Lambs to the slaughter (Lowpe (J) vs Jocke; BillBrown (A)) Finished

[Alfred]

Interested in the strategic VPs gained directly from bombing the 3 industry locations and the actual loss rates resulting from those attacks.  You have several other similar targets along the Queensland coast so it can be a profitable raid commencing your retreat now back towards friendly LBA.  Plus you can transit the Torres Strait to hit the Darwin and Kimberley "industry".  Those northern centres also provide an opportunity for a small maskirovka where you give the impression that you intend to launch a northern Australia invasion.  If the maskirovka is successful it will encourage retention of those American fighters in Australia which is far from where your real schwerpunckt will hit.
 
Alfred

[Lowpe]

Some more Indian movements...the Allies have moved their 16 unit stack further north threatening me. I bombed them and destroyed many tanks while they were split up, but they combined this turn.

I seem to have total air superiority here since butchering his Blenheims and having some small scale sweeping success. His only airbase of note is Calcutta, but Jocke likes to fly in and use maximum strength at a single target so I have to stay on my toes.

I am shipping two more divisions here, and they are somewhere near Singers now. I have to be really on my toes and watch what the British Fleet does and also I will be needing to evacuate the troops back for the West Coast attack. Dangerous Games.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I have never messed much with automatic replacements for air groups before, but Olorin had it setup that way, and I haven't changed anything.

However, I get odd fragments showing up at major airbases all the time. Here a Nell squadron in the far west took replacements at Tokyo. A lot of the replacements form up at Singers too.

Is this works as design or something screwy I did?

WAD.

You should move to manual airframe replacements.

Alfred

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Some more Indian movements...the Allies have moved their 16 unit stack further north threatening me. I bombed them and destroyed many tanks while they were split up, but they combined this turn.

I seem to have total air superiority here since butchering his Blenheims and having some small scale sweeping success. His only airbase of note is Calcutta, but Jocke likes to fly in and use maximum strength at a single target so I have to stay on my toes.

I am shipping two more divisions here, and they are somewhere near Singers now. I have to be really on my toes and watch what the British Fleet does and also I will be needing to evacuate the troops back for the West Coast attack. Dangerous Games.

I thought your main objective in this theatre was to destroy the Allied refugees at Ledo. If you are going to have to withdraw LCUs from this theatre, then you don't have much time to destroy the refugees.

Alfred

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

Interested in the strategic VPs gained directly from bombing the 3 industry locations and the actual loss rates resulting from those attacks.  You have several other similar targets along the Queensland coast so it can be a profitable raid commencing your retreat now back towards friendly LBA.  Plus you can transit the Torres Strait to hit the Darwin and Kimberley "industry".  Those northern centres also provide an opportunity for a small maskirovka where you give the impression that you intend to launch a northern Australia invasion.  If the maskirovka is successful it will encourage retention of those American fighters in Australia which is far from where your real schwerpunckt will hit.

Alfred

I picked up about 70 strategic victory points, but I can't tell from where. The bombing seemed less effective than normal as two of three bases I relied upon float plane recon and had 4/6 DL on one base and almost nothing on the other two.

I have troops preparing for Noumea Island Area, Lord Howe and Norfolk but nothing for Oz. Noumea will have to scare the Allies given its high VP.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

I thought your main objective in this theatre was to destroy the Allied refugees at Ledo. If you are going to have to withdraw LCUs from this theatre, then you don't have much time to destroy the refugees.

Alfred

Correct, the final division for that attack is one hex north of Imphal right now at 86% prep. The Ledo troops and airfields are being bombed daily. I didn't want to rush the attack because he does have 23,000 troops there.

But the secondary goal is misdirection. I would like Jocke to send a lot here from North America.

[Lokasenna]

Not bad on the VPs, and it never hurts to have "insurance" by beating up his fighter pools if you don't get AV.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I have never messed much with automatic replacements for air groups before, but Olorin had it setup that way, and I haven't changed anything.

However, I get odd fragments showing up at major airbases all the time. Here a Nell squadron in the far west took replacements at Tokyo. A lot of the replacements form up at Singers too.

Is this works as design or something screwy I did?

This is a design feature.


Can you paratroop drop behind his lines in China? Or are those bases all defended now?

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Alfred

Interested in the strategic VPs gained directly from bombing the 3 industry locations and the actual loss rates resulting from those attacks.  You have several other similar targets along the Queensland coast so it can be a profitable raid commencing your retreat now back towards friendly LBA.  Plus you can transit the Torres Strait to hit the Darwin and Kimberley "industry".  Those northern centres also provide an opportunity for a small maskirovka where you give the impression that you intend to launch a northern Australia invasion.  If the maskirovka is successful it will encourage retention of those American fighters in Australia which is far from where your real schwerpunckt will hit.

Alfred

I picked up about 70 strategic victory points, but I can't tell from where. The bombing seemed less effective than normal as two of three bases I relied upon float plane recon and had 4/6 DL on one base and almost nothing on the other two.

