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

[topeverest]

WOW! [X(][X(]

You are bold if you don't know where the death star is

[quote]ORIGINAL: Lowpe


I thought about dashing out for a KB raid, but instead settled for three Emily squadrons on low altitude torpedo runs. We shall see what kind of air defense he has.


[X(]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

WOW! [X(][X(]

You are bold if you don't know where the death star is

ORIGINAL: Lowpe


I thought about dashing out for a KB raid, but instead settled for three Emily squadrons on low altitude torpedo runs. We shall see what kind of air defense he has.


[X(]

I figured it might catch him totally by surprise, my search in the area is good, and he would have to get lucky sending forward the death star on exactly the same day I surged. Not sure he could get that lucky, but I chickened out and I know I will regret it. Maybe the Emilies will bring forth some destruction, 2 torpedoes each they are a potent force.

[Lowpe]

Paranoid me, I am worried about a dash towards Hokkaido area. He has no search in the area, so he would be relying upon sigint, and I think I can move a lot into that area.

At least there are several large airbases and plenty of support there to host every bomber I can get back in time. Plus the KB is there.

Destroyers are still accumulating at Daito and Torishima. Waiting and biding my time...for now.

[Lowpe]

A tracker look at the Japanese Islands.

If I get a supply run in, and perhaps another heavy artillery I will feel pretty good here. Nice to get forts to 6, and the engineers are working on it.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Paranoid me, I am worried about a dash towards Hokkaido area. He has no search in the area, so he would be relying upon sigint, and I think I can move a lot into that area.

At least there are several large airbases and plenty of support there to host every bomber I can get back in time. Plus the KB is there.

Destroyers are still accumulating at Daito and Torishima. Waiting and biding my time...for now.

Is Shikuka well defended? ;]

[Lowpe]

Jan 15, 1943

No night bombing.

Allies sweep and bomb the troops on the Bangkok/Moulmein road. Some other small raids.

[Lowpe]

So, once again the Allies move on where I am the weakest...Kuriles and Hokkaido.

The massive fleets move northwest for 5 hewes and then northeast for 1 hex. So it is hard to determine where the landings will occur, but my guess will the the bases east of Etorofu, and perhaps Etorofu too.

However, Shikotan and Kunashiri have detection levels of 2/3 on them, while nobody else has any. Really tough to figure out who to reinforce. Largest airfields first I guess.[&:]

Another major airlift underway...

Another Rboat tangles with the destroyers in the fleet...to no effect, but the Rboat needs yard time now.



After the whole game with no escorts in this area, Allied subs show up and sink an xakl and an xak. He has move his subs right into my bases, air power did do some damage to them.

[JocMeister]

If he gets a level 9 AF within B24 range of the HI...you will have only a couple of months left.

Needless to say. Don´t let that happen. [X(]

[Lowpe]

I flipped Shikotan, the clear terrain island east of Kushiro to General Defence. I guess I should have done this in 1942, eh?[:D] Cost 10 or 20 points.

It seems as long as you have one 1AV present you can flip a base to the HQ of that one AV. It seems prudent to flip a whole bunch here tomorrow, as If I can fly in restricted troops it will make defense a little stiffer.

Ominato and Hachinoe have high Allied detection levels. The KB is in port undetected at Sendai. Needless to say everything is on their way here...

[Lowpe]

My basic thought on using Land based air to defend here in the Kuriles/Hokkaido is to use multiple airbases, with each airbase launching one bombing squadron (or torpedo attack) escorted by 2 sentais of fighters. The attacks from multiple airbases will be at variable altitudes.

Rinse and repeat.

However I am also mulling one Sentai of 45 Betties escorted with as many Oscars as I possible can for the first attack? Or should I save that for a later attack once Allied air is a little more tired, and somewhat reduced. This way I can save the Betties for later, and put them all on night attacks and hope to get lucky (or at least degrade ammunition stocks).

Ahh, decisions.

I will throw the entire Japanese Land base air armada against him, leaving only some fighters in Indochina and short legged divebombers there.

I am going to hold nothing back, everything is expendable.

Any ideas on using land based air against him.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

My basic thought on using Land based air to defend here in the Kuriles/Hokkaido is to use multiple airbases, with each airbase launching one bombing squadron (or torpedo attack) escorted by 2 sentais of fighters. The attacks from multiple airbases will be at variable altitudes.

Rinse and repeat.

However I am also mulling one Sentai of 45 Betties escorted with as many Oscars as I possible can for the first attack? Or should I save that for a later attack once Allied air is a little more tired, and somewhat reduced. This way I can save the Betties for later, and put them all on night attacks and hope to get lucky (or at least degrade ammunition stocks).

Ahh, decisions.

I will throw the entire Japanese Land base air armada against him, leaving only some fighters in Indochina and short legged divebombers there.

I am going to hold nothing back, everything is expendable.

Any ideas on using land based air against him.

The air model is on the side of the big squadrons. When you're going up against Allied CV air power, don't bother unless you can amass 200 + bombers. Anything less and you won't do enough damage to make your losses worthwhile.

Mass your biggest squadrons (the size 40+ fighter and bomber units) at one or two of the biggest airbases. You want to stack the odds in your favour, so doing this will ensure that if you get lucky enough on the co-ordination rolls, you'll get a strike with a good mix of fighters and bombers.

As for the smaller squadrons, disperse them around as you intend just to deplete his CAP.

Sadly there isn't really any way to reliably ensure big co-ordinated land-based strikes against CV air power - they do tend to get sent out in penny-packets to die against CV CAP. The only thing you can do is hope that one strike has enough fighters and bombers to get through the CAP of Doom and inflict enough damage to make your losses worthwhile.

