin unloading at Adak tomorrow
- In China, wherever he pushes, I fall back. He has a line of forces taking the northern plains. If he pushes into the woods, he'll meet stiff resistance. I have issued orders to abandon Yenan lest those northern forces get cut off entirely if he pushes for Sian
- About 8000 British troops should arrive in Colombo today. They will remain there until I have a better idea what the enemy's long range plans are. I may move them over to Trincomalee if only to spread the Ceylon troops out a bit.

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< Message edited by marbakka -- 4/9/2012 6:10:26 PM >

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 9:19:15 PM

marbakka

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December 23, 1941 Report

- Lexington arrives in PH and refuels. Her repair will take upwards of a month (by which time she'll only be a couple weeks from an upgrade). 4 BBs who will be due for an upgrade in a week will hitch a ride to California.
- Enterprise executed her assigned manuevers, but did not launch the strike (due to weather?). I've seen nothing to indicate that she has been spotted, so she will linger another day and try again. If it doesn't work this time, then she'll return home to refuel then meet up with Saratoga and Yorktown, which should be arriving soon
- Japan captured Mauban, Hwaiyin, and Leowoek. He landed troops at Madang and the dot-base east of Rabaul.
- My brave picket sub east of Celebes engaged several TFs yesterday. They appear to be SAGs in support of the minor landings around Celebes and Moluccas. They do not seem inclined to move.
- Lots of bombing going on in China - particularly of my troops retreating in the south. Nanyang has been abandoned and my forces positioned in the woods nearby.

Orders Summary - December 24, 1941

- Again, Enterprise is to try again today. Weather forecast is 'overcast'
- Saratoga is to refuel and then splash about in the Bering Sea a bit more
- Force Z, find no imminent threat to Kendari, is sailing west to meet up with the replenishment fleet and then to take up a position midway between Kendari and Ambon
- My cruisers have finished repairing in Australia and are ordered to return to Soerabaja in two groups
- More troops to the Chittagong Defense Line (CDL)
- A couple AKVs from Balboa to Cape Town to help transport the Fifth USAAF units when they arrive in a little over a month

Disappointed that Lexington is going to be out of it for so long. Yorktown can take up her slack, but it still doesn't change that I'll be playing with 3 instead of 4 because of my dumb fueling mistake.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 9:30:36 PM

marbakka

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An update on my Indian/Burmese defenses

The plan is to defend in Burma along a line of wooded/rough terrain bases. I expect his biggest thrust toward Pegu and have most of my troops there. The blue lines indicate my lines of retreat which I won't hesitate to use if it appears that the enemy will break through the line.

In India, I expect that the Burmese survivors will take up the defense alongside the Indian troops that are already there. The base up the road from Imphal will serve as a staging area for reserves that I can quickly move to the point along the CDL where they are needed. I'm also building up airbases around Calcutta to help support the stand here. The east coast of India itself is to be protected by the British Navy as well as newly built fortifications, though I'm focusing most of my attention at the CDL for the time being. Extra troops are sitting in Ceylon and can be deployed if I think his major thrust will be to conquer India.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 10:35:15 PM

HansBolter

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Lady Lex and Sara are about halfway through thier upgrades in my current game. They take 26 days to complete so look forward to another month of downtime.

Be careful keeping your SAGs on station too far forward. Nells and Betties aka Netties can strike them from incredible range and they almost never miss with thier airborne fish. I tend to keep my SAGs a little further back and only stage them forward to a striking point when live bait is spotted and they have a definite target.

< Message edited by HansBolter -- 4/9/2012 10:38:26 PM >

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/9/2012 10:41:59 PM

princep01

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WHY ENTERPRISE DID NOT L:AUNCH. I could be wrong about thsi, but it did not launch because it used all its OP points to get to the launch position. As I understand it, the TF must still have OP points available to actually launch its AGs. I would say that was the reason E did not launch, but the weather.

Weather can do that, but I rather doubt that was the problem given E's long run to attack position.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 2:38:57 AM

marbakka

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December 24, 1941 Report

- About 5000 enemy troops have moved into the hex with Moulmein, and another group is coming out of the woods to the NE of Pegu. The invasion of Burma has begun
- Singapore has been getting hit by heavy bombers for 3-4 days now. My fighters are worn down something aweful.
- Still no move on Kendari
- All enemy carriers have disappeared
- Enterprise still did not launch. It makes no sense to me. The weather was nice, and there is no reason that they should have been out of ops. In any case, I'm pulling her back to PH and then the WC to welcome Yorktown into the Pacific. Saratoga will be joining them soon.
- Japan snagged a few minor bases including Madang. He has a very large force at Rabaul, so it is pretty clear that will be his SOPAC base of operations.

