Castles in the Sand - Spidery(J) vs MrKane(A) no MrKane please

[Spidery]

End May Info

Allied base points -110 (I think supply is low at Chungking)
Japanese base points +1103 (Sining and some expansions)
Air loss points for month: Allied 446, Japanese 186
Ground loss points for month: Allied 771, Japanese 110
Ships sunk for month: Allied 358 (but probably about 100 more), Japanese 21

Total VP: Allied +193, Japanese +2915
VP ratio changed from 3.008:1 to 3.362:1

[Spidery]

June Economy

Figures taken from the main chart, don't include resources in transit or in ship bunkers.

Oil: -89,419
Fuel: -36,923
Supply: +37,628
HI: +64,861
Vehicles: +4,416
Armaments: +14,589

Also good engine pools being developed.

[Spidery]

Japanese ships lost

This is all [:)]

1 to a sub, 1 in surface action and 1 to an accident while loading.

[Spidery]

Allied ship losses

I think this is quite a bit short of what was actually sunk and there are no doubtfuls on it.

[Spidery]

Situation in China

A - Chinese troops here are cut off, 4, 10, and 3 units North to South.

B - Useful hex to head for Kunming

C - Useful hex on the plains but mostly blocked now.

[Spidery]

Air production and pools

Producing (or expanding to produce):

50 E13A1
9 E14Y1
15 E8N2
6 H6K4
20 A6M2-N (over did this)

50 Ki-44-IIa
30 Ki-45 KAIa
60 A6M5
90 Ki-43-Ic

7 B5N1 (have an excessive pool of these but the engines are free and they can be used as kamis)
10 Ki-32
20 Ki-49-Ia
60 Ki-49-IIa
45 G3M3 (I have too many Navy bombers but it seems worth upgrading for the extra range)

Pools are as below. The only significant wastage in these pools are the excess of Nates, Idas and Claudes.

[Spidery]

Engine production

Need to keep expanding the Ha-33.

[Spidery]

June 1st 1942

Air Losses: 35 Japanese, 2 Allied, 9 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:

China

Bad air attack near Tienshui results in a heavy loss of aircraft.

Pacific

Loads of ineffective sub action on both sides. The only loss is a Val shot down by a sub near Rabaul[:(].

DEI

Quiet

India

Quiet

Burma

Allies continue bombing ground troops for exploration purposes.

Australia

Three task forces are detected near the Southern tip of Australia. All are small so probably ASW teams.

Home Isles etc.

The A6M2-N Rufe factory upgrades to A6M5 because I forgot to stop this[8|]. Is it worth converting another factory to build the A6M2-N? Are they worthwhile?

Loads of ships start conversions and upgrades.

Engineering

Paramushiro-Jima expands to 3. Taiping expands to 5.

R&D

Quiet.

[setloz]

The A6M2-N Rufe factory upgrades to A6M5 because I forgot to stop this. Is it worth converting another factory to build the A6M2-N? Are they worthwhile?

As a float fighter, I consider them outdated the second they go into production (worse than A6M2). I'd rather convert the few FF squadrons to something worthwhile. But that's my opinion.

[Spidery]

June 2nd 1942

Air Losses: 2 Japanese, 9 Allied, 8 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:

China

More air and land bombardment attacks in Tienshui area.

Attack West from Kweiyang gets a 1:1 but fails to dislodge defenders:

Ground combat at 71,49 (near Kunming)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 10357 troops, 54 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 359

Defending force 4935 troops, 30 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 69

Japanese adjusted assault: 267

Allied adjusted defense: 136

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
344 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 32 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
344 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 29 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
9th Ind.Mixed Brigade
1st Ind.Inf.Group
2nd Recon Regiment
23rd Field AA Machinecannon Company

Defending units:
73rd Chinese Corps

Night air strike at Chungking does no damage and takes no losses.

Pacific

More ineffective sub-action, including RO-61 heading back to Noumea using the last of its torpedoes to shoot at but miss the SS Greyback[:(].

DEI

Quiet

India

Quiet

Burma

Allied night strike against Magwe does no damage and loses 4 Blenheims to flak.

Australia

Keeping sight of the 3 small task forces and they are heading SW from Perth. Detected a task force reported as 2 DD and 2 BB heading West around the bottom from Sydney. It could be these task forces are planning to link up.

B-17E hit Fenton airfield and inflict light damage. 3 B-17 lost to ops[8D].

Home Isles etc.

Will ignore the Rufe now.

Engineering

Terapo to 2.

R&D

Quiet.

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: setloz

The A6M2-N Rufe factory upgrades to A6M5 because I forgot to stop this. Is it worth converting another factory to build the A6M2-N? Are they worthwhile?

As a float fighter, I consider them outdated the second they go into production (worse than A6M2). I'd rather convert the few FF squadrons to something worthwhile. But that's my opinion.

