GreasyLake Vs Vettim89, The Japan side

[GreasyLake]

Aircraft being evacuated from Weda, Morotai, and Manado to Davao and Palau. Bases under heavy $E attack. Well hit a few ships for the loss of many pilots. US carriers a day or so away from adding their CAP anyway.

Borneo seems pretty completely cut-off by air now. Only place left to get resources safely is the PI, and not enough there for me. Japan cities reporting high shortages of oil, 3-4 convoys due in the next week. Resources not too bad 2-3 convoys arriving.

Getting supplies out to bases, esp Davao down to 9K. So many airfields full of training and repairing air units. Going to move some to China and Manchuria to just get out of the way.

Aleutians are looking awfully close recently. Have been trying to beef-up Northern area land and air forces.

Big news is my damaged carrier made it to Manila. No fuel there but hopefully will recover all flotation damage before it gets bombed by B-29's. Oops I better put some planes on CAP vice training. The DD escorting her got torped one day out. Yikes, that was close.

More sreenies for Tim later

[ny59giants]

Big news is my damaged carrier made it to Manila. No fuel there but hopefully will recover all flotation damage before it gets bombed by B-29's. Oops I better put some planes on CAP vice training. The DD escorting her got torped one day out. Yikes, that was close.

Don't forget you get the benefits of the port even if they are just tied up to the dock vs disbanded in the port. I learned that the hard way at Manila with my subs in one game. He might go for the port vs naval attack and unless they are close to sinking condition (with the notorious Japanese damage control that would be anything over 50 floatation [:D]), I would keep them in a TF.

[GreasyLake]

Back from vacation with family, game time. Got tracker loaded on the new machine. Seen this screen on someone else's post so I thought I would take a look at mine. Theirs looked a LOT better.

Having an issue with turns outta sink so no new turn till tomorrow again. TRy and get some screen shots for Tim this week. Thinking of taking new carriers "carefully" out towards Aleutians to find lone convoy. Will send all subs ahead.

[GreasyLake]

Second strike this day, first one was better. Will try to save all my future Kamis for bigger targets, they hit barges too often.

Do not know where the CAP was but I am sure Tim will be severely disappointed.

[GreasyLake]

Quick update while I am cooking lunch for kids. 2 weeks vacation over switched to new CPU and finally got tracker back up. Looked at alerts to check for resource shortages and could only find one city short about 260. However oil is short everywhere, only 100 or so at each place. Can only really get oil safely at Brunei and Tarakan, and not that safe. Singapore, Bangkok, and Saigon all need oil. Will try to sneak in a single tanker soon. Lots of oil under allied air farther west!

Fighter production pretty good except I ran low on Mitsubishi engines somehow. Pool is up to 8 or 10 now, Nakajima over 1000 in pool. Lots of fuel and supplies in home islands being shipped out, not much oil and resources coming in for the near future.

Did just get a 72 plane A6M5 unit with all 60-70 exp pilots. How that happened I'll never know, sending to Palau to provide CAP be ready to redeploy to southern PI as needed.

Moved 150 Fighters to Peking to train up bombing lone base 4 hexes NW. Maybe out of B-24 range???

It is May 23 1944 in game, waiting for June for ship updates to form CVTF again. And ships to repair. Only one CV outside home islands, just left Legaspi after much needed fuel. Sank one sub nearby so there may temporarily be a hole in the net, Here I Go!

[GreasyLake]

May 31 1944. Not enough fighters at Davao, Jolo OK. Plenty of good exp strike AC in the area. And an enemy convoy heading up the coast near Kendari. Ahhh, Kendari, good airfield, plenty of supplies and engineers to repair. Also in close proximity to like a thousand enemy fighters (and almost the same number 4E bombers). Torn between setting back air power 3-6 months by launching massive strikes from there or keeping back. Just got a thought, Kamikazes only! Will have to give that a try.

Giving up on assault in N China. 2 attacks and no drop in forts. Will move on central China soon as I can reposition troops. Think I see an opening with good roads.

Almost no air on Malay peninsula, and Tim hitting resource centers. No matter, cannot ship resources out with no adequate air cover. Good air levels at Batavia only.

