Islands of Destiny: RA 5.0 Japanese Side

[John 3rd]

Sure LOOKED like it! NICE!

I currently have six IJA Bomber units training up on Naval Attack. They should be ready for action in about a month...

[Lowpe]

Back to plane builds:

What are your thoughts on the Rufe and Rex? I like them, and in a pdu on mode you can fly quite a few (on your CS?).

In addition, what are your thoughts on the Fuso/Ise conversion to BB/CS hybrids? Ultimately they upgrade into AA powerhouses, and the ability to add 20 Rufe/Rex flying low CAP is a nice bonus although the speed isn't there.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

May 26, 1943

As said I have started taking my frustration out on Dan's little sailing jaunts feeling out my defenses and air search. We've bagged a nice number of little 1 VP ships (YMS/SC) but this day finds a much nicer bag. A large Daitai of Judy flying out of Ndeni find three older American DDs. The 39 DB line-up for target practice and sink all three of them. NICE! Old but still useful.

Is that a 10 hex strike with Judys? [&:]

That is the kind of strike I like to see Lilly IIb making: 9-11 hexes hitting a destroyer squadron before it rushes in to cause havoc etc.

Yeah, something on that map and CR is not quite right. The D4Y1 only goes to 7 hexes.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

May 26, 1943

As said I have started taking my frustration out on Dan's little sailing jaunts feeling out my defenses and air search. We've bagged a nice number of little 1 VP ships (YMS/SC) but this day finds a much nicer bag. A large Daitai of Judy flying out of Ndeni find three older American DDs. The 39 DB line-up for target practice and sink all three of them. NICE! Old but still useful.

Is that a 10 hex strike with Judys? [&:]

That is the kind of strike I like to see Lilly IIb making: 9-11 hexes hitting a destroyer squadron before it rushes in to cause havoc etc.

Yeah, something on that map and CR is not quite right. The D4Y1 only goes to 7 hexes.

Now, I was sort of thinking it was some kind of souped up Judy for the mod? If Judy can make a 10 hex strike, kind of takes away the joy of the Lilly IIb (except that it is of course the only Army anti-shipping platform for a while).

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Back to plane builds:

What are your thoughts on the Rufe and Rex? I like them, and in a pdu on mode you can fly quite a few (on your CS?).

In addition, what are your thoughts on the Fuso/Ise conversion to BB/CS hybrids? Ultimately they upgrade into AA powerhouses, and the ability to add 20 Rufe/Rex flying low CAP is a nice bonus although the speed isn't there.

Am currently producing 16 Rex a month. Never used it but it IS a George with Floats. Cannot be all bad. Have built small numbers of Rufe's from when they became available. What are people's thoughts on these aircraft?

I LIKE converting the old BBs. GREAT AA, Bomb, and TT magnets. Need to look but I think that conversion is allowed for all four of the old BBs. Need to look and see...

[John 3rd]

This never occurred to me. The Judy is standard from the game. We just moved the arrival time up some in line with Yamamoto's vision. Will look into that.

[John 3rd]

Just popped over into the database and took this from it:

[John 3rd]

Is there an error there? All the aircraft work was done AGES ago and hasn't been touched. Very important to know if there is an issue. I am working on updates to all foour Mods and could correct if there is a true issue here.

Headed to work. Let me know.

[DanSez]

The latest latest RA 8.0 update from NYGiants59 had this in the airplane database:

Your display is a bit different. Maybe in earlier game patch? I am using the latest beta patch.

[DanSez]

This is the latest Stock Scenario 2 version:

Does DaBabes allow the drop fuel tank? (that is the difference)

[DanSez]

I think I have an older DaBabes game save and the D4Y1 Judy matches stock in the database.
Was there a design decision to add fuel tanks from the D4Y1-C recon model to the bomber version?

/////
Ok, this game is at an interesting point.
I will be looking at the Japanese air units this weekend and will send NYGiants59 any other differences I see.
////

[John 3rd]

I went back thorugh and looked in the RA Website. Here is the official air description written by FatR in 2013:

This is FatR's Commentary on Japanese Air Development:

This scenario assumes, that with Yamamoto assuming the position of the Aeronautics
Department's head in 1936 and becoming the Naval Minister later, he intensifies Japanese
naval aviation development a bit, and attempts to optimize the utilization of limited
engineering and production resources. Chief engineers of aircraft design teams are given
slightly greater input in formulating development directions and cooperation between various
aircraft manufacturers is assumed to be somewhat improved.

