Nomonhan Redux: Seydlitz (Japan) vs. MBatch729 (Allies)

[Caliban]

seydlitz--

I continue to follow your AAR daily. It has become a "must-do" part of my daily activities. I enjoy it and have benefitted from it so very much.

The idea of taking on the Sovietskies so very early and in winter is truely audacious. Perhaps that is why so many of us JFB's find it so captivating. Your dedication to keeping your readers fully involved with your campaign via detailed accounts of battles and logistical reporting must certainly add to your following. Once again I can only wish you the best of luck in this endeavor.

I have a question for you. Has there been any evidence of a weather (winter) bias as to combat results favoring the Russians? Is it possible that there may be a "Stalingrad Effect"?

Caliban

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: Caliban

I have a question for you. Has there been any evidence of a weather (winter) bias as to combat results favoring the Russians? Is it possible that there may be a "Stalingrad Effect"?

Caliban

I hope that the winter affects both of us equally. I will ask my opponent when I get the chance.

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: Swenslim

Yes, You neeed to research Judy D4Y1 with ntry date at 4/43.

I fixed this during my turn. You were correct. I did leave a couple of the facilities on the recon version since it arrives early but most are now on the DB version.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 73 17 Feb 1942

Fair bit of sub action this turn. Starting with this off Moresby:

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Submarine attack near Port Moresby at 98,132

Japanese Ships
SS RO-60

Allied Ships
xAK Lillian Luckenbach, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage



xAK Lillian Luckenbach is sighted by SS RO-60...
SS RO-60 attacking on the surface...
Nagashima J. decides to submerge SS RO-60 due to damage...


RO-60 was not badly damaged. About 7 sys only.

[seydlitz_slith]

The next attack was even better...........
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Submarine attack near Portland at 77,171

Japanese Ships
SS I-10

Allied Ships
xAP Queen Elizabeth, Torpedo hits 1



xAP Queen Elizabeth is sighted by SS I-10...
SS I-10 launches 6 torpedoes...


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ASW attack near Portland at 78,171

Japanese Ships
SS I-10, hits 19

Allied Ships
DD Stuart



DD Stuart fails to find sub, continues to search......
DD Stuart attacking submerged sub .......
DD Stuart is out of ASW ammo...
DD Stuart fails to find sub, continues to search......
DD Stuart fails to find sub, continues to search......
DD Stuart fails to find sub, continues to search......
Escort abandons search for sub...


That is Portland, Australia in the Bass Strait.

[seydlitz_slith]

The escorts worked the I-10 over pretty good with depth charges. In fact, the Stuart expended all of her depth charges. I-10 is retiring to Yokohama with about 22 flt damage.

However, if the ships sunk screen is correct, my opponent will be very upset.

[seydlitz_slith]

The attacks in the Bass Strait again point to the necessity of the Japanese player putting subs here and to the allied player to realize that this is a choke point and likewise defending it. This is one place where there will be traffic at some point going to Melbourne. Often tankers or troopships.

Finally, my last submarine action of the turn was to drop the minefield in place near Victoria.

[seydlitz_slith]

Here is the daily Voroshilov update. Most of my infantry units are now below 10 disruption. I will move to attack in a few turns. The KB is sailing back to Samurai Station and was close enough to bomb Vladivostok during the turn.

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Ground combat at Voroshilov (112,45)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 3351 troops, 368 guns, 208 vehicles, Assault Value = 2212

Defending force 58935 troops, 1489 guns, 283 vehicles, Assault Value = 1511

Japanese ground losses:
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
1872 casualties reported
Squads: 18 destroyed, 31 disabled
Non Combat: 129 destroyed, 23 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 34 (14 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Vehicles lost 41 (39 destroyed, 2 disabled)


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Ground combat at Voroshilov (112,45)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 53638 troops, 1390 guns, 221 vehicles, Assault Value = 1460

Defending force 97330 troops, 1031 guns, 783 vehicles, Assault Value = 2212

Japanese ground losses:
257 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 61 destroyed, 33 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 65 (23 destroyed, 42 disabled)
Vehicles lost 64 (49 destroyed, 15 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
55 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 74 18 February 1942

Very short post for this turn. Most of my forces are continuing to maneuver. Mark did surprise me by moving fighters and recon planes into the recaptured airfield at Spassk-Dalniy. He then had the fighters fly LRCAP over Voroshilov. Luckily he did not do too much damage as I had some fighters excorting on some of the raids. Next turn the KB will launch a full strike at the airfield to shut it down while several zero units will sweep Voroshilov and Spassk.

