Banzais Don't Make Victories - Anachro (A) vs John 3rd (J) BTS 5.7

[Anachro]

John lands at Darwin, but finds it evacuated except for the CD gun there that I cannot move. Some of his ships take shells so maybe, just maybe, they will have poor damage control and burn up.

Pre-Invasion action off Darwin (76,124) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

77 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Ise, Shell hits 3
BB Yamashiro, Shell hits 4
BB Fuso
CL Minase, Shell hits 3, on fire
CLAA Kako, Shell hits 2, on fire
CLAA Furutaka, Shell hits 2, on fire
CLAA Aoba
DD Shiokaze
DD Okikaze
DD Matsukaze
DD Harukaze, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
xAK Tamagawa Maru
PB Naruto Maru #3
PB Nako Maru #2
PB Aso Maru #7
SC Ch 21
SC Ch 20
SC Ch 19
xAP Teison Maru
DD Yunagi
DD Akikaze

Allied ground losses:
702 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 29 destroyed, 20 disabled
Engineers: 8 destroyed, 7 disabled
Guns lost 26 (11 destroyed, 15 disabled)

[Anachro]

This is my US Army Pilot training unit. When clicking on it, there is a button that says "Get Instructor" above the "Request Veteran" button. Does anyone that has used this mod know what the effect of adding an instructor is? Will he increase the skill-level gain of things like air or defense or will he, more importantly, raise experience for training pilots?

[tarkalak]

ORIGINAL: Anachro

This is my US Army Pilot training unit. When clicking on it, there is a button that says "Get Instructor" above the "Request Veteran" button. Does anyone that has used this mod know what the effect of adding an instructor is? Will he increase the skill-level gain of things like air or defense or will he, more importantly, raise experience for training pilots?

I think that Get Instructor is about picking a pilot from TRACOM.

There is a .pdf file called Pilot training addendum or something similar in the game docs. It explains what factors help training.

If you have a pilot with 80+ XP he helps. Also all rookies with less than 50 XP and less than average XP will train faster. You can add up veterans in order to raise the average XP above the trainee's level.

[Anachro]

@tarkalak Is that true for the base game or for the mod? In the base game, I've never seen pilot experience go up until they do actual missions (i.e. go to PH, etc. and start doing real CAP mission). I'm wondering if that's different for this mod that introduces dedicated training squadrons (which I suspect subtly is a boost to Japan).

Before I forget, I just want to say:

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I'm thankful for this game and its wonderful creators, giving us the opportunity to get as close as possible to being in the shoes of an admiral or general in the actual Pacific War. I am thankful to this wonderful community for the dedication they all display, their helpfulness in matters of question, their ability to engage in high-level, rational discourse. Although the community seems to be getting smaller every year, those that remain are highly engaged. Furthermore, it never seems to be a problem finding a game! I'm thankful for all that and all of you!

Now, excuse me while I go get ready to eat tons of turkey and mashed potatoes and get into a food coma. I'll skip the stuffing though. Never liked the stuff.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Anachro
In the base game, I've never seen pilot experience go up until they do actual missions (i.e. go to PH, etc. and start doing real CAP mission).

Oy, come on. Experience gains while skill training is a common occurrence in any low-xp unit.
Yep, I do 100% skill training all the time. Yep, I am sure. At game start some of my IJN fighter pilots were drafted from schools with 20-30 xp, and end up in high 40s by the time they train air and def to 70

[Anachro]

Yeah, I should rephrased and meant to say anything above 45+. Once my pilots reach 40xp, getting to 50 becomes very hard before actual missions. I know there is XP gain in training, but it's slow. I'm wondering if trainers speed it up.

