BtS Lite ver. 4.5 - Kitakami (A) vs Falken (J) - IJN AAR

[ny59giants]

Warning: When you normally capture a base with Heavy Industry (HI), half of it is destroyed. However, if the base is empty of enemy troops or auto flips to Japan then it is totally destroyed [down to (0)1]. I had that happen to me at many bases in southern India. I'm posting this in both AARs. I would suggest that any base with HI have to have some Allied troops there to prevent this.

[Falken]

Game date is Jan 20th 1941

Thanks for the tip NY59, I haven't had time to update my AAR lately, but will soon. Just haven't had any time. Basically, since my last update, for Malaya, I've only got Singapore left to get, and I basically only have Manila left to get for PI (and a few small others like Cebu, etc.) Trying a second push for Palembang, and starting on Tarakan Next two turns will dictate if most of what I've planned will start to work.

I have moved my HQs as you specified, but honestly, haven't really seen an improvement in ratios or chances. Hopefully soon.

[Falken]

Game Date: Jan 30th 1942 (See Brian... I do pay attention .. )

Ok.. so what I have I learned so far playing the Japanese for the 1st time, in an official PBEM, with Kitakami:

1) Actually having a blast.... I'm actually really liking it. Now I wished that the Allies could control their economy
2) If you don't SWEEP, you will lose tons of planes .... I know this sounds so obvious for someone who's played since the early WITP years, and should know better, but since you are so busy and have so many things to do as the IJN at the beginning, this is something that is easy to forget until someone says "Hey,, how come you don't Sweep", and then you go, "ahhh crap..."
3) Listen to NY59Giants. Listen to him Listen to him. He told me to go after Palembang as soon as possible with APDs.... Do I do what he told me... um.. no... am I paying for it now,,, ummmm... YEP..
4) Don't over expand. I was such in a hurry to expand, that as of Jan 30th, although I have most of Malaya, I don't have Singapore, and I won't have it for easily 2 more weeks. Same goes to Manila. I have pretty much of all of PI, but Manila will take a while...ugh.. Lastly,.. Palembang.
5) Oh.. did I forget to say,, yeah.. don't overexpand. Use those extra troops to get Singapore, Palembang and Manila....
6) Kitakami is a way-cool opponent. Did stuff I did not expect, and i'm loving it.
7) Don't forget about Minesweepers... I know.. a simple duuhh.. until your BBs hit a mine, and you go.. "CRAP..."

So in the end, i'm very happy with my play so far. Have I made tons of mistakes, YEP, will I continue to make mistakes, YEP. Am I a good IJN Player.. umm..Nope. Am I learning tons about this side of the coin, YEP... So I have almost all of PI, Manila, Papua, Celebes, Borneo, etc etc, but the 3 key bases I don't have. Good lesson for next time.

So now I am about to hit February, and now the fun begins with the start of better planes, upgrades to future armored planes, etc. Should be a fun time as i am sure that Kitakami is about to get his new "stuff", and make me pay for not doing what I was suppose to.

Gotta luv this game.....

[John 3rd]

Glad you are enjoying it. Kitakami is getting to do what every JAPANESE player KNOWS when playing the Allies. Punch and bleed the Japanese at every opportunity. Many just turtle up and hide. Doesn't really work...

Your lessons above are solid. Have always felt that an Allied player should always play Japan for a bit. Serves as a huge education.

[ny59giants]

Siege Warfare, Japanese version: Manila or Bataan, Singapore, and Wenchow are three bases you often have a siege to deal with early in the war. There are pro and con to using CA/BBs to hit Manila (after you spend days clearing massive minefield at Bataan) and Wenchow. They tend to disrupt the enemies troops and enable quicker conquest, but industry is often damaged in the process. When it come to Singapore, just march WHOLE divisions across the causeway.

Glad your having fun!!
BANZAI!!!

[Falken]

Hey John.. If you see this,,,, now that we are in Feb 1942 in our game, I was making some changes to get ready for the A6M5, and normally I would go through A6M3 (which is now available as of today), but then I would follow with the A6M3A for the armor.

