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

[Lowpe]

Turn is away, expect the unexpected.

The only thing I can promise you is more bloodshed. Maybe Mine![X(]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

The two hits on the CVE cost me 30+ Judies...not even a great day in the air.

His CAP capabilities took a big hit here. 55 Wildcats and 33 Hellcats... Can you cycle in some more LBA and pressure him? If so, his ability to stick around could fall apart. And it could make for an opportunity for KB...

Those Zeroes of mine were from Saipan. KB is full strength, swapped out the Judies on the Kaga for a full sentai of Jills. I don't think I lost more than 2 fighters from the KB if that, all the carriers still loaded for bear!

[Lowpe]

How did he know to surge with those destroyers, or do you think they were set on surface with hefty engagement ranges and reacted all the way out here?

Frustrating...frustrating day.However,

[Lowpe]

What will the Allies do?

The escort carrier fleet...where will it go? Move back...move forward...disband into port?

Will the deathstar go flank speed forward...

Will all the Allied warships sortie looking for night time engagements?

Will the KB head southwest to Yap and a strong base (size 4)? Head west for safety of Luzon? Head north for Daito? Or head east into the belly of the beast?

Is there any chance for another turn this day? I think so.[:)]

[obvert]

The fragmented story here is hard to follow. Not sure what hit what, where the two fleets are respective to each other or what was LBA and what was CV air groups.

It's pretty standard to picket with DDs in a situation where you expect a KB response, but he may have also had them on react or maybe he was sending them out each turn and you never knew since they always came back by morning.

So what is really going on here?! [:D]

[Lowpe]

Sorry for the confusion...

KB is west of Rota; Allied CVE are at Rota, Deathstar is east of Rota by 3 hexes.

Allied planes from Rota or the CVEs struck twice (am and pm) at the KB and suffered heavy losses for no hits.

Land based Japanese planes swept Rota, Tinian, and the northern Allied base while only two squadrons from the Kaga attacked the CVE fleet at Rota scoring two hits in the AM phase. In the PM phase the IJN CV planes attacked several destroyer task forces arranged to the west of the Marianas rather than make an extended strike at Rota.

KB was in severe storms...

Hope that helps, I forgot to take an end of turn save in another file or a picture.

[Lowpe]

After an exceptionally quiet time, it looks like Perth is coming to life!

700 turns[X(]

[Lowpe]

Nov 8, 1943

The morning dawns after several encounters in the Marianas...CVs tangling with damaged destroyers, CVs running into AO support convoy, and in the morning one of the CV groups doesn't make the collection point west of Pagan, they are short 1 hex.

The Allied deathstar raced west, as expected.

Land base sweeps go into Rota but perform poorly against the 130 or so fighters there. Betties attack the shipping at Rota and fail to score any hits on a BB or CVE there and also suffer.

The KB is then attacked, again and again, with the CAP performing very well all morning. No hits and heavy damage to the Allied planes.

However, the KB strikes back and it is totally splintered. Five separate attacks go out and the ones over Rota really get chewed up for no hits at Rota, some xaks, and destroyers are hit at the other task forces.

Ugh!

[Lowpe]

The afternoon comes, and a two raids on Rota, one land based gets nailed hard, and a followup one by the KB manages to get thru, but was escorted by only 4 fighters...so they take horrendous losses.

However a few hits are scored.

[Lowpe]

And then, the last attack on the KB targets the CarrDiv that is short, and as fate would have it, they have no low CAP and the bombers are Allied Assault bombers. A few planes are dropped, but 9 planes make their run...

They target one ship...score three bomb hits. The CAP catches up to the bombers, but too late.

[Lowpe]

Plane losses are heavy...

[Lowpe]

An Iboat does her duty, a second encounter sinks her.

The Allied task force was all the APA, AKA, several BB, heading east...

[Alikchi2]

Agh! Poor Shokaku. [:(]

[Lowpe]

It looks like one of the CVEs is down.

[Lowpe]

Ok, turn is away...I am simply moving everything to the other side of Pagan. Pagan has 175 fighters on lr cap of a surface group with KB. KB has another 189 planes on CAP, 150 escorting the strike package which is one hex short of Rota.

This could be it guys. Need a little luck this day!

[Lowpe]

Well, this is not how I wanted the game to play out...I didn't really want to commit the KB in the Marianas,but save her for close in defence.

