Sinking the red castle - Smeulders vs. Erkki

[Smeulders]

This is the companion AAR to Erkki's "Aboard the Red Castle". Intel is still trying to figure out what the Red Castle is exactly, but we plan to sink it as soon as we find out.

The scenario is DaBigBabes, I know nothing about it except you get a number of funny little Yard Oilers and that lot of data has been changed to improve all kinds of routines, so it's going to be interesting.

News from the front will follow soon!

(Of course this is a private AAR, so Erkki shouldn't be reading beyond this point.)

[Puhis]

Akagi means "Red castle". The ship is named after a volcano.

[Smeulders]

Puhis; Thanks for the information, now at least I know what I'm hunting.

7th-8th of December

Pearl Harbour
A surprise attack was launched at PH and the results were again surprising. Every ship in the port is still afloat, even the most heavily damaged battleships will be back in action in a year and a half. Strafing zeroes were punished heavily by flak over the port, 30 of them were shot down in their attack runs.

Due to these fighter losses Allied Command ordered counterattacks if the Japanese Carriers stayed within range. These counterattacks failed though, with the medium bombers and escorting fighters suffering for their effort. The Japanese also launched raids on the second day, CAP fighters were outmatched, but again little damage was done to the berthed ships. The Japanese are now in a position North of Lihue.

PI
Standard moves by the Japanese, landings in the North and KB is taking position in the Celebes sea to close the sea lanes South. Allied CAP is suffering heavily from zero sweeps, but do score the occasional success against bomber (Betty) raids.

Allies are starting to move towards positions at Clark/Manilla

Malaya
Landings at Kota Bharu and air strikes all along the North. Some ill-advised raids against the invasion convoys are launched and are defeated.

Allies are moving South to defend Singapore

Burma
Small scale fighting in the skies over Rangoon.

[khyberbill]

The scenario is DaBigBabes

Hi Bart. I am up to May 44 with this Scenario and really like it a lot better than stock.

[Smeulders]

9th-13th of December 41'

PI
The air battle over the PI is already lost, zero sweeps have made mince meat out of the P-40 CAP over Clark field and Manilla. On the ground not much has happened yet, Japanese troops are approaching Clark/Manilla from the North and South. Not too many Japanese forces have been identified yet, maybe 2 divisions, though more should still be landing. At sea ships are still trying to slip through the blockade, but losses are heavy.

Borneo
Miri and Jesselton have been invaded and Miri has fallen already. A small USN surface force with the Manilla destroyers tangled with a small invasion fleet North of Borneo, damage was negligeable on both sides, if I'm lucky one xAKL will be sunk.

Malaya
Bad news in Malaya, 2 brigades have already been cut at Alor Start. A recon regiment quickly moved to George Town and somehow this aborted the movement of the brigades South. Not much happening otherwise, Japanese air strikes are only aimed at the North of the country, so Singapore is fairly secure. Buffaloes scored a rare victory in the air war when a Betty raid ventured over the Malacca strait to attack some HDML without any fighter escorts.

SWPac
Kavieng is invaded and Rabaul will follow soon, a lack of destroyers means that the Australians and New Zealanders are not yet in a position to fight these incursions.

Pacific & KB
The 9th saw a 3rd day of strikes on Pearl Harbour, but each and every ship in the port stays afloat. Retiring KB went a good end to the South and has been close to Enterprise (10-12 hexes) for the past few days. As far as I can tell he hasn't spotted her yet, though today an SBD from the carrier spotted a sub, so who knows.

Lexingtons air groups managed to get a couple of strikes in on the Tarawa invasion, but don't manage to sink anything more interesting than a couple of xAKL and an xAK.

[khyberbill]

PI
The air battle over the PI is already lost, zero sweeps have made mince meat out of the P-40 CAP over Clark field and Manilla. On the ground not much has happened yet, Japanese troops are approaching Clark/Manilla from the North and South. Not too many Japanese forces have been identified yet, maybe 2 divisions, though more should still be landing. At sea ships are still trying to slip through the blockade, but losses are heavy.

I am about where you are in my game with John III. The last of my P-43's is gone but the pilot has 4 kills now.

Borneo
Miri and Jesselton have been invaded and Miri has fallen already. A small USN surface force with the Manilla destroyers tangled with a small invasion fleet North of Borneo, damage was negligeable on both sides, if I'm lucky one xAKL will be sunk.

Malaya
Bad news in Malaya, 2 brigades have already been cut at Alor Start. A recon regiment quickly moved to George Town and somehow this aborted the movement of the brigades South. Not much happening otherwise, Japanese air strikes are only aimed at the North of the country, so Singapore is fairly secure. Buffaloes scored a rare victory in the air war when a Betty raid ventured over the Malacca strait to attack some HDML without any fighter escorts.

I think I will lose a brigade or two also. Most troops are now in Singapore resting and drinking slings.


SWPac
Kavieng is invaded and Rabaul will follow soon, a lack of destroyers means that the Australians and New Zealanders are not yet in a position to fight these incursions.



