Bill Brings Banzai

[Anachro]

Any reason why you decided to accelerate the Shinano? You can save a lot of naval points by not doing so and use the saved points to accelerate a lot of your Unryu-class CVs, which are essentially improved Soryu-class carriers. That's what a lot of Japanese players do, but no need to be bound by it. Japanese carrier doctrine after Midway called for the Shinano and its armored deck to be used as the forward CV to bear the brunt of an enemy attack while less armored CVs remained behind it.

[BillBrown]

this is a scenario 2 game, the CV Shinano is a Taiho class CV.

corrected class

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

this is a scenario 2 game, the CV Shinano is a Taiyo class CV.

Taiyo is a CVE. Did you mean Taiho?

[Anachro]

Ah, that makes more sense. Keep in mind you can save a lot of points by delaying perhaps one of the BBs (Musashi?) and use that to accelerate some of the Unryus. You can always continue building Musashi later, but all these ships have their uses and its depends on your own plans. Will be watching.

[jdsrae]

You’ll see that accelerating the big CVs with the Yamatos still building will vapourise your NSY points.
You’d need to halt shipbuilding on lots of other ships to sustainably accelerate the big CVs.

A few examples that roughly balance the NSY points are:
1. Halt Taiho and Shinano to give enough points to accelerate 3 x Unryu
2. Switch off the SST and just build ships at normal rate.

If you don’t accerate anything, after about mid 1942 excess NSY points become available.
The decision then becomes whether to accelerate ships or switch off the excess NSY production and spend those HI points on something else like more Armaments, Vehicles, Aircraft/Engines.
Everything is linked to everything else...

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown
I want to reiterate, I really don't fully understand everything about playing Japan.

Its OK Bill. Neither do we. "Fake it 'till you make it". [;)]

[Bif1961]

I have been the Japanese several times and the last time I played them I crashed the logistics building too many airplanes too quickly. When my opponent and I end a game we swap passwords so the other can look at the real world of the opposite side.He said he has never seen so many Japanese planes in the pools before.Yes but at what cost by early 44 my economy was in shambles. Oddly my opponent was about to ask for terms when I asked him for terms since I was running out of supply everywhere and couldn't defend anything for long. So I learned a valuable lesson about over taxing the Japanese war production and supply system. War is a comedy of errors, we all make them and hope they are not critical.

[BillBrown]

Dec 9, 1941

Near disaster at Mersing, BB PoW and company visited
while expensive, not a disaster, my troop ships were not bothered.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Mersing at 51,82, Range 9,000 Yards

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
E13A1 Jake: 1 destroyed
E8N2 Dave: 1 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CA Chokai, Shell hits 12, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Hatsuharu, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Nenohi
DD Hatsushima
DD Wakaba, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Sagiri

Allied Ships
BB Prince of Wales
BC Repulse, Shell hits 2
CL Dragon
CL Durban, Shell hits 2
DD Stronghold, Shell hits 1
DD Electra
DD Express
DD Jupiter, Shell hits 2
-------------------------------------------------
I laid some mines outside Palambang and caught some ships there
Allied Ships (49,90)
HDML 1063, Mine hits 1, heavy damage

ML No. 310, Mine hits 1, heavy damage
xAKL Bust, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAKL Marudu, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

TK Strix, Mine hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Augustina, Mine hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Evertsen, Mine hits 1, on fire

xAP Glenapp, Mine hits 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capturred Tarawa

I sank a number of small ships, should be more tomorrow.
My sweeps went well this turn.
Time to bomb Manila airbase and port into dust.
This also burns his supply.

[Chickenboy]

Ouch. I hate giving away my CAs at this stage of the game. Chokai is one of my faves too. [:(]

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Ouch. I hate giving away my CAs at this stage of the game. Chokai is one of my faves too. [:(]

Such are the vagaries of war.

[BillBrown]

She went down protecting a division sized invasion fleet. I just chose wrong, and the Heavy cover TF did not react 1 hex.

And one thing I did leave off is this
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tawi Tawi at 72,89

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 8 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 12
B5N1 Kate x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Torpedo hits 1
DD Stewart

I have three surface TFs and the CV TF trying to put her our of her misery.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

She went down protecting a division sized invasion fleet. I just chose wrong, and the Heavy cover TF did not react 1 hex.

And one thing I did leave off is this
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tawi Tawi at 72,89

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 8 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 12
B5N1 Kate x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Torpedo hits 1
DD Stewart

I have three surface TFs and the CV TF trying to put her our of her misery.

[:D] There is no try.

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

She went down protecting a division sized invasion fleet. I just chose wrong, and the Heavy cover TF did not react 1 hex.

