Nothing Up My Sleeve: Magical Moose Tricks--Bullwinkle58 vs.1EyedJacks

[Bullwinkle58]

August 16 turn status.

[Lomri]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

2) Massive troop bombing of the MUTTLEYs. About 800 lost. The code routed the stack north up the road before SW into the rally hex. As far as I can tell the hexside directly to the rally hex is open; two late-ordered LCUs in the Pegu hex are in fact heading to cross it. And extra week of bombing at 800 per day? Wonderful. Love this game sometimes.

Maybe I'm confused about what MUTTLEY is - but if you mean the stack marched NE out of Pegu then SE to get directly west of Pegu that'll be because you don't control the hex side to the east. If I'm talking about something else my apologies!

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Lomri

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

2) Massive troop bombing of the MUTTLEYs. About 800 lost. The code routed the stack north up the road before SW into the rally hex. As far as I can tell the hexside directly to the rally hex is open; two late-ordered LCUs in the Pegu hex are in fact heading to cross it. And extra week of bombing at 800 per day? Wonderful. Love this game sometimes.

Maybe I'm confused about what MUTTLEY is - but if you mean the stack marched NE out of Pegu then SE to get directly west of Pegu that'll be because you don't control the hex side to the east. If I'm talking about something else my apologies!

Yeah, that's it. The turn I wrote that it looked white on both sides and there were two LCUs in the Pegu hex marching across it. Now the inside is red. Or I'm blind. As I said, one of the pitfalls of playing with the rez switch on high.

[JocMeister]

A dirty trick to that I do from time to time is to take a screen and then paste it into Paint.net. You can then zoom in and the hexsides are easier to see. I guess most image programs can do that.

[witpqs]

When you have a hex selected, the white of the selection usually drowns out the colors of the hex sides. I always select (click on) a different hex than any I want to look at when turning on ownership (w) or hex side config (F6).

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

When you have a hex selected, the white of the selection usually drowns out the colors of the hex sides. I always select (click on) a different hex than any I want to look at when turning on ownership (w) or hex side config (F6).

Both good ideas. I had never thought of Jocke's. As I can't keep a glass handy this may do for critical calls.

[Bullwinkle58]

With Mike's schedule it may be a few days before the next post. So I wanted to publically, rather than in an email, thank Alfred for his comments several days ago up-thread concerning replacements and disabled devices. It has quite simply changed the face of the game, as well as my other one with Cliff. I don't know why or how I didn't learn or forgot that replacements arrive disabled, but I had commonly been leaving the replacement taps open on highly disabled LCUs on the theory "they'll at least get stronger with the new stuff while the old heals." Which has the exact opposite result.

Now, for about the first time ever, I have squads in the Chinese infantry, Indian infantry, and Aussie infantry lines. No Brit, but soon. I have about 60 Support against my need for several thousand, but that line has been zero since Dec. 8. And so on.

And my precious supply is going to much better use healing devices already on the scene and not fighting with the new arrivals.

As I said "average" at best in the land game. [:)]

Thanks, Alfred.

[Alfred]

If you are lavishly surrounded by mountains of supply, probably lying in the officers mess drinking a bourbon (aka in rest mode), completely unmolested by the enemy, swarms of minions (aka support squads) are present, don't have a queue of disabled devices waiting to become enabled and a good leader, the end of turn housekeeping can make the arrivals "able". Under those circumstances the connection wouldn't be made. However you don't get all those conditions all that often with the Chinese nor if in long term contact with the enemy which is regularly conducting CAS.

And now I have to go elsewhere and inflict my pomposity on others.

Alfred

[Bullwinkle58]

August 16, 1942

No Title Today

This is the turn I did Sunday; it's Tuesday mid-morning. We are in a crazy work/travel week for Mike. May not get another turn in until next week. The move was pretty uneventful. More of the same, prepping for a huge battle in Burma.

1) Three night attacks on Rangoon get lost. Two flights of three do get through and accomplish nothing against a night CAP of ten Zeros.

