Forlorn Hopes: The Japanese Respond

[JeffroK]

From Soerbaja???

India (Calcutta, Chittagong, Diamond Harbour, Coxs Bazaar, one has to be lightly held)

Perth, or a someone else did, Geelong & Melbourne.  Doesnt do anything, just for fun.

[tocaff]

I say no to India and Oz as it'll just serve to get a large force cut off and eventually destroyed.  Now if we talk about something that will eliminate the Allied LBA attacks that are choking off the SRA it makes sense.  Without resources and oil Japan is doomed and with these she can continue to fight on, thereby possibly squeezing out a victory just by survival and elimination of Allied bases & assets.  It's as much a game of points as it is the quest for a marale victory.

Better to lose by going down fighting than by sitting back and dying a slow death.

BANZAI!

[FOW]

CEYLON

LBA won't be a big issue from Madras and other mainland based UNTIL BFs and Av Regts are moved by land back from the Malaya/Burma front lines. Moving by sea is possible but risky depending on how much LBA threat John is prepared to put KB under.
SLOC from Aden is cut.
Bring enough supply and AA units and Ceylon's reduction would be time consuming and slow forward operations.
Dan could ignore but resupply would be extremely hazardous.

[n01487477]

I doubt John has thought about the economic boon or bust of taking either India or Oz.

Neither of these places btw do anything for the economy - John needs Oil to survive, both India and Oz are net Oil loss nations. Burma has a little more but would be hard to hold.

Therefore (tongue in cheek)unless John wants to take on the might of Russia or invade the West Coast [:D](both Oil rich nations) then this is nothing to do with economics but a whole lot to do with other aims and will hopefully hit the Allies where they are weakest - instead of going into the lions den.


Get some John ... Banzai!

[ny59giants]

I would like to place my vote, but.....since I was part of the Naval General Staff that came up with this hair brain plan, I don't think Admiral Cochran-san would appreciate it. [:D]

I just hope it doesn't end up like the plans of one of my favorite Looney Tune characters - Wild E. Coyote, GENIUS!!

[n01487477]

Splitting hairs but wasn't it ... Wile E. Coyote ? Always liked Sylvester the cat or Mr Magoo ... so I hope this isn't "Thufferin' Thuccotash" ... [edit] of course Mr. M is more in keeping with my own ongoing PBEM.[:D]

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: n01487477

I doubt John has thought about the economic boon or bust of taking either India or Oz.

Neither of these places btw do anything for the economy - John needs Oil to survive, both India and Oz are net Oil loss nations. Burma has a little more but would be hard to hold.

Therefore (tongue in cheek)unless John wants to take on the might of Russia or invade the West Coast [:D](both Oil rich nations) then this is nothing to do with economics but a whole lot to do with other aims and will hopefully hit the Allies where they are weakest - instead of going into the lions den.


Get some John ... Banzai!

Don´t know exactly about BigB 1.4 but even if India is a net oil loss place that doesn´t matter. You don´t have to bring in oil and will still get hundreds, perhaps a thousand? HI points every day with the oil that is produced there. You don´t lose a single oil point if he´s able to take India but would gain HI. But IMO it´s insane to think about an attack on India at this stage of the war. Would be fun, but would be more insane in the game than the Ardennes offensive in real life.

[n01487477]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: n01487477

I doubt John has thought about the economic boon or bust of taking either India or Oz.

Neither of these places btw do anything for the economy - John needs Oil to survive, both India and Oz are net Oil loss nations. Burma has a little more but would be hard to hold.

Therefore (tongue in cheek)unless John wants to take on the might of Russia or invade the West Coast [:D](both Oil rich nations) then this is nothing to do with economics but a whole lot to do with other aims and will hopefully hit the Allies where they are weakest - instead of going into the lions den.


Get some John ... Banzai!

Don´t know exactly about BigB 1.4 but even if India is a net oil loss place that doesn´t matter. You don´t have to bring in oil and will still get hundreds, perhaps a thousand? HI points every day with the oil that is produced there. You don´t lose a single oil point if he´s able to take India but would gain HI. But IMO it´s insane to think about an attack on India at this stage of the war. Would be fun, but would be more insane in the game than the Ardennes offensive in real life.

I take your point Castor -but just so you know (and I am looking at the data for BB1.5) India only has 90 Oil Cntrs (540 Oil/day) & 2260 HI at the beginning of the game(Once again I am not looking at John's game) ... so unless there is a load of Oil there already... but as I said in my original post answering Tocaff, I don't believe this about economics or a grab for Oil.

I don't know what he is thinking - but it is mighty interesting.

Sorry gang - back to regular scheduling.

[edit] just noticed I hit over the 1000 posts and gained another star almost 3 years to the day I joined this forum [:'(]

[John 3rd]

Wild and crazy as the Fleet and Invasion Force gets into position. Dan and I only got two turns in yesterday and the day before so we haven't been moving too quick.

