two Germans in the Pacific - Sc17

[RGIJN]

After the initial moves were completed, I had of course to make a decision. When the main forces arrived in June along with the whole KB I was ready to make a bold push - but where to mark the target and what to be the policy?

I determined to go for an Autovictory, by seizing Luganville.

In the meantime (end of June 42) it happened that Frank caught one of my BB groups returning from shelling PM (during bad weather). While he killed two BBs I got on his tail and bombed his CVs in Brisbane harbour. Though I lost SORYU in this action, his carriers were out of the game for a while[:D] I don´t if all his flattops had to return to Pearl, but at least they were gone for some time. Maybe Frank can reveal the truth here.[;)] [&:]
So I was able to take Luganville in July without much trouble. Actually, I intended just to hold it and stay there at any cost but not to build it up since I was well aware allied LBA would keep any airstrip in this vicinity closed. Rather I based decent air power some distant at Lunga, Nevea & Irau.
But unfortunately I relied too much on an autovictory success. So I missed the chance to take PM also, although I knew for sure this would cause more than just trouble later on. Furthermore I frittered away alot of assets and momentum in futile and foolish raids. With FTs I tried to land on several locations at the coast of Oz and at Koumac (NW tip of New Caledonia). All these operations backfired and I lost some CLs and DDs plus a few Naval Garrison units. This would hamper fleet operations to some degree later then, when it became often troublesome to scramble together proper escorts for Sc or CV TFs.

Anyway, at the end of 1942 my position was still OK, but I had thrown some power thru the window here and there, and The Empire started to operate always on the very limit of its strenght.
Two things were symptomatical for that...

[RGIJN]

ORIGINAL: fuelli



Special thanks to my opponent who definitely belongs to a group of gamers I would like to cross my sword anytime again.

I truly want to return this kindness to Frank and must admit the game was one of the most thrilling and demanding I ever fought. After some respite and plenty of assimilation the defeat [8D][;)] I´d a second leg always give a go!

[fuelli]

Some details on th Brisbane debacel
After the Paerl Harbour like raid on my CV in Harbour the situation was as follows:
Yorktown 30+ sys
Hornet 60+ sys
Enterprise 70+ sys
Lexington 80+ sys

I decided to leave Yorktown in the harbour for in theatre repair. The problem now was to send the pummelled CV back to Noumea. The sea around Brisbane harbour was full of enemy subs. Patience and lots of scouting planes on ASW were necessary to bring the girls back home. Lexington never saw action again in this game even she was fully rapaied since summer 43. Lexington and Hornet were back for the Rabaul invasion. Yorktown was repaired in time to take part in the operation Get Go.

[RGIJN]

ORIGINAL: fuelli


The problem now was to send the pummelled CV back to Noumea. The sea around Brisbane harbour was full of enemy subs. Patience and lots of scouting planes on ASW were necessary to bring the girls back home.

I really desperately tried to get them finished off. But as Fuelli said, my subs suffered badly from ASW and other raids down into this area either failed or were cancelled due to early detection. [&o]

[RGIJN]

ORIGINAL: RGIJN

Anyway, at the end of 1942 my position was still OK, but I had thrown some power thru the window here and there, and The Empire started to operate always on the very limit of its strenght.

Two things were symptomatical for that...

First, I tried to suppress Port Moresby by constant air & naval bombardment. While Betties aren´t that effective and suffer decent losses (ops & CAP) and you have to use them really carefully, almost reluctant - you get much better results with the hammering blast of 8", 14", 16" and even 18" guns of IJN battleships and heavy cruisers. So I visited PM as often as possible, but after a while I had to watch out for sys wear damage (which I would rate too tough in UV) and lack of escort vessels (DDs). So I was forced to thin out the actions against that base. What in return led to increased allied LBA from there. After November 1942 the possibility to mount major operations against the Allies in southern PNG was virtually gone. Nonetheless, I made a last heavy shelling with BBs even as late as in March 1943!

Second, my adventure in the Hebrides got endangered more and more. From September on, I was aware of the threat to my autovictory base Luganville and I was patrolling in the distant NNW to the Hebrides with KB and some other naval units. This kept my opponent away from the Islands, at least for a while. But he was smart enough to chose the very moment when I had to retreat for fuel and so he could take back Espiritu Santo in October 42. There was no real opportunity for the Empire to interfere with at least some chances of success.

Of course the Empire had some bright days here and there, still sinking a decent number of allied ships with subs and A/C. But the submarines got wiped out not long after that and my airpower I had to preserve for another battle to come.
He began a very smart heavy bomber offensive, always on the right occasion aiming to the right spot. Combined with my very own goofiness to dock precious ships (sometimes even CVs) at exposed places like the Shortlands he delivered some hurting blows to me. Though no ship sunk from these attacks, I lost a good number since I had to send them back to Japan. Some of these vessel would never return into theathre...

