Conference of the Supreme War Council: Q-Ball (J) v. Hemajor (A)

[bklooste]

Nav Support in Naval HQs are not counted for re-arm

They are not going to fix it so Naval HQ add Naval support they are going to fix it so they dont display there Naval Support.... Apparently the Naval Support of HQs does something different.

[Canoerebel]

Congrats on a signal victory, Q-Ball!

The entire SoPac/SWPac region is a real tough one for the Allies during these first few months. Important bases that could be defended if adequate Political Points were available to permit Aussie and Kiwi forces to move forward, and if adequate Political Points and transports were available to move American units on the West Coast this far this fast. Since that isn't the case, the Allied player has but few ground units to work with and those are pretty weak. So, the Allied player looks at Port Moresby, Noumea, Suva, Pago Pago, and - I guess - even Luganville and tries to figure out what to do while also keeping in mind the need to defend Australia and NZ. The Japs can easily overwhelm most of these bases - certainly PM, Luganville, and Noumea, and probably Suva.

I can't imagine an Allied player trying to establish a defense at Luganville in early January '42. Them troops are needed elsewhere!

[SuluSea]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Congrats on a signal victory, Q-Ball!

The entire SoPac/SWPac region is a real tough one for the Allies during these first few months. Important bases that could be defended if adequate Political Points were available to permit Aussie and Kiwi forces to move forward, and if adequate Political Points and transports were available to move American units on the West Coast this far this fast. Since that isn't the case, the Allied player has but few ground units to work with and those are pretty weak. So, the Allied player looks at Port Moresby, Noumea, Suva, Pago Pago, and - I guess - even Luganville and tries to figure out what to do while also keeping in mind the need to defend Australia and NZ. The Japs can easily overwhelm most of these bases - certainly PM, Luganville, and Noumea, and probably Suva.

I can't imagine an Allied player trying to establish a defense at Luganville in early January '42. Them troops are needed elsewhere!

I hear you couple that with the China steam roller, post patch worthless PT boats and the 41st division riding out the first 6 months of war in the United States and probably much longer because I don't have 1300 pps laying around, , I can handle all that but seeing another Japanese AAR with forces landing on New Hebrides & New Caledonia in the first 3 months much less first month tells me the developers need to work on some things.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: SuluSea
I can handle all that but seeing another Japanese AAR with forces landing on New Hebrides & New Caledonia in the first 3 months much less first month tells me the developers need to work on some things.

Sulu Sea: I hear you, but keep in mind that my landing was a shoestring one; a single Nav Gd. Unit, with no surface escort, no support troops, minimal supplies, no fuel. The nearest Japanese airstrip is Rabaul. It would be different if I had an Army Corps disembarking at Noumea under LBA aircover, but not the case. The Allied garrison is a Base Force Unit and an Artillery Unit, and first attack, I lost.

Could the Japanese have landed 800 guys on Luganville the first month? I think so.

Canoerebel: Thanks, and I think you're right; they are deployed too far forward. I will need to reinforce the beachhead though to dislodge them, and the nearest available units are at Truk. My only aircover is KB. Sinking/Disabling those two CVs greatly simplifies the strategic calculation though.

It's tough call for the Allied player. Erik wanted to "do something", but because losing CVs is so bad, you almost have to assume KB can be there, unless you KNOW it's somewhere else. Erik correctly identified that I had 2 CVs on the North Coast of Australia (Soryu, Hiryu), and he spotted Zuiho/Hosho as well in the DEI. But he had not spotted KB since Dec 11th, almost 3 weeks ago. It can be anywhere in 3 weeks.

[Canoerebel]

Even if this isn't historical, that's a good thing. If the Japs are truly constrained to only reach out as far as they could historically, then the Allies thereby become armed with an awesome amount of a-historical foreknowledge. IE, if the Japs can't hit the New Hebrides in late '41 or early '42, it takes alot of heat off me. Remember, in the Real War the Allies had serious concerns about the West Coast in '41 and '42, and about the Townsville/Brisbane regions in mid-42. In AE, I have no real concerns about the West Coast which allows me to concentrate and project my attention and effort forward in an a-historical manner. As an AE player, I sure hope the Japs can do some wacky things as that applies pressure and makes the game fun (IMHO).

