NFC East Showdown: Cribtop (J) vs NY59Giants (A) - Between the Storms

[Cribtop]

Yes, the new toys air, sea and land are creating some interesting wrinkles. I have 6 CV + 6 CVL and some nice new BCs and CAs. However, the Allies have some nasty cruisers, two new BCs and two small CVLs. The equation isn't the same as normal.

My plan in broad brush is to take a normal perimeter, hope to attrit his navy a bit, then rely on some juicy mid-war options like accelerated Judys and Jills, the A6M4 interceptor, the carrier capable George, etc.

Should be a fun ride!

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Yes, the new toys air, sea and land are creating some interesting wrinkles. I have 6 CV + 6 CVL and some nice new BCs and CAs. However, the Allies have some nasty cruisers, two new BCs and two small CVLs. The equation isn't the same as normal.

My plan in broad brush is to take a normal perimeter, hope to attrit his navy a bit, then rely on some juicy mid-war options like accelerated Judys and Jills, the A6M4 interceptor, the carrier capable George, etc.

Should be a fun ride!

There is a carrier capable George!![X(][X(]

That is unbelievable! I do know though that the Sam was intended to come much sooner, and might have still if Midway hadn't occurred. The George will be a match for the Hellcat for sure, and those canon will decimate 1E bombers. From my late war experience with the Sam, it stood up against anything, even the Corsair and P-51D, and occasionally could have a good day against even the P-47s. The George on a CV is nearly as good, and before the late Hellcats and Corsairs, I think combined with the faster strike planes you'll have an advantage through 44.

[Cribtop]

Yep, scary ain't it? We are researching both George and Sam heavily too. In fact, those planes and a few others, plus the extra heavy cruisers, are a big part of the reason I want to take this game deep and see what happens. I also have a out of game reason, namely that I just want to get to mid and late war to have the experience of it.

[pontiouspilot]

Jeff makes an excellent point about incomplete intell.....this will have to be my next game....maybe I should quit reading this too!!!

[Cribtop]

Yes, I have to say I'm really enjoying the Between the Storms mod. It's not the same 'ole, same 'ole for either side.

I do hope you keep reading, though. [;)]

[Cribtop]

January 10, 1942

Been too busy with work for the AAR but the game goes on. Time to catch up.

Subs

ASW continues to harass O-16 just off Saigon without getting hits by either aircraft or patrol boats. We will send in some DDs out of spite.

4th Fleet

Jaluit goes to forts 3.

14th Army

DA Subic Bay clears out the 1 defending unit by forcing a surrender with 5:1 odds, casualties 393(75) vs 1 vehicle destroyed.

Aparri goes to airfield 4 which is important as now our milk run bombers over Manila are no longer overstacked.

25th Army

Port Dickson occupied.

The enemy carriers have left Soerabaja again. Cribtop Intel thinks they are jumping in and out waiting for opportunities and testing our nav search.

China

DA 83, 45 gets a 1:1, casualties 596(8) vs 128(10).

DA 86, 43 clears out a straggling HQ near Loyang, destroying the unit with casualties 150(18) vs nil.

We LRCAP the KMT air force’s bombing effort near 83, 45 with Nates, which aren’t effective. Soon we will have an Oscar unit online here, however.

[Cribtop]

January 11, 1942

4th Fleet

Maiana occupied.

SE Fleet

Manus invaded and Rabaul is hit by KB’s Kates as the operation here moves into action.

Burma

BA Toungoo finds the assembled 1st Burma Division and a raw AS of 149 vs 270. We will have to await the arrival of Imperial Guards Division, which is marching up from Pegu.

China

BA at 83, 45 as we refresh supply today. The attack shows only two small enemy units left in the hex as the enemy’s retreat continues. We will try a DA tomorrow but there’s a 50/50 chance these units complete the march out. Recon continues to show little on the road to Ankang beyond the initial stack which was wearing down quickly. This will still be a tough offensive, but there is a chance if we can get forward quickly.

[Cribtop]

January 12, 1942

Subs

The Didgeridoo, which we assume is an Aussie sub (and an awesome name) duds on a transport in the Rabaul invasion TF.

SE Fleet

Manus falls.

25th Army

Malacca occupied.

Our Singapore milk run bombers try attacking at 19,000 feet and the flak hits jump noticeably. Losses so far are acceptable so we will try this altitude for a while.

Burma

We SA in an effort to finish off the Tenasserim Battalion, which is cut off from Rangoon, but the unit retreats back down the road to Tavoy. Casualties 31(6) vs nil.

China

Oscars jump the KMT bombers attacking the base of our Ankang salient, but only in small numbers, so only 1 bomber is shot down with many damaged.

As we feared, the last two Chinese units abandon 83, 45 before a DA can force them to retreat. We will immediately march on. Our heavy artillery has arrived from Manchukuo and will be available as we battle the same 5 enemy LCUs for the next hex.

[Cribtop]

January 13, 1942

Rangoon falls.

Subs

Didgeridoo misses BB Hyuga as the Rabaul invasion begins. Whew! ASW then attacks the sub but without a real hit.

Escorts of a supply convoy at Baker Island chase off S-18.

