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

[Lowpe]

While the Deathstar is busy at Wake, and most of the American Navy it seems, I am shipping tons and tons of supplies forward. 40K to the Rabaul area; 122K Guam/Saipan, 15K to Kusaie and Ponape.

I guess you trade supplies forward for time...but boy, do those 4Es eat up the supplies. It would be nice if the AA could kill more...

Home Islands will top 4 million supplies in ten to fifteen days. In the last 15 days we have added roughly 150K. The increased pace of attacks in Burma are taking its toll. I am going to scale back the bombing in China to conserve some.

[Lokasenna]

If your CV TFs had detected (and therefore reacted towards) each other, you would have gotten an 8-hex strike on him.

[ny59giants]

"Lots and lots of supply"

From an Allied perspective, what you have there can be dumped into one base in a day or two and left there forgotten. As Japan, you must hit the "B" button and sort by Supply to see where you may have a 10 to 20,000 not being used.

[Lowpe]

Bombardments away!

Targets Port Blair and Trinkat.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

"Lots and lots of supply"

From an Allied perspective, what you have there can be dumped into one base in a day or two and left there forgotten. As Japan, you must hit the "B" button and sort by Supply to see where you may have a 10 to 20,000 not being used.

Ridicule me for my lots of supply statement...but everything is relative.[:D]

BTW, I can remember a post of yours way back when you said one thing you did every turn was to hit the S key and sort by endurance every turn. Something I do every other turn or so...[&o] From that post I learned the joys of sorting the master database files.

I am still waiting to discover the joy of the tangent however.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

If your CV TFs had detected (and therefore reacted towards) each other, you would have gotten an 8-hex strike on him.

It probably would have been tough: 168 A6M5c and 70 torpedo bombers into probably 300+ CAP since he would have no strike of his own. I was hoping his planes would launch and attack Wake and my planes would fly into the depleted deathstar with only radar warning.

I am going to retire and wait for the full kb to form up: 700+ planes. And then seek a defensive engagement with much land based air.

[Lowpe]

I have reinforcements heading towards the Tuang Gyi...but the Allies have amassed over 2000 vehicles there so I am having a tough time...expect more heavy air bombardments and another deliberate attack. Way too many Allied tanks.

I had thought the monsoon would slow the Allied offensive, but exactly the opposite is happening as I can't keep everyone supplied. Bitten by my own hopes![:D]

I think the next day won't be any fun: Wake most likely falls; Tuang Gyi could depending upon die roll; Trinkat should hold and the 4th ID is on the way. At least the KB should escape and supplies reach some front line troops.

Trying a sub surge on Wake, for some odd reason I couldn't create more minisubs. Port is not damaged, 18K supplies (which will fall into the hands of the Americans[&o]). One reason I have so much supply was to keep creating new minisubs each turn, but the button, although white and active, doesn't create any. Disappointing, as I wanted to coordinate the sub rush with and minisub rush too.

Laying two minefields at Perth with nasty sub laid mines, several small minefields are going into ports in the PI, in the hopes of catching his bold submarines. So far this month, I have sunk 6 Allied subs, unfortunately, I have lost 4. But if they can net a CVE at Wake, it will be worth it.

[Lowpe]

New plane next month. Thank goodness it uses another engine, this will allow me to move the current engine factory over to Toko Rocket, giving me four factories researching it fully in 30 days. This means the toko rocket should enter production 3/44, at which point I will ramp up production in time for the factories coming online researching the Ki202. If I can hold on, the skies should be very crowded with a 1 range fighter in late 44. How cool would that be?

[Lowpe]

Sept 16, 1943

Lots of mines cleared at Trinkat by the E's, and Fuso bombards.

However, there appears to be a giant clash at Port Blair. The Agano runs interference and runs into two single ship destroyer task forces, and then a larger cruiser force before making good their escape for now.

The bombardment group fares less well, runs into one lone destroyer and a CA gets a torpedo and they expend a fair amount of ammunition for no real effect...

