RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/27/2016 10:21:52 PM

JeffroK

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I hope that more than the dot hex are planned landing sites, CR has mentioned numerous landings planned.

Mention of support from OZ should include Darwin, well behind the lines, maybe expansion into Nhulunbuy, Wessel Islands etc could help cut the range into the landing areas

My fear is that any retreat from the Cenderawash Bay area is block/interdicted by LBA while KB attacks. There are a lot of airbases around capable of being built up (Has JIII been busy or lax???)

This could be the decisive battle, JIII cant afford to have CR move a horde around the map as he chooses, unless smashed it allows CR to do the same wherever he wants.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/27/2016 11:44:04 PM

JohnDillworth

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at this point the US Army pools and planes are good and get better. The U.S. can build bases out of almost anything. If Dan brings in AA units any new bases are going to be tough to crack. The Japanese don't have much in range and lack the resources to compete with the Allies on base building. This part of the world is not in the middle of large, interlocking, interior, Japanese airbases. As for the KB? It better hit soon or else it will have to deal with Allied LBA in large numbers plus a superior carrier force. I figure the Deathstar has to leave eventually, thats the time to strike.

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Today I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter's gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat, do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. - Yasser Arafat Speech to UN General Assembly

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/27/2016 11:57:09 PM

JeffroK

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On my stock map, I see 5-6 bases where AF could have been built to 8+ level.

Has CR cracked the crust and is behind JIII's MLD??

Waiting for the next episode, same bat time, same bat place!

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/27/2016 11:59:41 PM

Anachro

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In my Japan AAR game, this AAR made me look at the dot hex. I made a note of it for the future. It's so hard to see unless its pointed out to you! We are all becoming quite paranoid, indeed.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 12:13:24 AM

Canoerebel

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Your points are good ones.

1. Death Star should be in theater for months, similar to Operation Thin Man (the op to bring supply to the Marshalls). If things don't go awry, the Allies will end up with at least ten large bases during that interval and perhaps many more. If things go well there is the potential to strike much deeper and to also morph into Operation Third Ring.

2. The lack of major enemy bases in the region was the decisive factor in selecting it. Any other deep strike would have resulted in bases subject to immediate and constant harassment and the threat of all-out attack. I don't think John attended to this region at all. I think John can only attack at a disadvantage and at a distance, meaning for the most part Allied assets and base building will be unopposed - at least in heart of the target area, which will be built into the 10 major interlocking bases.

3. John will have to strike, but he might also be reluctant to. He'll know he missed his chance to combine with his big LBA. And if he loses a carrier battle, he suddenly has almost no ability to ward off Death Star and deep Allied penetrations.

I'm wondering if John's plan wasn't this: to allow the Allies to invade a hard target like the Marianas, bleeding themselves. Then as Death Star retired, KB would pounce. Hence the Kongos strike on Tarawa, possible the first step in suppressing Allied airfields. That's about the only reason I can come up with that he deployed Kongos way off there when Death Star was moving towards the Marianas.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 12:15:18 AM

JohnDillworth

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quote:

On my stock map, I see 5-6 bases where AF could have been built to 8+ level.

Has CR cracked the crust and is behind JIII's MLD??

Waiting for the next episode, same bat time, same bat place!

Indeed, good position for aircraft and undermining Johns forward positions. The lack of a large port limits CR's ability to sue this as a major staging area for future ops but I suspect some units are prepping for operations to rectify that. That's what I love about reading AAR's after so many years we are still getting "gee, nobody has ever tried that before" moments. Speaks well of the game

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 12:30:36 AM

Cap Mandrake

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The Mindanao, Luzon, Formosa, Ryukyu's axis is deadly for Japan if the Allied player is very aggressive. There are buildable bases all over the place that can't all be covered. I don't even think you need Manila. You break a few ships...eh...you just send them back a little, pump out some of the flooding and leave them where they are......like MacArthur said when a Navy guy protested about the risk to shipping..."Isn't that why we have so many damn ships?"

