Forlorn Hopes: John III vs. Canoerebel

[anarchyintheuk]

Odd that I can't remember but can you prep a unit that's split amongst transports? I'd make sure to do that if you can. Landing at an opposed base not prepped = bad juju.

[Mike Solli]

Yes, you can change the prep for an unit that is on transports, but you have to do each fragment separately.

[USSAmerica]

 
I'm still reading, Dan, but I'm reading both sides (and enjoying it immensely), so I'm keeping quiet. 
 
I am, however, a bit of an AFB, so good luck! [8D]

[emek]

You need to change primary unit and when that unit recombine it will keep parent preparation.

[Canoerebel]

8/20/43
 
Red Planet:  Originally, I conceived Red Planet as a suprise move on Luzon and I had some expectations of stealth; but this operation has all the stealth of a moose walking on eggshells.  The force is simply too big and too slow moving to hide, and John is too astute to overlook much if anything.  So stealth is impossible, but there are still opportunities to mislead.  John probably thinks Marcus or Iwo are likely targets, although he must also wonder about some other locales including Luzon.  So he should continue to try to strengthen places at risk.
 
I'm not even sure he'll commit the KB.  His Marcus LBA flew two small sorties this turn (all 23 Sallys and Zeros were shot down), so he knows I have a CAP of 386 Hellcats.  So at this point I want to stomp around and bang loudly on pots and pans like a moose on eggshells to attract as much attention as possible.  He may even decide that holding Iwo or Marcus is impossible and that it will be fruitless to sacrifice LBA in hopeless missions.  Or he may load up the island and commit the KB and hope for the best (I am polishing my ability to argue with myself in circles).
 
My CVs didn't fly any ridiculous missions this turn, so the number of available sorties remains the same.  Thus far none of my ships have taken any damage, and the few Hellcats lost to Ops (3) and a-2-a (1) have been replaced by the replenishment CVEs.  My force has sunk about four APs and downed those 23 aircraft.  Also, John lost 18 Emilys this turn in a-2-a, which I assume would be recon aircraft that came to close to my carriers.
 
My fleet will move slowly SW the next two days, feinting towards Marcus to see what might happen.  Then I'll change direction and head for Iwo Jima.
 
SigInt reveals 9th Independent Mixed Regiment at Iwo plus a construction batallion headed that way.  These are the first reports of troops at or heading to Iwo.  I expect that island is held more strongly, but I doubt it could hold off the Allies should that become the target.  SigInt also discloses (once again) that 7th Division is at Sapporo.  That's the only unit I've seen there.  (Meanwhile, Luzon seems to have filled with defenders.)
 
Violet Planet:  The carriers and transports are proceeding ENE towards either Padang or Telekbetong.  Now that John has spotted Red Planet, I don't want to commit these ships until I'm good and sure that the KB is up around Marcus or somewhere else far far away.
 
Anzac:  My "noise-making" decoy fleet arrived two hexes from Noumea and apparently hasn't been spotted.  Darn.  Most of the army moving on Broken Hill is a hex away.  Recon shows Broken Hill with 8 Jap units.  I'll find out in a couple of days exactly what's there.
 
Burma:  An Allied deliberate attack at Rangoon (the first there in many months) came in with adjusted AVs of 5170 (Allies) to 3082 (Japs), a very solid 1:1.   The attack dropped forts to 8 and cost the Allies 2990/97/16 to 1938/66/1.  My troops were only slightly fatigued and disorganized by the assault, so they'll try again tomorrow.  I've schedule a massive air assault on Rangoon also - both against ground troops and the air field.  John doesn't have enough in Rangoon to securely hold the city, so I expect he'll scramble to bring in reinforcements.  That suits me. 
 
China:  Quiet.  The Japs haven't pulled back from Wuchow or Yenen, but I don't think John is optimistic about his chances at either city.
 
Map:  See following post.
 
 

[Canoerebel]

For detailed info about what's going on, see preceding post.

[Alikchi2]

If I was you I would go for Iwo - It's nice and isolated, not too far away, and you have some distance from that nasty dark red airfield on Saipan.

[String]

ORIGINAL: Alikchi

If I was you I would go for Iwo - It's nice and isolated, not too far away, and you have some distance from that nasty dark red airfield on Saipan.

