Castles in the Sand - Spidery(J) vs MrKane(A) no MrKane please

[Lowpe]

Thunderbolts is fog of war perhaps?

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Thunderbolts is fog of war perhaps?

I think he gets a few groups early, about 75 planes in total[:(].

I expect he upgraded some units to get them and, in a few days time when they are fixed, will strike at Magwe.

I think I need to make some adjustments. I'll abandon Katha for a bit and put up a CAP over Magwe of only N1K1-J and Ki-84a. I can put about 150 of them in the air.

[Lowpe]

The beginning of the end...who needs lions, and tigers, and bears when there are fletchers, and thunderbolts, and essexes? Oh my.

Well, it could be worse. Your fighters could be Oscar IIbs. [:D]

Still, it is mid 43 and you are in excellent shape. Unfortunately, the Allies are too. It is going to be incredibly violent!

[Spidery]

May 24th 1943

Air Losses: 0 Japanese, 0 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Surface ASW forces engage 3 enemy subs and score minor hits.

Solomons

A DE has been hanging around just to the East of Munda, on a route my subs have passed through on occasion. I sneaked Atago and a long-legged destroyer out to the East of Rabaul and sent them in fast. During the night they find the DE Litchfield and sink her (only 5 VP but satisfying). Possibly not good economics as the two ships burn 1400 fuel and the supply cost for 12 long lances and a few shells.

Send recce over Lunga. 157 ships reported as in port. An 8 DD force protecting it and some sort of transport task force. 115 fighters, 190 bombers, 155 auxiliary (that is a lot of airlift). Air field is size 8 so they must be over-stacked (unless there are a lot of float planes and AVD present).

Tried a night strike against Lunga port but it failed to fly. I suspect the West Virginia is in there getting the initial damage fixed.

Burma

Night strike at Silchar failed to happen. Day strike by Oscars at 30000 feet over Ledo scored some hits but not on aircraft.

The AMc damaged yesterday sinks taking the captain down with her. The reported name of the captain is wrong.

Engineering

Allies have expanded Madras port to 9.

R&D

Quiet

Reinforcements

Quiet

[Spidery]

May 25th 1943

Air Losses: 4 Japanese, 0 Allied, 4 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Quiet

Solomons

Night strike at Lunga port from 17000 feet by Betties scores no hits.

Burma

Night strike at Silchar does no damage. Day strike fails to take place. Corsairs sweep Katha but no defense present.

Engineering

Quiet

R&D

P1Y2 to 8/44

Reinforcements

11,600 capacity TK

[Spidery]

May 26th 1943

Air Losses: 22 Japanese, 5 Allied, 5 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Quiet

Solomons

Night strike at Lunga port from 17000 feet by Betties scores no hits.

Burma

Corsairs sweep an empty Katha.

Thunderbolts sweep Magwe: 12 N1K1-J, 4 Ki-84a lost to 4 P-47D2 shot down. Not good, need to see if I can get a better defense. Probably, better fighting in the lower bands. For some reason about half the N1K1-J on CAP didn't fly.

It was the supply weekly shift turn and Akyab managed to pull just enough supply to replace that being used over the week and most of the other bases received good quantities. Annoyingly, supply still flows out of Burma: Port Arthur now has 485,000 supply. Supply produced on the continent is about 4,000 a day and supply used for maintenance about 3,000 so 1,000 a day excess. I would expect that to be spent on aircraft ops and engineering works.

Engineering

Aitape airfield to 1, Chumphon airfield to 7.

R&D

Quiet

Reinforcements

DD Wakazuki

[Spidery]

R&D Progress Expected Dates

Night Fighters

09/43 J1N1-S
12/43 A6M5d-S
05/44 P1Y2-S
10/44 J1N1-Sa

12/43 Ki-45 KAId
02/44 Ki-46-III KAI
02/45 Ki-102c

Fighters

07/43 Ki-43-IIIa
07/43 Ki-43-IV
12/43 Ki-84r
08/44 Ki-83
12/44 Ki-94-II

12/43 N1K2-J
07/44 A7M2
09/44 N1K5-J
12/44 J7W1

Bombers

12/43 B7A2
01/44 P1Y2
02/44 B6N2a
06/44 M6A1
03/45 Toka

07/44 Ki-74-I
08/44 Ki-115a
11/44 Ki-115b

Total supply expenditure on all R&D, air and engine expansion will be 1.5 million or about 3,000 per day through to end 1944.

[Spidery]

May 27th 1943

Air Losses: 17 Japanese, 8 Allied, 4 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Quiet

Solomons

Quiet

Burma

Corsairs sweep Magwe. I had dropped altitude of CAP and put some of the older army planes up to try and counter Thunderbolts and expected bombing. It cost. 7 F4U-1 traded for 8 Ki-43-IIb, 7 N1K1-J, 2 Ki-44-IIc.

Engineering

Quiet

R&D

Quiet

Reinforcements

Quiet

[Spidery]

Looking at late war planes I had a wicked thought.

If Ki-94-II are used as Kamikazes with a set altitude of 46,000 feet will they (a) be too high and avoid all CAP, (b) avoid the AA fire on approach and only take the AA fire for the final attack?

If they do then, given their speed and 500kg bomb, they could be very nasty. Chance of being able to spare production is low.

[MrBlizzard]

In my game supplies flow out too from Burma, they move back to Singa, very annoying... I've found nothing else than raising requirements levels in many Burma bases to let them stay there.
There must be a better way

[Spidery]

Pilot training

Now have about 310 IJA fighter pilots and 280 IJN fighter pilots available in reserve. Based on that I expect to have 1000 IJA fighter pilots and 500 IJN fighter pilots trained in reserve at the end of 1943.

