Empire Mod - An accasional AAR

[Cavalry Corp]

This is an occasional after action report on the Empire mod. The idea is to give potential players an idea of how it goes along.

NO JACO V DUERZEN PLEASE
Play by email, Two day turns. I am the allies.

Japan strikes hard December 7. A new and very different war has begun.

One midget sub manages to get through the defences and torpedoes one of the battleships.
In PH the air attack goes in, two of the elderly battleships and the Enterprise are savaged and sunk. Numerous other ships are damaged, Lexington has moderate damage and Saratoga is quite seriously damaged and is unlikely to see a return before the end of 1942.
At Manila Japan also strikes with land-based air against the port and airfields at Manila and Clark Field causing substantial damage, with numerous ships damaged and sunk. The exodus to escape from Manila starts. Luckily in this version Japan has far less assets available to prevent this in terms of modern aircraft. It remains to be seen how the surface assets will be deployed.
British bases ( less surprised) are attacked throughout Malaya that the RAF puts up a good fight. British counter attacks against the beachhead get through but caused no damage.
At Hong Kong the RAF puts up a good fight driving off some of the attackers but Japanese troops have crossed the border in force already.

In total 379 Allied aircraft have been lost or destroyed on the ground or gone down with the Enterprise.
A total of 80 Japanese aircraft were lost.

Japan lands in the Malaya, North PI, Guam and Makin.

I will post the ships lost screen next turn.

However TF Z said remains intact close to Singapore and , after a change of commander, has planned to strike northwards to the landings at Kota Baru on December 9. Intelligence reports the Mutsu and Nagato and supporting ships are covering the landings there. Provided they can receive enough air cover they had to do the Japanese landings great damage.
The allies are left with the following carriers fit for service - CVL Charlottesville north of Darwin, CVL Hermes and Ark Royal just arrived Colombo, Indomitable in Aden the training carrier CV Pres Hoover on the eastern seaboard along with Yorktown just arrived.
Japan has complete run to expand its empire at the moment. Any intervention by the allies must be very carefully judged.

]

[Cavalry Corp]

Damaged ships in PH

At the moment I cannot post the pictures from my phone because they come up upside down for some reason. I have no idea why.

[Cavalry Corp]

Damaged Ships at PH

[Cavalry Corp]

Repair times

[Cavalry Corp]

TF Z at Singapore - untouched by air attack

[Evoken]

You can use a program called Gyazo , it can take partial screenshots or full , uploads it instantly to your account. Makes it really easy to share screenshots.

Also anything stops Japan from doing day 2 day 3 strikes to finish of those CV's ?

[Cavalry Corp]

OK thanks - I will look it up.

There are a lot of FTRS at PH more than original RA.
Plus its two day turns so KB already around 10 hexes away.
Lets see what he tries. I noticed that in port attack when play testing that BB and CV seem to be treated the same.

Plus there are around fifteen subs and substantial surface units as well - when it was designed I kept the KB light on escorts as per the original RA so there is a fair risk associated with coming back.

[Cavalry Corp]

OK I have downloaded the app ( thanks for that ) - I assume you can have it open and it works in the background of the key pad even when the game is in full screen.
As regards the potential for Japan to come back for a second bite ( esp if players elect one day turns) - I think to reduce the risk of that further may move some more of the S boats back to PH as they have the reliable TT for v 1.2, that way there will be more subs around PH on turn 2. Ideally did not want to introduce a house rule on that. Otherwise scn is running fine and no faults reported by Japan so far.

Lets see what happens next turn and I will do some proper screen shots

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: cavalry

Damaged ships in PH

At the moment I cannot post the pictures from my phone because they come up upside down for some reason. I have no idea why.

Because you are taking a picture with your phone or camera rather than a screenshot. Just press Prt Scr once to put your screen image on the clipboard, then paste the image as a .jpg in a graphics program like Windows Paint or Paint 3D. Resize the image how you wish and add annotations as you wish. Then save the file to where you can find it again for posting.

