Tale of the Sheep! - JocMeister (A) vs. Lowpe (J)

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]February 9th-10th 1942[/font]
______________________________________________________________________________

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China
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I can´t really get a grip on Japanese movements here. I need better recon which I can´t get. At least we dealt a small blow to the IJAAF when the AVG springs into action!

Morning Air attack on 2nd Chinese Cavalry Corps, at 85,44 , near Nanyang

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
B5M1 Mabel x 2
Ki-27b Nate x 21

Allied aircraft
H81-A3 x 14

Japanese aircraft losses
B5M1 Mabel: 1 destroyed
Ki-27b Nate: 2 destroyed

No Allied losses

Morning Air attack on 85th Chinese Corps, at 85,44 , near Nanyang

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 32

Allied aircraft
H81-A3 x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 3 destroyed, 5 damaged

There are numerous intercept like this during the day. 14 Sallies and 7 other bombers shot down on the 9th. On the 10th an Oscar Sentai sweeps but the AVG has pulled back. No bombings. [:'(]

[BBfanboy]

Looks like the escorts sacrificed themselves to save that convoy. Now that it has none, can you send in some subs or another SCTF?

[JocMeister]

Pretty happy day today. [:)]

Just got a call from THE boss of a company I wanted to work for for a very long time. He personally rang me up while he is away on vacation in Italy. Looks like I´ll be starting a new job come autumn...[&o]

Just sent the wife out to buy some very expensive champagne! [:)]

[BBfanboy]

Congratulations Jocke!
Maybe he read your AAR and saw that you have tenacity and multi-tasking skills ... and good taste in fine drinks!

[ny59giants]

Raise a glass for me Jocke!!

[Lowpe]

Congratulations![:)]

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

I agree China is a huge mess, but everyone seems to want to rationalize and build lines of defence in good terrain, which gives the IJA clear targets to concentrate on.
I have been thinking (after hints from Alfred) that maybe the key to China is not to clean up the mess but to make it worse! The Chinese advantage is huge numbers of units and relatively low supply requirements for their low-tech units. Perhaps the war of maneuver that Alfred suggested is a guerilla war, where Chinese units scatter shotgun-style everywhere - so many places the IJA cannot concentrate to hit them all.

Go after every rail and road junction in the south, take every undefended town and airfield, find isolated IJA units and surround them before they can bring up help. Unit get destroyed? When they re-spawn just send them back into the fray in the south. It will be chaotic and bloody but a lot of fun and may give Nick fits!

I think Alfreds lack of PBEM experience is showing at times. While something like that might work against the AI doing it against a human would be a short lived affair. [:)] A scattered Chinese army can neither defend them self nor be a threat against even lightly guarded Japanese location. Not to mention the fact that the Japanese can move way faster then any Chinese units using better interior lines.

All the Japanese would have to do is to let loose the air force and defend a few key position while they cut the main Chinese artery (Lanchow-Chungking). By the time the Chinese closed on anything important they would have been reduced to rubble from the air, completely out of supply and unable to overcome even the smallest Japanese garrison.

It would certainly be fun to watch something like that but it would fail miserably. [:)]

I agree. It's something that can work for a while, but it is simply a stalling maneuver. You can harass the Japanese, but a good Japanese player on the ground will just wipe out the units and then prevent them from getting behind the lines again. So you've basically got the units that start behind the lines already, and nothing more.

Against one of my short-lived opponents a while back I was able to recapture Ichang, siege Canton (he took the 104th to Hong Kong), and take the N-city southeast of Changsha. I had also captured the S-city northeast of Wuchang (Sinyang?).

[JocMeister]

Thanks guys! [&o]

Sent the turn of to Nick but no time to update. Heading out to one of my sisters wedding tomorrow morning! Back on Sunday! [:)]

[Encircled]

Congratulations Joc!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

I agree China is a huge mess, but everyone seems to want to rationalize and build lines of defence in good terrain, which gives the IJA clear targets to concentrate on.
I have been thinking (after hints from Alfred) that maybe the key to China is not to clean up the mess but to make it worse! The Chinese advantage is huge numbers of units and relatively low supply requirements for their low-tech units. Perhaps the war of maneuver that Alfred suggested is a guerilla war, where Chinese units scatter shotgun-style everywhere - so many places the IJA cannot concentrate to hit them all.

Go after every rail and road junction in the south, take every undefended town and airfield, find isolated IJA units and surround them before they can bring up help. Unit get destroyed? When they re-spawn just send them back into the fray in the south. It will be chaotic and bloody but a lot of fun and may give Nick fits!

I think Alfreds lack of PBEM experience is showing at times. While something like that might work against the AI doing it against a human would be a short lived affair. [:)] A scattered Chinese army can neither defend them self nor be a threat against even lightly guarded Japanese location. Not to mention the fact that the Japanese can move way faster then any Chinese units using better interior lines.

