Aussie Affair, Beta's Twilight

[Luskan]

Overdue, but promised, here they are, the tallies for now. But before I do, we had a quiet turn out in the pacific, with 2 or 3 of Raver's torpedoed transports going down.

Halfway through June, I can say I'm doing better than historically everywhere except Burma, where I should be marauding throught he jungle. Not yet however. My fleet is intact, my air arm is probably the most lethal combination of high morale and really high experience in any jap airforce in the history of my WITP games, so much so I'm using zeroes for second string pilots to train with - my rtainers at Pagan showed the rookies how to shoot down mitchell bombers this turn, wiping 5 of them out without loss over Pagan.

So the format of this sunk ship list is: Allied Losses/Jap Losses

BB 5/0 Smiles all around.
CV 0/0
CVL 1/0
CVE 0/0
AP 20/6
AK 74/9 (this stat rocks)
PC 0/2 Raver is ahead by 2 here!
PG 3/2
ML 3/0
DD 26/15
CA 2/1
CL 2/3 Damnit! Another one where Raver is ahead!
SS 14/39 Yeah well . . .
CLAA 3/0
AV 1/0
MSW 7/6
TK 4/7 That's 4 that Raver is ahead.
AO 3/0
PT 19/0
AS 4/0

Total Allied ships sunk = 186, giving me 2511 points.
Total Jap ships sunk - 90, giving Raver 813 points.

Base points: Allies 3037 Japs 3261 - to win this game I'm going to need to fix this in a hurry. Which is why my engineer armies are runnig round building like crazy, and i'm planning a few choice invasions to put this number over the top.

Planes lost allies: 1168 japs 749. Should be better at this stage of the game.

Air to air allies lost 341 japs lost 251
On the ground: allies lost 394 japs lost 85
Flak allies lost 108 japs lost 244
Op losses allies lost 265 japs lost 169


Army loss points - this is where I've kicked major ass - and I'm hoping to keep my lead until Raver's chinese units hit the front in force:
Allies have lost 7448 army points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Japs have lost 181 army points - most of these in the siege of Singapore.


There it is ladies and gents. I have a couple of little ops and 2 big ones going at the moment, but I won't give them a red or green light until Raver shows his hand.

[Ron Saueracker]

You've both lost an insane number of subs but part of that is attributable to absolutely no operations restrictions on naval units in a naval game.[8|] But 39 Jap subs!? We keep ringing the church bell but the gods will not listen.[:(][8|]

[Ron Saueracker]

ORIGINAL: Luskan

The fact that this game is so enjoyable even though started prior to release is a testament to the quality of the product. Every other game I've had my hands on prior to release (and in some cases, after release) wouldn't have cut it.

Well, I've lost two PBEMs, on June 42 and another August 42. That's two for two. Both post release. One had an LCU lockup in Java and the other my opponent said the map replays were all screwy. In both cases the games are a bust. That's alot of effort for nothing. These should really have been caught in beta but we can't catch everything with a game this size.

How forgiving have you been? That is, there must have been some issues which did not really effect your game but were troublesome nonetheless. In my game with the LCU lockup, I even evacuated the base for my opponent to enter and his units would not move. In that case, the product did not cut it.

[Raverdave]

Well the backroom boys have been using witches and voodoo to read tea-leafs, look at chicken blood and watching for a twoheaded cow to be born, and they are 50% adamant that Luskan and his yellow horde will make a move on India.

Now this really puts my nuts in a vice as I am fully committed to Burma and if Luskan even thinks that I am pulling troops out he will pounce like a cat on a mouse.........which leaves India rather exposed. I have three A class divisions sunning themselves in India and a further rag-tag band of B and C class Divs as well as various Bdes......total strength covering India is around 7 Divisons, and they are thinly spread.

I am now toying with the idea of bringing in troops form other parts of the Pink Empire to help shore things up. Canada has three excellent Bdes sitting on their collective arses doing bugger all, but they are on the other side of the Pacific. New Zealand now has close to six Bdes, but they are at the moment fully committed in the south pacific, which brings me to the Aussies. Oz is now well placed to defend herself and indeed even has a sizable amount of troops in PNG, but there is little interest coming out of Canberra in the plan to send Aussie troops to India, for some reason the Aussie PM is still miffed over the loss of Singapore and the capture of 2 Aussie Bdes. But the Aussies are the closest, so it looks like I am going to have to put on my diplomats hat and start some horse trading.
It is so lonely being at the top.

