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

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

He could just as easily land 3 more divisions at Loemadjang in south Java too. Cutting Jave in half makes sense, and is routinely done.

It is going to be clash of the titans here I guess...

Loemadjang was where I considered a landing most likely and have put some defensive forces in place.

He could use sub-assaults to grab Semarang and other bases on the North coast of Java.

[Spidery]

The location of the invasion tells you where he is going next....

Does he already own Christmas Island IO? It will be vital for his reinforcement

No but he could take it without too much difficulty.

[Spidery]

The location of the invasion tells you where he is going next....

No it doesn't. One thing about MrKane is to expect the unexpected[:D]

[Spidery]

Some rough economy estimates.

Assume I can reduce supply and fuel usage to an average of 25,000 supply and 5,000 fuel per day for the rest of the game.

If I keep the DEI and Burma producing until end of October that would give me enough supply to last until about end of April 1945. Each extra day the DEI remains in production gives 1.5 days more with full supply.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Spidery

The location of the invasion tells you where he is going next....

No it doesn't. One thing about MrKane is to expect the unexpected[:D]

I think you are dead on, so keep your search up. However a forced deep island invasion in places where you are fairly strong (Marianas, Bonins, Truk, seem relatively unlikely since most of his BB are heading back to Oz for ammo; without heavy aerial bombing prior. I think...

Still, your economic analysis forces you to throw the kitchen sink at him here in Java. Let loose the dogs of war.

I take it you have slowed down your pace of turns while you counter Mr. Kane's strategy. If yes, what is an acceptable amount of time? Do you feel pressured to flip the turn to keep the game going?

[setloz]

It's a very bold move to invade Java this early, especially considering that you can bring 7 divisions and more in quite short time.
I would plan for a kitchen sink here as Lowpe already said.

His LOC is quite long and he will need to secure several other spots, including the Christmas Island IO. All of these present you with oportunities to strike.

And if you do manage to stall him here, it will be hard to resupply and it should present you with even more oportunities to strike.

Anyway, I wanted to say: Good Luck!

[Spidery]

July 22nd 1943

Air Losses: 3 Japanese, 1 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy: Tjilatjap
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

Various ASW attacks.

DEI

The Allied Armada heads SW from Java, probably heading for resupply. A sub finds them and is damaged and 2 Glenns are lost to CAP. No other Allied task forces located.

The attack at Tjilatjap easily captures the base.

Bombers fail to fly against it and anyway the Allied CAP has withdrawn.

Solomons etc.

Quiet

Engineering

Quiet.

Production

Quiet

Reinforcements

E Mutsure, SC Ch 48, SC CHa-46

[Spidery]

I take it you have slowed down your pace of turns while you counter Mr. Kane's strategy. If yes, what is an acceptable amount of time? Do you feel pressured to flip the turn to keep the game going?

My original player wanted advert was for 1 turn a day. I consider at least doing 2 turns a day sufficient. Things have slowed down a bit recently because of other demands on my time and Tom has, sometimes, been slow to respond in the evening/morning. So if there is no turn to capture my interest in the morning, I may not look again until the evening. As it happens, probably won't be any turns next week.

Added: we have a number of times stated to take as long as is needed. I may push off doing the pilot checks for a few turns to get a turn out but otherwise I aim to do everything that I think needs doing.

[Spidery]

A few philosophical musings.

Barring a miracle I am not going to win this game. I've had only one major success (China) and a few minor defeats and victories. To get to the end in 1946, Japan needs more than a few major successes and what is needed for a major success grows as the game progresses.

However, that doesn't matter as the fun in the game is dealing with the day-day, month-month and year-year operations. MrKane's attack massively increases the fun level as I try to defeat this incursion without overly weakening other defenses and making sure that if I fail to drive the Allies out of Java I will be able to manage an orderly retreat.

