Minnesotans do have accents. We have the nicest lady at our church who lived in Minnesota until she was in her 30s. She has an accent, which is striking (but by no means unpleasant) to our ears. Ever since we made her acquaintance, we've been able to identify folks from Minnesota whenever we hear one speak, whether we happen to be in Maine or California or here in Georgia.
Soooo, ya tink ya know Minnesoootans, then?
It's funny when natives say the spech in "Fargo" was "fake." [:)]
Japanese ground losses:
1615 casualties reported Squads: 8 destroyed, 237 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 15 disabled
Guns lost 12 (1 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (4 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
1229 casualties reported
Squads: 44 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 33 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 43 destroyed, 14 disabled
Guns lost 37 (24 destroyed, 13 disabled) Vehicles lost 73 (17 destroyed, 56 disabled)
Units destroyed 2
Assaulting units: 7th RTA Division
5th Amphibious Brigade
II./143rd Infantry Battalion
27th Electric Engineer Regiment
14th Tank Regiment 9th Division
6th Tank Regiment
13th Ind.Mixed Brigade 2nd RTA Division
17th Indpt Guards Regiment
22nd Recon Regiment 3rd RTA Division 4th RTA Division 5th Guards Division
6th Guards Division
55th Engineer Regiment
112th Infantry Regiment
3rd Militia Regiment
22nd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
4th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
7th JAAF Base Force
28th Field AA Machinecannon Company
4th RF Gun Battalion
7th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
Tonei Hvy Gun Regiment
91st JAAF AF Bn
55th Const Co
48th Road Const Co
55th Mountain Gun Regiment
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
46th Road Const Co
55th Field AA Battalion
57th Field AA Battalion
47th Road Const Co
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
12th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
11th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
3rd Army
9th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
13th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
4th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
15th JAAF AF Bn
4th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
15th Army
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
23rd Field AA Machinecannon Company
3rd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
29th JAAF AF Coy
Defending units:
2/1 AIF Pioneer Battalion
B Sqn 3rd Hussars Regiment
7th Australian Div /1
7th Armoured Brigade
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
19th Indian Division
23rd British Bde /1
2/13th Field Regiment
6th Medium Regiment
8th Medium Regiment
21st Light AA Regiment
RAF 222 Group Base Force /3
They held, barely. They disabled a lot of Japanese squads, but not enough. They need to retreat and get a river between. They need some help at Bassein. Viper Force needs to put on its track shoes. If Japan does its normal, cautious let-disabledment-recover thing they might get away. If Japan Deliberate attacks tomorrow it's probably lights out with no retreat open.
What a mega-stack!
Stay tuned.
2) Massive amounts of recon at Ramree and Akyab. In concert with this, the "cruiser" TF heading south toward Singers dodges my subs and mines. I think it's going to Singers to repair. (Minesweepers there cleared about 2/3 of the Allied mines.) But a sub attacked this TF below, which is headed north I think. It might be the MKB I saw SW of Singers, although this thing shouldn't have a lot of Kates, so either there's another Air TF along, or not all the ships were IDed in this attack. Either way, Japan must think they have free rein in the Bay of B. with some torpedoes striking some RN ships. I'm about to lose HMS Hermes TBs, but HMS Formidible just arrived today at Cape Town.
ASW attack near Tandjoengbalai at 48,78
Japanese Ships
DD Amagiri
BB Nagato
CA Kumano
CA Mikuma
CS Nisshin
DD Inazuma
DD Yunagi
DD Akebono
Allied Ships
SS O24
3) Dutch sub attacks transport TF coming into Boela and misses. The Dutch subs have been a disappointment in this game, I must say. They find real good, but they no hit so much. This Oil base, with its B-brother, was stuffed with oil, maxed inventory. Two 4E strikes try to take care of that. The Liberators miss, but the Forts do 11 Oil damage points. I believe this is about 40% of the production capacity.
4) Three large bombing stirkes hit the Big Stack, which is no longer LRCAPed. Now that I know it will supply I have better uses for the AVG. Not one squad is lost or damaged. They have local forts now and the mountains are horrible bombing terrain. Japan is eating up ops losses and fatigue here.
5) Magwe is probe-bombed for 12 casualties and 1 Sally bagged, 9 damaged. I think the big stack at Rangoon is making Japan think another foray up-country is in the near future. All infrastrucure building there has been suspended (most bases are at normal AF size already), and fort-building is going on across the region. I have suspended the transport of Chinese corps to India now; everything which needs garrison relief has it and all decent uints of the Indian army are headed for Burma. I would much prefer to fight here with the Chinese to help than in Java or Sumatra right now.
