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

[Lowpe]

Who builds these sub transports?

[Lowpe]

The big excitement this day will be the first deliberate attack Kweiyang. 11 full IJA Divisions, plus tanks, artillery, engineers against 2500 AV of Chinese troopers spread across 8 Corps. I have 3 HQs and prep near 100 for a lot of the troops.

I have bombarded for several days, and bombed, and will bomb prior to the attack. I think the supply situation in China for their troopers is very bad and attacking supply has always been a goal of mine since day 1 of my takeover.

You can see from the map below that Chinese Corps are all over the place cutting roads and rails. Surprisingly enough it doesn't seem to effect supply to the front line troops. I am not shipping supply to China.

The Chinese threw a Corp across from Chungking to the east, for the third time, and here they came across with 0 AV and no supply. I am counterattacking, and have set a tank recon unit to reserve pursuit in the hopes they follow across the river closing the hexside without triggering a shock attack.

Near Changsha another Chinese Corp will surrender shortly.

[Lokasenna]

Agree with Pax.

Defend what you can. Don't overcommit. You've been reading obvert's AAR. A big thing hastening the end of his game was the trashing/cutting off of a bunch of his units near Tavoy. Don't let that happen to you! [:-]

Also, Eff those SSTs. Not worth the expenditure. If 40 points of supply (per sub) are going to make a difference for you at some island or other, then you did something wrong, IMO. Not that I don't use the USN subs to transport supply at 48 or 60 per, in 1942, but that's a different situation. I don't have to pay for those subs. You have to pay for these SSTs.

[Mike Solli]

One of the first things I do is to shut these guys off.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Who builds these sub transports?

[Lowpe]

Strong feelings about those sub transports! They certainly seem like gifts to the Allies.[:)]

Courtesy of Obvert's AAR here is a graphic of ranges from Darwin....I currently control Darwin, but it could fall any day since I have no troops there.

[PaxMondo]

Exactly. Once the allies hold Rangoon and Darwin, all of the DEI oil is within B29 range. Ergo, you have no more oil. The goal for me in my games is hold those two until 6/44-ish.

Again, though, your starting point doesn't really allow for that goal. You're committed to much more of a defensive struggle. Essentially you inherited a game where you lost 7 months of expansion. That has a big price ... you lose the DEI 6 months earlier than most will plan for. Oh well ...

[Lowpe]

June 17th, 1943

Allied night bombing of Toungoo. All quiet in the Marshalls.

A Sentai of Zeroes sweep Akyab, 16 lost for 21 Allied fighters: P40K and Airacobras. Too bad they didn't sweep with the Betty raid...

The Aoba makes Tavoy and continues emergency repairs. 2 enemy subs close.

China:

My large bombing raid of Kweiyang fails to materialize, but the IJA attacks the starving defenders. It hurts, but some prices you have to pay. I probably should have put some of the smaller AV infantry into bombard only. The Chinese are moving something out of the Kweiyang...

My clever plan to pursue across the river into Chungking fails to materialize when the 41st Chinese Corp surrenders instead of fleeing back across the river.

The stubborn 99th Chinese Corp holds on another day near Changsha. I have started cleaning up some of the /A, /B, /C thirds of corp that are pestering the supply lines.

Chinese air force fails to fly again...no supply I gather.

[Lowpe]

The Aoba will sit for a day or two at Tavoy pumping out counter flooding. Over 100 fighters are keeping watch over her, and Tavoy itself has 0 detection level, but is susceptible to a night bombing attack.

In 2 weeks I will bring the Irving NF online, and all squadrons (1.1 total) will go to protecting oil and refineries. Not great, but better than nothing.

The question then becomes how to use the squadrons I do have. I guess I have to expand the squadron to size 20 (it is Jakes now). Then should I split it into 1/3 and put some at three different bases, or should I simply keep it whole and protect one base like Medan?

I will have one full squadron of 20, the Endo detachment of 2 until Sept, and a second full squadron comes in as reinforcements on Sept 16 size 18 and a third in Jan of 44.

There are 4 squadrons that can upgrade to the Nick which is scheduled for 4/44, but with research I should get her closer to Jan I hope.

Back in August of 1942 when I took over, I thought that simply accelerating the Irving (since it is first) would cover my NF needs in the SRA. I assumed the 251 Ku-S1 would be capable of upgrading to the Irv, it is but only after upgrading to the Denko first! That is a loss of 45 potential night fighters and now I know I am going to be hard pressed to protect the resources until Nick comes along. Just not enough planes.

With no HR on night bombing I am in real trouble. The 10% CAP Dinah KAI & generous AA works better than anything else, and I suspect I will need to convert another squadron to this use. I am lucky in that the Allies have used their bombers in other roles.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Exactly. Once the allies hold Rangoon and Darwin, all of the DEI oil is within B29 range. Ergo, you have no more oil. The goal for me in my games is hold those two until 6/44-ish.

Again, though, your starting point doesn't really allow for that goal. You're committed to much more of a defensive struggle. Essentially you inherited a game where you lost 7 months of expansion. That has a big price ... you lose the DEI 6 months earlier than most will plan for. Oh well ...

I....suppose this is true. However, running the Japanese out of oil isn't going to (directly) win the game for the Allies.

Much better for them to use the B-29s against HI industry, where they'll get points.

[Lowpe]

June 18th, 1943

Night bombing of a couple of bases in Burma and Indochina. Japan loses two Zeroes on the ground,but get a bomber or two with flak.

