What is this you say? I thought only AKV's (and CV types of course) could transfer aircraft without crating them. I know AV's can move floatplanes but I thought anything else would get crated into the cargo holds and take the normal 2-4 days of repair time on unloading, same as an AK.
Oops, I meant AKV's. As it turns out, I don't have any AKV's [:D].
I'm going to have to use an air bridge to get the transports down to Port Kembla. I could have sworn Japan started with a few.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
Sweeps and bombing of Singapore's airbase and port continues against little opposition. Bombers till focus on BC Repulse unfortunately. Some Allied xAKL transports slip through the Malacca Straits, but Nell's do sink three over two days despite constantly targeting HDML's. The AI targeting baffles me at the best of times. [8|]
There are few Commonwealth units left in Malaya that are not already in Singapore. In an effort to speed up the advance Japanese paratroops seize Malacca against a weak Allied garrison on Dec. 24th, which opens up a continuous rail link to Kota Bharu. Combat elements of IJA 5th, 18th, 55th and Imperial Guards Divisions have all been waiting in strategic move to exploit Malacca's capture and everything rails to the base on the 25th. I believe a portion of Commonwealth forces originally in Malaya have been evacuated and I anticipate a weaker defence of Singapore. In light of this, I've decided not to reinforce Malaya with IJA 38th Division at this time.
China:
Japanese armoured units capture an undefended Nanyang on the 24th.
I'm playing China differently than my usual method. I plan on holding the line in the north to defend against a Chinese offensive, while the focus of the Japanese advance will be along the Kukong-Tuyun rail line. I've already put into motion a flanking of Changsha by elements of IJA 11th Army. Seizing control of key hex sides at Changsha will allow Japanese troops to move through Changsha, while preventing any offensive move out of the base by Chinese forces. Japanese forces will then move on Pingsiang and Hengyang. The tactics will focus on reducing the Chinese supply generating capacity and creating isolated pockets of troops to be dealt with later. I will let attrition from lack of supply cause the slow disintegration of Chinese forces while my combat LCU's concentrate on reaching Kweiyang as quickly as possible. I learned from my previous game with SL that it's the 20-25k hexes that slow the Japanese advance to a crawl. Reaching Kunming as quickly as possible before an adequate defence can be established in the 3x terrain is key. Simply pushing the Chinese back in a broad front allows them to fall back to Kunming in strength providing endless reserves to hold those 20-25k hexes. I'm not going to let that happen if I can help it.
South Pacific:
KB is spotted northwest of Koumac on the 25th. Shoot, I knew I risked discovery, but hoped I could remain undetected another day or two. It can't be helped and Japanese TF's press on. I'll try to make it appear as if I'm going for New Caledonia before swinging west to move on Sydney. Depending on TF movement rates and refueling I estimate I can be off the coast of Sydney with my entire invasion force in 10 days.
The DEI:
IJA 146th Rgt. will cross the river and shock attack Balikpapan on the 26th. Balikpapan has been reinforced and I worry the 146th won't be enough to get the job done. I have reinforcements on the way just in case. I need a source of fuel to supply the ships operating around Australia so I can't take too long here.
The Ambon amphibious TF landed at the base on the 25th. IJA 65th Bde. will attack tomorrow. The Allies have reinforced Ambon, but I don't think it will be enough to delay the capture of the base by more than a few days.
When Ambon falls the IJA 65th Bde. will move against Timor. The Kendari amphibious TF is loading at Manado and will sail in a few days.
I think the best use of IJA 38th Division will be to send it against Java. Taking Soerabaja quickly will speed up the conquest of the DEI by providing a key forward port for the IJN.
Thoughts:
I'm happy with the current situation despite not doing a great job isolating the DEI quickly. I'm sure most of the valuable Allied shipping escaped as well as a number of unrestricted LCU's. In retrospect, I played the DEI pretty sloppy, but I'm in a good position now to make up for lost time. Now to get support units up to consolidate my positions and make preparations to seal the deal in the DEI.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
I'm a little concerned about the Philippines. I'm desperately short of fighter aircraft for the entire Pacific and that has prevented air operations against Luzon. I just don't have enough Zero and Oscar fighters to go around yet. The lack of air operations against Luzon means Allied forts will be formidable and I need to bottle up the Allies soon. Perhaps I should commit IJA 38th Division to Luzon and push the Allied forces back and get them isolated from a supply source. With adequate forces deployed in other theatres, I probably should begin to shore up my position in the Philippines at least to the point where I can conduct effective air operations.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
Japanese attacks at Ambon and Balikpapan reduce forts to zero and achieve 2:1 odds in both attacks, but neither base falls. The 65th Bde. at Ambon is in good shape, but will rest a day to bring down disruption before attacking again. The 146th Rgt. at Balikpapan is in rougher shape with it's combat capability reduced by half. The unit will rest and await reinforcement before attacking again, unless it recovers faster than I anticipate.
