[Clever Title Here] Texas_D (J) vs Marbakka (A)

[marbakka]

*snicker*

I'm just sifting through the Tracker info now. I'm getting yet another report of the BB Ise sinking (3rd?). This time it is claimed that it sunk upon hitting his own mine in Saipan.

[BBfanboy]

Nice that you got some retribution for the Bering Sea losses.
Re: Minneapolis, you can also send her to Prince Rupert which has a 10,000 ton capacity drydock.
Your comment about your opponent making a mistake by striking minor targets with carriers implies you believe specific targets can be selected. On Naval Strike mode, you cannot designate a specific target - the air groups sit in rest mode and wait for search sightings to come in. The computer decides what to attack with which squadrons. In my current game my 2CVs are within range of 4 CLs in three groups, an AMC carrying troops, and four small DDs in another TF. There is no air opposition so I put the fighters on Naval Attack too. So how does the computer allocate the air groups?

-The fighters with their dinky 100 lb bombs and strafing go after the cruisers. The bombs cannot penetrate their armour. [:@]
-Devastators armed with 500 lb bombs go after the AMC. This is effective. [:)]
-Dive bombers with 1000 lb bombs go after the agile DDs and get few hits.[:(]

You can select a target on Port Attack where you have a fixed point to go for.

[marbakka]

I realize that you can't direct Naval Attacks, but if you're wanting to not tipoff the enemy as to your CV's location, you need to turn the range down or something. I would have had no idea he was down here if his aircraft hadn't just flown like 7 hexes to attack (unsuccessfully) an AM that wasn't even doing anything but relocating.

[HansBolter]

Congrats on the surface combat success.

A possible way out for Force Z might be to head for Tijilijap and then on to the coast of Australia south of Darwin. I like to pull the short legged Dutch AOs out of the battle zone and station them at Broome for the express purpose of refueling SAGs retreating from the Java Sea battle are, especially since the Dutch SAGs are so short legged themselves.

It might also give you a shot at his BBs if they turn back for the battle zone. That is, of course, if you want to go up against them.

Oh, and in my last post, what I meant about only being aggressive where he is not there applied to his carriers.

[marbakka]

Orders Summary - January 7, 1942

- All units anywhere close to the carrier group near Koepang are ordered to face the other direction and 'hit the gas'
- Force Z is ordered west through the Sunda Strait in the hopes of encountering that BB TF in an even match. My main concern is that they will waste their rounds on already sinking transports between here and there. However, I fear that that BB TF is intended to screw with my IO shipping lanes and maybe even hunt for my UK CVs. I'm not sure if he knows it is there or not, but they should definitely be engaging targets tomorrow. (BTW...Force Z now bears little resemblance to the original Force Z other than the 2 BBs. I think I'll start referring to it as the PoW TF)
- All of my Cruisers/Destroyers not in the PoW TF are headed to Soerabaja where I will sort out who needs to go to Aussie and who I can fit into the yard at Colombo. Undamaged ships will reload and prepare for more action in the DEI.
- In NOPAC, all fleeing ships will go for another day east and then split with undamaged ships headed to Kodiak and damaged ships headed to the WC. I will attempt to run supplies to Dutch Harbor and Cold Bay while I can.
- In CENPAC, the troops that unloaded at Hilo will be split between Midway and Canton. I believe I set the CD and the ENG BF to go to Midway, while the large INF force is planning for Canton. I based this on a) the 6000 troop limits, and b) the fact that the CD has 53 days before withdraw and needs to stay close to transports at PH to be transported back to the WC (if I understand the withdrawal of LCUs correctly).
- In India, Bombay has a fresh new garrison of units returning from the CDL. This frees up the 7IND which is now boarding the trains to Dimapur from which it will march down the road to Imphal. I believe this is all I'm going to send to the CDL for now as it is high time I looked to the defense of the east Indian coast (Cuttack, Calcutta, Madras, etc.). I don't know how India Invasions usually play out, but I assume that he would attempt coastal landings in these areas.
- I have drained Soerabaja of nearly all of its fuel. SO, I'm risking my TKs a bit and sending them to the base on the SE coast of Sumatra. I'm hoping to get one load out of there and then my TKs will be removed from the DEI entirely.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: marbakka

I realize that you can't direct Naval Attacks, but if you're wanting to not tipoff the enemy as to your CV's location, you need to turn the range down or something. I would have had no idea he was down here if his aircraft hadn't just flown like 7 hexes to attack (unsuccessfully) an AM that wasn't even doing anything but relocating.

