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

[bjfagan]

Q-Ball,

How do you get all of your search arcs to display on the map at one time? Thanks.

Great AAR btw.

[LoBaron]

bjfagan: press "Z" key

[Q-Ball]

Cobmat Report, Mar 24-25, 1943

Balikpapan: A couple very interesting things happened.

On the 24th, Balikpapan fell to the first attack. Still no IJN, as we unloaded 40K supplies and base troops to both Samarinda and Balikpapan. The Oil and Refineries were captured with 250 intact of each; great news, as that will help solve my fuel issues. That part was all good, until the 25th.

First, Enterprise was hit by 2 torpedoes from I-37! OUCH! This is almost exactly in the same spot as in Jan '42. Check out Page 2 of this AAR and the photo below, and tell me they aren't almost alike:

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Man! This is too much. I am down now to 2 Operational CVs in the DEI, so despite sinking 4 CVs at the Battle of the Banda Sea, I am outnumbered. I figure Cuttlefish has about 370-ish aircraft in KB at the moment, or about 4 USN CVs worth. Not good!

On top of that, the IJN appears just east of the Makassar Strait, 7 hexes from Samarinda. I don't know why KB didn't launch, but it appears to be a CV TF, and a large surface TF. The surface TF is likely going into the harbor tonight.

Clearly, after 5 days I have worn out my welcome. Almost every ship is pulling anchor and leaving. A few are staying behind to unload stragglers, they may get crushed, but no big deal. I have plenty of transports.

I will need to reasses where I am; I really need to get more base troops to Balikpapan, this is interrupting the movement forward of some, and in general, I lack enough in the DEI.

[Canoerebel]

Q-Ball, great move (with a dash of bad luck) in the DEI.  You have lots to do and lots to worry about, but you are absolutely crushing Cuttlefish.  He'll eventually regain his equilibrium and make things tough, but it's already too late.
 
I had a WitP PBEM game very, very similar to yours - an early '43 Timor invasion that caught the Japanese far, far away expecting the Allies to move in CenPac.  The eastern DEI was wide open and the Allies moved with near impunity throughout the region, gobbling up little bases and the big ones like Koepang, Lautem, Ambon, Kendari, Morotai and Manado.  There was even a big carrier battle that the Japanese lost.  Surprise was so complete that it took my opponent months to corral ships and retrieve troops to prepare some kind of MLR.  Eventually he did so and there were some titanic clashes when the Allies moved from Manado/Morotai to Mindanao.  Still, it was too little too late.  The Japanese were off balance and never recovered.  That game ended in August '44 with the Allies holding Luzon, Formosa, part of Okinawa, and most of that southern Japanese Home Island.
 
Your game will undoubtedly take a different course due to luck and what-all, and AE may impose new restraints on your ability to advance, but you have Cuttlefish off balance.  You've done well to press hard.  He's desperate and he's made some mistakes and had some bad luck.  That will probably continue even as he gets in the occasinal lick (like at Babo recently).

[Q-Ball]

Thanks Dan, and I agree with your assessment: Cuttlefish is in a tough spot, anytime Marines are unloading at Balikpapan in March 1943, that's not good for the Empire.

I could pause and build-up, but I think I pretty much have to try for Banjermisan pretty quickly. The units from Balikpapn are retreating that way, and I need that base to protect my flank in the Java Sea (that, and also Donggala to protect the other way, which is undefended). I will probably keep pressing anyway, because I can use LBA, and at any rate, I can afford a lost battle at this point. I have alot of ships in the yard, but they will come out eventually, and the CV situation will change in 3-4 months, with the massive USN CV increase.

[Capt. Harlock]

First, Enterprise was hit by 2 torpedoes from I-37! OUCH!

It really seems to me that the IJN subs are over-performing. Maybe something's off about your ASW air patrols?

