herbie goes bananas again

[rogueusmc]

I'm enjoyin' both of y'all doin' these AARs.....gives me some insight into his thinkin'. I'm playin' him in scenario 17 I think....maybe 19. Anyway, he says I'm bein' aggressive but won't tell me if that's good or bad....lol

[herbieh]

Well, I almost fell of the chair in shock, a small night bombardment of PM, but 2 of his CAs recieve hits from coastal guns.

Cairns and cooktown, no sign of troops on that recon.
This is good.
The next big op will be to get 2nd division safely to PM and buna, and 38 div to GG and woodlark
I plan to send the cvs about parallel to cairns but way out, cover the troops, and using subs and a fast transport sieze with naval garrison forces cairns and cooktown
Opportunity No1 for a CV on CV battle[:D]

And his LBA will be at arms length to the troops that matter, 2nd division.
Things are beginning to happen.

[herbieh]

Bored

Wobbly reveals in a E mail the clue to what I need for victory, " I got bored, so I sent that bombardment group north"
[:D]
If I can bore him a bit more, well here is hoping.

Not much happening.
IN 10 game days I will have all 10 CVs, and CVLs, gazzillion of ships ect.

South sea detachment loads for pre positioning
The subs are gathering for their transport runs, and the transports will soon arrive.
Nippon prepares for its " thrust, when you dont really thrust" south
(is that coitus interuptus?)

Standby, the war will happen soon.
That , or wobbly might try something really silly.[:'(]

[neuromancer]

ORIGINAL: herbieh
Nippon prepares for its " thrust, when you dont really thrust" south
(is that coitus interuptus?)

Dry humping.
[;)]

[herbieh]

Lesson, never count on what you expect your opponent to do, but on what he is capable of doing.
Wobbly just pulled of the best move I have ever seen.
[:@]
Here was South Seas detachment busily reloading at MUNDA , for heavens sake, and a nice fat base force loading on a seperate little convoy, all covered by Minesweepers, and with Tanaka on react at Shortlands, when in sweeps a CA and DD taskforce.
WHERE IN THE WORLD DID THEY COME FROM[:@][:@][:@]
Carnage
3 APs sunk ( the base force, and all the little escorts

Poo poo poo!

Must say though, impressive act
When all my Elephants from Japan arrive, time to do some squishing in return
Seroiusly, if the idea was to throw a spanner in the works, it paid of in spades, loss of the base force, which was going to Irau, is very serious.

[neuromancer]

AH yes, that is joy. I assume it was probably a Bombardment TF that just happened to show up when you had a bunch of units loading. However, with a major base like that, he might have known that there was a good chance to smack some ships in harbour.

He really was only braving the land based squadrons off the base, as he probably knew that your heavy fleet units and CVs were either not available yet, or simply not around.

I do love it - playing the US - when I sail in a squadron to blast the harbour, and find a bunch of fat ships sitting there loading up. Shootin' fish in a barrel and all that.

Naturally, it is not a move without risk, but hey, that's war.

[herbieh]

Several dozen hari kari's later.....

A quiet turn, everything that flies is on naval search, no sign of the cheeky sod[:@]
2 days until KB forms up.
buggar the plan, I WANT BLOOD!!![:'(]

[neuromancer]

ORIGINAL: herbieh
A quiet turn, everything that flies is on naval search, no sign of the cheeky sod[:@]

Darn those stealth cruisers!

buggar the plan, I WANT BLOOD!!![:'(]

Goad the enemy into rash action, a time honoured stratagem..

[herbieh]

The gates of hell crack open as I finally recieve the ships that I need.
While little continues to happen at the front, I have ordered the 1st steps for the forth coming invasions when you dont invade.
Kota baru is gathering, meanwhile 2 regiments of 2nd division begin loading forPM.
Yokosuka SNLF and attachments begin to load, destination well north of Espirito, where South seas detachment is going to wait for them.
Tankers are loading with fuel.
A fast transport run is loading at PM, destination cairns, very risky, but if it comes off, that flank will be so much safer for 2nd division, and I have a trip wire for a potential CV on CV battle.
Anyway, it will reinforce to wobbly that Im coming, the longer he keeps dug in, the better.
Some action will be good. I am yet to lose a zero, after nearly a month.

[herbieh]

The elephants leave the building, as the 1st Task forces for the "decisive battle" leave Truk.
This 1st attempt at battle will involve the CVs only, I want to preserve the battle wagons for the defensive battles to come.
Down South the fast transport force loiters south of PM, it was spotted that turn, so I expect to be intercepted this turn of Cairns as it goes in.
No sign of any wobbly CVs, which is a worry, or actually any ships, wich is a REAL worry.
Finally though, this war I think is about to warm up.

[herbieh]

2 turns played last night.
The fast transport run swept into cairns, 1CL, 3dds hit mines and are out of the fight, the small number of troops landed, and captured cairns.
Wobbly promptly bombed the hell out of them, they are finished already, but at minimal cost I just got quite a few points, and the PM convoys are now safe from air attack.
This is vital news, as they only need surface cover now, the CVs are freed up to play!
Whats happening?
Every sub I own, well almost all of them , approach cooktown with troops, subs are mine proof in UV, so that will be bloodless.
The Maizuru SNLF will approach the coast of aust as the decoy force, while the main op takes place over near santa cruz
2 regiments are PM bound, another GG bound, another buna, another woodlark.
2 more are slated for lunga
in 3 months time 6 more regiments will be available as reserve, the grand plan is too keep wobbly hunkered down until they arrive, all the time trying to entice him to battle

After the Maizuru fient (covered by the CVs), South sea detachment and Yokosuka SNLF will have a turn at enticing wobbly over near santa cruz
The BBs stay at home.
Wobbly sure went into a shell this game!

