Przemcio231 vs Hoplosternum : War in the EU!

[Hoplosternum]

ORIGINAL: Sneer

As a Jap player I can give a hint to use subs out of range of search a/c and stay out of PH
use subs at open ocean
long range subs should hunt in South Pac and short range should be used to cover bases
this will give good recon and low losses
Glen carring subs are invaluable in detecting fat target for carriers - and certainly they are better than intel

Hi Sneer,

Glad some people are reading. But Przemek is not allowed on this thread and has his own AAR. So you may want to post advice for the IJ there [:)] Of course advice on my tactics - especially on what you would do as the IJ to kill me off are very welcome [:D]

When I play the Japanese I do exactly the same. Flee Pearl and use the Glen carriers as scouts while the other subs try and attack things.

You are famous for being very aggressive as the Japanese. Do you prefer the Sub doctrine off or on? On seems to preserve the IJN sub fleet better and make it only attack the good stuff. But I'm not really sure myself!

[Sneer]

Hi
Thanks but I don't feel myself famous
I'm aggressive but I have very low losses so maybe all risks are lower than estimated ?
back to the subject
I have sub doctrine on
it is difficult to say what preserves sub force better but I think that subs should stay away from any surface/convoy force - hunt small transport groups/ attack crippled but true value is in recon - I would never score Raver for so many ship sunk without subs reporting targets first.
All in all my subs allowed me to kill at least 100 transports half of them carring troops/fuel/supply. that's true value. Japan can't loose 25 VP for lost sub as allied asw is simply too good and many hit ships due to excellent DC will survive.

BTW nice raid with Lady Lex + sth I really fear in opening moves
it can disrupt operation in early months and time is most precious for Japan
Advices ? you are playing well - just pull as much troops of DEI as possible

[Hoplosternum]

Cheers Sneer!

Anyway the attack on Rabaul went in the afternoon after weather killed off the morning. The CAs were still there and three were hit (plus a DD). But only Kako and the DD are badly hurt (Heavy damage). Furataka is on fire but it looks like three duds or none penetrators for Kinugasa. I am pulling back to the South of New Britain again.

KB is off the coast of Kendari but appears to have halted. Maybe for refuelling? She did not port strike Kendari that I expected would be her secondary target.

San Marco in the PI is mine once more. But the 10K Japanese are still in the hex. I am having to pull back to Clark Field as his troops have entered the hex to the north.

[Sneer]

Przemek can't allow himself on taking losses so early [:-]
every hit in his DD and CA is much easier war for you
nice piece of job by now

[Hoplosternum]

December 27th

Well a cunning ambush has sent Northampton and Chester to the bottom [:(] They had been at Rabaul for the last 2-3 days unsuccessfully trying to stop the reinforcements klanding. Although the slow Japanese light cruiser was sunk no APs (although there are about 10 there!) were hit. Nor by Enterprize who until yesterday was off the coast (now headed for Townsville).

But the IJN has tricked me. I had wondered what 'KB' was doing off Tarakan. Just sitting there by the looks of things [:)] But although I was seeing CVs on the 'list' and Zuikaku etc were spotted by name he had sent a part of it East. Fast [X(]

A strike which must have used 3 CVs at least (60 Vals, 62 Kates) struck my CAs at Rabaul. Unlike the clouds that had grounded Enterprizes Dauntless's for the past few days they flew straight in....

Adalaide who had been attacking transports at Lae is fleeing East.

In other theatres the IJA have cut Malaya in half. If he goes north the Alor Star position will fall quickly. Two bombardments by the RN (including an R class BB) have been supporting it and his attacks still fail (16K IJA vs 9K allies).

In China I have 150K troops at Changsa against about half that. I am going to try a shock attack and hopefully knock him back. Yenan has now been reinforced and his attacks now fail to dent it.

In Rabaul he now has 12K troops there but his shock attacks still yield 0:1s. They must be so tierd now after shocking for over a week [;)]

I'll try and post some more pics soon to show the picture more clearly.

[Hoplosternum]

Well December 29th dawns and I have taken a lot more screenshots of the game.

Nothing dramatic has happened since half of KB arrived off Rabaul. It appears to have gone now though. Rabaul is still yielding 0:1 assaults to his constant shock attacks. I have less than 3,000 troops to his 14,000 now [X(] so it won't last long. He's still landing some extras too....



I am sending a small Cruiser and DD force (1) back to Rabaul. If the KB section was still there it would have attacked I think.