SE Fleet

Rabual is invaded, with BBs Ise and Hyuga silencing the coastal guns. Troops are ashore in good order and KB’s Kates continue to bomb the enemy LCUs. Allied BA shows raw AS of 189 vs 44 in our favor.

Aitape and Shortland are invaded, with the mandatory SA taking Shortland.

16th Army

Moa occupied.

We seize Kolaka by paratroop assault. This is the base near Kendari. The plan is to fly in more troops and then march on Kendari from the land side. This eliminates the risk of enemy carriers intervening against a seaborne invasion.

Burma

DA Rangoon takes the base from token resistance with 41:1 odds, 1 enemy LCU retreating, casualties 448(26) vs 153(1). Oddly, the port and airfield are trashed but the industrial facilities are virtually undamaged. As a nice bonus, we capture 21,000 tons of fuel. We will now reunify the elements of 55th Division and that unit plus the Imperial Guards will drive on upper Burma.

China

DA 87, 49 unintentionally destroys a straggling unit near Hankow, odds 130:1, casualties 187(35) to nil.

[Cribtop]

January 14, 1942

Subs

Invasion escorts DC another cool Aussie sub, the Boomerang, in the Rabaul hex.

O-16 has a busy day, missing an ASW DD and suffering air and DC attacks.

SE Fleet

Aitape is occupied.

DA Rabaul drops forts to 1 and achieves a 1:1, casualties 239(19) vs 157(1). Michael left 3 units here, so it will take a few days but the outcome is certain.

25th Army

Marching on, almost to Johore Baru.

Saigon goes to port level 6.

China

Today a much larger number of Oscars LRCAP the hex the enemy has been bombing and he dutifully shows up. This time we shoot down at least 4 bombers and damage many others.

[Cribtop]

January 15, 1942

Subs

Gudgeon duds on an xAK unloading supplies at Shortland.

I-5 duds on an xAK in a convoy west of Oregon. I-157 sinks an AM trying to sneak down the Makassar Strait.

We order most of our subs outside the DEI back to base to re-organize them into local forces and longer range, Glen supported commerce raiding groups. In a week or two we will be ready for a more effective sub offensive in Pacific AOs.

5th Fleet

We begin phase II of our operations here, landing numerous base forces, construction units and an Air HQ at Attu and Amchitka. Units will begin landing at Adak tomorrow. The force is covered by organic escorts, by four IJN DDs and by a slow CVL we don’t want to operate with KB (one of the CS that can convert to CVL in stock, I don’t remember which).

Another small TF drops a base force on Ulak Island and it falls to the mandatory SA.

Next step up here is to fly in Zeros, bombers and some nav search. We will primarily secure the western end of the chain but are not averse to moving on Dutch Harbor if it is lightly occupied. We suspect it is secure but that is fine.

SE Fleet

Kavieng is invaded.

A poor die roll at Rabaul prolongs the defense, obtaining a 1:2 by about 2 AV. However, one of the defending units is destroyed and casualties are in our favor at 142(5) vs 27(0). We will plow on.

16th Army

Our paratroopers have finished marching from Lautern to Dili and take the empty base.

25th Army

Kluong occupied.

An armored unit has chased down a straggler near Temuloh and today destroys it with a high odds SA. Casualties are 86(6) vs nil.

China

Recon shows 10 enemy LCUs present at Kukong. This is probably just defensive but there is some worry of an enemy attack toward the lightly held coastal cities around Amoy. We will call off a planned attack on isolated Wenchow for a few days to confirm enemy intentions.

In the north, we have determined that Michael has fallen back out of the mountainous country south of Yenan. This could open up a road to Sian, so we will probe here and bring in a bigger force if warranted.

[temagic]

Nice prpogress Cribtop, seems the pace has increased. I love it when I see Cribtop has made an update on te AAR section. It's like a mini-Christmas every other daty

[Cribtop]

Thanks, Temagic! The plan going forward is to finish Rabaul, let LBA and CVEs watch over the conquest of Lae to Milne Bay and the rest of the Solomons and get all of KB to the DEI to seize Palembang and get things moving there again.

[temagic]

I realized that must have been your plan Cribtop. Will be interesting to see if we get an early carrier vs, carrier battle in the DEI area. Good luck to our brave soldiers and Banzai!!! Banzai!!!

Oh, and keep the updates coming:)

[Cribtop]

Here is China.

The red oval is the next target hex. Recon in previous turns shows that there isn't much coming toward Ankang from the north yet, so a breakthrough opportunity remains. We have a lot of arty, armor and many divisions pushing up the road (although of course some divisions have to wait along the base of the salient due to stacking limits).

The red arrows show the route that Michael has apparently abandoned. We are not naïve enough to think there is nothing on that back road heading to Sian, but per recon the enemy has abandoned the mountain hex where Chinese players often make a stand. We will seize that position and see what else is waiting for us.

[Cribtop]

January 16, 1942

A quiet day.

Subs

Convoy escorts chase off Thresher as we unload support troops at Adak Island.

