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

[Lowpe]

Then it was the submarine forces turn.

Six cargo ships lost for the day.

[Lowpe]

Prince of Wales, most likely.

One of these days the Betties will sortie against her. Maybe tomorrow if she stays true to her reported course.

[setloz]

what are your plans for Port Blair and Little Andaman?

The allies shouldn't be allowed to fortify them...they are a very good springboard when the tide turns.

[Lowpe]

A new ship joins the IJN today. A big ship. She will join with her sister, the Yamato, in protecting the Kuriles...

It would be nice to use them more, but they are so thirsty.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: setloz

what are your plans for Port Blair and Little Andaman?

The allies shouldn't be allowed to fortify them...they are a very good springboard when the tide turns.

There is a full British division at Port Blair. I have been trying to starve it, the Allies lost 4-5 ships on the last resupply run.

Rangoon and Prome are much higher priorities right now. If things go well there, then I will take them.

[Lowpe]

The IJN is almost at 725 Allied ships sunk.[:)]

250 AK of various types
40 AP of various types
25 oilers or tankers
91 destroyers
10 BB, 33 CA/CL
4 CV
1 CVE

Here are the recent losses

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

The IJN is almost at 725 Allied ships sunk.[:)]

250 AK of various types
40 AP of various types
25 oilers or tankers
91 destroyers
10 BB, 33 CA/CL
4 CV
1 CVE

Here are the recent losses

You are doing awesome. He is going to have a really hard time moving forward. Bombardments wont really be an option.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

A new ship joins the IJN today. A big ship. She will join with her sister, the Yamato, in protecting the Kuriles...

It would be nice to use them more, but they are so thirsty.

A year late?!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr
You are doing awesome. He is going to have a really hard time moving forward. Bombardments wont really be an option.

Thanks. In your game, you really pound the Japanese with bombardments. How many total BBs are you fielding?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
A year late?!

Better late than never, I think. Just in time for Spring in the Kuriles!

I know I shut production of her down for 1 month back in August of 1942, then normal from there. No clue what my predecessor did prior to that although I had a full build of all xakl ships that I turned off.

I know you like the Sam -J, well who doesn't? I have gone three straight days with a factory repairing, and now have two factories at 10% repaired. Makes me feel very good for the bleak future.

[Lowpe]

Northern Oz

Nobody home.

[Lowpe]

The victory point trend. Some of it is misleading with bases taken that will be retaken by the Allies.

[Lowpe]

Testing out a theory of mine, I have sent some Lilly IIbs to Ramree, to see if they can't nail some of his shipping.

Since I have bombarded both Cox and Akyab, he has stripped his air forces from those bases, I hope to get in a good day's strike with the Lilly IIb.

I have two powerful surface groups operating in Burma and with Betties and Nells hope to bag some large ships eventually.

I plan on pounding Akyab to 100 percent port damage. Anything destroyed there has to aid my offensive at Prome.

How well do you think he can draw reinforcements and recover disablements at Prome? Obviously, it is supply constrained, but he has 29 units in Prome, and 16 in Rangoon. I don't know how he can keep it supplied.

In the Marshalls, the Allies have reconned both Kusaie and Ponape heavily. I am moving a lot of planes to Ponape hoping to recreate the CAP trap there from a week or so ago.

First two squadrons upgraded to Judy model 1. Hurrah.

[Lowpe]

Feb 16, 1943

Off Akyab, the Cruiser task force puts on a burst of speed and actually closes on Akyab, surprising IJN High Command with their alacrity.

They catch and sink a cargo ship at Akyab, bombard the port, and then retreat. During the day they are caught and surprised by a Allied cruiser force and they go at it hammer and tongs.

Unfortunately every torpedo attack misses, and two destroyers are ultimately sunk. There is hope for more damage during the day, as 60 Betties and Nells are on Naval as well as 27 Lilly IIbs.

One group of Nells returns to the airfield, being alerted to enemy fighters. 2 groups of Betties can't find the target and the final third goes in and scores 1 torpedo hit.

The Lillies, flying from Ramree, attack another group of ships and runs into enemy fighters. The half dozen zeroes escorting are quite enough but the Lillies fight their way thru but manage to miss everyone.

[Lowpe]

The Fuso is speared by a S boat.

[JocMeister]

Can´t really understand what your opponent is doing. He knew about your CA TF and still decided to send in a vastly outgunned TF with some very valuable ships like the Devonshire, Nashville and Honolulu? Not only that but he sends them in under your LBA... And mix in a rubbish Dutch CL?

He was very lucky today not getting the entire TF wiped out IMO.

[setloz]

It could be he was counting on catching your ships after the bombardment, with the ammo depleted. It happened to me more than once that my bombardment TF was surprised after the bombardment by an inferior force and took heavy damage.

Lack of LRCAP over the TF though is definately an oversight on his part. And I agree, the dutch CL shouldn't have been in that TF.

[HansBolter]

Not sure why you guys are so disparaging of the valiant little Dutch cruiser.
The Java and Sumatra are the better versions of Dutch CLs vastly superior to the Tromp and DeRuyter.

[Lowpe]

Feb 17, 1943

No night strikes.

Allies 4E's bomb Lae,and other than that no action.

Nashville shows up on the sunk ships list near Cox's. IJN submarines looking for cripples don't find any.

Allied carriers in the Bay of Bengal. 2 hexes closer to Moulmein and the 60 Betties/Nells would have 40 Oscar IIa escorting them for a 5000 strike. That would hurt, I think.

IJN BB/CA group is spotted SW of Rangoon, perhaps they can be bait to suck his carriers in?

[Lowpe]

I am going to dangle the BB groups two hexes south of Ramree with a big multi base CAP. Perhaps I can trap him. If not, they will be in position to run a good bombardment on Akyab.

Lost an 8 point tanker off China. Despite numerous air attacks, I have a tough time clearing this particular deepwater hex of submarines. I will have to send some decent ASW ships there...

I will launch the attack on Prome tomorrow. 4-5 days later I will launch the attack west of Magwe. I think Allies may be running low on supply...no planes in Prome, but he does have a lot of AA there. So maybe not yet.

I will be bombarding at Rangoon to drain his supplies in lower Burma even more.