PzB vs Wobbly - Clash of Steel

[niceguy2005]

I'm not real familiar with this paticular AAR...sorry...but I would wonder what good the oil would do the Allies this late in the war. They don't really have to have it to fuel their industry. I would reinforce Malaya first. It would be tough on you if he captures Palembang because of its proximity to Sing, but not nearly as bad as him having a toe hold in Malaya. You have to keep LBA out of the area for as long as possible.

[SamCole]

PzB, remember that Andy's tests ( and some of mine ) showed that Radar was a huge factor. He has lots of excellent Radar in the area.

As for the oil, I don't think he needs is, he is just interested in killing as many supplies as he can.

[PzB74]

Radar south of Singapore? Andy's TFs are 14-15 hexes away from his closest base....
If seaborne radar assists in A2A combat 4 hexes from the fleet, something's seriously wrong!

Killing supplies? Now that I got plenty of [;)]
We'll see what happends tomorrow, thx for the inpit [:)]

[SamCole]

CPS-1 radar has a range of about 7 hexes. It will help both his CAP and escorts.

[Sneer]

with range of 500 if I'm correct it is 8 hexes that are needed from closest enemy base 

[Nemo121]

If you have bombers at 100 feet and others at 30,000 the fighters try to fly at 32 or 33,000. Basically they fly 2 or 3 thousand above the HIGHEST bomber daitai.
 
 
One really weird thing I've noticed in my vs AI testgame in 1945 is that when I assign a fighter daitai to kamikaze duty and then send it off with bombers it seems to act like a fighter escort engaging enemy fighters and actually exchanging fire with them and shooting some down before ramming enemy ships.
 
OTOH when I send Oscar IIs in above the altitude the enemy fighters can reach the message box displays "Bombers too high for CAP" so it does seem to recognise the Oscar II kamis as "bombers" for game purposes...
 
I suppose it isn't beyond the realm of reason to wonder if the code differentiates between fighter kamis and bomber kamis and still allows the fighters to fly as escort... It certainly allows them to fly as CAP for the AI... Many times I've seen AI CAP opposing a raid even though I KNOW the fighter squadrons at that base have all converted to kamis.
 
 
It all gets very, very complicated and could end up being resolved in-code in innumerable different ways. I'm doing a lot of testing in this 1945 game. (just had to redo my last turn when 350+ planes flew into Tinian instead of the CV fleet 3 hexes away GRR!!)
 
 
 
PzB,
 
Andy has consistently shown himself to be a poor logistician. He may fight like a wildcat but once he gets tired there's no second wind. You should always try to draw him into attrition at this stage. He has consistently failed to build up the reserves he needs to such attritional fights. I think people who point to your ability to out-attrit him as a flaw in the game are missing the point... You can out-attrit his carrier-based air  ONLY and ONLY because he has run it ragged launching relatively unsupported invasion after unsupported invasion.
 
Picture the following, he heads for Malaysia and conducts a landing there. He is stationary for 3 or 4 days covering the landings with only CAP and a few P38s as LRCAP to protect him. He masses 500 fighters and you exchange fighters at a rate of 3 to 1 in his favour. End result you DO have 1500 fighters with which to wear him down.
 
Once his CAP is weakened and your bombers stand a good chance of getting through he will find the way home through the Java/Borneo straight to be VERY LONG.
 
If he goes for northern Borneo it is harder to wear him down but still eminently possible and same goes for Palembang... If I were you I'd send a daitai or two of bombers each day at maximum altitude escorted by hundreds of fighters to wear him down. Once the first bombers start getting through it will turn into a rout ( so long as u keep the airfield at his landing site closed)....
 
All you need at this stage of the war is 1 crushing victory. You should have about 8000 planes available. He cannot have much more than 1500 readily available. If you spend your planes like water you can break his CAP. With his CAP broken you will never have a better opportunity to assault him from multiple land bases which he cannot easily all close.
 
And whatever you do keep hurling Zekes at high altitude at him. It is the best threat to his CVs until you break his CAP.
 
 
BTW, as far as naval radar goes... I seem to remember people talking about US naval air search radars which could see up to 240+ miles...

