Islands of Destiny: RA 5.0 Japanese Side

[pws1225]

Welcome to 1945. You're just a little early. [:D]

No, you can't defend everywhere especially with static defenses. But you still have some throw weight with what's left of KB and the SCTFs. Combine those with massed kamikazes and a fast reaction amphib TF to counter punch where he lands and you just might get lucky. Or if nothing else, you will finally have your decisive battle. Good luck John.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd


He'll be occupied in Luzon for another month THEN the hammer will fall in this direction.

Prior to that I wager he'll continue to work on Borneo or try to jump over to Indochina. My .02s..

You know your opponent, and Japan can move mountains in a day, and if you have a month, well then you aren't in bad shape at all.

I think I was able to fly almost 500 AV a day with transports around this stage of the game.

[CaptBeefheart]

You asked about beer. I was pleasantly surprised to discover Sierra Nevada Pale Ale when I moved to California in 1987. I've been brewing my own beer since 1986 and happy to say there are some very civilized choices now available here (U.S., UK and even good Korean crafts) that I don't need to brew my own out of necessity, more as a hobby. Also, the local British Embassy pub has a great scotch collection for reasonable prices. That and the occasional Class 6-bought Bulleit Rye from a buddy and I'm in clover.

I read both AARs, so no strategic advice, but I would like to say you two gentlemen have the best set of AARs going. Thanks for the fantastic entertainment and keep up the good work!

Cheers,
CC

[Jellicoe]

Brilliant to watch a 45 battle covered in such detail, thank you

As for beer and similar important matters, this is one of the pleasures of living in the garden of England where local beer is still made with local hops (although the hop fields are not nearly on the scale they once were)

Harvey's Sussex Best, Old Dairy Red Top and Green Top, Rother Valley ale are favourites and I will always happily have a pint of Spitfire 'downed all over Kent, like the Luftwaffe' as the advertising goes

As for whisky, strong and peaty. Talisker, ardbeg, Tobermory, islay all regular frequenters of the Jellicoe drinks cabinet.
For moments of decadence a bottle of Calvados never hurts (until the next morning that is)

[CaptHaggard]

I concur with Jellicoe, this is a superb AAR. I have been an avid follower for weeks, many thanks!

Being about 3 x the drinking age, some of my old fave imbibes have lamentably fallen by ye ole wayside...

Spirits now feature vodka; gin is a framed memory on the wall.

On non-wine days, 2 bottles of Bear Republic's Racer 5 grove the evening for polite sense of well-being, a good night's sleep and zero effects manana. That stuff is de bom.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: CaptHaggard

I concur with Jellicoe, this is a superb AAR. I have been an avid follower for weeks, many thanks!

Being about 3 x the drinking age, some of my old fave imbibes have lamentably fallen by ye ole wayside...

Spirits now feature vodka; gin is a framed memory on the wall.

On non-wine days, 2 bottles of Bear Republic's Racer 5 grove the evening for polite sense of well-being, a good night's sleep and zero effects manana. That stuff is de bom.

Good to have you on board CaptHaggard!

I, too, have noticed my tastes changing as I get older. Some stuff that I liked when in my 20s/30s now tastes like CRAPOLA!

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

One could definitely state that I have a MASSED Reserve available here.

If this means you have plentiful troops in Thailand/Vietnam, I cannot begin to tell you how far you are out of position.

Your supply line back to Shanghai is one hex wide (south of Lang Son).

Case in Point (graphic): You are going to get pummeled from bases you gave away for next to nothing.

Some things are relatively easy to fix:
1. There is now an Engineer Rgt headed to the base NW of Ishitaki. A Brigade will begin loading tomorrow in Tokyo.

2. The base NW of Naha has two Construction units heading for it RIGHT NOW. Had a major reinforcement convoy (23,000 men) unloading there so moving a few of them over 40 miles is no big deal. Okinawa is fully built-up on each side with its AFs. Am thinking of working on this one too. Have two Air HQ neading assignment and placing them here would allow for full usage by all three AFs.

EDIT: I am presently extracting an Air Fleet in the Kendari area. If I can swing it up there then it can make nearly EVERY AF in that region TT capable.

[John 3rd]

June 26, 1944

A fairly hot-and-heavy round of combat today.

