RE: Solitaire game starting late '42

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 5:05:22 PM

EUBanana

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The Chinese strat bomb Shanghai, a Nick engages, but doesn't stop it. The Chinese miss though, so no harm done either way.

The Russians don't attack anything but they do give up the ground around Gomel and pull everything back. It's a bit slow as the ART units are not that fast, but the end result is a much thicker front line, rather than two quite thin front lines with one being turned - albeit there's no river. But there is Kursk, Bryansk and a few forest hexes.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 5:12:00 PM

EUBanana

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And this is the Pacific...

You got the main force in the Coral Sea, cruisers in between the Coral Sea and Truk, the Dauntless just got unloaded at Efate, a B17 is coming down from Honolulu currently in the Ellis Islands...

The only wrinkle is the American carriers are all at Hawaii, so quite a long way away. In reserve.

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< Message edited by EUBanana -- 7/25/2021 5:13:09 PM >

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 5:29:34 PM

Courtenay

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quote:

US has 54
1 naval construction
4 CV

Are these new builds, or are they finishing? If they are new builds, they look like a mistake to me, since the won't arrive until '45. What the US should be building now are O-chits. They should be spending at least one a turn and frequently more, sometimes a lot more.

quote:

And I guess you really don't want to lose bigly because CVs take a long time to build. (Though as its 1943, its not so bad. Essexes start arriving in Sept/Oct).

I hope these are the 1942 Essexes. The five 1941 Essexes should hit the map S/O '42. See the 1998 WiF Annual to see how to pull this off. (https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3472676)

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 5:38:54 PM

EUBanana

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

quote:

US has 54
1 naval construction
4 CV

Are these new builds, or are they finishing? If they are new builds, they look like a mistake to me, since the won't arrive until '45. What the US should be building now are O-chits. They should be spending at least one a turn and frequently more, sometimes a lot more.

quote:

And I guess you really don't want to lose bigly because CVs take a long time to build. (Though as its 1943, its not so bad. Essexes start arriving in Sept/Oct).

I hope these are the 1942 Essexes. The five 1941 Essexes should hit the map S/O '42. See the 1998 WiF Annual to see how to pull this off. (https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3472676)

The US never seemed to have a whole lot of production. They were on 10 for much of the game. Probably because they were not at war for so long.

I think the USN is going to be� considerably smaller than reality in this one. And they are getting 3 CVs this year and the rest I gusss maybe too late, as that was indeed first build.

If the US is supposed to build out CVs early, well, I�m afraid that definitely didnnt happen in this game. They built a lot of strat bombers and transports.

I guess they will move onto O chits from now on then!

< Message edited by EUBanana -- 7/25/2021 5:42:48 PM >

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:05:22 PM

EUBanana

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Turns out that convoy point being sunk in the Bismarck Sea unhinged the entire Japanese defence. Well, that was lucky, for someone anyway.

They take a naval action and re-establish supply, but they can't use their LBA. So... they send out the Kido Butai. They only make it to the 2 box of the Coral Sea, though, which was sorta the American plan.

Aside from these Big Moves, in little moves, the damage to the convoy network is fixed, a TRN + CA go to the Bismarck sea to make sure supply is more robust in the future because that's embarassing, Yamato goes to the Bismarck Sea to try and kill the CL Marblehead (could make a movie about that for sure), and as they can get into the 4 box, the IJN sorties a large cruiser squadron to the Solomons and engage the tripwire forces there.

Japanese LBA looks like it'll be fully online next round but not this one.

The Italiasn do the usual and send out four cruisers to the 3 box of the Italian Sea, to make sure there's plenty of naval activations for all the combined actions that will be taken this turn...

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:13:18 PM

EUBanana

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The Italians and Allies find each other (which oddly means the Spitfire and Whirlwind defending the TRN in the 1 box don't appear - I guess if they were surprised and attacked specifically they would?) and the Allies use everything as a fighter, as they care more about not losing anything than destroying those four cruisers which are pretty much scrap iron atm.

The Axis are basically cleared out of the Med for this turn, though it does cost the Commonwealth an old Swordfish.

