Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Anyway, if you're bored with the game the Marianas will require total dedication and concentration for a good part of a game year. You have to have the ships you need in the right places, and you have to have monumental supply and fuel dumps prepped. IMO that campaign, if Japan can still fight back, is the best AE can be.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

This stopped me in my tracks:

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Anyway, if you're bored with the game the Marianas will require total dedication and concentration for a good part of a game year. You have to have the ships you need in the right places, and you have to have monumental supply and fuel dumps prepped. IMO that campaign, if Japan can still fight back, is the best AE can be.

You are spot on. This is certainly something I can do that might respark my interest in this campaign. Taking the Marianas is kind of a bear isn´t it?

Since both of you have done it albeit vs the AI. How much is needed to do it? Before I delve to deep into it I must check the reinforcements and available units I can spare in late 44. Are we talking 10 divisions or 20?

Ah, sorry for being so short while asking very big question. Stupid exam!

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

I passed the exam! Not only did I pass it I did so with flying colors gettin a 82% score! When I was driving there this morning I was SURE I was going to fail. Very glad I was wrong! I´m now a certified high voltage distribution technician (Up to 20.000 Volts). Only 4 more exams before I´m qualified to open my own company!

Now I have a 2 hour drive to do and then I´m taking the family out for dinner! After that I have been promised some quality AE time to do the turn for Erik and update the AAR!

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

I passed the exam! Not only did I pass it I did so with flying colors gettin a 82% score! When I was driving there this morning I was SURE I was going to fail. Very glad I was wrong! I´m now a certified high voltage distribution technician (Up to 20.000 Volts). Only 4 more exams before I´m qualified to open my own company!

Now I have a 2 hour drive to do and then I´m taking the family out for dinner! After that I have been promised some quality AE time to do the turn for Erik and update the AAR!

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

I passed the exam! Not only did I pass it I did so with flying colors gettin a 82% score! When I was driving there this morning I was SURE I was going to fail. Very glad I was wrong! I´m now a certified high voltage distribution technician (Up to 20.000 Volts). Only 4 more exams before I´m qualified to open my own company!

Now I have a 2 hour drive to do and then I´m taking the family out for dinner! After that I have been promised some quality AE time to do the turn for Erik and update the AAR!

quote:

ORIGINAL: poodlebrain

Is this where we are supposed to insert lame jokes about you now being able to "shock" the Japanese? Congratulations. Professional certification examinations are always significant achievements. Hopefully your good spirits will carry over to AE, and you will be inspired in your offensive operations for the remainder of 1944.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

I have forgotten what he can bring to oppose the Gilberts landings. Is it just LBA? Does he have a carrier force that can challenge you now? Surface assets?
If you had gone in regardless of initial detection I would have agreed with that just because he did not have enough lead time to build a solid opposition. After a day or two's delay, he could bring much of what he has left and you have to decide if the invasions are worth the risks. Getting some of his ships sunk and planes destroyed should be part of the considerations.

Deathstar? I have forgotten if you are playing the map with stacking limits or not. With overstacking, any attack situation is going lose much of its punch and take a lot of casualties. If you are playing the stock map and not attacking across a river, you could try it. Keep in mind that Deathstars can spoil the fun of a game for the side on the receiving end [although historically, the Russians assembled 20,000 guns for the final assault on Germany - they didn't care much if it upset the Germans ].

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Thank you guys! I´m very pleased with myself. It was one of the worst exams I have done so far. The four I have left will be a lot easier since they are directly connected with my work. So most of it I know already (I hope)

Bullwinkle,

No accounting for me! In Sweden though you are required by law to have an accountant go through all your papers once per year if you start a company! They cost a fortune of course!

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

We reached 20th of February

I can´t honestly remember what has happened the last 7 turns. Nothing major I hope.

Naaaaah!

CENTPAC

Eriks AMc in the middle of the ocean (some 20 hexes from the nearest base) busted the Gilbert ops. While it still makes me furious just thinking about it I will try to put that behind me and start stretching the rules when I need/want to too. This have implications though. I had hoped to get in fast and land a RGT on one of the dot bases to set up a Catalina base and then withdraw. I have decided to withdraw a bit and asses the situation. If he has set a trap he will try and spring it next turn. All CVs/CVL/CVE are bunched up in the same hex to provide maximum cover.

Need to decide shortly on whether or not I should scrap the Abemama/Tarawa landings. Troops are prepped and ready though. What do you guys think?

