Taming the Bear - Rader (J) vs. jzanes (A). A jzanes-free zone.

[rader]

September 17- October 20, 1944.

Though I would give a bit of an update. The British are making very slow progress at Port Blair. He's keeping the airfield completely shut down, and slowly grinding away.

Meanwhile, the Americans have secured the 4 airfields in the Guadalcanal area, along with all Western New Guinea and parts of New Britain. I'm guessing he is aiming next at the Rabaul area, but he might make a sudden dash across the Pacific, or pretty much anywhere in fact. His carriers haven't been seen for about a month now.

I decided to try some fighter sweeps and air attacks on US shipping around New Britain. Boy was that a mistake! Those spitfire VIIIs are murder. Air losses were incredibly ugly. With the heavy Japanese losses, I suspect this might draw a responsive air campaign against Rabaul...

[witpqs]

Egads that is ugly! [X(]

I take it they were good pilots?

[rader]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Egads that is ugly! [X(]

I take it they were good pilots?

You mean the Japanese ones or Australians? The Australians were obvisouly very good. The Japanese ones were average-ish. Maybe 60 or so air, 50 or so defense. That's about all I can afford to train them to.

[witpqs]

I meant yours. 60ish isn't bad, so they must've been up against 70ish+.

[obvert]

That's a horrendous air battle. Is there any other factor that could have made it turn out that badly?

With that in mind, what is your thought about the air war in 44-45 and how to stay competitive there? Which new models are coming online soon? And is there a way to have some ultra elite units that would surprise him and turn battles the other way?

I know in several situations if I have one top plane unit all 70-80 experience with 80-99 air and 70 defense, each with near ace status kills record, I seem to get better all around results from the other units they are fighting with. I know it must be hard to do, but maybe sitting back in defense and letting his units get fatigued could help as well.

I'm sure you've thought of all of this and just never considered an 800-1000 plane sweep could get such poor results. I wouldn't have either!

[FatR]

Well, unfortunately all versions of Zero are sort of screwed in late 1944. But the fact that many of the older ones participated in battle undoubtely made the defeat more severe. Also, I think A6M5c is not worth building, except as bomber interceptor. Armor 1 actually offers rather marginal benefits by itself, it and an extra HMG aren't worth the hit to flight characteristics, IMO.

But in 1944, anyway, you probably should admit that Navy fighters, except maybe Georges, are mostly ablative armor for your strike packages, and hope you're striking something worth their sacrifice.

[obvert]

So what is the state of this game now? I'm curious how Japan is holding up both economically and in terms of resources for the coming year of defence.

I know you must be preoccupied with your other newer game and India at this point, but would love some info here if you have time. Also, it seems you have a good amount of naval power left (if I remember correctly) for this stage in the war. Any plans about how you'll use the KB et al during the coming Allied offensives?

Any noise in Russia?

[rader]

Well, it is mid December 1944 and I'm still alive. We're still doing the Saber dance, staying away from each other with our CVs. I will not commit the KB under any except favourable circumstances - which isn't likely to happen. There is no doubt he outclasses me in CVs, probably 2:1.

But at least while I have a fleet in being, he has to be a little more cautious. It's like the High Seas Fleet vs. the Grand Fleet (WW1). Sure my fleet will end up being useless at the end, but at least the idea that is is there slows him down. If he were really foolhardy, I might be able to engineer a situation where I could fight him with LBA and the KB at the same time, but he is advancing along Axes where he can use his LBA and is a very cautious and methodical player. He had until early 1946 and certainly by the time, the empire will have mostly crumbled. But I'm hoping it will still be alive. I want him to have to dig us out of Japan [:@]

We cost him about a month or more around Port Blair, which was nice. But the Rabaul area collapsed really quickly and now he's invaded the Arafura sea. Can't stop him, but now I'm fighting again to slow him down. And I havne't had a lot of opportunities to attack his ships because he never goes near one of my airfields unless they are totally shut down. Bad for killing him, but good for building stockpiles of bombers that never get used. I've got about 2500 Helens and maybe 1500 Jills and Judys. Also got a bunch of older models. As for fighters, we are just barely keeping up with losses, even though we are producing more than 800 a month of all types. Today we shot down some B-24s over Sorong in the West of New Guinea (Vogelkop), but this was the first 4E hit in a while.

As for Heavy industry, I've got just over a million in reserve, just enough to pay for pilot training for ten months [8|]. But seriously, it's enough for a hundred days or so, but not the rest of the war.



EDIT 1: And not much in Russia, but once he gets the 1945 reinforcements, I'm sure we will come and come hard. Don't know how we can possibly hold out... [:(]

EDIT 2: If I get a chance, of course the KB will pounce on any allied units that don't have heavy CV superiority. And I also considered raiding. But the economics of fuel consumption mean that basically the IJN's best use is sitting in port not draining valuable fuel stocks [;)]

ORIGINAL: obvert

So what is the state of this game now? I'm curious how Japan is holding up both economically and in terms of resources for the coming year of defence.

