Miller (J) vs Mr Kane (A)

[Miller]

21st-25th Aug 45

My bombardments of the Allied fighter bases with multiple TFs full of escorts turn into a farce. The 21st sees them tangle with about 50 PT boats, some TFs abort but most get through and destroy about 20 a/c on the ground. I lose about 5 escorts for 30 PT boats. Replenished at Shanghai, I send them in again the next day. Obviously Kane creates as many PT TFs as he can to stop me. An insane day sees me lose about 20 escorts but I sink 120 PTs boats in the process[:D]. I make one final try the next day but his swarms of PTs prevent any meaningful damage and I retire all my TFs back to Nagasaki. Over the three day period I lose about 30 escorts for roughly 200 PT boats, so points wise at least I come out 2:1 ahead. Most of his troops are now in Shanghai and I'm awaiting his first attack, but he has no chance of taking the base before the end of the month.

Meanwhile in the air he steps up his strategic bombing campaign both by day and night. One daytime B29 strike is highly effective and obliterates one of my two large Ha-33 engine factories. Others mainly target manpower to start fires. Over the course of this period he losses about 100 4E to all causes whilst I lose as many night fighters plus day fighters to his sweeps at a 1:2 ratio, however good enough to keep the VP requirement stable. His death star remains at Manila for the time being. He still needs to find a 2200 VP swing in the last six days of August to achieve a decisive victory. I think it will come down to how his strategic bombing performs to get over that line. Obviously I have virtually every fighter group on the map back in the HI to try and prevent this. I will do a day by day account for the rest of the month as it plays out.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Miller
Over the three day period I lose about 30 escorts for roughly 200 PT boats, so points wise at least I come out 2:1 ahead.

JFK would not survive that slaughter [:D]

Great exchange for you given that Japanese shipping is practically sitting ducks / VP storage at that point in the campaign

[Canoerebel]

A countdown is a great idea. Thanks, Paul.

[Miller]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: Miller
Over the three day period I lose about 30 escorts for roughly 200 PT boats, so points wise at least I come out 2:1 ahead.

JFK would not survive that slaughter [:D]

Great exchange for you given that Japanese shipping is practically sitting ducks / VP storage at that point in the campaign

Alas PT-109 is not on the ships sunk list[:(]

[Lowpe]

What escorts did you use to sink those PT boats...I have never had success using PB boats, some success with DMS. Don't think I ever had E's slug it out however.

[Miller]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

What escorts did you use to sink those PT boats...I have never had success using PB boats, some success with DMS. Don't think I ever had E's slug it out however.

Mainly the 16, 17 and 19 knot Es that arrive later in the game. I've probably still got in the region of 150 left to play with, but he has unlimited PT boats....

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Miller

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

What escorts did you use to sink those PT boats...I have never had success using PB boats, some success with DMS. Don't think I ever had E's slug it out however.

Mainly the 16, 17 and 19 knot Es that arrive later in the game. I've probably still got in the region of 150 left to play with, but he has unlimited PT boats....

Is it unlimited? I always thought there was a set production number. A LOT, but not infinite.

The 16-17 knot Es do well against PT boats I've found. Ansyu-C PBs also kill some but the ration is not good at a cost of 10VP.

[Miller]

26th Aug 45

With the clock ticking, Kane commits the bulk or his 4E force to night attacks on the homeland. Fukuoka on the northern tip of Kyushu is visited by about 250 B24 & 29s in lots of small fragmented raids. Despite only a few NF being up their bombing results are poor due to bad weather, each raid scoring no more than a few manpower hits and small fires. Another 150 B29s flying from the Marianas target Yokohama and meet a strong night fighter CAP that prevents any damage being caused. He losses 20 B29 on the day and gains only 70 VPs in strategic losses.

During the day all the big airfields on Formosa are subject to mass attack by hordes of 2E and 4E bombers flying from Luzon. I have no a/c there apart from a few training units, however 50 a/c are destroyed on the ground and Takao and the two other bases to the NE are totally out of action. His next big invasion has surely got to be here in the next few days. All the bases on Formosa are worth 1000 VPs in total but I cannot see how he could possibly take them all in the next five days! Takao has a garrison of 3000 AV and seven forts so that in itself but would be a huge ask to take within that time even if he landed there tomorrow. Naval search shows a lot of TFs just rounding the north western tip of Luzon so D-day could be two days away.

Nothing else really of note other than Chinchow falling in Manchuria, important strategically but worth a mere 10 VPs to the Allies. As it stands Kane still needs 2160 VP before the end of the month for the 2:1 auto victory.

[Lowpe]

Yokohama has Japan's strongest static AA defenses.

