The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

8/2/44

DEI and Sub Wars: An IJ sub scored a single hit on CL Biloxi today, and she went under. Augh!

KB air ASW clobbered my subs, sinking two outright and damaging two or three more.

Reluctantly, I'm radically modifying my submarine strategy to concentrate them near exposed Allied bases where I have decent CAP (Boela, Miri, Manila, Foochow).

I don't enjoy micromanaging subs every turn, vectoring each one to a new position, but I've knuckled down and done it for months now. I've "hemmed in" KB many times; many times John's carriers have run right over subs. In that time, one sub had a shot at Akagi and missed. Other than that, my subs have gotten pummeled. And the pummeling has increased of late. E-class ASW platforms and KB's air ASW are tough.

I want to conserve my subs so that they can "flood the zone" if and when a decisive naval battle takes place around Formosa.

[Canoerebel]

8/2/44

Pilot Losses & Air War Summary: See image for details.

[Lowpe]

If you have 60+ Jugs in the pool...but how many do you have in active squadrons? It sounds to me like you are starting to hurt on fighters...as it will be till November before you really start getting a lot more....especially if you are worried about the British pilots.

It may be a moot point, with night action opening up shortly. Have you given some thought to that? Have you gotten some good aerial recon on Honshu (don't forget Korea,no VP but good industry there)...any advanced fighters being researched in Japan? There is a definite learning curve involved in night bombing, and the results at first can look quite poor.

Don't Corsairs make good sweepers?

Nice to see the destroyer surface bombardment.[:)]

BTW, what is the Chinese unit north of your landing?

[Canoerebel]

The Chinese unit is an HQ serving in a scout/trip-wire role.

Corsairs haven't done very well in the sweep role - yet. I'm using them selectively, as the pools are relatively low.

I'm fine on USAAF fighter frames for now, I think. I have a lot of squadrons flying the -D25, with another 60+ in the pools. I have several squadrons flying the -D2, with 80+ in the pools. But the -D2 doesn't do well against Franks, Georges and Sams, I think.

The next few days will be important - the combination of bombardment missions, sweeps and bombing may close or cripple most of John's fields on Formosa. He'll also be threatened with the loss of Amoy's airfield, the only large IJ base within supporting distance (the next closest being Okinawa). Once I close or cripple those big airfields, the pace of operations should slow a bit.

[HansBolter]

Don't forget to look to the defensive side of night bombing.
Do you have any ports full of disbanded ships with no current night CAP?
You have not likely been attending to night CAP with your HRs.

Playing the AI makes you very attentive to night CAP.
The AI night bombs any base as soon as I distribute a day flying fighter squadron to the base.


On B25s for airfield busting....I have found 48 b25s to be more effective some times in airfield busting than 48 B24s.
As long as you can get them to go in in decent size batches instead of dribs and drabs you can get very good results.

[Canoerebel]

I figure John will hit Manila as soon as night-bombing goes into effect - August 15. Assuming the moon phase is satisfactory then. So I've moved a lot of my AA there and will have four or five night fighter squadrons on patrol

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

7/31/44

Sub Wars: Tough days for the Allies. John's good TFs keep running right over my subs in the DEI, with no satisfying opportunities to shoot. But enemy ASW chews up my subs. I lost one today with two more heavily damaged.

I understood this to be a fairly well-known aspect of the game. I think reading Bullwinkle's comments were the most instructive, as he really loves this aspect of the game and works it hard.

It almost seems hopeless to employ the Allied subs against any enemy TF that includes air or sea ASW. I've considered pulling nearly everything out, grouping them at Manila, and then flooding a zone if and when KB should approach. But I'll try for a few more turns...trying, trying, trying to vector subs into KB's paths.

It is, by far, the most unbalanced-against-history aspect of the game. Very frustrating if you know anything about the real submarine war.

I have pretty much abandoned any notion of conducting sub warfare against the Japanese merchant fleet. Just does not work. Any competent Japanese player can deal with it and subs instead of ignoring escorts like they did in real life, tend to target them first. I now use only about 25% of my subs for that and devote the other 75% in support of invasions and fleet actions. Less kills but many more high value target kills. If an area is flooded with subs after a bloody fight the result can be devastating. Best thing is when a capital ship takes damage and then detaches from the TF with no or only one escort. That just draws subs like flies to bacon. I have sunk one big carrier and one light in this manner with three fish hitting both the Akagi and Kaga but probably not sinking them. There is a much better level of protection against ASW when your subs are working near your fleet.

[jwolf]

That movie poster is amazing, with a young Peter Graves. Really cool.

Looks like a tough air war over Formosa. But if you can win here, the Japanese will be in terrible shape for whatever follows.

How long do you think it will take to get total Allied control over Indochina?

[Canoerebel]

The Allies should prevail in the air war over Formosa unless John commits KB .... and I'd like him to commit KB; it'll get his carriers in the open, and it may clear or ease things on my LOC, allowing supply to come forward more easily. If he does commit KB, the fewer airfields he can call on for support the better. Taking two or three coastal Chinese bases (Foochow was a 3 and Amoy is a 7) will be big steps in the right direction. Keeping some or most of his Formosa fields moderately or heavily damaged will be important. I'm making progress at Takao and Kagi; Hengchun is a small base and rather exposed (I don't think it has much aviation support either); Taichu and Taihoku will get attention, starting with tomorrow's bombardment missions.