[Lowpe]

The bombardment task force hits Port Blair, and does solid damage, but then is caught by the Allied cruiser force...

The IJN gets the worst of the engagement losing a destroyer...but makes good their escape, but the commanders plot a course for Trinkat away from their escorting fighters range...and also split into several different task forces further complicating air coverage. Uh Oh![X(]

[Lowpe]

In the ensuing strikes from Port Blair, in small strikes of like 6 planes, sometimes only 3 planes, the Allies manage to cause devastation on the IJN CA forces with escorting planes only over one task force...

The ugly butchers bill:

[Lowpe]

Heavy air attacks everywhere...including 3 squadrons of lightnings sweeping over Rabaul, two of which are nicely coordinated.

Tough day...

[Lowpe]

Port Blair:

Allied CA force is one hex outside of a 300 plane strike force...argh.

Small, one ship task forces are swarming into Great Nicobar and they don't trigger any aerial or naval interdiction.

A hoard of PT boats are inbound for Port Blair.

IJN CA forces shattered in the area...

A bleak day...

[Lowpe]

Tuang Gyi falls to a three division 2000 AFV shock attack...but the defenders retreat across the jungle into the plains rather than south down the road...

How bad can this day get?

I have to wrap my head around that retreat...pretty damaging.

Allies attack elsewhere and are easily held, with one attack the Allies have a supply malus. But every attack is bolstered by Allied tanks.[X(]

[Lowpe]

Wake still holds...

[Lowpe]

It will take a lot of work on my part to repair the damage from the last turn...

Still can't get over that retreat direction...I know retreat paths are never a given, but thru the jungle instead of down the major road to dug in troops. Oh my![&:]

[Lowpe]

Hats off to the Allies. The use of single ship task forces caused both my surface group and bombardment group to use up lots of ammunition and torpedoes prior to the engagement with his cruiser force plus ops points which limited their getaway.[:(] All my surviving ships have no main gun ammo left and very little secondary gun ammo left and no torpedoes left. I missed with every torpedo...but then again it is hard to hit a destroyer with torpedoes.

I was out maneuvered by far.[&o]

[ny59giants]

Retreat paths are often towards a friendly base. In this case that would be Toungoo. Going into the clear terrain would make it easier for those units to move to that base.

I just had Allied units at Ankang in China retreat into the jungle/rough towards Sian vs across the river to NE in which they were already 3/4 of the way in doing so. [X(] [&:]

Single ship TFs - IMO, they can be used excessively in situations like you just faced that borders on gamey. I would suggest that you ask your opponent that he form them into 2 ship TF so the AI will more likely target them.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants
Single ship TFs - IMO, they can be used excessively in situations like you just faced that borders on gamey. I would suggest that you ask your opponent that he form them into 2 ship TF so the AI will more likely target them.

He is in love with single ship task forces unfortunately. I think it was a major reason why the original Japanese player quit as he kept Rangoon and Port Blair supplied via single ship task forces. His point is they are more vulnerable..which they are to subs, but nothing else really targets them.

He has used extensively: single ship pt boats as screens to prevent bombardemnts, single ship sc, am, yms, as pickets, single cargo ships running supplies. This is just more of the same tactic, I had hoped the Agano and escort would clear the way, but no joy.

This is the game I inherited, not picked. I don't like the sky high sweeps either, or super size air groups, or night bombing sweeps, but just suffer my lumps and play on. I am having fun, if it is a bit frustrating at times. I have found counters to some of those tactics...

Now that he has steamed over a slew of PT boats to Port Blair they will all break down to small task forces too, so future bombardments there are not likely. Just like all the small taskforces strung out in a line south of Ramree, or in the Marshalls prior.

I wonder why I even try shore bombardments, as I have lost so many large ships trying them.[&:]

Just have to play smarter. He snuck that CA force in undetected and snookered me.

[Miller]

He is taking the pi$$ in my opinion. I can live with single ship supply TFs but multiple single PT boat TFs is just bull$hit to eat up your warships ammo and op points.