I know I'm a heretic around here on HRs, but this is a good example of how they can ruin or reduce the enjoyment from the game. So he saw your invasion. Is that such a big deal? Is it worth doing at all? Is it structured in a way you have 3D defense? Is that AMc doing anything a sub couldn't do as far as early warning, and if it were a sub would you be upset? Every operation has risks and you will lose some in the course of the game. Again--is the operation worth the resources at risk? If you pulled back what else of equal or better outcome would you do with them, understanding that time is a core asset in the game as well?

Burma

WW1 multi stacking deathstar syndrome in effect. I´m thinking of just scrapping all the maneuvering crap and just bunch everything up together and move to his deathstar. Worked for Erik in China Should be some 11k AV. Thoughts?

The story in Burma is supplies. Two big keys to that are holding Magwe (refineries), and holding Rangoon/Pegu for the port and refineries and LI. The coast roads are very important, more so than tramping around in the jungle exchanging attacks and treating malaria. If you have sea control deny him the coast and the water east of Pt. Blair and west of Rangoon, and use your sealift to move fast and take or neutralize Rangoon. Without supply all those men up north are a liability to him.

quote:

ORIGINAL: witpqs

IRL the Empire violated the HR and a picket ship saw the Doolittle TF, causing it to launch too early.

quote:

Morning Air attack on 33rd Division, at 55,50 (Prome)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 74 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 27 minutes


Allied aircraft
Liberator II x 12
Liberator B.III x 11
Liberator GR.III x 12
B-17F Fortress x 10
B-24D Liberator x 16
B-24D1 Liberator x 30
B-24J Liberator x 91


Allied aircraft losses
Liberator II: 1 damaged
Liberator GR.III: 1 damaged
B-24D1 Liberator: 1 damaged
B-24J Liberator: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese ground losses:
458 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 49 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

quote:

Ground combat at Fenton (76,126)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 4304 troops, 0 guns, 631 vehicles, Assault Value = 349

Defending force 973 troops, 4 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 41

Allied adjusted assault: 286

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 286 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied forces CAPTURE Fenton !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1286 casualties reported
Squads: 44 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 34 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 18 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (5 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1
Units destroyed 1



Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
2/8th Armoured Regiment
2/9th Armoured Regiment
2/7th Armoured Regiment
2/5th Armoured Regiment
2/6th Armoured Regiment
1st Army Tank Regiment

Defending units:
3rd Raiding Regiment
13th Naval Const Bn /1

quote:

Morning Air attack on 3rd RTA Division, at 55,50 (Prome)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 77 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes


Allied aircraft
Beaufort I x 12
Blenheim IV x 13
Liberator II x 3
Liberator B.III x 3
Liberator GR.III x 12
Spitfire VIII x 10
Wellington B.X x 13
B-17F Fortress x 10
B-24D Liberator x 15
B-24D1 Liberator x 18
B-24J Liberator x 91
B-25C Mitchell x 39
B-25D1 Mitchell x 13
B-26 Marauder x 13


Allied aircraft losses
Liberator II: 1 damaged
Liberator GR.III: 1 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 2 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
353 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 44 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 44 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

You need a forward staging base. Try to haul the first wave all the way from Pearl and they'll unload on the beach with 50+ disruption. You need someplace big where they can unlaod, rest, and re-load for the landing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

You need a forward staging base. Try to haul the first wave all the way from Pearl and they'll unload on the beach with 50+ disruption. You need someplace big where they can unlaod, rest, and re-load for the landing.

Where, though? You need a base or two that can hold 30000+ troops. Eniwetok has a limit of 6000. No easy answer.

Mariannas, I agree, is a real challenge. I have never gotten far enough to invade, but they are a bear, and the Japanese have plenty of time to fortify.

I also think taking one of the 4 smaller islands (Roti, Antahan, Almagan, etc) has to be on the list. This way, you can dock an AKE there, and AOs, and have a stantionary airbase. Something you can use to sustain Naval Ops for a month. You need a piece of ground somewhere to do that, and definitely land closer than Pearl. They also all have a stacking limit of 35K or so, enough to rest and refit some guys close to the targets.

Marcus might be a better prelim than Eniwetok; it can't be defended with other than CVs, and taking it rips a big hole in the air search.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

I guess the main question would be: How much harder would the Bonins actually be if weighed against a Marianas invasion?