And WHY doesn't Enterprise have the 40mm AAA yet??[X(]

[ny59giants]

While having your search cover so much ground/sea, i wonder if it would serve you better to have many of them cover the same area for both Air Phases. I would have a 12 plane PBY squadron set for 50% and only 60 degrees vs 120 degrees to get better coverage of more critical areas. My reasoning is the AI assigns a pilot and his plane to cover a specific area. I don't want the AI to chose the least experience pilot to cover that arc.

How are your CV TF set for ASW patrols?? Do you specific FPs trained up for ASW primary skill with a strong secondary of Naval Search?? Someone posted that your ASW planes need to have both and not just ASW in the 50's or above and Naval Search for many pilots below 30. This would mean they can hit subs, but they cannot find them first.

[Q-Ball]

Harlock: No 40mm because I haven't had time to upgrade. Too busy attacking the Empire! Obviously we'll be upgrading with this trip to the yard.

Combat Report, Mar 26, 1943

Just Missed: Last report, I described the IJN bearing down on me. I wasn't kidding, a large TF went deep into the Makassar Strait during the night, catching one of my withdrawing (and empty), transport convoys. The BBs were Mutsu, Ise, Hyuga, and Yamashiro. The results were shameful for the Empire, sinking an SC and a single xAP, with only HMNS Kortenaer for escort. Bad!

I last sighted Nagato recently in the Java Sea, and Yamato, Musashi, and Haruna 2 weeks back in the SW Pacific. 2 Kongos were sunk in the Battle of Banda Sea, and Fuso was probably sunk, or at least will be in the yard for months. So, I have pretty much accounted for all the BBs. Unless the SW Pac BBs are moving, looks like the "Fast" BBs are there, and the "Slow" ones in the DEI.

I have pulled everyone back off Balikpapan, but not before leaving enough supplies and base troops that they'll be fine.

Banjermisan: I am accelerating the move on Banjermisan, to take advantage of the recent landings, and also because I need to get there before the 2 Regts get there from Balikpapan and reinforce it.

I have 2 US Inf Regts, 1 Australian Bde, and a Pioneer Bn already prepped. I think that will be enough to dislodge the 1 unit there, which I think is a Nav Gd.

We are also planning to land an Australian Bn. on Donggala, which is undefended.

My New Favorite Plane: AE features some new models we didn't have in WITP. My new favorite? The PB4Y-Recon. It can gather good recon intel out to 32 HEXES! It's an F-5 on Steroids! I already have one unit buzzing Singapore daily, where I can count the number of ships in harbor, TFs, and generally keep very good tabs on what is going on. I have periodically buzzed Manila, Legaspi, etc. From Balikpapan, it can probably reach all the way to Cam Ranh accross the South China Sea. Great tool!

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Mar 27,28, 1943

Sub Wars: For awhile, I have had a real spike in sinkings; lots of contacts, and ships hit, about one a day for a month there. Lately, it's dropped off, not sure if that success has forced Cuttlefish to take countermeasures. I have subs watching every possible way from the SRA to Japan, so there are no Sub-free routes to take. Maybe he is collecting them into larger convoys, not sure, but that would be one way to limit the damage.

I am now using the USN Fleet boats for ship-hunting, and they are doing well. The S-Boats are now used as pickets; I just park them in strategic passages, to keep an eye on traffic. I find they don't get as many attacks as the Fleet Boats (maybe because they are slower?), and don't have alot of range, so they can stay on station and keep an eye on things. Sometimes, that really pays off.........(see below)

Next Moves: Last couple days are quiet, but one of our picket subs picked up the IJN moving West over the top of Borneo, toward Singapore. That is interesting: I had assumed that the IJN was concentrating at Davao.

This is either a temporary move, or maybe he is splitting his fleet between the two sides of Borneo. We will have to see, but this will force a couple immediate decisions.

First, I have loaded up troops to land on Donggala. It is unoccupied, but if the IJN is going that way, I should be able to land unmolested. I also plan to accelerate the landings on Loenwoek and Garontolo, further North on Celebes. Only Menado is occupied on Celebes.

I also have troops prepped for Sorong (which has a Brigade-sized garrison), and Ternate (which is empty). I will probably move those timetables up.

