Speedy vs Fabertong - time to smack back the Penguin

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Burma/Sumatra:

Recon in Burma indicates Faber's troops are down to 1500 active AV vs my 5100 AV SE of Toungoo. We'll wait for disruption to lower over the next few days and attack again.

B29's from Chittagong took out the remaining LI at Bangkok for the loss of 3 x B29.

In Sumatra Allied troops reached Lahat today and are heading east.

Faber's got over 2200 AV in Sumatra with 60K men (27 units) at Palembang, 28K men (4 units) east of Lahat and the battered 8th Division to the west of Palembang. I won't have enough strength to tackle all of these head on in Palembang at present.

------------------

SoPac:

The Juggernaut neared Ambon today and attacked the AF's there. No enemy planes were present. Recon indicates 1 x Rgt of 16th Division, an Eng. Co, AA Bn, ART Rgt and BF to be present. My forces should be sufficient to overwhelm these. Boela appears to be empty.

A small Jap TK convoy comprising 1 x TK, 3 x PB, 1 x SC and 1 x E was reported attacked and sunk at Boela.

Ships should be about 46 miles off the coast of Ambon tomorrow. All DB/TB are tasked with attacking enemy TF's and then Ambon's AF's. Will be interesting to see what if any Jap response there will be.

-----------------

Submarine Warfare:

0 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Angler heavily damaged AK Kinugasa Maru with a torpedo near Formosa.

SS Flounder sank SC Ch 45 east of Luzon.

On the other side SS Pompano was moderately damaged off Japan by ASW vessels and is returning to base.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Sumatra:

Usual fare with heavy Allied air raids on Jap AF's and causing over 1000 casualties on Jap troops heading back to Palembang.

-----------------

SoPac:

Allied TF's reached a point 40 miles off Ambon. Faber sent a small Jap CV TF. He skilfully placed his boys 8 hexes away. My CV's were not set on react as I want them to protect the vital transports. The Jap's launched a couple of small CV strikes which were handled roughly by over 300 x Hellcat on CAP. Amazingly a few Jill's got through in 1 of the strikes but no hits were sustained. From a pilot pulled out of the water one of the Jap ships was Chitose. In total 60 enemy planes were reported shot down. 1 x Hellcat was lost on CAP. Here's a snapshot of the 2nd raid:

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Ambon at 77,110

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 107 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 35 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 12
A6M5b Zero x 4
B6N2 Jill x 5



Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 268


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 4 destroyed
A6M5b Zero: 2 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 2 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 2 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F6F-3 Hellcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Hornet II
CV Franklin



Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B6N2 Jill launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 18in Type 91 Torpedo

In the Afternoon 15 x enemy Sally's also attacked. Half were shot down and no losses or hits were sustained.

The Ambon troops go ashore tomorrow protected by a BB Division whilst another bombards Ambon.

CV Air will hit enemy troops on the ground tomorrow after put all Runways out of action at Ambon today.

----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

SS Sand Lance finished off AK Kinugasa Maru with a torpedo.

SS Halibut reported sinking E Yashiro near Daito Shoto.

On the other side SS Lionfish was sunk off Soerabaya by an ASW TF.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Burma/Sumatra:

Allied troops have rested enough in Burma and will try to force the Jap lines SE of Toungoo again tomorrow. We have a 3:1 AV advantage (1650 vs 4950) at present. The full airforce will attempt to assist in region.

In Sumatra, Allied vanguard forces have reached Jap position SW of Palembang. 2 Jap units remain here but will probably scurry back to Palembang before the main Allied force arrives. Air raids hit 21st IJA Division heavily today causing 350 casualties.

100th Indian Bde is unloading at Padang. Within 2 weeks a further 3 x Bde's will arrive from the US and another Indian Bde from Ceylon.

------------------------

SoPac:

Troops went ashore at Ambon unmolested today. 32nd USA Division has about 1/3 disablements though due to a lack of preparation for Ambon. More material is still to be unloaded but We've already got 571 AV (vs 181 Jap AV) Ashore. We'll bombard tomorrow.

CV Air refused to fly any missions today.

