The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

I dunno. My wife claims I look like Braxton Bragg, but I think I am ruggedly handsome and winsome like Breckenridge. My winning ways with ladies could suggest a Van Dorn. The way I intimidate Bullwinkle is reminiscent of John Brown Gordon's prowess. The manner in which I sometimes forget to do little but important things is sorta Wheeler-ish. And the fact that I sleep anywhere at any time - under tables, in court, in church, while driving - hearkens to Jackson.*

*I can't compare myself to a Civil War general; that would be like Appalachian Trail backpackers giving themselves their own trail names. It ain't couth, I tell ya!

[Canoerebel]

2/2/44

Bumper Car: No sign of KB today. That and other little "ticklers" (see map) gave me a case of the willies, so I'm scrubbing this mission. My ships will retire, and I'll watch to see what if any hostile forces are drawn to the frenzy.

Carousel: Death Star and the Herd closed on Celebes today without altercations. The landings commence tomorrow, with Salajar Island and Watampone, to be followed a day later by Kolako.

My troops aren't properly prepared, but neither are John's; too, his are weak, while mine have some muscle, and I have ships to bombard. The circumstances seem favorable to pick up three to five bases with big airfield potential. These fields will be in proximity to Balipapan, Tarakan, Banjermasin, and Soerabaja, and will begin to impact John's ability to use Kendari and Makassar.

Makassar is still loaded with fighters, so CA Salt Lake City will bombard tomorrow. Other combat TFs will patrol Watampone and Kolako to deal with small enemy TFs.

[paullus99]

Slow and steady wins the race here.....don't give John the opportunity to pick off valuable ships (like your carriers) - if you can stay concentrated, it forces him to come to you or better yet, commit to far-flung theaters to try to get you to react.

All of this methodical movement of yours must be driving him nuts.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I dunno. My wife claims I look like Braxton Bragg, but I think I am ruggedly handsome and winsome like Breckenridge. My winning ways with ladies could suggest a Van Dorn. The way I intimidate Bullwinkle is reminiscent of John Brown Gordon's prowess. The manner in which I sometimes forget to do little but important things is sorta Wheeler-ish. And the fact that I sleep anywhere at any time - under tables, in court, in church, while driving - hearkens to Jackson.*

*I can't compare myself to a Civil War general; that would be like Appalachian Trail backpackers giving themselves their own trail names. It ain't couth, I tell ya!

Intimidate? Ffffft. Civil War generals never bathed and had critters growing in their yonder parts. I'm a moose, and even I would stay upwind. [:'(]

[Canoerebel]

Aren't you the one who backs against a larch tree to scratch your nether regions on its bark?

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Aren't you the one who backs against a larch tree to scratch your nether regions on its bark?

"Charmin. Rather thin on the ground." [8D]

[Bullwinkle58]

On a serious note, I'm constantly amazed in your screenshots how much information both of you, but you in particular, have about the other's correlation of forces. TF icons thick as fleas. In my Lokasenna game I go months between sightings of IJN main fleet units, and as often as not those are random stumbles across a sub, not air search. John is just so reckless letting you track the KB as he does.

Don't get into bad habits. Your next opponent may not be so giving. [:)]

[Canoerebel]

You'd have to go back awhile to see me employ "fleet in being" for long months at a time. I generally do it, but not here. I couldn't with Big Tent, since it's surrounded by enemy bases in proximity. More to the point: I didn't want to. You'll see why later.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

You'd have to go back awhile to see me employ "fleet in being" for long months at a time. I generally do it, but not here. I couldn't with Big Tent, since it's surrounded by enemy bases in proximity. More to the point: I didn't want to. You'll see why later.

I was much more referring to him. HE just hangs his laundry out like a flag. It makes your planning orders of magnitude easier than with a cagey opponent.

[Canoerebel]

My decision-making is much more anguished, and every move slowed considerably, when I don't know KB's whereabouts.

Time is what John is fighting for now. He can always slow me down, but he can't often stop me at this point (and he can't even afford to commit Kaigun any more, since even winning a naval battle would be a defeat if he loses any good ships). The strategy that would bother me the most is if KB disappeared. The second would be if he placed it somewhere that could spring into the western or northern KB on fairly short notice. Deploying it to the Solomon Sea for most of the past three months - and letting me see it there - hasn't helped him.

[Canoerebel]

To go into a bit of detail (this also answers Ross's comment, posed yesterday): I'm not hiding my fleet right now because I'm trying to push John in a certain direction. Or, to put in more precisely, I would like him to give most of his attention to one, but just one, of the various options available. So I've deployed my fleet and engaged in three months of invasions in that region, hoping to draw John's undivided attention (you can guess why). It worked for a long time, and I had hopes it would continue to work, but he's beginning to stir now. He's beginning to attend to some of the areas I've been looking at most carefully.

