Where the 'bleep' are all your PBYs?? [:(] [&:]
If you are getting hit by DDs at Pago Pago, then I would have a PBY group at Pago Pago, Suva, Palmrya, and Johnson. Assign specific patrol arcs to each. Then use the Hot Key "Z" to show those arcs and adjust so they cover the most and don't leave open areas.
Pull up my Jan 1st or 15th file to see what I have down there.
OK! OK! <grin> I GET it!
I have two pix to show where the PBY's are, The CONUS PBY's, half the groups are restricted to the West Coast & doing ASW work around S.D./L.A/S.F. The others are up near Seattle filling out the squadrons and doing ASW there.. Johnston Is got its PBY's searching and I sent a tender there too. The Palmyra PBY's are searching and its tender was sunk earlier... Suva is a Aussie/Commonwealth base, so Larry has to answer for that... I had the SBD-1's at Pago Pago doing ASW work until I caught sight of John's CVTF heading southwest towards Pago Pago... They are now 50% Search and Naval attack/Rest...
One thing I would say is that all those bases might be in danger as there isn't a right lot behind them as bases. Lose Johnston/Palmyra and your route to Sydney is going to be a bit fraught!
Marine Defence battalions are ideal for those locations!
If you don't have warning of Japanese naval movement, then he's going to take a fearful toll of your shipping.
And, once you identified the KB, you can use your stuff were he ain't!
I'd have your AVD's in advanced locations as well, as they can provide air support for float planes.
Encircled - I agree with all your posting - there's just one little problem... Having John cooperate! As noted above John has sunk a lot of my initial supply and support ships I was sending to these Islands. The PBY groups came in at half strength and I had to wait for them to build up at bases with significant supply first.
There simply is not enough PP's to do everything that is being suggested at once. I have some PBY groups available and am going to move them, I can't just put them in the middle of John's rampage without knowing I can save them too. John is putting a lot of pressure on the SE Pacific with his Subs and KB (mini?) down there. I can't match the airpower he's brought and have undefended ships/planes just keep getting picked off... Maybe I'm too conservative, but part of this is Larry has control over NON-US bases, and he has to be on board with all this too.
Now I'll stop whining and get planning[8|] - I will be out of town at the in laws but should be back shortly thereafter and will pick this back up
Again Thanks for the suggestions, keep em coming!!! [:)]
Random comments:
RA keeps the IJA the same as stock scenario 1. Only the IJN is changed.
Any hidden secrets here? [:D] Bueller?
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I think J-III based RA on DaBabes, which might have some changes in IJA (I don't remember). Either way, the secret (that's what you asked about, right??) is to make a separate installation of the game (as you already do for different PBM's, right?), and in that separate install folder start up a game of the same scenario that you are playing but with you as the Japanese (vs AI or head to head doesn't matter). Start up a Tracker database for it, too. That way you can look at things that you want to see. Obviously you will get no Intel on the current game, but you will get Intel about the scenario.
Spend the PP to buy out your USA based PBYs. Maybe one or two stay back.
Get them to at least Pearl.
Convert a PBY-5 to PBY-5A so you can fill out the 5s. I've done so for about 3 groups to date. Even if you have only 1 or 2 PBY-5As in the new group, do so. You can fill them out later.
Spend the PP to buy out your USA based PBYs. Maybe one or two stay back.
Get them to at least Pearl.
Convert a PBY-5 to PBY-5A so you can fill out the 5s. I've done so for about 3 groups to date. Even if you have only 1 or 2 PBY-5As in the new group, do so. You can fill them out later.
IIRC - two groups cannot be bought (greyed out - "West Coast HQ") Otherwise I will do exactly as you suggest when I get the next turn, Now does the West Coast command include the Aleutians? I know it switches to N.Pacific sometime in 42, or I can move the extra Midway PBY's up there...
So right now P.H., Palmyra, Johnston Is, & Midway are my manned PBY outposts -
PS: I'm also sending Lexington and Saratoga CV's to pick up the extra Marine Fighter groups at S.D. The CVTF doesnt have to dock to accept the groups right?
I'm going to try to keep the CV's around 5-6 hexes from the west coast because of John's aggressiveness with the subs there. I'll keep the TBD's on ASW with range of 1 while I'm traveling there.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 22, 41
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Only a little action on the US fronts...
ASW attack near Pago Pago at 148,161
Japanese Ships
SS I-10
Allied Ships
DD Lawrence
ASW attack near Pago Pago at 148,161
Japanese Ships
SS I-169
Allied Ships
KV Chevreuil
PG D'Iberville
Sub vs Sub: SS I-9 attacking SS S-27 at 181,132
Japanese Ships
SS I-9
Allied Ships
SS S-27
ASW attack near Pago Pago at 148,161
Japanese Ships
SS I-169
Allied Ships
DM Sicard
DM Pruitt
B-17's are staying with the designated target...