[Raverdave]

Well considering how many rebuilds Luskan and I have been through....4 or 5 IIRC....I am very happy with the resilience of the game. SUre we b0th see som3 fuNny and str@nge things, as an example there is a IJN sub off the coast (east) of OZ and when I pass the curser over it I am told that it is jap AK[8|].
But that is to be expected going from a beta pre release right through to 1.3. The game is still VERY stable and playable. and even if the sea was red and all of my subs suddenly started sinking to ijn single ship AP TFs I would STILL contiune to play because I can not rest until I have nailed Luskan's yellow skin to the barn door !

[Luskan]

The only real problem issues I have encountered are the retreat paths are a bit screwy, and I inherited an empty squadron of blenheims at the fall of KL (although this was reported and fixed for all other games).

[Onime No Kyo]

So what does happen to those squadrons. Obviouly theyre not reinforced. Do they fly? Do the pilot namwes change to Japanese? Honestly, out of all the bugs, this one has to be the coolest. [:D]

[mucky]

have we seen the last of this AAR? [:(]

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

So what does happen to those squadrons. Obviouly theyre not reinforced. Do they fly? Do the pilot namwes change to Japanese? Honestly, out of all the bugs, this one has to be the coolest. [:D]

Heh. Maybing Goering is with the Jap air force?

"Is there anything I can get for men?"
"Das Spitfeuer!"

[&o]

[Luskan]

This AAR sure isn't over - just that coming up to Xmas is crazy for me as I work in the booze industry in Oz. Makes my life crazy - most days I'm at work at 6.45am and I leave about 6pm - 6.5 days a week. Just physically don't have time to do regular turns atm.

never fear however, my opponents are all standing by for january and the resumption of hostilities.

[Raverdave]

Indeed! There is NO WAY that I would let the bananananana off that easy ! For months and months of testing I have been on the receiving end of his attacks. And now we are in mid' 42 and things are just starting to happen for me.......ships and tanks and aircraft and troops and guns and even butter is going online in vast numbers that it is making my head spin and my generals grin. [;)]

[ColFrost]

Sorry, I just can't let myself say goodbye.

Bump.

[Capt. Harlock]

This AAR sure isn't over - just that coming up to Xmas is crazy for me as I work in the booze industry in Oz. Makes my life crazy - most days I'm at work at 6.45am and I leave about 6pm - 6.5 days a week.

I'm assuming New Year's eve and day are also times of heavy consumption in Oz. My condolences if you don't get a break after Xmas. (Well, at least Hanukkah is over, so the kosher wine lads can take it easy for a bit.)

[Raverdave]

Correct......but don't forget the it is now summer up here, so for the next two months at least Luskan is going to be still rather busy, I am hoping the the rush will easy somewhat by the New Year so that I can finish tattooing his arse.

[Luskan]

I sent off a turn this morning - our first in a week or so.

It is true that I'm still loosing many many planes on the ground in Burma - but they are older models and I've got hundred and hundred and hundreds of them. I have a stupednous A6m2 stockpile that will literally never run out. Even now I've got a6m3s rolling off the production line and I'm desperate to prove that having so many zeros wasn't a waste.

So only a small cap over burma against Raver's hoardes, but he is pushing the range for the p40 and his fighters have to escort his bombers so my fewer planes a bit of an advantage. In the air to air stats I'm a little ahead - way ahead if you count the fact that there are 5 or 6 times as many allied planes as there are japs, but the stats don't look so good after the bastards bomb the airfields. My second string boys are learning to fight, pilot losses are very low, and the experience gains are manifest. Every squadron that converts from nates to any other type of plane at all will see immediate action in Burma as long as these results continue.

