Feinder(A) v Bilbow(J) CHS - The winds of war are constantly changing

[Cathartes]

You are in a parallel PBEM universe to mine, almost equal in date.  I must see the future!
Thanks for the update, and keep them coming when you can! 

[Feinder]

We just rolled into August '42. Churchill requested the HMS Frobisher (piece o' crap such as she is) be returned to fight the Italians.

Things are already "strongly in motion" for the first counter-offensive(s) - besides Oz. Yay me.

Oz is more bombing of Daly Waters and Katherine. Again, I can't control the air over Darwin, so I'll have to content myself to keeping DW-K cratered (more importantly that they don't build any more forts than they already have).

Burma might see a tide turning, in the pilot attrition. Over a week, I sent several fighter sweeps over Rangoo/Moulmein from my own bases in Burma. What I expected was a 1:1.5 exchange (his favor). What I got was about 2.5:1 excahnge in -my- favor. I'm not going to get excited yet, but it would be nice if this is showing cracks in his pilot experience.

In Centpac, what started off as a "just go over and thump Wake" mission went pretty well. I sent York, Ent, Hornet, and Wasp to torment Wake, and kind of mission with a variety of uses -
1. Give my pilots something to do.
2. Make Wake miserable.
3. Deny it as a useful search (much less attack) outpost.
4. "Recon in force" (I love that term). Test not only his air strength, but also bomb the LCUs to see what's there, and also measure his reaction to incursion.

Frankly, there wasn't much there but a bunch of subs (deployed for patrol, not caught in port). So I danced around wake for a few days bombing Wake and spotting/avoiding the subs with my CVs and Kingfishers. In the meantime, I sent out several ASW TFs (we have a limit of 6x ships each) with an oiler TF. When the DDs were in range, I jumped all my sub spots with ASW TFs, and that proved quite successful. There were 5 confirmed subs sunk, 1 probable, and damaged. Likely 6 subs sunk = not bad for 4 days worth of work. Interesting little combo, I'll have to remember that. Basically, I doubled my number of sub kills.

The fighter sweeps in Burma chased out fighters (from Moul at least), so I decieded send in the heavies, and clobber the resources while he was sans fighters. Worked pretty well. I destroyed about 75/100 resoureces at Moul.

-F-

[bilbow]

OK, we're into September 42, and Feinder will shortly be updating the assembled Forum on his latest, yet another, Wake adventure.

Somewhat, ahhh, different result. [:D]

[BigBadWolf]

Finaly caught up with this. Great reading it was [&o]

[Feinder]

All of you guys toasting my victory at Coral Sea are gonna be real disappointed...

Bilbow just handed me a major throbbing, we still need to play out the next 2 - 3 turns to see what the end result is (and hopefully I can salvage some pieces). 

But those that were thinking this one was "in the bag" back at Coral Sea, will be sharply reminded that on any given day, anything can happen.  And some days, "anything" does happen, and it can be very, very, painful...

I even told him via email that, I don't get all that riled over the game.  But posting to you guys about in the AAR was going to be the most humbling.  But if I can post the battles I win, I can post the battles I lose!

So.

All that blathering said, should sufficiently build up the suspense and make you look forward to when I get this updated when the battle has wound down (probably get somethign up Saturday night or Sunday afternoon).

-F-

[Mistmatz]

Dare I say I'm looking forward to it? [;)]

[bilbow]

ORIGINAL: Mistmatz

Dare I say I'm looking forward to it? [;)]

So am I

[Knavey]

I won't spoil the surprise, but Feinders email chain the other day was something like this:
 
1.  Massive op laid on - here are my plans
2.  Looking good for my op - planning going well
3.  Uh oh - this really sucks
4.  %$^#%$
 
I think that is the basic order of emails I got from him that day.

[BigBadWolf]

ORIGINAL: Knavey

I won't spoil the surprise, but Feinders email chain the other day was something like this:

1. Massive op laid on - here are my plans
2. Looking good for my op - planning going well
3. Uh oh - this really sucks
4. %$^#%$

I think that is the basic order of emails I got from him that day.

