Tropic Lightning - Comsolut (A) vs Hanzberger (J)

[comsolut]

WAR IN THE PACIFIC AE – Comsolut (Allies) vs Hanzberger (Japanese)

Month by Month Synopsis of the Game

Scenario 1, PDU on.

FIRST PBEM AE GAME

December 16th 1941 – First Month in two parts – Part 1

NoPac & Canada: AS arrived Kodiac along with 5 fleet submarines to initiate Sub Fleet #1. PR selected as early supply hub for NoPac. Early occupation of Adak Is. planned.

US: Pilot training and Transport Logistics initiated. WC main supply hub for PH and NZ.

Hawaii: The strike on PH only sank 2 BB, the rest in need of extensive repairs. A second day strike sank smaller vessels but also cost the IJN precious planes. ASW operations initiated against the numerous I Boats surrounding PH. Hawaii will be base for Sub Fleet #2.

US Carriers: Lex picked up F4F SQ from Wake, exited North and headed to SF. Enterprise headed for Sydney. Saratoga training in SD. Keeping these unready assets safe is always a challenge for the Allies. Yorktown expected in 13 days.

KB: After a second day strike on PH exited toward Wake which was pounded by the KB, then appeared to replenish at Truk. MKB ???

Islands between Hawaii and NZ: Quiet. Transports headed to Noumea were rerouted to Brisbane to await developments.

SoPac: IJN lands on Namatanai and Tulagi. PM air transports gathering scattered units. One small 2 cruiser SCTF managed to sink PB and xAKL.

AUS: Combining the elements of the 5th Aus Div in Brisbane. Running some supplies to PM. Gathering transports and using CT as major hub. Attempting to get an AS to Brisbane to for Sub Fleet #3 operations. Perth will be the base for Sub Fleet #4.

DEI: Miri, Brunei, Kuching, Beafort all invaded and captured. Numerous I Boats all around Borneo. Very few ASW assets present to deal with the threat. Any non essential vessels evacing to Perth. SCTF attempted to interdict invasion fleets with limited results.

Philippines: Air forces pummeled and forced to evac. Port evac went surprisingly well and many ships made it safely to Singapore, Soerabaja, and Darwin. Japanese units landing and advancing on Manila, CF, Bataan. SCTF attempted to interdict invasion fleets with limited results.

Malaya: Singapore closed as a viable port. Attempts to evac elements of the 7Aus Div look poor. Force Z was not located on Dec 7th and restaged at Batavia before heading to Colombo.

Burma: Port Blair was captured by paratroop assault. A SQ of Buffalo’s were unable to intercept all the air transports. CAP traps at Tavoy worked twice with very good results before Oscar sweeps brought an end to the operation. 2 SQ of the AVG present here (one in Rangoon and one in reserve in Chittagong).

India: Transport Logistics initiated. All unnecessary shipping sent to CT, Bombay, or Karachi. Current thinking is mixed on the 18th British Mot Div as to whether to deploy on Ceylon or Calcutta? Colombo will be the base for Sub Fleet #5 operations. Ledo is being built up to support supply transports into China. Eng, AA, Air HQ, will all be a priority here. Calcutta is the other priority, getting the AB to level 7. B17’s are already training here but need extensive training and upgrades before commitment to any efforts/plans.

China: Aggressive raids into Japanese held territory to disrupt supply lines is having limited effects. Ichang was captured by the Chinese but little else of note. Turned off a limited amount of HI and supplies are increasing – at least for the present. One SQ of the AVG in China for periodic CAP traps.

[comsolut]

Question for AFB's:

Date Dec 23rd, 1941. The 22nd and 27th Aus Bde's are in Singapore in strat mode. I wanted to evac them but my opponent appears to be making a concerted effort (subs, air, and surface ship assets) to interdict shipping to the port and daily bombings have seriously damaged the port.

I have AP transport standing by in Batavia with some destroyers for escort, I have the PP's to buy the units out, but it appears to risky to me in both shipping and PP's if the Jap player is trying to prevent their evacuation. Investing the PP's and shipping to have them likely to be sunk (I say 50/50 or worse) does not seem worth the risk.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[HansBolter]

Personally I don't think they are worth it. By the 23rd I have already evaced most of III Indian Corps tho so I take a totally different approach of evaccing units that don't cost any PPs. The two Aussie brigades are cheap enough to buy back after they get wiped out and with most of III Indian Corps gone I need them as some of the only stout units left to slow the overrun of Singapore.

[comsolut]

Yes, given the risk is so high, I struggle with the cost, that and I am not familiar with buying units back. This is my first foray into WITP:AE since WITP a few years back when I had one rather unsuccessful PBEM experience.

[HansBolter]

Units are pretty cheap to buy back, but return almost empty of devices.

So while it's a cheap cost in PPs it's a high cost from your device pool and a somewhat time consuming process to rebuild them to full strength.

Yet for units you are likely to lose anyway....

[comsolut]

I wanted to get them out for their quality and also the devices but you can only do what your opponent will let you. Players get in trouble when they try to force the situation against the Japanese player. Just have to roll with the tide.

Thanks for the advice.

[comsolut]

UPDATE: End of December 1941 (Reminder - this is my first PBEM with WITP:AE)

Overall, I feel confident I can hold the East Coast and England, at least against the Japanese. Germany is another question.