I really have to decide tommorow whether to go for Banjermasin right now. I have 1 Bde and 1 Bn prepped at Makassar, and can probably get there a day or two ahead of the IJN. That will likely spark a big battle, and Cuttlefish can draw on the large airbase at Soerbaya for support. I have to think about that one, because I am down to 2 CVs now, and may just put this off.

The closer I get to Palembang, the more Java is going to be a problem. I can't really bomb all the airbases closed; there are too many. It's easy for the Japanese to just shift to another airfield. Yet, I don't want to land on Java either; seems to have a large garrison (at least a division, almost certainly more), and the terrain favors the defense. I would need 4-6 divisions to do it. Getting ashore would be easy, killing the garrison is the hard part. If I land at the Southern End, he can easily pour reinforcements in at Batavia. On the other hand, a conquest of Java is probably War Over; I will then have an unssailable base to destroy Palembang and Singapore. Decisions decisions.....what would you guys do?

[ckammp]

Re: Java
 
Looks like CF is moving his fleet to Singapore to protect Palembang/Java. This makes sense, he can see as well as you that the loss of Java would mean the end of the game.
I would advise you to go ahead with an attack on Java, but not right away. Make a move north first, to Tarakan or Jolo, if possible. These moves would require less troops,allow your CVs and BBs the time needed in the repair yards, and most importantly, make CF think you are going for the Philippines instead of Java. Every plane and LCU that he puts in PI makes your job in Java much easier. Even if he is not totally fooled, he will still have to divert resources, just in case.

[Heeward]

Java is a major land campaign. Assume Cuttlefish reacts like he did with the Northern Pacific Campaign, or even more violently!
Can you bring an Army - six to nine divisions + associated troops?
Do you have a significant number of replacements for an attritional battle?
Can you bring more air resources to bear? You do not have to close the airfields, just the major ports. The minor ports will not be able to transship significant amount of supplies / troops / oil and resources out.
Do you have significant replacement cargo / transports on hand - as he will endeavor to isolate the garrison, I suspect the entire IJN including submarines will show up here for the "decisive battle".

What other operation can you conduct at the same time - This will draw his attention like a moth to firestorm. You may be able to do another major push, If you naval forces are up to it.

Other Options
South coast of Borneo - to Sumatra ignoring Java - Leaves a large self-sustaining base in your rear until you bomb the industry out of existence.
Northeast coast of Borneo - to Mindanao
The Royal Road Across the Central Pacific - Shortens your supply lines from the West Coast
East to Hollandia - West to Rabaul
Across the empty North Central Pacific to Wake / Marcus / Iwo Jima - Of course the last is like opening up the well head and dropping a cigarette. That will definitely get his attention.

Consider breaking your PB4Y recon squadron into detachments - and buzz additional locations - this will increase his paranoia, and you could find that lightly held outpost to para-drop / instant amphibious assault.

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Mar 29-31, 1943

Movements: There has been very little combat the last couple days, just some routine unopposed bombings in China and of Noumea. The interesting part is the move of the IJN.

Between my Recon flights over Singapore, the 5 Catalina units I have pointed into the Java sea and over Borneo, and a sub sighting off Lingga (which almost sank the Dutch sub when KB ran over it!), there is no doubt the IJN has moved into the Java Sea. There are so many sighting reports, Cuttlefish knows I know this. So there isn't really any guessing or subterfuge.

I am not yet in a position to challenge the IJN. I have inferiority in CVs, so there is no way I can face them near a large Japanese airbase. I feel OK in defense, as I have alot of LBA. I would not mind a BB fight, as I will soon have ALOT in the DEI; 4 Slow USN BBs, 3 Fast USN BBs, 2 RN BBs, with another 3-5 BBs on the way. 3 R-Class BBs will repair and be ready in 60 days, and Nevada and Pennsylvania have both rejoined the fleet and are moving to the DEI. (USS Tennessee, BTW, is the last Pearl Harbor survivor undamaged; she is now at Seattle, but was so badly damaged her ETA is not until 1/44!)