[:D]

Almost every plan I made ends up with number 4 [;)]

[Feinder]

Game date is 09-17-42.

I'm doing these screenies from a company laptop w/ no mouse and none of my pre-made images for LCU icons or TFs or anything else fun, so the screenies are gonna be fairly "basic". I'm going to do "Operation (broken) Javelin" in CentPac last, just to do build the tension (and it's going to take me a while to produce the screenshots). I find it greatly ironic that I had named Operation Javelin a while back, and it that it seems/sounds remarkbly like eveyone's favorite book around here "Shattered Sword'. But you'll have to wait for that... [;)]

BURMA -

The fromt lines in Burma have been static for the past few months. Some probing attacks by each side are basically just that. No real action the ground. Burma (for the Allies at least), is strongly entrenched and well held.

The air war is basically just that of (somewhat) attrition. The Tonies have started showing up in numbers, and are certainly a class beyond the Zero. The B-24s will take a pounding from the Tonys if not excorted (no doubt the Tonys have very exp pilots). A group of P-38s has been deployed into SEAC, and should provide better escort for the bombers (and range for sweeps). If I had to make a call, the air losses are about 3:2 in his favor. I've seen his training squadrons (over in the Philipines) quadruple, that must be a good thing (for me). Still, I'd have to call it a stalemate.

Not much to report at sea. You can see I've occupied Ramaree island. Just gonna build it up and like the other bases in Burma, will need it to whittle him down. He intercpeted a small convoy unloading there, sank a few transports with supplies, and one of our mines sank one of his DDs. Nothing all that remarkable, except that it a "something intesting" beyond the air-exchanges that we've seein in Burma these last months.

[Feinder]

CHINA

(Bilbow I trust to your discretion not to "dwell" on these screenies, as it shows recent locations of troops, but I can't really edit them out on this laptop).

After the failed IJA offensive at Homan (in about July), Japan has repositioned her Armies and is trying an offensive in the SouthWest of China. Several armored regiments have pushed from French-InchoChina in the west, and several infantry divisions are also attacking from the South out of Canton. I had a few weeks notice (thanks to Sigint), but it does take a while to move guys around (esp in China).

I've deployed the RDAF into China to help with close air support (I'm quite fortunate that all of my Dutch pilots just happened to go to school in the Dutch enclave of Shanghai before the war - so there are no language barriers). The RDAF is certainly "unremarkable", but they should should suffice as a stop-gap until I can get some RAF squadrons involved.

With the Burma Road still open, and a good air-lift already in place, most of my cities are well fortified. That doesn't STOP japan (all those nasty combat engineer regiments she has), but hopefully, along with close air-support and some troop maneuvering of my own, I'll be able to contain this latest offensive.

-F-

[Feinder]

OZ -

I think it's in a prior update, but I had sent about 5 Inf Divs + about 6 Arm Btns vs. Daly Waters. The initial attack was shy of 1:1 by about 15 points (with 2500+ AV). But a 0:1 attack really disrupts your division, plus the long supply chain, I decided to return to Tennet.

My B-25s can keep Daly Waters and Katherine "suppressed". I tried sending 9x Sqdns of B-24s vs. Darwin (our house rules are 9x sqdns from AF(8). But after about a month of bombing (and some success) the losses for me were "prohibative". Overall, I just couldn't keep up the pressure on Darwin. So there's not much I can do against Darwin. I've redeployed my B-24s elsewhere, since why use the sledge when I can use a regular hammer (and deploy the sledge elsewhere).

I'm still kind of "shrug" about North Oz. Frankly, the only thing it's really doing is,
a. Obviously no B-24s vs. Kendari or other strategic targets in southern SRA (few as they may be).
b. It'll be a long trip for my subs to get into SRA. Frankly right now, most of my subs are in for repairs - zooming about SRA evac'ing everyone I could racked up an -average- of about 40 sys on about 80% of sub force (some are even over 50). As I've just now completed evacing every tid-bit, my subs will be in the yards for a while (about which time, their torps will start working, so it works out).

