Avian aggression leads to murder most fowl - Sqz(A) vs. Chickenboy(J)

[SqzMyLemon]

We got in a rare turn yesterday.

Philippines:

I sent up the last of the American fighters based at Clark and Bataan to face the unescorted Japanese bombers that target CF everyday. A handful of Lily and Sally bombers were shot down for no loss.

China:

I now have 731 AV at Kweilin. The Japanese have not tried anything since the first deliberate attack. Another Chinese Cavalry Corps will arrive in three days. Another two corps are about a week away.

Troops withdrawing from Kukong have reached the hex northeast of Wuchow. I have about 1000 AV and I'm tempted to try an assault against Wuchow as there is only one Japanese unit at the base. I could use a temporary influx of supply since the base generates 61/day. I have to decide if taking Wuchow is worth getting hammered by Japanese bombers in clear terrain and essentially sacrifice a corps to maintain the 20 garrison limit. The other option is to keep my force intact and keep moving towards Kweilin/Luichow.

What fighters Japan has operating in China seem to all be sweeping Sian at the moment. All my fighter units still remain at Kweiyang recovering fatigue and taking replacements.

I'm happy with China at the moment. I've countered the latest attempts by Japan to move forward and things are stable at the moment. I'm stretched a little thin in areas, but still trying to establish a defence in depth. This is where I miss stacking limits. I have to stack to be able to counter the Japanese numbers, but that means a lot of gaps in the line.

Thoughts:

Another Australian Brigade arrived at Aden and is boarding transports for India. I'm feeling more comfortable daily in India as more troops arrive. I'm still light in areas. Calcutta needs to be reinforced, but that is where the arriving Australian brigades are heading so it's just a question of time. I've parked the British 18th Division at Chittagong.

It appears an enemy amphibious force is moving on Balikpapan and should arrive in the next day or two. After an initial flurry, Japanese advances have slowed down considerably. Having played Japan I know this is most likely an operational pause brought about from the need to reorganize. Spearheading the enemy TF's are CVL's and CVE's. No sign of enemy CV's for some time. I'm guessing the Aleutians or the Southeast Pacific might get a sighting soon. When Singapore falls, if I catch a scent of Japanese CV's I'll know India is most likely a target since there's no other reason for them to be there. It's more logical to mount an operation against Australia based out of Soerabaja, so that is where I'll look when trying to determine if Australia (Perth) is a target. A move against Darwin could easily be based from Ambon or Koepang, but there has been no enemy move for either of these bases yet.

[SqzMyLemon]

The slow pace of the game continues with only two turns completed since last Thursday. Andre sounds incredibly busy lately.

Balikpapan being the next target for the Japanese advance is confirmed. A number of Japanese amphibious TF's began unloading on the 28th. Dutch CD guns continue to perfom well with a number of enemy transports heavily damaged. A Dutch submarine sinks an APD. The base will fall to the first deliberate attack though. The 138 mines at the base were not a factor with no hits recorded.

In China, the cat and mouse air war continues. Unfortunately, my LRCAP from Kweilin did not fly due to weather and Japanese bombers in the area flew unopposed. The AVG 2nd Sqn. did fly CAP over Changsha and shot down four Sally's for no loss. Poor detection times limited the number of Allied fighters available and most withdrew due to mechanical failure. The Pacific War's first Allied pilot to achieve ace status is V.R. Rossi in AVG 2nd Sqn. with five victories. Anticipating Japanese sweeps I've withdrawn the fighters to Kweiyang.

The ground war in China remains quiet. A Japanese bombardment occurred at Kwelin on the 28th so this could preclude another assault. Another Chinese Cavalry Corps will arrive in combat mode tomorrow bringing the defenders AV to around 950 AV. Japanese AV in the hex remains close to 750 AV. Forts are level two. Another two corps should arrive in three days and will force Andre to reinforce if he hopes to take the base. More importantly, if Kweilin can hold it means my withdrawing forces from Kukong will finally escape being trapped indefinitely behind Japanese lines. If they escape, I'll have another six corps available for a strategic reserve in China.