I thought for sure (and could be very wrong) that this was in DBB, but was the A6M3A taken out of the BTSL?, or am I totally out to lunch, and it was never in DBB to begin with.

Thanks,
Dave (and yes,,, i am too lazy to start up a DBB scenario to find out ).

[Falken]

Game Date: Feb 1st 1942

So , we are in Feb 1st, and here is the intelligence report

So, outside of what I wrote a few posts back, here are some observation
- Yep, I lost a lot planes. Several reasons for this, but main one was lack of SWEEPS, and didn't add enough planes to each area. This goes back to my previous comment about over expanding too quickly.

- For Ships sunk, my opponent lost the CV Lexington, BB Repulse, 2 CAs and 4 DDs, for capital ships. He's also lost 8 subs, which i'm thankful for. On my side, for combat ships, i've only lost 1 DD. Pretty good so far.

- Main goals for the next few weeks will of course be Singapore, Manila, Palembang, Rangoon, PM, and start the process of going after Java.

I think in the end, I should get what I'm "suppose" to get by May 1942, and of course, will solidify my gains by then, but I am hoping that I start getting some breaks soon so that I can start thinking of Australia, and other areas.

I really have had the worse of luck in Troop combat, even in areas that I thought I was really good. I've minimized my use of "Shock" and i'm starting to wonder if that is one of my problems. Oddly enough, the one spot that I thought I was lose in 2 turns "Ichang", i've been able to hold. My opponent has not made a dent there at all.

Even though it's based on DBB, there are differences. Still getting used to them.

My opponent also seems to be hiding his toys. Outside of hitting the Lex, I haven't really seen much action or movement from his main capital ships. Guess i'll see them soon.

Dave...

[ny59giants]

IJN fighters and upgrade paths were totally redone for the current version. You need to prioritize which models you want as both Jack and George can now be CV capable for some models. 😁 So R&D takes some thought.

Troop positioning has many formations moved forward.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

IJN fighters and upgrade paths were totally redone for the current version. You need to prioritize which models you want as both Jack and George can now be CV capable for some models. 😁 So R&D takes some thought.

Troop positioning has many formations moved forward.

What the man said.

[Falken]

Game Date: Feb 9th 1942.

Well, some things are progressing well. Finishing up Celebes, Borneo and PI, but i'm still having problems at Manila, Palembang and Singapore. Singapore is doing better, but it's been slow.

My troops have been so battered in BTSL that I will have to use the Singapore troops to finish off Palembang, and then on to Manila. I've just had too many troops disabled or destroyed to do this quick.

Kitakami really did a good job getting 30+ groups at pretty much the key locations, and since I wasn't expecting that, I got hammered, and i'm still trying to recover.

That's ok though, learned a lot of lessons for future games, but will have to find a way of surviving this. Never thought Feb 1942 would be so hard This was suppose to be my easy time..

Oh,,, one more note of stupidity. I had a bombardment attack on Manila, but forgot to TF sweep first, so of course, my ships took a hit with mines. Lost a CL but the rest was not bad.

Will provide another update once i've actually done something ...... Fun mod, but allies are definitely stronger. I knew that, but until you play the mod, you don't really realize it until your troops/ships take a hit.

Definitely need a different mindset for this mod. and yes,,, still loving it.

Kitakami must be killing himself laughing ,,,, he can probably start his attacks soon if I don't my crap together....

[Falken]

Game Date: Feb 11th, 1942.

Ok.. new lesson of the day.... Do not try to supply and sweep Johore by passing by Singapore.
Very stupid, very dumb, and very bad.

My esteemed opponent quickly made seafood out of my DMSs, DDs and AKs with his mines (which I thought the DMSs would protect me from), and of course, his CDs My TF is now food for the Coral Reefs.

Note to self: Do not be stupid, do not be stupid, do not be stupid.

On a good note, I think i'm finally starting to crack Singapore and Palembang. Forts have been reduced on both bases, and it will, hopefully, be a tiny bit easier... We will see....

[Falken]

Game Date: Feb 25th, 1942.