In particular, the concept of dedicated land­based interceptor (the Jack) is abandoned and the
Mitsubishi fighter design team under Jiro Horikoshi remains free to concentrate all of its efforts
on modifying A6M and creating its successor A7M. Horikoshi's proposal to install the more
powerful Mitsubishi Kinsei engine on Zero is approved in 1942, instead of late 1944, and A7M
is developed to use Mitsubishi Ha­43 engine, as he desired, from the beginning. A6M3 is
developed into a whole line of Zeros that sacrifice range in favor of superior armament and
pilot protection, and eventually are officially designated as pure land­based models. IJN
maintains the policy of sticking to just one single­engine fighter airframe, until Kawasaki team
develops N1K1­J Shiden as a private initiative (this happens slighltly earlier than in RL,
because alternate projects of land­based interceptors, that tied Kawanishi resourses, do not
exist). It is adopted as a stopgap measure until availability of A7M.
As a side effect of greater effort put into development and production of Mitsubishi Kinsei (Ha­
33) and Mitsubishi Ha­43 engines, several planes that historically used these engines are
added to the mod (if they existed only as prototypes by the war's end), or accelerated.

Aircraft weapon development is streamlined, with a push for unification with IJAAF in this area
(historically, IJN and IJA did cooperate in aircraft weapon production, in this scenario their
cooperation becomes much broader). Instead of attempts to produce licensed German
machine guns, that ultimately failed to provide the fleet with sufficient numbers of them, IJN
switches to the more powerful Army 7.7 cartridge and eventually adopts 12.7 Ho­103, the first
aircraft HMG developed in Japan. This allows for improved armament on some planes, mostly
2E bombers.

This scenario also assumes mild overall boost to Japanese aircraft industry (at the cost of
reduction in starting resources). As a result, several planes that historically faced severe
problems with transition from prototypes to mass production, such as B6N, D4Y and G4M2,
become available a bit earlier. G8N1, the Japanese 4E bomber that was successfully tested but
not mass­produced in real life, becomes available in 1945.

In addition, there are many minor tweaks to various aircraft, intended to make their statblocks
and performance closer to historical. The changes that can affect gameplay most noticeably
include:
­
Early Japanese fighters (Ha­35 Zeros and Ki­43) have their high­altitude MVR reduced.
­G4M has slightly better durability, G3M slightly worse, to give G4M an edge over the older
plane it historically had.
­E16A1 Paul no longer has artificially reduced normal range.
­Ki­44 uses Nakakima Ha­34 engine, instead of Ha­35, for historical accuracy.
­Late Ki­61 versions are slightly improved. Ki­100s are significantly improved. In RL they were
supposed to be good, particularly Ki­100, but in AE they are very underwhelming.
­Ki­67­Ib does not lose the ability to carry torpedoes.
­Old Russian fighters no longer have unparalleled MVR. Their clear superiority to Nate has to
go.

Following aircraft were added to this scenario (all but new Zeros and G3M4­Q existed in RL as
prototypes or even production models):
­A6M3b Zero. Replaces A6M3a and emphasized armor and weapons instead of range.
­A6M4, A6M4­J, A6M8­J. Successors to A6M3b that follow the same design philosopshy but
use Mitshubishi Ha­33 engine and serve as IJN Ground­Based Interceptors.
­A7M3. The historical successor to A7M2. Carrier­capable and features 6x20mm armament.
A7M2 factory upgrades to it, instead of A7M3­J.
­B7A3. The historical armored successor to B7M2. Uses Mitsubishi Ha­43 engine.
­D4Y5. Mitshubishi Ha­43, armor. D4Y3 upgrades to it. (D4Y4 was a kamikaze plane in RL.)
­G3M4­Q. ASW patrol version of Nell.
­G8N1. Fast, tough, long­ranged 4E bomber.
­J6M1. IJN version of Ki­83.
­N1K4­A. Carrier­capable Shiden.
­N1K5­J. High­altitude interceptor Shiden. Uses Mitsubishi Ha­43 engine.
­Yasukuni. IJN version of Ki­67. "Yasukuni" might actually be the name of the naval unit, that
employed these bombers in RL, but I can't find any other designation for them.