Orders Summary - December 25, 1941

- First major shipments into Pago Pago should be arriving in a couple of days. I have an ominous feeling down there. He knows I'm building it up and his sub in the area has been snooping the various fleets. My first mission for the three carrier groups may well be to head down there and keep an eye on things until I know where the KB is
- Ordered the Chinese to just shoot themselves to save bullets.
- Several new units arrived in Karachi and were sent to the CDL including the HQ for the RAF 225. Ledo should be a lvl 4 airfield in a week or two.

SigInt: Notice that yet another faction of the 33rd Division is prepping for Rangoon. It's pretty clear who he's sending there. 15th Army was also prepping for it a couple days ago.

Noob Question: I have a tank battalion at EC, USA that I want to transfer to Cape Town. I set Cape Town as the destination and it asks me if I want to send it there. I click yes, and it goes back to the screen with no destination set. What am I doing wrong there? Can I not transfer LCUs off-map?

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 3:04:48 AM

princep01

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Check you settings on the AG on Enterprise. Naval Attack, MAKE SURE the range is where you want it...I have set it all up and left the range at 0....no attack.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 3:42:48 AM

marbakka

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quote:

ORIGINAL: princep01

Check you settings on the AG on Enterprise. Naval Attack, MAKE SURE the range is where you want it...I have set it all up and left the range at 0....no attack.

It was 100% Naval Attack (no patrol values set) with max range, and I took the carrier to within 4 hexes of the target via a waypoint.

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Post #: 135

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 4:24:37 AM

princep01

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Re your question about the tank unit in EC going to Capetown. Is the unit in strategic mode? To transport to Capetown, it probably needs to be in strat mode. Then just send it....no ships involved.

Question: You have few enough available units to send to the Pacific at this point. Why are you sending American unts to do what Indian and British units should do for themslves??? You should be pouring units into Pago-Pago and building the port and AF there ASAP. This is an important place to HOLD. Similarly, though to a lesser degree, I try to deny Canton Island to the IJ to protect the supply lines south. Depending on your opponent's initial objectives (clearly the DEI), you have a chance to hold and fortify Fiji. New Caldonia is probably out of reach, but since he went south and SE, I would consider the potential for holding it too. But, if you send many American units to Ceylon and India....forget anything in the Pacific short of the Hawaiian Islands.

On Enterprise. I just don't know how many hexes you moved this last turn, but at normal speed, the TF will move about 8 hexes. If you traveled 7 to get to the launch point, you probably ran afoul of the "too few OP points remaining" problem again.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 6:23:21 AM

BBfanboy

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Ah - there's the rub. Naval attacks only take place if the search finds something in a TF. I don't think searchs usually find ships stood down in port. You need to use Port Attack to be sure of stiking the ships in port, regardless of sighthings.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 6:31:20 AM

BBfanboy

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About that armoured unit - only thing I can surmise is that the unit is still assigned to a restricted HQ so it wont move off of the continent? You can strat move restricted units by rail but moving between off-base hexes involves ships and you can't put a restricted unit on a ship.

Re: 33rd Division going to Rangoon - this is good, it means your preparations to resist have been in the right places and it is less likely he will try an amphib landing in Ceylon or South India.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 12:04:51 PM

HansBolter

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Most of the units that arrive at the East Coast aren't restricted. I agree with princep that it probably needs to be in strat mode. I can't say for sure as I have never tried to transfer an LCU from off map base to of map base without putting them in strat mode and it works for me every time.

I also agree with not sending American LCUs to the Brits. He is dead on about Pago Pago and Canton. From PP slowly start garrisoning further west to Suva, then Noumea, then Louganville, then Nedeni. Poise yourself for an assault on the Solomons.

Get SWPac units to Oz and decide if you are going to fight to hold Port Morseby. If he is slow to come after it build it up to the hilt. If you can get SWPac base forces and the II Fighter Command into it along with the two Pursuit Groups belonging to SWPac and then get thier B26s and the A24s from ABDA there you can pummel his efforts to build up the Lae/Salamaua/Buna area. I also put SWPacs and the PIs B17s in Townsville and Charter Towers to hit the Lae/Salamaua airfields. If he wants to overcome that kind of concentration he has to committ a major concentration of Zeroes that will hinder his abilities elsewhere. Heck I even transfer the Aussie Vildebeasts there. And the SWPac P39s are incredible ship busters when set on Nav attack at 100 feet.

In CenPac keep an eye on Tabiteuea. If he ignores it, once you have suffcient force, run a SeaBee there with a fast tranport. Follow up with a Marine Def Bn and a base force and perhaps a regiment or two of the 3rd Marine Div. Use your carriers to cover the unloading of the follow up forces as long as you do so when you know his carriers are elsewhere and deliver fighters as soon as the base is built up. The tough thing about taking and building up a dot base in range of his LBA is getting supply in. The beauty of Tabby is that it has it's own ready made stockpile of supply! See Denishe's awesome AAR for some pointers on Tabby. It is an easy stepping stone for both the Gilberts and Marshalls.