Pacific & KB
The 9th saw a 3rd day of strikes on Pearl Harbour, but each and every ship in the port stays afloat. Retiring KB went a good end to the South and has been close to Enterprise (10-12 hexes) for the past few days. As far as I can tell he hasn't spotted her yet, though today an SBD from the carrier spotted a sub, so who knows.

Lexingtons air groups managed to get a couple of strikes in on the Tarawa invasion, but don't manage to sink anything more interesting than a couple of xAKL and an xAK.

[Smeulders]

14th-18th of December 41'

DEI
A quick Singkawang invasion is soon followed by an invasion of Palembang. Given all the attention fortress Palembang has gotten in Canoerebel's AAR I was sure this would happen soon. Consequently I haven't sent any more forces into the city, it would've been a waste of troops. Both invasions were very well covered, mini-KB nearby and half a dozen battleships in support, so nearby Allied surface forces were ordered to stand down.

SWPac
Rabaul indeed invaded, but nothing else happened.

PI
No battles, though the first Japanese forces have reached Manilla

Malaya
Quick moving armoured unit might cut off another brigade in Malaya, not good, not good at all.

[Smeulders]

Some quick observations on my opponent. My other game is slow moving, with an opponent who takes his time to get everything in order. In this game, I'm getting turns back within the hour, even at this stage in the game where the Japanese have a lot to coordinate. Either my opponent is doing lots of preparatory work while the turns are sitting in my inbox, or he's rushing it a bit. I'm guessing it's the latter, so I have to keep alert and see if I can spot any mistakes he makes and exploit those. So far though, his opening moves have been solid without many openings for a counter-strike. I also need to be careful that I don't make mistakes trying send my turns back quickly, at Davao I already lost a PBY-squadron when the base fell. A bit more care and the squadron would have gone safely to Oz.

[Smeulders]

19th - 23rd of December 41'

PI
Japanese forces manage an attack before everything is out of Manilla, 2 PI divisions get a bit banged up in the process.

The evacuation of ships from Manilla went better than expected, with a couple of ships including an AO well on their way to Hawaii or the West Coast.

Malaya
Alor Star fell with the loss of 2 brigades, but most other troops are safely making their way to Singapore. SigInt is spotting more troops being moved in.

DEI
Palembang fell and forces are advancing inland. Torpedo bombers at Singapore are ready to intercept any shipping returning from Sumatra now that air cover from mini-KB is gone, but we're not spotting anything at the moment.

Subs
Japanese subs are still getting good results against unescorted merchants, but most of them are entering major ports now so the 'happy times' should be over soon for the Japanese submariners. Allied subs have limited success, sinking 1 small TK and 2 medium and 1 largish xAK.

[mc3744]

ORIGINAL: Smeulders

DEI
Palembang fell and forces are advancing inland. Torpedo bombers at Singapore are ready to intercept any shipping returning from Sumatra now that air cover from mini-KB is gone, but we're not spotting anything at the moment.

Hi Smeulders, been following this AAR as I recently re-joined the WitP community and found quite good the precise reference to dates and areas. Helps a lot in following the AAR

Don't you find it risky to leave the TBs in Malaya/DEI? You risk never been able to evac them to Northern Australia or India, don't you?
Also, LRCAP from Zero against Buffalo's and TBs can be quite effective, especially with the Zero bonus. Hence the risk to lose more then to gain is there, is it not?

Just a question, not criticizing [:)]. It's just that I'm inclined to preserve my forces for battles I'm more likely to win (or at least draw [;)]) rather then risk them in the early stages.
I'm a bit of a "Sir Robin" I guess [:'(]

[Smeulders]

ORIGINAL: mc3744

ORIGINAL: Smeulders

DEI
Palembang fell and forces are advancing inland. Torpedo bombers at Singapore are ready to intercept any shipping returning from Sumatra now that air cover from mini-KB is gone, but we're not spotting anything at the moment.

Hi Smeulders, been following this AAR as I recently re-joined the WitP community and found quite good the precise reference to dates and areas. Helps a lot in following the AAR

Don't you find it risky to leave the TBs in Malaya/DEI? You risk never been able to evac them to Northern Australia or India, don't you?
Also, LRCAP from Zero against Buffalo's and TBs can be quite effective, especially with the Zero bonus. Hence the risk to lose more then to gain is there, is it not?

Just a question, not criticizing [:)]. It's just that I'm inclined to preserve my forces for battles I'm more likely to win (or at least draw [;)]) rather then risk them in the early stages.
I'm a bit of a "Sir Robin" I guess [:'(]

Good question, of course the plan is to preserve the squadrons, but that doesn't mean I need the Swordfish or Vildebeest. If there is imminent danger of the squadrons being overrun I'll withdraw them and they'll rebuild in Aden or Sydney after 2 months. The loss of the good pilots might hurt, but I'll get time to train new ones and if they can take some valuable ships with them.

[mc3744]

I had indeed forgotten that you can "save" the squadrons by withdrawing them [8|] Thanks for reminding me [:)]

Don't you find all the Dutch squadrons enough of a nuisance for the Jap player?

I noticed that those Dutch bombers (the ugly ones [:)]) are quite good anti-shipping platforms on strafing attack and you have a bunch of them which can't be saved anyway (or can they?)