Luzon
As expected the deployment of the Sams causes a major ruckus. There are seven Allied Fighters Sweeps (Spitfire, P-38, P-47, P-47, P-47, Spitfire, and P-51 for a total of 109 Fighters. They encounter 124 Japanese. As normal the first few Sweeps are pounded by my Fighters but the next four are much more even. A final wave of 34 B-29 (Did you know they CAN BE USED against AIRFIELDS? WOW! [:@]). No action for the afternoon phase. When the dust and burning crashed planes are counted it is not a bad day whatsoever. Losses are even and nearly 50 Fighters were still airborne when the big bombers came in.

Japan loses 40 Fighters (28 Sams and just 6 pilots) for and equal number of Allied plus a few B-29. More then half of the B-29s took damage in their raid. When they leave, the AF is only 21% damaged. We're good for another day.

Rotate my Naval Fighters to Appari where they get assigned ambush work over Cabantuan and Mauban. Two full strength, rested Frank Sentai and a full strength George Daitai come in to San Ferndando as a convoy of nearly 25 AP/AK arrive to lift some units out of Luzon to live to fight another day.

A GADZILLION 4EB, 2EB, and more fighters hit Clark and the troops there.

Miri
Have watched as several TFs arrive at Miri. Order the Musashi and Nagato in. For two days they get into position from Singapore and are only spotted today when they strike tomorrow. We'll see. To be safe there are four Fighter units flying from Kuching and Singkawang providing direct CAP.

Thailand
No major action. He is moving on Pisanloke (which is hit by about 80 bombers). We'll see how long that takes.

Luganville
As promised action does occur here. It is the one-sided GOOD NEWS of the day. A STF of BB Pennsylvania, a CA, a CL, and 4 DD ineffectually bombard the base as a Convoy moves in. To the east sits what appear to be three CVE. From Ndeni a strike of 33 Franks and 24 Judy comes in. They encounter and brush aside 7 F4F (5 Shot down) and then pushover into their dives. Bombs rein on the TF before it can begin unloading. An LST, 2 AP, an AK, and a KV are sunk while troops are on-board. A second strike by five Jills flying at extreme range from Lunga sink another LST.

This should sting the Allies a bit and, I hope, he comes right back in. The real action can begin there in two days.

Economics
We cross the 800,000 stored HI threshold. My goal is to get to 1,000,000 before the economic wheels fall off. Each month is netting me 100,000 presently. As long as we can get 1-2 more TK TF home then I guarantee full production to the start of 1945.

[Lowpe]

Sounds like a very good turn indeed![&o] Impressed with Sam performance -- want to share your defensive settings?

You are one of the few JFB to get Sam this early!

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd
Luganville
As promised action does occur here. It is the one-sided GOOD NEWS of the day. A STF of BB Pennsylvania, a CA, a CL, and 4 DD ineffectually bombard the base as a Convoy moves in. To the east sits what appear to be three CVE. From Ndeni a strike of 33 Franks and 24 Judy comes in. They encounter and brush aside 7 F4F (5 Shot down) and then pushover into their dives. Bombs rein on the TF before it can begin unloading. An LST, 2 AP, an AK, and a KV are sunk while troops are on-board. A second strike by five Jills flying at extreme range from Lunga sink another LST.

This should sting the Allies a bit and, I hope, he comes right back in. The real action can begin there in two days.

Nice. Sinking laden transports is probably my second favorite thing to do in the game.

What was the combat report butcher's bill for this failed landing?

[John 3rd]

Just got home and have a meeting to go but will answer when I get back.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Sounds like a very good turn indeed![&o] Impressed with Sam performance -- want to share your defensive settings?

You are one of the few JFB to get Sam this early!

I deployed three Daitai of 27 each and one of A6M8. Wanted to send all eight available but could not bring myself to strip my CVs, at sea, of all their fighters. Two were set of 31K and the 3rd was at 26K. Range set to 0. I had them on 70% CAP.

These were complemented by Franks flying at roughly the same altitude.

They chewed up the Spitfires and held their own against the P-47. Don't know what they might have done versus the P-51 as they had been beaten down pretty good by the time this 7th squadron came in.

Everyone flying got the diving bonus against those B-29. Didn't shoot down very many but really damaged a bunch.

