RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obvert (J)

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/6/2016 8:38:25 PM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

Game time for me has been limited lately, but a quick update.

The Tabiteuea amphibious forces have left Lugainville and are en route to Tabiteuea. This is an experiment for me. My first use of an amphibious HQ on AGC's to support the landings. As previously mentioned, I'm overkill on the ground troops (I think), but then again, I'm relying on 100% prep rather than sustained air and naval support to soften up the defence. I want to land the ground troops and withdraw the naval units quickly. Only CVE's, light and heavy cruisers and DD's have been assigned supporting roles. Upwards of six amphibious taskforces will be involved.

My damaged CV's are halfway to Sydney where they'll repair what they can. Depending on the extent of the damage and repair times, they'll either be sent to Pearl to fully repair, or be committed to support upcoming amphibious operations if Sydney can get them patched up in a timely manner.

I'm reorganizing my air units in the New Guinea theatre. I'm testing out new tactics, but make enough mistakes to not get a clear advantage. A case in point is a recent unopposed Allied bombing raid. Meeting no opposition the first day, I correctly anticipated Erik assigning LRCAP to try for an interdiction the next day, so I assigned a P-38 squadron to sweep in addition to repeating the bombing raid. That was my mistake, repeating the bombing mission. Of course the sweep didn't fly first and the bombers and escorts were interdicted. Allied losses were relatively light, but the Japanese got away with one. The P-38s eventually swept, but against a degraded CAP so few Japanese fighters were lost. What I should have done was just send the sweeps. I would have encountered 14 enemy fighters, shot down most of them and I wouldn't have lost any escorts or bombers. Instead, I lose four escorting fighters and four bombers needlessly. These are the small tactical battles I must win.

I also am still getting horrible results with my best fighters. I'm lucky if I get 1:1 losses when I sweep. I have no idea why my fighters suck, but they do. I can't trade the Japanese fighter for fighter. I simply get overwhelmed when the smaller Allied squadrons sweep with only 18 to 25 aircraft against massed Japanese CAP. I have no idea how to break the CAP when I have so few aircraft per sweep. I only do well when the CAP is degraded after multiple sweeps, but overall losses come out even or in Japan's favour. I was so looking forward to the superiority of the Allied aircraft, but they are getting clobbered by overwhelming numbers of Japanese aircraft.

I'm about to take on long range missions against both Hollandia and Sarmi. I am anticipating heavy losses and have zero confidence in the Allied fighters to clear the way for the bombers.

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 331

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/7/2016 3:50:01 AM

BBfanboy

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

Since it is your first time using an Amphib Force HQ on an AGC, I'll ask the question to make sure:

You know that the HQ does not unload, right?

The AGC has all the comms the HQ needs so it just needs to be within range (preferably in the landing hex. That means putting it in its own TF set to "Do Not Unload".

_____________________________

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 SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 332

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/7/2016 4:33:22 AM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Since it is your first time using an Amphib Force HQ on an AGC, I'll ask the question to make sure:

You know that the HQ does not unload, right?

The AGC has all the comms the HQ needs so it just needs to be within range (preferably in the landing hex. That means putting it in its own TF set to "Do Not Unload".

Yes, but thanks for the post just in case. I have two AGC's carrying the U.S. V Amphibious Corps HQ loaded. It's fully prepped for Tabiteuea, set to 'do not unload' and will take up station on the Tabiteuea hex covered by the CVE's.

I'm looking forward to this operation and it should land within seven days.

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to BBfanboy)

Post #: 333

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/7/2016 5:47:48 AM

Yaab

Posts: 4552
Joined: 11/8/2011
From: Poland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Game time for me has been limited lately, but a quick update.

The Tabiteuea amphibious forces have left Lugainville and are en route to Tabiteuea. This is an experiment for me. My first use of an amphibious HQ on AGC's to support the landings. As previously mentioned, I'm overkill on the ground troops (I think), but then again, I'm relying on 100% prep rather than sustained air and naval support to soften up the defence. I want to land the ground troops and withdraw the naval units quickly. Only CVE's, light and heavy cruisers and DD's have been assigned supporting roles. Upwards of six amphibious taskforces will be involved.

My damaged CV's are halfway to Sydney where they'll repair what they can. Depending on the extent of the damage and repair times, they'll either be sent to Pearl to fully repair, or be committed to support upcoming amphibious operations if Sydney can get them patched up in a timely manner.

