Sardaukar's Newbie Grand Campaign Tutorial (Community Effort)

[Sardaukar]

Ling to latest save (Jan 1, 1942):

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/50118399/wpae021.pws

[Yaab]

Good luck with the Sinyang operation. I have just finished reading this epic and well written AAR http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3238049&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 where Sinyang turned out to be the Stalingrad of China with hundreds of thousands killed on both sides in a lengthy siege.

[Yaab]

BTW, what are your arrangements for off-map convoys (routes, ship numbers, ship types)?  Do you use the East Coast - Cape Town route? How much fuel do haul from Abadan/Cape Town to India and Australia on average monthly? Do yoy refuel your convoys at destinations i.e Perth? I don't think you discussed this ideas in detail in either of your tutorial AARs. This may harm newbie's game later when for example Australia runs dry or India stops producing supply.

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

BTW, what are your arrangements for off-map convoys (routes, ship numbers, ship types)?  Do you use the East Coast - Cape Town route? How much fuel do haul from Abadan/Cape Town to India and Australia on average monthly? Do yoy refuel your convoys at destinations i.e Perth? I don't think you discussed this ideas in detail in either of your tutorial AARs. This may harm newbie's game later when for example Australia runs dry or India stops producing supply.

I had some of this in my first AAR.

In both games I was shipping fuel mainly (Australia for eample is not going to run out of supplies anytime soon). Fuel transportation has to be given some thought beforehand, since not only it keeps industry going and creates supply, but also there is need to stockpile for naval operations.

I have not been using routings between Off-map bases, just directly from Off-map to On-map.

Fuel transportation routes I used:

Abadan -> Karachi & Bombay
Cape Town -> Perth
Los Angeles -> Suva (been stockpiling into Suva and then using smaller TKs with routes):
Suva -> Sydney
Suva -> Auckland

plus auxialiary routes with smaller amounts:

Panama -> Auckland
Panama - Suva
Perth -> Darwin (I'll use Darwin as sub base after loss of Soerabaja

All TKs refuel at destination. Large 10+ TK convoys from LA to Suva usually also have slow AO (excellent use for slower 13 knot AOs) within to allow enroute refuelling of convoy.

Exact numbers of fuel hauled depend entirely of TKs and AOs available. To Australia/Suva..as much as I can..Oz and naval operations there eat fuel like wolf eats mice..and that is on top of industry needs. And I haven't even gotten any CVs there yet. Single max size (2CV and 23 escorts) Air Combat TF can easily gulp 20-30k of fuel per top up after extended operations. So before running extended operations even with only 2 CVs in Salomons, I need to get at least 200-250k of fuel in Suva & OZ to be on safe side. That is 2 month operation from LA with available TKs.

From Abadan to India, that is not so critical, decent amount of TKs and can easily have big surplus in India and good reserves in Colombo for RN. In this campaign I don't think I use Abadan -> Perth route, unless really having to. Route is bit vulnerable for IJN CV interdiction and too long. Cape Town -> Perth is more secure and can satisfy most West Australia needs..and fuel will move to East Australia from Perth if needed. Just have to be careful not to drain Cape Town, since troop convoys need to refuel when coming back there.

[Sardaukar]

By the way, I have continued this campaign, but not updated AAR.

Here is early May 1942 save:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/50118399/wpae022.pws

(as usual, if you have save already in slot 22, save somewhere else than AE save folder and renumber the save)

I'll post short summary of events later.

[Yaab]

Thanks for the post on the convoys. Right now, I am trying to develop spreadsheets for my CS convoys. Actually, I had to restart may GC as Allies once again since it was only one week into the conflict and I already felt lost with my ad-hoc convoy composition.

I have also sorted out the garrisons in India. It takes some reshuffling but you can free your best units for the frontline - I missed that on my previous sloppy-play attempts at GC.

[Richard III]

I enjoy and learn from this AAR, thanks for the effort. I think it`s of great value prepping people for PBEM`s

Are you going to island hop the better quality short range Aussie and Brit air units out of Sinapore to Oz before the AI cuts the route to Oz ?

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: Richard III

I enjoy and learn from this AAR, thanks for the effort. I think it`s of great value prepping people for PBEM`s

Are you going to island hop the better quality short range Aussie and Brit air units out of Sinapore to Oz before the AI cuts the route to Oz ?

Singers is gone now. [8D] I transferred all air either to Rangoon or Java before the fall (happened about 2 weeks later than historically, despite evacuating 8 AUS Div brigades).
Bataan fell 1 May.
I think I am losing Soerabaja (last major base in DEI) in 2-3 weeks.

Download my last save from post before and examine in leasure.

Unlike in my first "Newbie AAR", I have purposefully NOT optimized Allied defence. E.g. I left DEI ground units where they were. However, I went for '"Rangoon Gambit".