I'll take my error as guidance and go along with that. However, it will be a while before I can spare the A6M5 needed to upgrade the groups.

The only use I can see for them is protecting against Catalinas launching torpedo attacks in areas like the North Pacific or in raiding task forces. There is one group of 9 that I will divide and put onto 3 CA to give them a little CAP when operating as raiders.

[offenseman]

There are definitely some utilitarian uses for the Float Fighters. Using them to provide unexpected CAP at size zero bases can be real useful. Of course the key is to not get them into "real" combat against non-float fighters. Using them against unescorted bombers can be fun.

[Spidery]

June 3rd 1942

Air Losses: 2 Japanese, 19 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:

China

No flights.

Attack near Tienshui on the retreating Chinese:

Ground combat at 81,39 (near Tienshui)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 28619 troops, 456 guns, 178 vehicles, Assault Value = 737

Defending force 49004 troops, 154 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 911

Japanese adjusted assault: 295

Allied adjusted defense: 625

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2

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

Japanese ground losses:
2423 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 246 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 26 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 21 disabled
Guns lost 53 (6 destroyed, 47 disabled)
Vehicles lost 19 (1 destroyed, 18 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1488 casualties reported
Squads: 72 destroyed, 95 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 20 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 9 (2 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Disablements aren't too important (except for the supply lost) and got some good damage on the Chinese. Surprising that the Chinese don't have a supply minus.

On the Kunming road managed to push the Chinese back

Ground combat at 71,49 (near Kunming)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 11021 troops, 58 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 332

Defending force 4691 troops, 30 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 40

Japanese adjusted assault: 110

Allied adjusted defense: 49

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
92 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
1759 casualties reported
Squads: 63 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 56 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
1st Ind.Inf.Group
9th Ind.Mixed Brigade
2nd Recon Regiment
23rd Field AA Machinecannon Company

Defending units:
73rd Chinese Corps

The Chinese Corps is shattered.

Pacific

Score a hit on the SS Finback near Truk.

Burma Area

Good CA bombardment of Chittagong:

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 161 damaged
Blenheim IV: 7 destroyed on ground
Hurricane I Trop: 38 damaged
Hurricane I Trop: 1 destroyed on ground
Hurricane IIb Trop: 25 damaged
Hurricane IIb Trop: 3 destroyed on ground

Japanese Ships
CA Suzuya
CA Mogami
CA Chokai
CA Maya
CA Takao
CA Tone

Allied ground losses:
1042 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 19 disabled
Non Combat: 21 destroyed, 51 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 16 disabled
Guns lost 56 (7 destroyed, 49 disabled)
Vehicles lost 31 (6 destroyed, 25 disabled)

Airbase hits 27
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 82
Port hits 1
Port fuel hits 1

Looks like 18 Allied aircraft destroyed on the ground plus a nice few LCU VP.

Australia

I-2 takes two DC hits off the South coast and is 22/38/9 damaged. Cruise speed is reduced to 1 so it may take a month to get back to a yard.

Reinforcements

CV Hiyo.

[Spidery]

June 3rd 1942

Air Losses: 0 Japanese, 2 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:

[>:]

China

Chinese forces are reported heading for the road junction in the mountains East of Kunming (Hex 71,48)[:(]. It is currently occupied by a shattered Chinese Corps and I have a single Recce regiment present if I attack today and the Chinese reinforcements do not arrive it may be able to occupy the hex, if Chinese arrive this turn it will be annihilated. If I take the hex forces arrive the next day that should be able to hold it for a while.

Recon suggests Mengtze is unoccupied. An air drop there may be able to open another threat against Kunming. I will only be able to fly paras to there until the airfield can be built up. However, there is a river on the most direct route from Kunming.

Everywhere Else

Peace.

Despite the lack of attacks, Allied army loss VP goes up by 2. Presumably, this is for slowly starving units.

Engineering

Chengchow to 4, Waingapoe to 1, Shwebo to 3.



Here is the entire combat report for the turn (and I doubt this attack was worthwhile):

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jun 04, 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Tienshui (81,38)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1050 troops, 36 guns, 140 vehicles, Assault Value = 560

Defending force 39767 troops, 200 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1302

Allied ground losses:
20 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
58th/C Division
5th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
58th/B Division
12th Tank Regiment
29th Ind Engineer Regiment
35th/B Division
8th Armored Car Co
22nd Ind Engineer Regiment
35th/A Division
13th Indpt Infantry Regiment
58th/A Division
51st Recon Regiment
15th Tank Regiment
35th/C Division
30th Field AA Machinecannon Company
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
49th Const Co
Mongol Garrison Army
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
22nd Field AA Machinecannon Company
7th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
36th Const Co

Defending units:
19th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Corps
95th Chinese Corps

[Spidery]

Kunming Attack

A picture to show the current force disposition.