All the Japanese would have to do is to let loose the air force and defend a few key position while they cut the main Chinese artery (Lanchow-Chungking). By the time the Chinese closed on anything important they would have been reduced to rubble from the air, completely out of supply and unable to overcome even the smallest Japanese garrison.

It would certainly be fun to watch something like that but it would fail miserably. [:)]

I agree. It's something that can work for a while, but it is simply a stalling maneuver. You can harass the Japanese, but a good Japanese player on the ground will just wipe out the units and then prevent them from getting behind the lines again. So you've basically got the units that start behind the lines already, and nothing more.

Against one of my short-lived opponents a while back I was able to recapture Ichang, siege Canton (he took the 104th to Hong Kong), and take the N-city southeast of Changsha. I had also captured the S-city northeast of Wuchang (Sinyang?).

The Allies tried this late in my game...it was like whack a mole. What it did do was motivate me to take Chungking, prior to this strategy I had planned on simply stopping after taking the Changsha Industrial triangle, but all those pesky corps running around and trying to cut supply lines forced me to pay attention to China.

And the heck of it was, it didn't really slow supplies getting forward. Might have increased the spoilage (wastage) but you never see that reported.

I like Obvert's defense, but he enjoyed a lack of Japanese air commitment early on.

I would also like to try Mr. Kanes bomber/transport theory as well.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Pretty happy day today. [:)]

Just got a call from THE boss of a company I wanted to work for for a very long time. He personally rang me up while he is away on vacation in Italy. Looks like I´ll be starting a new job come autumn...[&o]

Just sent the wife out to buy some very expensive champagne! [:)]

Nice one! Congrats! [:)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I would also like to try Mr. Kanes bomber/transport theory as well.

I had thought this a waste of good bombers, opportunity cost and all, but on trying it realized for short duration it's a savior. if I could have done it earlier against Nick I would have thwarted a few good moves of his by getting supplies to dug-in troops. It works if you still have Ledo.

[MrKane]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I would also like to try Mr. Kanes bomber/transport theory as well.

I had thought this a waste of good bombers, opportunity cost and all, but on trying it realized for short duration it's a savior. if I could have done it earlier against Nick I would have thwarted a few good moves of his by getting supplies to dug-in troops. It works if you still have Ledo.

Well, right now in Jan 1944, my capability to transport are impressive.
600 all kind of transport planes are moving 1800-2200 supplies daily to China or Burma.
My B-24 are bombing Burma and in during "rest time" they are moving another 2000 supplies / day So I do not feel like I am am wasting good bombers. Additionally Chungking basin was saved and now my Chinese corps are preparing to open connection with US 6th Army advancing form Burma ( Sorry for stilling thread )

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: MrKane

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I would also like to try Mr. Kanes bomber/transport theory as well.

I had thought this a waste of good bombers, opportunity cost and all, but on trying it realized for short duration it's a savior. if I could have done it earlier against Nick I would have thwarted a few good moves of his by getting supplies to dug-in troops. It works if you still have Ledo.

Well, right now in Jan 1944, my capability to transport are impressive.
600 all kind of transport planes are moving 1800-2200 supplies daily to China or Burma.
My B-24 are bombing Burma and in during "rest time" they are moving another 2000 supplies / day So I do not feel like I am am wasting good bombers. Additionally Chungking basin was saved and now my Chinese corps are preparing to open connection with US 6th Army advancing form Burma ( Sorry for stilling thread )

I have been urging Joc to adopt this strategy, it seems the perfect game to do it in with Japan focus on Pearl Harbor.

Don't see how the successful use of said strategy would be stealing the thread.

Plus Joc is gone for awhile, his AAR belongs to us![:D]

[Encircled]

It does!

What shall we talk about?

Whatever it is, can we please do it quietly as I got a rather large hangover [:)]

[pws1225]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

It does!

What shall we talk about?

Whatever it is, can we please do it quietly as I got a rather large hangover [:)]

Is there such a thing as a small hangover?

[Lowpe]

Joc is the expert recently?[:)]

[Encircled]

Is there such a thing as a small hangover?

Yeah, its one where you can function!

Amazing what listening to the cricket can do for hangovers though!

[JeffroK]

NO, it creates hangovers[&:]

[Lowpe]

Crickets can be loud.

But since you are on the wrong side of the pond, I think you mean another genus.

I once had a great discussion with a student from Pakistan 30 years ago in a bar, the Tally Ho, where he endeavored to teach me the rules of cricket. "Simplicity, itself, you see you have a batsman...

Many Rolling Rocks later, and I endeavored to teach him the meaning of the Rolling Rock bottle's label. "33-1, you see are the odds of a horse call...or they could refer to the 33 rites of Free Masonry...or the year the Steelers were founded...or..."