March 17, 1942 -
This was yet another fairly quiet turn. Heavy rains covered much of the map and once again affected Treespider's attempts to wage large-scale air campaigns. Some Japanese bombers did get off to attack Samarinda and Manila, but not the usual numbers. However, we were both able to continue with our smaller scale "tit-for-tat" air attacks on each other's troops in the field in China. Neither of us is bringing in our better air units, so the results remain fairly historical in effect.
It appears that Treespider is about to finally invade Dili. A Japanese TF was caught just offshore by Hudsons from Northern Australia and one Japanese AP was hit hard by several bombs. Once again, Treespider paid the price of not putting some of his fighters on LR CAP over his invasion TFs. My forces have now sunk 48 Japanese ships, of which around half are APs that have been caught in similar circumstances.
I'm hoping to catch "bigger game" off of Funafuti next turn. A Nell came in to recon the base this turn, and my naval search patrols spotted a Japanese TF to the northwest that looks suspiciously like a cruiser-lead fast transport TF. The US CV TF that has been puttering around the region is now set to race to the vicinity of Funafuti in the hopes of catching something "interesting". I've also sent the APD and the Catalinas from Funafuti back a bit so that I don't give away any "freebies". If I lose Funafuti it is an irritation, similar to losing Baker Island, but it isn't critical, and if I can catch some Japanese ships with my Naval Air the price will be well worth it.
The odd thing about the whole situation is that my Catalinas reported that the sighting wasn't moving. Was the TF getting prepared for a dash in, was it getting ready to run because one of the Dauntlesses from the TF spotted a Japanese sub south of Canton Island, or is it part of a trap? We'll have to wait and see what happens.
In the ground war, Manila received an artillery bombardment as usual, which caused little damage. At this rate my troops may well last out the war in Manila. Treespider has stopped his artillery attacks in China. I suspect that he is trying to figure out how to apply the knowledge that he gained from the land-combat tests that he reported in his thread on Supply Effects. He is still moving troops around China and appears to be massing forces for a thrust at Homan.
Treespider is also moving lots of troops around in Burma and French Indo-China. I'm not sure why, but I'm quite happy to see them there rather than at ports where they can board ships and cause mischief elsewhere. Supposedly the weather won't be so bad in the region this turn so for a change I'm trying to send out some Brit bombers to hit the forward Japanese bases.
Dave Baranyi
A Canuck in the Pacific - ADavidB vs Treespider
Moderators: wdolson, Don Bowen, mogami
INTEL Failures...
March 18, 1942 -
My Allied INTEL services must be making really good quality "Jungle Juice" because they sure seem to be sloshed all the time with their reports. Once again, whatever initiated that report of a Japanese cruiser force in the South Pacific was long gone by the time the Navy got there. So I'm sending the Catalinas and APDs back to position, although I'm going to let the CV TF hang around a bit, and I'm also stationing a few PT Boats nearby.
Brit INTEL isn't much better. A Japanese sub snuck undetected into Colombo Harbor and mined it, as an incoming Brit DD found out the "hard way". And despite the lack of an "air symbol" over Mandalay, the Brit bombers and Buffalo escorts found out, again the "hard way", that Treespider had put some good Zeros on LR CAP over the base. Overall, the Brit air attacks on Burma did poorly, with only one of the other three unopposed air attacks even getting any hits on their targets. Now that the rain is back I've once again sat down most of the planes other than for Naval Search.
Treespider's mop-up operations continue. Troops continued to land at Dili, this time unopposed by Australian air attacks, possibly due to weather but also possibly due to LR CAP. More Japanese troops also started to land at Bankha to support the paratroops that were sent there a few days ago. And INTEL reports that an NLF unit is heading to Ormac.
The general fighting continued to be at a relatively low level in most places. Tit-for-tat bombing continued in China, but with Treespider upping the ante a little. I may well send a few Brit air units into China just to keep him honest. And Manila withstood another Japanese deliberate attack, despite the absence of Allied supply. Treespider will likely need to pull his troops back and let them rest for a few weeks before coming back to finish off the defenders.
In other news, I finally pulled the Field Artillery unit out of Canton Island. It's been sitting there since Day One and it really doesn't serve any purpose on an atoll. I'm sending it South, and will either eventually place it in New Zealand or Australia, where it can be of some potential future use.
The Hawaiian Islands continue to be strengthened as another fighter group just arrived. It takes a couple of weeks for a fighter or bomber group to get back to full operational strength after being shipped by sea, so I like to have them in position well in advance of any potential attack, or a need elsewhere. I've moved a 2E squadron to each of Midway, Johnston and Palmyra Islands to join the Catalinas in Naval Search as well as to be on Naval Attack alert. In the Hawaiian Islands, in addition to Pearl Harbor, I have a level 4 airfield in one base, a level 3 airfield in another, and level 2 airfields in the other three bases, and all continue to be build up. In addition to the various 2E bomber squadrons and groups in the Islands, I also have the Marine Dive Bombers and Fighters. So I'm feeling fairly good about the Hawaiian Islands at this stage.
Dave Baranyi
My Allied INTEL services must be making really good quality "Jungle Juice" because they sure seem to be sloshed all the time with their reports. Once again, whatever initiated that report of a Japanese cruiser force in the South Pacific was long gone by the time the Navy got there. So I'm sending the Catalinas and APDs back to position, although I'm going to let the CV TF hang around a bit, and I'm also stationing a few PT Boats nearby.
Brit INTEL isn't much better. A Japanese sub snuck undetected into Colombo Harbor and mined it, as an incoming Brit DD found out the "hard way". And despite the lack of an "air symbol" over Mandalay, the Brit bombers and Buffalo escorts found out, again the "hard way", that Treespider had put some good Zeros on LR CAP over the base. Overall, the Brit air attacks on Burma did poorly, with only one of the other three unopposed air attacks even getting any hits on their targets. Now that the rain is back I've once again sat down most of the planes other than for Naval Search.
Treespider's mop-up operations continue. Troops continued to land at Dili, this time unopposed by Australian air attacks, possibly due to weather but also possibly due to LR CAP. More Japanese troops also started to land at Bankha to support the paratroops that were sent there a few days ago. And INTEL reports that an NLF unit is heading to Ormac.