Indeed, and it's a great place to have, as long as you can keep it operational. Later on it's essential for fighter sweeps and getting air superiority over home islands.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

Yes, you can change the prep for an unit that is on transports, but you have to do each fragment separately.

not necessary, there is one fragment on the transports that is the PARENT unit and if you change this part then all the fragements also change their targets as soon as they are rebuilt to the complete unit. If I want to change preps then I only change this one unit and that has worked ever since.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

Yes, you can change the prep for an unit that is on transports, but you have to do each fragment separately.

not necessary, there is one fragment on the transports that is the PARENT unit and if you change this part then all the fragements also change their targets as soon as they are rebuilt to the complete unit. If I want to change preps then I only change this one unit and that has worked ever since.

Very cool. I never knew that. [:D]

[Mistmatz]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

Yes, you can change the prep for an unit that is on transports, but you have to do each fragment separately.

not necessary, there is one fragment on the transports that is the PARENT unit and if you change this part then all the fragements also change their targets as soon as they are rebuilt to the complete unit. If I want to change preps then I only change this one unit and that has worked ever since.

That is if the parent fragment survives the travel... [;)]

If the parent dies I'm not sure if a fragment on another vessel becomes the parent, my guess would be the parent will defined once one or more fragments are on land again and not while all fragments are on ships. Thus it might be a good idea, albeit cumbersome, to let all fragments plan for the right location.

[Canoerebel]

For detailed info regarding map, see preceding post.

[Canoerebel]

8/21/43 and 8/22/43
 
Red Planet:  The invasion fleet sailed toward Marcus on the 21st, then made a radical turn to the west on the 22nd.  There were no incidents over these two days.  Based upon SigInt received about a week ago, John had 50,000 troops on Marcus and I'm sure the base is well mined.  I feel sure he would prefer that I attack there as opposed to Iwo Jima or some other point that is, hopefully, less well-prepared and deeper inside his territory.  I "think" the move on Iwo will intensify the situation, prompting him to react more forcefully.  We'll see.  I still prefer a carrier battle sooner rather than later, but I'm running out of sea room and soon have to decide between Luzon and Iwo.
 
Anzac:  John's recon finally spotted that mock invasion fleet that sat two hexes from Noumea for three turns.  Bettys sank two AKs and an AS.  I scattered the ships a turn before the attack. Some are heading home to Auckland, others steaming east or southeast to see if there might be any Mini-KBs lurking.  The Aussie army moving west should arrive at Broken Hill tomorrow.  Another, smaller army is sitting a hex outside Adelaide.  I'm simply feeling my way here, probing to see if John is still present in strength.
 
Burma:  The second Allied deliberate attack on Rangoon wasn't nearly as successful, so I've resumed bombarding.  I think Jap reinforcements are already arriving, which suits me.
 
China:  John has pulled back from Wuchow.  He has strengthened his force at Yenen, but I've strengthened mine.  I think he might send an army the long way around the northern perimeter to threat Sian from the north, or to threaten the cities to the west, but that will take forever if he does.  I could transport my entire army by Dakotas to meet any threat should he follow that course of action.
 
Jaws Music:  The Allies are so deeply inside enemy territory that major action could take place any turn; or John could be avoiding a clash out of a healthy respect for Hellcats.  I have no idea what's going to happen, but the Jaws music has begun....

[Cap Mandrake]

Canoe;

This is great sporting fun but can't you go to the whip and speed your horse up? For the Allied fanboys this is Big Brown on the outside at the start of the final stretch. Let him run! [:)]

Do you have some low endurance escorts that are refueling every turn? It seems you are making about 5 kts avg speed.

I hope the radio silence is over. [:)]

[Canoerebel]

Cap, this is all about stomping around, banging on pots and pans, hoping to bring on a carrier engagement.  I want a carrier engagement now, not later (IE, a carrier engagement in which John would have no more than one level four base to lend a hand; as opposed to later when he'll have alot more airbases on Luzon).  So I'm going slowly, hoping John gets nervous about Iwo and then decides to pounce.  If he doesn't pounce and I decide to move on Luzon, I'll speed things up some. 

[Canoerebel]

8/23/43 and 8/24/43

Red Planet: The invasion fleet is approaching Iwo, still without incident other than Sallys from Iwo damaging one of the picket AKs. There are signs that John is indeed preparing to vigorously defend Iwo, beyond what he seemed ready to commit had I invaded Marcus. There are minelayers present, APs apparently bringing (or just delivered) troops to the island, carriers nearby, and I think he has emptied the airfield like he did at Midway, worried that an invasion shock attack could take the island on D-Day.

