AEHGP2 Traskott (A) vs. Seydlitz (J) Japanese side AAR

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 65 09 February, 1942

Turns 62,63,and 64 were all very quiet turns.
I figured out that he was resupplying Bataan using single ship cargo task forces. On turn 64 I stationed two surface combat task forces off Corregidor using my old CLs. Each turn they intercepted and sunk one AKL. My bombers are continuing to pound the port, so I should soon run him out of supply now that I have sealed the port with my blockade.

On turn 65, one of my subs, which had moved through the Bass Strait at the southern tip of Australia, intercepted and sunk the freighter Floridian with three torpedoes near Portland, Australia. This should be the first sign that I have subs in this area so hopefully the hunting will be good over the next month.

Things have remained slow off the west coast with no shipping spotted. The KB is halfway home and I have replacement pilots and planes ready to replenish those lost over the past few turns.

I do have two fleet carriers and a surface action group containing battleships out on another long range secret mission which I will be able to reveal in a few turns.

Anyone care to guess where they are going?

[offenseman]

Are you headed up Ceylon way to hunt the RN?

[krupp_88mm]

ill put my wager on Auckland since thats a place he'd probably not bother to guard, and theirs no reason for his carriers to be their yet

[offenseman]

That is a strong possibility indeed.   I bet I am wrong again. lol

[seydlitz_slith]

Well, you will know soon enough. Traskott has informed me that he is available all weekend for multiple turn play. I will say that I am having to use two tanker task forces in relay to keep the ships supplied with fuel, and if anything goes wrong it is a long way to the nearest friendly port.

[offenseman]

  Karachi maybe. I still think that a force of 2 CVs and BBs is meant for the RN rather than USN. My final guess is Ceylon or Karachi. 

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 68 12 February, 1942

The past few turns have been somewhat slow with little action. However, on the west coast, I am now starting to see ship movements again. I guess he was hoping that my subs and carriers were gone. The carriers are enroute home, but my subs are definitely still around.

I-15 proved that she was present by putting a torpedo into the BB Warspite off San Clemente Island. Not sure what this beast was doing down around southern California. I thought that normally it had to be withdrawn by now. Oh well, I am sure that he will have to find a dry dock for it ASAP and it won't be San Francisco after the damage that I did to the yard there.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: seydlitz

Turn 68 12 February, 1942

The past few turns have been somewhat slow with little action. However, on the west coast, I am now starting to see ship movements again. I guess he was hoping that my subs and carriers were gone. The carriers are enroute home, but my subs are definitely still around.

I-15 proved that she was present by putting a torpedo into the BB Warspite off San Clemente Island. Not sure what this beast was doing down around southern California. I thought that normally it had to be withdrawn by now. Oh well, I am sure that he will have to find a dry dock for it ASAP and it won't be San Francisco after the damage that I did to the yard there.

No she is in the game until after the new year.

[cantona2]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: seydlitz

Turn 68 12 February, 1942

The past few turns have been somewhat slow with little action. However, on the west coast, I am now starting to see ship movements again. I guess he was hoping that my subs and carriers were gone. The carriers are enroute home, but my subs are definitely still around.

I-15 proved that she was present by putting a torpedo into the BB Warspite off San Clemente Island. Not sure what this beast was doing down around southern California. I thought that normally it had to be withdrawn by now. Oh well, I am sure that he will have to find a dry dock for it ASAP and it won't be San Francisco after the damage that I did to the yard there.

No she is in the game until after the new year.

Sssssssshhhhhhhhhh don't give the perfidious Jap intel [:D]

[krupp_88mm]

send the KB to bomb the BP rigs in the gulf of mexico, the us might surrender if you can pull that off

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: krupp_88mm

send the KB to bomb the BP rigs in the gulf of mexico, the us might surrender if you can pull that off

I would but I can't get there because a japanese TF can not set an off map allied port as a valid destination. I know because I recently tried to send a sub to patrol the west end of the panama canal.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 69 13 February, 1942

ABDAFLOT showed up to bombard the port of Sorong on the NW tip of New Guinea. Very nice of him to tell me where they are in this method. I had a few troops present but none of them were hurt, and port damage is only 15%.

Lucky for me, a few turns ago I decided to put most of my additional forces ashore at Mankowari, about 120 miles farther east on the New Guinea coast. If he had hit there he may have killed someone.

[seydlitz_slith]

Back off the west coast, my subs once again proved they were still there.
He mentioned in his email that the Warspite was contributing nothing to the war effort. She was in refit the first month, fleeing the KB the second month, and now must return to dock to repair the torpedo damage.

Looks like the cruiser Trenton will be joining her as I-3 put a torpedo into her off Fort Ord.

[seydlitz_slith]

Later that day, I-8 sunk the Dutch troop transport AP Poelau Laut about thirty miles away.

I really hope that he is crying about how effective my subs are on his side of the AAR.[:D]

[seydlitz_slith]

I haven't talked about it yet, but in most of my games I accelerate the BB Musashi and maybe some carriers early. In this game, we are playing with highly variable reinforcements. As a result, Musashi is a December arrival. Instead of accelerating her, I have accelerated several long range I-boats in the hopes that I can keep the pressure up on him through 1942.

On a serious note, RO-34 was hit by a bomb dropped by a B-18 Bolo west of Oahu. She has broken off her patrol and is heading for Kwaj.

[janh]

You really perform naval warfare "in depth".  If your opponent doesn't start moving ASW and covering forces back to his home waters, he will keep loosing ships at a quick rate.  And any ships and planes he moves to defend his backwaters won't be involved in frontline actions...  He must be faced with a dilemma at this point in war...

[offenseman]

ORIGINAL: janh

You really perform naval warfare "in depth".  If your opponent doesn't start moving ASW and covering forces back to his home waters, he will keep loosing ships at a quick rate.  And any ships and planes he moves to defend his backwaters won't be involved in frontline actions...  He must be faced with a dilemma at this point in war...

Agreed. It would be driving me nuts and I'd have a temptation to turtle for several months. Chances are he wouldn't be doing much "stopping" of the Japanese onslaught anyway.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 70 14 February, 1942

First to the non-sub action during the turn.

1. At Moresby, I intercepted his daily B-17 raid with a flight of zeroes for the second straight day. I shot down 1 bomber and damaged 3 for the loss of 1 fighter. He is now convinced that I have zeroes on the field I bet, but I am flying them in from a base on the north coast of New Guinea on LRCAP because the airfield and port were both entirely trashed when I took it.

2. After multiple turns of recon showed no troops at Balikpapan (it looked like they had been moved to Samarinda) I initiated an airborne assault there using two para units. What do I find? Troops present, of course. So I am down with about 15 AV, no supplies, and enemy units in the hex. I am trying to fly in supplies as well as more troops.

3. Imperial Guards have arrived in Rangoon. I should be able to win the fight, but I am presently short on supply as the supply path is eating a lot up along the way. I am going to gamble here and fly in supplies for a turn.

4. The KB is nearly back home. Probably 4-5 more turns to go.

5. The other two carriers and battleship group are located SW of Australia, about 400 miles SW of Adelaide. I am hanging out waiting on my subs to scout up some unsuspecting victims. If I am lucky I will get one of the large convoys coming from Capetown.

[seydlitz_slith]

Now for the sub action:
Off Fort Ord, I-26 torpedoed and sank the freighter Am. Press in a night time surface attack using both guns and torpedoes.

[seydlitz_slith]

Off Balikpapan, I-157 put 11 shells into the coastal freighter Soochow, leaving her with heavy damage adn heavy fires. She was not worth a torpedo.