The Sun in My Eyes Mk IV, EOS from the Allied Perspective

[Mistmatz]

ORIGINAL: Historiker

ORIGINAL: goodboyladdie

I got screwed by the game! I was supposed to get 4 squadrons of Hurricane IIs at Durban this turn and I got Buffs. The Buffs did not come out of the pool and these units turned up with Hurricanes in real life. WTF is going on? I have stopped my plans to convert the Aussie squadrons at Singers to the Hurricane as I would like enough to make sure the next units due arrive with the right plane.

Looking ahead, my Brit fighter replacement rates are abysmal. I get 26 Hurricane IIbs a month (I can't find factories for the later marks, so I am presuming the factory upgrades?) and will only get 18 Spitfire Vbs a month. Does anybody know if these figures improve at some point? As if this mod was not JFB enough....

Seems to be the same as in CHS, where you get Lysanders insted of Hurries if there aren't enough in pool. If there are, they are not used to equip the squads, which makes it even more unlogical...

[goodboyladdie]

ORIGINAL: Mistmatz

ORIGINAL: Historiker

ORIGINAL: goodboyladdie

I got screwed by the game! I was supposed to get 4 squadrons of Hurricane IIs at Durban this turn and I got Buffs. The Buffs did not come out of the pool and these units turned up with Hurricanes in real life. WTF is going on? I have stopped my plans to convert the Aussie squadrons at Singers to the Hurricane as I would like enough to make sure the next units due arrive with the right plane.

Looking ahead, my Brit fighter replacement rates are abysmal. I get 26 Hurricane IIbs a month (I can't find factories for the later marks, so I am presuming the factory upgrades?) and will only get 18 Spitfire Vbs a month. Does anybody know if these figures improve at some point? As if this mod was not JFB enough....

Seems to be the same as in CHS, where you get Lysanders insted of Hurries if there aren't enough in pool. If there are, they are not used to equip the squads, which makes it even more unlogical...

I believe this is a game thing not dependant on the mod. Probably the few hurricanes in the pool were used for upgrading the indian squads so your pool dropped below the required 16 or so and then all came with the Buffalos.
To compensate your loss Mr. Churchill will ask you for the royal carriers over the next few months. [:'(][;)]

These planes arrived before 16 planes could be produced from the tiny on map factory. The Buffs did not come out of the pool, so it seems screwey that they were magicked out of thin air when they were no longer being built, but Britain is full of brand new Hurricanes. I really needed those Hurricanes and I should have got them. Do you guys have any idea if the factories increase in size or upgrade when a newer model is available?

Edit: I get so many pps in this mod that Mr Churchill can kiss his fat arse for any of my precious CVs.

[Historiker]

The Lysanders aren't taken from the pool, either!

[goodboyladdie]

ORIGINAL: Historiker

The Lysanders aren't taken from the pool, either!

I suppose I should be grateful then? [&:]

[Mistmatz]

ORIGINAL: Historiker

The Lysanders aren't taken from the pool, either!

I believe every air group that enters the map checks the pool first if there are enough planes the group enters with its designated plane without using it from the pool. If there aren't enough an earlier model is used with sufficient planes or if nothing suffices the group doesn't enter until pool is filled.

So maybe keeping all pools below requirement would be a solution to control the Hurricanes entering the map in december. But at least in CVO there are more than 100 british planes in the pool that are hard to waste and actually I wouldn't want to waste them.

Factories AFAIK change in size over time but I have no idea where to check when and how they change. Maybe you should check with el cid in this regard.

[goodboyladdie]

Thanks for the input. Sid has answered my query. I shall just have to try to survive long enough to get all my cool stuff in 1943. The factories will upgrade and apparently some other obsolete factories may also become Hurricane factories. Not quick enough I'll wager! I fiddled with the scenario using EditorX to see if I could unlock when it all happens but could not figure it out.

[goodboyladdie]

24/12/41

A patrolling PBY hit I-173 off Hawaii. A B-18 hit I-3 and a B-26 hit I-4 in the same hex NW of San Francisco. ASW assets are being deployed after these 2 subs and another off Victoria.