The general fighting continued to be at a relatively low level in most places. Tit-for-tat bombing continued in China, but with Treespider upping the ante a little. I may well send a few Brit air units into China just to keep him honest. And Manila withstood another Japanese deliberate attack, despite the absence of Allied supply. Treespider will likely need to pull his troops back and let them rest for a few weeks before coming back to finish off the defenders.
In other news, I finally pulled the Field Artillery unit out of Canton Island. It's been sitting there since Day One and it really doesn't serve any purpose on an atoll. I'm sending it South, and will either eventually place it in New Zealand or Australia, where it can be of some potential future use.
The Hawaiian Islands continue to be strengthened as another fighter group just arrived. It takes a couple of weeks for a fighter or bomber group to get back to full operational strength after being shipped by sea, so I like to have them in position well in advance of any potential attack, or a need elsewhere. I've moved a 2E squadron to each of Midway, Johnston and Palmyra Islands to join the Catalinas in Naval Search as well as to be on Naval Attack alert. In the Hawaiian Islands, in addition to Pearl Harbor, I have a level 4 airfield in one base, a level 3 airfield in another, and level 2 airfields in the other three bases, and all continue to be build up. In addition to the various 2E bomber squadrons and groups in the Islands, I also have the Marine Dive Bombers and Fighters. So I'm feeling fairly good about the Hawaiian Islands at this stage.
Dave Baranyi
Japanese Land in Luganville...
March 19, 1942 -
A Japanese Fast Transport TF came out of the dark early this turn to land some troops at Luganville. So Treespider's expansion is continuing. By daylight the TF was far to the north on its way back to the Solomons. Treespider can have that "malarial paradise"; I'll just keep an eye out to see when he tries to bring a base force in to the base.
But the "phantom" TF is still hanging around the Funafuti area - my CV TF was spotted by a Jake this turn, although my patrols didn't spot the Japanese TF in return. So I've left the CV TF loitering around the area and sent a PT TF to Funafuti. This is risky, of course, because right now Treespider could be sending a couple of Japanese CVs into the region to try to catch my ships, but I'm determined to try to catch some of the Japanese ships myself.
Elsewhere, things remained low keyed. More Japanese troops landed at Bankha, but they didn't attack this turn. Japanese troops also started to land at Tawi Tawi. And the SNLF unit that landed at Dili attempted an artillery attack but without any success.
Japanese planes were once again in the air in large numbers over Manila and Samarinda thanks to an improvement in the weather in that region. Manila also received an artillery bombardment.
I'm sending the Brits into the air again next turn to let them get more practice against the (apparently) undefended Burmese air bases. Surprisingly, Japanese LBA has not yet gone after the small transport TF that I have unloading supplies at Akyab. I presume that it is a combination of locally bad weather and also the "CAP rule" that is keeping the torpedo bombers away.
Dave Baranyi
A Japanese Fast Transport TF came out of the dark early this turn to land some troops at Luganville. So Treespider's expansion is continuing. By daylight the TF was far to the north on its way back to the Solomons. Treespider can have that "malarial paradise"; I'll just keep an eye out to see when he tries to bring a base force in to the base.
But the "phantom" TF is still hanging around the Funafuti area - my CV TF was spotted by a Jake this turn, although my patrols didn't spot the Japanese TF in return. So I've left the CV TF loitering around the area and sent a PT TF to Funafuti. This is risky, of course, because right now Treespider could be sending a couple of Japanese CVs into the region to try to catch my ships, but I'm determined to try to catch some of the Japanese ships myself.
Elsewhere, things remained low keyed. More Japanese troops landed at Bankha, but they didn't attack this turn. Japanese troops also started to land at Tawi Tawi. And the SNLF unit that landed at Dili attempted an artillery attack but without any success.
Japanese planes were once again in the air in large numbers over Manila and Samarinda thanks to an improvement in the weather in that region. Manila also received an artillery bombardment.
I'm sending the Brits into the air again next turn to let them get more practice against the (apparently) undefended Burmese air bases. Surprisingly, Japanese LBA has not yet gone after the small transport TF that I have unloading supplies at Akyab. I presume that it is a combination of locally bad weather and also the "CAP rule" that is keeping the torpedo bombers away.
Dave Baranyi
RE: Japanese Land in Luganville...
hows your South Pacific buildup doing?? Particulary the Palymra, Canton, Pago Pago, Suva, Noumea line? Got anything at Efate? IMO Canton and Noumea are the most important base's to build up first as there position allows you to interdict the shipping lanes should the japanese take any of the other base's.
RE: Japanese Land in Luganville...
ORIGINAL: KDonovan
hows your South Pacific buildup doing?? Particulary the Palymra, Canton, Pago Pago, Suva, Noumea line? Got anything at Efate? IMO Canton and Noumea are the most important base's to build up first as there position allows you to interdict the shipping lanes should the japanese take any of the other base's.
I've deliberately decided not to seriously contest the South Pacific before I've been able to build up the Hawaiian Islands to "Killer" strength, so I haven't added any forces to the existing South Pacific bases beyond what was there at the beginning of the game. I did move CD units into Canton, Palmyra and Christmas to "discourage" nuisance invasions. I am also attempting to discourage too much Japanese adventuring by keeping US CVs in the region.
I'm not used to playing non-historic starts, so I am still a bit dazed by the speed with which Tree is moving forward. So to an extent, I haven't moved as much in the way of land forces into the region as I might have otherwise (and I am doing against Yank). But I know how easily the Japanese player can move overwhelming forces into any region at this stage of the game, and I don't want to fall into the trap of losing lots of good units early in lost causes. I've got plenty of time, and the more bases that Tree has to eventually garrison, the weaker he will be overall. At least, that's my theory at this point.
BTW - I am leaning more and more towards letting Tree spread out as much as he likes in the South and West, and then when he has troops spread all over the place, start a serious Northern Campaign in late-1943. I'm imagining dozens of divisions, 10 or more CVs, a 1000 bombers escorted by a 1000 fighters, and hundreds of subs all landing at all of the undefended bases in Northern Japan... (I know, Dream On... [:D])
Thanks for the comments -
Dave Baranyi
Luganville captured...
