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

[Lowpe]

Less ambitious plan on hitting the American BB/CV at Sapporo. This time just a single squadron of Myojo divebombers, set at 15K, escorted by 42 Oscars at 18K and 42 Tojo IIc at 20K with a sentai of Franks doing LRCAP at 25K.

Weather forcast is rain, and the weather has really stunk here. Beefed up search, and dedicated two squadrons to searching only that location during both the am and pm phase.

All Myojo pilots have 70+ NavBombing skill. I thought about sending in a sentai of Kamikazes, but I really need the 800kg do harm the battleships so that limits Kamikaze choice to Myojo and my biggest squadron was only 27 and the pilots aren't great yet.

I could have sent in torpedo bombers, but in poor weather they are very unlikely to hit.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: vicberg

If you want to gamble, I doubt that the coast north of Tokyo are targets. The terrain sucks for an invasion and he would have to march down through those mountains. The areas along the eastern coast and just south of Ominato/Hirosaki are most likely. I would cutoff those two ports with landings. Build up the bases if not already built up, and then land 1 hex away from Tokyo or simply march down.

That would be quite the gamble, and you have to realize the Allies will have perfect information almost of my defenses. And then realize my poor track record on guessing right.[:D]

That is what Greyjoy did, attacked Hachinohe and Akita. He got stalled, in a 6000 AV battle on both sides. I have a feeling if I build up there, then he will simply land further south closer to Tokyo -- I think he wants to get to Tokyo sooner rather than later. So that is 6 open hex bases that need at least 2 divisions each, and perhaps 3. There goes almost all the Divisions on Honshu.

Obviously, if he attacks further south, I will have time to rail troops in from somewhere...

[Lowpe]

Feb 20, 1944

It is so painful to document how much I stink at this game now....

No night attacks.

My raid on Sapporo looks good, there is a fast battleship there, weather is nicer, then the Franks LRCAP the wrong hex and get swept by 25 Jugs. 10 or 11 gone. They were too high and too few in number to do anything other than die.

So then I thought, well maybe the Myojo won't fly, but of course they do. 24 dead Oscar escorts later every single Myojo is shot down. Not even one single bombing run.

Then the Deathstar moves to my Tanker fleets near Hanoi...but he attacks them with Ventura's from Indochina. Well, now here is a chance for some Zekes to kill some unescorted bombers...nope, the Venturas fly right under the already low flying Zekes and sink an E. Then Lightnings sweep the Zekes and we actually manage to drop 2 of them in exchange for 1 op loss on a Zeke.

My one and only success.[:D]

[ny59giants]

You know that on the immediate horizon is three months worth of high replacement rate for the 2nd gen P-47s. He can try to pace his losses or go for the knock out blow by just sweeping base after base. Don't envy your position.

[Lowpe]

Yeah, I know, I posted the stats for the new Jug a few posts back and compared it to Frank. Longer range by 2. Heartwarming.[:D] Invasion Honshu in about a month.

Given how absolutely ineffective I have been I am just not sure what I can do. Oh well. I can try.

Can Canton take any size ship? Anyone know off hand? I am off to watch a movie...

Well I did ferry troops over from Fusan, I did wipe out two more Chinese Corps, I did manage to evacuate from Hakodate some troops, my industry only burned a little bit at Osaka, I am still holding in Indochina, I did manage to scatter a convoy and save most of the ships and troops.

Oh, and I get two more night fighter squadrons in less than 30 days plus a raft of AA.[:)]

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

You know that on the immediate horizon is three months worth of high replacement rate for the 2nd gen P-47s. He can try to pace his losses or go for the knock out blow by just sweeping base after base. Don't envy your position.

The good news is, it's not three months. The bad news is, it's four months. [:D]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

You know that on the immediate horizon is three months worth of high replacement rate for the 2nd gen P-47s. He can try to pace his losses or go for the knock out blow by just sweeping base after base. Don't envy your position.

The good news is, it's not three months. The bad news is, it's four months. [:D]

That is actually good news, that means there are less planes that first month![:D]

Turn is away, I hope to spring some surprises this turn...he can definitely ruin my day by using some targeted night bombing, which I wouldn't put past him!

Picked up a new sentai of 36 torpedo bombers today, tomorrow a fresh 42 plane Army fighter squadron. Lots of troops moving over from Fusan...and I am evacuating units from Hakodate.

[Lowpe]

Other moves, stopped making the D4Y1 and moved the last two factories up to the D4Y4, it should start production on March 1 at 240 a month. A lot will go kamikaze most likely, and join the Myojo in making the one way trip.

