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

[ny59giants]

Moving Fuel - This is a question that both sides have to address in the most economical terms.

Per manual page 107:

The Refuel options are:
1) Do Not Refuel - No refueling will take place
2) Minimal Refuel - Each ship takes on enough fuel to complete the present TF mission, plus approximately a 10% pad
3) Tactical Refuel - Similar to Minimal Refuel, but with a 50% pad
4) Full Refuel - All ships refuel to their maximum Endurance

#2 & 3 are new for AE and I think us players as a whole have not adjusted to using these options more often. Have you used them more, Brad??  IMO, bases like Christmas Island (Line Islands) are important to be built up to size 10 overall (stop spoilage). Then you can use ships (TKs and AKs) from the West Coast with low Endurance to move Fuel here, but have enough to get back to their West coast base without stealing from the Fuel they just delivered.

As Japan, I will try to set up the same thing. Can I get the Fuel from the SRA to Japan and return back to my Fuel source without needing to refuel?? If not, then I need to do more micro-management by setting those TF to "Minimal Refuel."

Overall, this game is still based in logistics. Whoever does this better will win. Protect your and deny your opponent his.

OK, off my soapbox now. [;)]

[Dave3L]

Assuming you've drawn KB to somewhere near Timor, do you have any plans to try and take back something in the CentPac on the cheap?  Or are you committed to the Celebes?

[Kwik E Mart]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Kido Butai is at Market and Van Ness?

Oct 10, 1942

Not much going on over Timor....very quiet in fact. The last transports have unloaded, and all bases are at least lvl 1. Troops are beginning to prep for HALBERD, the invasion of the Celebes. I hope to be firmly ashore on the Celebes by the New Year, and knocking on the door of the Southern Phillipines by mid-1943. Realistic? Maybe hubris, because I still haven't seen the IJN.

Burma: First attack tommorow at Myiktinya. We'll see if we take it. Only 1 Division, other forces are coming up.

Allied Regeneration: Check out the screenshot. Isn't this a bit insane? In my game as Japan, I have focused on destroying Allied ground units, thinking that might slow their advance. Guess not; save a cadre, and apparently you can build whole divisions instantly. The IJA can do this as well I realize, maybe not as completely.

This is a great game, though I think the fragment-regrow thing is a bit out of control

Q-Ball,
Sorry to go slightly OT here, but I noticed that you have quite a few air formations in Suva (13 "groups" on a level 7 airfield), but no overstacking penalty - I don't see a HQ in the base - perhaps there is one within range? Curious and trying to understand the base stacking thingy...

Regards

[Capt. Harlock]

I have now 6 divisions and tanks in Northern Burma. My next objective is to capture Lashio and open the Burma Road, followed by a push into the Lower Irriwaddy. I would like to grab Shwebo and force the Japanese to pull back accross the Irriwaddy completely.

Sounds like an excellent plan. IMHO Cuttlefish is making a mistake by not hitting back sooner -- you now have the initiative.

[Q-Ball]

Kwik E Mart: Suva is overstacked. I don't really have a plan there actually, I should probably organize it a bit better, but there isn't much going on right now. I should move some of those groups to Pago Pago and Vava'u, where I have big airbases to "store" some units. Also, 2 of those bomber groups are in transit to Brisbane.

Harlock: Thanks, though as I said, that is all contingent on getting enough supplies.

Oct 12, 1942

Where is KB? Well, I found it. It wasn't at Market and Van Ness after all, but I spotted it at Soerbaya. Last turn I sent out a bunch of planes on recon to snoop nearby ports; an RAAF Hudson out of Waingapu got a hit at Soerbaya, and frantically radioed back the contact reports.

This is big news. The heading was reported as "Southwest", which means they must have moved through the Makassar Strait, rather than past Ambon which is what I was watching more closely. Sneaky! Too bad Cuttlefish is facing a vigilant opponent who snoops ports.

Given this, I am having all non-essential transports pull up anchor and leave the Timor area. Fighters are up on CAP. I have RN BBs grouped at Koepang; I would LIKE to have a slugging match with some IJN BBs if I can arrange it, as the RN BBs are due to withdraw anyway, and if I can damage some IJN BBs that will remove them from the game for a few months, as they take forever to repair. If KB tries to nail the BBs, I have alot of planes on CAP over Koepang, so it will be expensive for KB.