In the short-term, I have to get a convoy to Balikpapan with Seabees, an AIR HQ, and a USN Base Force. That will allow us to build a huge air presence there. I have several airgroups training on LowN, in anticipation of terrorizing Tankers at Brunei (which, at 9 hexes, is sadly JUST out of SBD range).

Long Term Strategy: Thanks guys for your comments. I am still undecided, but I need to get off the fence soon, because whatever I do, I need 60 days to prep everyone.

Here are my options as I see them:

1. JAVA: An invasion of Java would require 4-6 divisions, and be a major land campaign. Tactically, I think Tjitilap would be a good spot to land, and shouldn't be too hard to get ashore. It would be very difficult to close out the island, and I am leery of this. Still, a complete conquest of Java probably ends the war.
2. SUMATRA: I could just skip Java and land right at Benkoelen and Oosthaven. Getting ashore, with the IJN there, would be risky, and provoke a major battle. If successful, this would close Palembang and end the war.

#1 and #2 will go right in the teeth of the IJN, so I better be ready to lose ships. I think Cuttlefish is realizing the danger to Palembang, and is reacting accordingly. The other options would be to go the path of LEAST resistance, which is up into the Phillipines:

1. EAST BORNEO: Going Tarakan, Jolo, up the east coast and finishing at Puerto Princesa. These should meet mostly air resistance, and are doable. It would not END the war, but would allow me to start sending carriers into the South China Sea, which would be real bad for the Empire.
2. MINDANAO: Intel indicates it's heavily defended. I probably won't consider this, but should put it on the list.

Decisions, decisions......

[aprezto]

Qball. You are a trail blazer. It is riveting to watch you negotiate the initial success, but more, to see the quandry that tightening the lines creates. Cuttlefish has the dubious luxury of having far less to defend and can therefore defend with more. I don't dare to hope I can do as well as you have, but it is interesting in the extreme to see the ramifications that a successful early expansion can produce.
 
Maybe the days of lightning advance may have to wait for more Heavy bombers with escort to catch up?

[LoBaron]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball
Here are my options as I see them:

1. JAVA: An invasion of Java would require 4-6 divisions, and be a major land campaign. Tactically, I think Tjitilap would be a good spot to land, and shouldn't be too hard to get ashore. It would be very difficult to close out the island, and I am leery of this. Still, a complete conquest of Java probably ends the war.
2. SUMATRA: I could just skip Java and land right at Benkoelen and Oosthaven. Getting ashore, with the IJN there, would be risky, and provoke a major battle. If successful, this would close Palembang and end the war.

#1 and #2 will go right in the teeth of the IJN, so I better be ready to lose ships. I think Cuttlefish is realizing the danger to Palembang, and is reacting accordingly. The other options would be to go the path of LEAST resistance, which is up into the Phillipines:

1. EAST BORNEO: Going Tarakan, Jolo, up the east coast and finishing at Puerto Princesa. These should meet mostly air resistance, and are doable. It would not END the war, but would allow me to start sending carriers into the South China Sea, which would be real bad for the Empire.
2. MINDANAO: Intel indicates it's heavily defended. I probably won't consider this, but should put it on the list.

Decisions, decisions......

Q-ball as always your AAR is a great read!

As for Java/Sumatra: Probably the Java option is the better one for these reasons:

- A major land campaign on such an important island forces Cuttlefish to react as well on the land as in the air. He simply has to counter your move because,
as you said, closing Java is probably the end of the war.

- You don´t need to conquer Java fast, its just another front where you can fight a war of attrition. After you push further north you can resupply from the southern bases
without too much danger and let him deplete his forces against yours. Its a matter of going as fast as he lets you and keeping the pressure on.

- With help from a smaller move up the Borneo coast this can close down Java ressources much sooner than total conquest of the island is accomplished.

- Sumatra invasion needs to bypass Java and as a Japanes force there is mostly self-sufficient, reinforcing such an invasion would have to meet heavy resistance from
the north and from Java itself. So I think this invasion is easier to counter for Japan, most of all because Cuttlefish still has teeth.

