Greyjoy(J) vs. Obvert(A) - The air war in China- DBB, SLs, PDU OFF

[GreyJoy]

The KI-43 IIb is advancing fast. I really hope this armoured version will help my poor Oscar sentais to be a little be more competitive, cause now i'm really feeling the inferiority of the KI-43 Ic version.

The next 3 months will be critical for the R&D program. We expect to get the A6M3a, the KI-43 IIb and the A6M5 in this order. I am particularly looking forward the A6M5. Even if still unarmoured, the encreased DUR should give the zero a better chance of survavability (27 vs 22) and should be able to field a lot more decent planes into the air.
Also the KI-43 IIb is used by a lot of groups that are currently stuck with Nates or Oscar Ic...the difference should be major (at least i hope so)

[MrKane]

I am going to be in very similar situation soon. So how bad it is ? I starting to have feelings that PDU-OFF really hurts Empire.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: MrKane

I am going to be in very similar situation soon. So how bad it is ? I starting to have feelings that PDU-OFF really hurts Empire.

I think PDU OFF re-balance the air war, which is much more closer to reality than with PDU OFF.
I like it, really, especially when packed with the max altitude HR.
results are much more closer to what you would expect.

And it is fun to play with those models that, in a PDU ON game, you would simply forget!

[GreyJoy]

June 25, 1942

Very quiet. Everywhere.

The AVG popped up at Wenchow....[X(]

In India the allied stack is just 46 miles NW of Hyderabad... we'll soon see.
The 41st ID is now ready south of Hyderabad. In 2 days the 36th ID will join it with the 15th Army HQ and 6 AA units and will try to outflank the allied stack.
The Guards arrived at Calcutta.
Quiet at Lucknow... no raids today.

[GreyJoy]

June 26-30, 1942

INDIA: The allied stack is advancing. Now at the very gates of Hyderabad.
My defensive plan is simple: Use the 21st Army at Hyderabad as an envil, while the 15th Army stays in reserve and will act like an hammer. We'll see what we can do. The control of the air space will be decisive. We're working hard to provide the best possible air cover for our troops.

Erik sends in his paras in Northeastern India. They got a bloody nose at Benares where they are stopped cold by a strong SNLF unit. Now the 33rd ID is coming to reinforce the area. The north will be kept as long as possible, but i won't fight a war that i cannot win. The next defensive line is almost ready and i wanna fight at my own terms.

SW OZ: we intercepted another convoy...sadly this was empty:-( But we sunk at least 1 AS and 2 APs... not that bad. Allied cruisers are patrolling the area and i may have a surprise for them very soon...[8D]

CHINA: Liuchow is abbandoned! Good! One of the main objectives of this campaign is achieved. Now on for Kweiling!
The tanks are moving so slow...only 3 hexes per day after the first "jump" from the yellow road... don't think i'll be able to get there in time before his reinforcements arrived[:(] I may think to call it off this part of the plan and move everything to India...

PACIFIC: KB is in the lower Marshalls, sorrounded by not less than 15 enemy's subs... Makin has been reinforced and so are the upper islands around Roi-Namur.
Biak is growing fast and so is Ponape. Slowly we're creating our defensive perimeter...

RnD: A6M3a due to arrive in July
A6M5 in October/Semptember
KI-43 IIb in September

Good

Supply is finally rising again!!!! And so it is fuel! Very well!!!

[GreyJoy]

India

[bbbf]

The Oscar II-b is ok, but still gets eaten by the better Allied planes. Still, with PDU off, it is a hell of a lot better than a Nate (some of which are still in actively flying units in Mar 43 for me).

I don't know whether the A6M5 bump in durability has too much of an effect. It still dies easy.

Numbers are the key to both - always produce heaps and be prepared to lose them in droves. Try and concentrate large numbers before committing. Utilise mutli level CAP defenses. Train lots of replacement pilots. Don't get attached to any of them!

