Empire of the Sun - DesertWolf101 (J) vs Andy Mac (A)

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

Nice losses.

Did your first opponent tell you what he was doing with his fleet near Tahiti in March, before he quit ?

He didn't, but I think I have a good idea what he was up to. My supposition is that he was planning to attack my battleship force that was bombarding Pago Pago on a regular basis in support of the invasion. I had not shown the KB for months by then and I think he may have wrongly concluded that it would have done some airstrikes of the island if it had been around. At least that's my theory of what was going on.

[Ambassador]

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

Nice losses.

Did your first opponent tell you what he was doing with his fleet near Tahiti in March, before he quit ?

He didn't, but I think I have a good idea what he was up to. My supposition is that he was planning to attack my battleship force that was bombarding Pago Pago on a regular basis in support of the invasion. I had not shown the KB for months by then and I think he may have wrongly concluded that it would have done some airstrikes of the island if it had been around. At least that's my theory of what was going on.

Thx. Then, he broke the first rule of the Allied player : in ‘42, if you don’t know where KB is, assume it is nearby.[8|]

Well, if he hadn’t, you wouldn’t invade USSR.[:D]

[Bif1961]

I must hand it to you current Allied opponent for soldiering on and trying to reverse what has been a Tsunami of Japanese victories. I am sure the peasants at the Home Islands are like oh not another victory announcement.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

I must hand it to you current Allied opponent for soldiering on and trying to reverse what has been a Tsunami of Japanese victories. I am sure the peasants at the Home Islands are like oh not another victory announcement.

I assure you the peasants would constantly hear about "2 carriers, a battleship and numerous cruisers and destroyers" in any case [:D]

[DesertWolf101]

Andy informed me today that the KB ended up only a few hexes away from a 100 ship convoy in it's most recent charge.... curse ye weather gods!

[DesertWolf101]

January 5-9, 1943

Another huge convoy, the one the KB narrowly missed, arrived at Karachi. Looks like Andy is building up quite the force in India.

The main action in the Soviet Union has been centered around the effort to reduce supply in the Vladivostok pocket. Nikolaevsk was also taken which will allow me to ship supplies and oil directly to the Komsomolsk refineries.

This is what a typical bombardment of Vladivostok looks like. I wonder how much supply is eaten by a battleship shell.

[DesertWolf101]

An interesting encounter near Midway. My sub unfortunately missed its target, but it looks like Andy is pulling Soviet subs back from the motherland.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

ORIGINAL: ITAKLinus

PS.
I am almost completely unaware of the mechanisms regarding soviets, but can't it be that he plans to conquer a base with soviets and bring the air assets there from India?

Allied air groups which are not Soviet may not be used from Soviet-nationality bases (i.e. the starting Soviet bases). If Soviet troops conquer another base, other Allied nations may base their air groups from there.

However, the Manchu or Korean bases closest to Vladivostok’s pocket are 72 hexes distant from Delhi or Rawalpindi. A transfer would depend on intervening Chinese bases.

What you mean? They can't use the bases because of a house rule or is the game prohibiting this?

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

ORIGINAL: ITAKLinus

PS.
I am almost completely unaware of the mechanisms regarding soviets, but can't it be that he plans to conquer a base with soviets and bring the air assets there from India?

Allied air groups which are not Soviet may not be used from Soviet-nationality bases (i.e. the starting Soviet bases). If Soviet troops conquer another base, other Allied nations may base their air groups from there.

However, the Manchu or Korean bases closest to Vladivostok’s pocket are 72 hexes distant from Delhi or Rawalpindi. A transfer would depend on intervening Chinese bases.

What you mean? They can't use the bases because of a house rule or is the game prohibiting this?

The game does not allow non-Soviet Allied squadrons to fly into Soviet starting bases. On the other hand, if the Soviets capture a base outside their territory then the other Allied squadrons can fly into those even if they are under the Soviet flag.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: Ambassador



Allied air groups which are not Soviet may not be used from Soviet-nationality bases (i.e. the starting Soviet bases). If Soviet troops conquer another base, other Allied nations may base their air groups from there.

However, the Manchu or Korean bases closest to Vladivostok’s pocket are 72 hexes distant from Delhi or Rawalpindi. A transfer would depend on intervening Chinese bases.

What you mean? They can't use the bases because of a house rule or is the game prohibiting this?

The game does not allow non-Soviet Allied squadrons to fly into Soviet starting bases. On the other hand, if the Soviets capture a base outside their territory then the other Allied squadrons can fly into those even if they are under the Soviet flag.

Aah thanks for the clarification! Always thought the Allied could fly in heavy bombers from the Aleutains into Soviet bases to hit Japan from there. Good to hear that's not possible then.

[29000Kevin]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

ORIGINAL: ITAKLinus

PS.
I am almost completely unaware of the mechanisms regarding soviets, but can't it be that he plans to conquer a base with soviets and bring the air assets there from India?

Allied air groups which are not Soviet may not be used from Soviet-nationality bases (i.e. the starting Soviet bases). If Soviet troops conquer another base, other Allied nations may base their air groups from there.

However, the Manchu or Korean bases closest to Vladivostok’s pocket are 72 hexes distant from Delhi or Rawalpindi. A transfer would depend on intervening Chinese bases.

What you mean? They can't use the bases because of a house rule or is the game prohibiting this?