[herbieh]

2 days of inaction in this post.
Cairns was pounded, thats it
But the plans are solid
The death star sails, 6CVs, CVl, while CV Juno and the 2 little cvls also sail
A transport with a naval garrison sails, with it 3CAs, and a heap[ of DDs.
Along with another small AP convoy these will be the bait, I plan to land south of Cairns, and make it look like Im going to march down, a few planes maybe into cooktown will add to the picture.
Irau has now a few planes, to increase the threat of doom.
Meanwhile 2nd division, 38 div, and 35th brigade are all headed south, hoping to use all this metal as cover as they settle in
Subs approach cooktown, troops loaded.
Over near Santa cruz, it even looks like lunganville is empty, I will try to sieze it, but not yet.
Anyway, the big boys have sailed.

[herbieh]

As the armadas sail south, trying to keep wobbly guessing.
2dd, 1cl, sitting crippled at PM after hitting all those mines at cairns are sent south, they wont make it to shortlands, and PM is still only size 3. See if they dont get a bite.
Im salviating over all the empty real estate at lunganville, but , one step at a time!
Cairns recieved more bombs last night, the aussie civilians are not impressed!
YANKIE GO HOME

On another note, Admiral Herb has to discipline troops for an unnecessary slaughter at Wau

[neuromancer]

How many turns in was it before you received the full compliment of the 'Death Star'?

[herbieh]

Im at work, but I think it was about 1 month.
This game might be influenced greatly by another game Im playing, very similar cicumstances, my death star has just started to engage his of lunganville, lose that one and I might go into defensive mode very easily here, win it, and hypo aggressive herbie will come out to play.
Little to report, death star and convoys just north of Rabual at the moment, the south sea detachment in place a long way north of espirito, those cripples approach cairns, and sub transported troops are unloading at cooktown.
Im being very tempted to move lots of base forces to PM, and really fortify it.
Must think about it, wobbly loves his B17s, but on the other hand, rabual is useless to me at the moment

[neuromancer]

Hmm, curious as to how long before I could expect it in my game.

So I damage a light carrier and a fleet carrier, only for them to be replaced by 5 more CVs, and 2 CVEs in a week or two. Oh joy.

[herbieh]

Wobbly is definately hiding at noumea and Brisbane.
Im beginning to think about my evil plan[:D]
Ill grab those empty ports after this "dry thrust"[8D], but what I think might happen is I will try to trickle in foces using fast transports, hopefully wobbly will remain in his hole awaiting the great invasion, only to emerge to a considerably tougher path back to the solomons.

CV Juno enters the coral sea, sniffing for trouble, troops at cooktown enter the pub, time to get very wobbly before the bombers at Townsville begin to flatten them[8|]

Where is the enemy?, not a sign of them.
Damn those stealth cruisers!

[herbieh]

Poor wobbly wrote a very sad E mail to me complaining that Ive changed from my last game, wondering where the hypo aggressive herb has gone.
Had to write a long intelligence signal about gathering forces, one big effort, scared of his CVs, Im a coming behind these thunderstorms , all or nothing.All that get into your hole and quake in fear stuff
I sounded very sincere too[:D]
Sorry Wobby, this is war you know.
Have decided to allot some 35 brigade troops to Cooktown, and have begun the trickle of reinforcements to Aussie land.
The big question of course is, how long, and can I keep up the charade?[:'(]
Its fun being Evil
The longer the better, Im building fortress solomons and NG.
Lost yet another AP to sub attack, a few more recon flights to Lunganville, and Wunpunko.
From wobblies sightings I hope he is seeing a stream of ships entering Cairns, the fact that they are useless cripples he isnt to know.
CV Junyo, and Shoho, Zuiho are moving towards an ambush position over the next 2 days

[herbieh]

2 days of posting here
Nothing like a little bit of imperial bushido spirit....[8|]
Poor CL Tatsuta (system damage 70 plus) crawls into Cairns,and over the next 2 days the entire allied airforce pounds away

Only iddie biddie pieces left.[:(]
But wobbly crows about it in the mail, Im sure he thinks that was a fast transport run foiled. Poor ship was lucky to get there at all.
Bad tidings though as a sub claims a DD as well in those waters.
The death star, after a mammoth refuelling at sea, , and her satellite enter the coral sea, announcing to all, come and fight
Hudsons hit an AP unloading the troops for GG
Buna and Dobadura forces arrive safely
Pm forces hold there breath and prepare to turn the corner at GG

So far, so good
Invasion forces (well mock invasion forces ) are near GG as well
The detailed plan is to show some skirt with the death star, then fade it away as Juno trys to play LOOK AT ME, IM THE DEATH STAR, and race the real death star over towards Lunga, as my gut instinct tells me wobbly will try to strike where I aint!

Combined fleet, and base forces will move to PM, IVe decided when the time comes, Im going to fight very hard for the place, pack it with engineers and air support.
If it doesnt hold I know from last time Kokoda track is very viableto retreat up.
Mind you, if the dry thrust works, and I tangle with all his CVs, this is all premature![:D]

[herbieh]

Allied search pilots are blind, Here I am south of GG with half a Navy, and havent been spotted!
The Games brocken I tell you!,brocken![:D]
We all know that the statistical chances, the historical precedents and Blah, blah blah....

Just wish wobbly would spot me, so I can do my fade away
Transports are queing up like taxis at sydney airport north of lunga, awaiting the elephant escort.

cairns continues to take a hammering
I didnt look hard enough, PM troops are unloading, Dry thrust 1st stage is going well!

Much Gloom, 1st Zero, and 1st Val lost today, operational losses.