I've placed a large number of Chinese units in non-base hexes in 3x defensive terrain and some have constructed level four forts already. I learned in my previous PBEM the importance of setting up these kinds of positions to anchor the line rather than rely on holding bases which quickly have the fortifications reduced during combat. It seems to me these non-base field fortifications are not reduced during combat and don't consume supply to construct either.

I expect to see Andre move to flank Sian soon. He's blocked along the main road, but now probing the secondary road which I've also blocked. However, the Chinese inability to recon effectively means I can expect Japanese forces to move without any previous indication, even if in the same hex. I predict Andre will shift the bulk of his forces to attack along the secondary road or even cross the river to move north of the base and flank it completely to avoid the 3x terrain. If so, I'll have no choice but to withdraw from my blocking position and fall back to Sian proper.

That being said, I'm trying to establish a solid MLR to prevent Central China's industry being cut off from Lanchow's fuel. Sian's alway a priority for Japan, but Lanchow is the greater prize in my opinion and I'm conducting my defence accordingly.

Thoughts:

The Allied buildup is painfully slow. The bulk of my time is spent on logistics. I still think I can mount some kind of counter for the move against Timor, but that will depend on the whereabouts of KB. I will definitely move if I'm just dealing with CV Kaga and friends. I really can't get excited for the early game with the Allies. Until I know whether Australia or India is a target it's impossible for me to plan anything effectively at this time.

[SqzMyLemon]

I forgot to mention that Wake Island was just bombarded by Japanese BB's for two consecutive days. An amphibious landing is expected soon.

Allied plans are to remain out of harms way until I have more combat LCU's available for offensive operations. I'd like to launch an operation to liberate Christmas Island, but lack the troops to hold it. I've decided to wait until the Japanese amphibious bonus expires and I know KB's whereabouts before moving to take the island back.

I've been getting some SigInt regarding the Kuriles. Lots of activity at Ominato as well so I think Andre is already moving to secure this flank.

[SqzMyLemon]

Balikpapan falls after shock attack. I was surpised to see Andre risk a shock attack and the possibility of damaging the facilities. Alas, the base and facilities were captured fully intact.

In China, AVG 1st Sqn. interdicts Japanese bombers targeting the Chinese forces moving to Kweilin from Kukong and down seven. Japanese Oscar's sweep empty sky at Changsha [8D]. Allied air units in China continue to chip away at the Japanese bomber force while avoiding enemy fighters.

It appears there is Japanese movement out of Luichow to the northwest. I can only hope Andre weakens the defence by moving out a majority of the four units currently there. I don't think he anticipates an attack on the base.

Overall, another quiet turn.

[SqzMyLemon]

No turn from Andre yesterday so it was an evening spent working on the models. I've currently switched gears and working on a 1:350 scale RM Roma for a campaign build I joined on a modeling website. I have one year to complete the kit. I'll work on finishing up some ongoing builds as well, but my focus is on the BB right now. There's a model show upcoming here in June that I'm excited to see as well.

On a game related note, I renamed my four future CV reinforcements last turn. They are:

CV Boomstick (Army of Darkness anyone?)

CV Death From Above (Apocalypse Now)

CV Retribution and CV Reckoning

Idle minds come up with goofy names. [:D]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

No turn from Andre yesterday so it was an evening spent working on the models. I've currently switched gears and working on a 1:350 scale RM Roma for a campaign build I joined on a modeling website. I have one year to complete the kit. I'll work on finishing up some ongoing builds as well, but my focus is on the BB right now. There's a model show upcoming here in June that I'm excited to see as well.

On a game related note, I renamed my four future CV reinforcements last turn. They are:

CV Boomstick (Army of Darkness anyone?)

CV Death From Above (Apocalypse Now)

CV Retribution and CV Reckoning

Idle minds come up with goofy names. [:D]

Retribution and Reckoning sound like the typical British names meant to inspire their crews.

Death from Above doesn't roll off the tongue, but it fits the ship type.

I am not familiar with Army of Darkness so the Broomstick reference goes over my head. Something like Cudgel or Mace sounds a bit more menacing than a broomstick to me!

[SqzMyLemon]

Central Pacific:

Wake Island falls to Japanese amphibious assault.