[Spidery]

In 16 days I will have all parts of the 1st Tank Division and in 24 days all those of the 2nd Tank Division.

I need to decide where, in China, to use them so as to gather the parts together.

For an attack along a road I can attack: Chihkiang; North of Kweilin; North of Tuyun, or West towards Kienko.

Chihkiang is well defended, and I have difficulty getting supply up to where the attack towards Kienko happens (but this may ease once the road from Sian is open). The other two attacks involve river crossings. The Tuyun one would have the best result if successful as it could probably lead to taking Kweiyang.

Other options would involve moving tanks through the woods which is slow and also puts them in a bad supply situation.

If two tank divisions accompanied by artillery attack across a river into 3 dug in Chinese Corps will that have a good result?

[setloz]

why not use the tanks in a grinding situation?
For example - On one of the hexes on the road from Sian to Chengtu, pick a hex where you are sure the chinese have not AT guns and grind at it.
Without the few (4 or 6 iirc) AT units, the chinese units will not do any dent into the IJ tanks.

So I would just form a battle group tanks + strong div + heavy arty on the road and start grinding. You could break into the chinese plains in this way and finish the war early.
I would stay away though from the chinese AT units.

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: setloz

why not use the tanks in a grinding situation?
For example - On one of the hexes on the road from Sian to Chengtu, pick a hex where you are sure the chinese have not AT guns and grind at it.
Without the few (4 or 6 iirc) AT units, the chinese units will not do any dent into the IJ tanks.

So I would just form a battle group tanks + strong div + heavy arty on the road and start grinding. You could break into the chinese plains in this way and finish the war early.
I would stay away though from the chinese AT units.

I think they only get 2 AT regiments. One of those is stuck up near Tienshui and will be shattered if it gets to safety (which will be in about 3 months time). No idea where the other one is.

I have been having difficulty getting adequate supply to attack along the Sian to Kienko road. That may change when the road from Sian is opened past Tienshui. There would be 2 Wood/Rough hexes I need to take plus crossing the river into Kienko or moving out into the rough hex.

If I attack at Tuyun I have the one wood/rough hex to take plus Kweiyang as a rough hex and then am out into the rough where I can out manoeuvre the Chinese. However, that does mean 6 weeks flogging through the woods or a river crossing at the start.

So far I haven't found the tanks that wonderful. However, they are now upgrading to the "Type 1" which has twice the armour and a big increase in anti-armour rating.

[setloz]

Well, I've had a lot of attacks by massed tanks on chinese troops where my losses were 10-20 disabled vehicles and theirs were 100-500 disabled squads. And once their morale and supplies started sinking, they'd crumble like a cookie.
Either way, I think that keeping up the pressure on the chinese is important.
Having lost both Sian and the supply production around Changsha they will be hard pressed for supplies.
Starving the chinese is the best option. So, attack them, bomb them & their airfields, anything that uses their supplies is best for you. Even firing AA guns uses supplies (not that they have a lot of those either).

[Spidery]

June 5th 1942

Air Losses: 1 Japanese, 3 Allied, 7 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:

China

2nd Recon attacks on the road junction towards Kunming. 3 Chinese Corps have arrived and it drives into an ambush. Afterwards, it has lost all squads and has only 1 tank active with 3 disabled. Infantry arrive but the hex is now firmly Allied controlled and that that will make a drive on Kunming much more difficult. Bombing had failed to prevent the force moving into the hex.

Numerous sweeps fail to find any Allied planes.

Forces enter the mountain hex at 80, 38. Bombing of this hex shows that there is the 42nd Chinese Corps, the 34th Separate Brigade, and the 1st War Area present. The 42nd Chinese Corps had 101 AV before it was driven out of Tienshui. The 34th Separate brigade was the only front-line unit in the defense of Lanchow back at the beginning of March. There is a good chance these defenders are in a poor way. The Chinese opened the hex West from Tienshui on the 29th May so I think the earliest reinforcements can arrive from there is June 10th. I have a third of a division present now with another third arriving on the 6th and 7th. So I could launch an attack on the 8th to try and take the hex. Will keep up bombing it for the moment.

Pacific

Lots of ineffective sub action for both sides. Allies score 1 hit with a dud torpedo.

This was an interesting combat:

Sub attack near San Francisco at 213,79

Japanese Ships
SS I-30

Allied Ships
PC Aurora
PG Sacramento
PC Kybra
PC Nemaha
PC Bonham
PC Reliance
PC Daphne
KV Chilliwack
KV Wetaskiwin
KV Quesnel
KV Edmundston

Either he is transferring ASW assets or this is a large convoy and the sub failed to penetrate the screen.

Engineering

Tienshui to 1.



2nd Recon after being ambushed