Well, on December 1 PzB decided not to trust his Army air corps any longer to take care of those transports that I sent into Tjilitjap and sent in a surface force and a carrier force to hammer my ships. My P-38s still accounted for themselves quite well:
Day Air attack on Tjilitjap, at 19, 62
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27
A6M3 Zero x 18
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1
Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 7
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed, 1 damaged
A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 1 destroyed
But PzB eventually overwhelmed my "small brave band" and his naval attack craft were able to get in, followed by his surface force. But the airfields and support at Tjilitjap are now repaired - I have a lot of engineers there - and so I sent in some of my skilled B-25s for some skip-bombing practice. Maybe I can surprise PzB again…
Elsewhere, PzB is putting more planes into his key bases, but I am getting through in some cases:
Day Air attack on Kendari, at 33, 71
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
A6M3 Zero x 20
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 7
Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 5
B-17E Fortress x 42
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 2 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
F-5A Lightning: 1 destroyed
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 5 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
5 casualties reported
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 8
And:
Day Air attack on Wotje, at 82, 79
Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 3
B-24D Liberator x 36
Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 1 damaged
Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 1
(Wotje is worth hitting regularly since it is a level 4 airfield.)
Day Air attack on Rabaul, at 61, 88
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 19
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 47
Ki-61 KAIc Tony x 21
Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 32
B-17E Fortress x 35
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 3 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-61 KAIc Tony: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
P-38G Lightning: 19 destroyed
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
Again, the P-38 losses weren't as bad as the report says. And soon I'll be able to get more fighters to reach Rabaul. I also hit a number of other bases.
PzB tried a shock attack at Colombo - those Brits keep on sticking it to him in return:
Ground combat at Colombo
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 69174 troops, 397 guns, 3 vehicles
Defending force 20114 troops, 91 guns, 1 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 1
Japanese ground losses:
1463 casualties reported
Guns lost 16
Vehicles lost 1
Allied ground losses:
938 casualties reported
Guns lost 10
I presume that PzB will go back to bombardments again while he recovers from this attack.
Elsewhere, my carrier planes made their presence known in the southern Marshalls. PzB has already moved a lot of bombers and fighters into Kwajalein - I wonder if he will move in more?
Dave Baranyi
Canuck's Revenge - ADavidB vs PzB (Wobbly's game continued)
Moderators: wdolson, Don Bowen, mogami
RE: P-38s...
The P-38s did their jobs again on December 2, but the Mitchells behaved unexpectedly. First off, PzB sent a bombardment TF into Tjilitjap which killed some troops but did no other damage. Then came an attempt at a sweep I guess:
Day Air attack on Tjilitjap , at 19,62
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
A6M3 Zero x 17
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1
Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 3
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 damaged
The finally some of the Mitchells took off against naval targets, but instead of skip bombing they strafed the ships. The average experience was in the 80s for the pilots - does skip bombing only turn on later in the game?
In any event, I am running out of supply at Tjilitjap so I decided to pull all the planes back to Oz because the experiment, while not a total disappointment thanks to the performance of the P-38s, certainly wasn't as successful as I had hoped.
Also, PzB has a combat TF heading S/E from Kendari. PzB holds all of Timor again, so there is no need to go there. Is he planning to check out the state of things at Tenimbar, is he thinking of forcing the gap between Oz and PNG, or is he going to try to bombard Darwin in order to try to knock out some of my heavy bombers? In any event, I've assembled my own combat force at Darwin - PzB rarely gives me any clean shots at his ships and I would love to get one now.
Speaking of bombers, while my attacks that were aimed at Kendari were rained out, my attack on Kwajalein worked out nicely, thanks to PzB pulling out some of his fighters at the wrong time:
Day Air attack on Kwajalein , at 79,79
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 24
Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 4
B-17E Fortress x 47
B-24D Liberator x 41
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 3 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
19 casualties reported
Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 7
PzB has now shoved a bunch of fighters back in to Kwajalein, so I'm resting my Tawara-based bombers this turn while trying to send off an even bigger strike at Kendari for next turn.
My other air attacks this turn went off as planned and I'm resting more planes this turn.
On the ground, PzB finally realized that I had pulled most of my troops out of Dili and so he attacked and captured the stragglers. PzB also attempted another shock attack on Colombo but forgot to set his engineers to join the attack:
Ground combat at Colombo
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 67313 troops, 373 guns, 2 vehicles
Defending force 19420 troops, 81 guns, 1 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese ground losses:
490 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Allied ground losses:
700 casualties reported
Guns lost 7
Never-the-less, even with two shock attacks going 0 to 1 in a row, PzB is still steadily whittling down my troops. It's only a matter of days for the Brave Brits.
Otherwise, the rest of my plans are proceding along. BTW - I was checking upcoming "events" and sure enough, I get another three CVEs (with planes) in less than two weeks. So as planned, by January 1943 I will be in a very nice position.
Dave Baranyi
Day Air attack on Tjilitjap , at 19,62
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
A6M3 Zero x 17
Ki-46-II Dinah x 1
Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 3
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-46-II Dinah: 1 damaged
The finally some of the Mitchells took off against naval targets, but instead of skip bombing they strafed the ships. The average experience was in the 80s for the pilots - does skip bombing only turn on later in the game?