You seize the unguarded bases with paratroops that don't have to be prepped then you move in garrison troops. In that way you can leap forward very, very aggressively without having to wait for amphibious troops to prep to 50. Another good trick is small landing craft attacks on empty bases. You deliberately for a small TF with 3-4 LCI's, load up 100-200 troops as a remnant and set off. they suffer 50% disruption but the bulk of the unit is undisturbed.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 12:41:52 AM

Canoerebel

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That's the general plan for the long term, but not for the short or medium term. In order to really take full advantage of what's about to happen, the Allies first priority is to make darned sure that the core of critical bases are taken and built so large that they are essentially immune from counterattack. Maybe not individually, but as a whole. That's going to take two months. During that interval, the Allies brought enough troops that are prepped to expand the perimeter in an aggressive yet prepped way quite a distance. Then, when that is accomplished, Death Star will probably move to Oz pick up the Third Ring troops for their part in the plan. If this goes as planned, the Allied bases will stretch a great distance north and south, east and west. By February '44, I should have big, well-supplied bases in or on the edge of the DEI. From that point, the Allies can move in force against the Philippines (or other likely targets). These moves will be from a strong, secure base rather than shoe-string in nature.

As I said previously, I think this will be the last op targeting masses of undefended bases. After this, I'll be attacking well-defended targets. But I'll be in a position to do so.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 4:25:54 AM

Alfred

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Exactly. I think crsutton put it best a month ago when he said it was "the sacrifice of a queen to achieve checkmate."

P.S. He wasn't saying the game was over - it wasn't and isn't - but just making the point that sometimes the most gruesome-looking defeat can play a key role in victory.

It was obvious to all of us (and John later told me this via email) that he elected to focus on Sabang to the exclusion of most everything else, thinking it was vital to make sure he wrapped it up. While he was focused there, the Allies spent more than four months shifting everything to the Pacific. The move caught John by surprise, prompting him to overreact in alarm, overcommitting in the hot-spot of the moment while of necessity neglecting other improtant locales. And thus the Allies have moved around pretty effectively, whittling away big chunks of the empire. It hasn't always been easy, but it's been possible because of Sumatra.

This is only turning out good for you because your opponent (and presumably those who provide advice on his AAR) had no idea how to exploit his victory at Sabang.

I put forward what he could do and nothing has been done by your opponent. Do you really think that a Nemo would have wasted the opportunity which the Sabang victory provided? Nemo would have done something along the lines I outlined.

It really is quite simple.

1. Sabang gave Japan a 6 month window superior land OOB. More available units, battle hardened units, not far from the far lines. The superiority lay not in air units or ships, but in LCUs. Ergo one has to use the land units.

2. Where are those Japanese land units. Not on the front lines so they are either still at Sabang or more likely deployed in accordance with the advice I see time and time again that Japan needs to maintain heavy garrisons on rocks/corals in the middle of the Pacific. Which advice is almost always very wrong. The combination of stacking limits and the fact that neither side has sufficient LCUs to make every rock/coral an impregnable festung. Attempt to do so by cherry picking some locations merely invites the side with control of the SLOC to bypass those locations and hit somewhere else.

3. Ownership of rocks/corals in the middle of the Pacific is never determined by land forces. He who controls the SLOC controls those rocks/corals. IOW one uses the navy to do that. That is what the KB could be used for, especially when the KB was largely irrelevant for exploiting the Sabang victory. So what did you opponent do, he danced a slow sarabande over the Marshalls, never being decisive. When the correct riposte to your move there was to either defeat the Allied fleet or allow the rocks/corals be captured and then calmly recapture them when your navy goes elsewhere. And he could easily do that for as I said, all of those conquests are merely preliminary and not yet critical.

4. In the meantime your opponent after hammering your land frontlines for 4 months would be close to achieving some really worthwhile objectives.

But then all this requires

patience
a good strategic mind
combined arm skills

none of which have ever been much displayed by your opponent. Now someone like Nemo ... If you really believe Sabang was such a success then try replicating it against someone of Nemo's ability and see how good the Allied position would be 4 months afterwards.

The simple fact is that Sabang was an Allied disaster, provided your opponent knew how to take advantage of it. Once again I will repeat the maxim that a mistake is not a mistake unless exploited by the opponent. The other maxim to remember is that luck always favours the stronger player.

