Retrograde movement required

[Greyshaft]

Its September '42 playing as the Japanese. I'm winning 8/0 in CV and 9/0 in BB and have taken everything between Dacca and Townsville. I built up 8 Div in Calcutta but still hadn't taken the port so I scraped the barrel to round up another 4 Div and sent them in over the beaches. No dice... the Brits still held the Port.

Time to pull my head in I think and then I realise I don't know how to retreat . They are all way less than 50 readiness so even though I have exclusive control of an adjacent city (Dacca) I can't march my boys out of there overland. Do I have to do evacuation TF for all 2,500+ squads?

[LargeSlowTarget]

Pile in as much supply as you can at Dacca and Calcutta in order to raise readiness and then either retreat or give it another try to capture Calcutta. Aslo throw in everything including the kitchen sink support-wise, i.e. numerous bombardment TFs, carrier strikes, LBA bombing ground units.

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget

Pile in as much supply as you can at Dacca and Calcutta in order to raise readiness and then either retreat or give it another try to capture Calcutta. Aslo throw in everything including the kitchen sink support-wise, i.e. numerous bombardment TFs, carrier strikes, LBA bombing ground units.

6 CVE/CVL plus 8 BB are giving maximum support from Columbo and have a couple of hundred transports shuttling upplies from Singapore/Saigon/ Medan... heck anywhere they can load up but its still not getting supply above 35.

So how do you retreat troops that are under 50 readiness ?

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft

6 CVE/CVL plus 8 BB are giving maximum support from Columbo and have a couple of hundred transports shuttling upplies from Singapore/Saigon/ Medan... heck anywhere they can load up but its still not getting supply above 35.

So how do you retreat troops that are under 50 readiness ?

Well, in worst case enemy will cause them to retreat [:D]
But I think it should be possible to load them to ships even when under 50 readiness.

Cheers,

M.S.

[Poopyhead]

Have the TF's that landed them return with lots of supplies and remain on station. The next turn you should be able to sealift them out and return to port. Strategically, don't chase all the defenders into one base. Next game, invade Dacca early and split the Allied forces in two.

Meanwhile:

Each LCU, TF and airforce base has a higher HQ. Set the objective of these HQs to Calcutta. It's best if the airforce bases have one HQ, the Bombardment TFs a different HQ, same for the Carriers, and the invasion TF's should have one or more different HQs. This spreads the burden of resource allocation around so that your units attack best and focuses your resources on the objective at hand. (If you move the invasion TF HQ's and the LCU's HQ to bases close by, say on Andaman Island and Ceylon, this also helps.)

Of course, the airforce bases should have commanders with high air command ability scores, the surface TFs good surface ability and the invasion TFs high land ablility.

Have aircraft from every nearby base bomb day and night. Find the right size for a TF that is bombarding and make several of them (if you expect no surface engagement, then one or two BB/CA's are enough for each TF). Striking many blows is better than one big one.

Your LCUs should have lots of experience and max readiness. Split them up into several TF's and each invasion TF should have several thousand supply points, too.

I can only show you the door, you must smash it off its hinges.[;)]

[Capt. Harlock]

If there is a land march path to a friendly base, it should be possible to raise your readiness above 50. Possibly you simply have too many LCU's for the supplies that are flowing. I recommend you sealift out the most vulnerable units, that is, the ones least entrenched and with the lowest experience. The remaining units should then improve their readiness to above 50.

Possible alternate approach: withdraw enough troops so that the Brits have a 4:1 advantage. This will generally cause them to attack. If you provide air and naval support, the Brits should take huge losses, allowing you to rack up victory points and maybe even weaken them enough to seize Calcutta.

[Greyshaft]

Thanks guys... I will try the multiple TF bombardment and the other suggestions

[LargeSlowTarget]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft
6 CVE/CVL plus 8 BB are giving maximum support from Columbo

So where is KB, Junyo etc., the other four BBs, the cruisers? Throw-in the entire Combined Fleet including the 18-knot-CLs in several medium-sized bombardment-TFs - if I say 'and the kitchen sink' I mean it [:)]. It's an 'all or nothing' situation!

