RHSRAO--Allied perspective

[eloso]

El Cid was looking for some human opponents to test his RHS scenarios. I volunteered to assist him in this endeavor. The purpose of this exercise is to expose problems in the database and test the playability of the scenario. The alternative history scenarios aren’t my cup of tea so I chose to play RAO (Russians Active Option). This scenario is based upon the standard CHS scenario with the exception that the Soviets are active on 7 DEC 41.

Settings:

Jap sub doctrine = Off
Allied sub doctrine = On
1st Turn Surprise = On
Advanced Weather = On
Fog of War = On
Allied Damage Control = On
PDU = On



We haggled for a few days over house rules and this is what we agreed upon:

1. We’ll be using the suggested RHS rules regarding the off-map shipping tracks. We’ve agreed that CS ships may be used in the Madagascar map area.
2. Political points must be paid by either side to operate outside of their command (i.e., Manchuko->China, India command may operate in the Burma/India/Malaya area but must be changed to operate elsewhere).
3. Japan and Russia are at peace on turn 1. Either side may declare war at any time after turn 1. Recon flights are permitted during peace time. While we are at peace in this theater I have agreed to notify el cid of any Soviet naval operations to help prevent an accidental cause for war.
4. If a real commander wouldn’t do it, then don’t do it.
5. No first turn restrictions for either side.
6. All rd factories on both sides are set to “No” for repair. The player must check at the start of each month to see which ones can be turned on.
7. The allied trick of changing the command of a West Coast unit in San Francisco to SE Asia or China command in order to have them appear in the new command 60 days later is forbidden. The implementation of the shipping tracks enables the Allies to transport men and materials where they won’t be interdicted.
8. We’re starting the game with the pwhex.dat file that allows ships to enter and exit the river system. We’ve agreed to restrict their usage to small craft.
9. The “Queens” may not use the Panama Canal or enter any of the rivers.
10. Supply sinks (represented by CD units) may never prep for their own base. (I forgot about listing this rule)

Comments:

#4 is sort of a grey area in my interpretation. I’ll have to wait and see how things turn out. I served in the army therefore I lack the knowledge of how a naval officer will make decisions. I was hesitant on #5, however, it ties in with rule #4. El Cid insisted that the Allies had actionable intelligence that war was imminent to allow me complete freedom for my first move. I made an honest attempt to put myself in the shoes of each individual commander and made decisions in each theater based upon this.


Important Notes:

US CVs do not respawn. US & Australian cruisers don't respawn either.

This is an Allied AAR where strategy may be discussed. I'm currently awaiting the results of the first turn. I will post some screen shots and some minor strategy discussion soon regarding the orders I plotted for the day.

[eloso]

North Pacific



I've only done a couple of things here. I ordered the tanker at Dutch Harbor back to Kodiak to unload there. There is a supply sink in Fairbanks which can be a problem because it sucks supplies out of Anchorage. I decided to turn off repair for all facilities in this theater except at Bethel. It isn't connected via rail to the supply sink and won't upgrade for a long time anyways. I fear trying to repair the other resource centers too early could lead to an economic disaster in this sector.

I'm considering emptying Nome of its supplies and fuel. It is way out of the way and would be hard to defend. As soon as I have units available I'd like to secure Umnak Island for a major airbase in the theater. I might be able to force a nice attrition campaign if cid goes for the outlying Aleutians.

[eloso]

CONUS



I turned off most repairs in the USA. I've left the ones with more than a 1000 disabled units on to repair. I've also left disabled (non-rd) aircraft factories on. If a base generates auto supply I've left one or two other factory items on for repair. The goal here is to moderately increase industrial output without burning up the supplies on hand.

Merchant marine missions include sending some tankers to San Diego to pick up oil to distribute to bases in the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco. I've ordered all subs fit for duty to rebase to Oahu.

[eloso]

CENTPAC



This area required more thought than the previous two listed. The Enterprise starts out with a marine detachment of Vindicator dive bombers aboard. I decided to fly these to Midway in case an invasion is tried there. I'm not sure where the KB will go, however, cid indicated that he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to strike Pearl. We'll see if that was mis-information or not.

I ordered both CV TF groups ahead flank on a due west course. I want to see if he goes for Pearl or not before deciding whether to turn them North or South. My intention here is to get close enough to Wake Island to pick up the Wildcats. I should also have the option to retrieve the Vindicators from Midway.

The Wildcats on Wake have been ordered for naval attack.

