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

[Encircled]

Could have been worse, could have been better!

How bad is the damage to the Fuso and Yamashiro?

[Lowpe]

Battleships chewed up...not a lot of major float damage so looks worse than it really is.

[Lowpe]

Back to one of my favorite tactics: Midgets.

This time the midget will be let go one hex away, and will infiltrate San Francisco, hopefully avoiding the mines, and nail something as it enters or leaves port.

No detection on any of my subs: the midget, the mothership, or the scouting glen boat.

Combined submarine ops...gotta love it! I think this particular use falls under Alfred's guidelines for optimal midget use.[&o]

[ny59giants]

Meanwhile, while you have a significant part of the IJN in the Andaman Sea, what is the 800 lb gorilla doing?? Yes, I mean the USA! Do you have NavS working overtime out of Cocos Island searching to the western map edge? I would have a significant number of Glen equipped subs over there and covering likely access points onto the map from Cape Town. What are your 'spidey' senses telling you about the Americans??

[Lowpe]

I keep forgetting to turn off my Nick C production. I need the engines for the Nick D, and I never used the Nicks all that well to begin with, and finally their best days are behind them.

I need to figure out what to do with the factories, and consensus here is I am crazy for not making Frances, well I am not, so forget that.[:D] Instead, one factory will go to Lorna's![X(] Just because:. Nobody makes them, Japan in real life made 240, it is keeping in tune with my German Aviation theme in this game (Ki202), I hate Allied subs and these might be effective, 10 production a month sounds about right, the plane will be here in April 44.

That leaves one other factory, sized 30 to go somewhere. Maybe Peggy T, although I haven't ruled out the Zero NF just because I haven't ruled out resizing some of my Naval NF Squadrons. Or perhaps something else.

What is going to happen in the Andamans on the morrow? Hint: It won't be quiet!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Meanwhile, while you have a significant part of the IJN in the Andaman Sea, what is the 800 lb gorilla doing?? Yes, I mean the USA! Do you have NavS working overtime out of Cocos Island searching to the western map edge? I would have a significant number of Glen equipped subs over there and covering likely access points onto the map from Cape Town. What are your 'spidey' senses telling you about the Americans??

Ah! Bracing! I know the hammer is going to hit me, and hard.[X(] This is scenario 1, actually, it is worse than 1, it is 6 with a historic first day and then exceptionally lousy Japanese play up to late July 42. Then marginally lousy play since then.[:)]

I can't fight his American CentPac Fleet. He has better everything...

All quiet in Oz, I still own parts of it. No buildup at Darwin. I worry an invasion of Port Moresby might be in the offing, intel points that way sometimes, but nothing spotted there and would actually welcome it and get him away from the HI.

Cocos all quiet.

Benkoelen all quiet.

I bet the Deathstar was at Pearl 3 days ago. Kusaie or Ponape or Eniwetok might be next. Amazed Eniwetok hasn't gone yet. Normal Fletcher Star at Marcus.

I am trying to pull back defenses from the lower Solomons...and thinking about lightening Kusaie.

No search yet on the Bonins. If I were him, that is where I would go next knowing most of the KB is off in the Andamans. I wouldn't care a fig about giving the Japan kamikazes...artificial metagaming constraint (plus I wouldn't get them till Jan anyway). But if he does, so much the better for me.

If the action in the Andamans can keep the oil flowing till January...that was, is my goal.

[Lowpe]

Countering Fletchers was a goal of mine early on. I have tried low flying bombers, fighters, but the only thing that works is to slow them down enough to put a fish in their keel.

They are tough.

In Downfall, nothing can stop them, well it does take 3-4 kamikaze Nicks to put one down.

[Lowpe]

Really in a pickle here. I have two other Infantry Divisions not pictured but can be put in Chiang Mai or Uttardit quickly, in fact one is at Uttardit. Command HQ prepping for Uttardit...

Lots of ART at Chiang Mai, moving south, but I am thinking this is all a mistake. [&:] When the Tank Army comes south, all my troops will retreat to Chiang Mai, making them ultimately worthless. I should have sent everything to Uttaradit and worked my way north...doing that now, I should be able to get a fair amount of assets into the river hex north or Uttardit. Maybe.