China:

A first deliberate atatck at Wenchow leaves me shaking my head. It appears my attempt to hold this base will be in vain after these initial results. AAR follows:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Wenchow (89,58)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 30775 troops, 291 guns, 111 vehicles, Assault Value = 1112

Defending force 26079 troops, 124 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 834

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Japanese adjusted assault: 924

Allied adjusted defense: 1123

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 2)

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

Japanese ground losses:
950 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 108 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 20 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Guns lost 46 (1 destroyed, 45 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1071 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 95 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 34 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Guns lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Assaulting units:
17th Division
15th Division
17th Ind.Mixed Brigade
4th Mortar Battalion

Defending units:
88th Chinese Corps
50th Chinese Corps
100th Chinese Corps
16th Construction Regiment
23rd Group Army
10th Group Army
25th Group Army
3rd War Area
14th Chinese Base Force

Two more Chinese Corps reach Kweiling and the defender's now total over 1600 AV. I moved in AVG 1st and 3rd Sqn.'s and the P-38's to Kweilin in an effort to gain local air superiority. The Kukong troops are getting nearer everyday and will add another 1000 AV to the defence. The Japanese moved two LCU's out of Liuchow, but I see they are moving back towards the base. Perhaps Andre realized the danger.

Java:

CL Sumatra arrived via reinforcement at Soerabaja last turn and I was wondering whether to withdraw her to Australia or not. Dutch naval search indicated two Japanese AMc's at Kalidjati so I figured, what the heck, lets take those out. CL Sumatra didn't find AMc's, but did locate other targets. AAR's follow:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kalidjati at 50,99, Range 11,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
SC Ch 22, Shell hits 2, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL Sumatra

Improved night sighting under 96% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 96% moonlight: 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 11,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 11,000 yards
CL Sumatra engages SC Ch 22 at 11,000 yards
Range closes to 9,000 yards
Range closes to 7,000 yards
Range closes to 4,000 yards
SC Ch 22 sunk by CL Sumatra at 4,000 yards
Combat ends with last Japanese ship sunk...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kalidjati at 50,99, Range 10,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Kiso Maru, Shell hits 1, on fire
PB Tatsumiya Maru, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
xAK Atago Maru, Shell hits 12, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Tamaki Maru, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Awajisan Maru, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CL Sumatra

Thoughts:

Total VP's are almost even at this stage with both Japan and Allied scores over 8k with a slight Allied lead. I'll begin losing a large number of base VP's soon, so I need to start thinking about how to proceed with denying Andre any chance of Auto-victory. I'm slowly chipping away with small VP's gains in the air war, but I'm going to have to start sinking some Japanese ships and contesting a number of future enemy amphibious operations moving forward.

[SqzMyLemon]

BBfanboy, hope this clears up the Boomstick for you. It's not Broomstick [:-]. I'll have to work on the two that sound like British CV's. Time to glean some more ideas from the movies.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

No turn from Andre yesterday so it was an evening spent working on the models. I've currently switched gears and working on a 1:350 scale RM Roma for a campaign build I joined on a modeling website. I have one year to complete the kit. I'll work on finishing up some ongoing builds as well, but my focus is on the BB right now. There's a model show upcoming here in June that I'm excited to see as well.

On a game related note, I renamed my four future CV reinforcements last turn. They are:

CV Boomstick (Army of Darkness anyone?)

CV Death From Above (Apocalypse Now)

CV Retribution and CV Reckoning

Idle minds come up with goofy names. [:D]

I still have yet to do this, and I'm really looking forward to it! Have to decide on a good theme.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

No turn from Andre yesterday so it was an evening spent working on the models. I've currently switched gears and working on a 1:350 scale RM Roma for a campaign build I joined on a modeling website. I have one year to complete the kit. I'll work on finishing up some ongoing builds as well, but my focus is on the BB right now. There's a model show upcoming here in June that I'm excited to see as well.

On a game related note, I renamed my four future CV reinforcements last turn. They are:

CV Boomstick (Army of Darkness anyone?)

