Wait, I can't read Cuttlefish's new AAR? - Cribtop (J) vs CF (A)

[Cribtop]

Quick update - Tennant Creek falls! Banzai!

[alaviner]

Just found and read your AAR, Great job in China. I have been out of gaming for over a year due to RL issues but maybe it is time to reinstall AE, upgrade, and take the AI for a spin.

[Cribtop]

Thanks, NCSU. Glad to have you aboard. North Carolina State, I presume? I'm a Texan but my family hails from the sprawling metropolis of Mullins, South Carolina. Our joke was "grits for breakfast and fajitas for lunch."

I strongly recommend getting back into AE. Amazing game if you can afford the time sink. [:D]

While I'm at it, another quick update (I'll catch up over the weekend) - Bataan falls! No surprise as those poor boys were starving, but the good news is that 36 LCUs surrender, including all base forces, HQs and US LCUs, so CF didn't get anything out. In fairness to him, this was probably an intentional decision to stay true to history rather than neglect to sub evac units on his part.

Still, it's worth 736 VPs today and frees up 3 Divisions and a Brigade for the perimeter. Operation Killshot thus concludes successfully. Banzai! [&o]

[Cribtop]

August 20, 1942

Subs

Escorts chase off Truant from an empty troop convoy returning to Singers. Truant then shoots and misses a DD, taking a penetrating and several minor hits in return. That should send the sub home.

Grayling misses an xAK near Miyako Jima.

DD Stuart DCs I-7 without effect north of Sydney.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

No change.

14th Army

BA Bataan shows raw AS of 1528 vs 432. This will be over quickly, which is great news to a Cribtop HQ worried about an early Allied offensive catching us with our pants down.

16th Army

Despite the efforts of 27 B-17s, the IJAAF and our tank regiments prevail at Tennant Creek. Severe storms in the hex helped to minimize the effect of the 4Es. Adjusted AV soars due to the availability of supply. Odds of the SA are 4:1, the base falls with 3 LCUs retreated, casualties 463(123) vs nil.

Via e-mail, Cuttlefish commented that he hopes we enjoy Tennant as we won't be there long. This is probably true, but the spoiling attack is judged a nice success in Tokyo as it will impose delay on any offensive toward Darwin.

25th Army

Ketapang occupied. Christmas Island makes level 3 forts.

15th Army

Our first night raid at Ledo damages 5 C-47s. Not great, not bad. By e-mail, CF and I tentatively agree to limit night attacks to harassment raids of one group except for 4E firebombing raids (scary for me, but that's what happened IRL). We'll re-evaluate as the game goes on.

There's a moment of panic when a PT TF at Port Blair reports an enemy floatplane, but there are no attacks, and after the replay we figure out that some variants of Catalina can just reach Port Blair from Trincomalee.

China

Chineses troops recently moved adjacent to a recon regiment deep in enemy territory (hex 76, 50 two hexes east of Tuyun, blocking a road). Today the Chinese air force bombs this unit. If this keeps up we'll CAP trap.

A fresh brigade arrives at hex 81, 40 (the mountains between Ankang and Tienshui where CF tried a DA recently), bolstering AS to 940.

We are having weirdness with an armored car near Pingsiang. It's twice been ordered to march from hex 83, 53 to 84, 54 (from there it could close out an enemy controlled hex side), but twice has instead marched from 83, 53 to 83, 54. Must be a bug, because we're ordering the move from one hex to the other (i.e. no further destination). The first time it happened we assumed it was a "beer enabled" moment ( it was a weekend turn), but it happened again after we triple checked the move. We will try marching overland from 83, 54, but it's annoying to have the delay for an important Op.

In the good kind of problem department, a recon group that is perma-restricted to Formosa is running out of Chinese units in range of Pescadores to recon. [:D]

Combined Fleet

Not a lot going on as far as moves go, but we're assembling assets for the Baker counterinvasion, dubbed Operation Retread.

Other

Maizuru hits level 6 port.