[GreyJoy]

July 1, 1942

INDIA: bad news in the air.
The allies attack Lucknow with an hell lot of planes. LRCAP, Sweep, Escort and bombers at different altitudes (from 10K to 30K feet).
At the same time LRCAP over Banares and 2Es on ground support mission.
We had our fighters on training missionat Lucknow... so even when they decided to engage, they were nowhere effective.
At Banares we had a sentai of KI-43 IIa on LRCAP and Betties with KI-43Ib (yes, can't upgrade this sentai, don't ask me why cause i don't know) as escort...
We lost 52 planes against his 19[X(]
The allies conquer an abbandoned Cowpore, while the paras at Banares seem to have faded away (still not sure).
We're losing the air war badly.
With PDU OFF even the Mohawks are good planes andthe I-15s are more than a challenge for my poor Oscars.
Zeros are too few and too fragile to really matters.
But we're fighting on.
The Empire won't lose battles like that without fighting.
Sending more sentais to India as i write.
42 KI-45a, 45 A6M3s and 200 bombers are on their way towards India.

OZ: bad day here too. The allied cruisers (3 CAs) arrived very close to Perth. I had 2x45 and 2x36 sentais of Netties there on NavT attack.
Only 20 took off and got repulsed by his flak....[:o]
Moving there my KB2 and more Kates/Vals...just to be sure.

No news from China.

The third HUGE fuel convoy is now assembling in Japan. Will go to Singapore with a CVE as escort

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: bbbf

Don't get attached to any of them!

[&o] So true...but i tend to love my aces... and always feel sorry when they die[:o]

However the a6m5 is a great improvement IMHO. yes, they die easily, but can fight back with everything but the P-38, so is a MUST have for me in this game.

[Lowpe]

It is the end game air war that really matters, that and carriers.

I thought pdu off might slow your early war rampages, but obviously not.[:)]

You are probably at your weakest now, until you get armored fighters up and flying!

Very enjoyable following your success and travails. thanks.

[GreyJoy]

July 2, 1942

Another bad day in India.
The allies do not seem to feel any fatigue. More 100 planes arrive sweeping and LCAPping at Lucknow. The 3 sentais (Zeros and Oscars) present there do what they can, but suffer badly. 10 Zeros and 19 KI-43 Ic are downed, for less than 15 allied fighters.
The allies then move 8 (EIGHT) units to Cowpore and conquer the base north of Benares... Ok, now i am worried.
Need to transfer more air units to the eastern India ASAP...don't know if it will be enough at this point...

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

It is the end game air war that really matters, that and carriers.

I thought pdu off might slow your early war rampages, but obviously not.[:)]

You are probably at your weakest now, until you get armored fighters up and flying!

Very enjoyable following your success and travails. thanks.

PDU OFF at the beginning isn't a big problem. The allies are so weak that you can easily outnumber them. But from June 42 on their quality gets better and almost every plane is superior to the A6M2 and the KI-43 Ic.
F3Fs, P38s and Hurricanes IIc are particularly effective, both on CAP and on Sweep

Having lots of fun anyway!![:D]

[Spidery]

When do you expect to have the Ki-43IIb?

I think lots of groups can upgrade to it and it seems quite a reasonable aircraft. Seems to perform well enough against the Hurricane and against 4E bombers and is slaughtered by Lightnings.

[GreyJoy]

July 3-4, 1942

INDIA: on the 3rd of July the allies strike again at Lucknow. F4F3s and Hurricanes. We manage to get a 1-1 which is good considering how poorly we've performed so far. But the 3 sentais at Lucknow have done their job against overwhelming odds and I cannot complain.
They buyed enough time for the rest of the units to re-position.
On the 4th we managed to abandon Lucknow by rail. Unmolested.
At the same time, Benares is abandoned in good order and the 33rd ID repositions itself on the so-called "ASSAM line" (Ranchi-Patna)
We managed to keep the Mid-North of India with only a single division (splitted in 3 regiments) for more than 4 months, which isn't bad. Considering how much Obvert is investing in India, I couldn't hope for more.
At Hyderabad, the allied stack remains still...[&:]
Convoys are busy moving back as much fuel as possible from Ceylon and India, while more supplies are being delivered to Madras and Calcutta.

