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

[Lowpe]

Abandoned Chumphon's runways this turn. It was a great airbase, but now I can only use it for hit and run raids let I run into Thunderbolt sweeps. There are at least 5 thunderbolt squadrons operating in Burma, we hates them forever![:D]

A fresh George squadron is flying out of Udon (or is it Ubon) and will sweep Pegu. Hopefully we run into some old frames...air recon spots only 35 fighters there, although something might bleed over from Rangoon.

Gotta keep up the pressure on Allied planes, on the victory page Allied aircraft point losses are well over 13,000. Need to kill more.

I sent the BBs up the coast to bombard the Allied positions on the Burma coast...

[Lowpe]

The 1st Tank Division is two days away from reinforcing the Moulmein/Bangkok JR position. If I can possibly time it right, and get a little luck, they will join the fight just as the Allies deliberate attack again.

But, I don't think it will be, since the last attack the Allies suffered. The Allies are really bombing that hex, with divebombers and kitchen sinks, and I am bringing up more 20cm autocannons to help with the defence.

The Moulmein/Raheng JR has plenty of stiff AA and sees much less action.

Overall, I feel pretty comfortable here in Thailand, balanced on the edge of a knife, sure, but it is the best I have felt pretty much all game. If you remember back to the beginning of my game, I had almost no troops in Burma and really didn't start reinforcing until the November 1942 timeframe. A little faster I might have had Rangoon and Port Blair. Given the Allied commitment to this theatre having Port Blair would have helped, but Rangoon, probably not so much (as I would probably be in the same position as I find myself currently in).

Still, I guess I am happy he is pushing so hard here, as the SRA is still untouched. If I make it to Feb in that position, I will build 50 more Jack factories.[:)] Which will finish repairing just in time for the J2M3. I probably should bite the bullet and expand the factory now...as it seems likely I will reach my goal. Maybe just a small expansion...I thirst for good fighters.[:)]

[Lowpe]

1944!

Turnaround: Well, I don't know if I did it or not, since taking over. Never got Rangoon, or Port Blair.[:(] But, at least Japan is fighting, and building still.

Whoever saw a game with Japan having 3million oil in 1944? A scenario 1 game that is.

A solid 3.9 million supply is in the HI. Little worried about HI, but I have I think good Armament pools and I can always turn off shipbuilding...

This game has been an incredible bloodbath, from the very first day I took over in late July 1942 with Tarawa falling and the 4th ID (I think) was reduced to 1 combat squad in two fights on Java with 3 other divisions trashed just prior. Well, I did get Java eventually.

I have my doubts about the future...a lot really depends upon the B29 and my airplane research. So I am hoping to have 4 more months of r&d, but then after that it will be an all out effort to protect the industry and factories from Mr. B29. Heck, he will probably just land 5 divisions on Hokkaido and it will be tough to get anything researched.

But, if I can survive and get the Ki202 and SamJ it might be something to watch!

[Lokasenna]

Your MerSY numbers got a reaction from me. Granted I'm in Scen 2, but I'm only producing 545 points...until recently, that was 440ish and will go back down soon. My NavSY is higher, around 1600, but hasn't always been so and will fall off precipitously in late 1944.

Your Arms look good, but your Veh look really low. For reference, I'm building ~200 ARM/day and 225 VEH/day. My engine/aircraft production is below yours, but so is the pace of my air war. I might post some details in my AAR against Bullwinkle later, we're almost to the end of July, 1943.

Anyway, my main concern (considering your inheritance) is your VEH points. I'm not sure you can really do anything about it at this point, and maybe you don't care about the units that arrive in early 1945, given your situation. Also not sure this tracks with your scenario (I think all the bonuses to LCUs in Scen 2 are at the beginning of the war and everything from this point onwards is the same?), but I have 30,000 points of VEH usage in 1944 alone. That's a huge, huge portion. Maybe your plan would be to husband your armored units, and motorized support, a bit more in order to adjust? Tracker doesn't project me to be above my final need line until sometime in early 1944, and that doesn't account for losses/replacements.

ARM points should be fine. I'm under your level and I'm already at about 50,000 surplus compared to reinforcement need through the rest of the war...and you have 34k more than I do. It's why I really curtailed ARM production. Even if you don't convert any of those to VEH, you can almost certainly turn a lot of that off (I'd say about 300!) and save a lot more HI per turn. Turning off 300 saves you 1800 more HI, or builds you 50 more fighter planes, every turn...

[Lowpe]

I see and hear your points.

Vehicles were never expanded, I was so far behind the eightball when I started, I decided just to increase to 210 and live with it. [X(] Tough luck here.

I had shut almost all the merchant navy down, but about 1-2 months ago got in a panic and accelerated every tanker so as to be able to extricate all my oil. I will look at it again.

