Never Thought I'd Start Another One - tc464 (A) vs. Mike (J)

[RangerJoe]

Remember your paratroopers.

Depending upon the map that you are using, there may some small initially ungarrisoned bases on the Malay peninsula just waiting for a visit from your paratroopers. If there is an airfield there and/or the base is on the coast, you can retrieve the few party poopers that you drop. Repeat as necessary to keep the enemy units from moving fast. You can also drop a few squads on the enemy even when they are not in a base.

[PaxMondo]

A plane that survives combat is one that won't have to be replaced nor another pilot trained.

A plane that survives combat but is written off is one that has hopefully saved the trained pilot so that is also a good thing.

I'm agreeing with you; armor is for pilots, DUR is for planes. At least that is how I understand it, and how I see it play out in games.

IJ fighter DUR is not good early war. A6M and Oscar is just plain LOW. In my mind, I need to ditch the A6M by end of '42. Get all of my LBA IJN fighters to George. Tojo is definitely better than Oscar, but the short range is a supply killer on offense (forces you to build up more bases). I build Tojo, lots, but I don't RnD it. I put the factories for RnD on Frank instead. Frank is scheduled to arrive 4/44, but with enough RnD factories I have it mid-43. Am I happy with Oscar Ic and IIA? Heck no. But '43 with Frank and George goes really well. I can keep momentum with them. And Sam in early mid 44 is crucial for the end game.

Now my thoughts on armor have evolved a lot through the years. Armor is great on defense; you fly over your own bases, you recover your pilots. On offense, this is less true. Yes, armor will save you some pilots on offense, but not nearly as many. Planes that go down at target (or over enemy territory) means the pilot becomes MIA and we know that the vast majority of those convert eventually to KIA. So, in the early war, I am less concerned with getting armor. Late war, I absolutely want it.

I would point out that this isn't my idea, this was the thinking behind the IJ designs: They designed their planes for offensive operations. It wasn't flawed, it is simply a trade-off and if you are being strictly analytical, it is the correct choice.

[PaxMondo]

So, I'm having a problem with this infernal game. I'll tell it to load troops on an invasion fleet and plug in its destination. It CONSTANTLY partly loads the unit(s) then sends it on its merry way to invade. It's really slowing down my invasion plans. I'm now setting the TF to do not unload and tell it to load the units. When the loading is complete, I'll send it on its way. Pain in the ass.

Wow. OK I understand clearly what you are saying, but I rarely, rarely ever see this. I mean, I have seen it, but I can't remember when ....

you're using 1127b, right?

1127 ver.jpg (1.94 KiB) Viewed 472 times

Let me do some searches ... this has been discussed, but its been a while and my memory needs a kick start ...

[RangerJoe]

If your aircraft get shot down where you have land units or naval units, including just one submarine, there is an increased chance of recovering the pilot.

[PaxMondo]

If your aircraft get shot down where you have land units or naval units, including just one submarine, there is an increased chance of recovering the pilot.

Yep, always try to have a sub at your attack site if you can. Can't always manage it though. Palembang, Singers, Manila (among others) in the early war when you are trying to suppress fort building, tough to get subs there either due to port size (nets) or mines or both. But it is something that you always want to consider doing.

[PaxMondo]

I did lose a Gozan class cargo ship, but that was from damage incurred on 7 Dec. That ship is doomed from the start of the game.

I luv the IJ damage control teams. I swear my teams fill the fire extinguishers with avgas. I just lost a ship that started with sys damage at 28 and fires at 6. Instead of putting them out, 3 turns later the ship sank.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Remember your paratroopers.

Depending upon the map that you are using, there may some small initially ungarrisoned bases on the Malay peninsula just waiting for a visit from your paratroopers. If there is an airfield there and/or the base is on the coast, you can retrieve the few party poopers that you drop. Repeat as necessary to keep the enemy units from moving fast. You can also drop a few squads on the enemy even when they are not in a base.

Well, that might be regarded as a pretty cheese tactic and should be discussed with the opponent. It is 1. taking advantage of "perfect knowledge" at game start about strength and dispositions and 2. a game engine exploit, because a few squads of paras couldn't realistically block all transit through a 45 miles hex (unless maybe if there is a wide river with only one bridge in the entire hex and the paras manage to blow it). The usual house rule to prevent this nonsense is that a para unit must be dropped as a whole unit and cannot be spread over different hexes.

