Notes from a Small Island

[RangerJoe]

That is because the base where the rest of the unit is has 8 forts.

[Canoerebel]

Well dang. That's a feature I didn't know. Any of you ever faced this in a game before? Is it unfair to take advantage of this? Probably so. Or do clever players (like Erik) understand these oddities and use them to their advantage?

[RangerJoe]

I saw it in another AAR. If the unit gets attacked, it will not have those forts. [:(]

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, Joe. That's helpful info on both accounts.

I had already decided not to use it and gave orders to a fast transport TF to carry the balance of 112th Cav. from Shikuka to the hex south of Wakkanai.

Threat of enemy carrier action tomorrow deemed slight, given Allied carrier superiority. Threat of Erik trying to use his carriers to bait mine into reacting and then into launching a bad CAP track attack deemed high.

So I've ordered all carrier strike aircraft to range zero with ASW duties.

A majority of fighters set to 70% CAP range zero. A fair number set to 30 CAP/30 LRCAP range three to provide some cover to the various Allied ships in the vicinity.

Most of the good Allied ships amphib ships will retire towards Shikuka tonight. A few good combat TFs to remain on patrol at Wakkanai and nearby hexes.

Toyohara naval strike aircraft set to Naval Strike range 5, with a few fighter squadrons set to escort.

Allied armor at Wakkania is in pristine condition and will attack tomorrow in conjunction with the parachute assault. Since Erik doesn't have any armor or artillery, perhaps something will be accomplished.

BB Missouri TF to bombard tonight.

[RangerJoe]

Cavalry can do many things but they can't take their pill boxes, bunkers, nor Fort Douaumont with them. [:@]

Hopefully your armor can put a hurt on the enemy. They are related to the cavalry but are much more unintelligent. [8D] They are the modern equivalent to the heavy cavalry of old which would shock attack.

[Canoerebel]

You mean like Tarleton's Legion?

[Lovejoy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Allied armor at Wakkania is in pristine condition and will attack tomorrow in conjunction with the parachute assault. Since Erik doesn't have any armor or artillery, perhaps something will be accomplished.

BB Missouri TF to bombard tonight.

I think that your attack will accomplish something. His garrison is formidable, but he's also got almost all of his AV concentrated into 4 units which make his force vulnerable to cycled attacks, particularly if his units don't have sufficient AT to fend off your tanks.

[Lovejoy]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Hopefully your armor can put a hurt on the enemy. They are related to the cavalry but are much more unintelligent. [8D] They are the modern equivalent to the heavy cavalry of old which would shock attack.

I just love the fact that the last horse-mounted charge of the U.S. Cavalry was made on January 16, 1942, and successfully drove a larger Japanese force out of the village of Morong. I suppose everyone deserves a last hurrah

Image the possibilities if those guys had had tanks!

The horse-mounted charge was dead as a dodo in terms of usefulness in combat during WW II, but whenever I read about the few that were made, they tended to be successful. I wonder if people were just so surprised that they instinctively ran away

[RangerJoe]

You mean like Tarleton's Legion?

I was thinking of the Scottish Greys who turned the tide but also went too far:

Scottish Greys at Waterloo

The arrival of the Scots Greys helped to rally the Gordons, who turned to attack the French.[60] Even without attacking at a full gallop, the weight of the Scots Greys charge proved to be irresistible for the French column pressing Pack's Brigade. As Captain Duthilt, who was present with de Marcognet's 3rd Division, wrote of the Scots Greys charge:

"Just as I was pushing one of our men back into the ranks I saw him fall at my feet from a sabre slash. I turned round instantly – to see English cavalry forcing their way into our midst and hacking us to pieces. Just as it is difficult, if not impossible, for the best cavalry to break into infantry who are formed into squares and who defend themselves with coolness and daring, so it is true that once the ranks have been penetrated, then resistance is useless and nothing remains for the cavalry to do but to slaughter at almost no risk to themselves. This what happened, in vain our poor fellows stood up and stretched out their arms; they could not reach far enough to bayonet these cavalrymen mounted on powerful horses, and the few shots fired in chaotic melee were just as fatal to our own men as to the English. And so we found ourselves defenceless against a relentless enemy who, in the intoxication of battle, sabred even our drummers and fifers without mercy."

