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

[Canoerebel]

The Allies are currently prepping units for Singkawang, which is held by four units.  That sounds like a doable invasion.  I need some time to buy units and get them to Oosthaven (the jumping off point for any invasion).  I also need to get Billiton's airfield operational.  But I can envision an invasion of Singkawang in six weeks or so if Steve doesn't attend to its defenses in the meantime.  If the Allies hold Singkawang, Ketapang, Billiton, Toboali, Montok and Singkep, Singapore is shut down and there's no more shipping going to Rangoon.   That might be enough to persuade Steve to concede.
 
B-17D could reach Balikpan from Oosthaven, but not the B-17E.  However, I think they E and F models should be able to reach Balikpan from Billiton (and Ketapang).

[Cribtop]

Concur that Sinkawang would be huge.

[JohnDillworth]

simply brilliant!

I think CR has written some case-law here. I have only been following a few other AAR's but I think every player has to be aware of the the Allies defending early here. If the Japanese player allows it the Allies would be crazy not to do the same.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Panther Bait

Don't forget to hear the lamentations of his women. [;)]

Mike

Yeah!!! Where's my Mongolian war pony?!!!! [8D]

[DOCUP]

This page gives me an interesting mental image.  I'll paint it for you.  CR is the coach of the Bulldogs whos just upset the number 1 ranked team to win the Rose bowl.  Now the press is intervewing him after his big win. 
 
Love this AAR CR.  Keep up the good work.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: princep01

I have followed your AARs carefully for a number of reasons...what has really impressed me in comparing your game with Q-Ball and this one is that you adopted what appears to me to be a more aggressive tactical game in the early going....CR, my question is what caused this change (if you consider it a change)? Did the lessons gleaned from your game with Q-Ball have a significant effect on your play this time. I've never played a Scenario 2 game against Japan. Was the Q-Ball game your first Senario2 game?

This is actually "the real me." I was equally as bold in my early games, but I was also boldy ignorant. I didn't really know what I was doing, so I blundered into all kinds of losses that were very painful. I lost more carriers than you would believe possible.

Consequently, I decided relatively recently to impose on myself a strict discipline of caution that would allow me to have carriers later in the game. I employed this caution, which became an exteme uber caution I admit, in my games vs. Miller and Q-Ball.

In my game vs. Q-Ball, though, I came uncomfortably close to losing by auto victory. So, when I started this new match, seeking a contest in which an experienced IJ player might shoot for auto victory, and in which he might have the advice and counsel of lots of experienced players, I knew I had to play much differently than I had against Q-Ball...and much smarter than I had played against Miller.

Presto, my natural inclination to take chances was back in play. Honestly, though, I was pretty lucky to score some nice victories early on. Had I been stung, I might have crawled back into my shell. Instead, each bold act seemed to be rewarded, so that human nature and blood lust encouraged more.

[:)]

As a former opponent and avid reader of Dan's AARs, /I commented quite early on about this change in play style. I have admired it and greatly enjoyed it. Had he done this to me in a second game I would have been caught flat-footed. Translation: GLAD it happened to Chez! [:'(]

[Canoerebel]

8/29/42
 
Padang:  The Japanese army here doesn't control any hexsides; so two divisions and two armor regiments are stuck until reinforcements arrive, which will take weeks or longer.  I wanted to see if a naval bombardment after plenty of recon might be effective, so I detailed BBs North Carolina and Warsite and two CAs to give it a shot.  Then I detached Warpsite thinking she'd slow the TF down too much.  Then the TF went in during daylight hours and just sat at the hex (rather than making a nightime "in and out" run as was supposed to happen).  Then prolonged fighter battles over the base depleted my CAP.  Then 35 Bettys came in and put three torps into North Carolina.  She has 22/67/11/1 damage.  We'll see if she can make it safely to port - Cocos Island or Colombo.  Meanwhile, the two CAs bombarded and did no apparent damage.
 
DEI:  I don't know what Steve is going to do about his isolated army at Padang.  He's got to send reinforcements, but the Allies are in a position to meet and match any such relief efforts, which will take a fortnight or two to reach the base over the lengthy yellow-road system.  This might develop into a meeting engagement (though at such low rates of travel it's questionable whether it can be termed "meeting") that will favor the Allies.  Neither side has any hope of successfully attacking at present since the terrain is jungle-rough.  The only hope for the Allies was to cut off supply and disrupt, but the failure of the bombardment mission makes that unpromising.
 
Burma: The Happy Stalemate at Magwe continues.  Two Japanese units are one hex away.  One of them is weak; the other might be a regiment or a brigade, I'm thinking.
 
NoPac:  The Allied ships are retiring in good order.  Today, the Allies put up 60+ fighters on CAP, which did good work against repeated enemy raids.
 
CenPac:  Quiet at the moment.
 
SoPac:  Five Allied DDs went up against three IJ combat TFs including CAs Nachi and Chikuma.  Four of the Allied ships were dispatched, while two or three IJN DDs were damaged.  The AV of the IJ force at PP continues to fall steadily, so I think the Allies can simply stop trying to resupply the base.  The Japanese aren't going to take it.
 
SWPac: The reinforcment convoys passed the New Zealand cape in good order.  Everything still looks nice and quiet at PM and Milne.
 
 

[Cribtop]

Bummer about N. Carolina.

Re the isolated stack, bomb them and use arty bombardments to drain supply. Put an LCU in the "approach hex" to delay any rescue attempt if you have the troops.

[Canoerebel]

About North Carolina:  Oops.
 
About Padang:  I have units to the front of the hex and will send more if needed.  I'll have gracious plenty warning of any enemy units heading down that long road to try to relieve the IJ army at Padang.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Bummer about N. Carolina.