Faber's response has, as yet, been minimal. The small Jap CV TF, as expected, withdrew and the only Jap action was a Frances/Zero raid from Kendari. 50 planes approached TF's off Ambon. My CAP destroyed 15 of them, AA another 8 but some Frances got through and put a torpedo into BB New Jersey. Damage was slight though (6/8/0). I've increased CAP in the area.

The Boela Invasion TF will peel away tomorrow to capture the empty base.

------------------

Submarine Warfare:

2 x dud/missed attacks.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Burma/Sumatra:

Heavy fighting on the ground in Burma. Most of the airforce decided to stay at home due to a little bit of rain but my men 'made progress' in that they managed to cause as many casualties as I took from the 'Invincible Jungle Japs'. If this carries on I'll eventually beat this stack but who knows what condition my men will be in to be able to advance anywhere afterwards:

Ground combat at 57,51 (near Toungoo)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 135175 troops, 2183 guns, 2639 vehicles, Assault Value = 5020

Defending force 57139 troops, 633 guns, 806 vehicles, Assault Value = 1692

Allied adjusted assault: 2535

Japanese adjusted defense: 7342

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
6381 casualties reported
Squads: 175 destroyed, 117 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 64 disabled
Engineers: 8 destroyed, 30 disabled
Guns lost 30 (12 destroyed, 18 disabled)
Vehicles lost 13 (2 destroyed, 11 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
6427 casualties reported
Squads: 179 destroyed, 584 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 112 disabled
Engineers: 31 destroyed, 146 disabled
Guns lost 173 (15 destroyed, 158 disabled)
Vehicles lost 93 (3 destroyed, 90 disabled)

In Sumatra, Allied bombers took their toll on 21st Ind. Mixed Bde SW of Palembang causing over 600 casualties. They scurried over the river, blowing the last bridge to Palembang, before the rest of my Combat troops arrived. I'm now considering what to do with my 1100 AV Stack SW of Palembang as it's likely Faber has more troops than me in Palembang. I am bringing in a further 700 AV (6 x Bde's) in reinforcements over the next 2 weeks.

----------------

SoPac (Ambon):

Surprisingly (to me) Faber sent in a DD Sqn to try to sink my transports anchored off Ambon. They arrived in daylight hours and, I thought, actually did quite well considering what faced them as they approached Ambon. Several of my ships received light damage with only DD Fanning receiving moderate damage (30ish SYS/FLT). In return I sank 5 x DD outright (incl. 1 x Akitsuki Class) with a further 2 being finished off by CV air in the PM. Only DD Harusame is reported to still be afloat:

Day Time Surface Combat, near Ambon at 76,109, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Fuyuzuki, Shell hits 28, and is sunk
DD Kazegumo, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
DD Makigumo, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
DD Tamanami, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
DD Akishimo, Shell hits 8, and is sunk
DD Natsugumo, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Harusame, Shell hits 1
DD Kawakaze, Shell hits 2

Allied Ships
BB Massachusetts, Shell hits 3
BB New Jersey, Shell hits 8, on fire
CA Wichita
CA Baltimore, Shell hits 3
CL Trenton
CL St. Louis, Shell hits 1
CL Nashville, Shell hits 1
CL Honolulu
DD Patterson
DD Jarvis, Shell hits 1
DD Gridley, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD McCall, Shell hits 1
DD Maury
DD Benham
DD Ellet, Shell hits 1
DD Lang
DD Stack
DD Sterett
DD Wilson, Shell hits 1
DD Fanning, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Porter
DD Selfridge, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Phelps
DD Farragut

There were no Jap air raids but recon has identified a few subs entering the area and a potential TF has left the Port Hedland area. Unknown composition.

I feel enough men and material is ashore at Ambon (680 Allied AV vs 180 Jap AV). Orders have been given to attack the enemy tomorrow.

Boela will be invaded tomorrow as well.

One concern I have is that my New Jersey TF is relatively low on Ammo following their Jap DD fight.

------------------

Submarine Warfare:

No submarine contacts.

[V I Lenin]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Hi all,

In Sumatra, Allied bombers took their toll on 21st Ind. Mixed Bde SW of Palembang causing over 600 casualties. They scurried over the river, blowing the last bridge to Palembang, before the rest of my Combat troops arrived. I'm now considering what to do with my 1100 AV Stack SW of Palembang as it's likely Faber has more troops than me in Palembang. I am bringing in a further 700 AV (6 x Bde's) in reinforcements over the next 2 weeks.

