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

[Captain Cruft]

Hi cribtop,

Yes it's Empire wide. I would guess that I have about 2m fuel outside the HI, mostly at Hong Kong and Manila. Oil is mostly already back home.

[Captain Cruft]

Engine troubles

Alongside the Nakajima Ha-45 issues I am now suffering from a lack of Mitsubishi Ha-32s, which power things like the Jack, Emily and B6N2 Jill.

The Engines screen shows just how badly I have done with this side of things.

[obvert]

You might look ahead to the research you have going, count the planes you'll have for each engine in 6 months, and start building new factories now. not a complete disaster, but it does take time to work out. I had to do this around the same time, but luckily never got below 150 in any pool, (not because I was keeping good track, but just got lucky there and caught the deficiencies soon enough).

[Sangeli]

I've spent a while lurking in your AAR and I'm wondering if it might be a good move for you to attack the USSR before August 1945. You could get some extra oil and fuel which could be very benificial. But also by fighting on your terms you can avoid a situation later on when you are being pressed hard by the US in the Hive and the USSR in 1945. You could assemble a large army, strike a decisive blow against the Soviets in summer 1944 and then redeploy them to the Hive in the start of 1945. Sort of like how Germany tried to strike first against France in WWI before they could bring their army to bear (although of course that didn't work out well). It's a risky strategy but if you are able to pull it off (say by surprise landings in the Soviet Far East) you could end up destroying a good portion of the Soviet army that could be brought to bear later on.

[Captain Cruft]

If there was a time to attack the Soviets it was on Dec 7 1941. I have no air to deploy against them whatsoever and I have stripped most of the arty and flak out of Kwantung.

Obviously come August 1945 I will be faced with a bit of a problem. Should be fun

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

If there was a time to attack the Soviets it was on Dec 7 1941. I have no air to deploy against them whatsoever and I have stripped most of the arty and flak out of Kwantung.

Obviously come August 1945 I will be faced with a bit of a problem. Should be fun

In August 45 everything for Japan is a problem. [;)]

It would also cost you hundreds of thousands in supply to basically let the Allies open another front and get access to a fairly massive air force right next to japan and another small navy with bases also right next to japan. Very bad.

In rader's 'Taming the Bear' game against Jzanes he took out the Soviets in 42-43 and did very well into 45, but still the Allies pushed slowly ahead and got the slow grinding win.

[Captain Cruft]

Yes I really don't think partying in Vladivostok is on the agenda at this point. The cost-benefit analysis is massively negative as you say.

There are other possibilities for the late game though. One such is Operation Bouvet.

[Sangeli]

Not a JFB so I don't know what I'd do in your situation but I've always been of the opinion that if you're going to get into a fight, always best to start it on your terms and set the pace. But ya at this point probably too late to do anything except sit back and wait for the Red army...

[obvert]

One such is Operation Bouvet.

Lots of mines?

[Captain Cruft]

Mum's the word ...

[Captain Cruft]

11 Feb 1944

It looks like Talaud-eilanden is next on his shopping list. Either by paras or FT I would guess. There is no garrison.

No airfield suppression on Mindanao as yet, and no further Sweeps.

[Captain Cruft]

12 Feb 1944

A turn of nothingness.

I have 5,404 ready aircraft. Only 36 are Nates.

[Schlemiel]

Hmm... Nate, natal. It truly is "baby's first plane."

It'll be interesting to see your opponent's reaction when he actually bumps up against "the hive." Even relatively thin opposition seems to have slowed his pace even further.

[Captain Cruft]

He has not really slowed down much. There is lots of hoovering up of by-passed bases going on while be builds Manado up.

Meanwhile I am getting a bit concerned about the Great IJAAF Fighter Airgroup Resize of March 1944 which is only a few weeks away now. This will totally clear out my Reserve pilot pool, and apart from the Oscar units I don't really have the planes to fill out the units either.

One obvious answer to this would be to convert some Fighter airgroups to Kamikaze, but I am really loath to do this. The IJAAF is my primary air superiority weapon. I guess I will just have to withdraw a few groups to rear areas for training.

[obvert]

But you will be able to train more once you have the bigger sized groups also.

You should be getting some later planes coming online soon, right? What IJAAF planes are arriving soon that will give your air production a boost when the RnD factories convert?

[Captain Cruft]

The only plane of importance which is imminent is the Ki-44-IIc Tojo. All the sexy stuff is way off.

Next turn might be fun, if the weather co-operates. 13th Feb was another day of not much happening.

[Captain Cruft]

Fortress Kiungshan

Today Kiungshan reached size 7 forts, and also hosts over 600 planes for the first time (all Oscars).

[Captain Cruft]

Volunteers

IJAAF Kami units training up at Clark Field.

[Captain Cruft]

14 Feb 1944

Two Kamikaze and one conventional Naval Attack on shipping at Manado. Reasonable results, but the weather in the afternoon was bad. I lost over 130 planes. The Nicks on escort were particularly badly hit.

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Morning Air attack on TF, near Manado at 75,99

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 133 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 39 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 82
B6N1 Jill x 12
P1Y1 Frances x 21

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk IV x 7
P-38H Lightning x 10
F4U-1 Corsair x 14
F6F-3 Hellcat x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 5 destroyed
B6N1 Jill: 8 destroyed
P1Y1 Frances: 13 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38H Lightning: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
DD Radford
DD Spence, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Flusser
DD Baldwin, Kamikaze hits 1
DD Walke, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD Harding
DD Strong
DD Thatcher
DD Taylor

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x P1Y1 Frances flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 2 x 250 kg SAP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb
12 x B6N1 Jill flying as kamikaze *
Kamikaze: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Manado at 75,99

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 118 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 34 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 12
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 12
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 76

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk IV x 6
P-38H Lightning x 10
F4U-1 Corsair x 14
F6F-3 Hellcat x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 6 destroyed
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 7 destroyed
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 11 destroyed

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
CA Quincy
CL Mobile, Kamikaze hits 2
DD Selfridge
CA Exeter
DD Stevens
DD Sigourney

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Ki-21-IIa Sally flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
12 x Ki-21-Ic Sally flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Manado at 75,99

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 112 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 32 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 36
Ki-48-IIc Lily x 27

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk IV x 2
P-38H Lightning x 7
F4U-1 Corsair x 9
F6F-3 Hellcat x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 3 destroyed
Ki-48-IIc Lily: 1 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied Ships
DD Baldwin, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Radford
DD Harding

Aircraft Attacking:
8 x Ki-48-IIc Lily releasing from 1000' *
Naval Attack: 2 x 100 kg SAP Bomb
15 x Ki-48-IIc Lily releasing from 2000' *
Naval Attack: 2 x 100 kg SAP Bomb
4 x Ki-48-IIc Lily releasing from 3000' *
Naval Attack: 2 x 100 kg SAP Bomb

[Captain Cruft]

Note to the above ...

Stripping his destroyers away from other more important ships is probably my number one tactical goal, so despite the expense I am quite pleased with the results.

We are going in again tomorrow, and then the day after we will send in the Fubukis for another go.

Still no airfield suppression on Mindanao, which makes it all possible.