Also,

Lots of good advice folks and please keep it coming. However, I may well ignore it because I want to try things for myself and see how they work out. Not having got this far before I am almost completely in the dark in predicting what the result of many actions will be. I like this, it seems a pretty good approximation to the real world situation so is more fun.

[Spidery]

July 23rd 1943

Air Losses: 4 Japanese, 2 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

I-170 puts a torpedo into BB West Virginia near Tulagi.

I-34 has a lucky escape as she is hit by a dud torpedo from SS Barb.

2 xAK near Makassar are hit by torpedoes but neither sinks.

DEI

Most Allied forces have withdrawn but a new task force is reported approaching.

BB bombard Tjilatjap does only light damage.

Allied forces are heading NW, tanks have run on ahead. I think I will see how much I can bomb them.

An aerial minelaying mission against Tjilatjap fails to fly - I do wish I could find some confirmation that is supposed to be possible.

Solomons etc.

Quiet

Engineering

Davao airfield to 5.

Production

Quiet

Reinforcements

Quiet

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Spidery
BB bombard Tjilatjap does only light damage.

I bombarded Tjilatjap a lot with BBs and almost always had very poor results compared to other locations.

[Quixote]

An aerial minelaying mission against Tjilatjap fails to fly - I do wish I could find some confirmation that is supposed to be possible.

I can't say that I've done a lot of testing on aerial minelaying, but I can tell you that it does work. (For both sides.)

[Spidery]

Quixote, thanks for the confirmation.

I see that is in October 1944. Do you know that it can work in 1943 for the Japanese? I know it can for the Allies but I wonder what the start date is for the Japanese.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: Spidery

A few philosophical musings.

Barring a miracle I am not going to win this game.

You don't need to win. It's the Allies that need to win, you just can't afford to lose.

Lots of good advice folks and please keep it coming. However, I may well ignore it because I want to try things for myself and see how they work out. Not having got this far before I am almost completely in the dark in predicting what the result of many actions will be. I like this, it seems a pretty good approximation to the real world situation so is more fun.

Well, at least be sure to learn not to go down the route the Japanese historically did!

Best of luck in getting Kane off Java!

[Spidery]

July 24th 1943

Air Losses: 8 Japanese, 3 Allied, 3 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Subs

I-27, RO-33, I-3 all make tries on a large APA etc. task force moving South off the North West Cape. No hits and I-27 and RO-23 both will retire with minor damage.

ASW attack near Exmouth at 49,120

Japanese Ships
SS I-27, hits 8

Allied Ships
BB Nevada
DE John D. Edwards
DMS Hopkins
DMS Elliot
DMS Lamberton
DMS Zane
APA Elmore
APA Cambria
APA Sumter
APA Arthur Middleton
APA Crescent City
APA President Hayes
APA U.S. Grant
APA Fuller
APA Heywood
APA Zeilin
AKA Oberon
AKA Electra
AKA Centarus
AKA Virgo
AKA Thuban
AKA Alcyon
AKA Titania
AKA Algorab
AKA Alhena
AKA Betelgeuse
AKA Libra
AKA Bellatrix
xAP Duchess of Bedford
xAP Rochambeau
xAP Santa Elena
xAP Hermitage
xAP Mount Vernon
DE Chew
DE Ward
DE Peary
DE Parrott

Various Allied attacks but no significant damage on either side.

DEI

Multiple low-level bombing runs on the 767th Tank Battalion have a low success rate and knock out just a single vehicle and disable two.

Allied task forces have turned around and are now threatening to reinforce Tjilatjap or start a landing at Djokjakarta or somewhere else. This time there are reports of transport forces in amongst the carriers. However, the various naval search display limitations in the game mean I have zero idea just how much he his sending - the kitchen sink is in there but not sure whether he has the 2nd best bed as well.

Yamato, Ise and Hiei bombard Tjilatjap and knockout some I39WH-3 and CW-22, these are obsolete Dutch bombers; does he have Dutch reinforcements that are arriving now he has the base? They do fair damage disabling a few squads but still nothing great. Most Allied land troops are moving towards Bandoeng.

