Aboard the Red Castle - Erkki(J) vs. Smeulders(A) - no lookin'!

[Erkki]

March 31st

Not much happened today...

East Indies: Japanese stack at Bandoeng gained over 100 AV from disabled squads so we're back at 2550+ even without the one unit that is marching out, so deliberate attack tomorrow! I dont want to retreat them quite yet because I have them surrounded from every direction but one(the mountain hex to SE), I have an SNLF unit moving there, will take a week. Enemy strength should be below 730-ish AV as they lost over 100 yesterday plus another 100+ as disabled.

Tomorrow: deliberate attack at Bandoeng, shock attack over river to Balikpapan(97 AV vs. unknown defenders), attack at Pare Pare (Makassar garrison remains vs. 56% of a Japanese regiment).


South Pacific: An American submarine hits another empty Aden-class xAK near Tulagi. I'd scuttle the ship if I could as it has no hope of getting to a port before sinking or burning to waterline but I suppose sys+floatation damage isnt enough so I cant. Damnit.

[Erkki]

Dont have the time to write everything that happened this turn now, but the highlight is... 3 x SIGINT entries (!!!!!) at Pearl Harbor --> detection level 3: all 4 USN CVs are there, and the base has only 16 fighters! Pearl Harbor round 4 anyone? [:'(]

How long do the first USN CV upgrades take? This is (ehm) hypothetical, but I dont think I need more much cover for the Timor invasion now, and I'd like to use the KB to do some raiding...

[koniu]

How long do the first USN CV upgrades take? This is (ehm) hypothetical, but I dont think I need more much cover for the Timor invasion now, and I'd like to use the KB to do some raiding...

This is US CV refit plan

Lexington 3/42 minimum 27 days
Saratoga 3/42 minimum 27 days
Enterprise 4/42 minimum 7 days
Yorktown 4/42 minimun 7 days KIA

so worst case scenario is that in week he will have four- sorry three ready CV`s

[Erkki]

OK, pretty much what I thought. Lex and Sara were at Sydney a month ago so if Smeulders chose to do that upgrade they're doing it now at Pearl. That means they have minimum 20-ish days left while Enterprise (and Hornet?) will get their upgrade available this turn - I bet they just arrived and have been disbanded for upgrades. 4 CVs reported so the Hornet is probably there, having just arrived from West Coast(a 7-ship TF with warships just slipped past the submarine screen 2 days ago)(we play with reinforcements +-15 or +-30 days...).

I'm not going to hunt them, but my fast CVs Akagi, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Hiryu and Soryu will immediately relocate to Truk. Kaga, 2 CVLs and 2 CVEs will set sail tomorrow to raid near Perth and on their way back support Timor invasion - the sweep south should make sure there arent any Allied combat ships left to intervene while heavy close support and air cover with G4M1s from Makassar is still provided. Lets see if we can find some Allied shipping, TKs thank you, between Perth and map edge...


April 1st

East Indies: Bandoeng attack goes very well: Allies had just 690 raw AV left and suffered 2 times more losses than Japanese. Over 50% of Allied squad losses were in destroyeds, while Japanese lost just 6. We will rest 2 days and then deliberate attack again - I dont want to retreat them so that I'd need to pursue them deeper into the mountains...

Balikpapan attack achieves 1:2 falling short from 1:1 by just 2 points. More troops on their way, and casualties were even any way.

Pare pare captured, Dutch troops retreat.


South Pacific:

Yesterday I detached a single AO from a replenishment TF to dock and thus speed up fuel unloading at Rabaul. I forgot that the home port of original TF is retained and retirement = ON. The Unlucky 18-VP AO set sail and was immediately attacked by a US Sub which expended every single of its torpedoes and all deck gun ammo. After a torp hit and 10 gun hits the empty AO is still afloat. [:D] Its ordered to try to make it to the Japanese but ungarrisoned Kavieng. Damage is approx 36/75/2/22 I give it 10-90% chance to survive... However the xAK from yesterday is still afloat, 1 hex from Thousand Ships Bay and if there will be no pump failures it should make it. I'd rather have that AO.

[koniu]

No amphibious bonus. How you feel about it??

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: koniu

No amphibious bonus. How you feel about it??

Should last this month(I love it how the manual doesnt give a clear date, just "first 4 months"... And if it doesnt, Timor invasion's fighting elements are 100% prepped and support 50-70 - some will hit 100% on their way in.

[Erkki]

April 2nd


Did I just run out of amphibious bonus?

Not much to report.

East Indies: For some reason Allies dont CAP Soerebaja, and lose 2-3 Brewsters a day. G4Ms and Ki-21s are taking turns...

KB2 with Kaga, Zuiho, Ryujo, Taiyo and Hosho together with a replenishment TF and heavy escorts set sail: target is Cape Town-Perth convoy route. Once we get closer the carriers are paired to 3 divisions.

KB1 on the northern coast of Borneo.

Hawaii: out of nowhere appear 4 Allied convoys, of at least 2 have multiple tankers, and just sail through the submarine screen with no attacks. One TF sighted by E14Ys has 7 tankers and no escorts, and it sailed past 3 submarines. [:@]

[koniu]

I have always think that amphibious bonus is from 7 DEC 41 to 31 MAR 42.
In what point of game you decided to split KB?

[Puhis]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

April 2nd


Did I just run out of amphibious bonus?

Yes. [:)] 4 bonus months are December, January, February and March.

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: Puhis

ORIGINAL: Erkki

April 2nd


Did I just run out of amphibious bonus?

Yes. [:)] 4 bonus months are December, January, February and March.

