Hunting the Hibiki: Q-Ball (Allies) v Cuttlefish (Japan)

[FatR]

ORIGINAL: Swenslim

That is why I recommend for all Japan players not to go farther than Solomons. With 4 divisions at Noumea it meen he has almost no troops in the rear area. Maybe 1 - 2 divisipns at Java and 1-2 at Marians and Truk. A

He has plenty of time to extract troops from Noumea, though.

[aprezto]

Very ambitious plan. Love it. My fear would be aircraft replacements, specifically fighters. He can basically swamp you with numbers. It may look like you have a lot, but ultimately only the P-38s are of good enough quality. Losses aren't as vicious as they were in WitP but reserves will be very important. If he gets air superiority things will get difficult. If he is allowed to bombard your bases, then you'll be in trouble.
Which is why I agree with your multiple-base targeted approach. I agree this will be very very bloody. As you say, if it is mutually bloody then that favours you. But you have to be ready to burn everything you bring, because he MUST do the same. This is a dagger pointed at his heart.
 
I just fear you are going a little early (then again, the chance to take and hold these places before he reinforces must be tantalising). It would be very nice indeed if he tried to take somewhere else in the South Pacific - well away from your intended invasions zones. Can't rely on your opponent though.
 
Last thought, this will become your main battle zone. US naval and air unit reinforcements have a very long way to come.

[ny59giants]

I have snuck in 2 units to Broome, and 1 more is on the way. I don't want to put more in, because CF might smell something is up if he observes a big buildup at Broome and Derby. He knows about Port Hedland, but that could be considered defensive (which it was initially).

You could expand the facilities at each, but halt them just before they hit the next level. Thus, once this operation is sprung, they will go up a level in a matter of a few days. [;)]

[ckammp]

Operation REPRISAL seems a strong, well thought-out plan. I do, however, have a few nagging questions:
 
1) With so many ships involved, how do you plan on keeping surprise? CF will surely have subs patroling all around Australia, in addition to patrol planes.
 
2) The Japanese defenses are weak now, but there's still 6 weeks until D-Day; if detected, is there a level of defense which will cause you to postpone/change individual targets?
 
3) Do you still plan to use SEARCHLIGHT? Or do you have another diversion planned?
 
4) By sending all CVs and BBs to REPRISAL, you're leaving everywhere else wide open. If CF launches an attack (either raid or invasion) in SoPac, CentPac, or Aleutians, how will you respond?
 
Sorry if this post seems negative, I really do hope REPRISAL works; I just fear it is too much, too soon. 

[princep01]

Q-Ball, do not tarry.
You have allocated sufficient force to ensure initial success and have planned follow on activities to bolster their chances for a sustained offensive. You have realistically calculated the enemies likely reaction. You have ensured operational security and planned for a recon effort that will not overly alarm even the most cautious player. Logistics will be in place and adequate lift capacity will be available for the insertion, follow up and logistics. Light repair facilities are immediately available. You have devised two credible diversionary attacks to confuse and bring consternation upon your enemy.
To tarry is to allow the enemy more "digging" time and time to allocate reinforcements to the area. Prudence is no vice, however, indecision is. You have been prudent. Now, strike swifty and wrest the theater strategic offensive from the grasp of the usurper. Good luck.

As to the craven warnings, low mummerings and worrisome commentary of the faint of heart, I say....a humbug on their house. Strike! Strike! Strike!

As to Admiral ckammp's cousel.....be advised that his last evaluation has been leaked to the public. It is follows:

C. Kammp, Rear Admiral
nav 49; air 42; land 28
Competent administrator, overly cautious
Best position: Rear Area training facility

[krupp_88mm]

lol PWND!

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: ckammp

Operation REPRISAL seems a strong, well thought-out plan. I do, however, have a few nagging questions:

1) With so many ships involved, how do you plan on keeping surprise? CF will surely have subs patroling all around Australia, in addition to patrol planes.

Can't predict Sub Activity; we'll just have to hope he doesn't see it. He knows I have some strength around Perth, but as far as he knows it's just 1 RN CV.

2) The Japanese defenses are weak now, but there's still 6 weeks until D-Day; if detected, is there a level of defense which will cause you to postpone/change individual targets?

The only way we would consider cancelling is if he puts 2 Divisions at Koepang. Even then, we'll probably still go ahead and land on Soemba and Flores. I can't foresee him putting that kind of force at Koepang, unless he REALLY suspects something.