2) In shallow water on the Burma coast subs attack several times and get no hits. HMS Trusty, the only one with working torpedoes, misses. Later, the small Beaufort group at Port Blair puts two bombs into xAK England Maru. It sank off-stage per sound effect. A decent-sized B-26 unit is moved to Port Blair and given the best Naval Attack pilots in the Reserve. A delay of up to seven days to arrive.

3) Homeward bound tanker TF is attacked twice by Growler NE of Miri. Five tankers and one DD are seen. All fish miss or dud. Driving me batty.

4) Four DDs out of Rabaul bombard Madang to see what's there. An SNLF. Coastwatchers constantly report a ship in at the base, but it is never seen. I have force at Rabaul able to deal with an SNLF, but not for now. If it goes air-capable then I will.

5) Soerbaja is both supply bombed and port bombed. Exeter takes another bomb sitting on the stocks. Japan takes a vacant Semarang up the north coast of Java. In truth all of Java except Soerbaja is open for taking. Batavia has shell forces left after the evac to PBang. The two probes marching out of Soerbaja looking to open a supply line to Batavia are nearly at their targets. One of them reads as vacant FWIW.

6) PBang heavily bombed after a few days of fort-building. Tojos come in low on Naval and sink two old Dutch PT boats there for months. Ship icons have always been present, but they're MLs, not anything meaty. Perhaps the Tojos presage an up-river landing. Nothing has been seen happening over at Benk. for a long time. The small East African garrison at Lahat gets bombed about every other day by Sallys or Lilys. More a training exercise.

7) A few B-17s punch through at Moulmein. One Sally destroyed on the ground and two damaged by combat report, but 13 damaged by animation. With the tiny bit of air power in Burma the Allies are mixing it up as best as they can.

8) Troop bombing on MUTTLEYs is about 200 today. Few KIA, mostly disabled. They march on. A Chinese LCU now sits in the hex between Pegu and Chiang Mai, largely cutting that supply route.

9) Building:

Annette Island expands fortifications to size 4
Magwe expands airfield to size 8
Lae expands airfield to size 2
Corvallis expands fortifications to size 2

[CaptBeefheart]

Good thing the Corvallis fort level went up. Wouldn't want him taking Oregon State University. [;)]

Cheers,
CC

[CaptDave]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

Good thing the Corvallis fort level went up. Wouldn't want him taking Oregon State University. [;)]

Cheers,
CC

Nah, they're not worried about Oregon State College (its name at the time). They're trying to protect that huge chicken farm just south of the campus -- have to feed the troops somehow!

(Always hated it when there was a strong south wind; the hog farms in Illinois smell much better than the aforementioned chicken farm.)

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

Good thing the Corvallis fort level went up. Wouldn't want him taking Oregon State University. [;)]

Cheers,
CC

Always happy to be a Job Creator (tm). [:)]

[witpqs]

Since you use code names, here is a list of NSA code names. Published by a French newspaper, these are projects that (in part) target France. The notes are not useful, but the names could be cool.

HIGHLANDS: Collection from Implants
VAGRANT: Collection of Computer Screens
MAGNETIC: Sensor Collection of Magnetic Emanations
MINERALIZE: Collection from LAN Implant
OCEAN: Optical Collection System for Raster-Based Computer Screens
LIFESAFER: Imaging of the Hard Drive
GENIE: Multi-stage operation: jumping the airgap etc.
BLACKHEART: Collection from an FBI Implant
PBX: Public Branch Exchange Switch
CRYPTO ENABLED: Collection Derived from AO's efforts to enable crypto
DROPMIRE: Passive collection of emanations using antenna
CUSTOMS: Customs opportunities (not LIFESAVER)
DROPMIRE: Laser printer collection, purely proximal access (***NOT*** implanted)
DEWSWEEPER: USB (Universal Serial Bus) hardware host tap that provides COVERT link over US link into a target network. Operates w/RF relay subsystem to provide wireless Bridge into target network.
RADON: Bi-directional host tap that can inject Ethernet packets onto the same targets. Allows bi-directional exploitation of denied networks using standard on-net tools.

[Bullwinkle58]

I only use cartoon code names. [:)]

[witpqs]

NSA... Looney Tunes... [:D]

[Bullwinkle58]

August 17, 1942

What Was I Doing?