[Cribtop]

August 21, 1942

Subs

No contacts. Our subs near Sydney re-activate their Glens, keeping an eye on the port but restricting range so as to avoid CAP in Sydney itself.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

A decent number of reinforcements ship out for Truk. One naval guard is bound for Tarawa, the 3rd and 4th Raiding Regiments will join the local reserve at Rabaul, and several much needed base forces will move to their stations.

14th Army

The first DA at Bataan takes the base rather easily with 6:1 odds despite level 3 forts. Banzai! [&o] As mentioned above, 36 enemy LCUs surrender for a total VP haul this turn of 736. Total army loss points for the game to date are 9919 to 392, a rather tasty ratio of 25.3 to 1! It will drop as time goes on, but as a barometer of success in the ground game it's a sign we're doing well.

The success at Bataan, although inevitable, is great news. We can now shift two divisions to 25th Army to help provide a reaction force (18th and 56th, which will move to Singers and Kendari), while 14th Army moves to Truk to dramatically increase the size of our theater reserve in the Pacific AOs. Nice! We will first have to clear the mines at Bataan, but then will immediately load for the new positions.

Opening Manila also allows more efficient resource hauling.

The fall of Bataan concludes the PI campaign far later than expected, but we believe we chose to wait this long for sound reasons. Going forward, we will no longer report on 14th Army AO, as that formation is now subordinated to SE Fleet.

One final note: A result this important would normally have rated a first person account, but given the historical events at Bataan it seems inappropriate to discuss the Japanese point of view. I will instead choose simply to salute the brave American and Filipino forces who gave all for freedom, as well as the forces that liberated the survivors in 1944. [doffs cap respecfully].

16th Army

Our exhausted air force has to stand down today. 31(!) B-17s pound our tanks at Tennant Creek. This is actually decent news as such a large commitment of 4Es to a relatively unimportant theater is good as far Cribtop HQ is concerned.

25th Army

Batoe-eilanden invaded.

15th Army

We try a night/day raid combo at Ledo, but the night attack is scrubbed by weather. The day raid is a success, however, destroying 3 C-47s on the ground. Still no CAP. Total airfield damage is up to 47%.

Akyab ominously makes airfield level 5. That said, if CF moves this far forward with his air force, it may create an opportunity for favorable attrition in the air.

China

The enemy tries a DA at Kukong, but a scratch force behind level 3 forts stops them. Odds are 1:2, casualties 2382(14) vs 719(6). In a few days 26th Division will enter the hex from the last Allied controlled hexside, fully isolating 6 LCUs.

Siangtan hits level 2 forts.

Current intention in China is to fully isolate and then destroy the Pingsiang stack, freeing up forces to combine with 17th Army and attempt the seizure of Changsha.

[Cribtop]

Time for a short comment before bed. I'm actually tired tonight (this morning), which is incredibly rare for me after my 10am mental wake up time.

I am quite encouraged by the state of the war. It occurred to me tonight that the final victory at Bataan frees up not just the combat troops referenced, but also 4 IJAAF base forces, 1 Val group, and an ELITE IJAAF bomber wing. I'll add in a fighter Sentai (soon to be Tojo equipped) and a recon group and move the whole lot to Manus awaiting action in 16th Army or SE Fleet AOs. Nice.

The base forces can go to places near Saumlaki and build a second line behind Darwin.

We moved a few subs to the western exit of the Bass Strait. Once we confirm CF has moved his carriers West of this point (hopefully by sinking a CV), Combined Fleet will move back to Babedaob. For now it looks like CF will try to pursue the approach utilized against him in his game against Q-Ball. If so, we'll be ready, as this was an avenue of approach we considered highly likely from day 1 of the war.

[princep01]

Crib, nice job at Bataan. I'm sure your casualties were very low given the "stravation strategy" used to take this rich haul of Allied forces. Make sure and feed the POWs. You don't want that knock at your door should the Allies ultimately prevail in this fracas:).

After reading a few AARs wherein the IJA used this strategy to take out the PI, I've become convinced that the wisdom of the strategy is a function of the aggressiveness of your opponent. Against a more aggressive Allied player, tying up those assets thru mid August COULD have negative consequences for Japan. Just another excellent give and take aspect of this infinitely interesting game.