[setloz]

I always thought that following the changes in aircraft coordination checks, LBA against Allied CV deathstar is a doomed affair. The only use would be to fatigue and deplete allied CV units in order to soften them up for a KB strike.

Imho if Hokkaido falls then the entire IJ economy is gone as well as the reason for KB to exist. So this could be one of the now or never moments.

[Lowpe]

There has to be a way![&:]

1. Ok, I set up a cap trap over surface ships.

2. I can send out suicide ships to make runs at the approaching invasion fleet hopefully to slow him down.

3. I will mass every plane at my disposal against him.

4. MTBs, Midgets will be used.

5. Say goodbye to the Japanese Navy, as they will all make runs against him.

The question is: is it better to start attacking now, or wait for a maximum push in say 2 days? I expect he lands in three days.

My feeling is to send out some ships now to attempt to start wearing down his escorts, etc. Certainly a CAP Trap might work now.

Could this be an elaborate ploy to simply destroy Japan's Navy and Air Force? I have yet to spot invasion shipping. Spotting really stinks...limit 10 ships. No choice but to assume it is an invasion, Unfortunately.

[JocMeister]

What MM said. Be prepared to loose a couple of thousand planes. With some luck you might get some hits in return. Try to add in all the CVs. With a small sacrifice to the gaming gods the CV strike will come in late when his CAP is whittled down by LBA.

Don´t send in stuff in pieces. Everything at once.

[Lowpe]

Ok, let us think things thru. Level 9 air base lets me stack unlimited planes, so the strikes need to come from here to have a chance of penetrating deathstar cap?

Perfectly willing to sacrifice everything.

I need to hit before he lands. Combined with everything. Ships and Planes.

I can't reinforce everything. But I do have a fairly significant air lift capability.

The problem is where will he land?

If he lands on the islands to the east, further away from the HI and my twin level 9 airbases of Ominato and Hachinoe...then he will pretty much take them. Currently naval guard and base force, forts level 3. Airfields somewhat built up. I can bring back troops from Paramushiro and further north (which I guess I have just written off).

If he lands closer to Hokkaido, Etorofu and closer I have a chance. Small chance, but at least there are more troops here and he is very close to the level 9 airfields.

If he lands on Kushiro I will have 700AV plus two tank regiments.

However, he probably is aiming at at least 2 invasion spots.

So, let us assume he gets an island. Then what, Game pretty much over? Nah! Kamikaze's are active, so it makes sense to start stuffing some Helen squadrons with Kamikazes now in anticipation. I can switch one squadron per day. Or I can switch the Myojo squadrons. I think I will start with the Helen first, My Myojo numbers are limited. But anyhow, I need to think ahead and start stuffing in the LowN pilots now.

To get thru cap I need 200+ kamikazes -- about 7 Helen squadrons. One week after the first base is taken. Ugh.

This turn seems fairly straight forward: move all planes back, prepare for a huge attack in 2 days. Set all torpedo planes to night naval attack and some search. If I can put a fish into a carrier that would be nice. I have 400 Betties available, 60 Emilies. Tomorrow when he gets closer I can add in the Jills.

Air transport what I can where I can.

All spare units in Japan to go east. Ominato needs be absolutely stuffed with aviation support. Stockpile humongous amounts of torpedoes.

Check supply levels and adjust accordingly for MTBs, Midgets, air replacements, torpedoes, etc. Last minute minefields.

Iboats to harass. A cap trap over some ships in the hopes of luring out a strike group. Lots, and lots of search, especially night. I will have to eat the daytime losses.

Well, lets see what I can do.

[setloz]

A cap trap over some ships in the hopes of luring out a strike group.

You could set-up several large xAK TFs in places with heavy CAP to draw him out. I think the strike AI has some sort of checks for the importance of the ships and the size strike package. So, if you set a small TF you get a small strike package. If you have solid cap, go big.

[Lokasenna]

DL 2/3 is more likely SIGINT because you had a lot of radio traffic there this turn. If he got even one camera-equipped plane over the base it would be at least DL 4... by my reading of the way recon/cameras work, anyway.

[mind_messing]

I'll play devil's advocate.

With no invasion shipping confirmed, what's not to say this isn't a massive ploy to lure out your air and naval power?

From the screens you've posted, it looks to me like a CV force, a replenishment force, plus some SCTF's. Enough that you should worry, not enough to make me think it's a serious invasion attempt.

It may be the advanced guard of the invasion force, but if that was the case, where is the invasion force?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

DL 2/3 is more likely SIGINT because you had a lot of radio traffic there this turn. If he got even one camera-equipped plane over the base it would be at least DL 4... by my reading of the way recon/cameras work, anyway.

Hey, that is genuinely helpful. [&o]

I am about to search thru the op reports to see if I spotted any planes.

Do you think 2,000 planes at Ominato might scare him off?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

I'll play devil's advocate.

With no invasion shipping confirmed, what's not to say this isn't a massive ploy to lure out your air and naval power?

From the screens you've posted, it looks to me like a CV force, a replenishment force, plus some SCTF's. Enough that you should worry, not enough to make me think it's a serious invasion attempt.

It may be the advanced guard of the invasion force, but if that was the case, where is the invasion force?

I have seen other large task force invasions (different AARs), and there was never a hint of amphibious ships until the landing occurred.

I have to assume it is an invasion. Even if it isn't, it will allow me to build up an area that needs building anyhow.

6 hexes a turn for a huge invasion, with tons of supply, just seems hard to take. But I can't assume it isn't an invasion.

If it is a ploy, say to invade in the SRA or Port Moresby, etc, it has worked, But, since I have really given up all those areas already, no harm as long as I don't do something really, really stupid.