pauk
Posts: 4162
Joined: 10/21/2001 From: Zagreb,Croatia Status: offline
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yes Aztez it looks like. I know that you bloodthirsty Finns roots for the CV battle, but imperial HQ is not here just to appease your instincts ok, what we do know? 1. our actual strentgh - 675 planes (+ 75 Zeros on CVE TF which should arrive at Ferguson island together with carrier divisions but we cant be sure about that although CVE TF have 3/3 range) In details: Carierr div 1: 141 planes, CVs Hiryu and Taiho (50 Zero, 47 Vals, 33 Kate); AA rating 3934. Carrier division 2: 197 ac, CVs Soryu, Akagi, Zuiho, Ryuho (86 Zero, 44 Val, 53 Kate); AA rating 5013 Carrier division 3: 176 ac, Shokaku, Junyo, Ryujo (64 Zero, 42 Val, 49 Kate); AA rating 4505 Carrier division 4: 161 ac, Zuikaku, Hiyo, Shoho, Hosho (60 Zero, 43 Val, 43 Kate); AA rating 5129. total:: 260 Zero, 176 Val, 178 Kate. If we add 75 Zero from CVE TF that's make 325 fighters.... 2. Enemy strength - we assume that 6 US carriers are in area. So far following US CVs were indentified in air battle over PM: Wasp, Saratoga, Enterprise, Yorktown, Hornet and Essex (by watching ac designations). Also, we should not forget that two US CVE are in area and could offer air support to the enemy CV fleets. Probably two British CV are in Coral sea too... so that makes app 260 enemy fighers on Britus fleet without counting two airgroups from the CVEs 3. Enemy fleet is at sea - last turn my recon over Townswille sought several TFs including CVs! This turn no fleets were at Townsville and only P-38G and Spits flew CAP over Townsville. 4. That means Andy is well aware about threat from the KB, although he doesnt know where I am - for now. POTENTIONAL ANDY'S MOVES I've divided them in two groups (1 and 2). Either he want to establish air superiority over the PM and enable transports delivering supply and/or eng/AV reinforcements (1) either he somehow predict what i will do (2) It seems that option 1 is more likely and my best move to counter that would be moving KB to Fergusson island and waiting in ambush. Next turn i would transfer Bettys from Rabaul to Lae/Siador and give them orders to fly in high attitude and provide very strong CAP to bleed his fighters. However, we have to be aware this sneaky Scot actually want to go fight/or he is not aware where is my KB but send his carriers towards Gili Gilli. This would trigger a big CV battle. The truth is we have more CVs which means more targets to him, we have aircrew advantage in experience (some enemy ac groups recived replacements after he engaged cv airgroups in battle for PM) but you HAVE to respect enemy CVs, especially after two upgrades. I'm not sure if i can get decisive battle here! The problems don't stops here. If he decided to protect his transports or simply he is on defensive mode that would mean his fighers would be on 90 % CAP. That is quite a logical decision since he is moving closer to my LBA bases and he is in defencive mode at PM -still. So if i decide to go for it and leave classic CAP (50-60) i could meet with uber cap and be slaughered (or suffer tremendous loses wihout hurt him enough. Yes, i could find myself lucky and caught him on 5 hexes but don't think that i can risk so much and live my CVs without protection. Situation becomes even more complicated when we know that weather is bad (T-storms). Of course, it could be that i'm completely wrong and his carriers are moving to Noumea-Tarawa and guys which reading both AARs are laughing, but we have to be prepared for all possibilities. In short, quite a good analysis but common Japanese behaviour - hesitation. And we all know what happend in RL when Japanese were hesitant Imperial Pauk's family have to think carefully.... and Fish, yes, i don't know too what is the better
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< Message edited by pauk -- 8/16/2006 1:50:03 PM >
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