Even if you do not attack, it may be still useful to move troops into Palembang (and Djambi) as this will shut off oil production. Have Japanese been able to effectively take fuel from Palembang since you are landing in South Sumatra? If not I suppose it is less important...

[Speedysteve]

Hi V I Lenin,
 
Faber's not been able to get any oil out from Sumatra for at least 2 months now. I have total air superiority over Sumatra, Southern Malaya and NW Java.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Sumatra/Burma:

Nothing dramatic here. Still hold a 3:1 AV advantage in Burma. Will attack again in the next few days.

In Sumatra lots of bombing and waiting for the reinforcements to land.

------------------

Ambon:

No Jap attacks or ship sightings today. A few Jap subs are in the area and 2 are reported hit by Helldivers.

Luckily my FlyBoys decide to attack the 16th Division's Rgt at Ambon at least disrupting them.

Off Ambon an AP is close to sinking after running aground and DD Gridley is damaged by a collision with DD Porter

On land my boys attacked at Ambon and faced level 6 forts but should take the place in the next few days:

Ground combat at Ambon (76,109)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 20397 troops, 323 guns, 538 vehicles, Assault Value = 690

Defending force 6108 troops, 115 guns, 37 vehicles, Assault Value = 177

Allied adjusted assault: 452

Japanese adjusted defense: 172

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 6)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 5

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), disruption(-), preparation(-)
fatigue(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
794 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 36 disabled
Non Combat: 21 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 22 destroyed, 6 disabled
Guns lost 15 (5 destroyed, 10 disabled)
Vehicles lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Units destroyed 1


Allied ground losses:
62 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled


Assaulting units:
II Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
32nd Infantry Division
1st Army Tank Regiment
3rd Australian Division
2/13th Field Regiment

Defending units:
1st Engineer Co
16th/A Division
23rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
44th Field AA Battalion
48th JNAF AF Unit

On the other side of the Island Aussie troops landed at an empty Boela and will secure it tomorrow.

-----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

1 x dud/missed attack.

On the other side SS Trepang was heavily damaged by an Escort class ship off Toyohara and is returning to Attu Island.

[BBfanboy]

Rather good results against level 6 forts at Ambon! You must have really softened the defenders up!

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Hi BBfanboy - good to see you back [:)] Yes I was pleasantly surprised by the results and even more so with the rapid conclusion of the Ambon assault which followed.

-----------------------

Burma/Sumatra:

Usual stuff in Sumatra with heavy bombing runs and awaiting LCU reinforcements. A raid on Palembang destroyed over 30 enemy fighters on the ground on the 29th. Surprised they're still there as I have total air superiority over the region.

Heavy bombing runs precluded another assault on the Japs in Burma. More of the same with heavy heavy losses and I'm slowly battering my troops into the ground but I AM taking a lot of Japanese killed with me so am slowly eroding the Japanese positions SE of Toungoo. As mentioned before I doubt my troops will be in any position to advance further if Faber defends further in Burma but at least I'm taking out a lot of Japs on the ground now:

Ground combat at 57,51 (near Toungoo)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 125768 troops, 2064 guns, 2536 vehicles, Assault Value = 4524

Defending force 53703 troops, 627 guns, 803 vehicles, Assault Value = 1463

Allied adjusted assault: 2076

Japanese adjusted defense: 3094

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
4387 casualties reported
Squads: 149 destroyed, 223 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 76 disabled
Engineers: 12 destroyed, 27 disabled
Guns lost 55 (12 destroyed, 43 disabled)
Vehicles lost 29 (7 destroyed, 22 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
5076 casualties reported
Squads: 22 destroyed, 460 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 39 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 140 disabled
Guns lost 83 (2 destroyed, 81 disabled)
Vehicles lost 56 (1 destroyed, 55 disabled)

------------------

Ambon:

A further Allied attack made ground on the 28th killing over 600 Japs in the process. An all out Shock assault was ordered for the 29th and the Battered Japanese were routed with only fragments of the Rgt remaining:

Ground combat at Ambon (76,109)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 20760 troops, 323 guns, 582 vehicles, Assault Value = 682

Defending force 4932 troops, 109 guns, 37 vehicles, Assault Value = 89

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 3

Allied adjusted assault: 257

Japanese adjusted defense: 37

Allied assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied forces CAPTURE Ambon !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
1448 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 93 disabled
Non Combat: 28 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 31 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 91 (85 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 29 (29 destroyed, 0 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
225 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled


Good. I now have all of Ceram. Once the airfield is repaired at Ambon I'll have air presence in the region immediately.