A combined raid of B-17s, B-18s and SBDs hit AK Toho Maru with 1 bomb off Kona, leaving her on fire. An A-20 from Palmyra was shot down in a later unsuccessful attack on the same destination. Then a big combined raid hit PH. 64 Zekes, 6 Petes, 91 Vals, 143 Kates and 17 Nells attacked the port and the airfields. The CAP of 4 F4F-3s, 4 P-36As and 10 P-40Bs did ok against such large odds. Japanese losses totalled 1 Zeke, 1 Pete, 21 Vals (20 damaged), 13 Kates (14 damaged) and a Nell. Total US losses were 4 F4F-3s, 4 P-36As, 9 P-40Bs, 3 B-18s, 1 C-47 and a PBY. AF hits were 20 airbase, 2 supply and 64 runway. The remaining BBs took the following:
Tennessee 5 bombs, 3 torps;
West Virginia 12 bombs;
Nevada 7 bombs, 4 torps (Sank);
Maryland 10 bombs, 1 torp;
Oklahoma 5 bombs, 2 torps.
DD Shaw took a bomb too.

Port damage is now 25, Airbase 48 and Runways 39.

Here are the damaged ships...

[goodboyladdie]

There looks to be a convoy heading to Kona and a Division is due according to Sigint, so I have moved S-18 to Kona from Lahaina to beef up the patrol there.

The task force heading SE from Kona last turn has turned SW. It may be an invasion force bound for Palmyra. I have reduced the Palmyra A-20s to range 10, height 9000 ft, so they only target this direct threat and do so with a better chance of success. The squadron of A-20s on Christmas Island will keep range 16, but will attack at 6000 ft. I cannot divert Lexington to assist becaue she is very low on fuel and sorties and it would be very dangerous to go so close to the KB.

41st Infantry Division is loading at San Francisco for Noumea, along with 183rd FA Regiment.

[goodboyladdie]

I-155 sank AK Dos Hermanos with 2 torps and gunfire. North East of Brisbane I-16 was attacked by my ASW forces, but appeared to suffer no real damage from 6 near misses.

Brunei was raided by a large number of Sallys from 25000 ft. There were no hits. 95 Nells hit Tarakan from 22000ft and 14 Bettys hit Balikpapan fro 26000 ft, also causing no damage. I have moved P-40Es to Tarakan and CW-21s to Balikpapan. I had no high altitude fighters to spare for Brunei.

4 bombers were destroyed and others damaged in more raids on 11 Pp Div and 60th Coastal AA at Manila. The AF then took 5 airbase hits and 8 runway hits at a cost of 1 Nell and 2 Bettys. The earlier raids were from 10000 ft and the later raid from 6000 ft, so I think Mike is getting over his fear of Flak!

Vildebeest and SB-2s attacked 3rd Armoured Brigade at Ye in Burma. Ye fell later so Moulmein is next. No 1 Squadron IAF swapped it's Lysanders for ex US Air Force P-43As found crated in a warehouse at Calcutta. Luckily all the manuals and tools and spares were also found.

A large raid of B-17Ds, Blenheims, Hudson and Vildebeest went after a new group of task forces just off Kota Bharu. DD Arare was heavily damaged by 4 bombs and DD Kasumi was left on fire from 2. A later raid by Blenheim IVs and Vildebeest hit AK Hokusho Maru with 2 bombs and AK Hukuyo Maru with 1. SS Trusty put 2 torps into AK Kurohine Maru in the same hex.

2 R Class Battleships arrived at Aden and are proceeding to Colombo. As you can see from the screenie they have almost no AA capability and will not receive any upgrades.

[goodboyladdie]

Over Ichang 10 Nates met 31 SB-2s and 5 P-43s. 2 SB-2s were damaged and 1 Nate destroyed. An Ida fell to flak during a raid on Wuhan. 2 Kates fell to LRCAP over Canton, but then an Army raid of Sonias escorted by Nates arrived. 2 Nates were destroyed and 4 Sonias damaged, but 2 P-35s were damaged and 3 I-153c were shot down. A later deliberate attack drove the Chinese out of Canton. Assault points were 1111 (1236) to 445 (341) and Jap casualties were 1161 to 121. The defeated units are heading to reinforce Wuchow under cover of my P-35s and I-153cs. In the North a static guerilla unit was attacked but held.

The screenie below shows intercept intelligence about Takao. CVE Hosho was there yesterday and appears to be present still. Just in case there are CVLs with the force near Mindanao I have ordered the Dutch CLs and DDs to rendevous at Manado. I am wary because my Cagayan air units did not launch attacks on this convoy.