6) More probe bombing at Sabang, where forts are over 3 and supply is good. Japan's need for oil is going to bring them in here pretty soon too. This base is exposed to Colonbo more than anything down-Strait, and is a good place for subs to hunt.
7) Other light bombing at Chengtu (no real effects) and the Allies at Chiang Mai, ditto.
8) Sydney AF goes to 9. Fuel in Oz is in prety good shape. Stocks at CT are about 190,000 with a steady stream coming and going from EC.
9) BB West Virginia merges with three more DDs and keeps coming for SF. Float damage is reduced to 54. She might make it.
Minnesotans do have accents. We have the nicest lady at our church who lived in Minnesota until she was in her 30s. She has an accent, which is striking (but by no means unpleasant) to our ears. Ever since we made her acquaintance, we've been able to identify folks from Minnesota whenever we hear one speak, whether we happen to be in Maine or California or here in Georgia.
The Midwest is generally considered to be relatively accent-free, with the notable exception of Minnesota (and parts of the surrounding states). I used to work in market research, managing a phone center, and many of them locate in the midwest for that very reason. I used to have a map that rated every state on 0-9 based on how 'strong' the accent was, away from 'normal' American english. The numbers didn't mean the accents were similar, Georgia and Massachussets might both be an 7 for having strong accents, even though they sound very different. I think Louisiana might have been the highest, I cant remember now. I do know that most of the Midwest (IA-IL-IN corridor especially) was a 2, with MN being a 4-5. Utah was actually rated as the zero point, they also host a lot of phone centers, and the Utah National Guard has several linquist units, because they can give 'clean' translations as interpreters.
Just when I get the hang of a game, I buy two more...
Minnesotans do have accents. We have the nicest lady at our church who lived in Minnesota until she was in her 30s. She has an accent, which is striking (but by no means unpleasant) to our ears. Ever since we made her acquaintance, we've been able to identify folks from Minnesota whenever we hear one speak, whether we happen to be in Maine or California or here in Georgia.
The Midwest is generally considered to be relatively accent-free, with the notable exception of Minnesota (and parts of the surrounding states). I used to work in market research, managing a phone center, and many of them locate in the midwest for that very reason. I used to have a map that rated every state on 0-9 based on how 'strong' the accent was, away from 'normal' American english. The numbers didn't mean the accents were similar, Georgia and Massachussets might both be an 7 for having strong accents, even though they sound very different. I think Louisiana might have been the highest, I cant remember now. I do know that most of the Midwest (IA-IL-IN corridor especially) was a 2, with MN being a 4-5. Utah was actually rated as the zero point, they also host a lot of phone centers, and the Utah National Guard has several linquist units, because they can give 'clean' translations as interpreters.
That is great info.
Living in North Carolina I encountered maybe 10-12 distinct regional, social-economic and cultural dialects or accents. The most extreme is the 'Hoi-Toider' accent on Ocracoke (so called because that is how they pronounce 'high tide'), which would be about an 11 on that scale. It's closest to an accent spoken in Elizabethan England.
In Oregon there are only a few distinct dialects or accents. The ones I know best are the country sounding (almost southern) E Oregon accent and the very flat Willamette Valley accent which is probably very close to a 1 on the scale you reference.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
Overall, this turn felt frantic, as if Japan is releasing months-long pent-up energy. Thrusts toward Sumatra, north for Burma, running around Borneo. The Allies tried something new, some of which worked. One more day at Rangoon was paid for in blood.
1) Japan deliberate attacked at Rangoon with the whole stack, got half the odds as before, did a lot of damage, but did not destroy the landing force. Viper Force began marching for Rangoon to open the hexside, but it will be at least three days. Japan may attack again, figuring to finish it off and then patch up. The 3-stack SW of Toungoo was ordered to march toward Pegu in an attempt to make Japan at least think about splititng the Rangon stack. Faiint hope, but it's a hope.
Ground combat at Rangoon (54,53)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 87926 troops, 1072 guns, 878 vehicles, Assault Value = 2823
Defending force 4510 troops, 180 guns, 299 vehicles, Assault Value = 201
Allied ground losses:
832 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 79 disabled
Non Combat: 25 destroyed, 18 disabled
Engineers: 19 destroyed, 14 disabled
Guns lost 36 (16 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Vehicles lost 94 (58 destroyed, 36 disabled)
Units destroyed 1
2) Very strong sweeps all over the region. Palembang, Port Blair a couple each, then ground bombing at Toungoo (LRCAPed; bombers ate it), Palembang (light), Sabang by the passing MKB (HDML sunk). Allied losses worst at Port Blair, 6 Hurricanes. Sabang later strongly LBA bombed. I think Japan is testing the efficacy of transiting the Strait with a landing force aimed at Medan/Sabang. It's good fuel, close to Singers.
