Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

Not much of a base, has decent CD guns...but we are prepped at 100% so here we go...

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[RangerJoe]

Personally, at Urumchi I would hit the refineries. The oil does not move well and the fuel moves a little bit easier.

I think that you caught him off guard, he was too far forward and you contested him, tying up his forces and he never bothered to set up his secondary defenses nor built up secondary bases. There is something that someone said about fecal matter through a goose, that appears to be how your advance is going. He probably has a lot of units tied up in China that he thought that he could have pulled out by now for his secondary defenses.

What is strange is that he build up the shipyard in Soerbaya yet has no AKEs in the area. It as if he wanted to fight in the area in that he built up the repair facilities but he forget the logistics for rearming.

[Lowpe]

Personally, at Urumchi I would hit the refineries. The oil does not move well and the fuel moves a little bit easier.

I think that you caught him off guard, he was too far forward and you contested him, tying up his forces and he never bothered to set up his secondary defenses nor built up secondary bases. There is something that someone said about fecal matter through a goose, that appears to be how your advance is going. He probably has a lot of units tied up in China that he thought that he could have pulled out by now for his secondary defenses.

What is strange is that he build up the shipyard in Soerbaya yet has no AKEs in the area. It as if he wanted to fight in the area in that he built up the repair facilities but he forget the logistics for rearming.

I know he was shooting for AV.

I probably have bypassed 60+ units...still Japan gets lots of small AV units that are great for holding these small bases and some just need to be held to buy some time. As it is I don't have to wait on prep at all.

The lack of AKEs is quite apparent and we have been nailing ships in port with beasts quite routinely...but remember a size 3 port with a naval HQ can rearm a lot! I think Manado is size three. That was a favorite tactic of mine, since AKEs are generally worth a bit in VP and as Japan it is fairly easy to air lift out a naval HQ.

Morning Air attack on Sorong , at 82,107

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 5 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-24D1 Liberator x 3

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D1 Liberator: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
xAKL Totai Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAKL Nichiryo Maru, Bomb hits 3, and is sunk

Port hits 4
Port supply hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x B-24D1 Liberator bombing from 6000 feet
Port Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

[CaptBeefheart]

I would say your strategy is spot on. I also wouldn't go after his surface units with carrier aviation. I only use carrier aviation for CAP, search, ASW and against other carriers, unless I know the target TF isn't CAP'ed. Once I have better support (ARs, ARDs, AEs, AKEs) near the front, say in 1944, I'll be more apt to seek head-to-head BB battles. Cleveland-based TFs (say 3 CL and 6 DD) seem to work great from mid-43 on. Your ships can run if they come across something too big.

He should have read one or two of your old AARs. If he had, he'd be mopping up those dot bases.

Your shoestring strategy is very interesting. You're obviously inside his OODA loop. I'd say press on. As long as you don't lose something big like CVs or BBs or a massive invasion fleet, you'll be fine.

Surabaya (current spelling) being built to 30 is a nice gift.

Cheers,
CB

[Encircled]

Regarding all the dot bases, it is a fairly common tactic (more than a little gamey) to leave some to get Kamikazes early

Regarding the KB

You either completely wrong footed it and its still in somewhere like Singapore or around Truk,, or he's in the Philippines waiting for a chance to attack

[Lowpe]

June 19th, 1943

Landing on Mindanao tomorrow hopefully...

Japan suffers more air losses...although they did find a flaw in my air coverage at Bathurst.

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[Lowpe]

I would say your strategy is spot on. I also wouldn't go after his surface units with carrier aviation. I only use carrier aviation for CAP, search, ASW and against other carriers, unless I know the target TF isn't CAP'ed. Once I have better support (ARs, ARDs, AEs, AKEs) near the front, say in 1944, I'll be more apt to seek head-to-head BB battles. Cleveland-based TFs (say 3 CL and 6 DD) seem to work great from mid-43 on. Your ships can run if they come across something too big.

He should have read one or two of your old AARs. If he had, he'd be mopping up those dot bases.

Your shoestring strategy is very interesting. You're obviously inside his OODA loop. I'd say press on. As long as you don't lose something big like CVs or BBs or a massive invasion fleet, you'll be fine.

Surabaya (current spelling) being built to 30 is a nice gift.

Cheers,
CB

Things seem to be going swimmingly, knock on wood. AD at Morotoi...hopefully taking Mindanao will beat the stacking limits and give me a decent port to transport troops in and from there APA them out.

Five AEs, AKEs, AD, AGP leaving Biak to support the attack...Oilers passing Biak...refueling Hornet Air group today.

[Lowpe]

Regarding all the dot bases, it is a fairly common tactic (more than a little gamey) to leave some to get Kamikazes early

Regarding the KB

You either completely wrong footed it and its still in somewhere like Singapore or around Truk,, or he's in the Philippines waiting for a chance to attack

That is leaving one island up by Luzon...but he has left a ton of them.

I think there is June Upgrade of the big Fleet CVs other than Shokaku and her Sis. Radar if memory serves?

We are operating within our naval search perimeter...from land bases by a pretty good margin.

[Encircled]

Yeah, I did think after I'd posted that he's left far too many!

Very impressive axis of advance btw

[RangerJoe]

To get the Kamikaze air units, the Allies need to have only ONE base with an airfield of size one or greater that is not in China withing the 22 hex range. I do not know if Indochina qualifies.

[BBfanboy]

Yeah, I did think after I'd posted that he's left far too many!

Very impressive axis of advance btw

Since Lowpe is following the path MacArthur had plotted out, the Philippine operations should be called operation Big Mac. Complete with a golden M logo on the plan folders.

[Lowpe]

Turn is finished.

Mindanao invasion should land, wave 1.

should be in position to land at Sidate on the morrow.

Mili invasion should be in position tomorrow.

Landing supply at Darwin...

It is absolute chaos...so many task forces, so many operations.

[Lowpe]

June 20th, 1943

SRA

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[Lowpe]

Knocked some Nells down over Darwin...

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[BBfanboy]

To borrow and rework a movie quote:
"Think you got enough subs there, Butch?" - from Butch Lowpe and the Rising Sun Kid.

[Lowpe]

Turn is away....Japan could do some damage today if they play their cards right. We are aggressive...perhaps overly so.

I would like to have more subs there...

[Lowpe]

June 21, 1943

Poor turn, with good points...but costly, and might even be more costly.

I screwed up the invasion of Mili...the invasion force fled, the Victorious ended up in the middle of the Marshalls and tangled with some destroyers three times...before returning to Makin, leaving Sanatee all by herself at Mili. Erg.

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[Lowpe]

Here though is the problem...my APAs unloading into a non base hex stayed and kept unloading, and then were joined by two other groups that I had on remain on station by mistake. Bloodbath ensues as IJN sorties....goodbye Fiji Brigade.

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[Lowpe]

Then, I forgot to get a SAG covering the Darwin supply ships...and they got savaged by a CL/DD SAG....oh well. Setbacks were expected, just lots of stupid plays on my part.

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The worst part is the APAs, and other than the Fiji Bde didn't really have much left on them...since a ton of bulldozer got unloaded on a non base hex...they probably will be tough picking back up.

[Lowpe]

Japan sweeps heavily at Akyab...Hurricanes starting to show their age...but they stopped the bombers from making any hits on a supply convoy. Our sweeps of Manado didn't fly...

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