In any event, I am running out of supply at Tjilitjap so I decided to pull all the planes back to Oz because the experiment, while not a total disappointment thanks to the performance of the P-38s, certainly wasn't as successful as I had hoped.
Also, PzB has a combat TF heading S/E from Kendari. PzB holds all of Timor again, so there is no need to go there. Is he planning to check out the state of things at Tenimbar, is he thinking of forcing the gap between Oz and PNG, or is he going to try to bombard Darwin in order to try to knock out some of my heavy bombers? In any event, I've assembled my own combat force at Darwin - PzB rarely gives me any clean shots at his ships and I would love to get one now.
Speaking of bombers, while my attacks that were aimed at Kendari were rained out, my attack on Kwajalein worked out nicely, thanks to PzB pulling out some of his fighters at the wrong time:
Day Air attack on Kwajalein , at 79,79
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 24
Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 4
B-17E Fortress x 47
B-24D Liberator x 41
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 3 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
Japanese ground losses:
19 casualties reported
Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 7
PzB has now shoved a bunch of fighters back in to Kwajalein, so I'm resting my Tawara-based bombers this turn while trying to send off an even bigger strike at Kendari for next turn.
My other air attacks this turn went off as planned and I'm resting more planes this turn.
On the ground, PzB finally realized that I had pulled most of my troops out of Dili and so he attacked and captured the stragglers. PzB also attempted another shock attack on Colombo but forgot to set his engineers to join the attack:
Ground combat at Colombo
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 67313 troops, 373 guns, 2 vehicles
Defending force 19420 troops, 81 guns, 1 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 0 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese ground losses:
490 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
Allied ground losses:
700 casualties reported
Guns lost 7
Never-the-less, even with two shock attacks going 0 to 1 in a row, PzB is still steadily whittling down my troops. It's only a matter of days for the Brave Brits.
Otherwise, the rest of my plans are proceding along. BTW - I was checking upcoming "events" and sure enough, I get another three CVEs (with planes) in less than two weeks. So as planned, by January 1943 I will be in a very nice position.
Dave Baranyi
RE: P-38s...
ORIGINAL: ADavidB
Otherwise, the rest of my plans are proceding along. BTW - I was checking upcoming "events" and sure enough, I get another three CVEs (with planes) in less than two weeks. So as planned, by January 1943 I will be in a very nice position.
Dave Baranyi
You sure those aren't VR squadrons?
Surface combat TF fanboy
RE: P-38s...
ORIGINAL: String
ORIGINAL: ADavidB
Otherwise, the rest of my plans are proceding along. BTW - I was checking upcoming "events" and sure enough, I get another three CVEs (with planes) in less than two weeks. So as planned, by January 1943 I will be in a very nice position.
Dave Baranyi
You sure those aren't VR squadrons?
You gave me a real fright for a moment there...but I checked and, thank goodness, they are VF and VT squadrons. [&o]
Thanks -
Dave Baranyi
RE: P-38s...
The finally some of the Mitchells took off against naval targets, but instead of skip bombing they strafed the ships. The average experience was in the 80s for the pilots - does skip bombing only turn on later in the game?
I have been able to do it early in the game (first half of 1942), at least in version 1.40. I haven't tried it in 1.50. i think it took a couple of tries for the pilots to get the idea (but i don't recall where they just strafed and didn't bomb - my problem was getting them to attack at all). Of course, it's only effective against thin-skinned vessels...
RE: P-38s...
ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
The finally some of the Mitchells took off against naval targets, but instead of skip bombing they strafed the ships. The average experience was in the 80s for the pilots - does skip bombing only turn on later in the game?
I have been able to do it early in the game (first half of 1942), at least in version 1.40. I haven't tried it in 1.50. i think it took a couple of tries for the pilots to get the idea (but i don't recall where they just strafed and didn't bomb - my problem was getting them to attack at all). Of course, it's only effective against thin-skinned vessels...
Okay, maybe I'll try again later with them. But I didn't want to let them get stuck in Java with no supply.
Thanks -
Dave
RE: P-38s...
PzB was commenting in his email that there wasn't much air activity on December 3. Well, that's not too surprising from my p.o.v. - after all, I "used up" most of my luck for the turn with the following sub attack:
Sub attack at 62, 84
Japanese Ships
AP Haruna Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Nichiran Maru
AP Daigen Maru
MSW Takashima Maru
MSW Shonan Maru #8
MSW Noshiro Maru #2
APD APD-34
Actually, I had about half of my air units in "stand down" mode except for the heavy bombers in Darwin that didn't take off. So for this turn I've actually stood down more of them, other than some local attacks that I am using to check out "conditions" nearby.
PzB didn't do much in Java so I was able to pull out more of the P-38s and B-25s that were left there. The boys in Java are on their own for now - I'm going to focus in the Pacific. PzB also sent his "mini-KB" out to the southwest from Java - I presume that he is hunting for other transports. I am going to send a few more transport up into the Indian Ocean to try to pick up some stragglers as well as keep PzB occupied chasing lone AKs. I want to split his forces as much as I can and AKs are an inexpensive way to do that. And if PzB gets tired of this then I will pull out the stragglers and I win either way.
