Once Again into the Breach - Mike (J) vs. tc464 (A)

[rustysi]

Mike, with the exception of your fuel/oil supplies, I think all your numbers are fine. Including the combat numbers you've shown.

My fuel/oil numbers are about 1M above yours, but I'm not sure that means much as I'm playing an AI game and I imagine its much easier for me to keep most of my 'fleet juice' guzzlers tide to the pier.

That being said I'm sure you know that '44 should be a bumper year for Ted. I can only see the pressure getting so much greater that you simply get overrun by shear force and weight of numbers.

[rustysi]

Those little tramp steamers are the least efficient transports available. You also don't need all of those resources. You have to have a surplus, but if you haul it all back it's counter productive as fuel surplus is compromised.

In my first long game I looked at the math a bit and I'd been hauling from places like Ocean Island and West OZ. Guess what? I ran out of fuel long before I ran out of resources.

I'd just like to revisit this for a while.

As an FYI, and I've no idea who does the same things, but I'd like to point out that most of my transport is a two way street. That is to say almost nothing goes either way totally empty, except those damned TK's. Obviously its shear madness to ship fuel out of the HI. So their return trip to pick up more fuel/oil is done empty. I don't even run 'CS' convoys, everything is hands on. Probably one of the main reasons I can only run 4-5 turns a week.

All those little 'tramp steamers' that run resources one way normally run at least some supply the other. Take for instance Ocean Is./Nauru Is, as you point out. Well the Marshalls and Gilberts need supplies and reinforcements. So they go out from Truk and resources go back. Truk needs supply, so the resources that are there now go home, and more supply/reinforcements come back. Now its not all always loaded 100% all the way, but why not pick up those resources for the return. And everything is loaded 100% at least one way. Yes, some do go empty one way at times, but not always, and usually only part way back, as when going to their 'hub'.

Again in the PI those bringing resources to Batangas bring supply/reinforcements back, mostly to Mindanao. From there its goes to the eastern portion of the SRA, where some resources are picked up and returned to Davao.

Its all about a supply network and the more things are loaded both ways, the better.

I don't expect all to spend so much time doing it like this (IOW be so anal[:D]), its just me.[8|] I like to get the most 'juice for my squeeze'.

YMMV.

[Lowpe]

Japan has enough merchant shipping you don't really need to go below the Aden class for anything that needs hauling in stock and in dababes limited cargo mod.

But there is really nothing wrong with any approach that gets the job done, imho, as long as you keep an eye on the end game.

Using the tramps is fun, I do it when there is risk involved. I do it to entice sub attacks so the escorts can pound the subs.

[rustysi]

Ted mentioned very early on how he hates China. I'm pretty sure he's just written it off. That's definitely a boon for me.

On second thought this could be your one saving grace. The forces from here may just be enough to hold him back just long enough.

I think Ted has made a foolish decision. He needs the Chinese to tie down masses of Japanese troops, just as IRL.

[Lokasenna]

I convert all of the tramps to PB, AMc, or ACM.

[rustysi]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Japan has enough merchant shipping you don't really need to go below the Aden class for anything that needs hauling in stock and in dababes limited cargo mod.

But there is really nothing wrong with any approach that gets the job done, imho, as long as you keep an eye on the end game.

Using the tramps is fun, I do it when there is risk involved. I do it to entice sub attacks so the escorts can pound the subs.

And I do it when the ports are small. Using an Aden to dump stuff at a 1 or 2 level port is just too agonizingly slow. In addition to that they usually don't require the load they may carry. OTOH the Aden could visit several ports on the same run. So to each their own.

BTW I like that idea about having the subs chasing the 'Tramps'. I used to take the 'Tramps' to watch the.... Oh, never mind that's not PC.[:D]

TBH, a lot of my Adens sit in various large ports to remove the excess not handled by the larger faster boys.

[rustysi]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I convert all of the tramps to PB, AMc, or ACM.

Many. Some of the later ones convert to small TK's. Good for serving those small bases along the way.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I convert all of the tramps to PB, AMc, or ACM.

I do the same. The Ansyu-C all get converted to PB. It used to be because of their 6k endurance and 14kt speed, but I learned that they're amazing at fast transport, with a capacity of 1000.

[JoV]

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I convert all of the tramps to PB, AMc, or ACM.

I do the same. The Ansyu-C all get converted to PB. It used to be because of their 6k endurance and 14kt speed, but I learned that they're amazing at fast transport, with a capacity of 1000.

