A couple of notes for you overall on subs and such.
(my experience in games)
Single ship TFs are a magnet for subs, so if you are running loaded xAKLs anywhere thru an enemy sub hex, they will probably attack it. You are throwing away supply. Japan does not have enough to waste. R
Float Planes can do Nav Search at night. This will help increase DL for AM STRIKES....
plus it will help locate subs. Won't attack them but then the Jake's pitiful bomb load won't kill fish much less a sub.
Be sure to flip your Float Planes between Day and Night search as needed. In a campaign game, by this time most of my Floats are all assigned to Night Patrol.
Good luck.
The Commander's job is to orchestrate and direct the three major dimensions of combat - space, time and force. Shattered Sword, the Untold Story of the Battle of Midway
A couple of notes for you overall on subs and such.
(my experience in games)
Single ship TFs are a magnet for subs, so if you are running loaded xAKLs anywhere thru an enemy sub hex, they will probably attack it. You are throwing away supply. Japan does not have enough to waste. R
Float Planes can do Nav Search at night. This will help increase DL for AM STRIKES....
plus it will help locate subs. Won't attack them but then the Jake's pitiful bomb load won't kill fish much less a sub.
Be sure to flip your Float Planes between Day and Night search as needed. In a campaign game, by this time most of my Floats are all assigned to Night Patrol.
Turn 9 saw my CAs and SSs get into position ahead of the Bombardment. B17Es continue to pound Lae and Buna - I am refusing to have my Zeroes drawn in when I know my carriers arrive soon and they could be required to provide support or replacement aircraft and crew. Should he attempt to attack Rabaul he will have some serious competition.
Turn 10 resulted in the delayed bombardment proceeding as planned. I am fairly happy with the result but 1) I need you to tell me if it were a particularly successful bombardment or not and 2) I made a rookie error with my taskforce on remain on station... Now sitting ducks? We will see... For now I will bask in the glory of some 8"ers going to work:
***
15th August 1942
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lunga at 114,138, Range 7,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Chokai
CA Aoba
CA Kinugasa
CA Furutaka
CA Kako
CL Tenryu
CL Tatsuta
DD Uzuki
DD Mochizuki
Allied Ships
AM Tamworth, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
xAKL Patras, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
xAKL Matthew Flinders, Shell hits 5, and is sunk
***
Night Naval bombardment of Lunga at 114,138 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
19 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
CA Kako, Shell hits 1
CA Furutaka
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba
CA Chokai
CL Tatsuta
CL Tenryu
DD Mochizuki
DD Uzuki
Unfortunately a fast transport group returning from Buin stumbled upon the vaunted SS-38 with a DD sucking up a torp...
***
ASW attack near Buka at 108,128
Japanese Ships
DD Tachikaze, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PB Shonan Maru #3
xAKL Kamoi Maru #9
DD Akikaze
DD Hakaze
PB Takunan Maru #7
Allied Ships
SS S-38
SS S-38 launches 4 torpedoes at DD Tachikaze
***
I have had Bettys on airfield attack for the last few turns. My commander had aggression 32... He has been posted to Bikini atoll. While there are many reasons why the squadron may not have flown to support my attack on GC I feel a more determined commander may see it through.
Other news. I have a fast transport group sending troops into Tassafaragona in the coming days. I have more troops being brought in from Kwajalein. Although they will need to wait for the carrier air cover before going in for an extended unloading period.
T-5 days until Carriers.
What is the effective torpedo range of my Kates? Is it 7... Need to ensure I have the right set up for when it comes down to the carrier battle!
Over and Out.
(The rookie error. Here is the state of play post Bombardment:)
Attachments
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The bombardment was about average. You need to keep at it to shut down the airfield. The mouseover will show an "Airfield Damage" figure but that is for the Airfield Services (buildings) portion. It does not show runway damage and as long as the runway damage is under 50% aircraft can take off and land. But if the AF is level 1, it cannot operate offensive missions - only defensive missions like CAP and search/recon.
Nice catch on those xAKLs. The little supply they bring makes a big difference to the troops ashore, enabling construction of forts and the airfield, faster recovery from disablements and aircraft operations (fuel and ammo).