Jolo is captured and the Japanese amphibious forces withdrew just prior to a small Allied DD TF arriving at the base. Nell's based at Manado attacked the enemy destroyers, but I'd forgotten to switch them back to torpedoes after they'd attacked Ambon's airbase the day before. No hits were recorded. I'm going to have to focus on consolidating my position in the DEI, I'm a little too loose with my dispositions at the moment.
Australia:
KB is spotted again northwest of New Caledonia as it provides cover for the Australian invasion TF's. I think one of the amphibious TF's was spotted today, so I'll spend one more day sailing in the direction of New Caledonia, then swing southwest and head for Sydney. There isn't much choice otherwise. Moving 6 hexes a day I can invade in five days.
I'll start providing screenshots daily of my positions and start to document the entire operation as it unfolds.
Thoughts:
It's business as usual as Japanese forces move forward in China and Malaya. I think I'm going to send IJA 38th Division to Palembang instead of Luzon. It's time I secured my fuel/oil.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon
It's business as usual as Japanese forces move forward in China and Malaya. I think I'm going to send IJA 38th Division to Palembang instead of Luzon. It's time I secured my fuel/oil.
I'll have a couple of turns to update later and they'll highlight my poor adjustment to playing the DBB mod.
I am definitely getting a better understanding of the impact reduced aviation and naval support is having on the way I've chosen to play Japan. Had I chosen my more traditional and methodical approach to Japanese expansion I'd be fine, but setting myself an a-historical goal of conquering Australia has thrown my war effort off kilter.
I've gotten a handle on my initial problems with reduced aviation support, now I'm facing similar angst with the reduced naval support available. I'm having extreme difficulty rearming my BB's and CA's at ports that traditionally could be rearmed when supplemented with sufficient naval support squads under stock. What used to take two Fleet HQ's now takes four and the delay getting additional naval support squads in place is limiting the effectiveness of my navy. I'm glad I have the time to make adjustments to play better, but December goes down as the most chaotic and disorganized month I've ever experienced.
The importance of the larger bases that can handle all the logistic requirements is becoming clear and I see now how the intent to slow the pace of operations manifests itself in DBB. Figuring this out now is a big deal for me.
In hindsight, a more conservative approach is probably the wiser course of action. However, I'm not going to abort on my Australian campaign and I will press forward despite wondering if I'm setting myself up for a disaster of epic proportions. [:D]
I will just have to sort things out on the fly and play fast and loose until I bring order to the chaos. I think the next few months is going to be a wild ride.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
I'll have a couple of turns to update later and they'll highlight my poor adjustment to playing the DBB mod.
I am definitely getting a better understanding of the impact reduced aviation and naval support is having on the way I've chosen to play Japan. Had I chosen my more traditional and methodical approach to Japanese expansion I'd be fine, but setting myself an a-historical goal of conquering Australia has thrown my war effort off kilter.
I've gotten a handle on my initial problems with reduced aviation support, now I'm facing similar angst with the reduced naval support available. I'm having extreme difficulty rearming my BB's and CA's at ports that traditionally could be rearmed when supplemented with sufficient naval support squads under stock. What used to take two Fleet HQ's now takes four and the delay getting additional naval support squads in place is limiting the effectiveness of my navy. I'm glad I have the time to make adjustments to play better, but December goes down as the most chaotic and disorganized month I've ever experienced.
The importance of the larger bases that can handle all the logistic requirements is becoming clear and I see now how the intent to slow the pace of operations manifests itself in DBB. Figuring this out now is a big deal for me.
In hindsight, a more conservative approach is probably the wiser course of action. However, I'm not going to abort on my Australian campaign and I will press forward despite wondering if I'm setting myself up for a disaster of epic proportions. [:D]
I will just have to sort things out on the fly and play fast and loose until I bring order to the chaos. I think the next few months is going to be a wild ride.
Squeeze-
It is going to be interesting for sure.
I am also reading your opponents AAR too so I can't say much her or there other than this will be fun to follow.
Best Regards,
-Terry
"No one throws me my own guns and tells me to run. No one."
Ha! I should call the whole thing off anyway. I can't even get enough naval support together to reload BB's at Truk and I can barely get CA's rearmed. So while my navy sails around trying to rearm Allied shipping goes merrily on its way.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
Nah, you'll be fine. Once Truk's port size goes up, you get some Nav Support there, and most importantly, get some AKE's in the right places, you'll be fine. The large capacity AKE's can actually reload the vast majority of the navy. There are 3 or 4 that start as AG's and they have even higher capacity than the convertible xAKs. I can look them up if you need to know them, but they don't convert until April at the earliest. Day 1 I converted like twenty xAKs to AKE - they are a huge help in the Pacific.
