Against the Wind: Cuttlefish (Japan) vs. Q-Ball (Allies)

[CapAndGown]

I do not understand the threat you see coming through CentPac. Why would that be more threatening, or as threatening, as what is happening in the DEI?

[princep01]

While I think the war was decided when the counter attack at Ambon went awry, I have to agree with cap and gown. Any hope of reversing the course of the Allied advance to victory lies in severly dampening his advance thru the DEI/Phillipines. The Central Pacific is a minor side show by comparison. Of course there is a need to be vigilant there, as everywhere, but the guns in question need to go to the schwerepunkt of the Allied advance, not some sideshow.

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: princep01

While I think the war was decided when the counter attack at Ambon went awry, I have to agree with cap and gown. Any hope of reversing the course of the Allied advance to victory lies in severly dampening his advance thru the DEI/Phillipines. The Central Pacific is a minor side show by comparison. Of course there is a need to be vigilant there, as everywhere, but the guns in question need to go to the schwerepunkt of the Allied advance, not some sideshow.

The two of you raise a good point. But I've noticed that Q-Ball and I tend to think alike, and what I see when I look at the map is a tempting axis of advance that goes something like Sorong - Ulithi - Guam. Once he accomplishes his main goal of shutting down fuel imports from the DEI that may present a more attractive line of advance for him than one that goes through Mindanao and Luzon. Especially once his damaged carriers are repaired and new ones begin to arrive in quantity.

All things being equal he would probably prefer to advance through the Philippines, heavily defended though they are. He can use his LBA to much greater advantage there and there are too many good landing sites to for me to defend them all. I would prefer he advance that way too, as it will be a longer and tougher slog. I started building forts on Luzon as soon as I conquered it and haven't stopped. My concern with the Central Pacific, then, is to not leave it so obviously weak that it tempts him into going that way.

But I have to agree that the coast guns belong in the Philippines rather than the Central Pacific. I believe I will ship them out to Bataan, unless a better idea presents itself.

[Cuttlefish]

[font="Arial"]The passive defense is always pernicious.[/font]
- Jomini: Precis se l’art Art de la Guerre, 1838

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5/15/1943 – 5/26/1943

Allied forces continue to slowly engulf Borneo like a python swallowing a pig. Tarakan put up a valiant defense, forcing Q-Ball to land more troops, but the base fell on 24 May. On the other side he advanced as far as Sampit. His next move on either side will put him close to the South China Sea and that move will not be allowed without a fight. The next landing on Borneo will be met with the full force of the Japanese Navy. Win, lose, or draw, it should be quite a fight.

Over on the Pacific side Noumea still holds out against the New Zealanders who are laying siege to the place but that won’t last much longer. The forts are down to 1 and the odds have reached 2 to 1 against me. One more attack, maybe two, and the base will finally fall.

Fire in the Sky: Allied bombers roam the skies but I am not engaging them anywhere at the moment. I am holding back my fighters and building up strength. Right now Japanese fighter defense in the DEI looks like this: four units on Mindanao (two Tojo IIa, one A6M2, one A6M3) with about 140 planes, two units at Palembang (Oscar IIa) with about 80 planes, and three units at Singapore (one A6M2, two Tojo IIa) with about 110 planes. All are rested and have skilled pilots, though filling out the units following the fierce battles earlier in the year has drained my reserve of skilled pilots to dangerously low levels. Training is ongoing, of course.

In about a month I will finally receive new torpedo bombers, three groups of Betties. These reinforcements are badly needed.

Under the Sea: no Japanese ships have been lost to subs for the last three turns but this has been a lull in a generally successful period for the Allied hunters. Another SC, a couple of xAKs, and a tanker have all been sunk.

Japanese submarines have been busy as well. AMC Worchestershire was finished off with a couple more torpedoes. DE Peary was sunk near Cookstown and CLAA Van Heemskerck was hit by a torpedo near Geraldton. A lone AP, with troops aboard, was sunk in the Java Sea. This is the third such sinking recently and it kind of puzzles me. The waters in that area are infested with Japanese subs and I have a hard time believing the Allies are short of escorts.

I-155, the terror of the seas, was caught in shallow water in the Java Sea while en route to its patrol zone and heavily damaged by depth charges. The sub managed to limp back to Singapore, where it is currently undergoing repairs.

A Shallow Discussion: it’s interesting that task forces, when choosing a route, have a noted preference for deep water. This is understandable from a purely nautical point of view. Why risk shoals and shallows when you can have deep water under your keel? However, submarines are much more vulnerable in shallow water. Q-Ball will position submarines in shallow water every now and then but by and large he avoids doing so. This means I spend a lot of time setting way points to try and keep my non-warship task forces in the relative safety of shallow water.

A good example is my route through the Formosa Straits. There are always one or more Allied subs in the deep-water hexes there but I have yet to lose a ship that made the “Foochow Turn” and stuck to the shallows. I love task force routing, so much so that I wonder now how I ever got along without it. Setting all my merchant TFs is rather time-consuming, though. I’d really enjoy a button that set a task force’s preference for deep or shallow water in selecting a route.

