Jorge's(A) crusade to the fabled kingdom of PresterJohn(J) DBB-C --- Allied AAR

[Jorge_Stanbury]

I got back the turn; damage looks heavy, but we will recover

Manila submarine losses
7 boats sunk: 4 "Fleet", 3 "S"
3 with float damage > 75: They will go to the shipyard, I doubt they can reach Java
2 with float damage >50: I think they will take their chances to Java... unless forum feedback difers
7 with float damage ~30/ 40: They will definitively go to Java for repair
1 with float damage =11: It will be pressed into service on the Makassar strait, just to keep it close to Soerabaja in case damage gets worst

I have 7 boats (all fleet) that will start patroling the South China sea

Warship/ Aux losses
Sunk: AV Langley, AM Quail [:D][:D][:D] this is it!

Heavily damaged: BB Maryland and DD Cummings will require extensive repair. they are, however, out of risk.
Medium damage: BB Nevada, BB West Virginia, CL Helena, DD Litchfield, DD Peary
Light damage: BB California, DD Pope,

Basically I have a nice fleet-in-being of 5 BBs anchored at Pearl

[Jorge_Stanbury]

I think I will send a revenge SCTF: 4 BBs + 3 CA + 5 CLs + 12 DDs

Settings: patrol "KB" hex (175, 107), remain 0 days, retirement allowed, max react 1 hex.
Full speed

The idea is that I reach him at night time, and then either I find and beat the crap out of him or most likely, I found nothing and then I go back to safety at PH by dawn

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

I think I will send a revenge SCTF: 4 BBs + 3 CA + 5 CLs + 12 DDs

Settings: patrol "KB" hex (175, 107), remain 0 days, retirement allowed, max react 1 hex.
Full speed

The idea is that I reach him at night time, and then either I find and beat the crap out of him or most likely, I found nothing and then I go back to safety at PH by dawn

I think that is too many ships to put into one force. You should separate BB's, CA's and CL's usually for best results. Also use night search.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

My worries on spliting is that I would have to assume he brought two Kongos and two Tone class cruisers plus the night time exp advantage

Maybe if I split it into 2 TFs of 2 BB + 4 cruisers?

or 3 12-ship TFs: BB1, BB2, Cruiser

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

My worries on spliting is that I would have to assume he brought two Kongos and two Tone class cruisers plus the night time exp advantage

Maybe if I split it into 2 TFs of 2 BB + 4 cruisers?

or 3 12-ship TFs: BB1, BB2, Cruiser

I am not sure what your DL is on that fleet. Does he have escorts or is it all in one bunch? I would risk the ships split up just for the chance to get a solid hit on some of his aircraft carriers early in the war but I am crazy like that. The last time I did it I lost about 4 heavy cruisers...

[Jorge_Stanbury]

DL is bad, according to it, there are 10 CVs moving East (PH direction) [8|]

I will build 3 TFs and see what happens

[Jorge_Stanbury]

December 8th was a quiet turn; some highlights:

My revenge SCTFs didn't find KB[:(] it will be another time. Still a big win to have an almost intact PH.

Rangoon: I mentioned before I was puzzled about attacking Rangoon on the 1st turn... well he did it again (likely by mistake), but this time I had the 67 RAF squadron and the 1st AVG on 100% CAP
I think I shot 19 Betties [&o] which means the highly experienced (+70 EXP average) Kanoya Ku was trashed [:'(] . He will easily replace the airframes, but losing all those veteran IJN 2E pilots is a great win

Battle of Mersing: I had 2 Danae, Mauritius + DDs on Mersing; I was trying to make him believe this was Force Z... while the real Force Z is in a secret location.
It didn't turn that way, still we had our first inconclusive battle:



Hatsuyuki was hit 10 times; so, there is a good chance it sunk

[Jorge_Stanbury]

December 8th (continued)

Landings:
- Khota B, Aparri and Makin were captured
- Aparri was a paradrop

Naval warfare:
- Mogami, Mikuya, Suzuya, Kumano+ DDs reconnoitred Kuantan, sinking a small *AKL. As already mentioned, 4 Fubukis tried to reconnoitre Mersing... this plus the fact Kuantan had not been bombarded means he will land on Kuantan to capture the L4 airfield, followed by a full Mersing invasion (with CAP support).