Alfred

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 5:01:43 AM

Canoerebel

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We've covered this previously, many times and in detail. You've been part of the conversation.

I'm playing John, so I'm playing it that way. If I was playing you or Nemo or other players, I'd have to play it differently, or perhaps auto-victory would have been achieved already.

Both you and Nemo have a fondness for posting in AARs to this effect, "You are deluded if you think you've done anything. Your game is full of holes. Anyone with a lick of sense could see it. It's a miracle that you've gotten where you are and its due only to the incredible holes in your opponents game."

I know these things, but it's still fun to play the game and describe what's happened and what might happen and why I'm doing what I'm doing.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 5:48:09 AM

BBfanboy

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The complexity of your invasion scheme is starting to make RL D-Day look like an easy party to organize! Bravo on the organization skills and selection of targets!

We all know lots could still go wrong, but you also have a reputation for back-up plans and steadiness under fire. I'm pretty sure things will go well overall.
Keep the movie rolling!

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No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 6:29:02 AM

T Rav

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CR,

There is a reason why your thread has such a high hit count. You write well, and your planning and execution is worth watching.

Thanks,
T Rav

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 1:58:50 PM

Andav

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We need a Wet Blanket smiley for Alfred to post to threads where he thinks the Allied player is getting uppity. It should look like the Japanese battle flag with a clown fish in the red dot and come with the caption, "But Nemo would kick your butt!".

Keep having fun with the game CR.

Wa

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 2:02:24 PM

Canoerebel

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11/11/14

Big Tent: The herd plods four hexes west today without incident: no enemy subs, ships, aircraft. Even the lone LST unloads its supply at Satawal and then heads west unmolexted. I also "found" a TF of five YMS lingering around Truk. It was set to follow my main TF, had done so for many turns, but suddenly decided not to. Now it's near Satawal and making for New Guinea, but it's in no-man's-land kinda nekkid.

More SigInt and recon today suggesting that John is narrowing his focus to the invasion region. But how could he not at this point? The herd is 12 hexes from the first target - and only 13-15 from two of the major targets. SigInt says a CDU coastal gun unit is aboard a maru bound for Manikwari on the New Guinea coast. Death Star should be within six hexes of that base in two days, so perhaps the CD unit won't make it. SigInt also repeats yesterday's report of 2nd Guards Div. aboard ships bound for Ternate.

I am sure John is reinforcing key bases by air, though that's not likely to be effective. The five major targets each get an Allied division. Only two of these are targeted in the opening days. Timing for the other three will depend on developments. If they appear lightly held, I'll emphasize speed. If they appear garrisoned, I'll focus more on attending to the first two major targets and immediate environs, which includes about eight minor targets.

So, in about three days, things get very active for Big Tent. The question remains whether John commits combat ships and/or carriers. No sign of them. PBYs from "Eldorado" pick up multiple TK TFs near Babo on the western New Guinea coast. That base should no longer be open to enemy tankers in a few more days. And if things go really well, that base won't belong to the enemy in two weeks.

One of the fun things about playing John is his aggressive, offensive-minded game. It can make things very tense and exciting early on, as KB is likely to show up anywhere. But John focuses so heavily on offense that he leaves gaping holes in his defense. That means I have the fun of finding weak areas and trying to figure out ways to attack. A year ago it was Sumatra; six months ago it was Hokkaido (thought that changed); three months ago it was the Marshalls; and now it's the Big Tent area.

That's not a criticism, by the way. We have different styles, different strengths, different weakenesses. The fun and the challenge comes in trying to identify them and exploit them.

I've played the very attentive defensive-minded players before. The going forward is much tougher because there usually aren't gaping holes. Next game I play I might have that kind of opponent. But for now I'm playing John, and it sure is fun.

Lion Tamer: The Allies will take a dot hex north of Efate tomorrow. Judys sortied again and sank an xAP and an xAK. I'll taper off now that I'm getting close to Ndeni and its nest of Judys. I'll wait for Big Tent to (hopefully) draw John's full attention to that area, thus opening up opportunties in SoPac and other regions that are of much less importance.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 2:19:58 PM

Canoerebel

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John has been unsually quiet in his AAR and atypically non-communicative in his emails. He frequently promises a turn but doesn't deliver. Not only doesn't he deliver, but he doesn't send word. Then, after a day or more, he sends a turn without explanation.