This is sorta what I meant when I asked a question in the war room about how to play italy... they've been trying t o use LBA to damage the Allied navy all game. And in my previous games. And I've never seen them achieve anything, even when they have a good number of Sparvieros and an escort. 3 CVs isn't that many, the Commonwealth can have a big Med Fleet right from the start if they want...

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< Message edited by EUBanana -- 7/25/2021 7:14:21 PM >

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:21:29 PM

EUBanana

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Looks like the Coral Sea is going to go badly for the Americans... the fleets find each other and that P38 looks a bit... lonely.

Next impulse there'll be two more LBA for the Americans... if there's anything left. Maybe I shoulda waited an impulse to set it all up.

Yeah that P38 looked a bit lonely... :/ This is gonna hurt.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:29:42 PM

EUBanana

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Turns out to be a bit a disaster for the Americans as the TRN is found and sunk, though the AA claimed the best Japanese bomber present.

Despite the larger number of units it was still basically a skirmish... 1 CVA lost for a TRN + MAR. Though the Japanese now control the Coral Sea.

And then both sides abort, because I aborted the Japanese by mistake. Though on reflection that might not be a bad idea. Yamamoto will reorg three carriers in Truk so they are ready to parry other shenanigans.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:39:42 PM

EUBanana

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Kursk is bombed, completely ineffectually.

Prior to this the Soviet airforce shot down a 7 factor German fighter (!) and saw off a Ju-88 that tried to bomb without escort next to Kursk. So yeah, the Luftwaffe has to fight to get through now.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:54:44 PM

EUBanana

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Fair bit of combat on the eastern front... the O chit was used, so kinda had to.

Thought maybe it would be wiser to move up or use an air action and O chit next round but the weather in this game is so unpredictable planning impulse to impulse seems ab it rash unless it's a huge issue.

As it happened as Kursk was not bombed as planned, rather than attack Kursk the Germans attack on either side instead.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:56:48 PM

EUBanana

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Well, in the north it doesn't go that well at all... a bit of a push, into the mire.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 7:59:25 PM

EUBanana

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The only actual success...

Might be enough to push a bit at least.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 8:04:33 PM

EUBanana

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I was kinda bummed for the Fuhrer in that turn (as much as I was bummed for FDR) but to be honest, after the dust has settled and Manstein has done his cheap reorg, it doesn't look so bad. That's a big punch to the middle of the line aroudn Kursk, and even in the north, after the reorging, pushing the Soviets back a hex seriously exposed some units to followup attacks.

Coulda been better, coulda been worse.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:15:05 PM

EUBanana

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Well... it's the Allies go.

CW take a land, US take a combined, USSR land, CHina land.

The interesting thing to me, as I flail cluelessly with the naval combat system, is that the US situation isn't that bad at all now. It's as was said - a reserve is a good thing. And the IJN has largely shot its bolt in holding off the Coral Sea, which they did do, but still.

I do need to have the US capture Homs so Tripoli can fall this turn though, hence the combined.

In any case. Now the IJN used its CVs, the US gets to use its CVs, and moves them to the Marianas, to link up with the cruisers. There's a MAR sitting on Tarawa, and cruisers on the west coast have a couple of MAR-divs, so I move those to Honolulu, where they arrive disorganised - but reorganisable by Nimitz. It seems to me that a second invasion this turn can happen in the Marianas and much of the IJ fleet is used, even with the reorgs (lingering int he Coral Sea seems to be a worse move, actually, so that error isnt much of an error).

There's a tussle as the IJ do have a lot of LBA covering that sea zone but I think they will decline to combat as they didn't roll well enough to get their fighters into play, and a Nell vs fighters is going to be a dead Nell.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:20:02 PM

EUBanana

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Unfortunately this really isn't going Japans way. They don't have enough surprise points to avoid it totally.

The Americans put up a fair bit of CAP, and the Nell is brushed off.

And the Japanese AA roll is as bad as it gets.

At least the Nell aborted and wasn't shot down.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:26:18 PM

EUBanana

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Well thats a bit of a pickle.

The 'be bombed more maybe, or run away' decision. Running away lets the US have a completely free hand, might still be able to scrape up a proper response to this.

I think the IJ will risk another bombing... and pray to the Emprah.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:30:14 PM

EUBanana

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And the Americans roll a 1 on the search roll. Absolute disaster for the Japanese. Well... at least its only cruisers I suppose.