I'm reorganizing my air units in the New Guinea theatre. I'm testing out new tactics, but make enough mistakes to not get a clear advantage. A case in point is a recent unopposed Allied bombing raid. Meeting no opposition the first day, I correctly anticipated Erik assigning LRCAP to try for an interdiction the next day, so I assigned a P-38 squadron to sweep in addition to repeating the bombing raid. That was my mistake, repeating the bombing mission. Of course the sweep didn't fly first and the bombers and escorts were interdicted. Allied losses were relatively light, but the Japanese got away with one. The P-38s eventually swept, but against a degraded CAP so few Japanese fighters were lost. What I should have done was just send the sweeps. I would have encountered 14 enemy fighters, shot down most of them and I wouldn't have lost any escorts or bombers. Instead, I lose four escorting fighters and four bombers needlessly. These are the small tactical battles I must win.

I also am still getting horrible results with my best fighters. I'm lucky if I get 1:1 losses when I sweep. I have no idea why my fighters suck, but they do. I can't trade the Japanese fighter for fighter. I simply get overwhelmed when the smaller Allied squadrons sweep with only 18 to 25 aircraft against massed Japanese CAP. I have no idea how to break the CAP when I have so few aircraft per sweep. I only do well when the CAP is degraded after multiple sweeps, but overall losses come out even or in Japan's favour. I was so looking forward to the superiority of the Allied aircraft, but they are getting clobbered by overwhelming numbers of Japanese aircraft.

I'm about to take on long range missions against both Hollandia and Sarmi. I am anticipating heavy losses and have zero confidence in the Allied fighters to clear the way for the bombers.

Sweeps, eh?
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3734794&mpage=1&key=�

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 334

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/9/2016 6:58:56 AM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

Let's see if I can start posting regularly on the game again.

Feb. 27/44:

Things have slowed down for the Allies, but there are a number of small operations about to unfold. As mentioned earlier, an Allied amphibious operation against Tabiteuea will occur within six days.

The Merauke amphibious operation will begin loading in two days.

The air campaign against Hollandia and Sarmi began today, but results were mixed. Sweeps against Hollandia were scrubbed due to weather. There are 100+ Japanese fighters spotted at the base.

The enemy air defence at Sarmi was weaker, with only 27 fighters present and a large number of auxiliary aircraft, so I decided to strike the airbase with a large 4E raid. Flying from Port Moresby at a range 16 hexes, P-38's provided sweep and escort missions in support of the bombers. Today, everything went according to plan. A squadron of P-38's swept before the bombers and cleared out some of the A6M5c's on CAP. Unfortunately, the range limited the effectiveness of the sweep. Only seven Zero's were destroyed on the day against eight P-38's. Despite the bounce, my sweeps continue to perform poorly. It is rare that I achieve better than 1:1 losses. However, the bombers got through and absolutely hammered Sarmi's airbase. On the day, it's reported that 37 Japanese transport aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Not a single B-24D1 was lost out of the 76 assigned to the mission. A good day's work.

My damaged CV's reached Sydney, but the news isn't good. All required at least 2-3 months of repairs. On top of losing CV Wasp outright, I'm down three additional CV's and 2 CVL's for an extended period of time. Crap.

Burma is getting interesting. I'm slowly getting supply to Ramree Island. I'm stockpiling it and I'm over 12k now. When I get close to 25k and have enough aviation support at the base, I will attempt to land large amounts via LST's and transports covered by a strong CAP. I'm starting to get some upgrades, but not the ones I want, or need. If I can get Sherman's and squads upgraded, I'll be in better shape. In the meantime, I continue to low ball the theatre until conditions change that will allow me to move. I have begun to withdraw some larger LCU's in an effort to get them to upgrade. They have a long march yet. I'm trying to isolate Taung Gyi, but Erik can easily withdraw whenever he needs to. I'm hoping to cause a withdrawal rather than siege the base. If Erik does concede the base, things in Burma will change quickly. I need the base to form a strong defence that will allow me to withdraw the bulk of my units out of Burma. Then I'll no longer be shackled here and can move on more important targets...elsewhere.

I'll definitely provide some screenshots this long weekend to show what is going on.

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 335

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/9/2016 7:30:46 AM

BBfanboy

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

quote:

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Let's see if I can start posting regularly on the game again.

Feb. 27/44:

Things have slowed down for the Allies, but there are a number of small operations about to unfold. As mentioned earlier, an Allied amphibious operation against Tabiteuea will occur within six days.

The Merauke amphibious operation will begin loading in two days.

