Andy Mac v PZB This time India will Stand !!!!

[Andy Mac]

Next moves remain the same take out Line Islands and other local bases and expand north from PM

We will see what next after those attacks have went in

[Andy Mac]

OK planning SWPAC & SOPAC

7th Army Group is taking over command of operations in SWPAC with 2 Armies under command

6th US Army with 2 Corps and 9 Divisions under command will operate out of Darwin and NE Australia in the direction of Sorong/Ambon so a NE thrust into the DEI

1st Australian Army with 2 Corps under command with 11 Divs will drive out of PM trying to secure Solomons and NG also eventually driving towards Sorong and Ambon

A 5th Indpt Corps consisting of about 9 Bde sized groups will slowly creep forward in Solomons and SOPAC (no risks to ba taken as this is also the garrison force for Fiji/New Cal and New Zealand)

[Andy Mac]

in CBI I have about 38 Divisional Equivalents

3 in India
1 in Ceylon
6 committed to holding Burma

That leaves about 28 Divisions or equivalents for offensive operations

V Amphib Corps (4 Divs) - prepping for Sumatra
XXXIII Corps (6 Divs) - Prpping for Andaman Islands
XV Corps (5 Divs) - Prepping for Java
III Corps (3 Armoured Divs) - Prepping for Sumatra

14th Army (Moulmien Front)
IV Corps (5 Divs)
BurCorps (4 Divs)

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

P47N25's

You are going to get P47D-25's not the N variation. You have to wait a year for that plane. Also, while you get 175 a month, you only get them for 6 months. Then a dry spell until the P47N arrives. The P47D-25 is a good plane and practically unbeatable with pilots of >80 EXP.

Actually four months not six (3/44 to 6/44). Which suggests that the Allied player needs to manage them carefully. In the north Atlantic the Allies had to deal with the air cover gap. In AE the Allied player needs to worry about the P47 gap when they go out of production in July of 44 and don't come back for a very long time. This is somewhat mitigated by a slew of Mustangs and Corsairs that appear late in the year but there is a gap where Allied fighter production takes a big hit due to the P47 going off line. You will get 700 of them plus another 150 or so in new squadrons but that is it. It will be hard to resist not burning through them.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

in CBI I have about 38 Divisional Equivalents

3 in India
1 in Ceylon
6 committed to holding Burma

That leaves about 28 Divisions or equivalents for offensive operations

V Amphib Corps (4 Divs) - prepping for Sumatra
XXXIII Corps (6 Divs) - Prpping for Andaman Islands
XV Corps (5 Divs) - Prepping for Java
III Corps (3 Armoured Divs) - Prepping for Sumatra

14th Army (Moulmien Front)
IV Corps (5 Divs)
BurCorps (4 Divs)

Andy, just two comments. If you take Java (Sabang) then the Adaman Islands are not necessary. You can just let him keep it. Sabang is the key as it closes the Indian Ocean to Japan.

If Japan holds Singapore and has a lot of airbases (and he will) then you are going to need a lot more than five divisions in Java as it can easily be reinforced and pin a lot of your troops down. I would advise just taking Sabang along with a few supporting Islands and not worrying about the rest. You can bomb the oil in Medan from Sabang but are really too far to get at his oil in Palembang.

I think it is better to seize the Islands off of Java and just use them to bomb oil facilities. Siboret, Batoe Island and a few others. The islands will support large airfields and are hard for him to take back. However, if you go ashore on the mainland in Java then he really has interior lines and unless you pour lots of troops into Java(and hold total air superiority) you will probably face a massive counter stroke. Based on my own game, it is better to just seize the islands, build airbases and then kill his oil fields. Once that is done there is no real reason to go ashore in Java at all, and no real reason for him to try to defend it.

The above is based on my own experiences.

[Andy Mac]

I agree been looking at it pretty carefully as my burn rate was high of the P47D2

Basically I onbly have enough to equip 3 Sqns with limited reserves

In CBI its not to bad as the bulk of the fighting is over for a while

So 3 Sqns of USAAF P47D2s is probably enough as I can back with the RAF Spit VIII's (32 per month) and Thud I's from May (40 per month)

I will need to use up my P40 and P39 stocks for rear area security and training but I can probably cope ok in that theatr

SWPAC will get all the D25's and the RAAF Spit VIII's and P38J's and L's but it could get tight at the turn of the year

The F4U1A and D will equip all my carriers hopefully freeing up all the Hellcats for UMSC sqns (I have lots of Hellcats in pool at present)

Andy

My big problem

[Andy Mac]

Fascinating that the RNZAF gets F4U1D's before the USN I assume the model is a proxy for all the F4U's NZ ended up with

[Andy Mac]

I have more or less decided not to commit the D25 piecemeal I need to minimise losses so I am holding them back and giving the sqns equipped with them the best pilots I can find I will not be committing them anywhere in less than 3 Sqn "Wing" sized forces to try and make sure they have numbers on their side 4 Sqns are currenlty repairing in Australia and will be committed when ready

[khyberbill]

You are correct, I knew it was 700 total planes.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Fascinating that the RNZAF gets F4U1D's before the USN I assume the model is a proxy for all the F4U's NZ ended up with

I think so. Once again, the navy's objections to the corsair as a carrier aircraft made a lot of NZ and Marine pilots very happy.