[RangerJoe]

Remember your paratroopers.

Depending upon the map that you are using, there may some small initially ungarrisoned bases on the Malay peninsula just waiting for a visit from your paratroopers. If there is an airfield there and/or the base is on the coast, you can retrieve the few party poopers that you drop. Repeat as necessary to keep the enemy units from moving fast. You can also drop a few squads on the enemy even when they are not in a base.

Well, that might be regarded as a pretty cheese tactic and should be discussed with the opponent. It is 1. taking advantage of "perfect knowledge" at game start about strength and dispositions and 2. a game engine exploit, because a few squads of paras couldn't realistically block all transit through a 45 miles hex (unless maybe if there is a wide river with only one bridge in the entire hex and the paras manage to blow it). The usual house rule to prevent this nonsense is that a para unit must be dropped as a whole unit and cannot be spread over different hexes.

That is true, I never suggested sending only 1 or 2 squads there either.

Unfortunately, there is no bridge blowing in this game nor making of "Sherman's neckties*" as was previously done.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_neckties

[Mike Solli]

you're using 1127b, right?
1127 ver.jpg

Let me do some searches ... this has been discussed, but its been a while and my memory needs a kick start ...

I'm using 1.8.1128.4.

[Mike Solli]

Remember your paratroopers.

Depending upon the map that you are using, there may some small initially ungarrisoned bases on the Malay peninsula just waiting for a visit from your paratroopers. If there is an airfield there and/or the base is on the coast, you can retrieve the few party poopers that you drop. Repeat as necessary to keep the enemy units from moving fast. You can also drop a few squads on the enemy even when they are not in a base.

Well, that might be regarded as a pretty cheese tactic and should be discussed with the opponent. It is 1. taking advantage of "perfect knowledge" at game start about strength and dispositions and 2. a game engine exploit, because a few squads of paras couldn't realistically block all transit through a 45 miles hex (unless maybe if there is a wide river with only one bridge in the entire hex and the paras manage to blow it). The usual house rule to prevent this nonsense is that a para unit must be dropped as a whole unit and cannot be spread over different hexes.

We're VERY limited on our house rules. We're both pretty much anti-play the system players. That's why we've been playing each other for so many years. Very compatible.

[RangerJoe]

Remember your paratroopers.

Depending upon the map that you are using, there may some small initially ungarrisoned bases on the Malay peninsula just waiting for a visit from your paratroopers. If there is an airfield there and/or the base is on the coast, you can retrieve the few party poopers that you drop. Repeat as necessary to keep the enemy units from moving fast. You can also drop a few squads on the enemy even when they are not in a base.

Well, that might be regarded as a pretty cheese tactic and should be discussed with the opponent. It is 1. taking advantage of "perfect knowledge" at game start about strength and dispositions and 2. a game engine exploit, because a few squads of paras couldn't realistically block all transit through a 45 miles hex (unless maybe if there is a wide river with only one bridge in the entire hex and the paras manage to blow it). The usual house rule to prevent this nonsense is that a para unit must be dropped as a whole unit and cannot be spread over different hexes.

We're VERY limited on our house rules. We're both pretty much anti-play the system players. That's why we've been playing each other for so many years. Very compatible.

Not just that, your opponent has a couple of days to garrison those bases since you have to ship or fly the paratroopers to Indochina and then make sure that you have the air transports with the range to drop the troops at the base.

[Mike Solli]

Ok guys, there's a reason why we've slowed down our playing recently. My wife and I left for an RV trip (bucket list thing) around Michigan yesterday and won't return home until late next week. Ted and his wife left a few days ago for a couple of weeks touring Europe by train. They're expected back about the same time we return. Anyway, it's taken me days of a few minutes here and there to do the next turn. I got it to Ted a couple of hours ago. I'll post the turn shortly. Spoiler: Let's just say the last turn was less than stellar for the Japanese. Picking up the game cold turkey after 3 years probably wasn't the best way to start a game against (in my opinion) a tough opponent. I'll recover, but the turn wasn't always pleasant.

