The Hive - Cruft PBEM (Japan, Scen 2 Beta + Stacking Limits)

[seille]

Ahh, i understand [:)]

[Captain Cruft]

04 Feb 1944

He has taken Kota Bharu by para assault.

A very strange ground combat result at Denpasar, where a remnant of a JNAF AF Unit holds off a considerable amount of actual combat troops.

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Ground combat at Denpasar (58,108)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 2743 troops, 32 guns, 48 vehicles, Assault Value = 128

Defending force 569 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 4

Allied adjusted assault: 38

Japanese adjusted defense: 28

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 3

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
33 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
2/4 MG Battalion
111th(Sep) Infantry Regiment
102nd(Sep) Infantry Rgt /1
186th USAAF Base Force
21st NZ Pioneer Coy
854-875-1871 Engineer Aviation Battalion
30th USN Naval Const Rgt /1

Defending units:
47th JNAF AF Unit

[Captain Cruft]

Fortress Hainan

Kiungshan.

More engineers and flak are on the way. The 546 fighters are all Oscars, and comprise about 75% of the 1st Air Army

[Captain Cruft]

Fortress Hainan

Samah.

More engineers and flak are on the way.

The 153 fighters are all Jacks and Georges and the units are stuffed with Golden Boys, of which the IJN has a surplus. These are basically just going to act as a CAP for a cruiser force which will constantly bombard the Indochinese bases. This force has just arrived at Hong Kong for a refuel before starting its work.

[Captain Cruft]

Fortress Hainan

I am moving a lot of stuff which was going to just stay on Formosa to Hainan. This is because I am fairly sure that I can get most of it out if the island becomes untenable.

[Captain Cruft]

Fortress Formosa

Takao is still in a reasonable state despite having being "abandoned". I managed to extract the 49th Division from Korea and the Home Islands to form the basis of the garrison.

The 210 fighters are all Franks, and comprise the part of the 1st Air Army that is not at Kiungshan. Due to the Nakajima Ha-45 problems I am not producing enough of this aircraft to waste it at the front line yet.

[Captain Cruft]

Fortress Formosa

Karenko is coming along quite well. There is a Special Base Force arriving shortly will be sent there to a) add a minimal coastal gun capability and b) get the support number to change from red to white.

[Captain Cruft]

Fortress Formosa

Pescadores has also been "abandoned". It's still functional though.

[Captain Cruft]

06 Feb 1944

I have been sending Fubuki and Mutsuki class DDs into Manado on a nightly basis and will continue to do so as long as I can. He has his own DDs there to protect the transports, which they have done very well. I think I have lost two DDs to none of his with about the same number damaged on both sides.

This is not about destroying his navy, it's more to do with being a persistent nuisance and slowing him down a bit.

In the air we have hiatus while he works out where to bring the big stick(s) next.

[Captain Cruft]

07 Feb 1944

He has moved more destroyers and now also some cruisers to Manado. My raids this turn were very useless and quite costly. Therefore we will desist and wait for his next landing in the area to start fighting again.

Meanwhile over in the Pacific I have spotted some shipping for the first time ever to the east of the Marshall Islands. He has been flying recon over Wake, perhaps he intends to land there? I will not contest it if he does except with the house CD guns.

[Captain Cruft]

08 Feb 1944

Phnom Penh falls.

His air campaign over Mindanao has started, with Sweeps out of Ternate over Dadjangas. P-47s, P-38s and Spitfire VIIIs. I did not think the latter of the three could fly that far but it can indeed do 9 hexes with drop tanks. A bit worrying ...

For some reason my mixed bag of Todgers and Nicks did quite well, with 11 P-47s despatched. Of course we lost a lot more planes but not so many pilots.

Mindanao is the first time he has been confronted with multiple inter-locking airbases which can potentially do him harm when he lands at the next place. I am very interested to see how he approaches this.

[Captain Cruft]

South East Asia

[Captain Cruft]

DEI and Mindanao

[Richard III]

If any of my Games as the Empire have maps like that when I hit Feb. 1944 I will be quite happy....[8D]

[Captain Cruft]

Well I don't know. He is way ahead of the historical timetable in terms of territorial gains, and the score is now showing an Allied Minor Victory.

Assuming he wraps up the DEI in another month or so I will only have enough fuel to last for one more year with industry going at full whack. Then it's poverty time ...

What I have not allowed to happen is the attrition of the IJN at a far remove as per Midway/Guadalcanal etc. This may give me options if and when he goes for total annihilation.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

Well I don't know. He is way ahead of the historical timetable in terms of territorial gains, and the score is now showing an Allied Minor Victory.

Assuming he wraps up the DEI in another month or so I will only have enough fuel to last for one more year with industry going at full whack. Then it's poverty time ...

What I have not allowed to happen is the attrition of the IJN at a far remove as per Midway/Guadalcanal etc. This may give me options if and when he goes for total annihilation.

When you have a chance again it would be great to see an economic update. Interested in how much you have stored away.

[Captain Cruft]

Here you go.

[obvert]

Your fuel and oil look pretty good, but I guess if you're not going to get much more out you'll need it all to get deeper into 45. I've begun lamenting my fuel and oil situation. Not the best, but I'll keep trying to get more back.

All of the rest seems like you're setting yourself up well. You might get to around 3 million HI by the end of 44, which is my goal. Your armaments and vehicles polls are really healthy. Supply looks a bit tight. I'm trying to build mine up more as there will still be a lot of factories that need changing over when new airframes come online.

This will be a fun year to see how the Hive reacts when challenged. [:)]

[Cribtop]

Are those the Empire wide stats? How much of that fuel and oil are in the Home Islands.

[Captain Cruft]

I would be very surprised if HI gets to 3m. More like 2.5m tops.

The main thing is to be able to produce out the Naval Shipyards and then basically turn them off by the end of August.