Hairy Asian Experiences - GreyJoy (J) vs. Q-Ball (A)

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Panther Bait

Once he gets out of the immediate Solomons/Rabaul/NG area, it's definitely going to be tough getting to the next line of islands without new APA/AKAs.

Mike

That's what i hope and that is my strategy

[Cribtop]

I'm aware that night attacks on airfields are generally considered problematic, but are there also issues with night torpedo attacks? IRL the Japanese used them quite often in this stage of the war as the Hellcat made daytime attacks futile. Just curious.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I can assure you Q-Ball is tearing his hair out. He's not even posting in his AAR. I can promise you if he'd sunk three IJN carriers over the past few days, he'd be posting. You've driven him to distraction, I think. He's good. He'll recover. But you're giving him a mighty game.

Well, the lost of the Mushashi and the extensive damages suffered by Mutsu, along with the planes losses, DO HURT, i can tell you.
My CVs are in a rough shape too. Too many turns at full speed and the recent long-distance battle against his CV/CVEs have seriously put a dent on the KB's strenght and quality. But it was needed, imho. He managed to concentrate, right under my eyes, a great force in the Solomons and in a couple of weeks he secured everything south of Rabaull....truly a blitzkrieg! So we needed those battles to slow him down a bit...and i think we managed to.
I'm now waiting for an extensive 4Es offensive campaign against the DEI from Darwin area and i'm trying to be ready for that moment.
The KB will remain at Truk for the moment, covering the retreat from Rabaul... then will be moved a bit west, ready to move back to the southern DEI

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

I'm aware that night attacks on airfields are generally considered problematic, but are there also issues with night torpedo attacks? IRL the Japanese used them quite often in this stage of the war as the Hellcat made daytime attacks futile. Just curious.

Don't know Crib.... i'm pretty scared to break the "night silent deal" to be honest.,...

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy
but he's way early in his offensive compared to RL. It's mid 1943 and he already has put a foothold in the DEI and has secured the whole PGN and the whole Solomons theatres... quite an achievement imho.

Meh. The Allies had much of the Solomons stitched up by mid-1943. So historical timeline there. Calling his tenuous grasp on an insignificant island north of Darwin a 'foothold in the DEI' is being unnecessarily charitable.

So, he's managed slightly greater than historical gains at exhorbitant prices. Why? Because he's in a rush. He thinks he can advance the historical timetable and is pushing too much offensive in 1943. He's paying the price for moving too fast on a shoestring. This isn't admirable Allied leadership, IMO. This is impatience manifest with a superior OOB. Call it Allied 'victory disease' if you wish, but I won't call it model leadership.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy
but he's way early in his offensive compared to RL. It's mid 1943 and he already has put a foothold in the DEI and has secured the whole PGN and the whole Solomons theatres... quite an achievement imho.

Meh. The Allies had much of the Solomons stitched up by mid-1943. So historical timeline there. Calling his tenuous grasp on an insignificant island north of Darwin a 'foothold in the DEI' is being unnecessarily charitable.

So, he's managed slightly greater than historical gains at exhorbitant prices. Why? Because he's in a rush. He thinks he can advance the historical timetable and is pushing too much offensive in 1943. He's paying the price for moving too fast on a shoestring. This isn't admirable Allied leadership, IMO. This is impatience manifest with a superior OOB. Call it Allied 'victory disease' if you wish, but I won't call it model leadership.

I can agree with you on a certain degree. I think he's done very well in late 1942-early 1943, with his blitz operations in the Marshalls and in the lower Solomons and north of Darwin. He's done a good job there cause he always took me by surprise, moving fast and unbalancing my defences.
Probably yes, he rushed a bit too much in the Solomons and at Saumlaki. The cost in terms of APAs is really high but he hasn't lost any CV battle yet (a part from the one in jan 1943 where he lost only 1 CV) and all his divisions managed to get ashore cleanly everywhere he sent them.
Now he will have to face the real difficulties. From now on i think he'll have to take some heavy risks if he really wants to keep the historical timeline.
An atoll landing, for the next months, is out of the equation, imho. Without lots of APAs, he cannot hope to do it with the KB around.
So his choices may only be: PGN: 1) from Lae up north, using landing crafts, untill he reaches Hollandia; 2) an attempt to take saumlaki using all his CVs (risky); 3) a completely different thing, like a surprise landing south of Java...but he'll need all his CVs to do that...and i'll notice it!

[Chickenboy]

I guess where I'm heading, GreyJoy, is that it's a bit of a double standard. Allied players feel as if they're pretty good players if they can avoid (nearly impossible) autovictory and bounce back. "Come out of the defensive and spring to the offensive = good Allied player".

