Another noob AAR vs JAP AI

[Axe1999]

A small gift for the Japanese on the first year anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack. Massive two day air raid of 325 Allied bombers on the base of Rabaul that left 250+ IJN and IJA aircraft burning wrecks on the ground.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
I am also not thrilled by land warfare - but when I tried to play the game without doing anything with my LCUs other than dig in, I quickly found that I needed air bases and ports to extend the reach of my navy and air forces. With the land war strategically tied to the naval and air war I found it much more interesting to play.

I probably should have phrased it differently, I dont like CBI theater style type of combat that much, or land combat on that large of a scale. I still like doing PNG crawl over Owen Stanleys and pushing through Bougainville with my marines.

So it looks like you are taking to heart the advice to "Never get involved in a land war in Asia!" [:D]

[RangerJoe]

APDs are nice for invasion convoys as escorts and to drop 60 units of supplies for the invasion forces.

They can also perform Fast Transport missions as well. That makes it a nice way to capture a small, poorly or undefended base which can then be built up. They can also be used to move some air support squads and supplies to a completely (0) port and (0) airfield base for flying boat and float plane operations without risking a ship at the base. They can also help evacuate units.

[CV10]

It looks like you have SWPAC in good order and are pasting the Japanese at Rabaul. I don't have much advice to offer aside from keep doing what you're doing.

Looking towards your eventual CentPac drive: APAs, AKAs, and LSTs are all worth their weight in gold, particularly in CentPac. Atoll invasions that require a mandatory shock attack can be dicey affairs and making sure your full assault force lands with sufficient supply before they have to attack is essential. Pre-invasion bombardments are also crucial and can make the difference between success and disaster. It also helps to embed a cruiser into the amphibious TFs; they tend to draw enemy CD fire and can be effective in suppressing enemy CD guns.

[Axe1999]

ORIGINAL: CV10

It looks like you have SWPAC in good order and are pasting the Japanese at Rabaul. I don't have much advice to offer aside from keep doing what you're doing.

Looking towards your eventual CentPac drive: APAs, AKAs, and LSTs are all worth their weight in gold, particularly in CentPac. Atoll invasions that require a mandatory shock attack can be dicey affairs and making sure your full assault force lands with sufficient supply before they have to attack is essential. Pre-invasion bombardments are also crucial and can make the difference between success and disaster. It also helps to embed a cruiser into the amphibious TFs; they tend to draw enemy CD fire and can be effective in suppressing enemy CD guns.

Oh I definitely cant wait for the March upgrades to troop ships so I can get to play with some new toys [:D]
Hellcats and Essexes are also closer by the day, not that I need them that much right now, old carriers did pull their weight in '42

[Axe1999]

I have a question I can't find answer to. Do Marines get any bonus to amphibious operations, or it's all the same if Army troops make the landing? Aside from exp difference and some extra firepower USMC divisions have, do they get for example, less disruption, faster unload?

[RangerJoe]

Not that I am aware of.

[Axe1999]

January '43 Sitrep

January started pretty quiet, with some SS re-basing, a lot of ship upgrades, and ferrying reinforcements across the map. Only area of interest was SWPAC.

SWPAC
Rossel Island fell after first deliberate attack by Americal Division. It probably could have been bypassed but I didnt want to leave possible seaplane base to Japanese to leave them eyes over Coral Sea. That triggered sortie of Musashi and Hyuga from Truk to Rabaul area. Musashi was sunk by USN carrier aircraft after three days of pounding, while Hyuga was wounded. I assumed it was going back to Truk and swarmed the area with subs and bingo, two torps into her already burning hull and she goes down. I think IJN battleship force is down to only Yamashiro.

-10% dud rate was really a huge difference, Im getting 3 sinkings per turn on average just by my subs.

Near future plans in SWPAC are to secure Huon Gulf and slowly start effectively encircling Rabaul by taking Umboi, Manus, Kavieng, maybe even go historically and land on Cape Gloucester and Arawe. Rough idea in attached pic.

[Schlussel]

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

ORIGINAL: Schlussel

Hey there Axe, just started following this one. Nice job so far, you've seriously dulled the Japanese sword (or is it katana? [:D]). The initiative looks to be swinging your way. Just a word of caution, your carriers are still very vulnerable to those darn Betties until your pilot experience and coordination increase. But keep doing your thing, sometimes the best lessons are learned when you make a mistake (I know I've had my share of them).

