The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[BBfanboy]

Or maybe he is trying a credible feint in the Bay of Bengal to draw the Allied CVs there while he really moves on another area, like N Oz/NG?

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
I'm leaning that way

Man...I thought *I* was the Chickenboy. [bawk bawk BAWK!] [:'(]

[Canoerebel]

I think this is a primary mission (ie, not primarily a feint). John knows what I have in the India region, both because he can see everything in Bay of Bengal and because the recent AMC raids and sub patrols in the Arabian Sea probably alerted him that I don't have much combat power there. So I interpret this as a primary mission, though I still don't know what it is.

Does John know that most of my combat power is in SoPac right now? I don't think he knows, but I think he's torn between SoPac and NoPac.

[paullus99]

If I was to hazard a guess, John just wants to kill something...he hasn't gotten a good shot at your fleet & he intends to put himself in a position where he can.

Just my $0.02

[JohnDillworth]

Do what you will with the fleet but I would get your planes out of there pronto. Your pools can't be too deep at this time and a BB bombardment would wreck a lot of them

[pws1225]

And on a different note, what's with the sequence of numbers that you occassionally add to the end of your posts? Over the last week or so (in game time), the sequence has been 37, 42, 48, 56, 59, 64.

[Canoerebel]

That's either an unintentional artifact in posting (stray fingers) or my evaluation of the likelihood of success in the upcoming and very scintillating invasion of New Guinea.

[Canoerebel]

I'm still weighing my options, but I've just about decided to keep the fleet at Akyab. Bottom Line: I can't keep running away, so I might as well fight from the most advantageous position possible (the one protected by big airfields and 450 mines). I do read your comments, though. John Dillworth's reminded me to attend to distribution of my aircraft. Akyab was overloaded, so I moved some fighters to Chittagong and Cox's. All the 2EB at Cox's went to Diamond Harbor.

It's time for the Allies to gird up their loins and fight.

[Canoerebel]

Decision made. Turn sent. The Allies stand at Akyab.

[Cribtop]

Hopefully a girded loin will gather no swords!

Any way to build a horde of PTs at these bases?

[Canoerebel]

No, no American bases within 2,000 miles (or more?).

[Grollub]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I'm still weighing my options, but I've just about decided to keep the fleet at Akyab. Bottom Line: I can't keep running away, so I might as well fight from the most advantageous position possible (the one protected by big airfields and 450 mines). I do read your comments, though. John Dillworth's reminded me to attend to distribution of my aircraft. Akyab was overloaded, so I moved some fighters to Chittagong and Cox's. All the 2EB at Cox's went to Diamond Harbor.

It's time for the Allies to gird up their loins and fight.

For what it is worth, I think it's a wise move. I'm taking roughly the same the decisions in my game as well.

Given that, I'm a little interested to see how it goes for you, as a pilot case [:'(]

[Canoerebel]

Have you ever had the experience of clicking "send," only to then experience serious remorse about decisions made during that turn? I certainly have. But this isn't one of those times. I know that I've consigned the Allies to a position well within the paws of a ravenous lion, but no matter the outcome, I'm satisfied that it was the right decision.

So my loins are girded. If the next sound you hear is an ebullient "Banzai! from John, please don't ask to inspect my skivvies for signs or marks of distress.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
please don't ask to inspect my skivvies for signs or marks of distress.

Dan, I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that there was no and I mean NO danger of us asking for that, regardless of what we heard from John.

[Grollub]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Have you ever had the experience of clicking "send," only to then experience serious remorse about decisions made during that turn? I certainly have. But this isn't one of those times. I know that I've consigned the Allies to a position well within the paws of a ravenous lion, but no matter the outcome, I'm satisfied that it was the right decision.

So my loins are girded. If the next sound you hear is an ebullient "Banzai! from John, please don't ask to inspect my skivvies for signs or marks of distress.

Only when I've done the turn under influence of some alcoholic beverage.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Grollub

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Have you ever had the experience of clicking "send," only to then experience serious remorse about decisions made during that turn? I certainly have. But this isn't one of those times. I know that I've consigned the Allies to a position well within the paws of a ravenous lion, but no matter the outcome, I'm satisfied that it was the right decision.

So my loins are girded. If the next sound you hear is an ebullient "Banzai! from John, please don't ask to inspect my skivvies for signs or marks of distress.

Only when I've done the turn under influence of some alcoholic beverage.

Isn't that like...every other turn then, dude? [:'(]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I'm still weighing my options, but I've just about decided to keep the fleet at Akyab. Bottom Line: I can't keep running away, so I might as well fight from the most advantageous position possible (the one protected by big airfields and 450 mines). I do read your comments, though. John Dillworth's reminded me to attend to distribution of my aircraft. Akyab was overloaded, so I moved some fighters to Chittagong and Cox's. All the 2EB at Cox's went to Diamond Harbor.

It's time for the Allies to gird up their loins and fight.

I hope you have the 1942 scale of equipment for girding loins ... especially this codpiece:

[Justus2]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

No, no American bases within 2,000 miles (or more?).

Wont help for immediate purposes, but (at least according to the manual) you can create PTs from a TF that has supply loaded from CONUS, even at other bases.

Good luck with the upcoming turn, I think you are right, you have been setting up for this moment, now is the time!

[Cribtop]

Right, I was thinking either that move or pay PPs to make it a US base (is that possible?). The latter approach seems a little cheesy unless there are US troops in theater, IMHO.

[Canoerebel]

I'll post a regular update in an hour or two, but in the meantime, this very revealing email came from John:

"You have gotten a GIFT for two days in row! I have ordered my BBs to SMASH Akyab and they have hung up. Won’t go in...NUTS!
I am NOT taking the BAIT you are throwing out MISTER Roper. I KNOW in my gut where your offensive shall occur!
If we’re wrong then this will be quite bad...
If we’re right...BANZAI!
Your semi-esteemed opponent: Johann III"

He's so frustrated his giving stuff away!
1. He's so intent on hitting Akyab that I need to very carefully consider moving my guys out. More about that later.
2. I don't believe this is a bombardment run. If it was (and if yesterday's failed mission was), he'd have also heavily targeted the airfield with sweeps and bombers to apply the coup-de-grace. No sweeps or bombers have targeted Akyab either day. I read this as: his ships are set for combat (not bombardment) and his target is the Allied navy.
3. His reference to bait is NoPac.
4. His reference to "knowing" where my offensive is coming is most likely to New Guinea. This may be very good, because when the longer the Allies are totallly quiet in that theater, the more concerned he will get and begin to cast his eyes elsewhere. In a few days I will throw out a clearly "feint" TF between New Caledonia and New Guinea. That will be so siimilar to what's happening in the Aluetians right now that he might well conclude New Guinea is a feint. But I think the Allies are strong enough to, if necessary, just forge straight ahead and hit the targeted beaches. I have a great deal of firepower and lots of good airfields and ports close by.