Vettim89 vs Greasylake - Reversal of Fortunes

[vettim89]

12 September 1943

Again a slow turn. Highlights

* SS ALbacore puts three fish into Mogami an she sinks

* LBA hits Bangkok again for 41 HI hits.

* TF Approaching VP with BF and supplies. This base will be active in two days

* Truk is being bloackade with subs

* USN CVTF are 180 WNW of Kwajalein. They put one bomb into stricken Ryuho (how she is still afloat is beyond me as that is the 7th bomb plus 2 TT that have hit her) at Enitewok and sink I-7 in port at Kwajalein.

[vettim89]

13-14 September 1943

Very slow right now. Highlights

* Larry is pushing hard in China and I am pushing back. He is attacking Pakhoi daily and losing airframes every time

* Fighters are now at Victoria Point. As this number grows, I will eventually be able to take the RN carriers off this duty

* SS Pago suffers a heavy ASW attack 60 nm NW of Truk. Intel indicates a BB in the attacking TF. Likely Musashi heading to Japan. Other subs in area are moving into position

* The USN CVTF's are at Majuro refueling an rebuilding their air groups.

* Munda is now a level 3 AB and has P-40N-5 and F4U sq there now

* Supplies are all out of whack in SoPac. Too much where I don't need them and not enough where I do. THe Enitewok op is being delayed a couple of days as the units are located at Savali which only has 8 k supplies whereas Pago Pago just 120 nm east has 600 K supply. Remedying that now. Good new is my Gilbert/Marshall bases are looking good as far as supply goes. I want to take a lot of supply to Enitewok as it is a little exposed. I don't want to have to divert carriers to escort convoys in an out.

My lift situation is improving. I now have enough lift in the Coral Sea area to do some modest ops. First task will be Buin. I have a goo amount of lift in the Samoa area so the Enitewok operation is well supplied in that category. In aition, I have been receiving a surge of lift in the past few weeks at SF. They seem to come in bunches vice spread out

[vettim89]

15 September 1943

Not a good turn. An I-boat snuck into Majuro and hit not one but two AO's there. My usually spot on ASW forces forgot how to drop DC's it seems. Will likely lose one AO and the other will be out of the war for a while. While it is mostly surplus right now, it will not be long before I need every AO I can find.

A US sub hit a DD 120 NW of Truk. This is likely the TF with Musashi in it. Still hurting a DD is never a bad thing

Two RN subs with short legs arrived at Aden. I am sending them to Rangoon to operate in the Malaya region

There is a FG with 72 A-36 at Karachi repairing. This group is heading for China.

I tried a Shock Attack NE of Changsa and failed miserably. Base AV there is 1300 for Japan and 3700 for Chinese. Attack came off at 0 to 1 - not even close. Lost 8000 troops to 400. The Chinese suck on offensive

[vettim89]

To be honest I don't know our date for sure. I think this is for 15-18 September 1943

Quiet few days in the Pacific. Highlights of the last few days

* US SS torpedo and sink a damged DD near Pagan - believe this was a refuge from the Marshall Is Battle

* One of the aforementioned AO's sinks but the other one makes port safely.

* Supplies arrive at Savali and units for Enitewok will begin loading next turn.

* Munda is a level 3 AB/Port expanding to level 5 AB eventually (maybe) There are P-40-N-5 sq there plus an F4U sq and A-24's/SBD's. All units are in place for the Buin op which should go off in the next week.

* Supplies are now 10 k strong at Madang. The support units I sent to SWPAC are beginning to arrive. A couple of BF's are headed to Thursday Island and will be lifted in soon.

* An Av RGT will be landed at Cooktown next turn. This unit will then be air lifted into PM to allow the 4E to relocate.

* USN CVTF raided Enitewok and put two more 500 lb hits into Ryuho which did not sink. Then then headed west and hit Truk's port sinking 3 I-boats, another DD, and a MSW while heavily damaging an AR and an AS. They will stop at Enitewok on the way back to try to sink Ryuho.

*5 Chinese Corp are one hex out of Tavoy. Once there, the massive stack will head towards Bangkok. Once the Bangkok op starts, I will cease offensive ops in China as my transport a/c will be needed in SEAC to keep the momentum up.