3) The IJN appears to be moving strongly up into the coastal region at least to Moulmein. Possibly there is a thought to neutralizing P. Blair, then moving farther in order to stop supply inflows to Ramree, Akyab, and Chittagong, all of which are feeding the Mandalay group and Lashio. I certainly would prefer naval units not come up here, but there are various ways to respond. The RN was hurt in the FUDD battles, but not knocked out. Mostly lost were CLs which would have withdrawn. The CA damages are light, about 10 system at worst; the BBs are either unhurt or have no more than 30 damage in any category. Arizona is inbound, as is another RN carrier. Three USN fleet boats are coming, more will follow. Once the Pearl fleet completes the April upgrades I may send a strong chunk of surface power through the Canal. That's about a six week trip.
4) At sea, the subs in the Strait of Malacca all (but one) had max DL after the last turn, so I re-zoned them north to patrol the wider mouth in deep water. The Dutch aren't hitting anything, but I want the IJN to have some pucker factor transiting north and south. Once the fleet boats arrive I can set up better rotation schedules. I'm going to get almost 400 submarines in this war; they're going to work every day. No days off.
For some reason Japan sends a lone PB out in the open water NE of Batavia, and a lone DD on barrier patrol engages.
Day Time Surface Combat, near Billiton at 53,95, Range 12,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
PB Eiko Maru, Shell hits 13, heavy fires, heavy damage (should sink from animaiton mesages.)
Allied Ships
DD Express, Shell hits 1, on fire
SS KXI is hit for three minor in the Strait of Maalcca by a 2-DD TF. With five subs at max DL he knows he needs ASW. I'm hoping they can dodge the searchers a bit and get reestablished tomorrow in new zones.
5) The Allies try a new tactic, night Manpower bombing. Two-thirds of the raids ordered do not fly, but a few do.
Night Air attack on Makassar , at 65,106
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 31 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-26 Marauder x 5
Allied aircraft losses
B-26 Marauder: 1 damaged
Manpower hits 6
Fires 2950
Night Air attack on Singapore , at 50,84
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 34 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 5
No Allied losses
Manpower hits 16
Fires 8040
A third flies on Changsha, a huge HI/LI center, but hits nothing in heavy rain.
Before any JFBs whine that this makes Japan's life hard let me say this:
1) Night CAP. The AI does it, humans can too. If that makes 100-Oscar sweeps impossible in daylight . . . whah.
2) Spread the AA out.
3) Don't like it? Push me out of range.
I'm going to do this, but I'm not going to do it every night, and I'm not going to hit the same cities every time. If Fires take out Resources and not HI I can live with that.
Just to show I'm not a night exclusionist daylight raids hit the Oil fields on both Boela (1 hit) and Babo (2 hits).
An aside, Singers looks like it got a bit trashed in the take-down. The shipyard has almost 20 damage, and both HI and LI had big chunks missing. This is what gave me the idea to mix in some Fire while I can.
6) Lots of bombing in China on the Big Stack and the AF at Chengtu. This is not affecting this base. It has not missed a day of fort-building that I recall, and it is sending a steady supply of Resources down to Chungking where supply grows several hundred per day. A new Chinese corps just reported there and filled out to full green supply from zero in one day. The Big Stack lost 28 men today in strikes which consumed 70 sorties and one damaged Sally.
7) Three strong units take Urumchi from the lone Chinese defender. It retreats north. This base has a tiny trickle of petroleum.
Ground combat at Urumchi (79,11)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 8695 troops, 78 guns, 100 vehicles, Assault Value = 297
Defending force 1902 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 82
1) The core actions of FUDD end today with the surrender of the landing forces before Rangoon. The Chiang Mai phase is still in progress, but may evolve, and in any event it was a sideshow. Now the focus returns to the progress south of heavy forces aimed at Prome and Bassein, and fortification of Toungoo. My overall objective is to hold the Rangoon stack there and prevent it from moving on theater targets such as Prome or Pt. Blair, or moving to Sumatra. It has enough disablement it should rest at least a few days, but if it doesn't we'll deal with that. Viper Force only moved 8 miles on its first day of march, so it was going to be 6-7 days to open a hexside. The losses at Rangoon sting, but the 7th Aussie was only a small fragment. Worst is the armor and the HQ sunk at sea, but they can be rebuilt. We go on.