A lot of the joy of Japan is making planes, r&d, etc. Once you can't accelerate the planes, and you realize you will never get that model, some of the fun goes out of Japan.

The D4Y1 has been my best performing kamikaze to data at getting thru the CAP.

Even with my incredible airplane building program I am still saving HI each turn. And I can still save 5k supply a day, but I need to watch that very carefully, especially with all the fort building going on at Honshu. I am worried about my totally non-existent vehicle pools, psst: If you don't tell the Allies I won't. We will have fields of wood tanks guarding Honshu.[:)]

Up to 4 Sentai of Franks, most are still repairing, but I will sprinkle them forward to catch the Allied sweeps, and hopefully make a better fight of it in the air. Stay low, stay low and in large numbers.

Bad news the CVE Sanatee came off the sunk ships list. Lousy Allied damage control.

[Lowpe]

Feb 20, 1944

Our torpedoes miss, but we score two hits, one on the Lexington II and the Wasp. Both superstructure hits.

[Lowpe]

Unfortunately our larger surface group doesn't close with the Allied carriers.

During the night Gifu is bombed, the HA45 factories, and one is destroyed. Nicks were on the job! I did lose 4 Nick D, but gladly.

During the day the Deathstar races to west of Hong Kong, avoids my surface group, bombs Hong Kong, Sweeps Hanoi (3 waves), and also sinks 2 destroyers caught out in the Ocean, and some other basically worthless ships.

If only the timing would have been a little different over Hanoi.

Anyway, the Deathstar has got to be getting short of sorties, low on fuel, and short on escorts. Something has to got to give!

Anybody ever launch a coordinated kamikaze strike from the KB?

[Lowpe]

I think I can snag the Deathstar here in one to three days depending what the Allies do with it. I sincerely doubt if I ever have a better chance.

So moms the word...

[Lowpe]

Feb 21, 1944


Nagoya bombed by 4E, no industry damage, a few fires started. AA/NF on duty. 5-6 4Es lost

Some of my Deathstar bait doesn't disband in port, and is sunk. Tankers, not bad, would be bad if I was trying to make mid 45, but I am not. I am swimming in feul and oil for the rest of the year.

The Jaws of what is left of Japanese strength is closing on the Deathstar, might be big fireworks tomorrow, or the next day. Or he could smell something and flee in a totally unexpected direction, there is one safe way out. Well, safer way out.

[DanSez]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Feb 21, 1944


Nagoya bombed by 4E, no industry damage, a few fires started. AA/NF on duty. 5-6 4Es lost

Some of my Deathstar bait doesn't disband in port, and is sunk. Tankers, not bad, would be bad if I was trying to make mid 45, but I am not. I am swimming in feul and oil for the rest of the year.

The Jaws of what is left of Japanese strength is closing on the Deathstar, might be big fireworks tomorrow, or the next day. Or he could smell something and flee in a totally unexpected direction, there is one safe way out. Well, safer way out.

Good luck. Hope you bleed the Imperialistic Invaders dry.

[Lowpe]

Feb 22, 1943

Industry survived another turn. The Nicks need the rest, inventory of Irving Sa is growing nicely now at 133. I get two more squadrons in 23 days. I wonder when he will start attacking the industry that isn't really defended?

Presently I am cranking out a surplus of 5K supplies while still building forts and increasing some select engine and plane facilities. The D4Y4 Judy is 80%researched and should start production in 10 days (March 1). Plane production stands at 2400 a month, and in March will jump to 2700+. That is a lot of planes.

With the Deathstar running all over the place, there is no way he is going to invade Honshu in the next 30 days. Or at least I don't think so. Since I am always wrong about these things, I am still shipping in lots of troops and preparing. The Korean coast is well garrisoned.

The Deathstar missed my first trap by 2 hexes. Sigh. It is now north of Miri and could go in lots of directions. Hopefully it will chose the right direction right into my forces. I have slugs of ground troops scattered all over the places, along with ships, etc disbanded in ports as they tried to avoid the Deathstar which has to be running out of steam.

Hakodate fell, some barges were shot up evacuating disabled troops so no real loss.

Two squadrons of Lillies sortied after 3 destroyers right into Lightnings and paid the price. No escorts.

Stalemate in Indochina, the Allies seem to be moving troops to attempt the jungle terrain west of Bangkok, I have more forces headed there too, but it is where almost all the Allied bombing is taking place. Once he fails there, then I suspect naval invasions will start and more paratroop operations.

This turn Franks will see how well they can do against Jugs sweeps over Ominato and maybe a shot at the Deathstar.

