The Hive - Cruft PBEM (Japan, Scen 2 Beta + Stacking Limits)

[Captain Cruft]

That wasn't the only strike. I try to only post combat reports that are material.

[Captain Cruft]

02 August 1944

Not much going on. Ponape gets bombed, as it has every single day for a long time now. I keep the small garrison alive by sub transport of supplies. He could take the base very easily but does not seem interested.

Meanwhile, over on the Asian mainland Operation Squelch is progressing well. The enemy has seemingly not detected our intentions at all, and will be hard pushed to react anyway given his dispositions.

[Captain Cruft]

The "Unassailable CAP".

This agglomeration of fighters (combined with the serious engineering and flak at the base) is his #1 problem right now. It complete stops him doing Naval Attack anywhere in the vicinity which allows me to ship stuff around at will. He will also given his nature be very reluctant to place shipping anywhere nearby since I have demonstrated more than once how deadly 250kg bombs can be when delivered by fighters at low level.

[Captain Cruft]

Of course any amount of fighters and flak cannot prevent Naval Bombardments. So it is necessary to keep surface combat TFs at the base to prevent or at least minimise this risk.

Here are some of the current defenders. Not very fearsome, but they have also done sterling service depositing and withdrawing the harassment forces on the mainland.

The main thing that prevents Kiungshan from being nuked from the sea is its location "behind" the Hainan island land mass. Ships coming from Cam Ranh Bay cannot get into bombardment position without exposing themselves to air attack first.

[Cribtop]

A tough nut to crack astride his main avenue of approach. Nice.

[Captain Cruft]

03 Aug 1944

Another good result at Pingsiang. It will fall next time though.

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Ground combat at Pingsiang (82,54)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 152466 troops, 911 guns, 240 vehicles, Assault Value = 4565

Defending force 8534 troops, 56 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 275

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 3

Allied adjusted assault: 2753

Japanese adjusted defense: 671

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1162 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 117 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Allied ground losses:
2812 casualties reported
Squads: 333 destroyed, 95 disabled
Non Combat: 96 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 38 destroyed, 8 disabled
Guns lost 19 (13 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (4 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
10th Chinese Corps
36th Div Engineer Battalion
58th Chinese Corps
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
52nd Chinese Corps
75th Chinese Corps
23rd Indian Division
XV Corps Engineer Battalion
46th Chinese Corps
72nd Chinese Corps
59th Chinese Corps
4th Chinese Corps
78th Chinese Corps
32nd Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
2nd Chinese Corps
37th Chinese Corps
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps
7th Artillery Regiment
3rd Heavy Mortar Regiment
10th Group Army
35th Group Army
1st Artillery Regiment
4th Heavy Mortar Regiment

Defending units:
64th Division

[Quixote]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I try to only post combat reports that are material.

One of the main reasons, along with your novel approach, that your AAR is fun to follow. [:)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Quixote

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I try to only post combat reports that are material.

One of the main reasons, along with your novel approach, that your AAR is fun to follow. [:)]

I'm kind of in the opposite camp. I want more! To study and learn from these games it is great to see some details.

I probably post too many CR, but it's fun for me to go through them, as I see more stuff that happened, plus with an opponent's AAR going, I just like knowing the info is out there for people to compare and assess. Helps the commentary I think, and keeps me objective.

Which brings me to my point about this AAR. I'd love to see a bit more, understand your situation better as it's such a unique strategy, and so well carried out thus far. At least some maps would be really good. No need to annotate then, just situation shots more regularly.

[Captain Cruft]

04 Aug 1944

Bombardments at Hong Kong continue to go our way.

The vanguard of Operation Squelch has now de-facto been spotted, but will he twig what's going on?