The air campaign against Hollandia and Sarmi began today, but results were mixed. Sweeps against Hollandia were scrubbed due to weather. There are 100+ Japanese fighters spotted at the base.

The enemy air defence at Sarmi was weaker, with only 27 fighters present and a large number of auxiliary aircraft, so I decided to strike the airbase with a large 4E raid. Flying from Port Moresby at a range 16 hexes, P-38's provided sweep and escort missions in support of the bombers. Today, everything went according to plan. A squadron of P-38's swept before the bombers and cleared out some of the A6M5c's on CAP. Unfortunately, the range limited the effectiveness of the sweep. Only seven Zero's were destroyed on the day against eight P-38's. Despite the bounce, my sweeps continue to perform poorly. It is rare that I achieve better than 1:1 losses. However, the bombers got through and absolutely hammered Sarmi's airbase. On the day, it's reported that 37 Japanese transport aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Not a single B-24D1 was lost out of the 76 assigned to the mission. A good day's work.

My damaged CV's reached Sydney, but the news isn't good. All required at least 2-3 months of repairs. On top of losing CV Wasp outright, I'm down three additional CV's and 2 CVL's for an extended period of time. Crap.

Burma is getting interesting. I'm slowly getting supply to Ramree Island. I'm stockpiling it and I'm over 12k now. When I get close to 25k and have enough aviation support at the base, I will attempt to land large amounts via LST's and transports covered by a strong CAP. I'm starting to get some upgrades, but not the ones I want, or need. If I can get Sherman's and squads upgraded, I'll be in better shape. In the meantime, I continue to low ball the theatre until conditions change that will allow me to move. I have begun to withdraw some larger LCU's in an effort to get them to upgrade. They have a long march yet. I'm trying to isolate Taung Gyi, but Erik can easily withdraw whenever he needs to. I'm hoping to cause a withdrawal rather than siege the base. If Erik does concede the base, things in Burma will change quickly. I need the base to form a strong defence that will allow me to withdraw the bulk of my units out of Burma. Then I'll no longer be shackled here and can move on more important targets...elsewhere.

I'll definitely provide some screenshots this long weekend to show what is going on.

Sydney port sounds overloaded for repairs. I would shuffle some off to Melbourne and Auckland and Brisbane (ships under 10K tons) and even send a CV or two to PH to speed things up. You lose a couple of weeks for the trip but might gain a month off the repairs.

Also look closely at any upgrades that might happen and decide if you need to do them just now or not.

_____________________________

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 SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 336

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/9/2016 8:03:04 PM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

Feb. 28/44:

I change the target of sweeps to Vanimo instead of Hollandia and they catch a Japanese CAP at 5k and 9k. My sweeps are set to 31k.

Ten F4U-1 Corsair fighters are lost, but shoot down 7 A6M8 Zero and 23 J2M3 Jack fighters. I'll take a 3:1 ratio any day!

The bombers get a day off, but are ordered to hit Sarmi again tomorrow to try and keep the airbase suppressed. Recon shows only 8 fighters present, but is the report accurate?

The natives are getting restless in Burma. Japanese Nick's bomb 45th Indian Brigade east of Taung Gyi, but casualties are light and three FB's are shot down by AA.

In other Burma news, almost all my units have somehow miraculously upgraded! British Armoured Bde.'s to Shermans, Indian and U.S. divisions to 1944 squads. The British to 1943. I didn't get any notification via the operations report, but in the span of one day the combat firepower of Allied forces in Burma has completely changed.

I am finally in business in Burma! Now to flood Ramree Island with supply to take full advantage of the situation.

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 337

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/10/2016 7:28:29 AM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

Big time glitch. After running the Feb. 29th turn, all my units in Burma resumed their previous TOE's. Not a single unit is upgraded after all. In hindsight, I should have guessed something was up. It didn't make sense that everything would upgrade at once, especially with the lack of supply.

Oh well. Back to the grind of building up supply in Burma.

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 338

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/10/2016 9:24:26 AM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

Feb. 29/44:

In light of no TOE upgrades in Burma, did anything positive happen for the Allies today? Yes.

New Guinea:

Sarmi's airbase is bombed again causing heavy damage. Another nine P-38's on sweep and escort missions are lost against a weak Japanese CAP though. However, once again no bombers are lost and 28 enemy planes are destroyed on the ground. Airfield damage (service) is reported at 99%.

