Historical AE. Cantona2 (A) vs Fletcher (J)

[cantona2]

I have seen Fletcher posting an AAR and I am sure that it is of his usual high standard of detail and narrative. It is a closed AAR to me but we have decided to embark on a historical, some would say too historical and restrictive, game. It was Fletcher's initiative and he came up with a series of HR's based on a more historical interpretaion of the game via-a-vis the events portrayed therein. As a history teacher and a historian as well I readily agreed to become the allied guinea pig in this venture. The rules are extensive and broad, too many to post here and I've lost my copy i saved on my HD before i printed them out. If Fletcher has them in his AAR then all the information you will need will be there.

Essentially the rules are designed to give us a feel of what the real campiagn may have been like for the men who fought and led it. Self imposed restrictions on troop movements and ship deployments have been agreed, as well as certain milestones need to be addressed before certain actions can be taken, eg no attack can be made on Australia until the SRA has been secured and Japanese flanks are safe. I'll be commenting on the rules in more detail as we proceed, but we've agreed that as a working document they may need to be ammended as we come across certain points in the game.

This will not be an AAR that will be like my previous ones, rather more of a diagnosis of the rules we've chosen to use and how they affect gameplay and such.

Turn one:

Most devasting turn 1 yet in any of my AE games. POW, Repulse and three BBs lost in the Pearl Harbour attack. I've lost one of my early game tools, Force Z, and whats left of the Pacific battleline in dock for at least a year.

Onland, Bataan Islands have been taken and landfall made at Kota Bharu. Small carrier elements have struck at Davao in the typical Japanese opening moves, no surprises as its a historical game.

Initial ailled moves after the shcok of the Japanese attack have been:

Phillipines

Air forces put on full alert after attack on Clark Field. Fighter planes spread out across 4 fields. Enemy submarine spotted in approaches to Corregidor Island. Pacific submarine fleet has been deployed enmasse. S-Boats will attack incoming invasion fleets, larger boats with more endurance have orders to head into Japan's maritime sea lanes. While all 11,000 endurance boats have been dispatched in pack of three around Formosa, Cahm Ran Bay, Northern Borneo and Luzon. Triangle of Clark, Maila and Bataan started to fortify.

DEI

All long legged shipping started to evacuate to Australia, Ceylon and Cape Town. Batavia and Soerbaja fortified as main bastions on Java. Dutch subamrine fleet ordered to assist British in Malaya by harrasing shipping from Saigon and Bangkok.

Malaya

Two squadrons of RAF fighters have redployed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to provide air cover over the Malacca Straits as shipping make its way north. Georgetown has been abandoned and units have moed south towards Johore Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Ineffectual raids were made by the RAF on Kota Bharu.

Pearl Harbour

Hickham Field and Ohau harbour devasted by a clinical Japanese strike. Whats left of Hawaiin air force has been ordered to protect Pearl's air space while bombers have been ordered to seek put and engage enemy ships. All surviving Catalinas have also been put on 100% alert and a 360 degree arc of search planes covers Hawaii.

Early moves from the West Coast will include reinforcements for Christmas Island, Pago-pago, Suva, Noumea and Efate. The Saratoga has been ordered to escort the convoys shipping troops into the south pacific. The supply line to Australia will need to be secured before further plans can be made.

[cantona2]

Allied battleships lost December 7th.

[cantona2]

Proposed main line of resistance in China, with forward deployed troops moving accordingly.
2/AVG already in Kunming to help shore up aerial defence.

[Fishbed]

Go for it my hero!
Java will stand this time!

[cantona2]

I sure hope it does Fishbed!

[cantona2]

Turn 2 Synopsis.

No landfall yet on the PI's but many ships approaching. A6M2's start the fight for air superiority and gain a favourable loss ratio, though the P-40 bites back shooting down a few fighters. First bite of the new HR's as well. As four engined bombers cannot be used for naval attack all 32 B-17's on the PI's are set to attack the airfields at Babeldaob and the port at Samah. Fletcher however was ready with a CAP of Nates and Claudes respectively, though only one bomber was lost over Samah. I have requested that when I eventually get PB4Y's they be allowed naval attacks, but that is far into the future. Better news came from a Catalina flying search from Bataan, she reported a hit on a marauding IJN light cruiser.

Shipping escaping from Malaya was attacked from the air and under the sea. A tanker was sunk to the south of Singapore, and two medium sized merchants leaving Georgetown. Kota Bharu was once again pumelled by sea and air. Intell intercepts suggest more troops are inbound so a pair of Dutch subs are on picket duty 60 miles out of KB with orders to aggressively engage any incoming ships.

The Hong Kong DD Squadron was foiled in its attempt to surprise shipping leaving Takao, two of them hitting mines. Attempts by Jap planes to sink them on the return leg met with no success. Several Japanese surface units have been observed lurking to the south of Hong Kong, the CA Maya was attacked by Vildebeeste with no hits being scored.

PH was not attacked for a second time though numerous sightings of enemy submarines were reported during the day to the north and south of the Hawaiian islands. Some of Pearl's airplanes have been moved to Hilo to further extend the naval search arc. Two unsuccessful enemy attacks were foiled on the Indianapolis squadron and on the AVD Ballard.

