Command Decisions: Yeomen vs. Samurai RA 6.4

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the situation in the waters south of Saigon: Lot's of Jap traffic. There's probably some Jap ships headed for Miri just off the
radar screen to the north. Or maybe some second wave troops for Malaya.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the next bloody contest budding. Lots of Allied ships, mostly transports, headed south from Manila headed for Balikpapan and
it's looking like most of them, if any, aren't going to make it there. There's a squadron of Kates at Cotabato and at least two Jap TF's
heading for my shipping path and there's nothing for me to do about it. I could try to return to Manila but then what? And if I keep them
going south they are dead men sailing. But there's nothing for it. I see now why Jim wanted to try going to Dutch Harbor but that seems
sorta gamey to me. They are going to run out of fuel way way before they get there so..........

[Powloon]

Just wanted to say I am keenly following this AAR. Great read so far keep it up. It is definately becoming a firm favourite of mine to peruse with my morning coffee!

As a newbie to this game I was wondering if I could ask a couple of questions regarding the house rules you've agreed to?

Particularly I was wondering what the rational was for the no strategic bombing before 1943? To me this means the Japanese player is free to advance without having to pay any heed to adequately protecting his industrial conquests and can safely concentrate those assests at the "tip of the spear" instead. I'm sure there is more to this than meets the eye though. I was also wondering about the no ground bombing by B29 rule. I would have thought the Japanese player would almost have welcomed the use of your main strategic asset being used in a tactical role.

One thing I have found that is useful is moving 2/3 Catalina squadrons to Midway to airlift the Marine Defence Battalion from Wake (minus the 6 inch guns of course). It might be just enough to tip the balance if your esteemed opponent trys a quick grab in this area.

Anyway good luck!

[moore4807]

ORIGINAL: Powloon

Just wanted to say I am keenly following this AAR. Great read so far keep it up. It is definately becoming a firm favourite of mine to peruse with my morning coffee!

As a newbie to this game I was wondering if I could ask a couple of questions regarding the house rules you've agreed to?

Particularly I was wondering what the rational was for the no strategic bombing before 1943? To me this means the Japanese player is free to advance without having to pay any heed to adequately protecting his industrial conquests and can safely concentrate those assests at the "tip of the spear" instead. I'm sure there is more to this than meets the eye though. I was also wondering about the no ground bombing by B29 rule. I would have thought the Japanese player would almost have welcomed the use of your main strategic asset being used in a tactical role.

One thing I have found that is useful is moving 2/3 Catalina squadrons to Midway to airlift the Marine Defence Battalion from Wake (minus the 6 inch guns of course). It might be just enough to tip the balance if your esteemed opponent trys a quick grab in this area.

Anyway good luck!

Powloon - welcome aboard! and a great suggestion about Wake Is! If you see anything - please comment on it

The goal Larry and I had with this AAR was to make this fun first, informative secondly, and thirdly we accept all advice because it helps with improving our game too!!!

"Particularly I was wondering what the rational was for the no strategic bombing before 1943? To me this means the Japanese player is free to advance without having to pay any heed to adequately protecting his industrial conquests and can safely concentrate those assests at the "tip of the spear" instead"
Some players as I understand it, strat bomb China/India to rubble from the outset. Makes the Japanese game almost impossible because there's no reward left for the risk.

I was also wondering about the no ground bombing by B29 rule. I would have thought the Japanese player would almost have welcomed the use of your main strategic asset being used in a tactical role.
B-29's have a tendency to bomb troops into rubble instead of buildings. Once you start losing 300-500 troops per turn to massed raids, the ability of the troops is lost due to morale and efficiency as the Japanese similarly did with massed two engine bomber raids at the outbreak of the war. I actually prefer to use the B-29's to batter the troops, since it only takes a week to make a IJA ID totally worthless and a regt. with artillery can push them out of an open hex...

If anyone has better/more accurate info on these questions - please jump in and correct me.

[Lecivius]

I read ALL the AAR's, so I pretty much just lurk in the shadows. One thought though. You have a ton of AK’s the British get. It might behoove you to get some of the longer legged ones (20 or so) humping from Cape Town to London in the early years. He can’t touch them, and you can really ramp up the available supplies to distribute as needed (and they will be needed) in late spring of ’42.