[Mike Solli]

Well, that might be regarded as a pretty cheese tactic and should be discussed with the opponent. It is 1. taking advantage of "perfect knowledge" at game start about strength and dispositions and 2. a game engine exploit, because a few squads of paras couldn't realistically block all transit through a 45 miles hex (unless maybe if there is a wide river with only one bridge in the entire hex and the paras manage to blow it). The usual house rule to prevent this nonsense is that a para unit must be dropped as a whole unit and cannot be spread over different hexes.

We're VERY limited on our house rules. We're both pretty much anti-play the system players. That's why we've been playing each other for so many years. Very compatible.

Not just that, your opponent has a couple of days to garrison those bases since you have to ship or fly the paratroopers to Indochina and then make sure that you have the air transports with the range to drop the troops at the base.

Correct, Joe. I am using paratroopers. You'll see in the next installment. I landed some on the current turn and have more landings planned for the next turn.

[homer82]

Mike, thanks so much for doing this and your other AAR. You donated a lot of time to your last master class and now another. Looking forward to it.

Have a safe trip and as a displaced (misplaced?) Yooper, when you cross the Mackinac don't forget to, Say Yah to da U.P., eh!

[Mike Solli]

My pleasure homer. I really enjoy all the banter. I learn an amazing amount too. On to my most recent stupidity.

10 Dec 41

The good, bad and ugly. Not much of the first, unfortunately.

Let's start on a good foot. The I-121 sank two tankers, both medium sized, but tankers nevertheless. The I-123 sank the AO Trinity. Surface ships took out a couple of xAPs and an xAK with about a dozen others in various states of disrepair, all around the Philippines.

Edit: Another TK hit a mine at Merak heavily damaging her. No report on her sinking though.

Malaya

I was really pissed in this AO. Over 100 Betties and Nells were set to naval attack and not one managed to fly. The naval search flew and spotted Allied warships all over the place but the bombers called it a day when the sun came up. All those Allied ships did yeoman's work demolishing my invasion TFs, while evading my escorting warships. More on that below.

Ted is using 1 ship TFs to harass my ships. He's doing it very effectively too. So far I've encountered a couple of CLs and several DDs in 1 ship TFs and one TF of Marblehead and 5 DDs. I can also see other 1 ship TFs scattered around. My bombers won't fly and my surface ships are expending their ammo and torpedoes against xAKLs.

In Malaya proper, I'm beginning to make a dent in the Buffalo population with about 16 destroyed so far. I figure that when about 100-120 Buffalos are gone, the RAF will be pretty much gone too. I'm using everything at my disposal to kill off the fighters. He's willing to expend bombers to take out my invasion ships, and doing a decent job of it. He's keeping his bombers away from my fighters, so no bombers have been shot down by my fighters, and only a few from my miserable flak.

On the ground, my troops are still flowing into Malaya from Singora and Kota Bharu. I made a mistake though. I wanted to invade Kuantan and had 3 different TFs that were scheduled to arrive there over this turn and the next 2 turns. Instead of waiting for all of them to arrive and send them in at the same time, I was impatient and sent the first one in today. I make a critical error that I had forgotten about in the past 3 years. I sent in the 6 Tank Regiment by itself (not an issue) but in only 1 ship (big mistake). The RAF got lucky and a Swordfish or Vildebeest got a hit on the ship and had a massive explosion. Down went the 6 Tank Regiment. Really stupid. I've diverted the other 2 TFs to Kota Bharu. I really wanted Kuantan early to set up a fighter base there. Ted is pulling out everything from north and central Malaya toward Singapore, including Kuantan. If he does pull out all the troops from Kuantan, I'll send some troops and AS there. I'm relearning...

Singkawang

Another rough day here. I have an infantry battalion and NG here with the other two infantry battalions of the regiment heading there. Remember that stupid mistake I made with 6 Tank Regiment? I did the same with the two infantry battalions, putting each of them in 2 ships with 2 DMS and a TB as escort. Mauritius caught them and sank them all. Ouch. Anyway, that infantry battalion in Singkawang is now a regiment. Don't worry, the stupidity is not over yet.

