West Wind, Clear - Rybka (J) vs. Skipjack (A)

[Skipjack_]

10/16/44:  British/Indian/Australian troops take Tarakan and force the Jap defenders back to Miri ... Jap airstrikes from Miri do a job on the successful allied formations, 30 AFV are destroyed by their land-based air ... Lt Gen Messervy guides an all-out assault on the 1/1 INA Bde holding Colombo, the 4 U.S./Australian/Indian Divisions + the 4th Aus Armoured Bde finally take the base ... the long road back to India is finally in sight ... USN/USMC air groups on Panay are dealing with the brunt of the attack by Jap air strikes from Luzon, pilots dub this airfield "suicide point"; the Corsairs find a way to give back as good as they get ... after over a year of preparation, the U.S. plans the final assault on Tarawa.  Troops involved have detailed maps of enemy emplacements sewn into their sleeves, officers have rehearsed the avenues of attack for months.  On H-Hour, the 96th Inf Div lands and takes the heavily defended island from its defenders in bloody, hand-to-hand combat.  The last Jap bastion in the Central Pacific is subdued ...

10/23/44:  Supply operations are covered by U.S. CVs off Tarakan and Panay ... an Indian Armoured Bde takes Addu Island (undefended) covered by Eastern Fleet BBs and CVs ... U.S. 8th Army, covered by the 3rd Fleet, takes Cebu and the coveted 5 factor airfield, the 1st Cav and 7th U.S. Div takes the base from the IJA breakdown Bde in the first assault .. unfortunately the massive reinforcements land with little supply, leading to a logjam of troops, but no readiness to finish the operation ... 1/1 INA Bde holds on in the outskirts of Colombo despite land-based attacks and air strikes from newly arrived British CVs ...

[Skipjack_]

Various rear-guard units and naval assets have been pulled together to work on taking back New Guinea. CVs Randolph, Kearsage, Princeton, BBs Missouri plus the Pearl Harbor survivors Pennslyvania, Arizona and Ohklahoma, BC Alaska, CAs Baltimore, Tuscaloosa and Salt Lake City, a few Brooklyn-type CLs and some CVEs / DDs/ DEs.

10/30/44: The 11th Australian Division, 25th and 43 U.S. Inf Divs land at Lae and join an overland attack by the 5th AUS Div to take the base, defending unit 2nd Guards Div continues to contest it ... Buna taken by the Blackforce Rgt (undefended).

11/6/44: 2 U.S. Inf Divs land at Madang and take if from the 5th SBF defending ...

11/13/44: Aitape taken by 2 U.S. Divisions from Madang ... they march on Wewak and Hollandia ...

[Capt. Harlock]

11/13/44: Aitape taken by 2 U.S. Divisions from Madang ... they march on Wewak and Hollandia ...

You must be getting pretty close to the end . . . what's the VP situation?

[Skipjack_]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

You must be getting pretty close to the end . . . what's the VP situation?

It is getting close - I'm glad Rybka has stuck with it this long. Not easy being the Japs in 44, he has fought hard and still has tricks up his sleeve, as I will soon write about ...

[Skipjack_]

10/16/44: After taking back Ceylon, the Eastern Fleet receives initial reinforcments - CVs Indefatigable, Illustrious, Victorious, BBs Prince of Wales and Howe, CA London, 5 Ruler-type CVEs (only 1 has an air complement - 14 Hellcats!).
First order of business for the CVs is upgrading their air wings - Wildcats and Albacores replaced with F4U-4s and Barracudas.
Prince of Wales has a few points of damage - must be residual from 1943, when it took a hit from Jap LBA off Cairns before being withdrawn. I left her in port for a turn to complete repairs.
I had hoped to find all the British ships that were scheduled to arrive since the fall of Colombo, but instead it seems they will gradually arrive here week by week ..

So, SEAC turns it's eyes towards India ...

10/23/44: The 255th Indian Armoured Bde takes Addu Island (undefended) covered by Eastern Fleet BBs and CVs ... 1/1 INA Bde holds on in the outskirts of Colombo despite land-based attacks and air strikes from newly arrrived British CVs ...

Eastern Fleet is reinforced - BB Richeleiu and CA Sussex.

10/30/44: Eastern Fleet is reinforced by BC Renown and CL Caledon.

11/6/44: Jap 1/1 INA Bde in Colombo is finally wiped out, no allied casualties ... Eastern Fleet is reinforced by CAs Suffolk and Cumberland, CL Swiftsure.

