Leandros
Posts: 1740
Joined: 3/5/2015
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Starting anew!
I have now reached February 10th 1942 and feel it’s time to break off this first AAR series to install the updated WITP AE that has been waiting impatiently in my drawer for a couple of weeks and start a new one based on my Rookie experiences and, not the least, all the valuable inputs given by the helpful members here.
The basic pre-requisites for this next AAR are the same as those stated in my first postings:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3840708&mpage=1&key=
Before I start a new one I’d like to share some of my experiences in my first venture into the world of WITP. The opponent (the AI) is much more aggressive, and acts considerably faster to changed conditions, than in the RL. This complicates my “test” where the main issue is to exploit the shortest supply route between Australia and the PI, the Moluccans. To get this right would, I suppose, necessitate an opponent that played like the RL up to the point where my intentions were firmly established and, after that, with a reaction time that mirrored the main Japanese aims and RL. A good example is the delayed reinforcing of the Bataan siege force and occupation of the rest of the PI.
I suppose the only way to resolve this would be with an opponent playing along those rules or playing both sides myself. Also, a considerable number of sea transports would have to be changed - all those US-PI ships which were called back, delayed or diverted at the outbreak of war. If this can be done in the Editor I do not know. That shall come later.
An example of this is the Pensacola convoy. It arrived in Brisbane on December 22nd but could possibly have been there a week earlier due to being kept in limbo in the pacific for a period, awaiting confirmation to proceed directly to Australia. This convoy I found so crucial in investigating “my” scenario that without it I don’t think I would have considered it at all.
I’ll explain: Onboard were three complete artillery regiments with guns for four, plus super-numary personnel that was organized into an infantry “defense” battalion, 52 crated A-24 dive bombers of the 27th BG, the personnel already on site in the PI, and 18 P-40 fighters together with heaps of all sorts of vehicles and equipment. Artillery, or trained artillery units, was what was most lacking in the Philippine army organization, particularly in those divisions based in the Visayas and on Mindanao. When MacArthur decided he had to withdraw into Bataan he initiated a general reinforcement of Mindanao with units from the Visayan islands. This proved successful in that the Japanese Davao (Miura) Detachment was checked for three months, actually before the mentioned reinforcements arrived in any numbers. After that, Mindanao was declared an independent command by MacArthur, led by Brig.-General Sharp. His intention was surely to assure a continued resistance in the PI even if Bataan fell. Remember, Washington’s promises of major assistance was kept up for a long time.
Provided the supply line through the Moluccans was kept open a reinforced Mindanao defense would have been much tougher to beat.
Now to the game: Apart from the many hick-ups, delays and downright wrong decisions by me, the situation developed partly as hoped for. The Pensacola artillery units never got there, they got stuck up in Suva, but the Aussies contributed with several units to the defense of Menado, the crucial point in the Moluccan supply link. This defense rejected the first Japanese invasion attempts. Instead they changed their efforts to Ternate, east of Menado and as potentially troublesome as a Menado in Japanese hands but with less basing potential. This cost them dearly. In all 26 transports and naval vessels were sunk by marauding allied warships in the following two weeks, till Menado was taken in a renewed assault. In the meantime the Japanese had been chased out of Davao.
This repeated itself a little later when they went for Ambon (at exact the same date as RL). Beaten back they instead went for Namlea, west of Ambon. An easy capture with no garrison but a good airfield (in actuality, Namlea had two airfields – as had Ambon). The history repeated itself, the reinforcement of Namlea became quite costly for them, US warships constantly venturing out on bombardment missions from Ambon.
Just now the fighter situation has improved drastically, Koepang and Saumlaki have beeen reinforced together with Ambon and much more troops are arriving shortly. CV Saratoga has arrived, too, but Lexington needs to be withdrawn to a base for some minor repairs. Her fighter complement (Buffalos) is also tied down for maintenance on Ambon. The enemy seems more or less to have given up improving on the situation in the center. Instead they have landed two places on Java and are building up on Southern Papua - Lae and Buna. Would there have been a Coral Sea battle? Hardly, I do not have any naval forces there…..Has he lost his nerve regarding landing operations with his heavy losses in transports….? Shall he instead chose to advance along the Kokoda trail to Port Moresby…? We shall never know….
Well, on to the new installation and all that follows with that…..Thank you all, for your attention.
Fred
< Message edited by Leandros -- 4/28/2015 11:34:51 AM >
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RE: Saving MacArthur - Rookie AAR - 
....More on that. 
...that's why I often use the words "alleged", "reported" and "claimed"... 
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