[Anachro]

July 1 1942

John's quote to me following this turn was, "Damned BRASSIE play by you Sir. I thought we were finished. OK then…"

I think it's fitting as Lexington has a good day moving up against John's carriers, which unexpectedly continue moving northeast. I completely thought John would move his carriers back under the protective CAP umbrella of Lunga and then to Rabaul, but he instead seems to move towards the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. He suffers for it and his CVLs take more bomb hits. Frustratingly, CVL Kushiro seems impervious (how much armor does that thing have!) and two SAP 1000 lbs fail to penetrate the deck armor, but over the course of two strikes, a few do make it through and even cause an ammo explosion. CVL Tokachi also takes a number of hits and is listed as "on fire with heavy damage."

Hopefully, this means they are burning or at least sufficiently slowed down to be vulnerable again next turn. BB North Carolina and some CAs split off to attempt a surface action if they are slowed down, Lexington will move up only a few hexes in case they are so slowed down as to be in range. Tomorrow could very well see me sinking his remaining two carriers, sinking one, or none at all!

[Anachro]

South of Canton Island, my surface raiders make an interception in the night with one of John's tankers and most likely sink it. Later in the following day, CV Indomitable on the way back to Pearl Harbor spots a few other tankers and sinks them. John has lost all five tankers he brought with him on his southern raid.

[Anachro]

At Midway Island, my DMS ships managed to clear a 100 mines from the island while taking a few shell hits. None are in danger of sinking and should be able to retire to Pearl Harbor for a relatively quick repair time. The clearing of the mines allows my BBs to move in and bombard the island (from a sufficient distance to minimize danger) without taking any mine hits themselves.

[Anachro]

John recently landed a brigade size or less unit at Carnarvon to take it, but I have a lot of surface ships at Perth and they will continue to pound the place, hopefully forcing John to quickly bring his carriers or (what I'd rather want) some surface ships. I have ~350 in AV moving from Geraldton to Carnarvon to destroy his units and take it back. I'm really hoping John brings more ships/troops, as I have 4 US carriers and 1 British carrier half-way between Perth and off-map.

[GetAssista]

Congratulations! Sometimes Yamato fails as a bomb magnet. You must've had a harsh briefing with your pilots about priorities [:D]
This is an exciting game to watch

[Bearcat2]

ORIGINAL: Anachro

July 1 1942

.................... Frustratingly, CVL Kushiro seems impervious (how much armor does that thing have!) and two SAP 1000 lbs fail to penetrate the deck armor, but over the course of two strikes, a few do make it through and even cause an ammo explosion. CVL Tokachi also takes a number of hits and is listed as "on fire with heavy damage."

..............................

It is a fantasy CV, if it was built to his specs, it would capsize.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Anachro

Yeah, I should rephrased and meant to say anything above 45+. Once my pilots reach 40xp, getting to 50 becomes very hard before actual missions. I know there is XP gain in training, but it's slow. I'm wondering if trainers speed it up.

Getting to 50 is not a problem if you diversify skill training. Alfred hinted that the fastest gains are to be had by putting the unit on "General training" where the AI decides which skill each pilot will train in. I prefer to select the secondary (or sometimes tertiary skill). I prefer to get overall Experience 50+ and Defensive skill 60+ so I train in low level skills at 1000 feet. ASW, NavS, Low Nav and LowG are all useful skills to work on.

True, this delays deployment to the front where combat will raise the survivors' skills fastest of all. The trick is to have enough survivors.

[Anachro]

@GetAssista Yes, my dive bomber pilots have been a bit of a dud and while I hoped my torpedo guys would hit the Yamato a few times, they've mostly been missing. I guess that's to be expected when using TBDs.

@Bearcat2 I feel the same way about the G.6's. They seem to be designed in such a way so as to ensure they don't sink before they can be converted to full carriers. I don't know how you explain the conversion given that the a/c capacity doubles, but the CV version of the G.6's still retain their full deck and belt armor after converting. I'd think to make one work the other has to go. I'm sure there is an explanation on how it might be viable but I don't know it and assume either way it's a stretch. The carriers do lose a bit of tower armor, but that's really not much of a compensation. Anyways, between the 2 of them, CVL Tokachi and Kushiro have taken 11 bomb hits and both seem rather serviceable despite all of that.