More on the Royal Scots Greys

[RangerJoe]

I just love the fact that the last horse-mounted charge of the U.S. Cavalry was made on January 16, 1942, and successfully drove a larger Japanese force out of the village of Morong. I suppose everyone deserves a last hurrah

Image the possibilities if those guys had had tanks!

But they couldn't have eaten [:@] their tanks when they got hungry.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: A colorful, confusing, interesting theater of operations.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: Lots of enemy small craft inbound. Allied combat vessels sink many, but some score hits on good Allied vessels.

There is no question that this will be a knife fight in a dark alley.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: B-29s continue to mine ports in the vicinity. From what I've read in the Forum, this feature of the game is pretty much borked, but the aircraft are available and maybe there's small chance of a hit or influencing a decision. Small maybe.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: I think, but I'm not positive, that this is the one APA involved in a collision yesterday and reduced in speed to 1 knot. I broke her out and ordered her to return to Shikuka. Her ordeal is ended.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: Here come the nasty boys. I both fear and welcome a strong enemy attack by sea, knowing I will get stung but knowing Erik can't afford any losses.

There's a chance this TF is not inbound to Wakkanai but is instead trying to guard against any Allied incursions to Sapporo or points south.

Tone took a TT near Marcus back during the aborted Allied invasion of Marcus about two months back.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: A modest bombardment, but it's interesting that five non-combat squads were destroyed rather than merely disabled.

The handling of my bombardment TFs will take some thought. I want to cycle them in regularly (ideally, one per day). That is achievable given the proximity of Shikuka (plus ammo ships at Toyohara, though I'm leary of risking the big ships at that exposed location).

I don't want to commit bombardment TFs into an environment where they might encounter enemy combat TFs (and thus be at a mission-setting disadvantage), so I'll also need to coordinate patrolling combat TFs (and PT boats) and air cover.

Given what I know is coming in this turn (I've already read through the combat report), I think this will be a complicated and difficult balancing act.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: Allied paratroops land at this vacant hex, two hexes SE of Wakkanai. I'd be a lot more excited if the companion para-force had managed to land at the adjacent hex to the west. But, as noted above, the LCIs carrying that detachment will fall victim to a Judy attack.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: There are lots of landings like this one. Mostly these are LST TFs carrying supply, but one of the LST TFs is carrying a bunch of arty. Those units will come ashore without hostile encounter.

Enemy shore guns and mines and SSX inflict some damage today - more than yesterday - but overall the enemy defenses have been a bit haphazard. The op seems to have caught Erik by surprise. Yet the level of coordinated enemy attacks today suggest he is almost instantaneously recapturing his equilibrium.

Of significance is the fact that all units will be ashore today with a great deal of supply. So I should be able to withdraw all the vulnerable ships (including the embedded combat-ship escorts). Thus, I should be able to concentrate on combat defense (and possibly offensive maneuvers) over the coming few days.

And the Allied army should be sufficiently supplied to allow the occasional attacks that will be needed to reduce this base. I have a window of perhaps a week or two or three. I think.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

12/22/44

L-Day+1: B-29s continue to mine ports in the vicinity. From what I've read in the Forum, this feature of the game is pretty much borked, but the aircraft are available and maybe there's small chance of a hit or influencing a decision. Small maybe.

When I tried it I learned to my chagrin that no matter what altitude I set them at to avoid flack and balloons, they drop to 3k to deploy the mines and promptly run into both flack and balloons.

Apparently no way to avoid balloon damage to mine laying aircraft.


Hey, wait a minute, I just noticed that yours were deployed from 7k. What gives?
Why did mine drop to 3k....just for the fun of running into balloons?
Obviously I didn't run enough iterations to learn that there is apparently variability in the altitude they are dropped from.

[Canoerebel]

12/22/44

L-Day+1: The search phase results in a huge number of sightings and altercations near Death Star, since I limited all my strike aircraft to range 0 or 1, set to ASW mission and 10% search.

Erik will likely understand my settings and may decide that presents an opportunity to approach close without risking a carrier strike. I tried to counter that a bit by setting Toyohara strike aircraft to range 5, but need to give this more thought.

I need to give air settings alot more thought, especially in light of what you're about to see.