Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop (J) vs CF (A)

[Cribtop]

Feb 21, 1942

nygiants59: I tend to concur that Java is a higher priority. The hope is that Singers falls soon as I will then have the forces (after a short rest) to hit Sumatra, Java and NW Oz virtually simultaneously.

A quiet day. Itching to get the next replay back as we ordered DAs at both Singapore and Nanyang for the 22nd.

Subs

No contacts.

4th & SE Fleets; 14th Army

No change.

16th Army

Tawau falls. Talaud Eilanden invaded.

DA Bandjermasin easily takes the base with 3:1 odds. 1 Dutch LCU retreats while the base force surrenders. Resources captured at 59(1). Operation SM is officially in the books. Our invasion fleet and covering force (Celebes Sea Sqdn) will withdraw to the new IJN gas station at Balikpapan. We need to seize Denpasar and then reorganize our forces somewhat for the next phase of Ops in this AO. For all practical purposes the eastern DEI fell without a fight in this game. So far, so good. A large convoy begins unloading troops that shifted forward from Babeldoab to Kendari, including 16th Army HQ. Kendari now becomes our new Administrative HQ for this AO. Babel will still be important as a repair base for the Navy and as a logistics/convoy hub.

25th Army

Our 16K bombing campaign has Singer's airfield damage up to about 40 and on an upward trajectory. We order the first of what we hope are two consecutive, and decisive, DAs here. Not that Cribtop HQ will cry if we get lucky and take the base tomorrow, mind you. [:D]

15th Army

Still pursuing into the plains near Magwe. DA Toungoo by 2 regiments tomorrow as the enemy is trying to pull out. The RTA Cav Division is about to cut the LoC between Lashio and Mandalay.

China

DA Nanyang tomorrow as previously mentioned. Cribtop HQ estimates between 1 and 2 more attacks will take the base, 3 at the outside as daily BAs show enemy AS dropping fast.

Our long awaited southern offensive kicks off soon. We sent 1 reinforcement division marching to Pucheng to clean up the enemy there. This in turn will allow us to re-shuffle the Wenchow garrison and re-assemble another division. We can cobble together a third division equivalent from odds and ends in the south as well. This force will then move on Kanshien and probe the enemy's strength there. We may not yet have quite enough to roll up the South but believe the time when CF could mount his own early offensive here has passed.

5th Fleet

D-Day at Adak is 72 hours away. No sign of the enemy per our Jakes, subs and picket ships. Paramushiro Jima makes level 3 forts.

[thegreatwent]

You may have explained it prior but what escorts are going with the Adak invasion?

[Cribtop]

Quickie update as I just watched a very long replay.

thegreatwent - We have 2 TBs and 2 I-boats out as pickets. The invasion TF consists of the whole of 5th Fleet - 2 BBs, 3 CLs and 6 DDs - escorting 2 fast AMCs carrying supplies and a Naval Guard unit. We plan to get in and get out fast.

Today's events were numerous, and not all were expected, but most were good.

- Cuttlefish sent an SCTF into Bandjermasin consisting of 3 CL and 5 DD. Due to a colossal screwup, namely incorrectly estimating that a tiny amount of supplies would offload in the first "free" unloading phase, Celebes Sea Sqdn had moved off cover duty while the invasion TF stayed at Bandj. All seemed lost but our brave Kaigun samurai in 3 DDs, 4 DMS and a few PBs managed to fend off the enemy and escape. Several ships are damaged but none sunk. All should make port unless enemy SS pick them off. Painful but better than we deserved.

- We deliver the last support units for our paras on Horn Island and for some reason that triggers a premature shock attack (??!!) Fortunately we do ok despite a 1:2. Lots of supplies inbound over the next few days to help us finish this. Need to hurry lest CF reinforce. Did this occur due to some coding foible because we delivered the last squad of the unit? We had been flying in support for days without an SA.

- DA Singers knocks forts down to 0 while bombing keeps airfield damage at 43. Despite this we get a bad adjusted AV roll and miss a 2:1. Still, with a little rest and more bombing we should take it at last soon.

- Nanyang falls! Odds 5:1, forts dropped to level 1. 18 LCUs are destroyed, casualties 60,686 (9861) vs 2584(33). BANZAI!! [&o][&o] The VPs from this coup put us 770 points ahead of CF even without taking Singapore (VP gain for the day was 792). To say we now have options in North China is an understatement.

Full report tomorrow.

PS - just noticed I went over 1,000 posts and joined the Matrix Elite Guard. Banzai!

[Cribtop]

February 22, 1942

A big day as detailed above.