11/13/44: 255th Indian Tank Bde takes Dacca, Indian 19th Inf Div, AUS Inf Div and Arm Bde take Vizagapatam, both undended ...

Eastern Fleet is reinforced - CL Newcastle.

11/20/44: Imphal taken by 255th Indian Tank Bde ... Ranchi taken by the 19th Indian Inf Div ... Australian troop march on Calcutta ... British fleet bombards Calcutta in preparation for an ground attack ... 1st Marine Div and the Americal Div march on Mandalay and encounter first resistance in Burma (1 division), they attack and take the base at the end-of-turn, Japs withdraw, apparently to take up more defensible terrain ...

Eastern Fleet is reinforced - BB Queen Elzbeth, CLs Kenya and Ceylon.

[Capt. Harlock]

First order of business for the CVs is upgrading their air wings - Wildcats and Albacores replaced with F4U-4s and Barracudas.

Barracudas? Why not TBM's?

Congrats on the ongoing liberation of India (Ghandi may have to re-think his plans after it has been demonstrated to the natives that military force works.)

[Skipjack_]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

First order of business for the CVs is upgrading their air wings - Wildcats and Albacores replaced with F4U-4s and Barracudas.

Barracudas? Why not TBM's?

I have 2 factories that produce torpedo bombers, and 1 is in Britain - so due to house rules, it cannot produce U.S. aircraft. So I have over 800 Barracudas in the AC pool, opposed to 350 TBFs and about 500 TBMs. I like to use TBFs with CVs / CVLs (so the bomber groups don't attack without fighter cover). I use the East Coast factory to alternate between TBFs and TBMs, but I try to minimize switching back and forth, to avoid the 1 month downtime. So I'm having the British CVs use the plentiful Barracudas so I can stockpile as many TBMs as possible before switching. TBMs used primarily for CVEs and LBA. No Carrier fighters arrive with range > 3 until the Bearcat, which is a good 8 months off.

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

Congrats on the ongoing liberation of India (Ghandi may have to re-think his plans after it has been demonstrated to the natives that military force works.)

Thanks much for the comments - good to know someone reads this. Got to keep at least one AAR going on Pacwar [;)]

[Koniev]

Skip - I read it. I've learned as much following the AAR's as I did from the rulebook.

I'm curious though, I thought TBM's and TBF's were identical and always wondered why they were separated in the game. The only differrence was that one was built by Grumman and the other by General Motors.

[Chef]

I enjoy reading the AARs too. I just never try to log in to comment because I have so many usernames and password its hard to remember them all.

Has there ever been an updated rule book for 3.2?

And how does the NAVAL rating affect surface actions?

Thought I'd ask these questions while I was logged in!

[Capt. Harlock]

I'm curious though, I thought TBM's and TBF's were identical and always wondered why they were separated in the game. The only differrence was that one was built by Grumman and the other by General Motors.

Historically, there were a number of mods of the Avenger. You are correct that some were built by Grumman and some by GM. The game has chosen to represent the later versions as TBM's and the earlier versions as TBF's, since there isn't sufficient memory in a DOS-based game to represent more detail. In the game, TBM has one crucial difference: it has a range of four hexes instead of three. This allows it to strike further, and also to deliver more punishment to targets three hexes or less away. (In PacWar, weight of bombs delivered is determined both by aircraft payload rating and by range.)

The down side, as Skipjack correctly points out, is that the TBM's will often strike targets out of fighter escort range and get themselves slaughtered. Strike range against non-mobile targets, (especially factories, oil fields and supply depots which PacWar insists on assigning a high priority to), get a 50% increase. Thus TBM's can and often do attack those types of targets up to six hexes away, while TBF's are limited to four hexes (ranges are rounded down).

The canny Allied player, as Skipjack is being, therefore keeps fleet CV-based Avenger groups stocked with TBF's, and gives the TBM's to LBA squadrons, taking care to provide escort fighter squadrons with ranges of four or more. (P-38's, P-47's, Spitfire VIII, etc.)

[Skipjack_]

Thanks for the comments, Koniev & Chef. Glad you're following along - makes this more fun.