4th Fleet

We aren't reporting all the construction stuff, but it's worth noting that today both Wake and Eniwetok go to forts 3. We are using a nifty new unit type, a naval pioneer battalion, to speed the Wake buildup.

SE Fleet

Although the unit is almost undamaged, our Assault Division at Rabaul was pushing 50 DIS so we hold off a turn. DA tomorrow which we hope will end this.

Kavieng is occupied by rowboat before our landing force can DA the place.

China

The Chinese forces pushed out of 83, 45 appear to be abandoning the next hex, trying to pull back behind the river to a position 1 hex south of Ankang. The bulk of our pursuing forces arrive today and we DA tomorrow. IJAAF 2E bombers are now part of the battle equation here and are bombing daily. Fresh divisions and even more artillery are marching to join the fray and are just 1 hex away.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Yes, the new toys air, sea and land are creating some interesting wrinkles. I have 6 CV + 6 CVL and some nice new BCs and CAs. However, the Allies have some nasty cruisers, two new BCs and two small CVLs. The equation isn't the same as normal.

My plan in broad brush is to take a normal perimeter, hope to attrit his navy a bit, then rely on some juicy mid-war options like accelerated Judys and Jills, the A6M4 interceptor, the carrier capable George, etc.

Should be a fun ride!

Better reexamine that OOB. The Allies get FIVE new CVLs.

One US medium sized one, the King's Mountain
Two US Small ones, Jacksonville and Charlotte
One Aussie small one, the Melbourne
One Kiwi small one, the Wellington.

They also get two AVs and two AKVs that can convert to CVEs with a 180 day conversion time.
The AVs are present at start. The AKVs enter at Balboa later and have to move to a shipyard.

By late summer/early fall the Allies can assemble a decent CV force if they don't fritter it away early.

My solo game against the Japanese AI is in late April now.

There are many other adjustments that give the Allies a boost early. More cruisers, more destroyers.

Most importantly, at least a token amount of fuel in many bases that are devoid of fuel at start in Stock or DBB scenarios.
The lack of fuel greatly curtails early naval operations. Having at least some fuel everywhere creates considerable flexibility.

[Cribtop]

Five - Yikes. Thanks for the info!

[Cribtop]

January 17, 1942

Rabaul falls. Time for KB to restore order in the DEI.

Subs

Our ASW patrols continue to harass Dutch subs just off Saigon. A few hits would be nice.

5th Fleet

Unloading is almost finished at all bases save Adak. The fleet will head home to re-organize as we have sent a group of cruisers north as a reaction force up here.

SE Fleet

Vanimo invaded.

DA Rabaul finally gets a good die roll and takes the base with 7:1 odds. Two enemy LCUs retreat into the jungle with losses of 245(263) vs 29(0).

We will land the second wave of support troops beginning tomorrow and fly in significant LBA. This green lights the withdrawal of KB from these waters and also creates pre-conditions for invasions of Lae, Milne Bay, Munda Point, and finally Port Moresby.

25th Army

The vanguard reaches Johore Baru at last. We will seize it and rail in the main army in preparation to cross into Singapore.

Bengkalis is occupied. Thus does the invasion of Sumatra begin by rowboat. [:D]

15th Army

Prome falls. Imperial Guards arrive at Toungoo tomorrow.

SA near Tavoy finally forces the Tenasserim RAF Bttn to surrender. Casualties 148(18) vs nil.

China

A first attack at the next line on the road to Ankang (hex 83,44) gets poor odds but decent results. 1:3, casualties 368(0) vs 259(1). We will add more troops and continue to wear the defenders down.

On the back road to Sian we advance another hex and still find no enemy. Michael may have stripped this area in order to respond to the Ankang offensive. Cribtop HQ is considering reinforcement and a second major axis here depending on what we find one more hex up the road.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Yes, the new toys air, sea and land are creating some interesting wrinkles. I have 6 CV + 6 CVL and some nice new BCs and CAs. However, the Allies have some nasty cruisers, two new BCs and two small CVLs. The equation isn't the same as normal.

My plan in broad brush is to take a normal perimeter, hope to attrit his navy a bit, then rely on some juicy mid-war options like accelerated Judys and Jills, the A6M4 interceptor, the carrier capable George, etc.

Should be a fun ride!

Better reexamine that OOB. The Allies get FIVE new CVLs.

One US medium sized one, the King's Mountain
Two US Small ones, Jacksonville and Charlotte
One Aussie small one, the Melbourne
One Kiwi small one, the Wellington.

They also get two AVs and two AKVs that can convert to CVEs with a 180 day conversion time.
The AVs are present at start. The AKVs enter at Balboa later and have to move to a shipyard.

By late summer/early fall the Allies can assemble a decent CV force if they don't fritter it away early.

My solo game against the Japanese AI is in late April now.

There are many other adjustments that give the Allies a boost early. More cruisers, more destroyers.

Most importantly, at least a token amount of fuel in many bases that are devoid of fuel at start in Stock or DBB scenarios.
The lack of fuel greatly curtails early naval operations. Having at least some fuel everywhere creates considerable flexibility.

Now Hans...you shouldn't give AWAY everything! The Cribtop might get a weeeeee bit scared...

[:'(]