Don't beat yourself up over the mistake of leaving the TF "Remain on station". This game is so complex and detail laden that you will make lots of mistakes like that, even when you are a veteran player. The biggest mistake to watch out for is running your TFs out of fuel in the middle of enemy waters. Monitor your carriers very closely.
As for your bombardment TF, if it was not attacked during the day phase of the last turn, all is well. If you are confident there will be no enemy ships on your return route, you could check your ammo and if the CAs have more than "3" in their magazines, change your TF to Bombardment again, select Lunga, and then set "Retirement Allowed". The TF will bombard again (with a higher DL on the base than first time around) and then begin to return to your home base during the night phase. It is unlikely any Allied SCTF will catch them at Lunga before they leave.
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
Double check the speeds of the ships in your 'fast transport' group. The TF will only move at the speed of the slowest member. My guess is that (without checking the game) the xAKL in that group maxes out at 10-12 knots, a fraction of the APD and DD members. That's an unnecessary risk for all of this TF.
ORIGINAL: Derfflinger13
What is the effective torpedo range of my Kates? Is it 7... Need to ensure I have the right set up for when it comes down to the carrier battle!
Your carriers will come in with a mix of B5N2 and B5N1 Kates. The 'normal' range (assuming torpedoes are present in the CV bunkers) is what you're interested for in terms of torpedo attack. The B5N2 normal range is 7, the B5N1 is 8. While it's possible to get off a 7 or 8 hex alpha strike with no Allied reaction, it's rare.
If you want your D3As to also be involved in the carrier battle (strongly recommended), you'll have to move closer. Your incoming CVs come with both D3A1 and D3A2. Normal range on the former is 6 hexes. The D3A2 is 5. You'll need normal range to carry the more effective 250kg bomb load.
So...you have to make a choice. Do you try for an intercept at 8 hexes and only have your B5N1s fly (and, hopefully some escorting A6M2s)? Or do you try for something closer where you are bringing your maximum effort to bear, but at greater risk to your ships? [8D]
Double check the speeds of the ships in your 'fast transport' group. The TF will only move at the speed of the slowest member. My guess is that (without checking the game) the xAKL in that group maxes out at 10-12 knots, a fraction of the APD and DD members. That's an unnecessary risk for all of this TF.
Ah yeah you're right. The xAKL wasn't in the outbound group but I picked it up on the way back at Buin so that is my fault. A very good lesson I will learn from in future. The rest of the task force would've been home safe! The xAKL sailors are now happy to be safe ashore in Rabaul.
ORIGINAL: Derfflinger13
What is the effective torpedo range of my Kates? Is it 7... Need to ensure I have the right set up for when it comes down to the carrier battle!
Your carriers will come in with a mix of B5N2 and B5N1 Kates. The 'normal' range (assuming torpedoes are present in the CV bunkers) is what you're interested for in terms of torpedo attack. The B5N2 normal range is 7, the B5N1 is 8. While it's possible to get off a 7 or 8 hex alpha strike with no Allied reaction, it's rare.
If you want your D3As to also be involved in the carrier battle (strongly recommended), you'll have to move closer. Your incoming CVs come with both D3A1 and D3A2. Normal range on the former is 6 hexes. The D3A2 is 5. You'll need normal range to carry the more effective 250kg bomb load.
So...you have to make a choice. Do you try for an intercept at 8 hexes and only have your B5N1s fly (and, hopefully some escorting A6M2s)? Or do you try for something closer where you are bringing your maximum effort to bear, but at greater risk to your ships? [8D]
I really appreciate this clarity. I will aim to bring as much weight to bare on the opponent and I suspect a combined attack is far more likely to succeed than a piecemeal endeavour...
The bombardment was about average. You need to keep at it to shut down the airfield. The mouseover will show an "Airfield Damage" figure but that is for the Airfield Services (buildings) portion. It does not show runway damage and as long as the runway damage is under 50% aircraft can take off and land. But if the AF is level 1, it cannot operate offensive missions - only defensive missions like CAP and search/recon.
