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RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.)

 
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RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/25/2004 7:56:21 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		Glad you like, helps to know people are reading and enjoying it.

I wouldn't call it a holiday.... Not working currently, lots of reasons but a big one is the ... mess ... my father left behind for me to clean up when he died. I do this inbetween bouts of frantic dealing with the estate.

Sorry 'bout the eyestrain. Is it something in the formatting?

Too soon to say anything about the AI yet.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)
Post #: 61
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/26/2004 5:02:43 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		25 Jan 42

Japanese transports at Manila continued to unload under fire, with another one set on fire from the defender's shelling.

Two battleships shelled Rabaul. Apparently the Japanese high command is not pleased with their progress here. If it were cruisers I'd let the Mixed Force engage. But I'm reluctant to risk them, even reinforced, against enemy battlewagons.




In the Malacca Strait the Trusty continued to haunt the minefield, torpedoing a freighter with two hits. While to the north the O24 hit a transport. The KXI observed but wasn't able to attack a freighter outside Saigon. The Seadragon, returning to base to repair damaged suffered earlier, spotted and fired on a fleet oiler near Batan Island but wasn't able to hit it.

Overall, it was a surprising quiet day in the air. Chinese fighters continued to make unopposed sweeps over Wuhan but otherwise the CAF conducted no operations.

The enemy switched their attention from Kuala to Medan, doing minor damage to the airfield. A dozen Betty bombers attacked Singapore unescorted. They caught the CAP by surprise and were able to get past it before they could react. A similar number, with a small Zero escort, bombed Rabaul. More carrier based Kates and Zeroes bombed Manila, quickly sweeping away the two defending P-40s on the way.

Hudsons bombed Japs outside Singapore, Wirraways bombed Japs outside Rabaul. These are becoming routine missions, which is troubling on some level. The P-40C equipped contingent of the AVG flew back into Rangoon. They will have to wait for more E models to become available later before re-equipping. In the meantime the relief convoy is due to arrive in two days and they will need the maximum possible air cover.

The enemy's merchant marine wasn't as hard hit today. Bomb and torpedo hits on a freighter and two transports at Johore Bahru. Another transport torpedoed in the Strait.

The Nips continued to shell Bataan. The British report heavy casualties at Singapore where the enemy is not relenting in his attacks. The Japanese forces at Manila finally launched their attack, but were beaten back with moderate to heavy casualties. The forces outside Rangoon traded fire but neither side made any significant moves. The Australians continued to harry the Japanese around Rabaul and the Philippinos report there are no more enemy forces around Butuan.

Repairs are complete at Wake, the engineers are now beginning work on expanding the facilities and improving the defenses. Although I have a suspicion that they won't have time to do much.

Two enemy task forces containing at least one carrier each have been spotted navigating thru the Philippine Islands. If they are heading for Wake, then they will continue south along the west coast of Luzon before turning east between Luzon and Samar. This could get interesting as there are some five submarines either already along that route or due to arrive today. In addition, the Saratoga and Lexington have arrived back on station around Wake and the surface group should be there tomorrow. I have ordered the convoy carrying the first elements of the 71st Aviation Regiment to Wake to go to full speed. If they can arrive in time to get the Wildcats and Dauntlesses already there ready....

More reports to follow.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by dtravel -- 8/26/2004 10:17:37 AM >

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 62
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/26/2004 9:19:36 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		26 Jan 42

The submarine Pickerel was forced to evade ASW forces near Camranh Bay. The KVIII suffered from dud torpedoes when she attacked a transport in Dead Jap Strait.

The minesweeper Townsville spent the night engaged with a Jap sub almost due east of the city it was named for. It evaded the torpedoes fired at it but was not able to hit the sub in return.

The Japanese fighters defending Chengting against the Chinese bombers broke off their defense abruptly after shooting down one of the SB-2cs. We are unable to come up with a reason for this.

Meanwhile, other Japanese aircraft launched from Chengting attacked Yenen. The defending Chinese fighters quickly broke thru the fighter escort and played havoc with the dive bombers. Some broke and ran while many others were shot down. Other Chinese fighters tried an attack on the enemy airfield at Wuhan but many were damaged by flak at the low altitude. The higher flying IL-4cs did better.

The attacks on Sumatra continued. This time it was Bankha. The forty or so Sonia and Sally bombers did some damage to the airfield and damaged or destroyed several Blenheim I bombers based here. We need more fighters in this area.

Rangoon was bombed. The raid was unopposed as the AVG and Hurricane pilots were busy elsewhere and the airfield suffered some more damage. The battle for the Rangoon relief convoy began. Over a dozen Zeroes and a smaller number of Oscars escorted a dozen Bettys in the morning attack. While the obsolete Sea Gladiators of the Hermes suffered, the AVG P-40s got the better of the Zeroes today. A good half the escorts were either shot down or heavily damaged before the defenders engaged the Bettys. Most turned back after the first few AVG passes and the single flight that pressed on wasn't able to score any hits on the Hermes. The morning's fight had obviously weakened the Japanese squadrons as the afternoon attack was only about half the size. Several of the Oscars were shot down and all of the bombers broke off the attack after the first of them was splashed.

Wirraways - bombs - jungle around Rabaul. Likewise Hurricanes and troops to the north of Rangoon. More bombers, about thirty Bettys with a equal size Zero escort, bombed Manila again. Martins bombed a freighter in the harbor.

A freighter was hit at Johore Bahru by Vildebeest bombs. A mixed Swordfish/Vildebeest strike put two torpedoes into the side of a freighter in the Strait. A flight of Vildebeests lost one of their own to flak when they tried to attack a destroyer outside Johore Bahru. Another flight of Vildebeests was forced to fight their way thru defending Oscar fighters on their way to torpedoeing a freighter near Kuala Lumpur. Yet another Vildebeest element torpedoed a transport twice outside Johore Bahru, sinking it. There were numerous other attacks that failed to report any damage or hits.

Either we missed spotting it or one of the IJN carrier groups is moving at flank speed. The carrier(s) is now somewhere east of Samar, having either slipped thru the subs or been already past them before they shifted stations. Which was extremely unfortunate. A convoy of three troop transports had just reached the strait between Leyte and Mindanao headed for Cebu. They were going to move the garrison there to Mindanao, consolidating our forces for the inevitable second attack on the island. But their mission relied on not being spotted. They were. Two waves of attacks from the carriers hammered all three ships. While they haven't sunk yet it seems unlikely they will survive. Even if they can reach one of the Mindanao ports, they are all in range of enemy bombers on Luzon and there is only a pair of P-35s to defend them.

The shelling of Bataan continued, as did the attack on Singapore. There were more heavy casualties and the Singapore forts are beginning to fall. The Japs fell back to shelling Manila as additional troops arrived to bolster their attack. There was more inconclusive fighting near Rangoon. The Rabaul garrison failed to engage the Japanese forces in the jungle

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 63
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/27/2004 6:09:35 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		27 Jan 42

We received word of another Japanese transport sinking in Johore Bahru. We also received word that one of our own transports in the Philippines sank before it could make it to Butuan. A small tanker, however, does appear to have managed to sneak into Brunei without being spotted and begun loading oil. We'll have to see how long they remain invisible to enemy scout planes.

The Dutch KVIII torpedoed an already damaged freighter in the Strait near Singapore. The Seal preformed a nocturnal surface attack on a freighter east of Legaspi, shooting it up with her .50 caliber machine guns as well as her deck gun and a torpedo.

The Townsville continued to hunt a Japanese sub in the same area as yesterday.

Enemy bombers launched a nighttime raid on Rabaul, but casualties are reported to be minimal.

The Chinese continued their air attacks on Chengting and Wuhan. While the Japanese tried to bomb Yenen again. The defending Chinese I-16cs shredded the dozen or so escorting Nates before shooting down or driving off the half-a-dozen Sonias.

The relief convoy reached Rangoon at the end of the day and is just about to start unloading. The Japanese are still making a strong effort to stop it with three attacks in the morning. The first was over 50 Sally bombers with a light escort of only about 10 Nates. The AVG, despite their reduced numbers (only 16 P-40s were able to fly), succeeded in hammering this attack. Most of the Nates were shot down as were many of the Sallys but the rest were able to bomb the airfield, doing further damage. The second attack was four Bettys with a mixed group of about a dozen Zeroes, Nates and Oscars. Again, most of the escorts were taken out of action. But the bought the Bettys enough time to make an attack run on the Prince of Wales. AAA fire downed half of them and damaged the others with no damage to the ship. The third and final attack was over a dozen Bettys with some twenty-five escorts of the same mixed types, but mostly Zeroes. By this time the defenders were tiring and somewhat scattered. They were not as able to handle this group of Zeroes and lost several aircraft without any confirmed kills of their own. Fortunately the Royal Navy's AAA fire was heavy and accurate, downing several of the Bettys as they made torpedo runs on the Hermes and saving the ship from damage. It is only going to get worse. Most of the Hermes' Sea Gladiators are gone and the AVG continues to get slowly worn away. There is no reason to believe that the enemy will not continue to make every effort to prevent as many of those ships from leaving Rangoon as they can.