[Andy Mac]

Been a quiet few days a sweeps of Rangoon about 40 losses each but over my terrain I am not worried
 
Basically needing to get the engineers to get the port operational before I can bring any bombers into Burma.
 
Still got all the C47's going round the clock but I need to get a few AK convoys into Rangoon ASAP I suspect I will need to fight them through !!!

[JeffroK]

Andy, access to rangoon is a good (maybe the only) reason for a campaign into lower Burma.
I found even the AI made it expensiveto ship into Rangoon, I had to keep Ramree going and fly a lot of supply in.

A consideration is a hook across the Sittang 1-2 hexes up from Pegu then move down the bank.
Takes a bit of time but avoids the river assault against the core of his defence. Similar left hook could work against Moulmein. (Good work for those Armd Divs you are setting up)
It may also force Pzb to take some units out of Moulmein to defend his flank.

[Andy Mac]

Great minds I already have a corps moving up stream as I dont fancy shock attacking across the river
 
De facto I need Rangoon open for business before I can bring the heavies in so convoys are loading and gettign ready but its a few days before the effort will take place

[Andy Mac]

Interesting few turns
 
To summarise Amercal Div crossed Owne Stanleys and is atrtacking Buna probably take it in a few days
4th Aus Div invaded Merauke will turn my air in that direction in a few days they are well supplied and getting ready to attack
CENTPAC is almost ready last 2 new build carriers are en route and 6 more CVE's as well all CV's have F4U1A's not F6F's as main fighter hoping that plus crack pilots will give my 8 Fleet Carriers the edge in a battle so CENTPAC is almost ready to re engage
In Burma IV corps crossed the rive north of Pegu and is driving south when its in position I will send XV, XXXIII and the kitchen sink accross the river to support them
Supply in Burma is good PZB caught one convoy and in hard running battles sunk it despite its escort but it was a small one as I am not running big convoys any more 5 more have gotten through and every day small convoys of 2 - 5 AK's arrive at Rangoon so my supply in Burma is climbing
 
I brough in the first two Tac Bomber Sqns today only equiped with A20G's but still more will follow 

[Andy Mac]

I have lost a lot but I am almost ready to go back to war.....I will be pleased when I can re open CENTPAC as an active theatre I want to position myself all throughout the rest of 44 for the decisive campaigns that will need to happen in 45

[traskott]

Good luck !!!

[SoliInvictus202]

ORIGINAL: traskott

Good luck !!!

+1

[Andy Mac]

Thanks guys I will need it.
 
Before I am done I will have 8 CV's all with Corsairs, 10 CVL's and about 30 x CVE's
 
So about 2,000 carrier aircraft supported for airfield suppression by B29's

[traskott]

Remember having a B-plan just in case !!!!

[Andy Mac]

I am worried about the RAF and its ability to fight long term.
 
At present I have 18 RAF Bomber Sqns operational
 
Of those a full 10 are either on search duty or training not by choice but because I have no replacements for them
 
In total
 
8 Sqns are in my book operational
 
2 Sqns of Wellingtons BX's with 14 in the pool and 6 per month replacements for another 6 months I am pretty much struggling to keep even 2 Sqns operational in this type and after 10/44 they are a wasting asset
 
3 Sqns of Liberators with 18 in reserve and 15 per month replacement - assuming no heavy losses I might be able to activate another Sqn maybe 2 max but thats it
 
3 Sqns of Blenheims with 10 !!!!! replacements cannibalisation on the cards I think
 
Basically I am already down to the wire throughout 44/45 I will be lucky to be able to operate 6 Sqns of RAF bombers out of 18 thats a pretty low rate......
 
AND all the rear area Sqns are wasting assets every operational write off hurts....
 
I would kill to be able to transfer some of the old pre war Dutch bombers, or Australian Beaufort VIII's or even borrow a few Canadian or Kiwi Venturas.
 
RAF is really really really low on bombers - no mediums and few heavies and no medium replacements at all from now on until end of game other than a few Mosquito B35's with a miserable production rate - was the RAF really this badly off that there was no medium bomber late war ??