Glad to see you're still at it here. I'll catch up reading the last few posts when I'm off line, but the gist I'm getting is that navy wise you're wosrt off again from the last time I posted.
ORIGINAL: Zebedee
Taken me a few days to read through this - lots of ideas this new player can learn from, so thank you [:)]
As for the KB. Ouch! It's going to be a long 6 months for what's left of the IJN [:(]
Hey Zebedee,
I take it that you're Zebedee on th Paradox forum. I've read the start of you're aar vs Nomad. If this is you then good luck. But may I ask a question.
If you're the same Zebedee how did you sign up on this forum with the same name? I couldn't have my paradox name (Garuda) as it was 'already taken'. Thinking it might be mine already I tried logging in but my password is thrown out!!!![:@]
I also see String and Fornadan on both forums.
Gentlemen, we're in the stickiest situation since Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun'. -Capt. E. Blackadder.
I guessed wobbly would move his CVs to woodlark -they do
Woodlark would be naval bombarded -he tried
So my orders were
As many planes as I have left to woodlark -naval attack
lots of planes to munda -naval attack
betties to naval strike
KB split -undamaged ships flee towards lea -they do
3 damaged CVs flee -but they turned towards rabual[:@]
The tankers head towards him -be a magnet -this worked
and the CAs would remain -drawing more fire -this worked OH so well[8|]
As you will see, this all worked -but in the details, and in the ability to hurt him, well....
here is the battle;
His Cvs appear near woodlark -my ships all around him
27 oscars attack cooktown[X(]
28 DB attack the Hiyo to the north -5 bombs strike
30db,32 avengers attack the tankers -to the east!
1ml,3 tankers are hit, 1 very badly
39db attack the CAs -all 3 are heavily hit, they are doomed
so that went as planned, my CVs are still in range to the west, but not attacked
My turn;
20 tony,15zero,11 oscar,3 kates from shortlands -14 corsair
lost 5zero,2 oscar,3 tony -the 3 kate do torp the CL denver once
then the big effort (from woodlark)
I attack the CV TF -but the planes do not attack the CV TF -they hit a small bombardment one with it -at least saving woodlark
73 zero,30 kate,15 val,16 judy meet 94 wildcat
15 judy and 26 kate actually attack
1 dd torpedoed, 1 bombed
lost 20 zeros,1 val,2 judy,4 kate -he lost 28 wildcats -so I hurt him a little here
then some raids from munda and shortlands went in -all chewed up by his flak and CAP
3 zero,3 tony,3 val,3 kate -69 wildcats -ouch
75 mitchells then chew up munda
Then another round
big strikes against the CVs
Hiyo 3 more hits
zuiho more hits -and sinks, hiryu sinks
my counter
3 val vs 65 wildcats
8 val vs 65 wildcats
25 tonies,20 zero,4 oscar,20 val -11 corsair, they attack the BB massachusetts, and the CL denver
Flak s/d 13 vals[X(] -no hits
then follows a whole string of dribble attacks on the enemy CVs, hitting 2 dds again, even some nicks try, the cap never stops fully each one -but the pilots fail to attack the CVs
So, what next
Run away!!!!
Losses today
3CA
2CV
1cvl
3 tankers
46 zero
29val
5 judy
22 kate
6 oscar
5 tony
8nick
him
44 wildcat
2 dd???
1cl?????
So I was crushed today, but the core of KB got away -and shok and zuik should be released very soon
But I will fight on!!!!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
22/5/43
the enemy bombards Munda -the bb washington collects a mine, as do 2 other DDs
Nice
The pounding does not close the field iether, which is very nice[:'(]
these BBs (mass with her) also sink a pg there -and Im disgusted to see the LC helena amongst them -thought I got her!!!!
