Forlorn Hopes: The Japanese Respond

[Mark VII]

I think you have a good plan for this game. Maybe unrealistic IRL but perfect for how WitP tends to be played. Most players on both sides tend to under garrison(as you know) their rear areas. Often there is no combat garrison at all in back water home areas.

Depending on recent Indian reinforcements, there is probably not much in India to get in your way. Though one prepped division or brigade could really slow your advance down. This plan could score alot of victory points for you if you can hold onto some cities. And yes, I would think there would be some kind of massive Allied redeployment from other areas if he understands the risk of allowing the Japs to run around in India.

The fact that KB is mostly intact is very important. Transferring air units will be the first to arrive. KB air may be able to shred the early arrivals should he commit them right away in desparation. After that will be alot of luck. It all depends on what kind of ground combat units are laying around in India. If the ground units need to be shipped in order to save India, they will arrive to late and will be forced into the "taking back cities mode".

I think this could change the war(victory points) if there is no or little combat garrison in India.....good luck!

[Miller]

Lol, thats why a max of 450 a/c in a single sea hex is a popular house rule. Nothing gets through a CAP of that size.

[John 3rd]

Combat Report
October 4, 1944

OK.. As if spotting the Pacific Fleet isn't enough.  Allied firepower is on display throughout the entire Pacific (with the notable exception of Soerabaja!!!).  These were the developments of the turn:

South China
Canton
This base is invested by 18 Units moving down from the west.  Another 14 units wait to the NW a hex away.  Canton has 90 Allied Figthers flying LR CAP over it and was hit by about 100 4EB.

Hong Kong
The British STF stays and bombards the base for little damage.  Six Chinese Corps/Divisions then start landing on Hong Kong's beaches.  While this is going on, the base is covered by 60 Allied Fighters on LR CAP.  Striking the AF and troops is an impressive 125 4EB and 100 B-29.

Swatow
This poor base is nailed by 225 bombers and has 50 Allied Figthers flying LR CAP.

Cold Bay, Aleutians
The last Japanese base in the north is landed upon by 2 American Inf Div.

Port Moresby, New Guinea
Six Allied TF begin landing an Inf Div, Brigade, TK Reg, HQ unit, and 2 base forces.  Here they are met by strong CD fire that damages about 20 ships and sinks a MSW.  A strong Japanese Brigade, CD unit, and Base Force still hold this base.  There are enough supplies to hold for a while.  Dan probably didn't figure to hit real resistance.  I move 2 Figther Daitai and 2 Bomber units to Rabaul.  They will move to Lae once a recon is flown over the Invasion Force to see if there is LR CAP in place.  I'll bet there is...

Muntok, DEI
It doesn't fit with the disasterous turn but 1576 Troops of the 5307th Comp RCT surrender to two Japanese inf Units.  These troops were dropped off and then left behind about 10 days ago.  Not very sporting of the Brits to drop off these Americans and then abandon them!

Tokyo
Yee Gods...a total of 181 Fighters (over 100 Franks) fly CAP this day.  They are SWARMED over by a DOUBLE Fighter Sweep flown from Tori Shima and Iwo Jima.  The first Sweep is 74 P-47 and the second is 75 P-38.  Over 160 Japanese Fighters fall in exchange for only 30 American planes! 

Now come the bombers...
Wave 1--9 Fighters try to attack 168 4EB from Sakhalin.  They shot down 4 bombers in exchange for 8 F and 1 B, 279 Cas, 5 Aircraft Ind hits, and 40 holes in the AF.

Wave 2--13 Fighters rise to fight 233 B-29 from Sakhalin.  Only 3 B-29 are shot down for 5 Fighters, 73 Ohka Hits (why attack that??), and 25 holes int he AF.


THAT is power!  

[John 3rd]

Mark is spot-on when it comes to the obstacles of the attack.  I am willing to bet that Dan has bought out nearly everything in India to move with his attacks.  He is leaving substantial garrisons behind in Malaya and Indochina.  There are at least 5-7 units each at Singapore, Johore Bharu, Bangkok, Saigon, Cam Ranh Bay, Hanoi, and Haiphong.

I'll use my TK REg as recon ranging out to find resistance and will then flow around it.  In many ways this is a Blitzkrieg Scenario of finding the resistance, flowing around it, and then dealing with it only if forced to...

[Big B]

Did both of those fighter sweeps hit in the same air phase?

ORIGINAL: John 3rd


Yee Gods...a total of 181 Fighters (over 100 Franks) fly CAP this day.  They are SWARMED over by a DOUBLE Fighter Sweep flown from Tori Shima and Iwo Jima.  The first Sweep is 74 P-47 and the second is 75 P-38.  Over 160 Japanese Fighters fall in exchange for only 30 American planes! 

