Allied Naval Defense Of Philippines

[Firebomber47]

US Navy units have successfully turned back every attempt by the Japs to land on the Philippines throughout December 1941. Tactics have involved putting a PG in several of the ports on Luzon, while having at least two DDs patrol from San Fernando up through Vigan to Laong. Another pair of DDs plus two groups of PT boats patrol Appari. One CA and a CL (Houston and Boise) patrol off Lingayan, while a DD and CL (Marblehead) patrol off Davo on Mindanao. The Mindanao force was in jeopardy from a Jap CV force consisting of Akagi, Kaga, and Shokaku towards the end of the month, but a strategic reserve force of UK naval vessels took them out. The naval relief force was built around a BB and BC (Prince of Wales and Repulse, both of whom survived the Jap airstrike on 12/8), including two CAs (Exeter and Cornwall), along with a few CLs and DDs, raced in at flank speed and mauled the CV force after three engagements in one day. The little CVL Hermes followed the Surface Group in to deliver the coup de gras (not bad for a few Swordfish stringbags, and poetic justice, considering that the Hermes was sunk by these selfsame carriers in real life). A US CV force is refueling at Rabaul and Sydney with an eye on taking out Truk next. For the moment, the Philippines are hanging on, with no successful Jap landings anywhere (nor in the Dutch East Indies or New Guinea area).

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Firebomber47

US Navy units have successfully turned back every attempt by the Japs to land on the Philippines throughout December 1941. Tactics have involved putting a PG in several of the ports on Luzon, while having at least two DDs patrol from San Fernando up through Vigan to Laong. Another pair of DDs plus two groups of PT boats patrol Appari. One CA and a CL (Houston and Boise) patrol off Lingayan, while a DD and CL (Marblehead) patrol off Davo on Mindanao. The Mindanao force was in jeopardy from a Jap CV force consisting of Akagi, Kaga, and Shokaku towards the end of the month, but a strategic reserve force of UK naval vessels took them out. The naval relief force was built around a BB and BC (Prince of Wales and Repulse, both of whom survived the Jap airstrike on 12/8), including two CAs (Exeter and Cornwall), along with a few CLs and DDs, raced in at flank speed and mauled the CV force after three engagements in one day. The little CVL Hermes followed the Surface Group in to deliver the coup de gras (not bad for a few Swordfish stringbags, and poetic justice, considering that the Hermes was sunk by these selfsame carriers in real life). A US CV force is refueling at Rabaul and Sydney with an eye on taking out Truk next. For the moment, the Philippines are hanging on, with no successful Jap landings anywhere (nor in the Dutch East Indies or New Guinea area).

Is this against the AI? or PBEM???[&:]

[Firebomber47]

Against the AI at the Historical difficulty level. Since this was my first go-round, I wanted to learn the ropes before trying PBEM against a seasoned player. The odd thing is that the AI typically sends amphibious assault fleets in with limited or no escort (one or two destroyers, perhaps a CL), so it makes for easy pickings. There's nothing quite so satisfying as a 12-ship convoy waltzing into Kuching only to face salvoes from HMS Repulse [:D]

Another interesting side-note: Jap bombers love to attack HDML and other small ships in Malaya, but aren't real good at hitting them, so rather than have them plaster Singapore with several airstrikes per turn, I threw out a few of these decoys and it's kept Singapore remarkably airstrike-free! Coupled with Allied fighters protecting that port, you can knock off a bunch of elite Jap bombers on the cheap.[:)]

[tocaff]

When you feel like you've got a fairly good feel for how the game works try a PBEM.  A human opponent is sure to always do the one thing that you never thought of.  Allied ships become cannon fodder for the IJN's ships and planes.  

[Alfred]

Are you certain this is classical WITP and not AE. I don't recall any HDMLs in classical WITP. Nor do I recall the classical WITP AI being so incompetent as to not strike at Luzon, Mindanao, Borneo and Rabaul very early in December with the result being that insufficient Allied assets are left to hold all these locations and allow for easy link up of British and USN assets. Now in AE, with the far greater number of AI scripts, the described situation sounds much more plausible.

