Return of the Sheep! - JocMeister(A) vs. MrKane(J)

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Fighter pools and upgrades USN [/font]
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This is much more straight forward. All CV squadrons upgrade to the F4F-4 and then F6F and then finally ends up with the F8F. This upgrade path is used for ALL CV/CVL based squadrons including arriving ones. So I won´t be able to fly and Corsairs of my CVs until 1/45 when all heavy CVs resize and gets a new 36 plane squadron with Corsair 1Ds.

The CVEs on the other hand are a bit more complicated. Seems to be many different paths and I can´t seem to find a pattern in it. Most squadrons seem to be stuck in the Wildcat path. But some are able to upgrade to the Hellcat. At first I thought only the VF squadrons (some CVEs get them too) could upgrade but I have found at least 2 VC(F) squadrons that can upgrade to the Hellcat. Could be connected to the type of CVE?

The VRF squadrons also seem to be a mix. Most go the Hellcat path but 2 follows the Wildcat path.

This will have a serious impact on the allied CV/CVE fleet. Not a positive one. No Corsairs and 95% of the CVE fleet flying Wildcats throughout the game. Not sure I want to find out what a Japanese KB strike against an allied CVE fleet with Wildcats will look like! [X(]

On the other hand PDU OFF will have a serious impact on Japanese LBA and the KB too. No more unhistorical 800kg bombs Judy-4s. All CV based DBs end with the D4Y4 version. If I remember correctly that model was never CV capable but it is in the game. I´m also assuming there will be a less potent LBA threat. Might be wrong on that one though! [X(]

[JocMeister]

Uuugh.

Just hit a bug in China. The same old movement bug as usual. No reset this time but they didn´t move to the intended hex but into another.

Bläääh. I asked Tom to re run the turn and see if they shift hex as they should.

[JocMeister]

Tom reran the turn but still the same thing. Sucks but neither of us wants to wait for Michealm so I will just have to live with it.

[JocMeister]

This could turn out interesting...

Pulled back a bit towards the SW. I hope that will bring me out of range for a night battle and into range of LBA. Not sure what Tom has. Probably CAs + DDs like me. I hope there isn´t any fast BB in that lot...

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]8th August 42[/font]
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Nothing exciting!

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SOPAC/OZ
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Tom pulled back. First time I´ve seen him back out of combat. [X(] He only had a 6/6 DL on "Ching" though and might have seen BBs. Then again...why fear old allied BBs?

My bet is that he will be back with the KB very shortly. Time to get out of Dodge...

Tom also swept Sydney. Not happy with the results. Some heads have rolled and I now hope to do better next time...

Morning Air attack on Sydney , at 90,167

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 14 NM, estimated altitude 33,190 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 44
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 42

Allied aircraft
Hurricane IIb Trop x 16
P-39D Airacobra x 75
P-40E Warhawk x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-39D Airacobra: 6 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

More fighters building up at Brisbane. Time to send the 4Es in again. Almost 400 planes at Brisbane now. I´ll set the bombers up 12k this time and hopefully AA will be less painful.

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Burma
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Sweeps hit Calcutta too. Didn´t do very well since most of my fighters were resting. Not a mistake I will repeat...

Morning Air attack on Calcutta , at 52,37

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 33,190 feet.
Estimated time to target is 23 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 42

Allied aircraft
Hurricane I Trop x 16
Hurricane IIc Trop x 16

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane I Trop: 5 destroyed
Hurricane IIc Trop: 1 destroyed

No other news!

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister
More fighters building up at Brisbane. Time to send the 4Es in again. Almost 400 planes at Brisbane now. I´ll set the bombers up 12k this time and hopefully AA will be less painful.

If Japan is really that concentrated on Brisbane he must be much weaker in the rest of OZ. Perhaps the move is to bypass Brisbane for now and eliminate the Japanese to the north. It will be a thorn in your side during the process but I don't think it will be a knife. When everything else is eliminated it will be easier to take on the hordes at Brisbane.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Sangeli

ORIGINAL: JocMeister
More fighters building up at Brisbane. Time to send the 4Es in again. Almost 400 planes at Brisbane now. I´ll set the bombers up 12k this time and hopefully AA will be less painful.

If Japan is really that concentrated on Brisbane he must be much weaker in the rest of OZ. Perhaps the move is to bypass Brisbane for now and eliminate the Japanese to the north. It will be a thorn in your side during the process but I don't think it will be a knife. When everything else is eliminated it will be easier to take on the hordes at Brisbane.