The Rangoon Hurricanes retaliated with a particularly fierce attack on the Japanese division cutting Rangoon off by land.

More Nip shipping helped to line the bottom of Johore Bahru harbor and the Malacca Strait. Martins hit a freighter in the harbor and another flight hit a transport in the South China Sea. Swordfish and Vildebeests followed up and hit another transport with a torpedo, followed by another flight of Martins scoring a bomb hit on a third transport. All this in addition to many additional unsuccessful attacks.

Manila was bombed. A few of the unescorted bombers were damaged by the few remaining fighters on Luzon but most were able to attack without trouble. A second attack was stronger, almost 40 Bettys and twenty Zeroes. There was also a daylight raid on Rabaul.

As predicted, the enemy air on southern Luzon blasted the two surviving freighters at Butuan, sinking one of them and further damaging the survivor.

The shelling of Bataan and Manila continued. More of the defenses at Singapore were lost or destroyed in continued fighting there. It seems unlikely that the city can hold out much longer. Artillery fire was traded north of Rangoon and the Aussies continued in their efforts to locate the main strength of the enemy near Rabaul.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 64
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/27/2004 10:12:28 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		28 Jan 42

A report came in that the Empire Summer has sunk near Timor. For the life of me I can't recall where or how this ship was damaged.

The British Truant has taken over haunting the minefield in Dead Jap Strait and was able to hit a damaged freighter. At the southern end of the Strait the Sealion was able to likewise hit another freighter with a torpedo. Nearby the KVIII pulled off a daytime surface attack, causing heavy damage with her 88mm AAA deck guns before putting three torpedoes into another freighter.

The two Japanese battleships visited Rabaul again. The New Mexico and Mississippi have just topped off their bunkers at Pearl and have been ordered south. Along with the Yorktown, they might be able to break the stalemate developing in the New Guinea/Bismarck/Solomon region.

A Japanese sub fired on on the transport Koolama in the danger region a few hundred miles off the Australian coast between Rockhampton and Townsville. Fortunately the warheads were duds, as the crew reports distinctly hearing at least one strike the ship. I need to find a way to get more ASW assets down there. The minesweeper Townsville continues its deadly hide-n-seek with at least one Japanese sub.

The Chinese attack on Chengting continues, with the bombers again managing to evade the defending CAP. More bombers attacked the Japanese troops still between Wuhan and Changsha. Hurricanes continued their attacks on the IJA 55th Division near Rangoon. And Rabaul Wirraways continued to harry the Japanese in the jungle.

The Japanese attacks on Sumatra focused on Medan today. Between 15 and 20 Oscars and ten or so Lily bombers caused minor damage to the airfield.

The Swordfish based at Singapore transferred to Singkawang. While this puts them out of range of the Strait, it keeps them in action when Singapore falls. The Vildebeests there will be moving out as they can, but there is a severe lack of adequate airfields in the area for them to operate out of. In the meantime they continue to attack the Japanese shipping. A freighter in the Malacca Strait was hit by a pair of bombs and a destroyer at Johore Bahru was hit. Blenheims were able to hit a subchaser with a bomb. In the South China Sea, Borneo based Martins were active. A pair of transports were hit, one suffering some kind of massive explosion as a result. Another flight put a pair of bombs into another transport. A fourth transport was hit by yet another flight of Martins, as was a fifth. As always, there were other unsuccessful attacks. In addition poor weather prevented some strikes from finding their targets.

Luzon based Lilys sank the last of the three troops transports that attempted to sneak in to Cebu. The massive escort force (35 Nates for 10 Lilys) quickly blew away the single P-35 trying to protect it.

That same poor weather that interferred around Singapore helped to protect Rangoon. Only two enemy attacks came thru. The first was a single flight of unescorted Bettys, quickly shot down or driven off. The second was two flights of Bettys. They suffered under the guns of the AVG and failed in their runs against the Hermes and cruiser Exeter. This is likely to continue for some time as the convoy needs to unload over 40,000 tons of cargo and is likely to try to load some of the raw materials that have built up in the warehouses. Although a final decision on that will have to wait until the unloading is complete.

A small group of Nells and Bettys attacked Singapore. Some of the attackers were damaged by the defending Buffaloes and Hurricanes but completed their bombing runs on the troops.

At Rabaul a total of less than half-a-dozen Zeroes and Bettys dropped some bombs in the morning. In the afternoon a somewhat stronger force of the same types also bombed the Rabaul defenders. Around 30 each of Zeroes and Bettys bombed Bataan, followed by a second raid of Nates, Anns and Lilys. The third raid was a near duplicate of the second. The few remaining USAFFE fighters fought valiantly, claiming several kills but losing a few more aircraft of their own against the Zeroes.

The ground assault on Bataan finally started. The reason for the timing became apparent as IJA sappers quickly blew a gap in the outer defenses. Casualties on both sides were heavy. At Manila fighting was mostly artillery fire. The defenses at Singapore are beginning to quickly crumble, with more of the fixed defenses being lost along with over 1600 Commonwealth troops. Actions at Rangoon and Rabaul continued as they have for the past several days.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 65
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/27/2004 1:58:38 PM   
Rob Brennan UK


Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline
quote:

Glad you like, helps to know people are reading and enjoying it.

I wouldn't call it a holiday.... Not working currently, lots of reasons but a big one is the ... mess ... my father left behind for me to clean up when he died. I do this inbetween bouts of frantic dealing with the estate.

Sorry 'bout the eyestrain. Is it something in the formatting?

Too soon to say anything about the AI yet.



No nothing wrong with the formatting at all, it's jusy my shortsightedness and a crappy monitor

Sorry to hear about your circumstances and I hope you get sorted out soon .. the ver best of luck on that score

PS did you see the thread about the AI not getting replacements if set to off at the start ?

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 66
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/28/2004 5:40:14 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Rob Brennan UK

quote:

Glad you like, helps to know people are reading and enjoying it.

I wouldn't call it a holiday.... Not working currently, lots of reasons but a big one is the ... mess ... my father left behind for me to clean up when he died. I do this inbetween bouts of frantic dealing with the estate.

Sorry 'bout the eyestrain. Is it something in the formatting?

Too soon to say anything about the AI yet.



No nothing wrong with the formatting at all, it's jusy my shortsightedness and a crappy monitor

Sorry to hear about your circumstances and I hope you get sorted out soon .. the ver best of luck on that score

PS did you see the thread about the AI not getting replacements if set to off at the start ?


Ya, saw the AI replacement thread several weeks ago. I had it set to ON, so don't think its a problem for my game.

The estate is not going to get sorted out soon. After finally getting the main house as ready to sell as I could (filled a 15 cu yd dumpster completely) and listing the property with an agent, the tenant !$^@$#^@#R&@@$#$!^

There is a smaller separate building, basically an in-law apartment type thing, that my father was renting to someone. The tenant hasn't responded to anything I've sent him in nine months, won't give any kind of contact info. All he does is send in rent checks (late, every month). Well, with the property listed and a potential buyer interested we NEED to have the property inspected, yada yada yada, so I'm trying to contact him, the estate attorney is trying to contact him and the realtor is trying to contact him. Nothing. (And this is a small town, less than a thousand people.) Finally the neighbor calls the realtor because they haven't seen the tenant or his truck for a couple of weeks and the dog that had been barking from inside the apartment for the last four days isn't any more. (Keep in mind that I live a three hour drive away.) The realtor gets hold of a friend of the tenant and he climbs in a window, finds the dog alive, feeds, waters and walks it. He tells the realtor that the dog is okay and being taken care of. One of the realtor's agents goes out and manages to take a few pictures of the inside thru the window. (Prior to this all the windows were covered, either by blinds inside or blankets and tarps on the outside.) The inside is, literally, knee deep in garbage and animal waste (possibly human waste too, who knows). Well, that violates the lease. Not to mention a couple of laws. So now the tenant has been given a 72 hour vacate notice (don't have to deal with the 60-day ending the lease route anymore). If he doesn't (of course, at this point I'm not sure how we'd tell if he has or not) then we get to deal with calling in the Sherrif's Dept for a forced eviction and all that ****. Literally, all that ****. (Oh, cute. Just Previewed this post and discovered the board's auto censor. Well, what the hey, I'll leave it like that.) What's worse, is it turns out this guy has a history of causing tenant/landlord problems. He was involved in a big legal case a few years back when he refused to pay homeowners association dues where he was living. Oops, the association had forgotten to put anything in their agreements or bylaws to cover that situation. Went to court, made headlines, blech.