Subs

Stingray duds on a DD in the Celebes Sea Sqdn. Retaliatory DC attack gets a solid hit with an internal explosion and the sub is claimed sunk. She's at least damaged enough to require time in the yards.

4th Fleet

A Glen reports a CV in a TF at Canton, but only shows 11 auxiliary aircraft. Probably an AV, but we will vector in a few subs just in case.

SE Fleet

See above for the Horn Island SA. Odds were 1:2, casualties 60(7) vs 71(0).

14th Army

No change.

16th Army

See above for the surface action off Bandjermasin. All units are retiring on Balikpapan. The big convoy at Kendari unloads all LCUs in one day. We will now hit Denpasar while re-assembling combat power at Kendari.

Talaud Eilanden falls.

25th Army

See above for the Singers attack. Stats for the combat are odds 1:1, forts dropped to 0, casualties 1519(71) vs 3381(21). Our LCUs have too much DIS and FAT to attack again tomorrow despite our stated intention to do so. We will rest a day or two while the bombing continues. With forts down to nil all we need is a good adjusted AV roll to take the base.

15th Army

DA Toungoo takes the base despite level 2 forts with 9:1 odds. Three enemy LCUs were able to flee the hex in the movement phase but we catch a Burma Brigade for casualties of 728(54) to nil.

China

See above for the good news at Nanyang. We will rest a day or two and then intend to move on Sian, which we believe we have the combat power to take now that our two armies can combine against the one remaining force of the enemy. Thereafter we would love to seize Lanchow or at least cut it off to deprive the Chinese economy of all its oil, thus shutting down refineries and HI. We must remain vigilant against counterattack, either from Ichang, Changsha or the South. However, we have solid defenses in these areas and even plan a limited offensive in the South.

[Miller]

Be VERY careful when invading Java. Its early Feb in my game and my sneaky opponent sent his US CVs from (I assume) NW Oz up to just off the NW coast of Java to catch my invasion forces unloading at Merak. My mini-KB reacted and in the carrier battle I lost 2 CVEs and Ryujo looks very unlikely to survive, sinking CV Enterprise in return.

I had half expected a move like this but was confident the the 110 Zeros on the mKB would keep his bombers at bay, however his CV a/c got a perfectly co-ordinated attack with lots of Dutch crap launching from all over Java going in at the same time......just too many targets to shoot down and most of his SBDs got through.

Bottom line is, unless you know his CVs are elsewhere it may be a good idea to have the big boys covering the invasion of Java.

[Cribtop]

Excellent advice. I plan to use pickets south of Java, LBA support and the full might of MKB (all IJN CVs) in support. Cross Java attacks are VERY effective indeed.

[Miller]

I did have plenty of subs and air search in the area, however I think he may have used a full speed (18 hex) run to avoid any chance of being detected the day before, or maybe I should just fire my air search sqd commander (out of a cannon, into a wall) for failing to spot them[:@]

With hindsight a couple of Netty sqds plus escorts at Palembang would have helped as well. If I only lose the 2 CVEs I have been lucky to come away with a draw.......

[ny59giants]

Java - I like to capture and build up Oosthaven and Denpasar (place Air HQs, Nell/Betty, and Zero). A third Air HQ is at Koepang.

You can also add a quick para landing at Christmas Island (IO) and transport in a BF to provide support for a small Mavis/Emily group. The small 9 plane group that started the game in Malaya works fine here.

[Cribtop]

Miller,

Yeah, it's hard to guard against the flank speed moves to a known launch point. Always more dangerous to be the covering force than the counterattacking side.

Just watched the replay for a rather quiet Feb 23rd. Will post the update and a screenshot tomorrow. We would like some reader advice on two options for the upcoming Sian campaign.

[Cribtop]

Feb 23, 1942

The first of two quiet days in the aftermath of our victory at Nanyang.

Subs

S-36 torpedoes and sinks an xAKL in a DBCL TF near Tawi Tawi. The lifeboat ship in the TF rescues most of the troops. Net losses as far as we can tell are just two squads. This Cribtop Lifeboat Doctrine thing is surprisingly effective.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

An enemy SCTF chases off I-5 just off Sydney.

14th Army

Burias invaded.

16th Army

Tawi Tawi invaded despite the loss of an xAKL.

Lots of TFs sortie from Kendari. They will pull troops back to Kendari to re-form and prepare for the invasion of Java.

25th Army

Other than bombing of Singers and an effective BA, no change.

15th Army

Pursuing into the plains near Magwe.

