Groundhog Day! - No NJP

[Mike McCreery]

Yes they did although it was only a 3-1 attack so it was close ;]

[Mike McCreery]

The next day the Shokaku takes a torpedo from the sailfish. The torpedo was reported to do severe damage and engine damage. The Shokaku was already smoking when the torpedo hit.

[Mike McCreery]

Then the Soryu takes a fish as well. This one penetrated the belt and did 'Critical' damage.

[Mike McCreery]

The heavy cruiser Maya was with a destroyer escort. A squadron of Dauntless dropped 5 1000# bombs on her.

[Mike McCreery]

A torpedo bomber bounces a 500# bomb off of Kakao

[Mike McCreery]

The Kako takes two more 1000# bombs

[Mike McCreery]

Some sort of transport fleet was adjacent to Tarawa. Now, the supplies are low but the airbase is fine...

After watching the replay I suspect this was all or part of the amphibious assault on Nikunau.

[Mike McCreery]

Kunming

NJP is pushing hard here and may break through. But he is using tanks in mountainous terrain which is never easy.

In the beginning of the game he seemed to have a clear directive regarding China and was driving straight on Chungking. I thought he would take it before the summer of 1942. Now it seems like he has lost focus and is attacking all over the continent wasting supply and effort.

Until he captures Chungking he just keeps spawning more troops at the capital. Unless he is just in it for the points and/or experience he is wasting precious time and focus.

[Mike McCreery]

Here is the list of aircraft lost. I do not believe any of the major ships sunk immediately.

[BBfanboy]

That was an "owee, owee, owee" round for Japan! Well done!

CA Maya is in serious trouble - belt armour penetrations mean flooding as well as fire and possible engineering damage. Kako is maybe a 50/50 survivor.
The CVs are hurt but not in danger of sinking ... yet.
Did you have those subs in a 2-sub pack or single sub TFs?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

That was an "owee, owee, owee" round for Japan! Well done!

CA Maya is in serious trouble - belt armour penetrations mean flooding as well as fire and possible engineering damage. Kako is maybe a 50/50 survivor.
The CVs are hurt but not in danger of sinking ... yet.
Did you have those subs in a 2-sub pack or single sub TFs?

I used to do single sub but now I am doing at least 2 if not 3. That was a 2 pack, one hit for each sub.

For some reason I forgot when the sub upgrade date was so it was December 17th before I really started upgrading. This is the wave of newly upgraded subs with working torpedoes and up to date equipment along with topped up tubes

[Crackaces]

Shokaku might be in trouble given what looks like 10-20 sys damage before the festivities started ...
I think 50 sys starts opening the possibility of pump failures and damage control problems?

I opened this discussion on another AAR but the smoke/fire animations are not intuitive.
I believe Fire buried in smoke is worse than bright fire not as much smoke ..
Somebody smarter than me can post the different animations but it will give you a pretty precise clue of damage

These ships have to make it to Truk ...and then to a real shipyard .. the journey will be as long as the time on drydock [8D]

EDIT: I did some experimentation ..

SYS: The transparency of smoke goes down every 30 of sys damage 20 is a lighter shade of smoke than 40 sys .. 80 sys is thick smoke
FIRE: this too seems to have animations every 20 points ...

I am assuming a special animation of the combination (s) of fire and sys damage?

EDIT2: The directory ART has all the combinations of fire and sys damage [8D]

[Mike McCreery]

The day after the light cruiser Kiso and destroyer escort come into contact with the retreating amphibious assault force.

Not sure if he was trying to intercept me or to get underneath and attack any transports that were heading for Horn Island.

[Mike McCreery]

The last remnants of Japanese troops on Fiji were eliminated yesterday.

[BBfanboy]

What was the outcome of the battle in post # 493? Did any IJN DDs escape?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

What was the outcome of the battle in post # 493? Did any IJN DDs escape?

There were no japanese DD's in post 493. However, if you are referring to post 492, 3 of them survived along with the light cruiser that limped home.