Pacific is being resupplied by convoys and training aircraft. Good levels of all types there. May never be enough for defeating massive carrier TF. May never happen if Tim reaches PI. Still expecting strike on Marcus. Although Aleutians is more likely now.

For now repairing a carrier at Tokyo, down to 12 sys damage. When repaired will have 3 CV with 3 BB and plenty of DD cruiser escorts. Expect to sortie in June. The weak point will again be pilot exp there.

The only attacks I see launching in the next few days are by air near Kendari.

2 TF with oil and resource due in to home islands in days. One leaving Brunei now with 36K oil. One detoured away from Tarakan due to insufficient air cover, heading for Miri where there is 36K oil. Subs EVERYWHERE! But I am getting some hits on them from my aircraft.

[GreasyLake]

OK, June 44 is here. Good news, lotsa destroyers upgraded, Bad news, now I have no destroyers under 8-10 damage to deploy. And an escorted AP TF has shown up in the Aleutians. A TF with a DIV headed for PI just turned for Sapporo. The Div there with Northern area HQ is embarking for Paramu whatever Jima. No strikes from my Nells or Francis at Attu.

A strike launched from Soerabaja, Only one bomb hit on a CVE. Not enough fighters for all AC to launch strikes. None of the AC at Malang launched (no fighters there), and they were the higher exp.

Fighters in China training up, should have been doing that for the last 12 months. I know Vettim considers it gamey training fighter pilots using ground attack. Myself I thought it was the norm for this game. Only option I really have available so I am glad to take it.

Especially since the big news is, I HAVE FRANKS! 200 + production a month right now (10 in pool). Waiting for the 200 Tojo at Gumma to switch over. Then I am going to use up some supply to switch Franka to RD Frankc. It would be cool to get Frankc in Oct already.

From the last attempt at an air attack I am going to need 200 fighter escorts minimum to bomb any TF. Even with CVE's only. I think attacking Allied CVTF will just be a wasteful war of attrition on my part anymore, but I am sure I will try anyway.

CV at Tokyo down to 12 sys damage, sent all destroyers out to repair elsewhere, get my CV up!

Want to run tracker again and put up some production stats but all my free time just gets used doing one turn a day. Kudos to all those who can play and keep an AAR.

[GreasyLake]

Got home from work and no turn so had time to run tracker. Here is some of what I found;

My pilots are getting better already. Moving a big air support unit from kwangtung area to Peking to train more

[GreasyLake]

Not sure these are the most current numbers. Will probably never learn what most of the industry numbers really mean until it all starts crashing and I am forced to learn. Or even later when I start my next game. Putting up some kinda written record here.

[GreasyLake]

I need oil, but not too bad yet I think. Will have to put a bunch of fighters at Palembang to pull some out. June may be my last chance for that. If it is even possible with Carriers down around Timor maybe.

[GreasyLake]

Something to learn economics by

[GreasyLake]

Bottom half.

[GreasyLake]

Thought of abandoning Truk today. Would be good to have all the units there and at Admiralty defending near Philippines. Then I thought it might not be so good to have B-29's at Truk for free.

Only worry is the road from Aleutians. Started building up NORTHERN AREA months ago but kinda looks like the quickest route to bombing the Home Islands right now. That and Marcus/Iwo. Think I better get stuff in line to defend Iwo ASAP. A lot of Allied shipping is lurking out there somewhere, and it is not all south of Borneo.

And what is up with not hitting the ships west of Singapore, only 75 Lightning there, maybe I have a chance of doing some damage without totally screwing myself over. Whaddya say Tim?

[GreasyLake]

75 lightning from Padang sweep Batavia and take out most of the Tojos. Move Jacks from Palembang there but there are only 30 or so. Will have to abandon the field or Jacks will get the same treatment. Do not have 200-300 experienced fighter around to station at the same place that can stand up to any Allied fighter sweeps or Bomber attacks. I hate to leave perfectly good airfields sitting empty but looks like a strategic reality for me now. Nothing to support the high exp strike ac there which I would love to use against any TF that are sure to be coming.