[ny59giants]

Looks like both your Ops and Logistics Depts are working 24/7 trying to get troops sent to the proper place and the ships needed to support the next invasion. So much for those short turns for you. [:)]

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Looks like both your Ops and Logistics Depts are working 24/7 trying to get troops sent to the proper place and the ships needed to support the next invasion. So much for those short turns for you. [:)]

Wholeheartedly agree. At this point the front has moved so quickly that everything is out of position. Samoa had been the major staging point but now is a backwater. That is why I had the oops at Savali. I had been moving supplies forward to the Gilberts and Marshall that I failed to notice the levels dropping low. There are BF's and CB units at Nukefutau and Nanumea that don't need to be there right now. Problem is my lift is busy moving combat troops around.

Right now, I am having to think further out than I ever have. I need to be able to have supplies where I want them before I can commence operations. I finally have plenty of supply in OZ but I lack fuel. Perth ran out of fuel a few weeks back so my subs were stuck there while I moved it from Melborne.

So now I take a couple hours or more just doing logistics while spending maybe 30 minutes on actual combat ops.

[Capt. Harlock]

So now I take a couple hours or more just doing logistics while spending maybe 30 minutes on actual combat ops.

New officers study tactics. Experienced officers study logistics.

[vettim89]

Aha, it is 21 September 1943

The Allied counteroffensive is coming in waves now. The previous wave crested and subsided with the Battle of the Marshall Islands, the occupation of Madang, and the invasion of Victoria Point. The next wave is building. By theatre:

China

No more for me thanks, I'm full. My recent attempt at a counteroffensive here pittered out when my shock attack north of Changsha came off at 0 to 1 when I had a base AV avantage of 3700 to 1300. The Chinese cannot do offensive operations period in this mod. That said, they can tie down Japanese units which is just what I am doing. Focus here is to maintain just enough pressure to keep Larry from pulling units for defense.

SEAC

The bloodiness of the Victoria Point operation in terms of lift put any hope of a serious amphibious operation here in the near future to rest. Instead I am sending about half a million troops to Bangkok. If I able able to secure that base, I will then have to decide whether to head south towards Saigon or SW toward Singapore. That will be months away if at all. The Padang op is still on the back burner but I would probably need some USN CV help for it. Still a level 5 AB 4 hexes from Singapore and Palembang would hurt the Japanese worse than any other op I could do in this region. That is over the horizon for now.

SoPac

Units are loading this turn for Buin on southern Bouganville. Two full US ID are heading out to take on 7 k likely starving troops. The will be covered by LRCAP from Munda. Beyond that, SoPac senior staffers are considering where to plan their next op. The could hop up and around Rabaul to finish isolating that base but Larry has very little there and it already is behind the forward lines. The other option is to just blend the SoPac forces into the CentPac forces and head north and west. If that is the case, Ulithi will be the next likely target

SWPac

Mac's boys are busy. The focus is in three axes right now.
* Expanding Madang to a level 5 AB to make it a viable frontline base
* Moving support units to Merauk to build an AB capable of supporting a move into the SRA by Aussie troops
(nearly the entire Aussie Army is at Darwin fully prepped for Lautem)
* Eventual invasion an occupation of Admiralty Islands. At present, an ID and a Cav Div are heading to Oz
fully prepped for this base. Orginally I was thinking I would have to take a base on the east side of NG to
support this move but recon flights now should Dobodura empty. This is already a level 4 AB and would suit
my needs. Plan is to cream the AB at Admiralty Is then run in with troops and supplies to Madang before hitting
base itself

CentPac

Units are loading for Enitewok. US CV's returning from Truk hit the port there but Ryuho sinks during the night before they got there. Units are prepping for Nauru Island just to clean things up and Bikini Atoll - an unoccupied dot that will provide complete closure around the remaining bases in the Marshall Islands. At present there are c. 30 k troops at Kwajalein an Maeolap plus another 3 k at Jaluit and 7 k at Wotje. I hope these troops are comfortable because it is where they will spend the rest of the war. This command has basically taken over the war plans from this point forward. Units are prepped/prepping for Wake Is, Marcus Is, Pagan, and Saipan right now. The plan is to rush through these operations in rapid succesion to not give Larry a chance to recover.