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Ground combat at Hong Kong (77,61)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 10912 troops, 246 guns, 173 vehicles, Assault Value = 2728

Defending force 168199 troops, 2990 guns, 3627 vehicles, Assault Value = 4129

Japanese ground losses:
19 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
153 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 22 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)
Vehicles lost 20 (2 destroyed, 18 disabled)

Assaulting units:
66th Naval Guard Unit
55th Division
Hong Kong Def Force
38th Division
2nd Guards Division
30th Division
60th Division
21st Division
104th Division
Yokosuka 5th SNLF
Yokosuka 2nd SNLF
34th Road Const Co
33rd Road Const Co
5th RF Gun Battalion
7th JAAF Base Force
Canton Special Base Force
52nd Field AA Battalion
2nd Shipping Engineer Regiment
25th Ind. Field Artillery Battalion
42nd Road Const Co
20th RF Gun Battalion
12th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion
1st JAAF Base Force
10th Ind. Field Artillery Battalion
13th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion
28th Army
53rd Field AA Battalion
29th Army
Hong Kong Special Base Force
75th Field AA Battalion
44th Road Const Co
43rd Const Co
16th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
54th Field AA Battalion
11th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion
3rd Air Division
11th Ind. Field Artillery Battalion
9th Ind. Field Artillery Battalion
47th JAAF AF Bn /1

Defending units:
43rd Cavalry Regiment
2nd British Division
60th Chinese Corps
Provisionl Tank Brigade
11th Indian Division
7th Australian Division
19th Indian Division
81st (West African) Division
14th Chindit Brigade
28th (East African) Brigade
20th Indian Division
38th Infantry Division
254th Armoured Brigade
73rd Chinese Corps
3rd New Chinese Corps
255th Indian Tank Brigade
18th British Division
82nd (West African) Division
25th Indian Division
5th Indian Division
6th Medium Regiment
25th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
56th Heavy AA Regiment
23rd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
32nd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
20th Artillery Regiment
XXXIII Indian Corps
21st Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
14th Army
20th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
8th Medium Regiment
88th Medium Regiment
IV Indian Corps
Southeast Asia
6th Mixed A/T Mtr Regiment
17th Indian Light AA Regiment
163rd Light AA Regiment
31st Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
5th Field Regiment
1st Indian Light AA Regiment
77th Heavy AA Regiment
30th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd West African AA Regiment
22nd Artillery Regiment

[Captain Cruft]

Also from this turn ...

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Morning Air attack on 53rd Chinese Corps, at 77,59 (Canton)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-51b Sonia x 21

No Japanese losses

Allied ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x Ki-51b Sonia bombing from 12000 feet *
Ground Attack: 2 x 50 kg GP Bomb

Also attacking 31st Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 53rd Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 31st Chinese Corps ...
Also attacking 53rd Chinese Corps ...

[Captain Cruft]

The lower Philippines.

Cebu is now getting bombed on a daily basis.

I am evacuating the engineers and aviation support from Zamboanga by air.

[Captain Cruft]

This is my one and only George unit.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

This is my one and only George unit.

You're going to learn to love that ugly plane if you put these great pilots in it. Best in a defensive role.

Looks like you're really slowing efforts everywhere even though he hasn't hit the edge of the Hive anywhere. That bodes well.

Love the Sonia use in mid-44.

[Captain Cruft]

05 Aug 1944

A CV Deathstar has entered the Sulu Sea, and he has landed at Sandakan.

I lost 18 search Nells to the CAP ...

[Captain Cruft]

Aircraft Research news ...

I rarely look at this but it is telling me that I will get the Sam in Nov '44. Groovy.

The Ki-84r Frank is due in Jan '45.

Other than those two the only thing I care about is the Patsy, and that is still a long way off.

[Captain Cruft]

06 Aug 1944

Squelch?

He's twigged ... Now it's a race [8D]

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft
He's twigged ... Now it's a race [8D]

A race to what? Not like you can dislodge him from Hong Kong and I doubt you have enough to hold that hex in open terrain for very long. Or am I missing something?

[Captain Cruft]

Hexsides.

I should have pressed 'W' before taking the screenshot ...

[Captain Cruft]

I don't spelling things out, but here are some more clues.

The hex which the arrow is pointing to is the only way in to or out of Hong Kong.

I can bomb that hex with about 3,000 planes, uncontested.

The unit moving towards Hong Kong is a single Tank Regt, but I have over 1,000 AV of infantry on its way to the hex from Swatow.

[Captain Cruft]

This is the prize.