Andy Mac v PZB ....The Allies Fight Back

[duckenf]

It looks like PzB's training program is back into full swing. Do you have any future plans on how you can disrupt it??

Gives you an idea of how many new planes might be coming your way...

[Andy Mac]

After the Marianas debacle I went off on a sidetrack slightly out of frustration
 
I have probably overcommitted to the West
 
Living with that reality what can I do about it....
 
Well a few decisions have been taken
 
1. I am going to ferry a large chunk of my troops to the wings.
 
I have significant forces on New Guinea and New Britain these forces will be shifted East to provide reserves for the CENTPAC offensive.
 
Basically shutting down SWPAC and SOPAC my centre is going quiet.
 
Forces on Sulawesi/ South Borneo and North Australia will be shifted to Malaya and will 
 
1. Be used to use overwhelming force on Singapore
2. The Diversionary attack on North Borneo
3. The 'point grabbing' return to India and SEA
 
As I am no longer intending this theatre to be decisive I am willing to operate on a narrower logistical advantage than I would need for operations against Fromosa so no need for a delay.
 
All forces will be deployed forward ASAP possibly.
 
Meanwhile the bulk of the USN 'first team' amphibs and surface assets will be transferred to Pearl where they will execute op plan Yellow.
 
Forces in theatre are sufficient to perform one invasion (75 LST's) enough lift for 2 Divs plus armour but I want enough available for Wake/Marcus and Iwo all in one bound plus I get 2 more BB's soon.
 
I estimate 20 - 30 days to transfer assets to the East in strength so I will target a loading date of 1st December 1944 and arrival off the islands in mid December.
 
By that time the 140 ish LST's I am transferring to the East plus new build from the West Coast will be sufficient to allow for a 7 Divisonal Assault (2 on Wake, 2 on Marcus and 3 on Iwo) - Forces for the rest of the Bonins and possibly the Marianas will follow on after from the forces being redeployed out of SOPAC and SWPAC.
 
The single biggest threat is PZB's BB's especially on the invasion of Iwo so I need to carefully consider how I am going to operate.
 
The other key component is keeping PZB focussed on the West - accordingly I am going to run a large convoy into Malaya covered by fleet carriers taking in supplies, fuel, short range fighter and FB's and more men.
 
Andy.
 
 

[saj42]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

It looks like PzB's training program is back into full swing. Do you have any future plans on how you can disrupt it??

Yikes - in 6 weeks PZB will have replaced all his losses from the Malaya offensive [X(]
- how are your pools and pilot experience Andy?

[Andy Mac]

As per normal no Hellcats no Navy pilots
 
My USN Hellcat Fighter Groups xp is now mid 60's average
USN Corsairs mid 70's (now up to 5 Sqns of these)
USN Wildcats barely 50
 
Hence my next move is the individually isolated Yellow
 
I have about 200 Hellcats in grounded CVR Wings of which about 100 are forward deployed to gain seasoning escorting bombers.
 
The others are operating on training missions at 50%
 
All Sqns with less than 50xp are on 50% training.
 
It is one of the main reasons for not going after Okinawa/Formosa or North Japan - I cannot afford the pilot losses.
 
p.s. over 2000 Night Fighter Hellcats in pool .........
 
OK lets not start this again it just pisses me off !!!!! 

[Andy Mac]

That one is my personal favourite.....

Day Air attack on Kweiyang , at 41,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zeke x 481
J2M Jack x 119
D4Y Judy x 97
B6N Jill x 48
P1Y Frances x 9
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 36
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 36
Ki-84-Ia Frank x 72

No Japanese losses

Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 9
Runway hits 431

[Andy Mac]

If it wasnt for allied radar on my Carriers I would be toast....Jacks, Franks, Georges are outclassed by Corsairs but not thta badly and pretty much a slightly inferior  match for Hellcats in a no radar environment and with my self imposed stacking and CAP limits heavily defended bases are pretty much a no go for me.
 
This is going to be tight
 
Andy

[veji1]

wait till the
A6M5 Zeke x 481

is replaced by
A7M2 Reppu x 481

;)

[Andy Mac]

Gee ta Veiji just what I needed MATRIX I NEED MY HISTORIC HELLCAT PRODUCTION !!!!!!
 
Ground Attack Pilot training just pisses me off....
 
OK OK enough not going there again calm down its ok its not true the japanese are not out producing you....calm down all will be well.............. 
 
