Avian aggression leads to murder most fowl - Sqz(A) vs. Chickenboy(J)

[SqzMyLemon]

Aug. 21/42:

Allied bombers target Ranchi to focus Japanese attention on the base. The base is moderately hit while two B-17's and 3 P-39D's are lost in A2A. Six Japanese fighters are downed. Ground forces are moving into position and will conduct a diversionary attack to draw IJA reinforcements towards the base.

In the meantime, Allied ground units assigned to the offensive are deployed at Cawnpore and Jubbulpore in strategic mode awaiting the start of the offensive. All units will rail to staging areas just prior to the paratroop drop on Rangpur.

Tomorrow, all heavy bombers will target Darjeeling's airbase while P-38's sweep. The base shows 37 IJA fighters present which I believe are Oscar's. I will rely on the bombers being able to handle the Oscars and getting through unescorted.

I may have to delay the start of the offensive by a few days, it may take a little longer to reach Ranchi than anticipated. I don't think it prudent to start before I draw some enemy forces towards Ranchi.

Japanese dispositions are as follows:

Calcutta - 18 units
Jamshedpur - 9 units
Howrah - 4 units
Ranchi - 5 units (including IJA 8th Division and another unidentified)
Asansol - 1 unit
Darjeeling - 2 units (one has been identified as a base force, the other most likely an AA unit)

Below is a rough screenshot outlining the first phase of this offensive. I expect heavy Japanese air attacks. I'll provide air cover as best I can, but until Darjeeling is captured there will be little fighter support. The plan is to target enemy airbases while the Japanese fighters are performing escort and sweeps for their raids.

[BBfanboy]

I like the way you set up diversions and other FOW enhancements. All part of the art of war ...

[SqzMyLemon]

Thanks for posting BBfanboy. Not sure how effective my little plans are, but it's nice to think I might fool Andre now and again.

[SqzMyLemon]

August 22/42:

A great turn for the Allies and more action is starting to happen. I like to think of the last few months as the 'phoney war' and it seems to be coming to an end...finally.

First up, I sent a few PT Boats to Exmouth to try and sink a Japanese PB that's been sitting in the hex for days. That didn't go so well with one PT getting smoked by an 8cm shell and just a few machine gun hits on the PB. The skirmish was indecisive and the PT will survive. Dive bombers based at Caernarvon will not sortie to attack the PB, I'm guessing they won't launch since it's a single ship TF. Squadron CO's air and aggression are high so it isn't a question of leadership.

An Australian DD finds SS I-4 lurking near King Island on the approaches to Melbourne and severely damages the submarine, with 2 direct DC hits and 7 near misses. One more direct hit and she'd have been a goner.

On the other side of the coin, SS Drum finds a working torpedo and puts it into xAK Kinai Maru near Truk. She was carrying fuel and suffered heavy fires/damage plus sinking sounds were heard during the replay. I think she sunk.

My air attack against Darjeeling was a great success. There were indeed only Oscars at the base and the IJAAF 24th Sentai took a beating. The P-38 sweeps shot down 14 aircraft while the follow up bombers contributed another 3 downed. On the day the intel report said 25 Oscar's were destroyed against 2 P-38E's and one B-17E. I'll take those results any day. The airbase took 33 AB, 18 ABS and 87 Runway hits.

Not to be outdone, B-25's hit IJA 4th Tank Rgt. near Vizagapatnam and destroyed/disabled 16 and 73 vehicles respectively in two separate attacks.

Japanese bombers were busy too. Sally's (21) targeted U.S. 193rd Tank Bn. near Bangalore, but inflicted no losses. A total of 99 Sally's attacked 1st Indian AA Rgt. near Vizagapatnam in two raids and caused a number of disablements. Severe storms limited the damage.

Near Bangalore, 193rd Tank Bn. shook off the Japanese air interdiction and deliberate attacked IJN's 88th Naval Guard Unit, causing 22 disabled squads. I'll post a screenshot of Southern India soon as Allied forces close in on Madras and area.