Below is an illustration of the “Foochow Turn.” Note the three waypoints set to force the TF to stick to shallow water. Also note the ASW task forces positioned to try and catch Allied subs headed to and from their patrol zones in the Strait. It’s almost suicide for my SCs to engage them in deep water

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

ORIGINAL: princep01

While I think the war was decided when the counter attack at Ambon went awry, I have to agree with cap and gown. Any hope of reversing the course of the Allied advance to victory lies in severly dampening his advance thru the DEI/Phillipines. The Central Pacific is a minor side show by comparison. Of course there is a need to be vigilant there, as everywhere, but the guns in question need to go to the schwerepunkt of the Allied advance, not some sideshow.

The two of you raise a good point. But I've noticed that Q-Ball and I tend to think alike, and what I see when I look at the map is a tempting axis of advance that goes something like Sorong - Ulithi - Guam. Once he accomplishes his main goal of shutting down fuel imports from the DEI that may present a more attractive line of advance for him than one that goes through Mindanao and Luzon. Especially once his damaged carriers are repaired and new ones begin to arrive in quantity.

All things being equal he would probably prefer to advance through the Philippines, heavily defended though they are. He can use his LBA to much greater advantage there and there are too many good landing sites to for me to defend them all. I would prefer he advance that way too, as it will be a longer and tougher slog. I started building forts on Luzon as soon as I conquered it and haven't stopped. My concern with the Central Pacific, then, is to not leave it so obviously weak that it tempts him into going that way.

But I have to agree that the coast guns belong in the Philippines rather than the Central Pacific. I believe I will ship them out to Bataan, unless a better idea presents itself.

Yes, and ultimately to be effective and make use of all of his assets, the allied player need to advance on more than one front. As he gets stronger, it is a must. You can't cover everything.

And thanks for the tip. I am planting one of my Allied subs in the Fouchow turn right away....[;)]

[princep01]

Cuttlefish, I appauld your fighting spirit. It matches or surpasses that of the nation you represent. Your plan to stand and fight in the DEI is the best chance you have to reverse your fortunes in the game. Even after the carrier losses at Ambon, you still have a near parity to the CV strength the Allies are likely to currently muster. The ratio will only get worse if you continue the Fleet in Being approach of the last 4-5 months. Your decision to risk them in an effort to blunt the Allied advance is a wise one. It is time to stop the Allied spearheads or die trying. The oil must continue to flow to give Japan a chance to win. Another successful push westward and the oil is going to be severly curtailed. Two more leaps westward and it is terminated. Good Luck.

[Cuttlefish]

[font="Arial"]Please give the Combined Fleet the chance to bloom as flowers of death. This is the Navy’s earnest request.[/font]
- Rear Admiral Nakazawa, requesting permission to launch SHO-1 (the battle of Leyte Gulf)

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May 27, 1943 – May 30, 1943

It seems that the battle I spoke of may happen sooner rather than later. On 29 May two Japanese submarines put one torpedo each into BBs Washington and South Dakota in the Makassar Strait. Neither battleship seemed heavily damaged and the TF continued north. On 30 May Allied task forces suddenly appeared all over the Makassar Strait and the Celebes Sea. Their position seems to indicate that Jolo is the target.

On a hunch I had moved the Combined Fleet north out of Singapore a couple of turns earlier. As a result they are in excellent position to strike. The screen shot below shows the current situation and the moves plotted for next turn, uniting the entire fleet seven hexes from Jolo. This will put my carrier planes within strike range and my surface forces in position for a night attack. None of my task forces has been spotted as far as I can tell, though the destroyer division encountered a submarine in the middle of the South China Sea last turn.

Of course, I am supposing that this is an invasion and that Jolo is the target. It seems like a good bet though. If so I am not likely to ever get a better chance to strike. I have 300 carrier aircraft and 225 land-based planes ready to go. My total surface force consists of 8 BBs, 7 CAs, 11 CLs, and 36 DDs, not counting the two carrier TFs. It’s the heaviest punch I can throw, and I think it’s a good one.

These are the kind of turns where it’s hard to wait for your opponent’s reply. Something violent is almost certain to happen. It could be a great victory, a total disaster, or an inconclusive skirmish. But the turn has been sent, the dice have been thrown, and the only thing to do now is wait. Situations like this are what makes WITP/AE such a great game.

[Canoerebel]

Good luck, Cuttlefish!

[Skipjack_]

Good luck and good hunting, CF!  Your subs seem to have struck the opening blow - hopefully a good omen [:)]

[Grfin Zeppelin]

Banzai

[Fletcher]

Cuttlefish !
Best of lucks!
Regards
Ramón

[Chickenboy]

Banzai, Cuttlefish!

