Return of the Sheep! - JocMeister(A) vs. MrKane(J)

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"] 4th of May -42 [/font]
______________________________________________________________________________

Very quiet besides the usual pounding in China.

------------------------
Something Something
------------------------
Everything still on schedule. The Toowoomba troops will arrive tomorrow. Tom did not attack the troops coming out of strat mode at the coast as expected.

My fighters are planning another ambush.

------------------------
SIGINT
------------------------
I´m getting spoiled with useful SIGINT lately! [X(]

4/21st Ind.Mixed Brigade is loaded on xAK Meiu Maru moving to Noumea.
10/48th Division is loaded on a Japanese xAK moving to Rabaul.

So the 48th is already on the move. This could mean Tom will make a serious effort towards the Samoans. But with Something Something active in OZ I would estimate Tom could at best use the 2nd, 4th and 48th in the OP. Not enough by far. That unless he evacuated the 21st and 38th from OZ .

How much lift to the Japanese posses at this stage? Could he lift 5 IDs simultaneously? Not without using a lot of Merchants surely?

[ny59giants]

Free Japanese Divisions:

4th Ind Mixed Bde
21 Ind Mixed Bde
65 Bde
Gds Mixed Bde

Imp Gds ID
2 ID
4 ID
5 ID
16 ID
18 ID
21 ID
33 ID
38 ID
48 ID
55 ID
56 ID

20 ID - Components start in Korea, but I include it as it has good experience and I prep it for Luzon

[ny59giants]

Using the new DBB air stats, I think the P-39s do best in 10 to 15k band while the P-40s do best in the 16k to 20k band. The P-39s have gotten a poor rep, but they are not as bad as some players thing. The cannon helps them destroy lots of Japanese bombers.

[JocMeister]

Ouch, thanks Micheal. Looks like I missed a couple of IDs. That changes things...[X(]

EDIT: Can´t find the 5th, 16th or 55th in our SCEN?

[ny59giants]

EDIT: Can´t find the 5th, 16th or 55th in our SCEN?

5th ID - lands in Malaya along with 18th ID

16th ID - loaded on transports at Amami Oshima and usually lands in southern Luzon

55th ID - most of it starts SE of Bangkok with the 144th Rgt going to Guam and/or Rabaul. It takes a while to get the components back together and usually ends up in Burma.

EDIT - all start broken down into components and need to be rebuilt. Maybe Mr Kane hasn't do so with these divisions yet.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

EDIT: Can´t find the 5th, 16th or 55th in our SCEN?

5th ID - lands in Malaya along with 18th ID

16th ID - loaded on transports at Amami Oshima and usually lands in southern Luzon

55th ID - most of it starts SE of Bangkok with the 144th Rgt going to Guam and/or Rabaul. It takes a while to get the components back together and usually ends up in Burma.

EDIT - all start broken down into components and need to be rebuilt. Maybe Mr Kane hasn't do so with these divisions yet.

Thanks Micheal. Havn´t found a trace of any of those in the logs so it must be as you say that he hasn´t rebuilt them!

[offenseman]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Using the new DBB air stats, I think the P-39s do best in 10 to 15k band while the P-40s do best in the 16k to 20k band. The P-39s have gotten a poor rep, but they are not as bad as some players thing. The cannon helps them destroy lots of Japanese bombers.

I agree, they do pretty well when used correctly. The cannon being centerline is a real key

[offenseman]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

EDIT: Can´t find the 5th, 16th or 55th in our SCEN?

5th ID - lands in Malaya along with 18th ID

16th ID - loaded on transports at Amami Oshima and usually lands in southern Luzon

55th ID - most of it starts SE of Bangkok with the 144th Rgt going to Guam and/or Rabaul. It takes a while to get the components back together and usually ends up in Burma.

EDIT - all start broken down into components and need to be rebuilt. Maybe Mr Kane hasn't do so with these divisions yet.

Thanks Michealm. Havn´t found a trace of any of those in the logs so it must be as you say that he hasn´t rebuilt them!

Some of the wayward divisions have regiments that are not in the same HQ as the rest of the units. Not only do they have to reunite to recompose, but those regiments need ~509 pp at full strength to change HQ first. For me, that is the real problem; trying to find 500 pp to buy out a perfectly good regiment in an already non-restricted HQ. Personally, I think it is good to wait to recombine those divisions until pp are bountiful later in the war. In the meantime there are plenty of whole division he can buy out and of course use to buy armor, which he has done, and perhaps arty as well.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: offenseman
Some of the wayward divisions have regiments that are not in the same HQ as the rest of the units. Not only do they have to reunite to recompose, but those regiments need ~509 pp at full strength to change HQ first. For me, that is the real problem; trying to find 500 pp to buy out a perfectly good regiment in an already non-restricted HQ. Personally, I think it is good to wait to recombine those divisions until pp are bountiful later in the war. In the meantime there are plenty of whole division he can buy out and of course use to buy armor, which he has done, and perhaps arty as well.

