The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

The biggest threat to Fun House is a combined strike by KB and LBA. John has a variety of big airfields: Manila, San Fernando, Cagayan and Davao the largest. None of them are "next door," but all are within striking range. Above all else, I need fighters to protect the base. A level seven airfield can handle at least 200 more fighters than a level five. That's a big difference. Eventually I may need to use 2EB and 4EB to attack an advancing IJ army. Doing that will further tax my airfield capabilities. In fact, I won't really rest easy until Legaspi is a level 9 airfield.

Too, it's easier to build a 5(7) airfield two more steps than it is to get a 1(1) port up to level 2. As explained above, unloading supply and fuel are high priorities, so the quicker I can build the base (thus increasing supply/fuel limits) the better.

The extra naval support present allows this port to function at a much higher level than otherwise. For instance, I unloaded 100,000 men in a single turn back around D+2. And if I do need a bigger port, Naga is next door.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I'll continue building the airfield at least to level seven before commencing work on a level two port.

If you don't mind me beating a dead horse, I admit I don't understand this priority. What can you do right away with a level 7 airfield that a 5 isn't good enough? In contrast, getting the port up to 2 or 3 will allow more and faster loading and unloading. What am I missing?

A level 7 AF also allows for aircraft replacements and upgrades, but I expect there is an Air HQ at Legaspi to allow that anyway.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The biggest threat to Fun House is a combined strike by KB and LBA. John has a variety of big airfields: Manila, San Fernando, Cagayan and Davao the largest. None of them are "next door," but all are within striking range. Above all else, I need fighters to protect the base. A level seven airfield can handle at least 200 more fighters than a level five. That's a big difference. Eventually I may need to use 2EB and 4EB to attack an advancing IJ army. Doing that will further tax my airfield capabilities. In fact, I won't really rest easy until Legaspi is a level 9 airfield.

Too, it's easier to build a 5(7) airfield two more steps than it is to get a 1(1) port up to level 2. As explained above, unloading supply and fuel are high priorities, so the quicker I can build the base (thus increasing supply/fuel limits) the better.

The extra naval support present allows this port to function at a much higher level than otherwise. For instance, I unloaded 100,000 men in a single turn back around D+2. And if I do need a bigger port, Naga is next door.

This, really. You can also say "200 fighters is enough I think, I'll move in some bombers and begin denying the sea via LBA", which frees up your carriers even more. And since it builds faster, it increases the maximum supply/fuel stocks without spoilage faster.

Also, AF7 allows for taking aircraft replacements without having to satisfy the HQa within range requirement.

[Canoerebel]

4/13/44

A good and productive day, especially logistically at Legaspi...not to mention alliteration.

See map for exciting details.

[Lokasenna]

Is it really alliteration if you only used two words?

[Canoerebel]

I think so...technically. But what do I know?

[Canoerebel]

At least it isn't purple prose!*

*That's alliteration.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Is it really alliteration if you only used two words?

Dubiously doubtful doublet.

[Canoerebel]

A look a the air war, which has been pretty intense.

My F4F losses are high, considering I've only lost CV Wasp and two CVE. The losses reflect the bitter, lengthy campaign in Sumatra, when I stripped many fighter squadrons from my carries and posted them at Sabang. They performed very well and, as a result, my Hellcat squadrons have a lot of very good pilots.

John has lost a lot of Franks and Georges, which are good fighters. I think, but I'm not certain, that he has an issue with pilot quality. My good fighters typically get the best of his good fighters. But he doesn't commit his fighters often. He has done so recently in Burma, with poor results.

But he may be saving elite pilots and his best squadrons for the Philippines campaign.

But I am modestly encouraged by the state of the air war: the quality of my pilots, their performance against good enemy fighters, and John's apparent reluctance to commit his air force of late.

[JohnDillworth]

Wow, the difference in FLAC kills is profound. Nice shootin Tex!

[Canoerebel]

The Intelligence Screen.

John has done particularly well in the ground game. I've lost a lot of units, especially during the Sumatra campaign. This gap will close, but I'll probably be lucky to approach 1:1 by the end of the game.

Both of us have lost a lot of ships. I committed mine hoping to attrition his. Ten months ago, in June '43, I was behind in ships points 9,000 to 5,000. Since then, I've lost 2k in ships; John has lost 6k. We're nearly even now. And, as I've said many times, the objective was to weaken the IJ Navy to the point where everything collapsed. I'm not there yet, but I'm making pretty good progress.

