Aboard the Red Castle - Erkki(J) vs. Smeulders(A) - no lookin'!

[Erkki]

6k a day? Yikes! [:D] My shipyards are now approximately 1600NSY and 800MSY. I'm planning to gradually lower the number of MSYs. I converted some merchant yards to naval because of my Navy plans: I'm planning to build Musashi too and I want all the CVs except Shinano(=aborted) accelerated until the "hull laid" day, at least. By May 26 1946 I should have Taiho and the 2 first Unryus. [;)] The only naval vessels I'm gutting are the subs. They're pointless. I'm building just the SSXes, the ones that were being built when the war started and 1 or 2 RO boats.

Potentially I have way too many armament factories running... I will have to see about the next turn. How many armament factories would you guys recommend one to keep running?

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

Potentially I have way too many armament factories running... I will have to see about the next turn. How many armament factories would you guys recommend one to keep running?

My armament pool is 90k and I'm producing only about 160-180 points a day. I've been able to sustain that level for months. I produce 300 vehicle points a day and that seems to allow the pool to be built up as well.

Like you, I also expanded navy shipyards at game start, but didn't convert merchant yards. Shipyards and overkill in air production are why I was slow to stockpile HI early. Now, I am in a position to simply turn off what I don't need to conserve HI, and if I run short on anything I turn production back on. I have 52k merchant points in the pool so have completely turned off those yards to use up the points. I paid a high front end cost, but I think it's paying off now in terms of being able to save HI points.

I'm still able to accelerate three CV's, a CVL and every DD and E boat that can be without dipping into more HI use. In fact I still have a naval shipyard point pool of 3k.

Some people's ability to conserve HI and build up the pool simply amazes me. Considering all the mistakes I made and wasting of HI in this game, I definitely know how to improve things even more next time. We'll get it figured out, if not this time, definitely next time. [8D]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

I just read Cuttlefish's AAR, where he had 1,4MHI points in reserve by the time DEI was cut off from Japan. And he lost that in half a month. At the moment, I have 450,000 and have a daily surplus of 3400 points(will not break 1 million until at earliest Spring 1943). I think I will have to reconsider my HI uses. The naval yards I want to keep producing, but I'm currently also using some 1,000 HI points every day to build planes. Reserves of some of the more important types are as follows:

Zero: 120 + 300
B5N: almost 300
D3A: 80
G4M and G3M: 400
Ki-43: 250
Ki-21 and Ki-49: 80

I believe I have more than enough of some of these types for the rest of 1942, and many are also bad in the kamikaze role. All non-training air units are already upgraded to modern types, minus 2/3 of Army fighters that still fly the Ki-43(Ki-44-IIa production is 110/month).

Halving the Zero and CV strike aircraft production from 130-30-30 to 65-15-15 alone would save 114 HI points/day. Shutting down the Netty production that isnt shut down yet would save 53 points. I also have over 150 Army transports in the pools so I can shut down the transport plane lines, for now(72 a day). I want to keep using Ha-32s but the Ki-21 production could also be halved, saving another 86.

That'd be 325 HI points a day saved, of course halved to 160 as I want to keep engine production on. 160 would make 4800/month or almost 30,000 for 6 months. And whenever needed I could just turn those factories back on. Hmm..

Decisions, decisions! [;)]

I would turn off most of the above factories (other than the Ki-21 and Ki-49: 80 ) completely until you get back to the 100 territory (or to 50 for the D3A). You build A LOT of transports! I only build 16 Thalias a month plus 4 Mavis-L and I have had my 14 plane Tina factory off for many months after the pool got to 30.

I keep playing with all factory settings, turning off especially the most expensive 2E and 4E transports, patrols and bombers if there is a small pool and not many being lost. I've been able to mess with either Armaments, Merchant Yards or various plane factories to keep throwing 5k HI in the reserve each day. So far I'm at around 650,000 HI (Sept 6/42) and the goal for 1/43 is 1 million. Still very doable unless I suffer some huge losses soon and need to ramp up again.