Submarines:
- SS Pompano sunk, I-171 got a lucky shot [:@]
- TK Mobilfuel ate a torp we will see if it can be saved... And I will be very happy when I-121 dies
- 1 *AK, 1 *AKL also lost
- Allied submarines did nothing [8|]

Intelligence report
- CarDiv1 (Akagi and Kaga) vanished without trace
- Kido Butai also vanishes; but in this case, a Catalina on night search found it NW of PH.. this will be consistent with the fact I had all search done with eastern arcs
- Ryujo was found; SW of Davao, with Claudes; it spent around 24 torpedoes against *AKLs/ AVDs

[Jorge_Stanbury]

Got the combat report; this will be expanded once I get the turn

Overall, another "quiet" turn.

I had Force Z on Pontianac, I wanted to ambush the Singkawang invasion, and keep him guessing on where was it located.
Big mistake.. too close to the logical path of Akagi/ Kaga...

PoW got 3 torps, and many bombs, I give it 85% chance of sinking next turn
Repulse got some bombs, all bounced itt will leave the area ASAP
the 2 CLs, also got some torpedo/ bomb hits. I don't think they are at risk



Force Z, having tried (and failed) to stop the Malaya invasion will now withdraw in defeat, likely to Autralia. I still believe, keeping it on Malaya was the right thing to do, Churchill would not have allowed it to go anywhere else while the most important British colony on the East gets invaded.
The idea of ambushing the invasion fleet was good, the execution not so, you live and learn

The Malaya's campaign is so far a total failure; so far the only success is the potential sinking of a fast Japanese *AP.
That said, the orderly withdraw to Singapore will soon start; I don't think he can now stop it. Also, no bombings yet on Singapore means that forts building will start soon

[Jorge_Stanbury]

Much better news from the Philippines,
He did some sweeps and the overall results were not impressive. No bombings: every turn I can keep Manila and Clark repairing damage, fixing submarines or building forts is a good one. I expect more invasions to start soon, I have strong intelligence that Mauban is the selected place, thus I am moving all those isolated garrisons to Manila.

DEI:
The "exodus fleet" leaving Manila had only been attacked by Ryujo (now with bombs), Betties from Babeldaob and the ocassional submarine. No DDs or cruisers, at least not yet. I will keep my "fleet in being" until I see where are the nasty CAs.
The longer he keeps Ryujo without torpedoes, the better... how long would it take Zuiho and Hosho to arrive? I guess 1 or 2 days more max.


Ship losses:
- Langley
- PoW (likely next turn)
- many minelayers; as I had been agressively sending them to the key potential invasion points (Jolo, Mersing, Singkawang). He likely had already noticed this trend, and thereby he might send DMS fleets to clean before invasion... At the very least, I will gain a day
- 8 submarines, 7 in Manila
- assorted AKs, AKL, etc. nothing major or unexpected
- AOs, TKs, AS from the "exodus fleet"... i will update once the exodus is over

[Richard III]

"That said, the orderly withdraw to Singapore will soon start; I don't think he can now stop it. Also, no bombings yet on Singapore means that forts building will start soon"

I don`t know about the DB-C but in stock scenario GC`s, Singers starts with 50 port damage,( thanks JFB`s[;)]) making it very hard, if not impossible, to get to Forts 4, if he starts airfield/port bombing after sweeping the Buffalos into oblivion. The Allied player needs to make several key decisions about the defense of Singers IMHO.