A quick look at Tracker shows the Allies get around 350 PT boats. YMMV with scenario and mods.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Miller

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

What escorts did you use to sink those PT boats...I have never had success using PB boats, some success with DMS. Don't think I ever had E's slug it out however.

Mainly the 16, 17 and 19 knot Es that arrive later in the game. I've probably still got in the region of 150 left to play with, but he has unlimited PT boats....

Is it unlimited? I always thought there was a set production number. A LOT, but not infinite.

The 16-17 knot Es do well against PT boats I've found. Ansyu-C PBs also kill some but the ration is not good at a cost of 10VP.

By this stage of the war, the USN would have had production of 340-350 PT Boats (see Edit below for more accurate figure). Thus the sinking of 120 mentioned in post #741 represents alone about a third of total USN war production. Factor in earlier USN PT losses and a few more days of such combat results would seriously degrade the total of available USN PTs.

Alfred

Edit: Sorry, did a miscount. The correct number of USN total war production to date of PTs should be about 400. There is a small number of equivalent British, Dutch, Filipino vessels which would bring the total Allied production to less than 450.

[Miller]

I always thought the US got unlimited PT boats in the game, all that was needed to create them is adequate supply at a base?

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Miller

I always thought the US got unlimited PT boats in the game, all that was needed to create them is adequate supply at a base?

You are mistaken.[:)]

I did an initial miscount but have now edited the post with the correct amount which is about 400 USN to date and less than 50 for equivalent vessels from other Allied navies.

To activate Allied PTs you need both supply to buy them and their availability in the pool. Having the supply present is of no use if there aren't any in the pool to be purchased.

It only seems that they are unlimited because Japanese players do not undertake a concentrated and persistent campaign focussed on destroying them to the exclusion of other targets.

Alfred

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Miller

I always thought the US got unlimited PT boats in the game, all that was needed to create them is adequate supply at a base?

Here is where the number available is indicated. Same for the Japanese. (Just a lot fewer!)

I still don't know how many per month the Allies get, though.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Miller

I always thought the US got unlimited PT boats in the game, all that was needed to create them is adequate supply at a base?

Here is where the number available is indicated. Same for the Japanese. (Just a lot fewer!)

I still don't know how many per month the Allies get, though.

I looked in the Editor at Scenario 1. The PTs/MTBs/Q Boats are listed individually in the Ships tab, so they each have an "arrival date" (or more accurately, availability date) but they do arrive in batches. I looked at a few MTBs and three arrived on 43/08/10 and three others on 43/08/24. The list of MTBs only spans 31 lines in the database so I presume there are many months when the British do not get any MTB arrivals.
So forget about monthly production rates, they arrive at set dates like other ships.

[Miller]

27th Aug 45

Almost nothing to report. No strategic bombing, which was nice of him. Large daylight bombing raids on Formosa and in China, but no sign of any Formosa invasion force I thought I had spotted the day before. His troops rough up a few of my isolated units in China and Manchuria which account for the 100 VP he gains on me this turn. He still needs 2070 VP to get to 2:1 within the next 4 days. I can't see it happening now but with a player of Kanes caliber you never know....

[Miller]

28th Aug 45

Again, almost nothing to report. No sorties at all by any of his 2E or 4E bombers. The Russians are knocking on the door of several bases in northern Manchuira but nothing that would give him any significant points total. VP gap for 2:1 unchanged from the last turn.

[Canoerebel]

The final countdown....

[Miller]

29th Aug 45

A few low value bases are lost to the Russians in northern Manchuria, bombing raids in China and Shanghai kill a few troops, nothing else of note.

30th Aug 45

Lots of bombing in China and Formosa, Batan Island falls but still no sign of any formosa invasion fleet. No strat bombing of the homeland. Unless he has some hail mary planned for the 31st then a marginal victory it will be at best for Tom. VP swing needed to get 2:1 is 1960.

[Miller]

31st Aug 45

The final day of the month goes by with barely a whimper. The usual bombing in China and over Formosa, nothing else. Recon indicates the bulk of his fleet still appears to be at Manila. So with him still requiring just over 1900 VPs for the auto victory, I have achieved what will ultimately be a marginal deafeat[:)]






I have to admit it has been hard to find any enjoyment out of the game in the last few months. Obviously the huge continuous bombing is to be expected at this stage of the game and I can do nothing to stop it unless it is over the home islands. However Kane seems to be playing it ultra safe when really he does not need to any longer. He has even discontinued his mass sweeps of the homeland now he is only achieving 3:1 in kills rather than the previous 10:1. I have an absolute ton of a/c sitting in the homeland collecting dust and I'm starting to think I will run out of supply before they get to fly in anger again....

[Bif1961]

Just like the real Japanese, much like the Germans they had many more planes than pilots and didn't bother repairing aircraft late in the war they just got a new one if one was damaged.