Turnaround? Lowpe (J) vs Tiemanj (A) Stock

[Lowpe]

Dec 4, 1942

Only one sweep with Hurricanes of Magwe. We trade them in numbers slightly favoring me...I rotate in a fresh Oscar half squad and stand down some of the poor morale squadrons. The combat replay shows 3 fighters lost for each side, the air loss screen shows 9 for the Allies and 8 for Japan...I am going to have to abandon Magwe shortly to let the planes and pilots all recover, but I am very pleased with their efforts so far.

Radar picks up the raid, once again.

And there is the normal night time bomber attacks on Magwe for little damage to no fighter opposition. 2 Blenheims and one B17 get destroyed. It is getting really dark now...

Just in time, too, I have 10 destroyers, 1 CA, 1 CL almost within striking distance in the Gilberts but his xak, xap move away leaving a task force of 2 CA, 1 DD which I think in reality is really 1 CA, 2 DD. North is a bunch of pt boats, sc, and dd. Let us see if I can get within striking distance without being spotted.

A force of 5 heavy cruisers is still steaming east followed by the KB which will reunite shortly and be full strength once again.

Orders have been issued for a deliberate attack on Tilatjap. 3500 assault value versus 3 allied divisions....I have 3-4 more divisions that are enroute, but they are the lower morale not quite full strength divisions that had been savaged 4 months ago...should be interesting.

A sub gets a shot off at the heavy cruiser returning from Perth but misses...

[Erkki]

What happened in the air was probably high fatigue pilots after the long flight at high altitude.

Which planes got the most kills? I'm guessing Ki-44s... Best speed and climb. You might want to actually watch those long replays to get an idea on whats happening.

[Lowpe]

Tojo is doing the killing, they are the best pilots by far and the best plane and in the majority.

It is interesting that one squadron really bears the brunt of the initial dive attacks. Sometimes it is the lowest squadron, sometimes the middle, and sometimes the highest. But with CAP stacked between 9-11K, they really are all rather close together.

One thing this seems to allow, is for the biggest Sentai, 42 Tojo's, to assemble relatively unhurt and really enter combat with some pretty good numbers...they have lost only 2 planes over all these attacks and their morale is still sky high. It is their pilots getting the lion share of kills...and experience gains which simply makes them that much tougher.

It really is nice to be fighting in the air with parity for now at least...although I cannot sustain it. I suspect if he goes back to high altitude only Lightning sweeps I will take it on the chin, again. Allied pools are probably pretty good, while mine are at rock bottom.

But I need to do this, if I wish to take Ceylon in a month or so...

[Lowpe]

Dec 5, 1942

7 percent moonlight and Allied night time bombing is very effective destroying 9 Tojo's on the ground, the B17s were particularly effective as the Allied bombers moved down to 16,000 feet testing the AA effectiveness.

Magwe's runway is damaged to 17 percent, and I have pulled back my fighters to rest and recuperate. Magwe is once again unprotected by fighters.[:(] Not unexpected.

Elsewhere my surface raiders are still invisible and they are going into the Gilberts in two two groups...a destroyer group and another cruiser/destroyer group. They will both have long range CAP from Zeroes flying from Nauru.

The first deliberate attack goes in at Tjilatjap, and I roll really well getting a solid attack in. [:)] Three more divisions, one combat engineer and another HQ are moving towards Tjilatjap while the troops take a day or two off.

[Lowpe]

Dec 6, 1942

The raid at the Gilbert's head in...the night is pitch black (7% moonlight), and the Chokai and company sweep aside a few feeble PT boats...

[Lowpe]

And the wolves are amongst the sheep!


But then disaster strikes....the Chokai blunders into a minefield and is hit. Uh, oh![:(]

Can they make good their escape?

[Lowpe]

And slightly to the north of the Chokai, a destroyer engagement concludes...

The Allied Commanders, Smoot, manages to disperse the fleet and engage the raiders in an inconclusive night battle...whoever Smoot is, he deserves a medal.

After the battle, the IJN destroyers head back to Nauru Island and safety as daylight arrives so does the comforting drone of Zeroes circling lazily over the task force...

[Lowpe]

The damaged Chokai doesn't make it far and has to fight the Ellet and Benham. Smoot really showcases his talents maneuvering to great effect against the Japanese raiders...

and with this engagement the Chokai and company escape is too short. In the afternoon, escorted torpedo bombers and dive bombers find them their Zero CAP doesn't show up and the Chokai goes down with two torpedoes in her and two destroyers are sunk by dive bombers.

A raid gone bad...

The Ellet was crewed by real sailors! She must have gotten 90% of all hits...her gunnery was excellent, she even hit the Chokai with a dud torpedo!

[Lowpe]

Magwe is bombed again at night, with 7 percent moonlight, damage to the airfield is up to 16 percent. If I defend against the night bombers I will lose on average 3 fighters a night. If I don't defend, he can damage and destroy even more planes on the ground. What a pickle...fighters removed to the south to recover and repair. They are spotted at Pegu - so I suspect Pegu might get bombed tonight instead of Magwe.

I lose another PB to Allied submarines...I believe I have sunk about 5 Allied submarines in the last two weeks, but they keep coming...and there is a submarine screen in the pacific far off from Seattle...where my raiders are headed, followed by the kb, with AOs and other misc. ships...surely he will get a radio fix on something there, but I am plowing ahead.

Those two Benham class destroyers really put up a fight...

