Although Tokyo hasn't been bombed in several days, the fires continue to burn. They damage both LI and HI and are now down to 237.
I guess if there is an upside to yesterday, it is that he didn't bomb the industry anywhere. He sure is bouncing around, changing targets, etc. And everyday more AA flows into Honshu, Tokyo has climbed to 1 large base force and 7 dedicated AA units; when this disaster started there was only one AA there. Still, there are plenty of lightly defended bases for him to hit yet.
help me understand why you sortied her so far out? wouldn't an lba cap supported run on something close be a better way to expend her?
ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Disaster, the Kongo's intercept but no fight.
I sortied her to the Bonins, where she was one hex away from fighting the Allied destroyers last turn. She then pursued all the way down to the Marianas. She had LR CAP at the Bonins, but not where she ended up at.
Turn is sent away, back to the Allies where he will have a nice morning.[:D]
Sweeping this turn with George again, converted a second Frank squadron, but then I think I forgot to transfer it to speed up the repairs.
Sweeping again with Georges...and trying to defend in the air the best I can. We will see what the Allies bomb today.[:)]
I have been trying for several days to bomb his ports and airfields at night, not expecting a lot, but nobody flies.
Other than that, training up kamikazes, I guess my new standard will be to get them to 70 before trying for attacks. Nothing happening fast, I hope the Hokkaido troops will be able to slow the 7 Allied divisions down that are marching on Hakodate, but doubtful. Even with x3 terrain I don't have enough artillery and tanks there to stop him. Soon he will be able to close the air bridge down to Hakodate too.
Depending upon how rough this day is, I will try and setup a CAP over Ominato tomorrow. I will send in a bunch of destroyers and give them a couple hundred fighters for protection.
I have moved most of the shipping that isn't in drydock to Shanghai to avoid port strikes. Still lots of shipping going on from Fusan to Honshu, plus lots of troop convoys heading into Shimoneski area. I am routing almost all convoys thru Shanghai which has bee sub free pretty much.
Even with Honshu likely invaded in less than two months, I cannot bring myself to bring everything back to Honshu. I will continue to fight a delaying battle in Indochina, develop the garrisons and forts on the Bonins, and around Iwo Jima, the Japanese Islands and try to keep Mindanao and Luzon secure -- really Luzon. The SRA I wrote off two months ago, and there really is only garrisons left to prevent VP. Still shipping a lot out, but oil and fuel will not be my downfall in this game.
So, I am reinforcing Honshu with the free units from the fall of Chungking, the troops are arriving at Fusan now. I will buy out the 3rd Tank Division once the PP accumulate, but the rest of it is going to secure Korea from a very unlikely attack until I can accumulate the PP to buy the divisions out too.
I am still leaving some AA out and about; on the front line troops in Indochina; at the industry or shipyards of Singers, Saigon, but I have shipped back most.
The Tone will stay in the Singapore area along with her 2 light cruisers and 5 destroyers. There is another CA/DD force in the Truk/Luzon area operating (trying to safeguard the troop convoys). I have gotten one division off Truk, but there are two more to go. They will fall back to Luzon and then to the HI and perhaps Okinawa.
I realize the Allies are putting everything into Hokkaido, with over 10 divisions identified there and logic would dictate I do the same; just can't bring myself to do it. I feel like I have missed out on so much fun in this game that I was looking forward to: fighting in the SRA, fighting the crawl up New Guinea, fighting for the Mindanao/Luzon/Samar. I have had lots of fun in Indochina/Burma but always felt very badly about the amount of forces I had to send there to slow him down. China really held no interest for me, just was a slog.
It is what is; however, and I will go down fighting.[:)]
In looking at the reinforcement cue I get 10 new fighter squadrons in the next thirty days...should help.
A long time for more night fighters. Not enough night fighters to protect industry, let alone protect fighter bases.
I figure in two months he will launch a 6 division invasion of Honshu. Followed in a few days by another perhaps even at the same beach. How to counter that with land base air? I don't think I can....he will have a 1000+ ships. I think it might be a better strategy to sweep, and sweep, with the occasional 70+ LowN Kamikaze strikes to try and bleed down the Allied forces. A couple of lucky attacks might slow him down, rather than husband everything for a huge battle.
... I figure in two months he will launch a 6 division invasion of Honshu. Followed in a few days by another perhaps even at the same beach. How to counter that with land base air? I don't think I can....he will have a 1000+ ships. I think it might be a better strategy to sweep, and sweep, with the occasional 70+ LowN Kamikaze strikes to try and bleed down the Allied forces. A couple of lucky attacks might slow him down, rather than husband everything for a huge battle.
Allies very bold with deathstar. 400 Fighters and 200 bombers.
I guess I can sortie out surface ships and try to get them back in port under a heavy CAP. More high altitude strikes with Kamikazes? Unfortunately, I don't have many level 70 LowN pilots. Maybe enough for one strike.
This will probably be a pretty ugly turn, depending what the deathstar does...I moved a lot of shipping, but left other unloading under CAP, my CAP is stretched pretty thinly if the Deathstar makes a full speed run due west.
I do have a Sentai of kamikaze oscars set to attack in case they do, but only about 20 pilots are over 60 LowNav, so I put all the rest on reserve.
I am sending two destroyers into Hirosaki, under about 150 plane CAP including 14 or so Franks. These are my bomber killers, Franks, Tony and George.
Last turn there was no interception of the transports flying to Hakodate, so I will keep it up for now.
Picking up another division today at Truk, surely he will attack them with something?
I am sitting here waiting for dinner, having more chardonnay, not blanc, wishing that I could put a dent into the Allied war effort. The late spring weather is very nice, and I just netted a cherry tree...watching the robins try to penetrate it is fun...much more effective than my defense.
I have made so many mistakes, but it has been a fun ride. I am really in untouched territory for me, never having played past mid 43 in any game against the AI. So it is all good.
Barring an invasion of Honshu, which I think will happen despite Alfred calling it stupid (it isn't in the makeup of the Allies to not invade), I will make 45. The worst of the bombing is over, as more and more AA and ENG units return to the HI.
Don't get me wrong, it will be bad. In fact I expect a huge daytime raid tomorrow, as well as the the Deathstar moving between Naha and Honshu. But you never know, I may get lucky with a Kamikaze strike or even a night torpedo run.
Well, the dinner is prepared, so my chardonnay inspired ruminations are cut short.
I fully expect another turn later today, as the Deathstar makes its dash for all my shipping. Tune in to see what I lose![:D] Maybe there will be a reversal...
