A War to be Won - DesertWolf101 (A) vs Wirraway_Ace (J)

[DesertWolf101]

Happily, I have found myself a Japanese opponent to test my mettle against in a new campaign. Wirraway_Ace (Mike) and I will be playing Scenario 1 with PDU OFF. Game settings are fairly standard and house rules are minimal. Main ones are PPs to be paid in full, no transporting of fuel in xAK general cargo holds, no supersizing air groups, and no strategic bombing in China with the exception of oil/refineries.

Wirraway has been playing various iterations of the game for a very long time and is an old opponent of a previous player called Nemo, who I have been informed on quite a few occasions, was a very good player. I'm hoping and expecting this will mean I will have a very challenging time ahead. We've played the first turn thus far and I am busy trying to get through the painful Allied second turn.

In case you are wondering - the game against ITAKLinus (Francesco) where I am playing as the Japanese is currently on hold, but should hopefully be resuming in a few days once Francesco recovers his free time. I am hoping to have finished the first couple of turns and the momentum going on this game before then.

[DesertWolf101]

December 7, 1941

Wirraway went with a reduced classic Pearl Harbor strategy for his opening move. 5 CVs struck Oahu while one fleet carrier (interestingly the Hiryu instead of the usual Kaga) was detached to strike Manila and operate in the SRA region. Fortunately, while the airfields were hard hit by Zeros drooping their 60kg bombs from high altitude, only 2 out of the 5 Kate groups carried torpedoes which greatly helped reduce warship losses and damage. BB Pennsylvania was the only battleship to take very heavy damage but it is still afloat, and aside from that I only lost a submarine, a DM, and a PT boat sunk. I think there is a strong chance Wirraway will go for a second day strike though so we shall see.

In the SRA, Clark airfield was pulverized and Manila hard hit. Wirraway also magnificently positioned the Ryujo group which led to the immediate sinking of the Boise close to Cebu. The first Japanese invasions also landed in both northern Luzon and Malaya (Kota Bharu). I struck a minor success with the three destroyers that start at Hong Kong, sinking three Japanese cargo ships close to Samah which I presume were carrying an aviation support or engineer unit of some sort.

Overall I think I got a good start. While I already took significant air losses and I doubt I will save any of the surface ships that start out in Manila going forward, I have suffered very few ship losses thus far.

[BBfanboy]

Ironic that BB Arizona took the least damage among BBs in that strike! He will have to have some of his aircraft on Naval Strike orders next turn to guard against a sortie. I would send some ships south to disband at other ports among the islands of Hawaii. He isn't going to strike them all next turn, and he only has about three days worth of strikes before he has to withdraw to replenish sorties.

About Nemo121 - his brilliance is in playing the player rather than just the map situation. He would study your previous forum postings like AARs and advice you posted and get a good feel for your style of play. He would devise strategies that played on your weaknesses and avoid your strengths. And he wasn't afraid of losing assets to gain strategic position - everything fit into a game progression he seemed to devise on day one. Every player I saw him play was reacting to his moves instead of concentrating on their own plans. That is my take on his style and I expect W_A picked up some ideas from it.

But you are also a very good strategic player so this match will be very interesting. Good Luck!

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Ironic that BB Arizona took the least damage among BBs in that strike! He will have to have some of his aircraft on Naval Strike orders next turn to guard against a sortie. I would send some ships south to disband at other ports among the islands of Hawaii. He isn't going to strike them all next turn, and he only has about three days worth of strikes before he has to withdraw to replenish sorties.

About Nemo121 - his brilliance is in playing the player rather than just the map situation. He would study your previous forum postings like AARs and advice you posted and get a good feel for your style of play. He would devise strategies that played on your weaknesses and avoid your strengths. And he wasn't afraid of losing assets to gain strategic position - everything fit into a game progression he seemed to devise on day one. Every player I saw him play was reacting to his moves instead of concentrating on their own plans. That is my take on his style and I expect W_A picked up some ideas from it.

But you are also a very good strategic player so this match will be very interesting. Good Luck!

I am not sure because I never did talk to him, but I think that is he a professional in the mental health field.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Ironic that BB Arizona took the least damage among BBs in that strike! He will have to have some of his aircraft on Naval Strike orders next turn to guard against a sortie. I would send some ships south to disband at other ports among the islands of Hawaii. He isn't going to strike them all next turn, and he only has about three days worth of strikes before he has to withdraw to replenish sorties.

About Nemo121 - his brilliance is in playing the player rather than just the map situation. He would study your previous forum postings like AARs and advice you posted and get a good feel for your style of play. He would devise strategies that played on your weaknesses and avoid your strengths. And he wasn't afraid of losing assets to gain strategic position - everything fit into a game progression he seemed to devise on day one. Every player I saw him play was reacting to his moves instead of concentrating on their own plans. That is my take on his style and I expect W_A picked up some ideas from it.