I just left Arm on, mainly because the game is so bloody and I will probably be short tanks.

Writing that has convinced me to up the Jack production even more and not wait on holding onto the oil for another month. I will be incredibly lucky to see 45 methinks, and I need those Jacks now.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I see and hear your points.

Vehicles were never expanded, I was so far behind the eightball when I started, I decided just to increase to 210 and live with it. [X(] Tough luck here.

I had shut almost all the merchant navy down, but about 1-2 months ago got in a panic and accelerated every tanker so as to be able to extricate all my oil. I will look at it again.

I just left Arm on, mainly because the game is so bloody and I will probably be short tanks.

Writing that has convinced me to up the Jack production even more and not wait on holding onto the oil for another month. I will be incredibly lucky to see 45 methinks, and I need those Jacks now.

Ah, but see... Tanks use VEH! Guns use ARM, and I can never remember if squads do or not. I just remember that the cost of building out units that are almost all squads is very, very low. I think we even discussed it many pages back in this very AAR [:D].

Why accelerate all the TKs? Why not just normal build? Have you looked at simply building the Std-A ships (IIRC costs 19?) and converting them to TKs (takes about a month)?

[Lowpe]

Jan 1, 1943

The old year rolls away, we won some and lost some. I guess mostly lost.

E's get two really nice hits to ring out the old year and bring in the new. Certainly, much better than losing a tanker.[:D]

[Lowpe]

Thailand

No George sweep, weather I guess since supplies were adequate. They bounced to another base and will try again tomorrow.

Allied Tank Army clearly moving on Raheng thru the jungle.

Allied deliberate attacks at Tavoy fail, and fail on the Moulmein/Bangkok road, but inflicts more damage on the Japanese than the Allies. 1st Tank is 29 miles in, and can enter this next day under reserve (no pursuit) or delay a day and enter in combat formation. I am also now tasking the 4th ID there to give the 1st a breather. Two more artillery and three AA units enroute also.

Fast Transporting supplies to Tavoy, should make it today.

[Lowpe]

I am comparing my victory page with Obvert vs Jocke's game, which is where I kind of would like to be, but fell real short.

Losses are heavy.[X(]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
Ah, but see... Tanks use VEH! Guns use ARM, and I can never remember if squads do or not. I just remember that the cost of building out units that are almost all squads is very, very low. I think we even discussed it many pages back in this very AAR [:D].

Why accelerate all the TKs? Why not just normal build? Have you looked at simply building the Std-A ships (IIRC costs 19?) and converting them to TKs (takes about a month)?

I understand that tanks use vehicles, I am just not going to increase my production past current levels.

I didn't accelerate all the tankers, but a whole slew of them. Plus LSTs. I went thru today and dialed it back to 431 merchant builds. I don't like shutting off ships, well, at least until it gets hopeless. [:D] I guess it kind of is, but still turning off ship is tough for me personally.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
Ah, but see... Tanks use VEH! Guns use ARM, and I can never remember if squads do or not. I just remember that the cost of building out units that are almost all squads is very, very low. I think we even discussed it many pages back in this very AAR [:D].

Why accelerate all the TKs? Why not just normal build? Have you looked at simply building the Std-A ships (IIRC costs 19?) and converting them to TKs (takes about a month)?

I understand that tanks use vehicles, I am just not going to increase my production past current levels.

I didn't accelerate all the tankers, but a whole slew of them. Plus LSTs. I went thru today and dialed it back to 431 merchant builds. I don't like shutting off ships, well, at least until it gets hopeless. [:D] I guess it kind of is, but still turning off ship is tough for me personally.

I get it. I look at it like this:

When's the ship going to arrive if I accelerate it? What do the Allies have by then? What do I expect to have by then (best/worst case)? How much use am I going to get out of it? How long until it will likely be sunk, and therefore be negative VPs for me?

At some point, TKs are going to cross the threshold to not worth it for me. I expect they will do so before I reach your game's date, but that also depends on how many I lose between now and then.

[Spidery]

VP wise you look like you are in a better position than Obvert was!

Subtract the base VP, which are all temporary for Japan and going to the Allies eventually, and the ratio in Obvert's game was about 27200 J to 17600 A and in your game 42400 J to 33400 A. The Allies need to get a 2::1 ratio to win. In Obvert's game they needed about 37000 VP (not counting bases) but in yours they need 51000.

[obvert]

You've both lost a ton of ships too! This probably is harder on Japan.

As far as building goes if you have surplus oil/fuel pooling in the DEI without the ability to get it to the HI, then build more, but maybe don't accelerate. If some of the Std-A/B are close those do convert to TK as Loka mentioned. The more you do build the more will sink eventually, but oil/fuel is something you have to move, so it's always a balancing act. The LSTs are fun, but not really critical. You have a ton of xAKL that function almost as well and are already there.