If you want to evacuate, assemble several evacuation-TFs with ample AP capacity and send them to Calcutta, or sent a transport-TF with enough APs, set them to 'do not retire' and load the troops manually.

Good luck.

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget
So where is KB...

Working out of Rabaul and Espiritu Santo with raids on Fiji, Canton Is. etc. to keep the USB at bay. Bagging quite a few DD, AP and MCS plus the occasional CA/CL

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget
the other four BBs,

Two with KB... Musashi sailing from Japan to Dacca as a reinforcement... hmmm I'll check for the other one


I'll get the APs together and do a 'Sir Robin' to regroup for another assault on Calcutta in early '43

[LargeSlowTarget]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft
Working out of Rabaul and Espiritu Santo with raids on Fiji, Canton Is. etc. to keep the USB at bay. Bagging quite a few DD, AP and MCS plus the occasional CA/CL

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft
I'm winning 8/0 in CV and 9/0 in BB

With this lead I think it would be save to leave the Pacific Ocean to Betty for a while and concentrate KB off Calcutta.

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft
Two with KB... Musashi sailing from Japan to Dacca as a reinforcement... hmmm I'll check for the other one

Pull the BBs out of KB, their AA values are not that good anyway but their big guns may score against the Poms.

'Sir Robin'? I can guess the meaning, but could you please explain the origin of this term?

[Capt. Harlock]

'Sir Robin'? I can guess the meaning, but could you please explain the origin of this term?

It comes from a sequence in the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". On of the knights, Sir Robin, is accombanied by several troubadors on his quest. The knight encounters a three-headed giant, as the troubadors sing that Sir Robin is brave and stands firm in spite of the potential harm, which they describe in daunting detail. The giant's heads start to argue over exactly what they should do to Sir Robin, who takes advantage of their distraction to scamper away, accompanied by the troubadors, who change their tune to "Sir Robin is running away, away..."

[Greyshaft]

[trumpets]
NARRATOR: The Tale of Sir Robin. So, each of the knights went their separate ways. Sir Robin rode north, through the dark forest of Ewing, accompanied by his favourite minstrels.
MINSTREL: [singing] Bravely bold Sir Robin rode forth from Camelot.
He was not afraid to die, O brave Sir Robin.
He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways,
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin!

He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp,
Or to have his eyes gouged out and his elbows broken,
To have his kneecaps split and his body burned away
And his limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Sir Robin!

His head smashed in and his heart cut out
And his liver removed and his bowels unplugged
And his nostrils raped and his bottom burned off
And his pen--

SIR ROBIN: That's-- that's, uh-- that's enough music for now, lads. Heh. Looks like there's dirty work afoot.
DENNIS: Anarcho-syndicalism is a way of preserving freedom.
WOMAN: Oh, Dennis, forget about freedom. We haven't got enough mud.
ALL HEADS: Halt! Who art thou?
MINSTREL: [singing] He is brave Sir Robin, brave Sir Robin, who--
ROBIN: Shut up! Um, n-- n-- n-- nobody, really. I'm j-- j-- j-- ju-- just, um-- just passing through.
ALL HEADS: What do you want?
MINSTREL: [singing] To fight and--
ROBIN: Shut up! Um, oo, a-- nothing. Nothing, really. I, uh-- j-- j-- just-- just to, um-- just to p-- pass through, good Sir Knight.
ALL HEADS: I'm afraid not!
ROBIN: Ah. W-- well, actually I-- I am a Knight of the Round Table.
ALL HEADS: You're a Knight of the Round Table?
ROBIN: I am.
LEFT HEAD: In that case, I shall have to kill you.
MIDDLE HEAD: Shall I?
RIGHT HEAD: Oh, I don't think so.
MIDDLE HEAD: Well, what do I think?
LEFT HEAD: I think kill him.
RIGHT HEAD: Oh, let's be nice to him.
LEFT HEAD: Oh, shut up.
ROBIN: Perhaps I could--
LEFT HEAD: And you. Oh, quick! Get the sword out. I want to cut his head off!
RIGHT HEAD: Oh, cut your own head off!
MIDDLE HEAD: Yes, do us all a favour!
LEFT HEAD: What?
RIGHT HEAD: Yapping on all the time.
MIDDLE HEAD: You're lucky. You're not next to him.
LEFT HEAD: What do you mean?
MIDDLE HEAD: You snore!
LEFT HEAD: Oh, I don't. Anyway, you've got bad breath.
MIDDLE HEAD: Well, it's only because you don't brush my teeth.
RIGHT HEAD: Oh, stop bitching and let's go have tea.
LEFT HEAD: Oh, all right. All right. All right. We'll kill him first and then have tea and biscuits.
MIDDLE HEAD: Yes.
RIGHT HEAD: Oh, not biscuits.
LEFT HEAD: All right. All right, not biscuits, but let's kill him anyway.
ALL HEADS: Right!
MIDDLE HEAD: He buggered off.
RIGHT HEAD: So he has. He's scarpered.
MINSTREL: [singing] Brave Sir Robin ran away,
ROBIN: No!
MINSTREL: [singing] Bravely ran away, away.
ROBIN: I didn't!
MINSTREL: [singing] When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled.
ROBIN: No!
MINSTREL: [singing] Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
ROBIN: I didn't!
MINSTREL: [singing] And gallantly, he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet,
ROBIN: I never did!
MINSTREL: [singing] He beat a very brave retreat,
ROBIN: All lies!
MINSTREL: [singing] Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin.
ROBIN: I never!