And BBfanboy is correct. Ships disbanded into ports can only be hit with a Port attack not a Nav attack. This is how the first turn attacks on either Pearl or Manila are executed. Anytime you see an anchor symbol at an enemy port you know you have a potentially juicy target waiting.

< Message edited by HansBolter -- 4/10/2012 12:08:17 PM >

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Post #: 139

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 3:32:14 PM

marbakka

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Ah - there's the rub. Naval attacks only take place if the search finds something in a TF. I don't think searchs usually find ships stood down in port. You need to use Port Attack to be sure of stiking the ships in port, regardless of sighthings.

I'd assigned Port Attack as a secondary mission, but even so, the spotters had reported that there were ships in TFs parked there.

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RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 3:44:58 PM

marbakka

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quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Most of the units that arrive at the East Coast aren't restricted. I agree with princep that it probably needs to be in strat mode. I can't say for sure as I have never tried to transfer an LCU from off map base to of map base without putting them in strat mode and it works for me every time.

I don't have the turn right now, but I'm pretty sure the unit is NOT restricted as the whole reason I thought to send it was because it was on my list of unrestricted units.

quote:

I also agree with not sending American LCUs to the Brits. He is dead on about Pago Pago and Canton. From PP slowly start garrisoning further west to Suva, then Noumea, then Louganville, then Nedeni. Poise yourself for an assault on the Solomons.

Get SWPac units to Oz and decide if you are going to fight to hold Port Morseby. If he is slow to come after it build it up to the hilt. If you can get SWPac base forces and the II Fighter Command into it along with the two Pursuit Groups belonging to SWPac and then get thier B26s and the A24s from ABDA there you can pummel his efforts to build up the Lae/Salamaua/Buna area. I also put SWPacs and the PIs B17s in Townsville and Charter Towers to hit the Lae/Salamaua airfields. If he wants to overcome that kind of concentration he has to committ a major concentration of Zeroes that will hinder his abilities elsewhere. Heck I even transfer the Aussie Vildebeasts there. And the SWPac P39s are incredible ship busters when set on Nav attack at 100 feet.

My thinking on sending the tanks to CT went like this: Tanks are useful because of their mobility and ability to quickly move to needed places. That requires relatively open terrain. Therefore, those tanks will be most useful in either India or Australia and I should position them such that they can be deployed to whichever needs them. Am I off in my thinking?

Most troops assigned to SWPAC or SOPAC are getting ready to move to Pago Pago, but if I recall correctly it is mostly ENGs who will help build up the port there.

I've considered moving the Tenth USAAF to Pago Pago, but those units are being used for training at the moment and are low on aircraft.

quote:

In CenPac keep an eye on Tabiteuea. If he ignores it, once you have suffcient force, run a SeaBee there with a fast tranport. Follow up with a Marine Def Bn and a base force and perhaps a regiment or two of the 3rd Marine Div. Use your carriers to cover the unloading of the follow up forces as long as you do so when you know his carriers are elsewhere and deliver fighters as soon as the base is built up. The tough thing about taking and building up a dot base in range of his LBA is getting supply in. The beauty of Tabby is that it has it's own ready made stockpile of supply! See Denishe's awesome AAR for some pointers on Tabby. It is an easy stepping stone for both the Gilberts and Marshalls.

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about CENPAC except to begin thinking about how to reinforce the ports near PH (and Midway). I'll have to look into it. Still not sure where I'm going to get all the troops to do all this.

(in reply to HansBolter)

Post #: 141

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 4:16:46 PM

HansBolter

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quote:

ORIGINAL: marbakka

quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Most of the units that arrive at the East Coast aren't restricted. I agree with princep that it probably needs to be in strat mode. I can't say for sure as I have never tried to transfer an LCU from off map base to of map base without putting them in strat mode and it works for me every time.

I don't have the turn right now, but I'm pretty sure the unit is NOT restricted as the whole reason I thought to send it was because it was on my list of unrestricted units.

Likely they need to be in strat mode then.

quote:

I also agree with not sending American LCUs to the Brits. He is dead on about Pago Pago and Canton. From PP slowly start garrisoning further west to Suva, then Noumea, then Louganville, then Nedeni. Poise yourself for an assault on the Solomons.

Get SWPac units to Oz and decide if you are going to fight to hold Port Morseby. If he is slow to come after it build it up to the hilt. If you can get SWPac base forces and the II Fighter Command into it along with the two Pursuit Groups belonging to SWPac and then get thier B26s and the A24s from ABDA there you can pummel his efforts to build up the Lae/Salamaua/Buna area. I also put SWPacs and the PIs B17s in Townsville and Charter Towers to hit the Lae/Salamaua airfields. If he wants to overcome that kind of concentration he has to committ a major concentration of Zeroes that will hinder his abilities elsewhere. Heck I even transfer the Aussie Vildebeasts there. And the SWPac P39s are incredible ship busters when set on Nav attack at 100 feet.

