The Hive - Cruft PBEM (Japan, Scen 2 Beta + Stacking Limits)

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

No logical reason. I just don't like the George.

I don't play this game to optimise every single little thing.

I laughed at this. I don't like the George either, but from a model building perspective. Didn't really know what they looked like and saw a kit of one for a good price in my local hobby store. I will buy most anything, but drew the line with the George. For no other reason than it's just ugly. [:D]

[btbw]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

ORIGINAL: btbw

And IJN navy AG can be expanded from default numbers to cap of CV.

Nothing on this earth would get me to do that. It's a game exploit of the first magnitude.

Same as RD)

[btbw]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I can't abide PDU Off. It would be OK if the game engine simulated a lot more real industrial and logistical constrictions to go with it but it doesn't.

It's simple. The George is ugly and nose-heavy therefore I don't want it.

Historically accurate is not that important to me, however I do feel a need to introduce some impediments to my god-like control. Otherwise you just get stuck into relentless game engine optimisation, which to me would be boring not to mention too stressful.

Simple - i just historical funboy and like to lose. Nothing can be added to this.

[Captain Cruft]

Green button ...

Some people just have no idea.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I can't abide PDU Off. It would be OK if the game engine simulated a lot more real industrial and logistical constrictions to go with it but it doesn't.

It's simple. The George is ugly and nose-heavy therefore I don't want it.

Historically accurate is not that important to me, however I do feel a need to introduce some impediments to my god-like control. Otherwise you just get stuck into relentless game engine optimisation, which to me would be boring not to mention too stressful.

Ha! I love your brash attitude about why you play the game and what you want to do with it. Cheers!

It is fun to play, and if doing things a particular way makes it more fun for you then that's the way it should be in your game. Being an art teacher and photographer I can understand the aesthetic part. One of the reasons I am going to build the Tony. I just like the look of it!

[Captain Cruft]

Thanks

I am quite confident that my fighter choices will do what I want from them. Most people let the air war get stuck into static duel mode. Strength against Strength. That is not my plan.

[FDRLincoln]

I applaud your attempt to develop new tactics.

[Captain Cruft]

Thank you

It's not just tactics though. The problem is, the game's over-stated Japanese industrial and logistics capabilities lure you into thinking that you can compete with the West at its own game (technology + logistics), but you can't, unless you have an incompetent opponent and/or use game engine exploits. Therefore, I prefer to play as the "poor man" right from the start. That is to say "poor" but with far more options than in reality.

It's not strictly historical, but it feels better to me than the usual unrealistic "Japan invades half the planet" followed by the game ending in 1943 type of scenario.

[Miller]

Can I ask why you have chosen the Jack over the George? Almost identical stats but the George has a 2-3 hex range advantage which can be vital.

Edit: Oops sorry, just noticed you are not going to build either[:D]

[Captain Cruft]

The Jack is ugly too.

Now, for some merchant shipping news ...

I have decided to stop using escorted convoys for all Resource transportation and Oil/Fuel transportation in safe areas.

Three reasons:-

1) It's a pain in the ass organising it all.
2) I have too many Resources, too many xAKs/xAKLs and not enough ASW escorts.
3) It really feels wrong to me that the Allied subs should be as useless as they are.

Oil/Fuel/Troops/Supply to/from contested areas will continue to travel in convoy and under escort.

Along with this, I will not henceforth be upgrading any DDs or APDs into Es.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

Green button ...

Some people just have no idea.

[:D]
Yep
[:D]

Best thing is to read converstations where they are there, but they aren't. [;)]

[Saros]

Cruft I am both horrified and intrigued by your approach to this game. Keep up the good work.
Although maybe reconsider building one of the Jack/George? They are really essential and I doubt your opponent will base his 4EB's within Oscar/Nick strike range of your bases more than once (That first time is probably going to hurt though.)

If you don't try produce a counter to the 4EB raids how are you going to defend anything at all? 80 4E can flatten an airbase of any size per day and once he has 3-4 squads like this operating (late '42 this is easily possible) you will simply be unable to mount any sort of defense on the outer perimeter. The same will unfortunately be true once he hits the hardened inner core. Overfortified/Garrisoned bases will be bombed then bypassed thanks to the massive ability of US engineers (seabees etc) to build up even the crappiest of dot bases.

I worry that your opponent will simply flow around your hardpoints and occupy the key shipping lanes before assaulting the hive proper.

[Captain Cruft]

My opponent is very risk-averse. He has quite a lot of 4Es in Burma but has seemed reluctant to put them up against my fighters, even though they don't shoot many of them down.

That said, of course I will have problems with this approach, but solving problems is what I like doing. There is always more than one way to skin a cat.

[Captain Cruft]

Nov 26 1942

4E bombers vs. Zeros ...

How timely. This was the day that the long-expected 4E attack from Rabaul finally arrived at Truk. I will let the results speak for themselves [:D]




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Truk , at 112,108

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 40 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 72

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 49
B-24D Liberator x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 2 destroyed
G3M2 Nell: 1 destroyed on ground
F1M2 Pete: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 8 destroyed, 28 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 3 destroyed, 9 damaged

Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
4 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
7 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
8 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
4 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
8 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
204 Ku S-1 with A6M3 Zero (4 airborne, 10 on standby, 31 scrambling)
4 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 6000 and 20000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 32 minutes
284 Ku S-1 with A6M3 Zero (2 airborne, 6 on standby, 19 scrambling)
2 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 9000 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 34 minutes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Truk , at 112,108

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 25 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 25

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 14

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 6 damaged

Runway hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
204 Ku S-1 with A6M3 Zero (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
13 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters to 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 59 minutes
284 Ku S-1 with A6M3 Zero (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
11 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 48 minutes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Truk , at 112,108

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 34 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 17

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 8

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed by flak

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
204 Ku S-1 with A6M3 Zero (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 4 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
4 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters to 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 33 minutes
284 Ku S-1 with A6M3 Zero (3 airborne, 0 on standby, 5 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters to 10000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 27 minutes

[FDRLincoln]

Nice use of layered CAP.

How much flak you got there?

[Captain Cruft]

8 x 10cm and 24 x 7.5cm guns plus the DP guns in the Truk Fortress. It was the Zeros that did the damage though.

What is even better is that I didn't lose a single pilot, and one has even graduated to TRACOM after getting 3 kills.

[FDRLincoln]

I have sometimes wondered if flak has some sort of "breakup bomber formation" effect that doesn't show up overtly in the combat animations but enables defending fighters to perform more effectively.

[Captain Cruft]

Mebbe. There are lots of undocumented things in this game. I have far larger stacks of AA in Downfall though, and yet the 4E bombers there have been pretty much untouchable.

I think the key factor here may be that high pilot exp and skill allowed the fighters to attack along the most advantageous approach vector. The kills were mostly achieved by attacking from the "Upper Front" ...

[Captain Cruft]

Why I like Service Rating 1 ...

I lost 11 Zeros at Truk today. Tomorrow I will be able to field only 9 less Zeros than today, in the unlikely event that he decides to commit his bruised 4E stack again. Fatigue and morale remain good.

[Captain Cruft]

Meanwhile, over in Burma ...

The 33rd Division is not in good shape. Bombing has recently intensified, and the negative effects seemed to accelerate once the active devices went below 50% of TOE.

The escape plan is that once Meiktila is reached next turn, we shall reclaim the base via a DA (assuming any AV remains) and then entrain for Rangoon. Doubtless many more devices will be disabled in the process but if we can reach the Burmese capital without completely evaporating then I hope that some Rest/Training should restore the unit to some semblance of usefulness.