Sounds like a good indication he hasn´t reformed them then!

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"] 7th of May -42 [/font]
______________________________________________________________________________

Very little happening outside China

------------------------
OZ/SOPAC
------------------------
Hmm, lots of shipping arrived at Brisbane. Is he pulling out or reinforcing? I ordered two of the six invaluable F4s to recon tomorrow. At this stage I would rather have him around in OZ TBH.

I also got some more precious SIGINT. This is more solid proof of a move into the Samoans.

1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment is planning for an attack on Pago Pago.

[Lokasenna]

....is Brisbane actually empty of IJA LCUs?

Also, even though they don't start free, the 20th ID is very high XP as nygiants has said and starts in Korea. Also consider that the 53rd and 54th IDs (or maybe it's 52nd and 54th?) start in Japan, and though restricted he could have bought both by now.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

....is Brisbane actually empty of IJA LCUs?

Also, even though they don't start free, the 20th ID is very high XP as nygiants has said and starts in Korea. Also consider that the 53rd and 54th IDs (or maybe it's 52nd and 54th?) start in Japan, and though restricted he could have bought both by now.

Not at all! 12 LCUs on last recon. Now showing 14 but it could be just sketchy recon. Ordered another flight today to see if it clears the picture.

I´ve run a search on 53rd and 54th ID. Nothing showed up. So either they dodged the SIGINT or he hasn´t bought them out. I´m thinking it might have cost him a lot of VPs to buy out every arty and tank unit from Manchuria?

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"] 8th of May -42 [/font]
______________________________________________________________________________

Heh!

------------------------
China
------------------------
Tom crushed another two overstacked hexes with massive Chinese losses. At least this time there is nothing in their retreat path to take with them in the fall.

------------------------
OZ/SOPAC
------------------------
Sent 6 subs to lay a minefield at Noumea as Tom seems very fond of it. This is golden! [:D]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 1 encounters mine field at Noumea (115,160)

Japanese Ships
CV Akagi, Mine hits 1

I doubt it caused much if any damage but its still pretty funny. [:)] Also very solid proof the KB is in Noumea. Not sure why he keeps them so visible?

[Cribtop]

Tee-hee. Don't be so sure that mine hit didn't cause issues. With IJN damage control and the lack of nearby shipyards, you may have just detached a CV from KB for a while.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Tee-hee. Don't be so sure that mine hit didn't cause issues. With IJN damage control and the lack of nearby shipyards, you may have just detached a CV from KB for a while.

And the biggest one, to boot.

In my experience, these mine hits cause middling damage to IJN capital ships. Maybe around 15 float or so...obviously still enough to make him seek out a shipyard. Manila is probably the closest, but he could also sail for Singapore or maybe even just back to Japan. At this point in the game, the time to sail back plus repair time will put her into the yards until her July upgrade, which puts her in for 21 days as well.

[JocMeister]

Hope you guys are right. Would be great to get rid of her for a while. [:)]

[Lowpe]

Other than the disaster that is China, I am starting to sense a momentum change in this AAR. Selective reporting?

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"] 9th of May -42 [/font]
______________________________________________________________________________

A bit of a setback in OZ. But it was bound to happen.

------------------------
China
------------------------
Uuuurgh.

------------------------
OZ/SOPAC
------------------------
I set my B17s to go after the tank RGT on my flank. I also moved in 3 Tank units on my own. I had a hunch Tom would put a LRCAP up. So I set some sweeps to hit him. Everything worked perfectly...but for the fact that it didn´t. Opened up the turnfile only to find I had done a lot worse then I thought...Sync bug. [:(] Sweeps never flew at all.

Luckily B17Es are good against Zeroes. But Hudsons and B17Ds arn´t...

Morning Air attack on 8th Tank Regiment, at 94,158 , near Toowoomba

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 86 [X(]

Allied aircraft
Hudson I x 12
B-17D Fortress x 5
B-17E Fortress x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 8 destroyed
B-17D Fortress: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 2 destroyed, 15 damaged

This is followed by the usual gazillion fragments. Each taking down 1-2 Zeroes while suffering some damaged planes. When the dust settles the Japanese come out slightly ahead. But counting VPs its an allied "win".

Both me and Tom use the bombers to strike at each others armor. We both do some damage but at least allied units suffer mostly disabled motorized support. DIS has risen dangerously on one unit though.

I have a small surprise planned for tomorrow. Would be nice if it worked...

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Other than the disaster that is China, I am starting to sense a momentum change in this AAR. Selective reporting?

There's a lot to be said for things like confirmation bias, they make people happy! [:D]

[JocMeister]

Sorry guys, I don´t understand! [&:]