I don't like this at all, and if there is some kind of miracle tomorrow, and the KB survives, she will pull back. Most likely she will be out of torpedoes...I didn't scrap the the CV, but rather moved her to the hex with the rest of the KB...if she lasts, and I doubt it, she might draw some attacks.

The Allies have about 6 or more CVE heading east back to the Marshalls...with 0 planes. Perhaps they will wander too close to Truk and the Betties and Helens and Lillies there. One can hope.

Troops evacuating from Kusaie is going well, 100 AV of the Division is being picked up now...and heading back. Wake CD guns are enroute to Yap...in general I am trying to pull a lot back to the Yap, PI, etc. Troops are unloading in the Bonins, and perversely they are now better protected than the Marianas are...all the troops that were destined for the Marianas. Ironic.

[JocMeister]

The problem with saving the KB for close defense is that by then the allies will be so overwhelmingly strong you can´t really do anything to stop them. Now you still have CV superiority but in 6 months the allies will. And it really won´t matter if you win a CV battle by then as the allies can eat the losses.

What I´m trying to say is that in 6-12 months your ability to cause a significant delay for the allies is gone. Its simply beyond Japans capabilities to inflict that many losses. Look at my losses against Erik in 44 and 45. Pretty horrendous but as far as I can remember it never even slowed me for a day.

I´ll keep my fingers crossed for you. [:)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

The problem with saving the KB for close defense is that by then the allies will be so overwhelmingly strong you can´t really do anything to stop them. Now you still have CV superiority but in 6 months the allies will. And it really won´t matter if you win a CV battle by then as the allies can eat the losses.

What I´m trying to say is that in 6-12 months your ability to cause a significant delay for the allies is gone. Its simply beyond Japans capabilities to inflict that many losses. Look at my losses against Erik in 44 and 45. Pretty horrendous but as far as I can remember it never even slowed me for a day.

I´ll keep my fingers crossed for you. [:)]

+1

I missed an opportunity slightly later in game near North New Guinea to thwart an invasion and bag a bunch of Allied ships and troops. Had the KB committed and pulled back when they got too close to surface forces (including two Iowas) and the invasion went through. I still kick myself for not accepting the tactical losses to win the strategic battle.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

The problem with saving the KB for close defense is that by then the allies will be so overwhelmingly strong you can´t really do anything to stop them. Now you still have CV superiority but in 6 months the allies will. And it really won´t matter if you win a CV battle by then as the allies can eat the losses.

What I´m trying to say is that in 6-12 months your ability to cause a significant delay for the allies is gone. Its simply beyond Japans capabilities to inflict that many losses. Look at my losses against Erik in 44 and 45. Pretty horrendous but as far as I can remember it never even slowed me for a day.

I´ll keep my fingers crossed for you. [:)]

+1

I missed an opportunity slightly later in game near North New Guinea to thwart an invasion and bag a bunch of Allied ships and troops. Had the KB committed and pulled back when they got too close to surface forces (including two Iowas) and the invasion went through. I still kick myself for not accepting the tactical losses to win the strategic battle.

Yeah, THAT would have delayed me and caused no end of problems. Very happy you pulled back.. [:)] But I had some very good SCTFs just 1-3 hexes from the KB. And your track record when it comes to nighttime gunfire against the KB isn´t that great... [;)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

The problem with saving the KB for close defense is that by then the allies will be so overwhelmingly strong you can´t really do anything to stop them. Now you still have CV superiority but in 6 months the allies will. And it really won´t matter if you win a CV battle by then as the allies can eat the losses.

What I´m trying to say is that in 6-12 months your ability to cause a significant delay for the allies is gone. Its simply beyond Japans capabilities to inflict that many losses. Look at my losses against Erik in 44 and 45. Pretty horrendous but as far as I can remember it never even slowed me for a day.

I´ll keep my fingers crossed for you. [:)]

+1

I missed an opportunity slightly later in game near North New Guinea to thwart an invasion and bag a bunch of Allied ships and troops. Had the KB committed and pulled back when they got too close to surface forces (including two Iowas) and the invasion went through. I still kick myself for not accepting the tactical losses to win the strategic battle.

Yeah, THAT would have delayed me and caused no end of problems. Very happy you pulled back.. [:)] But I had some very good SCTFs just 1-3 hexes from the KB. And your track record when it comes to nighttime gunfire against the KB isn´t that great... [;)]

[:D]

Exactly! The Elephant Disappears had already begun!