Sub Ops

After blockading the Gilberts and Marshalls for months, my subs have shifted west. I am trying to keep six or more subs surrounding Truk, the Marianas, Wake, and Marcus right now. I also try to keep five or six in the the South China Sea. In addition, there is a group operating out of Oz that tries to harass shipping in the SRA. The RN subs plus a few USN fleet boats, and the RNN minelaying subs operate in the BoB mostly acting as trip wire for any SCTF trying to exit the north end of the Strait of Molucca. That said an IJN ML hit a Dutch mine at Sabang this turn and sank - gotta love irony. Since the dud rate went down on US Mk 21 TT on 1 January 1943, US subs have sunk fourteen TK eleven of which are 12000 capacity size. That brings the total Tk loss for the war to fifteen. Some one commented a while ago that once I got beyond fifteen, Larry would start to feel it. Well, he's feeling it and I have just started.

[ny59giants]

You left out the North Pacific area. Why??

Remember to advance under the umbrella of your 4e bombers. Your fighters may not be able to reach everywhere, but you will need the "big boys" to keep the AF suppressed. Right now, I would push heavily for the Saipan area before he can get those mtn hex bases filled up to overflowing.

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

You left out the North Pacific area. Why??

Remember to advance under the umbrella of your 4e bombers. Your fighters may not be able to reach everywhere, but you will need the "big boys" to keep the AF suppressed. Right now, I would push heavily for the Saipan area before he can get those mtn hex bases filled up to overflowing.

I have put off acting in NoPac. I figure it is too late in the year to effecticely do anything up there right now. I may use the impending bad weather to shield moving some troops up to Unmak and Adak. A spring offensive is planned. Plenty of troops up there now.

22 September 1943.

Two invasion TF's are almost ready to sail. One for Enitewok and one for Buin. Doing some recon in the SEAC trying to figure out exactly what bases have what at them. I have an idea forming in my head.

Most notable thing of the day is CV Katsuguri is spotted at sea near Hong Kong of all places.

[vettim89]

23-27 September 1943

As has been my habit, I am not posting when not much is going on in the game so any one reading will know that when I post, it is releveant. Still, I managed to fall off the first page.

The Enitewok invasion force is almost even with Abemama now. The transports will be joined by The CVTF's, a BOMB TF with old BB's, lots of DMS/MSW, and a supply TF that has been waiting at Tarawa. The game continues to do weird things to me. The one AMPTF was loaded and ready to go waiting for supplies to load on another TF. All of a sudden the troops spontaneously unloaded. That added a day.

My TF's arrived at Buin but unloading did not go as planned. Lots of mines here. Several AP/AK have hit mines plus a DD. AGain the game does weird things as only one of two AMPTF unloads only in the Night phase. The MSW only swept during the night phase. I opened the turn to find both AMPTF blissfully sitting in the hex labled "DO Not Unload".

LBA out of PM has been recucing Admiralty Islands to avoid intereference. Saw Jacks for the first time here. Allied losses were minimal and the base is closed. Focus shifts to Wewak as some Betty's launched out of there to hit the TF at BUIN - no hits but no CAP from Munda either

My 4E at Rangoon have stopped flying. I had a HI attack ordered at Hanoi for a week but they didn't fly. The B-25's flew twice but no Liberator III/B-24 raids. Beuforts and Avengers are now at Victoria Point to interdict shipping in the north end of the Gulf of Siam and Straits of Molucca. They sunk an AK at Bon Don this last turn. The UK AP's went over to Port Blair and picked up 2nd UK ID to take to Tavoy. On AP was hit by an I-boat in route and sunk.

Aggressive ASW efforts in the South China Sea have sent three USN fleet boats home in a hurting way over this time period. CV Kasagiri is running back and forth in this area for some reason. Purhaps it is an ASW effort. Wonder if this means Larry s up to something with repositioning troops.