[ny59giants]

Carl,
Michael likes to sink those BBs at Pearl and has taken extra measures to do so in the past. 
Speaking of Pearl, how is your supply situation there?? 
Do you think you can hold out there or is all of Hawaii going to be eventually taken??
Where are you using your B-17s with AP bomb loads??

[goodboyladdie]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Carl,
Michael likes to sink those BBs at Pearl and has taken extra measures to do so in the past. 
Speaking of Pearl, how is your supply situation there?? 
Do you think you can hold out there or is all of Hawaii going to be eventually taken??
Where are you using your B-17s with AP bomb loads??

Hi Michael

I have about 68000 tons of supply. Whether I can hold out will depend totally on what Mike does. If he really wants it, commits plenty of troops, aircraft and supply AND keeps the KB in the area I will be screwed. If I can keep the AF operational and can get supplies/reinforcements in by the end of January I'll have every chance to hold while he gets more heavily involved in the DEI. My AP B-17s are all in the DEI because it's where they can do most damage and I am likely to lose the SOPAC air route. I am hoping to lay some hurt on him if he comes at me with his CVLs and CVEs only...

[goodboyladdie]

25/12/08

AK Hokuzyu Maru hit a mine at Johnston Island. The Japs suffered 86 casualties and lost 3 guns and a vehicle in the resulting explosion and fires. S-18 was attacked at Kona but was not seriously damaged. Sys damage is 10. CL Tatsuta took a non pentrating bomb hit during an attack on ships off Kona by 5 OS2Us and 4SBDs. B-17s and B-18 then attacked seriously damaging DD Hatsushimo with a bomb. 1 B-18 was damaged and 1 Pete from the CAP was lost. Then PH suffered another huge combined raid. Casualties for both sides were 17 Vals (+14 damaged), 12 Kates (+11 damaged), 1 Nell damaged, 3 F4F-3, 1 P-36A, 5 P40B, 2 B-18, 1 PBY and 2 C-47. The airbase took 1 hit, the runways 50, the port 10 and port supplies 1. Damage is now 29/49/65.

Tennessee 7 bombs;
West Virginia 6 bombs, 2 torps;
Oklahoma 9 bombs, 1 torp (sinks);
Maryland 5 bombs.

SS Cachalot left PH for San Diego.

In an interesting twist a Soviet tanker was torpedoed twice by I-22 South of Dutch Harbor. A protest has been launched and the Soviets are investigating the setting up of safe routes for their ships. Watch this space...

I-3 was attacked by DDs off San Francisco but no serious damage was caused. 2nd BS (B-26A Torpedo planes) and 18th Engineers loaded onto some AKs at SF for Noumea with 2 AVDs as escort. 26th, 38th and 49th Pursuit Squadrons, with P-43As were assigned to SEAC and moved to SF to await shipping. HMS Warspite moved to SF from Seattle now the yards at SF are not going to have a large number of badly damaged BBs to repair. Warspite will be assigned to Pac Flt to allow the build up of a bombardment force. Her damage currently stands at 21 sys.

Here is the latest screenie from Hawaii...

[goodboyladdie]

I had some SigInt that 16th Amphib HQ is planning for Soerabaya. TK Longwood took 3 torps from I-175 off Northern or Balikpapan - I forgot to check! Brunei had a high altitiude Sally visit that did no damage. 92 Nells attacked Tarakan at 22000ft. They scored 5 runway hits, but at the cost of a Nell lost to the P-40E CAP. At this altitude the P-40Es seem to be struggling to cope with the Nells as one was lost. A T-IVA was destroyed on the ground. 1 Betty was damaged by CW-21Bs when 12 attacked Balikpapan, scoring no hits.

SB-2s and Vildebeest hit Jap forces at Ye and AK Asakasan Maru and ML Ayatosan both took a bomb in seperate raids on shipping off Kota Bharu and Saigon respectively. Troops at Manila and the AF at Clark suffered repeat visits. I don't think Mike realises how hard it will be to grind these forces down as I have plenty of supply and support troops. B-17Es from Cagayan hit 2 PCs off Laoag.

The convoy I thought was heading for Davao has disappeared...

[goodboyladdie]

He is smacking a lot of my isolated fixed guerilla forces in China and gaining a lot of experience and there is nothing I can do about it. 3 seperate Allied raids hit Ichang. The Nates on CAP did not intervene. 1 IL-4c was damaged by Nates over Hong Kong and a Jap deliberate attack on a guerrilla force at 53,33 was again unsuccessful.

