Making Allied Lemonade-Chickenboy (IJ) vs. SqzMyLemon (AD)

[Cribtop]

Ground bombing is a nice extra, but making sure fort building is suppressed is more important. Make sure you are keeping the airfield damage above zero. Once the field is hammered, you could shift some air groups to ground attack. You could also shift everything to ground attack on the day of an assault. The real key is that it's easy to rebuild forts from level 0 to level 1 in a day. Don't let him do that and you are fine.

[Capt. Harlock]

1. Switch to ground bombing now to continue the LCU disruption or stick with AF attacks?

That depends on your estimate of the allied supply situation. If there are still adequate supplies, I would recommend ground bombing to keep the LCU's on the back foot. If not, the AF attacks look like the better bang for the buck.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Two questions for the audience (both of you [;)]):

1. Switch to ground bombing now to continue the LCU disruption or stick with AF attacks? Reading both sides, shouldn't comment on such choices.

2. With the lion's share of my LCUs and AV across the causeway onto Singapore now, can I move in additional LCUs without triggering a shock attack? Looking at those numbers, definitely. Attacker must have 1/3 of defender AV that has passed through the same (river-crossing) hex side. By the number in that report, you appear to have well over 1/3.

I'd like to feed in the two arriving IDs and regimental support one at a time when they arrive before the next attack. I recall some occasions where this triggered a shock attack (even though it wasn't 'supposed to') back in the day. Is this WAD? Don't know about it.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Two questions for the audience (both of you [;)]):

1. Switch to ground bombing now to continue the LCU disruption or stick with AF attacks?

2. With the lion's share of my LCUs and AV across the causeway onto Singapore now, can I move in additional LCUs without triggering a shock attack?

I'd like to feed in the two arriving IDs and regimental support one at a time when they arrive before the next attack. I recall some occasions where this triggered a shock attack (even though it wasn't 'supposed to') back in the day. Is this WAD?

1. AF attacks. Japan lacks the bombload or the mass of bombers to really hurt big stacks of troops. Single units or units in clear terrain? They can hammer badly. Units entrenched in a light urban hex? Less so.

2. Once the initial shock attack is over and the hexside yours, you can move additional units across. I've done it plenty of times in my own game, both at Singapore and at Chungking.

[Chickenboy]

Thanks guys. The AF is at 57 damage now, so I can 'toggle' the ground attacks every other day or so whilest the AF is still beat to hell.

[Chickenboy]

Sometimes you find pictures that give you the heeby-jeebies. This is one.

Men of the Japanese 2nd ID celebrating their landing on Merak on March 1, 1942. In this game, the 2nd ID landed on Merak about 6 weeks ahead of this date, but still that's...creepy.

[Lecivius]

There are a lot of pics of that region that give me moments of emotion [:(]

[Chickenboy]

Not much of an update, really. Moreso a summary place keeper.

Since January 14, 1942, the following actions have occured:

1. Wake island falls on January 30. Heavily support SNLF and an IR take the island following multiple naval bombardments. KB stands in support.

2. A series of attacks on Batavia have weakened the defenders considerably. Reinforced shock attack ordered for February 2. Should take it without issue.

3. China consolidates further. Initial Japanese mega stack forays toward Sian are checked by mega-Chinese unit stacks in the forested hexes South of Sian. Three IJ IDs are chewed up in the failed assault and will have to rest to recover disruption.

Cat and mouse air attacks / AVG LRCAP efforts persist. Heavy air combat around Sian on January 30-31 depleted Allied fighter resistance.

4. Reinforced Singapore units arrive on January 29-30 in the city hex. A deliberate attack on January 31 results in a 5:1 attack ratio. The city falls immediately and the Allied resistance is liquidated in situ.

Ground combat at Singapore (50,84)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 84818 troops, 951 guns, 635 vehicles, Assault Value = 2950

Defending force 30869 troops, 417 guns, 286 vehicles, Assault Value = 678

Japanese adjusted assault: 3159

Allied adjusted defense: 625

Japanese assault odds: 5 to 1 (fort level 2)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Singapore !!!

