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

[Lowpe]

May 2nd 1943

No night bombing.

Allied subs sink another standard C tanker in the PI; a dutch sub gets an xakl well off Port Hedland.

Allies bomb an airbase in the Raheng triangle and lose 4 B24d1; they also bomb Wotje heavily but no planes there.

Japanese bombers hit Chinese forces in the open.

A Sam J factory reaches 10 repaired.

Burma looks very dangerous, monsoon coming soon...will slow the Allied build up?

[topeverest]

So your riding the wave and will do a mass exodus at a later point, or do you have secret sauce to turn the tide.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

So your riding the wave and will do a mass exodus at a later point, or do you have secret sauce to turn the tide.

Nope. No secret sauce. I have my 4 goals for Burma, which I posted earlier and will live by them.

The IJA only gets weaker in comparison to their Allied opposites, and I need to fight here in the good terrain for as long as possible.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

The IJA only gets weaker in comparison to their Allied opposites, and I need to fight here in the good terrain for as long as possible.

My caveat is: without comprosing any units that I haven't already ceded. In mid-43 I generally feel I can punish the allies in Burma unless they bring in US LCU's.

[Lowpe]

Finished my turn, and once again didn't do much. I surrounded and will destroy another Chinese corp in the Central Plains of China, waiting on a few divisions to repair their disablements and bombing Chinese troops in the open. I will launch the attack to the Mountains shortly.

In Burma more troop movement...reinforcement are coming up to establish second lines; more AA is heading up; trying to form up the 3 different fractured divisions there. Hoping the Monsoon will slow the Allies down...

Marshalls: trying to figure out a good method of reinforcing some of the bases. Trying to figure out if it is worth defending Ocean for example...hard to see how I would inflict damage on him here.

The KB remains dark, as does the mini KB.

Kuriles: Very quiet. A few enemy submarines. I transferred a small base to the General Reserve to have an airbase that can host the growing number of restricted squadrons. I still think this is a likely area for Allied advances...I have pickets, decent naval search, and lots of air power ready to fight here...I don't think the Allies can do anything for a while yet.

Darwin: I have only an AF coy here, ready to fly them out, but so far his tanks haven't made it past Katherine yet.

Fighters: I guess I have gotten good at hiding and bouncing my planes around, I haven't lost any substantial amount of them for a while, and I have all of a sudden close to 1200 land based fighters. Granted 200 are Nates and Claudes...I still am only making Tojo IIcs daily, and have turned off even more planes recently (the KAI dinah for example). 400 Fighters in Burma...

Economics: I am stopping shipping anything to Singers, it just won't move out. Saigon, Cam Rahn Bay, Manila are the new destinations. Hokkaido is building back up resources, since I am shipping into there from Sakhalin....In April I added 120,000 supply despite the drain that is Burma so I am still on track for 6 million, but I want more. Fuel and oil is moving better to Fusan, but still not enough to grow the stockpiles in the HI.

Research: Sam J and Ki202 still going nicely....Looking forward to new planes. I will have to shut off Judy model 1 production shortly as engines run out, I have upgraded all the planes on the carriers, and have a very nice stockpile of future kamikazes. Not sure what to do with the factories...maybe it is not too late to pick another Army fighter for the end game?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

My caveat is: without comprosing any units that I haven't already ceded. In mid-43 I generally feel I can punish the allies in Burma unless they bring in US LCU's.
[/quote]

The place is swarming with Yanks...Air and Land. I would be very happy with a stalemate that didn't eat supplies.[:D]

[Lowpe]

I feel that I should be doing more somehow: but then I look at my forces, and think on the future, and ponder the economy and come to the conclusions not yet, not yet.

[DanSez]

Patience and Planning are the two greatest lessons this game has to offer.

[Lowpe]

May 3, 1943

No night bombing.

Daytime bombing is heavy at Magwe. Quiet elsewhere. 4 Skytrains written off, Allies are using their transports heavily.

Burma pictured below...

[Lowpe]

I sent a Sentai of Tojo IIcs to sweep Akyab, hopefully they will shoot down a few fighters and not run into a huge number of enemy fighters...

Oscar IV will advance another month this next day. Still pondering future air builds...

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo
My caveat is: without comprosing any units that I haven't already ceded. In mid-43 I generally feel I can punish the allies in Burma unless they bring in US LCU's.

The place is swarming with Yanks...Air and Land. I would be very happy with a stalemate that didn't eat supplies.[:D]

Oh, I love that as the IJ. In that case, I just want to keep his eye in Burma as long as I can. I'm even willing to sacrifice a bit more to do so. Allies cannot win from Burma, and US assets in Burma are ones that cannot easily be used in places like the PI that can win the game.

Keep doing what you are doing ... tie him up. Feint. Allow him to think he can progress, then stop him. Your air assets will be your key .... I would in this case be willing to deploy more than usual to keep the US forces engaged in Burma.

[Lowpe]

May 4th, 1943

No night bombing.

Allied 4es return to Prome, I have moved in two more AA units and I am in the process of removing one...but the Allies taste some better flak. Lots of damage to the bombing runs, but when it is all said and done 3 bombers are destroyed and 2 transports.