Re the isolated stack, bomb them and use arty bombardments to drain supply. Put an LCU in the "approach hex" to delay any rescue attempt if you have the troops.

+1. Supply will only cross friendly hex sides. Even if you can't evict them you can train up bombers and attrite them at the same time. Ground bombardment will give them experience, so that one's a toss-up.

[Canoerebel]

Is it right that supply will only cross friendly hexsides?  I've had supply trickle through the countryside before, though in those instances the hexsides were indeed friendly.  I was "assuming for the sake of being cautious" that supply might somehow trickle through the jungle to that isolated IJ army, but you guys are saying that won't happen, which sounds good.  I suppose I'll have to watch out for FT missions.  He can also use subs and parachute drops, but that shouldn't get much to his troops.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Is it right that supply will only cross friendly hexsides?

To the very best of my knowledge.

[JeffroK]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

About North Carolina:  Oops.

About Padang:  I have units to the front of the hex and will send more if needed.  I'll have gracious plenty warning of any enemy units heading down that long road to try to relieve the IJ army at Padang.

Sorry about NoCar, but this is what I like about AE.

Sometimes the the workings of Mice and Men, the Mice get control of the dice.

Even in failure, it makes Chez either : Give up on his Army, you kill off a few more Divs or He tries to reinforce and creates another Pago Pago situation where you are able to reinforce faster than he can.

[princep01]

Yes, sad re BB N. Carolina. Hope she makes port and eventually returns to ravage the enemy. Looks like she has a fighting chance to make port, but I'd head for the nearest one that can at least pump her out. It's going to be a long time before she is battleworthy again.

Any idea why the TF stayed in the target hex rather than moving back toward her port of call? Do you think you started too far from Padang? I'd like to understand that bombardment routine better. The TF runs in and out at full speed, right? Do you actually have to manually order up full speed?

[Cribtop]

I actually think you have to have "mission speed" and "retirement allowed" settings. However, there is an element of how far the TF can move even at full speed with these "in & out" routines. For example, FT TFs will sit around and continue to load unless you set them up to pick up troops instead of load troops. I wonder if something like that occurs with Ops points and bombardment TFs.

[Canoerebel]

8/30/42
 
BB North Carolina:  This badly damaged battlewagon made five hexes, did not suffer an increase in damage levels, and did not undergo attack.  I'll monitor this another day or two before deciding where to send her.  If things look good, she'll go to Cocos Island for temporary repairs before reporting to Capetown.
 
DEI:  Enemy paratroops took the vacant dot hex north of Padang.  I am guessing Steve wants to march into Padang to open a hexside for retreat.  The Allies don't want that to happen, so I'll send an armored unit to deal with the paratroops.  Part of an Aussie brigade is two hexes east and also on the way.
 
Burma:  The Happy Stalemate at Magwe continues.  Another IJ unit just arrived.  I don't know how strong it is yet.
 
NoPac:  Allied fighters got the best of their counterparts.  Otherwise quiet up here.
 
CenPac:  Quiet here, too.  Japanese fuel and supply TFs continue to sail too and fro near Ndeni, with Allied patrols giving lots of nice reports.  It's almost as though Steve isn't aware that the Allies have occupied and are using this base.  No signs of enemy carriers at the moment.
 
SoPac:  Bettys and Zeros overcome meager CAP at PP and sink an xAK or two.
 
SWPac:  The quiet continues at PM and Milne - no signs of enemy detection.  We shall henceforth refore to this state of affairs at this location as "the Happy Interlude."

[ny59giants]

BB North Carolina:  This badly damaged battlewagon made five hexes, did not suffer an increase in damage levels, and did not undergo attack.  I'll monitor this another day or two before deciding where to send her.  If things look good, she'll go to Cocos Island for temporary repairs before reporting to Capetown.

I hope somebody followed a suggestion a while back and moved in move Naval Support. [;)]

[Canoerebel]

Yes, there is naval support (lots of it) at Cocos Island.  [:)]
 
But I meant to say I plan to move NC to Diego Garcia, which is enroute to Capetown and less likely to be interdicted by subs.  I think Steve will expect NC to go to Cocos or Colombo, and he has subs (including at least one Glen) near Cocos.  I'd rather not have a sick battelship under enemy surveillance at the front lines.

[Canoerebel]

8/31/42
 
Early in the game, when the Allies embarked on the plan to fortify Palembang, I would look ahead to the autumn months, hoping the Allies might make some kind of stand that would prove advantageous by then.  To be honest, the Allied position exceeds their wildest dreams and most extravagent hopes.
 
DEI:  BB North Carolina continued due south (true) with no change in damage.  She'll continue two more days, at which time I'll decide between Diego Garcia or a direct journey to Capetown.  I don't see any need to send her to Cocos Island.  More troops are inbound to Oosthaven and will arrive over the next week to two weeks.  Allied fighters at Padang came out ahead on the day.
 
Burma:  The Happy Stalemate at Magwe continues.  The additional enemy unit is engineers.
 
NoPac:  Allied fighters won the day here too.  Supply level is at 29k and looks good for the short term.  Wasp is nearing Dutch Island.  Chenango is on sation west of Attu, helping shuttle navy fighters to and from Attu to Para.
 
CenPac:  Looks like a big bombardment TF is inbound towards Tarawa.  Ndeni continues quiet.
 
SoPac:  A few more supply ships bite the dust.  Enemy AV is down to about 525 as Steve continues his Dunkirk operation.
 
SWPac:  Milne Bay forts go to level one.  No detection there or at PM.  The big reinforcement TFs are south of Lord Howe Island.  They will put in at Sydney and then proceed north to Townsville.  PM and Milne should receive the reinforcements in ten days to two weks.

[zuluhour]

CR, I m at June 2nd '42. I would like to see the map of the PM area should feel so inclined.