March 20, 1942 -
The Japanese Search & Patrol forces are certainly doing a lot better than their Allied counterparts because once again, whatever Japanese naval forces were in the South Pacific around Funafuti got clean away from my AC TF without ever being spotted. But I'm guessing that Treespider will attempt to move a base force into Luganville, so I've sending a couple of TFs up that way to see if I can surprise anything.
Speaking of Luganville, the Japanese raiding force captured the base this turn. Other Japanese forces captured Morotai and Bankha this turn too. This explains why Treespider has 259 TFs on the waves at one time; he's captured almost that many bases and he needs all those TFs to keep them supplied! [;)]
The Bad Weather cleared up in the Philippines and DEI and allowed the Japanese air attacks to resume at full strength against Manila and Samarinda. Bad Weather returned to the top third of the map and cancelled 3/4s of my planned air attacks in Burma and China. Since there are thunderstorms forecast everywhere I'm standing down most of my bombers again. I've been able to keep air operational losses to a minimum, but Treespider has been playing equally well with his air units and I haven't been able to make up much ground in the Air Loss "sweepstakes" against him recently.
Manila received an artillery attack again as Treespider continues with his new strategy for capturing fortified City hexes. His NLF forces tried a bombardment at Dili again, but with only six small field guns, the results were "NFG" for the Japanese. China continues to be fairly quiet, except for the road to the south of Homan where Treespider continues to build up combat units.
Another Marine Fighter unit arrived in the Hawaiian Islands today, so I am going to send the CENPAC P-36 squadron back to the West Coast. Another B-25 group will arrive in a couple of days, which will just about fill out my Hawaiian air bases for now.
Dave Baranyi
The Japanese Search & Patrol forces are certainly doing a lot better than their Allied counterparts because once again, whatever Japanese naval forces were in the South Pacific around Funafuti got clean away from my AC TF without ever being spotted. But I'm guessing that Treespider will attempt to move a base force into Luganville, so I've sending a couple of TFs up that way to see if I can surprise anything.
Speaking of Luganville, the Japanese raiding force captured the base this turn. Other Japanese forces captured Morotai and Bankha this turn too. This explains why Treespider has 259 TFs on the waves at one time; he's captured almost that many bases and he needs all those TFs to keep them supplied! [;)]
The Bad Weather cleared up in the Philippines and DEI and allowed the Japanese air attacks to resume at full strength against Manila and Samarinda. Bad Weather returned to the top third of the map and cancelled 3/4s of my planned air attacks in Burma and China. Since there are thunderstorms forecast everywhere I'm standing down most of my bombers again. I've been able to keep air operational losses to a minimum, but Treespider has been playing equally well with his air units and I haven't been able to make up much ground in the Air Loss "sweepstakes" against him recently.
Manila received an artillery attack again as Treespider continues with his new strategy for capturing fortified City hexes. His NLF forces tried a bombardment at Dili again, but with only six small field guns, the results were "NFG" for the Japanese. China continues to be fairly quiet, except for the road to the south of Homan where Treespider continues to build up combat units.
Another Marine Fighter unit arrived in the Hawaiian Islands today, so I am going to send the CENPAC P-36 squadron back to the West Coast. Another B-25 group will arrive in a couple of days, which will just about fill out my Hawaiian air bases for now.
Dave Baranyi
More Mopping Up...
March 21, 1942 -
Spring arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and Fall arrived in the Southern Hemisphere, but the rain remained most everywhere. The top third of the map was covered with heavy rains while the bottom third of the map was covered with just "plain old" rain. The middle third of the map was only "cloudy" so Treespider's planes were able to take off and bomb Manila, Samarinda and the remaining Allied stragglers in the Philippines and DEI. The heavy rains in the northern third of the map meant that even my usually dependable Chinese bombers didn't take off.
Treespider continues with his mop-up operations. Japanese troops landed at Tacloban and Maumere, and Tawi Tawi was captured. The capture of Tawi Tawi got rid of the third-to-last fragment of the Asiatic Fleet HQ unit. Once Treespider finally captures Samarinda the second-to-last fragment will surrender and the "parent" unit will finally be able to rebuild. I had tried to take the Asiatic Fleet HQ out of Manila via the AKs and one AP that were there at the beginning of the game, but Treespider was able to ambush all of my ships, sink most and damage the rest. The damaged ships "ran aground" at a half dozen isolated bases in the Philippines and DEI, leaving little fragments of the HQ all over the place. I was able to ship one fragment back to Oz, but the rest have been stuck in place awaiting destruction. I like to save the Asiatic Fleet HQ and move it to Sydney so that it can aid in repairing ships in port. (The Allies have too few Naval HQs to waste any of them.)
Treespider is still active in Timor. He landed more troops at Dili this turn, but he still just did an artillery attack. The results of the attack show that the Japanese have an "AV" of 200 compared to an "AV" of 3 for the Dutch stragglers at Dili, so Treespider probably should just go ahead and attack. But I guess he is a little psyched-out by the results of his land-combat tests and his problems at Manila. Treespider also sent a Zero sweep against Wyndham. Only three Wirraways came up to fight and all three were shot down as expected, but they did damage one Zero, which is a "moral victory" of sorts. [;)]
In other news, a number of Japanese fleets are moving towards the remaining Allied bases in "northern" Sumatra. I've got subs in the region and I'll see if they can intercept any of those TFs, but for some reason my subs have become very "quiet" recently; even the usually aggressive Dutch subs.
Dave Baranyi
Spring arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and Fall arrived in the Southern Hemisphere, but the rain remained most everywhere. The top third of the map was covered with heavy rains while the bottom third of the map was covered with just "plain old" rain. The middle third of the map was only "cloudy" so Treespider's planes were able to take off and bomb Manila, Samarinda and the remaining Allied stragglers in the Philippines and DEI. The heavy rains in the northern third of the map meant that even my usually dependable Chinese bombers didn't take off.