At Victoria Point a destroyer and a cruiser run into a fresh Allied minefield. In a new move, the destroyer doesn't sink, and the Tone only takes 3 damage.

Destroy another 100 squads in China, and in a shocking move the Chinese have totally vacated Kweiyang! Helens bomb Chungking and destroy 10 fighters on the ground. I will rest the Helens today, and hit the airfield with armored Betties tomorrow along with Nick and Zero Sweeps.

Now do I purse against the defenders of Kweiyang that went NW and probably can't dig in to fast, or cross the river to the NE against 5 units of unknown ability that have been there for months? Seems like an easy choice to me...

[Lowpe]

Burma

A BB shows up on the sunk ship page. Let us see: Emilies dropped a couple of 250 kg gp bombs on her while at Madras, then she got torpedoed I believe (perhaps I am confusing her with POW I will have to double check), and then the other day at Akyab we landed 5 more bomb hits on her. Hard to believe she is sunk.

You can see the Allies taking control of central Burma. New lines are shown.

[Lowpe]

American Carriers really want to play! I am glad he does this, otherwise I would be really scared about an impending invasion. Knowing the location of his carriers lowers my angst considerably.

Just have to watch the setting on my airplanes.

[Lowpe]

Economic Notes:

I am dropping off resources at Foochow, Amoy, Hong Kong, Cam Ranh Bay and Saigon. Saigon seems to feed Cam Ranh Bay very nicely, at least it doesn't seem to be going back to Singers. Cam Ranh Bay just shipped out 20K oil and fuel, with larger increases in Manchuko (PA). Port Arthur feeds Korea. Fusan ships to the HI (where oil and fuel stocks are growing finally).

It has taken 6 months to accomplish this flow...but I never gave in and continued to work the system. I now have close to 80K worth of liquid tankers shipping out of Fusan. My worry now is feeding Indochina and China to keep the pipeline flowing. A good worry.[8D]

[Lowpe]

Despite losing the Mandalay, I have picked up 450 victory points in the last 5 days. Tomorrow I will get Kweiyang with its size 3 airfield, and more importantly 41 light industry. Since there is no enemy opposition, I should get it intact and I really need the supply generation in China, plus the airfield is only 4 hexes from Chungking.

I plan to bomb Chungking's airfield with 3 sentais of Helens, resting 1 squadron each day.

I bought out a trashed Brigade at Kweiyang on the cheap. Pretty nice...although as Lok says they probably will die on an Island somewhere now instead of living in China till wars end![:D]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Exactly. Once the allies hold Rangoon and Darwin, all of the DEI oil is within B29 range. Ergo, you have no more oil. The goal for me in my games is hold those two until 6/44-ish.

Again, though, your starting point doesn't really allow for that goal. You're committed to much more of a defensive struggle. Essentially you inherited a game where you lost 7 months of expansion. That has a big price ... you lose the DEI 6 months earlier than most will plan for. Oh well ...

I....suppose this is true. However, running the Japanese out of oil isn't going to (directly) win the game for the Allies.

Much better for them to use the B-29s against HI industry, where they'll get points.

Only get points for Japanese industry no?

This game is not typical. I have 3.3 million oil, most other games I have seen have far far less but more fuel.

The sooner Japan starves for oil the better (from a perverse AFB viewpoint), and since this scenario 1 level resources, there is no bonus fuel cushion. No oil, ultimately no fuel, no HI, ultimately starved for supplies.

At this point in the game I would hit oil first, HI second, refineries third, LI last. When the B29s come, I don't think I would change my targeting.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Exactly. Once the allies hold Rangoon and Darwin, all of the DEI oil is within B29 range. Ergo, you have no more oil. The goal for me in my games is hold those two until 6/44-ish.

Again, though, your starting point doesn't really allow for that goal. You're committed to much more of a defensive struggle. Essentially you inherited a game where you lost 7 months of expansion. That has a big price ... you lose the DEI 6 months earlier than most will plan for. Oh well ...

I....suppose this is true. However, running the Japanese out of oil isn't going to (directly) win the game for the Allies.

Much better for them to use the B-29s against HI industry, where they'll get points.

They don't necessarily have to completely choose. Targets of opportunity of either Oil/HI/LI work just fine in 44. They'll knock it all out eventually. [;)]

[ny59giants]

Any ship that gets hit with a working torpedo shows up on the sunk list.

[PaxMondo]

edited per request

[Spidery]

A BB shows up on the sunk ship page. Let us see: Emilies dropped a couple of 250 kg gp bombs on her while at Madras, then she got torpedoed I believe (perhaps I am confusing her with POW I will have to double check), and then the other day at Akyab we landed 5 more bomb hits on her. Hard to believe she is sunk.

It seems that when a capital ship is moderately damaged and in port it is not shown as sunk. As soon as she leaves port the intel guys reassess the damage reports and declare the ship as sunk. What this suggests is that Ramilles has left Akyab and moved 3 hexes along the coast. Using this information you may be able to vector subs in to finish her.

In my first PBEM I was able to use this to hunt damaged BB leaving Pearl for the West Coast.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Spidery
It seems that when a capital ship is moderately damaged and in port it is not shown as sunk. As soon as she leaves port the intel guys reassess the damage reports and declare the ship as sunk. What this suggests is that Ramilles has left Akyab and moved 3 hexes along the coast. Using this information you may be able to vector subs in to finish her.

In my first PBEM I was able to use this to hunt damaged BB leaving Pearl for the West Coast.

Great advice! [&o]

Many thanks!