Forlorn Hopes: The Japanese Respond

[John 3rd]

Hey Tocaff.  I'm happy to oblidge.

My intention in Operation Downfall was to bring the Kaigun as a cover, strike as hard as I could upon whatever I found, and then return to Java to try and get one move attack in before losing the Fleet.  My results from the opening of Downfall were highly disappointing.  Other then sinking the old BB I have bagged only about two dozen ships.  I'd thought there would be a lot more.

There are three major reasons for my decision to bring the Fleet back to Java:

1.  The development that has tipped hand is fuel.  I brought 100,000 with me and in the period of the voyage over to now--roughly 20 days--I have used ALL of it up.  If I can bag a major fuel cache somewhere in India then that would help but so far nothing.  I've gotten good amount of supplies (about 40,000 so far) in the cities I have captured but no fuel.

2.  The Royal Navy may be coming towards Ceylon and if it is then I will attack it.  Of course I expect Dan to make sure it is under the protection of LBA since CV cannot operate in World War Two without that added protection of P-51, P-47, and P-38 aiding the very weak Corsairs that the Brits fly.  [8|][8|][8|]

3.  The vast majority of the US Navy is now enjoying the feminine delights of Saigon (for some reason) and this provides the potential opportunity to move into the Pacific and LAY WASTE.

The AP-AK are expendable.  I hope to bring them home but I will suffer the loss of the Fleet needlessly on these merchants.  It is a terrible thing to say but it is true.  A horrible calculation...
  

[John 3rd]

The days action in India is detailed here. Positive to this point. Figure Dan and I will get at least one more in today.

[John 3rd]

Combat Report
November 14, 1944

The Allies retreat from the demonstration of Japanese LBA on the 13rd. BB Queen Elizabeth was crippled the previous day as well as several other British warships. The Japanese prepare for a massed attack if the Allies continue moving towards their target near Shanghai. Simply put they don't and so nearly 400 planes attack the Allied formation from Formosa during the course of the day.

To protect their shipping the British put nearly 80 Fighters over their shipping. Normally this would work but the Fighter pilots are not used to large-scale multiple attacks boring in from multiple directions at highly varying altitudes. Hundreds of Japanese planes fall but a number do get through and continue to ravage the British Fleet.

It seems that British BBs are a highly sought after target these days...

As the smoke clears and the last Japanese planes crash into the sea their formation is once again shattered. Nearly 200 Kamikaze attack as well as about 100 Torpedo Bombers with an Escort of 100 Fighters. Nearly 75% are shot down but the rest get through to cause the following damage:

BB Valiant 2 Torpedoes and 4 Kamikaze (including 2 Betty that cause serious damage)
CL Mauritius 1 Torp and 2 Kamikazes
CL Enterprise 1 Torp and 2 Kamikaes

Several other AKs are hit too...

This would be the first time in months that an Allied attack has been thwarted and/or frustrated and it will serve to allow the Japanese to strengthen their Chinese Coastal positions. The other 750 planes that would have attacked from Okinawa and Shanghai pull back to Mukden to R&R and to await the next attempt...

[John 3rd]

I forgot to add the screenshot:

[John 3rd]

The 15th brings a bit of calming after the heavy aerial action of the previous two turns.

Foochow falls rather suddenly...

In India my troops keep moving and nothing exciting occurred other then the normal 53 Naval Search Bomb Hits and two solid attacks by the never miss a moving ship B-24 Squadrons. This India Operation, if anything else, proves out that Billy Mitchell WAS right about 4EB being able to win the war by themselves!!! [:D][:-][:D]

Just whining a lot! I am sure others have seen this sort of thing but I've never played this late into the war with heavy combat. It is amazing what those planes can do! Goodness...

[Prydwen]

Of course I expect Dan to make sure it is under the protection of LBA since CV cannot operate in World War Two without that added protection of P-51, P-47, and P-38 aiding the very weak Corsairs that the Brits fly.

Of course he will. One, it's a smart thing to do and, two, war isnt about fair, it's about being as unfair as possible.

~IAM

[John 3rd]

Totally correct!

Just got the 17th sent back to Dan.  This means we played five turns today.  That is pretty fine work.

No big developments for the two days.  Notes:

1.  There was a large 4EB strike at Gumma that hit the AF hard, shot down all my fighters, did about 35 Naka Engines damage to a plant, and and hit my Frances and Peggy Plants.  For well over 500 planes it didn't do too much damage.

2.  He has started hitting the AF and troops in Nanchang so an attack isn't too far away.  I've ordered 2 more Inf Div there to raise the total to 8 with about 3,000 AS.

3.  Troops are rolling up the road to Hyderabad and will then turn towards Bombay.

4.  Kaigun is moving slowly down the map edge as fuel becomes critical.  I'd hoped the not run dry but...

5.  Ordered 3 TK to move to Christmas Island to use as a refueling stop.  Moving another 3 to the port on the south side of Java.

6.  He is landing at Suva...
  

[John 3rd]

I need advice fast. My CVs SHOULD be approaching Christmas Island and instead are crawling along the map board edge going slower and slower. There should be enough fuel at normal speed to reach safety but they refuel their DDs nearly every turn slowly things down more and more. I have the TF set for normal speed with destination Christmas Island.

Any helpful thoughts here?

The Combined British and American CVs are lurking just east of Sabang. Figure I've got a turn or two before things reach a crisis point.

Ideas???

[Mistmatz]

This might be considered gamey, but...