[Smeulders]

24th - 25th of December 41'

China
At the start of the war some Chinese corps surged forward to attack small Japanese formations, but most of these offensives have failed. One exception is an attack in the Northern mountains, where the Chinese are inflicting some damage to counter-attacking Japanese.

Meanwhile the Japanese are advancing in the plains and a 2 division offensive is rolling up all opposition on the road to Sian. A good sized force is being assembled though, so no worries just yet.

Christmas battle of Palembang
An Allied raid against shipping in Palembang harbour turns into a confused naval battle just outside the river mouth. A Dutch task force, reinforced by USS Marblehead blockaded the river mouth on the 24th. On the 25th several Japanese task forces sortied from the harbour to fight them off, resulting in several encounters. The Allied force manoeuvred expertly and crossed the T of the first Japanese force to leave port. However this allowed CL Oi to launch torpedoes straight at the Allied formation and CL Marblehead was struck early in the battle, sealing its fate. In the following encounter Allied gunnery proved slightly superior and a mortally wounded DD was finished with a torpedo. A second Japanese task force then attacked the remaining Dutch cruisers and Java was hit with a torpedo, though damage was light.

Luckily for the Allies the battle was fought in hex mined earlier and even though the battles themselves were a Japanese victory the battle manoeuvres through the minefield took a heavy toll. One light TF was turned away before joining battle after they lost 1 DD and a TB was damaged. One CL-led TF ran into a minefield after the battle, losing 1 DD, with 1 DD and 1 CL hitting mines as well. Finally, a transport TF trying to get through the hex was hit hard, with 1 DD sunk, 1 AK and 3 xAK were damaged.

[Smeulders]

ORIGINAL: mc3744

I had indeed forgotten that you can "save" the squadrons by withdrawing them [8|] Thanks for reminding me [:)]

Don't you find all the Dutch squadrons enough of a nuisance for the Jap player?

I noticed that those Dutch bombers (the ugly ones [:)]) are quite good anti-shipping platforms on strafing attack and you have a bunch of them which can't be saved anyway (or can they?)

The only problem I think you could have with saving them this way is that they can sometimes take their planes with them, provided they withdraw in a well-supplied base. The idea that you sneak out some key personnel who reform the squadron in the rear doesn't seem that strange to me.

The Dutch bombers are training on Low Naval at the moment and I hope I'll get a chance to use them in that capacity. I don't think they can be saved, if withdrawn they'll return at a Dutch base, but these will probably have been overrun already.

[SoliInvictus202]

very nice tactical map - I like it that more and more people use "real" maps in their AARs! - gives these reports a different touch and is so much more entertaining to read than endless pages of combat reports!

[mc3744]

I tried vs. the AI with 6k level bombing and 100ft with the Dutch bombers.
There's just no comparison, the strafing was way more successful.
I'm now using that in my PBEM (only 42/02). I've had only one opportunity to attack enemy vessels so far (my opponent is very well guarded), but that one single attack scored a hit with each wave (on merchant AKs).

[Smeulders]

Thanks, I liked making the map as well. Cap Mandrake's maps where the inspiration, he has nice ones in his AAR. They may be hard to find though, some strange stuff going on in that AAR.

As to the Dutch bombers, I don't think there are any house rules against low level naval attacks with 2E bombers, so I'll certainly try that approach.

[Smeulders]

26th-31st of December 41'

PI
Manilla has fallen and the Japanese are attacking at Clark already, the position does seem strong enough to withstand a bit longer.

Malaya
The offensive along the peninsula seems to have slowed down a bit, with Kuala Lumpur only falling on the 31st.

DEI
Tarakan is the only new casualty this week. Unfortunate, as a SCTF was within range for weeks, but had just withdrawn to Soerabaja for minor repairs when the invasion force hit.

A Swordfish attack from Singapore suffered badly near Palembang. Even though the CAP was only 15 planes, the nearly 40 escorting buffaloes didn't raise a finger in the defence of the torpedo bombers. All but one was shot down and that one aborted its attack run.

Burma
No combat just yet, Erkki seems to be employing a novel approach to this front, with the Imperial Guards division trying to outflank Pegu by moving through the jungle. No way to stop that move, but it'll keep them in the jungle for a week or two and the Commonwealth troops retire in good order to Tongou.

[Capt. Harlock]

As to the Dutch bombers, I don't think there are any house rules against low level naval attacks with 2E bombers, so I'll certainly try that approach.

The Allies developed a lethal "skip-bombing" technique a little later in the war, so there definitely shouldn't be a permanent house rule against low-level 2E bombing. Some JFB's --ahem, players-- like a temporary rule for the first few months.

[mc3744]

There must be some strategy I don't know about.
In my PBEM (mid 42/02) my opponent has also stopped his Burma advance in Rangoon, Moulmein and Pegu.
I don't know why, but there must be some good reason as he is quite methodical.
I can certainly say that the only planes that can hit him within normal range in that area are the few 4Es. Maybe that's why, could actually make sense. Not many points or resources outside Rangoon anyway, right?