Tokyo Rose was a Hussy! Chez (J) vs. Canoe (A)

[Canoerebel]

The DEI, where the decisive campaign of the war is being waged.

[Cribtop]

Do you have plans to strat bomb Miri, Brunei, Balik, Samarinda and Tarakan? I suspect all will be within range of these bases. Question is how to protect the 4Es from naval bombardments?

PS - I guess Batavia and Soerabaja are already in range of Oosthaven.

[Canoerebel]

We have a house rule preventing strategic bombing in China and SEAC until 1944.

Would you believe the Allies still control Samarinda? [&:]

[JeffroK]

Even more questions of Chez's approach is to have left Pontianak, Ketapang & the other Borneo base in Allied hands. Plus the central base and, I think Badjermasin.

Its asking for trouble which a Regiment would reslove! [&:]

[Cribtop]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Would you believe the Allies still control Samarinda? [&:]

What chu talkin' about, Willis?

(With apologies to anyone not a member of Gen X).

[Canoerebel]

8/13/42
 
CenPac:  Things are really humming here now.  KB remains SE of Tarawa, two more IJN carriers reported east of Maloelap, a CA group led by Ashagara intercepts and sinks four xAK near Funafuti, and a combat TF of some kind (possibly Hiyo/Junyo) on a course taking it from Fiji towards Ndeni.  Now we're talkin'!  The enenmy is stirred up and committing just abouth everything up this way.  The Allies have disbanded the transport TF at Tarawa (all ships but one xAP are unloaded).  The CL Trenton TF will make a break for it, fleeing east to try to avoid combat with the Ashagara group.  The Allies are going to lose some ships in CenPac tomorrow - of most concern are two AP and an AK down near Funafuti - but what a great hornet's next to stir up!
 
What about....:  The two big TFs loaded for Vanua Lava and Luganville, currently halted near Christmas Island, may divert to the south, move on to NZ and Oz, and then proceed to New Guinea, unloading at Allied controlled Port Moresby and Milne Bay.
 
DEI:  I had a bit of a Sync bug this time, for the first time in the game.  The replay showed an APD sunk by a sub north of Oosthaven, where its position was a dead give away.  Fortunately, that actually didn't happen.  The replay also showed the Allies evicting the enemy from Padang.  Unfortunately, it was actually a failed 1 to 2 attack.  Other than that excitement it was a quiet turn in Sumatra.  Things will heat up in about four days when the 6th UK Bde transports arrive at Padang.

[Canoerebel]

8/14/42

This was a day that seemed to go badly for the Allies, but digging a little deeper into the importance and meanings of the events suggests a far different interpretation.

CenPac: Enemy "heavy" shipping sandwiches the entire region. Zuikaku and Shokaku are between Tarawa and Ndeni, while the rest of the KB is between Tarawa and Baker Island. I sortied my CL Trenton TF due east hoping to escape, but they ended up one hex from the eastern element of the KB. Trenton was sunk along with a DMS. A bunch of destroyers took damage, but most will make port. The most valuable Allied ships - the AP and AK - are well east of the danger zone and should make it back to Pearl Harbor. Most telling, Zuikaku and Shokaku only have DDs for escorts, and all of the DDs were showing smoke - meaning elevatated SYS damage after many months of hard campaiging. Japana is running short on escorts, working its heavy ships too hard, and is flooding a theater that really isn't very important.

NoPac: I'm nearly postiive that all enemy carriers are employed in CenPac. This is a critical evaluation that needs to be completed, for if true, Wasp will have the freedom to support operations in the Para vicinity. Allied shipping is gathering in the Bering Sea and will be ready to move on Para in less than a week.

SoPac: Quieter around Pago Pago now, but the enemy airfield on Savaii makes operations difficult. In a few days, once things settle a bit in CenPac, the Allies will shift some Buffalo fighter squadrons to Pago Pago to provide CAP while supplies unload. That's the plan, anyhow.

DEI: Enemy subs tangled with the APD fast transport TF near Oosthaven and then near Toabali. I'm nearly certain now that Steve is aware that the Allies are reinforcing the islands north of Sumatra. He's going to feel some pressure as a result. Massed enemy bombers effectively hit Padang's airfield, nearly shutting it down. This is bad news. I'll reinforce with fighters of my own in hopes that engineers can repair the damage. The 6th UK Bde. reinforcement TF is only two or three days away. I need the field fully capped. Meanwhile, I think the Allies will try a shock attack tomorrow. I think the enemy tank regiments are down to less than 75 AV combined, so that should do it. An IJ division is just one hex away, but I believe it will take at least three or four more days to reach Padang. If I miscalculated, though, that shock attack will get a very nasty repulse.

Burma: The dance continues around Magwe.