Not looking forward to this. Now where are those Jap freighters and transports? I feel a need to smash things.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)
Post #: 67
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/28/2004 4:07:14 PM   
Rob Brennan UK


Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline 		Not looking forward to this. Now where are those Jap freighters and transports? I feel a need to smash things.





it is written' better to take vengance with a computer game than with a baseball bat' although the dull thwack of willow on human limbs has it's own appeal

whisper ' burn the place down and get the insureance(sp.) .. (kidding)

Sorry to hear your plight, moving hose myself in 2 days .. and I hate it .. have to spend waking hours packing and not playing, not my idea of fun at all.

But compared to your tale it's a walk in the park , i do feel for you and hope you can find this guy and at least scoop out the house to restore some semblance of normality to it. Makes it even more surprising you post so much here , theraputic maybe .

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 68
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/28/2004 9:57:41 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		I would seriously consider just burning it down except that my father 1) lived in a small town, nosey neighbors, alibi would be hard to establish, 2) didn't have any insurance and 3) died over $100,000 in debt. Selling the property is the only chance of paying off the debts, let alone having anything TO inherit.

As for posting, a) no life, b) currently unemployed, c) "Kill, Smash, Grind and Destroy!!!!!" Actually, its mostly in the hands of the lawyer and real estate agent now. They'll generate paperwork that I need to sign but there isn't actually much for me to do with it now. All the "heavy labor" part and decision making I finished some months ago.

Still, I'm just tired of cleaning up my father's mess yet one more time.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)
Post #: 69
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/29/2004 6:39:15 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		29 Jan 42

It is already apparent that one of the critical aspects of this war is going to be keeping Australia and the SW Pacific supplied. As part of that effort we intend to build up Pago-Pago as a waypoint and refuel stop for the US-Aus convoys that are already enroute. The first moves of this effort have begun with the arrival of additional supplies and fuel at Pago-Pago today. More engineers to expand the facilities and some aircraft to defend the convoy route are also enroute.

The convoy carrying the lead elements of the 71st AV Regiment has just reached Wake and will begin unloading. I hope they can get the Marine aircraft ready in time. The Enterprise is heading back to Midway to top off her ammo supplies while the Lex and Sara patrol near Wake.

The 19th Bomb Group at Batavia has received a new compliment of B-17Es. Now they just need to get them flight ready. The last of the Vildebeests flew out of Singapore for Palembang. As much as I am enjoying the results of their attacks on enemy shipping, we are going to need those planes and pilots later.

The British have been able to move a large number of troops into or thru Diamond Harbor. Many of those are marching into Burma and it looks like they may be able to put together a good defensive line centered on Mandalay roughly along the Irrawaddy river.

Intelligence is reporting that another attack on Menado is planned. Radio intercepts indicate a SNLF is prepping for it.

A fresh wave of enemy troops began unloading at Manila. This force was accompanied by numerous minesweepers which began clearing the minefields. Again, they somehow slipped past Bataan and Corrigedor without being spotted. It wasn't all good for the enemy though. Reports are that at least one minesweeper and two transports were sunk, either by mines or gun fire from the Manila defenses. Many other ships were also damaged and casualties among the unloading troops are believed to be very high.

The minesweeper Townsville was forced to head for base to refuel. Shortly after starting she engaged and sank a Japanese sub.

The Chinese bombed Chengting and Wuhan. They also continued to harry the enemy troops outside Wuhan. The Japanese attacked Yenen. The defending Chinese fighters very quickly drove off the escorts and shot up several of the dive bombers before they were able to reach their target.

Medan was attacked. Some twenty Oscars and a somewhat larger number of Lilys bombed the airfield. Rangoon based Hurricanes continued to help in the efforts to clear the overland route to that city. While Hudson bombers dropped on the enemy forces closing on the center of Singapore.

With the last of the bombers having left Singapore and very poor weather over Johore Bahru, the tempo of operations against enemy shipping around Malaya slowed for the day. The center of Allied attacks was in the South China Sea, with Borneo based Martins making most of the bombing runs. They hit one freighter and came close to hitting an enemy cruiser.

The day started well at Rangoon. In the morning the Nips launched three weak, unescorted attacks by small groups of Nells and Bettys. The defending pilots were able to shot down or drive off most of these and only two planes even made it close enough to attempt attacks on the ships. However, this appears to have lulled the RN crews. The Japanese launched a massive attack in the afternoon. The defenders did their best but were overwhelmed by the thirty or so, mostly Zero, escort fighters. The survivors did manage to get in among the approximately sixty bombers but were not able to do much damage. Most of the ships' AAA crews failed to even fire and many of the aircraft were able to make their attack runs without being fired upon. The cruiser Exeter was hit by two torpedoes. The Hermes suffered one bomb hit and four torpedo hits, one of which set off her fuel stores. The resulting explosion sank the carrier.

The enemy is apparently trying to increase the pressure on Rabaul, with two raids launched on the defenders today. Bataan was subjected to three raids. The defending P-40s ripped into the escort Nates of the first attack, downing a good third of them before breaking up the bomber formations. The second attack was an unescorted group of Bettys who managed to avoid most of the CAP enroute to dropping their bombs. The third attack was a dozen Zeroes and a dozen Bettys. The defenders avoided engaging the fighters and managed to destroy one or two of the bombers, disrupting their attack.

The Nips shelled Bataan and launched an attack on Manila. The defenders there did well, losing little ground and inflicting good losses on the enemy. The last of the pre-prepared defenses at Singapore fell. Several more divisions and tank regiments were identified amongst the attacker's formations. It appears that the Vildebeests left just in time. Light fighting continues outside Rangoon. East of Hanoi, the enemy appears to be making an effort to cut off Hanoi. Several Chinese Corps moving to the city were attacked by a Japanese division. And another Chinese Corp that was probing towards Luang Prabang was driven back by a fierce attack from a Vietnamese milita unit. They fell back in good order, hurting the enemy's lead units as they did so. The Australians continue to try to locate and pin down the enemy forces at Rabaul.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 70
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/29/2004 10:05:43 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		30 Jan 42

The Australian 30th Brigade began unloading at Shortlands, expecting to immediately come under fire from the enemy troops that were there. Surprisingly, they found nothing. The enemy appears to have evacuated the island. This may work out well. The Aussie 3rd Brigade has just finished unloading at Lunga on Guadalcanal. As the Aussie units contain organic engineers they have begun working on the facilities at both locations. Now if we can just get some more air assets in the region.

With the loss of the Hermes, her escorts have been redistributed among the battle group and the convoy. The CLAA Columbo will escort the CA Exeter as she attempts a run to Trimcomalee. Much as I wish them luck, I can't help but think that every enemy aircraft that attacks them is one less bombing Rangoon or the unloading freighters.

After a quiet day yesterday, the Submarine Command was active again today. In the Malacca Strait, the Dutch subs O23 and O24 each torpedoed a freighter. East of Camranh Bay the Perch missed an already heavily damaged freighter. Outside Singapore the Sealion fired on a heavily escorted freighter but wasn't able to score. Later in the day the KVIII appears to have encountered the same convoy and was also unable to cause any damage. Off the south coast of Japan itself the Tautog was able to hit an escorted troop transport, sinking it.

In the ocean east of Australia the minesweeper Latrobe was lost to a Japanese sub attack. The other three ships in that ASW force were unable to locate the attacker.

The Chinese Air Force continued their attacks on Chengting, Wuhan and the troops west of Wuhan. Its too bad they don't have more aircraft, they could be doing some serious damage.

Rangoon was socked in, protecting it from further air attack. Instead the enemy bombed Pagan. The few Buffalo fighters based here were not able to get past the escorting Oscars. Two flights of Bettys also bombed Singapore's defenders. Bettys with a Zero escort attacked the Rabaul defenders again.

Wirraways continued to blow trees away near Rabaul. The enemy here is becoming far too good at avoiding contact. Hudsons continued their bombings of Japanese forces at Singapore.

Johore Bahru was also subjected to heavy weather, preventing attacks on the shipping there. So the center of naval attacks was again in the South China Sea from Borneo, but none of their attacks were successful today.

Balikpapan was attacked several times. Japanese Nells and Bettys tried to hit the Marblehead but were unable to damage the ship. It still serves as a warning that the ships cannot remain in port here any longer.

The Japs attacked Bataan but suffered heavy casualties, unfortunately the defenders also suffered casualties. East of Hanoi the Japanese launched another attack on the Chinese. Despite losing almost three times as many men as the defenders, they don't seem inclined to give up the attack. Outside Rangoon the British/Indian forces launched an attack on the Jap division but again were unable to gain any ground. I can't imagine what it is going to take to get the enemy off that rail line, but it will have to be soon. The enemy's attack on Manila seems to have stalled for the moment. And the Australians continued to play hide-n-seek outside Rabaul.