Nice catch on those xAKLs. The little supply they bring makes a big difference to the troops ashore, enabling construction of forts and the airfield, faster recovery from disablements and aircraft operations (fuel and ammo).
Don't beat yourself up over the mistake of leaving the TF "Remain on station". This game is so complex and detail laden that you will make lots of mistakes like that, even when you are a veteran player. The biggest mistake to watch out for is running your TFs out of fuel in the middle of enemy waters. Monitor your carriers very closely.
As for your bombardment TF, if it was not attacked during the day phase of the last turn, all is well. If you are confident there will be no enemy ships on your return route, you could check your ammo and if the CAs have more than "3" in their magazines, change your TF to Bombardment again, select Lunga, and then set "Retirement Allowed". The TF will bombard again (with a higher DL on the base than first time around) and then begin to return to your home base during the night phase. It is unlikely any Allied SCTF will catch them at Lunga before they leave.
Thanks BBfanboy. Unfortunately I panicked and sent the TF packing. They were 1 hex out of Rabaul by the end of the turn. But another CA task force has just arrived at Truk so I will bring them down and utilise the pair of SCTFs while I have them and keep the pressure building. This should bring his CVs to play and mine are due in 4 days...
Mutsu has also just arrived. I've sent her under escort to Rabaul - what do you guys do with her?
So the CAs ran for cover having stayed a little too long at the Bombardment party. They're due in Rabaul imminently, will take on fuel and return as soon as is practicably possible. They should be joined by a new TF from Truk to try and build the pressure on GC and do some damage to Henderson field, which as yet is not engaging in offensive operations. A number of allied taskforces were in bound so I wish I had more ammo and had been able to stick around to do some damage. My Subs get in the mix, albeit with mixed results...
***
16 August 1942
Submarine attack near Kirakira at 115,139
Japanese Ships
SS I-175
Allied Ships
xAKL Wollongbar, Shell hits 6, heavy fires, heavy damage
***
Sub attack near Kirakira at 115,143
Japanese Ships
SS I-123
Allied Ships
CLAA San Juan
DD Wilson
DD Buchanan
***
ASW attack near Rennell Island at 113,143
Japanese Ships
SS I-11
Allied Ships
DD Balch
DD Benham
***
ASW attack near Lunga at 114,139
Japanese Ships
SS I-172
Allied Ships
DMS Trevor
***
ASW attack near Lunga at 114,139
Japanese Ships
SS I-172, hits 2
Allied Ships
DD Wilson
DD Monssen
DD Buchanan
***
ASW attack near Rennell Island at 114,140
Japanese Ships
SS RO-34, hits 1
Allied Ships
DMS Hopkins
***
The dramatic arrival of my submarines brings a welcomed open frequency message from American SoPac HQ, "my lord, that is a lot of Japanese subs" Hopefully They will keep up the pressure and cause further set backs until I can reinforce Tassafaragona.
Don't forget to identify your more proficient / efficient ML submarines and have dedicated submarine ML TFs for them. 40 mines dropped astride your enemy's line of supply / ingress can mess with his day. [8D]
***
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Munda at 110,135
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Raid spotted at 15 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes
Allied aircraft
F4F-4 Wildcat x 42
SBD-3 Dauntless x 17
No Allied losses
Japanese Ships
SC Ch 4, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
SC Ch 6, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
SC Ch 5, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
***
So one of the ASW task forces escorting my Troop Convoy to Tassafargona takes the hit - thank goodness. I have turned the troop convoy around at top speed!
I have Repositioned all the subs around GC as below. But I doubt they'll get in position as he won't hang around - got to try though!
As his ships are discovered I suspect he may retreat. If he does further north then he will start to get some attention from Shortlands and Buin. I am positioning my CA bombardment taskforces north east of GC so that if he does retreat south I will be able to opportunistically hit Henderson field...