[MakeeLearn]

Everyone flying got the diving bonus against those B-29. Didn't shoot down very many but really damaged a bunch.

From scripture.....

1-"Also, damaged planes will be less likely to return successfully to their base if they have to fly a long return trip."
2-"However, damaged big bombers are lost more often on landing than in air-to-air combat."


Are you seeing only dogfighting shot down Allied planes or shot down overall? If only dogfighting then some bombers may not make it back or will crash on landing.

[John 3rd]

June 27, 1944
Off Miri

The Japanese Surface contingent in the DEI has known many problems over the last few months but they have also occasionally scored some victories. This day appears to be one of the latter.

BB Musashi, CL Isuzu, and 2 DDs do a sweep in preparation of BB Nagato's bombardment of the base. In coming in the battleship and her escorts assume positions for surface encounter. They certainly get that as they fight two separate TFs of 3 Fletcher DDs each.

While word is that these modern American DDs are quite dangerous, this day and night does nothing to prove that. There is nothing a DD can do when a 46CM shell smacks it. Of the six American DDs that enter the fight this day Bradford, Hoel, Spence, Claxton, and Conyngham find themselves issuing distress calls as they sink. For this fine haul of DDs, the Japanese lose DD Yamakaze see moderate damage to DD Mochizuki and Isuzu and Musashi takes a TT that does no damage.

The sun rises as Claxton and Conyngham are sunk. A protective CAP fills the skies over the two TFs. Two strikes by 14 and 11 American SBDs come in. The CAP shoots down roughly half of each strike. Nagato takes 2 bombs and Musashi gets hit once.

The Musashi reforms with Nagato and they preapre for more trouble before heading home to Singapore.

Damage:
Musashi SYS 18, FLOT 8, ENG 2
Nagato SYS 14, FLOT 9, ENG 1

FIVE Fletchers isn't much in the big picture but it was nice to see them sink after just one or two 46CM hits!

[ny59giants]

Why are you UP posting at 3:50am your time??

[John 3rd]

June 27, 1944
Over San Fernando

For the last week or so Japanese AKs/APs have been lifting shattered troops off at San Fernando, Luzon. The pilots defending this port have faced numerous Fighters and, yesterday, the fearsome B-29. This day they patrol waiting for the inevitable Allied Fighters Sweeps. NONE come. Down below 20 AKs work to load an Air Fleet and Air Flotilla HQ, two Engineering units, and a Base Force. Morning gives way to the afternoon when radar picks up a formation of aircraft approaching. Bracing for the B-29 or B-24 or, perhaps, a squadron of P-47s, the Japanese are shocked to see over 30 un-escorted SBD DB.

BANZAI!

Over 100 Fighters tear into them. There are no survivors...

(Aircraft losses for June 27th)

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Why are you UP posting at 3:50am your time??

Couldn't sleep. Woke up at 2am and decided to run the turn. Headed back to beddy-bye now.

[John 3rd]

June 27, 1944
Tulagi, SOLOMONS

For the Allies, the last few weeks have seen several sharp reverses and losses for them in this region.

Little do they know the profound danger that they are now in.

Unknown to the Allies a Japanese Task Force arrives at Tulagi and drains the last drops of fuel left at the Port...

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

June 27, 1944
Over San Fernando

For the last week or so Japanese AKs/APs have been lifting shattered troops off at San Fernando, Luzon. The pilots defending this port have faced numerous Fighters and, yesterday, the fearsome B-29. This day they patrol waiting for the inevitable Allied Fighters Sweeps. NONE come. Down below 20 AKs work to load an Air Fleet and Air Flotilla HQ, two Engineering units, and a Base Force. Morning gives way to the afternoon when radar picks up a formation of aircraft approaching. Bracing for the B-29 or B-24 or, perhaps, a squadron of P-47s, the Japanese are shocked to see over 30 un-escorted SBD DB.

BANZAI!

Over 100 Fighters tear into them. There are no survivors...

(Aircraft losses for June 27th)

Very nicely done, John! [&o]

Butchering unescorted DBs or TBs en masse is my third favorite thing to do in this game!

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd
Unknown to the Allies a Japanese Task Force arrives at Tulagi and drains the last drops of fuel left at the Port...

I assume this is part of the Kaigun? I'm hoping that the falling cherry blossoms debut soon.