Godzilla {J: Andav} vs. Rodan {A: witpqs}

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

OK, I'm finally caught up in this AAR. This is a great read, WITPQS. Good luck with Cantankerous Olfactory, two words which in human history have likely never been juxtaposed before.

One comment on paras. I've found that lack of prep for a target should not be a reason to not use them. They will tend to get high disruption on landing, but have very few if any disabled squads, and disruption will decline quickly. They are great for taking undefended dot hexes as well as CD gun-heavy, infantry-light bases.

Cheers,
CC

Thanks CC!

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

1942 June 10

Not much use to the carrier performing like this...

DD Aaron Ward collides with DD Stack at 209 , 107

In looking back this got me curious. What were the captains like in naval rating for the two ships involved, and what is the naval rating of the TF commander?

Rarely do I see escorts colliding when not in combat, so I was wondering if there was a reason or just completely chance.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: witpqs

1942 June 10

Not much use to the carrier performing like this...

DD Aaron Ward collides with DD Stack at 209 , 107

In looking back this got me curious. What were the captains like in naval rating for the two ships involved, and what is the naval rating of the TF commander?

Rarely do I see escorts colliding when not in combat, so I was wondering if there was a reason or just completely chance.

I'll have to check. I haven't started doing much with ships' commanders aside from submarines.

[witpqs]

1942 June 14

INVADED
Amphibious TF 50 offshore of Tanahdjampea
Amphibious TF 63 unloading at Molu
Amphibious TF 114 offshore of Merauke
Changsha, Sian are invested.

CHANGED OWNERSHIP



Overall
• No carrier sightings.


West Coast USA, Alaska, Hawaii
• Enemy sub activity near Los Angeles, Pearl Harbor, possibly near Sitkinak Island.

• Several reports of PBY contact with IJN ships in the middle of the Gulf of Alaska about 9 hexes SW of Sitka, in an area where we have no ships but more interestingly: no air search. Air search is being adjusted to sweep that area.

• Large troop convoy unloaded completely at Pearl Harbor, ships will now repair; support unit troop convoy ready to unload at Lahaina; aircraft convoy 2 days out from Pearl Harbor.

• Wasp TF has disbanded in Pearl Harbor. Those two damaged destroyers are entering dry dock and should be ready in time for Cantankerous Olfactory. Changed captain of Wasp. Will look at other combat vessels at Pearl Harbor in the coming days.

• A number of destroyers finished upgrades at Pearl Harbor.


Pacific
• Enemy sub activity near Funafuti, Suva.

• All convoys passing through peacefully.

• Pago Pago port has reached maximum size 5 and building will switch to the airfield (currently size 5).


New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Solomons, Papua New Guinea, New Britain
• Enemy sub activity near Brisbane, Sydney.

• Still no sign of Imperial troops in NW Australia. The 2nd Tank Bn has reached a blocking position on the road, at the edge of the desert, 2 hexes WSW of Daly Waters.

• The B-17's at Charters Towers have transferred to Cloncurry along with one P-40E squadron. An AA unit and air HQ are on the way.

• A large tanker convoy will arrive at Sydney tonight.


Philippines


DEI, Dutch new Guinea, Borneo, Malaya
• Unable to stop the invasion.

ASW attack near Merauke at 85,123

Japanese Ships
PB Takunan Maru #5

Allied Ships
SS Sculpin

SS Sculpin is sighted by escort
PB Takunan Maru #5 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takunan Maru #5 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takunan Maru #5 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takunan Maru #5 fails to find sub, continues to search...
PB Takunan Maru #5 fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

China
• Wanna-be zombies had cut off the Imperials' LOC for a long time.

Ground combat at 82,44 (near Ankang)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 14874 troops, 124 guns, 44 vehicles, Assault Value = 442

Defending force 596 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 19

Japanese adjusted assault: 108

Allied adjusted defense: 1

Japanese assault odds: 108 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), supply(-)
Attacker: supply(-)

Allied ground losses:
810 casualties reported
Squads: 46 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
12th Division

Defending units:
8th New Chinese Corps

India, Burma, Thailand, Indochina
• Enemy sub activity near Karachi.

• Bangalore fortifications are level 5 and building will switch to airfield (currently size 1).


Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Russia


Complete combat report attached.

[witpqs]

1942 June 14

CO Aaron Ward.

