Glug, glug, glug in the Aleutians

[Kull]

Alrighty then! For those who like their AARs short and sweet, here for your viewing pleasure is "Glug, glug, glug in the Aleutians"! The idea for the AAR came about during my just completed Aleutians scenario, where I learned VERY quickly that to send subs into the path of enemy TFs was....shall we say.....problematic. Thus the objective of the AAR is simple. How long will it take for the various Allied Cargo, Transport, and Surface Combat TFs to send every last Japanese sub straight to the bottom! Now if simple suicide were the objective, then parking them all in Durch Harbor would suffice. However, the goal is to put them on patrol between Kiska and Dutch Harbor much as the otherwise unknowing noob would normally do, in the hope of intercepting said convoys and inflicting the harsh punishment of the IJN not-so-silent service. And so we begin. It is April 15, 1943, and ten IJN Submarine TFs are ready to seek out and destroy the enemy:

[Kull]

Their patrol zones vary, but all take place within the Red Confines of the Death Box:

[Kull]

And they're off! As we glide into turn 2 absolutely nothing is happening, but here's an interesting pic. Apparently 4 sub TFs in one hex all appear as individuals, but when you reach 5, they get the "multiple TFs" graphic:

[Kull]

It's April 18th and our intrepid submariners have all reached the edge of the Death Box. And scouts have sighted enemy TFs forming in Dutch Harbor, so things might be heating up soon:

[Kull]

"But wait" you say, "I count 12 Sub TFs on the screen! How can this be?" That my friend, is because the IJN has several midget subs based in Kiska, and the computer is beginning to bring them into play as a defensive measure (yes, sub ops are defaulted to computer, but in this scenario I'm controlling all except the minis):

[Kull]

Well, ALMOST all. Just for grins, a Mini sub has been tasked with traveling to Adak and setting up shop there. And it's already at zero fuel with two hexes to go. Something tells me this won't end well.....

[Kull]

File this next bit under the heading of, "Dastardly Developers outwit Gamey Player". None of the IJN subs in the Aleutians scenario can carry midgets, but they CAN be given the "Midget Sub Carrier" mission. As can, oddly enough, the midget subs themselves! So surely if both subs have the same mission, they can be combined into a single task force and thus allow for refueling of the mini-sub just outside Adak? But nay! That oh-so-gamey trick doesn't work and the midget must wend it's way into Adak, running solely on fumes (or possibly being paddled in ala the Large Slow Target canoe, albeit with a much less appealing crew....)

[Kull]

The arrival of the canoe seems to have awakened the Adak Harbor Patrol. It's either the funk rising from unwashed bodies in close proximity for multiple days, or else the smoke from the ever-increasing no-fuel damage. Hopefully wills have been updated......you don't need to be Nostradamus to predict what's coming.

[Kull]

AFB? Hate those $%@# Glen-carriers? It's the Aleutians. You're JFB opponent is going to see this message a LOT:

[Kull]

It's April 29th, and the first Allied TF has entered the "Death Box". Until now, all the IJN subs were set to react=0, but all 10 have now been adjusted to react=1. After seeing Yamato Hugger's AE beta test results, sub reactions seem too powerful (even unrealistic), so I won't use anything higher than one:

[Kull]

As the calendar flips over to May 1943, it's certainly been an action packed two weeks! The Allied TF appears to have chickened out and returned to Dutch Harbor, so we're still awaiting the first mano-a-mano. Speaking of which, the canoe is still paddling around Adak, unable to draw the interest of the locals. Of some interest is the fact that damage stopped accruing once the midget stopped moving. So its maintained the same 21 points of damage for ten days and counting. Who knows, maybe Nostradmus should have been consulted after all?

[Kull]

It's May 7th, 23 days in, and the Allies finally seem to be making a move for Attu. Of course, the IJN subs just waved them through, so now it's up to the SCTF just SW of Attu on react=2. At first I wasn't going to move any units except subs, but I've decided to reinforce Kiska with a combat brigade and the SCTF is mainly there to protect the transports. I *might just let the Allies take Attu - at least that would increase the amount of convoy traffic passing through the not-so-death box.

[Kull]

Well, I-169 gave it a shot. Not actually a shot...that would imply the sub fired a torpedo. But she certainly took a few shots, this being the worst:

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR May 07, 43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Adak Island at 161,49

Japanese Ships
SS I-169, hits 10

Allied Ships
xAP Delarof
xAP Branch
xAK Vega
xAK George W. Julian
DD Caldwell
DD Bancroft
DMS Long
APD Kane

DD Caldwell attacking submerged sub ....
DD Bancroft attacking submerged sub ....
DMS Long fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Kane fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Caldwell attacking submerged sub ....
DD Bancroft fails to find sub and abandons search
DMS Long attacking submerged sub ....
DD Caldwell fails to find sub and abandons search
DMS Long fails to find sub, continues to search...
DMS Long attacking submerged sub ....
Escort abandons search for sub

[Kull]

And next morning she was on her way home. One down, nine to go.

Edit: Nice "reaction" by the SCTF, by the way. You know, the one that's not visible alongside all those Allied TFs anchored off Attu. If you want something done, give explicit orders....grumble, grumble. [;)]

[Kull]

Well, I-21 just rescued the honor of the IJN submarine service. She took on a convoy full of escorts, putting a torpedo into DMS Long to start the action. The depth charge attacks were notably fierce, resulting in a fire on the bridge and two hull penetrations. The last of these forced her to the surface, from where she put another topedo into an AK and a shell into a second AK, before finally being shattered in a literal hail of gunfire. 2 down, 8 to go:

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR May 08, 43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Adak Island at 160,50

Japanese Ships
SS I-21, hits 21, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DMS Long, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAP Delarof
xAP Branch
DD Caldwell
DD Bancroft
APD Kane
AK Richard March Hoe, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAK Vega, Shell hits 1
xAK George W. Julian


Allied ground losses:
21 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)


SS I-21 launches 6 torpedoes at DMS Long
I-21 diving deep ....
DD Caldwell fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Bancroft fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Kane attacking submerged sub ....
DD Caldwell attacking submerged sub ....
DD Bancroft fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Kane attacking submerged sub ....
SS I-21 forced to surface!
AK Richard March Hoe firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK Vega firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK George W. Julian firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Caldwell firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Bancroft firing on surfaced sub ....
AK Richard March Hoe firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK Vega firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK George W. Julian firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Caldwell firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK Vega firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK George W. Julian firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Bancroft firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK Vega firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK George W. Julian firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Caldwell firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Bancroft firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK Vega firing on surfaced sub ....
xAK George W. Julian firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Caldwell firing on surfaced sub ....
Sub slips beneath the waves

[Kull]

One of the new AE features - A midget sub collided with a freighter at Kiska. Guess who got the worst of it? [:D]

[Kull]

It's May 12th and the occupants of the Adak canoe were rudely awakend by an ASW attack from a newly Allied convoy. And mirabile dictu, they slipped away unseen. I suppose given that they've been hanging out in harbor for 22 days (having arrived on 4/20), the guys must know all the good watering holes! [8D]

[Kull]

File this under "Intellesting, velly, velly intellesting". The Adak midget has been on station in an enemy port for 23 day, with no fuel, been attacked (or at least "searched for") once, and (presumably) have received no letters from home, and yet they've managed to repair some system damage (down from 21 to 19). Chalk it up to the inspirational leadership of Lt. Shiga (37)! [;)]

Note: That "Escort" TF heading away from Kiska is the AK damaged in the collision a few days ago. Fires are out so it's time to sail for home. Worth noting that even if you manually assign it the "Transport" mission, the code apparently checks the damage level and alters it to an Escort mission. Not a bad feature at all, since it quickly helps you identify any distressed ships transiting the map - no real benefit here in the Aleutians but probably a nice assist during the Grand Campaign.

[Kull]

It's May 14th and two shiny new Submarines have arrived in Paramushiro. As the crews learn of their mission (Death Box Patrol), I'm sure their confidence is soaring as they gaze upon the battered hulk of I-169 tethered nearby!

[Kull]

As for I-169, all 21 points of Float Damage is "major", and thus unrepairable in this scenario (although Terminus has promised to add an AR to the IJN OOB - hopefully in time for the first patch). For those unfamiliar with the new repair options, even without a Repair Yard, the sub can be shifted from "Readiness" to "Pierside" which - in concert with setting the priority to "High" - will cut the repair time in half (from 16 days to 8). Oddly enough, setting the priority to "Critical" increases the days to 9! Anyway, in just over a week the brave boys in I-169 will sail back into combat, albeit with a big jury-rigged patch in the hull. We'll see how well THAT works out!