Ground combat at Rangoon (54,53)
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 87524 troops, 1072 guns, 878 vehicles, Assault Value = 2870
Defending force 3629 troops, 154 guns, 252 vehicles, Assault Value = 112
Japanese ground losses:
927 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 123 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 18 disabled
Guns lost 11 (2 destroyed, 9 disabled)
Allied ground losses:
1433 casualties reported
Squads: 85 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 125 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 65 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 129 (129 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 125 (116 destroyed, 9 disabled)
Units destroyed 8
Assaulting units:
3rd RTA Division
112th Infantry Regiment
9th Division
2nd RTA Division
55th Engineer Regiment
17th Indpt Guards Regiment
4th RTA Division
6th Guards Division
7th Ind.Tank Brigade
6th Tank Regiment
5th Guards Division
13th Ind.Mixed Brigade
II./143rd Infantry Battalion
22nd Recon Regiment
14th Tank Regiment
5th Amphibious Brigade
27th Electric Engineer Regiment
7th RTA Division
3rd Militia Regiment
3rd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
55th Mountain Gun Regiment
15th JAAF AF Bn
3rd Army
13th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
55th Field AA Battalion
7th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
23rd Field AA Machinecannon Company
46th Road Const Co
Tonei Hvy Gun Regiment
22nd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
57th Field AA Battalion
48th Road Const Co
12th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
15th Army
47th Road Const Co
4th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
55th Const Co
28th Field AA Machinecannon Company
91st JAAF AF Bn
7th JAAF Base Force
11th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
4th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
9th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
4th RF Gun Battalion
21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
4th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
29th JAAF AF Coy
Defending units:
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
19th Indian Division
7th Armoured Brigade
6th Medium Regiment
2/13th Field Regiment
21st Light AA Regiment
7th Australian Div /1
8th Medium Regiment
RAF 222 Group Base Force /3
2) A concerted move on Sabang grows in intensity. Lots of recon, many bombing strikes, and the CV/BB TF in the northern Strait is still there. I have taken some actions which might prepare a surprise for Japan here. The base itself has Forts 3, but is mostly held by engineers and AA units. My guess is a landing will come from Singers' forces rather than Rangoon. Given that the mines at Singers have just been cleared and the need to get lift in there it may be a week or so before a landing comes north.
3) Palembang is swept and bombed, but not enough to stop fort-building.
4) At Ramree Island a sub comes in, attacks, and misses. Then two heavy bombing attacks by Mavis transport planes hit two unloading xAKs with a bomb each. But Ramree has good LRCAP from Prome and the Mavises suffer:
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Ramree Island at 54,48
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
Japanese aircraft
H6K4 Mavis x 5
Allied aircraft
H81-A3 x 1
Hurricane IIa Trop x 1
Hurricane IIb Trop x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 6
Japanese aircraft losses H6K4 Mavis: 2 damaged
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
xAKL Kalgan
KV Hollyhock
Morning Air attack on TF, near Ramree Island at 54,48
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Japanese aircraft
H6K4 Mavis x 11
Allied aircraft
H81-A3 x 1
Hurricane IIa Trop x 4
Hurricane IIb Trop x 1
P-40E Warhawk x 6
Japanese aircraft losses H6K4 Mavis: 3 destroyed, 4 damaged
No Allied losses
Allied Ships
xAK Haresfield, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAP Takliwa, Bomb hits 1, on fire
5) The Allies continue their strat bombing work.
Makassar:
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 3
No Allied losses
Manpower hits 5
Fires 3132
Singapore:
Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 5
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 2 damaged
Manpower hits 6
Fires 4910
Rangoon's mission does not score. Two raids in China, Changsha and Kumming, are lost in the dark and RTB. Both of these bases have lush industrial works. I really want to burn some of it. Will keep trying. Singers in particular has lost about half of its industry since I had it, with detection at 5/11. The shipyard is 40% destroyed.
6) Babo is Oil bombed for 3 hits. Boela loses 1 Oil.
7) Five Port strikes are made against Sampit, hoping to catch a transport taking off the landing fragment. But nothing is there but the ground troops. The port is moderately damaged.
8) A strong surface TF of CA/CL/DD leaves Pearl for the Canal. The BBs are left behind. Too slow. North Carolina comes out in about two months; she might go to Asia to face Yamato.