On the plus side, Singkawang was liberated pushing out 3 Allied units and destroying a fourth. I've stationed a few torpedo bombers and a chutai of Zeros. Hopefully, the fighters will chip away at the RAF bombers and the TBs will hit something. I'm flying in additional AS. I also have an AS battalion on 3 ships two hexes out with a surface force in Singkawang to protect them. If I can get that AS on the ground successfully, I can dump more fighters there and start to protect that area from enemy bombers.

Philippines

This operation is working better than Malaya, but there have been hiccups here too. I took Laoag and made it into a fighter base. My mistake here was to station a sentai of Nates instead of packing it full of Zeros. Ted launched two full squadrons of P40Es at Laoag. Each one hit separately and shot down 4 Nates for no loss. (4 KIA, 4 WIA) That was stupid. I pulled out the Nates and replaced them with all of Tainan Daitai, 47 Zeros. They're all on 100% CAP. Hopefully, Ted tries it again tomorrow.

On the ground, Laoag, Tuguegarao (conversion) and Bayombong (by paratrooper) are in Japanese hands with significant troops landed at San Fernando. The 11 PA Infantry Division is the only Allied occupant there and is withdrawing. I'm attacking today. I have only 1 infantry regiment, but 2 independent engineer regiments and 3 artillery units along with the 14 Army HQ and support units. The infantry is 90/90 exp/morale, so I have high hopes they will succeed. I've been bombing the PA infantry daily since the war's start so I hope they are disrupted.

Tomorrow, 65 Bde will land at Baler (dot hex to the east of Cabanatuan). In 2 days, I have troops landing at Legaspi and Antimonan with 16 Division landing at Antimonan the day after. My intent is to squeeze the troops into Bataan, which has a max stacking of 45k. Then I'll bomb them into submission over the next couple of months.

Mindanao

More stupidity down here. My grand plan here was to liberate Dumanquilas and Oroquieta to cut off the Allies from the only supply source (all of 20 supply per day) at Zamboanga. The TF headed toward Dumanquilas was caught by Marblehead and 5 DDs. The TF and 146 Regiment just went *poof*. So, I'm abandoning that operation and am sending the remaining TF to land at Digos (SW of Davao). More troops are headed this way and will probably land on the north of the island.

Other Stuff

Despite all the crap that I did above, there was some good stuff that happened. Tomorrow, troops will land at Kavieng with AS and a construction battalion behind them to set up a fighter base (eventually).

The Guam invasion force is 2 days out.

KB is 2 days out from Wake. The invasion fleet is 2 hexes south of Wake just waiting for KB to pummel it.

I finally got the Air and Engine R&D set up. Next on the agenda is to get the ship construction squared away. I have stopped a lot of ship production but now I have to decide how much merchant yards to convert to naval yards.

Here's to hoping that tomorrow goes a little better than today. And maybe my Betties and Nells will actually fly...

[RangerJoe]

If he is using one ship xAKl TFs against you, then use the 1 squad paratroopers against him. Drop one squad on his units in strategic mode . . .

[PaxMondo]

If he is using one ship xAKl TFs against you, then use the 1 squad paratroopers against him. Drop one squad on his units in strategic mode . . .

Nasty tactic that .... but fair if the opponent is using 1 ship SCTF's in combat. 1 ship SCTF's are cool for things like tripwire patrols ...

[Mike Solli]

The one ship TFs are DDs and a couple of CLs. NOT xAK(L)s. I recall that planes often ignore 1 combat ship TFs.

[RangerJoe]

The one ship TFs are DDs and a couple of CLs. NOT xAK(L)s. I recall that planes often ignore 1 combat ship TFs.

Knowing that, I would still drop just 1 paratrooper squad and let the enemy deal with it.

[Mike Solli]

Something I will do is to drop a partial paratrooper unit on a base and not necessarily continue until I drop the whole thing. I won't use the rest of the unit on another hex until I retrieve the dropped fragment. Example. I used 42 transports to drop part of the Yokosuka 3 SNLF on Bayombong (Philippines) and took the base. I will either drop the rest of the unit there or retrieve the unit from there, but I won't drop the rest of the unit somewhere else while it is split.