Notes from a Small Island

[Canoerebel]

1/4/45

Toyohara: Erik's only sweep missions today are against Toyohara, an important Allied base with about 200 fighters available.

The results are pretty good - roughly 1.5:1 in favor of the Allies. I'll take that against the vaunted Ki-38.

Erik is flying sweeps at max altitude consistently with this plane. My guys are the same. I may bring in some P-51Ds to fly at 42k and drop the others to perhaps 20k, to see if that has any effect.

I had somewhat expected max Japanese sweeps and escorted bombing runs vs. Wakkanai and/or the woods hex. None materialize.

[Canoerebel]

1/4/45

Shimishura: One of two Allied air missions today is for all 2EB from Toyohara to hit this airfield, supported by a handful of 4EB squadrons from Shikuka. The damage done is impressive, especially suppyly hits. It appears that flak is unusually light here.

Suppressing this airfield, which Erik uses on occasion, is a worthwile objective. But the real purpose is to give him something to chew over: "Why Shimishura?"

Weather prevented the other Allied air mission (sweeps of Kushiro, to see if Erik reinforced after yesterday's battle).

[Canoerebel]

1/4/45

Ketoi: I figured this was coming. I have several cripples disbanded here, and Erik has been paying close attention to the island. Yesterday, I ordered the two cripples that could make decent speed (9 and 7 knots) to head east, to the Aleutians. Three heavily damaged ships remained, including DD Tjerk Hiddes. Fortunately, these Helens picked on a measely LST.

[BillBrown]

No image showing on the last post, then it shows up, forums again.

[Canoerebel]

1/4/45

Wakkanai: All assault-units, except one armored, rested today. These results are good. Tomorrow, most of the infantry will attack.

No enemy attack in the woods hex today. That's very good. If Erik has designs (he may not), time is not his friend here.

How he handles this hex should reveal alot about his intentions - whether he intends to block or attack. I need that info. It will take a few more days to get it.

[Canoerebel]

1/4/45

NoPac: The damaged ships that made a break from Ketoi.

[BBfanboy]

Looking at that map a couple of things occurred to me:

1. If I was Eric right now, I would consider putting together an invasion of Uruppu Jima and Ketoi Jima to take away your LOC protection in that area. If he can sneak in and dump the troops with KB support and then vamoose, he might just pull it off (once you move troops to invade other islands).

2. From Toyohara to Sapporo is nine hexes by sea. Your fast BBs could probably pull off a bombardment and be back under cover before he could respond. I know there will be mines, SSX and PTs but you can have leading DD TFs deal with them. Might be worth some damage to chew up a bunch of his newest fighters.

[BillBrown]

And I have found that CL based Bombardment TFs can be very effective, they get a lot of shots.

[Canoerebel]

I am a paranoid player. You readers know that. I worry about all kinds of things, but I'm not worried about a counter-invasion of those islands. Both are strongly defended. Erik wouldn't have a prayer. Even when I remove some units for other invasions, there will be strong garrisons remaining. It would be futile with 2x terrain, fort building ongoing, the disruption that would be incurred, and DS probably never more than a couple of days away.

The bombardment routine is one, big, fat, ugly, risky routine at max range or near max range. A slight hiccup - somebody pauses to refuel, and encounter with an enemy sub, a mine, the wind is blowing out of the wrong direction, somebody spots a whale - and the TF gets hung up...within range of enemy subs, combat TFs, and well over a thousand aircraft. Then, as you note, there would be mines, etc. Odds are the mission would devolve into a snafu of epic proportions.

Getting Wakkanai built up, staffed by adequate base forces, and robustly supplied are the prerequisites to some kind of move on Sapporo. Probably the best move would be to park DS a hex or two from the base and see what Erik does. With DS and LBA attacking, the place wouldn't be safe for his aircraft and ships.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

And I have found that CL based Bombardment TFs can be very effective, they get a lot of shots.

And if I were you I would be stocking Ketoi and Uruppu with some AKEs, fuel and some of those CL TFs to make daily runs on all the Kurile airbases and shut down one dimension of his threat to your LOC.


He shouldn't be able to operate from any of those bases. With two in your possession a group of CL/DD TFs would be making short range runs.
Presuming you place enough air on them to allow you to operate the ships from them, you would also be able to cover supply and fuel deliveries and your navy, using multiple light bombardment TFs aggressively could shut down the Kurile bases completely, without distracting your capital ships from their focus.


CL/DD and even pure DD TFs make great bombardment TFs in '45 and you get enough DDs by now to escort everything and have plenty for independent operations. Don't reserve bombardment for the big boys. Don't waste those five inch guns and hit every airfield, port and troop bivouac you can reach with them.

