AndyMac vs String - The beginning of the end

[String]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

If nothing else it should clog up the up the shipyards for a lil while..........

Japanese shipyards can be expanded... guess what i've been doing more or less since turn 1 [:D]

[Andy Mac]

I just hope I dont regret this next turn to much ..............

[String]

My own planes shot up Darwin airfield this turn, destroying 50 planes there, 24 of them B-24's. Allied cap consisted of 11 boomerang II fighters. No escorting fighters were lost to them but they did manage to shoot down four bombers before our zeroes could react.

[Andy Mac]

OK today was a fairly decent day for the Allies.

Operation Centurion was launched today and without seeing the aftermath (I have only watched the combat replay so far) I am calling it a success !!!

The Plan was for A force consisting of HMS Victorious and Formidable to move to a position 300 miles from Koepang keeping 360 miles from the last reported position of the IJN Carriers.

Victorious and Formidable were supported by a very strong mixed RN/USN Cruiser TF and had embarked 4 Sqns of RNZF Corsairs.

2 Squadrons were dedicated to fleet protection and 2 to a sweep of Koepang in order to hit the CAP.

This would be followed up by 100% effort strike from Derby by 5th Airforce with over 100 Fighters and Fighter Bombers (P38's P40's and Beaufighters) escorting 300 Heavy Bombers to attack Koepang Airfield

A small sacrificial force of Subchasers with minimum crews would move to within 120 miles of Koepang in order to distract the naval strike.

Late last night the Allied TF slipped away at full speed to there position and launched a dawn sweep of the airfield the cost of the sweep was heavy with low fuel and heavy fatigue the Corsair pilots were met by a ferocius CAP of over 100 Japanese Fighters mostly Tohjo's and Tonies.

The battle was heavy but 11 of the 12 Cosrairs were shot down for only 7 enemy aircraft but they did there job and distracted the Japanese CAP allowing the main force to approach with a height advantage.

In the ensuing melee P38's and P40N'stangled with Tonies and Tojos allowing the bombers to get through with minimal losses BDA reports the airfield is completely in - operable.

This part of the operation was a complete success with c 300 enemy aircraft destroyed for c 100 allied aircraft.

Unfortunaltey the IJN Carrier force had moved 60 miles in the night and attaked at maximum range with Kate Torpedo bombers the allied TF.

Despite several bomb hits as the Kates (could not carry torpedoes) the armoured flight decks of the Allied Carriers were sufficient to shrug off any serious damage and the 2 Sqns of Corsairs reserved on CAP had the skill and experience to shoot down many of the attacking fighters although the bombers escaped largely unscathed.

If the allied fleet escapes further damage this operation will be deemed an unquantified success.

Andy

[Kereguelen]

ORIGINAL: String
Day Air attack on Derby , at 24,85

Japanese aircraft
A6M3a Zero x 28
G4M1 Betty x 273
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 165
Ki-21 Sally x 234
Ki-49 Helen x 95

Hi String,

this airstrike is indeed interesting. Andy stated in this thread that the strike was launched from one level 4 AF (I think he gathered this intelligence from the combat report). Is this true?

I'm asking because the rules state under 9.4. that "If the number of aircraft on a base is greater than the airfield size times 50 the number of planes that launch any given mission is reduced by 25%. If the number of aircraft is greater than the airfield size x100 than the number of planes launched Mission is reduced by 25% a second time." Considering that your strike was flown by 795 planes this would mean (if I understand the rules correctly and my math is correct) that there would have been at least 1,590 planes on the base from where they launched because only 50% of the total should have launched according to the rules. If this is true, airstrikes are working as stated in the rules, but if not it would seem that more planes launch from bases as it should be the case according to the rules. Seems to be either an important issue or nuts if Andy is wrong with his statement that they launched from a single level 4 AF!

Please simply PM me if Andy should not know the answer because of your game!

K

[Andy Mac]

Awwwweee please tell me...

