Global War : a Japanese AAR

[yvesp]

ORIGINAL: composer99

Amazing how lopsided the casualties get, once the Allies have strategic superiority/dominance.

Well ; the same usually happens against Russia in Barbarossa. But Russia fights on only one front, and Germany has not that many units, so at some point the offensive grinds.

For the allies, it's easier :
1) Offensive => break the line (note that the allies can afford at least two offensives per turn) and inflict severe damage (an offensive that doesn't kill at least 10BP is mostly wasted...)
2) The Germans struggle to reform a line ; but it is weaker (less units, less space to appropriately move the units around : the breakthrough prevents this.)
3) Attack the weakest spots (there are some, now) ; with luck you blow a new hole: rinse and repeat...

The problem for the Germans is that the allies always have a lot of reserves : if the front line moves back, the tired units in the front line can be replaced by fresh advancing units, and the whole new front can be attacked again.
But if the Germans don't move back, they run the risk that the breakthrough will expand behind their lines, making a later retreat difficult, possibly impossible, for a greater overall loss.
Of course, moving back forces the German to accept the loss of dizorganized units (land/air) left behind...

Yes, once the pressure is on, its difficult.

Winter brings a relief and better lines can be reformed : the question is then to know if it can stand the first clear weather offensive. Usually not...

[yvesp]

The weather continues to beat the germans ; there is no relief in the temperate zone, and in December 43, the allies continue to push their advantage. This comes to the sorrow of Japan which knows that every turn where Germany weakens will be one more turn against it.

We are now going to watch a much sought military action, which should collapse the whole western front. At the declaration of the attack, the germna line is not especially weak ; it is not strong either as it as less protected spots, which barely more than 12 in defense.

However, Germany still has more or less the control of the skies, and three out of four bombers will make it through. But the allies attack exclusively with armored or mechanized units, yielding a +2 bonus against the defending panzer or anti-tank.

[yvesp]

Both combat succeed with breakthrough. A 25% occurence or so.
As a result, tow stacks are destroyed, 6 other stacks are put out of supply, 4 of which are likely unrecoverable, the last two, along the coast, being extremely difficult to recover.

The result is that the only remaining defense west are the 4 reinforcing corps that arrived this turn, and any unit that will be railed in emergency.

[yvesp]

Meanwhile, the Japanese try to inflict some damage to the Chinese near Sian, but the result is disappointing, especially considering that the mountains would have to be cleared. It doesn't look like any serious offensive action will now be forthcoming.

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: yvesp

Both combat succeed with breakthrough. A 25% occurence or so.
As a result, tow stacks are destroyed, 6 other stacks are put out of supply, 4 of which are likely unrecoverable, the last two, along the coast, being extremely difficult to recover.

I don't understand. Either move a unit into Antwerp, putting the units on the coast back in supply, or move one unit from west of Antwerp into Antwerp, putting the others in supply. Then you can withdraw the units as seems best. Similarly Rommel and another corps can get into the woods, at the cost of whatever division Rommel is stacked with flipping. Yes, the German position is very bad, but I don't see that it quite as bad as you say.

[yvesp]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

ORIGINAL: yvesp

Both combat succeed with breakthrough. A 25% occurence or so.
As a result, tow stacks are destroyed, 6 other stacks are put out of supply, 4 of which are likely unrecoverable, the last two, along the coast, being extremely difficult to recover.

I don't understand. Either move a unit into Antwerp, putting the units on the coast back in supply, or move one unit from west of Antwerp into Antwerp, putting the others in supply. Then you can withdraw the units as seems best. Similarly Rommel and another corps can get into the woods, at the cost of whatever division Rommel is stacked with flipping. Yes, the German position is very bad, but I don't see that it quite as bad as you say.

Yes, that is of course what is being done.
But it is not as simple as this.

You then have to move the units in a sticky glue ; the unit you move to open the way is Oos, so only one unit+1 div can get away during an impulse, not a full stack. So, at some point one of the units will have to be sacrificed.
Furthermore, in the next impulses, the enemy can lauch ground strikes : it has happened that a stack stays behind because the roads are congested... There is one such stack currently in Moldavia... far behind the front line now.

So you're right, with luck, most units can get away. But more likely, at least one or two trailing units will get lost in the retreat.

As it turned out, the weather turned sour ; this helps much. With good weather and large armor superiority, the allies might have tried to close the pincer to trap a full stack. The same could easily happen along the coast : a retreat result is sufficient to trap another stack.

That's why I wrote that the situation was delicate for the Germans.

[yvesp]

As the bad weather slows down the kill rate in Germany, the Japanese, after first pulling out their marines, come back to make good use of an unexpectedly good ground strike (roll of 1 for 1 needed...)