Fun House should get underway in about six weeks. I'll keep stirring the pot in the DEI as vigorously as possible. Hopefully the effort succeeds. If it doesn't - if John obviously focuses on the area my troops are prepping for - then I'll find a better target.

Once I combine Death Star and Death Star Junior (assuming nothing untoward happens in the meantime), I don't think John's military can stop the Herd from rumbling to its destination.

That's why all the activity and noise in the DEI.

[Canoerebel]

I'd always assumed that Van Dorn was a rakish, handsome devil, since he was gunned down by a jealous husband. But he looks like a mad scientist.

[jwolf]

Once I combine Death Star and Death Star Junior (assuming nothing untoward happens in the meantime), I don't think John's military can stop the Herd from rumbling to its destination.

I'm wondering about this strategy. The alternative, I suppose, is to gradually build up a 2nd big carrier force. Right now, your Death Star is a match for KB and more, if I recall the last carrier battle correctly. Do they need additional forces, or would those best be used in another theater somehow? On the other hand, depending on "its destination" that may clear things up why you would want a mega Death Star force if the one you already have isn't big enough.

[Canoerebel]

If I was further away from John's heartland, that's what I'd do. But now I'm so close that the next operation will go straight into his gut - somewhere close and vital. It'll be a six-month operation and will take everything available - 30 or 40 carriers and probably 1,500 ships.

John has an enhanced carrier OOB in this mod, but the carrier battle left him deficient. I don't think he'll dare oppose that Herd. He'll have to hang around the periphery, hoping for chances to pick off cripples or cull the herd.

This op will put the Allies close to or next to Japan. It will interdict his sea lanes and give 4EB bases within striking range of the Home Islands.

Then, the final op will take place late in the year, probably hitting Japan proper or Korea.

[jwolf]

This op will put the Allies close to or next to Japan.

[X(] I guess you don't believe in pussyfooting around! How much longer until you launch this massive op? Or is that info classified?

Edit: didn't realize that prefix for "kitty" would get censored. My apologies.

[Canoerebel]

The target day has always been mid-March. That's flexible and depends mostly on when I can get enough shipping to Hawaii. A lot of the troops are there already. It's ships I need now.

When the Allies win a lopsided carrier battle and achieve carrier superiority, their biggest advantage becomes mobility. I can advance methodically, and will if something goes awry. But I'd prefer to move fast and far, bypassing wherever John's concentrating on building his defensive wall.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Most of my CVs have at least one fighter group whose pilots have an average experience in the upper 70s and lower 80s. Here is one from Saratoga.

These guys have more kills than most pilots in other squadrons.

Many of my carrier fighter pilots fought long and hard defending Sabang. That was a tough fight, ultimately a lost fight, but the pilots benefited tremendously. They were fighting over their own base, so when their aircraft (mostly F4F) went down, they usually survived.

So one tangible benefit of the Sumatra campaign was that it helped hone the American carrier fighter pilots.

John probably got an analogous benefit. His ships bombarded Sabang daily for months. I guess the experience level of their crews are rather high.

Actually, once your ship crews reach a certain level, they are not going to go much higher. Never really seen a Japanese ship crew increase it experience much. Because they are near the top anyways. Biggest jump is when American ships in 1941 go through (and survive) a major night battle. Experience may go up 20 points. "Seeing the elephant." I noticed that in stock American crew levels just suck through 1943 and take a dramatic jump in 44 but Da Babes has them coming on with much better experience in 43. Still a nice jump in 44 though. My only beef is that some American ships fight for four years and their crew level still are not anywhere near some of the fresh meat coming on in 44.

I don't think you've been trying hard enough. In my current game, the IJN experience levels are through the roof on most of the remaining warships. I reckon the average is mid-70's, and there's a respectable number of ships in the mid 80's as well.

Interestingly, night EXP seems to be on average higher. Likely due to the majority of bombardment and naval engagements taking place at night.

The biggest thing to boost EXP seems to be surface combat. Killing a convoy of xAKs seems to do wonders to EXP values for ships.

[Bif1961]

Since Earl VanDorn was killed by a jealous husband I suggest you look more like John Gordon Brown.

[Canoerebel]

John Brown Gordon was one tough dude. He was shot in battle a handful of times, including one ball in the cheek. So he always had his photo taken in profile.

At Appomattox, Grant selected Joshua Chamberlain to "command" the surrender ceremony. Lee selected John Brown Gordon.

[Canoerebel]

2/3/44

Carousel: Things went smoothly today. See map for details.

Bumper Car: The egress from the Marcus vicinity goes smoothly. No sign of KB here or anywhere. Was I mistaken? Did I let me fears get the best of me? Was it a bad case of the yips.

I dunno, but let's see where KB next shows up.