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

[Encircled]

Nov 1 1944?!?

Crikey, what have I missed? [:)]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

Nov 1 1944?!?

Crikey, what have I missed? [:)]

Fixed.

The mind is the first thing to go.[:D]

[Lowpe]

Early Nov, 1942

Steaming right along. The last infantry division is loading for the west coast invasion. Soon they will all be at their launching points.

Allies pull off their first good Lightning sweep against horrible settings, 20% CAP at 12K with Rufes lower. I really should have moved them earlier as there are no ships for them to watch over anymore.

[Lokasenna]

Forget about replacing that commander. It's just an army HQ, not a command HQ, and you've got plenty of corps/army HQs to go around in China that don't cost 255 PPs to replace the leader. The reason on that one is because it's RGC, I think. Use a real IJA HQ instead. Not that you can't and shouldn't still use that one for Support in a hex.

[Lowpe]

Early November, 1942

Bay of Bengal destroyer skirmish!

[Lowpe]

I don't know what the Griffin is up to. CAP trap, testing search?[&:]

[Alfred]

Establishing where your naval search is would be the obvious answer but it could also be a defensive picket to provide early warning.  As an offensive picket it could be the vanguard of an Allied force with the intention of sucking in your sorties.
 
Alfred

[Lowpe]

Allies bombard at Chittagong. It will come down to naval bombardments or an invasion behind the lines here I think.

[Lowpe]

A near run thing at Sian. I will rest and get the fatigue down. I thought I had him here...

Over at Paoshan our bombing is getting the disrupted modifier despite not causing a lot of casualties. 1-1 attack and forts now at 0, although there is fresh troops one hex away. The Allies might not move them and lose their dug in bonus.

I was hoping Sian would fall, so I can move the bombing to Chengtu and secure the central plains with the exception of Chungking.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Forget about replacing that commander. It's just an army HQ, not a command HQ, and you've got plenty of corps/army HQs to go around in China that don't cost 255 PPs to replace the leader. The reason on that one is because it's RGC, I think. Use a real IJA HQ instead. Not that you can't and shouldn't still use that one for Support in a hex.

That is what I am doing with it. The General has a decent admin rating, plus the inherent support.

[Lowpe]

All is quiet, & the enemy cancelled their recon on Mornington and Horn. By moving my planes off these bases, perhaps he thinks they are to ease the movement of planes. I have built up Mornington for one reason, and soon we will put it to the test.

The fast transport should land in 2 days with the operation commencing immediately thereafter. Planes and Pilots are resting. Supply is ample. Search is ready to go ballistic. The Iboats, a major part of this campaign (perhaps the icing on the cake) will be in position off Sydney (consistent heavy volume of radio intercepts - sometimes multiple messages per day).

Moonlight, an important aid for the Iboats, is 17% and waning. I suspect we will be under 10% when the operation starts, with the chance of Iboat interceptions happening the following almost moonless night.

However, the Iboats are extras. The true operation is showing TF Akagi, a small paratroop landing and some harvesting.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

Establishing where your naval search is would be the obvious answer but it could also be a defensive picket to provide early warning.  As an offensive picket it could be the vanguard of an Allied force with the intention of sucking in your sorties.

Alfred

Hmm, I think I have been somewhat restrained with my Betties and Nells. Losses are fairly low so far, however, there is a major operation going on the West Coast, perhaps only waiting for the weather to clear with Betties and Nells, while here in the Bay of Bengal the Betties and Nells are primarily searching with only one squadron on attack and that limited to 14 hexes with ample fighter coverage.

I will send some Iboats to the west to take a peak at what is beyond my search.

I know the Allies are itching to use those big battleships to pound Chittagong into the ground.

[Lowpe]

Forum ate my post. Argh. Hasn't happened in a while, so I got away from taking precautions.

Short form: I am hunting a baby carrier that the Allies are using to trap my City attacking bombers. 3-4 different plans in action currently. More on this later.

December planes: Lilly IIb dive bomber & Dinah III. Boosted r&d by one size 30 factory on the Ki61b....but it will move down the line once repaired.

Waiting on the final 1 point for my first Jack factory.

Tasked Emily's to search the Madras Pocket & find out what the Allies are assembling there.

[Lowpe]

Full Divisions slated for the West Coast:

1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 24th, 48th, 5th Guards, & 6th Guards

1st & 2nd Tank Divisions.

Plus assorted and sundry.

[Lowpe]

First week of November 1942

Quiet day. Bombing aborted at Paoshan because of weather. No targets at Coos Bay, but no troops there either.

Lost a rather big AD to a Dutch boat in the SRA. My fault for only having one escort. Jocke has seemingly dispersed his subs to threaten lots of areas, and as I have mentioned my efforts at ASW have been very weak. Jocke also has built up several ports that have a half dozen subs sitting at anchor. It would be nice to hit them, but his fighters and most likely heavy flak have ruled that option out for now.

For several reasons. One, I am really focusing on the West Coast Ops, and as such I am critically low on Aviation support almost everywhere. Two, PDU off has diminished the effectiveness of float planes -- well their range at least. Three, I have only 2 Army squadrons flying ASW. Four, I have been running a lot of convoys without escorts leaving those 14knot PB gas guzzlers in port.

I am slowly working on rectifying some of this, but my focus has been, and always will be the West Coast.

To support those operations, I am planning on taking a couple of outposts here, so I can fly some long legged search to the south. Tahiti is not built up, but I want to get some naval search down in that area.

[Lowpe]

China

Feel very good about China. Chinese command has tried to cut the roads, but as always it doesn't work. There might be spoilage in supplies getting forward, but the supplies are getting forward.

I need to clear the Kienko roadblock, will probably attack again tomorrow. Unfortunately it will probably be a while, since I don't think they have a place to retreat to.

Ichang has become a big hub, with Command HQ and Air HQ to prosecute the bombing and ground campaigns. Both the 1st and 2nd Tank Divisions have been removed from China and they are nearing Canton and some speedy AKs to whisk them away to Alaska.

I still haven't bombarded Chungking, just not really in a hurry here until I get more artillery. 3 Infantry divisions and the Guards Tank at Chengtu.

Latest recon shows 270,000 troops in Chungking. SL is 160,000.

[Lowpe]

I am thinking of hitting Comilla with every bomber very, very low, say 2000 feet. He has 87 AFVs there and only 7 guns.

It is just 6 hexes from Akyab, so 200 Oscar IIb could strafe too.[;)] Well within range of my big bomber bases of Mandalay and Magwe.

I think that would be very unpleasant for the Allies. I have 9DL on the troops around there, so nothing is moving into Comilla.

I searched the Madras corner with Iboats and Emily's nothing spotted. At some point the big British navy will resurface here and that will spell trouble for Chittagong.

[Yaab]

Hope the AA guns are not in multiple mounts. More barrels, but thye would still show as 7 guns...

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Hope the AA guns are not in multiple mounts. More barrels, but thye would still show as 7 guns...

I might suffer some Oscar losses, but if they go in first their strafing will quickly silence them. I think.[;)] I can strafe from Akyab and Mandalay...I might rest for a day before the attack.

I can hit him with 110 Oscars, 30 Nicks, and 300 2E bombers. Zeroes could provide sweeps and LRCAP as could Tojo IIa. I could hit with a little more, but I don't want to overstack or overload the airbases. That is quite the supply hit, but it is a shot at 100 AFVs.

Then the following day I could sweep.

Jocke is off for the weekend, and I will be travelling Satuday and Sunday, so most likely no new turn until Monday.

[Lowpe]

The Pacific NorthWest.