Despite me have a large CV presence in the area. I feel rather isolated and the limited number of air sorties, AA rounds and surface forces can only linger so long.

I will loiter around Ambon until the airfield is operational and then move quickly to Sorong (hopefully) and then retire southwards taking an empty Taberfane and Saumlaki in the process to maintain a supply link and Allied base chain back to PM.

I'm even more keen to do this quickly as sub forces in the Philippine Sea spotted Ise/Hyuga TF + another 'DD TF' heading SW. I don't have a massive SC TF presence here as many BB's are repairing and upgrading for the upcoming CentPac Operations.

Faber launched a series of fragmented air raids on the 29th (presumably from Kendari) (30-40 Betty/Zero raids and even 10 x J1N1-S Irvings) which were met by over 200 x Hellcat on CAP and easily dismissed with heavy loss (70 enemies reported shot down for 0 friendly!)

Under the sea a few Jap subs were spotted with SS I-121 damaging LSI (L) Glenapp with a torpedo and being sunk (missing CVL Belleau Wood in the process!)

-----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

5 x dud/missed attacks.

SS Mingo sank AK Enju Maru east of Luzon on the 28th.

SS Pilotfish heavily damaged AP Asama Maru near Iwo Jima.

SS Swordfish heavily damaged AK Hokusho Maru near Cam Ranh Bay with a torpedo.

On the 29th SS Seawolf sank AK Maebasi Maru near Bangkok.

SS Sculpin heavily damaged TK Eiho Maru with a torpedo near Shikuka.

On the other side SS Rasher was lost south of Tokyo to an ASW TF.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Fairly routine all around today with the usual bombing in Burma and Sumatra. More LCU's will be unloaded at Benkoelen (Sumatra) over the next 5 days. I'll then begin more Land Ops here.

Quiet around Ceram as more men and material pour ashore at Ambon and Boela. CV's and other TF's are located 2 hexes NE of Ambon. We'll move eastwards towards Sorong once Ambon's AF is operational.

Interestingly subs continue to track potential Jap Combined Fleet threats as the Ise/Hyuga TF was spotted and attacked near Babeldaob. I wonder if Faber will contest the Sorong landings. He clearly has some limited CV presence and a substantial BB element but Sorong is a long way from Jap LBA presence (Kendari and Peliliu being the closest). Interesting.

------------------------

Submarine Warfare:

SS Growler tracked the Ise/Hyuga TF near Babeldaob and damaged CA Maya with a torpedo.

SS Icefish reported sinking E Amakusa near Formosa.

On the other side SS Shad was sunk by an ASW TF near Balikpapan.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

June saw the re-conquest of Ceram by Australian and US forces, slow grinding progress in southern Sumatra and bloody tough battles in Burma.

My subs seem to have been more successful again and I believe this is due to simply more convoys being on the sea desperately trying to get enough resources and oil back to Japan. I had my best ever success rate this month with 73% of sub attacks being successful!

July will see the end of Operation Snowbell Phase 3 with the capture of Sorong. Naval forces will then shift to PH for the upcoming Mariana's invasion. HOPEFULLY there'll be some progress in Burma but I'm not confident along with further progress in Sumatra.

Reinforcements include the entry of B29 Sqn's in USA. They'll train until the Mariana's are taken in August. A new version of Hellcat's will arrive as well. On the Sea CV Hancock, CVE Kwajalein, Admiralty Bay, Bougainville, Matanikau, BB Howe and 9 x SS are the highlights.

