Empire strikes back- NJP vs Wargmr Game over :-)

[Lowpe]

Urumchi oil flow is tough to do. Make sure there is demand for oil in Manchuko.

Ohka: It is hard to get the planes to actually use them. It is not like torpedoes. Don't count on them having a huge impact.

I hope you get the Frank R sooner rather than later.[:)]

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: njp72
1. How do you get the oil to flow from Urumchi in China?

After some struggle I just gave up and expanded Urumchi refinery to accomodate all local oil. Fuel seems to flow OK into Central China

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: njp72
1. How do you get the oil to flow from Urumchi in China?

After some struggle I just gave up and expanded Urumchi refinery to accomodate all local oil. Fuel seems to flow OK into Central China

Nice idea.[&o]

[Lowpe]

Take a look at some of your artillery TOEs.

Try to keep the air mobile ones off the front lines, but where they can quickly be flown forward to counter an Allied thrust, or conversely use them forward at bases that might be bypassed, so you can fly them out.

Armored Car units deserve to be on Atolls.

Love this game for its fast play, and good play. But you guys have seriously fallen down on updating your AARs.[;)][:D]

[njp72]

I agree, great idea and thanks for your input

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: njp72
1. How do you get the oil to flow from Urumchi in China?

After some struggle I just gave up and expanded Urumchi refinery to accomodate all local oil. Fuel seems to flow OK into Central China

Nice idea.[&o]

[njp72]

Good idea about the arty, never thought about that but very wise.

Completely agree with the armoured car units. They are on their way

Lol, so true our AAR performance has been woeful. I think Mike is planning something big so it might be due to OPSEC but I have just been lazy!

Thanks

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Take a look at some of your artillery TOEs.

Try to keep the air mobile ones off the front lines, but where they can quickly be flown forward to counter an Allied thrust, or conversely use them forward at bases that might be bypassed, so you can fly them out.

Armored Car units deserve to be on Atolls.

Love this game for its fast play, and good play. But you guys have seriously fallen down on updating your AARs.[;)][:D]

[njp72]

Yep once your Japanese CVs are gone, they are gone for good.

Pilot quality is another issue for me. Even when I manage to break through his CAP hitting those damn Essex CVs with their murderous flak is a nightmare.

I think I will continue to hunt his amphib taskforces and CVEs.

ORIGINAL: Skygge

Either way I don't intend to lose my fleet for these secondary positions.

I think that is the right decision.
I find the only thing that can slow down an allied Island hopping advance is a viable Japanese Carrier Force.

If the allied can navigate at will without needing to look over their shoulder,then the Japanese defensive ring
is too easily penetrated, and many more Japanese bastions can be bypassed.

[Skygge]

Will you prefer to get the longer range but smaller bombs from the Grace in its DB role
- or go for first the 500kg then the 800kg ones on the Judies?

The longer range will give more flexibility on deployment of the KB, but will take some of the punch out of it.

I have never fought the allied yet when they have the Essex carriers together with better fighters and AAA, so I have no real idea
on what will work and what will not. My current plan is going for the heavier bombs.

I know there will be a lot of if´s and maybe´s in the equation.

[Lowpe]

You need mass. Volume. Thousands of planes and pilots. You have to overwhelm the defenders. Is it worth it?

Very hard to do.

I like NJP's approach.

Plus, it is easier to defend closer to home.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Skygge
Will you prefer to get the longer range but smaller bombs from the Grace in its DB role
- or go for first the 500kg then the 800kg ones on the Judies?

Grace is meant as a replacement for TBs, Judy should stay on CVs till endgame cause range is not important with crappy escorts.

[njp72]

Thanks Gents, some good feedback here.

I look back on my previous game which reveals just how hard it is to sink US Fleet CVs in a DBB scenario.

Last game approx. 40 CVEs were sunk and nearly all by air action. They were vulnerable to pilots with only experience in the low 50s and kamikazes also had a field day. I found only when they were covered by mass land based CAP were they hard to get at.

US Fleet CVs a completely different story. Whilst quite a few were damaged, I believe only 6 were sunk outright and none taken out by air alone. The vast majority were sunk in surface combat around the home islands and at least 2 destroyed by CD guns( a long story) !