It's been a while since I last posted. My apologies for that. Gotta luv the holidays. Well... oddly enough, not much has changed since Feb 11th. I'm still chasing Manila, Singapore, Pegu and Palembang.

My opponent has done an amazing job of creating, basically, fortresses in the 3 main key bases. I'm having a heck of a time getting a handle on this, and it's been dramatically slow. Assuming that I can finally get these bases, it's safe to say that my opponent has been able to freeze my expansion. Haven't been able to even hit Java yet as i'm still stuck in what I would consider, primary locations.

In the end, this is both a) amazing forethought and planning by Kitakami, and b) me thinking in historical terms instead of BTSL views. This game is different, and you really need to rush to get these key bases. If I had followed some advise and used APDs and other fast moving ships to get these key bases early, I really believe that I would have had a much easier time. I give total credit to my opponent though, he's really good.

I've lost quite a few xAKs as well as i'm forgotten to protect this TF or that TF, and it seems my opponent is able to really take advantage of these mistakes. Again, good on him...

I'll provide some charts and pictures once we hit March 1942 in a few turns.

[ny59giants]

I'm still chasing Manila, Singapore, Pegu and Palembang.

From my perspective here in the cheap seats, priority #1 has to be Palembang. You need that oil!! Next would be Singapore as usually I have 5 to 7 divisions tied up here. Why the delay in its capture? Manila is placed under siege and bombed from the air with about 100 bombers until you don't see any AA guns firing. Then, the ground attack happens.

Looking forward to more details on each of these three issues.

[Falken]

Game Date: March 1st, 1942

Well, things have gone from bad to worse. I had a CarDiv near Rabaul protecting some landings, and at the same time, Kitakami anticipated this, and basically sent the Enterprise, a couple of CVLs, and a few others, had about 2x as many fighters as I had, and basically wiped out my CarDiv including 2 CVs (Akagi/Amagi), 2 CVLs (Ryukaku, Nisshin), and also 2 BCs (CHichibu and Ishitaka).

I had just 2 days before, send my other companion CarDiv to Kobe for some maintenance. If I had only waited a few more days, it would of been move even for fighters and bombers, but alas, it wasn't, and the result was complete disaster.

I really believe that this one event will decide the victory date, and i'd be surprised now if I can get past 1943. However, not giving up so will wait and see if I can get lucky in other places, and maybe re-balance this.

I have to admit that i'm really disappointed with my Carrier force. Had some of the best pilots, and should of had better planes, and yet the first hit of the battle was mine, and it totally failed: here is quick summary of my first detection, and my chance to hit him hard:

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 41
B5N2 Kate x 66
D3A1 Val x 44

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 36
F4F-3A Wildcat x 23
F4F-3 Wildcat x 46
F2A-3 Buffalo x 10
F2A-3 Buffalo x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 15 destroyed, 7 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 13 destroyed, 8 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F2A-3 Buffalo: 2 destroyed
F4F-3 Wildcat: 2 destroyed
F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
BC Chesapeake, Bomb hits 3
CVL Jacksonville, Torpedo hits 1
CV Enterprise
CVL Charlotte, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Preston
DD Helm
DD Mugford

So with over 100 bombers/torpedo planes, I got.. that's right, 6 hits. Only 6 hits.

When Kitakami's force responded, here are his results:

Japanese Ships
CV Amagi, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CV Akagi, Bomb hits 2
CVL Ryukaku, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires
CVL Nisshin, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
BC Chichibu, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires
BC Ishitaka, Bomb hits 7, on fire
CA Suzuka, Bomb hits 1
CL Tokoro, Bomb hits 1
CA Niitaka, Bomb hits 1
DD Kagero
DD Hamakaze

The damage of course was worse, as he hit me again in the PM, and basically finished the job.
Well, congrats to my opponent. Well played. As for me, the learnings continue.

