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

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Sangeli
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Sangeli »

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I don't spelling things out, but here are some more clues.

The hex which the arrow is pointing to is the only way in to or out of Hong Kong.

I can bomb that hex with about 3,000 planes, uncontested.

The unit moving towards Hong Kong is a single Tank Regt, but I have over 1,000 AV of infantry on its way to the hex from Swatow.
I thought that might have been your intention but to me it seemed like a long shot you'd try to do that rather than be content with just sitting in that giant fort in Hong Kong seeing as how you've played fairly conservative this whole war.

Looking at the last bombardment report (which I had neglected to view before) I realize the AV situation is a lot closer than I had remembered. I guess bringing in those reinforcements was the right idea! I've never seen 3,000 bombers in a coordinated action before but ya you're definitely on to something big if you manage to pull it off. A few turns of heavy air bombardment could do a lot of damage. If you're going that route which I suspect you are might as well throw the whole kitchen sink at him with your fleet and bombard him (assuming you aren't putting your fleet into unnecessary risk). That being said, I expect a strong Allied response once he figures out you are trying to obliterate his superstack under a mountain of firepower. Good luck! I actually think you could pull this off.
Wuffer
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Wuffer »

some time, some day in this AAR there will be battles of former unbelievable dimensions... and than we will get all details, please :-)
but yeah, why not? why wasting supply, pilots and time with soon irrelevant, old allied airframes? at least it's complete terra incognita, which I really like.


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obvert
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by obvert »

This will be interesting. [;)]
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
JocMeister
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by JocMeister »

Exciting!
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Cribtop
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Cribtop »

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

07 Aug 1944

Trapped!

My Tank Regt has crossed the hexside thereby isolating the Allied army at Hong Kong.

To be clear, I intend to annihilate the troops at Hong Kong, not in the adjacent hex. The point about that hex is that because it is clear and I can address it with lots of ordnance I should be able to prevent any rescue attempt.

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

Also today he has landed at Cebu.

I cannot contest landings in the Philippines until he is within 8 hexes of Clark Field.

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Ground combat at Cebu (80,86)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1576 troops, 6 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 66

Defending force 10235 troops, 199 guns, 337 vehicles, Assault Value = 433

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

Assaulting units:
5th Makapili Regiment

Defending units:
711th Tank Battalion
25th Infantry Division
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Cribtop
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Cribtop »

What is the raw AS you are bringing to the adjacent clear hex? How does that compare to his forces at Canton? Excellent gambit here. Win or lose, you will delay him significantly.
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Lowpe
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Lowpe »

The Hive....swarms! Great play; great AAR.
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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

08 Aug 1944

Bad news. He has advanced one of the Chinese Corps at Canton over the river into the "hex of doom" (78,60). The auto Shock Attack caused my two Tank Regts there to retreat.

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Ground combat at 78,60 (near Hong Kong)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 10780 troops, 78 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 381

Defending force 1485 troops, 0 guns, 224 vehicles, Assault Value = 127

Allied adjusted assault: 219

Japanese adjusted defense: 73

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(-)

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 85 (44 destroyed, 41 disabled)
Units retreated 2

Allied ground losses:
399 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 45 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
53rd Chinese Corps

Defending units:
8th Tank Regiment
14th Tank Regiment

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

As to what I have on the way it is as follows:-

2 x Infantry Division
2 x Ind. Mixed Brigade
1 x Ind. Mixed Regt.
1 x Tank Division
5 x Tank Regt.

The temporarily victorious Chinese Corps will now receive bombing by Sonias, Oscars and Peggies, which had up until now been addressing the two British Brigades advancing over the river from the east of Canton.
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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

09 Aug 1944

The Chinese Corps in the hex of doom has no AA whatsoever. Marvellous ...

This is the stack which will remove this irritating unit when it moves there from the adjacent hex. The 51st Division is a mutant if you're wondering why it's so big.

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Cribtop
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Cribtop »

Mutant?
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SqzMyLemon
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by SqzMyLemon »

I had the same issue with 51st Division in my first PBEM. For some reason the number of squads is doubled. I was told that it wouldn't sort itself out until the number of squads destroyed brought its TOE back to its intended strength.
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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

10 Aug 1944

Pingsiang falls. The shattered 64th Div will head for Nanchang to recover.

The hex of doom received a lot of ordnance today. However he LRCAPed it with P-47s out of Liuchow, which meant that 60 Oscars and their noob pilots were lost.

There are now three Allied units in the hex, and the colour is looking more British than Chinese. My guys adjacent are still two days out.

We will continue with the bombing but with Escorts and Sweeps instead of going in naked. I never thought he would LRCAP at such a distance ...

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

11 Aug 1944

No ordnance delivered today due to weather.

Rather curiously it looks like he is sending some more troops to Hong Kong. That just makes it easier for me to cut them off.

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

Here's more context for China. He is really starting to move things around now.

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

12 Aug 1944

Oscars delivered ordnance, nothing else did.

My stack will arrive tomorrow.

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Afternoon Air attack on 72nd British Brigade, at 78,60 , near Hong Kong

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIIa Oscar x 167

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IIIa Oscar: 26 damaged
Ki-43-IIIa Oscar: 7 destroyed by flak

Allied ground losses:
308 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 28 disabled
Non Combat: 7 destroyed, 55 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 22 (4 destroyed, 18 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
38 x Ki-43-IIIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
37 x Ki-43-IIIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb
42 x Ki-43-IIIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Also attacking 50th Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 53rd Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 72nd British Brigade ...
Also attacking 50th Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 53rd Chinese Corps ...

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Afternoon Air attack on 50th Chinese Corps, at 78,60 , near Hong Kong

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 7 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-IIIa Oscar x 42

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IIIa Oscar: 8 damaged
Ki-43-IIIa Oscar: 2 destroyed by flak

Allied ground losses:
90 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 5 (3 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Aircraft Attacking:
41 x Ki-43-IIIa Oscar bombing from 100 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

13 Aug 1944

Once again the weather prevents any aerial ordnance being delivered.

He has had a unit arrive at Hong Kong, and so now both hex-sides are green. That will change when I have evicted him from the hex of doom. The vanguard of my troops (1,100 AV, tank heavy) have arrived but do not have full supply so I will wait before attacking. Not to mention allowing the rest of the guys to get there.

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Captain Cruft
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RE: The Hive - Cruft PBEM

Post by Captain Cruft »

This was today's bombardment at HK. The best yet ...

There are 8 x 30cm Howitzers on the way too.

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Ground combat at Hong Kong (77,61)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 11995 troops, 281 guns, 274 vehicles, Assault Value = 2865

Defending force 179947 troops, 3071 guns, 3619 vehicles, Assault Value = 4579

Japanese ground losses:
44 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
513 casualties reported
Squads: 22 destroyed, 37 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled
Guns lost 21 (1 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)
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