OK - now I get what you were saying about keeping incognito. Trouble with that strategy is you do need to send out searches to find the juicy targets too. Don't know if his cruiser aircraft would suffice or if LBA search was available in that area.
It's always a cat-and-mouse game with KB and this time I'm glad the little bird warned of the cat's approach. Did he use up his torps on that AM?

[marbakka]

January 7, 1942 Report

I should have known that a good day would be followed by disaster.

The Thunda in the Sunda
- PoW TF, reacting to surviving transports and DDs from the previous day's battle, pounded her way the OPPOSITE of the direction I told them to go. After 3 reaction/engagement sequences in which they finished off some transports, they had made their way close enough that the 2 enemy CAs SW of Billiton ambushed them. The engagement that followed was an embarrassment. HMS Prince of Wales was sunk by 6 shells and 5 torpedoes. BC Repulse and DD Parrott each took damage as well. Parrott sunk during the day. HMS Repulse will be just fine and is already almost back in port at Soerabaja. In exchange for this loss, the CA Mogami was hit by 11 shells and a torp resulting in "heavy fires, heavy damage" and CA Suzuya took 2 shells and is "on fire." Not an even trade from where I'm sitting.
- The enemy BB fleet that sailed through the strait and headed west has vanished. I see no evidence that it came back into the Java Sea, but search planes will be going crazy trying to find it. If it is in the IO, I need to know ASAP
- The yard in Soerabaja is jammed up with ships from the previous day's engagement. I believe the worst repair is 2 weeks from being complete, but that is little comfort given that I may not own Java in 2 weeks.

As if that were not bad enough...
- Oosthaven was taken without opposition
- Adak Island is under Japanese control (CL Honolulu was scuttled)
- And worst of all, Johore Bharu fell with severe loss of life:

Ground combat at Johore Bahru (50,83)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 39912 troops, 381 guns, 296 vehicles, Assault Value = 1935

Defending force 10449 troops, 118 guns, 81 vehicles, Assault Value = 345

Japanese adjusted assault: 794

Allied adjusted defense: 113

Japanese assault odds: 7 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Johore Bahru !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1046 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 61 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 50 disabled


Allied ground losses:
10733 casualties reported
Squads: 598 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 595 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 76 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 79 (75 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 61 (60 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 4
Units destroyed 4


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
113th Infantry Regiment
12th Engineer Regiment
41st Infantry Regiment
42nd Infantry Regiment
33rd Division (These guys were in Bangkok not long ago and I expected them to be moving to Burma)
4th Ind. Engineer Regiment
5th Engineer Regiment
23rd Ind. Engineer Regiment
11th Infantry Regiment
55th Infantry Regiment
14th Tank Regiment
114th Infantry Regiment
II./124th Infantry Battalion
15th Ind. Engineer Regiment
22nd Recon Regiment
Imperial Guards Division
5th Recon Regiment
III./124th Infantry Battalion
34th Field AA Battalion
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
5th Field Artillery Regiment
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
53rd Const Co
54th Const Co
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
25th Army
55th Const Co

Defending units:
11th Indian Division
12th Indian Brigade
29 Battery/3 HAA
110th RAF Base Force
1st Mysore Battalion
1st HK&S Heavy AA Regiment
111th RAF Base Force
5th Field Regiment

Pathetic. And with fighting like that, I expect Singapore will fall in short order.