The biggest news of the day is the loss of Singapore. Sensing victory the Japanese launched an all out attack and overran the defending forces. Two depleted fighter squadrons, one of Buffaloes, the other of Hurricanes, were destroyed and almost 70,000 Commonwealth troops were taken prisoner. While this was expected eventually, it is still a serious loss. Both in terms of the troop losses and the loss of the city and base.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 71
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/29/2004 1:32:35 PM   
Rob Brennan UK


Posts: 3685
Joined: 8/24/2002
From: London UK
Status: offline 		"Wirraways continued to blow trees away near Rabaul" LOL better than trying to ram zeros in mid air i suppose

Ouch .. hurricanes dead in singapore.. thats got to hurt, they are the best a/c you have for a while.

anyway, 'hopefully' get back in a few days after getting the phone connected etc. and unpacking .. blasted moving house ,, it's only about 300 yards away anyway.. i NEED a teleporter .. scotty available on short notice for quick one day contract ?

good luck

_____________________________

sorry for the spelling . English is my main language , I just can't type . and i'm too lazy to edit :)

(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 72
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/29/2004 7:38:23 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		Problem is that Hurricane IIs are fighter-bombers. Great for ground attacks and shooting up barges. Not so great at air-to-air combat. (At least not against Zeroes.) P-40s seem to be able to just about hold their own but when I tried using Hurricanes in CAP, they just got chewed up and spit out.

I've got enough bombers for the moment. What I'm lacking is fighters, both numbers and quality. (Of course, their low quality helps contribute to their low numbers. *sigh*)

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to Rob Brennan UK)
Post #: 73
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/29/2004 10:39:26 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		31 Jan 42

The Japs lost another freighter to the guns of Manila. Several other ships were also hit.

Japanese subs were active near Australia. The tanker Empire Steel sank after getting hit by three torpedoes. Another sub tangled with the minesweeper ASW group but neither side can claim any success. Yet one more sub attacked the cruiser Hobart but she was able to evade the torpedoes.

On our side, the Sealion missed an escorted freighter in Malacca Strait. Also in the Strait the Truant hit a troop carrying freighter with a trio of torpedoes. Near Camranh Bay the Pickerel had to evade an enemy destroyer.

The minelayer Prins van Oranje had the bad luck of arriving to lay mines at Rabaul just as Japanese battleships arrived to shell the base. Based on how short the radio message she got off was, they caught her completely by surprise. In the morning the Australians garrison was able to confirm that the ship had been sunk.

The Chinese bombed Wuhan again. Hudsons and B-17s began bombing the industrial centers of Singapore, although how long they will be able to do that is doubtful as the Japs have already moved Oscar and Zero fighters in to defend the city. The Japanese countered with a heavy raid on Bankha, damaging the field there and destroying some of the Allied aircraft.

Vildebeests bombed a freighter in the northern part of the Malacca Strait. Borneo Martins attacked but missed a battleship and cruiser in the SCS. Blenheims also missed a pair of destroyers at Johore Bahru.

More trees died at Rabaul, although this time the pilots say they caught some enemy troops too.

Enemy bombers hit the defenders at Bataan. The defending P-40s fought but at 20:1 odds there are limits as to what they can accomplish. The enemy also bombed Rabaul. We have got to get some kind of fighter cover down there that can at least attempt to fight Zeroes.

The Japanese continued to shell Bataan and attacked Manila again. The defenders there managed to hurt the enemy more than they were hurt themselves. There was more shelling outside Rangoon. The Vietnamese continued to drive the Chinese away from Luang Prabang. At least they were able to restore the overland connection to Hanoi, forcing the Japanese to retreat from their positions east of the city. More patrols around Rabaul failed to locate the enemy forces. I think we need to order them to stop wearing themselves out doing this and take up a defensive stance. At least for now, just retaining control of the base is enough if the enemy is willing to avoid contact.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 74
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/30/2004 2:44:44 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		01 Feb 42

The Australians have agreed to allow the 23rd Brigade to be shipped out of Darwin to reinforce Menado. Despite the loss of one tanker, the first of the fuel supplies for Oz are arriving in Brisbane. Supplies are still an issue. Some freighters are already enroute but much more is going to be needed. Some freighters should be arriving back on the West Coast in the next few days, another convoy will have to be organized from those to carry more to the Aussies.

We have intelligence reports of the Japanese making a major effort to clear the Singapore minefields. A large number of minesweepers were apparently brought in and we have reports of either several destroyers hitting mines or one destroyer hitting several mines. Its not clear which.

A fresh enemy convoy arrived in Manila to unload more troops for the attack.

The Australian minesweepers managed to score several hits on one of the Japanese subs haunting their eastern coastal waters. But in return the MSW Townsville was hit and sunk to the north. The Dutch O21 pulled off an afternoon surface attack in the Malacca Strait, torpedoing a freighter in addition to hitting it with their deck guns.

The Chinese continued their air campaign in central China. The Chengting airfield was hit as was the one at Wuhan. They also continued their attacks on Japanese troops in the field.

Hudsons and B-17s attacked Singapore again. While the B-17s managed to get in past the defending Zeroes and Oscars, the Hudsons suffered heavily losing half their numbers. These attacks are going to have to stop until the British or Dutch can come up with a fighter that has a prayer of a chance against the Zero.

The air base at Bankha got hammered. Two raids totalling well over a hundred enemy planes attacked, causing serious damage.

Hurricanes hit the enemy's 55th Division north of Rangoon. And more trees fell before the wrath of Australian Wirraways. B-17s out of Port Moresby joined in the anti-tree crusade.

The loss of Singapore is already showing in the reduced number of successful strikes on enemy shipping. Vildebeests missed a converted destroyer at Johore Bahru. As did a flight of Martins attacking a battleship in the harbor. More Martins missed a subchaser in the SCS. Blenheims targeted but missed a destroyer at Johore Bahru. A second Blenheim attack was turned back by the defending Oscars.

The weather cleared over Rangoon. The few days without attack were put to good use and over a dozen P-40s were able to contest the attacks. The first was a dozen Zeroes and a lesser number of Bettys. The AVG pilots did well but the Bettys got thru. The Japanese have apparently realized what a problem for them the AAA cruisers are, as two of them were their immediate targets. The Ceres and Caledon each were hit by a torpedo. The second raid was more than a dozen Nells and Bettys without escort. The weakened CAP was able to damage or drive off many of those which helped prevent any of the targeted battleships from being hit.

More Zeroes and Bettys attacked Bataan. They fought their way past the defending P-40s to bomb the Philippinos there.

That raid was followed up by a heavy artillery attack on the defenders. The Japs continued to push on Manila and casualties on both sides are slowly climbing. The artillery duels and skirmishes outside Rangoon heated up, with some casualties from small scale actions.

I have been informed that the Royal Navy is withdrawing a light cruiser and two destroyers. They are apparently suffering even more serious problems in other theatres. The cruiser Dauntless, which was undergoing repairs in Columbo, and two destroyers that had just finished repairs at Trimcomalee have been tapped for this and are about to begin sailing.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 75
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/30/2004 9:13:49 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		02 Feb 42

The first Pearl Harbor damaged ships to be repaired are about to set sail. A pair of destroyers have finished repairs in Los Angeles and will escort a freighter heading for Pearl.

The Yorktown Task Force has arrived in the New Hebrides. They are headed for Gili Gili for a final refueling and then they will see what they can do about Rabaul.

The tanker at Brunei appears to have gone unnoticed and is almost full. A second small tanker has almost reached Brunei also. It would be a minor coup if they can succeed in sneaking loads of oil out from under the Japs noses.

Wake is shaping up nicely. In addition to the 2nd Marine and 25th Army divisions, the 34th Engineer Reg is building up the facilities. The 206th Coastal AA Reg and the 3rd Marine Defense Brigade have unloaded and are setting up positions. The 71st AV Reg has already prepped a dozen of the Marine fighters and half-a-dozen dive bombers. The final unit is a Catalina squadron that flew in and is already flying search patterns. If the IJN is coming, as I suspect, I think we have a very good chance of breaking some of the enemy's teeth trying to take the island again.

We have lost the KVIII in the south of the Malacca Strait. The rest of Sub Command, however, managed to do reasonable well. The KXIV torpedoed for heavy damage a transport near Saigon. The O23 managed to avoid the escorts of a freighter in the Strait. The enemy appears to have invested a great deal of ASW assets to the Singapore region. Near Sasebo the Tautog tried to hit an enemy fleet oiler but missed. Near Mersing the Dolphin hit an enemy freighter. In the middle of the South China Sea the KXVI torpedoed a freighter.

More Chinese air attacks on Chengting and Wuhan, as well as Japanese units in the field near Wuhan. Chinese fighters continued to make attacking Yenen an expensive proposition for the enemy's fighters and dive bombers.

