An Aussie Affair: Re-Match!

[Raverdave]

Originally posted by SoulBlazer
I'm facing the same question in my game with Drex -- at what point does the Combined Fleet and my 1000+ planes come out to play? When a critical base like PM or Lunga is targeted?

Yes, when he does threaten to take on of the two that you have mentioned, but by doing so you are reacting to him....ergo...you have lost the advantage and as the IJN player, as I am sure Luskan will agree.....this is one of the most critical things.

[Luskan]

Originally posted by Raverdave
Yes, when he does threaten to take on of the two that you have mentioned, but by doing so you are reacting to him....ergo...you have lost the advantage and as the IJN player, as I am sure Luskan will agree.....this is one of the most critical things.

Too true. As the IJN player, you have to keep the initiative - and NEVER do the predictable thing. Appearing imbetween enemy CVs and an invasion force is too predictable.

[Luskan]

Ok - well, sort of. Raver and I have had a few turns of thunderstorms. I used these storms to get Lunga back into one piece. And now, suddenly, clear weather - and so Raver does the predictable thing and launches his "invincible" LBA at it - with lightning escorts from Nevea into the bargain.

Well, my betties were all transferred out of Lunga, and a few less experienced a6m3 fighter squadrons (exp of 75 and 79) and one experienced a6m2 (exp 84) were transferred in last turn and set to various caps. Although my pilots were still a little fatigued from the transfer the turn before, and the CAP (which the experienced a6m2 squadron was only at 10%, the other two were at 50%) wasn't on full, I finally beat the snot out of Raver's LRB.

I have hundreds fighters at Truk, all training hard, 100s of Oscars, a few tonys (although one of the tony squadrons suffers from the worst leader I've ever seen - will have to get him killed off somehow), many hundreds of zeroes, now that I have no squadrons on the map except Lunga and Truk, mostly upgraded to a6m3. I've even got my first highly experienced squadron of Zekes.

This is only going to get better. I've kept careful track of Raver's heavy bomber losses. He's lost more heavy bombers than his replacement rates can fix - if things continue this way, I won't have to worry so much in the later game.

The other thing I tried was having my escorts WAY above the bombers - about 12 and 13 thousand atm. Worked wonders.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/20/43

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Air attack on Lunga , at 38,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 3
A6M2 Zero x 4
A6M3 Zero x 42

Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 12
B-17E Fortress x 51
PB4Y Liberator x 26
B-24D Liberator x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero x 1 destroyed
A6M3 Zero x 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning x 3 destroyed - ended up being only 3. No damages.
B-17E Fortress x 2 destroyed - total from intelligence: 9 WOOOT! Lots of crashes on landing. he only gets 7 a month!!!!!!
B-17E Fortress x 25 damaged
PB4Y Liberator x 1 destroyed Total from intelligence: 3.
PB4Y Liberator x 7 damaged
B-24D Liberator x 2 damaged

Takes my LRB destroyed total to a whopping 13 with loads of damage thrown in.

LTJG H.Kanzaki of F2/6th Daitai is credited with kill number 2

Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 129
Guns lost 1

Port hits 5
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 1

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
1 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
4 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
6 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
2 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
5 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
2 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
5 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
9 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
4 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
8 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet

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[Raverdave]

Luskans Intel is really off the mark.....it was simply an average raid, simular to the hundreds that I have done before....no big deal really.

[Luskan]

Except for the high losses, lack of the usual thousand casualties on the ground, and effectiveness of my fighters - I'd agree. Run of the mill

Now the game seems to have entered a strange balance where I'm not venturing into Raver's territory any more, while he isn't exactly surging forward either. a few mining and sub operations going on for both sides (who am I kidding? Tokyo has not given me any more suibs so I'm still down to 1!) although my 7 minelayers are still going strong - reinforcing defences around the islands - and probably due for another trip to PM to re-mine the places where Raver's MSWs cleared them.