Unfortunately an AKE under escort takes a torp just a day out of Rabaul. God my ASW escorts are poor... I want that at Rabaul in case I need to use Mutsu or any of the other BCs/BBs due in the coming weeks. This brings me to the question on whether my ASW needs to be in the TF itself or whether its more/less efficient to have a seperate ASW force following the task force? [&:]
***
Submarine attack near Kavieng at 105,123
Japanese Ships
AKE Naruto Maru, Torpedo hits 1
Allied Ships
SS S-45
AKE Naruto Maru is sighted by SS S-45
SS S-45 launches 2 torpedoes
***
Good news comes on the land front though as I lauch an attack along the Kokoda trail. Hopefully dividing his attention, although I suspect PM is heavily reinforced...
***
Ground combat at Kokoda (99,130)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 9417 troops, 72 guns, 2 vehicles, Assault Value = 326
Defending force 2696 troops, 21 guns, 21 vehicles, Assault Value = 100
Don't forget to identify your more proficient / efficient ML submarines and have dedicated submarine ML TFs for them. 40 mines dropped astride your enemy's line of supply / ingress can mess with his day. [8D]
Thanks Chickenboy, I will try to remember to look at this next time I get the turn back. It would be certainly useful to have south of GC mined to kingdom come...
You are wasting fuel. Check speeds of vessels you are using. Speed for xAKL is like 3/2, so no reason to waste fuel for ONE extra hex.
Also, spread your CAs. You want to catch US ships, and if you have all CAs in one TF, they are spending days during transfer.
ORIGINAL: Derfflinger13
Unfortunately an AKE under escort takes a torp just a day out of Rabaul. God my ASW escorts are poor... I want that at Rabaul in case I need to use Mutsu or any of the other BCs/BBs due in the coming weeks. This brings me to the question on whether my ASW needs to be in the TF itself or whether its more/less efficient to have a seperate ASW force following the task force?
Attacks are made on TF basis. If your ASW TF haven't discovered subs before attack, your xAK is fighting alone. So, with this poor ASW abilities put your escorts directly with transports.
It would be certainly useful to have south of GC mined to kingdom come...
Mines at open sea disperse quickly. Like 2-3 days, and they are gone. You should put them in bases.
You are wasting fuel. Check speeds of vessels you are using. Speed for xAKL is like 3/2, so no reason to waste fuel for ONE extra hex.
Also, spread your CAs. You want to catch US ships, and if you have all CAs in one TF, they are spending days during transfer.
ORIGINAL: Derfflinger13
Unfortunately an AKE under escort takes a torp just a day out of Rabaul. God my ASW escorts are poor... I want that at Rabaul in case I need to use Mutsu or any of the other BCs/BBs due in the coming weeks. This brings me to the question on whether my ASW needs to be in the TF itself or whether its more/less efficient to have a seperate ASW force following the task force?
Attacks are made on TF basis. If your ASW TF haven't discovered subs before attack, your xAK is fighting alone. So, with this poor ASW abilities put your escorts directly with transports.
It would be certainly useful to have south of GC mined to kingdom come...
Mines at open sea disperse quickly. Like 2-3 days, and they are gone. You should put them in bases.
So the CVs make their escape but they know its not safe to stray that close to GC anymore. The sub net has been placed 6 hexes around GC to ensure the risk is real should they try and disrupt any of my operations there.
My troop convoy will complete its return to Rabaul next turn, at normal speed, having made its mistake. The TF had speed 5/4 so I hope the fuel expenditure was worthwhile in getting them out of danger.
I am hoping that the CVs will take a turn out with my CAs going in, in two TFs, to bombard Henderson field.
And I feel like it is a good one! I send in two separate CA task forces with good results and plenty of runway hits to keep his engineers busy. He has clearly started shipping in aircraft too as I damage some on the ground. Some Allied ships on the bottom make it all the sweeter... My Subs are in position to take any stragglers or hamper any reinforcements. Bouyed by my successes my fast transport group (18kts) makes out for Tassafaragona again. My CVs arrive tomorrow and they will cover the approach from the east...