Morning Air attack on 90th Infantry Regiment, at 80,89 (Butuan)
Weather in hex: Light rain
Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes
But John's figured out where the B-17's are...[:(]
Afternoon Air attack on Cagayan , at 79,89
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 20 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Dec 23, 41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I see around 3 subs outside of the L.A./S.D. area and just one outside S.F. but the iD of the sub keeps changing...
ASW attack near San Francisco at 218,72
Japanese Ships
SS I-7
Allied Ships
DD Stribling
I guess John doesn't like the floatplane results... [8D]
Morning Air attack on TF, near Lucena at 79,79
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid spotted at 4 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 2
Ki-27b Nate x 7
Allied aircraft
SOC-1 Seagull x 4
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
SOC-1 Seagull: 1 destroyed
Japanese Ships
xAK Kyusyu Maru
I didn't get the SCTF out of the area in time...sigh [:o]
Morning Air attack on TF, near Canton Island at 156,138
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 33
B5N2 Kate x 21
D3A1 Val x 25
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 2 damaged
D3A1 Val: 4 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak
Morning Air attack on 90th Infantry Regiment, at 80,89 (Butuan)
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Afternoon Air attack on Cagayan , at 79,89
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid detected at 21 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes
Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 7
Allied aircraft
no flights
No Japanese losses
Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 4 damaged
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 5
This is the ugly...[:-]
Ground combat at Cagayan (79,89)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 3480 troops, 49 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 224
Defending force 5675 troops, 24 guns, 62 vehicles, Assault Value = 138
PS: I'm also sending Lexington and Saratoga CV's to pick up the extra Marine Fighter groups at S.D. The CV TF doesn't have to dock to accept the groups right?
Each of my American CV (except Wasp) get an 18 fighter plane Marine group. I like having 45 fighters per CV. The name of the game is "survivability."
No, you don't have to dock for them to be flown aboard. Just within transfer range.
B-17Ds in Philippines - I send them first to Java and eventually to India.
You need recon more than bombers now. And you need to consider you can't defend him much atm, you need to build up places that are a REAL stretch for him. Not the historical sites, but the game sites. That was (one of) my biggest mistakes in my first PBEM, defending historical. This is a game, not a simulator.
A perfectly reasonable statement... against an masterful opponent! <grin> I'm using the B-17's at P.H. to search along with the PBY's along the line...
So far he has been more aggressive against the Pacific bases than I figured on... I thought he was going to lock down the SRA and start importing the oil and resources from there. I'm obviously wrong (again).
I'm surely appreciative of the advice, but I'm starting to think I'm dain bramaged because I am feeling the pressure when NY59Giants (Michael) is already on me about the PBY's and were two weeks into the war... HE is ABSOLUTELY correct in what he's saying, but I know I'm 50% the player he is just from reading his help guides and he sent us examples of his past games as the Allies... But I only get better and learn by playing!
Each of my American CV (except Wasp) get an 18 fighter plane Marine group. I like having 45 fighters per CV. The name of the game is "survivability."
I've learned that lesson already. Do you keep the Marine groups at 50%CAP/30%TRN/20%Rest? unless they are likely to battle of course.
No, you don't have to dock for them to be flown aboard. Just within transfer range.
I just wanted to check before I made a stupid mistake here...
B-17Ds in Philippines - I send them first to Java and eventually to India.
But with the 2 player split I would have to "buy out" the groups to transfer them to Larry's command... makes it just a little bit harder to compensate for John having to play 2 players...
I bought WITP for a Christmas present to myself in 2004. So, I've got a 'few' years of experience playing the Allies and to lesser extent Japan over the years. I've learned the things that need to be done early as the Allies. You are playing a person, John 3rd, who has always used his navy aggressively in the beginning. You will adjust and learn.
John has grabbed Baker island. Now he has some backup for Canton island. I haven't noticed any aircraft on Canton but if they aren't
there yet they will be shortly I'm betting.
And to make things worse for the Allies yet, John has captured Malden. That's practically inside my shipping lanes. I'll have to shift the
lanes and maybe even traverse off-map. This is going to be bad news if he puts some aircraft there. And surely he's going to.
That's the reason for preparing along multiple lines of fallback. Don't be surprised if he makes a grab in the Marquesas Islands. Maybe even the Tuamoto Islands, Society Islands, or Cook Islands.
+1 to what ny59giants and witpqs say. John will give you a run for your money up front, but time is on your side. And since you're retired, you have all the time in the world. What can go wrong?
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