The rest of my build up continues. Things are going well, except for some stubborn ships that refuse to repair down from 4 or 5 and upgrade. I presume that they will eventually, although it is certainly one of the design decisions that leaves me the most baffled as to the rationale behind it.
Dave Baranyi
Sub attack at 62, 84
Japanese Ships
AP Haruna Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Nichiran Maru
AP Daigen Maru
MSW Takashima Maru
MSW Shonan Maru #8
MSW Noshiro Maru #2
APD APD-34
Actually, I had about half of my air units in "stand down" mode except for the heavy bombers in Darwin that didn't take off. So for this turn I've actually stood down more of them, other than some local attacks that I am using to check out "conditions" nearby.
PzB didn't do much in Java so I was able to pull out more of the P-38s and B-25s that were left there. The boys in Java are on their own for now - I'm going to focus in the Pacific. PzB also sent his "mini-KB" out to the southwest from Java - I presume that he is hunting for other transports. I am going to send a few more transport up into the Indian Ocean to try to pick up some stragglers as well as keep PzB occupied chasing lone AKs. I want to split his forces as much as I can and AKs are an inexpensive way to do that. And if PzB gets tired of this then I will pull out the stragglers and I win either way.
The rest of my build up continues. Things are going well, except for some stubborn ships that refuse to repair down from 4 or 5 and upgrade. I presume that they will eventually, although it is certainly one of the design decisions that leaves me the most baffled as to the rationale behind it.
Dave Baranyi
RE: P-38s...
Another of my subs had a "miracle" on December 4:
Sub attack at 67, 44
Japanese Ships
DD Shirayuki, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
PC Shonan Maru #17
PC Shonan Maru #6
PC Shonan Maru #2
PC Shonan Maru #1
DD Naganami
Allied Ships
SS Wahoo
However, the miracles ran out for the Brits at Colombo:
Ground combat at Colombo
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 65929 troops, 383 guns, 2 vehicles
Defending force 18844 troops, 78 guns, 3 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0
Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Colombo base!!!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 6 destroyed
Catalina I: 1 destroyed
Japanese ground losses:
490 casualties reported
Guns lost 8
Allied ground losses:
26761 casualties reported
Guns lost 71
PzB also grabbed another base in Java:
Ground combat at Djokjakarta
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 73597 troops, 788 guns, 138 vehicles
Defending force 6892 troops, 71 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2
Japanese assault odds: 11 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Djokjakarta base!!!
Japanese ground losses:
213 casualties reported
Guns lost 7
Vehicles lost 1
Allied ground losses:
361 casualties reported
Guns lost 20
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
So I'm down to two bases in Java, with a lot of troops but little supply. The boys are still hitting back as best as possible:
Naval bombardment of Tjilitjap, at 19, 62 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
No Allied losses
33 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Ushio
DD Fubuki
DD Shiranuhi
DD Yukikaze
CA Kako, Shell hits 3
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba, Shell hits 6
CA Suzuya
BB Fuso
BB Mutsu, Shell hits 4
BB Haruna
Allied ground losses:
262 casualties reported
Guns lost 5
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 12
Port hits 5
Port supply hits 8
I was also able to get more of the planes out of Tjilitjap.
Otherwise I continued to organize my forces for 1943 and did some minor air attacks in order to "feel out" PzB's defences. I also took the trouble to switch my remaining "Southeast Asia" air units to other HQs. I don't want to take the chance that they will suddenly "disappear". Oddly enough, those bases that remain under Southeast Asia control can't be changed over to other HQs. Ground units can be changed, but although I have lots of political points I don't want to use them up right now - I always have the need to switch task force and air unit leaders. (Warrant Offices and Question Marks still show up regularly.)
In the only other "news" - the ships that refuse to repair continue to refuse to repair.
Dave Baranyi
Sub attack at 67, 44
Japanese Ships
DD Shirayuki, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
PC Shonan Maru #17
PC Shonan Maru #6
PC Shonan Maru #2
PC Shonan Maru #1
DD Naganami
Allied Ships
SS Wahoo
However, the miracles ran out for the Brits at Colombo:
Ground combat at Colombo
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 65929 troops, 383 guns, 2 vehicles
Defending force 18844 troops, 78 guns, 3 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 0
Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Colombo base!!!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
Wellington III: 6 destroyed
Catalina I: 1 destroyed
Japanese ground losses:
490 casualties reported
Guns lost 8
Allied ground losses:
26761 casualties reported
Guns lost 71
PzB also grabbed another base in Java:
Ground combat at Djokjakarta
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 73597 troops, 788 guns, 138 vehicles
Defending force 6892 troops, 71 guns, 0 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 2
Japanese assault odds: 11 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Djokjakarta base!!!
Japanese ground losses:
213 casualties reported
Guns lost 7
Vehicles lost 1
Allied ground losses:
361 casualties reported
Guns lost 20
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
So I'm down to two bases in Java, with a lot of troops but little supply. The boys are still hitting back as best as possible:
Naval bombardment of Tjilitjap, at 19, 62 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
No Allied losses
33 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.
