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

[Captain Cruft]

28 Jun 1944

We're back ... Hope everyone had a good Christmas

I am not going to attack the Soviets, let's here no more of that idea please.

This was another interesting turn. I shipped some highly-trained IJAAF kamikaze groups into Zamboanga to see what they could do. The base had repaired after its earlier 4E treatment.

Lots of hits. All those on the BBs bounced, however I suspect that I have caused some of them to need repairs.

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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Jolo at 74,90

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid detected at 59 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 19 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 12
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 49
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 19
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 12

Allied aircraft
F6F-3 Hellcat x 27

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 6 destroyed
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 2 destroyed by flak
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 7 destroyed
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 1 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F6F-3 Hellcat: 2 destroyed

Allied Ships
xAP Nathaniel Bowditch, Kamikaze hits 1
CL Adelaide

Allied ground losses:
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
22 x Ki-44-IIb Tojo sweeping at 15000 feet
11 x Ki-21-Ic Sally flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
7 x Ki-45 KAIa Nick sweeping at 15000 feet
15 x Ki-44-IIb Tojo sweeping at 15000 feet
15 x Ki-44-IIc Tojo sweeping at 15000 feet

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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Zamboanga at 76,91

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 108 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 36 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 11
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 11
Ki-45 KAIc Nick x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 7 destroyed
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-45 KAIc Nick: 9 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIc Nick: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
BB West Virginia, Kamikaze hits 4, on fire
CL Gambia, Kamikaze hits 1
BB Queen Elizabeth
BB Colorado, Kamikaze hits 4, on fire

Aircraft Attacking:
10 x Ki-21-Ic Sally flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
14 x Ki-45 KAIc Nick flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

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Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Zamboanga at 76,91

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 115 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 29 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 14
Ki-45 KAIc Nick x 8

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 8 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 1 destroyed by flak
Ki-45 KAIc Nick: 5 destroyed
Ki-45 KAIc Nick: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied Ships
BB Colorado, Kamikaze hits 5, heavy fires
BB Valiant, Kamikaze hits 6, on fire
BB Queen Elizabeth
BB West Virginia, Kamikaze hits 2, on fire
CL Perth, Kamikaze hits 1
DD Izard

Aircraft Attacking:
13 x Ki-43-IIa Oscar flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
7 x Ki-45 KAIc Nick flying as kamikaze
Kamikaze: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring BB Colorado
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring BB Valiant

[Captain Cruft]

ORIGINAL: Wuffer

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

The KB will not be getting involved. I might try something else though.

Invading Alaska or San Diego? He would be surprised, that's for sure

Honestly, just finished reading, while in the first moment your idea looks like a bit absurd, the results are very interesting.
You are running out of Navy pilots? a pity. Theoretically, you had a lot of time for training.
Keep the good reporting, as things getting heaten up now.

I actually now have a surplus of navy pilots following my early withdrawal of the numerous airgroups which had to be removed before 10th July 1944.

[Captain Cruft]

02 July 1944

Nothing much has happened since the kami attack on his BBs.

He continues to advance his huge army into China. Canton and Hengyang are under siege.

I am going to try a spoiling attack over the next couple of turns. We will see how it goes ...

[obvert]

Nice shot on the BBs.

Are you guys playing for VPs? I just noticed above, and it seems like once he's in strat bombing range of the HI he could just get to 2x VPs easily without advancing further by using bases in China, plus of course silly building his high VP multiplier bases up.

[Captain Cruft]

We've never actually discussed VPs at all. I guess if auto-victory happens we will talk then

[Captain Cruft]

03 July 1944

The spoilers are in place. They have been detected, but there should be nothing to stop them landing tomorrow.

Hengyang falls. The beaten up division which was there will head to Pingsiang, which is Rough terrain.

[Captain Cruft]

Philippines.

[Captain Cruft]

04 July 1944

Good stuff. The landings at Hue and Tourane (to cut the rail line from Cam Ranh Bay) have been accomplished without any opposition whatsoever. The APDs I used to carry the troops will high-tail it back to Kiungshan.