Actually having seen the last turn I am fairly sure that the betties are based elsewhere.

Andy

[Andy Mac]

[:@]Ok Centurion was as big a success as I could have hoped for.

Only minor issue is I oredered follow up attacks that the combat replay showed happening but when I get the turn all my fighters are undamaged and no attack took place weird [:@]

[Andy Mac]

OK my overview of Timor

Despite my losses and despite the men I have trapped on the island I am actually feeling pretty confident.

What have the allies achieved since the initial failure

1. Sank 2 good IJN BB's in return for 2 old US ones
2. Sank several cruisers and destroyers for a few more of mine
3. Damaged c 30 transports for a similar number of mine damaged (again I can replace my losses easily
4. Shot down a lot of enemy Fighters including a good chunk of mini KB's Zeroes
5. Damaged 2 CV's

Overall String has to be happy to have stalled another offensive and he has managed to damage more of my Battle line than I have of his but unlike Canton I have to be relatively happy that its turned into an attritional battle as I can afford losses and my cripples will repair and be replaced by equal numbers of units that are as good as the ships they replace. (In fact for surface action I am almost happier to have old QE high xp class ships as opposed to more modern US BB's with mediocre XP....Timor has made me a real convert to the power of ship XP!!!!)

I probably have the surface strength with the RN's Battle line supporting my USN TF's to clear him out of Timor so unless KB hangs about backed by those Betties String will not be able to stop me closing as I can now close airfields at will from Northern Australia. (My 1st full P40 N gp just went operational as did another Land based Corsair Sqn)

All it takes is my heavies to get lucky once and he will lose a lot of ships !!!!

What this means is that Betties and KB are now rooted near Timor as they are the only weapon I cannot take out giving me free reign for other operations.

I am examing possibilities but my 'failure' of Operation Triphammer may have opened up more strategic possibilites than a successfull offensive would have.

String has committed a large chunk of the IJNAF and the IJAAF (and has lost a lot of Tojo's and Tonys as well as pilots) and a large chunk of his Infantry reserves and while my Carriers cannot win a battle with KB (and make no mistake I know I cannot 3 RN CV's even if 2 of them have Corsairs cannot hope to win against KB ...... I have exactly 9 Carrier Based Torpedo bombers in my Naval Air force at moment....I really wish 2 complete RN CV Airgps had not been lost on New Cal as the RN Fulmars would be Corsairs now as well !!!!) neither can he win against the king of LBA CAP I have over Derby.

Overall not happy at the failure of Triphammer but the nature of the failure has opened up other possibilities !!!!

Andy

[wobbly]

Hi Andy and String

Great to have an AAR with you two at it. To very capable commanders who've given me pointers in the past. I'll repay the favour with my own opinion Andy in that while experience makes a difference I've found that better ship captains is another area to look at. With 1.6 you can see the exact naval capablity of your captains and if I know a TF of mine is heading for dangerous waters I spend a few PP to get some smooth operators at the conn.

[Andy Mac]

Thanks Wobbly for the tip unfortunately Winnie demanded Illustrious and Formidable be sent to the Med....

My intransigence has cost me my ability to switch naval officers.

I have someone called Wo leading several small ships and I am unable at present to replace them.

I expect to get back in the good books with Naval High command in about 45 days from now !!!

(The gits demanded 2/3 CV's in the whole Pacific I had no choice but to refuse despite the 4000 pp cost hit !!!)

Andy

[Andy Mac]

OK New Op plan for the allies <evil laugh>

Given the new strategic situation I have decided on a plan for the remainder of 43.

1. Triphammer will continue as an attritional battle
2. Jackhammer will attempt to recapture Mandalay prepatory for the advance on Rangoon
3. Sledgehammer has been postponed 3 months to allow my cripples to repair and will be expanded to form Super Sledgehammer !!!! (Yup I pick crap ops names and I'm proud of it [:D][:D][:D])

New op plan for remainder of mid 43 Operation Bug the Hell out of String !!!! expect the 153rd RCT to be very busy over the next few months !!!!