There are 150 pilots in IJN patrol reserve with NavS 70+ so have started drawing these into bomber groups to get IJN bomber pilots. Still haven't worked out how to manage IJN bomber training with all the different requirements: NavB, NavS, ASW, LowN, NavT, GndB all seem useful on different occasions. I'm trying to streamline now so most IJN bomber pilots train in NavS and just one other skill.

IJA bombers have enough GndB trained and ASW trained pilots to last a while so am now concentrating on NavB/NavS and LowN/NavS training.

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: MrBlizzard

In my game supplies flow out too from Burma, they move back to Singa, very annoying... I've found nothing else than raising requirements levels in many Burma bases to let them stay there.
There must be a better way

I have been keeping bases with extra demand but dropped it at Magwe and Rangoon to make sure there was supply available to flow to Akyab. Some of it flowed there but some ran back into China[:@]

[Spidery]

May 28th 1943

Air Losses: 9 Japanese, 14 Allied, 2 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Quiet

Solomons

Quiet

Burma

P-40K sweep Magwe. 13 P-40K downed for the loss of 3 N1K1-J, 2 Ki-43-IIb, 2 Ki-44-IIc, 2 Ki-84a; an okay ratio.

I think he must be using another air base, need to find which. There are not enough fighters reported at Kalemyo and Silchar.

Engineering

Quiet

R&D

Quiet

Reinforcements

None

[Lowpe]

I have not had a chance to either use them or feel their impact yet, but in Downfall there is a large Shinden kamikaze unit. No bombs, but fast.

Perhap m-m did attack me last turn with Shindens...he staged a large air attack on Allied carriers that got "shredded" and he hasn't picked up the pieces yet to get me a turn back. It is a backburner game so no worries, but it makes you think.

Fighting end war demoralization is going to be really important. I remember Obvert complaining that his turn consisted of 3 hours of rebuilding shattered air units. What joy.

If you can somehow streamline the reserve pools it might make the end game more enjoyable.

[Spidery]

May 29th 1943

Air Losses: 32 Japanese, 14 Allied, 7 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Quiet

Solomons

Quiet

Burma

Two groups of P-40K sweep Magwe and I do okay against them but then the Thunderbolts sweep and get this:

Morning Air attack on Magwe , at 57,47

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid detected at 49 NM, estimated altitude 43,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
N1K1-J George x 57
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 24
Ki-44-IIc Tojo x 19
Ki-84a Frank x 21

Allied aircraft
P-47D2 Thunderbolt x 24

Japanese aircraft losses
N1K1-J George: 8 destroyed
Ki-43-IIb Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-44-IIc Tojo: 3 destroyed
Ki-84a Frank: 2 destroyed

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x P-47D2 Thunderbolt sweeping at 42000 feet

Actual losses aren't quite so one sided: 13 N1K1-J, 11 Ki-44-IIc, 4 Ki-43-IIb, 4 Ki-84a lost for 2 P-47D2 and 12 P-40K: still a horrid ratio. Some of the groups at Magwe the morale is slipping.

Get a new IJA Ace at Magwe.

Engineering

Guam airfield to 6. Allies expand Torokina to 6 and Buin port to 4.

R&D

Quiet

Reinforcements

E Iki

[Lowpe]

Thunderbolts at 42K. You have some planes in the pipeline that might go toe to toe with them.

[Spidery]

May 30th 1943

Air Losses: 6 Japanese, 19 Allied, 2 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Quiet

Solomons

P-38G sweep Rabaul which is CAPped only by N1K1-J: 5 N1K1-J for 16 P-38G.

More surface combatants being reported at Buin.

Burma

Ground the CAP at Magwe but only a small group of P-40K sweep.

Bomb Kalemyo from 30,000 feet with Helens and Oscars: 1 P-47D2 and 1 F4U-1 destroyed on the ground.

Engineering

Quiet

Production

To allow for the increasing tempo, I have expanded N1K1-J production to 180 and Ki-84a to 135. I don't want to expand Ki-84a production too much because I plan on letting 90 factories roll over from R&D when the Ki-84r comes online. Maybe I should expand it to 150.

Reinforcements

SS RO-35, SC Ch 42, SC CHa-28

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Thunderbolts at 42K. You have some planes in the pipeline that might go toe to toe with them.

Not for a year! However, there are enough that are close enough that if I can keep up the numbers game I should be able to do okay. Lancaster square law seems to apply quite well. Fortunately, they don't have that good a range so expose their bases to bombing and it seems unopposed bombing from 30,000 feet can work.

[Lowpe]

Is that unopposed night time bombing? what altitude was your cap stacked at.

They have poor maneuver down low, not much of a weakness...

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Is that unopposed night time bombing? what altitude was your cap stacked at.

They have poor maneuver down low, not much of a weakness...

Day time. So it is a bit of a scissors/paper/rocks game as if he puts Thunderbolts on CAP it could get bloody. Anything else on CAP gets chewed up by N1K1-J sweeps.

I have been varying altitudes.

Looks like on that turn I had most things high. N1K1-J at 36,000 37,000 and 41,000 Ki-44-IIc at 15,000 33,000 Ki-43-IIb at 8,000 Ki-84a at 34,000. It is a guessing game as if he sweeps with P-40K, P-38F/G or F4U-1 I want everything high but against the Thunderbolts I would like it low. If he comes with bombers I could do with it at 20,000 feet or so depending what altitude he sends the bombers in at.