Turnaround? Lowpe (J) vs Tiemanj (A) Stock

[Lowpe]

Turn is done, and I am airlifting an airmobile light division in chungking...which I guess I should have done long ago.[:-] But with supplies being short I always found a reason to hold off on doing so. Won't even buy me a day, but I will try.

I have always been hideously short on PP this whole game.

What I did here was take a Division assigned the a northern army in China and moved it up to the parent unit which is also the same HQ that Chungking is. This allowed me to airlift the division to Chungking and save tons on the PP.

I did a poor job of managing my PP this entire game, and only now am I starting to understand the system better.

I have studiously avoided doing gamey HQ switches in this game, but my predecessor did putting troops into air HQs for example.

Didn't help him much.

[Lowpe]

The dp gun cites on the Yangze will has gotten more sub laid mines today and tomorrow. I will spend the rest of my type 88's here I think, as the subs can reload at Shanghai.

They haven't worked at all, but there is always tomorrow.

[Lowpe]

Nov 3, 1944

Vicious fighting in the mountains....

Nicks and Senn Baku's sweep Lightning that were providing LRCAP over the two Chinese Corp in the central plains of Chungking.

Airlifted 65 AV into Chungking yesterday.

[Lowpe]

VP ratio has climbed over the last 6 days to 2.393 to 1.

I managed to sink a sub and a Fletcher yesterday...no ships sunk for Japan. A first in quite a while.

[Lowpe]

Nov 4, 1944

Our Fighter Bombers are proving a mild distraction over China....here they pulled off a LRCAP...I would have done much better, but I had 50% of the squadrons sweep too.

Still, the Sen Baku got a kill, and the B model everyone hates did all right versus the bombers, but in the replay only damaged bombers.

Morning Air attack on 104th/C Division, at 72,47 , near Kweiyang

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Sen Baku x 1
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 1
Ki-45 KAIb Nick x 5
Ki-45 KAIc Nick x 2

Allied aircraft
SBD-5 Dauntless x 51

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SBD-5 Dauntless: 2 destroyed, 8 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
33 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

[Lowpe]

Chinese troops keep attacking, without much in the way of ground prep. I think these IJA troopers were only moderately bombed.

Ground combat at 75,46 (near Chungking)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 34292 troops, 112 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1064

Defending force 13880 troops, 145 guns, 47 vehicles, Assault Value = 454

Allied adjusted assault: 721

Japanese adjusted defense: 790

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
742 casualties reported
Squads: 24 destroyed, 56 disabled
Non Combat: 20 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 8 disabled
Guns lost 16 (1 destroyed, 15 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
2370 casualties reported
Squads: 58 destroyed, 240 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 21 disabled
Guns lost 7 (2 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Assaulting units:
5th Chinese Cavalry Corps
26th Chinese Corps
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps
96th Chinese Division
33rd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
41st Division
26th/A Division
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
56th Infantry Brigade

[Lowpe]

70,000 Chineses and Commonwealth troops are crossing the river north into Chungking. One of the Chinese Corp's weighs in at almost 1,000 AV.[X(]

I have only 450 AV there, and few supplies.

I am flying in troops at the rate of 65 AV per day...but given the road structure the Allies will be here very shortly.

[Lowpe]

Another good showing by my super escorted convoy...in deep water.

ASW attack near Makassar at 64,106

Japanese Ships
DD Shiokaze
E Hiyodori
E No.46
SC CHa-50, heavy damage
SC CHa-43, heavy damage
SC CHa-19, heavy damage
AK Azumasan Maru
xAP Gokoku Maru
DD Sawakaze
DD Mikazuki
DD Kiri

Allied Ships
SS Templar, hits 5

SS Templar launches 2 torpedoes at DD Shiokaze
DD Shiokaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Sawakaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Mikazuki attacking submerged sub ....
DD Kiri attacking submerged sub ....
DD Shiokaze fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Sawakaze fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Mikazuki fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Kiri fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kiri fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kiri fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kiri fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Kiri fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

[Lowpe]

Nov 6, 1944

Chungking falls to the first shock attack. Heavy bombing and lack of supplies and manpower cripple the IJA's defenses.

The VP ratio climbs to 2.46 to 1 with another bump coming in a day or two when the Chinese get supply in Chungking.

Helen bombers sortied and bombed the river crossing, but flak was very heavy at 5,000 feet and only minimal losses inflicted. Elsewhere Oscars swept, poorl against Jugs and Lightnings and Mustangs, over the 2 Chinese Corp in the Central Plains and Nicks followed up with a strafing attack. The Nicks go thru, but generally got butchered after their runs.