They even fail every single armour roll. The cruisers get wiped off the Earth.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:37:49 PM

EUBanana

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Heh. The Japanese just want nothing to happen, so they can reinforce their cruisers with the CVs that got reorged, and link up with the LBA they deployed.

They just don't get a break. The US don't find them, but the Japanese do pass the search roll. Yet again, not enough to actually avoid combat. So for a third thime they get bombed.

This time their LBA got involved at least, and they bounced off the 2 box of the US. But, due a 15 on an air to air roll, their Zero got aborted. So.... t here's not much point any more, the LBA just got neutered.

So... they kinda give up, I guess and slink back to Truk minus a few cruisers.

Ages ago, playing solitaire for a long time, a single German uboat pretty much destroyed the entire convoy force in the Faeroes Gap as they just could not fail a search roll and just kept on attacking. Getting memories of that... Sometimes nothing happens. Sometimes its like they are stuck together like magnets.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:43:01 PM

EUBanana

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A combined action means quite a lot of air too, so the Americans turn their eyes to strategic bombing the Ruhr again. Rather than spread everything out like I did last time there was a lot of strat bombing, this time they pick one target and really do a number on it, or try to.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:44:21 PM

EUBanana

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Yeah, no. Allied strategic bombing has been pretty dismal in this war so far, despite a lot of investment.

Shoulda bought Essexes instead...

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:47:49 PM

EUBanana

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It's not just the US air force having a hard time. CW attempts to soften up Tripoli also come adrift.

The CW does lack tactical bombers though, which is a shame given the Mossies are so good. When they finally arrive.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/25/2021 10:54:25 PM

EUBanana

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The Russians get to reorganise their front again... and thanks to their much thicker front line they seem to be able to do that pretty well. Kursk itself is pretty much surrounded, but Manstein's breakout has a wall of Soviets around it.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/26/2021 1:08:15 PM

EUBanana

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The Russians counterattack that exposed 12 factor SS panzer corps...

Germany scrambles defensive intercept, the Russians shoot down its escort, a very nice Bf110...

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/26/2021 1:10:42 PM

EUBanana

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I assumed this would be a blitzkrieg as they had more ARM + MECH... apparently not.

This could be pretty disastrous, as it was it just flipped them all. 'just'. It did take the elite SS off the board though which was the point.

I don't like to have the Russians just sit there and get pounded and pounded again.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/26/2021 1:18:24 PM

EUBanana

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The CW debarks some troops onto Italy and Libya. Wavell finally makes it across the mountain. The Med has been swept clear of Axis.

Maybe next turn is when Field Marshal Haig tries to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Rome.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/26/2021 1:24:44 PM

Angeldust2

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quote:

ORIGINAL: EUBanana
I assumed this would be a blitzkrieg as they had more ARM + MECH... apparently not.

No, SU had not more ARM than GE, both had exactly just one ARM. If one side has ARM, MECH will not even be taken into account.

< Message edited by Angeldust2 -- 7/26/2021 1:27:52 PM >

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/26/2021 2:28:49 PM

EUBanana

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Angeldust2

quote:

ORIGINAL: EUBanana
I assumed this would be a blitzkrieg as they had more ARM + MECH... apparently not.

No, SU had not more ARM than GE, both had exactly just one ARM. If one side has ARM, MECH will not even be taken into account.

Ah, I assumed it was MECH counts as a half. So SU had 1.5 and GER had 1.

I guess that makes ARM a lot more important than I assumed...

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/26/2021 4:36:02 PM

EUBanana

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Well, it's the Axis go. They all take land actions - even Japan. I was pondering engaging the Americans with their reorged carriers, but its not actually from a position of superiority but slight inferiority due all the LBA being aborted in that cruiser massacre. And they have other things to do in the Philippines, may as well get to it.

First off, some light bombing on the Eastern Front...

The terrible luck that has dogged the Russian airforce all war is still a thing.

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RE: Solitaire game starting late '42 - 7/26/2021 4:37:57 PM

EUBanana

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And in Italy, the Italian airforce does a rare ground strike. Now with lots of fully stacked hexes in that tight little area by Rome, it's becoming an attractive target for bombers, though this is basically the Italian airforce entire (aside from the Sparvieros).