Ok... In my previous PBEM I landed Java in mid-April at Kalidjati against some 100 defending AV and CD guns with no preparation and only lost 500 men. [;)][:'(]

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: koniu

In what point of game you decided to split KB?

I split it after Yorktown went down and have been showing only half of it at a time to make sure Smeulders knows it too. I'm not intending to do that for long, I'll merge them back by the date the Wasp arrives at earliest and keep the KB 50-50% so its at least a match to anything the Allies can put together.

CVL Shoho awaits at Truk so KB1 is nearly original strength once it gets there. KB1 can encounter max. 2 British CVs I think...

[Erkki]

April 3rd


East Indies: The Dutchmen finally fly: Hurricanes and B-339s meet Ki-43s over Soerebaja. We lose 3 Ki-43s and 1 pilot (1 as writeoff), enemy loses at least 6 and more as damaged on the ground by Ki-21s. Izumida P. scores his 8th kill. Bandoeng deliberate attack tomorrow, the Dutch shouldn't retreat quite yet and I'm hoping for a good ratio in troop losses... Timor Invasion ETA 9 days, Carriers enter Indian Ocean tomorrow.

I changed my mind about the feasibility of invading Koepang, Timor, with no air support other than Makassar: enemy still holds Manado and Ambon where they can base dive bombers or 139WHs and have the potential to ruin the day. Tomorrow I'll detach Hosho and Taiyo with a close-cover of a 2-CA surface combat squadron to directly protect the invasion. But first, they'll go see if they find any enemy in the Timor Sea. Hosho & Taiyo dont exactly make a powerful force but we're not expecting to meet enemy CVs or even massed land based air so they will have to do.

South Pacific: The AO survives to another day but is now sys 54 float 74 but still afire. Disbanded at Kavieng...

Hawaii: An E14Y spotted 7-ship TF with 2 cruisers and 5 DDs merrily sails past 3 submarines to the NE without getting attacked.

[Capt. Harlock]

7-ship TF with 2 cruisers and 5 DDs merrily sails past 3 submarines to the NE without getting attacked.

Apparently the relaxed Hawaiian attitude is contagious. [;)]

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

7-ship TF with 2 cruisers and 5 DDs merrily sails past 3 submarines to the NE without getting attacked.

Apparently the relaxed Hawaiian attitude is contagious. [;)]

Yeah guess I need to move them further from Waikiki beaches as that was the 5th or 6th convoy that slipped through the sub screen with no attacks. [;)]

[obvert]

Hawaii: out of nowhere appear 4 Allied convoys, of at least 2 have multiple tankers, and just sail through the submarine screen with no attacks. One TF sighted by E14Ys has 7 tankers and no escorts, and it sailed past 3 submarines.

Have you had a look into sub commanders? Not all of them at the start are high aggression.

[Erkki]

I'm trying to make my opponent certain that I am willing to divide my CV fleet to encourage him to use his own CVs in support of his operations and/or raiding. He knows I used a single CVL/CVE near Pago Pago, 2-ship MKB again at Java, half-strength KB 2 times at Java Sea and soon he will see 3 2-CV divisions raiding near Perth and support Timor invasion.

KB will be making lots of noise in a lot of places, but by the end of April other than CVEs in ones or twos will simply disappear. Hopefully, my opponent will try to raid Solomons, Marshalls, Truk or Home Islands-Truk route which has lots of traffic now, and I will be able to bounce with the KB. If he will not, I hope these early war operations to make him think I'm ready to divide KB not just locally but also between different theaters and make him underestimate the threat the KB poses to him, if not as a fleet in being and deterrent but at least in my ability to actually bring the KB to the action in one piece when he knows I must.

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: obvert

Hawaii: out of nowhere appear 4 Allied convoys, of at least 2 have multiple tankers, and just sail through the submarine screen with no attacks. One TF sighted by E14Ys has 7 tankers and no escorts, and it sailed past 3 submarines.

Have you had a look into sub commanders? Not all of them at the start are high aggression.

I've been sparing nearly all PPs to buy out land units from Manchuria and Honshu. No submarine captains changed yet, although I was ready to change the caps of the 3 new subs but they were already aggression 70+ and with 75+ naval skill.

Once they refuel next time I'll also change their captains...

[obvert]

Yeah, that could be it.

[Erkki]

OK I need to rewrite the above. [:D]

In other words, I'm using my KB divided now and making sure my opponent sees its divided. I can do that pretty safely now in the Indian Ocean. I want the Allies to know that I'm willing and wanting to divide the KB not just locally/operationally but also between different theaters. The stronger the mental image of Erkki sailing his CVs in ones and 2s around the Pacific is, the better.

I'm hoping to gain these advantages:


A) to make him underestimate the threat of CV on CV encounter as long as he keeps his together, in order to:
B) make him more aggressive with his own CV and Naval forces to make him try an early risky invasion and/or raid, and:
C) while planning those raids, invasions or other operations, make him consider the risk of running into Japanese CVs smaller, especially combined KB, him knowing that I need time to assemble it and thus:
D) effect his strategic, operational and tactical planning, I think this isnt quite the same as B, but these are to:
E) make him commit his CVs without or with lesser LBA and search support, fighter and strike aircraft numerical and qualitative superiority and to make him do more mistakes to:

F) further attrit his CV fleet and the rest of his Navy, especially CAs and CLs, to
G) push back the date by which the Allies are too powerful to be contested mano et mano even in a defensive battle, to push back the date when Palembang switches owner again and the date the war is lost.

Not sure if it makes sense...

[Erkki]

double