I want him to keep bombing at Prome and might lessen the AA another unit...but I think he is afraid to attack there and is probing south but not forward. Not much longer to the Monsoon.

Allied subs are still being a pain; I need to start zig and zagging to get out of common routes. No damage done today, but only because of a miss...

Weather prevents my sweep of Akyab...will have to fly the 40 Tojo's out lest they get heavily bombed on the morrow.

[Lowpe]

Burma:

The troop buildup below Prome continues. Even though I feel exposed, I think I am strong enough to hold out long enough to evacuate Burma if I need to.

My defenses continue to build depth and I really like it when he bombs my troops or less so the air bases here. More AA is arriving and my fighters are fairly strong so a CAP trap will probably be in order shortly.

[topeverest]

IT WILL be interesting to see it play out. It is an aggressive position in Burma that you have taken. IMHO I worry about that buildup around Rangoon. Moulmein probably is the asset that is critical here.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

IT WILL be interesting to see it play out. It is an aggressive position in Burma that you have taken. IMHO I worry about that buildup around Rangoon. Moulmein probably is the asset that is critical here.

Oh, I am worried about them too, but just not willing to cede Burma yet. At least not until I see if the Monsoon can really slow the Allies down here.

I sent my fighters forward to Moulmein and Pegu in a mutually supportive CAP...I hope to nail his bombers as they look for softer targets...we will see.

More troop movement, the remainder of the 2nd Tank Division is heading north out of Bangkok, some troops are leaving Prome to take up positions in the jungle, waiting for the other shoe to drop...

[PaxMondo]

Biggest danger in Burma is an amphib landing behind your lines ... any landing south of Moulmein can allow the allies to trap you in Burma. We've seen this in countless AAR's ... and always assume that the allies will win all foot races to hexes ... meaning they will beat you to Vinh or whatever point on the east coast. Again, we've seen this in countless AAR's...

[topeverest]

Since you are playing forward in Burma, do you have CV and LBA support to counter the likely invasion behind Moulmein? Are you in fact looking to have that battle?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Biggest danger in Burma is an amphib landing behind your lines ... any landing south of Moulmein can allow the allies to trap you in Burma. We've seen this in countless AAR's ... and always assume that the allies will win all foot races to hexes ... meaning they will beat you to Vinh or whatever point on the east coast. Again, we've seen this in countless AAR's...

I agree. Paratroops can be tough to, but the big slashing end run amphib attack is something truly to be paranoid about...one of the reasons why I already have troops digging in east of Tavoy in the jungle ridge hex.

Unfortunately, as Japan you never have enough troops to be strong everywhere...

Allies have 75 units south of Akyab...

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Since you are playing forward in Burma, do you have CV and LBA support to counter the likely invasion behind Moulmein? Are you in fact looking to have that battle?

Lots of LBA, no CV. CV is all in the Centpac. I do have strong cruiser forces that for now can control the seas -- mainly because Allied navy has taken it on the chin. Good naval search, he can't really sneak up on me....Allied search not real strong yet, but getting better.

Right now I am a little more worried about another Chindit drop than a naval invasions. Go back a month and I was very afraid of another drop.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Unfortunately, as Japan you never have enough troops to be strong everywhere...

Really, no one does. That is why manouver is the byword. Except in Burma/Malaysia with the jungles, no one moves fast. So the real question is if the alllies land near Tavoy in strength, can you get your troops out of Burma before they blow through whatever units you are putting in 3x terrain? Always a tough call. Me? I've never been able to successfully sandbox (H2H settings) an IJ withdrawal from Burma against an allied amphib south of Moulmein*. They are always able to get to the east coast (Vinh or wherever) faster than I can exit Burma ... that's me though. I readily concede I am far from the best witp tactician, so I strongly suspect others (Nic, Joseph amoung others) might very well be able to pull it off... but other good players just recently (Eric) have failed. So, just my cautionary note ....


* Note: this assumes a successful allied landing ... the obvious defense is to not allow that, but that to me is a separate issue in a way. It means when I am in Burma I have to keep significant anti-Naval assets in the Singers area ... within 2 turns of my Malaysia west coast. This means some combination of KB, SCTF's, and LBA.

Previously noted though, I like your position. The allies have committed significant assets in Burma .... 50 hexes away from Korea. I know no matter what, I can keep the allies from walking 50 hexes for more than 3 years, especially given the terrain. So, I know they cannot win from this area. I like it. AND, I know they will expend more everything on offense than I will on defense as long as I prevent any envelopment.

IF you are going to be here a while, and it looks like you will, get a 2nd command HQ in the theatre and set it up in Bangkok or someplace like that with a lot of supply. Rotate your units to that point for restoration. If you are more than 8 hexes from enemy units and with a command HQ in a large base network (so build up a few AF's nearby to +4), replacements, morale, and fatigue are all faster .... you've got RR's in your favor ... he can't do that. allies are a long walk from Calcutta .... you can really build up LCU exp doing this ...