Notes from a Small Island

[Canoerebel]

10/12/44

Shikuka: Ditto.

[Canoerebel]

10/12/44

Marcus: Icing on the cake, as Tone eats a torpedo. Two enemy CAs sortied, both took torpedoes.

[Canoerebel]

10/12/44

Marcus: I don't think Erik has carriers here. If that CA TF was his schwerpunkt, I should be able to break contact tomorrow without taking excessive losses. I learned some things, drew some of Erik's key assets, and got lucky in damaging them.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

10/12/44

Shikuka: These bombers might be coming from enemy carriers at Ominato (sighted yesterday).

The vector shows to me, which I've never known to be incorrect, that they're coming from somewhere south of Ominato.

[CaptBeefheart]

I took about 10 days off from reading AARs and lo and behold, it's Sakhalin Armageddon 2: The Rematch. Thanks for this highly informative and entertaining AAR.

Regarding that Marcus invasion, I would humbly suggest landing everything on the first day. In my last Ironman campaign vs. computer IJ, I purposely sliced through the Marshalls and Carolines to get a better handle on atoll attacks. My typical force attacking a 6,000 stacking limit atoll would be 1.5-2 ID or MD, 2 arty bn, 2 tk bn, 1 combat eng bn or rgt and sometimes a corps HQ and/or amphib force HQ. I would land about 25,000 to 40,000 troops in the first two days (2-day turns). Each invasion TF would include LSTs, AKs and/or AKAs carrying only supply. In each case the atoll would be taken with enemy units destroyed and then I'd use empties to pick up the assault troops as I landed base forces on Day 3. [EDIT: I would also try to include 100-200 naval support in an eng amphib brigade, HQ or naval base force.]

So, in other words, I found you can seriously overstack atoll invasions as long as you have plenty of supply along that can be fed in each day. I also found you don't necessarily have to do shore bombardment in advance if the invasion force is big enough, although having slow BBs in the invasion TF is good.

Cheers,
CC

[Canoerebel]

I might give it a try. Sounds sensible.

My concern about using a division reinforced with armor, engineers and arty is the 6k stacking limit. My experience has always been that anything at or above 3x does terrible things to supply. But at this point, I should be able to bring umpteen zillion supply.

I'll be back for Marcus later.

[Canoerebel]

That turn treated me far better than I deserved. The Marcus invasion was pretty darned iffy and ragged, even if it worked in its goal of drawing Erik's attention. And leaving those DDs hanging out near Hokkaido was bad. I lost one of them (all of the rest are fine for future duty).

The game got even with me on the next turn - thousands of clicks to create TFs, set follow/threat tolerance orders, check and if needed change commanders, set TFs to follow; transfer land-based naval squadrons back to carriers and check and re-set for ranges, missions, etc. That was just at Shikuka. Other places got their share of attention, especially subs between Marcus and Japan. It took too long and was pretty darned tedious.

If things worked right - if the commander in chief is flawless - a humongous TF leaves Shikuka tonight. But if I overlooked anything, they won't. If there's one merchant TF set to follow that's still trying to unload something, they won't leave; and if any TFs loading don't complete the loading in time, they won't.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I might give it a try. Sounds sensible.

My concern about using a division reinforced with armor, engineers and arty is the 6k stacking limit. My experience has always been that anything at or above 3x does terrible things to supply. But at this point, I should be able to bring umpteen zillion supply.

I'll be back for Marcus later.

I agree with Commander Cody. In my march through the Atolls (in a full stacking limit game) I used a full division, plus armor, plus artillery, plus engineers on every Atoll.

Once it falls immediately re-embark the division leaving the armor and engineer as garrison until you can move a more appropriate garrison in.


In my Ironman game, the AI is stacking historical objectives to the sky. I have gone around many, but some have to be dealt with. I just spent a month grinding down 13 LCUs on Tinian. I had four divisions ashore rotating combat responsibilities.

Iwo has 19 LCUs so I repurposed my Marines for Chicha Jima that only has 6 defenders.

I just discovered Naha has 19 LCUs so everything that was planning for it just got reassigned to the other Okinawa port that only has 6 defenders.

I had to hit a few atolls with large stacks (the AI ignores stacking limits) and full divisions plus was the only way to go.

[Canoerebel]

10/13/44

Marcus: Allied CL TF manages open-ocean intercept of stricken Ashigara TF, finishing off her and the escorting DD.

This TF was comprised of Tone, Ashigara, and two 6-point DDs (late-war, not great quality, I think). Erik would've sent more, with better DDs, if he could have afforded to.

[Canoerebel]

10/13/44

Shikuka: A lot of Judys and Frances bombers from the Marianas will hit LSTs re-loading arty and tanks at Marcus. On the day, I'll lose about a dozen of these useful ships. But the big assault transports load 1st Marine/C during the nighttime hours and successfully break contact.

Most of my shipping is now six to 13 hexes SE of Marcus; safe, unless Erik has a second team coming in.