As far as the carrier air group resize, I believe those are hard coded, so you probably have to wait until the date indicated to resize them. Although I'm sure another forumite will chime in if I'm wrong.

Hello, if you read my first post you know your AAR actually inspired mine [:D] just dont have time or patience follow the template you used (weekly one)

Timor area and Solomon Sea is a grave of Japanese hulls I think HMAS Canberra and CL Java based out of Darwin have 100+ xAK kills combined. Im toning it down now to get at least some challenge in '43.

KB is hurt definitely with 4 carriers sunk and all of the airgroups mauled but it still has some teeth with 3 fleet CVs left if used together, and Betties are a danger, just a bit less with increased AA in DBB scenario. I lost quite a bit of SBDs as well, and replacements are painfully slow. Shouldnt have any more CV battles till Hellcats arrive either way, but that depends on AI.

Yeah I did read that, thanks for the compliment. In all honesty, I wrote everything out like that more for me than the readers. There is something about putting pen to paper (metaphorically speaking) that helps me get things straight in my head.

Oh right I forgot about the AA change in DBB, that will help things for sure.

As far as the AI's use of his carriers, he's definitely stingy, but he will risk them on important objectives (Port Moresby in my game). However, once the Japanese expansion phase of the war is over, he seems to just keep them at heavily fortified ports (Rabaul, Truk, Marianas). When you move in on said base, his carriers usually bug out. The AI evaded a major carrier clash in this way, until I was able to ambush his carriers as they retreated from Guam.

Good luck with you upcoming operations to isolate Rabaul. Give 'em hell Admiral!

[Axe1999]

ORIGINAL: Schlussel
Yeah I did read that, thanks for the compliment. In all honesty, I wrote everything out like that more for me than the readers. There is something about putting pen to paper (metaphorically speaking) that helps me get things straight in my head.

Oh right I forgot about the AA change in DBB, that will help things for sure.

As far as the AI's use of his carriers, he's definitely stingy, but he will risk them on important objectives (Port Moresby in my game). However, once the Japanese expansion phase of the war is over, he seems to just keep them at heavily fortified ports (Rabaul, Truk, Marianas). When you move in on said base, his carriers usually bug out. The AI evaded a major carrier clash in this way, until I was able to ambush his carriers as they retreated from Guam.

Good luck with you upcoming operations to isolate Rabaul. Give 'em hell Admiral!

Same thing for me actually, I even do all my planning and tracking in Excel. Started pen-to-paper, but then I found copy paste function too useful to continue with manual method [:D]

Three of the remaining carriers seem to be chilling in Hollandia. I can probably get them in port since I have 5 fleet CVs in the AO and overwhelming air superiority, but I want to leave some fun for the Essexes haha

[Taxcutter]

Still looking good.

[porpoisehead]

I'm still in the very early days of my game versus the AI, but I really appreciate some of the points you've made here... I've taken to heart your notes on setting up convoys, as I realize that if I have recurring orders, I can speed through turns faster, and get to the juicy stuff. A lot of my TKs and xAKs are still piling up in LA and the off-map bases, but I'm going to make sure not to send them off on random supply errands and set up proper large convoys instead. Escorts are still in short supply, but I'll figure something out...

I think I read this earlier in your AAR, but what were your main base focuses for build-up early on? I'm mostly focused on Noumea and Port Moresby, with sub/air patrol bases at Midway and Dutch Harbour. I feel like the line from Fiji to Pearl is rather slim...

By the way, what map pack are you using below? I might have to give it a go...

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

January '43 Sitrep

January started pretty quiet, with some SS re-basing, a lot of ship upgrades, and ferrying reinforcements across the map. Only area of interest was SWPAC.

SWPAC
Rossel Island fell after first deliberate attack by Americal Division. It probably could have been bypassed but I didnt want to leave possible seaplane base to Japanese to leave them eyes over Coral Sea. That triggered sortie of Musashi and Hyuga from Truk to Rabaul area. Musashi was sunk by USN carrier aircraft after three days of pounding, while Hyuga was wounded. I assumed it was going back to Truk and swarmed the area with subs and bingo, two torps into her already burning hull and she goes down. I think IJN battleship force is down to only Yamashiro.