That hex north of Uttardit is the only one I can really defend...all the other hexes the troops might/will go to Chiang Mai.

1st Tank is worthless pretty much where it is...moving 2 miles a day. 3 days to get back to Chiang Mai, 2 to load onto trains and 1 to get to Uttardit. I don't think threatening the flank is worth the possible isolation of the 1st Tank.

It really stinks having to set my defense based on retreats, it will cost me Chiang Mai here...so many mistakes made in Burma, from retreat directions, to underestimating the impact of the monsoon on Japan, to underestimating the ability of the Allies to stay in supply.

Burma road now open.[:(]

[Lowpe]

Once again the Musashi is low on ammo. I really wish she would have engaged the Nashville and put a few 15cm holes in her, but maybe they wouldn't penetrate...the Sumatra bounced a dozen or so 15 and 12 cm hits.

[Lowpe]

Hope she sinks, maybe an Iboat will get her.

[Lowpe]

The stage is set. There is blood on the water, and oil, and flotsam, and jetsam. Really everything.

Dare Japan stick around for another day, or beat feet. Or something totally unexpected. George pilots are exhausted, Oscars have taken heavy losses, but there are more of them [:)]. Tonies and Tojo are fresh, awaiting the 4e rain of death at Chumphon, which has plentiful radar.

Waiting, tense, what are the orders?

Is all this death and destruction a mere sideshow, a footnote in history, with the real drama unfolding on a dirt road from Tuang Gyi to the railroad north of Uttaradit?

Or, perhaps, loading onto landing ships somewhere in the vast Pacific?

[Lowpe]

A thought: If I would have sent slow midgets into Port Blair itself, could they have rescued downed Japanese fighter pilots?

[Lowpe]

Oct 23, 1943

The midget sub runs into a minefield and blows up in San Francisco.

The Haruna and company make for Port Blair where a lone Allied destroyer is scared off, but then entering Port Blair the Tone finds the Nasville and runs rings around her.

[Lowpe]

Hm., what does this portend? Edit: I put the Jakes on daytime recon...argh![:(] Not only is the bombardment weakened, but two Jakes are flamed by the Allied CAP.

[Lowpe]

Bunji gives it a go...

[Lowpe]

More damage done to the Allied shipping both in port and at sea...

[ny59giants]

Why do I fear that you are facing just enough assets in the air and sea to keep your interest in the Andaman Sea?? [&:] You have lost Rangoon so now I would expect long range B-25 attack bombers and those torpedo carrying Beaufighters. He has plenty of C-47s to airlift things into PB and without stacking limits....

[Lowpe]

Allied Tank Army is going two directions at once. Maybe I will be able to hold...maybe.

[Lowpe]

Really depressing here too. 5,000 AV, sure you say! 800AV in one Chinese Corp.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Why do I fear that you are facing just enough assets in the air and sea to keep your interest in the Andaman Sea?? [&:] You have lost Rangoon so now I would expect long range B-25 attack bombers and those torpedo carrying Beaufighters. He has plenty of C-47s to airlift things into PB and without stacking limits....

I never had Rangoon.[:D]

Is Port Blair a distraction...sure. The real threat is overland via Burma and in the CentPac. The Allies are simply using big, and bigger hammers on me. I know he likes to apply pressure on multiple fronts, but there is no good strategy for me.

He is exposing relatively inexpensive units, while mine are precious. But that is only because I have torpedoed or sunk all the expensive targets currently over here.

I did land a Field Artillery Battalion on Trinkat, so hopefully they can really wear down the paratroopers. The KB is finished for in this area and leaving this day. I hope her exposure and going dark can keep the Allies at bay here for two more months...heck, I hope I can slow the Allies down in Indochina, but somehow I think not. I just don't have enough troops.

Well, we will see if I can escape Pegu with my 1400 AV and join up with 650 in the jungles to the south. A shock, river crossing versus some dug in troops might be painful. There is a fair bit of artillery there and the 2nd Tank Div.

Allies have over 7000 AV on the front pushing me in Burma. And it will get worse.