Quisling! An AFB does Japan (No PanzerKat)

[RangerJoe]

I am currently in June 1942 as Japanese. I use the minisubs in the open ocean around Hawaii, I place them on patrol with their sub carrier nearby, also on patrol. They have torpedoed ships there, and some of them even sank! I don't have tracker running otherwise I could find a combat for you. When I checked the intelligence screen, 5 xAKs are listed as sunk by their 45cm torpedoes.

You may not have much fuel to spare, but minefields and minisubs on that island chain with some bait dangling on the other side could get a SCTF in trouble. With a little fuel at each base, the minisubs can refuel if they need to. That is why I convert the To'su class to CMc, to get the free mines. They might be small, but they do work.

Think if you would have laid a lot of those free mines at Tsushima to help control the straits. Lay mines using only one minelayer a day so each minefield laid becomes a separate minefield. All mines laid in a day become one minefield.

[John B.]

Very interesting. What type of ship is the To'su?

[RangerJoe]

The cheapest xAKl at start. It is a 1 point ship with 170 tons of cargo capacity. You can change from CMc to AKl and back to CMc in about 36 days, with a free load of 20 mines. Some people make them 12 knot PBs, they can also become ACMs but then they can't be changed any more.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe
The cheapest xAKl at start. It is a 1 point ship with 170 tons of cargo capacity. You can change from CMc to AKl and back to CMc in about 36 days, with a free load of 20 mines. Some people make them 12 knot PBs, they can also become ACMs but then they can't be changed any more.

That's the definition of gamey (free lunch is always like that in a strategy game [;)]), based on a DB oversight. Which is an oversight for sure, given that all other mine carrying ships are converted without mines on board. Not to mention a specific pool and production for Type 4 mines.

So anyone using the quirk better check with their opponent first. Mines were limited in WITPAE specifically to escape the Mines in the Pacific like it happened often with the old WITP

[John B.]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe
The cheapest xAKl at start. It is a 1 point ship with 170 tons of cargo capacity. You can change from CMc to AKl and back to CMc in about 36 days, with a free load of 20 mines. Some people make them 12 knot PBs, they can also become ACMs but then they can't be changed any more.

That's the definition of gamey (free lunch is always like that in a strategy game [;)]), based on a DB oversight. Which is an oversight for sure, given that all other mine carrying ships are converted without mines on board. Not to mention a specific pool and production for Type 4 mines.

So anyone using the quirk better check with their opponent first. Mines were limited in WITPAE specifically to escape the Mines in the Pacific like it happened often with the old WITP

Yeah, I have to agree. Free mines is too gamey for this game with Scott. We try to avoid the overtly gamey stuff like that so I probably won't reap the free mine benefit as I don't think it would be in the spirit of our agreement. This is not to cast shade on those to play anything goes, but in this game I don't think I can follow that tactic. Thanks for the advice though. Keep it coming!!

[RangerJoe]

Well, if you convert them once, that should not be too gamey. Even if they weren't reloaded, the threat of seeing the minelayers somewhere might give a player pause. If nothing else, useful for a CAP trap.

[John B.]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Well, if you convert them once, that should not be too gamey. Even if they weren't reloaded, the threat of seeing the minelayers somewhere might give a player pause. If nothing else, useful for a CAP trap.

That's true!

[John B.]

Not nearly as much action in this turn. I head some sinking sounds (probably an AK or two going down) and Scott sank one of my DDs that is near Iwo but that's it at sea. A couple of interesting land battles.

[John B.]

Three interesting land battles to be exact. In the south was Scott's continuing attack on Tsushima. He landed airborne and dropped the fort level down to 4. I flew in more troops but not enough and I do fear Tsushima will fall this turn or next. That will be too bad, but entirely my fault. I seem to have a real blind spot for the islands just off the Japanese coast. Things went better in the two mainland battles and I got very lucky on movement points. In the north, a division of mine arrived just this turn to absorb the attack from a US armor regiment. Not too many vehicles killed, but a lot disabled and there will be a shock counter attack this turn. In the southern battle I had two divisions show up from the north just this turn and absorbed a shock attack from an East African division. Scott lost about 30 or so squads and devices but also a whole lot of disruptions. A shock attack is set for this following turn.