CHINA: the Chinese managed to get to the rivercrossing SW of Kweiyang before me. They are already there with 2 units. I am leaning towards the idea of calling off this side-operation...I am a bit scared of destroying my precious tanks crossing a river in a +3 terrain on a hex well defended...mmm...
We conquer Liuchow and now we're moving to Kweiling. The Chinese seem to be abandoning the whole area.
Also south of Chikkiang the allies seem to be moving back beyond the river...
North of Changsha we tried a DA...with bad results... an eng regiment destroyed and more than 300 squads disabled...ouch! But we won't stop! It is clear to me that Erik needs to decide if he really wants to try to hold Changsa. If so he needs to keep a long and exposed front, thus using lots of units... while we threaten Chikkiang directly. If I was him, I'd be moving back ASAP

Various: SHOKAKU is upgraded with Radar and is joining the KB1 in CenTPac.
Oscar KI-43 IIb due to arrive in Semptember 42
Sending 2 Bdes to the Kuriles
Tai-Chi Type 2 Radar is now a reality and already delivered to most of the base forces around the map[:D]
Tank Divisions 1 and 2 are assembling in Central China!

[crsutton]

Obvert is doing a very good job in China. I wish that my game looked this good. [;)]

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Obvert is doing a very good job in China. I wish that my game looked this good. [;)]

Unfortunately I cannot but agree.
Obvert in China is doing a great job, blocking any path of advance (and even defeating me big times!). In fact, the main battle fought in China was a Chinese victory, with more than 35,000 Japanese soldiers dead (at Sian) and a whole front defeated (the northern one).

July 4-6, 1942

CHINA: we crossed the river with the Guards tank ID and a tank regiment. We found a good corp (400 AV) and an heavy artillery unit waiting for us there. Only a 1-1 and quite a lot of distruption among my units, even if the tanks didn't suffer that much, but neither the Chinese.
The following day a Tank Bde and another tank regiment crossed and didn't trigger a shock attack (thank God).
The third day we tried again, but achieved only another 1-1 with supplies in red. Distruption and fatigue are quite high among my tank units, even if the overall situation isn't that bad.
Now an air bridge is being estabilished in order to provide some extra supplies delivered to the tanks.
Our units managed to reach Kweiling, where they found 1500 Chinese AVs well dug in..., while it seems that he's slowly abandoning Changsha
The long waited 200k supplies are finally arriving at Shangai..., while more 70,000 are being delievered at Canton...hopefully this should boost our next offensives in this theatre

INDIA: the retreat from Lucknow was a success. Every single one of my unit managed to reach the defensive line using the minor RR east of Patna. Erik has already conquered everything north of Patna and now the situation will become interesting. Sending 5 new sentais to India as we speak
At Hyderabad the allies are finally making their move... let's see what they have in that stack... 70,000 men, 1,200 guns and 1,300 vehicles[X(]

CENTPAC: lots of convoys moving up and down to the Marshalls...mmm... will have to deal with a very early offensive here

[ny59giants]

The long waited 200k supplies are finally arriving at Shanghai..., while more 70,000 are being delivered at Canton...hopefully this should boost our next offensives in this theater

I usually have a CS convoy going from Shanghai to Shimonoseki with about 20 to 25k capacity. Pull Resources from China and return with Supplies. Use Waypoints to keep the TF in shallow ocean hexes and turn the "on" for return trip at bottom of third waypoint setting. Seemed to work for me.

[GreyJoy]

Thanks Micheal. I tend not to use CS convoys cause i often forgot them and find myself with too few supplies in Japan
The resources convoys are active since day 1 at Fusan and working perfectly.


Here's a map of India ...the theatre is evolving very fast

[GreyJoy]

And here's China

[Lokasenna]

I don't know RE: Obvert's job here - I think that impression was given because of the delay in starting the IJA offensive. You're making steady, even somewhat rapid, progress in China and it's still only July '42. You're looking at holding Kweiyang, a key base, within the coming weeks I think.