Przemek has taken Lae, Guadalcanal and Wewark so seems to be looking to consolidate around here quickly. I want to disrupt him so I still have out some picket CLs (at 2s). I don't really have any troops to send or transports and supplies to get them there. But I am gathering naval forces. The Australian CAs are approaching Gili Gili. Colorado will be at Noumea tomorrow. Prince of Wales is close to Brisbane. Enterprise a day from Townsville. And finally I have ordered Saratoga at Pago Pago to go to Noumea too.

[Hoplosternum]

December 29th South/Central Pacific

Fairly quiet here. I have spread garissons of the 26th Infantry over various islands (0). If he wants these early I won't stop him. But I want him to come with proper forces backed by surface and preferably CVs. Not to take them cheaply with transports and SNLFs.

Louiseville continues here lonely vigil at Tarawa (1).



I had planed to use Saratoga behind the Canton / Baker / Nanomea barrier. But I think she will get more use backstopping in the Solomons. Besides without committing a lot of base forces I don't yet have I cannot get enough search planes to make the area safe at all.

[Hoplosternum]

December 29th in the DEI

The other section of KB is here (1) and bombarded Tarakan with 63 Vals and 72 Kates.



Mini KB is at (4). Constantly fending off B-17 strikes with Claudes every morning and afternoon [:)]

Some invasions look to be afoot. At (2) a Cruiser force is closing in on Tarakan I assume. At (3) are 7 transports. The surface TF at Tarakan are 6 PT boats. He has not tried 100' sweeps. With a bit of luck I will get a torpedo or two hits on those CAs [:D]

I have withdrawn my flyers from Tarakan and some of the ships that might float away. KB is NOT on Naval attack [X(] It has ignored the transport at Tarakan for two days now in favour of bombing Tarakan itself.

There are 6 transports at Amboina (5). Lexington is lurking south of Timor and will move to strike Amboina in 2 days time. Hopefully giving me enough time to recon Amboina for Betty's. There are zeros there as they CAP the transports when Martins from Kendari attack.

Repulse (6) is headed for south Java and I may commit her off Batavia as the Japanese close in there (see the Malaya pics below).

My Dutch (and some UK) planes are gathering at Soerabaja as that now has the ABDA HQ and 25K supplies to get reinforcements. It's NOT a Malarial base and so I have sent more there than to Batavia. Most other Java bases have been abandoned.

[Hoplosternum]

December 29th Malaya

Well he is turning north rather than south to Singapore....



Alor Star (1) awaits it's now enevitable destruction. I might be able to lift off some troops before the enevitable. But it's a long way for the transports (and Revenge & escorts) every time they pay a visit. Plus he has army bombers on naval attack at that area.

He has sent 30K at Malacca (2) and 10K now at (3). With the 20k at Alor Star (1) he does not outnumber me by much. I have over 50K at Singapore (4) and they will now get a week or two to dig in further and recover some of the disabled losses from their long retreats. I am hoping he will need to call in a lot more troops before he can get Singapore.

Beauforts and Blenheims from there are now getting some hits on the Transports that infest the near by seas.

He has just landed at Singkawang (5). Obviously it can't hold. But I would have liked Repulse in position to harras those types of attacks. That is the role I have planned for her. At the moment there have been very few Nell / Betty attacks off Java so I wonder where he has sent those forces [&:] Up to no good I imagine [:D] But I intend to try and exploit the AWOL 2Es to the full [:D]

[Fishbed]

This Lex attack was a very bolt move, quite impressive congrats!

[Hoplosternum]

ORIGINAL: Fishbed

This Lex attack was a very bolt move, quite impressive congrats!

Cheers Fishbed [:)] I had used it before in another game. It certainly makes the opening days a very tense affair [:D]

[Hoplosternum]

December 29th China / Burma

Last map pictures for now [:)]

Now Burma is all going horribly wrong [X(]



He is attacking with at least 3 Divisions (1s). Each of these forces is showing as over 20k strong! Moulmain lasted a day and I barely cleared out of Rangoon in time.

Everything is fleeing to Mandalay where I hope I have enough to hold him until the Chinese SE Asia forces arrive in a few weeks. It may work or I may be flung back to Imphal....

I have put the SEAC HQ at Chandapur (7). But I dare not commit any troops from India to Burma. Not after the PzB / Wobbly AAR [X(]

China is going much better though.

My reinforcements have reached Yenen (6). It's now 90K vs 60K rather than 90 v 30! I hope she is now safe for a while. I have massed 150K at Changsa and flung his 120K (2)back towards Wuhan (3) where he has plenty of other units. I am detatching about a third of the Changsa forces to march on Nanching (5). But I'll probably need to recall them soon to help defend Changsa.

My blockers remain next to Canton (4). While 35K at Pakhoi (5) continue to try and ware down the 8K Japanese there.