As long as you travel in a sub safe zone you could group your TF's according to their range/fuel left. For example all CVs and long range cruisers travel together whereas the short legged destroyers travel in another group(s). If their is nothing to refuel from the DDs should go pretty much as far as they would regulary.

Nevertheless you should ensure the long legged and the short legged TFs have slightly different paths to avoid accidential refueling.

[witpqs]

The function that decides when to refuel seems based upon the range remaining for the two ships involved (and ops points and whatever else). The point is that ships with low range would refuel from the first day at sea from ships with high range. The last patch improved this so that a ship has to be below some percentage of its fuel capacity before the refueling routine kicks in (maybe 75% or 80%, I forget exactly).

The big problem is that once your big ships (that are providing the fuel) get lower on fuel themselves, they will not fill the destroyers all the way up. So, instead of getting up to 100% fuel and having several days until needing to refuel again, the destroyer might be just above that 75 or 80% threshold (or even below it) and therefore will request refueling again the next day!

In other words, unless you break off some of the ships doing this, it will just keep happening. For fighting TF's I always use the longest range destroyers that otherwise fit the bill. Still, when the whole TF is getting low on gas, this daily refueling will happen no matter what. It will only stop when the big ships get low enough on fuel that they will not provide any.

Note that the 'Do Not Refuel' switch has no effect on this. It only affects refueling in port.

Sorry. [:(]

[John 3rd]

That is a possibility to think on...

I truly need to pick-up the speed of the Fleet or it will be destroyed in a most-embarrassing manner!  [:@]

[John 3rd]

I decide to split the heavy ships off from the little ones.  Don't know if it will help but have to try.  I suddenly remember when Dan was trapped by the map edge and I sank two of his CVs...

Allied SS scored TWO of their rather few successes against the Imperial Navy this turn.  An S-Boat came up and hit CL Sakawa not once but twice and put 3 Torps into her.  I had to scuttle the ship.  Even worse (or better from the Allied perspective) the Captain of the HMS Tradewind plants two Torps into the vulnerable flank of IJN Ikoma!  Ouch!  She may or may not make it back to Java.

Only really decent news is that the Combined Allied CV Fleet retires down the east coast of Sumatra a few hexes.  Might be move back to Singapore might not.  Do not know but it helps alleviate immediate danger.  Perhaps they are going to support a landing at Palembang or Batavia?  Could be fun to see the Allies land at either.  Have nearly 1,000 AS at each and plenty of supply with Forts 9.

Will have to see what happens...

At Hyderabad a force of 4 Inf Div head for Bombay this turn. 

3rd TK Div is moving through the India mountains (cross country) at a rate of 1 mile a day.  It might be available for action in approximately a month!  [:@][:o][:@]

Other then normal bombing, China was very quiet.  No real action anywhere else.

[Panther Bait]

Regarding the refueling DDs, one other thing you might try is setting their home base to the closest port you have and using small incremental waypoints to move the TFs (say 1 or 2 hexes further than you can move in one day).  I think the refueling logic checks the total remaining path from your current destination to the TF's homeport and factors that into whether to refuel or not.  Shortening the TF's apparent total cruise length might help for a while.  Eventually though, fuel will get low enough that it might not matter too much.

[John 3rd]

Thank You Sir.

I have been screwed by the engine.  I've separated my ships and set to closest port and nothing does any good.  I'm moving either 2 or 4 hexes a day and his SS are killing me.  I've had 2 CVE hit by single Torps and my DDs seem unable to drop a DC on them.  It is very distressing.  I've moved TK to Christmas Island and have a pair of AO loading fuel at Soerabaja to get out and help the shipping.  Another TF of AO is 2 days from Soerabaja and they should provide some help.

When the Fleet moved past Addu they all reported 50-60 hexes of steaming fuel.  I ASSUMED that was plenty and then to have this happen is most embarrassing.  Oh, well...  This is the game and so we'll deal with it as best as possible.

On the bright side I have 5 Divisions well on the road to Bombay right now so we'll see what can be done there within about 3 days.  It is now November 21st.  I'll post a longer report tomorrow with some screenshots.

[USSAmerica]

John, make sure your ships have both destination and home port set to some place close.  Even if you're only a few hexes away from the destination, the ships CO's are worried about making it back "home" to wherever you have that set as well.  Recommend setting both to the same hex where you want them to go.

[John 3rd]

Am not getting a turn in today until I get from from the Mountains.  Good advice above and I will try it...

[John 3rd]

It was a wondrous day in Colorado! I took my Father up into the mountains west of Loveland and placed him by a mountain stream with the temp being a perfect 73*. Very nice. Course the whole state is dry as a bone and we REALLY need SNOW but it was still quite pleasant.

Just got in the one turn today and Dan attacked in Nanchang:

[FeurerKrieg]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

It was a wondrous day in Colorado! I took my Father up into the mountains west of Loveland and placed him by a mountain stream with the temp being a perfect 73*. Very nice. Course the whole state is dry as a bone and we REALLY need SNOW but it was still quite pleasant.

I agree, it was nice today!

I was up at Cooper, north of Leadville, skiing with my mom and three of my kids. It was about 30-50 throughout the day, beautiful sunny mountain weather. My legs are now killing me though....

[tocaff]

My 4 years in Brazil have given me a mountainous terrain, though much smaller that the Rockies, and at the same time the tropical rain forest.  It's a dangerous habitat and I feel cold if the temps drop into the 50s now.  Ski?  Me?  Brrrrr!

[John 3rd]

I am sure that Dan has mentioned my need to pull back for a few days.  My legal stuff is coming to a head sooner and more quickly then I planned.  As soon as I have a decent idea of things I will post here and let everyone know.