Shattered Vow

[Canoerebel]

I bet some of my medium bombers have decent-experience pilots.  I'll give that a try.
 
By the way, I have found medium bombers useless in the game.  They don't score against ships, they achieve poorly against land targets, and they get shot down fairly easily.  I only use them when there's no chance of enemy CAP, so presently I have a few bombing Lae and a few hitting remote targets around the DEI.

[JohnDillworth]

I bet some of my medium bombers have decent-experience pilots. I'll give that a try.

By the way, I have found medium bombers useless in the game. They don't score against ships, they achieve poorly against land targets, and they get shot down fairly easily. I only use them when there's no chance of enemy CAP, so presently I have a few bombing Lae and a few hitting remote targets around the DEI.

I agree, but I am told that was also a training issue. You have to figure out what the bombers will end up being used for (B-25c like regular bombers, B25G will always attack low level, so train them to straff)and train accordingly. So this either means know the full upgrade path of each squadron (Where does this Bolo group end up?) or micro-manage training and pilots. Simple, no? As for what skills are useful for City Attack I have no idea

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I bet some of my medium bombers have decent-experience pilots.  I'll give that a try.

By the way, I have found medium bombers useless in the game.  They don't score against ships, they achieve poorly against land targets, and they get shot down fairly easily.  I only use them when there's no chance of enemy CAP, so presently I have a few bombing Lae and a few hitting remote targets around the DEI.

Yep agree 100 per cent. They are not that tough. They will bomb AKs and APs though when trained up in low level. Important to remember that if non attack bombers are attacking below 6k feet, they only carry 1/2 a bombload. Still this does not mean they are not useful for this.

Problems is we are both dealing with scen #2 and our opponents have plenty of CAP everywhere.

Once I get sufficent number of liberators, I plan on converting some mediums to heavies. Some do not like this but PDU is either "on or off" in my book and if it is on then anything goes....

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

I bet some of my medium bombers have decent-experience pilots. I'll give that a try.

By the way, I have found medium bombers useless in the game. They don't score against ships, they achieve poorly against land targets, and they get shot down fairly easily. I only use them when there's no chance of enemy CAP, so presently I have a few bombing Lae and a few hitting remote targets around the DEI.

I agree, but I am told that was also a training issue. You have to figure out what the bombers will end up being used for (B-25c like regular bombers, B25G will always attack low level, so train them to straff)and train accordingly. So this either means know the full upgrade path of each squadron (Where does this Bolo group end up?) or micro-manage training and pilots. Simple, no? As for what skills are useful for City Attack I have no idea

John, I feel like the husband who makes intricate arrangements so that the children will stay overnight with friends, then cleans the house, whips up a tasty dinner, grooms himself meticulously, only to have his wife announce: "Gee, Honey, my back really hurts tonight so I'm going to bed."

Here I was finally ready to dip my toe into pilot training. I've read up on what to click and when to click and what happens when I click. I think I know how to move pilots around so that my front line aircraft aren't in the hands of a 25-experience dude whose last attempt to steer something resulted in his lawn mower running over the neighbor's child's tricycle. I'm almost ready to sit down and learn what the heck Nav-G and Nav-T and Nav-Z are...and now you tell me that some B-25s handle one way and others another way so that pilots have to be specifically trained for each model?

[JohnDillworth]

Just learning most of this myself. The good news is there has been endless discussion about it. Fighter pilots are easier. I always wanted my b-25's to be ship killers like they truly were. But I never trained them right. As for B-29's it is a fairly simple question to the group: Besides experience, what trait is most coveted for Strategic bombing? I suspect it is ground bombardment. Tell you what, I 'll post in the general forums.
BTW, I notice you started a new game so you are in a good position to start learning this stuff too. Step 1, put all you idol squadrons at 100% training. Particularly the ones on the west coast. I guess put the bombers on general training until it becomes clear what they will be doing. Float planes 100% on naval attack. They can be trained out as torpeodo pilots later on I am told.

[Canoerebel]

11/25/44 to 12/2/44
 
An Open Road:  The Allies took both Hanoi and Nanning on the 2nd.  This opens up the road all the way from Thailand through Vietnam to Wuchow.
 
Pockets:  A sizeable pocket of IJA troops remains at Haiphong.  This will be eliminated shortly, after which a massive Allied army will be free to join the general advance toward coastal China.  The IJA troops that retreated from Nanning are caught in no-man's-land.  Two small Chinese units will be left to deal with them.  The remaining troops from this siege will move directly to the front.
 
Advance:  Allied troops are pouring toward the coast - mainly around Kulenko and Kanhsien, but also further north near Nankang.  It takes time to cover ground, but the Allies should begin attacking at the "nearest" base (Kulenko) in a week or so.
 