BB South Dakota finally upgraded and is at syst 4. No hurry on getting her into the fray just yet. I sent the "pink" syst damge ships from teh CVTF back to PH to repair a bit. Only two CV's went in this group - mostly DD's and CL's

[vettim89]

28-29 September 1943

Unloading still going oddly at Buin. One or both TF's cease unloading one turn or the next. I hope it is the mines present causing this. Lots of damage ships here but got to press on. The MSW are doing their job an eventually this should clear (right?).

Raid on Wewak brings 27 A6M3a loss to 6 P-38. No bombers left there but a few fighters. Need to rest the bombers a little here.

US subs hit two separate AK's this last turn. Subs are picking up again.

[vettim89]

30 September - 1 October 1943

The Enitewok invasion blob is formed and is ENE of Tarawa. Lots of MSW/DMS present in this group plus CV, BB, Supply, etc. Recon shows only one small unit present at this base. Lift moving to Nukefutau to pick up CB an BF to move to Bikini. Once these two bases are in good orer, my CV's head back to PH for R&R then I move on Wake Island and Marcus Island in quick succession.

Troops finally about done unloaing at Buin. Mines an C have done a lot of damage to ships but troops are ashore in good order. Couple of days of bombarding then I'll try my first deliberate attack.

Air raid on Wewak yielded over 20 A6M3a on the ground plus about 5 more in the air and 5 Tojos to boot.

Four separate raids were launched against the lone RNN ML at Victoria Point. You can see from todays air losses, that was a huge sacrifice to put a few bombs in a tiny Dutch ship

[Capt. Harlock]

You can see from todays air losses, that was a huge sacrifice to put a few bombs in a tiny Dutch ship

A nice little bag of Rising Sun aircraft, all right. Interesting that the Spitfire V's suffered the highest Allied casualties that round.

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

You can see from todays air losses, that was a huge sacrifice to put a few bombs in a tiny Dutch ship

A nice little bag of Rising Sun aircraft, all right. Interesting that the Spitfire V's suffered the highest Allied casualties that round.

Spitfire VIII's are just coming online now. Have noticed that the SPit V does not do well vs Tojos in this mod. Still only 3 of 5 lost ATA. Todays battle was not as big. Did claim over 60 Japanese airframes including many on the ground when I raided Rabaul. There were 27 A6M3a lost alone. Go a couple of surprises for Larry in the tube

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: vettim89

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

You can see from todays air losses, that was a huge sacrifice to put a few bombs in a tiny Dutch ship

A nice little bag of Rising Sun aircraft, all right. Interesting that the Spitfire V's suffered the highest Allied casualties that round.

Spitfire VIII's are just coming online now. Have noticed that the SPit V does not do well vs Tojos in this mod. Still only 3 of 5 lost ATA. Todays battle was not as big. Did claim over 60 Japanese airframes including many on the ground when I raided Rabaul. There were 27 A6M3a lost alone. Go a couple of surprises for Larry in the tube

2 -4 October 1943

I make a liar out of myself. Larry tries a sweep out of Georgetown to Victoria Point on the 4th. He loses 27 Tojo and 7 A6M3a to my loss of 2 Thunderbolt II and 1 Spitfire V. The Enitewok invasion force is two days out. I release the MSW and BOMB TF to hit the island and soften it up. Weather has been crappy all over the map for the last few weeks. Very few missions flying right now.

Troops are unloaded at Buin. A new TF with supplies has arrived. Still a lot of mines there but falling daily.

TF has arrived at Merauk on SW NG and is unloading engineers and BF. Once this base is built to level 3 (its max), I will move on Aru Island. I want Larry to think I am moving on the Celebes vice Timor. Looking at the map, if I secure Timor and then Kendari, I will have put a plug in the Makassar Strait and the Celebes. This will force resource and oil shipments further west allowing me to focus my subs in the SCS (South China Sea). This ties into my move on Bangkok well. If I can take Indo hina and the SE SRA, the war is over as Japan will starve for lack of oil.

I wonder how bad that situation is now as my SS sunk another small TK on the 3rd. My focus for this game has slowly changed over the past nine months of game time. On 1 January 1943 I was just trying to start retaking some territory to keep Japan engaged. Now with my sweep through the Gilberts/Marshalls/Solomons, I am thinking of ways to end this war in 1944. I think it can be done if I have success where I am planning.