But you are also a very good strategic player so this match will be very interesting. Good Luck!

I am not sure because I never did talk to him, but I think that is he a professional in the mental health field.

IIRC he's a psychiatrist.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

December 7, 1941

Wirraway went with a reduced classic Pearl Harbor strategy for his opening move. 5 CVs struck Oahu while one fleet carrier (interestingly the Hiryu instead of the usual Kaga) was detached to strike Manila and operate in the SRA region. Fortunately, while the airfields were hard hit by Zeros drooping their 60kg bombs from high altitude, only 2 out of the 5 Kate groups carried torpedoes which greatly helped reduce warship losses and damage. BB Pennsylvania was the only battleship to take very heavy damage but it is still afloat, and aside from that I only lost a submarine, a DM, and a PT boat sunk. I think there is a strong chance Wirraway will go for a second day strike though so we shall see.

In the SRA, Clark airfield was pulverized and Manila hard hit. Wirraway also magnificently positioned the Ryujo group which led to the immediate sinking of the Boise close to Cebu. The first Japanese invasions also landed in both northern Luzon and Malaya (Kota Bharu). I struck a minor success with the three destroyers that start at Hong Kong, sinking three Japanese cargo ships close to Samah which I presume were carrying an aviation support or engineer unit of some sort.

Overall I think I got a good start. While I already took significant air losses and I doubt I will save any of the surface ships that start out in Manila going forward, I have suffered very few ship losses thus far.

Boise lost? You're doomed.
[:D]

You might well lose a bunch of subs at/near Manila on turn 2.

Having the battleships in good shape is a blessing as long as you don't put them at risk before they can be well enough protected from air attack. IMO the greatest benefit of a light Pearl Harbor strike is the preservation of naval search aircraft. Having good search is super important, and even more so in the early game for the Allies. How many PBY were lost?

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Ironic that BB Arizona took the least damage among BBs in that strike! He will have to have some of his aircraft on Naval Strike orders next turn to guard against a sortie. I would send some ships south to disband at other ports among the islands of Hawaii. He isn't going to strike them all next turn, and he only has about three days worth of strikes before he has to withdraw to replenish sorties.

About Nemo121 - his brilliance is in playing the player rather than just the map situation. He would study your previous forum postings like AARs and advice you posted and get a good feel for your style of play. He would devise strategies that played on your weaknesses and avoid your strengths. And he wasn't afraid of losing assets to gain strategic position - everything fit into a game progression he seemed to devise on day one. Every player I saw him play was reacting to his moves instead of concentrating on their own plans. That is my take on his style and I expect W_A picked up some ideas from it.

But you are also a very good strategic player so this match will be very interesting. Good Luck!

I am not sure because I never did talk to him, but I think that is he a professional in the mental health field.

IIRC he's a psychiatrist.

I like to play mind games with those people. It is so much fun!

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Ironic that BB Arizona took the least damage among BBs in that strike! He will have to have some of his aircraft on Naval Strike orders next turn to guard against a sortie. I would send some ships south to disband at other ports among the islands of Hawaii. He isn't going to strike them all next turn, and he only has about three days worth of strikes before he has to withdraw to replenish sorties.

About Nemo121 - his brilliance is in playing the player rather than just the map situation. He would study your previous forum postings like AARs and advice you posted and get a good feel for your style of play. He would devise strategies that played on your weaknesses and avoid your strengths. And he wasn't afraid of losing assets to gain strategic position - everything fit into a game progression he seemed to devise on day one. Every player I saw him play was reacting to his moves instead of concentrating on their own plans. That is my take on his style and I expect W_A picked up some ideas from it.

But you are also a very good strategic player so this match will be very interesting. Good Luck!

Thanks for that context. Generations have now played this game it seems, unfortunately I came to it a bit late. Probably a good thing or it would have distracted me in my prime years [:D]

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

December 7, 1941

Wirraway went with a reduced classic Pearl Harbor strategy for his opening move. 5 CVs struck Oahu while one fleet carrier (interestingly the Hiryu instead of the usual Kaga) was detached to strike Manila and operate in the SRA region. Fortunately, while the airfields were hard hit by Zeros drooping their 60kg bombs from high altitude, only 2 out of the 5 Kate groups carried torpedoes which greatly helped reduce warship losses and damage. BB Pennsylvania was the only battleship to take very heavy damage but it is still afloat, and aside from that I only lost a submarine, a DM, and a PT boat sunk. I think there is a strong chance Wirraway will go for a second day strike though so we shall see.