I took a gamble 3 turns ago (terrible place to ahve a break in play) and couldn't tell anyone about it because my ships were still well and truly in Raver's Zone of Control. I launched a little-big probe in force with lots of cvs and firepower just to see if Raver was staging an offensive on a certain part of the map - a part that I happen to know is an excellent jump off point for allied offensives. Nothing there -literally nothing. Nobody was spotted on either side (not sure if Raver's boys were even looking - mine were!) and my ships retired more thana little disappointed.

As for India. Well the broth is spoilt as Raver not only knew I was plotting something a little laterin the game than usual for a jap palyer to be plotting (in order to more thoroughly catch him off guard), but he has obviously expected me to try it since the start of the game. More than a little depressing as I get cold feet and change my mind about it 6 times a turn.

[Strv103C]

ORIGINAL: Raverdave

Correct......but don't forget the it is now summer up here, so for the next two months at least Luskan is going to be still rather busy, I am hoping the the rush will easy somewhat by the New Year so that I can finish tattooing his arse.

I hope he makes good stuff so you can have a nice x-mas "up there"...[8D]

[Raverdave]

Yes all of the intel pointed to the fact that Luskan was going to try somefink in India.....he had a mass of troops that he was going to use in Burma to tie me down then after i had sent reinforcements he was going to hit me in India. The timing is just not on Luskan's side as my intel showed a huge mass of troops sitting in Singapore all dressed up and no where to go, so that kinda let the cat out of the bag, plus I am also an avid reader of the PZB/Wobbly AAR so I was looking real hard so any simular trick from the Bananananananana boy. My air power in Burma is now growing to the point where I can start to really hurt him.....the wellingtons are suprisingly good with a decent CAP.........and regardless of his claims that he has hundereds and hundreds of them I am more than happy to blow the crap out of them on the ground. But that than try and shoot them down while they are bombing me !

Major offensives in the Pacific are still in the planning stages with stores and rtroops being built up. Looks like Luskan is not looking in the right area[;)]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 06/22/42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Rangoon , at 29,34

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10

Allied aircraft
Wellington III x 47
P-40B Tomahawk x 40

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 22 destroyed, 8 damaged
Ki-15 Babs: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 21 destroyed, 22 damaged
Ki-46-II Dinah: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
P-40B Tomahawk: 8 destroyed, 3 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
42 casualties reported

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 29

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
6 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
6 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
9 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
3 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
2 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
2 x Wellington III bombing at 6000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Pagan , at 31,31

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10

Allied aircraft
Hurricane II x 28

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane II: 1 damaged

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Pagan , at 31,31

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 27

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 1 damaged

Airbase hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
27 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 16000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 12th AA Regiment, at 45,25


Allied aircraft
I-16c x 16
SB-2c x 6


Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 3 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
29 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x I-16c bombing at 2000 feet
3 x SB-2c bombing at 6000 feet
3 x SB-2c bombing at 6000 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 26th Division, at 45,25


Allied aircraft
I-16c x 2
SB-2c x 6


Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
4 casualties reported

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x SB-2c bombing at 6000 feet
2 x I-16c bombing at 2000 feet
3 x SB-2c bombing at 6000 feet

[Capt. Harlock]

It is true that I'm still loosing many many planes on the ground in Burma - but they are older models and I've got hundred and hundred and hundreds of them. I have a stupednous A6m2 stockpile that will literally never run out.

Granted that you have the planes to spare, isn't Raver still racking up points when he destroys planes? (True, blowing them up on the ground doesn't hurt your pool of pilots so much.)

[Raverdave]

I could care less if they are destroyed on the ground or the air....the fact remains that if they are destroyed then they can't fly and therefore hurt me.
That Luskan is crazy

[Raverdave]

Well for those of you who have been with us from the start, I've up loaded a strategic map of where Luskan's evil empire has so far spread. As you can see he has made little effort in the south west pacific.
Intel thinks this is mainly due to the fact that he was planning to use the bulk of his forces hitting India, however the time for such a move has now slipped him by and I have taken the time to build PM to a size 9 fort with some 3000 mines and 3 plus class A divisions. Luskan's indecision has now cost him dearly, maybe even the war.
My carriers are slipping their hawsers even as I type, having been through their re-fits.......in the next two months I expect the focus of this war to shift from Burma to PNG as I start to make myself felt......Luskan will have to respond, but on my timetable and at the place of my choice.