So, a good day. Allied preparations are going well, and I'm in a position now to start really getting after Japan in a few areas. As Allied reinforcements pour into Australia, I should be able to open a new front in the DEI or South Pacific soon. However, there is still much to be done and while moving forward, I plan on continuing my cautious approach for the remainder of 1942. I'll take what Andre gives me, and a little more if I can help it. [8D]

[SqzMyLemon]

Aug. 24/42:

So far so good. Here's a quick update of the situation around Calcutta. Allied units tasked with the diversionary attack against Ranchi close in on the base. Heavy Japanese fighter sweeps occurred over U.S. Americal Division (green unit symbol sandwiched between the two tan ones west of Patna), but no Allied fighters are assigned LRCAP so the enemy fighters whiff on empty air. There were no Japanese bomber attacks today, but I fully expect to undergo heavy raids tomorrow while still in clear terrain. 23rd AA Bde. is present though, and should deal out some serious damage to low flying enemy bombers. I may take some criticism for putting my ground forces at the mercy of Japanese air attack without CAP, but I need to focus Andre on Ranchi. I need to provide a carrot to lead him in the direction I want him to go, otherwise he may not commit. I also don't want to fritter away my limited fighter assets in a meaningless air battle. I think my tactics are sound.

Japanese forces are seen moving northwest towards Ranchi from Calcutta. There are now 23 IJA LCU's at Calcutta as some have recently arrived by rail from Cocanada. I will have to wait a few days to determine if Andre took the bait by how many units move towards Ranchi. I must time my para drop perfectly. I expect Andre to rail troops directly to Ranchi, so I will have to allow up to 3 days for the units to de-train. The last thing I want to do is drop early on Rangpur while there are numerous Japanese LCU's already in strategic mode. If Darjeeling is reinforced before I can block the rail lines, it could mean the offensive is over before it begins. The next 3-7 days could be crucial.

[SqzMyLemon]

Here's Southern India.

Allied troops continue to move towards Madras. IJN 88th Naval Guard Unit is hammered by Indian 14th Division and U.S 193rd Tank Bn. and forced a costly retreat. This elicited a little smack talk from Andre to the tune of why the overkill, followed by a General McClellan reference to me always needing more troops before I make a move. Doesn't bother me in the least, I'm accomplishing my goals at little cost and positioning units for the future amphibious assault against Ceylon.

On another note, it appears a IJN transport TF is arriving at Madras, either to re-supply or evacuate. I've decided to launch a series of fighter sweeps and follow up bombing attacks to close/degrade the airbase, in order to try and nail the enemy TF the following day with naval LBA attacks. I expect a heavy CAP of Tojo fighters. I'm on the fence whether I should have ordered these strikes, but I want to try and interdict that TF and destroy the LCU's at sea.

I'm serving notice that it's not going to be easy for Imperial Japan anymore. At least that's the plan. [:D]

[SqzMyLemon]

Aug. 25/42:

Ugh, just when you are feeling good about things, this game has a way of smacking you down.

Well, the air attacks over Madras were an unmitigated disaster for Allied units. Raids were uncoordinated, only some sweeps and LRCAP flew and those that did were all at low altitude. Lacking high cover the results were predictable. The hardest hit were my low altitude sweeps and 2E bombers whose escort never showed up. The butcher's bill follows.

Allied:

16 Hurricane IIb's
12 B-25C's
11 P-40E's
4 P-39D's
1 B-17E

Japanese:

8 Tojo IIa's
1 A6M2

The B-17's shot down three Japanese fighters outright and most likely accounted for most of the OPs losses as well. The Allied fighters that did sweep were absolutely pathetic because they were at low altitude.

Just a note on my air tactics. I've been successful this game setting a range of altitudes for sweeps, escorts and LRCAP. I try to have slower fighters set to a lower altitude to allow faster, higher sweeps and LRCAP to get the bounce at some point during an air battle. It's been effective so far when it works. When it doesn't, these are the results. Of all the times to get slapped around it had to be today. I knew I was flying into a hornet's nest, but to have coordination and failure to fly issues when taking on a tough CAP really ruins one's day.