[Canoerebel]

10/13/44

Shikuka: Despite the complexities of what was going on, Death Star and The Herd successfully completed operations at Shikuka and steamed southeast, towards the first Kuriles invasion target. Strike aircraft flew vs. a variety of riff-raff, but nothing major happened.

D-Day should take place tomorrow. It's complicated enough to make me nervous - The Herd goes in escorted by some DDs and DMS etc. A bombardment TF goes in. Death Star remains a hex offshore. Enemy subs, mines, aircraft are a concern.

Kaigun appears mainly at Sapporo. At least one enemy carrier TF is around Sendai. I don't think Erik will try for an 8-hex strike or to provoke a reaction for a carrier battle. I think KB and Kaigun is a bit too battered. So the main concerns: mines, subs, and the possibilty of reaction into massed LBA.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

I took about 10 days off from reading AARs and lo and behold, it's Sakhalin Armageddon 2: The Rematch. Thanks for this highly informative and entertaining AAR.

Regarding that Marcus invasion, I would humbly suggest landing everything on the first day. In my last Ironman campaign vs. computer IJ, I purposely sliced through the Marshalls and Carolines to get a better handle on atoll attacks. My typical force attacking a 6,000 stacking limit atoll would be 1.5-2 ID or MD, 2 arty bn, 2 tk bn, 1 combat eng bn or rgt and sometimes a corps HQ and/or amphib force HQ. I would land about 25,000 to 40,000 troops in the first two days (2-day turns). Each invasion TF would include LSTs, AKs and/or AKAs carrying only supply. In each case the atoll would be taken with enemy units destroyed and then I'd use empties to pick up the assault troops as I landed base forces on Day 3. [EDIT: I would also try to include 100-200 naval support in an eng amphib brigade, HQ or naval base force.]

So, in other words, I found you can seriously overstack atoll invasions as long as you have plenty of supply along that can be fed in each day. I also found you don't necessarily have to do shore bombardment in advance if the invasion force is big enough, although having slow BBs in the invasion TF is good.

Cheers,
CC

Good plan and at this stage of the war the Allies have a ton of rocket and mortar capable LCIs so that a bombardment is not needed. No AP or AK. Just LC and LC carrying APA and AKAs. All combat troops need to be ashore the first day. That is the key.

[Canoerebel]

10/13/44

NoPac: D-Day at Ketoi Island should take place tomorrow, if I've configured things correctly and if my hunch that Erik is too battered to effectively counter is correct.

This operation is key. If I can take this first Kuriles island in the next week or two, the dominoes should begin to fall a bit easier from that point forward. This will be a big step towards breaking the semi-isolation of Sikhalin Island. And if I can wrap up the Kuriles campaign in good order over the next three months or so with acceptable losses, then the Allies are on the doorstep of the Home Islands with time and a massive army to work with.

[Canoerebel]

I have a lot going on this morning. I'm trying to figure out if there's a window for me and Youngest Son to leave on an AT backpacking trip tomorrow, and I have a lot going on at work with a new issue of the magazine just out. I just went to the bathroom and discovered I forgot to put on a belt today. I remembered the main things - underwear, pants, shirt, shoes, socks, wallet (that's what I typically forget). But no belt.

I have a massive invasion going in next turn. I spent five hours and what seemed like thousands of clicks arranging ships, squadrons, men, commanders and the million other details that go into an invasion. I remembered to bring along plenty of ASW, minesweepers and combat TFs. I have PT boats, YMS ships, and the AGC loaded with an amphibious force HQ. The air squadrons are set to handle a variety of duties - LRCAP, close CAP, ASW, strike missions, whatever. I cycled through commanders to replace the culls. I remembered to set the amphibs to "Unload." The supply ships are set to go in. Subs will ring the operation. Ships will check the passes. A host of empty merchantmen has come along in hopes they can finally head home.

But I forgot to bring the LCI(G) gunships!

I love those things, too. But they're safely in port at Shikuka. All of 'em.

[BBfanboy]

I think you are right about the IJN being battered. Pretty much all his remaining BBs took a torpedo, no?

That AO/CVE TF down by Sendai is moving so slowly I think it likely includes damaged CVs or CVLs which had stopped at Ominato/Hakodate to stabilize flooding before heading out for a SY far from your B-24s.

I hope you set your carrier cap to at least range 2 in case the riff-raff next to the target keep your DS from getting into the Ketoi-Jima adjoining hex.

[Canoerebel]

I've divided my fighters between CAP (more than half, and a fair number of those set to range 3), escort, and (a handful) to LRCAP full range (just in case TFs go wandering off, as they tend to do after combat or due to messy mistakes by an overwhelmed CinC).

[Canoerebel]

10/14/44

Ketoi Jima: An SSX misses and takes 15 hits in return. I'm confused, though. This is part of one of my major amphib TFs, and it's supposed to be approaching Ketoi from the NW, not the W. It seems to be two hexes out of position.

[Canoerebel]

10/14/44

Yokohama: Drilled a dry hole.

[Canoerebel]

10/14/44

Ketoi: The Herd is definitely taking its own route to the party.

[Canoerebel]

10/14/4

Ketoi: The first TF to arrive at Ketoi.