I know you must be preoccupied with your other newer game and India at this point, but would love some info here if you have time. Also, it seems you have a good amount of naval power left (if I remember correctly) for this stage in the war. Any plans about how you'll use the KB et al during the coming Allied offensives?

Any noise in Russia?

[rader]

Update: 1945.

Well, we're in January 1945 and I'm not quite dead yet. But starting to feel very heavy pressure on all fronts - it's getting ugly. Not that it shouldn't be like this in 1945, but I really can't compete in the air anymore more than a day or two and then he can take pretty much anything at will. We've gotten kamikazes recently, but their debut near Western New Guinea was something of a disapointment. Still, we do have lots of bombers in reserve and will continue to resist the allied fleets. The main problem is that we pretty much never get an opening to attack - he dosen't sail near a Japanese base without first obliterating all the airfields in the area. Bomb, invade, rinse and repeat. Not that much I can do but snipe around the edges and wait for a chance to strike. Let's see how long I can last...

[rader]

January 28, 1945.

Got some time today so thought I'd do an update.

Allied material superiority is becoming overwhealming and the allies are now making real progress. We have to choose our battles very carefully in order to not get crushed, but it's only a matter of time now. How long can we hold out?

There are currently 3 major fronts: Manchuria, Thailand/Andamans, and the Banda Sea/Vogelkop (Western NG).

In Manchuria, the Russians are now in full attack mode. Having decided to try options other than bashing their head against a prepared line, most of their mobile forces have streamed southeast through the Mongolian desert, reversing the Japanse late 1942 offensive.

Having reconquered all of Mongolia and emerged in Northern China, they are now encountering stiff Japanese resistance. No doubt the Russians are probing for weaknesses in the defenses. Meanwhile the Russian and Chinese airforces have been pumeling Japanese positions while American B-29s and P-51s have been supressing Japanese airfields. In this sector especially, Japanese airmen have been demonstrating their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice, ramming their planes into these the B-29s, however most of these beasts survive the encounter only damaged. Yet the airmen's bravery will be remembered... Banzai!

Still the Russians have not received their main reinforcements from the war in Europe. When those arrive in June 1945, the Japanese high command has serious doubts about out ability to hold this front... I predict the war will be lost in Manchuria/China, and there is little to be done about it. [:(]

[rader]

The allied fleet in concentrated in the Banda sea, and the IJN is giving the area a wide berth. There is little that can be gained from a carrier encounter at this stage, unless we can engineer a situation where we can concentrated land based air and kamikazes in concert with the KB or the allies make a mistake by trying to grab too much. But the allies are being ever so methodical, taking once Japanese base at a time under their land based air umbrella that keeps creeping forward, and with full carrier support. There is little we can do except watch our bases get eaten away one by one. We generally can't even mount land-based air raids, because his 300+ B-24s and other bombers level all airfields in the area before he goes within 10 hexes of them, and any raids that were launched would just get devoured by his carriers. The IJN has been developing plans for a combined land-based kamikaze & KB coutnerstroke, but unless and until he approaches a place with lots of airfields outside his air umbrella like the Philipines or Java, this plan will remain shelved.

[rader]

One of the most critical fronts of the war runs from Thailand into the Andamans. If this front were lost, Japanese resistance in the south would crumble entirely. Thus, Japanese high command and the IJN has prioritized this front.

A battle has been raging between the Chinese hordes and Japanese defenders in Northern Thailand for a month or so. Every few days, the Chinese attack. Since the terrain is very rough, we have been able to hold out so far. But eventually, the Chinese will prevail unless we can reinforce the area fast enough. A colapse here, or anywhere along the central Thai valley, would spell doom for all resistance in Indochina. Thus, the cream of the IJA has been deployed, and is feeding reinforcements into the battle where they are needed to plug gaps. A stong force also holds the Malaya neck overland approach to Singapore. Allied air dominance in the region is total, but most of the terrain is rough enough to offer decent protection against the daily waves of allied bombers.

Meanwhile, the IJN has been commited in full to resupply Port Blair and keep the new allied Andaman aquisitions suppressed. Months ago, in October 1944, a ~2500-AV strong British force landed at Port Blair. Thus far, they have been contained by the defenders as the battle has raged over Andaman supply lines. With the allied main fleet committed in the Banda sea, this is one area where the IJN can still make a real difference.

[obvert]

Thanks for all of the updates and screenshots! As you can probably tell, this is one of my favourite games to keep up with. It is tough for Japan at this stage, to watch all of the careful planning get smothered under masses of material, or at least I can imagine. I hope to make it that far one day on either side.