In the SRA, Clark airfield was pulverized and Manila hard hit. Wirraway also magnificently positioned the Ryujo group which led to the immediate sinking of the Boise close to Cebu. The first Japanese invasions also landed in both northern Luzon and Malaya (Kota Bharu). I struck a minor success with the three destroyers that start at Hong Kong, sinking three Japanese cargo ships close to Samah which I presume were carrying an aviation support or engineer unit of some sort.

Overall I think I got a good start. While I already took significant air losses and I doubt I will save any of the surface ships that start out in Manila going forward, I have suffered very few ship losses thus far.

Boise lost? You're doomed.
[:D]

You might well lose a bunch of subs at/near Manila on turn 2.

Having the battleships in good shape is a blessing as long as you don't put them at risk before they can be well enough protected from air attack. IMO the greatest benefit of a light Pearl Harbor strike is the preservation of naval search aircraft. Having good search is super important, and even more so in the early game for the Allies. How many PBY were lost?

Surprisingly few PBYs lost. Only 8 destroyed at Pearl and 3 others in Luzon. This even though I lost 80 aircraft overall in the first turn to his 14.

[DesertWolf101]

December 8, 1941

Central Pacific

No new air strikes came in against Pearl Harbor today but Wirraway did send in sweeps. 33 of my demoralized fighters were shot down but only 6 of the pilots were KIA. In return the KB lost some 8 Zeros. I suspect he will either sweep one more time next turn or more likely will strike with his bombers.


SRA

The thundering herd took a beating today as Wirraway effectively positioned his naval assets, including aircraft carriers, around Luzon. The good news is the sub fleet is almost entirely intact and should be able to make it out of Manila ok given that the mines laid by enemy submarines have been cleared out this turn.

In Malaya however I took the offensive in the air against his airfield network in southern Thailand and inflicted a decent amount of damage, including shooting down approximately half a dozen Nates. I also sprung an ambush over Hong Kong with P-40E squadrons from Luzon, bagging a dozen or so aircraft as a result.

Overall air losses today were 40 of mine for 31 of Wirraways.

[DesertWolf101]

December 9, 1941

SRA

I can already tell this is going to be an exciting game!

Wirraway bravely sent his task forces to land on Mersing even though he hadn't yet captured Kota Bharu or even Kuantan/Sinkawang. Meaning that aside from the Hiryu which I believe was still steaming to the area he had very little with which to provide air cover for his landing forces. I didn't think he would take such a risk but just in case I had placed all my torpedo and level bombers on the ready to strike. Unfortunately - it was not to be. Dismal weather grounded all my aircraft, allowing the Japanese to land forces at Mercing at their leisure. [:-] I will try again tomorrow but by the time the air phase comes around I anticipate he would have largely completed the landing operation. More over, he has now secured Kota Bharu and the Hiryu should be in place which means there will be plentiful CAP in the area.

Central Pacific

The KB strikes came in against Pearl Harbor but this time the weather was on my side. Severe storms interfered with the Japanese accuracy with battleship row suffering only a few more damaging hits. My fighter squadrons were pretty battered so I kept them grounded this turn.

[DesertWolf101]

December 10, 1941

SRA

As I feared, the Japanese had put in place significant fighter cover over Mersing. What I did not realize was that Wirraway also embarked the Tainan air group on the Hiryu for the operation. The overwhelming number of Zeros were very effective at shattering my attacks. Very well played by my opponent!

The attempts to rail down my forces to Singapore also suffered from strange behavior which did not help. Some units outright refused to move from their hex despite orders and a clear path forward which is something I never encountered before, others decided to switch to combat stance on their own, and yet others covered less distance than I anticipated (the last one is likely in part due to fatigue). He also dropped some paratroopers into Kuala Lumpur. I have the forces to clear them out but by the time I do so the rail to Singapore will be cut from Mersing. This means that my defense in the sector is now completely unhinged and Singapore will very likely fall before the new year. I of course fully intend to do my best, but I find myself strangely pleased by how things have developed here. Unlike all my previous allied games, this game will very likely go the distance. Who knows, maybe Wirraway will even threaten me with an autovictory! [&o] This means that I have to start taking the defense of India, Australia, and other sectors seriously.

Central Pacific

Lady Lex was spotted by Japanese naval search west of Wake. This tells me that Wirraway is well prepared and his shipping in the area is likely not in harms way. Pearl got hit once more by the KB. Local fighters have replenished their numbers and will rise up to meet him again next turn.

[Andy Mac]

Any feel for where he is going yet or is it too early ?

Mersing Gambit could mean Ceylon/India is on the table

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Any feel for where he is going yet or is it too early ?