I've done fairly decent in the air war, but I have lost a lot of 4EB, especially over Port Moresby. I think the sacrifice was worthwhile, as the overall emphasis on New Guinea helped pin John's attention there for so long (or so I believe).

Ten months ago, I think I was down by 18k or 19k points total. The gap is narrowing. That should accelerate, because John is running out of room to maneuver and because his navy is growing thin. And if he suffers a carrier battle defeat, then there's really nothing to stop the Allies from going where they wish. At that point logistics will become the biggest obstacle to victory. But I think my logistical network is in good shape.

[crsutton]

Yeah the last patch really made a difference with flak. Allied bases with good heavy flak really become untouchable by 1943. This is the way it was in real life so I see it as a good thing. Sometimes I just don't put up CAP if I have enough guns on the ground.

Interesting that your biggest losses are with your C47s and virtually all of them are OP losses. Shows you how important they are. The Allies never did solve the demand for air transport in all theaters. They were pure gold.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

A look a the air war, which has been pretty intense.

My F4F losses are high, considering I've only lost CV Wasp and two CVE. The losses reflect the bitter, lengthy campaign in Sumatra, when I stripped many fighter squadrons from my carries and posted them at Sabang. They performed very well and, as a result, my Hellcat squadrons have a lot of very good pilots.

John has lost a lot of Franks and Georges, which are good fighters. I think, but I'm not certain, that he has an issue with pilot quality. My good fighters typically get the best of his good fighters. But he doesn't commit his fighters often. He has done so recently in Burma, with poor results.

But he may be saving elite pilots and his best squadrons for the Philippines campaign.

But I am modestly encouraged by the state of the air war: the quality of my pilots, their performance against good enemy fighters, and John's apparent reluctance to commit his air force of late.

I think a lot of his aircraft were lost over your territory too, so his pilot losses would be much higher than yours. You have kept your more vulnerable bombers close to your bases and sent your robust heavies against his bases, so I figure your pilot losses are not heavy at all.

[bradfordkay]

A level seven airfield can handle at least 200 more fighters than a level five. That's a big difference.

Ummm... I thought that it was 50 engines per AF level, not 100?

I tend to try to build my AFs up to level 8 as soon as possible, since I have found (in DBB at least) that a level 8 AF doubles the value of the the air support squads. This is an important force multiplier, IMO.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

A level seven airfield can handle at least 200 more fighters than a level five. That's a big difference.

Ummm... I thought that it was 50 engines per AF level, not 100?

I tend to try to build my AFs up to level 8 as soon as possible, since I have found (in DBB at least) that a level 8 AF doubles the value of the the air support squads. This is an important force multiplier, IMO.

FYI, that's a program feature, not a mod feature, so it will happen in all games.

[Itdepends]

Once you hit level 7, level 8 is very tempting as it doubles the impact of aviation support.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

A level seven airfield can handle at least 200 more fighters than a level five. That's a big difference.

Ummm... I thought that it was 50 engines per AF level, not 100?

I tend to try to build my AFs up to level 8 as soon as possible, since I have found (in DBB at least) that a level 8 AF doubles the value of the the air support squads. This is an important force multiplier, IMO.

What he said. Brain poot.

Legaspi currently is a level 5 airfield. I have 237 aircraft there - all but eight of them fighters. So I'm within the aircraft limit, but I'm over on the number of squadrons (11 total). Since I have an over abundance of air support, though, I think the fighters will handle CAP duties well.

[bradfordkay]

Well, if you have a good air HQ within range (command radius 5) then you can have 10 squadrons operating without penalty. I hope that you brought one along.

[bradfordkay]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

A level seven airfield can handle at least 200 more fighters than a level five. That's a big difference.

Ummm... I thought that it was 50 engines per AF level, not 100?

I tend to try to build my AFs up to level 8 as soon as possible, since I have found (in DBB at least) that a level 8 AF doubles the value of the the air support squads. This is an important force multiplier, IMO.

FYI, that's a program feature, not a mod feature, so it will happen in all games.

What surprises me is that I played the game for years and never noticed it until I was playing a DBB game. Doh!!!

[Canoerebel]

4/14/44

The game has slowed a bit as John has had a series of real life adventures and misadventures that took a lot of time. But today we resumed the war. It was a quietly, productively good day across the map

Burma: The map shall speak for itself.

Fun House: The next map shall speak for itself.