[Nikademus]

[WhoCares]

You could also try to get his numbers of CV air sorties down to 0, so that the carrier planes stand down - just give his bombers a couple of targets every day and he will soon run out of sorties [:'(]
 
But I don't know whether this would also affect CAP.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: WhoCares

You could also try to get his numbers of CV air sorties down to 0, so that the carrier planes stand down - just give his bombers a couple of targets every day and he will soon run out of sorties [:'(]

But I don't know whether this would also affect CAP.

CAP isn´t counted as a sortie so I think even if his bombers aren´t able to fly offensive missions his CAP will be fully effective.

[anarchyintheuk]

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

PzB,

Andy has consistently shown himself to be a poor logistician. He may fight like a wildcat but once he gets tired there's no second wind. You should always try to draw him into attrition at this stage. He has consistently failed to build up the reserves he needs to such attritional fights. I think people who point to your ability to out-attrit him as a flaw in the game are missing the point... You can out-attrit his carrier-based air  ONLY and ONLY because he has run it ragged launching relatively unsupported invasion after unsupported invasion.

This aar has a unique feature (i.e. India and China are toast) that i think distorts a player's actions/results/situation compared to other aars. With a reduced area to defend and a reduced amount of carrier and lba employed against PzB, he has been able to concentrate his airpower far more than most aars seem to allow. This has led to increased allied losses and an additional strain on replacement pools, especially in carrier air. 60 usn pilots/month and 144 hellcats/month doesn't seem to go far or, more importantly, allow for a significant reserve. Combining these losses w/ a faster than normal operational tempo (Andy has a lot of vp to regain and not much time) may help to explain why he has made choices that he did.

[Nemo121]

anarchyintheuk,
 
Aye, I'm not saying Andy is doing it without reason but he is still doing it and it is something he should not be doing if he objectively analysed his situation... I also think that in the AAR vs Pauk he is showing the same tendencies...
 
I one heard a mantra. "Slow is sure and sure is fast"... and that's very true. He'd get farther quicker with a more deliberate pace which isn't as vulnerable to setbacks.

[Rob Brennan UK]

Why do i get the feeling that 90% of the peeps here either follow this AAR religiously or at least pop in from time to time. [:D]PzB you have created a frankenstein here.

Nemo thanks for the clarification . i wasn't sure about fighter kamis and escorts. much useful tesing and seeing how the stock game copes with lat war is facinating as one of my long project games is in stock too.

Other is Nikmod .. and Nik .. your contribution has been very highly praised and recived by a lot of the community. So big thanks from lil ole England !

[Nikademus]

Awww........ [:D]

[Nemo121]

Why do i get the feeling that 90% of the peeps here either follow this AAR religiously 

This and Sneer's are religiously followed. I think both of these players are doing an amazing job in very difficult conditions.

tm.asp?m=988842

Flanker Leader, that's a link to the first page of Sneer's AAR. It is an open AAR but reading between the lines there's some real meat there.

[JagdFlanker]

this is the only WitP AAR i'v ever followed - i can't find the sneer one in the AAR section. would someone be kind enough to send me a link so i can check it out?

EDIT: Thanks Honda!

[PzB74]

Think I will try to inflict some wear and tear on Andy's carrier ac!
Palembang has been emptied of ac, most have moved to Java - got large aviation units there that can be used to
hit the enemy in the flank.

335 fighters in Singapore, most at 60% CAP and max range 3. Put one Betty kamikaze bomber group on naval attack as well, max
altitude. Let's see what happens.

In Indochina there is 1 large division at Camranh Bay, 1 large Brigade at Saigon and a large division in reserve.
With full strength forts I feel pretty safe.

In Malaya we got some 100k troops, Singapore is well defended! In 20 days a large division will arrive in Khota Baru.
Timely reinforcements!?-)

I don't think Andy is a poor quartermaster, it takes a lot and lot of effort to coordinate all minor aspects of the
giant Allied war machine by late 1944! Let's see what happens over the next few weeks before making any judgement calls... [8|]

Nice picture Flanker Leader! [:)]

Sometimes I think this AAR turns into a meeting place for general discussions, but that's kewl [8D]
I'm looking forward to see what effect Niks Mod will have on late war games. Playing a Nik mod game myself as Allies, still in early 42 though.