The moral of the story here US Fleet CVs are largely invulnerable to air attack alone in a conventional sense. The only chance against them has to be a combined arms approach which involves air (land based and KB), surface forces and subs. Perhaps the easiest way of reducing their combat power if you can't hit their ships is destroying their air wings with massive sweeps and CAP.

Regardless as Lowpe correctly points out, it is all about mass and concentration of effort which is easier to achieve the closer you are to home.

Cheers

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

You need mass. Volume. Thousands of planes and pilots. You have to overwhelm the defenders. Is it worth it?

Very hard to do.

I like NJP's approach.

Plus, it is easier to defend closer to home.

[njp72]

Update Dec 43

Still very quiet but clearly something is building. Heavy sig traffic around the Northern Pacific hints at a move against the Kuriles.

In additional heavy sig traffic around Bombay finally flags a move on Ceylon. I am reasonably comfortable with a move on either of these locations after months of prep.

A heavy war of attrition continues around Dutch NG but both sides are risking only minor naval units. Applying the lessons of Rabaul, to get at my surface units Mike has to traverse numerous mine fields, subs and dive bombers set at very short ranges. I'm sinking quite a few DDs, DEs but only damaging the CLs, CAs. The key reason Mike is stuck around this location is the lack of a really good allied offensive fighter to gain air supremacy. I don't fear the P47D2 and I find it quite vulnerable to even the Tojo IIC, Frank and George as long as the CAP settings are correct.

[njp72]

The benefit of playing a good opponent like Mike is the lessons you learn. One real strength of his game is the excellent CAP settings he applies to his CV based air units and on static locations.

I have finally learnt to mimic this behaviour with my own air units and hence the P47D2 now has a rough time against a lot of my more seasoned sentais regardless of the airframe.

[njp72]

The latest scores.

I'm still relatively comfortable at this stage but I know things will change dramatically as we get in 44.

I have plenty of fuel and supplies in the Home Islands so very prepared now for a tough fight.

Airframe wise the A6M5C has arrived, the next George Apr 44 and the Frank R Jun/Jul 44.

[njp72]

And finally this is the airframe he needs or is waiting on until he really gets serious.

It arrives in numbers to really make a difference.

[JocMeister]

Only runs for 4 months though. They will run out very fast unless your opponent is careful.

[njp72]

Thanks Joc and I hope so!

I should also mention that when Mike employs the P47D2 defensively it absolutely obliterates anything I send against it, including my best Frank sendais.

We have a bit of a stand off at the moment with neither side able to sweep effectively.

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Only runs for 4 months though. They will run out very fast unless your opponent is careful.

[Lowpe]

Share those Tojo settings! Great work.[&o]

Your game is just flying along!

[njp72]

Righto apologies for the lateness of my reply.

Nothing too spectacular with the settings. Range of 0 and at the highest alt as per our HRs. Having multiple radar sets at the base seems to help as well.

In saying all that the P47D2s performance has really improved since we hit 44. On defensive cap settings Mike's P47s shred anything I throw against it and offensively he gets 2:1 which is not enough at this stage for the Allies.
I would rate the George as the best P47 killer followed by the Tojo IIC and finally the Frank A which has been disappointing. I think the performance of the airframes is also directly related to the pilot quality of the sendais so perhaps I wouldn't read too much into it.

One point for sure, the USN aircraft are all struggling in the air against the 3 previously mentioned airframes. I will post a big game update today.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Share those Tojo settings! Great work.[&o]

Your game is just flying along!

[njp72]

State of war- Feb 44

Well as expected the pressure is starting to mount. I still have a 20K points buffer but that is starting to be eroded.

My commander's intent at this stage is the following:

* No decisive engagements.
* Small local offensive actions only
* All positions are mutually supporting and developed in depth
* Combined arms approach on land

I am avoiding where I can any engagements with his warships and trying to target his amphibs. I attempt to target USN aircraft rather than the CV platforms as I know how expensive that is.

I am also using SAGs aggressively with strong CAP on his flanks to attempt to disrupt his convoys.

As a very wise person stated (Obvert or Alfred) Japan in 44/45 is not about winning it is about not losing

- CVs all intact and undergoing refits.