A CA task force was sent to intercept what I thought might be a fast transport TF heading for Christmas Island. It reacts into the Allied main forces and encounters the British Battleships. Luckily, there are no air strikes launched against my cruisers and they should be able to make it to safety.

Day Time Surface Combat, near Djokjakarta at 50,108, Range 25,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Haguro, Shell hits 1
CA Suzuya, Shell hits 6, on fire
CA Kumano
CA Aoba, Shell hits 2
DD Susuzuki, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Arashi, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
DD Nenohi, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB Revenge, Shell hits 21, on fire
BB Royal Sovereign, Shell hits 6, Torpedo hits 1
BB Ramillies, Shell hits 9, on fire
BB Resolution, Shell hits 10, on fire
DD Jupiter, Shell hits 7, and is sunk
DD Racehorse, Shell hits 6, heavy fires
DD Redoubt
DD Relentless, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Rotherham, Shell hits 2, on fire

Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 25,000 yards
Allies open fire on surprised Japanese ships at 25,000 yards

DD Suzuki sinks later.

Aerial mine-laying again fails to fly.

Solomons etc.

Allies try to clear the minefields at Rabaul. They clear 179 mines leaving just 226 still present but take heavy damage on their minesweepers:

85 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Allied Ships
YMS-114, Shell hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
YMS-113, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
YMS-120, Shell hits 2, on fire
YMS-119, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
YMS-118, Shell hits 2, on fire
YMS-117, Shell hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
YMS-99, Shell hits 1
YMS-98, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
YMS-97, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
YMS-96, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
YMS-95, Shell hits 3
YMS-94, Shell hits 2, on fire
YMS-86, Shell hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
YMS-85, Shell hits 1
YMS-84, Shell hits 2, on fire

Sinking sounds but not really possible to tell how many may have been sunk.

Engineering

Saipan forts to 7. Do I carry on, or relocate the engineers to other places?

Production

B6N2a to 6/44

Reinforcements

Quiet

[Naskra]

Tjilatjap is a Dutch reinforcement point, along with Soerbaja. Any Dutch reinforcements that were delayed after its loss will now appear, along with any destroyed Dutch units that he bought back into play. Replacement squads have been accumulating in the meantime.

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: Naskra

Tjilatjap is a Dutch reinforcement point, along with Soerbaja. Any Dutch reinforcements that were delayed after its loss will now appear, along with any destroyed Dutch units that he bought back into play. Replacement squads have been accumulating in the meantime.

Hi, and thank-you for the information. So if he planned ahead and purchased back all the destroyed Dutch base forces they could all have reappeared at Tjilatjap and be filling up.

Note for next game - defend Tjilatjap.

[Naskra]

You're welcome, quite. From what I've seen in these AARs, Mrs. Kane did not raise a fool for a son; prepare for the worst.

[FeurerKrieg]

Yes, good info Naskra. Is it only Tjil and Soer to worry about? Or are their other bases that will allow Dutch reinforcements to show up upon liberation by the Allies?

[Naskra]

The way I understand it is this (and I will be happily corrected by those more knowledgeable):

Destroyed units can be recalled to service if and only if they have a base to arrive at. For the Dutch (not other ABDA nationals) this means only Soerbaja and Tjilatjap. Once the unit is recalled, it needs 21-36 days to arrive. In that waiting period, it will fill out its TOE, dependent on component availability. If the unit is recalled, and the base of arrival is no longer in friendly hands, the unit will wait and arrive immediately once the base is free.

In this situation, had Mr K recalled from the dead any Dutch units between the time they would have zombied up and the day he lost both Tjil and Soer, those units would stand in queue and immediately appear upon the capture of Tjiltajap. If he didn't plan that far ahead, he can recall the units now and wait 21-36 days.
I am speaking here of LCUs only.