On the forum, DO NOT use the Quick Post area at the bottom of the screen (you cannot post pictures if you do). Use the "reply" button at the top of one of the posts in the right thread, type your text stuff and then click on the box at the bottom of the post window where it says "Embed picture in post". Next click on "Click here to upload". Browse to your screenshot picture location and select it (called "Open" in the forum software). Then hit OK on all subsequent windows until your post is made with the screenshot at the bottom.

[Cavalry Corp]

Okay thank you for the tips as well. I promise a much more professional presentation next time.

[Cavalry Corp]

December 14 and 15th December have seen quite a large amount of action.

The situation south-west of the Philippines is very tense on both sides.
TF Z earlier 11th December tried to intercept the landings at Kota Baru and the Japanese task force built around Mutsu and Nagato that was covering them. Much to our surprise they bombarded and left. They then bombarded the Japanese units before retiring to Singapore to be armed. Then TF Z has tried to intercept many of the Japanese surface raiders north of Borneo that are causing a heavy loss of shipping escaping from the Philippines. This was unsuccessful and they were struck by around 20 Bettys and Nells but without a single hit, the flak between the Prince of Wales, Howe and Repulse downed a fair number of the attackers. However, it does seem to have scared off the Japanese from that adventure for the moment. From my point of view if I was the Japanese I would have engaged these units with a view to a large degree of mutual destruction. At least they would have been out of the way.
To the south-east of Borneo the small Japanese carrier task force has also extracted a toll on both surface units and escaping ships from the Philippines. However at least three Allied taskforces built around American light and heavy cruisers and various Dutch units have tried to intercept them each of them ran into the heavy covering units. No units managed to find their way through to the carriers.
Net loss was one heavy cruiser one light cruiser badly damaged and around three destroyers damaged. The Japanese suffered one light cruiser badly damaged and one or two destroyers damaged. Japanese carriers managed to escape the net. These carriers please note our operating the more obsolete aircraft available at the beginning of the scenario.
In the North just south of Midway the Japanese KB made an unexpected reappearance and caused the loss of two CA and two destroyers badly damaged, they seem to want to dissuade ships moving south-west from Pearl Harbor and returning to the same. Japanese submarines are still carrying out a blockade of Pearl Harbor and are proving difficult to dislodge. There is no chance for severely damage ships to leave the port at the moment.

An update on the exact losses will be posted next time.

[Cavalry Corp]

air attack on Howe

[Cavalry Corp]

sorry size of screens now too big.

[Cavalry Corp]

again

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: cavalry

sorry size of screens now too big.

Not a problem - we can scroll using the bars at the bottom and side.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: cavalry

sorry size of screens now too big.

Not a problem - we can scroll using the bars at the bottom and side.

Or we can open our eyes a little wider. [8|]

[Bif1961]

I am wider so I thought it was just to my scale [:D]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

I am wider so I thought it was just to my scale [:D]

So you are a G-U-S (Grognard of Unusual Size)? I thought those were only legends?
[with apologies to "The Princess Bride"].

[Bif1961]

Wheww, I thought you misspelled Gonads.

[Cavalry Corp]

December 17 sees more continuous if sporadic fighting in the Celebes Sea. Finally one of the weakest Allied taskforces manages to intercept the Japanese carriers but with little affect. Two or three 5 inch hits that’s about it. Both sides then withdraw. Japan seems to have taken a pause over its expansion in this area. Most of the Allied cruisers deployed initially in the area have been damaged or sunk. The Boise will need proper shipyard repair but is otherwise okay.
The scenario is playing quite well and as intended. In that the DEI is largely dominated by surface combatants at the moment. That is of course until the Japanese decide to send the more modern carriers.
TFZ, still in prime condition is looking in Singapore carrying out some minor repairs before making the Japanese guess where they will turn up again. The Japanese were fairly foolish not to fight them at Kota Baru. Now they will always have the fear of them making a strike against any future landing.
Most of the damaged submarines from Manila have now arrived in Singapore for prompt repair.
To the north of the Philippines one Allied sub with reliable torpedoes manages to put the fish into the Mutsu, which will see her out of the expansion programme for some while.
From Ceylon the British task force consisting of two CV and one CVL are making their way cautiously forward. There may be some pickings to take if the Japanese decide to get to adventurous without air cover.
Air losses in this turn were very light with around 10 per side.