Before any JFBs whine that this makes Japan's life hard let me say this:
1) Night CAP. The AI does it, humans can too. If that makes 100-Oscar sweeps impossible in daylight . . . whah.
2) Spread the AA out.
3) Don't like it? Push me out of range.
Pretty much my feelings. Why would I throw precious bombers into heavy daytime cap, when I can sneak them around and bomb multiple nighttime targets ?
Its historical, its realistic and its one of the few ways the Allies can make meaningful attacks early in the war
Before any JFBs whine that this makes Japan's life hard let me say this:
1) Night CAP. The AI does it, humans can too. If that makes 100-Oscar sweeps impossible in daylight . . . whah.
2) Spread the AA out.
3) Don't like it? Push me out of range.
Pretty much my feelings. Why would I throw precious bombers into heavy daytime cap, when I can sneak them around and bomb multiple nighttime targets ?
Its historical, its realistic and its one of the few ways the Allies can make meaningful attacks early in the war
A very good recent read (today [:)]) on how EACH side can use strat bombing is found in Damien's AAR vs. Nemo, posted by Alfred. Strat bombing is far more than hitting the HI in 1945. It is a core part of the design, but unused by 90+% of players I see in AARs. Some/many even have HRs preventing it. Insanity.
I can't mount 100 each B-17 raids to crush a major metro area. I'm carefully using 3, 4, 5 4E, and in some cases 2E, bombers to jab and weave, duck and run, to take a point here, three points there. If you, the Allied player, don't like facing 5000 3rd Gen fighters over Kyushu in the summer of 1945 take away his HI in 1942. Bleed, bleed, bleed. Use your time in range to kick him in the shins and run away. It's not cowardly. It's war. A long one.
It is easy to imagine your opponent deciding to rail up the units he used to take Singapore to address your blatant disrespect for the Japanese easy conquest of Burma. I don't think it is wise per-say, but curious to know if you will be able to fortify your current position to stop a thrust of this type. Defending south of the valley is really sticking your tongue out at your opponent (Some good defense terrain too!)
It is easy to imagine your opponent deciding to rail up the units he used to take Singapore to address your blatant disrespect for the Japanese easy conquest of Burma. I don't think it is wise per-say, but curious to know if you will be able to fortify your current position to stop a thrust of this type. Defending south of the valley is really sticking your tongue out at your opponent (Some good defense terrain too!)
Please, please, please let him do that!
Burma is defense terrain supreme. He has over 130,000 men and over 1000 AFVs at Rangoon now. Bring more! Forget Java! It's really worthless to Japan! Really! Forget Palembang! Give me time to put three US Army IDs there with 1000 arty tubes! The oil in Burma is FAR nicer! Smells good! Take a bath in it![8D]
He may beat me in Burma, but again, having most of the Chinese army there makes it far different than in most games. When we exchange two Chinese for one Japanese soldier, I win.
The RN carriers break from BB escort duty today to proceed SW to stand off Sabang. So do two RN surface action groups. A DD/PB TF is proceeding up the Strait, I assume to santize for an amphib TF to pass north. All subs but one are north in deep water or covering Sabang overtly.
The 3-stack coming toward Pegu seems to have triggered some kind of response, as there is an east movement dot on the Rangoon stack. One more day and I'll put them in reverse. Toungoo had 2 Forts when I got there; should be 3 in 48 hours or so.
Sumatra SitRep. Force Z coming north. IJN TF heading NW; probable ASW. Could be leading a landing. Allied subs have moved north to better water. Sabang AF taken down to single Hudson unit on Search. Sabang has about 150 AV and Forts 3. Good supply.
It's about time Ares and Mars and Donald Rumsfeld favoured your side a little bit more. You had a good sub trap in the Strait of Malacca that got skunked. Maybe now you will get a shot at something!
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
It's about time Ares and Mars and Donald Rumsfeld favoured your side a little bit more. You had a good sub trap in the Strait of Malacca that got skunked. Maybe now you will get a shot at something!
Yeah, that was fun to set up. Made a nice picture. [:)]
I recieved some comments in PM about "ending" Operation FUDD with so much left to do in Burma. To be clear, FUDD was the attmept on Rangoon, plus the operations at Toungoo, Prome, Bassein, and tangentially, Chiang Mai. Rather than have an "open operation" HQ has closed out the op name. But to be clear, Burma is nowhere near stable, safe, resting comfortably, or even very well understood right now. But what comes next is regular order, not a named operation. Until the next one. [:)]
(Some good defense terrain too!)