[cantona2]

The day's most exciting action from the Vindicators (VMSB-231) based on Midway. having been delivered by the Lexington in the evening of the 7th they struck the first blow for the allied forces on the 8th. Catalinas (VP-21) brought back the presence of enemy shipping to the north, base command assumed they were the ships that had bombarded the island yesterday. It was some dismay that only 2 Vindicators found their quarry, and they were not warships either. Rather several tankers and oiler were spotted. Despite the pilots desires to hit enemy surface vessels they dove down on one oiler scoring two 1000lb hits leaving the ship ablaze and gushing black, oily smoke. No doubt the replenishment force of the carriers that had hit Hawaii had been found. A shame then that a second strike missed its target completely. 100% for aiming but 0% for navigation.

[cantona2]

Situation around Luzon, 19:00 8th December 1941




Erm screenie should read East not West. Writing an AAR with the better half wondering when AE will be out away for the night isnt a good idea [:D][;)]

[cantona2]

2/AVG has finished its transfer into the Chinese theatre, via Kunming. Its first base of operations will be Wuchow where its planes will be flying LRCAP over Hong Kong tomorrow and hopefully surprise the Japanese bombers that struck there today. Its ground echelon will be airlifted from Burma to Kunming and then proceed to Henyang, the long term future base of the AVG in China.

[cantona2]

Ramon plays a very different game to Herb in China. it seems to me that for a second game in a row he is reinforcing the Ichang salient, as troop movements indicate, rather than withdrawing as Herb does. For once I am not going to attack there. Study of the many allied AARs has proven China to be a difficult place to defend. The Nanyang axis of attack has led to much Japanese success, especially if joined with a strike on Loyang and Chengchow. In our last game his was poised to blow my line away. Likewise study of these AARs has also shown the potential, for the Japanese, of a successful attack on Changteh. It would position Japanese troops to the rear of Changsha, cut the railway and make the southern Chinese position untenable. Therefore I am detaching three corps from the Ichang attack force to move towards Nanyang and leaving the rest in good defensible terrain. Ramon will have to deal with these troops if he wants to move on the Chanteh axis. If he doesn't then they might pin the Ichang troops down as any move from Ichang, either north or west, may be prone to a flanking attack from this position. The road from Ichang to Changteh will receive priority reinforcement. Forces are also concentrating at Sian and behind Loyang to act as reserves for Nanyang and the Loyang-Chengchow position.

[cantona2]

Baby KB was spotted south of Davao heading west, no doubt to catch the ships fleeing post haste from Manila. A Dutch sub has been ordered to intercept it and the Houston and Boise, refuelling at Tarakan ordered to rendevous with a smaller USN force at Balikpapan. Hudsons from a detachment of 13 RAAF Squadron based at Manado have also been ordered to try and strike at the Japanese carriers.

[cantona2]

Massive kudos to all the modders on the unit patch projects. They add, what is for me an essential part of the game, immersion. I shall post a selection of them to promote the work these great guys are doing and to show how they look in game.

First India Command

[cantona2]

2nd USMC Paras

[cantona2]

100 Sqn RAF

[cantona2]

HMS Hermes

[cantona2]

2/6th Armoured Car Regiment





Keep 'em coming, they look great and add a great deal of chrome to the game!

[cantona2]

Turn 3 Synopsis

The sea is covered in enemy submarines. Ships sunk leaving Singapore. Submarines detected in the approaches to San Diego by Dauntlesses flying form the deck of the Saratoga. Likewise the Enterprise keeps spotting the buggers to the south of Johnston Island. More subs seen traversing the Java Sea and some engaging shipping near Panay.

Yet it isn't all going the Japanese way. One escort was sunk off Vigan by an S-Boat and a first wave fo subamrines is pushing its way through an ASW cordon south of Formosa enroute to the shipping lanes of the Home Islands.

224 RAF has braved the gauntlet of the Malacca Straits and is steaming past Sabang before wheeling north-east and to Chittagong and then relocating to Dacca. Likewise 221 RAF has started to load on the Australia Star in Rangoon, the 1/AVG is providing intensive air cover while this operation continues.

Landfall has been made in northern Luzon. Appari and Vigan will be occupied tomorrow and the Battle for the Philippines will begin in earnest. P-40es provided sterling service today, shooting down 4 G4M1s attacking the DD Thanet. This plucky RN destroyer had run into the CAs Maya and Ashigara and taken somewhat of a bashing but not before leaving the Ashigara aflame. B-17s out of Clark hit enemy shipping docked at Taichu in Formorsa, damaging two light transports. Tomorrows target will be the airfields at Cam Rhan Bay. Im switching targets daily to confuse Ramon and make his CAP difficult. No doubt Clark will receive the attention of his bombers, strangely quiet today.

The Baby KB moved further westwards into the Celebes Sea, its B5N1s sinking two light transports at Jolo Island. The Boise and the Houston are approaching Balikpapan, Dutch Brewsters have been ordered to conver the USN ships as they approach. The plannes interception by the KXVI did not happen, and 13th RAAF's Hudsons were scared off by a meagre CAP of Claudes.

Kota Bharu fell and the 8th Indian Brigade retreated in disarray towards Temuloh.

The 2/AVG sprung its ambush over Hong Kong and despite shooting down three planes I was a bit disappointed with its performance. It will stay at Wuchow one more day and provide LRCAP over Hong Kong one more time.

Further to the East, the Lexington battle group will spend one more day shadowing the Japanese oilers and then turn sotuh before going back to Pearl to meet the Enterprise and head to the Marshalls were both Makin and Tarawa atolls have been occupied by the Japanese.

[cantona2]

The Thanet vs the IJN crusiers

[cantona2]

List of ships sunk today

[cantona2]

Sub situation around Singapore. Vildebeestes are on ASW patrol at 1000 feet and three dedicated ASW task forces of small craft are patrolling the area, making sure the Japanese submariners keep their heads down!