The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

6/21/44

Peep Show: As Manila teeters, the first detailed look at the Peep Show theater of operations.

[Canoerebel]

6/21/44

Many carrier TFs in the DEI and vicinity.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
How beat up are those Paratroopers you sent in?...

The paratroops took it pretty hard in the shock attack. No "abled" squads at this point, and several squads destroyed, I think.

CR you may very well take the base with the next ground attack. There simply isn't enough soak units there to prevent your bombers from having a major impact. Plus your daily bombardments should also help. Well done.

I think all of my divisions except one (9th Aus.) have low fatigue and disablements. I'm weighing weather to attack again tomorrow. I'm leaning against it, because usually the dice gods seem to frown upon successive attacks unless odds are overwhelming.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
In my post earlier, which is getting savaged by you AFBs'....

I don't think anybody savaged your opinions at all. I disagreed with them mildly, and one or two other posts did so to the same or lesser extent, but that was about it.

But you may have a JFB bias. If I'm reading things right, John is really teetering. He's run out of sea room and most of the empire is ripe for the plucking now. The Home Islands may be stout and the economy strong, but he's going to have a tough time holding anything else, and his ships are going to run out of safe harbors. I did frontload the investments in weakening the empire, but the returns are beginning to come in and should accelerate.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
In my post earlier, which is getting savaged by you AFBs'....

I don't think anybody savaged your opinions at all. I disagreed with them mildly, and one or two other posts did so to the same or lesser extent, but that was about it.

But you may have a JFB bias. If I'm reading things right, John is really teetering. He's run out of sea room and most of the empire is ripe for the plucking now. The Home Islands may be stout and the economy strong, but he's going to have a tough time holding anything else, and his ships are going to run out of safe harbors. I did frontload the investments in weakening the empire, but the returns are beginning to come in and should accelerate.

That was sarcasm. There was supposed to be an emoji [:D].

[Lecivius]

Sarcasm? Us AFB's take the job of beating the snail snot outta JFB's seriously!! [:D][8D][:'(]

[Canoerebel]

Proof I take myself too seriously in real life, if not in the game (and I do, and I realize that I do):

1. I presented a program on the Battle of Chickamauga at a local history museum on the 150th anniversary of the battle. Afterwards, an elderly man approached me and said, "You take this stuff seriously." (I don't think it was a compliment.)

2. Last March, I spoke to a gathering of sizeable lawyers and judges at the courthouse about prominent local lawyer who played an interesting role in the Civil War. Afterwards, a young lawyer approached me and said, "You should be a preacher." (He did not mean that as a compliment.)

3. Many years ago, circa 1980, I was flying home from Atlanta to Miami for a college break. I happened to be seated beside a pretty coed from Purdue, about my same age. We talked back and forth of our various interests. After I told her of mine (history, birdwatching, hiking, etc.) she said, "You act like your 40 years old." (Arg, she didn't mean it as a criticism, but it hit hard; instead of wooing the coed, I'd driven her screaming into the night.)

4. In September 1979, while a freshman at the University of Georgia, I was standing at a bus stop in Athens. A young coed, a bit older than me, approached. "Do you have a plant?" she asked. I thought for a moment, and then helpfully replied, "I think Sears has a gardening department." Ten minutes later, on the bus to my dorm, I realized she was asking for weed.

Now, all of that is the truth, but perhaps not the whole truth. I do a lot of public speaking and teaching, and most of the feedback is positive. But I realize that my earnest manner isn't universally pleasing. It grates on some.

[BBfanboy]

Incident #3 may not have led on romantically, but that probably saved you later angst when the mismatch of interests would tear apart whatever relationship you developed. Some things are not meant to be and we should be happy when we avoid the conflicts. [8D]

[Bif1961]

I was a young soldier in Hawaii in 1984, I was walking by a liquor store when a young man on a bike asked me if I would like some buds, I smiled and said no I don't drink and moved on.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: paullus99

I was just about to write that - he's going to start running out of decent ports to base the KB out of.

You'll be in range of Singapore before too long & if he insists on keeping the KB in the Central Pacific, he's just using fuel that could be better utilized elsewhere.

That was one of the reasons I targeted Miri, and probably a reason that John fought to save it. It's 16 hexes from Singapore, 18 from Palembang, 21 from Batavia and 17 from Soerabaja. It's currently a level four airfield that can be built to eight.

[Grfin Zeppelin]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

I was a young soldier in Hawaii in 1984, I was walking by a liquor store when a young man on a bike asked me if I would like some buds, I smiled and said no I don't drink and moved on.

Cant help but I had to imagine all this in movie colours and in the background "take my breath away" playing

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

He might, but he's going to run out of sea room eventually. Allied 4EB should be within range of every decent enemy port by autumn. John may end up with an odd little naval kingdom centered on Hokkaido.

Or shift the Imperial Japanese Empire's capital to Darwin.