This is more of lesson that "Perfection is enemy of Good". One does NOT have to spend hours pondering a turn as Allies. By concentrating what you have to do, one cuts planning time to 1/3.

[Sardaukar]

Strategic map, May 3, 1942:

[Sardaukar]

As one can see, I am holding Pegu & Rangoon, so far quite comfortably. RTA division that sneaked past to north has proved to be difficult to dislodge with forces I have availeble.

Since I have reasonable amount of troops in SWPAc (18th UK, Americal, 8th AUS Div), I have sent elite 6th & 7th AUS Div overland towards Burma, not going to risk these hgh-value and irreplaceable units aboard ships to Rangoon. Only running single ship Cargo TFs to Rangoon now.

I am still holding parts of Java, including Soerabaja. Continuing IJ air attacks have made it impossible to use as sub base though. Subs will slowly rotate to use Darwin & Perth as bases.

I was *this* close to lose Port Moresby to IJA when it landed with heavily reinforced division and managed to get several 1-1 attacks. I was able to rush in 3 brigades & 2 AA rgts just in time, rebuilding 5th AUS Div there. Unit, except 8th AUS parts are in bad shape though, but slowly gaining AV. AI has something like 2 1/2 divisions of troops there. I have 1 division, 2 brigades, 4 inf battalions, tank battalion, arty reg, 2 AA regs and independent inf company, plus few base forces.

AI is slowly invading Salomons and my fuel supplies are not sufficient yet to try to contest that a la Coral Sea.

[Yaab]

You have a unit in Sarmi or Hollandia, in Dutch New Guinea?

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

You have a unit in Sarmi or Hollandia, in Dutch New Guinea?

AI hasn't gotten all bases yet, but most of units in NG or Borneo have been forced out of bases and is slowly withering in jungle.

[wdolson]

I found a trick to move more fuel to Australia.  The tankers are mostly a mix of 8000 endurance and 12000 endurance ships and they are scattered all over the map at start and arrive here and there.

It took a while, but I slowly moved all the 12000 endurance tankers to be based out of Los Angeles and only kept about 10 8000 endurance tankers to keep bases in the eastern Pacific stocked up.  To compensate, I moved all the shorter legged tankers saved from the DEI to Adaban where they are running short haul runs to India and Columbo.  Fuel offloaded in Karachi will eventually make its way across the sub continent.

Having more 12000 capacity tankers running from LA has dramatically upped the transfer of fuel to Australia.  In my current game I'm in June 42 and there is no fuel shortage in the SW Pacific area, though there isn't any massive abundance either.  I do have about 300 K of fuel en route to Australia, so I'm not worried.

Bill

[Yaab]

Wdolson, do you refuel the 12 000 endurance TKs in Australia or do you use an AO for replenishment? A 12 000 endurance ship can only cover LA-Suva-LA route without any refuelling.

[Sardaukar]

May 15, 1942:

Just got kicked out of Pegu in Burma, not good. Also, IJN CVs raid Sydney & Brisbane. Also has surface combat near PH, old battlewagons commanded by Adm "Ching" Lee did quite well vs raiding IJN cruiser force.

[Richard III]

Actually that`s good for us viewers, we will see how far they go and how you will fight Burma/India...[8D]

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

May 15, 1942:

Just got kicked out of Pegu in Burma, not good. Also, IJN CVs raid Sydney & Brisbane. Also has surface combat near PH, old battlewagons commanded by Adm "Ching" Lee did quite well vs raiding IJN cruiser force.

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: Richard III

Actually that`s good for us viewers, we will see how far they go and how you will fight Burma/India...[8D]

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

May 15, 1942:

Just got kicked out of Pegu in Burma, not good. Also, IJN CVs raid Sydney & Brisbane. Also has surface combat near PH, old battlewagons commanded by Adm "Ching" Lee did quite well vs raiding IJN cruiser force.

I did seriously underestimate the number of troops AI was committing into Burma... Now it is race between AI being able to smash me in Rangoon, where I have 400+ AV behind lvl 3 forts and decent terrain, and my 2 of 5 divisions enroute arriving from jungle in day or 2.

This sort of underestimation almost cost me Port Moresby too, where I thought that 1 div + would keep it secure.

[Sardaukar]

May 21, 1942, Burma:

[Sardaukar]

Strategic map:

My fighting power in DEI is basically spent. I have few bases around Soerabaja protected by SCTF, which has performed well. Problem is, I run out of air fighter airframes and thus evacuating. I expect to lose all DEI within a week or so.

[Sardaukar]

Soerabaja is lost Jun 2, 1942.

5 divisions and 1 Arm Brigade have all arrived to Burma, racing south to rescue Rangoon from IJA shock attacks. IJ AI seems also to like to get Canton Island.

Save from June 4, 1942 in link (as usual, renumber file to empty slot if in need to avoid ovewriting).

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/50118399/wpae023.pws