Intellectus Ex Nihilo (Wal-Mart on Ice)

[Uncivil Engineer]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Okay, wise guy, I think I found the mistake and fixed it. [:)] Darn it, words are slippery, elusive things...and trying to string them together properly is vexing beyond belief!

It happens when you think faster than you type!!

[Canoerebel]

I'm exceeding the speed limit.

[Canoerebel]

1/2/44

KB:

Milne Bay: Falls to the Aussie invaders.

[jwolf]

Basically, you're daring him to approach the Torres Strait?

[Canoerebel]

At the moment, I'm trying to get him to commit to one side of New Guinea or the other. Two amphibious ops are about ready to get underway but are dependent on KB not being close enough to react.

I don't want to take on KB quite yet. It's too close to even. Reinforcements aren't too far away (1 CV, 1 CVL, 5 CVE) but they are occupied elsewhere for the next two weeks.

[RangerJoe]

Use subs to mine Torres Straight and entice him through?

[Canoerebel]

My subs are out of position - all in the Solomon Sea, in anticipation that KB would come via that route. It would take a long time to recall patrolling subs to ports equipped to load mines, etc.

[Lovejoy]

Any chance of flipping Horn Island to a US command and rolling out some PT Boats? A few PT Boat flotillas or SAGs (if you can spare the ships) could be a fox in the henhouse.

[Canoerebel]

Now why didn't I think of that?!

It'll cost 300 political points to change to a US command (10% of what's available). I'm not sure I have enough supply to build PT boats, but I'll give it a look.

[HansBolter]

If there are any British MTBs in the pool you should be able to deploy them without having to change the command of the base.

The PT boat button not being grayed out at a commonwealth commanded base is a sign there are MTBs in the pool.

[Gridley380]

Can't remember offhand, but isn't there some way to get USN PT's at a non-US base? Unloading US ships or... something? Could swear I read that somewhere and did it once...

[RangerJoe]

US supplies should enable US PT boats to be built. How the game keeps track of that, I do not know. At least we don't have to have tankers carry them from the US.

[Canoerebel]

At present, supply is too low to allow PT boat at Horn, even if the base is switched to a US command. MTBs aren't available either. I only have 2k supply at the base. That's enough to handle patrols, which is the biggest need. Knowing what I think I know about Dave, he will not try to force the Torres Strait. John III might; Dave won't.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

US supplies should enable US PT boats to be built. How the game keeps track of that, I do not know. At least we don't have to have tankers carry them from the US.

In effect you do - you can only make US PTs at a non-US base if you bring in a TF with at least 20K supply that was loaded in the US. IIRC, the PTs are made in batches of 12, and then if you try to make another batch, a check is made to see if there is still over 20K supply in the TF.

[Canoerebel]

1/3/44 to 1/6/44

New Guinea: Dave pulled KB back "into the shades." I haven't had detection in about three turns, though a sub near Ambon does have elevated detection, so that's my best guess as to it's location. DS is escorting two real invasion convoys but I won't pull the trigger for final approach until I know KB's exact position. Until then, DS's main job is to keep Dave focused on the Port Moresby region while a third invasion armada approaches its target, protected by seven CV/CVL/CVE, which should be enough as long as KB is far away.

China: MLB remains intact. Since there aren't any ships involved, us ship-centric AE players pay li'l attention to that theater, but it's probably the most important thing going on at the moment.

Points: Japan leads 28.2k to 19.8k. Those are small numbers. I think when I stepped in for SqzMyLemon in his game with Obvert effective 3/1/44, Japan led about 52k to about 26k. I really like the score in this game, because the denominator (Japan's points) are low, while the Allies have done a tremendous amount of work getting big armies in place to handle the major campaigns through the autumn of '44. There won't be any dead time going forward, unless I lose another lopsided carrier battle. The Allies are fighting efficiently, and I like the "lay of the land."

[BBfanboy]

Can you afford an APD or two to try and pick up those Aussie troops isolated between Buna and Salamaua?

[RangerJoe]

The could be a nice blocking force if he were to decide to isolate Port Moresby . . .

As for the subs, make some good ASW TFs with good naval and moderate aggression, maybe in a wedge formation even. Then follow them. Don't forget night naval search to keep the detection levels up.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Can you afford an APD or two to try and pick up those Aussie troops isolated between Buna and Salamaua?

Those guys have been there since Port Moresby/Buna fell at the start of the war. It's not worth risking APDs in hostile waters to recover them. It's more likely that Dave will be evacuating PM and Buna in a month or less, so that offers the best chance of rescuing those soldiers.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

The could be a nice blocking force if he were to decide to isolate Port Moresby . . .

As for the subs, make some good ASW TFs with good naval and moderate aggression, maybe in a wedge formation even. Then follow them. Don't forget night naval search to keep the detection levels up.

Several smaller ASW TFs will move on those subs tonight, under LRCAP from Milne and DS. A big DE TF is inbound from the Marshalls and will enhance ASW duties (DS & The Herd have plenty of ASW, but they'll stay in place to protect the big boys).

Allied ASW sank an 11-point enemy sub near Ceylon and an 11-pointer near Eniwetok and heavily damaged an RO-boat near Eniwetok. Perhaps that good work will continue near PM over the coming days.

D-Day "elsewhere" is the day after tomorrow. Dave doesn't have detection on the approaching amphibs, so far as I know.

[Canoerebel]

1/7/44

KB: Dave's hiding it, which is giving me a case of the willies. A sizeable invasion force is approaching Ponape. I'm pretty sure (but not positive) that KB is no closer than Sorong. Nevertheless, thoughts of what might befall if I'm wrong have me unsettled. But not enough to scrub the mission.