Close to 100 fighters at Davao, good exp level 60-70 is the best I have. Here and the Guam/Saipan/Tinian area is the only place I am mildly confident of being able to inflict any type of damage to enemy TF.

Damaged carrier at Tokyo down to 8 sys damage. Akagi at Hiro/Kure with 55 sys damage. Next wave of invasions coming any day. KB not ready to sail until some more updated DD repair. Hopefully before July!

TB at Attu replace with exp unit, A6M5c (only 50's exp) flown in to provide escort. Hoping this will finally generate a strike.

Gloom and doom ahead but able to build Franks!

[GreasyLake]

Next turn moved everything from Batavia (airfield recd 50% damage) to Kendari and Soerabaja.

Did I not just say 2 turns ago I should be attacking ships at Padang? This came to me 1/2 hour after sending turn. Less CAP over Padang, less 4E bombers in range of Palembang and Singapore. I may just move everything back that way next turn. Gotta start playing more turns within 6-8 hours of each other so I can develop some flow.

[GreasyLake]

June 19 or so 1944. China; Land mass stuck in Northern China, barely a 2 to 1 ratio in AV. 2 units of Mongol Cav crossing a river on roads about 4 hexes away. Will use to try and surround hex and cut-off supplies. May take months to complete surrounding due to terrain, trails to the east and mountains to the west.

Canton area getting low on supplies. No oil to go with resources. Recently snuck two small oil tanker TF into Saigon, will try the same at Hong Kong but do not have much hope for success. Lost a good size TF leaving Batavia with oil. Combination of planes and subs spotting TF too great to avoid detection and subsequent destruction. Trying to fly in supplies via cargo AC from Takao, also using barges from same area. Will expand operations to basing cargo AC on mainland bases just N of Formosa in order to have more AC flying more supplies. Should be easier to keep the bases 1-2 hexes from Formosa supplied by barge.

Oil to the home islands is going to be the next big pressing issue for sure. Right now only Miri and Brunei provide somewhat airattack free loading points. Both have base forces and engineers but have been overlooked in the supplying supplies to department. Both have less than 10K supplies and the oil fields are not operating at full capacity. This does have something to do with B-29 strikes also. Loading supply convoys in Home Islands to rectify and hopefully bring back resources from Cam Rahn Bay/Saigon on the way back.

Singapore peninsula and Bangkok area are beginning to feel the supply pinch also. While there are resources stocked in the cities with manpower due to the non shipment out, there is a lack of oil due to the non shipment in. As above oil recently deposited at Saigon but there are only trails from there to Bangkok. Will be trying to land some at the ports west of Saigon that have road link to Bangkok, and also Singapore itself.

All resource centers being hit by 4E bomber have repair turned off, lots of stockpiles laying around until that gets bombed also. Not sure how you can hit them in this game, maybe supply hits will do it.

Not too confident about the next round of invasions sure to happen any day now. Exp pilots are almost extinct in every unit. I have 6,000 pilots actively flying but have lost at least twice that many I am sure. Have been trying to move units with 50 and under exp out of the way but the only place to put them anymore is the Home Islands or parts of China. Not very many 60 exp units to replace them with.

Cariers have sortied from Tokyo due east 5-6 hexes with return to port orders. Just a shake-down cruise. The CVE's have 70's exp fighters and DB/TB on board. The CV's air units range from 40's to 60's exp. They're going to provide great pyrotechnic displays somewhere.

[GreasyLake]

Carrier TF now headed full speed for hex SW of Attu

[GreasyLake]

Wish I had about 6 air bases with ALL these units at each one.

[GreasyLake]

CVTF moving slooow. BB and DD with top speed of 26, how did they get there? Anyway moving a SCTF (BB with 6 DD) that way also. Found a good exp 24 plane DB group sitting in Home islands, base hopping it towards CV's to replace 45 exp DB group.

[GreasyLake]

CVTF has been parked 5 hex W of Allied TF in Aleutians for 3 days. Weather?, disbanded in Port? Wish they would get with it soon and launch a strike already. Repln and BB TF will catch up next turn. I do not think they have been spotted but will not stay invisible forever.

Did not think you could swap airgroup Cmdr's in mid ocean but swapped a few for more aggressive ones. I will give it a couple more days.