CV Death From Above (Apocalypse Now)

CV Retribution and CV Reckoning

Idle minds come up with goofy names. [:D]

I still have yet to do this, and I'm really looking forward to it! Have to decide on a good theme.

Mother of Dragons?
The Hound?
Tyrion?
Wildling?
White Walker?
Wildfire?
Dire Wolf?

[SqzMyLemon]

A few major developments since the last update.

DEI:

Singapore fell on Feb. 1st and Batavia on the 2nd. Unfortunately, no industry was damaged at Batavia upon capture. Other than Palembang, all major bases have remained intact upon capture by the Japanese.

China:

Stalemate in China continues, but there is definitely a move to flank Sian via the clear terrain to the east. I'm not going to change my dispositions yet. The main road is still blocked by my main force while a smaller Chinese force has blocked the secondary road safeguarding the main force's flank. I have sufficient AV in Sian and I am actually in the process of moving additional forces into position to contest a move against Sian directly.

I have sufficient AV at Kweilin to prevent an easy capture of the base now. Once my forces from Kukong arrive I'll have almost 3000 AV at the base. I'm ruling out an offensive against Luichow at this time, because of the low morale of my forces. I definitely am in need of a reserve safeguarding the back door to China via Paoshan.

Changteh just reached level four forts and Changsha is 99% to level five. No further fort construction will be pursued at either of these bases. In fact, no base will undertake fort construction above level four with the exception of Kunming which will try to reach level six.

Thoughts:

The fall of Singapore frees up six Japanese divisions. I expect to see some deployed to Burma eventually. What Andre intends to do with these units is a mystery, but I am putting India and Australia as the most likely targets. However, I wouldn't rule out all six being sent to China via Paoshan. I'm pretty confident with the troop levels in India, but low experience is going to be the Achilles Heel of the defence.

Allied naval assets have begun February upgrades. I'll be in position to start looking for trouble in a few weeks as naval combat units deploy forward and fuel/supply stockpiled. I need to start making further advances somewhat costlier for Japan.

[DOCUP]

Have to say Love the Boomstick.  I might have to use it.

[SqzMyLemon]

China:

Japanese bombers have shifted to target Sian now with a 100+ raid. I've withdrawn the CAP so the bombers have a milk run. All damage is repaired the next day. Supply stockpiles dropped significantly though. I may have to commit to contesting Sian's airspace to stop the supply loss. Currently the fighters are based at Kweilin which is allowing fort construction and freedom of movement for Chinese forces in the area.

At Wenchow I'm pleasantly surprised by a 1:2 odds DA by Japanese forces. The forts remain at 2 and casualties are light compared to over 200 disabled infantry squads for the Japanese. A movement tick is indicated east, so one of the Japanese units got trashed and is being withdrawn to recover. It seems Andre must have gotten a great roll in the previous attack that netted him a 1:1 and dropped forts from level three to two.

I'm happy with China. My forces are slowly recovering disabled squads throughout the country and all my frontline bases are garrisoned sufficiently to halt the Japanese for the moment. Changsha's forts reached level five so this will hopefully be a tough nut to crack with 1000 AV defending.

Sub Ops:

No sign of Japanese submarines anywhere which is great. Allied subs remain unlucky. Another Dutch submarine missed a Japanese CL near Denpasar last turn. The number of opportunities has dwindled, but those attacks that do occur mostly miss now, especially the Dutch of late.

Thoughts:

Andre is methodical, but I notice he tends to continue to commit a large number of air assets against already weakened units or bases rather than prevent others from expanding. For example, bombers have been concentrated on bombing the airfields at Wenchow and Sian which have allowed forts at Kweilin and Changsha to expand. Sian was previously left alone allowing forts to reach level four while the troops in 3x terrain were targeted. I'm in no way criticizing Andre's methods, but it has allowed me to build up stronger defensive positions then I otherwise might have in some areas. The same situation is occurring in Java where Japanese bombers are targeting the retreating troops from Batavia rather than preventing fort construction at Soerabaja. Forts there are 80% complete to level four. I can only hope the trend continues allowing me to fortify further.