[SuluSea]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

ORIGINAL: SuluSea
I can handle all that but seeing another Japanese AAR with forces landing on New Hebrides & New Caledonia in the first 3 months much less first month tells me the developers need to work on some things.

Keep in mind that my landing was a shoestring one; a single Nav Gd. Unit, with no surface escort, no support troops, minimal supplies, no fuel. The nearest Japanese airstrip is Rabaul. It would be different if I had an Army Corps disembarking at Noumea under LBA aircover, but not the case. The Allied garrison is a Base Force Unit and an Artillery Unit, and first attack, I lost.

Could the Japanese have landed 800 guys on Luganville the first month? I think so.

They could have landed 800 guys on Panama too . Good Luck I'll bug out of your thread now.[;)]

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: SuluSea
They could have landed 800 guys on Panama too .

I understand you think it's too fast, but sure, you're right....though that wouldn't go so well. I am starting a game as Allies, and I would love for my opponent to try that (do you hear me Phil?)

Heck, you can land an RCT on Tokyo Jan 1 '42 if you want. I just don't like your chances of success there.

[ny59giants]

Even without torpedoes for your Kates, I think you still have to be aggressive and go after those 2 CVs. If you can sink them, then the South Pacific will be yours for most, if not all, of '42.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Even without torpedoes for your Kates, I think you still have to be aggressive and go after those 2 CVs. If you can sink them, then the South Pacific will be yours for most, if not all, of '42.

No doubt. I went right to where there were last sighted; which means they need to move 8 hexes at least to get out of range. They probably won't. The nearest Allied ports are Noumea and Suva, and niether is much in terms of size.

I'm not worried about a lack of torps with those CV's on fire. One round was enough.

[Rainer79]

The Allies could still be trying to disband the CVs in one of the two ports though.

[Blind Sniper]

Any news? [:)]

[madflava13]

Great AAR. I just started reading. I'm toying with starting my first IJN game once Patch 2 comes out. Can you post some more info on your production ideas as well as what ports you use/how you plan on improving your infrastructure?

[Q-Ball]

I am still playing this game; it's 3/15/42. I stopped the AAR because I am doing another AAR; I chose that one, because it's a "both sides", my opponent Cuttlefish is also doing one. Those are the most fun for the reader.

I may update this at some point; a synopsis, I have taken Akyab and the coast up to Chittagoing, and about to take Sian, and loading up for an invasion of Australia. The SRA is cleared; Singapore and Luzon fell before the end of January, and Soerbaya/Batavia by the end of Feb.

[Q-Ball]

I dropped this AAR to write the counterpose to Cuttlefish's AAR. This game, however, has been alot more interesting, mostly because I have been pretty aggressive in attack, and my opponent has decided not to yield an inch, anywhere, at all!

It is currently April 8, 1942. Some highlights:

1. We have had several CV combats. The result has mostly been shot down Japanese aircraft, with some damage to my side. I think lady luck was not with me on those.
2. We have also had a ton of surface combats. My opponent successfully trashed several convoys with surface ships, but paid the price. Sometimes his TFs found transports, sometimes they found the IJN waiting, and with the latter it was usually very bad for him. Note below: Most of those Cruisers were sunk by gunfire or Long Lance.

The Allies have lost 7-9 BBs, depending on INTEL. For sure 3 BBs at Pearl, Force Z, and New Mexico. Probably one more Pearl BB, very possibly Idaho (she was very heavily damaged). One other Pearl BB was torped in March leaving Pearl, and showed up on the report. Hard to say what's right or not, but certainly that is carnage.

I have not lost a BB, but I have 3 damaged, mostly from an encounter with New Mexico and Idaho. We won, but took some damage. New Mexico sank from 14in BB hits.

On the Ground:

*Darwin has just fallen; I sent too many troops there, almost 5 divisions. We are breaking up these forces; 3 divisions will push the Aussies into the bush. 1 more will go to Noumea, and another to Burma
*My opponent committed elements of 3 Divisions to the New Hebrides; Americal, 2nd Marine, and 7th Australian. I have captured Ndeni, along with 6 units including a Marine Regt. Luganville, with 10,000 troops, is really hanging out there isolated. I am beseiging Noumea, where there are 30,000+ Allied troops, including 2 Bdes and 4 Regts. I have a size-7 airbase at Koumac full of Bettys and Zeros. At first the battle of attrition was against me as I lost ships and planes staying ashore, but the scales have tilted. I have sunk several Allied ships as they have attempted to reinforce Noumea. I don't know how this will turn out, I need more than the 2 divisions I have on New Caledonia, but 3 divisions are on the way, including the troops that captured Ndeni.