[Capt. Harlock]

basically sent the Enterprise, a couple of CVLs, and a few others, had about 2x as many fighters as I had

Now how did he get 125 CAP fighters out of that, before he even got the F4F-4 variant? [&:]

[ny59giants]

Was there further damage to the 2 CVs beside the 2 bomb hits? Those are old BCs, so they are able to take a few more hits and survive. By this time in the war, you need to go in harms way with at least 2 of 3 parts of KB operating together. The Americans have 4 if not 5 CVs by now. Add in the hybrid CLVs and CVLs and the new Death Star can have some punch. It looks like he took off his TBs and added more fighters.

[Bif1961]

30 of your attacking planes were shot down before they could deliver their payloads and since your escort was outnumber 3-1 your attack planes were harrassed during their strike, throwing off their aim. For the number of CAP he had up, and assuming he had about half that number protecting his strikes against you, you were facing a lot more then Just the Enterprise and 2 CVLs. Using just his CAP number it appears he had 3 CVs and 2 CVLs at least. As they say timing is everything and the war gods didn't smile on you.

[bristolduke]

ORIGINAL: Falken

Game Date: Feb 25th, 1942.

It's been a while since I last posted. My apologies for that. Gotta luv the holidays. Well... oddly enough, not much has changed since Feb 11th. I'm still chasing Manila, Singapore, Pegu and Palembang.

My opponent has done an amazing job of creating, basically, fortresses in the 3 main key bases. I'm having a heck of a time getting a handle on this, and it's been dramatically slow. Assuming that I can finally get these bases, it's safe to say that my opponent has been able to freeze my expansion. Haven't been able to even hit Java yet as i'm still stuck in what I would consider, primary locations.

In the end, this is both a) amazing forethought and planning by Kitakami, and b) me thinking in historical terms instead of BTSL views. This game is different, and you really need to rush to get these key bases. If I had followed some advise and used APDs and other fast moving ships to get these key bases early, I really believe that I would have had a much easier time. I give total credit to my opponent though, he's really good.

I've lost quite a few xAKs as well as i'm forgotten to protect this TF or that TF, and it seems my opponent is able to really take advantage of these mistakes. Again, good on him...

I'll provide some charts and pictures once we hit March 1942 in a few turns.

As the guy following you with this mod from the glorious empire side ( we are in early Jan), I too have struggled even though I used the blitzkreig approach. I had taken Singapore, Clark and Palembang in the first two weeks (Manila is still hold out on 7 Jan) as well as Balikpapan, Wake Is and Midway shortly after. but I failed to take Singakawang and Tarakan in that first pass of northern Borneo ports, not the right allocation of forces. As such I am unable to stop the air attacks on Palembang (I've gotten to slow them down a bit).

Which of course means the balance here is very good as you must be precisce in both the strategy and tactics to achieve success. Mike and Mike are using small (2 ship) raiding task forces to hit where I'm not as well as being agreesive in defense DEI. They have pulled lots of aircraft in, but they have kept their carriers away.

Keep balzing that trail

[Falken]

Hi Bif1961,

You are probably correct, but I can only go by the Combat report. It only showed the Enterprise, and 2 other CVLs, but it's possible that he had other CVs (which would make sense) but it just didn't show up for me.

You can probably confirm if you look at Kitakami's AAR, but I must go with what I have. However, your premise is probably correct, considering he attacked me with 99 Dauntless's... If I just had not sent my other CarDiv for repairs. Gotta luv timing.

[Falken]

Bristolduke,

Don't do the mistake that I made. (ok,, I made several, but still ) I was thinking "Historical" (and yes, I do know that this mod is different ), so I was trying to get as much as possible quickly, thinking that I should be able to beat any troops he sends. Well,, I was wrong in this MOD. Problem is, I didn't get Singapore, Palembang and Manila yet, and it's already March 1942.

Of course my opponent basically built fortresses for each base, but that is something I should have thought of.

I didn't use enough Troops from other areas, and I spread myself too thin. Now, my troops are basically decimated, and need to wait for them to rebuild. By the time I get the 3 key bases, Java will probably be a lost cause as I'm sure he's building fortresses there too.

and now, i've lost the best CarDiv I had.... oh... the mistakes ......

Oh well.