In the Hawaiian Islands I decided to disperse the aircraft to outlying bases in order to conserve losses in the event of a strike on Pearl. I debated long and hard on what to do with the aging battleship fleet but in the end decided to leave them in port. In my testing it seems the Allies are short changed a movement phase for naval task forces on turn one. I don't think the slow battleships could get a good lead on the KB when trying to run away. The other benefit is they will soak up a lot of the attacks instead of getting the other ships at Pearl toasted. I did order a ASW TF consisting of the Bagley class destroyers to head for the West Coast at flank speed. We intend to rendezvous with CV; either the Saratoga or the Yorktown. Subs ready for duty were deployed and a minelaying TF consisting of the DMs are headed to the Christmas Islands.

At Johnston a surface TF starts heading to Pearl. I ordered them to guard Johnston instead.

Catalinas were flown to Johnston, the Christmas Islands, & Canton Island.

[eloso]

Soviet Union



Not much was done here this turn. I did order some divisions to move around for a better initial defense. I also made sure no aircraft were set to attack.

I like the idea of having the Soviets active but not a war yet. I hope it acts as a fleet in being and keeps the Japanese player honest. I'm going to rely on recon to determine whether or not an attack is advantageous. Other serious considerations include moving the sub fleet to a more northern base away from Japanese bombers.

[eloso]

Malaya



I've dispersed my aircraft here. Plans are to conduct a fighting withdrawal with a redoubt in Singapore. I'm going to attempt to hold out as long as possible in the rail hex just north of Johore Bahru. I discovered a bug here in the Vildebeeste air groups. I think they've been fixed for future games but we're playing on as it is. Their loadout configuration was borked due to a device error. I'm going to use them as recon aircraft - something I'll need in India until I can upgrade them to a different plane. The group of Swordfish have been rebased to Kuching.

Force Z was ordered to Batavia along with all other major surface ships. I had the Australian AMC ships escort some tankers to Soerabaja where they will conduct resource extraction ops.

Dutch East Indies

I dispersed aircraft here. I tried to position search planes all over to provide as much information as possible. Resource extraction operations were begun in all major bases. Tankers have been ordered to their various outposts to load oil and bring it back to Soerabaja. The larger capacity tankers will then take the oil to Oz.

Australia, New Zealand, & The Solomons

Shipping is in the process of relocation to be used for resource gathering. There are numerous bases near Darwin that have fuel and supplies. Orders were issued to pick them up and stock pile them at Darwin. A few task forces are being organized to assist in shipping between Durban and Capetown. Not much is defending the Solomons. I'm going to lack the political points early on to do much about it.

[John 3rd]

Oso,
 
Had you agreed for these ahistorical movements?  You might want to make sure this is OK to your Japanese opponent.
 
I played this Mod with NY Giants a while back and we got a few months in before we got tapped for some Beta Testing.  I enjoyed the premise of this scenario (as a Japanese player) but I hated that it was being constantly tweeked and modified!
 
Good luck and I'll be reading...
John
 

[eloso]

Philippine Islands



Aircraft were dispersed here. Salmon class subs were ordered to lay mines along the coast of Samar and around Mindanao. S boats and Perch class subs have been ordered to form the picket line along the northern coast. Most ships that were fit to sail have been ordered to leave. Some have been ordered to link up at Cebu. I plan to use my political points there to free the division. I'm undecided where to put it but am leaning towards Mindanao.

The armored units at Clark and a division have been ordered to guard the flank at Legaspi. The division is coming from Manilla. I ordered the infantry at Bataan to move towards Lingayen. The base force in the north has been ordered to retreat back to Manilla.

If all goes well on turn 2 I will be able to form a nice surface TF with the Houston and the Boise. If I have solid intel on the mini-KB's position I will use this TF aggressively at either Western Luzon or Legaspi. If it is too risky I will fall back to the DEI and use it to ambush.

[eloso]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Oso,

Had you agreed for these ahistorical movements? You might want to make sure this is OK to your Japanese opponent.

El Cid is my opponent. I originally suggested a much more conservative approach with traditional allied movements on turn one.

He insisted that I was able to move everything. Personally, I don't think it is that much of an advantage. Most of my task forces will move only 1-3 hexes. On the other hand he could easily exploit the first turn move. If he does do this he's doing a disservice to this scenario and violating the spirit of his own house rule, "If a real commander wouldn't do it, then don't do it."

According to him the British had good intel on Japanese intentions and had a briefing with Admiral Hart a few days before. Allowing me to move on turn one is supposed to simulate a "what if" the allies had prepared better.

