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

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

Doing really well mate

Keeping the flag flying for us JFBs and giving us valuable ideas about what we can do when we get to this stage![:)]

Run and hide or Cower and fear! There is no escaping the Allied juggernaut.[:D]

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Lang Son: An Important Base

The lessons I am learning in this game just keep coming. After Vinh, which is a fortress, comes Lang Son the Gateway to China.

What a wonderful rest and repair facility for my shattered troops. It is at the end of the rail road line to Saigon; it has no malaria; it is in nasty terrain making aerial bombing less effective.

Of course when the front line reaches here, it can be easily bypassed to the plains below. But as long as it stays in Japanese hands, supply for the Allies would be problematical. A good place to build forts and supply I think.

If Pakhoi falls, that could become a supply hub for the Allies...well, nothing is ever perfect, and there is currently a full division sitting at Pakhoi, digging and fortifying.

Generally, my MLR after Rangoon ... yeah, I prefer to fall back all the way here. Why? It is defensible. You have jungle terrain N/S from the sea all the way to the Mountains in the North. I put my troops in the terrain, not the base.
Troop supply cannot be bombed in hexes, only bases AFAIHS. [;)] Troops with 3 forts in jungle are hard to dig out. And you can have several layers here. Force the allies into another amphib near canton where you can really smack them with kami's ...

[DanSez]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
May 17, 1944
More misses with our totally ineffective night torpedo runs against Allied shipping. To be sure, they targeted destroyers...[X(]

Doesn't the H-6 Airborne Radar go active next month (6/44)?
Nells, Bettys, P1Y2 Frances -- could that will help your night torpedo attacks?

If you are still swinging in October, the B6N2a Jills get the N-6 radar, if that is any good.

Good luck.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: DanSez

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
May 17, 1944
More misses with our totally ineffective night torpedo runs against Allied shipping. To be sure, they targeted destroyers...[X(]

Doesn't the H-6 Airborne Radar go active next month (6/44)?
Nells, Bettys, P1Y2 Frances -- could that will help your night torpedo attacks?

If you are still swinging in October, the B6N2a Jills get the N-6 radar, if that is any good.

Good luck.

I haven't seen it help attacks per se. What I have seen is that more AC do attack, less of them get lost or divert. So, while hit percentages remain about the same, simply more attacks means more hits. And of course, once a ship is hit at night, it attracts more attacks ...
So, yes it helps, but in a round-about way ...

[Lowpe]

Turn is away...whew.

Set some LRCAP up over the shipping south of Hong Kong, hopefully I can trade planes for ships and not lose out on too many victory points.

I have set up my CVE trap near Daito, and I am moving a BB and many destroyers into the area to draw those carriers in I hope, if they don't come of there own accord.

I did put up LRCAP over the 13th Division in the jungle. Sometimes when the Allies switch targets, that first day the bombers come first.

Trying a large airfield bombing run at night...

I have 7 more divisions heading to fortify the Chinese coast from the interior...should help.

Sweeping an Allied base with Georges...

Working at sinking more subs, this time off Miri...

KB heading to OZ! Ooops, always forget things. I noticed a high detection level on Taraken and wanted to put some fighters there incase MR. B29 came calling...oh well, perhaps tomorrow.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Lang Son: An Important Base

The lessons I am learning in this game just keep coming. After Vinh, which is a fortress, comes Lang Son the Gateway to China.

What a wonderful rest and repair facility for my shattered troops. It is at the end of the rail road line to Saigon; it has no malaria; it is in nasty terrain making aerial bombing less effective.

Of course when the front line reaches here, it can be easily bypassed to the plains below. But as long as it stays in Japanese hands, supply for the Allies would be problematical. A good place to build forts and supply I think.

If Pakhoi falls, that could become a supply hub for the Allies...well, nothing is ever perfect, and there is currently a full division sitting at Pakhoi, digging and fortifying.

Generally, my MLR after Rangoon ... yeah, I prefer to fall back all the way here. Why? It is defensible. You have jungle terrain N/S from the sea all the way to the Mountains in the North. I put my troops in the terrain, not the base.
Troop supply cannot be bombed in hexes, only bases AFAIHS. [;)] Troops with 3 forts in jungle are hard to dig out. And you can have several layers here. Force the allies into another amphib near canton where you can really smack them with kami's ...

You can't stop them from shooting their AA at planes, though, and bombing them will make them use supply.

[Lowpe]

Not to mention the Allies like to bomb troops no airfields. The massive aerial bombardment drains the the troops of supply prior to the attacks, they seem to do better in towns. In this game.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Lang Son: An Important Base

The lessons I am learning in this game just keep coming. After Vinh, which is a fortress, comes Lang Son the Gateway to China.