Of the many (many) pieces of information I've picked up from this thread, I think this one has proved to be the most influential. These little guys are now the workhorses of my games, running men and supply up to the front line and back, usually right under the Allies noses [&o]

[jdsrae]

Just to be different I’ve come up with a convoy plan that uses plodders for hauling and converts nearly all the modern ships to IJN uses.
It pretty much uses all xAK that can’t convert to IJN service. So much so that it’s like the devs planned it or something!
xAKL get used in small ship conversions and some of the bigger ones for local resupply and moving small SNLF dets.
One downside is it does use a fair bit of fuel, but it still looks workable.
I’ll try to put the details in the War Room later tonight.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: jdsrae

Just to be different I’ve come up with a convoy plan that uses plodders for hauling and converts nearly all the modern ships to IJN uses.
It pretty much uses all xAK that can’t convert to IJN service. So much so that it’s like the devs planned it or something!
xAKL get used in small ship conversions and some of the bigger ones for local resupply and moving small SNLF dets.
One downside is it does use a fair bit of fuel, but it still looks workable.
I’ll try to put the details in the War Room later tonight.

Interesting. I tended (in this game) to convert too many to AGs. I thought they'd be needed in all the small ports to repair all the little PB escorts on convoy duty, but that turned out not to be the case. I can't really think of anything (other that AKEs and ARs) that I would have liked to have more of.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I convert all of the tramps to PB, AMc, or ACM.

I do the same. The Ansyu-C all get converted to PB. It used to be because of their 6k endurance and 14kt speed, but I learned that they're amazing at fast transport, with a capacity of 1000.

They also are fuel hogs, sink easily, have no troop transport, and are 10 vp each. I would like them better if they had 3K fuel instead.

[Bif1961]

Why is it a bad idea to have two logisticiana in the same room? [&:]


Because they will frequently come to logger-heads! [:D]

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I convert all of the tramps to PB, AMc, or ACM.

I do the same. The Ansyu-C all get converted to PB. It used to be because of their 6k endurance and 14kt speed, but I learned that they're amazing at fast transport, with a capacity of 1000.

They also are fuel hogs, sink easily, have no troop transport, and are 10 vp each. I would like them better if they had 3K fuel instead.

All true. But, with Japan's fuel situation, can't you say that about just about every Japanese hull? [:D]

[Mike Solli]

25 Dec 43

Sub War

The Jack sank an Aden class a couple hexes north of Taihoku.

5 Fleet

The Yamato/Musashi bombardment TF hit Dutch Harbor overnight confirming the intel that suggested only one small unit there. It's the 105 USN BF. They're doomed. A Naval Guard will land in the next day or two and take the place. I'm having Nagato and Mutsu escort the invasion fleet and not bombard. They'll just cause more damage that will need to be repaired before forts can be built.

It turned out there were 3 damaged ships in port: S-44, LSI(L) Glenorchy and AM Revenge. They all were hit in the bombardment and are heavily damaged. No confirmation that any sank, but they're doomed too.

Edit: I saw 3 ships get hit. There may be more...

4 Fleet

The Allies invaded Tabiteuea with 2 Marine Raider Battalion and 1 & 2 Fiji Commando Battalions. (I never knew there were 2 of them.) It looks like it's just some APDs and DEs. I wish my carriers were close by (they're 36 hexes away). I could have lightened Ted's ship load. [:D]

Tabiteuea held out today, but will fall tomorrow. No matter. All that's doing now is taking time, which works in my favor.

SE Fleet

As I suspected, Ted went after Hollandia's airfield after the little CAP trap yesterday. It took 88x 2 & 4E sorties. I lost a few Franks on the ground. He also sent a bunch of fighters that did nothing but gain some op losses. Christmas 1943 and I'm getting the Allies to react to me. I like it! [:D]

Truk's port was the recipient of some 184 bomber sorties. I'm pretty sure Ted is seeing a series of single ships heading to Truk. I'm sure he's aware that they're moving out troops I don't want to leave marooned there. The last of the Guards Division should be pulled out tomorrow, which is nice. That division is forming part of the Saipan garrison, where they'll die gloriously at some point in the future. [;)]. There's already an independent mixed brigade there, and a very experienced division currently besieging Chungking will also end up there. Should be fun for the Allies. [;)]

SRA

Nothing exciting. I am seeing a series of small TFs heading east-west along northern Australia on the west side. I have a little surface TF of a couple CAs and some DDs to see if I can intercept them west of Australia later. Again, it's just to make him have to react to me.

