The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

Again, a tangent.

Several years ago, I was interviewed by a blogger in Georgia. One of the questions and answers was this: If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, for 2-4 weeks, all expenses paid, where would you go and why? I’d either choose the concentration camps of Poland and Germany plus Normandy or the islands of Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima in the Pacific. World War II history has been an interest when I was young, and much of my reading (and some of my writing) has involved these places. As for the concentration camps, that’s the saddest, most compelling chapter of human history that I’m familiar with.

My response resulted in a several responses by Polish people. Here's an example: The term 'concentration camps of Poland' is incorrect. The German Nazis established the 'concentration camps' on occupied Polish soil. The camps were not Polish as implied by the comment. Please correct the error.

Last week, I saw in the news that Poland has considered legislation making it a crime to make this mistake, or to suggest Polish complicity in the camps.

I never envisoned or suggested or implied such complicity. I was simply referring to the location of these camps. But everybody seems to bet bent out of shape about everything these days.

[JohnDillworth]

Ah, my best friends wife's mother passed this year. We attended the funeral and knew them well. Her husband died a few months before. The mother is a holocaust survivor. French, she was a child and hidden by the nuns in France. He mother was taken and was among the last Jews exterminated in Majdanek. Just weeks before the Russians arrived. My friend and his wife will go to Majdanek this spring to carry out her mothers last wishes. To have her ashes scattered with her mother. Born a Jew, cremation is forbidden. She said she does not believe in god. Her belief ended the day her mother was taken to the camps. I tell you this because my friend and his wife do not want to go to Majdanek, but last wishes are last wishs and they have vowed to carry out this wishes.

[Canoerebel]

Very poignant. If my family had been there, or if my family had been guards there, I wouldn't want to go. The pain would be too great. It would be too near. But my connection is not so close, and the need of a historian is to walk hallowed ground - to inhale the atmosphere and to feel the ghosts.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Bearcat2
Surprised that the Soviets have not been activated

Soviet Activation depends on a mystical algorithm far beyond my abiilty to comprehend....and since it comes into play only once every 16 UV/WitP/AE years (according to my experience), the effort to commit it to memory is too taxing.

If the war is still lingering in two weeks, a 10,000 AV Chinese army may cross the border and enter Manchukuo. If that doesn't activate Russia, nothing will.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: Bearcat2
Surprised that the Soviets have not been activated

Soviet Activation depends on a mystical algorithm far beyond my abiilty to comprehend....and since it comes into play only once every 16 UV/WitP/AE years (according to my experience), the effort to commit it to memory is too taxing.

If the war is still lingering in two weeks, a 10,000 AV Chinese army may cross the border and enter Manchukuo. If that doesn't activate Russia, nothing will.

Activation is solely based on the historic date the Soviets activated (Aug 1945) or the AV of the units assigned to Manchukuo Army (which includes Korea Army) dropping below 8000. The latter is a die roll chance of activation, with lower AV increasing the chance. There may also be a factor for the game date.

I sandboxed it by sending Manchukuo Army units piecemeal into a buzz saw in mid 1942. The Soviets didn't activate until the Manchukuo Army AV was 1982! That was about two months after it dropped below 8000.

PS - I forgot that hostile Japanese activity can instantly activate the Soviets. I did that once by sending a Japanese recon plane over a Soviet base.

[Canoerebel]

Okay, so it's not a complex algorithm. It's just a simple series of steps that I understand and immediately forget, like a man who looks at his face in a mirror only to walk away and forget what he looks like (per the Book of James).

BBFanboy, you should volunteer to serve on Admiral Lowpe's staff. I am not sure your excellent grasp will be of any help to him at this late date, but perhaps you can keep him from activating Portugal and Andorra.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Okay, so it's not a complex algorithm. It's just a simple series of steps that I understand and immediately forget, like a man who looks at his face in a mirror only to walk away and forget what he looks like (per the Book of James).

BBFanboy, you should volunteer to serve on Admiral Lowpe's staff. I am not sure your excellent grasp will be of any help to him at this late date, but perhaps you can keep him from activating Portugal and Andorra.

[:D] I could be the equivalent of Cap Mandrake's "Ensign Hata" (copywrite Cap Mandrake and M&M Enterprises, 2007).

I sandbox things to find out the "what if" questions of this game. Started about five years ago and figure I have answered about 10% of my questions ... [8|]

[Canoerebel]

5/3/42

CenPac: KB raid about over.

I have to allow for the possibility that John will banzai his fleet, including his carriers, but I think odds are 3:1 that he won't.