One thing to point out is that even though he makes advances, it is very slow. Over a year now behind actual WW2 schedule I think, and with most of Russia left to take back as well. Even though he'll get it when the new units arrive, it'll be tough going. And the delay may keep him away from carpet bombing your industry for some time. When he gets closer to the Phillippines it'll be tough to stay away from the kazis as well, and your buildup of bombers waiting in pools will do some good eventually.

I wondered;
A. If you have any AVs left
B. And if you can use seaplane units on them as kamakazis?

Seems a cheap way of getting planes into the mix, either through planting one in a forward base where it might not be noticed for a while, or sneaking it close to transport lines.

Also, once you finish using the KB in the Andamans, i wonder if a little raid into the supply lines between OZ and New Guinea might be a good use of fuel? Even stick crappy kami bomber crews on with a few good cap squads and save good pilots, then get out quick. I know you're a careful and prudent player, and that this strategy isn't necessarily prudent, but once the bulk of the US carriers commit to an operation North of New Guinea, you'd have a good several day window to hit. Just a thought.

As for the continent, I know the IJA gets a lot in China in 44. Has that pushed him back at all, or is it pretty static there? I also wonder, (just thinking ahead for myself as well), if it's still possible to mount an offensive in China in 45, hoping to keep (and gain) resources, hurt the Allies, and even get enough ground to free up units to help in Manchukuo and Russia.

[Nemo121]

How are you using your kamikazes? By which I mean attack profile, range, plane types etc.

I've spent a lot of time testing kamis and IF you wish ( but ONLY if you wish ) I might be able to give you some pointers.... It should prove possible to get hits on his CVs with a limited kamikaze committment, especially if you have KB still viable. What's the PRECISE status of KB?

[rader]

Interesting idea about the AVs. I actually lost a lot of them, but I certainly have some. I assume AVs can carry kamikaze FPs... I'll look into it.

I am eager for opportunities to raid his supply lanes, but I don't really see a way to do it at this point. He;s got a solid line of bases from Fiji to the Banda sea, and there is no way I could get behind his fleet without at least being detected. And if detected, he could just avoid the KB with the important stuff. Not sure what I would accomplish for the expenditure of fuel and commitment of KB?

If he drives in a pretty straight line in one direction such that I can raid behind him, I will definitely do it [:D]

In China, I have withdrawn a lot of troops and he is now attacking me fairly heavily. He has started to launch a number of deliberate attacks near Changsha and on the road south to Canton. So far only 1:2s, but some came close to 1:1 and are a concern. Plus a lot of the China army is up on the China/Mongolia border fending off Russians. Definitely cannot attack here. The best I can hope for is a stalemate, and I'm not sure I can get even that [:(]

Thanks, keep up the suggestions [8D]

ORIGINAL: obvert

Thanks for all of the updates and screenshots! As you can probably tell, this is one of my favourite games to keep up with. It is tough for Japan at this stage, to watch all of the careful planning get smothered under masses of material, or at least I can imagine. I hope to make it that far one day on either side.

One thing to point out is that even though he makes advances, it is very slow. Over a year now behind actual WW2 schedule I think, and with most of Russia left to take back as well. Even though he'll get it when the new units arrive, it'll be tough going. And the delay may keep him away from carpet bombing your industry for some time. When he gets closer to the Phillippines it'll be tough to stay away from the kazis as well, and your buildup of bombers waiting in pools will do some good eventually.

I wondered;
A. If you have any AVs left
B. And if you can use seaplane units on them as kamakazis?

Seems a cheap way of getting planes into the mix, either through planting one in a forward base where it might not be noticed for a while, or sneaking it close to transport lines.

Also, once you finish using the KB in the Andamans, i wonder if a little raid into the supply lines between OZ and New Guinea might be a good use of fuel? Even stick crappy kami bomber crews on with a few good cap squads and save good pilots, then get out quick. I know you're a careful and prudent player, and that this strategy isn't necessarily prudent, but once the bulk of the US carriers commit to an operation North of New Guinea, you'd have a good several day window to hit. Just a thought.

As for the continent, I know the IJA gets a lot in China in 44. Has that pushed him back at all, or is it pretty static there? I also wonder, (just thinking ahead for myself as well), if it's still possible to mount an offensive in China in 45, hoping to keep (and gain) resources, hurt the Allies, and even get enough ground to free up units to help in Manchukuo and Russia.

[rader]

-Main kamikaze planes types (in fact only types so far) are: Helen IIb (~2500 in pool) and D4Y Judy (~1500 in pool). These seem like good picks. Later might use Graces and/or Jills too.

-I am trying to mix up altitudes between 1000 ft and 30K ft, with different groups flying at different altitudes at the same time. Not sure what the best altitude settings to use in terms of either getting through CAP or hitting the target.

