Lambs to the slaughter (Lowpe (J) vs Jocke; BillBrown (A)) Finished

[Lowpe]

Nov 20, 1943

Allies are quiet in the air...I really haven't seen his fighters in quite a while.

Burma continues to be full of suspense...

[Lowpe]

Major ship losses both sides.

[Lowpe]

Master report

[Lowpe]

I have used the air force hard...

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

"Allied task Force attempting to get underway"..for a PT group?[&:] Never seen that before. I wonder if they really were docked, for some reason?

Yep. Docked, or simply not patrolling.

Honestly, I do this all the time. I'm not sure it makes a difference, as the PTs should get underway quickly. And I don't want them burning through their 10 days of 1-hex PZ fuel when the port they're at likely has little (since it's on the front lines, typically).

[crsutton]

I can see reason for Jocke being a little conservative. Considering the West Coast excursion, you have sufferes relatively little in ship losses, and he is just reaching parity in carriers. The VP count is really good for you. He has a lot of making up to do. Your air losses are not bad. I look at a 3-2 advantage on the Allies side as pretty good numbers. Did you take out any West Coast aircraft factories totally? Considering the disaster on the West Coast you have done a great job recovering. As for the infantry losses-well, it is a naval game in the end.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

"Allied task Force attempting to get underway"..for a PT group?[&:] Never seen that before. I wonder if they really were docked, for some reason?

Yep. Docked, or simply not patrolling.

Honestly, I do this all the time. I'm not sure it makes a difference, as the PTs should get underway quickly. And I don't want them burning through their 10 days of 1-hex PZ fuel when the port they're at likely has little (since it's on the front lines, typically).

The manual says that PT boats in port will form up into a TF to defend the base. Obviously no help if you want them to React the 1 hex, but still useful.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

"Allied task Force attempting to get underway"..for a PT group?[&:] Never seen that before. I wonder if they really were docked, for some reason?

Yep. Docked, or simply not patrolling.

Honestly, I do this all the time. I'm not sure it makes a difference, as the PTs should get underway quickly. And I don't want them burning through their 10 days of 1-hex PZ fuel when the port they're at likely has little (since it's on the front lines, typically).

The manual says that PT boats in port will form up into a TF to defend the base. Obviously no help if you want them to React the 1 hex, but still useful.

I've never seen that happen, although I didn't know it was a thing. I've had ports with PTs disbanded there attacked and not noticed anything.

[plund]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: witpqs

The manual says that PT boats in port will form up into a TF to defend the base. Obviously no help if you want them to React the 1 hex, but still useful.

I've never seen that happen, although I didn't know it was a thing. I've had ports with PTs disbanded there attacked and not noticed anything.

I read the same in the manual that disbanded PT boats will form of their own accord in response to an attack. I have never seen it. Has anyone else ever encountered such an occurrence?

[Lowpe]

Never seen PT or MTB sally forth to protect a port...more of an Allied tactic than JFB since ports tend to get heavily bombed by the Allies.

[Lowpe]

Two days have gone by with little action.

Jugs sweep Magwe in large numbers, but I took a risk and put the 350 fighters there on LRCAP duty trying to anticipate a bombing run. We both missed...and no planes were lost.

The Allied Army in the central plains of Burma have now struck down the road into the jungle SW of Magwe, leaving a blocking force of 7 units at Magwe. There is an RTA Division there dug in to level 3 forts, a SNLF unit and some 47mm rapid fire AT guns. More is on the way, but won't get there before the Allies kick me out as I suspect he has now 1500 AV plus. Should be a big deal as I have interior lines and will be able to contain them (I think).

The two trapped divisions and the LRP Bde are almost out of effective AV now, so it is a matter of time to get them to surrender.

Lost track of the deathstar as it steamed east and south of Horn.

[Lowpe]

Nov 23, 1943

A combined IJNAF and IJAAF raid goes into Buna, where recon spots very few AA guns and a busy port and runways. Oscars provided LRCAP, which wasn't needed.

[Lowpe]

Since the Navy pilots went after the port, it seemed only right to task the IJAAF with bombing the runways.