From the options listed I think a heavily guarded Java invasion synched with a weaker move through eastern Borneo could be a war winner.

[paullus99]

In this case, knowing that the allies are only going to become stronger - is it really wise to attack into the teeth of his defenses right now? You've been successful by keeping him off-balance & finding weak spots to exploit - he has plenty of army units (not an infinite resource, but he can pour in troops when he wants to), so why not feint toward Java & then hit him somewhere else that will stretch his ability to respond?

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Apr 1-3, 1943

Action: Not alot. Two days in a row, we sank something via sub; a Tanker off Sandakan, and an AK off Kyushu. Other than that, just garden-variety unopposed bombing in China and Noumea.

Logsitics: I do, though, have ALOT of ships moving to the DEI. Warships, transports, carrying troops, fuel and cargo. I am particularly moving alot of Aviation suppport, including Air HQs, plus engineering troops. I am also shuttling air groups to the DEI. Darwin is becoming a vast camp of troops, awaiting transit to the "front".

Large convoys to basically max-out Makassar and Balikpapan are about to unload, and I have a convoy headed to Donggala.

Plans: Thanks for the comments guys, good thoughts. A couple things.

First, I don't think it behooves me to grind it out with the IJA. Attrition of the IJA via land combat is not a good idea. The reason is that the IJA actually expands rapidly in 1943-44, and even if you kill a unit, chances are it's cadre escapes and rebuilds. This is the problem with a land campaign on Java. I definitely want to attrite his Navy, and probably a war of attrition in the Air isn't a bad idea at this point. But on the ground? No.

Combined Fleet just anchored at Batavia, probably waiting for me to make a move on Banjermasin. Though that is tempting, I want to avoid a major CV/Air battle at this point, with only 2 operational CVs. While Combined Fleet is in the Java Sea, though, I can make some other progress and keep my options open.

I am loading up forces for Ternate, that are already prepped. I also have a 100% prepped Bde for Garontolo, and they will also load--up. The plan is to build big airbases in both spots, and pound Menado to dust. The Japanese have 15 units there, a huge pile; best to avoid that.

Overall, the IJA is actually bigger than the Allied forces on the ground; we can neutralize that by going around them. This is the key. The problem in late war for Japan isn't lack of infantry; it's lack of mobility. Without a fleet, you have have none.

[koontz]

Great AAR so far enjoying the both of them, must be rather fun to read CF when its over.

Anyway was wondering how many DD you have in each CV TF?

[crsutton]

I can see why the Allies ingnored Java and went right to the PI. Your only real purpose is cutting off the flow of oil to the home islands. While a major land campaign in Java will do this, when it is finished you hold Java and are no closer to Japan.  Northern Borneo and the PI, on the other hand, will serve to cut off oil to Japan and put you all that more closer to Japan. If you hold Borneo and Manila, Singapore and the DEI become redundant and you can start moving on to bomb Japan all that earlier.

[Q-Ball]

koontz: Not enough, 4-6, that's part of the problem
crsutton: Good point about getting closer to Japan. That is goal #2 (#1 being to cut off oil). Possession of Apparri accomplished both objectives; Java only #1.

Combat Report, April 4-9, 1943

This is a quick update, as I am going to be gone 10 days in France on a little R and R. By the time I'm back this will fall to page 2 of the AARs unless you guys comment alot!

Ternate: Invasion is on it's way; the base is unoccupied, but I am bringing a Bde to hold it, and base troops right behind. The idea is to neutralize Menado, and get closer to a landing on Mindanao, and the Phillipines.

Sub Wars: Sank a pair of tankers in one night off Laong; that was great! They were big ones too. Other than that, I think Cuttlefish is running fewer, but larger convoys; the one I did find had at least 6 big tankers in it.

That's it otherwise, very little action the last few days as I am gathering forces.

Off to go PACK and make our flight, so Au Revoir until Easter!

[Canoerebel]

Have a great trip, Q-Ball.  Say hello to Corporal LeBeau for me!