[Canoerebel]

The turn sent to John last night was pretty involved. The most complicated matter was separated certain merchant ships from Mini Death Star's charge. These merchantmen are carrying relatively small infantry units to garrison bases that I've withdrawn divisions from: Sorong, Morotai and Manokwari. The detached units include two Marine RCT (joining the third, which came to DEI for Big Tent), one West African brigade, and Australian brigade, and the Sparrow and Gull detachments. So, I'm removing three divisions from the DEI and leaving there the equivalent of one, reinforced.

The DEI still has a number of divisions prepping for important DEI bases: 6th Marine (now that those two RCT have arrived) for Kendari; 4th Aus. for Makassar; 40th USA for Ternate; 41st USA for Balikpapan; 3rd Aus. for Manado; 2nd Aus. for Port Moresby; and smaller units (brigades or regiments) for places like Koepang and Darwin. That's a lot of targets. Most prep has long-since been complete, but I won't undertake most of these ops for awhile. I need Mini KB out of the way or a sizeable carrier force to provide security. (I think Mini KB will have to leave the DEI soon for the Pacific; else it risks getting isolated in the DEI or at least in the position of having to run through waters controlled by Allied airfields or Death Star.)

Once these DEI targets are attended to, only a fraction of that force will remain in the DEI to attend to important targets in Java and Sumatra (perhaps two or three divisions). The bulk will move north for the end game against Japan.

As for Singapore and Malaysia (and possibly Vietnam), the army currently moving in and near Thailand will handle those venues.

Mini Death Star is bringing six complete divisions and various detachments, tank brigades, artillery units, and lots of support and HQ, to the Philippines. Two of these divisions will be detached to Mindanao. That campaign should mostly be decided by air power.

The balance of the army (the four divisions, tanks, arty, etc.) will await the completion (or certainty of completion) of the Luzon campaign. I think certainty is a matter of weeks.

This should give me 17 divisions in the Philippines or vicinity. A few will remain in this theater: 6th Aus. recovering at Miri; 7th Aus. helping with Mindanao, and probably 6th US doing garrison duty at Manila.

That leaves roughly 13 for Peep Show. One of those, 27th USA, is still pretty week, recovering experience after rebuilding (it was destroyed in Sumatra). It's a relatively small division. I think I'll use prep it for one of the islands off northern Luzon.

So...12 divisions for Peep Show. Some of these are currently prepped for Manila, but several are 100% prepped for Peep Show. As usual, the prep is needed for the initial assault to take a base. Then follow-up units, prepped for other targets or just beginning prep after Luzon, can land and proceed to other targets.

Reinforcements are building in Hawaii and San Fran. To bring them in directly through the Pacific, I'd have to detach DS to meet them halfway and escort them back. Or I may let them take the longer Oz route. I do have a zillion merchantmen in the DEI and Luzon. Some of these are needed for Peep Show, but I need to get some (especially xAP) back to the USA to handle all the troops arriving there. I think there are currently two divisions present in San Fran (one restricted) with another to arrive within the month.

What this long, long explanation illustrates is the complexity of the task ahead...and the fact that logistics is a bigger consideration now than Japan. John still has lots of teeth, but its logistics and me properly executing plans that are the keys to victory now.

[Canoerebel]

That little exercise in thinking gave me a better grasp of what's left to do, and what I don't need to do, in the Pacific.

Kiwi troops are currently engaged at Luganville with reinforcements on the way. I want that base, and Nauru Island, to clean up my LOC a bit. Merrill's Marauders are prepping for Naura, and B-25s from the Marshalls hit it daily. I don't think I'll take any others bases in the Marshalls or Solomons. Port Moresby is likely, more from an LOC standpoint than points. Rabaul is a possibility for the points, if that seems to be an issue later in the game. The rest of New Guinea, New Britain, the Carolines, the Marianas, and the Palaus are unlikely to be targeted.

Marcus and the Volcanos (Bonins) are possibilities for LOC purposes only. Troops are prepping. Heck, armies are prepping.

At some late date, I may want to take a base or two in the Kuriles/Hokkaido/Sikhalin Island area. The purpose would be to have airfields to take control of ports.

Most of those things are relatively minor in comparison to the attention to be given to Peep Show and the final invasion of (or envelopment of) the Home Islands.

[paullus99]

It's all about the "Big Squeeze."

You don't need to take every base, you just need to take enough to squeeze his perimeter & get closer to the Home Islands. If you cripple the KB at the same time, all the better....but right now, if you can severe his supply lines to the DEI, it'll pay huge dividends.

[Canoerebel]

There will be many bases left in the rearview mirror. And it's an odd-looking map that has the Allies in Manila while Japan holds Guadalcanal and Luganville.

[Canoerebel]

6/21/44: Strategic Map

[Canoerebel]

Interesting air loss comparisons between this game and another match that's two months ahead on the calendar.

[Lowpe]

I guess it translates into what did Japan trade 2500 Franks for. If it was for 1000 Jugs, then that isn't too bad. However, I don't think that is the answer as you have mentioned recently that your plane pools are healthy.

[Canoerebel]

That screenshot shows that I've lost 182 of the advanced Jugs (I've also lost plenty of first-generation P-47s). But, to answer your questions, Hellcats and P-47 pools are healthy; Corsair and Mustang numbers are a bit thinner, but okay; Lightnings are pretty low.