Rangoon came under further air attack. The first raid targeted the airfields but was lightly escorted. The AVG shot down many of the Sallys in that group. The second attack was only two Zeroes and three Bettys but they managed to put a torpedo into the side of the cruiser Enterprise. The final attack of the day was the largest. Twenty Zeroes, a dozen Nates and Oscars and almost twenty Bettys engaged the defending AVG pilots in a long running battle. In return for losing several of their own aircraft, the Japs managed to hit the battleship Revenge with a torpedo. This resupply of Rangoon is becoming an increasingly expensive endeavor.

Sinkep Island's airfield was attacked by a fairly large enemy force. Around thirty fighters and over fourty bombers. I'm not quite sure why since the only air assets we have there are a few Dutch amphibious patrol planes.

The war on Rabaul's trees continues. We're winning that one.

Hurricanes continued to bomb enemy forces near Rangoon.

Vildebeests and Martins continued to attack enemy shipping around Malaya and in the SCS. The pilots seem to be regaining their prowess. Martins hit two freighters in the western South China Sea. Johore Bahru was subject to a number of attacks. Blenheims and Martins hit a minesweeper, a destroyer transport and a transport. Vildebeests added a freighter to the total.

The daily raids on Rabaul's defenders continued. As did the air attacks on Manila.

The enemy continued to shell Bataan. While the attack on Manila started to gain ground, forcing the defenders deeper into the city with heavy casualties. There was more skirmishing outside Rangoon. It appears that the window of opportunity, what little there was, to reopen the land route to Rangoon has closed. Additional enemy forces have been spotted moving up to reinforce the IJA 55th Division.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 76
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/30/2004 10:45:55 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		03 Feb 42

The enemy continues to work on clearing minefields from the Malaya ports. In addition to Singapore, intelligence reports minesweepers working at Kuala Lumpur.

Intelligence also reports that a Jap I-Boat has sunk off the Australian coast. We also have a report of a gunboat sinking near Bataan. Another, intact, enemy sub fired on but missed the transport Holbrook headed for Brisbane from the Solomons.

Our own subs did a bit better. The Truant hit an enemy freighter with multiple torpedoes in the Malacca Strait. The Pike had her attack on a transport in the SCS interrupted by several subchasers in escort.

Yenen continues to attrition the enemy's Nates and Sonias. Several more were lost in their continueing attacks on the Chinese airfield.

Rangoon was fortunate enough to have bad weather. The enemy turned his attention to Taung Gyi instead, bombing the airfield there. They are also making efforts to further extend their air supremacy over Malaya and Sumatra. Some seventy-five or so Oscars and Lillys attacked Palembang. The Dutch Hawk fighters proved to be almost completely useless, claiming only one kill for almost half a squadron of their own shot down or too damaged to fly again.

The Borneo Martins made a well co-ordinated strike against an IJN surface group in the South China Sea. While they have timing and navigation down, they may still need to work on the marksmanship as they were unable to score any hits on the cruisers and destroyers.

Over thirty Bettys hit the Rabaul defenses and Manila was bombed.

The Mixed Force had the misfortune to locate at least three of the enemy's carriers. They were hit by almost 200 enemy carrier-based aircraft as they took up station west of Buka. The Leander and Achilles were sunk and the Australia, Canberra and Perth were all crippled. The only ships not hit were the light cruiser Hobart and the destroyers Stuart and Voyager. The force is attempting to retreat to Gili Gili. If they can make it (which is doubtful) any surviving ships will try to control their flooding enough to attempt a retreat to Australia. In the meantime the Pensacola, which had just finished bringing her own floatation problems under control, will retreat from Gasmata accompanied by the Adelaide.

The Japanese launched attacks on both Bataan and Manila. They lost heavy casualties at Bataan but are continueing to gain ground in Manila against the increasingly less effective defenses. Commonwealth forces tried once again to re-open the Rangoon land route but were still unable to gain any ground. The enemy is just far too well dug in.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 77
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 8/31/2004 3:31:43 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		04 Feb 42

The deadly game of hide-n-seek in the seas east of Australia continues. Minesweepers spend the day hunting a Jap sub. The hunt did not go well and one was torpedoed and sunk.

The O21 isn't able to score any hits on an escorted freighter near Georgetown.

More Japanese planes go down over Yenen, mostly Nates this time.

There were two raids on Rangoon. The AVG blew past the few group's few escorting Nates to wreck havoc among the Sallys before the rest broke for home. The second raid was escorted by Zeroes. The AVG pilots weren't able to completely avoid them as they closed on the Bettys, but they were successful enough that the enemy wasn't able to hit either the Prince of Wales or the Revenge.

Sinkep was bombed again as was Manila. The Chinese continued their attacks on Japanese forces in the field. Rangoon's Hurricanes continued their bombing runs against the Japanese forces near there.

Allied pilots continued to bomb enemy shipping at Johore Bahru, hitting two freighters. A freighter in the SCS near Singapore was hit by Martins.

The Japanese relented in their attack on Bataan, going back to long range shelling. They continued their push on Manila but the defenders were able to stand their ground today. Fighting outside Rangoon subsided. The British have identified a second enemy division as having reinforced the 55th already engaged.

The RN's Exeter failed to make it to Trimcomalee, sinking in the Indian Ocean. And the Yorktown Task Force reports seeing an enemy scout plane, so they may have been spotted themselves. They will continue west towards a position a few hundred miles southwest of the Louisiade Arch., but this just continues to highlite the severe disparity in aircraft ranges that we are suffering under.

Since the enemy does not appear to be immediately attacking Wake and the defenses there are now in good order, the task forces assigned to Alarm Clock are being released. The Lexington and Saratoga will move northwest to hit Marcus Island while the Enterprise will head south. Depending on what we can determine of the IJN carriers' movements they will try to raid the Gilbert Islands if possible. The surface group is returning to Pearl.

The Americal Division has just arrived in San Francisco. We'll ship them out to the South Pacific as soon as some of the shipping already heading for SF gets there.

The first tanker to leave Brunei has just reached the southern end of the Java Sea, so it appears they have been successful. Two more have managed to sneak in and are currently loading more oil. More shipping continues to carry more oil and other resources out of the DEI to Darwin and Madras.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 78
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/1/2004 9:51:43 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		05 Feb 42

The day's actions began with a Japanese surface force surprising the Royal Navy at Rangoon during the night. The combat was short, fast, furious and very close range. The British lost the cruiser Cornwall and the destroyer Electra while sinking the enemy cruiser Aoba. One of the two enemy battleships was hit and suffered heavy damage while the Revenge was badly hurt. The cruiser Danae and another destroyer, the Panther, also suffered some damage. A Japanese destroyer is reported to have been on fire when the enemy broke off the action. All in all, I would say we got the worst of this. As the freighters have finished unloading the RN is pulling out. The Revenge will probably make it to Diamond Harbor, but there is a chance she won't. On the other hand the enemy's control of the air would make it suicidal for her to remain. It was expensive but they did their job, time to pull back.

The submarine O23 fired on but missed a transport in the Malacca Strait. The KXIV reports sighting a battleship near Saigon.

The enemy continues to destroy Australia's ASW ability. The Lismore, last of an ASW task force, was sunk by a Jap sub.

Rangoon was attacked by air. With the AVG pilots covering the freighters as they retreat north, the enemy had free rein over the city. They bombed the airfield and damaged or destroyed a number of the AVG's aircraft on the ground, as well as damaging the airfield itself. More raids followed, attacking the Royal Navy ships. Despite being smaller attacks, one of the Bettys got thru the flak and hit the Revenge with a torpedo. Another attack got thru the AVG defenders and torpedoed the CLAA Caledon, escorting the freighter convoy.

Sinkep was attacked twice. The unused airfield suffered minor damage and the port facilities were hit.

Bataan was attacked. The defending P-40s shot up the escorting Nates and managed to down one or two of the Sallys. It seems that where we have fighters, we can do well. We just don't have anywhere near enough to cover all the areas we need to.

The Chinese and British continue to bomb enemy troops near Wuhan and Rangoon. The Aussie Wirraways appear to be supporting the Rabaul engineers by clearing more jungle.

Singapore was the focus of Allied anti-shipping attacks in the Malaya region. Martins and Blenheims launched a number of raids, damaging several freighters. Intelligence reports that at least one was sunk, based on reports of Search and Rescue efforts for some troops. None of the attacks met with enemy fighters, so the heavy bombers will have to join the fray.

We are going to have to suffer thru another enemy carrier rampage, this time in the Solomons/New Guinea area. The carriers there attacked and sank the cruisers Australia, Canberra and Perth, as well as two transports fleeing from Gasmata. The Yorktown is going to have to avoid engagement, we can't risk her against at least 3:1 odds. If the Enterprise can reach the area in time, then we will reconsider. Especially since by that time the enemy should have expended most of his armaments.

