A Collision of Empires: Walker84(J) vs AU Tiger(A) Scen1. No AU Tiger please

[Walker84]

Here's a quick view of some Intelligence stats. To date the IJN has lost nothing bigger than an escort, touch wood. The majority of Allied naval losses have been to the KB and LBA.

[Yaab]

From post 24:

Ground combat at Ichang (83,48)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 84156 troops, 502 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2295

Defending force 22611 troops, 223 guns, 168 vehicles, Assault Value = 817

Allied adjusted assault: 2087

Japanese adjusted defense: 876

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1437 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 63 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled

Allied ground losses:
4043 casualties reported
Squads: 19 destroyed, 785 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 55 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 17 disabled
Guns lost 27 (2 destroyed, 25 disabled)

Assaulting units:
2nd Chinese Corps
8th Chinese Corps
45th Chinese Corps
18th Chinese Corps
39th Chinese Corps
32nd Chinese Corps
59th Chinese Corps
68th Chinese Corps
67th Chinese Corps
75th Chinese Corps
26th Group Army

Defending units:
34th Division
14th Ind.Mixed Brigade
9th Armored Car Co
13th Tank Regiment
13th RGC Temp. Division
14th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
1st Mortar Battalion


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Ground combat at Sinyang (86,48)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 40432 troops, 270 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1298

Defending force 18148 troops, 172 guns, 12 vehicles, Assault Value = 542

Allied adjusted assault: 1314

Japanese adjusted defense: 937

Allied assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 3

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

Japanese ground losses:
814 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 91 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 12 disabled
Guns lost 5 (2 destroyed, 3 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1110 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 147 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Assaulting units:
84th Chinese Corps
29th Chinese Corps
12th Chinese Corps
13th Chinese Corps
48th Chinese Corps
7th Chinese Corps
85th Chinese Corps
21st Group Army
3rd Group Army
31st Group Army

Defending units:
116th Division
12th RGC Temp. Division
1st Ind.Mixed Brigade
14th RGC Temp. Division
52nd Road Const Co
67th JAAF AF Coy



I always thought that non-combat Engineers cannot reduce forts, yet here the Chinese reduced the forts on both occasions.

Manual, page 195:
"Attacking combat engineer units (those with infantry type squads in the unit) attempt to reduce fortifications."

Follow the manual and lose the war...

[cohimbra]

Hi Walker84, can you tell me what LCU you used to take Kukong, Kanhsien and Attu? Thanks and good luck!

[Walker84]

Hi Cohimbra,

For Kukong and Kanhsien, I used the forces that captured Hong Kong joining up with some of the Canton garrison to march round in an arc and capture both bases. My opponent was using the airfield to launch AVG attacks which cost me a few bombers so I was keen to close this down as well as securing my flank while marching on Wenchow. After the bases fell, I withdrew the heavy artillery and the division to Malaya so I am simply holding on this front at the moment until I can spare more reinforcements.

As far as Adak is concerned, I simply loaded up a JNAF support unit with a combat strength of 10 as I had already determined that there were no Allied forces in situ so not much AV would be required to take this. Although I also have a naval guard unit on the way, the plan is not really to hold the Aleutians in force but use Adak and Amchitka as forward observation posts while focusing on augmenting the defences in the Kuriles. One positive impact of this campaign has been that a carrier screening force surprised and sank several US cruisers that my opponent had dispatched in an attempt to interdict my landings.

[Walker84]

Hi Yaab,

Thanks for the reply. Like you I have found this a puzzling one and would love it if someone could explain the results better. In particular, how a pretty effective Japanese force with some units 100% prepped for Sinyang, behind level 4 forts, recently reinforced, can be ejected so efficiently by a Chinese army starting with no better than 1:1 odds.

I must confess that I have probably never focused enough on understanding the land combat system, which can lead to some surprisingly arbitrary results e.g. one side losing 20,000 casualties to the other's 100. That said, I don't think the system is particularly biased in favour of one side or the other so we learn to live with it and make any necessary adjustments to our play. I probably won't try to hold Sinyang in my next PBEM, although my current opponent has been pretty aggressive in China and I have managed to inflict some pretty heavy 'revenge' losses while expelling him from the defensive positions he took up in Chengchow and Nanyang.

[KenchiSulla]

The Chinese LCU drop the forts AFTER getting 1:1 odds. If combat engineers come into play they might actually drop forts prior to odds calculation (and possibly knocking your fort level down 2 levels)

It would look like this:


Ground combat at Hong Kong (77,61)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 23916 troops, 305 guns, 179 vehicles, Assault Value = 652

Defending force 7778 troops, 132 guns, 72 vehicles, Assault Value = 187

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 262

Allied adjusted defense: 209

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1

Yaab, Walker, the manual is correct

In addition, both examples Yaab replies to some the Japanese units had worse preparation and no HQ against good preparation and enough HQ support for the Chinese.

[Walker84]

Cannonfodder,

Thanks for the reply. This is helpful to my understanding of the land combat system and the different modifiers in play.