The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Encircled]

Ah Calvinball

Up there with the far side

[Canoerebel]

Enemy combat ships are at Manado. I think John is considering sending Mini KB from Balikpapan into the Pacific.

In a perfect world without competing interests, I'd send Death Star southeast to at least sniff out opportunities. But the greater opportunity lies to the north, where Peep Show beachheads beckon (Oh, purple prose!) and there may be another carrier TF. At this point, I'm committed to Peep Show. I've passed the point of departure.

[paullus99]

Good for you - at the end of the day, John can run his ships around all he wants, but if he's not distracting the juggernaut from its goal, it's just window dressing.

Question - if he decides to "run the gauntlet, can you throw a bunch of planes at him from your DEI airbases?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

With SoPac KB confirmed far away, Peep Show will commence as soon as the amphibious ships arrive at Manila and can load. Embarkation date might be four or five days away.

That means my carriers won't upgrade, at least in the near term.

The form and extent of Peep Show is dependent on several variables that I won't know with certainty until the TFs get underway. I don't want to tip my hand. But suffice to say, there is a Blitzkrieg version and a West Front 1914 version. The latter invokes sustained air operations to soften up the targets ahead of amphibious assaults. The former involves moving in strength on vulnerable targets ASAP.

John's had enough time to figure things out, though SigInt still whispers the things I wish to hear. The answers will come in about five or six days.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: paullus99
...Question - if he decides to "run the gauntlet, can you throw a bunch of planes at him from your DEI airbases?

The biggest threat a rampaging Mini KB (or Mini KB combined with SoPac KB) would be clearing out my ships and then bombarding my bases to reduce critical supply stores.

To guard against that, I have big airfields and lots of strike aircraft....but only one small combat TF to protect them.

I'm repositioning many subs from the Pacific into the DEI, and I'll divert at least one Death Star DD TF down to the DEI.

There's no real concern about actual enemy invasions taking one of my big supply depots, because the three bases have strong garrisons prepping for future action (IE, not twiddling their thumbs).

The threat of a rampaging KB is a real one but the alternative is to stand down Peep Show, send Death Star down south to chase away TFs that don't want to be caught...and to then end up in the same position three weeks from now.

So there's only one real solution: batten down the hatches in the DEI and press forward in the South and East China Sea regions.

[Barb]

Regarding night bombing discussion here... From your side you can offer few things to ease his "lack of NF focus":

1) as you mentioned, no port/airfield strikes - I think this is where the results can get really nasty "nuking" the target

2) use only planes "made for" night bombing - this would greatly reduce the numbers (e.g. Liberator B. marks, not GR marks, Wellington B. marks , the B-29B night version, maybe check for Radar equipment)

3) while saturating defenses with a nuke strike is good tactic, you can also spread the targeting around. One squadron there, other squadron there. A destroyed industry is destroyed industry (from scoring point) no matter if it is in Honshu or some forgotten place in Java.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Barb


3) while saturating defenses with a nuke strike is good tactic, you can also spread the targeting around. One squadron there, other squadron there. A destroyed industry is destroyed industry (from scoring point) no matter if it is in Honshu or some forgotten place in Java.

Industry damage – Two VPs per point damaged, 20 VPs per point destroyed (an item destroyed
when damaged will yield 18 more VPs). Industry can only be destroyed by firestorms and
A-bombs, but can be damaged by any type of attack (including firestorms and A-bombs). VPs
scored by damaging industry is cumulative; if an industry hex is bombed, damaged, repaired,
then bombed again, the player keeps earning VPs as long as the industry hex keeps generating
value by repairing itself.
This is true for all industry types including manpower.
Points will only be scored by the Allies for bombing industry in mainland Japan, and by the
Japanese for bombing industry in North America, Australia, and/or Hawaii.

[ny59giants]

Ah Calvinball

Up there with the far side

I was a big fan of "Bloom County" in the 80s. Loved Opus!! [:D]

[mind_messing]

@ Lopwe - the number of NF squadrons that can be resized is pretty small. 2 or so, in Scenario 1, and I'm sure one of those withdraws. It's a help, but it's still nowhere near enough.

Regarding night bombing, I've ranted and raved on the issue quite extensively.

My opinion boils down to this:

It has its quirks for both sides, but on the whole, outright banning it is wrong as it makes the primary strategic consideration for Japan in the late-war an afterthought - namely defending the Home Islands industrial centres against air attack.