-So far, I'm only attempting to launch strikes at 10 hexes or less. Coordination seems terrible beyond that, and haven't had any opportunities to go against ships unprotected by CAP.

I am extremely eager for any advice on kamikaze use [:'(]

KB is fully intact. Japan has lost the Hosho, and the Allies have lost about 5-6 CVEs so far. No BBs sunk since 1941 either, and the last CA or even CL sunk was in 1942 I think (and hardly any then). Pretty unbloody for 1945, but I guess we're both pretty damned cautious [8|]

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

How are you using your kamikazes? By which I mean attack profile, range, plane types etc.

I've spent a lot of time testing kamis and IF you wish ( but ONLY if you wish ) I might be able to give you some pointers.... It should prove possible to get hits on his CVs with a limited kamikaze committment, especially if you have KB still viable. What's the PRECISE status of KB?

[rader]

February 2, 1945.

The allies got a little lax with their airfield suppression as they look towards Timor, so I decided to take advantage of the situation by organizing some airstrikes. They went ok, but we didn't do more than tweak the Lion's tail. The juiciest targets sunk were some AOs. We got a few hits on CLS, but everyone avoided the BBs in the area ~ for some reason most of my kamikaze pilots decided to end their career by crashing their planes into a landing craft [:-]

I've noticed since the start of the game that escorting fighters really get chewed up by CAP. Is there anything you can do to alleiviate this? (other than sweeping, which I think you can really do for naval strikes).

[FatR]

ORIGINAL: rader
I've noticed since the start of the game that escorting fighters really get chewed up by CAP. Is there anything you can do to alleiviate this? (other than sweeping, which I think you can really do for naval strikes).

1)LRCAP a hex, instead/in combination with escorting, if you are sure where the enemy will be found. Of very limited use against a massively superior airforce, and efficiency degrades severely beyond about 5-7 hexes but helps to save bombers from getting chewed up at lesser cost when you can hope to achieve temporary air superiority. Particularly when one needs to stage strikes from multiple airfields and support/admin/group availability status precludes from attaching enough escorts everywhere.
2)Try to achieve deliberate miscoordination in naval strikes, with wildly different altitude settings for bombers and escorts. Not reliable at all.

[rader]

I had a few minutes while waiting for a turn so I thought I'd do a short update.

We're now at the end of March 1945. The turns have slowed down a lot partly because we're busy, but also because the turns are absolute monsters (even for me, but I imagine much more for the allies).

Japan is alive but not healthy. There is nothing I can do to stem the allied tide, merely try to slow it down a bit. But even my ability to do that is fading.

Port Blair fell recently after a 6-month allied siege. And we had our first carrier battle: The British CVs and about 20 allied CVEs, supported by LBA from the Andamans at an airfield I thought was shut down (showed ~60 AF damage) ambushed the KB. Tactically, the battle was roughly a draw: I lost 1 Unryu, the Ryujo, and maybe 3-4 CVL/CVEs, plus had some bigger guys damaged. In return, the allies lost about a dozen CVEs.

However, strategically, the battle was a disater Japan. We had to abandon the Indian ocean, and now all but 2 of the Andamans are in Allied hands with the rest soon to follow. This leaves the allies free to push for Sumatra or attempt a landing further down the Malay coast.

Meanwhile, the Americans are pushing towards Borneo, with most of Celbes and Timor and all the Moluccas in their hands. The American fleet is of course not only unstoppable, but pretty much uncontestable. If I could launch a mass kamikaze strike, I might nail a few CVs, but he's not giving me the opportunity. It's always the same pattern: shut down all airfields in the area with 4Es, then move in and invade with carrier support. Not a chance to launch an airstrike even if I wanted to.

Obviously, the allies are moving on the DEI oil, with the British intending to join up with the Americans somewhere around Palembang. Once they do that, Japan will be toast. Our only "hope" (and it's really a hope to do a little damage, I don't think anything can really slow down the steamroller now), is that I can launch some mass airstrikes with LBA and the KB when the allies move on Java (or the Philippines if they go that way, but I don't think that looks likely). Like the Japanese at Leyte Gulf, I have decided that there isn't much point saving the KB & battlefleet if I lose access to the oil: I wouldn't be able to use it anyway.

I do intend to fight a rugged final defense of the Philippines, Formosa, and home islands in late 1945 and moving into 1946, although by that point we will be reduced to almost nothing. I am sort of excited about the prospect of an invasion of Japan though... I bet that would be fun for either side. Probably will happen in early 1946...

[rader]

Russia and China have been pushing hard in the north with B-29 and American fighter support. We have thus far been able to contain them to a good defensive perimeter, as the Russians have tried to outflank us and we have responded.

So far, the situation has stabilised, but I expect that once the Russians get their summer 1945 reinforcements from Europe, it is going to be too much to handle...

Not looking forward to that! [:(]