More Australian units have arrived at Aden and are loading onto transports for deployment to India. This is where saving the bulk of Commonwealth and Dutch shipping is paying huge dividends for me. As soon as an LCU or air unit arrives at Cape Town or Aden it is immediately loaded within days and on it's way. I'm not delayed by waiting for transports to arrive at any given port.

[SqzMyLemon]

I spoke too soon. Dutch SS O-20 nails a Japanese Kagero class DD off the coast of Java. Always a good day when that happens. [8D]

Quiet turn otherwise with absolutely no ground combat. A rare occurence.

Singapore's mines are cleared so Japanese forces will start pouring into the IO now if they so choose. The next few weeks/months will shed light on Andre's overall gameplan.

[SqzMyLemon]

Turns have been at a snail's pace. Andre is busy and I got hit with a virus that actually required me to take my computer in to get fixed. Hate viruses.

Java:

Japanese bombers continue to hammer Dutch ground units since the fall of Batavia. Works for me as Soerabaja has almost reached level four forts.

Sub Ops:

A rare sighting of a Japanese submarine off the Indian coast near Cochin. It elects to not fire on a Commonwealth xAKL and the escorting PG then chases it off. I have a number of unescorted TF's approaching the Indian coast so it's time to address the lack of naval air search.

China:

Sian continues to get pounded from the air, but other than supply loss there has been no sustained damage to the airbase. It appears eight Japanese units are deploying to eventually flank Sian. Chinese units are ordered to hold their current positions, but reserves are being moved into the area.

Great news in China is that the forces withdrawing from Kukong are days away from arriving at Kweilin. Six Corps and over 1000 AV have been saved. This will allow me a reserve. If my morale wasn't so low I would have assaulted Luichow, but I've decided to rest the troops in the short term. The area around Kweilin and Luichow is definitely a weak spot for Japanese forces. I'm just not sure whether the Chinese forces can take Luichow at this time despite having almost 3000 AV for operations. I'll see what develops, but I think a successful Chinese offensive here could cause Andre some problems and provide some much needed supply to my forces.

Thoughts:

Two American CV's are now at Cape Town awaiting the arrival of a British CV and CVL Hermes. Japanese carriers have been spotted near Denpasar and I suspect this is still CV Kaga and friends. As soon as the British carriers arrive I'll be deploying into the IO. I have a large number of surface forces available as well. It's time to look for trouble.

Fuel, supply and American air units are arriving almost daily at Cape Town now. A number of TF's carrying air units and base forces have just left for Perth. PP's expenditure remains reserved for combat LCU's at this time to try and secure Alaska and portions of the Aleutians.

[SqzMyLemon]

Andre and I seem to have been able to get back on track with the game. We are about to run the Feb. 10th turn.

I also got hit with a virus on my old laptop running Windows XP which is causing me nothing but problems, so over the weekend I bought a new laptop. Windows 8 is completely foreign to me and I'm having trouble getting the game screen resolution changed. Right now I'm stuck with only being able to see a small portion of the game map and despite reading a number of threads on the subject I can't get the screen to resize. I'll get it figured out as I want to post some screenshots to update China and Java. Anyway, on to a brief game update.

China:

There are now 8-10 Japanese units making the move to flank Sian as far as I can tell, but we all know how bad Chinese air recon is, so there could be more enemy units making the move than currently shown. I've decided to pull back my entire force blocking the main road to Sian one hex. This will put my units in the hex directly southeast of Sian. Japanese bombers are hitting Sian daily and supply is no longer sufficient to allow flight operations. It may have been a mistake for me to withdraw my CAP from the base. Luckily, I have enough engineers at Sian to prevent permanent damage to the airbase, so far.

I now have 2500 AV at Kweilin, but have ruled out a move against Liuchow. I'll begin withdrawing a number of corps to allow them to recover morale and disablements. Surprisingly, a large number of Chinese units have been recovering morale faster than anticipated with some in the 60-70's now. I have begun replacing one Chinese unit's commander per turn in an effort to improve my capabilities.

Java:

Java is ugly now. Dutch resistance on the west of the island is reduced to holding Bandoeng. Japanese forces have just landed at the eastern most base on Java as well. Java will most likely be overrun before the end of March.