Attached is a map showing my nifty recon find.....

[Kwik E Mart]

Kwik E Mart: Suva is overstacked. I don't really have a plan there actually, I should probably organize it a bit better, but there isn't much going on right now. I should move some of those groups to Pago Pago and Vava'u, where I have big airbases to "store" some units. Also, 2 of those bomber groups are in transit to Brisbane.

ok, it just seemed odd that the airfield numbers 7(7) weren't in red and didn't have an asterisk next to it...sorry for the bother...

[rader]

What kinds of fighters do you have at this point? Just Americans or brits too? Huricanes/Sptifires? What is your airforce like at Koepang?

[Menser]

Looks like both kb and mini KB are both there. Are your CV's prepped and ready for naval strikes? Same with anything at koepang?

[Q-Ball]

October 13, 1942

Quick Update:

Cuttlefish sent a cruiser TF to Endeh, and toasted a TF of 4 transports and a couple Minesweeper escorts. I had kept them there to finish unload of a Base Force unit, which they did complete apparently before getting crushed.

Two more IJN TF's appear to be moving on a Southwest Heading toward the Timor area from Soerbaya (I'll call that chain of Islands "The Slot"; why not?). South of the The Slot appears a CV TF; a BB TF is moving north of the slot, and is 8 hexes from Waingapu. I think that is the target.

I am moving 7 RN BBs to Waingapu tonight; hopefully, they will brawl with some IJN surface units. I have about 60 DBs with escorts at Koepang, so if he comes within 7 hexes of Koepang, it could be a rough day for KB. The other bases aren't big enough (yet), to support DBs.

In Burma, the Japanese forces appear to be withdrawing from the drive on Akyab, and moving toward rail lines; to rail-up and move to Lashio, perhaps?

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Oct 14, 1942

Burma: With no air oppossition still, I am standing down most of my aircraft temporarily to rest and take on replacements, while we are in a land-combat lull. I will resume bombing in a few days, focused mostly on the 2 divisions blocking me north of Shwebo. I don't want to tip off yet that I am moving on Lashio; I hope to surprise Cuttlefish with this move.

So far, I seem to be pulling SOME supplies to Myiktyina; I am also flying more in via air transport. We'll see if it's enough.

DEI: There was no naval action last night, but I expect some tonight. There are at least 2 IJN Surface combat TF's at sea, and Kido Butai has dropped out of sight.

Where is KB? It could be they went back to Soerbaya after being sighted, but I don't think the surface ships would be at sea if Kido Butai felt threatened enough to go back to port. KB is probably somewhere out of Nav Search range becase the weather was clear enough, and I seemed to spot everything else. It could be Cuttlefish is planning a strike on Port Hedland.

I have all aircraft at Port Hedland on alert, I would like more fighters there, but I do have some bombers. There only transports at sea right now that are not close to Koepang are some returning empties, nothing I can't afford to lose.

[Canoerebel]

Q-Ball, I don't know how you and Mr. Cuttle could play any faster, but we respectfully request that you do so.  Reading your AARs is quite enjoyable for us in the peanut gallery....
 
P.S.  Good luck and keep up the good work!

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Oct 15, 1942

China: I haven't been mentioning this, but Cuttlefish and I are having an epic battle at 79,55, a rough hex outside of Hengyang. I am choosing to fight here because the terrain is favorable, and it keeps him away from a pretty important city.

Cuttlefish is attacking at 1 to 1 and 1 to 2 mostly, and both of us have been shoveling in new units. I have at least 2 more Corp on the way, including one that's been at Chungking, and actually has 700+ squads; probably the only actual "Corps" in the whole Chinese army. It's turning into a grinder for both sides, but I'm OK with that; I can replace the losses.

There has been little air activity since he shot up a bunch of my Chinese fighters. I moved a USAAF P-40 unit up there though to cause trouble.

Otherwise, our brave comrades will forever inscribe "79,55" into the annals of Chinese history!!!!!

Hail the revolutionary guards and our brave comrades,
Keeping the flame of revolution alive!
With their epic sacrifice to the people's revolution
at 79,55!!!!

Timor: A couple items of note; not all the surface combat I expected, but some.