In the meantime, little credit is given those Japanese players that mount a credible and flexible defense. Somehow dishing out sequential bloody noses to the Allies whilest maintaining a credible fleet in being and solid defensive bulwarks, falling back in an orderly manner to inflict deeper and deeper cuts to the Allied OOB and ability to wage war is underappreciated. "The Allies will always get more" seems to be the rallying cry for those Allied players that believe an attritional war is to be aspired to. Mediocrity in offense is hailed as a strategic victory. I don't buy it.

[Symon]

Been watching you and Q-Ball playing this from the beginning. Have to say you guys are both impressive. You are doing things like they were meant to be done with. I like your strategic appreciation. I like how you plan. I like how you marshal your forces and use them in support of strategic objectives; using time and space, until it's "time". Love this AAR. Some of it reads like one of our Fleet Problems, or a short term CPX.

Especially like how ya'll put different things into perspective, both operationally and logistically. That stuff helps us, more than you know, to make things mo'bedda. You guys are good. And yeah, I said the same thing to Q-Ball.

JWE

[JocMeister]

About the night bombing stuff. My opponent have tried this pretty extensively both with FPs and TBs. I think he has yet to hit something. Erik can probably tell more.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Symon

Been watching you and Q-Ball playing this from the beginning. Have to say you guys are both impressive. You are doing things like they were meant to be done with. I like your strategic appreciation. I like how you plan. I like how you marshal your forces and use them in support of strategic objectives; using time and space, until it's "time". Love this AAR. Some of it reads like one of our Fleet Problems, or a short term CPX.

Especially like how ya'll put different things into perspective, both operationally and logistically. That stuff helps us, more than you know, to make things mo'bedda. You guys are good. And yeah, I said the same thing to Q-Ball.

JWE

Thanks JWE!
I think we're playing a fairly historical match. None of us has been exploiting any game feature, nor we haven't brought the code to those limits which can ruin a match.
DBB helped us a lot! The stacking limits are a great thing, imho, and the code changes made in the latest beta about the aviation support really made this game challenging but balanced!

Happy you're enjoying the trip with us[:)]

[GreyJoy]

August 8-9, 1943
 
We have retired Yamashiro and friends from Rabaul. Rabaul is doomed and there's no point in risking my fleet down there.
...The last transport TF had just left Rabaul when, on the 9th, Fletchers TFs swept Rabaul, sinking 3 AKEs and 1 PB... the very last ships that were ready to be moved out!
At the same time 200 P-47/Corsairs swept the base east of Rabaul, followed by 150 bombers, while 100 4Es bombed Gasmata. The allied CVs positioned 6 hexes east of Rabaul, trying to intercept my retreating TFs... we managed to escape! [:)]...just in time!!!!!
 
I'm almost ready to abbandon Rabaul completely. my 300 fighters there are ready to be moved out. 150 Tojos will be moved to Hollandia area, while the IJN fighters will be moved to Truk and Ponape.
 
NZ Paras took Feni Island, just 2 hexes south of Rabaul... it's really hard to abbandon all those troops... nearly 300,000 men and endless equipments will be left behind.... but i have no choice. Won't do the same mistake Tojo made in RL. I won't fight into allies' strenghts!
 
J2M3 is finally in production. 80 of them monthly. Feels good!
 
In Burma Brad is testing my outer perimeter, with many bombardment missions. But i think he's retiring most of his troops. Many units have been moved back far away from my eyes... I'm doing the same.
The 5th Division is getting to Mergui, in Thailand. Thailand's defences are getting stronger every day. I'm already planning a general evacuation from Burma by early 1944

[GreyJoy]

August 10, 1943
 
The allies came for Hollandia. 25 P-38s escorted some 70 4Es from Mereuake. We had some 30 KI-44a s over there that did tangle pretty well with the P-38s, shooting down 11 of them, but the bombers did get through, shutting down Hollandia AF...this is unfortunate, cause i was ready to move there 100+ KI-44c s there.... now i need to consolidate my positions around Hollandia, no matter the cost!
I'm planning to use the KB, if necessary, to keep Hollandia skies clear for the next weeks...
 
Rabaul is abbandoned. Tomorrow will be the last day of air operations, then, i'll have to abbandon some 300,000 troops beyond the enemy lines (basically everything south of Manus.... so sad, but, as i just explained to my girlfriend (who woke up and gently tried to ask "how's the game"), tactical necessities not always fit with strategical needs. If the sacrifice of 300K men is needed to estabilish a new perimeter, well, so be it. War is not a place for gentle-hearted dudes.
 