[witpqs]

1942 June 14

CO Stack (now replaced).

[RangerJoe]

If you have an air HQ with your PBYs in Alaska, consider having a night Naval Search/Attack air mission with torpedoes. Especially if you expect carriers there, it is one way to torpedo those things at a distance when no Zeros are flying. You may not hit anything but you might scare off a human player.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

If you have an air HQ with your PBYs in Alaska, consider having a night Naval Search/Attack air mission with torpedoes. Especially if you expect carriers there, it is one way to torpedo those things at a distance when no Zeros are flying. You may not hit anything but you might scare off a human player.

The PBY's are flying out of Kodiak and I'm 99% sure there is no air HQ there. Not even sure without looking if there is one at Anchorage but to cover what I want covered for now I need them based at Kodiak. Kodiak and Dutch Harbor are not well enough defended that I will put effort into moving a bunch of things around there just yet.

I always fly the naval search missions with bombs so they can attack subs too; never thought about flying night search missions with torpedoes. Night attack sure, but those opportunities are rare. How many attacks do you see with night search carrying torpedoes?

[HansBolter]

NoPac does get air HQs. Don't recall what bases they appear in.

I routinely set my cats to 50% search to not over tire the planes or pilots and when I want to be aggressive a set them to Nav Attack with 50% search.

Gives the same search results as s Nav Search mission set to 50%.

I also choose one, and later add another, squadron to train high in Nav Torp attack and push their experience as high as possible with cross training to use them as night torp attack units in the late war period.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

NoPac does get air HQs. Don't recall what bases they appear in.
My game is in that period where some of the higher HQ's have arrived and some not. If the high level NorPac air HQ has arrived it's certainly at Anchorage as I know it isn't at Kodiak.

I routinely set my cats to 50% search to not over tire the planes or pilots and when I want to be aggressive a set them to Nav Attack with 50% search.

Gives the same search results as s Nav Search mission set to 50%.
Sounds interesting but it won't cover as much ocean. Right now with fewer search assets I need more coverage in some places. I've stacked search assets for overlapping coverage in the approaches to the South Pacific in attempt to virtually eliminate the chances of surprise there.

I also choose one, and later add another, squadron to train high in Nav Torp attack and push their experience as high as possible with cross training to use them as night torp attack units in the late war period.

[Macclan5]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
Hey John Mac! Did you learn your spelling at a certain University that recently closed up, or were you a student of Greyjoy's? [:D]
The term is maskirovka!

LOL I am a Banker... I know numbers but spell according to any given whim.

+1

[Macclan5]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

NoPac does get air HQs. Don't recall what bases they appear in.
My game is in that period where some of the higher HQ's have arrived and some not. If the high level NorPac air HQ has arrived it's certainly at Anchorage as I know it isn't at Kodiak.

I routinely set my cats to 50% search to not over tire the planes or pilots and when I want to be aggressive a set them to Nav Attack with 50% search.

Gives the same search results as s Nav Search mission set to 50%.
Sounds interesting but it won't cover as much ocean. Right now with fewer search assets I need more coverage in some places. I've stacked search assets for overlapping coverage in the approaches to the South Pacific in attempt to virtually eliminate the chances of surprise there.

I also choose one, and later add another, squadron to train high in Nav Torp attack and push their experience as high as possible with cross training to use them as night torp attack units in the late war period.

Another along those lessons you vets have taught me...

Time/proximity in patrol is just as important as percentage dedicated to patrol

--

1) Nor Pac has 11th AF - as I recall - shows up in Anchorage soon enough if not there now.

2) There are 2-3-4 odd USAAF Base Forces out in "Helena Montana" "Pendelton" "Boise Idaho" and/or "Spokane" that can be purchased somewhat inexpensively at the beginning of the game or at least a couple of the four. They are good for (1) Kodiak, (2) Dutch Harbor, and beyond (Adak etc as you expand west) in my opinion. They allow you to fly a squadron each of those P40's and Bombers in 11th USAAF on those bases on Naval Attack - or even Bolo's on ASW which are effective enough. Further the Cats can be supported by ship based AF support.

Effective squadrons that catch out IJN raiders as well as potential invasions.

Although the AF base on Dutch Harbor must be made of pure carbonized industrial diamond because it takes most of 42 to even build anything.