I did open up the base at Exmouth (a CHS-only base on the NW tip of Oz). It'll be useful once I get it built up to put pressure on Derby and Broome, and also act a fuel/supply staion for my subs into SRA. He intercepted a convoy unloading with some CLs and escorts. Again, nothing major in the great scheme/scale of the war. But it was a fun shooting match. Naturally the IJN CLs had the upper-hand, but the bright spot was that I had included an AMC freighter in with mix of usual light escorts (I didn't even realize it was with the group). The AMC sank a DD, and damaged another. And my escorts sank a sub who tried following us back to Perth. I think I lost 4 freighters. Again, nothgin major, but was a cool diversion for both us us beyond the (almost) daily bombing of Daly Waters and Katherine.

-F-

[Feinder]

SWPac

Pretty quiet here.  You can see Japan owns New Guinea and the Solomons.  Basically, I've been building up my bases in preparation for counter-offensive (under shelter of 4e LBA).  Given the ranges onvolved, and that my bases are just now coming online for 4e bombers (and no fighters with suffient range for me), I've been building and he's been digging (I'm sure).  His bombers from Buna/Lae hit a convoy unloading at Portland Roads.  They put a fish in a frieghter (should make it), and I think the RAAF Kittyhawks downed 6 Bettys. 

Again, (mostly) quiet. Our house rules for 4e bombers are (squadrons per base size):
AF-4 = 1 sqdn
AF-5 = 2 sqdn
AF-6 = 3 sqdn
AF-7 = 6 sqdn
AF-8 = 9 sqdn
AF-9 = no limit

No limit on 2e bombers (so lots of potential betties in New Guinea, just as I have about 300 B-25s at Tennet Creek in Oz).

But in order to not commit suicide in an invasion vs. New Guinea, I've got to build up the Oz NE coast, to base 4e, to suppress New Guinea when my invasion TFs go in.  So I've been building, and he's been digging. 

I remember somebody asking me before "what do you do with the A-29s in CHS?"  The A-29 by the way (for those only familiar with stock), is a "corrected" version of the Hudson (vs Stock).  It's got a range of 15, but has a light bomb-load of 4x 250#ers and is pretty flimsy (it tends to get chewed by fighters, escorted or not).  I've been using the A-29s as Recons.  Altho CHS does provide for the Allies in Recons far better than stock, I think it's woefully defient still (only about 4 US squadrons in 09-42, and very few replacemnt AC).  So the A-29s have been pressed into this mission, and I'm satified with the results.  From Luganville, they can "see" as far as Munda, and I can keep track of what goes on in New Guinea as well (just kind of watching the build up at this point).

-F-

[Feinder]

SoPac

I've been building, and he's been digging (and building as well). You can see I own Ellis Islands, Baker, and Canton, and he of course owns the Gilberts. Apanama shows empty, but I think that's just because I've reconned it lately, I'm sure he's got guys there and lots of mines. The last few months (in all theaters) have been basically building and prepping for the Fall-Winter offensives (prep-points). SoPac is no exception. He likes to mine Baker Island, and I go in a sweep it every week or so. The USS Dolphin did intercept the Ikitsu-something last week, and sank her. Again, drops in the bucket in the war during what I call "the summer doldrums".

-F-

[Feinder]

CentPac and "Operation Javelin" (part 1 of 3)

Every other week or so, I would send my USN CVs (Sara, York, Ent, Hornet, and Wasp), out to raid Wake. Dance around, bomb the place, and generally shut it down as a usable patrol station for Japan. I would occasionally bring along a SC TF to shoot the place up. I discovered that SBDs did fine work spotting the IJN subs who continually lurked trying for a lucky shot at one of my CVs or capital ships.