What a wonderful rest and repair facility for my shattered troops. It is at the end of the rail road line to Saigon; it has no malaria; it is in nasty terrain making aerial bombing less effective.

Of course when the front line reaches here, it can be easily bypassed to the plains below. But as long as it stays in Japanese hands, supply for the Allies would be problematical. A good place to build forts and supply I think.

If Pakhoi falls, that could become a supply hub for the Allies...well, nothing is ever perfect, and there is currently a full division sitting at Pakhoi, digging and fortifying.

Generally, my MLR after Rangoon ... yeah, I prefer to fall back all the way here. Why? It is defensible. You have jungle terrain N/S from the sea all the way to the Mountains in the North. I put my troops in the terrain, not the base.
Troop supply cannot be bombed in hexes, only bases AFAIHS. [;)] Troops with 3 forts in jungle are hard to dig out. And you can have several layers here. Force the allies into another amphib near canton where you can really smack them with kami's ...

You can't stop them from shooting their AA at planes, though, and bombing them will make them use supply.

Absolutely true. But AA at least has a chance to hit. Bombed supply is total loss.

[Lowpe]

May 18th, 1944

Well, there are two good things to say about this turn. Maybe three. First, 3000 AV have made it into the wood rough terrain blocking the Allied Army on Shikoku. Central Honshu is saved from the enemy for now! How they managed to cross all that open ground and live will be a tale told to your grandkids...Amazing.

Then, we held at Matsuyama again, forts intact. The Allies are attacking with the 2 TD Battalions and one Tank Battalion. We are defending with the shattered remnants of a depot division, the 6th South Seas Detachment (which is doing most of the heavy lifting) and some other odds and ends, which includes some 47 mm rapid fire AT guns which actually destroyed an AFV! Banzai!! I suspect the Allies will see the two new units amongst the defenders and fly LRCAP over the base to destroy the transport planes flying in troops. In a day or two we will be able to barge in some units and hold the base I think....it is important for all the factories there.

And finally, there were no Allied ground attacks in the Indochina theater.

Maybe we can add a fourth and fifth good thing. No fresh air attacks against Japanese industry and we probably sank at least one sub.

The rest of the turn, not so well.

[Lowpe]

The Allies split the Deathstar and wipe out a fair amount of shipping, despite having 30 Japanese fighters on LRCAP...they were too low and got shredded by the Corsair escorts.

Some ships trying to escape in random directions ran into surface raiders of three Allied destroyers.

Not much escaped here...

In Indochina, the crackerjack 11th Division formed up and is augmented by a 47 mm AT rapid fire unit too, but really needs AA. The 1st Tank takes up a blocking position, awaiting reinforcements from Pakse.

The 14th Division and several mixed infantry units still make there way to Vientiane...the long retreat thru the jungle is almost over. These were the defenders of Uttaradit about 600 AV of decent troops.

Cam Ran Bay was bombed heavily, the runways, and a fair amount of supplies went up in flames plus a few Helens. There was 3219 supplies last turn, 12 supply hits later there was 2432.[X(]

Japan lost 60 planes to the Allies 20 today. 30 Fighters trying to protect the merchant shipping, and 20 Irving NF on the ground plus a few other odds and ends...


At the solid block above, an Allied troop is heading across the river which would be a shock attack. Boy, they will really get destroyed by the awaiting Japanese heavy artillery, 2 Divisions one of which is the 2nd Tank all in good shape. We continue to artillery bombard with good results (3 combats squads and 12 AFVs destroyed last turn). Right below the is the 13th Divison, that should read the 11th Division.

[Lowpe]

Another very long turn. Lots of data analysis with respect to supplies and their locations. I have 2.5 million having burned thru a 2.5 million in the last six months. I still make 16K supplies a day, and running out of HI, fuel or oil is exceedingly unlikely.

The relentless pounding of the Honshu airfields hasn't helped, and here is another little mistake I made. I should have been building forts more heavily from the beginning...instead I was hoping to save supply. All of the big cities should have good forts, if for no other reason than the benefit the forts provide for protecting aircraft and supplies which is hinted at in the rulebook.

But now I am going to start a program of stricter supply preservation. Of course repairs are off, except every now and then I blow a 1000 supplies to create a little more production either engine or fighter where I think it will last for a while. Previously I turned off all motorized support replacements and replacements to most engineer units. I have revisited that. A while back I turned off repairs for the RTA units which are going away shortly.