For John to simply not want night bombing to occur is simply unfair. It means he can get away with just day CAP, and that means hundreds of fighters to deploy elsewhere.

That said, I know how he feels. I can get on board with the argument that it's way too effective on tactical targets (airbases, ports), but cities are a completely different kettle of fish.

[Canoerebel]

7/21/44

Battle of Bangkok: General Allied attack at Bangkok tomorrow; stiff opposition possible but unlikely.

[Canoerebel]

7/21/44

Torres Strait, KB, and Supply War Games: Interesting chess match ongoing down in the Torres Strait region, where SoPac KB can roam at will and has a few nice targets nearby. Against that is the backdrop of whether SoPac KB's 500 aircraft will be missed when Peep Show gets underway.

[MakeeLearn]

Battle of Bangkok: General Allied attack at Bangkok tomorrow; stiff opposition possible but unlikely.

[Canoerebel]

7/21/44

DEI: Is KB heading this way? Can I configure defenses that will pose a threat to KB and minimize whatever raiding John has in mind?

The idea is to not allow too much attrition to the supply depots, which are scattered around (not all eggs in one basket). With the Allied fleet committed elsewhere, John can make trouble here, but I don't think enough trouble to be a concern, nor enough to offset the effect of his carriers not being present for Peep Show.

[Canoerebel]

7/21/44

Fun House and Peep Show: Lots of important things going on elsewhere, but here's where the war will be won (militarily at least).

[DW]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Ah Calvinball

Up there with the far side

I was a big fan of "Bloom County" in the 80s. Loved Opus!! [:D]

In case you're not aware,Berkeley Breathed restarted Bloom County last year.

http://www.gocomics.com/bloom-county

[Canoerebel]

7/21/44 evening

At headquarters, the mists of uncertainty finally cleared. A plan came into focus. Decisions were made. Each one led to another and another in an endless cascade. And suddenly it was as if everything needed to happen right now - today! - to take advantage of an apparent opportunity. But some of the troops are scattered; some are in strategic mode; some are prepped for targets that will not be targeted this time around.

The plan is one to strike deeply, quickly - blitzkrieg! - rather then the alternative, which meant a slower unfolding preceded by a lengthy aerial campaign.

I am not positive that the targets are weakly defended, despite the consistently encouraging SigInt. John has been hard at work, after all. I'll light up the targets in two or three days. If there is not weakness there, as I had hoped, I'll recall the ships and revert to the slower, heavier campaign. But I think the opportunities are there...and perhaps not much longer.

[paullus99]

"Antici...............................................................................pation!"

[Canoerebel]

Is it a mistake for John to not have KB assembled to oppose the next invasion? Far-flung detachments of KB are threatening the main Allied LOC in the DEI area. They're also harvesting points, in the form of vulnerable Allied shipping. From a VP standpoint, that makes sense. He may also believe that LBA - based on "unsinkable carriers" like Formosa - are sufficient to handle the threat, without risking his valuable (Victory Points!) carriers to attack. He'll also be configuring a layered defense - mines, subs, motor torpedo boats, kamikazes.

If his defense is successful, he'll bleed the Allied invasion badly, while also creating problems out on the flank - the LOC.

If he's wrong - if the Allies handle the opposition reasonably successfully - then they take that next step forward, closer to the Home Islands.

I'm not positive I'm right or that John's wrong, but the possible consequences of not having those extra 900 (or so) aircraft available on a mobile platform not subject to Allied 4EB seems questionable.

Death Star will steam north with a lot of escort TFs and support TFs - combat, ASW, minesweepers, minelayers, DEs and DDs to deal with riff-raff. There will be subs on combat patrol and subs loaded with mines.

Death Star is configured mostly with defense in mind - lots of extra fighter squadrons. Most of the inferior FM2 squadrons have been replaced by Hellcats now. The few that aren't will switch out in two or three days, even while at sea.

The amphibious forces include about five divisions, tanks, combat engineers, HQ, amphibious force HQ, and engineers. There are four potential beachheads. I have solid information about one (I think), while the other three are unknowns but seem promising given location and lack of SigInt for any troops. I don't need all four beachheads to be weakly defended - just two - or even one - will be sufficient.

No recon has visited these bases - ever. That'll change in about three days.

[jwolf]

Okinawa?

[Canoerebel]

Shangri-La