Strategic Airfields:  The objective is to reach, seize, and build up the big-potential bases on the coast:  Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, and Wenchow.  I believe the Allies will have some of these bases by ealry 1945, so that strategic bombing can commence early that year.  The Allies will continue pressing forward until they are stopped - Shanghai might be the ultimate target.
 
Carriers:  The fleet carriers are on the way back to the front and should arrive in two days.  After the reinforcement transports break off to unload, the carriers will cruise into enemy territory to halt traffic between Luzon and Japan, or Japan and China.

[Canoerebel]

12/3/44 and 12/4/44
 
Strategic Bombing Commences:  The Allies conducted the first strategic bombing raid of the war - massed waves of B-29s from Kwangchoan and Kiungshan set to hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki...or that was the idea.  In actuality, the bombers performed poorly, scoring a total of 12 points while losing a bunch of aircraft.  I'll stand down strategic ops for awhile - training my pilots and waiting until I have airfields closer to the targets.
 
China:  It will take awhile, but Allied troops are moving north and east.  It will be at least a week before the next big assault takes place.
 
Vietnam:  The southern half of the big Allied army crossed the river and assaulted Haiphong with poor results; the northern half will cross tomorrow.  Once all troops cross and have four to six days of rest to recover from disruption, the attacks will commence.
 
Borneo:  The Allies took Jesselton.
 
Carriers:  The fleet carriers are moving east to a point south of Formosa.  The CVE TFs will remain near Hainan Island.

[witpqs]

You might consider having a look at your other USA bomber squadrons with an eye toward finding some you can trade pilots with the B-29's. Let the other groups train while the B-29's rain (destruction, that is).

[JohnDillworth]

Strategic Bombing Commences: The Allies conducted the first strategic bombing raid of the war - massed waves of B-29s from Kwangchoan and Kiungshan set to hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki...or that was the idea. In actuality, the bombers performed poorly, scoring a total of 12 points while losing a bunch of aircraft. I'll stand down strategic ops for awhile - training my pilots and waiting until I have airfields closer to the targets.

What were you targets (City Attack?) , altitude, and ops losses? One can always go righ to the firebomb route. Low altitude/night/city.

[Galahad78]

Have you tried also to Sweep a couple of cities with hordes of fighters (guess perhaps you do not have close enough bases for them?) for a couple of turns, and then striking another city with your B-29s? [:D]

[Canoerebel]

12/5/44 to 12/14/44
 
All eyes are on China and vicinity now:
 
Haiphong:  The first Allied deliberate attacks are productive, dropping forts from 5 to 3.  This base won't hold much longer.  The Japanese probably have about 75,000 troops here, so this will be a nice payback for Manila or Singapore back in early '42.  Once Haiphong falls and the defenders are eliminated, most of the Allied army will move north; but a few units will be directed south to help in the liberation of Vietnam (and ultimately Bangkok and Singapore).
 
Kukong:  The first Allied deliberate attack - mainly Chinese units - came off at 1:2.  Casualties were roughly equal in numbers, but in terms of squads disrupted the Allies came out on the short end.  Nevertheless, with plenty of reinforcements heading this way, I don't think this base can hold out very long.
 
Allied Carriers:  Have moved around the northern South China Sea.  On one occasion they attracted droves of Japanese LBA which failed to accomplish anythng except to lose 250 aircraft while downing perhaps 50 Allied aircraft.

[Canoerebel]

12/15/44 to 12/18/44
 
Vietnam:  Haiphong fell to the Allies on 12/15/44.  This opens the road for the Allies all the way from India to the front in China (though the going is slow on the yellow road between Moulmein and the bases north of Bangkok).  Most of the victorious Allied army is moving north to the China front, but a few will press south or garrison Haiphong.  The surviving Japanese units withdrew across the river into a marsh hex.  I'll leave them to whatever end is dictated by fate or Miller's efforts to extract them.  The Allies will press south to Hue, the next enemy garrison.

China:  The Japanese are giving the Allies fits at Kukong, where four divisons plus a division equivalent are defending behind five forts.  The Allies have a massive (but mostly Chinese-unit) army here with another army moving through Changsha to threaten bases to the north.  I've tried two very costly deliberate attacks at Kukong.  I'll rest the troops and try one more.  If those results aren't promising I may leave a holding force at Kukong and re-route the bulk of this army to Kansien or even further north.  Most of the American and British troops are heading further north where resistance - at least at first - looks to be lighter.  I should note that for all intents and purposes the rest of the war is going to be fought and decided here in China.  No need in diverting troops to other well-defended places like Formosa or Okinawa when the big bases for strategic bombing can be found on the mainland.

Allied Carriers:  The Allies can reinforce and re-supply China without serious threat of disruption as long as they control the seas.  So I don't foresee taking any big chances with my carriers.  I just want to feed troops and supply into China as quickly as possible.

Malaya:  The Allies took Nikkon Si Thammarat, a city midway up the Malay Peninsula.  Next objectives are Singora and then Khota Bahru.