Treespider continues with his mop-up operations. Japanese troops landed at Tacloban and Maumere, and Tawi Tawi was captured. The capture of Tawi Tawi got rid of the third-to-last fragment of the Asiatic Fleet HQ unit. Once Treespider finally captures Samarinda the second-to-last fragment will surrender and the "parent" unit will finally be able to rebuild. I had tried to take the Asiatic Fleet HQ out of Manila via the AKs and one AP that were there at the beginning of the game, but Treespider was able to ambush all of my ships, sink most and damage the rest. The damaged ships "ran aground" at a half dozen isolated bases in the Philippines and DEI, leaving little fragments of the HQ all over the place. I was able to ship one fragment back to Oz, but the rest have been stuck in place awaiting destruction. I like to save the Asiatic Fleet HQ and move it to Sydney so that it can aid in repairing ships in port. (The Allies have too few Naval HQs to waste any of them.)
Treespider is still active in Timor. He landed more troops at Dili this turn, but he still just did an artillery attack. The results of the attack show that the Japanese have an "AV" of 200 compared to an "AV" of 3 for the Dutch stragglers at Dili, so Treespider probably should just go ahead and attack. But I guess he is a little psyched-out by the results of his land-combat tests and his problems at Manila. Treespider also sent a Zero sweep against Wyndham. Only three Wirraways came up to fight and all three were shot down as expected, but they did damage one Zero, which is a "moral victory" of sorts. [;)]
In other news, a number of Japanese fleets are moving towards the remaining Allied bases in "northern" Sumatra. I've got subs in the region and I'll see if they can intercept any of those TFs, but for some reason my subs have become very "quiet" recently; even the usually aggressive Dutch subs.
Dave Baranyi
Sub 1, ML 0
March 22, 1942 -
Weather continued to be lousy over most of the game-map, with the exception of the Central Pacific. This once again affected a lot of air operations on both sides, with the Japanese getting off relatively more attacks because their units are concentrated more towards the center of the "map" than along the edges which get the most frequent stretches of continuously bad weather.
And similar to the relentless fall of rain in most locals, Japanese troops continued to land in a number of places - additional troops landing at Dili and Maumere while new landings occurred at Medan and Ormoc. The only base captured this turn was Tacloban; I think that Treespider is actually forgetting about some of the smaller bases where he has already landed troops. [;)]
The only serious action this turn was a successful attack by O16 on a Japanese ML off of Bankha. One torpedo and the ship sank.
Dave Baranyi
Weather continued to be lousy over most of the game-map, with the exception of the Central Pacific. This once again affected a lot of air operations on both sides, with the Japanese getting off relatively more attacks because their units are concentrated more towards the center of the "map" than along the edges which get the most frequent stretches of continuously bad weather.
And similar to the relentless fall of rain in most locals, Japanese troops continued to land in a number of places - additional troops landing at Dili and Maumere while new landings occurred at Medan and Ormoc. The only base captured this turn was Tacloban; I think that Treespider is actually forgetting about some of the smaller bases where he has already landed troops. [;)]
The only serious action this turn was a successful attack by O16 on a Japanese ML off of Bankha. One torpedo and the ship sank.
Dave Baranyi
Court-Martial Time...
March 23, 1942 -
It's just about time to start some Court-martials going. Treespider once again made a monkey out of my patrols, pickets and intelligence as a CS TF showed up to the EAST of the Line Islands and even sent some Jakes out to attack a transport TF on its way to deliver a base force to Christmas Island! I have all sorts of patrol and search planes in that region, including Catalinas and various 2E bombers, but nothing caught this TF nor gave me the slightest hint that it was in the area. The only way my men are going to "get off" is by relying on a weather defense; that region has been hit with nearly continuous bad weather recently.
The attacks by Jakes on that transport TF were the icing on the cake. Fortunately, they missed, but I wasn't happy that my B-25s in Palmyra missed in their two chances at CS Nisshin too. What this says is that Treespider could likely sail his CV TFs right through my defensive perimeter too without me being able to see them. And there is likely another spy TF in the South Pacific too, as an Alf spotting suggests. All I can do is shake my head, grit my teeth and pray for a couple of days of Clear Weather.
Nothing much else worked out well this turn for the Allies. A Nate Daitai from Mandalay swept Akyab, and the Hurricanes on station there held their own quite nicely. But right afterwards a Zero Daitai from Rangoon flew in and wiped half of the Hurricanes from the sky. And of course, those Nates are long gone from Mandalay this turn.
In the land war, Japanese troops started to land at Padang and captured Dili, Maumere and Ormoc. A deliberate attack on Manila failed but achieved 1:1 results and reduced the fortifications down to 4, so Treespider's new strategy for sieges is improving things for him already.
So I replaced that decimated Hurricane squadron at Akyab with a fresh squadron. Fortunately, I have plenty of Hurricanes in reserve. I also split up that transport TF that the Jakes attacked into individual ship TFs, but I left the transports all on a course to Christmas Island. Then I pulled the DDs out of all of the transport TFs in the region, formed them into surface combat TFs, and sent them out in the hopes of possibly intercepting the CS TF. Finally, I belatedly brought my P-40Bs back to Palmyra to join the B-25s. I only moved those fighters away from Palmyra a couple of turns ago; if I had left them in place I could have flown them to Christmas Island to provide LR CAP to that transport TF.
Dave Baranyi
It's just about time to start some Court-martials going. Treespider once again made a monkey out of my patrols, pickets and intelligence as a CS TF showed up to the EAST of the Line Islands and even sent some Jakes out to attack a transport TF on its way to deliver a base force to Christmas Island! I have all sorts of patrol and search planes in that region, including Catalinas and various 2E bombers, but nothing caught this TF nor gave me the slightest hint that it was in the area. The only way my men are going to "get off" is by relying on a weather defense; that region has been hit with nearly continuous bad weather recently.
The attacks by Jakes on that transport TF were the icing on the cake. Fortunately, they missed, but I wasn't happy that my B-25s in Palmyra missed in their two chances at CS Nisshin too. What this says is that Treespider could likely sail his CV TFs right through my defensive perimeter too without me being able to see them. And there is likely another spy TF in the South Pacific too, as an Alf spotting suggests. All I can do is shake my head, grit my teeth and pray for a couple of days of Clear Weather.
Nothing much else worked out well this turn for the Allies. A Nate Daitai from Mandalay swept Akyab, and the Hurricanes on station there held their own quite nicely. But right afterwards a Zero Daitai from Rangoon flew in and wiped half of the Hurricanes from the sky. And of course, those Nates are long gone from Mandalay this turn.