***
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lunga at 114,138, Range 11,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Kinugasa
CA Furutaka
CA Kako
CL Tatsuta
DD Uzuki
DD Mochizuki
Allied Ships
DMS Hopkins, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
xAP Wahine, Shell hits 16, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
xAP Matua, Shell hits 12, and is sunk
***
Night Time Surface Combat, near Lunga at 114,138, Range 11,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Chokai
CA Aoba
CL Tenryu
DD Mutsuki
DD Yayoi
Allied Ships
AM Whyalla, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
xAKL Melinga, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
xAKL De Klerk, Shell hits 16, and is sunk
xAKL Sipirok, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
***
And the bombardments seem more effective this time around...
Airbase hits 11
Runway hits 20
Port hits 10
Port supply hits 4
***
I also send in a light force to scout out Tuilagi. No need to attack there again in the immediate future I don't think.
***
Night Naval bombardment of Tulagi at 114,137
Japanese Ships
CL Jintsu
DD Umikaze
DD Kawakaze
DD Kagero
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 7
Port hits 4
Port supply hits 2
***
And then runs into yet another US supply convoy on the way out! How would I know if I sunk them supply/troop laden?
*** Day Time Surface Combat, near Lunga at 114,138, Range 23,000 Yards
Japanese Ships
CA Myoko
CA Haguro
CL Yura
DD Murasame
DD Harusame
DD Samidare
Allied Ships
AM Cootamundra, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
xAKL Soerabaja, Shell hits 11, and is sunk
xAKL Coolana, Shell hits 23, and is sunk
xAKL Kooyong, Shell hits 14, and is sunk
xAKL Lady Isobel, Shell hits 4, and is sunk
***
As my first cruiser squadron leaves at daybreak the second cruiser squadron - clearly missing the memo - arrives to deliver some real damage to Henderson field and keep it out of action as my carriers start sailing down from Truk.
*** Day Time Naval bombardment of Lunga at 114,138
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 17
Port hits 24
Port supply hits 2
***
This squadron remains on station with the cruisers having 8/14 ammo left. They do not get attacked by air so will hopefully engage in another night bombardment before making good their escape. I can see a US taskforce a few hexes south in my sub nest with 1x CA with something else maybe they come and play? But at this stage perhaps he is best to avoid night fighting?
Michael continues to lay into Buna and Lae airfields - if my focus is on GC should I care about this?
My troop convoy is approaching GC from the north east , changing route at the last minute as my scout planes spot two US subs in the slot... The Mutsu is accompanying them...I might be tempted to send her in on Henderson field too...
Any Idea how long my bombardments will keep the field out for? My recon of GC hasn't been great so I don't know how much damage I have done to the airfield. Have sent some Rufes over to see what state it is in...
Some subs en route back to Rabaul to see if I can pick up some mines.
The Buin airfield reaches level 2.
Another turn I am happy with. Now, the CVs are en route to the theatre. Any tips / advice on carrier strategy? Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
Those are quite good bombardment results, but I don't see any DB in damaged report. Do you see any bombers listed in GC? It seems, there are only fighters there.
Also, are you setting your onboard Float Planes to recon at night, to help bombardment? You should get info like this:
"E7K2 Alf acting as spotter for CA Furutaka"
ORIGINAL: Derfflinger13
Any Idea how long my bombardments will keep the field out for? My recon of GC hasn't been great so I don't know how much damage I have done to the airfield. Have sent some Rufes over to see what state it is in...
Try using Float Planes on your ships, for recon. Just make sure, there are some unassigned percentage of pilots in group. You can use 1-plane groups for this, JAKEs have, like 10 hexes range, but keep them high, so they will not be shot down by CAP.
Some subs en route back to Rabaul to see if I can pick up some mines.
I am not sure, if Rabaul can replenish mines. You would need probably Truk for this.
Thanks Inqistor.
1. I can't see any bombers there. Maybe he was shipping planes in to put up a CAP first? I have floats on Recon and some Rufes and Mavis on Recon at Lunga so I hope I will get better intel soon. Currently I don't see a detection level over Lunga.
2. I do have the float planes up for the flagship of each TF. Should I have them up for each cruiser? I haven't been posting the commentary under the battle results but the set up you suggested has worked thus far.
3. Gotcha. I will get my subs on to truk to pick up some mines. How do I check whether a sub is mine capable? Just create a subminelaying TF and any subs that appear are eligible?