Here is the Voroshilov duel:

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Ground combat at Voroshilov (112,45)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 2703 troops, 351 guns, 171 vehicles, Assault Value = 2239

Defending force 57981 troops, 1491 guns, 265 vehicles, Assault Value = 1487

Japanese ground losses:
Guns lost 5 (3 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (1 destroyed, 4 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
1452 casualties reported
Squads: 17 destroyed, 30 disabled
Non Combat: 105 destroyed, 48 disabled
Engineers: 15 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 32 (21 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 38 (32 destroyed, 6 disabled)

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Ground combat at Voroshilov (112,45)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 53021 troops, 1383 guns, 226 vehicles, Assault Value = 1440

Defending force 97229 troops, 1011 guns, 751 vehicles, Assault Value = 2239

Japanese ground losses:
318 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 41 destroyed, 38 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 96 (72 destroyed, 24 disabled)
Vehicles lost 55 (33 destroyed, 22 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (0 destroyed, 1 disabled)

I have been sending supply convoys to Rashin and Kanko to reload for the past few turns. I have burned through most of the initial supplies in theater and if I did not immediately take action to resupply I would be running short at the airfields and in the ground combat hexes within three weeks. I have already shipped over 100,000 supply with more enroute. All of this is coming out of the home islands.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 75 19 Feb 1942

My heavy air strikes continued over Soviet territory. For the second turn in a row Soviet Mig fighters appeared over Vladivostok and Spassk-Dalniy. This confirms that he moved the fighters into Spassk and is flying LRCAP out of there.

Luckily, my experienced Nell units flying out of Honshu brushed the enemy aside and completed their bombing runs. The KB hit the airfield at Spassk with all of their strike aircraft this turn, so we shall see how many fighters fly next turn.

I am somewhat concerned with the size and shape of his offensive in the south. Spassk now has 10 units with 26000 troops and he has entered my critical airfield at Mashin with 8 units/ 19000 men. Mashin is the critical logistics point for my whole offensive. If it falls then my entire army is cut off and out of supply.

With this knowledge, plus a comment that he knew that I had units enroute to land at Olga, I have altered my plans somewhat. I am diverting all of the Olga units to Rashin, the port in Japanese territory just west of Vladivostok. I will land everything there and blast a hole through his western border fort in the hex just west of Voroshilov. Since there is a good road network here, I should be able to create a very short and very solid supply route here in about 7-10 turns. This is pretty much a necessity unless I want to risk losing all of my forces in the area.

Here is the Voroshilov duel for the turn.

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Ground combat at Voroshilov (112,45)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 2202 troops, 286 guns, 143 vehicles, Assault Value = 2255

Defending force 56901 troops, 1484 guns, 247 vehicles, Assault Value = 1462

Japanese ground losses:
Guns lost 6 (2 destroyed, 4 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
1370 casualties reported
Squads: 22 destroyed, 12 disabled
Non Combat: 86 destroyed, 51 disabled
Engineers: 9 destroyed, 8 disabled
Guns lost 33 (13 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Vehicles lost 34 (29 destroyed, 5 disabled)

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Ground combat at Voroshilov (112,45)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 52410 troops, 1389 guns, 202 vehicles, Assault Value = 1413

Defending force 96850 troops, 947 guns, 723 vehicles, Assault Value = 2255

Japanese ground losses:
212 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 28 destroyed, 16 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 69 (54 destroyed, 15 disabled)
Vehicles lost 30 (21 destroyed, 9 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
61 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)

I do have the realization that even with the disruption and fatigue gone from my reserve LCUs at Voroshilov, the sheer number of casualties that they have taken will leave them significantly weaker than at start. With some units having lost as many as 160 squads during the previous attacks, it will take months to get back to full strength at one squad per day. This should be sufficient to win the coming fight, but those units that he has brought in from the east are fresh, so it will definitely require use of some additional troops to effectively fight them. No quick wins here for certain.