[british exil]

These are the kind of turns where it’s hard to wait for your opponent’s reply. Something violent is almost certain to happen. It could be a great victory, a total disaster, or an inconclusive skirmish. But the turn has been sent, the dice have been thrown, and the only thing to do now is wait. Situations like this are what makes WITP/AE such a great game.

Situations like these are what make the AAR's so addictive. You can bet we are all waiting, biting our nails or maybe stumps of our fingers, just to see if Q-Ball will avoid the destruction, or lose a great number of ships and men.

Who will be the victor of the next battle???

Reading both AAR's and finding it a great read. Nice to hear the thoughts of planning being focused in the decission making.

Just can't wait for the next episode.

[Venividivici10044]

I have to echo; waiting (im)patiently at HQ for reports on the situation.

VVV

[koontz]

Good luck!

[Deathtreader]

Banzai!!

Motion pictures should be half so entertaining...........



Rob.

[Cribtop]

Victory or Death!

[Cuttlefish]

[font="Arial"]Like an old-time turkey shoot.[/font]
- Ensign Ziggy Neff, giving the Marianas Turkey Shoot its name

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May 31, 1943

I finally got the turn back from Q-Ball. Jolo was indeed invaded and Japan unleased a series of air attacks from both my carriers and Davao. It was ugly, folks. Japanese planes attacked all day long and ran into a buzzsaw CAP of almost 200 carrier planes, Wildcats and Hellcats and a few Martlets. These were supplemented by a handful of land-based fighters. By the end of the day losses, damage, engine trouble, and so forth had reduced the number of Allied planes over Jolo by over half. It wasn’t nearly enough.

The end of month screenie is posted below. The air losses on the turn speak for themselves. Japan lost 72 pilots killed or missing on the turn, with another 86 wounded. I am fortunate to get over two-thirds of my pilots back after a massacre like that. As far as airframes go the final numbers bear a strong resemblance to the Marianas Turkey Shoot. Only a handful of my bombers broke through and none scored any hits.

My carriers are almost denuded of strike aircraft, though there are a lot of Zeros left. The LBA at Davao is in about the same shape; all the bombers are gone but I still have plenty of Tojos and Zeros.

I have ordered six SCTFs forward to make a night attack at Jolo. My carriers will remain in position (with what is left of their bombers stood down) to try and cover their withdrawal. It may be folly to continue the battle after the defeat I suffered today – an aggressive lunge forward by Q-Ball’s carriers could put me in a world of hurt – but at this point in the war I think it’s a bigger folly to meekly withdraw. Preserving my fleet will do me little good if I am cut off from my source of fuel.

Victory screen for the end of May ’43 (parental discretion advised, the last turn was that bad):

[Cuttlefish]

[font="Arial"]There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today, Chatfield.[/font]
- Sir David Beatty, at Jutland

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June 1, 1943

IJN surface forces moved in during the night phase, as promised, and carried the day in desperate night combat. It was a modest enough victory, but at least it was a victory and somewhat redeemed the performance of the air arm on the previous turn.

The first phase of combat featured four battleships (Mutsu, Yamishiro, Ise, and Hyuga) against an Allied heavy cruiser force. The Japanese lost DD Shigure (both Hibiki and Shigure lost now, so much for lucky destroyers in this game) but sank heavy cruisers Exeter and Astoria and probably sank DD MacDonough as well. The Japanese task force then retired in good order.

The second round was the most intense and pitted Yamato and Haruna against Ramilles, Resolution, and Royal Sovereign. Resolution was sunk outright and Ramilles left on fire. On the Japanese side CA Maya and DD Makigumo were heavily damaged and sunk the next day by Allied carrier aircraft. Again the Allied force was forced to withdraw.

This opened the door for a force built around Nagato to cruise in unimpeded and massacre five LSTs and DMS Hopkins.

Q-Ball shifted his carriers a hex or two towards Tawi Tawi during the night but they remained eight hexes from the Japanese carriers. A few Japanese ships have some damage but all are at full speed and so escaped (except for the aformentioned pair). My fleet is now going to retire to refuel and contemplate what comes next.

To add a little sparkle to the turn SS Steelhead was caught in shallow water near Singapore and sunk by two Japanese ASW ships.

As I said, a modest enough victory. Jolo will still fall and the Allied carrier force still controls the seas in the area. I keep hitting back; since the beginning of March I have wiped out four Allied amphibious task forces and sunk or damaged a fair number of Allied warships, all at very little cost to my own surface forces. But all this seems to do is force him to be a bit more cautious and slow his advance a bit.

Right now he has to be running low on available battleships. The battle today may temper his advance until he can cover his landing forces better. At least I can hope so. Losing Jolo is going to hurt, though.

At the moment the only blow I could level at him that I think might really stall his advance is to engage his carrier task forces with my surface fleet. That is a risky move to try but might be what I have to try next. I’ll keep my eyes open for the opportunity, at least.

[LoBaron]

Good to see you keep the fighting spirit Cuttlefish! [:)]
 
Do you have still have pilot reserves to compensate for these losses?