Groundhog Day! - No NJP

[Lowpe]

With all these clashes, who has come out on top? Or is it a draw?

Are your Chinese landings in jeopardy?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

With all these clashes, who has come out on top? Or is it a draw?

Are your Chinese landings in jeopardy?

In the first go round I lost a battleship and a battle cruiser along with a heavy cruiser. NJP lost at least the Yamato and another battleship, maybe more.

In this go round I didnt lose much in the way of combat ships, I think a CL might have gone down and NJP lost 3 heavy and 1-2 light cruisers.

The APA/AKA TF that got pummled was empty. I have over 3000AV on the ground at Swatow and it is badly overstacked. Plan to move the majority of the stack east and take the cities along the coast. 2 australian divisions plus an armored unit will head north to see what NJP has in the area.

Swatow is lvl 6 airfield and growing relatively quickly. It should be level 7 within 4 days. I am bombarding the port of Hong Kong and doing city attacks to reduce the LI in the city. Have it down below 100 now. I need to kill as much supply in china as possible to stop NJP against Russia.

My first mass Superfortress attack goes in today against Korea. They are currently based at Aparri.

[Mike McCreery]

Eastern Japan September 1944

After the last major battleship and cruiser clash the Japanese navy has retired in the direction of the home islands without further resistance.

Irimote, Ishigaki and Miyako-Jima have fallen to the Allies within the last week. The center island was the only one occupied by a fortress unit. In 4 days of solid bombings the unit was eradicated completely.

I will reinforce these islands and begin probing in the direction of Okinawa.

The air defense set up for NJP along the east coast of China is not good. There is a level 4 airfield at Shanghai and a level 3 airfield at the Heavy Urban city to the northwest. Otherwise, all of the bases are level 1 airfields.

HongKong has about 18 light industry left and Canton still has it's original 41. Will be bombarding Canton this turn due to 87 fighters reported above the base.

A fragment of the 3rd marine division is trapped near fuchow. I plan on carpet bombing that city this turn and hopefully if there is a small unit in Fuchow then land an air assault unit to create an opening in the hex side to the southwest.

[Mike McCreery]

Eastern China on September 15, 1944

This is an ugly ugly turn for the Japanese. I have received the combat report. I had a large STF composed completely of APA's, AKA's and similar ships land 2 divisions plus 2 armor units plus 2 base forces and an amphibous HQ unit at Shaohing last turn. It was a surprise move for NJP.

This turn I was hoping the TF would unload the last 1/3 of cargo and actually move away from the base. Well, that didnt happen. I have all of my fleet carriers covering the invasion.

NJP moved all of his fleet carriers plus lots of surface forces directly toward Shaohing and ended up 3-4 hexes away which was in range of my carriers.

My carriers reacted and launched strikes but for some reason he never launched any from his carriers. The following is not pretty if you are a JFB.

[Mike McCreery]

NJP has heavy cap up but way too many bombers and torpedo planes get through for his own good.

[Mike McCreery]

Here is the 2nd major strike and a minor strike.

[Crackaces]

I would assume that the TB's and DB's will be ops losses since they did not launch?
The IJN must have set some small range for naval attack>
Without the KB to meddle in affairs things should progress more quickly .. I assume to put pressure on the forces in Manchiria ?

[Sangeli]

RIP Japanese navy. Any chance you can get the survivors before they fleet? I'm really curious why they didn't fly. I don't think I have ever seen it when the Japanese could not launch a return carrier strike except when the planes didn't have the correct orders. Did he intentionally keep his bombers from flying naval attack? That seems strange.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Sangeli

RIP Japanese navy. Any chance you can get the survivors before they fleet? I'm really curious why they didn't fly. I don't think I have ever seen it when the Japanese could not launch a return carrier strike except when the planes didn't have the correct orders. Did he intentionally keep his bombers from flying naval attack? That seems strange.

He tells me he didnt want to fly because his aircraft would have been shredded by my CAP. I am out of position with the entire remaining Japanese navy rushing to intercept me. Next turn is going to be very interesting.

[Mike McCreery]

Air losses are brutal in the turn. Since NJP didnt fly the bulk of the losses were to the American dive bombers and torpedo planes.

[BBfanboy]

Considering the number of carriers you likely sank, the IJN air losses are pretty low. Maybe he was sending out empty carriers like the Japanese did at Cape Engaño? The hordes of surface ships streaming after your CVs look like a planned trap.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Considering the number of carriers you likely sank, the IJN air losses are pretty low. Maybe he was sending out empty carriers like the Japanese did at Cape Engaño? The hordes of surface ships streaming after your CVs look like a planned trap.

Also, as you can see I was really low on killing zero's. He had 300 on CAP so I am wondering if many were transferred to LBA.

[Mike McCreery]

I have forces at Shanghai that will move out this turn. When are mines airdropped?

If I move my forces out in the night phase will I then drop the minefield or am I going to drop it in front of my retreating ships?

[BBfanboy]

Lowest number TF moves first?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Lowest number TF moves first?

We both sorta pulled back. 7 of those TF's were small groups like E's. I killed 3 of those groups. We each lost another light cruiser.

Score a few points for the bad guys. I think this turn might be the break even on points.

[Mike McCreery]

Today is the first time I am ahead in points.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

I have forces at Shanghai that will move out this turn. When are mines airdropped?

If I move my forces out in the night phase will I then drop the minefield or am I going to drop it in front of my retreating ships?

I think you have 1 phase of movement prior to the mines being dropped.

[Mike McCreery]

Eastern China September 18, 1944

[Mike McCreery]

There are just over 1700 AV moving into Hong Kong to face off against 22,000 troops 184 guns and 56 AFV's. I need to take this city so I can repair all my damaged battleships.

Speaking of Battleship Repair. There are 5 large ARD's in the game at the moment. I have 1 at Cotobato repairing a battleship. Timeframe is about 70 days. Another is in Manila repairing another battleship. The third is moving from Cotobato to Manila. The other 2 are in transit, one near San Francisco and one near Tabituea. They will go to darwin and from there north to Manila.

Once Hong Kong is taken I can get engine repairs done there and gain another repair base for the large battleships.

I dumped 2 marine divisions, 2 tank units, 2 base forces and an HQ unit into Shaohing. My hope was to smash aside the opposition there and quickly move into Hangchow to block the rail line. The first part went well although disruption is about 50% on my troops. I took the city on the 2nd day of the invasion pushing aside a small garrison unit.

However, NJP immediately had units moving into my hex and a day after I took it he assaulted me with 3 full strength divisions and 2 tank units. Fortunately he rolled badly and although he knocked my forts down he had 3* the number of units destroyed and/or disabled.

[Mike McCreery]

The plan for tomorrow is another division starts unloading at Shaohing while an amphibious invasion with another unprepped divison goes in next door at Ningpo.

If I can hold the line here it will allow me to easily shut down the port at Shanghai and provide a spring board to the north so I can harass the Manchurian troops from the east if possible. And also if possible get supply to the Soviets although this seems a far away idea at the moment.

Singapore is almost completely isolated. Sumatra is being cleared from the north downwards with the fighting west of Tandj... with the Japanese units being out of supply.


Java has been isolated but remains untouched.