NJP is invested at Merauke and I have not been able to build up the northeast corner of Australia fast enough. He is raiding me with those ships and everything up to battleships and hitting horn island and portland roads.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

What was the outcome of the battle in post # 493? Did any IJN DDs escape?

There were no japanese DD's in post 493. However, if you are referring to post 492, 3 of them survived along with the light cruiser that limped home.

NJP is invested at Merauke and I have not been able to build up the northeast corner of Australia fast enough. He is raiding me with those ships and everything up to battleships and hitting horn island and portland roads.

I have to differ on the post numbering - the number is at the bottom of the post, not the top. Just look at the last post in your AAR and see where the number is.
Only wanted to mention it again so that readers will use the right number for references too.

I'm disappointed so many of that IJN squadron slipped away - the picture implied heavy damage and fires on the CL. FOW ...[:(]

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

What was the outcome of the battle in post # 493? Did any IJN DDs escape?

There were no japanese DD's in post 493. However, if you are referring to post 492, 3 of them survived along with the light cruiser that limped home.

NJP is invested at Merauke and I have not been able to build up the northeast corner of Australia fast enough. He is raiding me with those ships and everything up to battleships and hitting horn island and portland roads.

I have to differ on the post numbering - the number is at the bottom of the post, not the top. Just look at the last post in your AAR and see where the number is.
Only wanted to mention it again so that readers will use the right number for references too.

I'm disappointed so many of that IJN squadron slipped away - the picture implied heavy damage and fires on the CL. FOW ...[:(]

You are correct. I am too accustomed to seeing the page number in the upper right I just assumed.

I have to admit that NJP is playing a much better air campaign and possibly naval as well although I really have not started pushing hard.

This next couple weeks should be interesting. Troops are going to amphibiously assault Tanna next turn. I have my CVE's as cover for the invasion force and the Allied CV's are making a sneak debut to bolster the air defense. If NJP dips in with his carriers it could get really busy in the pacific really fast.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

I have to admit that NJP is playing a much better air campaign and possibly naval as well although I really have not started pushing hard.

I am not surprised at all to hear about that.[:)]

Your first game went into 45 and he learned lots of valuable lessons on the Japanese Air Force.

[Mike McCreery]

Lowpe, He seems to have had a bit of coaching as well although in some areas, particularly China it appears he is back to his bad habits.

Hopefully none of you are following closely because I am barely doing that :] It is March of 1943.

NJP had no troops on Espiritu Santo or New Hebredies chains of islands. I am building these up along the approach to Ndeni.

He has betty's flying out of Noumea and japanese naval dive bombers and torpedo planes from Tulagi and/or the Reef Islands.

He has built Tulagi to an airfield level 3 and the Reef Islands have an airfield level 2.

NJP likes to raid with progressively stronger task forces based upon what he encounters. He smacked my lvl 9 airfield at cooktown pretty hard within this last week. I have moved most of my 4EB inland to Coen which has reached level 4.

My base at Ndeni is a level 2 airfield. The supply at Ndeni had dwindled to below 2000 and I had to figure out a way to prevent the troops from starving. Rather than go back and forth with NJP attacking with surface raiders, subs and aircraft I decided to make a lunge outward with the bulk of my navy and air forces.

Currently my 6 CV's are southeast of Ndeni and several battleship groups plus a carrier group is poised to smack the Reef Islands into submission.

I failed to bring any support troops for Ndeni, I wish I had planned better and brought in more air support. However, plenty of units are backfilling the area. Efate is 91% to lvl 1 with 2 advanced air bases present. I believe this will be operational next turn. Luganville is at 66% with a base force on the way. Vana Lauava is about to go to lvl 1 although it only has hundreds of supply I can at least get some air cover to support cargo deliveries.

The supply at Ndeni is already 4000 with another 6000 at the docks and 50,000 arriving tomorrow. Hopefully I can dance around enough to keep NJP confused. Then we retreat along the now completed airfield strip back to Suva.