The Chinese are attacking Pakhoi again. Somehow the enemy was too ready for this and began bombing them almost before they had begun marching. They will have to attempt a fast attack to avoid a repeat of the last time.

The enemy continues to shell Bataan. The attack on Manila ground on. Outside Rangoon the two enemy divisions attempted to throw back the Commonwealth forces but were stopped with very heavy casualties. It would appear that neither side is going to be moving forward here anytime soon.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 79
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/2/2004 1:44:43 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		06 Feb 42

The Porpoise and the O23 were both forced to evade enemy ASW groups in their patrol areas. The Perch missed a tanker in the South China Sea. The S-36 observed but wasn't able to attack a freighter, also in the SCS, that was already damaged and showing fire damage.

The Chinese continue to wear down the enemy's air assets over Yenen. The Japanese attacked Bankha but did no damage. Enemy bombers also attacked the Chinese troops at Pakhoi.

The Nip carriers turned north and their fighters defended the Rabaul trees. They caught the Wirraways by surprise and several of them were shot down. They also did some damage to the B-17s out of Port Moresby when they tried to bomb an IJN minelayer at Rabaul. The enemy's land based Bettys took advantage to launch a stronger than usual raid on the Australians.

Chinese bombers hit Japanese troops outside Wuhan again. The Rangoon Hurricanes continued their efforts against the enemy forces cutting that city off.

Martins and Blenheims shifted their attention to Johore Bahru today, damaging a gunboat and a freighter. A flight of Martins also hit a freighter in the South China Sea.

The enemy attempted an attack on the Royal Navy ships retreating from Rangoon. But heavy AAA fire prevented any hits.

The attacks at Bataan and Manila continued. The defenders continue to do well at Manila. The fighting outside Rangoon continued at the low level skirmishing level. The Chinese succeeded in capturing Pakhoi, driving off the defending garrison with almost no losses.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 80
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/2/2004 5:46:59 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		07 Feb 42

The Japanese are taking advantage of the situation in the Solomons. Additional enemy troops are unloading at Rabaul.

Enemy aircraft attacked Rangoon. They were not in great strength and the defending fighters did well. Palembang was also attacked. Despite sending over sixty aircraft, the enemy did little damage to the airfield. The port at Sinkep was bombed, but again little damage was done.

Hudson bombers hit the airfield at Singapore, catching many enemy aircraft on the ground. B-17s followed up with an attack on industrial targets in the city.

Chinese bombers continued their attacks on enemy troops, as did British Hurricanes. In the northern Malacca Strait a flight of Vildebeests managed a bomb hit on a Japanese battleship, likely one of the two that attacked Rangoon recently.

A handful of Betty bombers with a small escort of Zeroes attacked the Royal Navy ships falling back from Rangoon. Seven of them scored four torpedo hits on the Revenge, causing her to sink shortly afterwards.

Manila was subject to air attack all day. Estimates are that over 100 enemy aircraft participated in at least four waves. Rabaul also suffered under enemy bombs.

Malaya anti-shipping attacks continued at Johore Bahru. A freighter and a transport destroyer were each hit by multiple bombs.

Long range artillery duels continued at Bataan. Fighting continues in what is rapidly becoming the ruins of Manila. The defending forces, almost entirely Philippine, are continueing to make the enemy pay. The hasty fortifications thrown up after the war started are turning out to be a critical factor here. Skirmishing continues outside Rangoon and the Australians resumed patrols and mortar attacks on the Japanese at Rabaul.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 81
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/2/2004 9:21:20 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		08 Feb 42

With nothing to bomb at Marcus Island, the Saratoga and Lexington are returning to Pearl Harbor. The Enterprise is continueing south towards the Gilbert Islands while the Yorktown is heading for Brisbane to refuel.

With the Vietnamese division from Luang Prabang holding position north of Hanoi, the enemy appears to have left the base itself either undefended or only weakly held. Chinese forces are swinging east from Hanoi and then north, moving around the VM positions to attack Luang Prabang from the south instead of the east.

The New Zealand 3rd Division is unloading at Lunga. So far their convoy appears to have been unnoticed by the enemy forces.

A convoy to carry the Americal Division is forming up in San Francisco and should be able to begin loading tomorrow. They will head, via Pago Pago, to the Solomons area since this appears to be the new focus of enemy attention. In the meantime another convoy is heading to Wake to pick up the 2nd Marine Division. As it appears that there is no current threat here, we can use them farther south. Either as more reinforcements for the Solomons or, if the Gilberts are weakly held, possibly to spearhead another attack there. I will have to consider that over the next few days.

The second and third tankers to reach Brunei continue to load oil and a fourth is close to arriving. The enemy has still not spotted this transfer of materials as far as we can tell.

More enemy reinforcements unloaded at the beaches near Rabaul. Intelligence reports that an enemy destroyer struck a mine at Singapore. They also confirm the sinking of the battleship Mutsu, damaged in the battle at Rangoon. This is the first enemy capital ship loss that we are certain of.

The Thresher managed to torpedo a heavily escorted tanker south of Formosa.

An enemy sub attacked the Yorktown taskforce, hitting the cruiser Concord with two torpedoes. The escort destroyers were not able to sink the offending submarine. However, to the north, near Gili Gili the minesweeper Bunbury was able to at least severely damage if not sink another enemy sub.

Rangoon came under attack again. The AVG continues to perform well, claiming many of the escorting fighters. But the damage to the airfield is beginning to rise again. With the withdrawal of the convoy and the Royal Navy it is time to start rotating elements of the AVG out.

Allied bombers continued to attack Singapore and Johore Bahru. Hudsons continued to hit the Singapore airfields, destroying a number of enemy aircraft on the ground. B-17s continued to hit the Singapore industries and the pilots are reporting a spreading number of fires in the city. Martins hit an already damaged fast transport and two freighters. Other aircraft carried out unsuccessful attacks on an enemy battleship and cruiser at Johore Bahru. Another attack there scored multiple bomb hits on a troop transport.

Enemy bombers attacked Medan, damaging the airfield there, and Palembang. A number of our own aircraft were caught on the ground at Palembang. We may have to withdraw most of our air units based there if we can not get more fighters in to protect ourselves. We have more bombers than we can possibly use but damn near no means of protecting them. A second attack by a single flight of Bettys hit the tanker Empire Emerald with a bomb. Fortunately the damage was relatively minor and, as she was almost full already, the ship will finish loading oil before pulling out. A large force of Zeroes and Bettys attacked the Chinese city of Wuchow. The Chinese squadron of I-153c based there suffered heavy casualties attempting to oppose the raid. Enemy Bettys also bombed the troops at Rabaul and Manila.

The Australian Wirraways sortied from Rabaul to attack the enemy troops unloading. Unfortunately, the enemy somehow knew they were coming and carrier based Zeroes slaughtered them. The sole surviving aircraft of the squadron has been flown out to Port Moresby.

The Rangoon Hurricanes continued their close air support missions to good effect. The Chinese bombed the enemy forces that had garrisoned Pakhoi.

The shelling at Bataan continued. Fighting continued in Manila. For the first time in several weeks the enemy sought out engagement at Rabaul. No doubt this is due to the recent reinforcement of the invasion force as three new enemy units have been identified there in addition to the four already known. The enemy launched another attack outside Rangoon and again suffered very heavy casualties. And Chinese cavalry and infantry moved into position to attack the enemy forces driven out of Pakhoi.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 82
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/3/2004 8:22:31 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		09 Feb 42

The Japanese continue to unload troops at Rabaul. Patrol aircraft have spotted an enemy convoy south of Mindanao. It would appear that the enemy is making another try at Davao. The cruisers Marblehead and Boise are both not too far away, each of them leading a task force of destroyers. They will attempt intercepts.

The Perch evaded enemy ASW forces near Camranh Bay. Later in the night she fired on an enemy tanker but her attack failed because of dud torpedoes. South of Taipei the Thresher hit a troop transport. At the northern waters of the Malacca Strait the Trusty evaded a weakly pressed attack by a single enemy destroyer. Outside Legaspi the Seal strafed a freighter with her machineguns. The S-36 evaded another ASW group in the SCS.

The Chinese 11th Fighter Squadron at Yenen continued to dominate their opponents. They shot down or drove off most of the two dozen plus enemy aircraft attacking today. Chinese bombers continued their attacks on Japanese troops outside Wuhan.

Allied bombers continued to attack shipping at Singapore and Johore Bahru as well as the facilities at Singapore. Blenheims and B-17s made a co-ordinated strike on the industries and port. A freighter was hit at Johore Bahru and two more at Singapore. An attack was made against a destroyer in the South China Sea.

Enemy forces bombed Bankha and Palembang airfields. Dutch Hawk fighters again proved to be an inferior fighter, unable to hold their own against the escorting Oscars over Palembang. Sinkep Island's airfield was also bombed. A small group of Betty bombers attacked Manila.