Just finished 'A Glorious Way to Die'...dissappointed, the Yamato sank!! [:(] [;)]
Now on to the Musashi book!

[pauk]

I wouldn't be so worried about landing in Khota Baru - i mean you still have Mighty Combined fleet, right?... maybe his air transports can do miracles there but his carriers cannot stay here forever - and that would be a time for BB visit.[;)]

Anyway, i doubt that Andy will go for Khota... his recent activities shown that:

a) Palembang is a target
b) this is divertion strike - in that case i he will probably go for Malaya (Singa, Johore, Mersing) or northern Borneo...

As for your AAR... i do not know for others but i'm big fan of you since UV AAR... i'm hooked since then and i can not help myself anymore... but since you've mention that you playing Allies i'm not sure anymore[;)]

I know that this game is frustrating sometimes - but you done a brilliant job so far:

defeated two opponents and force third to use all his skills and assests... it is sad that you can not delay American/Aussies even with "advanced" japanese heavy industry, skilled pilots etc... but that is why your AAR is religion...


PS... i hope that Musashi wont be sunk in your book[;)][:D]

[PzB74]

Managed to overwrite todays screenie...well, Andy has landed in Malaya!! [8D]
While we lost a heap of ac on the ground at Singapore and several ships were damaged, I'm quite pleased.
Malaya is the perefect Malaria pit to wear down and delay the enemy.

Will be interesting to see were Andy lands his troops, looks like it'll be the west coast.
I'm going to keep the bulk of my troops in Singapore while delaying the enemy with combat groups.
My first actions were to divide my airgroups into multiple bases. These will conduct naval air and kamikaze
attacks on the enemy from Victoria Point and south to Soerabaja. No way Andy can close them all down.

The fleet will stay in port and I will not deploy the strategic air reserves. Let's play hide and seek and
see how long we can delay the inevitable [;)] It's almost October 44 and I'd rather fight the enemy in Malaya
than close to the Home Islands.

Got some other cunning plans as well, will be interesting to see what chaos we can create! [:D]

Nik, you asked about enemy subs: Andy has tried multiple sub campaigns, but asw groups - air and sea, have inflicted
heavy casualties and forced the enemy to withdraw with heavy casualties time and again. Most convoys have been big and
well escorted. Why re-do all the mistakes the Japs did in WWII!?-)

Pauk, the Musashi (or the Musha as Herbie-san calls her [&o]) was SUNK as well [:(]
Will read about the Bismarck next time, all of them can surely not sink....

I always regain motivation to play, but I've been extremely busy and tired lately. The going may get a bit slow in the
weeks to come, will have 10 days vacation with the gf in a week [8D] Before that I'm a busy bee at work.

The capture of India and Burma certainly has an interesting effect on the game. The effort it takes to achieve this
means that only very limited actions can be taken in the South Pacific and leads to a somewhat historical time frame
in the major theatres. Think I missed 75 points to achieve auto victory, and in a way I think that was a good thing.

Wasting much of the KB is almost an inevitability in 1944, but I should have made it more costly to Andy.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 09/21/44

Surface Combat

In the afternoon as bomardment group entered Singapore:

Day Time Surface Combat, near Singapore at 23,50

Japanese Ships
AK Awazisan Maru, Shell hits 12, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB Iowa
CA Baltimore
CA Boston
CL Mobile
CL Biloxi
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bombardment

The afternoon bombardment destroyed a bunch of damaged ac, but failed to hit many troops.
Ships in port suffered varying degrees of damage.