[FOW]

RE repair industry - no engineers required. costs 1000supply to repair one factory point per turn, needs 10K+ supply in base at start of turn. Only consider reapir in China if you can hold the base long enough to recoup the expenditure of supplies.

The fleeing ships from Manilla - Occassionally I send some west across the top of Borneo and round the NW corner down to Oosthaven - avoids the Celebes Sea massacre. In small TFs they might avoid the attention of Netties at Saigon (long range)

[catwhoorg]

Why use the long legged ones on London to Capetown ?

Offmap movement doesn't use fuel, so the short legged ones can easily do the job. Is the theory that they will then be in the right place to pull those supplies to Oz from CT ?

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: catwhoorg

Why use the long legged ones on London to Capetown ?

Offmap movement doesn't use fuel, so the short legged ones can easily do the job. Is the theory that they will then be in the right place to pull those supplies to Oz from CT ?

They may not, but they show as unable to reach it, so I never tried.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: moore4807

Powloon - welcome aboard! and a great suggestion about Wake Is! If you see anything - please comment on it

The goal Larry and I had with this AAR was to make this fun first, informative secondly, and thirdly we accept all advice because it helps with improving our game too!!!

"Particularly I was wondering what the rational was for the no strategic bombing before 1943? To me this means the Japanese player is free to advance without having to pay any heed to adequately protecting his industrial conquests and can safely concentrate those assests at the "tip of the spear" instead"
Some players as I understand it, strat bomb China/India to rubble from the outset. Makes the Japanese game almost impossible because there's no reward left for the risk.

This makes no sense at all to me. It makes Japan's job in China easier, as I noted earlier.

I was also wondering about the no ground bombing by B29 rule. I would have thought the Japanese player would almost have welcomed the use of your main strategic asset being used in a tactical role.
B-29's have a tendency to bomb troops into rubble instead of buildings. Once you start losing 300-500 troops per turn to massed raids, the ability of the troops is lost due to morale and efficiency as the Japanese similarly did with massed two engine bomber raids at the outbreak of the war. I actually prefer to use the B-29's to batter the troops, since it only takes a week to make a IJA ID totally worthless and a regt. with artillery can push them out of an open hex...

As I noted earlier, I agree with what you wrote here. There should not be any HR against using B-29 in any particular way, unless there is an accompanying restriction against using Japanese aircraft in that same way!

If anyone has better/more accurate info on these questions - please jump in and correct me.

[larryfulkerson]

Um......I have a pair of TK's leaving Balikpapan headed south and John has a couple of Jap TF's headed for Balikpapan. The speed of
the TF is 10 knots ( slowest ship = 10 knots ) and the Jap boats are stunningly faster so I'm not sure that the TK's are going to get out
of the AO before they get hit by the Japs. This game is starting to get exciting.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's another view of the traffic to the east of Balikpapan. Jap TF's are headed toward Soerabaja. At least two CV's maybe three.
It's not looking good for the Allies. I'm wondering if I should sortie all the smaller ships from Java and head them to the west to get
them out of harm's way. I don't have the surface forces to confront the Japs and no carriers at all now that the Charlotte has shed
her planes to Ambon and Darwin. The Charlotte is headed for Brisbane for another flock of birds.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the situation around Port Moresby. I've got some TF's consisting mainly of AP's headed south past Horn Island headed for
Pretty Pony. Pretty Pony is the code name for Pago Pago in case you have to talk to somebody over the radio. John has a TF
headed for Rabaul I'm thinking. I've got a couple of Hudson's at Rabaul and maybe I can get a shot off at the ships before John has a
chance to bombard the airfield at Rabaul.

[larryfulkerson]

The AM named Penguin is fleeing Guam and is headed for Pearl Harbor. I hope it makes it but the odds are poor I think. I'll keep you
updated on the USS Pengiun.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

Um......I have a pair of TK's leaving Balikpapan headed south and John has a couple of Jap TF's headed for Balikpapan. The speed of
the TF is 10 knots ( slowest ship = 10 knots ) and the Jap boats are stunningly faster so I'm not sure that the TK's are going to get out
of the AO before they get hit by the Japs. This game is starting to get exciting.

This is a prime example of where two one-ship TFs make perfect sense over one two-ship TF. The speed difference here being the telling factor. As it is still early, would it be within your HRs?