Australia:

A large number of American air units are arriving in the country via Perth and Albany. B-17's and B-26 Marauder's primarily. Supply is also pouring in. I've lost track of the Japanese CV's that were operating near Java. I think they are heading to interdict the Cape Town to Perth LOC so I've set up a submarine screen to hopefully give me enough warning to redirect transports carrying air units. Unfortunately the British CV's are still seven days away from reaching Cape Town so getting Allied CV's into the IO is delayed longer that I would have liked. I want to try and take a crack at the Japanese CVL's and CVE's.

India:

The country is getting stronger daily with the arrival of Australian units from Aden. One Australian division has already arrived. Units of the second have just started arriving at Aden and are already on transports.

Thoughts:

Just business as usual. Getting units and material moving forward. Pilot training is progressing and the lack of air combat is allowing me to build up aircraft pools. No sign of KB or any move of Japanese forces anywhere other than those around Java. I'm just wondering where the next Japanese move will occur.

[SqzMyLemon]

Here's the situation. Japanese forces of roughly 571AV including one division have invested Kweilin. I've successfully converted all hex sides to Chinese control so the Japanese forces are now completely isolated. I have 2500AV in the hex and will soon reinforce with another 300AV. My morale is ok, but experience is low. Do I dare risk a deliberate attack against the Japanese in 3x defensive terrain? The Japanese troops have only just been isolated, but I have just conducted one bombardment for intelligence and few Japanese casualties were inflicted. Should I try a number of bombardments to reduce their supply first, or risk an assault? Do I risk trashing my own forces in this situation or should I just sit tight? I do have some time before there's any chance of Japanese troops opening a hex side, so I could simply hold my position and attack later after letting some supply drain first. Any thoughts?

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Here's the situation. Japanese forces of roughly 571AV including one division have invested Kweilin. I've successfully converted all hex sides to Chinese control so the Japanese forces are now completely isolated. I have 2500AV in the hex and will soon reinforce with another 300AV. My morale is ok, but experience is low. Do I dare risk a deliberate attack against the Japanese in 3x defensive terrain? The Japanese troops have only just been isolated, but I have just conducted one bombardment for intelligence and few Japanese casualties were inflicted. Should I try a number of bombardments to reduce their supply first, or risk an assault? Do I risk trashing my own forces in this situation or should I just sit tight? I do have some time before there's any chance of Japanese troops opening a hex side, so I could simply hold my position and attack later after letting some supply drain first. Any thoughts?

I wouldn´t attack. At least not yet. Keep bombarding until you are 100% he is out of supply.

[Smeulders]

Hello Joseph, nice to see you are still enjoying PBEM campaigns, I hope you can make it all the way to Japan in this one. I've recently picked the game up again after a long hiatus and will be following some AARs as well. If my old opponent picks up the Allies himself, I'm definitely interested.

As to my thoughts on the China situation, counterattacking in China seems appealing, but as you say the 3x modifier makes it very risky. You'd get 1800 vs 2800 AV even without experience/morale/leadership modifiers, not enough to rout him. You'll need to have him severely weakened from a lack of supply before you can do real damage. From old tests I seem to remember that units carry a month's worth of supply with them. Even without combat he should be out of supplies by then (excluding air supply). In those tests, it also seemed that increased supply usage from combat was significantly correlated with losses taken. As your Chinese will not inflict many losses using artillery, you may not be able to bring that month down by much. The main question then becomes how long you can keep Japanese reinforcements away. 3 weeks to a month ? You could go for it. If any case, you're not losing anything by keeping them surrounded, so if you think it's too risky now you can re-evaluate in a week or two.

[SqzMyLemon]

Thanks for posting Jocke and Bart. I think waiting is the proper option as well now that I think on it. Perhaps the fact they are cut off will make Andre risk an attack, or at least divert troops to relieve the pressure, which could create some opportunities for me around Liuchow.

Welcome back Bart. A lot has changed so you'll probably find you have to learn some aspects of the game all over again. I wanted to try the Allies once and I find playing them a completely different experience than Japan. Enjoy getting back into the game and good luck in your future PBEM's.