Our coastal defence units is at Johore Baru. Just as well, couldn't have done much to battleships
and heavy cruisers:

Naval bombardment of Singapore, at 23,50

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zeke: 1 destroyed
B6N Jill: 1 destroyed
Ki-84-Ia Frank: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 1 destroyed
B7A Grace: 1 destroyed
G4M2 Betty: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
AP Konan Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
AK Singapore Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
AV Kiyokawa Maru, Shell hits 3, on fire
PG Sozan Maru, Shell hits 1
AK Hoeisan Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
CA Maya, Shell hits 2, heavy damage
AP Tatibana Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
TK Daishin Maru, Shell hits 1
TK Ogura Maru #1, Shell hits 1
ML Ma 3, Shell hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Shinnan Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
CL Kitakami, Shell hits 2, heavy damage
MSW W.23, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Kiri, Shell hits 1
AK Kozan Maru, Shell hits 1
AS Tsukushi Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
ML Ma 1, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PG Aso Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Momo, Shell hits 1, on fire
ML Ma 2, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AD AD-3243, Shell hits 1
AK Hitora Maru, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CL Biloxi
CL Mobile
CA Boston
CA Baltimore
BB Iowa

Japanese ground losses:
92 casualties reported
Guns lost 4
Vehicles lost 2

Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 20
Port hits 7
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 1041 encounters mine field at 26056224,24 [&:]

Allied Ships
MSW Bobolink
MSW Scuffle
MSW Scrimage
MSW Saunter
MSW Salute
MSW Scout
DE Edward C. Daly
DE Raby
DE Coolbaugh
DD Henley
DD Meade
DD Wilkes
DD McDermut
AK Mabella, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

Night Air Combat

My efforts in night naval attack paid some dividends tonight:

Night Air attack on TF at 23,57

Japanese aircraft
B7A Grace x 24

Japanese aircraft losses
B7A Grace: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged

Allied Ships
LST LST-171
AP Pierce
DE Duffy
LST LST-465
LST LST-446
LST LST-462
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Air attack on TF at 23,57

Japanese aircraft
B7A Grace x 9
Ki-67 Peggy x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
B7A Grace: 3 damaged
Ki-67 Peggy: 7 damaged

Allied Ships
LST LST-462
LST LST-30
LST LST-467
LST LST-448, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Heywood
AK Morgan Robertson
LST LST-276, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Mariscal Sucre

Allied ground losses:
21 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Combat

Enemy carriers hit Singapore and the bloody fighting left the CAP in tatters.
Even with 340 fighters in Singapore a mere 150 were in the air to intercept the enemy.
It's impossible to defend against multiple waves of enemy ac when CAP never is stronger
than this. Nothing to be done with it either...

Day Air attack on Singapore , at 23,50

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zeke x 56
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 26
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 16
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 7
Ki-84-Ia Frank x 38
Ki-102a Randy x 6

Allied aircraft
FM-2 Wildcat x 14
F6F Hellcat x 54
F4U-1D Corsair x 10
SB2C Helldiver x 42
TBM Avenger x 74

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zeke: 31 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 29 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 14 destroyed
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 5 destroyed
Ki-84-Ia Frank: 25 destroyed
Ki-102a Randy: 11 destroyed
G4M2 Betty: 4 destroyed
Ki-67 Peggy: 1 destroyed
B7A Grace: 1 destroyed
Ki-57-II Topsy: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
FM-2 Wildcat: 7 destroyed
F6F Hellcat: 18 destroyed, 8 damaged
F4U-1D Corsair: 10 destroyed
SB2C Helldiver: 9 destroyed, 9 damaged
TBM Avenger: 6 destroyed, 8 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
24 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

Airbase hits 17
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 87
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Singapore , at 23,50

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zeke x 10
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 2
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 3
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 1
Ki-84-Ia Frank x 8

Allied aircraft
F6F Hellcat x 17
F4U-1D Corsair x 15
SB2C Helldiver x 89
TBM Avenger x 54

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zeke: 18 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 6 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 9 destroyed
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 3 destroyed
Ki-84-Ia Frank: 23 destroyed
Ki-102a Randy: 7 destroyed
G4M2 Betty: 3 destroyed
Ki-67 Peggy: 5 destroyed
B7A Grace: 3 destroyed
Ki-57-II Topsy: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F6F Hellcat: 4 destroyed
F4U-1D Corsair: 1 damaged
SB2C Helldiver: 1 destroyed
TBM Avenger: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
56 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 23
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 74
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the time the heavies arrived 12 Zekes were left in the air...