I know he's struggling with his AE commitments now. And I think it reflects a morale problem on his part. He gave up his game against Herbie. He's apparently suspended his game against Michael. And he's showing much less enthusiasm in our game.

I haven't broached this with him for two reasons: (1) he probably just needs time to regain his equilibirum and enthusiasm without me breathing down his neck, and (2) one of the great satisfactions in this game - after getting pummeled countless times during the course of a year by "Banzai!" and the like, which came across as taunting whether intended or not, is taking the wind out of his sails, if that's what's happened here. The tables have finally turned and the opportunties for "Banzai" are infrequent. The Allies are on the march, have pretty well pierced the outer enemy defenses, and are approaching the vitals after just being evicted from them four months ago. There is alot of satisfaction in that, whether we're flipping turns or proceeding slowly.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 2:44:41 PM

Flicker

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Alfred - I enjoy reading your impressions of CR's game; after all, it was CR, Nemo, and you writing about the game that led to my buying the game.

What would your proposed course of action after Sabang look like? Personally I may have used the land LCUs to take China (if possible given CRs defense). Ceylon or parts of India might have been targets. Nemo would've invaded the US East Coast :)

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 2:48:01 PM

JohnDillworth

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Leaving aside Johns current disengagement I expect John is a different player than he was before the Battle of Wake. Perhaps a better player. I'm sure his air search habits have changed and I don't think he will ever launch large operations without having a pretty good idea where the Allied Carriers are. Now if John had both the full KB and mini KB his reaction would have been predictable. Leaving aside this operation is only possible because of the IJN's diminished capacity I expect John's tactics, and maybe even his strategic thinking, has to change. Charging in with whatever he has here might be a recipe for disaster. It's odd to see him not hitting you with the kitchen sink but his seeming pragmatism must have you looking over you shoulder. I am curious to see how he responds to this on a strategic level. This is a great move on your part but not without problems. Until you get a big port any damaged ships are going to have serious problems getting to a safe place. Fun to watch this.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 2:52:27 PM

jwolf

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John has been playing almost at a frenzy (or so it seems to this bystander) so much so that I would worry about burnout. I hope he can regain some balance and continue. It must be satisfying for you to see this big op so near to bearing fruit at last. I'm anxious to see the first major landings and the Japanese reactions.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 2:56:44 PM

Canoerebel

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My memory of the previous discussion (months ago) was that the glaring weakpoint for the Allies after Sabang was LCU - espcially combat units, especially American Army divisions. I think the idea was to focus on the destruction of additional major LCU. That would have been possible in a number of ways, particularly by attacking Ramree Island, by isolating and then reducing the Allied army in Assam, and possibly a place like Ceylon. The objective was to further weakend the Allied army, making future offensive operations difficult.

That line of thinking led me to especially give attention to Ramree and Assam after the surrender at Sabang. I think the proposed strategy would have been effective.

Thus far, I really don't think the Allies have suffered from the loss of LCU at Sabang, and I don't expect to going forward. I've had enough to prosecute the sequential offensive in the Pacific, and think I will going forward.

By the way, I think Alfred is incredibly smart and would be a fearsome player (assuming he doesn't already play under an alter ego, which I don't think he does - I take him at face value). On one occasion three or four years ago, I tried to encourage a match between Alfred and Nemo. Then, when I had an opening for a game, I tried to entice a player of the caliber of Alfred or Nemo (without naming names) just to see what would happen. I knew there was a reasonable likelihood that I'd suffer an embarrassing auto-victory defeat, but what a ride it would have been!

Alfred is a keeper of records and minutae abuot the game, a repository of information, a master of understanding the rules and mechanics, and an invaluable asset to the community. I think his one weakness is that he's so smart that it pains him to see "regular folks" doing things and thinking they've done something. I doubt he realizes he comes across that way. Sometimes folks get irritated with him and snap, which might dampen his enthusiasm for participating, so just like I'd like him to overlook my weaknesses sometimes, I ought to grant him the same courtesy. He's too important to AE for me to let my occasional irritation show.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 3:06:24 PM

Kofiman

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Reading Alfred's post, I think I get two main points here.