China

BA in the 12th Army stack 1 hex SE Sian shows raw AS 1789 vs 1907 in the enemy's favor. He has had weeks to dig in to the rough wooded terrain, too. We recall when the enemy launched a DA with odds 1789 vs 2300 and got an adjusted AV of 1000ish to 7700. This recollection makes us leary of a direct assault even if we bring the 3000+ AS from Nanyang to the party.

Home Islands

I-27 arrives and sorties for Babeldoab on a shakedown cruise. She will be employed watching the coast of Oz.

[Cribtop]

China Front Discusson

Cribtop HQ has ordered the commencement of Operation S, the seizure of Sian. However, we are concerned that even with the combined power of 11th and 12th Armies, we don't have the AS to punch through the 1 hex of wooded rough terrain guarded by 24 enemy LCUs (some of which are HQs, some non-combat, and some defeated forces from Chengchow).

Are we just being wusses or is there a smarter way? Reader input is requested. The screenshot below details two options, routes Green and Blue.



Route Green

Pro: Short and sweet. Route Green uses a good road with an easily defended LoC to move on Sian with both 11th and 12th Armies, supported by North China HQ. Total AS will be approximately 4789. Win the battle in the hex SE of Sian and the jig is up.

Con: Terrain. The enemy has a rough, wooded hex to defend and has been there unmolested long enough to build up a few fort levels.

Route Blue

Pro: We avoid the enemy concentration SE of Sian and move around the flank, eventually smashing the lone LCU posted E of Sian and then crossing the river into the city hex itself. This presents the enemy with the Devil's choice of abandoning the defensive position in the rough woods to save the city or being cut off. Even better, 12th Army could enter the hex from the SE without a shock attack with enough AS to allow the main force to cross the river without an SA. In short, we could use route Blue to manuever the enemy out of his strong defensive position SE of Sian. Much of the approach on Route Blue will be concealed from the enemy.

Con: Route Blue takes longer. It will be mid-March before we are in position.

What do you think, readers? If we have the juice to push 1900 AS out of the rough wooded hex Route Green is the obvious choice. We doubt we have the combat power and thus favor Route Blue, but are willing to be talked into or out of either option.

PS - Congrats to my second favorite team, the South Carolina Gamecocks, for a big win in extra innings at the CWS tonight. I'm a proud Texan (in case you hadn't guessed) but the Gamecocks are my second favorite team behind the Longhorns as my family lived in South Carolina from 1715 until the day my Dad left to seek his fortune in Georgia, California and Texas (the promised land).

[ny59giants]

Case Green is a Go!! I Repeat, Case Green is a Go!! [:)]

However, move a division or a very strong mixed brigade into the rough hex three hexes due east of Sian to secure your right flank.
Use massive bombers to hit ground troops in hex SE of Sian and also the AF at Sian (destroy supply).
Avoid prolonged combat (includes the use of bombardment attacks) against a stack of units as that will bring his experience level above 50% and grant them full AS (most Chinese start with experience in upper 30 to low 40s).
You are too worried about having a continuous line of troops rather than have a sharp point at the end of the spear (form the Japanese "Death Star"). You are giving him too much respect.
I did the same thing in my game and I don't know if I gave the Chinese too much time to recover. He has supply issues in the north and cannot afford to do too many attacks.

I'm taking the 2nd WR off the field and adding another TE. I'm giving the ball to Jacobs and seeing if you can stop me. Time for smashball football. Since you do live in Texas, you should know how to conduct some smashball, right?!? [:D]

[Blackhorse]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Case Green is a Go!! I Repeat, Case Green is a Go!! [:)]

However, move a division or a very strong mixed brigade into the rough hex three hexes due east of Sian to secure your right flank.
Use massive bombers to hit ground troops in hex SE of Sian and also the AF at Sian (destroy supply).
Avoid prolonged combat (includes the use of bombardment attacks) against a stack of units as that will bring his experience level above 50% and grant them full AS (most Chinese start with experience in upper 30 to low 40s).
You are too worried about having a continuous line of troops rather than have a sharp point at the end of the spear (form the Japanese "Death Star"). You are giving him too much respect.
I did the same thing in my game and I don't know if I gave the Chinese too much time to recover. He has supply issues in the north and cannot afford to do too many attacks.

I'm taking the 2nd WR off the field and adding another TE. I'm giving the ball to Jacobs and seeing if you can stop me. Time for smashball football. Since you do live in Texas, you should know how to conduct some smashball, right?!? [:D]

+1

[fcharton]

Hi,

One problem with the blue line is that you do not hold the railway line between Taiyuan and the open hex north of Sian. This makes your supply situation complicated once you attack Sian from the north.