--------------------

Points:

Allies: +1,950 points
Japanese: +672 points


Bases:

Allies: +7 (+350 points)
Japanese: -6 (-111 points)


Planes:

Allies: +443 lost
Japanese: +708 lost


Troops:

Allies: +253 lost
Japanese: +339 lost


Ships:

Allies: +8 lost (+87 points. 5 x subs and 3 transports (1 due to a sub and 2 to collision and hitting a reef).
Japanese: +67 lost (+605 points. About 1/2 of these by subs ad the rest by Port raids at Singapore, CV's and the Surface battle against Jap DD's at Ambon.)

-------------------------------

Sub Kills:

49 of 67 attacks were successful = 73.13% success!

Dutch Boats:

PB - 5 (1 mine)
AK - 34
TK - 10 (+1)
CM - 6 (-1)
DD - 4
TB - 1
DMS - 4 (1 mine)
E - 1
APD - 1
ACM - 1
AP - 1
AMC - 1

= 69 ships
-------------------------------

British Boats:

DD - 1 (1 mine)
AK - 9 (1 mine)
SC - 1
PB - 1
TK - 1
AO - 1
SS - 3 (2 mine)

= 17 ships

-------------------------------

Fleet Boats:

AK - 253 (+15)
SC - 17
AP - 13 (+2)
PB - 45 (+1)
TK - 65 (+3)
AKE - 1
CM - 6
ACM - 2
E - 26 (+7)
APD - 2
DD - 6 (+1)
CL - 2 (Oi, Kashima)
AO - 8
PC - 1
AMC - 1
AV - 2 (+1)
AM - 1 (1 mine)
SS - 1
DMS - 2

= 454 ships
--------------------------------

S-Boats:

AK - 21
AP - 2
CM - 1
PB - 5
DMS - 1
SC - 6
TK - 3

= 39 ships

= 579 ships = 52.88% of reported sunk ships total.

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

Pretty quiet all around in Sumatra and Burma. The only actions of note being Batavia's HI being smashed by 4E from Siberoet.

A B29 raid from Chittagong targeted Saigon's LI but only damaged 1/4 of it due to 40ish enemy fighters on CAP. I lost 3 x B29 for 1 x Jack and 2 x Zero.

---------------------------

Ambon:
+
Over 1000 enemy soldiers were wiped out today for the loss of 29 friendlies. Only a few Jap stragglers remain. The engineers have worked furiously and the Airfields should be operational tomorrow or on the 3rd at worst.

My CV's and Sorong invasion forces are heading east from Ceram towards Sorong. We'll go ashore in 2 days time. An enemy sub was detected and reported sunk today (RO-100)

I wonder if Faber will contest this with the Navy he has left?

My subs did well again today.....

----------------------

Submarine Warfare:

1 x dud/missed attack (against CA Mikuma).

SS Hake got the first hit of July heavily damaging AK Akasisan Maru near Formosa with a torpedo.

SS Pipefish blew up PB Kenkon Maru with 3 torpedoes off Balikpapan.

The highlight of the day was SS Barbero reported hitting CV Katsuragi with a torpedo off Iwo Jima. No heavy damage reported but well done boys!

[JocMeister]

Trying to catch up with your game! Its a very interesting read. I´m amazed how well you have done with your subs. I have been trying to use mine in a historical role but failed miserably. I have lost some 75 subs for something like 50 Japanese ships (about 30 of those are PBs). I have been trying to "micromanage" them getting some results but this hasn't worked at all.

I think my opponent is skirting the Chinese coast and then goes N of Formosa and unloads at Fukouka (sp?). All this under heavy ASW umbrella. I just can´t get to his ships. As soon as I get in under LBA its just a matter of a turn or two before my subs are either hit and have to RTB or simply hit and sunk. On average I think I get one sub attack per week. When I do get an attack in 95% of the time my subs launch at the escort(PBs/Es/DDs). Just last month I decided to give up the sub war as losses were climbing at an alarming rate. My sub fleet are now relegated to a scouting role.

This is what I wrote in my AAR:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Submarine warfare

It is time to withdraw the subs to port. I have lost 18 subs during the last 3 months. 80% of them to ASW air. Its a tough decision to make but my subs have had virtually no impact during the war. While I have sunk over 50 ships its mostly PBs and Es. Looking at my own sub losses I have lost 74 subs [:(]. That is less then a useless ship for each sub lost. Its time to call it a day and give up on any strategic submarine warfare campaign. Sadly I feel I have tried to use the subs in a historical manner and this has not worked. I will let all subs currently on patrol to remain so until they return to port to replenish. I will then disband them as the arrive to their home port.