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

Japanese ground losses:
3815 casualties reported
Squads: 7 destroyed, 274 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 46 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 80 disabled
Guns lost 46 (1 destroyed, 45 disabled)
Vehicles lost 103 (12 destroyed, 91 disabled)
Units destroyed 1


Allied ground losses:
27524 casualties reported
Squads: 693 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 3011 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 133 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 533 (533 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 311 (311 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 32


Assaulting units:
48th Division
14th Tank Regiment
55th Engineer Regiment
113th Infantry Regiment
143rd Infantry Regiment
5th Guards Engineer Regiment
1st Tank Regiment
7th Tank Regiment
Imperial Guards Division
5th Division
56th Engineer Regiment
41st Infantry Regiment
15th Ind. Engineer Regiment
112th Infantry Regiment
4th Ind. Engineer Regiment
56th Recon Regiment
23rd Ind. Engineer Regiment
Kure 1st SNLF
21st Division
14th Guards Regiment
23rd AA Regiment
8th Field AF Construction Battalion
14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
55th Mountain Gun Regiment
8th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
25th Army
56th Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Mortar Battalion
7th Field AF Construction Battalion
5th Mortar Battalion
2nd Fleet
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion

Defending units:
1st Manchester Battalion
27th Australian Brigade
SSVF Brigade
2nd Argylls Battalion
3/16th Punjab Battalion
3rd Cavalry Regiment
2nd Gordons Battalion
2nd Loyal Battalion
22nd Australian Brigade
1st Malay Battalion
28th Gurkha Brigade
5/2nd Punjab Battalion
Singapore Base Force
24th NZ Pioneer Coy
III Indian Corps
112th RAF Base Force
1st Indian Heavy AA Regiment
AHQ Far East
1st HK&S Heavy AA Regiment
5th Field Regiment
Singapore Fortress
272/273rd Bty 80th AT Gun Regiment
22nd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd HK&S Light AA Regiment
3rd Heavy AA Regiment
2/215th Bty 80th AT Gun Regiment
2nd HK&S Heavy AA Regiment
Malayan Air Wing
2nd Malay Battalion
111th RAF Base Force
224 Group RAF
Malaya Army
223 Group RAF /2


Many support units are ordered into the city, which will be a hub of operations for the next amphibious move(s) as well as a repository for oil and fuel from Sumatra.

5. Balikpapan falls to amphibious assault on January 26-27.

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy



Wow! Someone posted in my AAR! [;)] Thanks Cribtop!

Yada yada yada. Now you must post in my AAR

[Grollub]

Hey Mosquito dude. What's happening?

[Chickenboy]

You read my mind, Per. I was just thinking that I've been terribly derelict in my AAR duties. I'll update later tonight.

[Grollub]

Good [:)]

[Chickenboy]

Alright. Let's kick things off with the DEI.

Defenses on Java are crumbling. Soerbaja should be invested by the end of February. I've reinforced this effort with the 5th ID (+) from Singapore.

[Chickenboy]

South Pacific:

Lae heavily reinforced with Netties, escort fighters, supplies and the 11th Air Division (torpedo device). This is a critical base for P/NG support on the Northwest shoulder of this front. An IJNAF recon unit is enroute. I'm thinking of putting some Mavis unit here, but these are very dear and rare. Wish I had more...

PM: The 4th ID is prepping for Noumea. It will be picked up and transported there in approximately one week. I'm trying to identify LCUs for Suva operations as well. I may elect to use the 4th at Suva and a regimental force at Noumea. With the 74th IR engaged at PM, I only have the 144th IR and two companies of SNLF at Truk in regional reserve. This will have to do for one of these ops. I'm loading the 144th and company at Truk now.

Christmas island: Quiet for the last two weeks. An amphibious TF with supplies and construction engineers is enroute. This unit is running 'naked' right now, so I'm taking a risk in reinforcing it in this manner. It's two days out. The goal is to dig forts and forts only. If he wants to prep a couple of amphibious divisions for the goal and dig me out after 4-6 months have elapsed, I'd consider that a victory. 51st and 53rd Naval Guards hold it currently.

[Chickenboy]

Burma:

Ugh. I hate this theatre. It's such a supply sink.

33rd currently at Myiktila..God I hate these names...The Division had pushed up to Mandalay and was cut off by a small Burma rifles company. My opponent shows great skill in maneuvering Allied units to stymie too rapid an advance. Hats off! [&o] Jerk! [;)] Rather than risk an ID's LOS, I pulled it back to Myiktila pending reinforcements.