SigInt on the 24th revealed that there are 25,000 Japs at Sapporo (most of those are 7th Division), a very manageable number. I may end up wishing I had gone that way. In fact, no matter what I do I might end up wishing I had done something different.

There are very good reasons to invade Luzon, and equally good reasons to invade Iwo. Both carry great risk. I have made my decision, but I won't reveal it yet.

Operation Violet Planet: The Royal Navy ships are in place south of Sumatra, ready to proceed as soon as I want the distraction (I don't want to spring it early, though, because I want to make sure the KB is at Iwo before I commit the RN carriers.

Australia: Broken Hill is held by 20th Division, three artillery units, and a tank regiment. I'm not sure the Aussie's on hand can handle that, but I'll give the Japs a nudge or two.

Burma: I am puzzled about John's defense of Rangoon. He has on hand 3 1/3 divisions, which isn't enough to hold off the Allies indefinately. He'll have to bring reinforcements, or the city would fall within about a month, I think. If he brings reinforcements, he can hold Rangoon much, much longer. He seems to be concentrating his troops further SE, in the vicinity of Bangkok and Pisanoluke. He may even envision a cross-jungle campaign through Pisanoluke to drive on Taung Gyi. That would be great for the Allies, so I don't think he'll do that.

China: A Jap deliberate attack at Yenen came off at 0:1, didn't touch the 9 forts, and cost them 3979/75/2 to 1570/15. I'm sending another unit or two that way.

[Canoerebel]

8/25/43

Red Planet: The invasion fleet spent the day three hexes east of Iwo Jima. A number of weak Jap TFs were situated north of Iwo, so my carriers launched more massive sorties. This time the pickings were a little better: five MSW, 2 AKs, 5 MLs, and 4 APs have thus far gone under; however, my mission sorties dropped again. My CV TF sortie levels now ranges from 68% to about 80%. There were no attacks against my invasion fleet, but Bettys from Guam did sink the last of my three picket AKs.

So here I am three hexes from Iwo; John has seen me coming for well over a week. He's been mining the port. If he's going to contest my landing, he surely thinks I'm coming ashore tomorrow. But I'm not. I still prefer to move on Luzon. But I'm worried about mission sorties. So what to do?

I'm moving NW, to a point between Iwo and Tori Shima. This accomplishes several things: (1) If John commits assets to interdict the invasion at Iwo tomorrow, my carriers may be in position to hammer them; (2) with my fleet positioned between those two islands tomorrow, John will then have to decide which is the true target and maybe he'll guess wrong or divide his assets; (3) if things go well tomorrow, I'll probably invade Tori Shima the next day, refuel and resupply there, and then move on Luzon.

I keep expecting John to commit the KB, but thus far he's been reluctant to chance a fight against so many Hellcats. I should know tomorrow whether he's willing to commit the KB in a fight over Iwo. If not, I may decide to take Iwo (after taking Tori Shima) rather than moving on Luzon. (Note: No aircraft are based at Iwo - a promising sign that John is concerned that she could fall on the day of an invasion; I'd be alot more antsy if I faced the prospect of 200 LBA in addition to KB air).

Violet Planet: The Royal Navy sails peacefully in the waters south of Sumatra awaiting the opportune time to strike. May the peaceful interlude continue there.

Burma: Allied air strikes have persuaded John to essentially abandon the air over Rangoon (or else he decided he could use the aircraft better elsewhere at the moment). Another strike by Allied bombers destroyed better than two dozen aircraft on the ground. A 1:1 deliberate attack (adjusted AV of 5142 to 2709) resulted in forts dropping to 7. The Allies lost 4364/116/8 to 1798/44. John must reinforce or Rangoon's days as a Jap base are numbered. I think he could hold the city for many more months if reinforced.

[Canoerebel]

8/26/43

I'm expected at home, so this will be a quick post.