I'm don't yet know whether John has a core of decent units in southern Indochina. If he hasn't, the Allies should take Saigon within two weeks. If there is a core, I'll probably need the air force to lend a hand. I have base forces at Bangkok, but supply levels could be a limiting factor. Drawing supply from Rangoon takes awhile and it tends to dribble in.

Once Saigon falls, the consolidated Allied armies will move up the coast towards John's MLR, wherever that happens to be at the time. He'd better not select the open terrain at Hanoi and Haiphong. If he chooses good terrain, that battle may take a month or more.

[anarchyintheuk]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

is that the movie with the huge flying ants?

Isn't that one of the "Them" movies?

Was on TCM a week ago or so. Forgot how good/bad it was. Almost spit my drink out when I saw Spock in a bit part. Must have been one of his first appearances.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Correct...it is a rail/road hexiside control path from Rangoon to Tsuy no matter how convoluted.


I also believe being below the garrison in Rangoon, or suffering partisan attacks at Rangoon can close the Burma Road....I can't remember which.

When I have a little more time, I will search for Alfred's post on it...or perhaps I have it on one drive.

See my 2013 post in this thread for how the Burma Road operates post some bug squashing.

tm.asp?m=3415396&mpage=1&key=Burma&#3415717

Alfred

[Jellicoe]

Is it worth trying to sneak the Lexington to a nearby dot base or something less attention focusing than Boela that will still be able receive Boela air cover?

[Canoerebel]

John has subs posted all around Boela, including the dot hexes.

I'm not positive he knows that Lex is there, but I have to assume he does. Moving her is more risky than leaving her in place - John has had a recent very unpleasant experience with KB air striking a hardened target (in that case, Portland Roads). I don't want to lose Lexington, but if I'm going to lose her, she's in the most advantageous position possible. It may take time for John to drum up the resolve or the resources to move on Boela, and the Allied fighters there will exact a steep price (unless John can close the airfield by bombardment, which is why I've been moving more combat ships and subs there, including minelaying subs).

It's an interesting game within the game, but I'll just have to call John's bluff. No easy kill of Lexington. Make him come and dig her out at maximum expense.

[Pockets197412]

Hey, long time reader, first time poster! I'm currently reading both AAR, currently at game date is July 1942. The date of those posts is April 2013. When I skip ahead, you guys are in mid/late 1944 and it's May, 2017. So you guys have taken 5 years to accomplish 2 years in game! Hats off to you sir![:D] Been a good read so far!

[Canoerebel]

Pockets, we took a 2.25-year sabbatical, from September 2013 until December 2015.

[Canoerebel]

8/3/44

Convergence: I'll post the usual maps with details later, but there were some developments today that lend themselves to written format. A number of Allied movements and attacks in China and Formosa were quite effective. There's a likelihood that the Allies will soon close all of Formosa's airfield unless John brings KB back. And in China, John's strongest coast stack at Tsingkiang was clobbered by B-29s and then underwent a 2:1 attack by four li'l ol' tank units. But the infantry arrived in the hex so that John got a good look at what's there ... and suddenly I see movement dots for Japanese units in several places around China.

The Allied bombardments were very effective versus Hengchun, Takao, Taichu and Taihoku, and modest sweeps and bombing missions added to the effect. The latter two bases only have 15% damage, but Takao is closed now and Kagi nearly so. A few more attacks like today's and John won't have any viable bases left. And he sees the writing on the wall in coastal China: the Allies will take Tsinkiang tomorrow, and he's already pushed forward most of his troops from Amoy. He's going to lose that base in four or five days.

I'm going to keep Death Star in position for two reasons: primarily to keep up the appearances of the threat against Formosa; secondarily to allow supply to come ashore at Tsinkiang (I have to allow the troops to draw supply from Foochow, so I think supply is quickly going to become an issue in China). There's no holding back now - I need to apply maximum pressure in China and Formosa to draw KB north.

KB is currently at Balikpapan refueling. I think John will send it north afterwards. If so, that will complicate things around Formosa but will create a vacuum in the DEI, allowing me to push supply forward on an expedited basis.

A lot of things went right today, and I think John realizes he has to commit KB or lose the Formosa campaign. To this point he's been willing to give up ground without committing his carriers, but there's no way he can handle Formosa that way. I don't believe he can afford to lose Formosa without exacting a heavy, heavy price.

[BBfanboy]

I am not so sure about KB coming north. John may think his fighters can handle the B-29 raids coming from Formosa so he would be willing to lose it.
I am quite sure he is not willing to lose carriers!

[Canoerebel]

8/3/43

Peep Show: Good progress made today.

BBfanboy: You may be right. That strategy would be worth careful thought, certainly from a victory point/gaming standpoint.

From a military standpoint I don't think it is. Formosa is the gateway to China (more of it, I mean), Korea, and the Home Islands. Losing Formosa with 170k troops would be a nightmare for him.

And from a Bushido Code standpoint, John the JFB wouldn't be able to look himself in the mirror.

I have a feeling he'll fight for Formosa; either that or look for a target that in his eyes would be balance it. Boela/Lexington might be sufficient in that regard. Or he might get the notion that hammering Legaspi/Naga would be a real achievement. In that case, though, the barn door is open and all the livestock is long gone.

[Canoerebel]

8/3/44

SEAC: The Allies are advancing and still encountering light opposition, but there are signs that stiffer opposition awaits...but are there also signs that John may be shifting troops from Indochina to China?

[JeffroK]

Re the use of subs.
Has anyone tried setting them to follow a surface TF and be part of a surface action?? (Or an ASW TF)

I tried but failed to invoke a combat, wondered if it gave them some protection.