Imperial Guards (from Singapore), 113th IR, 5th Engineer RGT, an armored regiment and base forces are due in Moulmein shortly.

Rangoon has been beefed up a bit with the 3rd Air Division (torpedo device) supporting some 70F and 36 TBs. Recon is probing SE India bases.

[Chickenboy]

Philippines:

21st and 48th ID (+) have been returned to Luzon from Singapore. 18th ID preceded them by a week or so. It's still pretty banged up from the fighting for Singapore, so I'm not sure how much help it will be for the coming siege of Clark Field.

Clark has been under daily IJAAF bombardment, Batan under sporadic IJAAF bombardment. Clark AF has been damaged every day for the last two months. Hopefully, this has impacted his supply levels there.

Within a week, I should have 2350 AV + 13 heavy artillery units in place at Clark. Once this objective is secure, I am thinking of leaving an ID (now prepped for the defensive) in place with some support and retasking the other units involved with tier 2 and 3 objectives.

[Chickenboy]

China:

My opponent has played his hand here very effectively, stymying my offensive thrusts and slowing my advance significantly. [&o] Jerk! [;)]

The thrust towards Sian has slowed and been rerouted through clear terrain. Heavy IJAAF presence near here has taken a toll on Sian airfield and troops in the open. Still, it will be months before 3 IJA IDs are back in action due to the ill-advised attacks in forested terrain.

An aside: Having IJA divisions banged up in China isn't too terrible relative to other locations. They're (relatively) close to supply and can be swapped out for other divisions serving garrison roles.

Changsha: He's moved some units successfully out of Changsha to the North. Some 65,000 troops still remain. I've rerouted most of my units obstructing his line of retreat to the North back around Changsha's SW. They have entered the city and are awaiting reinforcements prior to implementing the siege.

Kweilin (SW China) is the scene of some interesting drama. I've sent the 6th ID and a supporting IR there via the single roadway to the East. He's used this as his major corridor of retreat in the Southwest. I underestimated the combat capabilities of 160,000 screaming Chinamen at this early stage of the war. He slipped in a unit around my rear and retook the LOS hexside.

The IJ troops here are currently immobile and using supplies. Thankfully, this is forested terrain and my troops have level 2 fortifications. the 13th ID is enroute from near Changsha to recapture the eastern LOS hexside and allow the trapped units to back off.

As Cap'n Mandrake would say: "I blame some staff flunkie". [:D]

[Chickenboy]

General:

Real life has slowed the progress of this game. We are in the midst of a family move and selling our home, so game turns have been halved in frequency by necessity.

In general, other than the obligatory DEI, Malaya and Philippines combat, he's well and truly bugged out. Some stinging rebukes to occasional oversights of mine, but things are on a reasonably good footing for the war effort.

With February halfway over, I have 6 weeks of the amphibious bonus remaining. "Clean up" needs to be a higher priority for some of the smaller SNLF units in the Mid-Philippines, SE DEI and the Coral sea area in particular. I need to establish a solid foothold on my tier three objective(s) by the end of March as well.

Allied defenses on Java and Sumatra are falling apart nicely. I think Clark should buckle within a couple of weeks. From there, it's on to Ambon and surrounds and Timor. Then?

Northern Australia? NE Australia? NE India? Ceylon? Still under debate. Opinions welcome.

Other general observations-light air losses on both sides. He's committed few aircraft to direct combat. Most of my losses are IJAAF OPS losses, which I tend to see in my games-I drive the IJAAF very hard, particularly in China.

There's still some 100,000 Allied dogs in Luzon awaiting liquidation. Some 50-60,000 in Java too. Another 10,000 on Sumatra. Dunno about Ambon or Timor. This will help the VP ratio tilt further. My goal is 3:1 and auto-victory by 1 January 1943.

Here's the VP screen:

[crsutton]

Posting here just to make you feel better...[;)]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Posting here just to make you feel better...[;)]

Gee thanks! [:D]

I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have on the game to date, crsutton. Obvious oversights? Places where things are going well? Outright espionage that you can share from my opponent's thread? [:D]