Operation Big Tent is a result of winning the recent carrier battle, which is letting you do this, not anything to do with Sabang.

Two, Sabang is not a victory. You lost troops, some ships, maybe some time, and there isn't much to show for it.

I'm not sure what Alfred would have done on your side, but I'm sure there were some opportunities. On the oppositie side, he's clearer. Maintain ground troops for counterattack, keep the fleet in the important locations, try to force carrier battle on positive terms. Alfred probably would have been okay with blockade and slow conquest, like most people do in Luzon at the start of the game, and then with so many unrestricted allied LCUs committed, look elsewhere for putting the timeline back, important bases to attack, etcetera.

Still, it's not a problem to play your opponent. Personally, I'm wondering if you should have seen Hokkaido through. Parlaying the Sabang commitment into heavy strat-bombing damage to the HI would absolutely had been a victory, or if Hokkaido was a bridge too far, maybe do a blanket through to Sakhalin island? John can get sloppy with his naval search sometimes. Invading Hokkaido to open something to let you evac your other troops, then keep moving targets driving John in circles.. Java next? Each one covering for the evac somewhere else.. until either John fumbles his carriers or breaks down and lets you hold something on the cheap.

< Message edited by Kofiman -- 6/28/2016 3:10:20 PM >

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 3:21:13 PM

Canoerebel

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Hokkaido or Sikhalin wouldn't have worked only because we have a house rule prohibiting strat bombing until 1944. The biggest weakness, though was that I didn't control the LOC and couldn't unless and until I won a decisive carrier victory. IMO, diverting to the secondary target was the right choice there. I hated to do it, because Hokkaido was wide open, but it was a dangerous siren song.

Everything that has happened in 1943 was predicated on and built upon what was going on at Sabang. So Sabang played a direct role in Big Tent becoming possible.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 3:22:18 PM

Mike McCreery

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I concur with your comments on Alfred.

It would be nice for him to crush a real player some day to demonstrate his brilliance. I am not holding my breath though.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 4:15:21 PM

Flicker

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CR - BTW what is the situation in China? I see from your map that you seem to have a good line established. Has John pushed hard there?

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 4:26:22 PM

Canoerebel

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The situation in China has been static since the fall of Changsha, way back in the summer of '42. Now both sides have been dug in for more than a year, so forts are strong. My line has weaknesses and supply is major issue, so I'm laying low. But there are two other longterm reasons for laying low:

1. In preparation for the invasion of Hokkaido, I was planning to use Sian as a staging point for fighters and bombers moving from India to Hokkaido. (Many players are aware that is possible, but other very experienced players aren't, because they've never thought about it before.) Sian is a relatively easy base for Japan to conquer, so I didn't want to do anything to get John riled up in China.

2. The Allies have medium term and long term plans in China. At the moment, drawing John's attention there would be counterproductive. So I'm attending to behind-the-scenese housework until the day when things change.

Part of the euqation is that I've shifted nearly everything to the Pacific now. Everything that arrives at Aden goes to the East Coast. The Allies are all-in for the Pacific campaign. I don't think a ground campaign in Burma or anywhere else in that region will ever take place. Rather than encroaching on the DEI through Sumatra, Java, Malaya, etc., I'm heading straight across the Pacific. And, if Big Tent goes well (always the qualifying "if'), then I'll be more than halfway there.

(in reply to Flicker)

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 5:24:29 PM

Canoerebel

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11/12/43

Big Tent: The herd moves four hexes further west today, unmolested by the enemy. It's only eight hexes from the first target, nine from one of the major targets, and ten from another major target. The first landings should take place the day after tomorrow.

SigInt, nav search and recon continue to suggest that John was caught totally off guard. Backing up a few days, he was working to reinforce Wolei by air. Today's Sig Int shows two IJA divisions inbound to Balikpapan (along with another report of 2nd Guards to Ternate). A merchant TF of some sort is hugging the New Guinea coast and is possibly carrying that "CDU" CD unit reportedly heading to Manikwari (though Death Star is much closer to that target than the Japanese ships are). A bunch of tankers are at Babo (possibly John had a supply of oil there he's trying to extract before the window closes).