In a previous post I said that Raver had plenty of DMS ships to go around, even after I sank two. Looks like this isn't the case - I have about 6 DMS ships on the sunk ship list - so maybe he still as two on the Oz coastline, or they were the two that he used at PM, then transferred over to Irau and then got sunk?

Either way, blasting those DMS ships hasn't really increased the threat my mines pose to Raver's ships (he's got dozens of MSWs), but it has certainly given me a reaction time buffer zone.

No more fast USN bombardments (unless he has more DMS ships) and no fast transport invasions. All invasions will come at the slow and steady pace of an allied MSW, which means I'll have planes and sub(s) and troops and ships ready to meet Raver if I so wish.

He's even short on DDs - the other ships in the game with some minesweeping ability (although if you send twenty SCs into a mined hex you'll find they clear one each!).

My betties are back at 0 fatigue and 0 damage, all except the one squadron of insane pilots at Russell that kept flying during the tuhnderstorms on naval attack missions - loosing ten betties for no hits and going back once more.

We've almost hit May 1943 and my pilot exp is still very high - certainly higher than the USN average pilot exp at this stage.

Disappointed in the poor performance of my mines at Nevea - Raver's had lots of LCIs running up and down ferrying supplies into the base for his lightnings. Good practise targets for my betties - although they're all only interested in sinking enemy CVs.

[Raverdave]

Ok...........there have been a few who have asked in the past for a pic of the map......now that I have found out how to screendump:rolleyes: , I can post it for you all to see.

Notice the large number of airfields? This was done so as to make any attack on Luganville almost impossible. And seening as Mr Luskan has not done so, it must have worked!:p

[herbieh]

I cant stand it any more!!!!, The tension is too much, why dont you both take a sickee in true aussie style and put this issue beyond doubt one way or the other:D


then have lots of beers

[SoulBlazer]

Nah, this will be decided in the great American war way -- a lot of build up, a few minor battles, and then WHAM! The whole game will be settled with one major battle that will leave one of them crying like a baby.

[Raverdave]

Originally posted by herbieh
I cant stand it any more!!!!, The tension is too much, why dont you both take a sickee in true aussie style and put this issue beyond doubt one way or the other:D


then have lots of beers

I would love to, but one sickee is not going to see the end of this....we would need at least a week!


Besides, both Luskan and I will get a free copy of WiTP if this AAR gets 10,000 hits! So it is worth dragging it out.

[Luskan]

Lots of targets - although it is an old pic - nevea is now a base.
Amused to see Raver rub out the sensitive info

[Raverdave]

Hey! I am not THAT dumb that I would post an upto date map!

[Luskan]

Hrm . . . just as things were starting to get a bit interesting Raver seems to have gone missing . . .

He was just starting to come out of the shell you see on the map there too - giving me a few chances to snag a few ships.

About the only news I've got from previous turns is that my supply state has improved quite rapidly in the last few months as half a dozen damaged warships have gone home (various reasons they were damaged) and Tokyo responded with another CVL, a pair of CA, the last CL, a dozen destroyers and most importantly, a dozen transports.

Now the destroyers are lethal - they have night experience as high as my best combat performers that have been in half a dozen night conflicts. The CL is a bit inexperienced however. These transports have helped in bumpnig the supply situation up enough that I finished a rotation of several of my larger INF units at GG, Dobadura, Gasmata, Hopkins, Lae, Kavieng, Rabaul, Shortlands, Lunga, Russell islands, Wewak and even managed to move some battered AA and ENG leftovers out of PM and GG to replace them with more INF (which have barely been scratched by the bombing).

Have also given 4 of my 8 minelayers some time off as sys damage has been stacking up, sapping them of speed. Hoping to get a few subs together for some submarine minelaying (Type 88 mines being so much nastier than type 97 - and Raver's ASW tactics really are too good for me to try and torpedo anything). Plenty in Tokyo, 1 in theatre, none being sent.

My minelayers had really only mined GG, PM and Irau up until a month ago - which is when I started a small field at Tulagi and another at Lunga for defence against subs - not that I expect it to do much.

Fortifications at Irau just reached level 9 - troops there not too malarial at all, plenty of supply (barges working hard).