Some updates:

Phillipines: U.S. Inf Divs take Palawan and Mindoro, now only Luzon remains in Japanese hands, U.S. continues to build up airfields to gain control of the skies over Manila & Clark Field ...
Borneo: U.S. TFs take Kuching with 5 Divs and the 1st AUS Armoured Bde, but not before taking several hits from I-boats lurking just off the Borneo coast, a CVE, DD and APA damaged ... a week later the 61st IJA Ind Bde is eliminated ... British and Indian troops continue mop-up operations in Miri ...
Japan: B29s perform weekly night bombings of the home islands, but on 11/20/44 Imperial General Headquarters had a nasty suprise waiting for them, hundreds of night fighers rise to meet them ... over 80 bombers lost ... 12/4/44: B29s try day operations over japan, but Imperial General HQ was not unprepared; Ki-84s rise to meet them and extract their share of casualties ...
New Guinea Sarmi taken by a Netherlands Rgt, U.S and Australian troops continue to work over Jap troops in Lae and Madang ...
India: 11/27/44 - Jorhat taken by Ind 255th Arm Bde, 1st Marine and Americal divisions try Lashio, the 50th IJA Div resists ... 12/4/44: 19th Ind Div takes Diampur ... U.S. / Aus / Indian Divs attack the India National Army in Calcutta and wipe it out ...Subhas Chandra Bose rumored to have fled to Manchuria ... with India secure, Ghandi calls for a peace summit ... troops march on Myitkyina, last base Japan holds in Burma ...

[Capt. Harlock]

B29s perform weekly night bombings of the home islands, but on 11/20/44 Imperial General Headquarters had a nasty suprise waiting for them, hundreds of night fighers rise to meet them ... over 80 bombers lost ... 12/4/44: B29s try day operations over japan, but Imperial General HQ was not unprepared; Ki-84s rise to meet them and extract their share of casualties ...

You have Marcus Island. Maybe it's time for some fighter sweeps?

[Skipjack_]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

You have Marcus Island. Maybe it's time for some fighter sweeps?

You bet - I have been running fighter sweeps from Pagan (P51Ds) and Marcus (P47Ns) for weeks - largely unapposed. Thought I could pull a fast one and blast the Home Islands with B29s on day missions, but it didn't go exactly as planned. Overall things have been going fairly well though, my B29 strength has held up, I have 16 squadrons at full strength and experience >= 70, only 2 have been sent back for training. In addition, I reorganized my B24s for a maximum effort on Luzon, 9 squadrons have been brought in along with the first A26 Invaders ... waiting for a game turn now to see how that turns out [:D]

[Venividivici10044]

Wow, Amazing AAR; Its a blast to see the old graphics compared to the map of the AE engine.

[Skipjack_]

ORIGINAL: Venividivici10044

Wow, Amazing AAR; Its a blast to see the old graphics compared to the map of the AE engine.

Thanks much for following along! I enjoy the comments.
The screenshots are a blast from the past - a game of the early 90's. [8D]

[Skipjack_]

Well, real life has intervened and my opponent is unable to continue for the forseeable future. Final updates:

Northern OZ: A mixed force (Mars Bde, Merrill's Rgt, 2 AUS Bdes) landed at Broome with U.S. Bombardment and CV support, taking the base from a IJA Ind. Bde. With other AUS forces marching up to Darwin, the end of the japs in Australia is the ultimate objective.
New Guinea The 2nd Guards Div in Lae refuses to die, as the allies pour troops in to subdue it - 2 AUS Divs and 4 U.S., plus an Armoured Bde on the way - this is kind of becoming my equivalent of Hougoumont - except no one would call it the key to the battle.
Indonesia British Eastern Fleet arrived in Singapore now that all ports in the Indian ocean are under allied control, reinforced at last by the Dido CLAA types (Phoebe, Royalist, Black Prince, etc.). British / indian troops in Miri mop up Jap resistance, U.S. troops take Saigon, supported by the U.S. Fleet. Future plans for Hong Kong and the coast of China appear to be indefinitely on hold.
Burma The 1st Marines, Americal Div and Indian troops gather to assault Myintkina, but are bedeviled by lack of supplies. C47s fly in what they can, but it is not enough to get an attack off before the games draws to a close.

Thanks all for your following along and comments. Thanks also to Rybka, who continued to fight tenatiously against the U.S. build-up through the end of 1944.

[Capt. Harlock]

Well, real life has intervened and my opponent is unable to continue for the forseeable future. Final updates:

What a shame. What was the final point score?

[Skipjack_]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

What a shame. What was the final point score?

Here it is - it was getting close to the end.

[Capt. Harlock]

Here it is - it was getting close to the end.

It looks like the Kill Point Multiplier would have kicked in after two more weeks, sending the game into overtime. However, not much more HI bombing would have been required to bring the Japanese Industry points below the 500 mark.

Impressive numbers of BB's sunk, BTW.[:D]

[Andy Mac]

Nice AAR