Everything seems quiet elsewhere, with the Combined Fleet licking its recent wounds. Kaga is finally operative again, after 3 months of repair yards and upgrades (you'll remember that she took a torp during the operations for the reconquest of Mou (near Lautem) few months back and she bravely remained online untill the offensive was over, then she went back to Tokyo for repairs and upgrades.
Kaga is moving back to Guam, along with a modern CL and 13 upgraded Kagero Class DDs.
Mutsu is in the yard at Yokohama...will remain there for at least 4 months[:(].
 
 

[Chickenboy]

300,000 guys seem like a lot to abandon to vegetable farming in Rabaul's volcanic soil, GreyJoy. I know it (abandoning them) was done IRL, but could you evacuate by H6KL to the Marianas and start a slow drain to there?

[Encircled]

What the chickenboy says

As you are the Japanese, can't you start marching selected units to attack allied positions to wipe themselves out?

[JohnDillworth]

I wonder if the Allies intended to take Rabaul or just isolate it? Have you seen any prep for Rabaul? Would have been a tough nut either way but now a direct assault is impossible. Allies just don't have the lift capacity.

[JocMeister]

I was just about to say the same. Erik has airlifted out an amazing number of troops. With the game working like it does its almost impossible to stop. Even with an amazing number of planes on LRCAP I only shoot down a few planes each time. Sometimes none.

I´m not very pleased with how easy it is. But it is what is.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

300,000 guys seem like a lot to abandon to vegetable farming in Rabaul's volcanic soil, GreyJoy. I know it (abandoning them) was done IRL, but could you evacuate by H6KL to the Marianas and start a slow drain to there?

300,000 men not only at Rabaul eh!? 300K are spread all over the isolated bases of PM, Milne, Buna, Rossell Is., Rennell Is., Russell Is., Munda, Shortland, Buka, Gasmata, Arawe, Lae, Kavieng, Manus etc....

I've already evacuated the most valuable units. Air HQs, Army HQs, naval base forces, some heavy AA units etc. The real loss is the 21st Division which defended Bouganville and which is left there with no chances to airlift it out. Oh well, we'll do without.
I know it's a lot of troops. Especially a lot of SNLF units... I'll try to move out what i can, but in mid 1943 the Japs only have 54 H6KLs...not more... so you have to make a choice.

Rabaul? Yes, he can conquer it if he wants. It will take him some time but he can. If i was him i'd simply bypass it and go for Kavieng and Manus...much more easy.

Truk is full of troops now. 25K men out of 25K...I have moved there an air HQ and several AA units. The plan is to make it a tough nut to crack for his 4Es once they have conquered Kavieng. As long as Truk remains strong, the threat on his flank will be high.

[JohnDillworth]

I think you are wise to let them go. I think you get million of barges so you could probably move a bunch of troops to an easier pick up point but you will end up giving the allies lots of anti-ship practice and experience points. This is definitely tracking RL in that the Allies have created a giant POW camp.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

I think you are wise to let them go. I think you get million of barges so you could probably move a bunch of troops to an easier pick up point but you will end up giving the allies lots of anti-ship practice and experience points. This is definitely tracking RL in that the Allies have created a giant POW camp.

Hi John,

I think, strategically, the risks and efforts implied to try to rescue some of those troops aren't counterbalanced by their value.
Against the late allied divisions, the SNLF units are dead meat and so are my IJA units without their heavy equipment and with their low morale.

No, with stacking limits, what i need is a good bunch of specialized, well dug in, fully supported troops.

Let's see. I'm quite curious about what i can do on the defence in North NG.

Hollandia area will basically have the role of slowing allied advance, while Biak area will be my real bastion. I'm planning to have there 3 full divisions, divided into 3 bases, along with an Army HQ, an Air HQ and lot of AA and Engineers. Would also like to send there a couple of heavy artillery units from Manchuria. Let's see if Brad will give me the time needed to do that.
In the meanwhile, Mariannas are getting built up.

Till now Brad hasn't used his 4Es extensively...and never risking them beyond the P-38s range, but soon, if he wants to start hurting me, he'll have to try something...and i'm getting ready for it.

Guam and Saipan are really growing fast. Truk is already built up to his max and so it's Biak. Babeldoleap and Pelieu are recieving some base forces

[ny59giants]

Naval HQs - You might want to keep some at your main bases (large Command HQ type), but consider using the smaller (90 Naval Support) in multiple fragments at various bases to speed up loading and unloading of supplies and troops. You don't have as much NS as the Allies, so break them down by using transport aircraft and/or small capacity xAKLs at some of the bases you are trying to develop.