[obvert]

PS - How many BBs are actually on the info screen now? My FOW has been messing with my mind since day one. Some ships I though absolutely confirmed sunk have been taken off while others listed sunk in areas they could never have been. Hard to make sense of so I've just stopped caring what it says.

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: obvert

PS - How many BBs are actually on the info screen now? My FOW has been messing with my mind since day one. Some ships I though absolutely confirmed sunk have been taken off while others listed sunk in areas they could never have been. Hard to make sense of so I've just stopped caring what it says.

There isnt one single ship ever reported to have sunk at PH. Except the midgets of course...

[Erkki]

July 9


The Pacific: A massive task force sails through the Japanese submarine screen near the Hawaiian Islands. Submarine I-9 attacks it, but misses its torpedoes fired at a destroyer. The following depth charge attack hits the submarine once, but the damage is minor. This task force... Well, see yourself:

Allied Ships
DD Buchanan
BB North Carolina
CA Northampton
CA Portland
CLAA San Juan
CLAA Atlanta
DD Sims
DD McCalla
DD Duncan
DD Aaron Ward
DD Tucker
DD Reid
DD Russell
DD Hughes

North Carolina is not one of the 8 Pearl Harbor Battlewagons. Today many, at least 5, of the Japanese submarines nearby were also sighted by enemy patrol planes(which hasnt happened ever before!), as far as 6 hex from the I-9. I think that makes it pretty certain that this task force was either escorting, or was being escorted, by the USN CVs.

Economy: After readjusting the factories a little, the daily HI surplus went up from 3350 to 4400.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

ORIGINAL: obvert

PS - How many BBs are actually on the info screen now? My FOW has been messing with my mind since day one. Some ships I though absolutely confirmed sunk have been taken off while others listed sunk in areas they could never have been. Hard to make sense of so I've just stopped caring what it says.

There isnt one single ship ever reported to have sunk at PH. Except the midgets of course...

That sucks!

I agree that the TF looks like a CV TF. The NC should be with the CVs anyway.

[Erkki]

July 12th


Burma: Japanese fighters sweep Chittacong in force. All clear. Tomorrow we will start a small operation to keep Chittacong shut down - 60 bombers, including brand new Ki-49s, are ordered to hit the airfield supported by massed fighter escorts and sweeps. The purpose behind this operation is to keep this important front line field shut down should the Allied not want to defend it. As long as Chittacong is shut down, the only airbase close enough to Magwe's oil fields for Hurricane and P-40 is Imphal, which does not have a rail connection out and is thus relatively easy to keep suppressed as supply flow is limited and planes cannot be moved in and out if the runway is cratered.

DEI: An Army regiment lands at Denpasar. This force is way overkill as the place is apparently garrisoned by about 50 men.

[Erkki]

July 13, 14


Burma: Japanese bombers hit Chittacong both days. Despite the very low bombing altitude of only 9000ft, relatively few bombs hit their target. Chittacong is now reportedly 25% damaged, this BAD considering its only size 2 and we had over 60 bombers hit it both days. There is almost no AAA fire even that low, and our losses are just a couple of OPS Ki-21s.

No sign of Allied fighters there, they're still at Calcutta. On 14th about 60 bombers were moved out of Calcutta and I cant find them any more. It could be that Bart just moved back some planes he is not intending to use to free aviation support and parking space.

DEI: Denpasar falls! Mataram and Manado invasion forces are on their way to their targets. ETAs are 1 and 5 days.

KB: Shokaku and Zuikaku leave Kobe. With the Allied CVs near or in Pearl, I dont think I will send more CVs to upgrade quite yet. All CV, CVL and CVE air groups have been resized to make best use of available deck space and torpedoes. CV Zero fighter groups have been expanded by on average maybe 1/3.

Australia invasion: on hold, still.