Combat replay of turn from last Friday. Mike's travel schedule and the turn crossed in the mail, so this is what happened. I think we'll get back to our normal schedule now. It was a turn of minor events as MUTTLEY continues to ripen and the rest is probes.

1) I-166 sinks xAKL Duijmar van Twist on the way to Ramree. The Burma supply operation is keyed on Chittagong from Calcutta, with the supply chain pipe now full all the way back to Cape Town. But occasionally an xAKL will try for Ramree to get the stuff closer to the front. No escorts, just odds. Lost this time.

2) Half of night missions don't fly. One 3 plane Wellington strike on Rangoon gets through but does no Manpower damage while losing one to flak. Chiang Mai is hit by day and finds a CAP of 20, including 14 Nicks. One 4E is lost for two Sallys destroyed on the ground. B-17s hit Moulmein AF against heavy Oscar CAP, do not damage, but probably ops loss 2-3 defenders.

3) Japanese bombing kills about 400 MUTTLEYs, mostly in disabled not KIA squads. Allied carriers lurking just west of Port Blair looking for transport TFs to snipe are scouted by subs.

4) The Tavoy refuges, moved north to secure the southern Moulmein hexside, are attacked by a stronger force coming from Tavoy. They are defeated and retreat one hex east, still adjacent to Moulmein. Some supply air=dropped to them by Cats probably kept this from being worse.

Ground combat at 55,56 (near Moulmein)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5829 troops, 37 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 210

Defending force 1083 troops, 11 guns, 13 vehicles, Assault Value = 32

Japanese adjusted assault: 192

Allied adjusted defense: 27

Japanese assault odds: 7 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
28 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
284 casualties reported
Squads: 12 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 11 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
19th Ind.Mixed Brigade

Defending units:
26th Indian Brigade

5) Allied LCUs out of Soerbaja take both Madioen and Tjepoe to try to open a supply line to Batavia. One more red dot base in the rail nexus on the way needs to be cleared.

6) Heavy bombing at PBang, medium at Chungking. Soerbaja's yard is left alone today. One severely damaged DD is flushed toward Batavia. If I get 2-3 days one of the cruisers might make a try as well. Bad odds but not zero.

7) Another CVE appears on the sunk list. "CVE Chuyo is reported to have been sunk near Ebadon on Jun 30, 1942" Along with one I did not report here I think that's all three from that battle.

[Bullwinkle58]

August 18, 1942

Rescued From Bottom of Page One Limbo

Whew! That was close.

1) It WAS all three CVEs in the early summer battle.

"CVE Taiyo is reported to have been sunk near Ebadon on Jun 30, 1942"

Sunk Ships reports four CVEs, a CVL, and two CVs sunk. One CV I doubt. The rest are pretty solid I think. I think another CV was battered very badly and might be as close as Singers.

2) Japan sneaks a minefield into Ramree Island and sinks a lone xAKL. Good move by the enemy; minesweepers are thin on the ground in this theater. I'm not using Ramree a whole lot since the few planes it has are over Rangoon/Pegu, but I still like the option. Ramree AF went to Level 5 today.

3) Subs/ASW mix it up outside Moulmein harbor. Supply trying to run the gauntlet of six Allied subs in shallow water or just south in the same. Some Dutch, some USN with bad fish. South, down the coast off Georgetown, SS KXV puts a torpedo into xAK Kinsyu Maru. This TF is on the withdrawal I think. But a hit is a hit.

The Allied carriers are moving to a safer location to try an anti-naval strike in the Rangoon region.

4) One B-26C unit on Pt. Blair now has hand-picked naval skill pilots, all but two in the 60s. They do as told, flying a night naval mission (!!) at 100 feet on Moulmein harbor. Strafe and bomb two DDs but don't hit. Raid was spotted at 2NM with 0 minutes of enemy react time. Nice. The 26C is one of my favorite birds in this era.

5) Some sub activity off Balikpapan. Strong ASW patrols still present. Soerbaja can still provide sub fuel, and temporarily has supply to re-arm.