ASW Action:
Sept 15th LBA hits SS Statesman and SINKS it, ASW Cripples SS

Sept 16th LBA hits SS, SS Finback hits PC w/Torp but gets smacked by DC, SS Sea Dog hits PC with Torp and escapes with no damage

Sept 17th LBA scores THREE hits on SS around Java, SS Croaker hits a Jap mine, and an SS plants 2 Torps into an empty AP as it approaches Amboina to pick-up an Aviation Regiment for Downfall.


There is a bunch of information on this screenshot:

[John 3rd]

Furyouka-Go
Order-of-Battle  

Nemo wants to know the scale of the Invasion.  Total Assault value is right around 3,300.  Another Infantry Division may be assigned if shipping is available.  These are the units detailed for the invasion:  

Headquarters
2nd Area Army, Command HQ
33rd Army HQ
21st Air Flotilla    

Infantry            (1725)
1st Guards Inf Div (450)                    
103rd Inf Div (410)
102nd Inf Div (325)                           
46th Inf Div (410)                           
1st/2nd Parachute Rgt (60/60)              

Armor             (1350)
1st TK Div (330)
2nd TK Div (354)
3rd TK Div (375)
2nd/4th/8th/10th TK Reg (75 each)  

Engineers            (100)               
21st Reserve Eng Rgt (40)                
4th Eng Rgt (40)                                                                           
  
Aviation            (150)
11th Aviation Rgt
28th Special BF
122nd IJA BF  

Crated Aircraft
4 Sentai of Frank
2 Daitai of Zero
2 Daitai of Peggy
2 Units of Topsy
2 Units of Tina  

Supply 100,000

EDIT: I have added the 102nd Inf Div to the Order-of-Battle

[Panther Bait]

Considering the thorn the British have been lately, I would vote that Furyouka-Go is a punitive mission to the Indian mainland somewhere well away from Calcutta, starting with a surprise KB raid on Ceylon first.

[John 3rd]

The fight continues over the skies of Japan...

[John 3rd]

Many of the TF are now in place or nearly in place for the Operational Order to deploy.  As these ships move, the ASW Fight continues unabated:

Sept 18th  Harder puts 2 TT into an empty large AP, Gato is set on Fire by a strong ASW Attack, and another US SS is hit by LBA
Sept 19th  SS puts 1 TT into an AP (empty), SS Tuna is set on Fire by an ASW Attack, and LBA scores another hit east of Balikpapan
Sept 20th  O19 hits an empty AP with 1TT, SS Caiman puts 2 Torps into a PC sinking it but takes 12 DC and set on Fire, LBA hits the retreating Tuna

Wild-and-Crazy!

September 20th sees the big Frank Factory at Harbin attacked by 3 P-61, 150 B-24, and 21 B-17.  They are met by 72 Fighters who quickly brush aside the pitiful escort and set on the bombers.  This day sees the Allies formation hold together and 149 planes manage to drop their loads.  Most of the bombs churn only dirt though as the aircraft factory takes 11 Hits.  For that damage the Americans lose 2 P-61, 8 B-17, 20 B-24, with a further 55 damaged!  Not too bad again...

[bbbf]

You seem light on for engineers - considering anywhere you invade will probably have high forts, have you got anymore available?

[ny59giants]

Not too bad again...

Unfortunately, these nickles and dime attacks add up over a number of weeks and months until your economy is unable to functioned. I do not have another "Wild E. Coyote" plan to stop all these paper cuts from slowly bleeding your economy to death.

This attack would require 11k in supplies and 11 days to repair. You don't have enough of either. [:(]

[John 3rd]

AIN'T GOT CRAP!  (This is technical description of my supply situation)

Gotta to go to Denver...

[Redd]

Dammit, I hate waiting in suspence! [:)] Can't wait to see what happens.

[John 3rd]

Dan and I had a very productive day and got 6 turns in.  Just sent him the September 22nd turn.  Will announce the target for all this excitement on October 1st game turn.  This will then allow for plenty of critical thinking and commentary that can help make this awe-inspiring piece of brilliance even MORE brilliant!

It is taking FOREVER for me to get everything into the Soerabaja area! 

[Bogo Mil]

I think it's better to go for India than Ceylon. Dan can ignore the capture of Ceylon. Supplies can be shipped from Caclutta to malaya/Indochina, so his huge Asian army is not cut off.

Dan wants to win by points, and if you can run wild in India, you may "borrow" a lot of points there. If he doesn't react and recapture the bases there, his autovictory will be delayed. If he does react, his advance to China will be slower. This delays the autovictory, too.

Only if he catches your invasion at sea, he can earn extra points and get victory earlier. That's the risk... I think it's worth it. Going for Ceylon wouldn't be much safer...

[John 3rd]

September 22,1944
Soerabaja

A lone B-29 passes high overhead and sees nearly 150 warships of the massed Imperial Fleet below it.  Nearly 350 Fighters take off in pursuit of the lonely bomber as it broadcasts its discovery.

The clock just started ticking fellas...