The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Sakai007]

Like watching an awesome movie! The build up to this action has been killing me, way to go!

[Canoerebel]

The Battle of Assam

[Cribtop]

Let me correct my prior post. You will both smack him in Burma and catch him off guard in the Pacific. This was a major win even if he keeps coming.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Let me correct my prior post. You will both smack him in Burma and catch him off guard in the Pacific. This was a major win even if he keeps coming.

+1

John is really handling poorly the land war in Burma

[Canoerebel]

Still early to tell, but Longstreet taking the high ground and waiting for the attack proved to be a good strategy given John's aggressiveness. (At the same time, I fully realize that Jackson charging into Burma to keep the initiative might have been more decisive.)

John has had months to gather his forces and prepare his plan. So if the Allies manage to win, the outcome would be all the more remarkable.

[GreyJoy]

John really has to do something... but, at this point, I think he already lost the Burma campaign. If I was him i'd start to prepare a good defensive perimeter, building up the bases in southern Burma and northern Thailand. He cannot hope to push you out of the plains anymore...not with all those good divisions you're masterfully using

[Paladin1dcs]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

John really has to do something... but, at this point, I think he already lost the Burma campaign. If I was him i'd start to prepare a good defensive perimeter, building up the bases in southern Burma and northern Thailand. He cannot hope to push you out of the plains anymore...not with all those good divisions you're masterfully using

So, for those of us following from the sidelines trying to learn a trick or two, where would you build a defensive line in Burma? He's already lost the central plains and the jungles to the North of them, which is where I would have looked at setting my lines, so what's left?

Should he establish a MLR along the river, past Prome and into Rangoon?

What about trying to hold Prome as a redoubt, since it's surrounded on four sides by a river?

I'm game to hear your ideas, since the land portion of the game is still somewhat of a mystery to me even now.

[Canoerebel]

Once Japan needs to fall back from the plains, the obvious line would be anchored at Toungo and Taung Gyi, reaching out from those hexes to take maximum advantage of jungle and jungle/rough terrain (and, where feasible, rivers). Prome, being in the open, will be tough to hold.

In most games it is vital that Japan advance rapdily enough to occupy the key jungle hexes beyond the plains to deny them to the Allies in late '42 and as deep into '43 as possible. The only exception to this might be a strategy based on "sucking/keeping the Allies forward in Burma" while Japan invades NE India in a big way (thus ultimately securing those key jungle hexes).

In this game, the genesis of the idea to make a strong stand in the jungle came from reading GreyJoy's AAR and seeing how he handle the Japanese defense in upper Burma. If he could make a strong stand there as Japan in late '42 and '43, I figured the Allies might be able to do the same in early '42. My biggest concern was the threat of an end-round invasion by Japan into India, but it became clear pretty early that such wasn't likely to occur.

So, in all seriousness, a key part of the Allied strategy in this game came from reading GJ's AAR and modifying what was there to fit the circumstances of this game.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

John really has to do something... but, at this point, I think he already lost the Burma campaign. If I was him i'd start to prepare a good defensive perimeter, building up the bases in southern Burma and northern Thailand. He cannot hope to push you out of the plains anymore...not with all those good divisions you're masterfully using

I agree 100% with the Greyjoy. You might suffer in lost ships and even lose Ramree but the fact that John has committed so much force to the IO is in itself a victory. I know the game well enough to know that the Japanese fleet could be used to much advantage elsewhere in 11/42. Burma is essentially a land campaign and his ships will not do much to win that campaign in the long run.

[DTurtle]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Once Japan needs to fall back from the plains, the obvious line would be anchored at Toungo and Taung Gyi, reaching out from those hexes to take maximum advantage of jungle and jungle/rough terrain (and, where feasible, rivers). Prome, being in the open, will be tough to hold.

What are you planning to do to stop him setting up a defensive line there?