Upper portion used with permission of www.subart.net, copyright John Meeks
Nah, you'll be fine. Once Truk's port size goes up, you get some Nav Support there, and most importantly, get some AKE's in the right places, you'll be fine. The large capacity AKE's can actually reload the vast majority of the navy. There are 3 or 4 that start as AG's and they have even higher capacity than the convertible xAKs. I can look them up if you need to know them, but they don't convert until April at the earliest. Day 1 I converted like twenty xAKs to AKE - they are a huge help in the Pacific.
I started a number of Lima to AKE conversions, but they have not been completed yet.
I'm going to get whacked at Balikpapan and Ambon next turn as I had to withdraw my naval forces to rearm and right on time Allied SCTF's appear on the scene. They were within Betty range, but the weather this game has been the worst I've encountered. My LBA won't fly at the best of times, and if they do they target low value shipping. There are other ships that could have been in position to interdict any Allied interference, but they were delayed waiting for the bare minimum of support to reach Babeldoab. It's my own fault for not doing my homework, but the reduction in naval support is the biggest worry I now have moving forward. AKE, AG and every other type of support ship now takes on greater importance.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
I have not played the evil side a great deal but the lack of fwd bases for rearming is a huge issue for the IJN early on. If you convert early you can get some AKEs into the front lines in late Feb'42.
The 146th was heavily disrupted and fatigued after the first assault and combat strength was less than 50%. There's no way I could have launched a follow up assault. So with no Japanese combat ships near having had to withdraw to rearm, the Allies sent a strong naval bombardment force that was spotted on the 28th, but not attacked by Nell's at Manado. The enemy struck today and it was a resounding success. I'll have to reinforce before I can take Balikpapan, but I knew I was hooped after the first assault. I should have attacked on the 27th anyway in light of what has transpired. AAR follows:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Naval bombardment of Balikpapan at 64,97
Allied Ships
CA Exeter
CA Houston
CL Glasgow
CL Durban
CL Dragon
CL Danae
CL Enterprise
CL Tromp
Japanese ground losses:
541 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 37 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 35 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
CA Exeter firing at 146th Infantry Regiment
CA Houston firing at 146th Infantry Regiment
CL Glasgow firing at 146th Infantry Regiment
CL Durban firing at 146th Infantry Regiment
CL Dragon firing at 146th Infantry Regiment
CL Danae firing at 146th Infantry Regiment
CL Enterprise firing at 146th Infantry Regiment
As usual Japanese naval air is unable to make an impact. Last turn the Nell's based at Manado didn't fly despite the Allied TF's being 11 hexes away. Today, the Nell's flew but couldn't hit anything in two air attacks. AAR's follow:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Balikpapan at 64,97
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 56 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 22 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 21
G3M2 Nell x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 5 damaged
G3M2 Nell: 1 destroyed by flak
Allied Ships
CA Houston
CA Exeter
CL Dragon
Aircraft Attacking:
11 x G3M2 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Balikpapan at 64,97
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 78 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
G3M2 Nell x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 5 damaged
Allied Ships
CL Glasgow
Aircraft Attacking:
9 x G3M2 Nell launching torpedoes at 200 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 45cm Type 91 Torp
So far, despite getting final combat odds that would capture a base 99.9% of the time, both Ambon and Balikpapan are still in Allied hands. The threat from Japanese naval LBA so far has developed into a joke.
Australia:
The invasion forces are three days out from their objectives but I'm not confident of success. I have only two BB's available for bombardments since every other BB I have is sailing to Japan to try and rearm and effectively out of the fight for some time. I'll be lucky if I can even rearm CA's at Rabaul. I should pull the plug on this operation, but I won't out of stubbornness.
Thoughts:
It's my own fault for playing a mod without extensively play testing it out against the AI to learn just how much I'd have to change my play style and deal with the severe limitations during the expansion phase. I needed to play this game completely differently. Others seem to be incredibly successful playing Japan in DBB, so I put it down to my own poor play.
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
Here's a screen showing Australian amphibious TF locations. I'm running out of fuel and have limited naval combat assets available with no way to refuel or rearm. What could go wrong?
Attachments
Australia122941.jpg (258.19 KiB) Viewed 294 times
Luck is the residue of design - John Milton
Don't mistake lack of talent for genius - Peter Steele (Type O Negative)
I think you are still getting there early enough, that you have a reasonable chance of success. I was disappointed when my Ceylon attack with 5+ divisions didn't take the place quickly, but things still worked out fine, just took longer than I thought. The Allies are just not that strong in the air at the beginning of the game. As bad you you think your Nells are doing, Allied LBA is worse.
I had many early war enemy LBA attacks that I didn't even bother to provide CAP because the Blens, Hudsons and B-17's can't seem to hit much of anything. I'd have an occasional xAK get smacked, but you won't need those in the future anyway.
Upper portion used with permission of www.subart.net, copyright John Meeks