Francois

[princep01]

Cribtop, frankly, after the beating administered at Nanyang, either path is a road to victory at Sian. The green line approach is likely to be faster, but bloodier. The blue line MIGHT afford you a chance to grab Sian with fewer casualties. So, it is just a matter of what inflicts the great pain on the Chinese while costing your forces the least.

If you think the supply situation is solvable using the blue line appraoch, then it is the more eloquent solution in my view. I give points for style (ie gaining a positional goal with few casualties) in warfare. But the green line will mush the Chinese to pulp too.

[Nemo121]

With air supremacy you will be able to disrupt the Chinese stack sufficiently ( if you commit enough bombers ) to make an advance through the forest relatively easy. The key though is to commit enough bombers to disrupt large numbers of units in the Chinese stack.... commit too few bombers and you'll only disrupt the top couple of units and that simply won't be enough to keep your losses low.

The red route risks being countered by a withdrawal to Sian and a river crossing in the face of those Chinese forces would, in all likelihood, cause several of your units massive casualties. Better to take the surer route with more factors under your control than the longer route which has a gamble at its end ( the river crossing ).

[Canoerebel]

Green Route is better in all respects.  First, the Chinese would simply shift their forces over to contest an advance via the Blue Route, so either way you're going to face the same force in the same woods.  So it's better to face them while their fresh from defeat and Cuttlefish hasn't had time to recover his equilibrium.  As others have said, use your airforce and try to cobble together a few divisions elsewhere, both to guard your flank and to create the appearance of pressure from new directions.  Sian will indeed be low on supply.

[Cribtop]

I bow to the received wisdom of the council of war. Green route it is. Good suggestion to cut the reinforcement route in the rough hex 3 places east of Sian.

There is also some truth that I'm using a line to keep out infiltrators rather than focusing everything at the tip of the spear. That has served me well so far but the time has come to move to a less linear formation in the north.

[Cribtop]

February 24, 1942

Subs

KXIII misses an APD en route to Kendari.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

Our kamikaze xAKL arrives at Horn Island and unloads hundreds of tons of supplies. More than enough for a DA tomorrow. Our para unit is in top condition again and just hit 100 prep for Horn Island. Taiyo is at Truk re-configuring her air groups as I figured out during the Canton debacle she can't carry torpedoes. We are going to bring Hosho into SE Fleet to join her on a raid soon to add more punch and some Kates. If there's any way for Taiyo to take on torps please advise.

14th Army

Burias falls. In a few days we will begin loading the regiment of 16th Division currently at Cagayan. Then we reunite the unit and use it in 16th or 25th Army AOs.

16th Army

We are gathering at Kendari and re-shuffling forces in preparation for the next push. We have decided to use 2nd Raiding Regt to seize Denpasar as it is unreinforced. An xAK sinks in Balikpapan harbor, meaning that we did lose 1 ship from the Bandjermasin encounter.

Morotai invaded by DBCL warriors. Tawi Tawi falls.

25th Army

MKB is just about done clearing SYS damage. The Fleet Oilers are almost full at Brunei. Java awaits. One more day of rest before what we SINCERELY hope is the last attack at Singapore.

15th Army

We are pushing on into the interior. Base forces are moving forward as well as we want to sweep the AVG's new base at Mandalay. Odd CF has yet to commit them to battle. While it is wise to avoid fighting the Japanese too early too often (witness our excellent A2A exchange rate, still hovering at 3:1), he could avoid combat more safely by just pulling back to a rear area base in India or China.

China

We are resting our troops at Nanyang one more day tomorrow, then Operation S commences in earnest. We are taking the board's advice and going straight up the middle with as many bombers as we can scrape together.

We have at long last reinforced Pucheng (recall that we trapped a Corps, a base force and an HQ fleeing Wenchow here) and launch a DA there. Odds 4:1, casualties a rather disappointing 707(3) vs 1120(4). We'll try again tomorrow as the enemy surely is almost completely out of supplies after being cut off for more than a month.

5th Fleet

Adak invaded and should fall tomorrow.

[ny59giants]

Taiyo is at Truk re-configuring her air groups as I figured out during the Canton debacle she can't carry torpedoes. We are going to bring Hosho into SE Fleet to join her on a raid soon to add more punch and some Kates. If there's any way for Taiyo to take on torps please advise.

These two small carriers could lose an air battle vs one American CV if CF places an additional airgroup on CV Hornet (which is due around 1 March 42 at either Eastern USA or Panama).

Taiyo Class doesn't carry any torpedoes.