[RangerJoe]

Bonzai! Bonzai! Bonzai! And Bonsai trees! [&o]

[John B.]

There is another day come and gone and, as you can see, I was able to score a number of flak kills on Scott. These by and large are not 4e but his landbased dive bombers he's been using in China. He's been bombing me with these on a daily basis for more than two months and it was finally nice to bring some of them down! He has lots left (he's the allies, it's 1945, go figure) but it was nice to finally get at them.

[John B.]

AA ambush took place in the circled hex where I've moved my three armored divisions in an attempt to clear out what are almost certainly allied armor battalions. The one bad spot is my units used up all of their supply in Scott's bombing attack. And now, oddly, they report that they are cut off and out of supply. They're not cut off (the hexside they came through is open) so I wonder if that's just the message that gets generated when a unit is oos.

[RangerJoe]

A kill is a kill. Plus the increased ops losses. Not to mention the skilled pilots.

[John B.]

There was the matter of the two shock attacks I had planned in Korea. The first one, in the south, was against the East Africa Division. But, it was pretty much of a damp squib. His division is very weak but we did just about equal damage to each other. Scott bombed me from his CV TF so I was pretty disputed. As for the north, it seems that someone forgot to tell the Divison to participate in the attack so only the armored regiment went in and not very much of it came out. A full investigation has been promised to the Emperor to find out just who was responsible for this oversight. [:-]

[John B.]

There was much better news from the distant CV TF (these are the same CVs that hit Scott off of the West Coast 3-4 months ago). I sent it out about a week ago back to the direct route from Pearl to Truk and in the morning they sighted to allied TFs. No airstrike in the morning but the planes went in during the afternoon.

[John B.]

The first TF was full of nice fat Tankers. And it was punished pretty severely. Note I don't have any fighters on these carriers. I figure if I run into allied CVs I'm toast anyway so I loaded up the CVs with as many dive bomber/torpedo planes that I could to maximize the punch if I ran into resupply convoys.

[John B.]

which worked out well as the second TF was also a tanker TF and the torpedo group really had a field day. The ship VP screen had two dead TKs (at 31 points each, these are the big boys) but I suspect there are 3-4 others that went down or will go down. I detached the two DDs that were escorts and they will head due west for 6 hexes then try to make it back to Japan. The CVs are going to do pretty much the same thing. I detached the DDs to see if I can catch stragglers at night.

Ordinarily I'd sent the CV TF home to avoid retribution, but, these are dead ships sailing so any points I can wring out of them before they are sunk are a big plus. And, they sailed all this way to get this ambush so I might as well take advantage of it while I can. We'll see if we can get anymore of the TKs and then who, if anyone, can make it home.

[RangerJoe]

That could hurt his fuel supply, especially if the game drags on like you want it to.

BTW, the Jill bomb load won't be hurt at 1000 feet and accuracy might drastically improve.

Too bad that you did not have a flock of subs around to pick off stragglers either. As well as for scouting purposes. I see only one in the picture.

Maybe Glen subs at night search for recon purposes - especially if there may be enemy fighters around.

[John B.]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

That could hurt his fuel supply, especially if the game drags on like you want it to.

BTW, the Jill bomb load won't be hurt at 1000 feet and accuracy might drastically improve.

Too bad that you did not have a flock of subs around to pick off stragglers either. As well as for scouting purposes. I see only one in the picture.

Maybe Glen subs at night search for recon purposes - especially if there may be enemy fighters around.

Part of my hope, based on my experience as the Allies, is to cut into Scott's forward fuel supply. He does have Palembang and Borneo but the fact that he continues to use this tanker route makes me suspect that he's still dependent on his US sources. Besides, the US navy in its glory uses a LOT of fuel so this is not going to help him.

Sadly there are not enough subs to be everywhere. I have a few strung out on this route because of the presence of lucrative TK/AO targets but they have not hit much.

Good advice on the Jill!

[RangerJoe]

Also, break your carrier bomber into thirds so they will attack as many targets as is possible. [:D]