Mushrooms over Maizuru: Chickenboy (J) vs. AcePylut (A)

[Bif1961]

I believe there is an inland base in NE OZ that would be a better base for P-38s to sweep PM. You avoid his surface bombardments and possible amphibious surprise landings.

[Anachro]

What settings will you be using for your sweeps? What range is the P38 most effective at? Given my rules with John, I think mine are capped at 32k altitude.

[AcePylut]

Well, we were supposed to have a max altitude of 20k for '42, moving up to 25k in '43 and 30k from '44 and beyond... but CB's been sweeping at 25k feet consistently, so oh well. I'll just sweep at 25k.

On further review, the base closest to PM is 8 hexes. The P38E's max extended range is 7 hexes. Apparently Charles Lindbergh has not been called out to show those Army boys how to get full use out of the P38's throttle settings... yet. For some reason I though the P38's range was 8/10. Oh well.

Looks like I'll scrub this entire plan. At least I didn't get to the point where I was ready to put the plan into effect only to be pulling my hair out over being wrong on the range.


Perhaps I'll have to shift this plan over to the Darwin axis. I'm already building up Tennant Creek for the inevitable invasion of Darwin and surrounding bases.

[AcePylut]

Jan 26th, 1941:

Another fairly uneventful turn.

An IJ sub a few hexes off the CONUS picks off an xAK.

In return, a Dutch Sub lurking in the Makassar pics off a Japanese CM.

Norfolk Island flips back to Allied Control. The landing was uncontested.

Another deliberate attack at Suva comes off at 1-1 and my soldiers hold... but I have no way of getting reinforcements there before the base will fall.

Singapore will probably fall to the next deliberate attack, but for now - she holds.

[AcePylut]

[:@]

Interesting - Cooktown is 9 hexes to PM, but it looks further away than the 'yellow lined base' which is 10 hexes.

[AcePylut]

May '42 my P38E's become drop tank capable. They'll have a normal DT range of 11 hexes, extended DT range of 14 hexes.

Game on!

[Encircled]

Course, if he's going for Oz, then by May'42 Cookstown, Charters Towers and Coen, Portland Roads will be Japanese held!

#voiceofdoom

[rustysi]

On further review, the base closest to PM is 8 hexes. The P38E's max extended range is 7 hexes. Apparently Charles Lindbergh has not been called out to show those Army boys how to get full use out of the P38's throttle settings... yet. For some reason I though the P38's range was 8/10. Oh well.

Looks like I'll scrub this entire plan. At least I didn't get to the point where I was ready to put the plan into effect only to be pulling my hair out over being wrong on the range.

What's the range on the Brit twin engine FB's? Could they be a substitute? They always seemed to give me fits when I opposed them.

[Encircled]

What's the range on the Brit twin engine FB's? Could they be a substitute? They always seemed to give me fits when I opposed them.

I must be using them wrong! Alright v bombers but hopeless v fighters.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

What's the range on the Brit twin engine FB's? Could they be a substitute? They always seemed to give me fits when I opposed them.

I must be using them wrong! Alright v bombers but hopeless v fighters.

Mosquitoes? They are slower than P-38 by about 20mph on max speed, much slower on cruise and with horrible maneuver on higher altitude. Plus the usual 2-engine malus in A2A. They can have their moments on lower altitude sweeps since they are comparable to Lightings in armament and armor, but are not really a substitute for boom&zoom

[rustysi]

I must be using them wrong! Alright v bombers but hopeless v fighters.

I've had them do a good job on some of my early war escorting fighters (JFB here). Just as my Nicks have decimated some P-38 escort missions.

[AcePylut]

I plan on only using the '38's for sweeps. After reading enough AAR's about how escorts get decimated, sweeps it is.

Hoping that after degrading any cap after a couple of sweeps, the 4E's will be able to come in and have fun all by themselves... especially against early war Japanese fighters. We'll see.

And if he lands on Oz proper - well that would be just find and dandy with me

[Mike Solli]

My limited experiences with P-38s sweeping was against Truk. My fighters chewed them up. They were P-38Gs against Franks, Georges, Tojos and Nicks though. Big Japanese number superiority too.

[Anachro]

I think in an even fight they do well, against better Japanese a/c OK, and when facing uneven numbers (i.e. more Japanese fighters than them), they do meh to poorly.

[AcePylut]

Jan 27th:

A solitary Japanese DD shows up at Norfolk Islands… no doubt looking to end the (2) AM and (2) AKL’s that just departed and are safe. Before departing, however, I created (2) MGB ships from their supply. A couple of successive combats brought no hits to either side.

At Tabiteuea, (4) converted YP’s to ACM’s laid 80 mines. I’ll disband 2 of the ships to tend to the minefield.

A Jap sub in between CONUS and PH sank a DD from an ASW tf specifically sent to hunt down any lurking subs. Why I bother trying is beyond me, because all that happens is that my ships get sunk.

A IJN (2) BB tf bombarded Suva. The base should fall to the next attack.

The Lex, Enterprise, and Hermes are passing Perth. Yorktown and Saratoga are disbanded at a dot base about 10 hexes or so south of Christmas Island.


-

My '38's won't be flying against Franks, Georges and such... just Zeros and Oscars. I hope he lands in NE Oz, but he's dilly-dallying in the South Pacific and hasn't invaded PM yet.

[rustysi]

Hoping that after degrading any cap after a couple of sweeps, the 4E's will be able to come in and have fun all by themselves...

I always like to have at least some escorts, just in case. If nothing else any attack against bombers tends to really reduce their effectiveness. I've even had Pete's up against unescorted B-17's.[:D] Never shot one down, but I've had many B-17 raids hitting nothing.

[rustysi]

Big Japanese number superiority too.

This is always good. My Nicks that matched up to the AI's P-38's were evenly matched in numbers. No idea what 'his' pilots were like.

[rustysi]

especially against early war Japanese fighters.

Against a good opponent you may regret you've said this. The only 'early' war Japanese fighters I dislike putting up against unescorted Allied 4e's are the Oscar and A6M2-3a. Their airframes are just too fragile to get hit by 50-cals.

[rustysi]

A Jap sub in between CONUS and PH sank a DD from an ASW tf specifically sent to hunt down any lurking subs. Why I bother trying is beyond me,

If it weren't for bad luck, you'd have none.[:D]

[Bif1961]

The P-38s on sweeps does well against first generation Japanese aircraft if flow by decent pilots but suffer badly if flying escort. Their sweep tactic is dive and zoom-climb away for another dive attack. The highest scoring American pilots flew the P-38s, Bong 40 kills and McGiure 38.