In the land war, Japanese troops started to land at Padang and captured Dili, Maumere and Ormoc. A deliberate attack on Manila failed but achieved 1:1 results and reduced the fortifications down to 4, so Treespider's new strategy for sieges is improving things for him already.
So I replaced that decimated Hurricane squadron at Akyab with a fresh squadron. Fortunately, I have plenty of Hurricanes in reserve. I also split up that transport TF that the Jakes attacked into individual ship TFs, but I left the transports all on a course to Christmas Island. Then I pulled the DDs out of all of the transport TFs in the region, formed them into surface combat TFs, and sent them out in the hopes of possibly intercepting the CS TF. Finally, I belatedly brought my P-40Bs back to Palmyra to join the B-25s. I only moved those fighters away from Palmyra a couple of turns ago; if I had left them in place I could have flown them to Christmas Island to provide LR CAP to that transport TF.
Dave Baranyi
General "Magoo" in Charge...
March 24, 1942 -
General Magoo, head of Joint Services Air Patrol, insists that there is nothing wrong with his men or their vision. Never-the-less, CS Nisshin and its escorts totally disappeared from view again this turn. My transport ships arrived at Christmas Island safely and started to unload, so I moved the P-40Bs, a squadron of A-20Bs, and a Catalina squadron into the base to keep watch on things along with the air forces that are already at Palmyra. I also still have naval forces combing the waters around the Line Islands, so maybe the old saying that, "Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut" will hold true for a change.
But the generally map-wide bad weather hindered air operations everywhere this turn again. The only missions that contain to fly pretty much regularly are the Japanese air attacks on Manila. Weather is also preventing my forces from spotting other Japanese movements, such as the sudden appearance of Japanese transports at Padang last turn. More troops landed this turn and eventually captured the base. Belitung Island was also occupied this turn, so the number of Japanese-controlled bases continues to climb.
In other news, the Japanese troops at Manila reverted to artillery attacks this turn. I guess that Treespider will wait another week or so before his next serious assault. And some long-range Japanese patrol planes flew recon missions over Noumea again, so it appears that Treespider is getting more serious about making a grab for it. I've now got two CV TFs in the area, so maybe one of them will find an incoming Japanese invasion TF.
Dave Baranyi
General Magoo, head of Joint Services Air Patrol, insists that there is nothing wrong with his men or their vision. Never-the-less, CS Nisshin and its escorts totally disappeared from view again this turn. My transport ships arrived at Christmas Island safely and started to unload, so I moved the P-40Bs, a squadron of A-20Bs, and a Catalina squadron into the base to keep watch on things along with the air forces that are already at Palmyra. I also still have naval forces combing the waters around the Line Islands, so maybe the old saying that, "Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut" will hold true for a change.
But the generally map-wide bad weather hindered air operations everywhere this turn again. The only missions that contain to fly pretty much regularly are the Japanese air attacks on Manila. Weather is also preventing my forces from spotting other Japanese movements, such as the sudden appearance of Japanese transports at Padang last turn. More troops landed this turn and eventually captured the base. Belitung Island was also occupied this turn, so the number of Japanese-controlled bases continues to climb.
In other news, the Japanese troops at Manila reverted to artillery attacks this turn. I guess that Treespider will wait another week or so before his next serious assault. And some long-range Japanese patrol planes flew recon missions over Noumea again, so it appears that Treespider is getting more serious about making a grab for it. I've now got two CV TFs in the area, so maybe one of them will find an incoming Japanese invasion TF.
Dave Baranyi
Japanese Subs are Back...
March 25, 1942 -
Japanese subs made their reappearance in numbers this turn as at least a half dozen subs popped up simultaneously near different South Seas Islands and off of Australia. Treespider is probably spying, may be laying mines, and is likely planning for his next wave of invasions. This might also be a distraction for a more serious thrust into the New Caledonia area. In any event, as long as the subs are there and not bothering me elsewhere I don't really care because I'm not shipping much of anything through the region anyway.
BTW - Noumea was reconned again today, but this time the Emily was chased by some Wildcats. (Has anyone ever shot down a recon plane? I certainly haven't.) So Treespider found out more than he was likely expecting. But now that my ships have refueled, that TF is headed out again to look for opportunities to cause mischief.
In the "mop-up war", Catbalogan was occupied automatically and Japanese troops landed at Raba. For whatever reason, Treespider landed paratroops via ship at Medan, but they may as well have fallen from the sky without their guns because they had a lousy initial attack:
Ground combat at Medan
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 2078 troops, 17 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 55
Defending force 2876 troops, 14 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 54
Japanese max assault: 53 - adjusted assault: 11
Allied max defense: 45 - adjusted defense: 121
Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 3)
Japanese ground losses:
500 casualties reported
Guns lost 9
Allied ground losses:
1 casualty reported
Guns lost 1
It's nice to see those paras bogged down again.
In other news, Samarinda and Manila received their usual aerial bombardments and Manila also received an artillery bombardment. In China, it appears that Treespider is massing troops for another go at Hengchow. I've continued to build the fortifications during the respite that he has given to me, so I'm almost pleased that he will be coming back. (But I will continue to keep my retreat pathways open.)
Dave Baranyi
Japanese subs made their reappearance in numbers this turn as at least a half dozen subs popped up simultaneously near different South Seas Islands and off of Australia. Treespider is probably spying, may be laying mines, and is likely planning for his next wave of invasions. This might also be a distraction for a more serious thrust into the New Caledonia area. In any event, as long as the subs are there and not bothering me elsewhere I don't really care because I'm not shipping much of anything through the region anyway.
BTW - Noumea was reconned again today, but this time the Emily was chased by some Wildcats. (Has anyone ever shot down a recon plane? I certainly haven't.) So Treespider found out more than he was likely expecting. But now that my ships have refueled, that TF is headed out again to look for opportunities to cause mischief.
