Immortal PZB vs Bwheatley

[bwheatley]

Well i'll see if Pzb wants to keep an AAR on his end. I've never done an AAR myself so bare with me.

I won't view Pzb's and he won't be viewing mine. We are playing the 26-30 PBEM scen.

---
Japan has decided to go to war against the United States after a prolonged period of quarreling over
various issues. It has been a slow buildup and both sides have developed new hyper modern dreadnoughts.

Tensions have also been rising between Japan and China/Britain, but Japan don't want to go to war over Shanghai
and Hong Kong - yet! The initial efforts will include the occupation of the Philippines. It's uncertain how the US will
react but a decisive battle will be sought if possible....

Hopefully it will be possible to put Japan in a dominant position over the next 6 months; further expansion will depend
on the degree of success that can be achieved.
---

The ground rules we have set so far are:
All non-us units are not at war until japan engages them. They may move from neutral port to neutral port.


But my game plan so far is to get all the ships from the PI area out of the area and hopefully to midway island. At least then we'll have a little bit of mobility to bring reinforcements back. I will get some screen shots up pronto because i'll need some strategy help probably. This is my first high profile pbem game and i'm sure i'll flop but we'll see. Playing the 26-30 scen we have a good deal more planes then if we had gone with the 22-26 scen. So i'll be training them up and hopefully my torpodo bombers can make some sort of effect.

[Alikchi2]

Gasp! PzB in WPO? This will be interesting to say the least [:D]

Good luck to you!

Which side are you playing? The Allies, I think?

[bwheatley]

Roger ALlies. I tried to get him to give me the CiC job for his Witp adventure but Andy Mac won out. Oh well maybe one day i'll get the honor of playing him in a Witp game. Actually i've got the save from the game so maybe one day he'll come back and play vs me in it . I'd be interested to see if i could pull the allies out.


Now tips for this game as the allies?

Since its US only until japan engages the other neutrals i don't have the options of bringing the big dutch BB's up or even the french cruisers. The us starts with some pretty crappy units out in manila. I think 2 CL & 1 CA.

I have hardly any reinforcements on map to reinforce manila. I was thinking about staging some British troops in singapore and having them prepped for manila. If japan declares war aganist British then ican rush those troops in to try to prop of manilla.
Intel also has it that Japan is planning on making a rush on vladivostock to earn the easy 600 (i think) points for the japs.

Any advice to fight him off would be welcomed.

[bwheatley]

The transports here are going to retreat down to Darwin area before skirting East to try and dock at canton is.

[bwheatley]

Image 2 - My troop dispositions and setup for reinforcing of PH

[bwheatley]

Resupplying Midway & Wake.

I'm really laking in transport capacity. If i can get some of those AK from PI then i plan to bring them back and try to get them taking supply to my chain islands of palymaria, canton, pago pago, etc.

After next turn i will send a small 3 ship DD outfit west of wake to try and give me a few turns notice of invasion.

My plan is to dig around for units i can move off to reinforce Wake & Midway. I want to hold him there if possible. I know PI is lost but if i can hold it for a few weeks might be able to keep the Jap infantry busy enough to reinforce my perimeter islands.

Aganist rules but agreed upon, i'm going to take a few British subs and start to mine the waters between PI and japanese territory.

[Andy Mac]

Good luck !!

I think you get some Bns of British and Indian infantry at Shanghai at start they could be used to reinforce Hong Kong and Vladivostok/ Manila you can move a chinese corps or 2 into Shanghai to replace them.

Also dont the French have a Bde or two available for deployment elsewhere

The Royal Marine Bn is quite highly experienced I think so may be usefull as a rapid deployment force. Just remember its not a Commando !!!)

Andy

[bwheatley]

I would do that but the starting rules with PZB state only the US & japan are at war. Until japan makes an aggressive move against another nation will those forces be allowed to engage.
Btw andy quit your game with pzb so i can take it i was itching to get the chance to finish it LOL. Good luck i saw your deployment when you took over and its not too terrible.

Turn 2

He took batan island.
Intel suggests there is a FT force coming to pick up the SNLF that is in shanghai. There are a few US navy DD's and PG's sitting in that port so i've prepared and 8 DD welcoming commitee. I think they are all old 4 stakers but for a FT unit it is probably only DD's or compareable so maybe if i get lucky and catch him by suprise i can bloody his nose a little. I can't let the japs get all the fun.

I also started the process of moving 2 marine CD units onto transports 1 is bound for midway at full speed. The other is bound for wake island at full speed. I am hoping he'll try to come for Mid/Wake first before coming to PH. Because PH would fall pretty easily. I have the bulk of my BB fleet that is functional 8-10 BB's enroute to PH. They should arrive in a week and will begin to patrol the outer reaches of the empire to hopefully intercept any attempt to take out PH. I also have a picket of subs outside wake & midway to hopefully detect his fleet inbound and give me a couple days to prepare.