I have troops preparing for Noumea Island Area, Lord Howe and Norfolk but nothing for Oz. Noumea will have to scare the Allies given its high VP.

That is a pretty good return. I don't have the game open before me but from memory those three locations have only small sized resource facilities (and perhaps LI too). Gaining 70 points means you damaged 35 centres which should be more than a third of the total centres in the 3 locations. Which is not bad for a single attack.

Alfred

[witpqs]

Are you sure that Darwin and nearby bases yield strategic points when industry is damaged or destroyed there? I recall the Empire getting no strategic VP when actually capturing Darwin, which should be the biggest haul of all.

[Alfred]

Ground conquest does not yield strategic VPs.
 
Alfred

[Lowpe]

I cannot para land in China, the opportunity was there for a few days when I first took over but has gone.

I did get some points from strategic bombing the West Coast too.

[Lowpe]

Last turn and a few stupid oversights cost me an XAP to a sub along with 1 lc vp worth of engineers and 20 Betties which flew by mistake. Ouch.

According to my mouseovers damage at the Oz towns I bombed shows no damage, but I did get almost 70 strategic victory points. Go figure?

I will be upgrading all four A6M3a factories to the A6M5 today. This will cause both planes to arrive in early August of 1942. Both planes will go into manufacture with the larger plant making the A6M3a.[&:] My thinking was the A6M3a gives the best range/performance for the Carrier groups, while I plan on using the A6M5 as a land based interceptor/sweeper. I believe others have gone thru this exercise (Spidery?) and if my memory is correct they weren't really please with it...so I might simply put the smaller factory into the A6M3a and focus on the A6M5 until the b version comes out. I have two factories gearing up making the A6M3 now, a fairly large one and a small one.

I believe the A6M3 is another model which I can simply stop making as all squadrons will upgrade out of it.

I will also start research on the Myojo, the paper divebomber/kamikaze. This plane has only two squadrons that will fly it, but it is such a flavorful plane I have to make them.[:)]

Judy research started three days ago, insuring my KB will have the plane for all the west coast operations.

[PaxMondo]

I generally build the A6M3a the entire game. Range/performance for the IJN ... you just have to have that +12 hex strike range sometimes.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

I generally build the A6M3a the entire game. Range/performance for the IJN ... you just have to have that +12 hex strike range sometimes.

Hm., generally I prefer to use the Oscar for the long range escort past 10 hexes & the Frank B if I can get her. Navy fighters generally pack way more cannons, and are much better bomber killers than Army planes so as time goes by I prefer shifting the escort emphasis to Army and the bomber defense to navy.

But distance is very beneficial for lots of flexibility. I will ponder some more...

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

I generally build the A6M3a the entire game. Range/performance for the IJN ... you just have to have that +12 hex strike range sometimes.

I was, but got burned on it a few times even with acceptable pilots, so stopped.

[Lowpe]

A few things...I trade 40 Zeroes for 40 Allied ftrs over Brisbane -- 10 of my losses are Ops losses. He has a dozen or so subs after me...

However, I now have recon on Noumea and have decided to take it now. The last operation before the West Coast. Unless the recon shows up a much stronger force on Noumea...but I don't think it is there. This is a straight out and out VP grab to be held thru 42 (if I can) but no longer.

I have sigint providing major electronic messages at Karachi and at sea to Karachi. More on this next post...

[Lowpe]

Jocke is attacking here. He has 14 units, at least 3 divisions plus armored units, against 2 IJA divisions and a regiment or two and about ten artillery units including some big guys behind level 1 forts (not much).

I have another two divisions plus tanks moving west to cut off his line of retreat...if I can hold in the city. Jocke has only one exit from the city.

I have morale, experience on my side, and 2000 guns. Plus probably control of the air. While Jocke has lots of AFVs and more men.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

I generally build the A6M3a the entire game. Range/performance for the IJN ... you just have to have that +12 hex strike range sometimes.

I was, but got burned on it a few times even with acceptable pilots, so stopped.

Ok, I think I am willing to sacrifice a little escort range for better fighter performance.

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I have morale, experience on my side, and 2000 guns. Plus probably control of the air. While Jocke has lots of AFVs and more men.

I have a feeling you won't hold unless you can heavily disrupt the Allied units with air attacks. Then again, I've been conditioned to think the worst. [:D]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

I have a feeling you won't hold unless you can heavily disrupt the Allied units with air attacks. Then again, I've been conditioned to think the worst. [:D]

You may very well be right...it will depend upon how good my fighters do and the artillery. I should have a Tank Regiment show up in reserve, defense mode. Will be interesting!

I ended up not bombing his troops, which have hefty AA present, but rather swept and LRCAPed it heavily and bombed the adjacent troops.

I decided not to bombard with my artillery, which in hindsight might have been a mistake as my bombardment would have acted as a spoiling attack perhaps.