Don't forget that you can rearm your carrier and bombardment TFs at sea now that it's '45. Form up your AEs in a Replenishment TF and send them out with your AO TFs to serve your carriers.

[Canoerebel]

No you wouldn't. If you were me, you'd know you'd have to continuously protect any AKEs at Uruppu and Ketoi, employing heavy CAP. Those fighters are desperately needed to protect your big bases. You'd know that AKEs at the islands are unnecessary since bombardment TFs can easily reach the Kuriles from Shikuka or Toyohara. You wouldn't consider diluting your forces, especially your CAP, thus making it that much easier for Erik to overwhelm the defenses at any one point, thus exacerbating the strain on your fighter pools and fighter pilot reserves.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Don't forget that you can rearm your carrier and bombardment TFs at sea now that it's '45. Form up your AEs in a Replenishment TF and send them out with your AO TFs to serve your carriers.

Thanks for the timely reminder, Hans. I had overlooked forming an AE TF until I read your post. It's formed now and on its way to join Death Star.

[JohnDillworth]

And I have found that CL based Bombardment TFs can be very effective, they get a lot of shots.

Knowing the risks I think this is one worth taking. I know your surface fleets has been whittled down a bit including DD's and BB's but you still have much much more than your opponent. I'm not sure what the secret sauce is for long range fool, proof night bombardments but other players have done them. Heck, John III was a master at this sort of stuff. Has to be some kind of commander rating and TF setting that would keep them on mission and not distracted. Don't know if them following a DD TF makes things better or worse. 700 air-frames sitting on a tarmac and no appreciable surface fleet to tangle with is an opportunity worth exploring

[HansBolter]

Well if you don't have enough fighters to cover at least one of those bases then the kind of daily run bombardments I recommended really aren't bpractical as your other bases are too far away, even though they are technically in range for long distance runs.

It's being able to set up the 3-5 hex runs that make viable an effort at daily runs that can keep the bases shut down.

Of course I also glossed over the complications of minefields and coastal guns. Minesweepers on short daily runs would also be necessary and ships would get beat up by coastal guns.

All in all, an effort as I described wouldn't be without cost, but I believe the benefit makes it worth all that effort.

The fighter cover to make it all possible be the first requesit.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth
Heck, John III was a master at this sort of stuff....

John, your memory has failed you in this one instance. Go back to John's last AAR (in his game with me). Check out how many capital ships he lost in flubbed long-range bombardments. The tally included two CAs on a single mission against Medan and two BBs at Sorong, to name a few. Note how many times he swears he will never use a long-range bombardment mission again.

I'd already given this alot of thought, and I am privy to a great deal more information about the situation. There is no way at present to start bombarding Sapporo without a significant risk of losing far more in ship value than Erik will lose in plane value. Under the present circumstnaces, the only two possibilities would be to employ Death Star or to set up Wakkanai as a major base with all-out CAP. Both of those options basically require freezing action elsewhere. There are more important missions going on elsewhere.

The time will come to neutralize Sapporo. For now, I want to focus on other things, and I'd like for Erik to remain comfortable at Sapporo so that he dosn't spend alot of time giving thought to Sapporo (more so than he already has). So I'll largely ignore the place unti the time comes to give it full attention.

[Lokasenna]

Once you have Wakkanai... you can begin bombarding Sapporo on the regular. Even if it's just with Fletchers. Or you could if you had at least 1 USN Base Force there.

[Canoerebel]

Yup. I took Wakkanai a couple of days ago. It'll take a few weeks to get things sorted there - repair damage, build the airfield up from level six, and get in the supplies and base forces to support appropriate defensive and offensive operations. Eventually, Wakkanai will be the key to unlocking Sapporo.

[Canoerebel]

1/5/45

NoPac: Weather shut down most Allied air operations today, and the navy wasn't engaged in combat. I don't know if Erik stood down his airforce or if weather affected it, too. It wasn't seen today.

The Allies resumed attacking at Wakkanai, with good effect.

Erik's stack in the woods hex didn't attack. He had only a slight chance of prevailing in this hex, and that little chance should be about gone now, since reinforcements are arriving daily and digging in.

[Lokasenna]

Ah, I couldn't tell because in the screenshots the base icon is always covered with a crosshair [;)]

[JohnDillworth]

John, your memory has failed you in this one instance

Just this one instance? [:)][:)] My memory has all kind of holes in it and I'm sitting at the beach with my head in the sun so I'm doubly stupid
Yup, I'm sure your correct. Actually, I don't think you have impeded his resources, oil or production much so air frames is not the only problem. you have to thin out his pilot ranks too