Japanese Ships
DD Ushio
DD Fubuki
DD Shiranuhi
DD Yukikaze
CA Kako, Shell hits 3
CA Kinugasa
CA Aoba, Shell hits 6
CA Suzuya
BB Fuso
BB Mutsu, Shell hits 4
BB Haruna
Allied ground losses:
262 casualties reported
Guns lost 5
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 12
Port hits 5
Port supply hits 8
I was also able to get more of the planes out of Tjilitjap.
Otherwise I continued to organize my forces for 1943 and did some minor air attacks in order to "feel out" PzB's defences. I also took the trouble to switch my remaining "Southeast Asia" air units to other HQs. I don't want to take the chance that they will suddenly "disappear". Oddly enough, those bases that remain under Southeast Asia control can't be changed over to other HQs. Ground units can be changed, but although I have lots of political points I don't want to use them up right now - I always have the need to switch task force and air unit leaders. (Warrant Offices and Question Marks still show up regularly.)
In the only other "news" - the ships that refuse to repair continue to refuse to repair.
Dave Baranyi
RE: P-38s...
PzB is getting quite excited as he comes up on the first game-anniversary of this match. He still wants to try to hit the "Magic 4:1" ratio for January 1. That will likely depend upon how long my troops can hold out in Java. I've now been fighting "behind the eight ball" for five game-months now and I would like to think that I might be able to stop PzB's "Japanese Juggernaut" in time, but I'm not betting on it.
In any event, December 5, 1942 was pretty quiet. I am resting up and building up my forces in all fronts. I was able to pull back the remainders of my P-38s and Mitchells out of Java so I'm happy about that. At times like this "small victories" are as satisfying as any.
My "Miracle for the Day" this turn was the long, long, long awaited upgrade of my final fleet carrier. I have it now sailing off to get back to business. Now the last of the outstanding upgrades - a 20 knot BB - is sitting in port at sysdam 5. I wonder how long it will take to go to "3" and finally upgrade? In addition, I still have that 20 knot BB with a sysdam of 13 and with a missing radar set that won't repair either. I'm beginning to think that if I go off to some US Naval Base "here and now" I may still find that BB under repair and without a radar set 60+ years later…
I also have two fast BBs that require upgrade, but they both have around 30 sysdam so they won't be doing anything for a long, long time.
Dave Baranyi
In any event, December 5, 1942 was pretty quiet. I am resting up and building up my forces in all fronts. I was able to pull back the remainders of my P-38s and Mitchells out of Java so I'm happy about that. At times like this "small victories" are as satisfying as any.
My "Miracle for the Day" this turn was the long, long, long awaited upgrade of my final fleet carrier. I have it now sailing off to get back to business. Now the last of the outstanding upgrades - a 20 knot BB - is sitting in port at sysdam 5. I wonder how long it will take to go to "3" and finally upgrade? In addition, I still have that 20 knot BB with a sysdam of 13 and with a missing radar set that won't repair either. I'm beginning to think that if I go off to some US Naval Base "here and now" I may still find that BB under repair and without a radar set 60+ years later…
I also have two fast BBs that require upgrade, but they both have around 30 sysdam so they won't be doing anything for a long, long time.
Dave Baranyi
Leaders
As I mentioned a couple of game days ago I have been experiementing with switching units that are still attached to "Southeast Asia" over to other HQs. I've also been switching leaders around again. Well, on December 6 I seem to have gotten some benefit from one or both of those actions as a Chinese fighter group suddenly decided to go out and defend some Chinese troops in Burma:
Day Air attack on 28th Chinese Division, at 32,31
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
Allied aircraft
I-16c x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 6 destroyed
Even though PzB says that those Zero pilots were rookies and down low, I'm still astounded at the results. I had switched the HQ in Mandalay over to "China" and the leader of those I-16cs to the best Chinese air leader around.
Otherwise, the turn was fairly quiet as both of us did the usual air bombardments.
But I did start my moves by giving orders to drop paratroops in PNG...
Dave Baranyi
Day Air attack on 28th Chinese Division, at 32,31
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
Allied aircraft
I-16c x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 6 destroyed
Even though PzB says that those Zero pilots were rookies and down low, I'm still astounded at the results. I had switched the HQ in Mandalay over to "China" and the leader of those I-16cs to the best Chinese air leader around.
Otherwise, the turn was fairly quiet as both of us did the usual air bombardments.
But I did start my moves by giving orders to drop paratroops in PNG...
Dave Baranyi
One Year at War
December 7, 1942 saw a continuation of the good work of my Chinese air units. This time more of the bombers continued to vex PzB's troops in the field:
Day Air attack on 37th Division, at 45,34
Allied aircraft
SB-2c x 26
No Allied losses
Japanese ground losses:
29 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
I'm surprised that PzB doesn't just shut down my air bases - he has tons of planes in China.
PzB did do his first serious ground attack at Bandoeng:
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 85241 troops, 772 guns, 552 vehicles
Defending force 17060 troops, 204 guns, 68 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 7
Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 7)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 7
Japanese ground losses:
476 casualties reported
Guns lost 16
Vehicles lost 3
Allied ground losses:
622 casualties reported
Guns lost 22
Vehicles lost 12
He hasn't moved his troops to Tjilitjap yet. I wonder if malaria is slowing him down any?
In the meanwhile, my paratroops did what they are supposed to do:
Ground combat at Dobodura
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 760 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 15 to 1 (fort level 0)
Allied forces CAPTURE Dobodura base !!!