[Lowpe]

At least Smoot wasn't commanding a Fletcher squadron!

He did close to 7000 feet and deliver a torpedo attack....kind of neat.

[Spidery]

If I defend against the night bombers I will lose on average 3 fighters a night.

Not sure what the state of the oil wells are but 3 planes is 108 HI and 54 supply. As long as you have at least 12 oil wells producing, each day you delay him from hitting the wells seems a win.

Not sure what size Magwe is, nor how much aviation support is present, but a problem is keeping enough aircraft on day CAP while having to use some of the capacity on night CAP.

How much damage do you do to the night bombers? Even if you don't shoot them down is the CAP reducing the number of strikes he can send?

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Spidery

If I defend against the night bombers I will lose on average 3 fighters a night.

Not sure what the state of the oil wells are but 3 planes is 108 HI and 54 supply. As long as you have at least 12 oil wells producing, each day you delay him from hitting the wells seems a win.

Not sure what size Magwe is, nor how much aviation support is present, but a problem is keeping enough aircraft on day CAP while having to use some of the capacity on night CAP.

How much damage do you do to the night bombers? Even if you don't shoot them down is the CAP reducing the number of strikes he can send?

How close are your night fighters to production status? Even if you can force ops losses or wear down his pools, meeting him in the air should be at least an even trade.

[Lowpe]

I might get night fighters a month early...I have three factories of 30 researching the Irv, and they are 9,7, &11 repaired. Although I think I get a smallish squadron prior -- the Endo detachment?

Magwe is level 7 with oodles of aviation support.

There is only 14 damage on the oil wells so they are pumping...this is an area my opponent should have already hit hard, here, and the DEI. I would be hard pressed to stop him...although I guess I would have kept all the huge factories of Oscar and A6M2 that I started with...

Flying night CAP is effective when his goal is night bombing, i.e. lots of groups attempting to hit the airfield. However, when I do fly night sweeps, then he switches tactics and sends in one squadron of Liberators at 24,000 feet to shoot down the fighters on CAP and I do no appreciable damage...after a while of this erosion he sends in massive sweeps during the day which I can stand up to for a day or two before I can't contest the skies anymore...although I am doing better with this last attempt.

Overall, I simply am short pilots and airplanes.

[Spidery]

Although I think I get a smallish squadron prior -- the Endo detachment?

That is "small" as in Monaco is a "small" country? Isn't it just 2 planes? I'm looking forward to it with baited breath, I'm sure they will both be a game changer[:D]

[Lowpe]

December 7, 1942

One year of war...most of Japan's historical boundary is reached with the exception of the hold outs at Rangoon, Ambon, and Tjilatjap and China sees bigger expansion.

This day we trade CLs, Japan loses one in the Gilberts, and the Allies lose one near Java.

Lightning sweeps put down 4 plus Zeroes over Nauru, and only one bomber attack during the night at Magwe...the Allied air force rests in Burma. His morale must be as shot as mine is since he suffered more losses...

CarrierDiv 2 is spotted north of Midway...will probably call off the attack and deep raid, although the cruisers are well to the east of CarrierDiv 1's spot.

Another Tony 61 Ia factory reaches 30, and I am leaving 2 on the intro Tony model so the others can get fully repaired faster and then they will be moving to the Tony Ki 100 II.

I am gathering bombers, currently over 150, for an assault on Port Moresby. There isn't much there, but I want to close the airport as best I can coinciding with a landing and then overland march to Port Moresby.

Debating upon the wisdom of another deliberate attack at Tjilatjap...there is another 3 divisions still marching in...800 more assault value. I think I rolled super well with my first attack, and I am afraid of getting a 1-2 or worse...so for now more bombardments and some air bombing.

A BB and CA have been pounding Ambon for several days now, from next door, and I did order the 4 Naval Guard units there to deliberate attack. There is also a combat engineer unit there as well and they all have 100 prep and good supply.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Spidery
That is "small" as in Monaco is a "small" country? Isn't it just 2 planes? I'm looking forward to it with baited breath, I'm sure they will both be a game changer[:D]

Endo is a good leader! Don't sell this squadron short. [:D]

[Erkki]

You may want to R&D Ki-100-I instead of the -II. With the new plane datas by Symon the I is 2 mph faster and a bit more maneuverable except in the very highest band(where its 13-9 to II's advantage). You also get the -I much earlier, theres considerable availability date difference... Other than that they are identical!

[Lowpe]

We haven't adopted the new plane data from Symon...

[Lokasenna]

I still like the Ki-100-I. Your starting point is 7 months sooner, and there isn't an appreciable difference between it and the Ki-100-II. Same durability, same armor, same guns... The -II is just 7 MPH faster and a slightly higher ceiling (and your Franks will fill that role just as well, though SR3).

[Lowpe]

KI-100 I it is then...many thanks for the advice guys.

I have given up the idea of bombing Seattle, probably a very bad idea [:)], and I am wavering on launching an attack on Ceylon. I am not sure I could escape with the supplies and oil to make the attack worthwhile in the teeth of Allied land base air in addition I would probably lose a few more Islands in the Marshalls without being able to strongly counter punch the Allies. But I will continue to plan for it, and see how the air war in Burma goes...

Basically, my plans center on winning Tjilatjap, Ambon, Rangoon, Port Moresby and then going active defense, while in China I will continue to push and secure the Changsha production area and then I may go quiet there too setting up a defensive cordon.