Islands of Destiny: RA 5.0 Japanese Side

[jwolf]

...however, in late-April 1945 it is just a normal run-of-the-mill disaster that unfolds every turn...

Kudos for your good attitude as Japan's forces take a severe beating. The end (2-1 VP) does appear to be very close now. Hold your head high right up to the finish line.

[John 3rd]

Hell...I am still TRYING to punch!

[John 3rd]

Sent to Dan a little while ago:

How about we try to do something for the benefit of the Forum and ‘stage’ some of what is being discussed on that air thread? We pick a target or two and you attack with your 4EB and we post the results in a joint thread. We can look at various items and considerations and add different experiments on a day-to-day basis. Ain’t gonna change the course of things and might provide some serious, real examples to work from on this topic.
John


Dan's Reply:

I'm willing, but let's wait until the game is done. Then we can step back a few weeks and run as many tests as we wish.

I know what we're going to find, and I think a lot of other players do too. Ground units in open terrain are in deep trouble; those on good defensive terrain and behind stout forts withstand attacks much better; lack of AA and fighter cover plays a key role.

What do you want? You have 1,500 fighters in Japan that you can commit in Korea...or not. You prefer to protect industry, and that's a valid choice. You could defend forward, but your losses would be heavy even while your army would be somewhat protected, and your industry would be more open to attack. Or you could play cat-and-mouse, sometimes protecting industry, sometimes ground troops, mixing things up and trying to bushwhack my bombers.

Do you think it's reasonable to devote 1,500 fighters to industry defense while leaving your ground units unprotected and then fuss about losses to ground troops? You are in far better shape in 1945 than the Japanese were but it's as though you think it ought to be an even match at this point.

In the war, the Allies conducted nearly all strategic bombing from Tinian and Saipan and hammered Tokyo. Imagine if I was bombing from those two bases alone. I'd have 1,000 strategic points and I'd have lost 80% of my B-29s Instead, I have level nine airfields in Korea with flush supply and a massive air force. Japan should be getting hammered. But your air force is still strong (in spots) and able to defend you industry, so I use my bombers elsewhere and avoid Tokyo and some other bases.

You are not being abused. You have options that work, though each has liabilities too. Other Japanese players make it work for them. You're going to lose, but you are not defenseless. It's just that you've weighted everything on industry defense and are paying some costs for that.

Neither you nor I harbor any ill will for the other. There's no rancor or anger on my part. There is some frustration, but that too is true of the real war. Montgomery thought Anderson was an idiot; Anderson thought Bradley was a fool; Bradley couldn't stand the ideas of Mark Clark; Mark Clark thought Eisenhower was naïve, and on and on. But it does bother me that here at the end of a long, well-played, challenging game, Japanese fans are going to pop out of the bushes and proclaim how I abused the game through 4EB and Death Star.

Men of knowledge, experience and ability can question or doubt the methods of others. Sometimes the complaints are valid. Many times they aren't. But good men sometimes don't see eye to eye. That's the case with us here. We see things differently. So we work through the rough patches, survive memorable experiences, and then gather afterwards to laugh about the good, the bad, the ugly, the indifferent.
How about we try to do something for the benefit of the Forum and ‘stage’ some of what is being discussed on that air thread? W pick a target or two and you attack with your 4EB and we post the results in a joint thread. We can look at various items and considerations and add different experiments on a day-to-day basis. Ain’t gonna change the course of things and might provide some serious, real examples to work from on this topic.

[John 3rd]

April 27, 1945

VP Score
Japan 77,884 +70
Allies 150,520 +560

The Allies cross the 150,000 barrier.

Japan has two operations underway that may yield some potential:
1. The majority of the remaining surface fleet is headed to Southern Korea and hopes to catch one or two of the maruading Allied TFs. One TF is made up of several CAs and the other has two Kongo-Class BC. Each TF has 6 DDs.