China: Chinese army one hex from Ichang. After one more day in movement mode, the army will change to combat mode for the assault across the river. That should take place in three days or so. Enemy opposition is just one unit (probably a mixed brigade). The Chinese have 3,000+ AV.

[crsutton]

Well, I don't think there is an JFB reading this AAR that thinks your opponent has much of a chance. I can't imagine playing Japan in a contest where I never owned Palembang for a single day. The ramifications are just too great.

[Canoerebel]

There have been some pretty interesting in depth studies that show that Japan can do without Palembang's oil in 1942 (and I think well into 1943) in Scenario Two. That is so counter to everything we know from WitP that I don't think many players are aware of it. So, to my way of thinking, the real problem for Steve isn't his not holding Palembang, but rather the fact that the Allies do. Here the Allies have seven major bases within supporting distance of each other and in the midst of Japan's vitals. That the Allies are now able to begin expanding in the area points to the threat it poses to Japan.

As for oil, at some point Japan will need Palembang (and Samarinda, which Steve still hasn't taken). But by then I think the game will be over for all intents and purposes.

[JeffroK]

Have you had a peek at Damiens spiel on the japanese economy.
 
Maybe as important is the Oil, the Resources in the DEI/Borneo/Malay area are as vital.
 
Once you start getting a decent level of 4E you will have a wealth of targets to hit, unless you occupy them first!

[paullus99]

Interesting that he's decided to concentrate his carriers in CENPAC - though maybe he's smartened up enough to finally realize you've concentrated your carriers in the DEI & intend to leave them there for the duration (at least until your carrier production ramps up in 1943).

Of course, it is a strategic error on his part to be, once again, focusing his attention in an area of the map that isn't vital to his interests (at the moment). I

[ny59giants]

I would look to spend some of those precious PPs on some of your AA brigades. You have two in NZ and at least one in Colombo. When filled out (some already are), they have 72 heavy AA guns. They would help on Sumatra. [;)]

[Canoerebel]

NYGiants, thanks for another good suggestion. Several Kiwi AA units have recently arrived.

I do have a bunch of Indian, Brit, and Aussie heavy AA at Palembang. I feel like the base is fairly protected without going overboard. "Overboard" is a purely subjective notion of my own that I'm not sure I can define. I intentionally haven't brought everything because I didn't want to create massive 55-AA units death traps. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with doing that - it's a game and you play with what you have - but I've just been reluctant to overdo it.

However, I can probably use some of those AA batteries close by - Padang and Oosthaven come to mind.

[Canoerebel]

A post in GreyJoy's AAR prompted me to re-read much of my "Shattered Vow" AAR against Miller. That was a Scenario Two match that was a tough match to the end, with remarkably heavy fighting in the DEI in 1943 and 1944. Re-reading that made me re-evaluate things in this game. Some thoughts:

1. Usually it is difficult for the Allies to keep the fleet fueled when it's employed "at the front." Here, that's no problem given the fuel that flows from Palembang to Oosthaven. Many ships top off there; the rest are fueled by oilers that top off there. The Allied fleet has no fuel concerns.

2. Steve hasn't committed his airforce in meaningful numbers yet. He's lost something over 3,000 aircraft. The Allies have lost 800 less But we've never engaged in a sustained air campaign. I would be worried about him throwing his airforce at me over a sustained period of time, given what I experienced in my other Scenario Two games, but there are two differences: the Allies are engaging in pilot training and PDU is off, which means Japan isn't producing unlimited Tojos and the like. Steve could wage a prolonged and costly air war in Sumatra, but it wouldn't be as one sided as it would have been absent those two factors.

3. The Allies really do have a great situation here, but they had better be careful not to think they can advance too far too fast. The Allies can't win a ground campaign in 1942 no matter how well things are going. I had better concentrate on two things in the DEI: (a) make absolutely certain that eastern Sumatra is secure; and (b) advance carefully and strongly into the islands and bases to the north, for Steve is going to counterattack; don't let him just roll right through lightly held Allied bases.

4. The Allies have done well in hitting Japan in multiple places - Kuriles, Gilberts, Samoa, Santa Cruz Islands, Burma, China. Keep that up. Carefully consider occupying Port Moresby and Milne Bay in strength to further stretch and disrupt the enemy, but be careful.

5. The one area where the Allies can win the game in 1942 - but not without Japan's cooperation - is decisively defeating its navy. Whack Japan's capital ships good and the enemy is going to lose or surrender much more quickly. Japan's big ships have already been materially reduced, but not to the point (yet) where the enemy would feel compelled to concede.