[eloso]

India & Burma



I moved the smaller AVG to Rangoon temporarily. I'm loading resources nearby and need some CAP for protection. In India preparations are being made to build up Hyderbad and Dacca. I'm moving supplies up near Imphal/Kohima with the river barges. The Dakotas will be moved up there as soon as there is a decent stockpile to move supplies to Chengtu.

I plan to evacuate the HQ units on Columbo and move them to the continent at Hyderbad. It will be a few days before the transports arrive. India command is redeploying to Dacca.

[eloso]

China



China in RHS is immensely different than in CHS. China has been given a shot in the arm. Intel indicates that all nearby air bases are full of Japanese aircraft. I suspect the focus of the war will be in this theater. My goal here is to turn it into a fight tooth and nail for every inch of ground.

I'm going to attempt to encircle the Ichang-Hanyang-Hankow-Wuhan urban area. It should be bloody. Aircraft have been dispersed here. There are some transports at Hong Kong. I moved them to Chungking and upgraded them to Dakotas. They will be assigned to assist the Dakotas in India in resupply missions.

Guerilla units that aren't already static have been ordered to disrupt supply lines in the rear areas.

Now all I have to wait for is the results of turn one.

[FeurerKrieg]

Hi OSO!

Nice AAR - maybe you can beat Cid at his own game.

Best of luck!

[eloso]

SITREP 08 DEC 41

I'm going to refrain from posting combat reports most of the time. The first turn was pretty typical even with the liberty of moving. I made a couple of critical errors that cost me but all in all it wasn't too bad.



The KB is parked 180 miles due west of Lihu. His morning orders were set for naval attack. This indicates that he was carrier hunting. There was no rule against this and I got lucky because he hasn't spotted either of my CV TFs. He did an afternoon attack on Pearl Harbor. Instead of slaughtering my aircraft on the ground he shot them down in the air. [;)]

I've ordered both CV TFs to move at flank speed to rendezvous north of Midway Island. I hope to be able to circle around and get back to Pearl but will move them towards Alaska or the West Coast if need be.

My DM Minelaying TF that set out for Johnston Island was spotted instead. Unfortunately there aren't any survivors. This is mistake one. I should have left them in port.

Port, Airfield, & Runway damage is light at Pearl. Flood & Fire damage is light on the targets hit.



There could be another raid tomorrow but I think my opponent would rather go after my CVs. They don't respawn and if he can cripple me right away that would be a big plus.

[eloso]

SITREP 08 DEC 41 [cont]

Here is the Intel report:



Aircraft losses for the day:



Allied ships sunk for the day:



Here you can see that the rendezvous point for the Boise, Houston, and some destroyers wasn't a good idea. I have never lost the Boise on day one and she will be sorely missed in this game.

The most noteworthy thing I have noticed is that all of his subs are parked in my ports. At least I know where they are.

In addition he has moved some units into Wuhan. Mine should arrive tomorrow. His first attack failed to kick me out.

Landings have occurred at the most usual places. Lae was hit on turn one and he tried a paradrop onto Caygan (spelling?) that had me nervous. The base force held and I've decided to re-assing the B-17 groups that are stationed there to SOPAC command.

I won't be able to update the AAR for a few days due to work commitments.

EDIT:

We're scheduled to receive the ML - Bungaree at Sydney tomorrow.

[eloso]

SITREP 09 DEC 41

Japanese sub skippers must have had too much saki in celebration of their assault on the allies. I-162 missed a shot on CL Java off the coast of Tobali. I-153 hid in the shallows avoiding contact with DD Express & Electra near Batavia. I-165 fired a dud at DD Piet Hein near Soerabaja. Near Balikpapan I-166 ate 5 DC for lunch from an American DD TF.

These events pale in comparison to the lack of coordination today from the KB. Another strike was launched at Pearl Harbor but the escorts must have gotten lost.