And one thing I did leave off is this
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tawi Tawi at 72,89

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 8 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 12
B5N1 Kate x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Torpedo hits 1
DD Stewart

I have three surface TFs and the CV TF trying to put her our of her misery.

Bill, I hope you can get her. I consider the war a success for Japan if they sink the Boise. [:D]

[BillBrown]

Dec 10, 1941

I think I am making a mess of this. But it is what it is.

There was a running fight with a TF of CA Houston and CL Marblehead with 5 DDs
CL Marblehead sunk, along with DDs Bulmer, Paul Jones, Parrot, and Stewart.

I will show CV Saratoga in a bit.

What really hurt was CVE Hosho taking 3 torpedoes at Mersing and sinking, taking down
25 Claudes with pilots and leaving no CAP over the hex.
CL Kashii is on fire disbanded at Mersing and will probably sink along with a AK.

I captured Appari, Vigan, and Mersing this turn

My sweeps over Manila went in after the bombers, so I lost a bunch of bomber this turn also.
Not a good start, I will need to take copious notes and try to do better next time.

[BillBrown]

There were no big ground losses for the Allies that turn. So I suppose that CV Saratoga did not really sink.
Here is a picture, I have a large number of subs moving through the area, I hope to be able to hit her again.

[BillBrown]

In other news, this looks like one or both USN CVs that start at sea on turn 1. I split off
CV Kaga to allow the other 5 to move 18 hexes this turn. If he moves South I should be able to launch a strike.
I sent most of the ships at Kwaj to Truk to try and keep them out of harm.

[BillBrown]

In ground combat he tried to take Ichang and failed badly

Ground combat at Ichang (83,48)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 11479 troops, 75 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1681

Defending force 15751 troops, 116 guns, 136 vehicles, Assault Value = 595

Allied adjusted assault: 0

Japanese adjusted defense: 1019

Allied assault odds: 1 to 99 (fort level 3)

Combat modifiers
Defender: leaders(+), preparation(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Allied ground losses:
6969 casualties reported
Squads: 614 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 170 disabled
Engineers: 17 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 30 (21 destroyed, 9 disabled)

Assaulting units:
67th Chinese Corps
8th Chinese Corps
2nd Chinese Corps
45th Chinese Corps
68th Chinese Corps
32nd Chinese Corps
75th Chinese Corps

Defending units:
13th Tank Regiment
34th Division
13th RGC Temp. Division
---------------------------------------------
I crossed the river South of Yenan and push those units back.

Ground combat at 89,39 (near Taiyuan)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 28484 troops, 281 guns, 101 vehicles, Assault Value = 923

Defending force 6640 troops, 45 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 166

Japanese adjusted assault: 786

Allied adjusted defense: 29

Japanese assault odds: 27 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), op mode(-), leaders(-), morale(-)
experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
480 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 51 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled

Allied ground losses:
3527 casualties reported
Squads: 135 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 144 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 15 (8 destroyed, 7 disabled)
Units retreated 3

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
41st Division
37th Division
4th Ind.Mixed Brigade
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
19th Chinese Corps
23rd Chinese Corps
6th Group Army
------------------------------------------------------

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

She went down protecting a division sized invasion fleet. I just chose wrong, and the Heavy cover TF did not react 1 hex.

And one thing I did leave off is this
Morning Air attack on TF, near Tawi Tawi at 72,89

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 8 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A5M4 Claude x 12
B5N1 Kate x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Torpedo hits 1
DD Stewart

I have three surface TFs and the CV TF trying to put her our of her misery.

You mean, trying to put her out of your misery. [:'(]

[BillBrown]

Dec 11, 1941

As expected AK Sasako Maru sank at Mersing.
xAK Argun Maru took another functiong mk-14 Torpedo

I lost no aircraft, but no sweeps went in over the PI. I guess
weather did them all in.

I captured Laoag, Manus and Kweiteh today.
I am going to push pretty hard in China just to see what happens.

I think I sank CL Boise. 5 of these hits are from 30cm from CA Nachi

Night Time Surface Combat, near Tandjoengselor at 69,94, Range 12,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Nachi, Shell hits 1
DD Hayashio
DD Amatsukaze, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CL Boise, Shell hits 17, heavy fires, heavy damage
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of my surface TFs are headed back to rearm.

[BillBrown]

In other news, no sign of CV Saratoga, but my subs are still searching.

I am unsure about this, but the USN CVs did not move that turn. I am going
to move next to it this turn so possibly I will have a shot tomorrow.
I ended up at 8 hexes away.