The Es start coming fast a furiously soon. These will stun you in their ability to shut down Allied subs.

Vehicles points are really low and you will need a bunch of these. I think mine was set to 250 if I remember, and I ended up short due to having to rebuild divisions. In 45 though a huge amount of new troops arrive.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Spidery

VP wise you look like you are in a better position than Obvert was!

Subtract the base VP, which are all temporary for Japan and going to the Allies eventually, and the ratio in Obvert's game was about 27200 J to 17600 A and in your game 42400 J to 33400 A. The Allies need to get a 2::1 ratio to win. In Obvert's game they needed about 37000 VP (not counting bases) but in yours they need 51000.

Probably true, but I perhaps naively built nearly every base to max in the HI. Too much supply wasted, but also those base points were not all ones likely to fall. In general though yes.

The hotter and more bloody the war is the bette for your points ratio as long as you're getting better than 1:2.

It looks to me like you're doing great Lowpe!

[njp72]

I can talk only from my own experiences but I was absolutely amazed at the acceleration of Allied VPs past Apr 44.

Once the Allies establish a foothold they rapidly obliterate everything in their path. Once I allowed the Allies into China my fortunes completely nosedived.

You can never have enough VPs - good luck

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Spidery

VP wise you look like you are in a better position than Obvert was!

Subtract the base VP, which are all temporary for Japan and going to the Allies eventually, and the ratio in Obvert's game was about 27200 J to 17600 A and in your game 42400 J to 33400 A. The Allies need to get a 2::1 ratio to win. In Obvert's game they needed about 37000 VP (not counting bases) but in yours they need 51000.

Probably true, but I perhaps naively built nearly every base to max in the HI. Too much supply wasted, but also those base points were not all ones likely to fall. In general though yes.

The hotter and more bloody the war is the bette for your points ratio as long as you're getting better than 1:2.

It looks to me like you're doing great Lowpe!

[Lowpe]

Thanks everyone for the comments, much appreciated and put away for consideration.

On Vehicles: Yes, my pools are low. I guess production is low, as when I got the game I still had the starting production levels, I immediately expanded to 180-190 then boosted it sometime after that to 211.

Even though my pools are low, I only have two Armored units below TOE and those were the two regiments trashed from Tuang Gyi to Chiang Mai. Yes, I realize vehicles also are embedded in INF an ART too, but I am not certain raising them at this point is very cost effective.

_______
I did raise my Jack fighter production levels, 1 point today. Lol![:D] I am pretty certain this will go to 100 or more by the time the J2M3 arrives as I can't see protecting the HI and sweeping the Allies with current production of George. I bought back several fighter squadrons that were destroyed in the KB losses and these will go to HI protection too.

For the first part of 44 I will be living with the Ki100I, George and Jack. Oscar for escort. A6M5c rear area defense. I guess I have Nicks too, in this area. Still have several squadrons of Tojo IIc, one shuttered factory and 100+ planes in the pool. I don't know what to do with the factory it is a large one at 150.

I like the Ki100I, I was talked into the plane, had regrets, but then once in service it does very well in its place of defender, bomber killer, ship protector. It isn't that bad sweeping either. Not great but the best the Army currently has.

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Nightfighters. The Nick D comes along in a few scant days. Production will be high, as I understand these guys die pretty quickly. It is my interim NF until the Peggy comes along, but I am not expecting that until April 44. A lot can change between now and then. I have been going thru my old posts identifying all the squadrons that can go to Nick D's and once again I am disappointed in the number...but my goal is to have every NF squadron manned and fully functional protecting the HI when the B29 comes around.

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Here is looking forward to a new year. It will be bloody!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: obvert

The Es start coming fast a furiously soon. These will stun you in their ability to shut down Allied subs.

Here are my upcoming E's. As you can see I boosted them all, I want them out there hunting Subs.

Which type of E is commonly referred to as Super Es?

[ny59giants]

Which type of E is commonly referred to as Super Es?

I think they were the "E No. **" before the data base was adjusted.

[Lowpe]

Type C and D then. They seem as effective as the Eorufu's I have already which is very good.

Fuel efficient little guys! I look forward to using them to aggressively hunt Allied subs, which I hate with a passion.

I find the sub war very interesting, the Allies seem to jump around on strategies, and occasionally it all goes quiet (upgrades I guess), but it is fun and different if a little clicky!

Allied subs might be in for a shock then in 1944...I will also be using the Lorna, and once air radar gets active it might be very unpleasant. Let us hope so!

[HansBolter]

I can't see them being nearly as effective with only 7 ASW devices (all depth charges) as they apparently were before the nerf.

7 ASW is a minimum for most American ASW craft after mid 43 with most having either 8 or 11 including specialized devices such as Hedgehogs and Mousetraps.

These E babies don't look like much to get excited about from an Allied perspective.