[Canoerebel]

5/3/45

Singapore: As anticipated, John didn't counterattack today. The Japanese army is a collection of units with modest AVs. Now the Allied army is too, but there was marked recovery of fatigue and disruption today. About 100 AV gained on disablements. There may be time for another attack before the end of the war. Maybe.

[Canoerebel]

5/3/45

Battle of Fusan: Japanese didn't attack today, avoiding a mistiming issue. The Allied infantry is up and the first probing deliberate attack will take place tomorrow. There should be at least six forts here but the enemy garrison apepars ragged.

[Canoerebel]

5/3/45

Korea: It doesn't look like John has further Dunkirking plans at Fusan. He has 68k troops including all or parts of five divisions. The Allied army attacks tomorrow.

China: Allied army gathering near Peiping. It'll be another six days or so before the first attack.

[Canoerebel]

5/3/45

Intel Screen: Good day on the scoreboard. Strategic Bombing is the biggest contributor - especially adding in the enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground. Some of the B-29s on the Osaka raids targeted the airfield.

It looks like Strat Bombing and Army Loss points will provide the bulk of the points the rest of the way (unless John banzaiis his fleet).

[BBfanboy]

Nearly 24K Japanese aircraft destroyed (~25% more than your losses) - that is a staggering number. Even with the advantages the mod provides and good management of the economy to build max aircraft, it seems he is scraping the bottom of the barrel now. As noted before, pilot quality is also an issue for the Japanese.
I think once you get Fusan the extra few hexes shaved off the distance to Tokyo will mean disaster for his weakened defences.

[ericv]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Nearly 24K Japanese aircraft destroyed (~25% more than your losses) - that is a staggering number. Even with the advantages the mod provides and good management of the economy to build max aircraft, it seems he is scraping the bottom of the barrel now. As noted before, pilot quality is also an issue for the Japanese.
I think once you get Fusan the extra few hexes shaved off the distance to Tokyo will mean disaster for his weakened defences.

I read 43k. Don't know where the 24k is coming from

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: ericv

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Nearly 24K Japanese aircraft destroyed (~25% more than your losses) - that is a staggering number. Even with the advantages the mod provides and good management of the economy to build max aircraft, it seems he is scraping the bottom of the barrel now. As noted before, pilot quality is also an issue for the Japanese.
I think once you get Fusan the extra few hexes shaved off the distance to Tokyo will mean disaster for his weakened defences.

I read 43k. Don't know where the 24k is coming from

Oops - I just looked at Air to Air losses - no overall total on aircraft losses unless you add them up by type of loss. Doesn't the 43K points include some double points for bombers, or is that just for the Allied 4E bombers?

[Panther Bait]

If you add up the losses on the left side it is 43,029 Japanese losses to 30,987 Allied losses. I believe those numbers are true airframe losses (maybe FOW for the Japanese losses?).

On the right hand side, I believe the Aircraft Points totals should include the "extra" points for 4E bomber losses for the Allies (43029 to 34452).

Mike

[Canoerebel]

5/4/45

Battle of Fusan: Opening deliberate attack doesn't touch six forts at 1:2, but enemy casualty numbers are encouraging (but Allied disablements high). Lots of reinforcements coming up, but the road from Masan is a bad one. I think the game will end before the Allies take this base.

[Canoerebel]

5/4/45

Strategic Bombing: Strong and effective attack vs. Osaka today.

Korea: Probing deliberate attack shows six forts. Reinforcements are coming but will take awhile due to poor roads at Masan.

China: Allied army now across the river in numbers, with much more coming. First group may begin the move on Peiping in a day or two.

[Canoerebel]

5/4/45

Intel Screen: Another good day, with AV now about 3,500 points away. Strat. Bombing continues to lead the way. Osaka has more than enough points left to provide what's needed for victory, so I'll keep targeting it until John puts stout CAP over the base. (The Allies also hit Muroran on Hokkaido, doing a lot of damage there.)

KB: Steaming west, still on the radar screen NW of Midway.

Singers: John employed a lot of bombers vs. the Allied besiegers, to little effect. I can't envision a scenario in which something good or bad happens here before war's end.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

5/4/45

Battle of Fusan: Opening deliberate attack doesn't touch six forts at 1:2, but enemy casualty numbers are encouraging (but Allied disablements high). Lots of reinforcements coming up, but the road from Masan is a bad one. I think the game will end before the Allies take this base.

If you get enough reinforcements up this might be a good place for rotating attacks between different groups of units to keep the defenders out of breath every turn.