I also like to try and mix up altitudes to represent somewhat historic settings and not game the air model. So far, Andre and I have a Gentlemen's agreement to keep altitudes real and nothing has occurred higher than 25k by either side. That being said, when everything goes wrong and all your aircraft are lower than your opponents, it gets ugly real fast. In the past I'd rant and rave about the air model, but I've turned the corner. It is what it is, and today I was on the bottom of good old rock/paper/scissor goodness. It happens.

I have so turned the corner, that I actually ordered a second day of air attacks against Madras with reserve air units. Let's see if round 2 goes a little better for the Allies. I should add, I want Madras's airbase closed and that is why I've decided to risk losing more aircraft in a second day of strikes. If I can close Madras that means any Japanese fighter presence in Southern India has to come at increased range from Cochin or Ceylon.

[SqzMyLemon]

Events from the 25th have made me extremely nervous about my upcoming offensive to capture Darjeeling. So far the 4E's have been stellar, being able to take on and push through heavy CAP when the escort and sweeps have been a no show, but if my weaker fighters and 2E's take a beating it could drain the pools and set me back months. I have only two squadrons of P-38's and if they fail to appear then the P-40's and IIb's get clobbered.

Japanese aircraft numbers increased at Calcutta last turn with over 170 fighters and 150 bombers indicated. I presume my LCU's still in open terrain near Ranchi are about to get hit hard next turn. The results will be a precursor to what my forces will endure daily at Rangpur. I shudder to think what the losses will be while units are transitioning out of strategic mode.

Japanese LCU's at Calcutta remain at 23, but two more units arrived at Jamshedpur. I believe they are IJA 33rd Division and 4th Tank Rgt. So the plan to draw Japanese forces towards Ranchi appears to be working, but can my forces tasked with taking Rangpur and Darjeeling survive concentrated bomber attacks for 3-7 days? I know I'm having a knee jerk reaction to the high air losses the previous turn, but it does make me wonder if I'm asking too much of my forces considering what they will be up against.

[SqzMyLemon]

Aug. 26/42:

A better day today in the air over Madras, but the Allies still come out on the short end. Losses were 23 vs. 19 in Japan's favour. I am having an awful time right now with all my raids. Sweeps not flying, lot's of un-coordination, inconsistent escorting of raids that are leaving too many bombers vulnerable. The biggest issue is the inability to degrade the Japanese CAP when none of my high altitude aircraft are flying. It's killing me frankly.

Helldiver's, escorted by P-40E's, were unfortunately the first mission that flew over Madras against a fresh Japanese CAP. The escorts got slaughtered as usual, with 11 being shot down, but the bombers got through only losing two aircraft. Stupidly, they target a single AMc and sink it, while the four ship TF is ignored. Like I said above, I can't catch a break these last few turns with how the AI is handling my forces.

As predicted, Japanese bombers target my troops in clear terrain near Ranchi. Damage is light considering almost 100 bombers attacked, but an Indian division and artillery unit suffer high disruption. This force is now in 2x wooded terrain and it will be U.K. 2nd Division that gets hammered tomorrow in clear terrain. On a positive note, five Japanese bombers are downed by Flak complements of the monster 23rd AA Bde. I love that unit.

There is a small chance for a naval surface action near Diego Garcia tomorrow. A four ship Japanese TF is one hex away from a four ship Allied SCTF located directly at Diego Garcia. My TF shows no DL and I've set a reaction of two hexes to see if I can get an interception. I don't want to move my TF directly as it is providing cover for an amphibious TF currently unloading at the base.

[BBfanboy]

SqzMyLemon: It's killing me frankly.