SPECIAL THANKS to the Air Design Team of RA: FatR, BKlooste, NYGiants59, and
JWE/Symon. Air Artwork Thanks go to Red Lancer.

Another important note is that these changes are split about 90% for the IJN and 10% for the
IJA. The Army's OOB doesn't hardly change whatsoever.

Other Air Notes:
All forward IJN air units start with modern aircraft and are at full strength
A Training and Cadre Program is instituted in 1940 by Yamamoto which causes nearly all
IJNAF units to see a net reduction of 10­15 points in experience on December 7th. The benefit
to this change is later IJN pilots start with higher experience in 1942 and 1943.
The air complement to the ground units of the 9th Air Fleet also starts at cadre strength with
minimal experience and older aircraft (Claudes, Nells, Mavis) in Kyushu on Dec 7th. When fully
trained and filled out this powerful unit provides 3 Daitai of Fighters, 2 Daitai of Level
Bombers, 1 Daitai of Dive­Bombers, 1 Daitai of Torpedo Bombers, 3 Chutai of Short­Range Air
Search and 3 Chutai of Long­Range Air Search.

The need for improved Carrier Air Search is recognized at the start of the war and a later sees
the addition of five Chutai­-Sized Judy units.

Several Air Units start in different locations for the beginning of the war.

[John 3rd]

The stupid Forum Page re-ordered everything above and so I went through as best I could to fix the paragraphs...

[John 3rd]

May 29,1943
The Aleutians

A whole host of shipping suddenly appears up north near the Aleutians. Looks like we've got a show going on in the WHITE NORTH. This move by Dan is sort of a head scratcher to me.

I was convinced back in the summer of 42 that Dan would come up here and repeat his earlier moves from our epic WITP Game from years ago. The bases here were reinforced, engineers began digging, midget subs, and mines were sown/sent. Nothing happened. Those forces have remained ever since then. The western Aleutians are small fortresses presently. Am a little short on supply but nothing too bad.

Don't--currently--have a lot of airpower up here but that will change within two days. Right now I have just a Daitai of Betty, Daitai of Vals, and two Daitai of Zeros. Lots of recon/air search in place.

Put orders to the following air movement: 100 M4 Zeros, 125 Betty/Nell, and about 100 other aircraft.

Why here?

Makes sense that it is at the opposite end of the map from Sumatra but that is about it. Don't get this move. Dan usually goes for the economic throat. Doesn't--for the moment--appear to be.

What he doesn't know is that Kido Butai is already positioned to strike his southern flank. KB just passed Marcus and is NOW heading NE.

If Dan doesn't move decisively with this Invasion Force (say 2-3 days) then I will crush it at sea.

Tune in kiddos. This is about to get bloody...

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Makes sense that it is at the opposite end of the map from Sumatra but that is about it.

Allies love doing this. Sometimes you feel like a ping pong ball.[;)]

It is interesting to see a scattered Allied fleet. When the Allies have done this to me, it was concentrated in one hex and my search planes died in droves.

Did you lose any search planes?

[pws1225]

This should be fun to watch! Go get him!

[John 3rd]

Don't see any CVs yet but that doesn't mean much. Their lack of appearance COULD portend very bad things elsewhere but here is a legitimate target that--I am nearly certain--he has no idea how CLOSE MY CVs are...

[John 3rd]

From Conan: "What is BEST in Life?"

[Lowpe]

John,

Can you give us a picture or two on how you have your carriers organized and the settings you plan to use?

Many thanks.

[John 3rd]

I just wrote Dan the following note with the next turn:

"ANZAC troops are invading the Aleutians." The total absurdity of this statement is MARVELOUS. I LOVE IT! Well done.

Ready to have some FUN?

The ANZAC Army is coming to a party in the Aleutians. Landings at at Atka and Ulak plus this landing at Adak. Adak was bombarded by BB Massachusetts, South Dakota, and Washington. Americans CVs are present. A strike that included 60+ Hellkittens sank an AKE.

As said earlier, the western Aleutians are built up and ready. I am flying in 54 Tina and 50+ Topsy to transport troops back and forth along the chain of bases. If you notice the state of the troops that landed at Adak, you can probably guess that they are not well prepped. Should provide for a day or two of time...