While i don't think taking PH would kill me it would be a big pain in the butt. With the way the coal works in this game you really can't have a terribly high endurance and i would be in a pretty shitty position. So far japan assures the rest of the world that only the United States is a target of hostilities. Still the US is begging for whatever help it can get. The dutch have 3 perfect BB's that could really put a hurting on japans attempt at taking the PI.

Another thing i need help with Pzb says he has a cunning plan. So that to me screams something big. What do you think? HE was talking to me wondering how Japan could possibly win this game. Their fleet is smaller then the us fleet alone much less the whole allied fleet combined. So i'm thinking maybe he's going to come gang busters at PH. Should i send both CD units to PH instead and do everything to hold that and leave midway & wake to the wind for now?

I need my joint chiefs to step up and offer some plans. And we need plans for US only because we stand alone in this battle boys.

With 2/3 of my biggest ships in drydock all with 10sys i hope to have them all out of the dry docks in perhaps a month maybe less. The sooner the better.

My Minelayers are 1 hex out of aparri and should drop almost a thousand mines which will hopefully hit one or two unlucky ships. My subs are almost in position as well they will be in a double echelon formation between batan and the PI. I just hope i can inflict some loses on him because if i can bleed him i can win. Japan doesn't get a crazy fighting bonus or anything but he's got the initiative. If i can engage his fleet piecemeal i might be able to cripple him. While production is off japan still does not produce enough supply in its home ports. So it will have to ship in OIL & Resources in order to make more supplies.
Perhaps cutting his supply line is the best way to reign him in. Without effective ASW i could have a field day.

Ok joint chiefs i leave it to you.

[bwheatley]

Turn 3 my poor little defenseless PG that was moving towards north PI was hit by a torp from a jap sub. She's at 63 SYS & 83FL shes 1 hex off of a level 3 port so the US navy is confident she will make it back to safe harbor.

In a stroke of good fortune... The japanese had the balls to try and land at Aparri with 3 transports while only having 2 old Destroyers protecting them. A taskforce including 1 CA 2 Light CA's and several DD's engaged the enemy. At a range of 18000 the US Cruiser Huron opened up striking DD No 3 with a few opening hits. The return shots by both Jap Destroyers merely bounced off the Credit and light cruisers hulls.

The japs eventually scored 2 hits on the DD stewart which took a little fire damage but is only 3 SYS and 15 fire.

But the killing blow came when the Albany CL hit DD No 3 with a torpedo and she sunk shortly after.
Next DD waters managed to hit DD 27 and a lucky round caused a magazine explosion and the ship quickly went into the murky deep. Unfortunately no hits were landed on the japanese ships though they were unable to land their cargo.

My question if he did not bring his BB's to the party for this...where are they??
I'm starting to think perhaps pearl harbor.

[bwheatley]

Yikes turn 4.

My damaged destroyer runs into a fleet of BB's!! 1 torpedo and shes sunk.

I locate the KB with my cruiser task force... It quickly launches a 20 plane strike and one of those bastards hits a Light Cruiser. 45CM torp impact caused only 1 sys.

I'm rolling my fleet down and trying to get in contact with KB if i can get in close maybe i can get enough lucky shots that i can put that damn carrier out of its misery.

[DuckofTindalos]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Good luck !!

I think you get some Bns of British and Indian infantry at Shanghai at start they could be used to reinforce Hong Kong and Vladivostok/ Manila you can move a chinese corps or 2 into Shanghai to replace them.

Also dont the French have a Bde or two available for deployment elsewhere

The Royal Marine Bn is quite highly experienced I think so may be usefull as a rapid deployment force. Just remember its not a Commando !!!)

Andy

The problem with sending the Shanghai and Tientsin forces elsewhere is sealift. If the Japanese player is on his game AT ALL, those troops will either soon rest comfortably on the sea floor, or never get anywhere in the first place because their transports will have been sunk en route to them. The seaspace around Formosa, Luzon and Shanghai will be a Japanese lake in very short order.

[String]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Good luck !!

I think you get some Bns of British and Indian infantry at Shanghai at start they could be used to reinforce Hong Kong and Vladivostok/ Manila you can move a chinese corps or 2 into Shanghai to replace them.

Also dont the French have a Bde or two available for deployment elsewhere

The Royal Marine Bn is quite highly experienced I think so may be usefull as a rapid deployment force. Just remember its not a Commando !!!)