I've got other troops on the move in PNG also. Maybe this will take PzB's mind off of the Marshalls a bit...[;)]
Dave Baranyi
Day Air attack on 37th Division, at 45,34
Allied aircraft
SB-2c x 26
No Allied losses
Japanese ground losses:
29 casualties reported
Guns lost 3
I'm surprised that PzB doesn't just shut down my air bases - he has tons of planes in China.
PzB did do his first serious ground attack at Bandoeng:
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 85241 troops, 772 guns, 552 vehicles
Defending force 17060 troops, 204 guns, 68 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 7
Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 7)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 7
Japanese ground losses:
476 casualties reported
Guns lost 16
Vehicles lost 3
Allied ground losses:
622 casualties reported
Guns lost 22
Vehicles lost 12
He hasn't moved his troops to Tjilitjap yet. I wonder if malaria is slowing him down any?
In the meanwhile, my paratroops did what they are supposed to do:
Ground combat at Dobodura
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 760 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 15 to 1 (fort level 0)
Allied forces CAPTURE Dobodura base !!!
I've got other troops on the move in PNG also. Maybe this will take PzB's mind off of the Marshalls a bit...[;)]
Dave Baranyi
RE: One Year at War
December 8, 1942 brought an odd little tit-for-tat sub versus ASW exchange. PzB has had a sub crusing around the Gilberts for the past few days and I've been sending out various ASW TFs after it. On the 8th one of the TFs finally caught up to the sub:
ASW attack at 84,88
Japanese Ships
SS I-27, hits 1
Allied Ships
DD Barton
DD McCalla
DD Lansdowne
DD Laffey
But a little while later the sub tried unsuccessfully to take a shot back at the DDs:
Sub attack at 84,88
Japanese Ships
SS I-27
Allied Ships
DD McCalla
DD Barton
DD Lansdowne
DD Laffey
I'm not sure why PzB has that sub around unless he is trying to use it as a picket in case of any naval attacks by me on the Marshalls. So I'll just send out another (different) ASW TF next turn.
Otherwise there was the usual aerial bombardments by both sides. My Chinese bombers keep on being "giant killers":
Day Air attack on 37th Division, at 45,34
Allied aircraft
SB-2c x 21
No Allied losses
Japanese ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1
I also changed my remaining troops in Mandalay to China Command and then I was able to also change Mandalay to China command. So I repeated that move for my other Burma bases. I then optimized some more of the leaders. We'll see what affect this has on the troops.
In a "parallel but opposite" move, since PzB now has troops in Tjilitjap I pulled out all of the really good generals that I had in both Tjilitjap and Bandoeng and replaced them with mediocre leaders. Sure, that will likely speed up the conquest of those two bases, but I am going to lose them anyway, so why should I lose good leaders in a hopeless cause?
BTW - PzB did another deliberate attack on Bandoeng and took some heavy losses while lowering the fortifications by one again. In the meanwhile my engineers in Tjilitjap improved the airbase to a level four. That ought to make PzB a bit paranoid about me dumping bombers back into there. (I'm not going to - I just want to psych him out a bit. I've now stopped the build on the air bases and left it on the fortifications.)
My "miracle of the day" was that the @#$%^ 20 knot BB that had been sitting at sysdam 4 finally repaired and upgraded. I've got almost all of my forces in optimal condition right now - just in time for some serious operations.
Dave Baranyi
ASW attack at 84,88
Japanese Ships
SS I-27, hits 1
Allied Ships
DD Barton
DD McCalla
DD Lansdowne
DD Laffey
But a little while later the sub tried unsuccessfully to take a shot back at the DDs:
Sub attack at 84,88
Japanese Ships
SS I-27
Allied Ships
DD McCalla
DD Barton
DD Lansdowne
DD Laffey
I'm not sure why PzB has that sub around unless he is trying to use it as a picket in case of any naval attacks by me on the Marshalls. So I'll just send out another (different) ASW TF next turn.
Otherwise there was the usual aerial bombardments by both sides. My Chinese bombers keep on being "giant killers":
Day Air attack on 37th Division, at 45,34
Allied aircraft
SB-2c x 21
No Allied losses
Japanese ground losses:
40 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1
I also changed my remaining troops in Mandalay to China Command and then I was able to also change Mandalay to China command. So I repeated that move for my other Burma bases. I then optimized some more of the leaders. We'll see what affect this has on the troops.
In a "parallel but opposite" move, since PzB now has troops in Tjilitjap I pulled out all of the really good generals that I had in both Tjilitjap and Bandoeng and replaced them with mediocre leaders. Sure, that will likely speed up the conquest of those two bases, but I am going to lose them anyway, so why should I lose good leaders in a hopeless cause?
BTW - PzB did another deliberate attack on Bandoeng and took some heavy losses while lowering the fortifications by one again. In the meanwhile my engineers in Tjilitjap improved the airbase to a level four. That ought to make PzB a bit paranoid about me dumping bombers back into there. (I'm not going to - I just want to psych him out a bit. I've now stopped the build on the air bases and left it on the fortifications.)
