A Wench in the Logistics Machine: Mike Solli (J) vs. USS Mike (A)

[USSAmerica]

Mike and I have agreed to restart our PBEM match after a couple of years and some life changes, including retirement for him. He admitted defeat in our previous game, as the 2-Day turns were completely discombobulating his planning. We are going with 1-Day turns this time around, and planning to grow old together as we play. [:D]

We are playing Scenario 1 with the latest official release. PDU On, and most of the typical settings.

Our HR’s are pretty limited:
1. Blackhorse’s house rules to enforce "Original Intent" for PP’s to transfer LCU’s and cross national borders:
A. Restricted LCUs may transfer to any on-map Corps, Army or Command HQs (only).
B. HQs may not be reassigned from an unrestricted Command HQ chain-of-command to a restricted Command HQ chain-of-command.
C. Engineer-type units, including base forces, can be assigned to any on-map HQs
D. Thai forces can leave Thailand for any purpose to a max 4 hexes from the Thai border. Same for Indian troops within 4 hexes of Indian border.

2. No 4EB’s below 10k, but I promised to forget this one a few times.

3. Typical Allied Dec 7 limitations, TF’s at sea, etc.

I’m really looking forward to playing with/against Mike again. We have a lot of fun and he’s obviously a strong opponent, so it will be a great challenge for me. Perhaps in a year or two of real time I might finally have a game make it into 1943. [:D]

I’m leaving this AAR open to Mike for a short while. Then, I’ll ban him and we can begin talking about all the super, double-secret Allied plans to throw a monkey wrench into the well oiled Japanese Logistics Machine. [:'(] [:D]

[btd64]

Good luck Mike. The free world is counting on you. [:D]....GP

[rustysi]

Die, Yankee dog!!!! (Saying so to someone from NC is a bit ironic, no?)[:D]

[btd64]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Die, Yankee dog!!!! (Saying so to someone from NC is a bit ironic, no?)[:D]

Ha ha ha. Buying a hot dog at a Yankees game is pretty enjoyable. See my play on words....GP

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: btd64

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Die, Yankee dog!!!! (Saying so to someone from NC is a bit ironic, no?)[:D]

Ha ha ha. Buying a hot dog at a Yankees game is pretty enjoyable. See my play on words....GP

Doggone It! (Note the play on words ...!)[;)]
I thought the title said wench, so I expected something like this:

[btd64]

OK, That's fine with me....GP

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Die, Yankee dog!!!! (Saying so to someone from NC is a bit ironic, no?)[:D]

Still funny! [:D] I grew up in MD and spent my first 20 years there. 10 years moving around with the USN and 5 years in MN led me to NC. I've now lived here almost longer than MD, 19.5 years. I don't feel like a Northerner or Southerner...I'm an American all the way. [:D]

(I really do love living in NC, however, and likely will live out my days here.)

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: btd64

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Die, Yankee dog!!!! (Saying so to someone from NC is a bit ironic, no?)[:D]

Ha ha ha. Buying a hot dog at a Yankees game is pretty enjoyable. See my play on words....GP

Doggone It! (Note the play on words ...!)[;)]
I thought the title said wench, so I expected something like this:

BB, accommodations can and likely will be made!!!

[USSAmerica]

I like the way this AAR is starting off. [:D]

[btd64]

ORIGINAL: USSAmerica

I like the way this AAR is starting off. [:D]

[:)][8D][;)][:D][:D]....GP

[rustysi]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: btd64

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Die, Yankee dog!!!! (Saying so to someone from NC is a bit ironic, no?)[:D]

Ha ha ha. Buying a hot dog at a Yankees game is pretty enjoyable. See my play on words....GP

Doggone It! (Note the play on words ...!)[;)]
I thought the title said wench, so I expected something like this:

Wouldn't mind if she shivered me timbers.[:D]

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: btd64





Ha ha ha. Buying a hot dog at a Yankees game is pretty enjoyable. See my play on words....GP

Doggone It! (Note the play on words ...!)[;)]
I thought the title said wench, so I expected something like this:

Wouldn't mind if she shivered me timbers.[:D]

I guess that you would shiver . . . [;)]

[btd64]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: rustysi

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy



Doggone It! (Note the play on words ...!)[;)]
I thought the title said wench, so I expected something like this:

Wouldn't mind if she shivered me timbers.[:D]

I guess that you would shiver . . . [;)]

Nice....GP

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: btd64

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Die, Yankee dog!!!! (Saying so to someone from NC is a bit ironic, no?)[:D]

Ha ha ha. Buying a hot dog at a Yankees game is pretty enjoyable. See my play on words....GP

Doggone It! (Note the play on words ...!)[;)]
I thought the title said wench, so I expected something like this:

Why don't I get pics like this in my AAR? None of them. Ever.

Just dropping in this one time to say hi. It is nice that so many AFBs are wishing me good fortune. [:D]

Good luck, Mike. Expect the unexpected. [;)]

[USSAmerica]

And just like that.... we have our first advantage over Japan. [:D]

Now that Mike has tipped his cap, it's time to get to work on some planning.