I think attempting to defend forward like this is a mistake, and although the fighting in the New Hebrides is bloody for me too, I see it as an opportunity to capture 50 to 60,000 of the Allies best troops. This will hurt alot. My air losses have been extreme, but so have his, and at this point I can replace them.

Attached is a sample of the losses. The Air Losses are extreme on both sides. I am having difficulty rebuilding the Kate units in particular on my CVs, and my LBA Zero units are not exactly fresh. I have lost over 120 transports, and many warships are damaged and under repair. The IJN has permanently lost though VERY few ships, 1 CA, and 6 DDs, and that will help alot later on, as the Allies have permamently lost quite a bit.

[veji1]

wow, really interesting.. Keep us posted once in a while.

[Q-Ball]

By popular demand, I will update this AAR, particularly since it's getting interesting. It's mid-August 1942, and I am invading Western Australia! More details to follow........

Overall Situation: We are doing quite well, I think. My opponent is mounting an aggressive defense, but this has been very costly for him in terms of lost troops, ships, and planes. The ships hurt the most. There have been several events in the game since the last update, of April, 1942:

New Hebrides: Noumea finally fell in May 1942. It took a massive commitment of 4+ divisions and tanks, to force 35,000 Allied troops to surrender. Some fragments escaped I am afraid, so the damage is not as great as it should be. Nevertheless, I destroyed several base units, 2 Australian Brigades, and several Marine units were reduced to fragments elsewhere.

I will admit this campaign really held me up for 2 months, so MAYBE it was worth it, though the Allies lost a ton of cruisers in New Hebrides, so from a Naval Standpoint it was decisive.

Battle of Northern Australia: The next operation was Darwin, and an invasion of Northern Australia. I landed 4 Divisions at Darwin, who easily shoved the Aussies back, destroying 2 Brigades ultimately, plus 3 Base units. We still have, in August 1942, 2 Divisions in the Northern Territory, facing several units at Tennant Creek. I don't intend to go deeper at this point.

In June, the Allies landed a large force at BROOME, to counter my landing at Darwin. This consisted of 2 Australian Bdes, 1 UK Bde, 2 Armored units, plus base troops. With a Betty base at Koepang, this stack quickly became more of a problem for the Allies than a solution, as he was thwarted a couple times on reinforcement convoys. To make it more complicated, I landed a force at Port Hedland. From the moment these troops landed, I had it in mind to destroy them, as that is a VERY bad place for the Allies to be if the Japanese are there in strength. Once they were isolated, I had a plan.

Sometimes a plan comes together almost perfectly.....uncovered transport TFs were not getting through, so I knew sooner or later, he would bring a larger force covered by CVs. I waited 20 hexes north of Port Hedland in the middle of open ocean with basically the whole Fleet. Sure enough, a large force came around "the bend"! The result was the Battle of Port Hedland, or more precisely the biggest one-sided slaughter I have ever participated in AE or WITP. It was great!

First, the Carriers show and sink the 2 RN CVs covering, without return damage. At this point, he sees what is up, and is surrounded! KB is North of Port Hedland, to the WEST I had moved a large BB force just off Exmouth, and to the EAST was Bettys at Koepang. To the South, the coast of Australia. No escape! With the exception of a few DDs, every ship in this Kill-Box was destroyed, including:

5 CA/CL
4 BB (all the R-Class)
7 DD (the rest escaped)
20+ Transports (all troop laden; I have no idea what was on them)
+ the 2 RN CVs (all three now sunk)

PLUS, a Japanese Sub that day sank a previous damaged USS Hornet off San Francisco!

One of my DDs took 12 sys damage from a shell. Other than a few planes, that was it for Combined Fleet in losses. I have never just flat-out slaughtered ships like that. Awesome!