- My submarines have spotted 2 large transport fleets north of Ambon moving south. I suspect this will be the invasion of Ambon that I've been expecting. AV is up to 96 and I expect he'll be bringing a lot more than that. I'm guessing that the carrier fleet down by Koepang will move north to support this invasion, but I have no idea where it went.
- Foul weather prevented any air attacks on my ships fleeing the Bering Sea. Remarkably, DD Brooks is still afloat with 94 FLT damage (down 1). She's still on the wrong side of the enemy line though, so I've written her off.

Intel
- It is reported that the airfield at Billiton just reached level 4. Fun times.

[marbakka]

Orders Summary - January 8, 1942

I didn't do much this turn as I was busy with some other things.

- Repulse TF will arrive in Soerabaja in the morning and refuel. Hopefully, I will have a fix on the enemy carrier and BB groups by then. If the coast is clear, I will move her and the ships that can float to Colombo, as the Java Sea is about to become inundated with long range bombers out of Billiton
- A force of 5 CLs and 2 DDs will leave Brisbane and head to the Noumea area to try and spy out what he is doing in the Solomons. I don't really have anything else for these guys to do, and I'd love the opportunity to rough up some of his transports in this theater
- CA Minneapolis and the wounded ships with her will go to Prince Rupert. The AVPs that were nearby are stopping at Cold Bay where the patrol planes are now stationed

[BBfanboy]

Lots of players have said they get good performance out of PoW and company shortly after the war starts but that has not been my experience. I sent PoW accompanied by Repulse, 3 "D" class CLs, and a "V" class DD into Singapore harbour to refuel and re-ammo [they still had 40-60% left]. They ran into [b]3 DDs[/b] , two of which had already hit mines. Sighting by both sides was at 2000 yards at night. The Japanese got the initiative and promptly put 4 torps into PoW, sinking it. They raked the British DD with gunfire and put one torp into a CL. Then they broke off the engagement and got away just when the British should have been starting to shoot back. Dismal performance all round for the British. Only bright spot was that Churchill's pal Tom Phillips perished.

[marbakka]

My opponent is concerned about the late game for Scenario 2. Apparently, there is an influx of pilots that will suck up all of his HI. I have no idea what that means, but he really hasn't been into this game since he found out. He offered to restart with Scenario 1 or a mod. We've both been looking at the Reluctant Admiral mod and have agreed to restart our game using the Reluctant Admiral 4.1 mod with stacking limits.

I've appreciated the information you guys have given me as I've played out this month or so of Scenario 2. You guys have been a big help to my learning how the game works and what needs to be done. Thank you!

Haven't decided yet whether I will take the time and effort to start yet another AAR for our new game. If I do, you guys are all invited!

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: marbakka

My opponent is concerned about the late game for Scenario 2. Apparently, there is an influx of pilots that will suck up all of his HI. I have no idea what that means, but he really hasn't been into this game since he found out. He offered to restart with Scenario 1 or a mod. We've both been looking at the Reluctant Admiral mod and have agreed to restart our game using the Reluctant Admiral 4.1 mod with stacking limits.

I've appreciated the information you guys have given me as I've played out this month or so of Scenario 2. You guys have been a big help to my learning how the game works and what needs to be done. Thank you!

Haven't decided yet whether I will take the time and effort to start yet another AAR for our new game. If I do, you guys are all invited!

You should consider sticking with the game. He will find a lot of things MUCH harder in Scen 1 and might wish he had the pilot 'problem' back in the late game. The reason it's an issue is that you have so many pilots. This is not a bad thing. Especially if you know about it and can stock HI fro man early date. It's only a problem if you make it to 45, and you're much more likely to do that in Scen 2 than you are in Scen 1 as the IJ.

It's really an issue when the Japanese do exceptionally well in the game and have too much territory, too many units and ships to feed supplies and fuel, and then the HI drain can really hurt. I'd LOVE to have that problem!!! So unless your opponent happens to be PzB in disguise, keep playing the game. It sucks to start over, especially going from Scen 2 to playing Scen 1 as the Japanese. Believe me. I've done it.

PS - If you want to load stacking limits you can do this in your current game and don't have to start over.