So I added an additional element of bringing in several ASW TFs. I had to station a replentishment TF to keep the DDs in the fray. The CVs dance around Wake, and while they pound the island, the CVs would spot IJN subs, which I then routed my ASW groups to go stomp on. Frankly, the system worked spectacuarly well. During the 4(?) sorties over a space of about 8 weeks, I ended up sinking 9 IJN subs I think. During Japan's surprise attack on Manila, 13 USN subs were lost - so sinking 9 enemy subs at Wake proved to be a gold-mine worth pursing until it was dry.

-F-

[Feinder]

Which leads us to "Operation Javelin".

Killing subs had become both dull and scarce. On previous visits, I had noted a distict -lack- of Nell patrols over-head, even when I "tested" the range 10 of Zero escorts (seeing if they'd launch 2e+Zeros at range 10).

I decided to pay a little visit to Kwaj. Actually a bit of planning went into Operation Javelin, as it was the precursor the invasion of Wake. The plan was basically the same as usual, except to step up a few factors. I had to move sufficient fuel to Midway and Johnston, so that my TFs would start off topped off. The bombardment TF was increased from 4x BBs to 10x BBs (the slow ones). I also deployed extra ASW TFs to kee the area clear once the transports were in the area. I also planned to a surprise visit to Kwaj with my CVs (all 5 this time). I couldn't get any solid intel on what was -at- Kwaj, but I figured it was probably a behive of of support ships at least. Extra BBs + extra ASW + extra CV + extra mission (Kwaj) means -LOTS- of extra gas, so the replentishment TF was tripled. I'll also note that I was getting lazy, and put all my CVs in the same TF instead of putting each one in a separate TF with escorts (more "unnecessary" fuel consumption).

Everything went quite well.

(Day 1-2) = 2 days of strikes on Wake pummeled the field. The ASW TFs sank a sub.

(Day 3-4) = The CVs sprinted south to Kwaj, and pummeled a convoy which happened to be uloading. About 10 transports and 6 escorts were sunk.

(Day 5-6) = That worked so well, I detached 2x SC groups of BB+CL and 2xCL to shoot up anthing at sea, and then set my CV AC to port attack. That also proved fruitful: the SC TFs sank maybe 3 more transports and bunch of barges (there's somethign very satifying about seeing "16-insh shell hit AG-1234, belt armor penetration, internal explosion, AG-1234 sinks). And the CVs hit 4 more transports disbanded at Kwaj. The only "ick" was the squadron of Tonies that showed up, and did a fair job of working over my squadrons. Probably about 15% casualties on my airgroups (which is quite impressive by the Tonies, considering they were up against 5x CVs).

There was a group of ship spttings in the souther Marshalls, I thougt this might have been some capital ships that were trying to draw me into his more concentrated LBA in the south. But after 6 days of bombing, my CAGs -15%, and surprisingly short on gas (Sara at 3k) - I decided to call it a night, and head north to rendesvous with the oilers and SC groups.

I fired off an email to Knavy "Well this fun... (blah blah blah)" congratulating myself on another successful forray.

But little did I know, the IJN had decided that Operation Javelin -wasn't- over. But you have to wait until tomorrow night for that installment.. [:D]

And I have turns to do!
-F-

[Mistmatz]

Thanks for the detailed update and kinda thanks for the tension... [:'(][;)]

[Yava]

I finally managed to catch up with this one [:)]

[Feinder]

Battle of Wake Island -

(oops sorry, I uploaded the blank map, fixing now...)

Bilbow's timing couldn't have been better (or worse, from my perspective).

KB pounced SE of Wake, just as, and just before my TFs were converging.

My CVs -DID- initially launch vs. KB. But 6 days of constant strikes (fatigue), sans 15% (losses), and all my CVs fuel in the red (hadn't refueled yet), I didn't even scratch the paint. Nope. Not a single hit. No whining. That's what happens when you've been bombing for 6 days and the expected to fight a CV duel. There isn't much to say, except we put a lot holes in the water.

