Notes from a Small Island

[Canoerebel]

I've been mowing the grass this afternoon, my head in the sun and my thoughts somewhere far away, generally in the past. Seems like you found a good way to spend a late summer day.

[Canoerebel]

1/5/45

NoPac: A wide-angle view.

[Canoerebel]

1/5/45

Achieving Victory: The long-term Allied plan is to seize high-value enemy Home Island bases, preceded by harvesting all available strategic bombing points from those bases.

The first major target for invasion hasn't been set yet, but Hokkaido is a logical choice and will serves as the example.

The Allies can score 8,150 points by capturing and building out each of the base. Far more points are available by strategic bombing of Hokkaido's bases.

Wakkanai, worth 1,250, has just fallen. Months ago, Allied bombers knocked out the few strategic targets there.

Kushiro's resources have been whittled down, and Sapporo was an early target that Erik now heavily defends. Before taking either, the industry must be wiped out. That, in turn, requires air superiority, which is why Wakkanai was an important step forward.

The focus of the strategic bombing campaign is and will be strictly direct - scoring victory points - rather than indirect - targetinga specific industry.

I'd also target Erik's airplane factories, but he has them heavily guarded. This leads me to believe that that target is the one he most fears. As the Allies advance in coming months, I hope to acheive the air superiority that will permit effective bombing of those factories.

Resources is the largest single industry and offers the most points and is somewhat dispersed, so that's received most of the attention thus far. I do not know (due to lack of experience from the Japanese side) whether targeting resources will impact Erik. There's one thing that makes me wonder.

Toyohara produces in excess of 500 resources. That's massive in comparison to most of the DEI resource producers and many of the China ones. A quick glance around the map this a.m. (not exhaustive) indicated the some of the Korean bases are significant producers.

The Allies took Toyohara in late June of '44, depriving Erik of that source for half a year now. In addition, Kushiro's resources have been impacted significantly via strategic bombing.

I'm going to target the Korean bases over the next few days, in part to see whether Erik responds vigorously. Evidence that he is concerned about resource production is what I'm looking for. That may help in fine-tuning the strategic bombing objectives.

Short term plan is to finish off Kushiro resources and begin working on Sapporo's. Those two bases plus Toyohara represent 2250 resources.

[BBfanboy]

When you took over the game you remarked at how few losses had been suffered on both sides - I presume that to include shipping.
With almost intact shipping he should have been able to haul resources from Sakhalin and Hokkaido right up to the time you invaded Shikuka.
So I am guessing he stockpiled 5 million resources or so, which will feed his industry for the rest of the war.

Still, there are a lot of reports to be had bombing Resource centres and he may react to that. Good luck with your strategy. [:)]

[Canoerebel]

Erik probably had through June of '44 to bring in oil and resources basically without opposition, so you may be right.

Allied 4EB hit Harbin and Chinmapo resources effectivley in July '44, shortly after taking Sikhalin. Erik hasn't bothered to repair those, so perhaps resources aren't an issue.

I'll target Keijo, Heijo, Mudken and Anshan a few times, and see how he reponds.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Erik probably had through June of '44 to bring in oil and resources basically without opposition, so you may be right.

Allied 4EB hit Harbin and Chinmapo resources effectivley in July '44, shortly after taking Sikhalin. Erik hasn't bothered to repair those, so perhaps resources aren't an issue.

I'll target Keijo, Heijo, Mudken and Anshan a few times, and see how he reponds.

At this stage in the war he is unlikely to expend 1000 supply repairing anything! Perhaps one of his best fighter plants, but not much else.
It has to be costing him a lot of accumulated supply to build the aircraft you are destroying!.

[Lokasenna]

It's a waste of time to bomb Resource centers outside of Japan. They are only worthwhile to bomb for points, which only come from those in Japan.

[Lovejoy]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Can't ARs repair engine damage? I always combine both ARs and ARDs at whatever port I allocate for forward repairs.

I have almost all of mine at Agrihan where my fleet is prepping for a leap to the PI and Okinawa.

I believe an AR will only repair up to 5 points of engine and/or float damage. Nothing but a shipyard will repair engine damage greater than that.

A level 7 port can repair up to 5 points of Engine or float damage. An AR combined with sufficiently sized ARD can repair damage greater than that. Here's a screenshot from one of my games. Adak is a level 7 port with an ARD (3,000 tone lift capacity) and an AR.

[adarbrauner]

ORIGINAL: Lovejoy

ORIGINAL: jwolf

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Can't ARs repair engine damage? I always combine both ARs and ARDs at whatever port I allocate for forward repairs.

I have almost all of mine at Agrihan where my fleet is prepping for a leap to the PI and Okinawa.

I believe an AR will only repair up to 5 points of engine and/or float damage. Nothing but a shipyard will repair engine damage greater than that.

A level 7 port can repair up to 5 points of Engine or float damage. An AR combined with sufficiently sized ARD can repair damage greater than that. As proof, here's a screenshot from one of my games. Adak is a level 7 port with an ARD (3,000 tone lift capacity) and an AR.