My thinking on sending the tanks to CT went like this: Tanks are useful because of their mobility and ability to quickly move to needed places. That requires relatively open terrain. Therefore, those tanks will be most useful in either India or Australia and I should position them such that they can be deployed to whichever needs them. Am I off in my thinking?

No, but tanks also add a very high concentration of AV for very little stacking value so they are good for beefing up defense of limited stacking locales like Canton and Midway. If he isn't coming after Australia or SouthPac or even pushing hard in New Guinea and you feel hard pressed in Burma or India then perhaps it is a good choice to send some American units there, but I personally would let the Brits look to their own defense and use the oppurtunity to be agressive in the locales he isn't pushing in.

Most troops assigned to SWPAC or SOPAC are getting ready to move to Pago Pago, but if I recall correctly it is mostly ENGs who will help build up the port there.

Yes, you need engineers to build them up, but you need units with AV to hold them.

I've considered moving the Tenth USAAF to Pago Pago, but those units are being used for training at the moment and are low on aircraft.

quote:

In CenPac keep an eye on Tabiteuea. If he ignores it, once you have suffcient force, run a SeaBee there with a fast tranport. Follow up with a Marine Def Bn and a base force and perhaps a regiment or two of the 3rd Marine Div. Use your carriers to cover the unloading of the follow up forces as long as you do so when you know his carriers are elsewhere and deliver fighters as soon as the base is built up. The tough thing about taking and building up a dot base in range of his LBA is getting supply in. The beauty of Tabby is that it has it's own ready made stockpile of supply! See Denishe's awesome AAR for some pointers on Tabby. It is an easy stepping stone for both the Gilberts and Marshalls.

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about CENPAC except to begin thinking about how to reinforce the ports near PH (and Midway). I'll have to look into it. Still not sure where I'm going to get all the troops to do all this.

Time, my friend, time. I'm giving you advice for what to look toward in the coming months. You will get more ground units for CenPac. Some will have to be released from restricted commands over time though. Historically the US didn't get moving forward in CenPac until mid '43, but in game, if an opportunity presents itself, you can start as early as mid to late '42. You certainly won't have the carrier force to go toe to toe until mid '43, but there is a lot that can be accomplished in game earlier on a shoestring.

And the advice about Port Morseby is predicated on having some division sized units available to serve as the main defense force for all those base forces, HQs and air units. If you divert the two Aussie Divs coming in at Aden from the Middle East to India/Burma and you don't have the PPs to free up other Aussie Divs or the American Divs that historically went to SWPac then defending PM is pretty much moot.

Oh, and as for your plans for the raid by Enterprise, I thought you would have learned by now to avoid high speed runs unless absolutely necessary.

< Message edited by HansBolter -- 4/10/2012 4:20:38 PM >

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Post #: 142

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 4:22:22 PM

marbakka

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quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter
And the advice about Prt Morseby is predicated on having some division sized units available to serve as the main defense force for all those base forces, HQs and air units. If you divert the two Aussie Divs coming in at Aden from the Middle East to India/Burma and you don't have the PPs to free up other Aussie Divs or the American Divs that historically went to SWPac then defending PM is pretty much moot.

Honestly, I don't think hes going to give me the time to bring a full division to the defense of PM unless I can sneak the units out of Singapore (at the cost of 700 PP...which I can pay as of last turn). The rest of 7 AUS doesn't show up for another 40 days and even then it'll take forever to get it to PM.

He has something like 20000 troops stationed in Rabaul already.

(in reply to HansBolter)

Post #: 143

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 4:25:30 PM

HansBolter

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quote:

ORIGINAL: marbakka

quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter
And the advice about Prt Morseby is predicated on having some division sized units available to serve as the main defense force for all those base forces, HQs and air units. If you divert the two Aussie Divs coming in at Aden from the Middle East to India/Burma and you don't have the PPs to free up other Aussie Divs or the American Divs that historically went to SWPac then defending PM is pretty much moot.

Honestly, I don't think hes going to give me the time to bring a full division to the defense of PM unless I can sneak the units out of Singapore (at the cost of 700 PP...which I can pay as of last turn). The rest of 7 AUS doesn't show up for another 40 days and even then it'll take forever to get it to PM.

He has something like 20000 troops stationed in Rabaul already.

PM is toast. Don't bother. Protect the Aussie coast and start buidling defenses in SoPac.