So, whats your secret? [:D]

[Speedysteve]

Hi JocMeister,

The Sub part of the game can be tough for sure but can be rewarding as my game shows.

Some general statements to observe about the Sub War before specifics:

1.) The ability of what the Allied player can achieve will always be mitigated by the skill of the Japanese player in routing convoys, ASW TF use and LBA use. If they do that well you'll not be as effective. There's little you can do about that.

2.) It's a numbers game. I try to use subs as much as possible at game start. The US Mk14's will not be that effective (as you know) but I don't mind! The more your subs are on patrol and attacking the higher their skill levels will rise over time. This can lead to a much greater performance of your subs throughout the war. If you think on it this can lead to an inverse situation for the Japanese as the more successful and skilled your subs are the less chance enemy ships and planes will have to hit your subs. Radar is a great help in preservation and detection too.

Specifics:

1.) I always use react range 1.

2.) I micro-manage subs almost every turn. This is one of the key nuances here and you need to pay a lot of attention to which subs are spotted where, move them if necessary, track your opponents ships, which routes they take etc.

3.) Avoid enemy port hexes.

4.) I micro-manage sub leaders as well. I will put the highest level naval value commander in charge. A secondary factor is aggression. The higher the aggression rating they more likely they are to react to an enemy ship and attack.

5.) Patrol Zones. This is one of those experience things that is hard to explain. I've played this so much that in my mind I know how many hexes enemy ships can move and where they're likely to move. I always use patrol zones. You'll need to place your subs in a pattern so that many of them will flood an area and have overlapping patrol zones to maximise detection and attack of enemy vessels. This is hard to explain and is highly attuned to my judgement and knowledge of enemy vessels and movement etc.

One of the key things of all this is to start early. I firmly believe the numbers side of it and it can go one way or the other if you don't pay attention to the details from game start. Think of it this way. If you don't get the subs out and start attacking early they won't increase their skills = bad as the war goes on. On the other side if the Japanese start being successful early on their skills wise rise making it harder as time goes on. It's a potential exponential curve.....

This can snowball further once you reach 44. If I haven't said that enough [;)] the foundations you lay in 41/42 affect 43 and even more so 44 performance. It's ironic that once you reach the end of 43 with the lowest dud rates for Mk14's you have the silly super E class ASW vessels that the Jap shipyards pump out. If you're in bad shape and haven't achieved in the early years then it will snowball out of control in 44 (as you're unfortunately finding out). I don't know of any way I'm afraid to arrest this snowball affect if you're on the wrong side of the curve in 44.....

Let me give you some summary stats from my game with Faber of ships sunk vs subs lost. You'll see an increase in subs lost in the key 43/44 period. This is inevitable with more higher ASW value E class around but I've managed to maintain a very good hit rate and sink rate due to starting the success early on:

Ships Sunk/Subs Lost

Dec 41/Jan 42 - 37/1
Feb/Mar - 19/0
April - 8/1
May - 8/0
June - 12/0
July - 6/0
Aug - 18/2
Sept - 11/1
Oct - 6/1
Nov - 16/2
Dec - 10/0
Jan 43 - 9/3
Feb - 11/0
Mar - 15/0
Apr - 12/0
May - 16/1
Jun - 27/0
July - 12/2
Aug - 24/2
Sep - 22/2
Oct - 28/0
Nov - 24/2
Dec - 35/1
Jan 44 - 43/6
Feb - 40/4
Mar - 23/3
Apr - 32/4
May - 26/9
Jun - 30/5

It's fair to say as well part of what I do is also gut feel and instinctive. It just works for me in general.

Luck also plays a part. If I look at my other PBEM for example. We've played to 7th Jan 42. I've only managed to sink a reported 6 ships. Which is at least 1/2 of what I hope to in December 41. My subs are in the right places (jap TF's spotted etc), only a few subs have been spotted by Jap LBA etc. It just hasn't happened as yet.

Not sure if any of this helps? Please ask any further questions or thoughts etc.