Day Air attack on Singapore , at 23,50

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zeke x 12

Allied aircraft
Mosquito PR.IX x 6
B-24J Liberator x 47
B-29 Superfortress x 56

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zeke: 8 destroyed
B7A Grace: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 2 destroyed
Ki-57-II Topsy: 2 destroyed
Ki-84-Ia Frank: 5 destroyed
Ki-67 Peggy: 3 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 2 destroyed
G4M2 Betty: 6 destroyed
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-24J Liberator: 5 damaged
B-29 Superfortress: 6 damaged

Japanese Ships
Most warship that were hit were already damaged. A a variety of support and cargo ships were
also in port. Will try a mass exodus tomorrow while trying to disrupt the enemys plans.

AV Kiyokawa Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire
AP Takayo Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Tokyo Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS I-7, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PC Shonan Maru #7, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
TK Tennan Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
MSW Shanan Maru #16, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PG Shinko Maru #5, Bomb hits 1
CA Maya, Bomb hits 6, heavy damage
PC Shonon Maru #15, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Kotobuki Maru #3, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Kamishima Maru, Bomb hits 1
AK Zuiko Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA Chokai, Bomb hits 3, on fire
AK Risen Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AP Koryu Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
TK Matsumoto Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AK Singapore Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Kitakami, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
MLE Kamogawa Maru, Bomb hits 1
AK Akagi Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
MSW W.23, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Shinnan Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Japanese ground losses:
13 casualties reported

Airbase hits 8
Runway hits 93
Port hits 9
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Singakwang had mostly night naval attack bombers

Day Air attack on Singkawang , at 25,57

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-29 Superfortress x 112

Japanese aircraft losses
P1Y Frances: 4 destroyed
G4M2 Betty: 6 destroyed
H8K Emily: 3 destroyed
J1N1-S Irving: 3 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
6 casualties reported

Airbase hits 14
Airbase supply hits 10
Runway hits 78
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strikes from Borneo and Java claimed a few hits today:

Day Air attack on TF at 24,63

Japanese aircraft (Got a ruined Judy Daitai, reduced from 24 to 2 ac with 24 high exp pilots)
D4Y Judy x 2

Japanese aircraft losses
D4Y Judy: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
DD Craven, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Allied ground losses:
13 casualties reported

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x D4Y Judy bombing at 2000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 24,63

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed, 14 damaged

Allied Ships
DD Ross, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Haggard
DD Lardner
DD Richard Leary

Allied ground losses:
18 casualties reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 24,56

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 15

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 3 destroyed, 9 damaged

Allied Ships
LST LST-461
LST LST-245, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Callaway
AP Kanimba
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF at 24,63

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 8

Allied aircraft
F6F Hellcat x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed, 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F6F Hellcat: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
DD Lardner
DD Richard Leary, Torpedo hits 1

Allied ground losses:
13 casualties reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground Combat

A small enemy para force landed at Malacca. Size 2 af, one of 2 undefended bases in Malaya.
Will attempt to counter them.

Ground combat at Malacca

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 131 troops, 3 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 6

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Allied max assault: 4 - adjusted assault: 3

Japanese max defense: 0 - adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 0)

Allied forces CAPTURE Malacca base !!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ctangus]

ORIGINAL: PzB

TF 1041 encounters mine field at 26056224,24 [&:]

If my math is right, that's somewhere around Uranus. [:)] Does Andy still have the Enterprise? We know he has X-wings. [:'(]

I've been reading quietly for a while. I'm an AFB at heart, but I'm still glad to see the Japanese putting up such a good fight so late. Well done & good luck!

[pauk]

funny, every time when i read a boo about legends i hope something different will happens[;)]

So, Andy went for Malaya... what suprises me your unability to maximize your CAP. I have to ask common questions:

- you are not overstacking? enough suppy, Air HQ, enough air supply? If you met all requirements, i see no reasons why your CAP shouldn't be effective as it was in early stage of the war?

It would be interesting to see how many units you have at Malaya - I see this place as good place to make "last stand". Even if Andy capture minor bases in Malaya first i don't see how he can establish a strong bridhead base for conquering the whole Malaya

EDIT - i've noticed that mines outside the bases are reported with "3458970700707,34" locations. But as long mines hiting enemy ships you dont have any reasons to be afraid of it!

- use your subs for minelaying
- wear his CV figher groups
- once when his carriers withdraw send naval bombardment groups