First, the RN cruisers found a TF of 2 PBs and 4xAKs unloading at Ambon. You can guess how that went. Didn't appear to be troops on board though. That was it for surface engagements.

During the day, lots of Zeros swept Koepang; we lost about 19 Hurris and P-40s in exchange for 11 Zeros. I'll trade old fighters for Zeros at 1:2 any day, particularly since I need to bleed off the elite Zero cadres still. So, those are still crack pilots. Only 5 more months to the Corsair...........

For tommorow, the only warships in view are a Cruiser TF heading SW from Borneo. I am positioning BBs at Waingapu, which is the only target within range of this TF, but I am also moving my CVs ahead slightly to nail these guys before they start their run. We'll see if it works.

Still no sign of KB. That worries me. I even wonder if he's raiding Perth. There isn't alot at Perth at the moment, and I have CAP over Port Hedland, but I am still worried about this. I don't have as many transports at sea though, and until I know where the CVs are, any transports will be hugging the Australian coast to Broome, thence northward to Koepang.

Lautem: I forgot that I had prepped an Australian Bde and a MG BN for Lautem 90 days ago. That is about to come in handy! I send some transports to pick them up, I am going to land at Lautem in order to secure Timor. I don't want that base re-populated with the refugee units from Koepang. Last I checked there is only one unit there, and at this point, trying to reinforce it with anything other than a Fast Transport would be very hazardous for the Japanese.

[Capt. Harlock]

Only 5 more months to the Corsair........

How about Spitfires?

[Q-Ball]

Capt. Harlock: Spits are coming....slowly. Not enough yet for CAP

Combat Report, Oct 16, 1942

DEI: After the setup from last turn, the only combat was against my transport TF at Lomblen. I am going to have to set a trap at some point. The TF was done unloading however, a Bn of Infantry to help secure the place.

A landing at Lautem should be happening tommorow.

China: We will erect a post-war monument to the brave defenders of 79,55!

[Smeulders]

Your generals seem to be doing fine, but I do think your painters should be shot.

[Alikchi2]

You (or your inept painters) put a red star on the monument?! Communist propaganda!!

[Grollub]

ORIGINAL: Smeulders

Your generals seem to be doing fine, but I do think your painters should be shot.

"Shot" is such a harsh word. I'd prefer "Terminally reeducated".

[princep01]

79-55???? I thought that was the basketball score in the Chinese victory over the Japanese Nationals.

[Q-Ball]

Oct 17, 1942

Kido Butai is FOUND: Kido Butai shows up 8 hexes WSW of Carnarvon, and toasts a fuel convoy. Thankfully, it was a small one: Just 2 6800-capacity tankers, and a weak escort. All ships were sunk easily.

Not sure where they are headed next. There are more targets at Port Hedland, though also alot more resistance. I suspect he is avoiding strikes within SBD range of any large airbase, which would include Exmouth and Port Hedland.

DEI: Other than that, our forces are unloading at Lautem. There are two units there instead of one, hopefully I brought enough guys. Bettys will probably try to hit us tommorow from Ambon. After I sent the turn I realized I forgot to put up enough CAP, so could be a bit nasty. On the bright side, I did remember to set a 50 Bomber 4E strike from Koepang to Ambon, so maybe we can toast the airbase a bit.

Burma: Things are always moving slowly there, due to marching through the jungle. So far, I seem to be pulling enough supplies. The troops heading toward Lashio are on the march, hopefully CF doesn't see them.

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Oct 19, 1942

CV Revenge!: Yesterday we observed a Cruiser TF off Makassar, on a Southeast heading. It was about 11 hexes from Waingapu, so I decided to move all my carriers deep, to hopefully crush it while it was setting up for an approach run, on what I thought was Maumere (where I have 2 transports unloading).

They didn't move closer us, but went back into the Makassar Strait. Not far enough, as we caught them off Donggla. Strikes by our CVs sank 2 DDs (both Special-Types), reported 11 bomb hits on Mogami (heavy fires, heavy damage), plus more bomb hits on Ashigara and Nachi. Not sure how many sank, but I bet Mogami went down, and Ashigara took at least 4 bombs and reported heavy fires.

That was pretty satisfying, as any time you can get a Japanese CA without a loss is a good thing. They are very nasty in a surface fight.