Helen kamikazes attack, and miss, a destroyer squadron off Shanghai. 70 Low naval...

No invasion on Honshu yet....Allies quiet there with there bombers. Maybe today?

[Lowpe]

Allies are quite clever in China, detaching tank units to the north to aid the Chinese troops...it really makes a very big difference.

Canton is held with around 3K AV, Kukong 1400, Changsha 1800 AV. The circled and arrow hexes are where I need to try and get at least a division too, but there aren't many free troops left in China past the strong points mentioned below.

Chungking will now be flooded with troops, if lacking heavy equipment, and they will swarm out. But all this takes time, and we are almost into the 2nd week of November.

[Lowpe]

Nov 7, 1944

One week done in November, baby!

67 Units at Chungking this glorious afternoon....China Lives. 100 Ftrs and Bombers stationed there as well.

No invasion of Honshu...

10,000 supplies headed for China...well, more but we shall see what gets thru.

CD guns bite back just a little...I think the Allies are saving up their bombers for maximum effort with an invasion of Honshu as it is quiet today in the air. I am moving all AA to likely invasion spots...very minimal left in big cities for now.

[Lowpe]

Nov 7, 1944

A ground success as the the crack 39th Division and even more experienced 116th Division, both spoiling for a fight with excellent morale, repulse the Commonwealth and British troops which lacked heavy tank support.

Japan can still fight!



The Allies attacked with the 11th East African, 18th Division and the 26th Indian Divisions supported only by an artillery regiment. The Tanks have mostly gone north to take Chungking and also are moving on Changsha...Allies have sundered their doom stack and Japan has a chance to hold at either Changsha, Kukong, and Canton.

Great news here!

[Lowpe]

You can see the change in fonts on the battle report from the last two posts...I installed lucida sans unicode and used the altFont switch.

[Lowpe]

VP ratio falls to 2.448 to 1.

I released some supply on the HI, boosting my vp from bases. Perhaps also a loss at Chungking for the Allies as all the new Chinese troops eat the supply up.

[Lowpe]

Nov 8, 1944

Fairly quiet. Allies bomb my crack troops west of Canton heavily, but there is enough other units there to protect them.

Chinese troops seem to be moving against my dug in troops west of Chungking with not much of a focus towards Sian yet.

Lost a sub laying mines at Wushi on the river above Shanghai. Lots of mines and DP guns but never can I ht the wandering Allied destroyers. Allies spot all my cargo ships in a level 1 port on the river. Time to move them again.

[Lowpe]

Turn is a away, and my major move today is the 300 merchant ships on the river in China. I have a few AV's there and they will get the last of my Rex's, and I will just park the convoy in an empty river hex.

I would have been much better off sending all this shipping to the SRA and hiding it in small ports, etc.

Hindsight.

[DanSez]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Turn is a away, and my major move today is the 300 merchant ships on the river in China. I have a few AV's there and they will get the last of my Rex's, and I will just park the convoy in an empty river hex.

I would have been much better off sending all this shipping to the SRA and hiding it in small ports, etc.

Hindsight.

I have picked up a dozen or more great strategic points following this AAR.
Add another one to the notebook.
Thanks again.

[Lowpe]

Nov 10, 1944

Allied heavy bombers quiet over Honshu...uhoh! Something is coming I think...

Over in China Allies make a shock attack but run into a crackerjack division untouched by bombing...relatively untouched.

Ground combat at 75,46 (near Chungking)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 6510 troops, 22 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1117

Defending force 23836 troops, 246 guns, 51 vehicles, Assault Value = 750

Allied adjusted assault: 0

Japanese adjusted defense: 3781

Allied assault odds: 1 to 99

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Allied ground losses:
3542 casualties reported
Squads: 266 destroyed, 65 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 51 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps
26th Chinese Corps
61st Chinese Corps
96th Chinese Division
33rd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
26th/B Division
41st Division
68th/A Division
26th/A Division
26th/C Division
65th Div /1
56th Infantry Brigade
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
NCPC Army
23rd JNAF AF Unit

[Mike McCreery]

Chinese troops are relatively worthless even late in the game due to lack of TOE. There is no HQ with them. They couldnt prep for the hex obviously but to get an adjusted AV of 0 is pretty unlucky even so!!

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

Chinese troops are relatively worthless even late in the game due to lack of TOE. There is no HQ with them. They couldnt prep for the hex obviously but to get an adjusted AV of 0 is pretty unlucky even so!!

For a while even Chinese troops were running roughshod over me. Lousy bombers. So it feels good to deliver a setback,no matter how temporary.

Turn is away & on to the other turn.