[LargeSlowTarget]

Ah, I see. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't link it. i know this film of course but only in the German translation [:(]. The scene with the witch is very funny, and so are the Frenchies at the castle - 'Verpisst euch, ihr schwulen Engländer' [;)][:D].

[Poopyhead]

Nun fuer etwas total anders.
(Now for something completely different.)

[Greyshaft]

I've successfully evacuated 6 XX so far in two turns. The only excitement was a British attack after the first evacuation but they lost 200+ squads and I lost 20 so it didn't really change my plans. I also sunk another British battleship (Ramilles class) in a port attack so that makes it 10-zip.

The missing Japanese BB turned up in my bombardment group. I miscounted.

[deVada]

As for disappearing ships - it might sometimes happen in PBEM game if someone is using floppies to transfer files. Anyway, I know a way to see and eventually restore to action all Japanese sunk ships, so contact me in such cases. Same as task forces stuck in Auckland area.

[;)]

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: deVada
As for disappearing ships - it might sometimes happen in PBEM game if someone is using floppies to transfer files. Anyway, I know a way to see and eventually restore to action all Japanese sunk ships, so contact me in such cases. Same as task forces stuck in Auckland area.

[;)]

Thanks, but the "missing" ship was just a result of my miscounting.

I've now got all of India, all but three locations in China, taken Darwin but still am nowhere near getting 2:1 in points. What do you have to take to win this game???

[LargeSlowTarget]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft
What do you have to take to win this game???

Take Frisco [:D].

I've managed to win the war for the Japanese only once, by taking India, Aussieland, Pearl and finally San Franciso in late 1943, before the Essex class CVs arrive in large numbers. But most od the time I played the Allies, so there might be another way for the Empire. Maybe you must use the dark side of the force [;)].

[Poopyhead]

Los Angeles.
LA has lots of victory points because of its industry. I've tried invading Alaska and I took everything down to Frisco, but it is not enough. Send your entire fleet and the best of your army to Midway. From Midway, move out and remain on station outside of the range of any aircraft from the west coast. The next turn, resupply at sea, and then do to LA what you did to Calcutta. It is a tough fight, to say the least.
Or you can wait in port and hope to save up enough oil to get a bonus on your Victory Point total, but this is not the way of the warrior>[:D]

[Capt. Harlock]

Or you can wait in port and hope to save up enough oil to get a bonus on your Victory Point total, but this is not the way of the warrior

That's a long wait: in Version 3.2, the Kill Point Multiplier doesn't kick in until 1946. IMHO, this is a major mistake. The multiplier used to provide a way for the Japanese to win the game, now it's only a way to prolong the agony.