[Hoplosternum]

December 29th status

Last one [:)] Just a couple of shots at the score board and major ship losses. Just because I'm still leading at this point [:D] And I especially like Chokai sunk by 14" [:D]

[Hoplosternum]

Quiet day. Another KB strike on Tarakan but it looks like the transports are headed elsewhere. Maybe Menado or Davao?

My strike on Rabaul was a failure. One damaged Transport only.... And he got 1:1 odds and a fort down today. There are only about 2,500 of mine left fighting almost 20K. Not long now, probably tomorrow actually.

He has also started landing at Mersing. But that was eveacuated to Singapore weeks ago. Kuala Lumpa has gone.

His second KB section is heading for the gap between Davao and the Celebes presumably to reunite with it's other half. I have therefore delayed Lexington's raid on Amboina for a day in case she swings down south.

Lack of fuel in South Pac is hampering operations. We are also playing with fixed reinforcements which I have not done before. In two weeks time I will get a few dozen squadrons and LCUs and many dozens of ships. I am used to those dribbling in. I am finding I have simply got to wait and patience isn't my chief virtue [;)]

[Hoplosternum]

Well the New Year dawns with me falling for tjhe same ambush in a week!

Akagi and the KB section that struck Rabaul was obviously not the TF that sank my PI fleeing transport with CV planes north of Amboina. As they have reappeared off Rabaul again [X(] Twice in a week. Doh [:D]

The AM strike sank Minneapolis and Helena at Shortlands [:(] Perth and Camberra at Rabaul (that fell yesterday) followed in the afternoon [:(]

Australia and Le Triomphant (1) will flee north, Adalaide (2) to Townsville, the remaining US destroyers (one damaged so detatched in her own TF) and the picket Achilles (3) into deepest Coral Sea and Leander will abandon Guadalcannal. He has Nells and Bettys raiding from Truk and Rabaul. So that is one mystery solved [:)]



His Nells have begun to fly around Java also from Kuching. Maybe it won't be so good to send Repulse there after all [:)]

[Hoplosternum]

Well New Years day was quieter.

The crippled Faragut was put under and Australia was hit by another 250KG. He jhas some more transports and his CV section (or at least it's surface escorts) in the Solomons area.

Tarakan is also under heavy attack from surface forces and I have detected more transports about so maybe it is the target. My PT boats there were shattered by his surface forces. Only 2 left. As usual the Dutch PT boats are ineffective (unlike the US ones!)

I have rashly decided to send Repulse to Singkawang. There are cruisers there. But quite frankly all his TFs are telling me they are CAs [:D]

The IJA is crushing Malaya. Singapore is besiged and just Alor Starr and Georgetown are left in the north. It will still probably be a couple of weeks before Singapore is attacked and although he has landed at least another big brigade I don't think he will come to anywhere near 2:1 in numbers. I hope that will translate in to less than 2:1 odds and Singapore can hold for a while. Fragments of all the chief units are fleeing on DDs.

And in China my 50K troops are about to shock Nanching [:D]

[Hoplosternum]

Well there has been good news and bad news [:)]

The good news is the allies have not only avoided any Cruiser losing moments but scored two minor but spirit raising successes [;)]

Repulse and the some Dutch and UK Light Cruisers hit Singkawang. The IJN surface forces had left but 4 transports were still there. Repulse sunk one with a Torpedo and a 15" shell [:D] plus sundry shells from her secondaries and the Light Cruisers. Two more transports were crippled.

Nanching was taken after two shock attacks. I now have 60K troops 180 miles from Shanghai and it is a tempting target [;)] But in fact I am going to stop and probably withdraw back to Changsa. I hope I have him thinking on the defensive in China. Yenen looks safe and he is not attacking anywhere. His refugees in Pakhoi are being battered at 50:1 ratios but of course I often lose more than him and he never surrenders. I could really do with them being destroyed or sealifted away as I want those Chinese to back up my Canton covering force.

My Commonwealth and Dutch planes are scoring at least half a dozen hits on transports a day which is pleasing. I am flying in some new Blenheims from India and will try and get some of the US 2E bombers there to help out. Great for their experience and IIRC very annoying for the Japanese [:D]

But it's not all going my way.

Mini KB caught and sank DD Pillsbury as she tried to take the last of the Amboina refugees off to Darwin. Three Dutch DDs were crippled in Singapore harbour along with a transport. Trying to save fragments or whole formations can be very costly [X(]

Malaya is entering it's end game. A Japanese divison has entered Georgetown and it will likely fall in the first attack. Alor Star will go a day or two later. Then it's just Singapore to go. I have hopes it will last a while but we shall see.