<Andy Mac gets the bottle of Talisker out.
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[Andy Mac]

I say again !!!!
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Just to repost and then I will stop ranting I promise [:D][:D]
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F6F-3 4,402 First production variant.
Subvariants
included:

- 18 conversions to F6F-3E evaluation night fighters.
- 149 (some sources say 205) F6F-3N night fighters.
- Unknown number of F6F-3P reconnaissance conversions.
- 1 temporarily converted to XF6F-2 with turbocharged
R-2800-21. Some sources give 4,403 F6F-3s,
apparently due to "double counting" this machine.

252 fighters were provided to the British FAA as the&nbsp;Hellcat&nbsp;I.

so c 3900 day fighter variants for the USN alone

F6F-5 7,870 Second production variant (some sources give 7,868).
Subvariants included:

- 1,434 (some sources say 1,529) F6F-5N night fighters.
- Several hundred F6F-5P reconnaissance conversions.
- Several hundred F6F-5K drone conversions.
- A number of F6F-5D drone controller conversions.
- Two converted to XF6F-6 with R-2800-18W and
four-bladed propeller.

930 of total F6F-5 production was supplied to the
British FAA as the "Hellcat II". Most were
"Hellcat F.II" fighters but 70 (some sources give 80
or 85 or 95) were F6F-5N night fighters and designated
"Hellcat NF.II". Some were converted to a
reconnaissance configuration and designated "Hellcat
PR.II" (unarmed) or "Hellcat FR.II" (armed).

So about 5,000 DAY Fighter versions of the Hellcat forthe USN

Over a 24 month production run the allies should be recieving about 8900 day fighter variants for the USN alone or about 340 per month

Now allowing for training, drones, wastage etc a rate of&nbsp;250 -&nbsp;300 per month seems reasonable not 144 as we have now. For my game this would be very significant as I would not have pulled off the Marianas with that kind of strength in depth
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[Andy Mac]

Tallyho I Blame you for setting me off on my pet peeve again [:D][:D][:D]

[marovici]

I know it is against your principle to engage in ground training, but it seems you will not be able to win without it. You are fighting with one hand tied behind you. Perhaps you shoould reconsider.

[Andy Mac]

I have deployed 2 Wings to Malaya of F6F's who will provide escort and sweep but strength is only 30 ish planes - I cannot afford more frames.
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I have a 3rd Wing on Noemfoor that has been CAPPING Noemfoor and Sweeping Manowkri for a few weeks its got about 50 pilots xp 50 ish
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A Wing of TBM's and Helldivers is in Malaya providing Naval Search and Anti shipping while my bombers and FB's support
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Another Wing of Helldivers has been supporting the Lautern attack
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Other CVR Sqns are filled with unskilled pilots and are on training at 50%.
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These&nbsp;Wings are now NOT being used for the original purpose of underway replensihment as I cannot afford to use them for that they are now 100% committed to land based duties or training (50%)
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Andy
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[Andy Mac]

It is against my principals and for now at least I will hold to it if I lose so be it

[Speedysteve]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac
Ground Attack Pilot training just pisses me off....

OK OK enough not going there again calm down its ok its not true the japanese are not out producing you....calm down all will be well.............. 

<Andy Mac gets the bottle of Talisker out.

ROFL[:D][:D][:D]

I sympathise..........

[marovici]

I envy you on your patience. Great AAR.

Good luck with your new plans!!!

[duckenf]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

It is against my principals and for now at least I will hold to it if I lose so be it

I must have missed something, but PzB is running all these nonsense training missions in China -- why shouldn't you be able to do the same; especially since your production levels are not historical. If you can't have the numbers, at least you should be able to build up the quality of your fighters.

[Andy Mac]

It is just something I wont do no houserule against it I will only perform Gd Attacks with fighters if I actually need to or it will help me not for the sole purpose of training fighter pilots and only then if sufficient fighters are there for top cvover

So for example I will use them at Singapore to soften up as I have P38's for cover

I have been using my heavies and mediums to blast PZB out of Khota Bahru

1st attack failed my armour goes in again today lets see what happens

I do have some elite 80xp Hellcat Sqns left

Andy

[Andy Mac]

I will however bring in 300 B29's and blast those training bases back to the stoneage of that I have no compunction [:D][:D][:D]

[frank1970]

Cool down Andy, no cunning plans anymore for now!

[Andy Mac]

No no cunning plans but dont doscount methodical mayhem this discussion has reminded me that bombing his training camps in china is a good idea - as soon as I have a lvl 7 AF (I want full bomb loads) I will torch his AF's !!!!