My "miracle of the day" was that the @#$%^ 20 knot BB that had been sitting at sysdam 4 finally repaired and upgraded. I've got almost all of my forces in optimal condition right now - just in time for some serious operations.
Dave Baranyi
RE: One Year at War
December 9, 1942 saw mainly more air bombardments. I've been increasing my attacks on local targets - this will "soften up" those targets and "toughen up" my bombers without getting too much wear and tear on my planes. But Maloelap is turning into a fairly tough customer:
Day Air attack on Maloelap , at 82,81
Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 6
B-25C Mitchell x 40
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 4 destroyed, 10 damaged
Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 29
There must be a good number of troops there - I'm sending in some of my heavy bombers to hit it more seriously. At the same time my first assault on the Marshalls is scheduled to start tomorrow (game time).
Speaking of assaults - PzB assaulted Bandoeng again this turn.
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 83412 troops, 725 guns, 545 vehicles
Defending force 15331 troops, 151 guns, 31 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 6)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 5
Japanese ground losses:
323 casualties reported
Guns lost 7
Vehicles lost 2
Allied ground losses:
424 casualties reported
Guns lost 10
Vehicles lost 3
This is the first assault since I changed my leaders for lesser commanders. PzB's odds went up a lot. PzB also did a bombardment attack on Tjilitjap that worked well:
Ground combat at Tjilitjap
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 80681 troops, 977 guns, 10 vehicles
Defending force 50697 troops, 387 guns, 98 vehicles
Allied ground losses:
450 casualties reported
Guns lost 13
Vehicles lost 4
There is nothing to do about that but be glad that those Japanese troops are in Java and not elsewhere.
Speaking of "elsewhere" - PzB is being very quiet in the Pacific fronts. I'm guessing that he is readying his forces to try to counter my moves. At the same time I continue to bring forces to the Fronts - January ought to be a very interesting game month.
BTW - PzB's sub in the Gilberts got slipped away. That's too bad, but that sub will be under repair for a while and out of my way. However, he has put another Glen-equiped sub in Hawaiian waters again. It won't have much to see - all my important forces are elsewhere...[:D]
Dave Baranyi
Day Air attack on Maloelap , at 82,81
Allied aircraft
P-38G Lightning x 6
B-25C Mitchell x 40
Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 4 destroyed, 10 damaged
Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 29
There must be a good number of troops there - I'm sending in some of my heavy bombers to hit it more seriously. At the same time my first assault on the Marshalls is scheduled to start tomorrow (game time).
Speaking of assaults - PzB assaulted Bandoeng again this turn.
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 83412 troops, 725 guns, 545 vehicles
Defending force 15331 troops, 151 guns, 31 vehicles
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 6)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 5
Japanese ground losses:
323 casualties reported
Guns lost 7
Vehicles lost 2
Allied ground losses:
424 casualties reported
Guns lost 10
Vehicles lost 3
This is the first assault since I changed my leaders for lesser commanders. PzB's odds went up a lot. PzB also did a bombardment attack on Tjilitjap that worked well:
Ground combat at Tjilitjap
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 80681 troops, 977 guns, 10 vehicles
Defending force 50697 troops, 387 guns, 98 vehicles
Allied ground losses:
450 casualties reported
Guns lost 13
Vehicles lost 4
There is nothing to do about that but be glad that those Japanese troops are in Java and not elsewhere.
Speaking of "elsewhere" - PzB is being very quiet in the Pacific fronts. I'm guessing that he is readying his forces to try to counter my moves. At the same time I continue to bring forces to the Fronts - January ought to be a very interesting game month.
BTW - PzB's sub in the Gilberts got slipped away. That's too bad, but that sub will be under repair for a while and out of my way. However, he has put another Glen-equiped sub in Hawaiian waters again. It won't have much to see - all my important forces are elsewhere...[:D]
Dave Baranyi
Into the Marshalls...
On December 10, 1942 US paratroops dropped into Mili in the southern Marshalls and captured the undefended island:
Ground combat at Mili
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 250 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 16 to 1 (fort level 0)
Allied forces CAPTURE Mili base !!!
I am now throwing a LOT of forces and supplies into Mili, simply because as a 1(1) port and 1(1) air base it has the potential to be a big thorn in PzB's side in the Marshalls. I'm also hoping that PzB goes in in a piecemeal fashion so that I can get some quick and easy points while I set up. And if he sends in part of the KB, well I've got a LOT of air power in that region that I would like to use on something too. On the other hand, PzB may well feel that this is "just another" poor attempt at a diversion on my part and just leave it to his Bettys to harass me (my fighter pilots are licking their chops in anticipation of that situation coming to pass.)
Of course, it is sometime hard to figure out just what PzB is planning - some of his moves are very subtle. For example, he has a sub in the hex of Noumea this turn. What the Devil for? Is he mining? Is he trying to see what sorts of forces I have there? (Actually, a reasonable amount because my South Pacific mobile reserve is sitting there, waiting for opportunities.) Is he looking for my CVs? (If he is totally unlucky he might even find them...[:D])
Could PzB be considering a diversionary move of his own such as taking Noumea? He hasn't tested my island-based air defenses lately - he might be quite surprised at what he has to sail by on the way to Noumea. [;)]
Otherwise we both continue to bomb at will the "regular places". PzB did another attack on Maloelap and although he took more casualties than me, he continues to reduce the fortifications, so time is running out there:
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 83136 troops, 712 guns, 545 vehicles
Defending force 14724 troops, 137 guns, 25 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 4
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 4)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 4
Japanese ground losses:
693 casualties reported
Guns lost 23
Vehicles lost 10
Allied ground losses:
280 casualties reported
Guns lost 15
Vehicles lost 5
So the sad story of the Allied mis-adventure in Java will be closing soon. It will be a different story if and when PzB tries to move those troops of his in Java to other fronts.