@BBFanboy I usually train my fighter pilots first in air to 70, then I use ground/strafe attack at 100ft to bring defense up to 70, and then I might go for tertiary missions like ground bombing to get that skill while I try and get the experience levels up. My real question what exactly "adding instructors" does to this process.

[BBfanboy]

Congrats on your follow-up attacks, especially in picking off his tankers. I don't know how much time he has had to bring fuel to the Marshalls but I bet he is very short on it!
It seems to me that John has underestimated you. [&o]

[Anachro]

@BBFanboy well, he hasn't underestimated me in China and in India he seems to be bringing the entire Imperial Japanese Army. There could be 10+ divisions in India for all I know based on what I've seen, on top of which includes a a lot of tank regiments, etc. He has neglected the SoPac, however and I'd guess he'd be operating on a shoestring budget there.

While I await the next turn, I forgot to mention that these bad boys are now on their way from the east coast to the Panama Canal. They will be heading to Pearl Harbor to begin my carrier re-organizations and then will support coming amphibious operations. I think they are nice replacements for the CVLs Shoho and Zuiho, don't you?

[Anachro]

India

Here, as I mentioned John has a lot of AV. If I had to guess, it seems he is pushing up with a lot off troops towards Patna and Asanol, where tanks are on the outskirts (though he also has troops near Jamshedpur). This would make sense as Patna and Asanol are clear terrain and therefore easier to attack. Asanol is close to level 5 forts, however. Patna is slightly weaker and is 55% of the way to level 4 forts. Both Patna and Asanol have ~1k AV. I have reserves if no where else is attacked of ~1.6k AV in the area.

To the left flank that John seems to be completely ignoring, I have 817 AV including 725 AVs and the 18th British Division that will overrun the Japanese base units at Cocanada and Vizagapatnum. Before this begins however, tanks are coming south from Warangal and Raipur to cut off reinforcements by train to there.



For reinforcements, the 41st US Infantry Division just arrived at Bombay, as did the 16th Canadian Brigade. Thee 254th Armored Brigade is in the process of switching over from improvised AFVs to real tanks (General Lees and Stuarts) in Bombay. The 267th Armored Brigade arrived just recently in Madras (I'm so glad John didn't take this as it gets reinforcements through the fall in 1942). It has good tanks, but many are disabled and experience is very low. This unit needs to be trained.



The 2nd British Division is arriving in bits and pieces at Aden over the next 8 days. ~600 AV arrives at Madras on October 1st.

[zuluhour]

I am watching from the cheap seats and am also enjoying. As I can see both sides I can only
express my pleasure from two solid AARs. Typically I check in on this at work, but as we are
on holiday, I get chance to really compare days from opposite camps in more detail. Keep up the
fight!

[Anachro]

July 2 1942

My carriers and surface ships move north, but fail to run into anything. The following day, however, Lexington spots the BB Yamato and some cruisers southeast of Ocean Island (John finally tried a surface intercept!), as well as what appears to be decoy cargo ships at Nauru Island. There are no signs of his CVLs. Thus, they decide to strike at what they see, sinking the decoy ships and hitting BB Yamato, which once again unfortunately acts as a sponge, completely impenetrable by 1000 lbs SAP bombs. I would have liked to have hit his cruisers.

There are no sinking sounds today, so I can only assume John's remaining CVLs are alive and well. They are certainly viable since they made good speed wherever they went and my carriers didn't spot them. Lexington and BB North Carolina will retire southeast towards Suva. I will not follow John's surface ships east since that puts me in range of Tabiteuea's level 4 airfield. My other carriers will also be retiring towards Suva and then towards Pearl Harbor. Let's hope this episode makes John a lot more careful before doing deep raids.

[BBfanboy]

Yamato and Maya nearby and your TBDs go after an xAK and get 4 hits ... [:@]

What does Lex have left for sorties and torps? Time to get outta Dodge?