Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

A quiet day it was, with little air activity, bombers didn't fly over Ceylon...but a momentous day as our Australian counter offensive made some progress, we spotted a small blocking unit, and might have been spotted by the Japanese.

Japanese recon is very bad down here, only Maryborough has any enemy DL...

We have morale on our side![;)]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Urumchi - the only way I got fuel/oil to flow out of here was load up what was available at Port Arthur and other ports to be shipped to Japan. You need to create a need someplace.

I have plenty of need, just not ship based need.[:(]

[Lowpe]

For the first time ever, I have assigned a sweep mission with Airacobras at 100'...targeting a Japanese base on Ceylon with only a moving infantry division there.

I am curious to see what happens. Will they target the runway or the division? Or not fly?

[Lowpe]

Looking at the air supply of China with bombers and transports. Each 2k load = 1 supply point.

There are two minor road hexes north east of Paoshan that are the closest to Ledo at 6 hexes. If I park a ground unit there, I can resupply it from air...and then the theory goes they will redistribute the excess supply minus wastage to the nearby bases with demand.

Additionally I still have the dot base above Lashio to air drop into.

This has, I think the advantage that it is an air drop, meaning the planes won't have to land at a smallish air base. This might not be a big deal for transports, which need a size 2 AF to operate without penalty, but for HB that need a size 5 or eventually a size 7 for B29s...this might be important but my experience with Blenheims flying supply into Paoshan paints a different picture...minimal op losses. But the shortest range might play a bigger role.

Now, I have no clue how this works, and on my first attempt flying LB30's I suffered an op loss when the planes had low fatigue, and I delayed my experimentation with it....but now I am ready to start again.

Although the included picture is several days old, I have lost Myitkyna for example, I will move some ground troops to the road hexes and give that a try, and also air drop into the dot base and closely monitor op losses.

I have been flying Blenheims into Paoshan with only very occasional op losses at 30% for most of the war...and the pilots had very low transport skills.

My transports, the few I do have, have been moving troops in and out of China and haven't yet done any straight supply runs. I know from past games the op losses from running supplies into China is generally horrendous.

Blenheim, Hudson: 1 supply point
B26: 2 supply points
C47: 3 supply points
B17: 3 supply points
LB30: 4 supply points

Ledo will be a level 6 runway next turn.

Does anyone know if multiple HQa provide a stacked benefit in transport missions?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

For the first time ever, I have assigned a sweep mission with Airacobras at 100'...targeting a Japanese base on Ceylon with only a moving infantry division there.

I am curious to see what happens. Will they target the runway or the division? Or not fly?

Sweep or ground attack?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

For the first time ever, I have assigned a sweep mission with Airacobras at 100'...targeting a Japanese base on Ceylon with only a moving infantry division there.

I am curious to see what happens. Will they target the runway or the division? Or not fly?

Sweep or ground attack?

Sweep! Never done it before to the best of my memory...might have done it by mistake.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

For the first time ever, I have assigned a sweep mission with Airacobras at 100'...targeting a Japanese base on Ceylon with only a moving infantry division there.

I am curious to see what happens. Will they target the runway or the division? Or not fly?

Sweep or ground attack?

Sweep! Never done it before to the best of my memory...might have done it by mistake.

Hopefully, the IJA will be just a little surprised and have to wash alot of their loincloths!

[Lowpe]

March 27, 1942

A little strafing and a lot of bombing...all fighters strafed, those on ground attack carried bombs and released them, counter AA fire was from machine guns only unless an IJA division has had their TOE beefed up.

So, the sweepers strafed, but given the small numbers set to sweep did no noticeable damage. Next test will be to sweep an enemy
runway with planes.

Ground attack planes were spotted at 42nm at 2K feet for 16 minutes warning.

Sweepers were spotted at 16 miles and at 6k for four minutes warning.

Most pilots had 50 skill strafe, but under 30 in lowG.

[RangerJoe]

Bring the CAP lower then bomb higher. [;)]

[Lowpe]

India

I desperately want to keep Ledo...the air bridge flying in supplies to China.

With the Japanese push from Chittagong, I paid very close attention to those bases that Japan has DL on and flooded them with troops of any flavor and planes, relying up the excellent British AA to keep the runways safe (and a bit from my own recon that shows very few bombers in this theater).

To further the misinformation, more than 3/4ths of the engineering units at Ledo moved out to swell the numbers. As soon as recon showed up I would send forces there, preferably from bases in the dark to Japan intel agents.

The Chinese Corp, and their ability to swell each day thanks to Commonwealth supply certainly has helped, along with the US Army coming in with Marines and Base Forces. Our TOE is generally bad, experience poor, but the numbers look great and I suspect daunting to the Japanese.

Then I picked the outlier IJA ground forces and hit them with bombers, preferably B26s, but even Blenheims on two opportunities to swell the numbers...and of course the Hurricanes have been sweeping and doing well. This worked well, as Japan didn't bring enough AA (plus the beasts have been hitting Rangoon and Magwe).


Many of the forces are stuck on railroads, ready to relocate...I was prepared to evacuate all of Southeastern India at the drop of a hat....Japan stopped and concentrated at Dacca.

But for now my deception seems to have worked at sowing confusion in the Japanese high command as the movement pip of the 19 unit IJA ground stack at Dacca is south...they might head over to Ledo way, but I think not.

I have paid a price, in that our air supply of China was more than cut in half and for about five days dropped to 0 and base building at Ledo came to a complete stop...but we are ramping back up now. The transports though, flew everyday bringing in the Chinese 6th Corp...which at one point two weeks ago I despaired of getting out of Burma.

[Lowpe]

March 28, 1942

Strike!

[Lowpe]

We swept and bombed the small armored unit here inflicting good damage, and better yet losing no planes.

Should arrive there tomorrow...

[Lowpe]

Out of game communication from Japan:

The Chinese popping up everywhere on my LOC is getting frustrating

They are everywhere.



[:D]

[Lowpe]

March 29, 1942


The occasional night bombing raid pays off....flak present now...

[Lowpe]

Flying Tigers defend China still![;)]

[Lowpe]

Japan is invading everywhere...20,000 men in northern Luzon, not as many in the southern Luzon.

[Lowpe]

2nd Squadron gets the minelayer...

[ny59giants]

How much supply do you have on Luzon? Always the deciding factor for how long you can hold out.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Out of game communication from Japan:

The Chinese popping up everywhere on my LOC is getting frustrating

They are everywhere.



[:D]

+1

Think if you had a small transport squadron to send detachments to another base to move out from there. [:D]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

How much supply do you have on Luzon? Always the deciding factor for how long you can hold out.

Probably no more than 15K, won't survive long I think...