Dave Baranyi
Ground combat at Mili
Allied Shock attack
Attacking force 250 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles
Allied assault odds: 16 to 1 (fort level 0)
Allied forces CAPTURE Mili base !!!
I am now throwing a LOT of forces and supplies into Mili, simply because as a 1(1) port and 1(1) air base it has the potential to be a big thorn in PzB's side in the Marshalls. I'm also hoping that PzB goes in in a piecemeal fashion so that I can get some quick and easy points while I set up. And if he sends in part of the KB, well I've got a LOT of air power in that region that I would like to use on something too. On the other hand, PzB may well feel that this is "just another" poor attempt at a diversion on my part and just leave it to his Bettys to harass me (my fighter pilots are licking their chops in anticipation of that situation coming to pass.)
Of course, it is sometime hard to figure out just what PzB is planning - some of his moves are very subtle. For example, he has a sub in the hex of Noumea this turn. What the Devil for? Is he mining? Is he trying to see what sorts of forces I have there? (Actually, a reasonable amount because my South Pacific mobile reserve is sitting there, waiting for opportunities.) Is he looking for my CVs? (If he is totally unlucky he might even find them...[:D])
Could PzB be considering a diversionary move of his own such as taking Noumea? He hasn't tested my island-based air defenses lately - he might be quite surprised at what he has to sail by on the way to Noumea. [;)]
Otherwise we both continue to bomb at will the "regular places". PzB did another attack on Maloelap and although he took more casualties than me, he continues to reduce the fortifications, so time is running out there:
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 83136 troops, 712 guns, 545 vehicles
Defending force 14724 troops, 137 guns, 25 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 4
Japanese assault odds: 3 to 1 (fort level 4)
Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 4
Japanese ground losses:
693 casualties reported
Guns lost 23
Vehicles lost 10
Allied ground losses:
280 casualties reported
Guns lost 15
Vehicles lost 5
So the sad story of the Allied mis-adventure in Java will be closing soon. It will be a different story if and when PzB tries to move those troops of his in Java to other fronts.
Dave Baranyi
RE: Into the Marshalls...
I continued to pour forces and supplies into Mili on December 11, 1942. PzB didn't attempt to respond. But then, I also sent a whacking big number of heavy bombers at Kwajalein to keep his attention there:
Day Air attack on Kwajalein , at 79,79
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 29
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 30
Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 5
B-17E Fortress x 81
B-24D Liberator x 44
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed, 3 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 1 destroyed, 16 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 11 destroyed, 28 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 6 destroyed, 14 damaged
Airbase hits 4
Runway hits 5
This turn I am sending heavies against Raboul and Kendari, just to keep PzB "honest". I'll have a base force in Mili next turn too and 4 engineering units are on the way. And there is yet another undefended base next door...
In the meanwhile, PzB captured Bandoeng as I had figured:
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 82306 troops, 686 guns, 541 vehicles
Defending force 14327 troops, 115 guns, 18 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese assault odds: 15 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Bandoeng base !!!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
A-20B Boston: 1 destroyed
Japanese ground losses:
1436 casualties reported
Guns lost 20
Vehicles lost 8
Allied ground losses:
16740 casualties reported
Guns lost 141
Vehicles lost 20
Only one outpost remains from Wobbly's ill-fated attempt to distract PzB. The thing about my moves in the Marshalls and PNG is that these aren't "distractions" - I'm going in to both in a large and serious manner with lots of backup and the full intention of bringing PzB to battle on my terms.
Elsewhere, the normal bombing continued. PzB is about to run out of "soft targets" to send his army bombers after. From now on, he can risk long range naval bombers against my fighters or he can try to put army bombers into bases that I can and have been regularly bombing back into the Stone Age. Of course, he can always send those bombers back to China for more easy practice.
PzB's sub at Noumea disappeared. Oh well, the ASW TF ships got some practice running out to sea. Now my search planes located the probable source of the Glen reports southwest of Hawaii, so I sent a strong and fast ASW TF with a "mean" captain after the sub.
Otherwise, I am getting some very nice reinforcements in a couple of days, including combat CVEs and more Air HQs, base forces and engineers. And I have sent off another "nuisance" raid that is more than just a "pest", but also a harbinger of yet another potential future operation.
Dave Baranyi
Day Air attack on Kwajalein , at 79,79
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 29
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 30
Allied aircraft
F-5A Lightning x 5
B-17E Fortress x 81
B-24D Liberator x 44
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 4 destroyed, 3 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 1 destroyed, 16 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 2 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
B-17E Fortress: 11 destroyed, 28 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 6 destroyed, 14 damaged
Airbase hits 4
Runway hits 5
This turn I am sending heavies against Raboul and Kendari, just to keep PzB "honest". I'll have a base force in Mili next turn too and 4 engineering units are on the way. And there is yet another undefended base next door...