Overall, you have to be happy with how your imperial forces have fared to date. Naval losses have been low and your expansion has gone very smoothly.

Good AAR too.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Thanks, NCSU. Glad to have you aboard. North Carolina State, I presume? I'm a Texan but my family hails from the sprawling metropolis of Mullins, South Carolina. Our joke was "grits for breakfast and fajitas for lunch."

I strongly recommend getting back into AE. Amazing game if you can afford the time sink. [:D]

While I'm at it, another quick update (I'll catch up over the weekend) - Bataan falls! No surprise as those poor boys were starving, but the good news is that 36 LCUs surrender, including all base forces, HQs and US LCUs, so CF didn't get anything out. In fairness to him, this was probably an intentional decision to stay true to history rather than neglect to sub evac units on his part.

Still, it's worth 736 VPs today and frees up 3 Divisions and a Brigade for the perimeter. Operation Killshot thus concludes successfully. Banzai! [&o]

All of those ground units can now be rebuilt with the new patch at very little cost. There is really not much sense in evacuating fragments anymore. No sense risking the ships or aircraft. I mid 44 I have rebuilt all of the large PI naval base forces and they are very useful. Works for Japan as well.

[Crackaces]

All of those ground units can now be rebuilt with the new patch at very little cost. There is really not much sense in evacuating fragments anymore. No sense risking the ships or aircraft. I mid 44 I have rebuilt all of the large PI naval base forces and they are very useful. Works for Japan as well.

That cost would be little in terms of PP costs ... the actual rebuild cost is what it is in terms of HI. Using WitP Tracker I esitmated 90 days of production; however, in the meantime new units came into theater lacking devices that were deviated to the units I just built. Thus far not all the units have filled out, but given new reinforcements, losses, and units still to be filled out WitPTracker says another 90 days ..

Still a good deal but not free by any means ..

[Cribtop]

crsutton & crackaces - you know, even though I've used the "buy back" system myself, it's amazing how assumptions stick with you. I really prefer the system where saving fragments isn't necessary.

princep - I agree about judging your opponent and evaluating your plans as Japan before deciding on a "fast PI" vs a "slow PI" strategy. In this case I left 1 Division and 1 Brigade sitting on Clark, so not a whole lot of troops. The worry was when I shifted 18th and 56th Division out of their reaction role to administer the final blow. In retrospect, I probably only needed one of those units, but such is life. It's certainly a relief to suddenly have 3 more divisions and a brigade to man the walls!

65th Brigade will become the principal garrison of Milne Bay, IMHO a key base. 48th Division and 20th Division will be at Truk. 18th (which has just absurd EXP after its many conquests) will be at Kendari, 56th at Singers.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

All of those ground units can now be rebuilt with the new patch at very little cost. There is really not much sense in evacuating fragments anymore. No sense risking the ships or aircraft. I mid 44 I have rebuilt all of the large PI naval base forces and they are very useful. Works for Japan as well.

That cost would be little in terms of PP costs ... the actual rebuild cost is what it is in terms of HI. Using WitP Tracker I esitmated 90 days of production; however, in the meantime new units came into theater lacking devices that were deviated to the units I just built. Thus far not all the units have filled out, but given new reinforcements, losses, and units still to be filled out WitPTracker says another 90 days ..

Still a good deal but not free by any means ..

Well the point is whether you are rebuilding a fragment or the whole unit it does not really matter. The cost is going to be about the same. It is just now you do not have to fret about saving certain units. It allows the Allied player to stand and fight in 42 and the Japanese player has somewhat the same options later on.

[princep01]

Crib, no dispute here, but why do you say Milne Bay is a key position? I have heard this said before, but have never understood the basic reason soem Allied (and thus Japanese) players consider it so important. In the games I have played (always Allied), I have never bothered landing and building it up, but there must be a reason this keeps getting repeated. There are other islands in the area that would seem to serve the same purpose. Are they just as good as Milne Bay?