2. The five CVs that were headed to NE Pacific are now moving into the area NW of Midway hunting an Allied STF.

[obvert]

I love that you both give us some details of your conversations and methods of working through this long process of playing a campaign oner many years. I tell ya, there is nothing in the game world I've experienced like playing through the endgame as Japan and seeing everything you've built for years burning, crashing, exploding and vaporising each and every turn. It takes fortitude to make it through that.

On the bombing thing, even using 2E in the clear would result in extreme losses for Japanese troops as they don't have good AA built into even their larger divisions. I interpret this as the in game version of the many ground attack formats the Allies did operate, mostly 1E fighters with bombs, rockets, napalm and strafing, plus some absolutely killer 2E versions we don't see working perfectly in game because flak isn't suppressed as much as in RL and the element of surprise is very different. Also, there are so many VP targets wide open for the Allies late, and if they're not hitting ground troops they're destroying industry or targeting ports or airfields, and they'll get their point somehow.

[John 3rd]

Thanks Obvert.

We've gotten in TWO turns this day and I CREAMED his airpower this day. Let April 29, 1945 be known as a day where JAPAN nearly kept up with Allied VP gains.

Score:
Japan 78,377 +399
Allies 151508 +471

Will Post a real update because, for one day, the Empire stood tall!

BANZAI!

[Kitakami]

Congratulations!

And...

Tenno heika banzai!!!!!

[pws1225]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Thanks Obvert.

We've gotten in TWO turns this day and I CREAMED his airpower this day. Let April 29, 1945 be known as a day where JAPAN nearly kept up with Allied VP gains.

Score:
Japan 78,377 +399
Allies 151508 +471

Will Post a real update because, for one day, the Empire stood tall!

BANZAI!

Nice! [8D]

[John 3rd]

April 28, 1945

The Japanese ground position in Korea and China-Manchuria is rapidly crumbling. We are--at most--a week from a Soviet activation.

Korea
The Allies have punch through the several month old Japanese line and Masan, Moppo, and several other bases have fallen. Troops are holding at Chinhae presently but that will only last a day or two. Nearly 100 ships have gathered at Shiminoseki to evacuate the troops when Chinhae is taken and the shattered troops fall into Fusan.

China-Manchuria
The Chinese HOSTE has finally gathered itself and is a frightening Tsunami to see. Japan still holds Peiping and Tientsin but those days are numbered as well.

The fall of Seoul has led to chaos in the center of Korea. Allied forces moving nearly at will.

Naval Action
Moppo, Korea
We are fighting in a spirited manner sending MTB, Midget SS, and PTs into the seas towards Moppo in an effort to keep the roving American DD TFs occupied.

Central Pacific
The Japanese CV TF (refuse to call it KB) moves into a position near Midway and Wake. The MIGHTY American YMS still serves as sacrificial lambs to detect Japanese CV TFs. Don't care this time. Sink three of the YMS with small strikes.

Indian Ocean
The IO CV TF (refuse to the THIS one KB!) is west of Sumatra picking up replenished planes and will then sortie towards Diego Garcia.

Fusan, Korea
The American CV TFs launch several raids at shipping in or near Fusan. Very exciting to see American CV planes actually ATTACKING shipping! They sink 12 AKLs and my fighters take some pain out upon them.



Dan seems to think I have 1500+ Fighters protecting the Home Islands. The actual number is maybe half of that but it is what he believes. He told me that he wouldn't mess with Tokyo, Yokohoma, Maebishi, etc... so I decide to take some of the 700 or so Fighters I have a set-up CAP Traps at Nagasaki, Chinhae, and Fusan. We'll see how that works out.

Move the Fusan EVAC Force to Fusan and it is covered by a CA TF and BC TF. Detach three DDs to sweep into the area near Moppo and see what happens.