Question: When barges are in theatre, do they count as a % of total shipping? If so, could scuttle the lot and get more transports from tokyo?

[wobbly]

Originally posted by Luskan

Question: When barges are in theatre, do they count as a % of total shipping? If so, could scuttle the lot and get more transports from tokyo?

Don't think so, it goes on value as far as I remember, and type of ship. You have ot have enough DD's free for instance to reelease your heavies - have to have escort. Since the barges have no value they also have no return to shipping pool benefit.

[Luskan]

Well, a turn of thunderstorms grounds all aircraft and ports all ships and then a turn of clear weather is forecast - so what does Raver-the-o-so-predictable do? Same thing he did last time ladies and gents - he launches his heavies at Lunga. And of course, I was waiting for him. He actually did get about 1/4 of one small eng unit, and 1/2 of an AA unit, but I nailed 15 of his heavy bombers (10 air to air, 5 operational) and just look at how many I damaged!

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 04/23/43

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Air attack on Lunga , at 38,40

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 3
A6M2 Zero x 41
A6M3 Zero x 40

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 43
PB4Y Liberator x 15
B-24D Liberator x 16

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2-N Rufe x 1 damaged
A6M2 Zero x 5 damaged
A6M3 Zero x 2 damaged
G4M1 Betty x 5 destroyed
G4M1 Betty x 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress x 2 destroyed
B-17E Fortress x 49 damaged
PB4Y Liberator x 14 damaged
B-24D Liberator x 4 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
Men lost 407
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 17
Runway hits 56

Attacking Level Bombers:
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
1 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
5 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet
3 x PB4Y Liberator at 6000 feet
4 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
3 x B-17E Fortress at 6000 feet
8 x B-24D Liberator at 6000 feet

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[Raverdave]

Bubbering like a girl will not win the war! Losses are expected, and the job has to be done to clear the pacific of the yellow peril!
My boys are tough as nails and as soon as they have patch the holes in their aircraft they will be back to give you some more!

[Mike_B20]

B-17E Fortress x 49 damaged
PB4Y Liberator x 14 damaged
B-24D Liberator x 4 damaged

*cringe*


How many crashed returning to base?
If I know my B17's, a lot

[SoulBlazer]

In my game with Drex, he's pounding Irau three times a week with total air strikes of 250 bombers!

Better get used to it.

But how did you manage to damage so many planes? I'm afraid to intercept anymore from Lunga due to the Lightings and Corsairs that are escorting his bombers.

[Raverdave]

Relax guys, the damage is NO WHERE NEAR as bad as was reported......Luskan constantly takes CRs as gospel.:rolleyes:

[Luskan]

I take all kill totals from the intel page - not the CR!
Raver was back this turn, but I was resting my fighters, so his largely diminished bomber force got 200 more men, and brought the airfield damage to 35. Will be repaired by next turn.

I get good (relatively) results against Raver's heavy bombers by having all my fighters very experienced. The 4 zero squadrons at Lunga are 80+ and I've just brought in two Oscar squadrons that are only 59 and 60 exp to give them some blooding.

My mistake at PM was a: spread my fighters too thin, b: try to base bombers at the same base (using up ever valuable av. support points that diminish as raver's bombers continue to get through) and worst of all c: I used my worst 4 squadrons of fighters, which were inadequate.

Heavy bombers haven't shot any of my planes down over Lunga - so it is fantastic training for them. If he ever gets Nevea into gear as a big lightning base for escorts that will change a little - but the lightnings are at extreme range - and the supply to Nevea is one of the easiest targets for the IJN to pound. Which is why Raver uses a tf of a dozen barges and LCIs to ferry the supply. It has cost him plenty of them - but they are small, hard to hit with betties and very cheap so he doesn't really care.

[Raverdave]

Ah yes.....but can you be sure the intel page is 100%????:)
I count the planes as they fly out, and I count them coming back in, and the figures that you quote are off by 25% sometimes even as high as 50%.

Still if it makes you happy then by all means knock yourself out.