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: witpqs
...two one-ship TFs make perfect sense over one two-ship TF. The speed difference here being the telling factor. As it is still early, would it be within your HRs?

We're only 3 days into the scenario so I'm guessing that it would be permisable to separate them. Thanks, good catch.

[Simonsez]

No reason to have those xAP's or any other TF moving through water that far north unless you can cover them with fighters or surface assest. The goal is to get assest to locations where they can be useful. Route everything far to the south using waypoints so that you can avoid enemy carrier and SAG dahes as well as any LBA that might be redeployed into the south pacific. Route away from choke points on the map and "corners" - like SE Australia. Route TF's well out to sea when possible. I also would avoid coastal routes where possible and plot out deep ocena rotues with beelin exits and entrances to ports.

Forget trying to hit anything with the Hudsons, especially in such small numbers. Save those airframes and train up pilots and/or get them out there on naval search to give you more intel if they won't be too exposed. You are at a quantitative and qualitative disadvantage for the first months of the war. Husband your resources and train them up to be useful in the future. Only commit them to defense of must have locations, anything else is a waste of these assets. I see nothing in that area of the map that is must have for you, you will not slow your oponnent down by throwing assets in front of his forces to die gloriously. If....if you can get a decent SAG group into the Solomons or Fiji, I'd go for that, but most likely that effort also has a quick expiration date.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Simonsez
No reason to have those xAP's or any other TF moving through water that far north unless you can cover them with fighters or surface assets. The goal is to get assets to locations where they can be useful. Route everything far to the south using waypoints so that you can avoid enemy carrier and SAG dahes as well as any LBA that might be redeployed into the south pacific. Route away from choke points on the map and "corners" - like SE Australia. Route TF's well out to sea when possible. I also would avoid coastal routes where possible and plot out deep ocean routes with bee line exits and entrances to ports.

Sounds like a really good idea.

ORIGINAL: Simonsez
Forget trying to hit anything with the Hudsons, especially in such small numbers. Save those airframes and train up pilots and/or get them out there on naval search to give you more intel if they won't be too exposed. You are at a quantitative and qualitative disadvantage for the first months of the war. Husband your resources and train them up to be useful in the future. Only commit them to defense of must have locations, anything else is a waste of these assets. I see nothing in that area of the map that is must have for you, you will not slow your oponnent down by throwing assets in front of his forces to die gloriously. If....if you can get a decent SAG group into the Solomons or Fiji, I'd go for that, but most likely that effort also has a quick expiration date.

I see your point. Thanks, I needed that reminder. I'm not a very good husband I guess.

I'm finding this two-person one-side game takes some getting used to. Jim is out of pocket today so it fell upon me to do the moves
for Jim and I and I'm conflicted when it comes to moving HIS TF's because he probably knows what he had in mind for them when he
set them in motion but I don't always remember what I had in mind for MY TF's much less his so it's slow going right now.

[larryfulkerson]

Task Force 401 is a small surface force, mostly DD's, and I'm going to redirect them to Soerabaja instead of letting them continue on
to Darwin. I hope Jim doesn't mind me changing the destination this way.........I just think it might be prudent to get 401 under my LBA
umbrella if possible. John has at least two CVL's sailing my way and it could get interesting here in a couple of turns.

[larryfulkerson]

I have found another smallish surface force to use to confront the Japs. It's got three light Cruisers in it and should be a substantial
addition to TF 401 who is needing help in the previous picture.

[Simonsez]

Remember the tennants of Task Force composition.

1) Group ships by main and secondary battery range when possible
2) Group ships with similar top end speeds, do not put slow and fast ships together unless it is the only way escort
larger ships. Son't put a single slow CL in with some fast CA's for example just to get another ship into the TF,
that one slow ship makes all the other fast ships easier targets.
3) Review TF commanders and make sure they give you the best odds of succeeeding in your combat die rolls.

I mention not specifically for the CL TF you presented (you should look at it though), but for future planning. If the De Ruyter for example had a significantly different engagement range with her main and secondaries that the other 2 CL's, I might consider splitting to 2 TF's that are supporting each other (De Ruyter + 2 DD in one TF and the rest in another TF). They can cover a wider swath of ocean and both sets of assets can be brought to bear *(bare?) with maximum efficiency.



Charge on!