[Canoerebel]

9/15/42

Battle of Assam: No combat ship action or bombardments today, but massive sweeps by Tojos over both Cox's Bazaar and Akyab, followed by strike aircraft targeting shipping and the airfield at Akyab. Once again, the Allies win the "body count" on the day, downing 128 aircraft, including 29 Tojos. The Allies lose 88 fighters - 18 of those on the ground. The big Tojo sweeps eventually blow through the CAP, leaving nothing to face four or five incoming raids. The enemy strike aircraft must be tuckered out, though, for there were few hits. The only thing I noted was CA Devonshire taking a few bombs and incurring light/moderate damage. If John can keep this up, though, I'm in trouble. My fighter force are in a shambles. Akyab's field is over-clogged with disabled aircraft. I'm on fumes here. If, however, John's airforces are also about out of gas, the Allies should be okay. A few days to repair and reorganize will go a long way to fixing things. Will the Allies get that time or not? That's the key question now. But the combat TFs are staying. They have 100% ammo, so they're ready to fight. This battle is at a critical stage now - John must - he MUST - blink first. \

On the Ground: The US and UK troops get a 2:1 deliberate attack against 4th Div., once again disabling 100+ squads. They'll try again tomorrow.

Ching Lee: He lives! He somehow ended up in command of DD Arrow, which has moderate damage. That ship will reach Viz tomorrow and I'll change commanders so that Lee can return to Akyab.

Tomorrow: The B-17s at Cox's and Calcutta are given orders to hit Mandalay airfield. The biggest hope is that they might destroy a handful of Tojos - either in the air or on the ground. The Allies need a break from that beast! Are John's Tojos worn out after a week of hard campaigning?

NoPac: The airfield at the former dot hex near Kodiak goes to level one. John's spidey senses probably aren't tingling in NoPac any longer, but there's an outside chance a good feint might have the desired effect.

CenPac: The two USN carriers are finally making progress again. They are four and five days, respectively, from being ready.

SoPac: More enemy subs near Auckland. John's really sniffing all around this theater. He hasn't caught wind of anything yet, but the slightest hint will set his warning bells to ringing. I think I'm going to use Hobart as a refueling station and to perhaps unload and combat load a few units. I am also considering Port Kembla, Newcastle, and possibly Wellington (the subs aren't there at the moment, it seems). The great majority of the combat units slated for the invasions are now on transports between Dunedin, NZ, and Tahiti. D-Day could be as soon as three weeks, though that may be pushing it just a bit.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: DTurtle
What are you planning to do to stop him setting up a defensive line there?

Nothing direct I can do to stop him from setting up a defensive line well behind his current line. There are indirect things - prep my units for key bases (many of mine are 100% prepped for Rangoon, Toungoo and Moulmein); move fast enough to threaten John's rear so that he has to retire in disarray; take air bases from which the Allies can effectively bomb ground troops; etc. But more likely than not John will set up a defensive line. I don't mind slow going in Burma. The main missions is effective attrition of his land, sea and air power. That machine is now humming - perhaps way too energetically for my air-arm.

[Canoerebel]

Took a final look at the map and made a few adjustments.

The Allies have just 85 operational aircraft at Akyab - with 150 disabled and under repair!

I think I can fight with these numbers no more than two more days - and in doing so pretty much leaving all other bases undefended.

So, if John has the reserve strength to continue attacking... The most frightening thought is Akyab airfield getting shut down and all those disabled aircraft getting destroyed or just sitting there. I have nothing left anywhere in this theater.

So the next turn has a great deal of long-term importance. If John can't continue the fight, the Allies buy precious time to regroup. If he can...well, I'm not sure the Allies can stop him.

[Canoerebel]

A quick final word. Looking over the Total Air Losses charts for the 9/6/42 and 9/16/42, I obtained the following info:

Total Allied planes downed: 287
Total IJ planes downed: 495

Here are some of the critical numbers:

P40E: 52
P39: 42
P400: 14
P38F: 18
P40K: 8
Hurr IIb: 36
Hurr IIc: 28
B17E: 18

Tojo: 150
Zero: 184
Kate: 69
Val: 53
Betty: 23
Nell: 34

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Are John's Tojos worn out after a week of hard campaigning?

Hard to say. With an SR=1, they're pretty resilient little dudes. Very useful. Particularly so since the IJAAF can produce several hundred per month. [:)]

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Are John's Tojos worn out after a week of hard campaigning?

Hard to say. With an SR=1, they're pretty resilient little dudes. Very useful. Particularly so since the IJAAF can produce several hundred per month. [:)]

Yes, an understated strength of Japan in the game in 1942. Better service rating for her fighters.