Economy: I like the new Tracker! Being able to see R&D progress sure does help... Looks like we'll be getting Zero M3a next month and both Ki-44-IIb and Ki-61-Ia in 1½.

[obvert]

I HAVE to to get the new tracker running. Sounds great.


So for your CVs you value having more fighters at the expense of strike planes?

[koniu]

ORIGINAL: obvert

I HAVE to to get the new tracker running. Sounds great.


So for your CVs you value having more fighters at the expense of strike planes?

I am also just after resizing of my air group. An i must say more fighters is better.

I think we not loosing much offensive power by that. Of course you will have smaller number of bombers in strike but bigger number of fighters give them chance to get trough CAP. Also having your CAP bigger is always better.

After resizing KB air groups are better balanced. In first 6 months you have huge offensive power what is good. Allied air force is not big treat and small number of fighters in KB is just enough. But from middle `42 they getting stronger everyday and resizing is what KB need.

[obvert]

I thought he might have meant re-sizing beyond the normal re-size the KB gets automatically. Not sure though. I definitely agree the auto-resize is a very good thing.

[Puhis]

ORIGINAL: Erkki


Economy: I like the new Tracker! Being able to see R&D progress sure does help...

Actually, industry screen have shown this for a long time...

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: Puhis

ORIGINAL: Erkki
Economy: I like the new Tracker! Being able to see R&D progress sure does help...

Actually, industry screen have shown this for a long time...

Really? It sure isnt in my industry screen...

We've been considering updating to the latest update, but theres one but: after the update Japan may no longer pull pilots that havent accomplished the 12 month training, right? Or thats what I've read in other AARs where Japan players have ran out of pilots...

Obvert: yeah, but I went a bit further. I resized the KB B5N units so that if 10%(rounded up) planes fly search, there are enough left to carry about 2/3 of torpedoes on board each CV. D3A units are now slightly smaller, except on the Junyo, and Zero groups are resized + a little more to make best use of the deck space on every vessel.

[Erkki]

Now heres a question regarding Darwin. How important would people here consider it in DBB and with the new supply flow rules, compared to Scen 1 with old supply flow rules? My Invasion Australia is on hold now I do have troops prepped for multiple targets and a division nearly ready for Darwin. Naval units and transports are also ready. Full KB I dont think I'd need as the USN CVs are at Pearl.

I dont want to go there to just pull back a couple of months later once 4Es have bombed the crap out of my troops, but I dont want Bart to enter DEI in mid 1943 either.So far he has not built up any of the Australian bases, besides Sydney and Tennant Creek, at all. Darwin still has the 8 units it starts with. Japan is building fields and ports and fortifications and moving fuel to reserve in the DEI.

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Erkki]

Can we please have the spambot's message above removed? [&:]

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

Can we please have the spambot's message above removed? [&:]

Spambot? You mean I won´t earn 300 dollars a day!? Aaaaw!

[Erkki]

July 15


Burma: Weather grounds today's attacks on Chittacong, but recon still flies. We'll try again tomorrow. No Allied movements detected.

DEI: 16th Regiment attacks at Ambon and yet again fails against the 37 defending AV - I'm moving a 3rd of a division to reinforce. This is a farce...

[Erkki]

July 16


Burma: Ki-21s manage to find their way to Chittacong despite of the weather and even score some hits. Aerial recon reports the airfield to be about patched up again, but no Allied fighters were found flying CAP.

DEI: Mataram invaded. The troops are ordered to hang nearby the beach a couple of days and recover from the disruptiion and fatigue from the landing before attacking inland and securing the island. Ki-21s from Soerebaja will practice their aim on the local Dutch garrison. Manado invasion force is about 3 days from target.

Industry: Ki-49 production factories are expanded so that in a week it should be steady at 110/month. A Ha-35 factory is converted to Ha-34 to match the increased engine consumption. Ki-21 production is terminated, but the size 35 factory is left alone for now to later produce Ki-61(most probably).