3) Do you still plan to use SEARCHLIGHT? Or do you have another diversion planned?

I'll probably still do it, though I don't think it's necessary. We'll see.

4) By sending all CVs and BBs to REPRISAL, you're leaving everywhere else wide open. If CF launches an attack (either raid or invasion) in SoPac, CentPac, or Aleutians, how will you respond?

Well, it's impossible to attack using CVs without causing this problem. The only way to prevent him from attacking where the CVs aren't is to not deploy them at all, which of course isn't acceptable. I have enough Marine DBs that any landing in the SW Pacific won't be cheap.

The biggest problem with getting all that force on Koepang, other than fuel stocks, is available shipping. I am accumulating alot of APs, but I fear I still won't have enough. And I am worried about those slow Allied unload rates.

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, August 19 to 22nd, 1942

The strangest thing happened on August 22nd; NOTHING. The Combat Report was BLANK. Not a shot was fired anywhere in the Pacific. I must have played 1000s of turns in WITP and AE, and I have never seen that before! Strange!

Japanese Movements: Several transports have been observed at Noumea, but no Japanese warships; last I saw, they all sailed to the North, probably to make some repairs after sailing around for 3 months straight.

My CVs are headed to Australia, otherwise I might do something about that. I am going to send a cruiser TF to Noumea to see if CF is covering those transports. I suspect they are lifting troops from Noumea, but to where?

Logistics: The biggest problem with REPRISAL, the invasion of the DEI, is fuel. I am accumulating ships at Perth, but as I do that, the fuel stocks are dwindling. I am also moving fuel forward to Port Hedland, where I am past 90K in fuel. Perth is down to 40K. I will need more than that to get started, thankfully about 100K is already on the way from Cape Town.

Snore in the Pacific: I have read alot of AARs, and not seen this much inactivity. Are CF and me both chicken? I for one plan to make an attrition war out of it in the DEI.

[Canoerebel]

Am I correct in surmising that you skipped playing the combat replay and, instead, just looked at the combat report text file?  I've had multiple occasions where the combat report and SigInt .txt files were blank, for reasons unknown.  But had you replayed the actual turn file you would have seen the usual amount of activity.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Am I correct in surmising that you skipped playing the combat replay and, instead, just looked at the combat report text file?  I've had multiple occasions where the combat report and SigInt .txt files were blank, for reasons unknown.  But had you replayed the actual turn file you would have seen the usual amount of activity.

Nope, Cuttlefish and I saw the exact same thing: Blank. Nothing. Not a shot fired. I ordered some bombing just to break it up on the 23rd, but basically NOTHING is going on.

Should I be attacking something? I have thought about this and my play style. My other PBEM game is a non-stop bloodbath into which I am wading full-force. Generally, I seek fights where fighting is to my advantage, and shun fighting when I think it won't be. I would play a game of attrition, but the only place I can, Burma, Cuttlefish's airplanes won't come out and play. Eventually, it seemed futile to just crater airfields, particularly since it was costing me planes.

FORAGER will force him to come out, and REPRISAL will for sure. I think REPRISAL will trigger a non-stop bloodbath, particularly since both of us are almost 100% strong.

[Capt. Harlock]

Should I be attacking something? I have thought about this and my play style.

My two cents: you have known where the KB was for over two solid months. Some fast bombardment runs in other places might have been in order.

[Xxzard]

Bombardment is meaningless other than as a surprise/distraction. You might destroy a few airplanes, maybe a ship or two, though in front line areas those aren't going to be crucial ships. It expends a good bit of fuel, puts irreplaceable ships in danger, and accomplishes rather little. Though it will distract your opponent.

If you really wanted to annoy and do damage, try to intercept shipping.

[Menser]

Great plan on Reprisal,
Just need to wait a little for the fuel, but don't cancel Searchlight. Cuttlefish seems to be keeping the KB as a fleet in being, and it cannot be everywhere at once. Using Searchlight as a diversion launched 1/2 or 1 week before Reprisal initiates will help guarantee landing success if it pulls that fleet in being to the Marshalls, giving you some breathing room in the Timor area. You will need it if He has reinforced any of the target bases with a strong garrison and that time will let you shift your available assets if needed (You do have a small Reserve in case, Right? ... I didn't see one in the plans). He might be basing the KB at Truck, if none of his CV should need serious repair time, and Truck is not all that far from your landing objectives (about 3 days at cruising speed, less at Full). If he sees what you're up to right away that could be, as one British Commander put it at the wrong time, "a bit sticky".