The amphibious forces bound for Merauke begin loading at Port Moresby. Enemy forces at Merauke consist of a Naval Guard and aviation battalion. I'm landing a full division which is overkill, but I don't want to waste the 75% prep. I'm not concerned with disruption, because the division will have to re-prep for another target once Merauke falls anyway, so it can recover then.

I've begun to recon Darwin and it appears to be lightly garrisoned. I may move against the base sooner than originally planned, but I'd like to get a few more days of solid recon before making a decision.

Allied ground forces have almost reached Hansa Bay marching overland from Madang. U.S. 24th Division, two tank battalions and Australian 3rd Motor Bde. will be enough to take the base. Both air and naval bombardments will be conducted to disrupt the defenders prior to assault.

I'm also moving up a heavy cruiser taskforce to Madang with the aim of conducting a naval bombardment of Hollandia. There are now over 130 enemy fighters at the base. Definitely a target rich environment.

The Gilbert Islands:

Depending on the naval movement rate, Allied amphibious taskforces will conduct the landings at Tabiteuea on March 2nd or 3rd. I don't believe there is much in the way of Japanese air search here, but I hope to not get spotted tomorrow. I'm positive the Gilbert and Marshall Island chains are a side show to Erik, but I need the practice and all the VP's I can muster.

Thoughts:

Other than Burma and the recent setback with my CV's, I'm starting to get into a groove. My air tactics are improving and I'm now in a position to deploy naval forces more aggressively against land targets. Japanese naval forces are nowhere to be seen, but I'm sure the Japanese CV's are just over the horizon waiting to pounce. I'm curious to see the response when I move on Hollandia. I know my vector of advance doesn't leave much to the imagination, but if I can establish a position centred on Biak more offensive options become available.

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/10/2016 9:30:19 AM >

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 339

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/10/2016 9:37:05 AM

Sardaukar

Posts: 9847
Joined: 11/28/2001
From: Finland/Israel
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Since it is your first time using an Amphib Force HQ on an AGC, I'll ask the question to make sure:

You know that the HQ does not unload, right?

The AGC has all the comms the HQ needs so it just needs to be within range (preferably in the landing hex. That means putting it in its own TF set to "Do Not Unload".

Yes, but thanks for the post just in case. I have two AGC's carrying the U.S. V Amphibious Corps HQ loaded. It's fully prepped for Tabiteuea, set to 'do not unload' and will take up station on the Tabiteuea hex covered by the CVE's.

I'm looking forward to this operation and it should land within seven days.

Amphibious CORPS HQ is just normal Corps HQ. You need Amphibious FORCE HQ to get the extra benefit. I loads only into AGC. AGC itself already gives benefit, Force HQ adds more.

_____________________________

"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von B�lov, 1870-

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 340

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/10/2016 8:36:07 PM

BBfanboy

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

quote:

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Big time glitch. After running the Feb. 29th turn, all my units in Burma resumed their previous TOE's. Not a single unit is upgraded after all. In hindsight, I should have guessed something was up. It didn't make sense that everything would upgrade at once, especially with the lack of supply.

Oh well. Back to the grind of building up supply in Burma.

You know that the TOE is just a list of what the unit is entitled to hold, so changing to a new list does not automatically upgrade the unit devices, right?

It would be incredible for a whole bunch of units in the same hex to get all the upgraded devices in one turn. First of all you need the supply necessary and then you need to be within the limits for the number of devices that can be upgraded in one unit during one turn (for aircraft it is 12 but I am unsure of the limit for LCUs - might depend on base size or HQ support).
Probably also a good idea to check that the devices required are not being stockpiled in the pools.

_____________________________

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 SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 341

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/11/2016 4:13:26 AM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

You know that the TOE is just a list of what the unit is entitled to hold, so changing to a new list does not automatically upgrade the unit devices, right?

It's possible I inadvertently had TOE selected. I'd say I'm not that dumb to be so easily fooled, but perhaps I was. I don't leave the TOE button selected as a default, so didn't initially think anything other than my units had upgraded.

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to BBfanboy)

Post #: 342

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/11/2016 4:36:30 AM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

March 1/44:

A new month and a quiet turn. Tomorrow should be a different story with numerous Allied operations afoot.

The amphibious taskforces bound for Tabiteuea moved farther than expected, so the landings will occur tomorrow. All taskforces approaching the island are undetected.