[Lowpe]

Burma

Allied forces moving down the road out of the plains and into the jungle...they hold a 3-1 advantage there for now. The RTA division, which is weak and bolstered only by a SNLF force and some 47mm rapidfire AT guns gets bombed.

I tried some LRCAP there and once again experimented with settings. Franks at 30K, and Oscars and Jacks down at 6 or 7K.

Didn't work against the Hellcat sweeps. I would have been better off with just Franks at 30K for LRCAP. Of note, there was no local radar present and this does make an impact in LRCAP fights.

For the day we lose 35 to 20 planes overall across the empire. Not bad, and I will take it.

[Lowpe]

A closer look at the three Allied units isolated near Katha, Burma.

The 32nd American Division
6th Australian Division
77th LRP Brigade

The 77th LRP Brigade, along with 3 African AA units, rushed across open ground, fought their way thru the jungle to force a river crossing into Katha, opening up a hexside for the isolated 32nd and 6th Divisions to escape Katha.

Which they did, losing all three AA units in the process, only to be isolated again in the jungle SW of Katha.

Now, because of the crazy monsoon effects, Japanese supplies flow to the troopers in the jungle (and prior in Katha, they never got more than 100 supply a day). This has sealed the fate of these Allied units as the deliberate attacks have been coming fast and furious since the supply has opened up.

[Lowpe]

The Ikoma on her maiden voyage ate a really bad torpedo, and made it back to Hiroshima just yesterday.

The naval yards at Honshu are quite full...all the recently damaged cruisers from my distractions near Rabaul, which led I believe the Allies to commit to Midway, because surely the KB would be around Rabaul with all the other IJN surface ships present.

The Hei will head to Kobe for repairs there.

Also two days out are a trio of heavy cruisers for their Nov 1943 upgrades.

At Nagasaki, the Kaga is in shipyard repairing two torpedo strikes.

In January the rest of Japan's fleet carriers arrive...and I think I will then finish the Yamoto.

[Lowpe]

Allies have dropped 70 tanks at Madang, only one unit. I really dislike this particular use, as I don't like using tanks without supporting infantry in jungles. However, perhaps there are motorized squads in the unit which would then make it ok by me.

Of course I am a hypocrite, because I use tanks pretty heavily in China.[;)]

Anyhow, there is only some lightly dug in infantry at Madang, I am flying in two SNLF units (with 43 troopers) and a handful of 75mm artillery, which is the best I have at hand. This whole area, broadly speaking New Guinea, is almost all air transportable units for Japan with nothing heavier than 75mm artillery around, and very few pieces of that to boot.

Right now there are a ton of Japanese land combat units moving around, and the Allies have surged their subs in response no doubt to sigint messages.

In Burma, I expect to retreat from the jungle hex road/rail line southwest of Magwe. Shouldn't be a big deal, since the Allies haven't cut the other rail line and Prome will be heavily reinforced on the morrow. Another deliberate attack on the 32nd and 6th Divisions...hoping to wipe them out in another 2 weeks.

Georges are repairing and fully staffed with my best Navy pilots.

A6M8 research is winding down, and I need to find a home for the 5 size 30 factories working on them.

[Lokasenna]

Shinden. Jack. George-5. Etc.

[:'(]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Shinden. Jack. George-5. Etc.

[:'(]

PDU off, baby!

Only have 1 Jack Squadron now, and it gets yanked in 44. Three more eventually arrive. I think I will have 4 George Squadrons that stick around. Shindens upgrade from George-5 I believe and only 2-3 squadrons.

Of the fighters only the Ki94 is around with more than 6 squadrons.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Shinden. Jack. George-5. Etc.

[:'(]

PDU off, baby!

Only have 1 Jack Squadron now, and it gets yanked in 44. Three more eventually arrive. I think I will have 4 George Squadrons that stick around. Shindens upgrade from George-5 I believe and only 2-3 squadrons.

Of the fighters only the Ki94 is around with more than 6 squadrons.

But do you really want to switch IJN factories to IJA? I mean, you might, given how the OOB shifts away from IJN F-squadrons and towards IJA F-squadrons...

PDU Off is garbage. Mega dislike. It's tantamount to something like forcing a historical offensive/counteroffensive timetable. /preach