Andy

The problem with sending the Shanghai and Tientsin forces elsewhere is sealift. If the Japanese player is on his game AT ALL, those troops will either soon rest comfortably on the sea floor, or never get anywhere in the first place because their transports will have been sunk en route to them. The seaspace around Formosa, Luzon and Shanghai will be a Japanese lake in very short order.

Indeed, the japs can easily block Shanghai, and any other chinese ports. Just send a CL lead DD squadron there. Even if the allies break through, the japs are still notified. And will be there before the troops are loaded. If it's agreeable with the rules, just march the troops out through china and indo china.

Oh, and I wouldn't really call the dutch BB's '3 perfectly good BB's'

They are weaker than most japanese CA's [:'(]

[Andy Mac]

Hmmm but dont you have enough DD's etc at Shanghai to FT a Bn or 2 to Manila

[DuckofTindalos]

You can do that (5 Chinese CL + 4 US DD's at China Station), but it'll be a one-time thing; you'll have to run a Japanese gauntlet all the way down, and if your opponent has any sense, he'll blockade Manilla Bay with everything he has. While 5 CL's might sound like a lot, those Chinese tubs aren't going to last 2 seconds against even the Jap pre-dreadnoughts.

And think about it: even if you run a bn down to Manilla, what then? The Japs are going to come at you with about 6 divisions in the first wave alone, supported by tanks, engineers and heavy artillery. One bn isn't going to be much of a difference.

[bwheatley]

They are better then the crap i have around PI right now.

[Tankerace]

Inserting a little Historical thing, I was pretty surprised at just how vulnerable the PI was in the 1920's. If you do anything with the PI, I'd evac the US Regiment and the US Bn at leave the Philippine troops there. Unless the Japanese player really doesn't want it, there is no realistic way to hold the PI. Its not a question of If, but of When.

[bwheatley]

I do Andy but our house rules are all non-us troops are neutral so they can't do anything but watch the slaughter. At least it gives me time to fortify hong kong & shanghai in case he tries something.

All in all its not looking fun so far. But my big fleet is still in dry dock and their sys jumped from SYS10 on all ships to like 30+ sys on them all so they will all be in port for a good deal of time.

[bwheatley]

Yup tankerace i was planning to do that but the PP to take them were too high and if i left my AK's in Manilla another few turns they would be mince me. So i'm going to sacrifice them on the alter of freedom and then just try to keep my boats alive.

Its very odd being able to move in total darkness without air support

[bwheatley]

well a few more turns into the game and it appears johns carrier torp bombers while only in their 20-30's probably are kicking my ass. They landed 2 hits on the CL albany and she was sent to davy jones locker.

I'm trying to evacuate Wake island and pull back to midway. I know hes going to come for wake next and i would not want to lose a good base unit in a battle i know i can't win.

I'm pulling alot of the survivings transports to darwin and hoping they get out free. Though i've lost 3 aks so far just by bumping into his fleet. I have torp bombers of my own in naga but they for some reason dont want to launch!!!

THey have had 2 turns to attack lepasgi (sp) and they dont. John took guam over last turn as well. I have to think that johns going to try to find a way to eliminate the US navy before he comes for the SRA and hong kong. That will buy me enough time to fortify those places as much as possible. I already have 6 Chinese corps on route to Hong Kong. ANd i have every coastal base in mainland china occupied by at least a division.

I know he will probably go for vladivostock and i can't do much about that. But hopefully on mainland china i can keep shanghai and hong kong.

[bwheatley]

Well wake island fell i had a sub screen of 8 subs faned out in front of wake with no advanced warning. I had evacuted 2/3's of the base force there to midway. Lucky enough i got my first sub hit of the war!. R-8 put 2 torpodoes into 2 different Transports both received heavy damage. Both of those ships were carrying members of the 5th Division so john is not fucking around he's going to take and garrison those islands. It is going to be tough to dislodge a full division from an atoll right?
I'd imagine he'll put up a CD unit and some engineers too.

A transport the Nagaragawa Maru hits two mines unloading troops and promptly sinks. HURRAH!. I had just do a ML mission at wake a few turns before so i'm happy to say it served a purpose. Hopefully that will make him more cautious for his next stop which i guess is midway. At midway currently its size 3 forts. I have a Marine CD unit landing in Midway in a few days hopefully they will be able to bloody johns nose a bit.

In PI we're pulling back to hold the clark, manila bataan area. I don't think it is promising. In shanghai i have 8 DD's that are waiting for JOhns fast transport unit that is surely coming to wipe them out. I'm going to guess though he is sending hin some big BB's or such because he knows i have USN units there. I've got a sub screen a few hexes out and hopefully that will give me at least 1 turn warning if he is sending in a big group of ships. If he sends in capital ships i'll just retire north to vladivostk.

Any suggestions.