Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

This is the IJA Tank Division attack:


Ground combat at 78,51 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 23448 troops, 411 guns, 1331 vehicles, Assault Value = 864

Defending force 30061 troops, 104 guns, 29 vehicles, Assault Value = 794

Japanese adjusted assault: 334

Allied adjusted defense: 1327

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
717 casualties reported
Squads: 27 destroyed, 88 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 25 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Guns lost 13 (1 destroyed, 12 disabled)
Vehicles lost 30 (6 destroyed, 24 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
623 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 53 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
2nd Tank Division
1st Ind.Mixed Brigade
1st Tank Division
17th Tank Regiment
Guards Tank Division
12th Army
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion

Defending units:
20th Chinese Corps
86th Chinese Corps
43rd Cavalry Regiment
5th Chinese Cavalry Corps
50th Chinese Corps
4th Chinese/A Corps
20th Artillery Regiment

[Lowpe]

A deeper dive at Lashio. The 254th Armored has been in Burma/China since the early days when they made a very dangerous transit from Calcutta to Burma with the onset of war. My initial thought was to have them be a pivotal counter to the massed IJA tank divisions. However pool growth of new models (General Lee and Valentines) take quite a while to build up before the upgrade is possible...so I turned on replacements for Lgt and Hvy AFVs and used them in combat.

They have fought at Lashio...initially they did great against the pure IJA infantry that assaulted, but now with more and more IJA artillery present, they have suffered and will be pulled back to Paoshan, where I can hopefully upgrade them to Stuart Is' and Valentines and General Lees. Getting the necessary Vickers for the upgrades is going to prove challenging...perhaps disband something in India?

254th Armored Tank Bde, Indian

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Their fight has allowed a significant growth in strength and experience for the flown in 6th Chinese Corp which has performed great. What is interesting to note is the difference in disruption between the two units.

Elements of the 6th Chinese Corp, flown in from India

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[Lowpe]

267th Armored Bde

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This is one of those experience 5 units that Indians get. I never paid any attention to it since they withdraw shortly and are restricted. They sat in combat mode with a very poor leader for about 100 days at Madras, which is well supplied and not subject to any attacks.

The unit came with a lot of disabled devices.

They have bleed devices at a shocking rate, some turns losing as many as 4. What a blunder on my part.

[Lowpe]

September 28, 1942

There she is....now to score with some submarines and mines.

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We paid the favor back with a bombardment on Tarawa half as deadly and putting heavy damage on two Iboats (one off Karachi, the other north of Baker Island).

[Lowpe]

The IJA Tank Army west of Changteh is stopped again, this time destroying 10 afvs...thanks to the presence of 3 105mm Howitzers!



The IJA thrust on Lashio is looking quite bedgraggled...there are at least 5 very tired divisions in this thrust...none of them anywhere near full strength.

Ground combat at 78,51 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17028 troops, 360 guns, 1315 vehicles, Assault Value = 771

Defending force 29541 troops, 104 guns, 29 vehicles, Assault Value = 744

Japanese adjusted assault: 310

Allied adjusted defense: 1171

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
453 casualties reported
Squads: 30 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 13 disabled
Vehicles lost 31 (10 destroyed, 21 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
340 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 28 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
1st Tank Division
17th Tank Regiment
1st Ind.Mixed Brigade
2nd Tank Division
Guards Tank Division
12th Army
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion

Defending units:
50th Chinese Corps
20th Chinese Corps
86th Chinese Corps
5th Chinese Cavalry Corps
43rd Cavalry Regiment
4th Chinese/A Corps
20th Artillery Regiment

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[Lowpe]

Japan will have to allocate lots of Navy here to keep Marcus suppressed I think...plus lots of fuel and supply usage. Hoping to use this concentration to create frictional losses and take advantage in other fronts.

IJN Concentration around Marcus

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[Lowpe]

Sept 29, 1942

Quite a quiet day...repulsed an attack in China south of Lanchow.

My heavy bombers in India, Ledo, are now flying supplies deep into China, at almost max normal range. I am thinking about going to extended range and getting a trickle of supply straight to troops in combat.

Hunting down and killing Iboats...now that some decent ASW ships are appearing, will set up my Run Silent Run Deep task forces to ambush the Iboats.

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PS: Will send ASW hunter TFs up from Bombay too....not pictured.

[Lowpe]

One of the core attractions of AE is the experimentation possible...here I am playing with the aggression of leaders. I vaguely recall Alfred writing that Task Force Commanders really control the overall combat...here I hope that Commander Collinson can force Captain Craven, well named , into using his excellent naval skills and great Yankee ASW weapons against the crippled I-158.

Because I like experimenting so much, I find playing more than one game or RL distractions, makes the game feel more like work than enjoyment.

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[BBfanboy]

The Vickers tankettes have stopped production so there will never be enough to fill out TOEs. Upgrade wherever possible and set the other units to train/prep.

Same for the R/R (Rolls Royce!) Armoured Cars - no more coming.

[Lowpe]

Marcus Island

Flying out the Marines by PBY...

Submarines are rotating here from Gilberts...

3 Fleet Carriers safely back at Pearl...repairing minor damage and or upgrading.

Most all slow battleships and AP/AK back to Laysan Island....will head to Pearl...

Will be a quiet time for surface ships as most of the USN will be undergoing upgrades for the first two weeks of October. Want those sweet 40mm guns.

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[Lowpe]

The Vickers tankettes have stopped production so there will never be enough to fill out TOEs. Upgrade wherever possible and set the other units to train/prep.

Same for the R/R (Rolls Royce!) Armoured Cars - no more coming.

Hey, hey, my first new forum post! Congratulations!

I just want to have the 1.5x in the pool for the upgrades...I don't want to fight them, but upgrade thru them.

[traskott]

What is that 1.5 in the pool to upgrade? Im missing something?

I thought you can upgrade if enough devices are present at 1:1 ratio..

[Lowpe]

What is that 1.5 in the pool to upgrade? Im missing something?

I thought you can upgrade if enough devices are present at 1:1 ratio..

The 1.5x comes from Alfred.

[traskott]

Thanks! So it will be useful keep old devices to upgrade them…

[witpqs]

1x for squad and engineer devices, 1.5x for other devices.

[Lowpe]

September 30, 1942

My submarines continue to fire to no effect...or not much effect. Missed in two different encounters.

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[Lowpe]

Tough day for the IJA:

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[Lowpe]

Told you!

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[Lowpe]

Burma and China

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[Lowpe]

I was going to make a line by line post of the units Japan used to defend Cox's....and why most units were less than ideal.

Instead I will outline my plan of attack, we will march down take Akyab and pincer around Prome. I could use some paratroopers...that would most likely cut off six division around Lashio ( 5 div) and Katha (1 div + 1 rgt). Why in the world would Japan leave a unit with 0 AV on the front lines?

I can't see much that can stop me...other than supplies in Burma. IJA front line units are all very beat up from mostly pointless attacks, some of it is off road, others close to being isolated. Japan hasn't been fortifying their lines...or allowing troops to dig in...

Steady progress....here. Japans best units, the three tank divisions are disrupted and in central China. The two Guard divisions, the 6th and 4th ( I think) in Burma/India -- one has been forced to retreat twice and the other is almost isolated near Katha.

I feel pretty confident we will re-establish the Burma Road to China while China holds Kunming and most likely much more. I have yet to field China's best units the beefed up US TOE Corps.

In my mind, given this is a scenario 2 game, this is unacceptable position for Japan to find themselves....this early.

Kind of feeling sad, to be honest. Maybe I will start losing fights in China so there is always hope!