Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

I have another house trip coming up, will be out of touch till next Tuesday...Japan has the turn, and April 1st is approaching very quickly!

[Lowpe]

March 30, 1942

Sank an AMc with Cats out of Luzon...other than that a quiet day with Japan invading bases all over the SRA, but no big air clashses.

Movement in China...trying to trap a division, and worried about 3 units (division +2 regiments) west of Sian. I have a road...but still I don't want to lose the mountain hex.

[BBfanboy]

And Japanese Landing bonus expires tomorrow ...

[Lowpe]

India

[Lowpe]

I think a push up to Rockhampton, bypass and surround Bundaberg and retreating Japanese units is in order here. I suspect the KB is on the way here....to help here, and perhaps to make the obligatory Australian port raids.

Our tank army is about 900 AV while the infantry/artillery group is around 1300+. The artillery is very effective now that the Japanese have moved out of their entrenchments at Maryborough.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Out of game communication from Japan:

The Chinese popping up everywhere on my LOC is getting frustrating

They are everywhere.

Told ya [:D]

Though I don't actually see a lot of incoming cockroaches on your last China map

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

And Japanese Landing bonus expires tomorrow ...

A great relief...working on saving Diego Garcia now! Or at least making Japan to work hard to take it...

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Out of game communication from Japan:

The Chinese popping up everywhere on my LOC is getting frustrating

They are everywhere.

Told ya [:D]

Though I don't actually see a lot of incoming cockroaches on your last China map

I think you can go overboard doing this...I just want to keep having the waves infilitrate...especially those without any heavy equipment.

[Lowpe]

The downside of the Chinese spawning gambit, is of course the supply drain in creating all the new units...however, they make such great irregulars....

[Lowpe]

Chinese/Burma air drop...about 100 supplies daily right now. Note the air drop to the HQ on the road between Paoshan and the Chinese interior. It seems they do a good job of sending those supplies on the nearby bases as there is no excess accumulation. Will this work with B26s, B17s and LB30s?

My first big squadron of Skytrains arrives at Karachi today...10 planes. They will move troops and not supplies for the immediate future.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Chinese/Burma air drop...about 100 supplies daily right now. Note the air drop to the HQ on the road between Paoshan and the Chinese interior. It seems they do a good job of sending those supplies on the nearby bases as there is no excess accumulation. Will this work with B26s, B17s and LB30s?

My first big squadron of Skytrains arrives at Karachi today...10 planes. They will move troops and not supplies for the immediate future.

One player (rader?) dedicated all his bombers to dropping supply to the Chinese - he had almost all of them in NE India. It worked to keep the Japanese from capturing Chungking but it wasn't enough to support a large scale offensive further away. The Japanese can fight defensively in good terrain too.

I don't recall what the absence of bombers elsewhere on the map. I suppose that the Japanese could push supply to their expanded perimeter with little hinderance until there were enough US subs with working torps. Retaking those islands would be much tougher, but bypassing is always an option.

[Lowpe]

End of the Japanese Amphibious bonus is here....

ok, you AFBs -- how have I done weathering the storm? Are the Allies in good shape, or will the other shoe drop?

I have learned a lot...lots of optimizations I missed.

[BBfanboy]

I am in awe at how you use advantages I never thought of to ambush your opponent because you know so much about how to hurt the Japanese! Everything from the land war in China to the dot bases left behind during the Japanese expansion has been exploited in one way or another! I think the Japanese bit off more than they could chew and will continue to suffer inordinate losses trying to keep it. Your losses have been tolerable on the risk/gain scale - which is better than I would have achieved!
Best 'non-Sir Robin' I have seen! Kudos, Sir!

[apbarog]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

End of the Japanese Amphibious bonus is here....

At the risk of sounding uninformed, I can say that I'm not sure when the Japanese Amphibious bonus really ends. I thought it was 31 Mar 42. But in my current game, I performed a landing in early April 42 and did not incur the high disruption that I expected for being completely unprepped for the target. Unloading was very fast using merchant shipping. I changed my theory, and thought that maybe the bonus lasted until 7 Apr 42, as the manual says that it lasts "4 months". However, later in April, I did a divisional landing at Ambon with troops completely unprepped, and did not incur the drastic penalties expected. Now my theory is that it ends at 30 Apr 42. I haven't done a landing in early May yet to see the penalties.

I realize that I should know by now when it really ends. I thought I did. I'm judging my theory on my observations, which doesn't prove anything, but certainly changed my mind. My Ambon division should have been wrecked on landing, in my opinion, if the bonus had expired.

This is a long discussed topic, and one that I thought was settled, but it is not for me at the moment.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: apbarog

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

End of the Japanese Amphibious bonus is here....

At the risk of sounding uninformed, I can say that I'm not sure when the Japanese Amphibious bonus really ends. I thought it was 31 Mar 42. But in my current game, I performed a landing in early April 42 and did not incur the high disruption that I expected for being completely unprepped for the target. Unloading was very fast using merchant shipping. I changed my theory, and thought that maybe the bonus lasted until 7 Apr 42, as the manual says that it lasts "4 months". However, later in April, I did a divisional landing at Ambon with troops completely unprepped, and did not incur the drastic penalties expected. Now my theory is that it ends at 30 Apr 42. I haven't done a landing in early May yet to see the penalties.

I realize that I should know by now when it really ends. I thought I did. I'm judging my theory on my observations, which doesn't prove anything, but certainly changed my mind. My Ambon division should have been wrecked on landing, in my opinion, if the bonus had expired.

This is a long discussed topic, and one that I thought was settled, but it is not for me at the moment.

High experience in the LCU also seems to minimize losses during unopposed landings. Just my observations, I haven't tested the theory.

[Lowpe]

March 31, 1942

Planning to try and save Diego Garcia...two small cargo ships with a destroyer ([X(]) escort covered by a small CA/2 DD SAG drop off supplies.

548 supplies off loaded...will task some Americans from the 40th ID to reinforce. They are at Mombassa, an incredibly useful port!

I knew there was an Iboat lurking here...and the destroyer did manage 3 hits and protected the cargo ships. We are snooped by Betties or Mavis flying from Addu however.....so

[Lowpe]

We tried to time a destroyer raid into Koggala, but the local commander merely approached one more hex...will try again today as we are hiding in a thunderstorm.

Ceylon has two IJA divisions and one regiment so it will fall. No fuel left, and supplies less than 9k.

[Lowpe]

A very successful bombing raid targeting Japanese ground troops and light industry.

[Encircled]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

End of the Japanese Amphibious bonus is here....

ok, you AFBs -- how have I done weathering the storm? Are the Allies in good shape, or will the other shoe drop?

I have learned a lot...lots of optimizations I missed.

Looks pretty good from here

You still hold the Philippines, Singapore and are slowing him down in China, and he looks over extended in Ceylon and especially Oz.

If he doesn't sort out Singapore and the Phillipines soon, then there is real danger that you'll be able to really start sneaking supply in, and the longer that goes on, the harder it is for him.

Naval losses look heavy, but they always are in the Japanese player goes for it

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

I am in awe at how you use advantages I never thought of to ambush your opponent because you know so much about how to hurt the Japanese! Everything from the land war in China to the dot bases left behind during the Japanese expansion has been exploited in one way or another! I think the Japanese bit off more than they could chew and will continue to suffer inordinate losses trying to keep it. Your losses have been tolerable on the risk/gain scale - which is better than I would have achieved!
Best 'non-Sir Robin' I have seen! Kudos, Sir!

Yes, I do believe that this AAR is an excellent primer for all Allied players.[&o]