[RangerJoe]

The is ComAirNoPac, 11th USAAF along with (later) their fighter and bomber commands, plus the US Marine MAGs (72 Air Support) and the US Marine Air Wings (36 Air Support) which come in. A useful thing for the sea lanes to inhibit surface raiders would be to put some of them with your Cats and give the Cats torpedoes. Night searches would also help surface reaction forces to engage the enemy. AAA is less at night and who flies Zeros as night fighters?

One game, a day after a Devestator pilot died on his run in - his torpedo hit the Mushahi in the engines - 3 Cats each got a torpedo hit on it. It sank the next day after the carrier came back into range.

I think that the search aircraft use part of their search skill in bombing and torpedoing but I am not sure. I think someone mentioned that at one time.

[CaptBeefheart]

Hans: Have you ever had night torpedo attacks work? I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble.

Cheers,
CC

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Macclan5


Although the AF base on Dutch Harbor must be made of pure carbonized industrial diamond because it takes most of 42 to even build anything.

Some astute player once noted that several places on the map have mutually supporting twin bases in adjacent hexes where one can build a port easily and the other an AF. Acutan is a good alternative for building an AF to cover Dutch Harbor.

[witpqs]

1942 June 15

INVADED
Amphibious TF 50 unloading at Tanahdjampea
Changsha, Sian are invested.

CHANGED OWNERSHIP
Merauke is occupied by the Japanese



Overall
• No carrier sightings.

• I've now completed going through all the USN CV, BB, CA, new CL, CLAA, and DD currently in game. A few DD at sea will get new commanders when they make port. All others were either accepted or replaced.

• Bought out another USA Inf Rgt at San Francisco.


West Coast USA, Alaska, Hawaii
• Enemy sub activity near San Diego.

• The support troops finished unloading at Lahaina. Aircraft convoy pulls into Pearl Harbor tomorrow.

• The 2 battleships and 5 destroyers at San Francisco have formed the escort for a troop convoy taking a USA Inf Rgt, a USMC Inf Rgt, a base force, and a USMC Tank Bn from San Francisco to Lahaina (Pearl Harbor is over stacked).


Pacific
• Convoys passing through peacefully.


New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Solomons, Papua New Guinea, New Britain
• Enemy sub activity near Brisbane, Ndeni.

• Fuel unloading at Sydney.

• The B-17's at Cloncurry will stay on the ground tomorrow. An Imperial LCU has been spotted just west of Katherine and they will begin attacking it when it enters the Katherine hex.

• We do not have enough supply flow forward to support bombers any farther than Alice Springs or Cloncurry.


Philippines


DEI, Dutch new Guinea, Borneo, Malaya
• • Scared them!

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Merauke at 89,124

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17E Fortress x 12

Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAK Syoto Maru
xAK Hakodate Maru
xAK Nanko Maru

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Naval Attack: 4 x 500 lb SAP Bomb
6 x B-17E Fortress bombing from 10000 feet *
Naval Attack: 4 x 500 lb SAP Bomb

China
• There are now 23 enemy units in Sian. We have 1,154 AV (plus several times that in disabled squads), fortification level 4. Supplies are short in the units.

• I think with the final battle of Sian looming the Empire is also renewing a push through the countryside past Ankang.


India, Burma, Thailand, Indochina
• Enemy sub activity near Karachi.


Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Russia


Complete combat report attached.

[witpqs]

1942 June 15

What is this, and more importantly, which direction is it headed?

Heavy Volume of Radio transmissions detected at 116,86.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: witpqs
1942 June 15
What is this, and more importantly, which direction is it headed?

Invasion of Midway? It is about time for that [:)]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

1942 June 15

What is this, and more importantly, which direction is it headed?

Heavy Volume of Radio transmissions detected at 116,86.

If it heads due East it passes just north of Midway and ends up south of San Diego - doesn't seem a likely direction.
The closest major base is Truk, which could be a fuel stop for SOPAC bound amphibs. Noumea is often in John's plans for the VP value and strategic position.
It might have taken this long for him to buy out armour and artillery from Manchukuo to send out to SOPAC. He knows he needs firepower to get the job done now.

[zuluhour]

reasonable supposition....One day I have to sit down and see how the AI routes IJN
shipping when way points are ignored. This maybe particularly helpful for the sub war.
I think I have a project for the weekend.

ps. Jim, when you noticed my radio traffic and deduced IJN intentions before me.....