Saipan AAR

Post descriptions of your brilliant successes and unfortunate demises.

Moderators: Gregor_SSG, alexs

THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Hi,

This is my AAR against the recommended AI in Saipan. Please be forewarned that I am not a very good player, and that I welcome any input and advice on what I could have done better.

This is my second go, after I played 8 turns, and more or less made very stupid mistakes while learning the system (for example, I didn't entrench my arty units and lost them easily to counter battery fire).

So, playing as the US, my plan is to first concentrate on combining the two landing zones into one, then clearing out the south of the island and sweeping northwards, with 4th division on the east and 2nd on the west.

Anyway, without further ado, here we go.

Turn 1, bombarded their fortifications as much as I could and landed my forces. Managed to land them all without needing to roll for losses and proceeded with setting my infantry 4 steps in a perimeter and everyone else in the middle. Looking at my forces tells me that I will be able to attack once every three turns as long as they are in supply, so I will try to make them as effective as possible. My plan is to attack the middle part between my beach heads and nothing else, except for spoiling attacks on the perimeters, and to use my lavish air support and arty.

Image
Attachments
turn1end.jpg
turn1end.jpg (34.33 KiB) Viewed 854 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 2 - with my eye on the target, the VAC supply hex, I keep bombarding to make sure no fortification is built as 2nd division presses the attack south.

Image
Attachments
turn2end.jpg
turn2end.jpg (30.13 KiB) Viewed 845 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 3 - with the Japanese batallion out in the open (not entrenched), it is vulnerable to 2 arty attacks, and an airtstrike. So, with a bit of luck, I manage to kill it and the way south is clear. Soon the beach heads will be united.

Image
Attachments
turn3end.jpg
turn3end.jpg (36.73 KiB) Viewed 845 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 4 - at last, the beach heads are united and the supply is flowing. It took 4 days to get to this stage, so what's next? Well, the plan is to encircle the Japanese 47th division forces and eliminate them to take control of the south part of the island.


Image
Attachments
turn4end.jpg
turn4end.jpg (33.91 KiB) Viewed 845 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 5 - with many of my 4th div units out of attack supply, I have little choice but to encirce from the north and try to thin out my units on the west side of the Japanese 47th line. With attacks coming in from the north of their line, they are forced to retreat.


Image
Attachments
turn5end.jpg
turn5end.jpg (36.04 KiB) Viewed 845 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 6 - HQ finally authorized a new attack on the south part of the line, and one of the batallions is forced to retreat and then is quickly eliminated by indirect fire. Another batallion, the northernmost one, which started retreating east the day before, was quickly eliminated as well. One thing this game gives you is a real feel. You can be head to head with the enemy with little movement, and then, suddenly, you gain the upper hand, an enemy unit retreat and you can jump all over it with arty and airpower, and poof, it's gone.


Image
Attachments
turn6end.jpg
turn6end.jpg (39.71 KiB) Viewed 845 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 7 - with the enemy line broken up, units from the 4th div start exploiting to the east, and catch a couple of HQs by surprise - I guess our fine interdiction prevented them from escaping. One batallion is surrounded, while I hope the other one won't get too far. Things are starting to get dynamic now.


Image
Attachments
turn7end.jpg
turn7end.jpg (37.03 KiB) Viewed 845 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 8 - The encircled batallion is quickly eliminated. Its friend, who tried to make a run for it, is intercepted by my units to the east, and by arty. By the time my guys get to it, it will have been so attrited by air and arty that they will overrun it, with little expenditure of attack supply. Looks like the second phase is about to complete, time to think of what's next. Well, it is time to attack the next enemy line which is shaping west to east, and to move up the island.


Image
Attachments
turn8end.jpg
turn8end.jpg (41.55 KiB) Viewed 845 times
User avatar
Deathtreader
Posts: 1058
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 3:49 am
Location: Vancouver, Canada.

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by Deathtreader »

Hi,

Great AAR!! Keep it coming...........

BTW, how/why is it that you can see your Japanese opponent's supply source?? Your forces do not appear to be close to it.
Regards,

Rob.
So we're at war with the Russkies eh?? I suppose we really ought to invade or something. (Lonnnng pause while studying the map)
Hmmmm... big place ain't it??
- Sir Harry Flashman (1854)
JSS
Posts: 780
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2003 3:24 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by JSS »

ORIGINAL: Deathtreader

Hi,

Great AAR!! Keep it coming...........

BTW, how/why is it that you can see your Japanese opponent's supply source?? Your forces do not appear to be close to it.
Regards,

Rob.