In the "mop-up war", Catbalogan was occupied automatically and Japanese troops landed at Raba. For whatever reason, Treespider landed paratroops via ship at Medan, but they may as well have fallen from the sky without their guns because they had a lousy initial attack:
Ground combat at Medan
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 2078 troops, 17 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 55
Defending force 2876 troops, 14 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 54
Japanese max assault: 53 - adjusted assault: 11
Allied max defense: 45 - adjusted defense: 121
Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 3)
Japanese ground losses:
500 casualties reported
Guns lost 9
Allied ground losses:
1 casualty reported
Guns lost 1
It's nice to see those paras bogged down again.
In other news, Samarinda and Manila received their usual aerial bombardments and Manila also received an artillery bombardment. In China, it appears that Treespider is massing troops for another go at Hengchow. I've continued to build the fortifications during the respite that he has given to me, so I'm almost pleased that he will be coming back. (But I will continue to keep my retreat pathways open.)
Dave Baranyi
RE: Japanese Subs are Back...
This is a great AAR
Have to say however that the more AARs I read the more I become convinced that the land combat and movement models are seriously flawed(ie Japanese troops seem to be the supernatural warriors the allied troops thought they were)
Guess it's because this was originally a game focused on the Air/Naval War(and yes I did own a copy of the original back in the days of Steam driven hard drives[:D])
Have to say however that the more AARs I read the more I become convinced that the land combat and movement models are seriously flawed(ie Japanese troops seem to be the supernatural warriors the allied troops thought they were)
Guess it's because this was originally a game focused on the Air/Naval War(and yes I did own a copy of the original back in the days of Steam driven hard drives[:D])
RE: Japanese Subs are Back...
ORIGINAL: Wellard
This is a great AAR
Have to say however that the more AARs I read the more I become convinced that the land combat and movement models are seriously flawed(ie Japanese troops seem to be the supernatural warriors the allied troops thought they were)
Guess it's because this was originally a game focused on the Air/Naval War(and yes I did own a copy of the original back in the days of Steam driven hard drives[:D])
Thanks for the comments! [:)]
I believe that the movement issues could be cleared up pretty easily:
1 - Don't let a side get a rail system bonus until all of the rail line between two points, including the bases at both ends, is under the control of that side. So there would be no rail bonus for "contested" rail lines - such as when one side holds a base at one end and the other side holds the base at the other end
2 - Don't allow small fragments to hold large land units in place. There should be a threshold that much be passed before a unit can "freeze" an enemy unit in place.
3 - Allow retreat into uncontrolled hexes, regardless of supply level (just cause much higher disruption and morale loss if supply is below a given threshold).
Combat issues are a different thing all together. I believe that there should be two different combat systems - one for atoll combat and the other for "continental" combat. (And maybe a third for amphibious invasions.) Just what those systems should be, and how different they should be from each other is something that I haven't worked out in my mind yet. (And something that I wouldn't know how to program anyway. [:D] )
Thanks again -
Dave Baranyi
Gutsy Japanese Play! ...
March 26, 1942 -
Treespider is certainly playing with lots of guts. Despite the heavy rains CS Nisshin turned up again - this time nearly halfway between Palmyra and the Hawaiian Islands! Yes, right in the middle of the most heavily defended and traversed area of the Allied perimeter! My B-25s at Palmyra took off several times but were unable to hit their target. But, to add "insult to injury", A US CV TF ended up only 5 hexes away and didn't find nor react to the Japanese spy TF.
So I've moved a B-26 group to Johnston Island to join the A-20s that are already there, and I've ordered the CV TF to try to intercept the CS TF as it tries to work its way back to the Japanese lines. I've even spun off a couple of DDs from the CV TF to try to do a mid-ocean intercept. I don't care if they are creamed by the CS TF; I just want them to locate it and potentially slow it down a bit. And for a last bit of luck, I've redirected some of the submarines in the area to see if they can find that TF.
Things were a lot more "normal" elsewhere. Tagbalarin was occupied automatically and Japanese troops captured Raba. Manila received its usual artillery bombardment, and Samarinda received one too, albeit from a few small and relatively weak Japanese LCUs. And Japanese troops started to land at Benkolen.
Things are heating up in China again. Seven Japanese units moved in against Hengchow again. I'm going to try a "deliberate" attack just in case I can throw them back before they get too "comfortable". This probably won't work, but it's worth a try. Treespider has also weakened his forces to the north of Changsha, so I'll probably move some troops back there again, just in case I can distract him.
The Allied air units at the Indian/Burmese border flew this turn for a change, and actually did reasonably well. Granted, these weren't the sort of "aerial deathstar" attacks that so many people get worked up about, but they did cause some damage and let Treespider know that I'm not "asleep" in that region. Treespider is moving his forces around in Burma and it looks as if he intends to set up a rear defensive line from which he can try to stop any Allied counterattacks in Central Burma. For example, there are now 4 Japanese units in Taung Gyi and 6 in Luang Prabang.
BTW - while the flurry of Japanese subs in the South Pacific has disappeared as quickly as it appeared, it turns out that Treespider has mined yet another base in India - this time Mannargudi. Fortunately, it was a Brit MSW on minesweeping patrol that ran into those mines by accident (and without incident). So it's likely that the other Indian bases may well be mined too.
Dave Baranyi
Treespider is certainly playing with lots of guts. Despite the heavy rains CS Nisshin turned up again - this time nearly halfway between Palmyra and the Hawaiian Islands! Yes, right in the middle of the most heavily defended and traversed area of the Allied perimeter! My B-25s at Palmyra took off several times but were unable to hit their target. But, to add "insult to injury", A US CV TF ended up only 5 hexes away and didn't find nor react to the Japanese spy TF.
So I've moved a B-26 group to Johnston Island to join the A-20s that are already there, and I've ordered the CV TF to try to intercept the CS TF as it tries to work its way back to the Japanese lines. I've even spun off a couple of DDs from the CV TF to try to do a mid-ocean intercept. I don't care if they are creamed by the CS TF; I just want them to locate it and potentially slow it down a bit. And for a last bit of luck, I've redirected some of the submarines in the area to see if they can find that TF.
Things were a lot more "normal" elsewhere. Tagbalarin was occupied automatically and Japanese troops captured Raba. Manila received its usual artillery bombardment, and Samarinda received one too, albeit from a few small and relatively weak Japanese LCUs. And Japanese troops started to land at Benkolen.