Andy

[String]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

OK New Op plan for the allies <evil laugh>

Given the new strategic situation I have decided on a plan for the remainder of 43.

1. Triphammer will continue as an attritional battle
2. Jackhammer will attempt to recapture Mandalay prepatory for the advance on Rangoon
3. Sledgehammer has been postponed 3 months to allow my cripples to repair and will be expanded to form Super Sledgehammer !!!! (Yup I pick crap ops names and I'm proud of it [:D][:D][:D])

New op plan for remainder of mid 43 Operation Bug the Hell out of String !!!! expect the 153rd RCT to be very busy over the next few months !!!!

Andy

Poor sods of the 153rd. I think they're gonna hate Andy more than the aussies hated Macarthur.

Wobbly: Thanks for the kind words. I dunno if my pointers can be called very useful though. Afterall, it was I that was one of the strongest supporters of the ill-fated Java campaign [;)]

I'm still busy with school though, and the amount of free time that the pause in witp has generated has made me think twice about continuing any of the witp PBEMs. They are VERY enjoyable, to a fault. I've realized that i'm spending every free moment to plan my counter offensives vs Andy and retaliations vs pauk, not to mention the slow grind of my game vs BossGnome. The latter thankfully has a rather slow pace which makes things easier. The game vs Andy is also proving to be a somewhat emotinally straining. I have a constant desire to perform as successfully as I did in 42, and while I realise it's now impossible I still can't avoid it. Add to that the continual support of people in my Paradox board AAR(I sadly haven't updated there for a while though) and while in my allied games I can always think that.. hey there's always 43 and 44, i can't do that in this game. It's a constant uphill struggle.

I've declared so far a pause until monday, but i'm considering lenghtening it. I can't do all three PBEM's and keep my studying up to standards at the same time, and I don't want to chose between any of my PBEM's

[Andy Mac]

When you start an AAR and keep it up al la Wobb PZB Thayne or any of the other great AAR's out there doing turns so quickly that you cannot keep it up to date actually gets annoying.

The key is not to over do it to allow you to study as required and get your AAR's up to date i.e. to much of a good thing gets draining If I recall right I think that was why AdavidB took his sabbatical !!!

Most of us have taken breaks at one time or another ;P (Like me on my 3 week holiday !!!)

If that means 1 turn an hour, 1 turn a day, 1 turn a week or no turns for 3 months so be it you gotta do whats right to allow you to study and actually enjoy the game (and part of enjoyment I am sure is keeping entertaining AAR's up to date !!!!)

p.s. after the way you kicked seven bells out of me for 8 months I hope my minor successes/avoided complete failures over the last few weeks have made it onto your other AAR so as they dont think i am completely incompetent as the Allies !!!!.

Andy

[String]

Sadly, due to time constraints I must announce the end of this AAR and game.

[Andy Mac]

Ach its not the end old bean...

My psyche will continue to plan new and wilder offensive (with equally crappy names like SUPER SLEDGEHAMMER)

Only in my head they will all work flawlessly unlike the ones I have managed to actually attempt !!!!

But seriously its been a pleasure to play you good luck with the exams !!!

Andy

[pauk]

Well Andy, we both lost skilled opponent...

now i don't have Allied opponent, and you don't have Japanese opponent.....the both of us don't have AAR anymore...

so?[;)]

[Andy Mac]

I am game name your terms ;P

a.mcphie@btinternet.com

Andy

[String]

I had to use some strange measures to find this thread... so *bump*

The game that started the mighty clash between Andy and pauk! [:D]

[Andy Mac]

This game made me a convert to the taking over other peoples games I had a lot of fun on this one I never did find your AAR String
&nbsp;
Between the fiasco at Canton (which has made me&nbsp;a lot more carefull over loading in all other games) and the failure of my air recon over New Caledonia it was fun
&nbsp;
You ever want another game String you know where I am !!!
&nbsp;