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Fuel is a little low but Dan moving the fight to the DEI is GREAT! Don't have to haul any out of the Home Islands and can stockpile. Supply--Resources are rock solid right now. Still have bunches of it at sea prior to the Sumatra situation.

I would ensure that Oosthaven is built up to max Port (4) and use CS Convoys to transport fuel to Batavia vs Palembang. I would use more small TKs to go into Palembang to get the Oil. Use Java as collect point to get fuel/oil to Japan vs Singapore. Most of my "Std-x" xAK converted to TKs would be use in these operations and not risk my larger TKs at Singapore and Palembang for the foreseeable future.

Excellent thinking Michael. Have mvoed several of my TK TF to Soerabaja already to clear them out of the action. One advantage I've got now is having Merak--Oosthaven mined and now the Strait of Malacca mined Dan's SS are a bit less of a threat.

Am having some issues getting mines for my CM. How does one check the mine stockpile? Anyone know?

info screen: bottom right: sort by nat and type.

THANKS!

Don't know when, don't know why....but somewhere in the next few weeks, I would not be surprised if there was a big dust-up in the Strait of Malaca

Here is the current deployment of the Kido Butai:

KB-1 102 Zero, 54 Val, 53 Kate
Akagi (36Z--27V--15K)
Kaga (39Z--27V--20K)
Ryujo (30Z--18K)
2 BC (Hiei and Kirishima), 4 Tone-Class CA, 1 Agano-CL, and 8 DD

Added a pair of Zero Chutai to CarDiv1 for 18 more Fighters.

KB-2 70 Zero, 49 Val, 41 Kate
Hiryu (25Z--25V--17K)
Soryu (24Z--24V--15K)
Shoho (21Z--9K)
2 BC (Haruna and Kongo), 2 CA, 1 Agano-CL, 9 DD

KB-3 70 Zero, 21 Val, 26 Kate
Hiyo (21Z--21V--14K)
Ryuho (18Z--12K)
Nisshin (31Z)
Agano-CL, 8 DD

KB-4 85 Zero, 54 Val, 36 Kate
Shokaku (27Z--27V--18K)
Zuikaku (27Z--27V--18K)
Zuiho (31 Z)
2 BB (Yamtao and Musashi), 2 CA, 11 DD

TOTAL: 330 Zero, 178 Val, and 156 Kate

Got some room on Sho--Zui to add a few more lanes and just might do that. Headed to Soerabaja for fuel and a bit of re-organization also want to get all my Admirals set and straight. Looks like Nagumo and Yamaguchi for a pair of the CV TF. Have to sort for the other pair. Will detail the CVEs in just a second.

OK. The CVEs with a true hodge-podge of planes:

Hosho (15Z--6K)
Chuyo (21 V)
Unyo (12Z--15V
Taiyo (27 V)
Saiyen (9Z--9V)
Kuzuryu (18K)
7 DD

TOTAL: 36 Zero, 75 Val, 24 Kate

Other Warships in the Area:
1. BB Fuso, CL, and 8 DD
2. 4 CA, 2 CL, and 6 DD

Running turn...

From the PoV of an AFB, your CVE aircraft loads are a bit strange. Is that a reflection of attrition, some other planned usage of air units, or is that just a true hodgepodge?

I mean, a CVE with nothing but Vals? [&:]

ORIGINAL: Paladin1dcs

From the PoV of an AFB, your CVE aircraft loads are a bit strange. Is that a reflection of attrition, some other planned usage of air units, or is that just a true hodgepodge?

I mean, a CVE with nothing but Vals? [&:]

Should be either Zeros or Vals as no CVEs other than Hosho have torps.

The Saiyen and Kuzuryu each have---wait for it--NINE TTs! Correct regarding the Vals. I can only get three sorties from the CVEs before they run out (have 90 on most CVE) so I've got three smacks with the Vals and then have to retire. Don't think there is much over here on the edge of the board but do want to check before linking up to KB.

Combat Report
November 18, 1942

A pretty good darned round for Japan this day. We reached out and touched a nice number of Allied ships!

Alor Star's improvised defense finally collapses as the garrison is hit--yet again--by a BB Bombardment (BB Revenge). Thanks fully the survivors retreat south and protect things in that direction. This is a problem but all I really see is a POW Camp for the 18th ID, 99th Indian Brigade, and a TK unit. My airpower is now strong enough to do some serious sea denial for anything going to Phuket, Langkari, and Georgetown.

Victoria Point got creamed by a CA--CL Bombardment two days ago. FRUSTRATING that I cannot get this result when I hit the darned targets! AF still operating but looks like he will hit it yet again tomorrow. Hope Pt Blair can get after those ships with some Betty.

Singora and Alor Star are hit by bombers. Transports are shot down flying into Singora.

I sent a pair of DDs up the Strait to cause trouble and they do GREAT! First they encounter Arleigh Burke with 3 DDs. They BLAST O'Bannon (do we get the leaders???) and seriously damage the other pair for NO DAMAGE. They then continue north and encounter 4 Allied DDs where--yet again--they take little damage and instead land solids and multiple hits on all four of the enemy. Lastly they sink an AK just off Langkari. Out of AMMO, they head home. Solid work.

Mines laid at the Strait.

Port Blair manages to really do some serious whacking this day. Her Betty--Nells fly several strikes and 5 AK, damage another 3 AK and an AP.

Kates from Tand??? nail 4 AK at Langsa and sink 3 of them.

A STF of 3 DD smash DD Perkins on picket duty west of Padang.

Sibolga gets the attention of Fuso and the bombardment nets about 95 Casualties. Three Betty and Kate strikes follow doing some harm to the troops. The Allied attack gains a 1-1 and lowers Forts to 3. Just might try to run reinforcements in since I've got a 120 AV Garrison unit unloading at Oosthaven. Be nice to keep that but don't think we'll have enough time here.