-10% dud rate was really a huge difference, Im getting 3 sinkings per turn on average just by my subs.

Near future plans in SWPAC are to secure Huon Gulf and slowly start effectively encircling Rabaul by taking Umboi, Manus, Kavieng, maybe even go historically and land on Cape Gloucester and Arawe. Rough idea in attached pic.

[RangerJoe]

If you do not have enough escorts, use them to go from the East Coast to Cape Town to build up the supplies there. Then they can go to India and/or Australia as needed.

[BBfanboy]

Dutch Harbour is too hard to build an airfield on but the adjoining bases can be built much more easily. Adak is the best island in the Chain for a combined Air/Naval base, but the Japanese often go for it early and they can bring more than you can.

[RangerJoe]

Could you imagine if the Japanese would have invaded Kodiak and did not take bear precautions? The charge of the super sized, twelve foot tall Kodiak bears coming for THEIR food that the Japanese cooked for them! [X(]

I remember reading about two hunters who got a Sitka deer. The dragged it to some brush to do the initial processing. One of the hunters heard a noise and took off running without saying anything. The Kodiak brown bear got tired of the other hunter messing with its deer so it picked up the hunter an moved him. The hunter was picked up by his rear end - the bear used its mouth.

[Axe1999]

@porpoisehead cant quote or reply to your message, not sure why.

Regarding bases, it looks like something like this:

NoPac: Adak as soon as you can spare some engineers and garrison, makes for a very good submarine base close to HI

CentPac: Obviously PH, Midway as sub base once Manila and Soerebaja fall

SoPac: I dont build up Suva nor Pago Pago too much since I dont use them as supply/fuel dumps as some people do, my convoys go straight to Australia, so at most they are emergency refuling stops

SWPac: Brisbane at the start as submarine base for Rabaul area, Sydney as main fleet base till Noumea builds up. Personally, I reinforced Espirito Santu really early and started building it up and I prefer that as forward fleet base and collecting point for my troops and planes, so building up Noumea in my case was a bit redundant. Milne Bay recently switched to my submarine base to give that short-legged S-Boats and Dutch boats longer time on target. Goodenough Island is developing as PT boat base to harass shipping to Lae/Finschafen/Cape Gloucester. Search network is made using aux ships and Catalinas on places like Ndeni and Choiseoul.

CBI: I dont pay too much attention to this theater, in India I built up line anchored on Akyab, and despite its 9(6) airfield Im not sure if its was the best idea since it cannot be sufficiently supplied by the coastal road, so you have to keep running convoys in making them vulnerable to Betties and surface raiders, I think maybe Chittagong would be better. Then just continue line along up to Ledo. Dacca was my initial bomber base but moved on to Silchar recently. Madras, Karachi and Bombay are maxed out as well. You will be short of engineers in this theater at the start so I would prioritize Akyab-Ledo line before those.

[Axe1999]

Didnt have time to play all that much recently due to finalizing my degree, so Im in April '43. Not much has changed, but some stuff is in the works.

Finschafen fell, Saidor fell, troops are resting and rebuilding for the final march on Madang. That is as far as I will go on foot, Wewak will be amphibious assault. Invasion force for Umboi Island is loaded up, Manus and Kavieng are still planning up and should be launched in summer. Marines are set to land on western tip of New Britain in a week or two, with landings on Arawe and Cape Gloucester planned.

Tarawa and Makin, Operation Galvanic, is set to launch as soon as amphibious assets, LSTs and APAs arrive in New Hebrides from Pearl Harbor.

Liberation of Attu and Kiska is planned fro summer as well, with Cruiser Division starting to prep the targets already.

F6Fs finally started arriving, once my VFs are all upgraded, Im toying with the tought of hitting remnants of Kido Butai under anchor in Hollandia with all of my carriers amassed.

[BBfanboy]

How are the losses in DD or larger warships on both sides? Can you post screenshots of the loss list in the Intel Report?

Also the overall Intel Report showing VP levels will tell us how you are doing on the air and ground war numbers and base captures.

[Axe1999]

@BBfanboy

Intel screen

[Axe1999]

Japanese losses, this plus 20 cruisers and 59 destroyers