Notes from a Small Island

[Canoerebel]

5/6/45

TNNBT: Erik sorties KB.

[Canoerebel]

5/6/45

TNNBT: LBA flying the opening attack mission. There are alot of missions during the turn, so I'll probably just post totals later.

Oh....this mission is against the TF that separated and went out on a lark. It's covered by LRCAP but will take a pounding during the day.

[Canoerebel]

5/6/45

TNNBT: Strikes flown against a number of Allied combat TFs ahead of Death Star. No hits are scored, including one fairly large strike that targeted CL Gambia.

This strike comes from Shanghai, which is important information.

[Canoerebel]

5/6/45

There was a massive sync bug with remarkably different combat scenarios. As a result, I didn't see any of the "real" combat between the strike packages and DS. So what I know is mostly from the Combat Report.

TNNBT: The Intel screen shows that enemy air losses were considerably higher than I had estimated yesterday. Allied losses are heavier too. I think, when I open the next screen, I'll find that a lot of the losses were to search dive bombers.

[Canoerebel]

5/6/45

Air Loss Totals: Allied losses are mostly fighters (shoot!). I'll have to move some squadrons around and see if I can bring in more from Wakkanai/Kushiro. I hope I can.

Enemy losses are heavy. Kamikazes not really involved (though the sync bug leaves me a bit unsure). Assuming this is mostly KB, that may or may not affect his carrier ops. He might be able to bring in a strong second team (his pilots must've been training forever and forever). But it might take him a few days to get things completely sorted and air worthy again. I hope so.

[Canoerebel]

5/6/45

TNNBT: Uh oh! Two Allied carrier TFs reacted. That's a huge concern - the possibility it'll happen again and how to get them back into the fold now. That's about the scariest thing possible. I wonder how many combat TFs Erik will sortie that way tomorrow?

[Canoerebel]

I've got a meeting, so last post for awhile.

The Allies won a victory in the East China Sea. Things were quite in Malaya. But what a scary free-for-all. Lots of decisions to make, including whither DS & The Herd, how to regather the reacting CV TFs, and what to detach to protect them.

[Lecivius]

This is just a question, not a complaint, a whine, or a gripe, or anything along those lines. But isn't putting a lot of merchies up in all those TF's just a bit off? A few pickets is one thing, but to my totally ignerrant eye this looks like an attempt to bleed off attacks [&:]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

This is just a question, not a complaint, a whine, or a gripe, or anything along those lines. But isn't putting a lot of merchies up in all those TF's just a bit off? A few pickets is one thing, but to my totally ignerrant eye this looks like an attempt to bleed off attacks [&:]

No doubt it is, but if the RL Japanese were faced with the same strategic situation and still had lots of merchantmen sitting around, I would expect them to do the same. CR's host of invasion shipping (including 4 million! supply) will do the same.

[Canoerebel]

Flooding the zone can certainly create issues, but I think it's fair to do.

I did a version of this during the Siege of Shikuka. I thought it was perfectly legit but there were some really nasty comments by a few readers.

In this case, I am not flooding the zone. The sitution is different. At Shikuka, the situation demanded every sacrifice possible - and that's what the Allies would've done in the real war, had they been so improvident as to stick their head in such a noose. But now, flooding the zone would create an unfair environment. Now, if my side gets totally destroyed, I might then be forced to take extreme countermeasures. But for now, The Herd is grouped carefully (except for the occasional TF that goes wandering off against orders). I do have lots of combat TFs out there, mostly two- to four-ship TFs but a couple of DDs that ended up alone when refueling a few days back.

Erik is in a different position. He's desperate and in "kamikaze" territory. So he utilizes every asset to inflict injury and stave off defeat.

[brian800000]

This is really exciting. I'm definitely going to miss this if CR stops updating. I can still read obvert's AAR, but I'd miss the perspective of a fellow Georgian.

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Zoiks! Two Allied CV TFs reacted!
This is my worst nightmare - that
it happen, and that I now have
to hope and pray I can pull DS
back together.

Globular Cluster...

[Canoerebel]

5/7/45

SEAC: Things are going well in Thailand and at Georgetown. The Allies are moving forward quickly, even while I search for indications that the enemy may turn and lash out (the biggest concern would be 2,000 aircraft at Singers, overwhelming RN DS).

[Canoerebel]

In the, "Well, duh!" department, I think I spurred reaction by having my carrier dive bombers set to Naval Search range 10. I got lots of good intel about the disposition of enemy units, but at a cost of triggering the reaction.

Since I know where KB is and have a general idea about combat ships, I'm standing down all search tomorrow. Hopefully that will allow the carriers to reunite.

Alot of my AEs replenished carrier sorties, expending 1000 ops points in the process. So DS isn't capable of much movement, in all probability.

The damaged CVE has 64 FLT and the other two categories are low. She is by herself now and will steam west towards Iriomote. She won't survive, but I'll try to nurse her.

I've just about decided to move SW a hex or two, hoping to throw off Erik' vector guesses. He'll try for surface intercepts, darn it.

I have 3,000 clicks to do, mainly:

1. Resetting all TFs to home port Kume Jima (thus eliminating low-fuel calculations by the AI)
2. Seeking to maximize carrier space for aircraft.
3. Setting a course for DS and then configuring all the ships (especially the small combat TFs and subs) to surround her, especially from the main-threat vector for KB/combat TFs).

[RangerJoe]

"Exit stage left" as one cartoon character would put it would be a good option. It would force the KB to follow you and leave the safety of the Home Island airfields and the railways to move damaged aircraft. If his air follows you, they may have reduced numbers flying due to both the transfer distance, fatigue, lack of aviation support, and damaged aircraft. I agree with the island hopping but if you can put a roadblock or two on the Indochinese coast, breaking both the railways and the grey roads, you can really slow down the massive army coming back.

You wouldn't by happy chance have any submarines loaded with mines that could lay minefields in the open ocean in front of the KB and the small fry? They may not do much but they could thin the numbers of unarmored enemy ships. I know that the minefields won't last long, three days is maximum, I think, losing about one third each day. Night search could also help the subs by having detection on the targets.

If you can swing it, a fast transport to the hex on the other side of Mersing would cut off the rail line to Singapore. A single sub transport loaded with troops could do it as well.

If you don't think that the CVE will make it, put the pilots into the Reserve if you can.

[Canoerebel]

I have about a dozen minelaying subs, though not quite close enough to place them between my carriers and his combat ships.

I'll cut the last railroad to Singers tomorrow or the day after, long before fast transport or sub transport could make it (I have a bunch of troops prepped for Mersing, with that in mind).

THanks for the reminder re: the CVE. It aint gonna make it.

[RangerJoe]

“All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us . . . they can’t get away this time”
– Lewis B. Chesty Puller, USMC

https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles ... im-forever

[Canoerebel]

Colonel John Croxton in a dispatch to General George Thomas during the Battle of Chickamauga: "Which of the four or five enemy brigades in my front is the one I'm supposed to capture?"

[BBfanboy]

Note that Patani, the base across the peninsula from your troops exiting Georgetown is NOT on the rail line! Of course you can have a unit or two take it and another unit sit on the rail line in the next hex.

[Canoerebel]

My guys are headed to the hex south of Patani, which is on the rail line.