Regular readers will have followed along as John has spent the summer and autumn of '43 reacting to emergencies, sending divisions here, there, and yonder as each new crisis has arisen. This is a type of deployment that is highly inefficient (his fuel costs must be high) and is indicative of that lack of prep. All of this, in turn, is a more or less direct result of Sabang.

An Allied sub hit a troop-carrying xAK near Babeldoab (this might be a TF heading for Balikpapan given the bearing indicated). Another sub sank a troop-carrying xAP near Toyohara.

If John plans to strike before the Allies get a good lodgement, tomorrow or the day after should be his last good opportunity.

Meanwhile, in northern Oz, Normantown port just went to level two and Portland Roads will in a day or two. Both bases are packed with troops - especially Normantown.

(in reply to Canoerebel)

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 5:43:05 PM

JohnDillworth

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Nice to see your subs hitting soft tar gets. 1944 is just around the corner and with working torpedoes and much improved search areas it's time to pinch the economy. Spending PP on hyper-agressive sub commanders is one of the best investments you can make.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 6:21:58 PM

anarchyintheuk

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Re: Sabang. Risking and losing approx. 7 divisions and supporting forces (most of which can be rebuilt) reduced the period of IJ initiative by at least 6 months. Huge win.

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 7:17:08 PM

BBfanboy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Leaving aside Johns current disengagement I expect John is a different player than he was before the Battle of Wake. Perhaps a better player. I'm sure his air search habits have changed and I don't think he will ever launch large operations without having a pretty good idea where the Allied Carriers are. Now if John had both the full KB and mini KB his reaction would have been predictable. Leaving aside this operation is only possible because of the IJN's diminished capacity I expect John's tactics, and maybe even his strategic thinking, has to change. Charging in with whatever he has here might be a recipe for disaster. It's odd to see him not hitting you with the kitchen sink but his seeming pragmatism must have you looking over you shoulder. I am curious to see how he responds to this on a strategic level. This is a great move on your part but not without problems. Until you get a big port any damaged ships are going to have serious problems getting to a safe place. Fun to watch this.

I don't know if John has thought of it, but CR has a "Magic Shield" protecting his DS from KB and LBA. That shield is the AI which will target naval strikes almost equally at CVs, BBs and ... APs. That huge amphib fleet will divide naval strikes while DS's fighters decimate them. I think John stands a better chance if he can race in at full speed with ALL his big combat ships and have his aircraft do naval strikes happen the same turn.
That is the only way I see the IJ "kitchen sink" being successful - all or nothing.

_____________________________

No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 7:19:58 PM

BBfanboy

Posts: 18046
Joined: 8/4/2010
From: Winnipeg, MB
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quote:

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Nice to see your subs hitting soft tar gets. 1944 is just around the corner and with working torpedoes and much improved search areas it's time to pinch the economy. Spending PP on hyper-agressive sub commanders is one of the best investments you can make.

I have a problem with hyper-aggressive sub commanders (75+) - they keep wanting to use their deck gun and get their boat shot up in the process. Heck, I had one sub make 3 deck gun attacks AFTER it had already expended all the deck gun ammo except mg's. The guy just would not fire his torpedoes.

_____________________________

No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

(in reply to JohnDillworth)

Post #: 7139

RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 6/28/2016 7:24:56 PM

BBfanboy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: anarchyintheuk

Re: Sabang. Risking and losing approx. 7 divisions and supporting forces (most of which can be rebuilt) reduced the period of IJ initiative by at least 6 months. Huge win.

I think Alfred's point was that John III turned it into a win by not appropriately exploiting the Allied weakness in LCUs during the period the destroyed units were rebuilding.
I'm not sure I completely understand Alfred's expectations for the IJA after Sabang - they could go after China and Burma/Assam or even press further in SOPAC, but CR has shown that his current moves make all those areas irrelevant.

_____________________________

No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth

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