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VP's: J=5183 A=9903
Planes Losses: J=565 A=348
Merchant Tonnage Sunk: Jap Merchant 55,195 tons (no tankers).
Other Japanese Ships Sunk: 5 DD, 2 DMS, 7 PB, 1 SC, 1 I boat

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Logistics: The pipeline is being built. Most ships en route to Capetown, Abadan, Aden, EC, England, and WC. Supplies and fuel already flowing to Karachi from Abadan. 20 Cargo planes flying supplies from Ledo into China. January will see supplies/fuel moving from EC, WC, England to Pearl Harbor and Capetown.

Training: Pilot training is going on in all squadrons except the most active front line squadrons. Actually moved some high 60's out of a few rear squadrons and put some replacements in.

Evacuation: Went much better for shipping than land units. Did get the Cavite USN Base force out of the Philippines and to Perth. Unfortunately, my opponent has made any evac out of Singapore impossible with planes, subs, and Surface ships. Saved the political points and ships rather than try to evac the 27th and 22 Aus. Brigades from Singapore. Was a personal priority but faced reality and abandoned that operation.

Resistance: I use Cap Traps selectively and cruiser led surface combat task forces to raid invasion sites - but usually two or three days after the initial landing. Have been catching some weakly escorted task forces to good advantage.

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THE GOOD:
1) In China managed to liberate Shaoling. Also mauled the 6th Japanese Division which, I assume due to poor recon, crossed a river and ran into a large Chinese Army. I then counterattacked the following turn. You can see the results:

Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 12255 troops, 102 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 448
Defending force 29578 troops, 184 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 793

Japanese adjusted assault: 6
Allied adjusted defense: 605

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 100

Combat modifiers
Defender: experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-), fatigue(-), supply(-)

Japanese ground losses:
5600 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 504 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 30 disabled

Allied ground losses:
119 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)


Assaulting units:
6th Division

Defending units:
12th Chinese Corps
29th Chinese Corps
13th Chinese Corps
85th Chinese Corps
3rd Group Army
31st Group Army

AND:

Ground combat at 86,47 (near Sinyang)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 25270 troops, 151 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 759

Defending force 8596 troops, 102 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 61

Allied adjusted assault: 60

Japanese adjusted defense: 13

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), disruption(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
2734 casualties reported
Squads: 161 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 102 destroyed, 22 disabled
Engineers: 15 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 16 (7 destroyed, 9 disabled)
Units retreated 1


Allied ground losses:
137 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
13th Chinese Corps
12th Chinese Corps
29th Chinese Corps
85th Chinese Corps
3rd Group Army
31st Group Army

Other:
2) Sub bases all up and operational with AS ship present.
3) 3 Squadrons of B17's (24 planes) organized at Calcutta and under unified command. Training with the occasional Airfield attack.
4) 453 Sqn has their 1st ace flying a Buffalo

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THE BAD:

1) Philippines: I only hold Clark Field and Bataan.
2) Malaya: Getting pushed back steadily. Managed to get some supply into Singapore but I doubt it will hold through January
3) KB - no idea where located. After PH and a cursory bombing of Wake Is, has not been spotted.

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THE UGLY:

Nothing that I can think of. I don't believe I have made any major mistakes, and I am exercising patience in building up logistics and experience through training. Allied Carriers are at a secret location and have little intention of sailing into harms way.

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KEY DECISION:

I have over 1000 political points and no clear plan or priority for spending these. ADVICE WELCOME!!!!!!!

[BBfanboy]

Hi comsolut! I am a relative newbie [had the game about a year] so take any comments I have in that light ...[:)]

Re: the PP, I used mine first to replace about half of the sub commanders from the Philippine sub group. Some of them had no aggression, no naval skill and brown noses.
Then I started looking for US units to buy and settled first on the Marine Regiment at San Diego. I want to reconstitute the Marine Divisions eventually so I am buying as I can. Unfortunately, there are Marine Regiments on Hawaii that are not assigned to Pacific Fleet so they will have to be bought.
You can also consider buying some of the early base forces in the US before they are fully equipped to TOE. They are much cheaper to buy before they fill out, as are combat units.
Did you buy out your B-17s in the Philippines and send them to Oz?
Also consider buying a couple of fighter units to send to Oz - it has none!

[comsolut]

Thanks for the advice.

Yes, I did by out the bottom tier of sub commanders in Manilla on Dec 8th.

Yes, I did buy out the B17's but sent them to Calcutta and put under 225RAF command. Been training, plan to upgrade to B17D, and use to bomb bases in Burma, Pt. Blair, maybe even naval search off India's coast.

I have been looking at the LCU's that I might want to buy - I think there is one Regt 164th, of the Americal Div,
2 Marine Regt (of the 2nd Mar Div), and the 40th Inf Div. Will look at the Marine Regts on Hawaii.

Aus does look weak on Fighters but which squadrons do you consider buying for there?

[comsolut]

More advice needed. I think I have the Air Force HQ's figured out going into Spring 42.

But I need advice on which HQ's are best for the land units. I understand NoPac, CenPac, SoPac, SWPac, but thinking ahead to India and Burma, which HQ's are best for preparing for the later 42' and 43' campaigns to start assigning LCU's?