Red Planet: The juke by my fleet to a point between Iwo Jima and Tori Shima didn't flush any big game; my carrier-based air flew more massive strikes, sinking 5 AKs. My surface combat fleet sank two damaged AKs. With mission sorties between 50% and 70%, I think invading Tori Shima is the right call. Cursor intel says it has one unit less than 2,000 men strong. I hope that's true. The invasion force will consist of 147th RCT (loaded in LCIs), 4th Marine Paratroops (APDs), a combat TF with 3 BBs and 2 CAs, and a CVE TF with three escort carriers. The rest of my invasion fleet will take position a hex away and CV Essex's Hellcats will fly LRCAP over Tori. So, what happens when a big Allied fleet sails within five hexes of Tokyo? We're about to find out.

I hope the Jap CVs won't choose this moment to show up. Tomorrow could be painful. But if the invasion works, I can replenish my carriers at Tori Shima and then decide what to do from there.

Burma: The Japs seem to be evacuating Rangoon, which just amazes me. John split all his division into fragments and transported away one fragment from each division. This went on over a period of weeks, and I just figured out he extracted those fragments so that he can rebuilt the divisions if and when Rangoon falls (there's no retreat for the defenders). John is nuts to do this! Rangoon is worth 2,000 points, gives me a big port and airfield, and is non-malarial so that my troops can recover strength. I'm not counting my chickens here, but if I get Rangoon that would be something.

Australia: I can't take Broken Hill. John's three artillery units are tearing my units to shreds. I'll retreat and return later.

[Powloon]

Good idea to take Tori Shima to replenish your sorties!

Just wondered if you've brought any seabee units a long for the ride? You could use them to build an airfield on chichi jima which might serve several purposes. Having an airfield this deep is a threat your opponent can't ignore, you could use it to base recon assets, transfer long range planes from midway (?) never mind the threat it posses to iwo jima (in between being pounded to dust from Japan). Might keep his mind concentrated on this area for a while while you steam on to Luzon.

Anyway good luck with the operation

[Canoerebel]

8/27/43
 
Red Planet:  The Allies encountered nothing at Tori Shima but a few mines and a small base force.  Two DDs hit mines - one taking light damage, the other taking moderate damage (and it will head toward Midway).  4th Marine paratroops landed, but for some reason the LCIs carrying 147th RCT only moved two hexes!  4th Paras weren't enough to take the base.  I was somewhat surprised and very relieved that there weren't massive waves of LBA from Tokyo.  The next turn may be trickier; it appears that John has loaded up Tokyo and has at least some aircraft on Iwo Jima.  I've got several things happening:  147th RCT will procede to Tori Shima, but will hazard the landings unescorted.  The transport fleet and carriers will move to a point two hexes from Iwo to both threaten that island and to put a little distance between them and Tokyo.  I've also split off five AKs carrying a Seabee unit and ordered them to Chichi Jima - which is just a dot hex.  If (big IF) things go smoothly tomorrow, I should have Tori Shima (oops, just realized that a Seabee unit isn't going to be able to take a dot hex, so I'll have to detail some ground troops the next day).  I've also created three PT boat squadronds - 6 PTs will head to Tori Shima, 3 to Chichi, and 3 to Iwo where I expect them to be blasted to smithereens by mines.  But I want to scout that territory.  I think I'll land at Iwo the following day.
 
KB:  Where are the Japs carriers?  A Mini-KB showed up SE of Tongatapu and moderately damaged a picket AK (the sortie consisted of 22 Vals, 16 Kates, and 5 Zeros).  Again, it's a comfort to know that at least one carrier is way off in the middle of nowhere.
 
Operation Violet Planet:  The Royal Navy fleet encountered several Jap transport TFs south of Java, where I had been cruising in circles waiting to see what happened up around Iwo.  The British torpedo bombers did good work, puting fish into 12 AKS (with 5 confirmed sunk).  I'm sure this ticks John off.  If the KB is anywhere within range, John will be licking his chops. I've ordered my force to sail due south (true south) into the vast expanses of the ocean.  From there, I'll decide where to go - back home, to Australia, or to resume Violet Planet.
 
Rangoon:  A 1:1 attack (4162 to 2278) reduced forts a notch to 6 and cost the Japs 2279/61 to 3262/83/7.  John is definately pulling out of Rangoon.  He is building up at Moulmein, but I doubt he would try crossing the river, because I have AV 2000 in that hex (IE, I think the Moulmein build-up is defensive).  I have worried a bit about John trying an end-around by sea, but until today figured the twin threats of the RN carriers and LBA would dissuade him.  But he knows now that the RN carriers are way off, so he might try this (but I rate the chances as slim).