In the meanwhile, PzB captured Bandoeng as I had figured:
Ground combat at Bandoeng
Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 82306 troops, 686 guns, 541 vehicles
Defending force 14327 troops, 115 guns, 18 vehicles
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese assault odds: 15 to 1 (fort level 1)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Bandoeng base !!!
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
A-20B Boston: 1 destroyed
Japanese ground losses:
1436 casualties reported
Guns lost 20
Vehicles lost 8
Allied ground losses:
16740 casualties reported
Guns lost 141
Vehicles lost 20
Only one outpost remains from Wobbly's ill-fated attempt to distract PzB. The thing about my moves in the Marshalls and PNG is that these aren't "distractions" - I'm going in to both in a large and serious manner with lots of backup and the full intention of bringing PzB to battle on my terms.
Elsewhere, the normal bombing continued. PzB is about to run out of "soft targets" to send his army bombers after. From now on, he can risk long range naval bombers against my fighters or he can try to put army bombers into bases that I can and have been regularly bombing back into the Stone Age. Of course, he can always send those bombers back to China for more easy practice.
PzB's sub at Noumea disappeared. Oh well, the ASW TF ships got some practice running out to sea. Now my search planes located the probable source of the Glen reports southwest of Hawaii, so I sent a strong and fast ASW TF with a "mean" captain after the sub.
Otherwise, I am getting some very nice reinforcements in a couple of days, including combat CVEs and more Air HQs, base forces and engineers. And I have sent off another "nuisance" raid that is more than just a "pest", but also a harbinger of yet another potential future operation.
Dave Baranyi
-
Captain Cruft
- Posts: 3741
- Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:49 pm
- Location: England
RE: Into the Marshalls...
Good stuff. It shouldn't be long now before the tables turn.
Are you going to do anything up north?
P.S. I would send in the heavy bombers much lower, maybe 15,000ft. They might take more losses but will be much more effective. Either that or try night bombing at 6,000ft.
Are you going to do anything up north?
P.S. I would send in the heavy bombers much lower, maybe 15,000ft. They might take more losses but will be much more effective. Either that or try night bombing at 6,000ft.
RE: Into the Marshalls...
ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft
Good stuff. It shouldn't be long now before the tables turn.
Are you going to do anything up north?
P.S. I would send in the heavy bombers much lower, maybe 15,000ft. They might take more losses but will be much more effective. Either that or try night bombing at 6,000ft.
1) First I have to catch some of the Japanese fleet where I can get an advantage on it.
2) That is "top secret". [:D] ("There are spies everywhere, everywhere...")
3) I vary my attack altitudes all the time. The point of these long range attacks is more to keep PzB from massing all of his fighters in one place than to try to shut down any of his heavily defended bases.
Thanks for the comments -
Dave
RE: Into the Marshalls...
December 12, 1942 brought more overly bloody battles between my heavy bombers and PzB's CAP. PzB commented to me in his email that I will need to have one good escort for each bomber to have a chance. He is probably correct. So I will need to adjust my style of play to reflect this new "reality". I won't have sufficient long range fighters to be able to compete with PzB's fighters for another game year or more so I will have to limit my air offense to fairly short range endeavors. Oh well, this actually fits in with my current strategic plan. And while PzB was bathing in the pre-programmed glory of his air victories he was ignoring my ship movements, so I guess that I am achieving my strategic goals while suffering these science fictional air losses.
PzB also mentioned to me that he will ignore my movements for now while he mops up Java. Maybe he is getting a bit of "Victory Disease?" [;)] In the meanwhile I will continue on despite debatable programming decisions and frustrating bugs.
Dave Baranyi
PzB also mentioned to me that he will ignore my movements for now while he mops up Java. Maybe he is getting a bit of "Victory Disease?" [;)] In the meanwhile I will continue on despite debatable programming decisions and frustrating bugs.
Dave Baranyi
RE: Into the Marshalls...
Dave,
I have been following your AAR since you took over from wobbly. It seems in terms of score PzB is close to getting the autovictory. Are you guys still going to play even if he gets it? Another question had to do with what you have available to you in terms of naval, air and ground forces.
Good luck!
I have been following your AAR since you took over from wobbly. It seems in terms of score PzB is close to getting the autovictory. Are you guys still going to play even if he gets it? Another question had to do with what you have available to you in terms of naval, air and ground forces.
Good luck!
RE: Into the Marshalls...
ORIGINAL: marovici
Dave,
I have been following your AAR since you took over from wobbly. It seems in terms of score PzB is close to getting the autovictory. Are you guys still going to play even if he gets it? Another question had to do with what you have available to you in terms of naval, air and ground forces.
Good luck!
My intention is to continue as long as PzB stays interested.
I posted some listings of my forces a while back - I haven't received anything recently but I will soon. Unfortunately, a lot of what is due is going into the "Unknown" due to the loss of Karachi. (I said it before and I'll keep on saying it - as the Allies, don't lose Karachi - as the Japanese, go after Karachi with all that you have got!)
Thanks for the comments -
Dave Baranyi