The Boise succeeded in intercepting the enemy convoy near Davao and in a long range action heavily damaged three of the four enemy ships. I am not sure what to make of the fact that the three freighters and one transport had no escorts of any sort. Would I be reading too much into it if I assumed that the enemy is over-stretching himself? Surely that can't be right.

The enemy attacked at Bataan. While the defenders suffered casualties they inflicted much greater on the attackers. Likewise the Manila defenders continue to bleed the enemy in the city. There was more skirmishing around Rabaul. The enemy is growing in strength here and it is becoming uncertain if the Australians can hold against it. Both sides continued to shell the other and dig in outside Rangoon. The Chinese continue to pursue the fleeing Pakhoi garrison. To be honest, I'm not sure where the enemy is fleeing to. With the Chinese controlling Hanoi and blocking the approaches to Canton the nearest enemy base is Wuhan. In any event, I am informed that the Chinese have assigned the pursuit to a cavalry corp.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 83
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/3/2004 11:57:18 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		10 Feb 42

The cruiser Marblehead intercepted the Davao invasion convoy during the night. Her escorting destroyers did most of the fighting and sank two of the freighters as well as damaging the third.

The only submarine activity was a failed attack by the Perch on a tanker outside Camranh Bay.

Hudsons bombed the Singapore airfield. Martins launched a number of raids on Johore Bahru, damaging a freighter. Another attack by Blenheims hit two more freighters and a minesweeper. A flight of Vildebeests made an attack on a Japanese convoy closing on Bankha. It appears the enemy is now moving on northern Sumatra.

The Japanese attacked Medan but did no real damage. They also continued their raids on Wuchow, with more casualties among the Chinese biplanes trying to defend the city. Rabaul was also bombed, but the Bettys were so high up that they had trouble hitting the defenders.

Chinese bombers continued to attack enemy troops outside Wuhan. British Hurricanes made more bombing runs on the IJA forces outside Rangoon.

The Enterprise's airgroup made an attack on Apamama, but there was little there to damage.

The Japs fell back to shelling Bataan. The attack on Manila continued. The enemy launched an attack on Rabaul, obviously emboldened by now outnumbering the defenders four to one. The Australians are holding for now. More skirmishing outside Rangoon. The Chinese took the unoccupied base at Luang Prabang.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 84
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/4/2004 2:33:53 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		11 Feb 42

The sub war east of Australia is heating up. A group of patrol boats encountered a sub and tried to attack it overnight. They apparently failed as later in the day one of them was torpedoed and sunk. The Yorktown group had two encounters. The escorts claimed hits on both submarines.

The Japanese bombed Pagan to little effect. Palembang was also attacked, to somewhat more effect. And the enemy is apparently concerned about our potentially using Sinkep Island as they are continued to hit the field there. For the first time in several weeks Cagayan was bombed. The attack was concentrated on the airfield. Wuchow was attacked again. Bettys continued their high altitude bombing of Rabaul. Dive bombers attacked Manila's defenders.

Our attacks on Singapore continued and increased in intensity. Hudsons continued to hammer away at the airfields, catching more enemy aircraft on the ground. Martins continued to go after the shipping in the port, damaging three freighters and a transport. In the afternoon Allied pilots made a large raid with over twenty-five Blenheims and Martins hammering the port. They hit almost half-a-dozen ships, a mixed group of freighters, transports and gunboats.

Chinese bombers began dropping on the Japanese forces defending Haiphong. The Chinese intend to take Haiphong, then shift their emphasis farther east to retake some of their lost territory.

The Enterprise hit Apamama again. I think that's long enough in one area so am ordering them to continue south and west to link up with the Yorktown.

The shelling of Bataan continued. The enemy's attack on Manila began to gain ground. The destruction in the city has destroyed the defenses that were thrown up, depriving the Philippinos of their main advantage. The attack on Rabaul continued with casualties climbing on both sides. Troops on both sides continue to probe and skirmish outside Rangoon.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 85
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/4/2004 10:16:54 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		12 Feb 42

A fresh convoy of enemy troops has arrived at Rabaul. Obviously the enemy is determined to take control of this base.

The submarine O23 spotted a freighter in the Malacca Strait. About a hundred miles SE of Amami the Argonaut hit a transport with two torpedoes, leaving the ship on fire and heavily damaged. The Trusty prosecuted a surface attack on a freighter in the far northern parts of the Malacca Strait, hitting it with both torpedoes and her deck gun. Near Saigon the KXIV hit an escorted freighter with a torpedo.

The Yorktown task force was a magnet for enemy subs. They were under almost constant attack, with four separate peaks of activity. The final score was one escorting destroyer damaged and one enemy sub known sunk and a second believed to be either sunk or crippled.

Another raid on Yenen. The Chinese fighter squadron continued to dominate the enemy forces, claiming more kills against the Nate fighters and Sonia bombers. Enemy forces bombed the Bankha airfield as well Sinkep Island. I'm told that the Sinkep's garrison engineers have begun drawing bullseyes in the areas of the empty airfield that they repair. The stress of war does strange things to men's minds.

Palembang was attacked again. And again the Dutch Hawk fighters did little more than provide target practice for the escorting Oscars. A tanker loading in the port was hit by a torpedo during one of the several raids. Betty bombers attacked Rabaul but caused no casualties.

Our attacks on Singapore and Johore Bahru continue. Hudsons continued to bomb the Singapore airfields while B-17s attacked industrial targets. In Singapore's harbor, a gunboat was hit by multiple bombs in one raid. The main raid hit convoy, damaging at least two transports and a gunboat. Although it appears that it may have been the same gunboat damaged earlier. Then another large raid in the afternoon hit the same convoy at Singapore, scoring multiple hits on another transport. Further attacks in the nearby South China Sea damaged two freighters at sea.

Chinese SB-2c bombers continued to attack Haiphong's IJA defenders. Rangoon based Hurricane's continued their attacks on the Japanese troops outside there.

The Boise task force, lingering near Davao, came under heavy air attack. Several waves of enemy bombers scored torpedo hits on two of the destroyers, causing severe damage. One of them may not make it to Menado, where the task force is retiring to to try to control the flooding.

The enemy launched a bloody attack on Bataan. The fighting continued in Manila. The enemy bombarded Rabaul and light fighting continued outside Rangoon. The Chinese cavalry attacked the retreating Japanese garrison from Pakhoi, but was not able to pin them down. I sense a very long pursuit beginning.

A number of units became available today. In San Francisco the 7th Air Force Headquarters and three Engineering Aviation Battalions, the 807th, 810th and 811th, all reported for duty. The New Zealand 5th Brigade formed up in Auckland. And the British 222 RAF Aviation, 222 RAF Base Force, 7th Armored Tank Brigade and the Indian 46th Brigade were released for service in SEASIA from Karachi.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 86
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/4/2004 11:48:56 PM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		13 Feb 42

The Japs continue to unload at Rabaul. The defenders did manage to hit one of the escorting gunboats but it is hard to tell how much damage they did.

The British night fighters were finally able to get into operation. They were never able to find a suitable base to operate from in Malaya or Sumatra but Rangoon seems to work for them. They made what I hope is the first of many attacks on the enemy airfield at Tavoy.

The Saury was pursued by some patrol boats outside Legaspi but was able to avoid them. Near Camranh Bay the Pike was not able to get into position for an attack on a freighter. The O23 had her attack on a freighter in the Malacca Strait interrupted by a heavy escort force. Off the coast of the Home Islands the Cuttlefish strafed a freighter with her AAA machineguns but her followup with torpedoes failed when the warheads turned out to be duds.

Another Australian minesweeper was lost to Jap subs. The other ships in the ASW group report depth charge hits on the enemy in return.

Bad weather socked in Rangoon during the day. The enemy attacked Pagan but did no real damage despite the weak defense by the Buffalo squadron stationed there. Bankha was bombed as was Sinkep Island. I am confused by the enemy's moves around Sumatra. He seems to be bombing empty or nearly empty airfields and the troop convoy spotted headed for Bankha a few days ago has disappeared.

Our bombers continued to hit Singapore heavily. Hudsons are doing significant damage to enemy air forces on the ground. The B-17s are not doing as well against industrial targets and I may have them switch to concentrating on the enemy airfields also.

The Dutch Martin pilots on Borneo seem to be perfecting an almost guerrila style of ship attacks. A squadron will split itself into several flights of three aircraft and then, depending on the situation they will either make attacks on widely scattered enemy ships or a series of small attacks on the same target throughout the day. Either way the high speed of their attacks combined with the small number of aircraft minimizes the amount of AAA fire they have to deal with. While the pilots on Sumatra and Java are becoming better at co-ordinating large strikes. It will be interesting to see which style works out best.