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Post #: 144

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 8:30:33 PM

marbakka

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December 25, 1941 Report

- Lots of recon going on over Palembang. He sees that I'm building it up but has no real reason to be concerned about it. I won't be able to get it to anything sustainable, and it is mostly just an exercise in futility to get the troops there...but the alternative is to have them fight in Batavia or Soerabaja, neither of which would bring about a different result
- Lost a lot of aircraft on the ground in Singapore. For some dumb reason, I thought to give my fighters a break from flying CAP. I'd hoped that his bombings would be directed at the ground units or port (and some were). These fighter squadrons desperately need some love, but his bombing campaign has been relentless out of northern Malaya, Singkawang, and Billiton
- Japan captures Kuala Lumpur, Togian-eilanden, and Morotai (none of which was contested at all)
- Bad luck in CENPAC. I'd sent an AVP and AV to Wake to help support my 3 patrol squadrons located there. They were to shift to midway when/if Wake is invaded. A Japanese sub caught them a mere day's travel away from Wake and put a torpedo into AV Tangier. Her damage is 32/65/23/28, so it is unlikely that she will survive. I might theoretically get her to Midway, but I don't think I could get one of my ARs up that way fast enough. Should have given them an escort, but I was too busy trying to hunt down and exterminate the subs near PH to spare the DDs. Lesson learned.
- SS Triton did some mine clearing of Truk the old fashioned way. It seems unlikely she'll make it back to Pearl with 65 FLT damage, but we'll see.
- Guam should fall in the next turn or two

SigInt: For some reason, tracker did not load the intel for this turn, so no screenshot. The only thing I saw of any significance was that the 24th Infantry Regiment is loaded on a Shanghai Maru class xAP bound for Wake Island. I wonder if he hoped to invade Wake without bother with carrier air cover (thus the SAGs that were at Eniwetok and his delay after those ships were attacked by Lexington). If that was his intent, I flatter myself to think that both the presence of US carriers and the Vindicators at the island itself cause some hesitation. Of course, if that is the case, it means that he now has Carriers headed for Wake...and Enterprise isn't back to safety just yet.

Edit: Forgot to mention the unsuccessful enemy submarine attack against an empty xAP headed to San Francisco. The culprit, according to initial reports, was SS I-19. I call this little guy the Red Devil. He was spotted just west of PH and reportedly sunk by an ASW group in the opening days of the war. He was then pursued west from PH almost halfway to Wake - daily attempts to sink him without success. I thought for sure that I'd at least damaged him enough that I wouldn't be seeing him for a while...and now he shows up off the WC. Thankfully, most of my shipping has passed north of him.

< Message edited by marbakka -- 4/10/2012 8:34:55 PM >

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Post #: 145

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 8:35:02 PM

BBfanboy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: marbakka

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about CENPAC except to begin thinking about how to reinforce the ports near PH (and Midway). I'll have to look into it. Still not sure where I'm going to get all the troops to do all this.

Midway cannot take a decent number of troops anyway. As an atoll it is limited to 6000 [unless you want to waste supplies and have inefficient ops]. Usually I put construction units on it to build it to the max, then withdraw them while installing as many fighting troops as limits allow. A base force with aviation support is a given. Seaplanes and float planes can be supported by AV/AVP/AVD ships without adding to stacking on the airfield or the troop limit.
And as Hans Bolter said, you can use tanks to help maximize the assault value. Even after all that, if he comes with a big enough landing force there is no way to hold it unless you can fight off his ships. The bright side is, if he takes it then he has all the headaches about limits on atolls.

Not sure if anyone mentioned it but Japan has a "landing bonus" for the first few months that allows them to land on places they have done no prep for and not suffer too many casualties. This expires in spring 1942 [not sure which month] and after that, he would be foolish to try a snap landing without prep. So the window of time when he could do a surprise landing in the Hawaiian Islands area is elapsing and by the time you scrape up a robust defence for all those islands, it will have passed. As long as PH is impregnable and you have heavy bombers to suppress any airfields he starts nearby, he can temporarily occupy any of those islands without hurting you too much. That's my opinion and I'm sticking too it until painful experience tells me differently!

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Post #: 146

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 8:47:49 PM

HansBolter

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Pretty sure the landing bonus, which also allows him to unload at an incredible rate landing whole divisions in one day, ends at the beginning of April.

Pretty much the only reason I keep any air in Singapore is to cover the evacuation of troops. If you aren't pulling troops out by sea, there is no reason to keep an airforce there. Flak alone will make him pay a small cost for his bombing your supplies into oblivion and you need the air everywhere else.

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Post #: 147

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 9:26:55 PM

marbakka

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Orders Summary - December 26, 1941

China
- I'm concerned about his push near Changsha. He has something like 50000 soldiers marching around in the woods and pushed my buffer back into the city. He appears to be marching back to the east, but I may be in trouble if he moves to the city. I only have about 2000 AV there right now. Just in case, I have ordered about 550 AV to march from Changteh to the hex beside Changsha. I also have a 200 AV cavalry unit a couple of hexes west that can be brought in if needed. That's not much, though!
- I'm debating the possible merits of upgrading the AVG squadron in China to the P40E Warhawks. Looking at the comparison, it appears as though the Warhawk has better armor and firepower at the cost of maneuverability and climb rate. I don't know enough about the game to know whether this would be a huge mistake, so I've held off for now. Thoughts?