At woodlark 2 damaged DDs attack -the 4 pg there fail to stop them[:@] and they get 1 ao, sinking her, and wrecking another
Another tanker, crippled from yesterday is finished by a sub
And a 8 judys at woodlark score several hits on 3 DDs
he is retiring -to get more planes he says, and I am sending as many planes that I can back to truk
Kaga and Co will get away -lots of fuel pre positioned at the admiralties long ago just for this.
The plan - 2 convoys sail from truk -the priority job is now to get base forces to truk -to allow squadrons to rebuild.
To help, all, yep all the escorts for the CVs are detached, they will be a fast transport unit, to evac base forces from Munda and shortlands
The CVs will go home -no point in keeping them now i suppose
One big convoy to rabual -to convert to a 100 barges -cockroaches we call them, time to infest the seas with them
The airforce is defeated.
if this was WITP I would now draw the defence line at lae, admiralties, rabual, before committing troops or men, but it aint.
2 full divisions soon arrive, I did say one would go to the shortland islands, the other I think will go to rabual.
Grim days, but I still have a lot to play for.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Hi fred
Optimist
I actually am aiming to prevent an allied major victory -which would be a win in itself!
23/5/43
Thunderstorms
3 CV, 3cvl have got away, returning to truk -and high command releases 2 more cv
Most planes still resting, or at truk, rabual
A fast transport is going to try to get base forces out of Shortlands
none will be got out of munda -why -because he is invading the place[:@]
Large numbers of MSW sweep the port, Washington is there -and wobbly says she is at 0 system damage -that after striking 2 mines so far!
Mitchells pound the troops, and the transports have arrived
Another -this is a wobbly co ordinated attack -(how much better he does them compared to his 1st ones years ago) is underway!
I really have nothing to combat this today -Munda will fall uncontested basically[X(][:(]
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
24/5/43
Only got one turn in this weekend -WITP,fishing,footy get in the way
Tough life [:'(]
DD mongahavan hits a mine at munda
massive minesweeping effort there by the enemy
Wobbly tells me the entire 1st marines have arrived
Big bombing raid -Im going to lose another squadron here!
The CAs manage to load up with base troops at shortlands, they head to truk
Little else I can do -its pull everything into Truk or rabual or lea time.
His CVs are refuelling at irau -won't be long and they will be back
hope now is that he will get overconfident, and I get another CV opening in with shok and zuik.
Who knows, war can be unpredictable
Munda troops will fight to the last!
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
well we have had some comms problems, back too it.
Huge day again, as the air force throws itself willy nilly at the enemy.
very large enemy forces now in the area -and only the bluff that I hace strength keeps him at bay.
massive pounding of shortlands by his LBA
11 betty,3 oscar some tonies get away -13 P 38 intercept
dd warramunga and a LST are hit -only 2 betties lost
Then some kates have a go - the flak kills most of them
25 betties slip in un escorted, the P38s fail -another DD is torpedoed
3 lillies attack his CVs, only 114 wild cats on CAP!!![:'(]
His CVs hit shortlands, the 1st of his big CV raids -Im sure Ill see lots more[:'(] 58 avenger,134 DB in the attack - nearly 30 a/C destroyed on the ground!!!
the betties came back -warrumunga is hit twice -she will sink
OK Im trying to get all the air -whats left back to truk -all of it.
let him have shortlands probably, rabual will be a very, very big battle.
Im losing very quickly, not much i can do about it[8|]
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
28/5/43
Wobbly CV death star now swings towards woodlark island.
A long long time ago, in another galaxy I swore that woodlark would be the key to my impenertrable defence.
Today he squashes it like a bug, as 75 avaengers, 125 dive bombers attack the place.
Worse, there is definate indications down south of a massive invasion fleet leaving noumea, and headed iether to Gilli, gilli, or Port moresby.
Its all a worry hey what old chaps!
Anyway, today 24 corsairs swept shortlands, shot down 3 oscars before breakfast, and paved the way for the heavies to pound 30 more planes on the ground into scrap
I am still trying to evac all planes from the map, concentrating in Truk or rabual, and trying to get base forces organised.