Day Air attack on Pearl Harbor [Oahu] , at 114,72

Japanese aircraft
D3A2 Val x 92
B5M/B5N Kate x 96

Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 3
P-36A Mohawk x 5
P-40B Tomahawk x 25

Japanese aircraft losses
D3A2 Val: 35 destroyed, 14 damaged
B5M/B5N Kate: 29 destroyed, 13 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-36A Mohawk: 2 destroyed
P-40B Tomahawk: 5 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 1 destroyed
B-18A/B-23/F-2 Bolo: 1 destroyed
B-17D Fortress: 1 destroyed
OS2U-3 Kingfisher: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
BB Maryland, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AV Curtiss, Bomb hits 1
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
BB Tennessee, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
CA New Orleans, Bomb hits 1
BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 2, heavy damage
CL Phoenix, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage


Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported

Airbase hits 8
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 45
Port hits 1
Port supply hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x D3A2 Val bombing at 2000 feet
4 x B5M/B5N Kate bombing at 6000 feet
9 x D3A2 Val bombing at 2000 feet
12 x B5M/B5N Kate bombing at 6000 feet
18 x D3A2 Val bombing at 2000 feet
19 x B5M/B5N Kate bombing at 6000 feet
15 x D3A2 Val bombing at 2000 feet
20 x B5M/B5N Kate launching torpedoes at 200 feet

Unfortunately there were too many planes for our boys to shoot them all down. We took our lumps but the airfield will still be open tomorrow. To make matters worse for my opponent I was able to launch a counter strike this turn.



6 Bolos & 3 Flying Fortresses escorted by 18 Warhawks & 2 Wildcats were able to penetrate the CAP of the KB scoring a hit on both the Shokaku & the Zuikaku.

Bolos:



B-17Ds:



Both hits were scored from 250lb bombs. The replay didn't indicate any explosions or fire. I'm not sure whether or not the damage is severe enough to sink these girls--they are a long way from a friendly port.

The KB has lost over 1/3 of it's strike power. The opportunity to inflict more damage on this fleet is tempting. Both of my CV TFs are within 180 miles of Midway. One of his submarines spotted a Dauntless this turn and I'm positive that my opponent is aware of their general location.

el cid indicated in the email he sent me that he didn't think one of them would make it back and has ordered the fleet to retire. I think he may be trying to bait me. I am aware that he can still launch a decent strike package that would most likely kill one or both of my CVs.

What I would like to know:

How much damage can one expect on a carrier from one of these 250lb bombs?

Is hunting the KB this early in the game a wise move?

(He can still launch over 100 Zekes and roughly 90 Vals & 90 Kates).

I have more information to post about this turn but it will have to wait until tomorrow evening. I'm open to ideas and suggestions

[FeurerKrieg]

Nice break.

As to the damage from a 250lb bomb, unless there was fuel or magazine explosion, I would be surprised if the damage is even high enough to stop flight ops. I haven't had my carriers get hit a lot, but I took a couple 500lb bombs before and only had around 40 sys damage, and maybe 10-15 float. Some fire though.

But - his striking power is hurting, I guess the question is do you feel lucky with your carriers. I would expect you would lose some or all, but you may well cripple the KB this early, and that would be really nice. Not sure if respawn is on or off in this mod, but that might be something to consider also.

Good luck!

[eloso]

ORIGINAL: Feurer Krieg

Nice break.

As to the damage from a 250lb bomb, unless there was fuel or magazine explosion, I would be surprised if the damage is even high enough to stop flight ops. I haven't had my carriers get hit a lot, but I took a couple 500lb bombs before and only had around 40 sys damage, and maybe 10-15 float. Some fire though.

But - his striking power is hurting, I guess the question is do you feel lucky with your carriers. I would expect you would lose some or all, but you may well cripple the KB this early, and that would be really nice. Not sure if respawn is on or off in this mod, but that might be something to consider also.

Good luck!

Thanks for the input. There is no respawn in the mod. If there was I wouldn't be so hesitant to commit the forces. I have some other options available that aren't so costly in the event of failure. I will exercise caution over the next day or two and see how things develop.

[eloso]

Turn Summary for 08 DEC



First time I've ever seen Allied A2A kills that high on the second day. Even though they weren't fighters I'm still pleased to kill crack IJN pilots this early.

Aircraft Losses



It looks like I'll be hurting for P-40s real soon.

Leading Pilots



We have our first ace of the war.

Can anyone tell me how a pilot achieves kills without flying a mission? I have several here.

[eloso]

Current situation at Pearl Harbor



PacFleet damage is more severe today. It still looks like I'm not in too much danger of having anything sunk in port.

Port Facilities have 2 damage.
Airfield Service has 34 damage.
Airfield Runway has 50 damage.

I'm considering transferring some fighters and a DB squadron to Johnston Island. The KB might move by it in the next day or two. It might be a nice ambush.

Weather forecast is precipitation for this sector tomorrow.

[FeurerKrieg]

ORIGINAL: OSO



Can anyone tell me how a pilot achieves kills without flying a mission? I have several here.

Local defensive CAP doesn't count as a mission.