The units in question are two small IJA ones. They will probably not be able to hold for long, but I believe that he has pushed most if not all his combat units forward into China. So you never know.

There is only a base force at Pakhoi, and Kwangchowan is totally empty, so I might have a go at them too in a similar manner.

[Cribtop]

Nice actions on the cheap. Always fun to do something like this, and it can be very effective to boot.

[Sangeli]

Nicely done.

However, I don't think landing in southern China like you suggest is going to do much as unless you land strong units. He can pretty much ignore them as it won't disrupt supply/movement like taking bases on the railroads. Instead I think you should try taking Quinhon and Vinh with other small units. If you do that then in order to retake Hue and Tourane he won't be able to strat redeploy to those bases adding at least a week of transit time.

Also if this works out well maybe there is room for reinforcing Hue or Tourane with a division or so. If you can get the fort up to level 2, it may be quite a chore for the Allies to retake the base given how close it is to Samah. Given the potential travel times it could delay the Allied push in China a number of weeks.

[Captain Cruft]

05 July 1944

My opponent was surprised by this move, which is good, and I have noticed a westward pointing arrow has sprouted at Nanning. Perhaps those are his nearest combat troops? If so then all the more pleasing.

[Captain Cruft]

07 July 1944

Cagayan has fallen.

We are now engaged in a massive air fight over Kiungshan. The base remains open and undamaged, but I have lost a lot of planes on the ground and in the air. He has lost over 70 4Es so far.

[Captain Cruft]

08 July 1944

Davao has fallen. Canton will be next. I am sending an additional division and some arty to Hong Kong.

Another 40 4Es are destroyed over Kiungshan. The raids today were significantly weaker. It has cost me about 350 fighters though. I am fortunate that he continues to not escort his bombers and that the 2Es have been diverted to bombing the troops at Hue and Tourane.

Overall I am down to around 5,500 ready aircraft, and apart from Oscars and Zeroes the fighter pools are looking thin.

[obvert]

That's a big chunk of 4Es though too, so you might see a slow down in the bombing for a while which will give you time to recover.

In terms of your main IJN and IJA fighters, what are you using now and is anything else almost in production?

[Captain Cruft]

I am confident I can hang on to Kiungshan unless he lands there.

Plane-wise the IJN is still mostly reliant on the A6M5, which a few Jacks and even fewer Georges. There have been no groups in action for a while though.

For the IJA it's a mix of Franks, Tojo IIc and Oscar IIIa, in more or less equal numbers.

There are no new fighters due to arrive until 1945.

[Sangeli]

What air frame has been the best 4E killer for you so far?

[Cribtop]

Are you concerned that plane and airframe losses will be so high that you will lose the ability to shock the Allies with a tidal wave once they cross the borders of the Hive? Asked another way, what are your thoughts at this point on the overall viability of the Hive strategy?

[Captain Cruft]

Sangeli,

Anything better than a Nate or a Claude with a decent pilot in it.

Cribtop,

I'm still pretty confident. However a lot of that is down to the way he plays. Against a more aggressive and unpredictable player I would certainly be feeling more nervous.

[Captain Cruft]

11 July 1944

Canton falls. The survivors will head for Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, some Allied shipping has appeared in the South China Sea. The ones to the bottom left are two CV TFs and an Amphib. What is puzzling me are the supposed two DDs to the top right.

It's really difficult to guess where this lot are all going. So I won't plot any Naval Attacks until things become clearer.

[Captain Cruft]

13 July 1944

I have landed another sacrifical unit at Vinh. Three APDs were lost to RAF dive bombers but most of the unit is ashore, albeit about 50% disabled.

There are no substantive Allied combat units at the base, but a stack of aviation support and the like. I will not attack yet.

The US CVs are sitting just to the south of the area in the picture. Out of range of any of my LBA.

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Ground combat at Vinh (65,59)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 70 troops, 8 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 37

Defending force 2421 troops, 21 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 52

Assaulting units:
169 Wing
167 Wing
Sikh Construction Battalion
123rd RAF Base Force
III Indian Corps
104th RAF Base Force
1st Indian Coastal Artillery Regiment
I/224 Gp Forward Base Force

Defending units:
1st Amphibious Brigade