[seydlitz_slith]

Here is the northern front. I can not break through his defenses in the terrain here and I am closer to his airbases than mine. Accordingly I am going to pull back to Hailar with my ground forces and let him come to me. That way I can attrit his forces until I get to the point where I can counterstrike.

[seydlitz_slith]

Here is northern China. I am moving to a holding pattern in China so that I can move a concentration of forces up to Kalgan on the Manchurian border.

[seydlitz_slith]

Southern China. Same thing. Holding pattern. I pretty much have what I want down there for this stage of the game. I can get the rest in 1943 or late 1942.

[Rob Brennan UK]

Good idea redirecting the landing imo. If you lose supply to your main stack its game over in russia and most likely the entire war [X(].

Great AAR . thank you

[offenseman]

I concur with Rob.

In addition, retreating is something that does not come easily for many people but sometimes is very smart.  Your "strategic withdrawl" near Hailar looks to be a good choice right now. 

[ComradeP]

You do seem to lose quite a few guns in those duels, in one case roughly 1 out of 10 involved.

As to China: it sounds like a sensible plan. Would it be possible to move (directions related to positions on the screenshot) to the south-west of Changsha and slightly to the east of Nanning to cut what seem to be your opponents most important supply routes into the bulge (which is huge, I may add)?

[Przemcio231]

Question what mode are you using??? The one with orange land units???

[seydlitz_slith]

move mode normally with a quick switch back to combat mode after entering the destination hex.

ORIGINAL: Przemcio231

Question what mode are you using??? The one with orange land units???

[seydlitz_slith]

ORIGINAL: ComradeP

You do seem to lose quite a few guns in those duels, in one case roughly 1 out of 10 involved.

As to China: it sounds like a sensible plan. Would it be possible to move (directions related to positions on the screenshot) to the south-west of Changsha and slightly to the east of Nanning to cut what seem to be your opponents most important supply routes into the bulge (which is huge, I may add)?

He is actually stronger than me outside of the cities there and that is why I haven't done that yet. I sent every unit that I thought I could spare up north to Kalgan, so for now I must hide in the cities.

The gun losses in Russia are because all of my artillery is disrupted and fatigued between 45 and 90. That is costing me some gun losses but is worth it since it totally hides the fact that all of my infantry has been resting and recovering. Should be a big surprise when they go to combat mode and attack.

[seydlitz_slith]

Turn 76 20 Feb 1942

This turn started off with an American sub taking a pot shot at one of my AKs.

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Sub attack near Davao at 80,93

Japanese Ships
xAK Kamoi Maru
PB Bisan Maru #3
SC Ch 14
DMS W-15
xAK Shinwa Maru
xAK Shinyubari Maru
DD Isokaze
DD Akigumo
PB Kinsyo Maru #2
PB Choun Maru #18

Allied Ships
SS Skipjack



SS Skipjack launches 4 torpedoes at xAK Kamoi Maru...
DD Isokaze fails to find sub, continues to search......
DD Akigumo fails to find sub and abandons search...
PB Kinsyo Maru #2 fails to find sub, continues to search......
PB Choun Maru #18 fails to find sub and abandons search...
DD Isokaze fails to find sub, continues to search......
PB Kinsyo Maru #2 fails to find sub, continues to search......
DD Isokaze fails to find sub, continues to search......
PB Kinsyo Maru #2 fails to find sub and abandons search...
DD Isokaze attacking submerged sub .......
SS Skipjack eludes ASW attack from DD Isokaze ...
DD Isokaze fails to find sub, continues to search......
DD Isokaze fails to find sub, continues to search......
Escort abandons search for sub...