All these things led into some embarrassing scenario for me. Though I was still strong and all my assets well prepared and defended, I was passive now. The war of attrition made us both sit back for some weeks. Not too bad, but still I felt uneasy with that.


But "the great war" was a little bit on standby for a while ... until he decided to invade Irau[:D]

[RGIJN]

The US Naval Base Espiritu Santo (called "Button") during the war and today...

[RGIJN]

Port Moresby very early in 1942 and present... Could be taken from almost the same angle.

[Ike99]

What is this map mod?

[RGIJN]

unfortunately, I can´t remember. But I got it definitely from Spooky´s website. I guess some of SubChaser´s work.

[xj900uk]

Where is Spooky's website?  Can you post the URL?  I did have it yonks ago but have managed to loose it somehow   [:(]

[RGIJN]

ORIGINAL: xj900uk

Where is Spooky's website?  Can you post the URL?  I did have it yonks ago but have managed to loose it somehow   [:(]

No problem - here it comes. (they have two sections for UV & WitP each. See left upper corner to switch) [:)]

http://mathubert.free.fr/

[xj900uk]

Thanks!

[Ike99]

Thanks, I found the map.

[RGIJN]

done gladly, XJ & IKE.



Unfortunately the UV section gets little new stuff recently [:(]

[xj900uk]

Pity, have got both games and actually prefer UV (despite it's many faults, bugs and 'design features').
WiTP means well and is very detailed, but I have found it far too slow and unwieldy to actually play! [:(]

[RGIJN]

ORIGINAL: xj900uk

Pity, have got both games and actually prefer UV (despite it's many faults, bugs and 'design features').
WiTP means well and is very detailed, but I have found it far too slow and unwieldy to actually play! [:(]

same to me - I agree! [;)]

[xj900uk]

What's the Admirals Edition like?  Is it any faster/smoother or even more unwieldy/complex?  I suppose if you were locked away in solitary for 25 years you might be able to play WiTP OK, otherwise just 4get it!

Here's hoping Carrier Force is more... playable & corrects UV's bugs!

[Ike99]

Pity, have got both games and actually prefer UV (despite it's many faults, bugs and 'design features').
WiTP means well and is very detailed, but I have found it far too slow and unwieldy to actually play!

I agree 100%!

What's the Admirals Edition like? Is it any faster/smoother or even more unwieldy/complex? I suppose if you were locked away in solitary for 25 years you might be able to play WiTP OK, otherwise just 4get it!

WITP is on a 60 mile hex, Division scale. WITP AE will be on a 30 hex, Regiment scale. So they are double and triple the size.

[X(]

I´m not sure how many people are actually going to play such a game...or will be able to even if they wanted.

[Wirraway_Ace]

ORIGINAL: Ike99

Pity, have got both games and actually prefer UV (despite it's many faults, bugs and 'design features').
WiTP means well and is very detailed, but I have found it far too slow and unwieldy to actually play!

I agree 100%!

What's the Admirals Edition like? Is it any faster/smoother or even more unwieldy/complex? I suppose if you were locked away in solitary for 25 years you might be able to play WiTP OK, otherwise just 4get it!

WITP is on a 60 mile hex, Division scale. WITP AE will be on a 30 hex, Regiment scale. So they are double and triple the size.

[X(]

I´m not sure how many people are actually going to play such a game...or will be able to even if they wanted.

IKE, I think AE will be 40nm per hex.

I like both games. WiTP has at least four distinct theaters with their own characteristics and dynamics. Its advantage (other than diversity) over UV is usually a more rational distribution of forces. You generally don't have all the IJN and USN Fleet Carriers and BBs fighting month after month over the Solomons. Additionally, if you lose a lot of transports or minesweeper (for instance) in one theater, you can shift from another so your offensive or defensive capability is not crippled. Also, WiTP played at 2-day turns moves along well and has a good opertional feel to it. Not sure about AE, but most of the enhancements look value added.

UV I like because the operational readiness rates of aircraft (and aircrews) in particular is much more reasonable. In vanilla WiTP, you can fly your bombers every day in the south pacific without significant crew fatigue or ops losses.

[bigbaba]

what your game shows to me gentlemen, is the fact that you have to secure PM as the japanese player...hands down! i did it early in the war in every japanese game i had and i never regretted that. its simply easier to defend the south pacific without this allied spike in your flesh.

actualy, i play WITP (as japanese) against a skilled german player (historiker) and we make good progress with at least 5-6 turns on a normal day. the biggest changes we made (one other thing that i like about WITP is the greater modding possibilities) was to give the japanese german ME-109 with the 30mm MK-108 and to increase the japanese pilot replacement.

i dont know if i would start a AE game but definitly no more UV game for me since my last very good running game (all allied VC sunk at the end of 1942) against chris was stopped because his AC were not able to preform naval attacks out of lunga. so instead of waseting time with a buggy game, i prefer to play a "lesser buggy" game[;)].