[Canoerebel]

8/15/42

CenPac: Dispersed elements of the KB plus one IJN sub finish off three crippled DD and a DMS. Soryu, Hiryu and Junyo confirmed east of Tarawa, while Zuikaku and Shokoku remain to the west. Interestingly, all three carrier TFs have no escorts larger than a DD.

DEI: A sub puts to torps into CA Salt Lake City at Oosthaven. She has heavy damage, but is disbanded into port, which is staffed by 147 Naval Support. Allied shock attack at Padang prevails, booting two tank regiments and an infantry battalion. This engagement is more important than it seems. Two fresh IJA divisions will soon arrive at Padang. Steve could have used the tanks as a flanking force to threaten Padang with isolation, but now they should be easy to brush aside. Steve didn't send bombers this turn, which was fortunate. The airfield is in bad enough shape that no fighters got off the ground. This could be a major problem.

Burma: Another Japanese unit is moving up the road towards Magwe, but I don't think it's a strong one. The Allies are still working to cut off the Japanese force there, or at least take the hexside which would prevent it from retiring to the SE.

China: The Chinese army approaching Ichang has covered 34 miles. It will switch over to combat mode and should cross the river to attack day after tomorrow.

[Cribtop]

As a JFB the phrase "dispersed elements of the KB" sends shivers and shudders down my spine.

[Barb]

Hi, If I can offer my advice - do not combine slow surface combatants with fast ones. They will make the rest of the ships much more vulnerable!

Back on days when WITP:AE went gold only a few months ago, I and my friend discovered one strange thing - Similar task forces that had cruise speed setting were shot to pieces by task forces having Mission speed setting. We then arranged for several rounds of TFs meeting up on the same turn (each TF had 4 CAs+6DDs). The side with cruise speed suffered terribly (2-3 CAs went under, 5-6 heavily damaged, rest lightly damaged), while the other side was only sligthly damaged (0-1 CA went under, 2-3 damaged, rest almost without scratch). With escorting destroyers in similar scale. It came out that Cruise speed was used in combat thus one side had all ships moving at 15kts and the other at 30+kts. Allied radar, damage control, japanese experience and torpedoes played only a minor role in final results (usually moved the number of ships within damage classes by one up or down).

This was repaired some time ago - but what you have in your game is similar. You have Task Forces set up in a way that they are moving at 20-22kts while your opponent is dancing around you with 30+kts.

The results you can see in the Oosthaven battles, recently at the Aleutians, and once in a time someone has heavy combatants in amphib TF cought up and shot up badly with surface combat TF.

So try to use your ships by classes - old battlewagons with light DD escort (2-4 per BB) on Bombardments or in Amphib TFs (protected by other SC TFs). You can even use them against old japanese battlewagons (Ise, Hyuga, Nagato, Mutsu, Fuso, Yamashiro) - but I wouldn bet on them against Kongos, heavy cruisers or CL-DD TFs.
Then set up your "real" SCTFs from fast battleships (27+kts) with light escorts and heavy cruisers with destroyers and finally light cruisers and destroyers.

I suppose you will get much better results from your surface combat forces then. Of course you are attritting IJN - but at what cost in your surface ships!

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, Barb. That's interesting info and further confirmation of what Nemo and others have been telling me. I've reconfingured my TF composition, but I'm sure I still have more to learn.

[Barb]

Nobody fell "educated" from the sky! (Well thats a slovak saying translated into english - not sure if it has the right meaning this way). I came on this by chance - when my friend complained about heavy ships losses in Guadalcanal scenario. It appeared, that he had his task forces set at Cruise Speed

I usually use TFs by classes - i.e. to have ships from as little classes as possible in a TF (there are some exceptions, like CLAA or destroyer leader CL/DD) - but 2-3 works well (like 4x Mogami CA, 1x Kuma CL, 4-6x Kagero DD).

Also smaller Task forces seem to be better at night (IIRC when more ships than 6 in a TF, their effectivenes is reduced a little). So having BB Pennsylvania + 3x DD and CL + 4xDD and DMS at separate task Forces should perform much better than a one big TF (1xBB, 1xCL, 7xDD, 1xDMS).

Edit: "learned" for "educated" - I think it is a better word in english for the meaning
Edit: "dropped" for "fell" - dtto

[Miller]

ORIGINAL: Barb

I usually use TFs by classes - i.e. to have ships from as little classes as possible in a TF (there are some exceptions, like CLAA or destroyer leader CL/DD) - but 2-3 works well (like 4x Mogami CA, 1x Kuma CL, 4-6x Kagero DD)

I am totally anal when it comes to organising IJN taskforces, I also like to group ships according to class and type. It is probably the most enjoyable part of the game for me[:D] Every combat ship lost for the IJN is a disaster.......Just don't ask about how I managed to lose all four Kongo class BBs in a single night[:(]