Things are heating up in China again. Seven Japanese units moved in against Hengchow again. I'm going to try a "deliberate" attack just in case I can throw them back before they get too "comfortable". This probably won't work, but it's worth a try. Treespider has also weakened his forces to the north of Changsha, so I'll probably move some troops back there again, just in case I can distract him.
The Allied air units at the Indian/Burmese border flew this turn for a change, and actually did reasonably well. Granted, these weren't the sort of "aerial deathstar" attacks that so many people get worked up about, but they did cause some damage and let Treespider know that I'm not "asleep" in that region. Treespider is moving his forces around in Burma and it looks as if he intends to set up a rear defensive line from which he can try to stop any Allied counterattacks in Central Burma. For example, there are now 4 Japanese units in Taung Gyi and 6 in Luang Prabang.
BTW - while the flurry of Japanese subs in the South Pacific has disappeared as quickly as it appeared, it turns out that Treespider has mined yet another base in India - this time Mannargudi. Fortunately, it was a Brit MSW on minesweeping patrol that ran into those mines by accident (and without incident). So it's likely that the other Indian bases may well be mined too.
Dave Baranyi
RE: Gutsy Japanese Play! ...
Hmm, that enemy CS is simply on a spy/recon mission? Seems like a dangerous way to spy if you ask me. 
I agree with your comments on fixing movement, though I'd also like to see some limits on rolling stock even with RRs that one side completely "owns."
I agree with your comments on fixing movement, though I'd also like to see some limits on rolling stock even with RRs that one side completely "owns."
RE: Gutsy Japanese Play! ...
ORIGINAL: Grotius
Hmm, that enemy CS is simply on a spy/recon mission? Seems like a dangerous way to spy if you ask me.
I agree with your comments on fixing movement, though I'd also like to see some limits on rolling stock even with RRs that one side completely "owns."
Tree has been doing this quite consistantly and very successfully for quite some time now. I originally thought that he was sending out CV TFs on "fishing trips", then I figured SC TFs on bombardment missions, and now it looks like he has "psyched" me out well ( [X(] )and he is actually using Nisshin just to spy on my perimeter bases. Of course, the thing that keeps me "honest" is that the next time, it actually could be a couple of Japanese fleet CVs.... [:(] So my hat's off to Tree for coming up with an effective and useful strategy.
One thing that has always seemed "wrong" with the rail movement system is that it is much more effective for moving troops a very short distance than it is for moving them a very long distance. Essentially, there is no "time" for loading and unloading of troops. No matter how far you are going, under the "best" of conditions you get to go 120 miles per day. And on longer distance trips you go much more slowly because Fatigue factors in. Yet this doesn't happen for Aircraft transport.
I would like to see a "March or Train" option, and when you chose "Train", it takes a certain number of days to load the train, and a similar number of days to unload. (Analogous to loading and unloading ships.) And once the troops are "on the train", they travel at Train Speed, not an enhanced marching speed.
Thanks -
Dave Baranyi
Luckiest Ship in the IJN!...
March 27, 1942 -
His Imperial Japanese Majesty's Ship CS-Nisshin has to be the luckiest ship in the IJN. This turn the Nisshin slipped cleanly by several subs and a US CV TF without being detected. The Nisshin then ducked a number of air attacks by several dozen US Army Air Corp 2E bombers flying in from different directions. And it appears that the Nisshin, which is now slightly west of the line between Johnston and Palmyra Islands, will get away with it's "adventuring" because a new Japanese TF, currently located at 95,82, is racing towards the East at 33 knots. My patrol planes only identified CL Tenryu in the TF, but I'm pretty certain that several CVs are with it.
So I've moved fighters into Johnston and Palmyra to back up the bombers, and I've sent the US CV TF back to Kona for fuel and a chance to assess the situation. I've also put all other forces in the region on Full Alert, and have formed up all ships in the Hawaiian Islands into either Combat TFs that are moving to station, or transport TFs that are moving out of the way. Fortunately, I don't have any transport TFs in the Hawaii/Johnston/Palmyra triangle at this time.
There are actually two unfortunate messages that are coming out of this operation. One, of course, is that my Naval Search/Patrol/Picket Line system is of no use to "man nor beast". The second message is that my LBA can't hit relatively slow ships even in the absence of enemy CAP. So if Treespider is feeling "lucky" he may well try some Naval Air raiding of the Hawaiian Island bases, or even an invasion of one of the outlying bases. It's a very good thing that many Japanese forces are still tied up in the Philippines, China and Burma.
In other news, I-122 showed up off of Colombo, so I'm sending some DDs out to try to hunt it down. Argo had a shot at a Japanese ML after laying some mines at Kwajalein, but missed. There were the usual big air attacks on Manila, followed by another deliberate attack that failed, but the fortifications were reduced to 3 and the combat gave 1:1 results, meaning that time is getting short for the troops in Manila.
In China, Treespider moved too many good troops against Hengchow too quickly, so my Chinese counterattack was a fiasco. I may have to revive my pull-back plan for the South of China.
At Benkolen the Japanese troops tried a deliberate attack this time that failed, but reduced the fortifications to 2, so that base ought to fall soon too. There are few Allied bases left in the Philippines or DEI for the Japanese to mop-up any more.
Dave Baranyi
His Imperial Japanese Majesty's Ship CS-Nisshin has to be the luckiest ship in the IJN. This turn the Nisshin slipped cleanly by several subs and a US CV TF without being detected. The Nisshin then ducked a number of air attacks by several dozen US Army Air Corp 2E bombers flying in from different directions. And it appears that the Nisshin, which is now slightly west of the line between Johnston and Palmyra Islands, will get away with it's "adventuring" because a new Japanese TF, currently located at 95,82, is racing towards the East at 33 knots. My patrol planes only identified CL Tenryu in the TF, but I'm pretty certain that several CVs are with it.
So I've moved fighters into Johnston and Palmyra to back up the bombers, and I've sent the US CV TF back to Kona for fuel and a chance to assess the situation. I've also put all other forces in the region on Full Alert, and have formed up all ships in the Hawaiian Islands into either Combat TFs that are moving to station, or transport TFs that are moving out of the way. Fortunately, I don't have any transport TFs in the Hawaii/Johnston/Palmyra triangle at this time.