THE BIGGEST LESSON I HAVE LEARNT
you need at least 2 times 250 base force bases on the map -so that air groups can be rebuilt quickly -AND STUFF THESE BASES WITH ENGINEERS -to fill the holes quickly.
This is definately preferable to multiple smallbases, with engineers all over the place.
I am about to initiate this in my WITP game.
Ill be down to just rabual very quickly at this rate.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Its getting messy folks
MSWs at shortlands!
naval bombardment hammers the place -carnage
We sink a AK with a sub -wow!, and a LST
His CVs appear north of woodlark -essex amongst them[8|]
CRUD
a convoy ia at gassmatta - its a murderous event -5 APs, 3 pc caught
I am desperately trying to get base forces out of SAG, sag using some CAs, and getting as many A/C as I have left back to Truk
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
Its getting even messier, now the death star approaches shortlands -and another convoy is smashed here -13 APs hit , all but 3 sink[X(][X(][X(][:(]
and shortlands is going to be the great A/C graveyard, so many planes trapped here it painful to watch.
I continue to pull everything back to truk, i need 250 base forces there -almost have enough now.
over 600 planes at truk -but far too many are broken.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
the horror of the two convoys caught by wobbly comes to a painful end -b26s finish the job today
4 more AP sink
I think in 3 days I lost about 20 APs, or over half the ships I had left.
nearly all the planes left flying are at truk, getting replacements and the like.
Unloading a recovered base force, hope like hell i will have 250 av support at truk end of this week.
Quick look at the pilot replacements -not too bad really.
plan is now to simply rotate from truk to rabual units , with continous action..
The Navy is temporarily finished.
What to do, what to do!!!!?
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
2/6/42
the mission -get the 17th division onto bouganville -or buka island, that he recons every day - another wobbly leapfrog coming I think
The division loads at truk.
I restock the cvs at truk with planes
most planes I have are now at truk, not quite enough base support, just have to live with it.
Shokaka and zuikaka arrived in port today
forces for this do or die effort
The convoy -17th div complete
KB -5cv, 2cvl,1ca
battle group -5 ca and DDs
fast transport group - 5 dds
some tankers
and planes slowly deploying back to rabual.
the plan -17th goes to buka island -if he tries what i think is on, may give him a shock, if not, its a place to feed south from.
We sail tomorrow
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
4/6/43
Troops at vila destroyed -4500 men killed[:(]
Ships, planes, the kitchen sink all thrown at them -then the marines.
Ugly
he keeps reconning buka!
My replies this week -just night bombing raids, air strength rabual is growing again.
The division is at sea -destination Buka -a gamble indeed.
KB escorts it
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
5/6/43
The next invasion has been spotted, sea is green in the ocean between GG and lunga
Shortlands is hammered by LBA again.
Thunderstorms tomorrow, so the surface task force heads toward shortlands, departing Kavieng.
it must be committed if the enmy attcks there.
This game is still interesting -i suppose a lot of allied players never got this far before some one conceded.
he leads 12000 to 10000 points, so a long way to go
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
6/6/43
The invasion of woodlark[X(][8|] begins
The usual routine -it works, so why change it
MSWs sweep in tonight, the aks and stuff wait one hex away, the CVs another
Big CV strikes- 132 Dbs, 77 avengers, and then the heavy bombers
BBs spotted everywhere
I-156 opens the battle -sinks a troop carrying AK, so thats a good start.
this battle will be a big one.
18th army HQ has 229th regiment, 228th regiment and the famous south seas detachment .
Forts are at 9
7246 combat troops and 21000 other troops will give a good account of themselves
Supplies are adequate
LBA will support, and I plan to send in planes every single day until the battle ends.
So the biggest battle of the war commences, he by passed lunga, this one he has not.
lets see how it goes
the surface task force will try to strike munda.
rain tomorrow -can it get there?
KB is half way from truk to rabual, escorting a division to shortlands -now think I can get it in.
big seas, fast ships, life tastes better with salt