Here is the current Ace list. Some earlier ones are missing because I withdrew 2 squadrons at PH, but my first Ace has also just become the first Double Ace less than a month into the war...

[goodboyladdie]

26/12/41

2 early raids on shipping at Kona by B-18s did no damage and then A-20s missed the Palmyra invasion force convy. PH was then hit by 28 Zekes and 15 Nells. 2 runway hits were scored and planes lost/damaged were 1 Zeke, 2 Nells (3 damaged), 1 P-36A, 2 P-40Bs (1 damaged), 1 C-32. Damage now stands at 29/49/66. The 2 P-36 squadrons are down to 1 plane between them. I am not withdrawing yet as I may be able to upgrade them to "repaired" P-40Bs if I can free some up somewhere. Some A-20s were loaded up with fuel and ferried in at extreme range and used to re-equip 72 BS. The 5 B-18s thus freed were spread around the other squadrons. B-25s have the ferry range too, so if I get the time and supplies I could revamp my bomber force...

A raid from B-17Ds, B-18s, OS2Us and SBDs then got a hit on CL Nagara and CA Takao, but caused no real damage. A 2nd A-20 raid on the Palmyra convoy then scored a hit on AK Toyohasi Maru, setting her on fire. The 2 A-20 units have orders to come in at 6000ft tomorrow as it will probably be the last chance to do enough damage to turn the convoy back before any landing takes place. PC Reliance, DDs Shaw and Downes, DMs Gamble and Breese, AR Pyro and PG Utah are all taking advantage of the fact that the KB appears to be withdrawing Westwards to run North at high speed. Actually the 2nd DD can't be Downes because she is running to PH from Molokai this turn.

The Soviet TK hit yesterday is in Dutch Harbor, but will probably sink. Diplomatic Back Channels are being explored to resolve the issues raised, but it looks like I will have to do a formal Diplomatic dance to get Mike to listen.

The 3 SEAC Pursuit Squadrons assigned last turn are loaded on to AKs escorted by an AV and 2 DMSs. They are heading for Sydney with an AO to follow as the AKs are all short ranged. DM Preble is repaired at Victoria and will lay a small minefield before heading to Seattle. Supplies are in short supply in CONUS so I will have to start watching what I send! 23rd USAAF Base Force is loading at Anchorage for Umnak Island.

Edit: I forgot SS I-3 took more hits this turn and is heavily damaged just off SF.

[goodboyladdie]

I have further SigInt that Southern Expeditionary Army is prepping for Rangoon.

I-155 hit AK Anakan with one shell today. I have ASW tfs chasing down conatcts off Australia and off Java and Borneo. A heavy Sally raid scored 2 runway hits on Brunei from 25000ft. There will be 2 P-40E squadrons there tomorrow. 85 Nells came to Tarakan at 22000ft. The CAP destroyed 4 and damaged 4 for the loss of 2 P-40Es with 1 damaged. The runway was hit once. Bettys did no damage at Balikpapan and my CAP did none either.

Vildebeest and SB-2s hit 3rd Tanks at Ye again. Manila suffered an attack on 11th Pd Div again, followed by one on the airfields. It cost Mike a total of 5 bombers, with about 8 damaged.

Off Northern Java RO-60 was attacked twice by Dutch tfs with no hits, but then 3 RN Flower Class Corvettes arrived and near misses were scored.

B-25s have moved to Kuching, 6th Pp Pursuit Squadron has arrived at Madras on it's way to China and Force Z now has an Aircraft Carrier!

Mike's CVEs still appear to be at Takao...

[goodboyladdie]

P-35s and I-153s intercepted a raid on my troops retreating to Wuchow, destroying 1 Sonia and damaging 3. 1 IL-4c was damaged by a Nate over the Pescadores and another was destroyed, with a further 1 damaged over Hong Kong.

Jap deliberate attacks caused Chinese retreats behind Japanese lines at 51,36 and 53,33. I moved 2 LCUs out of Wuhan and the attacked the Japanese that were pushed out of Wuhan a few days back causing a further retreat 527 (434) vs 133 (142) Chinese casualties were heavier at 109 to 33, but the Japs took another morale hit.

Here is a screenie showing my major warship losses so far. Expect to see 3 more BBs before too long...

[goodboyladdie]

I will not have time to update the AAR until later as I have to get the turn back and do some chores but I thought the AFBs amongst you would appreciate the following screenie...

[Dice]

Ouch, should have swept for mines before KB arrived.