[John 3rd]

AA Numbers:

[John 3rd]

April 29, 1945

For one glorious day in late-April 1945 the Japanese Fighter Corps dominates the Allied Air Forces! The CAP traps work to near perfection as numerous Allied air formations are pummeled due to a lack of Fighter escorts or simple Japanese numbers in a chosen hex.

Naval Action
The knife-fighting really picks up in the seas around Moppo to Fusan. By the end of he night phase, Japan loses 3 DD, 4 Midget SS, 4 MTB, and 10 other small craft. The Allies see DD Kane sunk and 4-5 others DDs roughed up pretty decently.

Air Action
Nagasaki
No Fighters sweep this base prior to the B-24s arriving. I was REALLY hoping for this! Dan has been pummeling the city but not the AF. I haven't contested the skies here in nearly 2-3 weeks. This day over 175 Fighters rise from those AFs and they CRUSH the American B-24 attacks. IT--IS--LOVELY! [&o]

Chinhae, Korea
Several waves of unescorted 2EB come in here and my older airframes (Tojo and Tony) do very well slashing them.

Fusan, Korea
Wow. I mean WOW! The American CVs launch strikes at the valuable shipping now present in the hex (BCs, CAs, APs, AKs, etc...) and they are met by nearly 150 rested Fighters. The strikes are big but my fighters set through and chew up the DB and TB trying to hit my shipping. Strikes: 280 Fighters 45 DB, 234 Fighters 36 DB, 23 F 36 DB, and 15 F 22 DB. NUMEROUS planes fall so fast they cannot be counted! For these huge losses, Japan loses an AK, E-Class, and AKL. No warship is hit throughout the turn.

BANZAI

Ground
Chinhae and Chinnampo hold for another day--by their fingernails.

[John 3rd]

Here is the BIG PICTURE and you can see the problem with the Soviets...

[John 3rd]

I really do EXPECT to get crushed on this next turn...

Think I teed off the Allied Forces and hammers will come flying in from all directions!

[jwolf]

Oh sh** about the Soviets! But I guess at this point you really can't do anything about it. Congrats on the good A2A day, though!

[JohnDillworth]

Probably not enough time left for the Soviets to make a difference either way. Be interesting to see because so few players get to these uncharted waters in 1945. At this point you probably feel like the drunk in the bar that has been beaten to a pulp but still wants to fight everyone. Used to have a friend like that. Nicest guy in the world until he was drunk and then he wanted to fight everyone. Problem was he was the worst fighter in the world, so it ended up being my problem. Stopped going out drinking with that guy

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Probably not enough time left for the Soviets to make a difference either way. Be interesting to see because so few players get to these uncharted waters in 1945. At this point you probably feel like the drunk in the bar that has been beaten to a pulp but still wants to fight everyone. Used to have a friend like that. Nicest guy in the world until he was drunk and then he wanted to fight everyone. Problem was he was the worst fighter in the world, so it ended up being my problem. Stopped going out drinking with that guy

Told Dan I felt like Rocky starting the 15th Round: beaten, bruised, bloodied and staring right at Apollo Creed saying "Come ON!"

Truly stupid when you think about...

[ny59giants]

[JohnDillworth]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Probably not enough time left for the Soviets to make a difference either way. Be interesting to see because so few players get to these uncharted waters in 1945. At this point you probably feel like the drunk in the bar that has been beaten to a pulp but still wants to fight everyone. Used to have a friend like that. Nicest guy in the world until he was drunk and then he wanted to fight everyone. Problem was he was the worst fighter in the world, so it ended up being my problem. Stopped going out drinking with that guy

Told Dan I felt like Rocky starting the 15th Round: beaten, bruised, bloodied and staring right at Apollo Creed saying "Come ON!"

Truly stupid when you think about...

Truly stupid when you think about...

Honor may feel like pure insanity but you are an Honorable opponent and we from the peanut gallery salute you!

[John 3rd]

Starting a new turn. Let us see what April 30, 1945 brings...

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Starting a new turn. Let us see what April 30, 1945 brings...

That's easy!