Burma
- He has troops 1 hex east of Pegu which appear to be moving to the hex north of Pegu. Is he trying to cut off supply to the north? If so, should I challenge him in that hex? His main force took Moulmein last night and I expect will be marching northward soon

India
- Assigned some newly arrived DDs to the Air Combat group forming at Trincomalee. NEWB QUESTION: What are the limitations when operating multiple carriers in the same TF and in the same hex? My plan right now is to sail Hermes alongside Indominable and have her serve as an ASW/Search platform.

DEI
- He continues to slowly make his way through the Celebes and New Guinea bases. Force Z is in position to interpose itself should any move be made on Kendari or Ambon, but I'll feel a lot more confident when my two cruiser SAGs get in from Australia (3+ days)
- I'm beginning to ask "What's next?" I'm thinking that once Kendari/Ambon fall, it will be time to start preparing for a last stand. I envision a general movement "inward" toward Palembang. For instance, in Java, troops would more or less abandon Soerabaja and move to Batavia to make their stand (with the lucky ones getting airlifted to Palembang instead).

Australia
- More newb questions! Where should I focus my fortification efforts? I started building up the Perth area on day 1, but I have since shifted some of that effort to building up a couple ports over there. Alice Springs is starting to look like more of a proper Air Force Base. Darwin is building, but I don't see any way I could resist an attack up there anyway thanks to the rail line ending at Alice Springs. Any attack on the Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne area will prompt me to get real active in CENPAC to cut off his supply lines, and I think he knows how hard it would be to supply such a sustained effort. I've been focusing on making those bases more useful as ports and airfields

SOPAC
- Pago Pago has 60 AV and 4 units of Artillery as well. We're still hunting for that pesky submarine, but with no luck (You try telling the captain of DD Le Triomphant that general military practice is to attack TOWARD the enemy!)
- Now that I have a better handle on how some of these units can be useful even in limited terrain (islands), I'll be a bit more active about sending SOPAC troops toward Australia via Pago Pago.

CENPAC
- Licking my wounds a bit and starting to look to the fortification of Midway. I've put too much focus on Wake. Lesson learned.

NOPAC
- A combat engineer unit has mostly unloaded at Adak. For some reason it did not complete the unloading. Not sure why, but it had better hurry up because I've got another ENG unit about 2 days out.
- I've been slowly slogging my way through Canoerebel's "Tokyo Rose was a Hussy!" AAR (I'm on page 20ish), and I'm interested in his NOPAC tactics. I'm not sure how effective they may be against Texas_D, but I'm keeping an eye on the possibility of making some trouble in the north. I don't think Japan will make any real effort up here unless he plans to take Hawaii. Saratoga will remain on station in the Bering Sea for a few more days and then leave to join the party elsewhere

WC
- I need to start building up Tenth USAAF if I'm going to send them to Pago/Australia, but I'm too ignorant of how the replacement/upgrade stuff works. I'm reading up on it, but its a lot to swallow and I'm a bit paralyzed by my not knowing if I should bother replacing airframes in Singapore and Palembang

NEWB QUESTION OF THE DAY (I know...its like the third or fourth): Talk to me about replacements for LCUs. The game started with all units defaulted to no replacements. I've turned replacements on here and there for units that I wish were a bit bigger, but that's just what it is - wishing. I don't really understand how it all works and where/when I should turn on replacements. Should I have all frontline troops set to replacements ON?

< Message edited by marbakka -- 4/10/2012 9:27:14 PM >

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Post #: 148

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/10/2012 11:32:25 PM

HansBolter

Posts: 7704
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quote:

ORIGINAL: marbakka

Orders Summary - December 26, 1941

China
- I'm concerned about his push near Changsha. He has something like 50000 soldiers marching around in the woods and pushed my buffer back into the city. He appears to be marching back to the east, but I may be in trouble if he moves to the city. I only have about 2000 AV there right now. Just in case, I have ordered about 550 AV to march from Changteh to the hex beside Changsha. I also have a 200 AV cavalry unit a couple of hexes west that can be brought in if needed. That's not much, though!
- I'm debating the possible merits of upgrading the AVG squadron in China to the P40E Warhawks. Looking at the comparison, it appears as though the Warhawk has better armor and firepower at the cost of maneuverability and climb rate. I don't know enough about the game to know whether this would be a huge mistake, so I've held off for now. Thoughts? Depends a lot on how agressive you intend to be with the AVG. If you're going to commit them to front line combat then you simply won't have the pool depth in H81A3s to sustain any duration. In the past I have upgraded one squadron to P40Es, one to P40Bs (after creating P40B pool depth by upgrading some back line P40B squads to P39s which takes time) and keeping one as H81A3s. This gives enough pool depth for each type to sustain some combat. They do however withdraw like in July I believe, so comitting your P40s to that group means you will eventually lose them. The up side of upgrading them is that the left over H81A3s eventually end up in the Chinese pool.
Burma
- He has troops 1 hex east of Pegu which appear to be moving to the hex north of Pegu. Is he trying to cut off supply to the north? If so, should I challenge him in that hex? His main force took Moulmein last night and I expect will be marching northward soon. The only way I have found to put up a fight in southern Burma is to transfer the entire III Indian Corps from Singapore. This takes time, time you don't have since he is coming early. Anything you leave in the Pegu/Rangoon area will likely be savaged and the remnants can only retreat toward Akyab. Better to pull back to Mandalay and wait for him to come to you and then pull back in as orderly a manner as you can to the Imphal area.
India
- Assigned some newly arrived DDs to the Air Combat group forming at Trincomalee. NEWB QUESTION: What are the limitations when operating multiple carriers in the same TF and in the same hex? My plan right now is to sail Hermes alongside Indominable and have her serve as an ASW/Search platform. Can't remember excatly but it's something like more than 100 or 150 air causes a detriment and it upgrades incrementaly in time increments. I thinks it's in the manual somewhere. The Brit carriers have smaller air contingents than the Americans so they can combine multiple carriers in a single TF without hitting the trhreshold as quickly. Best to keep the Americans in single carrier TFs until the level increases.
DEI
- He continues to slowly make his way through the Celebes and New Guinea bases. Force Z is in position to interpose itself should any move be made on Kendari or Ambon, but I'll feel a lot more confident when my two cruiser SAGs get in from Australia (3+ days)
- I'm beginning to ask "What's next?" I'm thinking that once Kendari/Ambon fall, it will be time to start preparing for a last stand. I envision a general movement "inward" toward Palembang. For instance, in Java, troops would more or less abandon Soerabaja and move to Batavia to make their stand (with the lucky ones getting airlifted to Palembang instead).

Australia
- More newb questions! Where should I focus my fortification efforts? I started building up the Perth area on day 1, but I have since shifted some of that effort to building up a couple ports over there. Alice Springs is starting to look like more of a proper Air Force Base. Darwin is building, but I don't see any way I could resist an attack up there anyway thanks to the rail line ending at Alice Springs. Any attack on the Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne area will prompt me to get real active in CENPAC to cut off his supply lines, and I think he knows how hard it would be to supply such a sustained effort. I've been focusing on making those bases more useful as ports and airfields. Basically you want to fortify the main bases/cities as much as possible until you see where he is planning to go after the DEI.SOPAC
- Pago Pago has 60 AV and 4 units of Artillery as well. We're still hunting for that pesky submarine, but with no luck (You try telling the captain of DD Le Triomphant that general military practice is to attack TOWARD the enemy!)
- Now that I have a better handle on how some of these units can be useful even in limited terrain (islands), I'll be a bit more active about sending SOPAC troops toward Australia via Pago Pago.

CENPAC
- Licking my wounds a bit and starting to look to the fortification of Midway. I've put too much focus on Wake. Lesson learned.

NOPAC
- A combat engineer unit has mostly unloaded at Adak. For some reason it did not complete the unloading. Not sure why, but it had better hurry up because I've got another ENG unit about 2 days out.
- I've been slowly slogging my way through Canoerebel's "Tokyo Rose was a Hussy!" AAR (I'm on page 20ish), and I'm interested in his NOPAC tactics. I'm not sure how effective they may be against Texas_D, but I'm keeping an eye on the possibility of making some trouble in the north. I don't think Japan will make any real effort up here unless he plans to take Hawaii. Saratoga will remain on station in the Bering Sea for a few more days and then leave to join the party elsewhere

WC
- I need to start building up Tenth USAAF if I'm going to send them to Pago/Australia, but I'm too ignorant of how the replacement/upgrade stuff works. I'm reading up on it, but its a lot to swallow and I'm a bit paralyzed by my not knowing if I should bother replacing airframes in Singapore and Palembang

NEWB QUESTION OF THE DAY (I know...its like the third or fourth): Talk to me about replacements for LCUs. The game started with all units defaulted to no replacements. I've turned replacements on here and there for units that I wish were a bit bigger, but that's just what it is - wishing. I don't really understand how it all works and where/when I should turn on replacements. Should I have all frontline troops set to replacements ON?