Mersing Gambit could mean Ceylon/India is on the table

I would say too early to tell but definitely agree Ceylon/India is on the table. I have to assume the worst and will modify my strategy accordingly.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

About Nemo121 - his brilliance is in playing the player rather than just the map situation. He would study your previous forum postings like AARs and advice you posted and get a good feel for your style of play. He would devise strategies that played on your weaknesses and avoid your strengths. And he wasn't afraid of losing assets to gain strategic position - everything fit into a game progression he seemed to devise on day one. Every player I saw him play was reacting to his moves instead of concentrating on their own plans. That is my take on his style and I expect W_A picked up some ideas from it.

Odd that you mention Nemo121. In an odd co-incidence I was discussing his approach to the game with another denizen of the forum. It was interesting to reflect back on comments I made then with the benefit of the wisdom of additional years, learning and experience (both in life and in the game).

This thread is a good starting point - https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.a ... age=1&key=

To provide a concise summary of my reflections on this, there was Nemo121 the "player" and Nemo121 the "myth". The two were very different in nature. A close examination of both may reveal some interesting points for consideration.

[DesertWolf101]

Thanks for sharing. That was both interesting and amusing to read.

Fully agree on the ELO type rating btw, would be a nice addition.

[DesertWolf101]

December 11, 1941

Central Pacific

Interestingly, Wirraway decided to strike at Oahu's airfields instead of the port facilities today. I sent up CAP to interfere, almost 100 fighters consisting mostly of outdated types including P-26s, and lost almost half of them. They did knock out some 10 Zeros and 10 Kates though, so it wasn't entirely one sided. I've basically lost almost no ships at Pearl thus far, so the key here is to dissuade him from staying around for too long.

North Pacific

The Japanese land on and take Adak - an operation to seize an outpost or something more serious?

SRA

Despite strict orders to disengage and pull out to the south (with no patrol orders, only move orders), the British destroyers that start at Hong Kong twice searched for and engaged Japanese warships near Luzon. When they did so, I got the message that patrol TF 433 is moving to cover TF 433.... what the heck, they are covering themselves? Weird, never seen this before. Fortunately, they escaped damaged but not in sinking condition. Will be interesting to see whether they do the same again next turn.

Sinkawang in Borneo fell to the enemy as well today. I will attempt to bomb it from the air but have taken the deliberate decision of not bombarding it from the sea. Will clarify more on this later.

China

Ichang fell to the Chinese, but Hong Kong fell to the Japanese after only a second attack. I confirmed the destruction of 12 Lilys and 4 Sonias with a FLying Tigers ambush over the city as modest retribution.

[DesertWolf101]

December 12, 1941

Central Pacific

The KB launches a full deck strike with Vals and Kates against Pearl Harbor. Battleship row is definitely heavily battered, but no battleships are at risk of sinking just yet. This might be Japan's last strike here - sorties must be getting low and the KB appears to be pulling away to the west.

SRA

A previously damaged Dutch sub is sunk by Japanese destroyers in the South China Sea. This is the second sub I have lost in the war thus far. The air strikes against Sinkawang proceeded as ordered but encountered 15 Zeros on CAP which disrupted the strike. Unfortunately, I forgot to cancel orders to some of my B-17 squadrons and they will be heading back to Sinkawang again tomorrow.

China
Changsha was subjected to heavy Japanese air strikes. 11 Chinese bombers were destroyed on the ground as a result.

[DesertWolf101]

December 13-14, 1941

Central Pacific

The KB has finally retired southwestwards. By the grace of very good luck and judicious use of fighter cover, total ships sunk at Pearl since the December 7th attack amount to only a submarine, a DM, and a PT boat. Very negligible losses even if the battleships will need long repair periods.

SRA

The Japanese maintain their momentum but appear to be reorganizing and refueling some of their main battle fleets. Situation in Malaya remains critical but I did manage to get 500 AV into Singapore and wipe out the Japanese paratroopers at Kuala Lumpur. At this point if the Singers garrison survives to the New Year I will be happy.

Elsewhere in the Celebes Sea DD Scout finally succumbs to enemy action. I attempt to dive bomb his marauding cruisers but very bad weather interferes with the attack which scores no hits.

China

I have completely evaded the Japanese thrusts thus far but Wirraway appears set to begin the offensive in earnest. The Japanese focus seems set on the north, so 500 AV of Chinese troops will remain behind enemy lines to run interference while the rest will pull back towards rough terrain. I expect heavy intervention from the Japanese air forces.

[RangerJoe]

Those BBs will spend a lot of time for upgrades anyway so unless the Hawaiian Islands are invaded, you should still have them for your counteroffensives in the Central Pacific.