[BBfanboy]

You might consider using an xAK or two to haul some of the most heavily damaged squadrons out of Akyab to Calcutta for repair.

About Ching Lee - when you say replace him, you know that you do not have to spend PPs, right? He is a TF commander so if you disband the DD at Viz, he will go into the pool again. If you make another DD TF with the damaged DD the ship's captain should be TF commander. No PPs expended. [:)]

[JeffroK]

And he's 400 miles away from the action.

[Canoerebel]

9/16/42

A great deal to report on (and some comments to reply to) in a quiet sort of way. That's good! Very good!

Battle of Assam: The Japanese airforce stands down. A few Tojos swept Cox's Bazaar, where there wasn't any CAP posted, but no strikes of any kind over beleaugered and vulnerable Akyab. The enemy carriers have moved west (true) into the middle Bay of Bengal in an effort to pick off damaged ships moving toward Viz. (I have some hard choices over how to allocate CAP - I think Akyab and Chittagong will get the vast majority with Viz getting perhaps 50 fighters). The Japanese have vacated two of the key jungle hexes. Two divisions are now in the hex with the Aussies (who drew full supply, so they should be fine until they leave the hex they are in). 41st USA Div. and 5th UK Bde. got 3:1 on 4th IJA Div., driving down AV to about zero, but only doing modest damage. The two Allied units drew full supply and will attack again tomorrow (the Brits will switch to shock). At this point, the Japanese have had three infantry divisions and one tank division battered and it seems that John is pulling back a bit. That's good.

The Underlying Skinny: Akyab airfield damage declines from 46/27 to 46/15. It's going to take some time got get it fully functioning. Total disabled fighters at my four main fields was 251 yesterday (most of that - 166 - at Akyab). Today that number is down to 210 (135 at Akyab). At the rate of 40 fixed per day, I need a good six days to totally rehabilitate my airforce. Of course, the Tojo may not give me that long. More about that below. I really hope John stands down again tomorrow.

China: Moderate IJ bombing raids turn after turn at Chengteh are driving up Chinese disablements that are oh-so-slow to repair. I may ultimately yield the hex to fight in the woods, which offer much better protection against bombers. I wish I could detach my two P-38F squadrons from Assam to ambush the unescorted bombers at Chengteh, but not until I'm sure Assam is safe again.

NoPac: Quiet.

CenPac: American carriers three and four days, repsectively, from being ready to depart Pearl.

SoPac/SWPac: The lead transports (carrying most of 1st Marine Div.) have passed NZ's south cape without any encounters with enemy subs. Many, many more to transit in coming days. All my TFs have replenished fuel at Tahiti, sucking dry many tankers. More tankers are inbound to Oz and Tasmania from Capetown. I think I have the fuel needed to handle the operation, though it's probably going to be a bit tight. Once the Battle of Assam is clearly over, I'll begin to lay out the plan for the upcoming invasion or invasions here. The Oz-based and NZ-based troops are in place. The necessary PP to buy restricted units are in place. All that's needed now are arrival of the carriers and the long train of transports inbound.

BBFanboy: That was a nifty suggestion that I'll remember! However, at this point better to leave my fighters where they are. At their current repair rate, the Allied fighters need about six days to return to full capacity. Also, Ching Lee is back in command of the New Orleans TF at Akyab.

Chickenboy: Yes, the Tojo is one gnarly, tough customer. That's why I tried so hard to create conditions in which John had to come to me (or would think he had to). With the meager replacement rates for Allied aircraft and the qualitative and quantitative advantages Japan enjoys with the Tojo (and other aircraft), about the best thing the Allies can do is try to efficiently attrit Japanese pilot quality. Since all these battles that past ten days have occured over Allied bases, John's pilot losses should be much higher. ON a separate note, just how many Tojos is John likely producing per month? I'm following another AAR in which the IJ player is producing 90...so are you serious when you say John can produce "several hundred"? The idea boggles.....

[bbbf]

He can make several hundred or more, if he chooses. It's about what you prioritise and what the scenario's economics allow.

In my games, good fighters are always high priority and so I make lots of the best fighters available. In one game, I am producing 150 Georges and 500+ Franks per month, and am still packing HI away into the strategic reserve.