In New Guinea, I've ordered a heavy cruiser taskforce to attempt a naval bombardment of Hollandia. The route chosen by the AI from Madang to Hollandia is 11 hexes, so there's a good chance the mission doesn't go as planned. I've ordered Corsairs based at Madang to LRCAP the cruisers if they get stranded en route. There are now 160 Japanese fighters reported at the base and no bombers. If the naval bombardment is successful, I'll order follow up sweep and bombing missions against Hollandia in an effort to close the airbase.

Allied ground forces should reach Hansa Bay tomorrow. A deliberate assault will follow the next day.

The Merauke amphibious forces will be fully loaded tomorrow. It will take two days to reach Merauke from Port Moresby. LBA will CAP the amphibious taskforces from Horn Island and a number of CVE's will cover the landings as well.

A big day is planned in Burma. I've ordered a large number of sweeps against Toungoo. Seven squadrons are assigned sweep missions, while another five are to provide LRCAP in various capacities. There are 300 Japanese fighters reported at the base. This is the start of an effort to establish air superiority over Toungoo to allow large scale naval supply transport missions to Ramree Island.

I've also ordered sweeps and bombing missions against Taung Gyi. There's been no CAP at Taung Gyi for a long time, so I don't expect any enemy fighters unless Erik has somehow anticipated my bombing of the base. The purpose of the bombings is to destroy the airbase and degrade the Japanese supply situation.

March 2nd should be an eventful and bloody day.

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/11/2016 4:42:24 AM >

_____________________________

Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

(in reply to SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 343

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/11/2016 6:43:03 AM

BBfanboy

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

quote:

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

You know that the TOE is just a list of what the unit is entitled to hold, so changing to a new list does not automatically upgrade the unit devices, right?

It's possible I inadvertently had TOE selected. I'd say I'm not that dumb to be so easily fooled, but perhaps I was. I don't leave the TOE button selected as a default, so didn't initially think anything other than my units had upgraded.

Never thought of the TOE button on the unit - I was just saying the Announcement of the TOE change in the Op Report does not mean the units have their new devices yet. They are just eligible to get them.

_____________________________

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 SqzMyLemon)

Post #: 344

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/12/2016 4:48:02 AM

SqzMyLemon

Posts: 4239
Joined: 10/30/2009
From: Alberta, Canada
Status: offline

March 2/44:

Well, that was a bittersweet turn. I really hate the AI in this game most times.

Let's start in Burma. All aircraft targeting Taung Gyi fly as ordered and the enemy base and troops are bombed against no opposition. Ok, I'm happy here, but this was the secondary mission.

What happened at Toungoo? Let's see, not a single P-47 squadron (five assigned) flew sweeps against Toungoo, despite being based at two different airfields. Spitfire's based at Ramree fly their sweeps against Toungoo (two squadrons sweep separately, and both attacks are covered by LRCAP), but somehow the LRCAP from Akyab and Mandalay precedes both sweeps. So my LRCAP engaged the Japanese CAP before my sweeping Spitfire's trickle in during each attack. WTF? I've never seen LRCAP precede sweeps before. Considering my forces were committed in such an unorthodox manner, I end up losing 15 P-40N5's (low LRCAP) and 4 P-38's (high LRCAP), and only four Spitfires in total because they came late to the party both times. I'm more upset about all the P-47's being grounded though, considering the P-40N5's were based at the same airbase (Akyab) and flew, while the four squadrons of sweeping P-47's did not. I might have really ripped into the Japanese CAP this time. Oh well, it's happened to us all, I just question why it occurs so often for no apparent reason.

How'd my naval bombardment go against Hollandia? It didn't. Of 11 hexes, my TF moved only 2! Gary can kiss my ass with his more than occasional failed orders randomness. Luckily, as far as I can tell my TF hasn't been spotted, so I kept the orders the same. Maybe I'll get lucky tomorrow as a small Japanese TF of xAKL's is spotted loading up troops at Hollandia. I'm doubtful I'll catch a break and expect another pooched movement phase for my cruisers.

What did go right? Tabiteuea.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Tabiteuea (137,134)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 7932 troops, 99 guns, 187 vehicles, Assault Value = 265

Defending force 1626 troops, 12 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 51

Allied adjusted assault: 218

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 218 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied forces CAPTURE Tabiteuea !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
2094 casualties reported
Squads: 79 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 42 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 16 (16 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
200 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Assaulting units:
298th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
766th Tank Battalion
34th Combat Engineer Regiment
12th Marine Defense Battalion
11th USN Naval Construction Battalion

Defending units:
52nd Naval Guard Unit

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
52nd Naval Guard Unit Wiped Out at Tabiteuea by attrition!!!

Overall, I really can't complain too much. I capture Tabiteuea cheaply and air losses on the day were in the Allies' favour at 25 to 41. However, missing a chance to rip into the CAP at Toungoo and the failed naval bombardment at Hollandia could have been big tactical successes. Maybe tomorrow everything will go as planned.

Speaking of tomorrow, the Merauke amphibious taskforces are ordered to sail from Port Moresby. They'll land in two days, but I feel the failed naval bombardment of Hollandia and the follow up bombing raids which would have been ordered for tomorrow, will allow Erik to react on D-1 with LBA against my taskforces from Hollandia.

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/12/2016 5:03:03 AM >

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/12/2016 1:54:58 PM

Encircled

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After repeated failed bombardments and heavy ship losses, I now tend to go to a patrol zone 9 hexes out (or eight or ten depended on speed of ships) and then put it on full speed for the bombardment turn.

Obviously enemy SCTFs and contacts can still slow you down, but it does tend to work.

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/12/2016 4:43:03 PM

SqzMyLemon

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Encircled

After repeated failed bombardments and heavy ship losses, I now tend to go to a patrol zone 9 hexes out (or eight or ten depended on speed of ships) and then put it on full speed for the bombardment turn.

Obviously enemy SCTFs and contacts can still slow you down, but it does tend to work.

I have a pretty good grasp of bombardments and use the tactic quite often. I'm sure it comes down to ops points or some missed roll. It just bugs me that out of a possible 18 hexes at full speed, my ships only move 2 hexes out of a total 11 ordered. There's still the possibility I won't bombard this turn either which makes the previous move even worse. I have a chance to hit my opponent undetected, but I'm at the mercy of voodoo movement mechanics that may, or may not, get me to the target.

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Post #: 347

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/12/2016 6:08:51 PM

SqzMyLemon

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With Tabiteuea secure, I'll begin expanding the facilities and get some aviation support and radar to the base. Tabiteuea will be the base of operations for the liberation of the Gilbert and Marshall Island chains. I know Erik won't invest much in defending this theatre and that works fine for me.

I'm definitely going to push hard for Darwin now. The base is lightly defended and will open up another avenue of advance for me upon capture. Taking Darwin makes the Japanese positions in Western Australia irrelevant. I'll backfill those at some point.

I'm getting a clear picture of how Erik is withdrawing from New Guinea using air transport and small ships. He's a master at it from his previous games. I need to ramp up the Allied timetable to not give him the time to consolidate these troops into new positions.

I'll continue my advance along the New Guinea coast as planned, but I'm preparing to seek out and bring the Japanese navy to battle...on my terms. Once my carrier strength is at 100% again, I'll look for a fight. In the meantime, I want to concentrate on winning the small tactical battles that will sap Japan's strength moving forward.

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Post #: 348

RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/12/2016 9:09:13 PM

Encircled

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Well, if you are expecting a guaranteed bombardment from eleven hexes out, you are relying on the system not stopping you nine hexes out so you can bombard in the next night phase. Which is what it did.

Look on the bright side, no ships sunk and a bombardment next night turn!

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/12/2016 10:31:08 PM

SqzMyLemon

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Is that what happened? I certainly don't expect guaranteed anything in this game, but I'd prefer the routine to move in closer than nine hexes before arbitrarily stopping my ships. A nine hex run-in still leaves a lot that can go wrong. I'm not as optimistic as you are that I'll get a bombardment today, but I sure hope you are right!

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/12/2016 10:32:24 PM >

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 1:19:54 AM

SqzMyLemon

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The P-47 for me in this game is an absolute joke. I knew I should have stood my fighters down this turn after my orders got messed up the previous day. I have ZERO faith in the P-47, it sucks.

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< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/13/2016 1:22:28 AM >

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 1:28:57 AM

Canoerebel

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What happened (and you may know this) is that your TF (AI) calculated that it could make the bombardment run of nine hexes properly (in one turn, allowing for it to then retire). Since the TF was eleven hexes out, it moved two hexes closer in order to make the run, as it calculated, the next turn. But things may transpire that mess up this calculation, such as a ship in the TF refueling or something causing ops points to be spent (an encounter with a sub).

Because of all these uncertainties, I think many players now devise their own bombardment ranges and try to set them up short of the maximum possible. Thus, if the computer tells me my TF can handle nine hexes, I'll try to move closer (5, 7, whatever). Of course, enemy air presence may make that an unwise thing to do. In which case I usually don't do the bombardment mission.

Bombardment missions are fraught with risks, so I don't do them unless I can handle the short range and believe "beyond a reasonable doubt" that enemy air isn't a factor, either because the bases don't have air or because my ships can retire to a close by friendly port that has CAP.

I can't imagine anyone counting on an eleven-hex bombardment run. "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!"

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 1:32:15 AM

Canoerebel

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I know the P-47 is a very good airplane. So when I suffer bad results or disproportionate losses, my first suspicion is that the problem lies with my handling of the squadron. Are the pilots well trained? Experienced? High morale? Set at the optimal altitude? Have a good commander? Up against elite pilots in next-generation aircraft?

The P-47 doesn't "suck." It's a fine fighter and can handle Japanese fighters of equal generation.

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 1:41:05 AM

Mike McCreery

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quote:

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

The P-47 for me in this game is an absolute joke. I knew I should have stood my fighters down this turn after my orders got messed up the previous day. I have ZERO faith in the P-47, it sucks.

The P47 is one of the most awesome planes in the game. I would gladly give later generation fighters for replacements of these.

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 2:11:41 AM

SqzMyLemon

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Well, Erik has figured out how to beat it with low CAP then.

The 376mph 24 durability Tojo IIc is blowing the 429mph 36 durability P-47 out of the skies.

Trading almost 1:1 losses against the Tojo? Ok, it has to be me then.

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/13/2016 5:45:54 AM >

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 5:56:44 AM

SqzMyLemon

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I know the P-47 is a very good airplane. So when I suffer bad results or disproportionate losses, my first suspicion is that the problem lies with my handling of the squadron. Are the pilots well trained? Experienced? High morale? Set at the optimal altitude? Have a good commander? Up against elite pilots in next-generation aircraft?

The P-47 doesn't "suck." It's a fine fighter and can handle Japanese fighters of equal generation.

Have you encountered a Japanese player that doesn't fly any CAP over 10k? I have tried sweeping at different altitudes, the highest being 31k and as low as 15k. The Allied fighters are achieving less then 1:1.5. If anyone has an answer for low CAP I'd love to hear it, because boom and zoom for the P-47's ain't happening and they are getting slaughtered by the Ki-44 IIc.

As for your suggestion regarding handling, I like to think I'm doing what most other players are in terms of creating the proper conditions for a successful outcome.

I guess my problem is tackling the Japanese CAP head-on. I'm up against huge numbers of CAP, but I have no option if I want to bomb my targets. If I don't sweep, my bombers get massacred, if I sweep, my fighters get massacred. Hard to feel confident when I can only attack meagre enemy CAP to get decent results. Anything on par and the Japanese are clearly coming out on top. I can't trade 1:1 losses and expect to go far in this one.

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/13/2016 6:05:15 AM >

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 8:29:59 PM

SqzMyLemon

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

What happened (and you may know this) is that your TF (AI) calculated that it could make the bombardment run of nine hexes properly (in one turn, allowing for it to then retire). Since the TF was eleven hexes out, it moved two hexes closer in order to make the run, as it calculated, the next turn. But things may transpire that mess up this calculation, such as a ship in the TF refueling or something causing ops points to be spent (an encounter with a sub).

Because of all these uncertainties, I think many players now devise their own bombardment ranges and try to set them up short of the maximum possible. Thus, if the computer tells me my TF can handle nine hexes, I'll try to move closer (5, 7, whatever). Of course, enemy air presence may make that an unwise thing to do. In which case I usually don't do the bombardment mission.

Bombardment missions are fraught with risks, so I don't do them unless I can handle the short range and believe "beyond a reasonable doubt" that enemy air isn't a factor, either because the bases don't have air or because my ships can retire to a close by friendly port that has CAP.

I can't imagine anyone counting on an eleven-hex bombardment run. "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!"

Is that what the routine does? To be honest I had no idea the routine did this, hence my surprise at being stopped after a two hex movement. Obviously not knowing the routine would stop my ships at 9 hexes I was disappointed to not get in closer. As I mentioned, a nine hex run in isn't ideal in my opinion either and I wasn't expecting my taskforce to get away clean. I understand bombardments are tricky, but I understood the risks in this particular case. I even mentioned I assigned LRCAP to cover my TF in case it did fall short of the target. I'm guilty of not understanding the routine fully, ok, but that doesn't mean I 'expect' everything I do to work. I knew 11 hexes was a reach, I never said otherwise. I just was trying to see if I could get a bombardment in at 11 hexes as I've never tried one that distance before, and was unaware of the whole 9 hex issue. Now I know, so I won't be trying 11 hex bombardments in the future.

Thanks for the clarification. On a side note, I don't ever expect any of my orders to be followed or have logical outcomes in this game. I do my best and often times I'm left shaking my head trying to understand why the AI does what it does.

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/13/2016 8:34:30 PM >

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 8:43:00 PM

SqzMyLemon

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The P-47 doesn't "suck." It's a fine fighter and can handle Japanese fighters of equal generation.

I'm not trying to be confrontational here CR, but obviously not getting better than 1:1 with my best aircraft is a concern. I may not be the best or smartest player, but I do think I have enough of a grasp on the game to understand leaders, experience, skill, fatigue and range on air operations. I also don't think I'm doing anything crazy either. I'm flying at 31k, not stratosphere sweeping, and the Japanese CAP is outperforming my P-47's. My dives are few and like I said, the Tojo IIc is destroying the P-47 easily. I actually do better against the George's and Frank's. I suffer huge Ops losses with the P-47, in fact the P-40's seem to be able to take hits and survive better than the Thunderbolt. I rarely, if ever, hear other Allied players have concerns over the P-47, but I do. I also think most players haven't encountered a player like Erik who sand boxes and finds the best settings and tactics. It's clear to me from what Erik and Lowpe were posting in a thread regarding setting low CAP against the P-47, it is working. If my 50mph faster fighter can't avoid getting bounced in a sweeping role, what other suggestions would the 'experts' have for beating the CAP? So I stand by my statement, the P-47 sucks for me. Am I using it wrong, apparently I am from comments. I don't know the magic settings yet against what Erik is doing, but I am making sure I have good leadership, pilots, experience, skill, fatigue and range on my side. Other than that, I can only guess I don't know the optimum altitude to counter Japanese CAP staggered at 5k, 7k and 9k.

< Message edited by SqzMyLemon -- 10/13/2016 8:49:38 PM >

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Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/13/2016 10:05:43 PM

SqzMyLemon

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Thinking on things, I actually think it's radar that is the difference. It doesn't matter how high the sweeps are if radar puts the CAP above them. Take away the boom and zoom of the P-47, then you just have a flying brick just as susceptible to getting shot down as any other fighter.

My only thought is to lower the altitude of my sweeps dramatically to give less warning time to the CAP.

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Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

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RE: A pick up game and it's not Lowpe! Sqz (A) vs. obve... - 10/14/2016 5:51:23 AM

SqzMyLemon

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March 3, 44:

Ok, my P-47 woes aside it's back to the rest of the war.

The naval bombardment goes in at Hollandia. I was hoping to destroy more aircraft since there were over 120 on the base, but I'll take it. If anything, it may have Erik looking over his shoulder and worrying about follow up bombardments. AAR follows:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Hollandia at 93,116 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-84a Frank: 13 damaged
Ki-84a Frank: 1 destroyed on ground
N1K2-J George: 19 damaged
N1K2-J George: 1 destroyed on ground
H8K2-L Emily: 15 damaged

15 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
CA Boston
CA Baltimore

Japanese ground losses:
114 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 21
Port hits 3

Hansa Bay is captured giving me another good airbase to develop for operations against Hollandia. AAR follows:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Hansa Bay (97,121)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17828 troops, 273 guns, 458 vehicles, Assault Value = 613

Defending force 2905 troops, 22 guns, 12 vehicles, Assault Value = 74

Allied adjusted assault: 392

Japanese adjusted defense: 19

Allied assault odds: 20 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied forces CAPTURE Hansa Bay !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1298 casualties reported
Squads: 24 destroyed, 42 disabled
Non Combat: 27 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 10 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)
Vehicles lost 15 (15 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 4
Units destroyed 2

Allied ground losses:
109 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
762nd Tank Battalion
763rd Tank Battalion
24th Infantry Division
3rd Motor Bde /1

Defending units:
64th Naval Guard Unit
5th South Seas Det. /2
52nd JNAF AF Unit
47th Road Const Co
45th Road Const Co
25th JAAF AF Bn /1

I've tried both CAP and LRCAP set to night/day over enemy bases, but I'm unable to interdict any of the Japanese transports whisking enemy LCU's out from under my nose. I admit to no longer knowing what method to employ to prevent this.

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Luck is the residue of design - John Milton

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

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