Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

Got this note from Japan....I guess they are going maximum effort here too...

Every turn is a big turn from here on in

I am concerned less with the IJN trying to breakout, but rather making the next base leap into Pakhoi, Hanian and elsewhere. I am only risking some light cruisers and smaller, and land based air against his breakout attempts....

[RangerJoe]

Well, if he gets his fleet back to the Home Islands relatively intact, you will only get stronger and his fleet movements will only hurt his long term fuel supplies. So if you can then get his ships running around but not accomplishing much, that is also good for you.

[Lowpe]

The game is so early, and a scenario 2 game at that, that Japan will never run out of fuel and most likely not supplies either.

[RangerJoe]

The way that you are going in China might open up the Chinese, Korean, and Manchurian industrial targets for strategic bombing unless there is a HR against that. While you won't get VPs for them, it can affect his supply, HI, oil, fuel, resource, airframe, engine, vehicle (?) as well as his armament production. Your opponent is less likely to protect those compared to targets in the Home Islands but it will affect him in the long run.

[Lowpe]

The Vinh operation worked to perfection....now there are three depleted IJA divisions retreating....

Do I care if the IJA Burma troops go to Bangkok or east past the Thailand plains to Ubon or Udon?

Really a lot going on and Japan is so out of position...

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ps: sorry for the huge map....windows users an use the magnifyer (windows + key together).

[Lowpe]

Butchers bill:

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[Lowpe]

I suspect our surface fleets caused the IJN ships from Makassar Straits to react...just a guess.

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[Lowpe]

No sign of the Hosho...which was left with heavy fires. Scuttled? Something went down...and I am guessing it is the Taiyo. There was also a fuel explosion on one of the small flattops....ok, both:

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Hosho carries 18 planes, Taiyo 27 I think. Taiyo is slow and Hosho medium fast. USN divebombers went in piecemeal during the morning, but did group up better for the afternoon attack. Our big Avenger strike was down at Ternate area and out of range....I was really expecting the IJN to go there or back to Makassar Straits. As a JFB I liked using Taiyo to bolster air defenses at ports where heavy bombers might strike...deep inside of Japanese lines.

[Lowpe]

Ok, what will Japan do with their breakout?

Where will the IJ Burma troops go?

Where will the KB wander too?

Allies will take Pakhoi and perhaps Kwangchowan by paras...might attack again at Saigon although a bunch of engineers will arrive tomorrow. Most likely attack again at Tourane and will likely take that base.

[Lowpe]

China....have we held Chungking? In a scenario 2 game??

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[RangerJoe]

If the IJA moves into the open in Thailand, I am sure that your bomber and fighter bomber pilots will have a lot of target practice!

Yes, it appears that you have held Chungking! Congratulations on that feat.

Congratulations on sinking that CVE. Possibly another one could sink as well due to the fires. Did you really sing an IJN battleship? If not, I am sure that it will need some time in a dockyard for repairs. Are you planning on having some sub laid minefields one or two hexes east of Singapore? That could cause a few problems for the IJN.

[Encircled]

You probably want those IJA units in Burma/Northern Thailand to try to get back to Japanese lines via China

They will never make it, but they also will mean you don't have to keep lots of units making sure they don't reinforce Bangkok

Pretty sure they won't try to make Singapore!

Lets be honest here, he can mess around with the KB and the IJN down there till the cows come home, they are affecting absolutely nothing at the moment

I'm sure he can see that as well

I'm not sure what he has available, but he has to be reinforcing Formosa and probably aiming for his Navy to force you to battle around there

[BBfanboy]

+1 on the IJA Burma/Indochina troops heading for Bangkok - the last place he can get supply for them from the industry there (assuming Saigon will fall soon). Bangkok has some refineries which can be useful if you have Magwe for the oil. Just ship the oil to Vic Pt. and let the oil flow to Bkk when you have it.

Hanoi can be approached from the north without a SA but Haiphong is pretty much surrounded by the estuary's branches. Not sure if the continuous good road across the stream means bridges that negate a shock attack. Naval bombardment of Haiphong should yield results. Only industry at those places is Resources.

I'm trying to remember if marching from place to place uses more supply than staying in one hex. If so, his troops trying to escape will use their supply that much faster.

[CaptBeefheart]

At this point it looks like you can bypass BKK, what with your ability to land British/Commonwealth supplies and troops at Georgetown and pick them up on the other side of the Malayan Peninsula. You might just put a dent in his BKK LI and HI and consider the IJ troops nearby as POWs in place.

How is your supply through the Celebes Sea coming? I'm thinking that's your main supply route, and the KB hovering nearby might be putting a logistical crimp on your operations.

Cheers,
CB

[Lowpe]

+1 on the IJA Burma/Indochina troops heading for Bangkok - the last place he can get supply for them from the industry there (assuming Saigon will fall soon). Bangkok has some refineries which can be useful if you have Magwe for the oil. Just ship the oil to Vic Pt. and let the oil flow to Bkk when you have it.