There definitely is a benefit to out of the way factories that get overlooked. Harbin, especially but its large factory makes my worst fighter the Oscar IV...but I will gladly take them.

I have now curtailed flight training somewhat even thou it hardly uses up supply.

Below is a picture of the PM; I have detected some movement here and dispatched two squadrons of Lilly divebombers here joining a chutai of Tonies. I also put a sentai of Norms on naval strike to see if this is an easy target....plus the KB is enroute.[X(]



Port Moresby, once held by the excellent 5th Divison, now has only the heavy artillery left. A Naval Guard unit is flying in while portions of a HQc are flying out. Rabaul just got resupplied, and still has plentiful aviation support and is garrisoned by a regiment and several naval guards units that will be evacuating for the PI shortly. No Allied detection here, just some naval search.

[Lowpe]

I have really come to grips with losing ships and planes. What bothers me is when I can't trade them well in a VP sense.[:)] I look for the little victories.

This turn, Lang Son really turned into a transport base as there are quite a few flying to points south and west picking up those troops (especially at Vientiane) that are air transportable and shattered. Getting a Garrison this day...saving probably about two weeks of travel time.

Plus HQs have arrived, some flown in from Hong Kong to really turn it into a (currently) rear area training and repair and rest depot.

I spent the points and swapped out the poor admin leader on that division. 37pp. Ouch. Obvert early on mentioned that by the time the endgame comes around Japan would be swimming in PP, but I sure don't see it. I don't think it is ever possible...I would love to be able to buy two more divisions from Manchuko right now, plus ship Captains need changing, etc., etc.,

Things are getting dicy again in Indochina as the Allies are moving 6 divisions on Saigon...I need him not to enter the hex for another few days...maybe. Retreat routes are nasty at Saigon depending what the Allies do.

Vinh is finally at 4(99), so forts 5 tomorrow. What a stronghold it will be.

[ny59giants]

There has always been lots of conversation on what plane models to produce and in what numbers. I don't think I've ever seen one on the strategic need to have certain airframes produced at certain bases. Hardbin is a good example.

Vinh is finally at 4(99), so forts 5 tomorrow. What a stronghold it will be.

My worry is once most of SE Asia is in Allied hands, a stronghold here will be by-passed as there are plenty of clear terrain bases to land on from Vinh to Shanghai. A little MacArthur strategy for the Allies...by-pass them!!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

There has always been lots of conversation on what plane models to produce and in what numbers. I don't think I've ever seen one on the strategic need to have certain airframes produced at certain bases. Hardbin is a good example.

You figure you have four early approaches to Honshu: Kuriles; Bonins; Luzon; Formosa(China). Having your best fighter factories dispersed makes a lot of sense!

And don't forget about your engine factories!

[Lowpe]

Yeah, I suspect Vinh can be bypassed.[:)]

After my recent China invasion scare, I have 7+ divisions heading for the beaches. There is already a full division at Pakhoi, and more supporting troops arriving.

Really buying time...plus forts 5 will allow fewer troops to hold the line I hope. Anything for more time to straighten out the defenses and drain Palembang of excess supplies.

[Lowpe]

May 19th, 1944

Some Helens make night bombing runs...a few runway hits and some Seafires destroyed in Thailand. No planes destroyed on the Japanese Islands.

Some Georges get up their nerve and sweep the Allies...decent results with 5 lost for 6 according to the replay. Anytime I can trade 1-1 or better I am happy. Beats losing 3-1 or more to his Jugs.




About 13 for 13 according to Tracker.

[Lowpe]

Survive another day....Vinh is bombed...so perhaps we are at forts 4 (99)![:(]

Lose several ships, some to subs, some to a B29 strike, some to SBDs cleaning up my ACMs around Honshu.

[Lowpe]

Shikoku is bottled up....I wonder if I should try to scare up all my troops and attack on the belief he can't really invade anywhere else for a while or simply just move alot of heavy artillery here and duel it out with him.

[Alfred]

No to either.  The defensive terrain is too good for the Allies.
 
What would be smarter is to increase the logistics pressure by constant air bombardment on the LCUs.  Makes the enemy to choose whether to divert fighters to CAP the LCU rather than escorting the bombers on strategic bombing or sweeping.  Another benefit for Japan doing this is that it allows you to place mines by sub in the only enemy port on Shikoku.  That gives you another weapon to use against enemy ships without zero chance of enemy CAP disrupting your operations.  Plus as it would be a focussed effort your mine stockpile will last longer.
 
Alfred

[Lowpe]

Thanks, Alfred.[&o]

Some quick math yields gross air points lost in the last 60 days:

Japan 5,292
Allies 3,959

That is a lot of planes!