Burma

Franks took out the four remaining Allied fighters over Kalemyo.

Ted mentioned the Chindits hitting Ramree island. He thought it was undefended. Thanks to whoever suggested I garrison it way back when. It was an air assault. Guess he will have to replace those paratroopers. I suspect those squads are hard to come by. [:D] I do have a naval guard headed there to reinforce the garrison, along with more engineers. The fort is level 3, but rising very slowly with only 12 engineers there.

I'm rethinking my defense in this area. I haven't seen an Allied ship SE of Ceylon in many months. I don't know what the status of the RN is right now, but I suspect he may try something. Most of my surface warships in the SRA are at Ambon. MKB1 was in the Aleutians recently and just arrived at Yokohama to repair the sys damage it accumulated. It'll be there about a week. After that, it'll head to Singapore for defense of the Burma coast.

MKB2 is currently at Balikpapan. It will defend against any incursion in the southern SRA and is available for the defense of Hollandia if an enemy invasion happens without CV support.

Additional forces in this area include 4 BBs (Fuso, Yamashiro, Ise & Hyuga), 3 CAs and some CLs and DDs. I'll split these forces between Singapore and Ambon. I also have ~120 Betties/Nells available in the area.

I am aware of 3 US CVLs in the area. I know where they're stationed (Normanton, Australia). I have 3 subs down there keeping an eye on them.

Back to Burma. I have independent mixed brigades at every base along the coast. The invasion would have to be division strength at least to take a base. I am ready to pull the Burma Army south if something happens. Right now, the British Army is sitting doing nothing. I am keeping an eye on them.

China

I think the next deliberate assault will take Chungking. My AV is increasing by ~350 a day while the Chinese AV increases no more than 30 a day on bombardment days. Here are the stats:

Japanese raw AV: 7217 (up 370)
Chinese raw AV: 2705 (up 18)

Arty/air damage done today: 55 squads killed (36 infantry), 185 squads disabled

Japanese Army:

Fatigue: 67.9 down 8.0
Disruption: 24.5 down 6.1
Disablements: 19.6 down 1.7

I think I could attack now and take Chungking. (How long have I been saying that?) [:D] Usually, my adjusted AV is 60% of my raw AV and the Chinese is 67%. Given that, the odds would be 4330:1803 or 2.4:1. I'm going to rest another day because of the disablements. I'd like to minimize my hard losses.

Other Stuff

I got confirmation that the Sculpin was hit by a 250kg bomb off Saipan and sunk on 10/8/43.

[rustysi]

I know its too late now, but did you ever consider a shock attack on Chungking once the forts were down to zero?

Would it be too bloody because of the number of troops involved?

I wonder what others think about this?

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

I know its too late now, but did you ever consider a shock attack on Chungking once the forts were down to zero?

Would it be too bloody because of the number of troops involved?

I wonder what others think about this?

I had mentioned it when the forts were gone, and the general consensus was to stick with deliberate assault. At this point, I'll stick with deliberate assault, but I do wonder what others think about it. I've never tried this, but what happens when you have some on deliberate assault and some (say the tank division) on shock attack?

[rustysi]

One other thing. Did you ever develop the George?

I've only got one chutai (squadron?) in operation, but the early results seem to indicate this is gonna be one deadly bomber killer. She hauls four 20 mike-mike cannon you know. Looks like everything I've read that this is what it takes is true.

[rustysi]

I've never tried this, but what happens when you have some on deliberate assault and some (say the tank division) on shock attack?

No idea, I've never done it. Generally speaking I stay away from the shock attack myself. I should try it more to get a better feel for it. Heck I'm just playing the AI. I may try it on Chungking once I reduce the forts just to see.

OTOH I'd miss all those crack ID's you've gotten doing the deliberate assaults.[:D]

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

One other thing. Did you ever develop the George?

I've only got one chutai (squadron?) in operation, but the early results seem to indicate this is gonna be one deadly bomber killer. She hauls four 20 mike-mike cannon you know. Looks like everything I've read that this is what it takes is true.

Yep, I'm currently using the George 2. I get the George 5 in May 44, the same time the Ha-43 becomes operational. I have a plan in place to rapidly convert 3 factories along with an Ha-43 factory that'll come out of R&D to build up my Ha-43 pool as soon as possible.