[Cribtop]

Princep,

IMHO Milne Bay is like a can opener into further attacks on PM, Buna/Lae, Gasmata, and eventually Rabaul. It's an isolated base with nearby dots that the Allies can build up and use to get fighter escort for further depradations. Also, the Papuan Peninsula's "sides" divide fleet Ops and make it more risky to cross over toward PM (for Japan) or toward New Britain (for the Allies). Milne Bay let's you play in both ponds. This is sort of the lazy Sunday afternoon version of MB's importance, but I think you get the picture.

[princep01]

yes, I see that element. However, just about any of the island dot bases in that area would have the same effect, right> Normanby/Ferguson Is (if I remember them correctly). All allow decent air bases, but I have never scoped out the port potential, so I thought maybe Milne Bay had a large port potential and that was the reason for the high billing.

On to the Oscars (the little statuet type, not the air plane type:).

[Cribtop]

Actually, Fergusson or the dots can help, but if the Japanese still hold Milne they can contest control of the area. Also, the Japanese usually build up MB so it's worth taking to get the airfield. I intentionally didn't build it for that reason.

[Alfred]

Other than the Australian Queensland bases and Rabaul, Milne Bay is the best balanced base site which justs out into the Coral and Solomon Seas. It is a superior harbour than Port Moresby. There is limited value in having a level 9 airfield with more than 10 air units or 600 plus aircraft if it is difficult to constantly bring in and unload in a timely manner supply to maintain offensive operations. Also from Milne Bay Allied 4E can strike at enemy bases in the Solomons.

Alfred

[Cribtop]

Alfred gave the much better than lazy Sunday afternoon version. The point is, Milne Bay is key, so we're slapping a crack Brigade on there, stat.

Tonight's replay shows the enemy battle fleet curving southwest as they exit the Bass Strait. Is this a juke to dodge subs or an effort to double back East? Either way, with the number of Glen boats we have in the area, we will know tomorrow.

[obvert]

What is the situation in N OZ now and how far do you plan to go there? Both in distance and in time? Will you try to hold it at all costs or do you have a planned retreat at a certain stage when the Allies either get to a certain point or a at a certain date?

[Cribtop]

Obvert,

I had basically intended to get to Tennant Creek, Alice Springs if CF let me. He chose to commit a lot of armor to NW Oz very quickly, thus stopping me at Daly Waters. The move on Tennant was just a raid to take advantage of the lack of combat LCUs garrisoning that base. I don't plan to hold Tennant for long, but the delay in marching back to take it, rebuilding the base, and restoring logistics for a new advance on Daly is well worth the three armored regts we used, especially because they will be hard to cut off and thus should be able to live to fight another day.

As for longer term, NW Oz is strictly a delaying operation. I will slowly give ground all the way to Darwin, and will force CF to make a major commitment to drive me out. Realistically, once he has enough force to take Daly he will be on his way. However, we won't get Daly absent at least two divisions plus armor. When the Allies are threatening Katherine you will see me start to pack up except for a rear guard in Darwin.

[crsutton]

Funny thing about Northern OZ. There is a strict limit to Allied supply flow past Daily Waters. The Allies just can't support a large force beyond Daily Waters-they simply just don't get the supply. So if the Japanese player is willing to commit a large force to hold Darwin up to Tennant Creek, then it is impossible for the Allies to take it back by land. This is what Viperpol did to me in our game and held Northern Oz until early 44. I finally corraled his large army in Darwin but could only sit and watch as he pulled off a clean evaucation. My army at Darwin was totally out of supply and even though I had large airbasese full of bombers, I could not get them to fly a singe mission vs his vulnerable transports as they would not fly without some beans to eat.

The thing is, there was really no need for him to pull out at all. He could have held Northern Oz for another 4 months if he wanted. There was nothing I could do. Unless, I used all my carriers and invaded in his rear, but Allied carriers are usually busy elsewhere. Even if he lost three divisons and the supporting troops, I think it would have been worth it to hold Darwin for the extra time.