No, be judicious with replacements. Never give replacements to units in restricted commands unless they become front line like if he invades Australia. The PP cost to release a unit is dependent on it's size and the cost will go up if you fill them out with replecements before releasing them. Devices will have a "+" after them if there are extra devices in the pool that can fill the unit's shortage so this is a good heads up. Devices have a "=" after them if there are deivces in the pool to upgrade that device type. Take a loke at your device pools, they are listed and have entry dates for new devices just like the air replacement listings. Be careful also not to upgrade devices in one sub unit and not another because different device types will keep them from recombining.

There are a bajillion things to learn in mastering this game and I'm still working at it myself.

Heres a little advice on air pools I posted in another thread:

Putting up a fight in the air with the Allies in '42 is all about pool depth. You can only sustain the fight with sufficient pool depth for replacements and that is the true challenge for the Allies in '42. With PDU on and judicious use of upgrades you can create pool depth where none exists. Upgrade a few P40B squadrons that are near full strength to P39s and you have created pool depth for the use of a couple of P40B squadrons in front line combat. Hold off upgrading your carrier SBD2s to 3s and you can utilize your pool depth of the 2s while building up the depth of the 3s. Upgrade a few of the P38s that are restricted to the west coast to P39s and you can flesh out the P38 squadron that starts in the 51st Pursuit Group and have a little depth for replacements, long before P38 production kicks in. These are all tricks of the Allied trade that one picks up over the course of many games played

and a bit more from the other thread:

The simple answer as to why some squadrons will upgrade with only one plane in the pool and others will not is withdrawal. Squadrons that have a withdrawal date will not upgrade until the pool has sufficient numbers to equal the squadron's maximum size. Squadrons with no withdrawal date will upgrade with a single plane in the pool.

While PDU on does give the player greater flexibility than PDU off, it is not cart blanche to upgrade any squadron to any type. Squadrons do still have limited upgrade paths. One of my biggest frustrations are the many Marine dive bomber squadrons that start as SDB1s and cannot upgrade to SBD2s, but skip over that plane type to SBD3s or SBD5s. If you upgrade all your carrier DB squadrons that start as 2s you have a nice pool of available SBD2s that you can never use. I have learned to keep a few carrier squadrons as 2s until the pool of SBD3s increases way beyond what I need for the upgrades so that I will have sufficient pool depth in 3s to sustain losses. This allows me pool depth in the 2s to sustain losses as well. Yes, it's a drawback to operate carriers with DB squadrons with different ranges (the 2s have one less hex range than the 3s) but it's better than rushing the upgrades to 3s and having insufficient pool depth in 3s to sustain losses and a huge pool of unuseable 2s.

Also when eaxmining the plane type production that will become available in future months the list tells you how many of that type you will get each month, with some minor variability from a random factor, but what it fails to tell you is how long the production run lasts. To see that you have to click on the name of the plane and bring up the plane stat screen. In the bottom left corner of that screen you can see how long the production run lasts. Multiply that by the number per month and you have an assessment of how many of that type you will have to work with. Some that have low production rates like PBY5s and PBY5As run for the entire duration of the war. Some like the B26 and A24 have only one month duration production run.

p.s. Sorry, my memory failed me for a moment there. B26s get a 3 month production run from 3/42 thru 5/42.

< Message edited by HansBolter -- 4/10/2012 11:43:50 PM >

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Post #: 149

RE: [Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A) - 4/11/2012 1:15:20 AM

marbakka

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December 26, 1941 Report

- I believe I may have mentioned before that I'm an idiot. I was so busy typing to you guys about how dumb I was for not having those fighters on CAP in Singapore, that I forgot to put the fighters back on CAP over Singapore. Lost a bunch more.
- He also started some half-hearted bombing of Batavia and I think maybe Palembang
- Brunei, Saidor, and Rambutyo fell (all uncontested I believe)
- A cutoff "leftover" army in eastern China was shock attacked by Japanese troops in a wooded region. It killed 7 squads and damaged 102, but the Japanese had it worse with 393 disabled squads and 1 destroyed (3559 casualties)
- My picket sub at Celebes continues to make me cheer every turn! This time he put a torpedo into an xAK. I think I'm going to send every nearby sub to that little bottleneck. Fun times! He also reports several large transport convoys passing through including one with APDs.
- AV Tangier will sink at sunset. Fire is at 96.
- An enemy TF has been spotted en route to Wake. I'm very tempted to turn Enterprise around, but I can't imagine he would be heading up there without support - possibly even KB support. The conservative move would be to just let it happen. "This will only hurt for a second"
- Coastwatchers report that a group of slow moving ships is headed SE toward the Lae area. If it weren't for the fact that I'm fairly certain that Rabaul will have LBA by now, I might send my cruisers up that way.

SigInt: Note the sub headed for Kwejalein. Would he be using that as a sub base? It is under LBA, but it'd make a tempting target later on.

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< Message edited by marbakka -- 4/11/2012 1:16:44 AM >

(in reply to HansBolter)

Post #: 150

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