Hanoi can be approached from the north without a SA but Haiphong is pretty much surrounded by the estuary's branches. Not sure if the continuous good road across the stream means bridges that negate a shock attack. Naval bombardment of Haiphong should yield results. Only industry at those places is Resources.

I'm trying to remember if marching from place to place uses more supply than staying in one hex. If so, his troops trying to escape will use their supply that much faster.

I have bombed Bangkok supply generation...I think Heavy Industry is down to 2 or 1 (recon always seems to add 1), and LI has been knocked down around 40.

The Allied modus operandi is to isolate and move on. I do need one port with a shipyard....but strongpoints aren't my focus...rather moving forward is. The IJA is incredibly weak on attack (except for the Tank Divisions safely doing nothing really in China) and without supplies bypassed units pose no threat.

[Lowpe]

I'm trying to remember if marching from place to place uses more supply than staying in one hex. If so, his troops trying to escape will use their supply that much faster.

I think it is in combat and not in combat; engineers working and not working. So bombing moving units eats supply of anything that can fire at the planes (one hidden benefit of strafing)...One division eats 1500 supplies a month. Bombing runways causes the local engineers to consume. I am moving on a full scale supply deprivation mode on the bypassed units in Thailand to reduce the supply stockpile.

[Lowpe]

At this point it looks like you can bypass BKK, what with your ability to land British/Commonwealth supplies and troops at Georgetown and pick them up on the other side of the Malayan Peninsula. You might just put a dent in his BKK LI and HI and consider the IJ troops nearby as POWs in place.

How is your supply through the Celebes Sea coming? I'm thinking that's your main supply route, and the KB hovering nearby might be putting a logistical crimp on your operations.

Cheers,
CB

Absolutely my thinking.

Supply soon will be augmented from the India/Rangoon/Georgetown and then picked up at Nakhon Si Thammorat to avoid overloading the Singora port which is my troop loading port. I am spending a significant portion of this turn on working out the details.

I need more transports on the UK to Aden run, as I can drain Aden down to 0 supplies shipping it to India. I also need more cargo ships on the India to Rangoon to Georgetown run. The Fort class cargo ships start arriving in Aden and that will help with the shipping, but I probably should get another 20 or so liberty size ships operating over there. I only need one or two Liberty ships making the run from Nakhon to Kompong.

Fuel is/was the big bottleneck and grabbing Medan has helped immensely. All my empty transports are filling up around Singora...plus subs, and I am also already shipping fuel from Medan to Georgetown and soon from Nakhon to Kompong.

[Lowpe]

How is your supply through the Celebes Sea coming? I'm thinking that's your main supply route, and the KB hovering nearby might be putting a logistical crimp on your operations.

Che
CB

Japan can raid the supply line...but they really need to break it. Well with Georgetown, now it is impossible for them to break supply line. I have a multiple pronged supply lines feeding to Solomon Seas, but only two lines going north to Sorong, and from Sorong, up thru Celebes is really one line and most vulnerable but Japan would have to keep the KB there a tradeoff I will gladly take for freedom of movement against Hainan to Hong Kong. I can see the India to Rangoon to Georgetown area providing more supply in a month than the long line back to the West Coast and Panama Canal. Does that make sense?

[Encircled]

How is your supply through the Celebes Sea coming? I'm thinking that's your main supply route, and the KB hovering nearby might be putting a logistical crimp on your operations.

Che
CB

Japan can raid the supply line...but they really need to break it. Well with Georgetown, now it is impossible for them to break supply line. I have a multiple pronged supply lines feeding to Solomon Seas, but only two lines going north to Sorong, and from Sorong, up thru Celebes is really one line and most vulnerable but Japan would have to keep the KB there a tradeoff I will gladly take for freedom of movement against Hainan to Hong Kong. I can see the India to Rangoon to Georgetown area providing more supply in a month than the long line back to the West Coast and Panama Canal. Does that make sense?

Yes

He probably doesn't realise you are getting most of your supply from that route, and there is nothing he can do about it anyway (surface raiders from the DEI maybe, but they aren't going to stop it)

[RangerJoe]

I'm trying to remember if marching from place to place uses more supply than staying in one hex. If so, his troops trying to escape will use their supply that much faster.

I think it is in combat and not in combat; engineers working and not working. So bombing moving units eats supply of anything that can fire at the planes (one hidden benefit of strafing)...One division eats 1500 supplies a month. Bombing runways causes the local engineers to consume. I am moving on a full scale supply deprivation mode on the bypassed units in Thailand to reduce the supply stockpile.

I think that the engineers use supply whether or not they are working. But if what they are working on needs supplies, that is the extra supplies expended.