Alfred

[Firebomber47]

In answer to the first question, yes, I can see how an able human opponent would use the powerful Jap assets available in 1941 more intelligently with deleterious results for the Allies. I will have to get a better handle on the game before I venture into PBEM games and the advice was intended only for those fighting against the AI. Just as an aside, the remaining Jap CVs have appeared near the Solomons and appear to be heading towards Noumea. Since their nearest airbase is at Truk, I plan to have a welcoming committee of CAs and CVs waiting for them on the return journey. [:D]

In answer to the second question about which version this is, yes it is AE. I take it the AI is more competent in the earlier version of WITP?

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Firebomber47

In answer to the first question, yes, I can see how an able human opponent would use the powerful Jap assets available in 1941 more intelligently with deleterious results for the Allies. I will have to get a better handle on the game before I venture into PBEM games and the advice was intended only for those fighting against the AI. Just as an aside, the remaining Jap CVs have appeared near the Solomons and appear to be heading towards Noumea. Since their nearest airbase is at Truk, I plan to have a welcoming committee of CAs and CVs waiting for them on the return journey. [:D]

In answer to the second question about which version this is, yes it is AE. I take it the AI is more competent in the earlier version of WITP?

Maybe in this specific incidence, but overall, probably not...

[tocaff]

You do realize the AE has it's own forum and this is the venerable WITP?

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: Firebomber47

In answer to the first question, yes, I can see how an able human opponent would use the powerful Jap assets available in 1941 more intelligently with deleterious results for the Allies. I will have to get a better handle on the game before I venture into PBEM games and the advice was intended only for those fighting against the AI. Just as an aside, the remaining Jap CVs have appeared near the Solomons and appear to be heading towards Noumea. Since their nearest airbase is at Truk, I plan to have a welcoming committee of CAs and CVs waiting for them on the return journey. [:D]

In answer to the second question about which version this is, yes it is AE. I take it the AI is more competent in the earlier version of WITP?

Maybe in this specific incidence, but overall, probably not...

To expand on rtrapasso's post for the benefit of the OP.

There are many more AI scripts written for AE compared to classical WITP. This improves the replayability of human v AI considerably. AE also seems to have paid greater attention to making the AI more aware of ahistorical human play and able to react accordingly.

Generally speaking, over at the AE forum the consensus is that the AI is much stronger. In the situation put up by the OP, as rtrapasso has noted, it might be that one of the "weaker" and less usual scripts has been adopted. I would suggest that the OP might care to contact Andy Mac who wrote the AE AI scripts. He is "always" looking for feedback to improve them.[:D]

Alfred

[Firebomber47]

Oops, my apologies! I didn't notice there was a subcategory for WITP:AE. I will post my musings over on that forum. Do you have contact info for Andy Mac? There are a couple of useful tactics that I've stumbled upon for AE (this being my first go-around with the campaign I credit it more to dumb luck than overt skill, but it might be of interest to him anyway).

[Alfred]

Andy Mac regularly maintains an AE AAR. You can send him a PM or track down his thread of a few months ago asking for feedback on AI scripts.

Alfred

[Firebomber47]

Thanks, will do.

By the way, have you had any BBs go missing? I still see two BBs listed for Seattle (HMS Warspite and USS Colorado were there at the start of the campaign), but as of now (1/8/42), even though the rollover summary shows two BBs, only Warspite shows up when I go to create a TF. Does this happen in the earlier version of WITP as well?

[Alfred]

Check your repair list at Seattle. In WITP:AE ships taken off line to undertake repairs (at pierside or in the shipyard) will not appear for Task Force selection. Classical WITP has a much simpler ship repair process.

Alfred

[Firebomber47]

Yep, it's in there! That's curious, though, because it had been visible outside of the shipyard before. I guess it just reflects my unfamiliarity with the game as to how it moved on its own [:)]

[tocaff]

Let me preface this with I'm not trying to cause any trouble.

The section you have posted in is for AARs for WITP, not mechanics of WITP AE.  Your questions and thoughts are for another game that would be better served in the WITP AE forum.