Is the proposed operation likely to succeed? What might the consequences of failure? Is it in the realm of practicability in terms of material and supplies? ~ Chester W. Nimitz

[Q-Ball]

I have to agree with Xxzard on bombardments. They don't do alot of damage. It would be a good way to find out where the bases with torpedo-armed Bettys are, but that's called finding out the hard way. The most obvious targets, like the Marshalls, Java, etc, are ones that I know have an Air HQ and possibly Nettys. No thanks.

I have a fast run heading to Noumea though to get surface ships. THAT is a good use of raiders. I might try mid-ocean intercepts at some point.

[Chickenboy]

Q-ball,

I agree with you in general about bombardments being much less effective than under vanila WiTP when they were unholy terror weapons capable of causing tens of thousands of casualties day after day after day. However, with recon pre-registration of targets, large scale bombardment can be quite devastating.

Case in point:

NO USSHENRICO OR CRIMGUY...
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In a PBEM as IJN (January, 1942), I invaded Balikpapan with 4 SNLF units. I had two SCTFs nearby for cover-one had 2x BBs and multiple CAs, the other 4xBBs and multiple CAs and CLs. Hey, no sense messing about.

The initial Balikpapan invasion was a kind of shoestring affair. The invasion TF consisted of a large number of DMS (lots of mines there), PBs and xAKs. Shore-based CD artillery caused havoc with the initial landing force on day one. Lots of medium caliber CD hits on PBs and DMSs. I lost a combined total of 4 of these with another 4 badly chewed up. The interference was such that only one of the SNLFs was able to land with supplies. Thankfully, the PBs and DMS were able to clear a large number of mines, enabling my SCTFs to intervene.

On day 2, I ordered both the SCTFs to bombard the target hex and withdraw. The 4xBB bombardment caused 450+ casualties. The second 250+. Both SCTFs withdrew and the unloading commenced UNOPPOSED. I think that the combined causuaties were near 100% of the garrison force. No more CD fire, no more interference with supply unloading. The landed SNLFs then easily swept away the opposition and captured the port and facilities largely intact.

Overwhelming bombardment with large caliber guns still works as part of this balanced combined arms breakfast.

[radar]

Snore in the Pacific: I have read alot of AARs, and not seen this much inactivity. Are CF and me both chicken?


I for one enjoy the careful and considered strategy you have employed in this game. What attracted me to WiTP was the closeness to the historical war and to see that displayed in a PBEM match is fun to read.

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Aug 23 to 26, 1942

Again, little happens these days, other than some favorable sub activity for me; 2 small TKs sunk off Medan by Dutch subs, a large AK heavily damaged off New Caledonia and maybe sunk, plus another xAK probably sunk.

Forager: The jump-off date for Forager is set at September 10, or about 2 weeks of game time. September is the last month of Monsoon, and it will take about 20 days for troops to march through the jungle into position. In fact, there is a good chance that CF won't even notice movement until they move a hex.

Kalemyo's supply difficulties are being taken care of via airlift. Those Skytrains are really valuable! They basically repaired the Chinese at Paoshan, who are now moving into position for FORAGER. Now, they are keeping 3 divisions supplied at Kalemyo. I think I am going to need that airstrip at Warazup.

Temptation: The USN CVs will arrive in Perth in about 5 days. Occasionally, I have spotted Baby KB off the Australian coast. What should I do if I observe them again, in a position to be reached by my CVs?

I have no doubt that 7 Allied CVs would completely crush Baby KB and sink all of them. This would be a victory. It would be at a high cost, however, in intelligence; once he sees the US Fleet in that position, Cuttlefish will KNOW something is up. Kido Butai will likely be in the area shortly thereafter. Sinking CVLs, though, is a good thing. So tempting that would be.......what would you guys do?

[Canoerebel]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  If you can clobber a handful of Japanese CVEs, go get 'em.

[aprezto]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  If you can clobber a handful of Japanese CVEs, go get 'em.

Agreed - this would be a massive strategic and tactical victory. Only you will know if that means you must scrub your op.

[Smeulders]

After the previous combat between the mini KB and the British, he'll figure that you brought in the Americans to fight mini KB. He might be a bit suspicious of the move, and maybe he'll move KB closer to counter any follow-up actions, but I doubt it'll tip him off as to your offensive.