Miller's Take:  Email message from Miller about eight game-days ago:  "I must congratulate you on your move against Southern China, it has rendered the whole map west of Hanoi irrelevant."  He's right.  Seven Days penetrated deeply into Japanese territory and rendered more than half the remaining empire totally irrelevant.  Something like fifteen or twenty large garrisons (Manila, Soerabaja, Palembang, Singapore, Bangkok, Saigon, etc) and all the effort that went into establishing an indepth, well fortified, well supplied MLR negated. The operation was expensive in terms of transports, but well, well worth it.

[anarchyintheuk]

Have you upgraded your Chinese lcu infantry squads to the '43/'44 ones yet (I forget which)? It can make a difference.

[Canoerebel]

12/19/44 to 1/3/45
 
Happy New Year!  We've reached 1945 and things are going well for the Allies.  Miller's lead dropped below 3,000 points for the first time on December 29 and the Allies are advancing in China, now the only theater in the game that really matters.  This is my third WitP/AE game that I've played.  The first two went a long way (one ending 8/44 and the other 12/31/44), but this is the first time I've reached 1945.  In large part this is due to Miller's tenacious fighting seasoned with a Dash of Scenario Two Attributes and a Liberal Sprinkle of I'm-in-a-hurry-so-I'm-not-being-as-careful-as-I-ought-to-be.
 
SEAC:  The Allies are moving in both directions.  To the south, a 1,000 AV army just took Singora and is moving on toward Khota Bharu.  Up in China, Sian just fell after the Japanese pulled out.  But the real action is to the east where the Japanese have erected stout roadblocks at Kukong and Kanhsien, but a massive Allied army has reached the relatively undefended terrain east of Changsha and is sprinting for the coast.  There is too much territory and too many cities for the Japanese to adequately defend them all.  I don't know where or which cities yet, but the Allies will be on the coast within two weeks.  Down at Haiphong, the Allies wiped out the Japanese remnants.  This Allied army will head south to Hue.
 
Carriers:  The Allied CVE TFs continue to patrol waters east of Hainan Island (and sprinted south to pick off an IJN CL and DD near Vietnam a week ago).  The CVs have returned to Borneo to refuel and to provide escort for a massive reinforcement convoy that is loading now.

[castor troy]

I wonder why you are able to overrun him in China, shouldn´t the Japanese only get stronger in China and not weaker over the years? Or is it because Miller transferred many of his units out of the theatre. I´ve always thought holding on to China would be the easiest task for the Japanese, no matter which year.[&:]

[Canoerebel]

I suppose Miller would be better able to descirbe the Japanese position in China.

To be honest, I'm not sure what the Allies "should" face in China in 1945.  I do know that I expected the sudden and massive influx of British and American troops (plus Oz, Kiwi, African, Indian, etc.) to "break the log jam."

I think, but I'm not positive, that Miller's first reaction following the invasion of Hainan Island was to identify Canton and Hong Kong as vulernable and prime targets.  I think a heck of alot of effort went into getting troops to those two bases...but the Allies had no intention of "getting bogged down in a land war in Asia."  Instead, I bypassed those two stronggholds and have sought easier pathways to the coast.  Miller was able to throw up good roadblocks at Kukong and Kanhsien, but the Allies just slid further north and finally found a weak point.

The Allies just arrived at Nanchang - a big army of American and Brit units - only to find that the Japanese had suddenly reinforced the base.  I'm not going to try even a probing attack.  My units are bugging out and heading east.  I think there's a good chance now that the Allies can take some or all of Wenchow, Ningpo, and Hangkow, all of which are just south of Shanghai.  If so, the Allies can then begin to build big airbases and take the steps to isolate and reduce pockets of IJ resistance that threaten my LOCs.

[Q-Ball]

The Japanese do get a steady stream of ground reinforcements in China through 1944, as well as everywhere else.

Hey, who is the guy in your avatar Dan? I don't recognize him; I assume he is a Confederate General. At first I thought it was Pat Cleburne, but he doesn't look quite right. Can't think of anyone else, most famous Reb generals had full beards.

[HMS Resolution]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball
Can't think of anyone else, most famous Reb generals had full beards.

Well, not the Johnstons.

According to CR, in the picture it's Col. Emory F. Best.

[FatR]

If Kukong, Kanhsien and everything to the south still are in Japanese hands, how the Allies provide aircover for their spearhead? Were air support units moved to Changsha area? Does either of you use aviation on ground attack in China at the moment?

[Canoerebel]

Both sides are using bombers against enemy land units.  Japanese efforts are not particularly effective only because so many Allied units are present in so many hexes that I don't think Miller knows which stacks to bomb.  IE, his efforts have been dispersed.  Allied efforts are not highly effective against troops in fortified cities, but they have been effective against units in the open.