Here is a look at the AA reinforcements coming soon. I need them!

[JocMeister]

Are there any AA units in China/Manchuria you can buy out and send to the HI?

[Lowpe]

I have one at Fusan....all that is left. Currently I have a bunch stuck along the China coast, and still some more to come back from the outposts of the Empire.

I am still a long way off from the 8cm to 12cm upgrade...

I put too many on islands, and had many in Indochina. For the most part that has changed. Which is a shame really, because at one point in 43 I had all major factories covered with AA on Honshu, and thought, I can ship them to Indochina and still get them back by mid 44. That was bad thinking I guess, although they have certainly contributed in holding Indochina.

Osaka and Yokohama are still filling up their recently upgraded TOEs -- not even halfway finished yet.

None of the airbases or heavy industry or factories in Manchuko/Korea are protected except for Fusan. Harbin has a very nice factory cranking along for example making almost 1/2 my Oscars.

However, between the night fighters, the AA and base forces I have gotten back, I think the easy pickings on Honshu are almost gone his bomber morale has to be poor with all the planes shot down. He gained over 1000 vp bombing the manpower in Jan and Feb, but his last two raids have netted only 1 factory point destroyed. Of course that will change, but I feel I have made some progress and figure he will switch to hitting unprotected areas soon.

My Armaments pools are very generous, but I am still spending 1380 per day of HI on them. That is 38 planes a day...I am thinking about shutting down all the armaments to keep stockpiling HI which only stands at 1.46 million -- whats that 40,000+ more single engine planes?

[Lowpe]

I shut Urumchi's refineries down, since I could never get the fuel to flow out. I just turned them back on again for the supply generation. Not much per day, but it will still help. I don't think I am going to run out of fuel in this game.

Also, I have gotten around to destroying 16 more Chinese units, and I am just now taking Yenan, which I simply bypassed in late 42. Now there is really just groupings of 1-3 Chinese units to hunt down and kill. Probably over 20 of them scattered here and there.

[Andav]

This turn Franks will see how well they can do against Jugs sweeps over Ominato and maybe a shot at the Deathstar.

My experience has been they will die just like everything else. Where Jugs sweep Japanese planes fall to the ground unless you have very large CAP which is layered. If you can get the sweepers down where they longer have the dive, Franks will do just fine. The trick is getting them down.

Watch cutting armaments too much because you do get a lot of new units in 44 which will need to filled out. Also watch vehicles. I did not manage those as well as I should have.

Wa

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Andav

This turn Franks will see how well they can do against Jugs sweeps over Ominato and maybe a shot at the Deathstar.

My experience has been they will die just like everything else. Where Jugs sweep Japanese planes fall to the ground unless you have very large CAP which is layered. If you can get the sweepers down where they longer have the dive, Franks will do just fine. The trick is getting them down.

Watch cutting armaments too much because you do get a lot of new units in 44 which will need to filled out. Also watch vehicles. I did not manage those as well as I should have.

Wa

Thanks Andav. Maybe I will get lucky and the bombers will come before the sweepers....

My Vehicle levels are extremely low. When I took over the game in Aug of 1942 the factories were still at their starting levels, I expanded to 180, then to 210 and have stayed there. But given all the fighting in this game, pools don't really exist. Don't tell the Allies! As long as they aren't targeted, and I don't replace lost vehicles in HQs I think I will be ok.

Just perusing upcoming Allied planes, and lo and behold the British get 40 Jugs a month shortly, like in May. Wunderbar!

I saw the BB New Jersey yesterday, at the Camden Docks. She is a little bigger than the LeHermione (French Frigate, sail, that will be visiting shortly). Unfortunately, family went to the Aquarium instead, (the wife and kids did the New Jersey when she first showed up; they were about the only ones on the ship and had a great time running around on it. My Father in Law, rip, as an Engineer during the war helped to design the gun mounts for something or other on that class at the Philly Naval Yards. My wife's Grandfather was a lifelong welder at the Naval Yards, but no clue on what he actually worked on.

Anyhow, in the Aquarium, near the Shark Tunnel is a photo display of P40s!....Beautiful paint jobs and nice pictures, was hoping to see a model of one in the gift store but no luck. "Not the best plane, but very reliable..." was one of the blurbs about the the P40.[:D]

Where ever you go WITP is always around you...[:)]

[Lowpe]

Feb 23rd, 1944

Very quiet day. No night bombing.

Hokkaido falls...

Lillies destroy two AM, look how effective the Franks are. 18 Shot down...some kind of seriously good roll.