There are actually two unfortunate messages that are coming out of this operation. One, of course, is that my Naval Search/Patrol/Picket Line system is of no use to "man nor beast". The second message is that my LBA can't hit relatively slow ships even in the absence of enemy CAP. So if Treespider is feeling "lucky" he may well try some Naval Air raiding of the Hawaiian Island bases, or even an invasion of one of the outlying bases. It's a very good thing that many Japanese forces are still tied up in the Philippines, China and Burma.
In other news, I-122 showed up off of Colombo, so I'm sending some DDs out to try to hunt it down. Argo had a shot at a Japanese ML after laying some mines at Kwajalein, but missed. There were the usual big air attacks on Manila, followed by another deliberate attack that failed, but the fortifications were reduced to 3 and the combat gave 1:1 results, meaning that time is getting short for the troops in Manila.
In China, Treespider moved too many good troops against Hengchow too quickly, so my Chinese counterattack was a fiasco. I may have to revive my pull-back plan for the South of China.
At Benkolen the Japanese troops tried a deliberate attack this time that failed, but reduced the fortifications to 2, so that base ought to fall soon too. There are few Allied bases left in the Philippines or DEI for the Japanese to mop-up any more.
Dave Baranyi
A Vanished Threat...
March 28, 1942 -
The Johnston Island/Palmyra/Hawaiian Islands triangle was oddly quiet this turn. No Japanese forces appeared. There were no TFs, no planes, no subs. I left my air units on full alert but ordered my naval units to return to what they were originally doing. It was all very odd and rather anticlimactic.
Elsewhere, Treespider was fairly busy, despite running into the Fast Transport bug. We actually re-planned the turn and re-ran it after Treespider noticed that his troops had disappeared. So maybe that TF with the Tenryu was the FT; on the other hand maybe that unlucky FT was somewhere else.
Treespider's more ordinary invasions worked out much better. Japanese troops easily captured Benkolen and Samarinda. Treespider is also getting very busy in Southeastern China again. He now has around a dozen units at Hengchow and tried a deliberate attack this turn. The attack failed, but it did reduce the fortifications by one and achieved a 1:1 result. Therefore I am putting my "bug out" plan into action for Southeastern China. Treespider will find things harder to do once his troops are off of the rail system.
The only effective offensive action for the Allies this turn was the depth charging of RO-64 off of Rockhampton. And it was unlikely that RO-64 was damaged very greatly, in contract to Pickerel which was hit by a bomb from airborne ASW at Manila that caused massive damage to the sub.
Dave Baranyi
The Johnston Island/Palmyra/Hawaiian Islands triangle was oddly quiet this turn. No Japanese forces appeared. There were no TFs, no planes, no subs. I left my air units on full alert but ordered my naval units to return to what they were originally doing. It was all very odd and rather anticlimactic.
Elsewhere, Treespider was fairly busy, despite running into the Fast Transport bug. We actually re-planned the turn and re-ran it after Treespider noticed that his troops had disappeared. So maybe that TF with the Tenryu was the FT; on the other hand maybe that unlucky FT was somewhere else.
Treespider's more ordinary invasions worked out much better. Japanese troops easily captured Benkolen and Samarinda. Treespider is also getting very busy in Southeastern China again. He now has around a dozen units at Hengchow and tried a deliberate attack this turn. The attack failed, but it did reduce the fortifications by one and achieved a 1:1 result. Therefore I am putting my "bug out" plan into action for Southeastern China. Treespider will find things harder to do once his troops are off of the rail system.
The only effective offensive action for the Allies this turn was the depth charging of RO-64 off of Rockhampton. And it was unlikely that RO-64 was damaged very greatly, in contract to Pickerel which was hit by a bomb from airborne ASW at Manila that caused massive damage to the sub.
Dave Baranyi
The Flypaper Bug Strikes Again!!!
March 29, 1942 -
The @#$%^ "Flypaper" bug has hit me again in China. I can't retreat my troops from Hengchow despite having 4 clear, unobstructed routes out. What I figure is happening is the @#$%^ AI wants to take the rail line, which is blocked 2 hexes to the southwest by Japanese troops. And the @#$%^ AI is too stupid to take any of several uncontested inland routes. I've asked Treespider to check with his "sources" to see if they know of a fix. Otherwise Treespider and I will need to come up with an acceptable workaround. This is the same bug that, along with losing leaders left, right and center, caused me to quit my v1.6 game against Tophat. So far I haven't lost any leaders in this game, but I have still gotten the occasional Japanese Air Ace as a DD commander.
Otherwise, not a lot happened. Treespider sent a number of attacks against Hengchow and Manila, and captured Sabang. The Eastern Pacific stayed quiet. The Lexington refuses to reduce its system damage below 7 - it has been stuck there the entire month of March.
Dave Baranyi
The @#$%^ "Flypaper" bug has hit me again in China. I can't retreat my troops from Hengchow despite having 4 clear, unobstructed routes out. What I figure is happening is the @#$%^ AI wants to take the rail line, which is blocked 2 hexes to the southwest by Japanese troops. And the @#$%^ AI is too stupid to take any of several uncontested inland routes. I've asked Treespider to check with his "sources" to see if they know of a fix. Otherwise Treespider and I will need to come up with an acceptable workaround. This is the same bug that, along with losing leaders left, right and center, caused me to quit my v1.6 game against Tophat. So far I haven't lost any leaders in this game, but I have still gotten the occasional Japanese Air Ace as a DD commander.
Otherwise, not a lot happened. Treespider sent a number of attacks against Hengchow and Manila, and captured Sabang. The Eastern Pacific stayed quiet. The Lexington refuses to reduce its system damage below 7 - it has been stuck there the entire month of March.
Dave Baranyi
Negotiations under way
Treespider and I are negotiating a ceasefire in China to allow me to withdraw my troops away from the rail line. Once they are back they ought to obey normal marching orders again, since (hopefully) the AI won't consider the rail line anymore for movement.
I've been praying for a change to the movement rules/calculations to be implemented for two years with this game - maybe someday, in some version, we will no longer be faced with such a situation.
Dave Baranyi
I've been praying for a change to the movement rules/calculations to be implemented for two years with this game - maybe someday, in some version, we will no longer be faced with such a situation.
Dave Baranyi