That's a scenario design option (fully visible or hidden from enemy).
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 9 - Turning my forces from an eastward facing to a northward facing is gonna take a bit of time. In the meanwhile, I am pushing up as far as I can with 27th ID on the left, 2nd Marine in the center and 4th Marine on the right. I am trying to envelope the enemy from the right and will see if I can exploit east and cause some havoc there. Maybe the US is a bit overpowered here, what with all the arty and air support, but until now I have been ramping up my aggressiveness, and gaining rewards and have yet to be punished.


Image
Attachments
turn9end.jpg
turn9end.jpg (39.6 KiB) Viewed 848 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 10 - 27th ID units made contact with an IJN base regiment. One of these is an elite unit, BTW. Pushing hard, they manage to split the line and have separated the IJN forces from the IJA forces. As usual, I am gonna be aggressive and try to push through the breech, unless the enemy seals it (which is unlikely, as he has already taken quite a beating). On the right flank, I am still trying to push up, but converting enemy hexes is a slow process when you are right next to them. I do sight some enemy units off to the east. Probably weak ones, as they have not endeavoured to plug the line.


Image
Attachments
turn10end.jpg
turn10end.jpg (44.97 KiB) Viewed 848 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 11 - Squeezing forces through the breech has paid off, it has now been widened to 3 km and I have the IJN forces pinned to the beach and badly mauled (down to a step each). On the right flank, I exploited with a recon unit and managed to hit their HQ and supply unit. Then I force marched a 4 step marine batallion so as to not risk losing the recon unit in the enemy turn. I think I will next try to continue enveloping the IJA forces from the east as well. Already, with my lengthening "pencil" of forces running up north and my interdiction, they are surely having supply problems. In the last couple of turns, all the AI has been doing was shifting forces around, not able to produce an attack. It is now turning to a race against time for me with 6 turns left.


Image
Attachments
turn11end.jpg
turn11end.jpg (45.07 KiB) Viewed 848 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 12 - Mixed fortunes on the 4th Marine front, and good fortune on the 27th ID front. I manage to push the enemy back one km in the south part, but he is quite clustered and needs to be beat up again and again. I need to keep shifting units around to get the ones with attack bullets into place. What I am trying to do is to use blue units (ones with no attack bullets) in a defensive role and push with my green units. In the north, we have faired very well. IJN line units have been eliminated while a recon and leg unit have pushed up, beyond my supply reach, btw, and found the IJN HQ. The HQ unit has been killed while the supply unit will wait its turn :) I will occupy the secondary VAC supply hex next turn and push up north as best I can with 27th ID and all the support I can spare. In the meantime, 2nd and 4th Marine will keep hitting the clustered enemy. The japanese have one more 10 points per turn hex, and already I am leading by 200 points with the engine predicting a 1 point axis lead by the end of the game if nothing changes. I plan to make sure many things change :) 5 more days to go.


Image
Attachments
turn12end.jpg
turn12end.jpg (44.98 KiB) Viewed 848 times
User avatar
iaidoka2
Posts: 126
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:40 pm
Location: Victoria, Australia

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by iaidoka2 »

What about the units in the OMA? You still have time to make a landing on the East coast around Hashigoru.
Wilhammer
Posts: 401
Joined: Fri May 24, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: Out in the Sticks of Rockingham County, North Caro
Contact:

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by Wilhammer »

Looks like he decided to just bring them to the current beachhead.

This might work better; the Japs are all in the front line being subjected to a meat grinder - in two turns he will have almost no opposition.
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 13 - With the japanese all clustered up, I quickly finish off the IJN supply base and attempt to encircle them. I close their little gap with interdiction and make a few attacks to try and weaken them. I am hopeful of eliminating them all.

Image
Attachments
turn13end.jpg
turn13end.jpg (44.24 KiB) Viewed 848 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 14 - Sending a couple of units up north to seize an objective, I continue to try and envelope the enemy as best I can. Unfortunately for me, they are quite clustered and hard to hit, but I guess at this point I haven't got much to lose, so pound on it is.

Image
Attachments
turn14end.jpg
turn14end.jpg (48.77 KiB) Viewed 848 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 15 - The envelopement continues, and so does the pounding. My units on the east spot a trio of artillery units in a fortification, but can't do much about it today.

Image
Attachments
turn15end.jpg
turn15end.jpg (51.8 KiB) Viewed 848 times
THG
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:06 pm

RE: Saipan AAR

Post by THG »

Turn 16 - With one day left, I concentrate on hurting them as much as I can (which isn't much). My units on the east reduce the fortification sheltering the arty trio but run out of steam to hit them.

Image
Attachments
turn16end.jpg
turn16end.jpg (48.38 KiB) Viewed 848 times
Post Reply

Return to “After Action Reports”