[USSAmerica]

Ok, the first critical step in my master plan is to fill the coffee pot and keep it cranking! Everyone knows that the USN runs on coffee.

[USSAmerica]

The second critical step is a slight adjustment to the title of this AAR. I MUCH prefer BBfanboy's interpretation. [:D]

We also have a formal cheerleader for this AAR. I'm open to suggestions for names. Bonus points for anyone who may have been around THE THREAD!!! long enough to point out why the name "Lacrimosa" is already taken. [;)]

[btd64]

ORIGINAL: USSAmerica

Ok, the first critical step in my master plan is to fill the coffee pot and keep it cranking! Everyone knows that the USN runs on coffee.

And bacon sandwiches....GP

[USSAmerica]

The third critical step in my master plan is "Know thy enemy". Everyone who has been on these forums more than an hour knows Mike is the Production JFB. He loves the planning and logistics challenges of getting the Japanese economy up and running, and then keeping it running efficiently for as long as he can. He used to do this for a living with the Army and DLA, for Pete's sake! [:D] What he doesn't want is to throw everything into a longshot gamble to knock out Australia, for example, or to invade Portland. For Mike, the best challenge is keeping his economy, and Japan, alive and functioning as long as he can.

I hope to be able to use Mike's love of the economics to get him to react to me a bit by hitting him at production and industrial locations. I'll focus on hitting his oil as much as I can. Since I expect him to have an abundance of HI points, etc, in his economy, trying to win a battle of attrition with him in the air or on the ground will be a long game. The one area that he can't over produce with a very strong economy is ships. I will look to hit and sink any and all types of Japanese shipping when ever I can.

I expect his expansion phase of the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere will be methodical, but very efficient and focused. He knows he needs to get those resources and oil flowing as quickly as he can. This likely means the KB will fairly quickly move to this theater and a few "extra" ground forces will likely be dedicated to the job. I don't have any illusions of being able to stop him here in early '42, but I won't hand the area to him either. Our last game didn't get very far, so not much of my game plan was tipped, but Mike fully expected me to do a full on "Brave Sir Robin". He was caught off guard when I was able to hit him with a couple of small but hard counter punches. I know he remembers that and won't be surprised by them this time.

I will try to pull my ground forces into a couple of bastions, including Singers, Bataan, and somewhere on Java. A few delaying roadblock forces will be left in place to make his guys actually fight a little bit instead of riding trains right up to the gates of Singapore, et al. I'll try to salvage any shipping from the region that I can and some of the air squadrons. I will also try to fly/ship out some fragments for rebuilding, especially valuable Naval Base Forces and HQ units. I may buy out one of the Dutch defense forces as well and move them to Darwin to make use of the replacement pools. The overall goal for this region early on will be to hit as many of Mike's ships as I can and use up as much of the Japanese Amphib Bonus.

The India theater will see Ceylon reinforced by all of the unrestricted Indian Rgts and some air. The British 18th and later the Aussie 6th and 7th Divisions will head to Darwin and/or any other threatened part of Australia. The forces in Burma will keep a garrison and screening force in place and try to get the rest to pull back to Mandalay and then fall back to India. If Mike wants to take Burma he will, when ever he wants to. I just want to make him have to fight a bit and not just walk in. I'd like to keep the Burma Road open as long as I can for the critical supply and to allow most of the "non-perm restricted" Chinese LCUs to be bought out and escape to India along with the bulk of the Chinese "Air Force". The troops can grow strong on the supply in India without draining all of the very limited supply in China and the pilots can train, train, train until they get some real aircraft to fly. I'll probably try to get a supply convoy into Rangoon very early to see if I can manage to pull some extra supply into China from there. I've not had good luck with this process in the past. The supply just seems to move so slowly on it's way. Perhaps a tutorial on the mechanics of getting this supply pump to work better would help me.

The USN will take her licks on Day 1, then play it pretty conservative, while looking for opportunities to land a punch or two. I'll defend and fortify a bit on Johnston, Palmyra, Canton Island, and a bit stronger at Pago. From that base, I'll push into Suva to support a move in strength into Noumea. If Mike beats me to Noumea, then Auckland will get lots of strength. Nothing will go unescorted after the first few days of ships running everywhere. All ships that are eventually capable of upgrading to APA or AKA will immediately be ordered to Panama for off map duty running supplies to Capetown from the UK and US East Coast. I'll have at least one more large supply convoy running the same route. I'd like to get a lot of supply into Australia, and especially Darwin, from Capetown. Fuel from Abadan will also feed Australia, using Capetown as a long detour for safety if necessary.

None of this is really any different from my plans in our first game. Since that one ended early in January of '42, Mike didn't get any ideas of my planning, other than that I won't do a full on Brave Sir Robin. [;)]

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: btd64

ORIGINAL: USSAmerica

Ok, the first critical step in my master plan is to fill the coffee pot and keep it cranking! Everyone knows that the USN runs on coffee.

And bacon sandwiches....GP

Mmmmmm..... bacon!