Now come the bombers...
Wave 1--9 Fighters try to attack 168 4EB from Sakhalin.  They shot down 4 bombers in exchange for 8 F and 1 B, 279 Cas, 5 Aircraft Ind hits, and 40 holes in the AF.

Wave 2--13 Fighters rise to fight 233 B-29 from Sakhalin.  Only 3 B-29 are shot down for 5 Fighters, 73 Ohka Hits (why attack that??), and 25 holes int he AF.


THAT is power!  

Either way, the American "end game" is pretty awesome.

[heenanc]

I tried to break Canton in a game against the AI it a very tough nut to crack.

[John 3rd]

Brian--The Sweeps did not happen together.  It was frightening to watch...

Canton should be tough as an urban hex with Fort at 9 but supply is the issue.  Caught a break on the 10/5 turn.  Slipped 3 5,000 AK loaded with supply into Swatow.  They weren't spotted until the afternoon and then a strike of B-25 couldn't find them.  At least they will get a good portion unloaded before being sunk.

Moved some planes around and have a Kamikaze Strike planned for Hong Kong tomorrow.  Hope get some strikes at Port Moresby too.  Anything is better then nothing.


Invasion Force just rendezvoused and turned NW for India...
  

[paullus99]

I find it absolutely amazing that your force has escaped detection to this point. Not an easy feat, assembling the majority of the Imperial Navy, move it halfway across the Pacific & not have a single sub, merchant, or recon squadron stumble across it.

It is going to be bloody fun to watch what happens! Good luck!

[John 3rd]

Only problem with your statement Sir is that we only just got moving.

When the Kaigun departs it will go EmCon.  No recon, no ASW, nothing.  The only part that will be important is CAP (Range 0).  It will take FOREVER for the transports to get to their destination...

[heenanc]

CANTON
 
I wish I still had the save... I remember looking for it a couple of weeks ago but couldn't find it. It was being pounded day after day by air and by sea the resource were at 0 and it was completely cut off for about a month. I was using 6000 AV of Chinese troops against AI and tried a shock attack.... 0-1. After turning the turn around all I remember seeing is 3 divisions with almost no support but about 1/2 to 1/3 AV.
 
Though I would try my chances as PBEM instead, never did take it.

[Nemo121]

L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace... et preparer les cimetieres.
 
Audacity is not a suitable replacement for a finely honed and logistically well-supported plan. To paraphrase a contemporary of Cardigan I will say - It's glorious but it isn't something to emulate.
 
I will find it interesting to watch this play out but I think that aggression for aggression's sake is never warranted. I would riposte as follows: L'audace, l'audace mais ne jamais pas sans reflechement. 

[Cuttlefish]

Never give up! Never surrender!

I like this plan. It's refreshingly insane. And as author Terry Pratchett explains, if it's exactly a million-to-one shot then it is guaranteed to work and save the day. If it's nine hundred thousand to one then you're hosed, but at least you will go out in a blaze of glory as befits a samurai.

[heenanc]

If it doesn't work however you could alway just start another PBEM which is why this plan isn't insane. The realitys of life.

[Nemo121]

Ah, the results of a surfeit of hubris and testosterone [8D].

Again, I will simply say that there is no problem with aggression but that aggression needs to be tempered with ruthless objectivity as regards benefits.

[heenanc]

Surfeit = disgust caused by excess
hubris = modern English to indicate overweening pride, superciliousness, or arrogance.
testosterone = male hormones

[John 3rd]

I would like to express my appreciation to the Great Minds that contribute to the Forum!  I have been chuckling for the last five minutes as I read this exchange!

[Nemo121]

LOL heenanc. Why the translations?

FWIW I wasn't using surfeit in the "disgust caused by excess" way but rather in the manner of "unnecessary excess". Sometimes surfeit does carry a connotation of disgust but there was no such impugnation on this occasion.


P.s. Yes, in this post I'm having fun by agglutinating minor obfuscations... Opacities in the quotidian vernacular, if you will [:D]

Honestly I think native English speakers often don't realise just how rich the English language is. Weird but rich.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

Never give up! Never surrender!

I like this plan. It's refreshingly insane. And as author Terry Pratchett explains, if it's exactly a million-to-one shot then it is guaranteed to work and save the day. If it's nine hundred thousand to one then you're hosed, but at least you will go out in a blaze of glory as befits a samurai.

"Never Give Up. Never Surrender" Galaxy Quest was a film that had me laughing so I hard I was crying the first time I saw it. It was one of the funniest parodies I had seen in a long time.

The power of positive thinking and a 1,000,000 to 1 shot. Prefer to move back to Oddball in Kelly's Heroes. "Its a Mother-beautiful bridge and its GONNA be there..."

[John 3rd]

impugnation   [:D][&:][:D] NICE word!

...and I am a College Professor of History....

[Nemo121]

Don't give me negative waves Moriarty......
 
Negative waves? I've been thinking nothing but beautiful thoughts about that bridge all morning [:D]