Naval Losses to Date: Here it is one-sided, as my opponent has been unduly aggressive, and I have made him pay:

ALLIED LOSSES:
1 USN CV (Hornet)
3 RN CV (Formidable, Indomitable,Illustrious)
6 RN BBs (R-Class, PoW, Repulse)
6 USN BBs (WV,PA,AZ at Pearl Harbor attacks; plus Maryland, Idaho, New Mexico)
11 USN/RAN CAs
2 RN CAs
2 Modern USN CLs
8 older Dutch/USN/British CLs
50 DDs (about 20 of which are older/Dutch types)

The Royal Navy is basically now a cruiser squadron only. The USN has suffered high losses in cruisers and BBs, but still has 5 CVs, so is a credible force. That is the biggest threat: I have not neutralized the USN CVs.

Japanese Losses:

1 CV (Soryu)
1 CS (Chitose)
1 CA (Furutaka)
4 CL
7 DDs (2 of which are older Kamikaze-class)

My capital ship losses are very light; SORYU hurts, but that's the only serious loss. I am in great shape in DDs, I might have more than I started the war with!

My aggressive opponent, though, did catch a TON of my transports at various times. He paid for it eventually with lost cruisers, but in the meantime my merchant fleet has taken a BEATING:

20 xAPs
149 xAKs and xAKLs
10 large AOs and TKs

THAT is bad! I seem to be able to keep the flow of resources, but I need more tanker capacity. I have enough transports, but I don't have many just sitting around. It's a problem!

[Canoerebel]

This is the kind of map and summary that makes an Allied player ache.  It will be interesting to see how your opponent mounts his eventual comeback.  I don't envy him given your position and the experience you have developed by playing as the Allies vs. Cuttlefish.

[Cuttlefish]

That was a nice ambush at Port Hedland, the kind of thing most IJN players dream of. Very devious! It makes me glad I'm not facing you. Oh, wait...

[Q-Ball]

Invasion of Western Australia: Normally, a major invasion would be somewhat foolish in August of 1942. I am taking the calculated risk, for a few reasons:

1. The RN, which was the naval force over there, is destroyed.
2. I have destroyed at least 6-8 Brigades of Australian Troops, plus alot of Armor and other troops. There is a stack of Aussies at Tennant Creek. That means the rest of Australia is THIN, so I may be able to muscle my way to a victory.
3. Capturing Western Australia will cut the India/OZ supply lines
4. It will create "space"; if I have Kalgoorie, a CV-supported counter invasion will be necessary to re-take it.
5. Will take pressure off Northern Territory forces

So far, it's going OK; I have lost a couple transports to bombers from Perth, he has lost 50+ planes attacking the landing forces. I need to get ashore and start pouring in troops. I will post some other maps of the situation:

[Q-Ball]

Combat Report, Aug 18th, 1943

Australia: The troops at Geraldton are enough; a quick 5-1 attack inflicts 2000 casualties, and send the Allies south toward Perth.

I now have 2 Infantry Divisions and the Gds Bde ashore at Geraldton. Most of the 1st Arm Div, plus the 38th Division, and the 53rd Division are on transports heading toward Geraldton. 65th Bde will load tommorow, and Imperial Gds when I have transports. Other base troops and smaller SNLF are also headed to Geraldton. 24th Div. is at Soerbaya in reserve. Another divison, the 19th, is at Port Arthur, prepped for Perth and awaitng PP buy. But in theater, I have about 7 divisions worth of troops for Western Oz.

Is it enough? We shall see, it depends on what he sends there. There is only a small garrison right now at Perth, I might even do a seaborn invasion. The initial thrust will be south, then more East to Kalgoorie and Cunerdin, and south to Esperance. We need to shut all the doors to Western Oz.

Wallis Is.: I will post more maps; I have a seaplane outpost on Nukufetau, just a single AF Co, plus a Company of SNLF. A US fleet is headed toward them, so time to evacuate via flying boat to Tabiteua, where I have a size-4 airbase and over 10,000 troops.

China: We recently took Wuchow, and I have a couple divisions heading south toward Nanning. We demolished a Chinese Corps in our way. Not sure how far I can go, I am running out of steam in China. I will post full-china situation, but the Cliff Notes: I have captured Sian and up into the mountains, splitting Chungking from all that fuel. The Central plain around Loyang/Nanyang is mine. I suffered a defeat, though, near Changsha, a very bad move that cost me 2 full divisions destroyed. OUCH! That was an Allied victory.

I am close to just going on the defensive, and starting to use China as a troop depot.