Rangoon is hit by 4EB and my Tojo and AAs knock down SIX of the 24 bombers. NICE!

The 16th and 33rd ID have crossed over the Irrawaddy but get nailed by Allied bombers without escorts. Move 3 full strength Tojo Sentai to set-up a CAP Trap. Maybe we'll get lucky and do some serious damage to the Allied Burma bomber force.

Engineering
Changteh AF--3. Plan to begin bombing Chungking in a turn or two. Planning on launching an offensive in southern China in about 7-10 days.

Got a sniff of the Allied CVs (or at least a portion of them):

KB-4 85 Zero, 54 Val, 36 Kate
Shokaku (27Z--27V--18K)
Zuikaku (27Z--27V--18K)
Zuiho (31 Z)
2 BB (Yamtao and Musashi), 2 CA, 11 DD

He is a little nitpick from someone that grew up reading ship stats. Each of your divisions has a noticeable discrepancy in top speeds between the slowest and the fastest ships. Mostly, but not entirely, because of the CVLs. I realize most players always operate the KB as one big death star, but why not have one carrier division that could sprint after an opportunity if it arose. Here you have the Shokaku & Zuikaku, arguably the 2 finest carriers of the war, with a top speed of 34 knots, tied to the Yamatao & Zuiho while the slow Kaga gets to hang with the fast BC's. Why not create a division that could sprint after something if it had to? Sho &Zui and some good CA's plus the good AA DD's?. Maybe the situation never arises but if it does it might be better than switching ships on the fly. I wonder if a fast TF gets any defensive bonus or bonus vs subs?
my 2 cents

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Each of your divisions has a noticeable discrepancy in top speeds between the slowest and the fastest ships. Mostly, but not entirely, because of the CVLs. I realize most players always operate the KB as one big death star, but why not have one carrier division that could sprint after an opportunity if it arose. Here you have the Shokaku & Zuikaku, arguably the 2 finest carriers of the war, with a top speed of 34 knots, tied to the Yamatao & Zuiho while the slow Kaga gets to hang with the fast BC's. Why not create a division that could sprint after something if it had to? Sho & Zui and some good CA's plus the good AA DD's?. Maybe the situation never arises but if it does it might be better than switching ships on the fly.

I have to agree with JD's assessment. The combat model seems to penalize/punish poor TF composition when various ship types are grouped together if speed, range and firepower are not considered. I'd suggest you optimize the strength of your TF's by matching speeds and combat capabilities together rather than handicuffing your better ships with slower, less maneuverable ship types.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Each of your divisions has a noticeable discrepancy in top speeds between the slowest and the fastest ships. Mostly, but not entirely, because of the CVLs. I realize most players always operate the KB as one big death star, but why not have one carrier division that could sprint after an opportunity if it arose. Here you have the Shokaku & Zuikaku, arguably the 2 finest carriers of the war, with a top speed of 34 knots, tied to the Yamatao & Zuiho while the slow Kaga gets to hang with the fast BC's. Why not create a division that could sprint after something if it had to? Sho & Zui and some good CA's plus the good AA DD's?. Maybe the situation never arises but if it does it might be better than switching ships on the fly.

I have to agree with JD's assessment. The combat model seems to penalize/punish poor TF composition when various ship types are grouped together if speed, range and firepower are not considered. I'd suggest you optimize the strength of your TF's by matching speeds and combat capabilities together rather than handicuffing your better ships with slower, less maneuverable ship types.

Nemo has a very good article in Greyjoy's first AAR about how to maximize your taskforces...sure works well.

I'd say you have too many heavy combat ships tied to your KB taskforces. Split off 2 BC, 2 CA and a few DD's to act as a leading force the other TF's follow rather than integrating them into the carrier formations.

Also the others are right about grouping the fast carriers together. I usually put the CVL and Junyo class converted liners in one task force with the slow CV's in a second (Kaga etc) and the fast ones in a third. I have noticed the faster ships seem to be hit less when grouped together and I suspect that speed is limited by the slowest ship and it significantly influences hit odds when under attack.

Finally do you really need the Yamato's with the KB? They are MASSIVE fuel hogs and really you want them to be engaging the enemy with those 18 inch guns rather than running escort on the carriers. I will admit their high VP value does make them popular torpedo/bomb magnets as it messes up the allied aircraft targeting priorities.

Finally do you really need the Yamato's with the KB? They are MASSIVE fuel hogs and really you want them to be engaging the enemy with those 18 inch guns rather than running escort on the carriers. I will admit their high VP value does make them popular torpedo/bomb magnets as it messes up the allied aircraft targeting priorities.

They do soak up an awful lot of DB attention and provide some serious AA. That said Japanese AA only gets a small percentage of kills compared to CAP. I'd leave those monsters home or on Bombardment duty

We got in three turns today! Now at Nov 20th.

Have all the KB resting for its second day at Soerabaja and have been thinking on what has been written here.

Proposal:
KB--1 (Fast) Shokaku, Zuikaku, Hiryu, Soryu
KB--2 (Slower) Akagi, Kaga, Hiyo, and Ryujo
KB--3 (OK Speed) Zuiho, Nisshin, and Shoho

Shifting from four to three CV TF would open up a bunch of Escort Ships that could be used to cause chaos as STF--Bombardment.

It is late and I am up early for work so no update other then...

Speaking of the CVEs:

Well, you certainly won't be surprising him with your carriers, especially after you've eaten the steady feed of picket ships he's been giving you. So, the calculus has changed IMO, John. Since you're unlikely to surprise the enemy now, what is your goal in the IO for KB? In the absence of surprise, are there any tactical concerns that you now have for this foray?