6) Eniwetok is swept and bombed for minor damage. The Marshalls are at a new equilibrium now, Ponape is being re-supplied frequently and the strikes on E. came from there. Kwaj/Roi Namur have barge traffic. Allies vamping for time and platforms. Eniwetok is still going to be an important island I think. 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions are still 100% prepped for Kwajalein.

7) Soerbaja is bombed heavily in anti-supply mode. Only two local Kates come at the yards, putting another unneeded bomb into Exeter, which is still on the blocks. One DD is most of the way to Batavia to try to run through the Sunda for Cocos. Another is a day away from a try. I don't get a read that Japan's naval search is robust on the north side of Java. The coast can be run.

8) Palembang is fort-bombed as usual. Tojos come in low and sink one MGB minding its own business.

9) Huge, multi-model strikes on the MUTTLEYs marching stacks, as well as the static ones in the Pegu region. About 400-500 casualties. Many of the Chinese units are at least 50% disabled on top of only being at 50% of TOE to start. The Indian, Brit, and Aussie formations are better. But the march to the Moulmein jumping-off hex is maddeningly slow. My only consolation is how much supply he's burning with this air campaign.

10) Minor 4E strikes in the Burma theater don't do much or cost much.

The land war has settled into a strong Burma focus, which suits me even as the Chinese bleed. There is no evidence of a move on PBang or Soerbaja and these bases must be taken if the Japanese economy is to survive 1944. Every day without that fuel is a good day for the Allies.

I've been imagining what a northern campaign might look like in 1943, aiming at Sakhalin Island. It's a crap shoot asset-wise, and also triggers early kamis if that is still a factor. But a 4E base on northern Sakhalin I. can't be ignored and must draw a lot of the IJN there. I just don't want to go too early once more.

[Bullwinkle58]

Shot of Burma at start of August 19 turn. Note Allied carriers' intended course NE. But also a new hit on some maybe-tankers coming north up the coast. Perhaps oil for Rangoon to get refinery supply cranking? Might need to adjust the birdfarms. Also seems to indicate he doesn't know the carriers are about.

Subs need to be re-zoned a bit offshore. He's avoiding the coast.

[Bullwinkle58]

August 19, 1942

"Okay, Your Turn in the Barrel"

1) Screenie above shows density of subs around Rangoon approaches. Today it's Flying fish's turn in the barrel with two hard attacks by fleet DDs, the second doing major damage. At least seven DDs are operating in a three hex radius around the mouth of the river, and there are several other hard battles, but fortunately no Allied damage. Also no Allied hits.

2) Djokjakarta is occupied by the Japanese in Java.

3) The Allies manage to rally some CAP in Burma, shuffling the fighters at Prome and Ramree, and re-assigning bombers to new roles. Pinprick strikes on Rangoon Manpower (no damage), several southern AFs including Chiang Mai (with Audaxes!! Chomp!), sweeps battles (two lost each), and one decent, lucky interception of an unescorted 2E strike. By animation at least nine Bettys are destroyed, with multiple damage to others.

Afternoon Air attack on 82nd Chinese Corps, at 56,52 , near Pegu

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 9 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M3 Nell x 27
G4M1 Betty x 27

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIc Trop x 3
Mohawk IV x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M3 Nell: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 6 destroyed, 5 damaged

No Allied losses

Allied ground losses:
75 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Saturation bombing of the stacks continues, with about 250 casualties today. I checked the Aussie 7th Div. and it amazingly still only has six disabled squads as it marches. It also has organic Bofors 40 mm. The Chinese are not so equipped.

4) Soerbaja again gets supply denial bombing, leaving the ships alone and making another dash possible tomorrow.

5) Lots more bombing, sweeps, etc. The usual. Everything is waiting the MUTTLEY March to end. The Allied carriers continue to slip NE; decided some tankers were not worth exposure. Only have one surprise in the bag, and I want it to be on a worthy-risk target.

[obvert]

The place I always have some trouble with Allied subs is that spot around Phuket, as there usually isn't as much air support flying there. Around Rangoon itself I usually have several patrols both day and night searching.