Or should that be "Killing me Frank-ly"? [:(]

Nemo showed that consistent strike packages could be achieved with sweeps going in first, little fragmentation and good escort defence.
He would not go into detail on how he achieved it, but hinted that having all air units under the same HQ was part of the plan. I think he also selected very good commanders for his air units in the test group. He likely also looked at the maneuver ratings for the aircraft and kept them within their two best levels.
There may be other considerations as well, but that is what I remember thinking of at the time.

[vicberg]

That's all that's required for a coordinated strike package?

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: vicberg

That's all that's required for a coordinated strike package?

Hey, a new poster!

[vicberg]

Yes, I have PTWS. (Post Turn WITP Syndrome)

I was tempted to post on everyone's AAR, but I'm not that creative.

Or should that be "Killing me Frank-ly"?

And quit calling me Frank-ly

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Or should that be "Killing me Frank-ly"? [:(]

I should have said, it's Tojo-ally killing me.

I may not have been clear BB. I was getting decent coordination before, it's just lately the wheels have come off. I was generally using P-39's and Hurricane IIb's within their lower maneuver bands, and using P-40's and P-38's as high escort, sweeps or LRCAP. It was working quite well. My lower aircraft took the brunt of the losses, but once the bounce was spent, my high aircraft started to get kills as the air battles matured. It's not working anymore because my LRCAP and sweeps are not showing up and I don't know why.

For example, I just had my LRCAP of high altitude P-38's not be present for 5 of 6 bombing attacks, and the one where it did engage was after a bombing run when there was a post-bombing air phase. Only then were they a factor. And the P-38 squadron set to sweep never flew at all.

I make sure my fast fighters are set to sweep or LRCAP so they will arrive ahead of the bombing raids. I also assign LRCAP to slower, lower sweeps for the same reason. It had been working well. I don't know if facing Tojo's changes the parameters of an air battle, but it seems like whenever they are involved in the CAP my coordination, sweeps and raid composition turns to crap. I might add that Andre's LRCAP over Madras based from either Jaffna or Cochin is having no problem arriving and ripping into my aircraft.

Anyway, I get the whole randomness of the game and I've applied years of practical experience to hone my tactics. Right now I'm suffering a series of bad rolls. I've learned you can consistently keep the same tactics, but success or failure can by a 60/40 split. It all comes down to what rolls and checks failed on any particular day for a myriad number of unknown reasons. You just have to take it at times.

[vicberg]

Why use LRCAP vs. another sweep or escort?

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: vicberg

Why use LRCAP vs. another sweep or escort?

I know LRCAP is unreliable, but it's generally used to avoid the escort penalty and provide an opportunity to bounce lower set CAP. Setting LRCAP also can offset the fact that the Allies don't have the luxury of large squadrons available to sweep or CAP like the Japanese do. Sending in a large number of 16 or 25 aircraft sweeps individually often doesn't turn out well for the Allies in my experience and does little to degrade the CAP. At least with LRCAP, providing it shows up, you can pad the Allies' numbers somewhat. It also has the benefit of usually being present in some form for many raids, so at least you get some cover for bombers that show up unescorted for example. Adding additional sweeps or escorts won't help if they don't fly or coordinate with the bombers.

LRCAP is not the be and end all, and it is unreliable as I've mentioned. My problem isn't really escorts, sweeps or LRCAP. My problem is my best fighters, the P-38's, have been AWOL in the last few air battles. Without my best fighters in the action, I simply can't reduce my losses or degrade the Japanese CAP. I do not understand why all of a sudden they are not flying, or why they are not engaging the CAP when they do. That's the problem.

[SqzMyLemon]

On another note. After reflecting on my current frustration with air operations and the pending Darjeeling ground offensive, I've decided to

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

On another note. After reflecting on my current frustration with air operations and the pending Darjeeling ground offensive, I've decided to

I often make similar decisions! That's why I'm kibitzing on the forum!

[SqzMyLemon]

I see my lame attempt to create suspense...fooled no one. [:D]

[vicberg]

It worked on me. I'm totally confused. What are you doing?