After pushing out the supply convoys, the land units attack with the help of the fleet : Telok Betong falls easily.

[yvesp]

In December 43, the German losses are a bit more forgiving, but still a bit more that what will be rebuilt. But most of the land force pool is still either on the map, or in production. Germnay is not down yet. What has suffered most is the air force : bombers are not being replaced.


Japan builds:
- 1 anti-air
- 1 mot div
- 1 battleship (superstructures)
- repair 2 cruisers
- 2 convoys
- 4 carrier planes
- 2 pilots
- 1 Nav3

China builds:
- 1 garrison
- 1 Ftr2
- saves 1BP

The Commonwealth builds:
- 1 factory repaired
- 1 infantry
- 1 motorized
- 1 artillery
- 1 battleship (superstructures)
- 1 amph (superstructures)
- 1 offensive
- 1 Lnd4
- 2 Ftr2
- 2 pilots
- 3 carrier planes

The USA build:
- 1 inf div
- 1 infantry
- 1 motorized
- 1 mech
- 1 anti-air
- 4 carriers (superstructures)
- 3 pilots
- 4 carrier planes
- 3 Ftr2
- 2 offensives

[yvesp]

Few changes in north China, but Sian is now in Japanese hands.

[yvesp]

South China has not changed. The japanes don't want to advance, the Chinese don't want to risk what remains...

[yvesp]

The east Indies are now firmly in Japanese hands, but in the North, Singapore is becoming unpregnable but to a risky all out attack involving many land units and most of the fleet.

[yvesp]

With its 14 carriers and 19 air squadrons, the Japanese fleet is impressive.

[yvesp]

It outclasses the US fleet in Brisbane, with its 8 carriers and 11 air squadrons.

[yvesp]

It also outclasses the Commonwealth fleet with its 7 rather light carriers and 9 air squadrons.

Still, both combined are a serious threat.

[yvesp]

(I hate losing post because the plugin crashes! did they change something lately ???)

Anyway, the Commonwealth fleet should shortly be joined by a full complement from Europe, where the Commonwealth fleet was sitting idle, waiting for a new complement of ships. Thats 7 carriers of which we see 5 ; one more in Liverpool, and a Canada class in Halifax.

That's also 8 air squadrons.

Joined, these fleet are enough to threaten the Japanese fleet.

[yvesp]

But the worst is expected from Oakland, where the US have patiently assembled a tremendous force of 10 carriers boasting 14 extremely modern air squadrons that makes the Japanese assets pale in comparison.

The Japanese know that they have only a few turns before all these forces fall on them. That's more than twice their fleet in carrier numbers, more than 4 times in the number and power of battleships or cruisers.

And there is little to do about it...

The Japanese are considering an assault on Brisbane, something in the 20% chance of success at best. But that solves little actually : there are two many major ports in that part of the world to destroy them all...

[Courtenay]

Out of curiosity, what were German and Soviet builds?

[yvesp]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

Out of curiosity, what were German and Soviet builds?

The USSR built some land units (it lost a bunch of them in bad weather attacks) and 2 offensives.

Germany rebuilds lost land units and some fighters. But germnay will soon have an oil problem : reserves are low (5), and they'll have to reduce production to keep these oil dependant units going.

[yvesp]

The January 44 turn is a huge relief for germnay!
Indeed, three turns of intense blizzard reaching down to the mediterranean zone did not favor offensives.

Even the Russians were stopped short.

Some naval combat could have happened in asia, but the ships failed to find each other. Similarly, the 5 allied sub squadron did not find any convy in the bad weather.

The Japanese build:
- 2 infantries
- 1 carrier (superstructures)
- repair 3 cruisers
- 2 convoys
- 3 carrier planes
- 2 Ftr2
- 3 pilots

China builds:
- 1 infantry
- 1 pilot

The Commonwealth builds:
- repair 1 factory
- 1 carrier (superstructures)
- repair 1 battleship
- 1 sub (superstructures)
- 1 inf HQ
- 1 armor
- 1 Lnd4
- 1 Nav3
- 1 Ftr2
- 4 carrier planes
- 2 pilots
- 1 offensive

The USA build:
- 2 light carriers (infrastructures)
- 3 carriers (superstructures)
- repair 1 factory
- 1 sub (infrastructures)
- 1 armor HQ
- 1 motorized
- 1 mechanized
- 4 carrier planes
- 3 Ftr2
- 3 pilots
- 2 offensives

[yvesp]

Having little to do now, waiting for the allies to strike, the japanese try to sap the allied war effort by sending its few subs to raid poorly protected convoys.

It succeeds well near Australia, but it is but a scratch: most of the allied economic assets are out of reach or too well entrenched.


March 1944 impulse 2