[BBfanboy]

Your advice seems spot on with my own experience in the game Speedy.

One caveat about the aggression rating for sub COs: Those with aggression well into the 60's or in the 70s are more likely to surface and use the deck gun against unescorted targets. This does not always work out well!

Recently, I have experimented with two-sub wolfpacks. It seems useful because half the time that one sub damages a ship with a torp hit, the other sub will attack and add two more hits. In single sub patrols the damaged ship usually gets away if it is big enough to absorb the hit.

On the other hand, who knows how many additional ships I might have attacked if I had spread the subs around in singles instead of doubles? My current thinking is to use doubles where the sea lane is well defined and ships are large (like a tanker route) and use singles where a greater area needs coverage.

[JocMeister]

Speedy,

Thank you for taking the time to write such a long and detailed post! [&o]

While I have tried to do at least some of the things you point out I can certainly do more. One thing I can improve is moving my subs around more when spotted I think. Its too late to do anything about the sub war in my first game. But my second game (DBB) perhaps I can improve a quite bit. So I´ll try to implement everything you wrote in that game! [:)]

I think obvert (my first game) falls under your nr 1 point. He has been very meticulous in our game and made few mistakes overall. So I wouldn´t be surprised if he has paid a lot of attention to his convoys. As I said in my first post I think he is moving under a heavy LBA umbrella in the shallows and with the air ASW model being what it is its certain doom trying to move in under it. I´m assuming he is doing so because I can´t find any of his ships. And the only place I can´t check without getting sunk is there... [:D]

Regarding patrol zones. Do you make "big zones" or keep them smaller? I have kept mine pretty small (usually only 4-5 hexes) in a kind of triangular pattern. I have been toying with the idea of doing straight lines in and out of his LBA but it hasn´t worked. I usually get hit within a few days anyway. I have not used overlapping zones as I thought this make make its easier to spot (higher DL) the subs if they ended up in the same hex?

[Speedysteve]

Hi BBfanboy - agreed a higher aggression will lead to more surface duels. Personally I feel these incidents are greatly outweighed by the increased chances of reacting to an enemy TF. Interesting idea on the doubling up. A concern I would have with it would be that once spotted by LBA all subs in the TF would suffer from high detection. My thinking would be that 1 sub TF are still the way to go. My 2p.

JocMeister - happy to help. One thing I also meant to mention is that I use 1/3 subs on patrol, 1/3 transiting to and from patrol and 1/3 in port to send out on patrol to replace those nearing bingo time. I'm still perfecting this part so the numbers may not be optimal. With regard to patrol zone I don't have 1 size fits all. Sometimes triangles, other are irregular lines covering 5 or so hexes long and 2-3 wide. Ill try to post some screenshots of examples. As for overlapping it can have an effect as you say of 2 subs ending up in the same hex but if you space out the overlapping parts to a minimum it doesn't happen often.

[Mac Linehan]

Speedy -

Am also most grateful for your detailed post on optimizing submarine performance.

Thank You, Sir!

Mac

[Mac Linehan]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Hi BBfanboy - agreed a higher aggression will lead to more surface duels. Personally I feel these incidents are greatly outweighed by the increased chances of reacting to an enemy TF. Interesting idea on the doubling up. A concern I would have with it would be that once spotted by LBA all subs in the TF would suffer from high detection. My thinking would be that 1 sub TF are still the way to go. My 2p.

JocMeister - happy to help. One thing I also meant to mention is that I use 1/3 subs on patrol, 1/3 transiting to and from patrol and 1/3 in port to send out on patrol to replace those nearing bingo time. I'm still perfecting this part so the numbers may not be optimal. With regard to patrol zone I don't have 1 size fits all. Sometimes triangles, other are irregular lines covering 5 or so hexes long and 2-3 wide. Ill try to post some screenshots of examples. As for overlapping it can have an effect as you say of 2 subs ending up in the same hex but if you space out the overlapping parts to a minimum it doesn't happen often.

Speedy -

Excellent stuff - but am not clear on the "2-3 wide" description.

Mac

[Speedysteve]

Hi Mac,

NP. Here's some examples of some of my patrol zones. As I say I don't have 1 size fits all. It depends on the geography, the numbers of subs in the area: