Nomonhan Redux: Seydlitz (Japan) vs. MBatch729 (Allies)

[seydlitz_slith]

The tanker sank, and that will hurt the allies as they are also short tankers in 1942.

The next think that happened was the KB steamed over the L-17, which was the submarine that made the attacks last turn. We were ready for her this time, and the screen caught her before she could penetrate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Wakkanai at 122,47

Japanese Ships
CA Tone
DD Urakaze
DD Kasumi
DD Arare
DD Tanikaze

Allied Ships
SS L-17



L-17 diving deep ....
DD Kasumi fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Arare fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Tanikaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tanikaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tanikaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tanikaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tanikaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tanikaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tanikaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

I doubt that we sank her, but the ever helpful ships sunk screen says that we did....

[seydlitz_slith]

In the final sub attack of the turn, I-19 was patrolling southwest of San Diego and got off six shots at an Omaha class cruiser. The target spotted the shots and maneuvered to comb the tracks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near San Clemente Island at 225,80

Japanese Ships
SS I-19, hits 1

Allied Ships
CL Concord
DD Crosby



SS I-19 launches 6 torpedoes at CL Concord
DD Crosby attacking submerged sub ....
DD Crosby fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Crosby fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Crosby fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Crosby fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Having determined that the cruiser was on a baseline course to the southwest, I-19 will do a long end around and try to maneuver for another shot tomorrow.

[seydlitz_slith]

Dawn broke over the Philippines with a fighter sweep over Iba where I was hoping to find those pesky Catalinas. Instead I found P-40s and fought them to a standstill in a lengthy dogfight that produced no casualties on either side.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Iba , at 78,75

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 10



Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 4


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses



Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 10000 feet

CAP engaged:
24th PG/3rd PS with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 2 on standby, 1 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 1 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 22000 , scrambling fighters between 5000 and 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 12 minutes

[seydlitz_slith]

We couldn't find the Catalinas because they were out making yet another attack on your shipping in Hong Kong Harbor.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Hong Kong at 77,61

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 31 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 18 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 3



Allied aircraft
PBY-4 Catalina x 4


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses



CAP engaged:
10th I.F.Chutai with Ki-27b Nate (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 10000
Raid is overhead

[seydlitz_slith]

Meanwhile, on the Russian front, we traded sweeps at Borzya, he bombed Hailar, and I bombed Bikin with Nells and Betties.
He continued to heavily attack Kotou and also launched air attacks at my battleships bombarding Okha.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Borzya , at 106,26

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ia Oscar x 9



Allied aircraft
I-153 x 7


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ia Oscar: 1 destroyed




CAP engaged:
9 IAP-PVO with I-153 (0 airborne, 5 on standby, 0 scrambling)
5 plane(s) intercepting now.
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 15000 and 17000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 3 minutes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Bikin , at 117,42

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 31 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 19



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 19
Mig-3 x 9


Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 2 destroyed, 6 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
I-16m24: 2 destroyed on ground



Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x G3M2 Nell bombing from 6000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Bikin , at 117,42

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 34 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 7



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 16
Mig-3 x 5


Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 5 destroyed


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Bikin , at 117,42

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 38



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 6
Mig-3 x 3


Japanese aircraft losses
G4M1 Betty: 15 damaged

Allied aircraft losses


Allied ground losses:
Vehicles lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)


Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 74

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 5000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
22 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 5000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Borzya , at 106,26

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ia Oscar x 3



Allied aircraft
I-153 x 3


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
I-153: 1 destroyed



Aircraft Attacking:
1 x Ki-43-Ia Oscar sweeping at 16000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kotou , at 116,42

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 24 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes


Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 18
DB-3M x 27
Mig-3 x 2
SB-2 x 40


Allied aircraft losses
DB-3M: 1 damaged
SB-2: 1 damaged



Airbase hits 8
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 26

Aircraft Attacking:
20 x SB-2 bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb
20 x DB-3M bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 100 kg GP Bomb
20 x SB-2 bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb
7 x DB-3M bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 100 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Okha at 128,37

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes


Allied aircraft
I-153 x 10
SB-2 x 12


Allied aircraft losses
SB-2: 1 destroyed, 10 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Mutsu
BB Ise



Aircraft Attacking:
6 x SB-2 bombing from 8000 feet
Naval Attack: 6 x 100 kg SAP Bomb
3 x SB-2 bombing from 8000 feet *
Naval Attack: 3 x 100 kg GP Bomb
2 x SB-2 bombing from 8000 feet
Naval Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kotou , at 116,42

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes


Allied aircraft
DB-3M x 12
Mig-3 x 6


No Allied losses



Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 25

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x DB-3M bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 100 kg GP Bomb


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Hailar , at 107,30

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 16 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ia Oscar x 10



Allied aircraft
I-153 x 7
SB-2 x 17


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SB-2: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged



Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x SB-2 bombing from 15000 feet
Airfield Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
59th Sentai with Ki-43-Ia Oscar (2 airborne, 5 on standby, 3 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 16000 , scrambling fighters between 16000 and 19000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 34 minutes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kotou , at 116,42

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 48 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes


Allied aircraft
TB-3 x 17


Allied aircraft losses
TB-3: 4 damaged



Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 21

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x TB-3 bombing from 8000 feet
Airfield Attack: 8 x 250 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Okha at 128,37

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 28 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes


Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 7
SB-2 x 6


Allied aircraft losses
SB-2: 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Yamashiro
BB Mutsu



Aircraft Attacking:
6 x SB-2 bombing from 6000 feet
Naval Attack: 6 x 100 kg SAP Bomb

Yes, I did lose a few bombers at Bikin since he had more cap there than I had planned for. But I will also say that the flak was brutal. After my bombers left the target, he had 97% runway damage.

[offenseman]

This AAR has inspired me to start a game vs the AI as Japan and I will activate the Russkies. It is so different than what is normally done that I find it compelling.

[seydlitz_slith]

I also pushed my agenda by focusing on Rybilov. I really wish that the weather had been better because there were severe storms over the target, but at least my planes flew.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Rybolov , at 113,44

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 37
Ki-27b Nate x 143
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 14



Allied aircraft
I-153 x 12


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27b Nate: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
I-153: 1 destroyed



Aircraft Attacking:
37 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 21000 feet
5 x Ki-43-Ib Oscar sweeping at 14000 feet
6 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
24 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
11 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
10 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
10 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Rybolov , at 113,44

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 30,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 30
Ki-27b Nate x 109
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 13



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 5
I-153 x 35
I-16m24 x 17


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27b Nate: 8 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
I-153: 1 destroyed
I-16m24: 2 destroyed



Aircraft Attacking:
29 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 27000 feet *
14 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
4 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
11 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
8 x Ki-43-Ib Oscar sweeping at 14000 feet
8 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
3 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
2 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 39th Rifle Division, at 113,44 (Rybolov)

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 29 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 17
Ki-27b Nate x 49
Ki-36 Ida x 4
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 12



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 7
I-153 x 13
I-16m24 x 4


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed, 13 damaged
Ki-27b Nate: 1 destroyed
Ki-36 Ida: 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
I-15bis: 1 destroyed
I-153: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
44 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Aircraft Attacking:
11 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
5 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
4 x Ki-36 Ida bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 30 kg GP Bomb
8 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
5 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
3 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
10 x Ki-43-Ib Oscar sweeping at 14000 feet
5 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
2 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *

Also attacking 33rd VVS Base Force ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 39th Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 33rd VVS Base Force ...
Also attacking 39th Rifle Division ...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 22nd Rifle Division, at 113,44 (Rybolov)

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 20
Ki-27b Nate x 25
Ki-30 Ann x 33
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 10



Allied aircraft
I-153 x 14
I-16m24 x 12


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 12 damaged
Ki-27b Nate: 4 destroyed
Ki-30 Ann: 4 destroyed, 15 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
I-153: 1 destroyed
I-16m24: 1 destroyed


Allied ground losses:
33 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)


Aircraft Attacking:
20 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
30 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
3 x Ki-43-Ib Oscar sweeping at 14000 feet
4 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
3 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
3 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 22nd/24th AA Battalion ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 22nd/24th AA Battalion ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 75th Tank Brigade, at 113,44 (Rybolov)

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 28 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 36
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 30
Ki-27b Nate x 12
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 4



Allied aircraft
I-153 x 3
I-16m24 x 2


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 5 destroyed, 27 damaged
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 28 damaged
Ki-27b Nate: 1 destroyed



Allied ground losses:
30 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 4 (0 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (0 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Also attacking 77th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 33rd VVS Base Force ...
Also attacking 22nd/24th AA Battalion ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 77th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 22nd/24th AA Battalion ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 77th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 33rd VVS Base Force ...
Also attacking 22nd/24th AA Battalion ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...
Also attacking 75th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 77th Tank Brigade ...
Also attacking 22nd/24th AA Battalion ...
Also attacking 22nd Rifle Division ...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 77th Tank Brigade, at 113,44 (Rybolov)

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 9
Ki-36 Ida x 16
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 4



Allied aircraft
I-153 x 2
I-16m24 x 1


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27b Nate: 1 destroyed
Ki-36 Ida: 3 destroyed, 11 damaged




Aircraft Attacking:
13 x Ki-36 Ida bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 30 kg GP Bomb
3 x Ki-43-Ib Oscar sweeping at 14000 feet
3 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
2 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *
1 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 14000 feet *

This turn also marked the debut of the experimental KI-44 Shoki unit sweeping Vorishilov.

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Morning Air attack on Voroshilov , at 112,45

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 33,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 22 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44 Tojo x 9



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 4


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses



Aircraft Attacking:
9 x Ki-44 Tojo sweeping at 30000 feet

CAP engaged:
32 SAD/75 IAP with I-15bis (0 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
Group patrol altitude is 18000 , scrambling fighters to 30500.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 7 minutes

[seydlitz_slith]

The KB did hit Spassy-Daliny, but the results were not as good as I felt they should have been.

The weather probably had a lot to do with it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Spassk-Dalniy , at 114,44

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 16 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 11



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 7
I-153 x 33
I-16m24 x 16


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
I-15bis: 1 destroyed
I-153: 4 destroyed
I-16m24: 2 destroyed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Spassk-Dalniy , at 114,44

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 28,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 40 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 61
B5N2 Kate x 50
D3A1 Val x 50



Allied aircraft
I-15bis x 4
I-153 x 14
I-16m24 x 2


Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 5 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed, 17 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
I-15bis: 1 destroyed
I-153: 3 destroyed
I-16m24: 1 destroyed
TB-3: 1 destroyed on ground
SB-2: 1 destroyed on ground


Allied ground losses:
Vehicles lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)


Airbase hits 11
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 16

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x D3A1 Val diving from 10000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
21 x B5N2 Kate bombing from 11000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
17 x D3A1 Val diving from 10000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
18 x B5N2 Kate bombing from 11000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
14 x D3A1 Val diving from 10000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
11 x B5N2 Kate bombing from 11000 feet
Airfield Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
13 x D3A1 Val diving from 10000'
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb
11 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 23000 feet
7 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 23000 feet

[seydlitz_slith]

This was one of the longest turn resolutions in terms of air combat. I did note that the sweeping fighters tended to stay over the target and provide escort to the arriving bombers and recon aircraft. I had not noticed this behavior prior to this turn.

At any rate, here are the losses...
First mine,

[seydlitz_slith]

Here are the allied losses.

[jomni]

What's happening in the other fronts like Malaya and DEI?
What is your opponent doing to capitalize on your preoccupation with Russia?

[seydlitz_slith]

To bring up the Nate discussion again (and Ben, I am very much enjoying our discussion), I noticed that two or three of the Korean Nate units are now hurting for morale (38 and 19) so I have ordered them to stand down. I already have 3 other Nate units in Korea that I am using for point defense only (well away from the front) because their training levels are 29 and 31).

The units working in Luzon are much better (in the high 60+ range) as are the units in Malaya (55-75). I have been converting the Nate units to Oscar units as fast as I am able to get planes built. I have converted one large unit (36 planes) and two small units ( 12 and 18 planes) so far. I can't wait until all are done. Still, the Nate will be my primary trainer, so I need to keep building airframes so that I will have enough training aircraft at the end and I do have 300 free engines to consume.

--------------
Land combat was not eventual this turn.
-------------
I thought that I would check in on the Haruna to see how repairs were coming. I really want to move her to Japan, but I am worried about knocking down more of the system damage first.

[seydlitz_slith]

Finally, I did have one of those [X(][X(]moments. I had just docked Ryjuho in Hiroshima/Kure and transferred her fighter and kate groups to shore when what should come up but this.....

[seydlitz_slith]

Luckily it looks to be a benign error. After I clicked back to the task force it no longer showed as there. The pilots had to be Americans, especially if you looked at their morale.

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: offenseman

This AAR has inspired me to start a game vs the AI as Japan and I will activate the Russkies. It is so different than what is normally done that I find it compelling.

Glad to hear that. You might be surprised that we also have the common bond of careers. I too am a gamer who used to go to Gen-con when it was in Milwaukee, and I am also in distribution.

[offenseman]

Oddly enough, I've found that my distribution experience really helps manage the Japanese supply chain.

The Soviet activation strategy takes a lot of courage given that you need so many things from the SRA. To some extent it seems like a race against time. It will be interesting to see how your res/oil/sup chain is doing in about two weeks after extensive ground combat has been going on for awhile in the USSR.

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: jomni

What's happening in the other fronts like Malaya and DEI?
What is your opponent doing to capitalize on your preoccupation with Russia?

I haven't been highlighting what is going on in those theaters for sure, but the war is plodding along.

In Malaya, my primary force has captured Alor Star and is advancing southwards at a snail's pace towards Georgetown.

My secondary force is marching down the center of the peninsula but was delayed by the extended unloading of four artillery units at Kota Bharu.

I still have Lily, Sonia, Ann, Mary, and Nate units in Malaya doing airstrikes on the ground units at Georgetown, Taipang, and in the center of the peninsula. I also have two zero units that are still doing regular sweeps over Singapore and occaisionally Georgetown.

I have three Oscar units that are repairing after converting from Nates. These are high experience units. I may use them in Malaya and Borneo, or I may send them to Russia and bring additional zero units back down for the next phase of the campaign.

Over in Indochina, I still have two Betty and two Nell units sitting on naval attack. I am hoping that he thinks that I have moved all of these units up north and tries to sortie with his surface units. If he does, I will attack and torpedo him.

In Borneo I hold Miri, Brunei, and Beaufort. My troops are holding on at Tarakan but do not have the strength to capture the port. I have been using Sallies based out of Miri to bomb the Dutch troops at Tarakan and have been bombarding using Hiei and Kirishima every turn. I have subs and other surface forces out hoping that he will show his hand with ABDA again. However, I will have help soon that should allow me to finish off Tarakan.

Balikpapan, southern Borneo, and the Celebes will most likely be mid-February targets. Palembang and Java will proably be March and April.

In the Philippines, I am using a fairly weak force on Mindanao, but it should be sufficient to conqueror the island. On Luzon I have things well in hand and project a finish by early February using forces on hand. Cabantuan fell this turn and the 91st PA infantry division outright surrendered, further weakening his forces. I have significant drives that are about to hit Clark from the north and Manila from the south, possibly on the same turns. This has forced him to keep his defences evenly split and will hopefully lead to his downfall or at least becoming a static bombing target in Bataan.

I have also just taken Hollandia in the last few days and will systematically advance down New Guinea's north coast. I already hold Manus, Kavieng, Shortlands, and Tulagi. I have a landing force escorted by cruisers headed to Rabaul with a second task force loading up the division that captured Guam. It will head towards Rabaul shortly.

I elected not to take Wake, and other than cleaning up a few minor islands (Ocean Island and Tarawa).

I really have not decided that I want to go very deep into the Solomans. I may defend those lightly and make my eventual primary defence along the Guam/Saipan area.

Regarding forces that I have pulled to fight Russia, my thinking is this....

I have not pulled any forces that I think that I immediately needed on the southern front. As soon as I gained sea control around the Philippines I reduced the ability for my opponent to bring in reinforcements. The new command restrictions prevent him from doing a full sir robin move, so after I had unloaded the ground troops and supplies that I needed, I was able to pull my shipping out. This mitigated the ability of his subs and remaining air to hurt me.

Aircraft wise, I kept only enough force to maintain control of the battle space. I want my fighters to continue to make kills and gain experience through combat while at the same time minimizing bomber losses. That means that I wanted to keep small numbers of good fighters sweeping in Luzon and Malaya, fighting combats frequently and killing more of the enemy than they lost. At the same time, I did not want to crush him with so many planes that he simply tried to abandon the battle arena and transferred his planes out. By showing him some hope, I could gain the most experience for my pilots. This is experience that they will need later in the war.

I did direct some of the Malaya and 2nd wave Luzon forces to Southern China where they were needed. Otherwise, I used a couple of third wave units from Japan to invade Okha and Petropavlovsk. Since the enemy has proved to be so tough there, I am having to pull out a division from Southern China to finish off Okha.

Most of the units in China are the units that started there. I have been shuffling garrisons around to optimize my AV, and a few (very few) units have arrived from Korea primarily to relieve stronger units from garrison duty and to help open up the Mongolian front.

On the Russian front, these are all the units that are there. Japan starts with just under 12,000 AV here, and I plan to use most of it (there are some garrison requirements in Korea) to fight the Russians. I am not sure how the fight will go, but I must stick to my same formula....

1. Gain control of the air

2. Focus your forces at the intended point of friction

3. Use your air control to influence the battle at the point of friction

4. Minimise my losses while attriting the enemy and trying to gain as much experience as possible.


I didn't mention Burma, but I don't know how deep I plan to get involved there. I intend to conquer the SRA, Philippines, China, and Russia in 1942 and then hold from there.

In real life, had Japan attacked Russia as I have, Germany would have beaten Russia. During December 1941, the German army had essentially surrounded Moscow and were within sight of the city. Russia moved 30 divisions from this area across Siberia to counterattack. These were experienced troops, equipped for winter fighting, who had tested themselved in battle against the Japanese over the previous four years. Without their movement, Moscow would have fallen. So, even though I am going to have a tough go of it in the game I know that I will be helping my ally when the war with Russia, and that will increase my chances for a negotiated peace that also leaves me with control of the whole Asian co-prosperity sphere.

[Jonathan Pollard]

ORIGINAL: seydlitz


In real life, had Japan attacked Russia as I have, Germany would have beaten Russia. During December 1941, the German army had essentially surrounded Moscow and were within sight of the city. Russia moved 30 divisions from this area across Siberia to counterattack. These were experienced troops, equipped for winter fighting, who had tested themselved in battle against the Japanese over the previous four years. Without their movement, Moscow would have fallen.

I think by that point it still would have been possible/likely for Russia to have held out. The USSR launched their counteroffensive that removed the immediate threat to Moscow on December 6th, which means that they did not need any of their troops in the Far East that remained to save Moscow. It's possible that Stalingrad may have been averted if the USSR sent the forces responsible for their Stalingrad victory to fight Japan, but it's also possible that they may have cancelled their disastrous May 1942 Kharkov offensive and saved themselves the strength which they lost there. Although I would agree that from the point of view of ultimate Axis victory an attack by Japan would have been a good choice.

What could have allowed Germany to win would have been better counterespionage by Japan. The USSR had a spy in Japan that reported to Stalin that the Japs were not planning an attack, and Stalin relied on this information to transfer troops from Asia to Europe. If this spy had been caught, those troops that saved Moscow probably would have stayed in Asia.

[Streptokok]

Im just so pissed off at this:

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 37
Ki-27b Nate x 143
Ki-43-Ib Oscar x 14

Allied aircraft
I-153 x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-27b Nate: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
I-153: 1 destroyed

Even if you didnt bring those 143x Nates, 51x Zeros and Oscars would so overwhelm 12x I-153 they would just be wiped out. [:(]

[bklooste]

ORIGINAL: seydlitz

ORIGINAL: bklooste

The expanding the Nates seemed very strange why not convert a Research facility of some float planes for while in 15 days you will have another 15 Oscars or Zeros being build per month. It wastes supplies and engines but id just forget using the engines those planes are death traps for your pilots hence the engines are worthless. Its prob better to let them hit the smaller air fields at least you loose worthless Nate air frames and not pilots.

You could do this in stock, but since we are playing AE with both PDU and realistic research on, I am not allowed to change any r&d factories to active aircraft types. That limits my starting factories quite a bit and serves to prevent Japan from instanly expanding their ai/c production to a huge affair.

Remember, the only wastage is supply for the repair and hi for the airframes. I already have the engines. Yes, I am losing nates, but the loss rate is only around 1 to 1 and they have proved capable in many situations. Certainly far more capable than they ever were in stock.
Also remember that no matter how much I want to, I can only build HA-35 engines so fast. You also can not change engine factories from research to active types, and the number of starting active engine factories is very limited given the requirements for several distinct engine types.

1 to 1 is ok must have been the bad Russian reports in the AAR.


quote]You could do this in stock, but since we are playing AE with both PDU and realistic research on, I am not allowed to change any r&d factories to active aircraft types. That limits my starting factories quite a bit and serves to prevent Japan from instanly expanding their ai/c production to a huge affair. [/quote]

What about some float plane engines and factories like the Glenn etc Can they not be converted along with their engines ? Since Japan is the most active in the first 3 months i think getting 2 air and engine plants up for critical types is well worth it. With the goal to reduce experienced pilot losses.


Anyway i think your over the hump with the more experienced guys in Oscars, i don't mind green pilots in Nates as they are dead meat until they get some experience just don't want to loose the more experienced pilots.


It will be very interesting to see how it goes when Russia is down ( though it looks tough ! )your pilot pool will be bad but you armies should be able to sweep through China and give you a big edge on the ground.