Either way, the combination of the two is becoming quite effective. Enemy shipping in Singapore was hit hard, although it is hard to judge the much damage was done as many of the ships were already damaged when they were hit again. Some possibly damaged earlier in the day, some on previous days, we can't tell. Our best analysis indicates 5 or 6 transports and a freighter hit by one or more raids.

Japanese dive bombers attacked the Philippinos in Manila.

The Marblehead intercepted the enemy convoy moving on Davao. She and her escort destroyers sank the transport and damaged the remaining freighter. In the meantime the first of the freighters picking up stockpiles from unused bases in the area has reached Davao to unload. We are also organizing or have organized attempts to make supply drops at some of the isolated bases in the DEI which are running low.

The enemy continued to shell Bataan and the street fighting continues in Manila. The Australians are beginning to lose ground at Rabaul. Enemy forces launched another attack near Rangoon. Commonwealth forces quickly stopped it, inflicting heavy casualties in the process.

We received a large number of additional air units and ships today. Two squadrons of Blenheim IVs became available in India and the Royal Navy had the battleships Ramilles and Resolution, light cruiser Emerald and seven destroyers arrive in Karachi. The Australians launched a new minesweeper at Sydney. The Kiwis commisioned a new squadron of Hudsons, although they are keeping them for defense of their own islands for now. The 22nd BG (B-26s), 89th BS (A-20s) and 8th BS (Dauntless) all arrived on the West Coast. The carrier Hornet, half-a-dozen fast transports, two destroyers, three subs and a seaplane tender all finished refitting in San Francisco. The cruiser Honolulu has also finished repairing the damage she suffered in the Pearl Harbor attack and the Helena is almost finished her repairs.

We now have five carriers in theatre. While currently scattered across the Pacific, if they can be concentrated and a portion of the enemy's carriers located....

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 87
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/5/2004 2:20:58 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		14 Feb 42

The sub Pickerel missed a freighter near Camranh Bay. She was then forced to evade an ASW group that responded. Near Singapore the KXI made a surface attack on a freighter, hitting it with machinegun fire and two torpedoes. Near Saigon the Seadragon hit a freighter with her deck gun and machinegun fire, but only one of her torpedoes detonated. Still more duds. The KXVI missed a destroyer in the South China Sea, but the O16 was able to hit one in the Malacca Strait.

A Jap sub torpedoed the patrol boat Moa east of Townsville. The ship is trying to make it to port but is barely afloat and fighting fires. The other two ships in that group spent the rest of the day trying to hunt down the offending enemy ship. The destroyer Stuart, damaged a few days ago defending the Yorktown against subs, was sunk by yet another enemy boat as she was steaming for Brisbane. The battleships New Mexico and Mississippi had reached and refueled at Gili Gili. They were moving to attack the enemy at Rabaul when a Jap sub fired on them. Their escorting destroyers confirmed sinking the enemy submarine but we don't know if it got off a sighting report or not.

The Blenheim night fighters attacked Tavoy again, this time doing better. It appears that they damaged several enemy planes in the raid.

More Nate fighters were shot down over Yenen, although the score was low. The enemy aircraft were not spotted as early as they usually are and the Chinese pilots didn't have as much time as usual to engage.

The B-17s tried to bomb Singapore's industry again. They are going to have to be stood down for a while. The airfield at Batavia is not quite large enough to properly handle them and the base is short of support staff for the aircraft. The Hudsons are doing better anyways, continueing to hammer enemy aircraft on the ground.

Attacks on enemy shipping at Singapore (Johore Bahru appears to be no longer used) scored hits on a destroyer, one or two subchasers, two freighters and five transports. Pilots report a large number of other ships already damaged in the harbor, so once again damage assessment is difficult.

Enemy bombers hit Bankha again. After several days of poor weather, the enemy is attacking Rangoon again. The AVG pilots were rested and many of their aircraft had been repaired and they intially did well, shooting down or driving off the Nates and Oscars. But when the Zeroes joined the fight the Allied air group lost half their aircraft.

Manila was hit by several raids all day long. Casualties among the city's defenders were high.

The Chinese have resumed air operations. They bombed Japanese ground forces at several places. Hurricanes continued their operations against the Japanese near Rangoon.

The Japanese launched another bloody attack on Bataan while the fighting in Manila continues. The defenders at Rabaul continue to be pressed by enemy assaults. And the enemy appears to be once again licking his wounds outside Rangoon, with the fighting reduced to small artillery and mortar attacks.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 88
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/5/2004 7:48:58 AM   
dtravel


Posts: 4533
Joined: 7/7/2004
Status: offline 		15 Feb 42

Outside Saigon the KXIV missed an enemy freighter. Later during the night she hit a tanker before evading that ship's escorts. Off Formosa the Sturgeon torpedoed an escorted freighter. In the South China Sea the KXVI had an encounter with a Japanese destroyer, but neither ship was damaged. Just east of Malacca the Tarpon wasn't able to hit a freighter. The Seadragon hit one of a pair of freighters near Saigon. Near Songkhia the O20 torpedoed and strafed another freighter, leaving it burning.

Even if we don't dare commit her against the enemy carriers alone, the Yorktown is proving very effective as bait for Japanese subs. Yet another attacked the task force today. The torpedoes missed and the escorts promptly sank it. In any event they are moving to rendevous with the Enterprise near Guadalcanal.

Closer to the Australian coast, the Moa failed to make it to Townsville. Her consorts avenged her by sinking another sub.

Night equipped Blenheims continued to hit Tavoy.

The battleships New Mexico and Mississippi, along with their six escorting destroyers, attacked Rabaul during the night. First they encountered a very large convoy. They sank one of the escorting gunboats and damaged three transports before losing contact. They then moved to bombard the Japanese troops and promptly got shelacked. One of the destroyers was sunk and three more heavily damaged. Even if the IJN didn't listen to that sub's spotting report, the IJA obviously did. The group is falling back to Gili Gili to control fires and flooding on the destroyers.

Chinese pilots continued to litter the countryside around Yenen with the ruins of Japanese aircraft.

The Japanese attacked Rangoon again. Once again the Zeroes got the better of the less maneuverable P-40s, despite the AVG pilots' experience. The AVG contingent pulled out to Diamond Harbor has finished regrouping so we'll rotate them back in and try to pull another squadron out.

The enemy attacked Bankha but did little damage. They also attacked Palembang. With the help of a squadron of Brewsters just moved in, the Hawks managed to at least survive. I wish we could say the same about the Chinese I-153s at Wuchow. The Chinese are pulling that squadron out of there, biplanes just do not do well against Zeroes. The Sonias managed to miss the bullseyes at Sinkep Island. The garrison is drawing more for them.

Hudsons bombed Singapore's airfields, destroying more enemy planes on the ground. Best way to do so. Chinese bombers hit Japanese troops outside Wuhan. The Hurricanes hit the Japanese outside Rangoon.

Allied forces continued to hammer away at Japanese shipping in Singapore. Five transports, a subchaser, a freighter and a gunboat. We think. Once again damage assessment is complicated by the large number of already damaged ships in the port. Talk about an embaressment of riches. Apparently Johore Bahru is not completely abandoned, a flight of Vildebeests hit a transport there. Borneo Martins hit another transport in the SCS east of Singapore.

The Nips shelled Bataan some more. Fighting continued in Manila. The Australians continued to lose ground at Rabaul. More skirmishing and mortar fire outside Rangoon.

More reports to follow.

_____________________________

This game does not have a learning curve. It has a learning cliff.

"Bomb early, bomb often, bomb everything." - Niceguy

Any bugs I report are always straight stock games.


(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 89
RE: Reports From the Front (AAR from a first time player.) - 9/5/2004 5:29:15 PM   
munited18


Posts: 182
Joined: 9/5/2004
From: Texas
Status: offline 		I just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed reading your AAR. I, as of now, do not own this game, but your AAR has put me into the fight. Please keep it up. I know how it helps to know that someone else is enjoying your hard work. I have played Uncommon Valor and loved it, and so I can follow most of what you are discussing. However, it seems that there are several new features to this game. I am very inrtigued with the SIGNET. Is it really acurate and detailed,or is your written word giving it its detail? I hope to have the game in two weeks, and so I look forward to your reports putting me in the action.
Just an observation: It seems that Guadalcanal will soon be the focus of major Japanese activity. Good luck there. I learned in UV that we can not win carrier v. carrier. I sunk the majority of his carriers, instead, with ground based aircraft. It didn't matter if I had two or three carriers together. They would still get plastered by the enemy. Hope that helps.
I am also intrigued with the Chinese effort in the north and the British effort in the west. UV didn't cover that much of the war. I just worry about being able to keep track of evrything. I have always been the type to focus on the tree and not the forest. That could prove costly in this game it seems.

Anyway, thanks again from a big fan. Hopefully in a few weeks, I will be able to give you a worthy AAR.

(in reply to dtravel)
Post #: 90
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