Good luck with your AAR

[Jorge_Stanbury]

Thanks

As of last turn, Singers port damage was 30... and there was no bombing at all during that turn. So I hope fort building will start soon. they might not get to level 4; but anything will help. Also, Mersing is best done very early, thus I think he missed the boat. All my key troops will start to move (strat) in the next couple turns.

And I don't think he ready yet to start the sweeps; not with zeros at least. And I am not afraid of the Oscars. I bet he is saving the Yamada detachment for LRCAPs at Mersing.

Also, Singers has good AA, so at the very least, I will start bleeding the 3rd JAAF... sor far they are having a cake walk. If he send Akagi/ Kaga, even better.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

More on the exodus fleet:




I want him to divert surface and naval search assets into a wild chase on the vast expanses of the ocean.
the less he keeps focused on the DEI area the better.

Any naval attack on the DEI proper will yield *AKs/ *AKLs ... those "babes" are coming handy for once

[Jorge_Stanbury]

More on the POW:

Looks like it has a chance to survive; I give it 50/50.. It will run out full speed for 1 turn as cruise speed is too risk with Kaga/ Akagi lurking

[Jorge_Stanbury]

I am a JFB, I think I will always, even thought, I have joined the "light side" of the force this time.

My take on Kido Butai:
I think my oponent made a mistake on dividing it into 4-CV TF to PH; 2-CV to Malaya. It simply lost the "death start" overpowering/ overkilling capability. PH attack was in particular toothless: No ships sunk; 2 BB will require extensive repair... That is it.
Force Z was caught with the pants down, and still there is a good chance no ships will be lost.

Of couse, it is possible to argued that this arrangement allows him total freedom/ supremacy in all theaters: 4-CV KB on the Pacific; 2-CV KB on Malaya/ SE China and Ryujo+ the soon to arrive Zuiho/ Hosho in the DEI... But still, Japan is in the dificult position of requiring crippling victories to reduce the Allies numbers

Once I play Japan, I think I will go either full KB or maybe detaching one CV max to Malaya/ DEI.
Afterwards, KB needs to work together; maybe in 2 mutually supporting TFs, that will be fine, but never to far away one from the other

[Jorge_Stanbury]

So while my friend was killing my Manila exodus fleet

[Jorge_Stanbury]

I have a clear chance to disrupt his Manado landing

I need advice:
- I have 2 SCTF; both with aggresive commanders (Dormman and Hardy)

Dutch TF: Java, DeRuyter, Tromp + 7 Dutch DDs
American TF: Marblehead + 9 Clemson/Wikers DDs

I plan to send both on "bombardment" mission; full speed, absolute tolerance to threats
Question is: Would they attack the fleet if they found it?
or should I have a better chance if I send them as "SCTF"... the benefit I see on bombardment TF is that if I don't find the transports, at least I will disrupt the land forces.

[Quixote]

They may still attack the fleet in bombardment mode, but you stand a better chance going in with both set as SCTFs with high (6) react distances. You've played Japan, so you already know...Manado is lost. This turn, next turn, a week from now, but lost. Have fun sinking whatever surface forces he has there now and perhaps teach him he needs to cover his landings better (thus slowing him down in the future), then run. Don't bother with bombardments this early in the war (especially with the ships you have to work with here) - there's just not enough return-on-investment to make it worthwhile.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

Thanks!

It is lost; but I want him to pay the price and I want to delay as much as possible; each day counts

Plus, I have 2 more surprises coming soon [;)]

EDIT: I sent the 2 SCTF to "patrol" hex=Manado, full speed, react=6, absolute tolerance

turn will be coming back sometime later in the afternoon

[Jorge_Stanbury]

Things went relatively well:
1st, Hardy's Marblehead Destroyer Div caught the screening force; so after all, there was some screening or maybe it arrive later
Screening force was the Nagara Destroyer Div (Legaspi cover).

There were two battles; a nice slugfest that ended with no sinkings. Damage is not a problem yet.. I will expand on that