Then KB struk. And struk. And struk. On day 1 and 2, Sara and Wasp went down the first day. York and Hornet were in very, very, bad shape. Enterprise got hit by 2x torps with closed flight deck, but could still make 20 kts and bugged out east leaving all dignity in favor of survival. Hornet then sank on her own, and York (clawing away at 2kts was quickly dispatched). The bombardment group was also hit, several BBs damaged, and the New Mexico was added to the IJN trophy collection.

On day 3 and 4, KB pursued eastward. I also forgotten the mention the replen CVE Nassau was in the area (to train up that first crop of 40exp pilots, I've never understood why they start so bad). She tried to run, but at when 15kts is your best speed, it doesn't bode well. God rest her soul, she actually launched vs. KB (it wasn't pretty), and then was promptly vaporized. It's fortunate that most of my BBs made it of the killing zone by day 3/4, but the replentishment TF (now mostly scattered) was hit, and 8 oilers were sunk.

Ouch.

USN losses
4x CV
1x CVE
1x BB
8x AO

IJN losses
None.
Zip.
Nada.
Nil.



Ouch, talk about getting spanked. That hurt.

Now you know why I'm going to call it "Operation (broken) Javelin".

Needless to say, the Wake invasion will be postponed for a few months. [:D]

While yes, there was a lot of, "Oh holy mother of sh_t!" when I watched that - it certainly proves that any team can be beaten on any given day (now somebody just needs to hand New England a loss). Many of you (I won't lie, to a degree myself included) had called this game "in the bag". Obviously it's not.

But frankly, I find it a whole lot more interesting now. Prior to this debacle, I'd have claimed a power projection of 70-30 my favor. Now I'd say it's 40-60 (his favor). Not in vicotry points, but in "power projection". The combination of LBA strenght (altbeit from static bases) combined with the ability (and risk) of throwing your CVs around as a mobile threat.

I still have the RN CVs, and the (wounded) Enterprise + two or three of the toy CVEs. They certainly can't stand vs. KB right now, but over the next few months, I start getting several more of the CVEs, which will bring back (close to) pairity in a few months. I've also got a very fearsome LBA threat the throw around, the key is bases close enought to bring it within range. I'm "very satisfied" with my the defenese of my own bases. So while I'd say Bilbow does have a window of "offensive opportunity" if he choses to go after something, he's going to pay the price.

I'm still trying to figure out "what would I do if I were Bilbow", but I haven't decided yet. I'm not the sort to just bag-up and say "you sank my CVs! I'll just have to wait until '44. Boo-hoo." Nope. This game is very obviously still on, and I've begun to implement a "somewhat revised" strategy for the next 6 months.

I may editorialize a bit more later, but I did promise the update by midnight, so here tis.

My hat is off to Bilbow. That was exceptionally well played. He's obviously still very much in it, as this game continues to take some interesting (if painful [;)]) turns.

Game on!
-F-

[bilbow]

A few notes to add. First, a very good and complete description of the battle.

I was late arriving in the area as Kaga was on the return from Japan after getting her much needed AA upgrade, and I decided to wait the extra 4 days to join up, since I'm already down in carrier strength. So I am closing on Wake while Feinder is hassling Kwaj. What he thought were my carriers sough of Kwaj were in fact a group of AKs beating feet away from danger.

My goal was to initally savage his replen TF, expecting that several days of ops would leave him very low on fuel, leaving him out of gas a long way from home. Perhaps a free shot at his BB group, also. I expected his CVs would return to Wake, but I would be gone by then. I wasn't intending to risk my carriers at this point. He surprised me with a speed run north, arriving back 2 days early.

He reacts, and launches, initially a WTF moment. Fortunately his strikes were weak and uncoordinated, and my CAP was able to deal with most of the attackers, while my counterstrike was far more powerful, with the results he describes.

This is an example of why WITP is really a brilliant design. Carrier battles are usually not planned, and there is no more exciting gaming of any kind than the unanticipated CV encounter. My wife thought I was nuts as I whooped everytime a torpedo hit. Maybe she is right.

So now I have a few months window of opportunity. What to do.....