Float damage shall be repaired by the ARD even without AR ship, but not major engine damage;

[Canoerebel]

1/6/45

NoPac: The only major action today was a tough aerial battle over Kushiro that favored the Japanese, in modest numbers. Air Loss screen to follow in another post.

Events on the map have come together in such a way as to trigger an all-out Allied air and sea attack on Sapporo tomorrow. I think Erik is expecting the Allies to land reinforcements at Wakkanai or the adjacent woods hex. I don't think he anticipates Death Star suddenly springing into action to close on Sapporo tomorrow. But there are such huge forces, both sides, in proximity that things could quickly go crazy.

[Canoerebel]

1/6/45

Air Losses: 62 Allied fighters to 53 Japanese fighters. US Army fighters carried half the load, this time. 4EB losses were spread about between B-24s, PBY Liberators and Superforts in a sustainable manner.

This is not the kind of results in the air that I'm looking for, near term. "Ganging up" on enemy fighter squadrons is preferable, but this turn I elected to rest a lot of fighters and 4EB in preparation for the Sapporo strike.

[zuluhour]

Stalin must be green with envy!
Your continuous pressure on him is admirable given the time frame and distances involved. Lotsa a fun to watch.
2c

[BBfanboy]

Canoerebel: But there are such huge forces, both sides, in proximity that things could quickly go crazy.

The peanut gallery will surely appreciate "crazy"! [:D]
Here's hoping it's good for the Allied side.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Resources is the largest single industry and offers the most points and is somewhat dispersed, so that's received most of the attention thus far. I do not know (due to lack of experience from the Japanese side) whether targeting resources will impact Erik. There's one thing that makes me wonder.

Toyohara produces in excess of 500 resources. That's massive in comparison to most of the DEI resource producers and many of the China ones. A quick glance around the map this a.m. (not exhaustive) indicated the some of the Korean bases are significant producers.

A concerted Allied air campaign against resources is the least likely to materially impact Japanese players in terms of impinging supply production. The game provides a surfeit of resources for modest Japanese effort in general. He's likely got >20MM resources stockpiled by this point in the game. I've got 18.5MM stockpiled in the Home Islands in February 1943-again, with limited investment on my part.

In order to minimize fuel and shipping required to bring home those resources, most Japanese players focus on pulling resources out of China and Korea. It's a relatively short jaunt to the southern Home Islands from there. As you have not impinged either of these routes, it's unlikely that destroying production of resources on Hokkaido will make a material difference in terms of his ability to bring in resources to the remaining unencumbered Home Islands. You'll just squeeze his transport further South.

All of this commentary is centering around interfering with resource accumulation in the Home Islands. Harvesting strategic bombing VPs from resource center destruction is an entirely different kettle of fish.

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, Andre. That's helpful information.

[Lovejoy]

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

Float damage shall be repaired by the ARD even without AR ship, but not major engine damage;

An ARD can only repair float damage, the AR is required for engine damage. According to this thread by Alfred, ARs should be able to repair major engine damage.

tm.asp?m=2990845

Though ARs are limited to a max of 5 major damage

[Lovejoy]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Canoerebel: But there are such huge forces, both sides, in proximity that things could quickly go crazy.

The peanut gallery will surely appreciate "crazy"! [:D]
Here's hoping it's good for the Allied side.

Seconded on both counts!

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Erik probably had through June of '44 to bring in oil and resources basically without opposition, so you may be right.

Allied 4EB hit Harbin and Chinmapo resources effectivley in July '44, shortly after taking Sikhalin. Erik hasn't bothered to repair those, so perhaps resources aren't an issue.

I'll target Keijo, Heijo, Mudken and Anshan a few times, and see how he reponds.

Any Japanese player worth his salt should have no resource issues. I'd love, at this point in the war, for my opponent to be spending his 4E bomber sorties on resource centers. You may get VPs for it, but you certainly won't help to destroy his ability to fight you at all. Honshu needs ~3.3 million resources a month. That's if you don't ship in one resource point from anywhere. All of the other Home Islands have a resource surplus. If you can get the excess from the other Home Islands and some from Korea (easy to do), that deficit drops down to about a million a month. He's had a long time to get those resources to Japan.

But, there are Japanese players who insist that shipping resources to the Home Islands is a waste of fuel. [8|]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Erik probably had through June of '44 to bring in oil and resources basically without opposition, so you may be right.

Allied 4EB hit Harbin and Chinmapo resources effectivley in July '44, shortly after taking Sikhalin. Erik hasn't bothered to repair those, so perhaps resources aren't an issue.

I'll target Keijo, Heijo, Mudken and Anshan a few times, and see how he reponds.

Any Japanese player worth his salt should have no resource issues. I'd love, at this point in the war, for my opponent to be spending his 4E bomber sorties on resource centers. You may get VPs for it, but you certainly won't help to destroy his ability to fight you at all. Honshu needs ~3.3 million resources a month. That's if you don't ship in one resource point from anywhere. All of the other Home Islands have a resource surplus. If you can get the excess from the other Home Islands and some from Korea (easy to do), that deficit drops down to about a million a month. He's had a long time to get those resources to Japan.

What is there, an echo in here? [:'(]

[ny59giants]

How many Frank factory locations do you know of from recon efforts?