If things will straighten themselves out in SEAC, I am about to throw a surprise at Larry that may set his defensive strategy way back.

[ny59giants]

IMO, you have the upper hand in two out of three areas (air power and in naval strength). Continue to use them to meet your objectives. The Allied player has trouble when he gets into a protracted land battle whether it in on the mainland or over an island/atoll. Your idea of going for Wake and then Marcus puts the Home Islands at risk. You may want to go for the the western most of the Aleutian Islands to put you in a good position come early '44. 

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

IMO, you have the upper hand in two out of three areas (air power and in naval strength). Continue to use them to meet your objectives. The Allied player has trouble when he gets into a protracted land battle whether it in on the mainland or over an island/atoll. Your idea of going for Wake and then Marcus puts the Home Islands at risk. You may want to go for the the western most of the Aleutian Islands to put you in a good position come early '44. 

Little voices in my head, er, I mean AAR keep whispering The Aleutians to me. It is now October. By the time I reposition lift, it would mean a mid winter effort up there =====> not a good idea. I will make sure I am ready to go by 1 March 1944

Things are going nicely at Marauk. No interference at all. The base has a SPS of 1/1 not 1/0 as I thought. So a Level 4 AB is possible. I doubt I will take it that far as it is just a stepping stone. This SRA offensive is going to make Larry's life miserable

First deliberate attack at Buin is ordered this turn to coincide with a Naval bombardment. There is a Naval guard unit and 3 engineers. I have two full ID (Americal and 33rd) With the exception of likely high fort levels, this should go pretty quick. Reconning Hollandia. Admiralty Is. and Wewak are held in moderate strength. I will take the one most weakly held

Troops go ashore at Enitewok next turn. The screenie is my bemusement. After having the invasions of Tavoy and Buin tore up by mines, I send 2/3 of the PacFleet MSW/DMS there and they find nothun! I guess its the whole adage about preparing for the worst.

[vettim89]

7 October 1943

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

On the 6th three TF with over a dozen MSW and DMS entered Enitewok and found not a single mine. On the 7th, the AMPH TF enters the hex and finds .......... MINES!!!!!!!!!!!! The mine warfare TF's do not even sweep at all on the 7th. I lost an LCI with another heavily damaged. Air raids from Truk result in a lot of dead aircraft but we did get a few leakers and one LST was hit - probably doomed. My sub line picked up a IJN TF 5 hexes NW of the island which I at first thought was a SCTF but once I opened the turn I find CV, CV, BB, DD, DD as the cursor intel. My CVTF were positioned SE of the island and will move NW a bit. This is a bit dicey now. My F6F were all set on LRCAP to cover the invasion force. WIth IJN CV's in the area I have to allocate my fighters to be able to both cover the Invasion and any strikes on Larry's carriers. I really miss those three CVE's I lost off Nanumea in February. Do I risk the chance that the LBA at Truk has shot its bolt? Why dod I continue to found myself in the Spruance/Halsey dilemma? The more I play this game the more sympathy I have for both men and understanding of both decisions - Spruance at Phillipine Sea and Halsey at Leyte Gulf

On the good news front, I finally got the transports loaded correctly and the entire 2nd Marines and 18th CBT ENG BTN offloaded in one phase. The subsequent shock attack took the base. To my surprise, the defenders were the South Sea Detachment which I thought had died at Midway. Larry must have gotten a fragment out. Well they will die this time.

First deliberate attack at Buin comes off at 2 to 1 and reduces Forts to 8. Losses were 100 for IJA to 250 USA. Just a matter of time now.

Once again, very little flew this turn. A few raids in China but that is all.

[ny59giants]

Rules:
#1 - Save your CVs!
#2 - Kill his CVs
#3 - Everything else is just gravy.....[:D]

Position your CVs one hex away from your transport in non-coastal hex and in position that any incoming strike "may" have to go through your CAP. Click on those possible hexes to double check on weather. I know that those forecast are not always accurate, but players can forget to check this factor and pay the price.

Looking forward to AE and getting away from "Mine Warfare in the Pacific." [;)]