Notes from a Small Island

[RangerJoe]

You are welcome. I have learned a lot from you.

My newest game is trying the Japanese. I might attack the USSR in March 1942 if I can cut the Silk road from China to Kazakstan so supplies and resources won't flow that way. Raiding regiments will be needed for that. Then I can see where raiding regiments can cut the Trans-Siberian railway in one if not two bases - which are far enough away from Soviet airbases that most of their fighters could not reach.

[Capt. Harlock]

I might attack the USSR in March 1942 if I can cut the Silk road from China to Kazakstan so supplies and resources won't flow that way.

An intriguing plan, but early activation of the Soviets has great risks. Have you been reading the threads "The Accidental War" and "Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil"?

[RangerJoe]

Yes I have. But the two Soviet bases only have a NKVD regiment each. No AAA, engineers, air units, or tanks. The closest USSR base that has those is 4 hexes away. If you can cut the resources off from the main base to the east, then the units on the other side will starve. You can also capture about 100 resources quickly in Siberia and in Mongolia, there is an unoccupied base 1 hex away with 21 resources and 21 light industry. If you also capture the Siberian oil and the refinery where the IL-2 factory is, then once the Soviet fuel runs out, there is no more unless it is shipped in. And the Allies are not in a position to help.

If you also put a wall of subs and minefields around Vlad, you can blockade the ships in port with a high threat to them if they try to leave. Minisubs could also be used. The Soviet fleet is in various ports. Except for Vlad, they could be dealt with by air bombing with a small threat of CAP.

The Soviet air force has mostly old planes with no additional production. They get something like 35 pilots a month. You can sweep them out of the sky if they CAP, their bombers on escort missions would be poorly escorted if at all compared to Oscars and Zeroes. Supersize some float plane units to 24 and convert them to Rufes to achieve additional air protection.

I also presume that it would be done in March with the amphib bonus and the SRA mostly secured. Then, I think that the date is 1 May 1942, a bunch of Soviet units get transferred.

[Canoerebel]

5/17/45

TNNBT: Allied armor attacks and clears out opposition in the contested hex. The main concentration in the dot-hex to the NW has changed direction. Still no sign of KB or Kaigun. I think Erik deployed his navy in the South China Sea region to move on RN DS. I think that, but there's a possibility his navy is poised to leap out at Death Star any turn.

[MakeeLearn]

I predict a increase in Japanese war souvenirs coming out of China.

[Canoerebel]

5/19/45

TNNBT: Two USN DDs bombard Hankow, way up the river from Shanghai and Nanking. This is Erik's main interior base. Ki-83s frequently sweep from here. He can offset this threat by having some dive bombers in the area. On this occasion, the DDs weren't detected.

[Canoerebel]

5/19/45

TNNBT: But bombardment results are fickle. This one accomplishes nothing (except intel that 38th Div. is at Shanghai), whereas previous runs have been very effective.

[Simonsez]

What does the "dot" base hex like southwest of Nanking? Can't you land there and avoid a direct river crossing assault into Nanking? Or, does this split your forces too much? A drive up river to the other rail line is proably really attractive as well and I would suspect that is the direction to head. Reducing Nanking can happen after you cut the rail supply line from Manchuris.

[Canoerebel]

That dot hex is probably open but off on the side and would split my forces more than I wish.

If I move on Nanking it'll be by amphibious assault rather than river crossing. That would take advantage of the huge number of gunships I brought along. I'm looking hard at Nanking right now - it's strength, whether I can isolate it, and how hard I can hit....in comparison to instead using the troops to move north. Both options have advantages and disadvantages. I like both.

[Canoerebel]

5/19/45

TNNBT: Evaluating a move on Nanking.

[RangerJoe]

Very nicely done. Now you just have to do it the night before he sends fighters sweeping from there . . .

[RangerJoe]

How about take the base to the SE of Nanking, then surround Nanking, then move in by land and invade Nanking, or would that take too long? The hex to the west of Nanking, if undefended, could easily be occupied by a fast transport.

[JohnDillworth]

Evaluating a move on Nanking.

Looks from here that if you capture Nanking Shanghai has got real problems. Sure there is another railroad but it seems to go to nowhere. He can't reinforce, everything in the pocket eats supply, and Shanghai is extremely vulnerable to daily bombardments. If you can pocket whats in and around there it will be a big point gainer...besides the value of the base itself......Which is somewhat limited because you have to escort any massive supply convoys in. Still, better you have it than the Empire

[Canoerebel]

The amphibious assault TFs will only travel two hexes, so the initial landings will take place during the nighttime tonight. Follow up landings will occur the following day.

Ranger is right that LRCAP situation over the hex will be problematic.

Two units (fairly small) will land in the hex to the SE, isolating Nanking from Shanghai. Many of the units in the formerly-contested hex have ceased movement and will be available to cross the river and join the Nanking attack in a few days. Some of these are big infantry units fully prepped, many are arty and armor fully prepped.

Unless my recon info on Nanking is badly wrong, this should work. And the recon info has been consistent since the first of the invasion.

[Canoerebel]

To this point, only DDs and two CLs have participated in bombardments on Nanking and Shanghai, and only DDs on Hankow. Despite the small size of the TFs, measurable damage has been inflicted on each airfield; and the damage isn't diminishing rapidly, meaning Erik is shy on engineers and/or supply.

Tomorrow, a big BB TF will bombard Nanking. This will be the first occasion anything larger than a CL has bombarded.

[RangerJoe]

Isolate Shanghai and get some units there to stop the resources being produced. Them bomb as many different units as you can just to increase their supply usage. Eventually, he will run out of supply and that would be a lot of low hanging victory points to grab.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Tomorrow, a big BB TF will bombard Nanking. This will be the first occasion anything larger than a CL has bombarded.

Are BBs able to go up the river there?

CAs are not much worse compared to BBs in terms of damage to the base. BBs shine the most when there are very high forts on the base and 8" cannot penetrate effectively

[Canoerebel]

The BB TF accepted orders to bombard Nanyang, but when I gave test orders it wouldn't go any further upstream.

[Bearcat2]

4.2.1.4
" Only ships with tonnages of 15,000 tons or less may cross navigable river hexsides. "

[Canoerebel]

Using the F6 key, you can see that blue (ocean) hexsides extend as far as Nanking but no further. That's consistent with what I've seen when I've issued test orders - CVs and BBs will go as far as Nanking but no further. CLs and DDs will go all the way up to Hangkow.