It is hard coded in the game for non-Soviet planes to not be able to operate in Soviet Bases because usually the Soviets were only activated in 1945 when they have the assets and equipment to invade Manchuria but by 1945 the Cold War had already started with Harry S. Truman cancelling Land Lease for the Soviets after VE day and the Soviets purposely sabotaging the Polish Resistance.

The whole reason why Russia and Japan never signed a Peace Agreement in WW2 was thanks to America never mentioning what the Soviets were supposed to be annexing in the peace deal, despite Roosevelt promising Stalin that the Kuril islands were to be annexed by him after the declaration of war against Japan.

I will mention that their was a plan to base 1000 4E Bombers in Siberia in 1944, including a land lease of a few hundred B-24 Bombers in 1944 but those plans never went anywhere and effectively died when Roosevelt died.

So in short, the reason why W. Allied planes can't be based in the Soviet Union is because of Stalin and hard coding, and generally the untested state of Russia during the 1942 - 1943 period where their is practically nothing to reinforce the Soviets in the skies, thanks to the original Developers and the Luftwaffe.

By the time the Soviets do invade Manchuria however the Allies will be able to fly in planes, but that will take a long amount of time.

[DesertWolf101]

January 11, 1943

An interesting turn. The Yamato task force was heading in to bombard Vladivostok when it encountered a Soviet heavy cruiser. The enemy cruiser was quickly riddled with 36cm gunfire from the Ise and sank. The fun was not over though and later during the day the Japanese battleships were attacked by Soviet torpedo bombers. A fish hit the Yamato but failed to explode. Lucky!

[DesertWolf101]

January 12-13, 1942

Japanese battleships continue with their regular bombardments of Vladivostok. I am not getting as many supply hits as I would like (an average of only 1-2 per bombardment) but the battleships are destroying and damaging many Soviet guns which eventually should open the door for extensive air bombing.

[DesertWolf101]

I decided to go for one more deliberate attack in the north in the off chance I get some good odds. No dice. One small Japanese tank regiment was even isolated in the battle and destroyed. The good news is that if I am having this much trouble in x2 terrain then Andy will have an even worse time attacking me in x3 terrain now that I am going to switch over to the defensive in this sector.

[DesertWolf101]

Speaking of terrain types. What do you guys think of hexes 80,13/81,14/81,15. They appear as clear hexes in the map but they are given the designation of WR (x3 terrain) when I press the 1 button. This is in stock scenario/map. I assume it is probably WR and the map is wrong?

P.S. You can see in the image the very last Chinese Corps that is not encircled or destroyed making a run for the Soviet border.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Speaking of terrain types. What do you guys think of hexes 80,13/81,14/81,15. They appear as clear hexes in the map but they are given the designation of WR (x3 terrain) when I press the 1 button. This is in stock scenario/map. I assume it is probably WR and the map is wrong?

P.S. You can see in the image the very last Chinese Corps that is not encircled or destroyed making a run for the Soviet border.

the graphics of the map is wrong, hence one should always check the terrain types using the shortcut

[DesertWolf101]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

Speaking of terrain types. What do you guys think of hexes 80,13/81,14/81,15. They appear as clear hexes in the map but they are given the designation of WR (x3 terrain) when I press the 1 button. This is in stock scenario/map. I assume it is probably WR and the map is wrong?

P.S. You can see in the image the very last Chinese Corps that is not encircled or destroyed making a run for the Soviet border.

the graphics of the map is wrong, hence one should always check the terrain types using the shortcut

Thanks. I remember I was flummoxed by the existence of a river between Diamond Harbor and Calcutta as well which is not quite visible on the map.

[Ambassador]

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

January 12-13, 1942

Japanese battleships continue with their regular bombardments of Vladivostok. I am not getting as many supply hits as I would like (an average of only 1-2 per bombardment) but the battleships are destroying and damaging many Soviet guns which eventually should open the door for extensive air bombing.

Given the lack of coastal gun shots, I guess you bombard from very long range, if not max range for the 356mm ? It does have an influence on the number of hits. You might close the distance a bit.

From memory, there are a couple of heavy caliber guns (305-356mm, I think 9 total), and a few 203mm (not many), which all have a range over 30. The 180mm have much shorter range, but the 40 or so 130mm have a good range (around 20 IIRC) but will lack the penetration (however, beware the fires). Bombardments at range 25 should be still relatively safe.

[29000Kevin]

ORIGINAL: DesertWolf101

January 11, 1943

An interesting turn. The Yamato task force was heading in to bombard Vladivostok when it encountered a Soviet heavy cruiser. The enemy cruiser was quickly riddled with 36cm gunfire from the Ise and sank. The fun was not over though and later during the day the Japanese battleships were attacked by Soviet torpedo bombers. A fish hit the Yamato but failed to explode. Lucky!

That heavy Cruiser right their is the newly Commissioned Kirov-Class Cruiser Kalinin and no its not the 1980s Missile Battlecruiser that happens to have the exact same name and class.

The ship was built in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and was commissioned in December 25th, 1942.

There is another ship of this class being built, but it will only be "ready" by 1944, I believe that the Soviets eventually get an Anti-Air Cruiser at some point, however I long forgotten which AAR I found that useful information in.

I should note the mouth of the river Amur has not been captured by the IJA despite being clearly cut off from the Vladivostok, I'm not sure if the Developers used the River as the spawn point for the Cruiser or Vladivostok as the spawning area, still best to make sure if you get a large VP haul by destroying any ships under construction there if the naval shipyard is modeled into the game.

[Ambassador]

As far as I remember, both cruisers are built, in AE, in Vladivostok, and not in Komsomolsk.