I´ve considered that. I don´t have enough troops to move North and in the meantime make sure Tom doesn´t counter attack out of Brisbane and cuts me off. I need a little bit more troops for that.

Working on that though. [:)]

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Japanese Subs[/font]
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Not really sure what Erik is doing to have such an easy time with GJs subs. Tom can act with impunity.

Some examples.
A week ago I spotted a sub just outside San Diego. Sent a 4 ship APD TF to "deal with it". Sat in the same hex for 6 turns. No hits scored. Only 1 attack. Sub left after it ran out of TTs shooting at the APDs.

I have a sub sitting in Auckland harbor. It has made no less then 4 attacks on the Achilles/Perth TF. No attacks ever made on the sub. It left after running out of TTs.

I have a sub sitting in the shallows around Fiji. I had 3 different ASW TFs chasing it. It left after it fired all its TTs on the ASW ships.

And now this...

Sub attack near Ta'u at 151,159

Japanese Ships
SS I-172

Allied Ships
CV Illustrious
CA Chester
CA Portland
CLAA Van Heemskerck
DD Hammann
DD Russell
DD Mustin

SS I-172 launches 4 torpedoes at CV Illustrious
I-172 diving deep ....
DD Russell fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Mustin fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Mustin fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Mustin fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Mustin fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Mustin fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Sub attack near Ta'u at 151,159

Japanese Ships
SS I-172

Allied Ships
AO Kaskaskia, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AO Platte
AO Neosho
APD Gregory
APD Waters
APD Stringham

SS I-172 launches 4 torpedoes at AO Kaskaskia
APD Waters fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Stringham attacking submerged sub ....
APD Waters fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Stringham fails to find sub and abandons search
APD Waters fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Waters fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Waters fails to find sub, continues to search...
APD Waters fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

Any ideas? My ASW TFs/Escorts are very close to 100% ineffective. I´ve sunk a whooping 2 subs so far. Mines have been thrice as effective. When I realized just how ineffective my ASW was a month back I started training ASW pilots. Will take at least 2 more months before the first batch is ready though.

[BBfanboy]

Do your ASW ship skippers have both high naval 60+ and high aggression 60+? In ASW aggression seems to equal persistence rather than daring.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Do your ASW ship skippers have both high naval 60+ and high aggression 60+? In ASW aggression seems to equal persistence rather than daring.

No, not on the individual ships. But the TF commander always have a at least 50 in naval skill and at least 60-65 in aggression.

Couldn´t afford the PPs to switch out all the captains. Perhaps on the APDs but not on all the SCs, AMs, KVs and PGs.

[Sangeli]

As with many AFBs your problem is that you think you need to train ASW in pilots before using them in that role. Bad idea! Of course training ASW is useful but you need planes flying the missions more right now. Get some groups flying ASAP even if their ASW skill is low; eventually they can be replaced with better trained pilots. At the very least the detection from air will prevent the Japanese subs from launching effective attacks against your ships making it a worthwhile deployment.

[Lowpe]

Put those squadrons on 40 ASW, 40 train, 20 rest, 1-2k altitude and search arc to cover the area.

Put a float plane squadron on night search the infested area.

Put another group on day naval search the infested area.

3 Squadrons (or if the area is small 3 splinters of one squadron), plus send in your ASW group, break them into 3's instead of 4's increase their react range.

Good commander with naval/aggression

worst case drop multiple different types of mines.

even worst case -- don't go there.

You have some planes with working radar already...Aussie bombers and one NZ bomber that I recall off the top of my head. Use them.

[JocMeister]

Some squadrons of WHAT? [:D]

[JocMeister]

Btw, I just got a crazy, crazy thought...Was just about to pull the trigger until I realized I had a beer or two. I think I´ll wait until tomorrow before pulling any triggers! [:D]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Some squadrons of WHAT? [:D]

You complain bitterly about being awash in outdated planes. Well, it don't matter for ASW...heck almost any plane works great in either a naval search or if the range is there an ASW mode. Old SBDs, Wirraways, Bolo, etc, you have much more than you realize.

Where is the beer AAR? What are you drinking tonight?

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Some squadrons of WHAT? [:D]

Hudsons, Bolos, Blenheim Is, Wiraways and Kingfishers.

MY setting is close to Lowpe's. I use 50 ASW, 30 Train, 20 rest.

Floatplane set at 1k and 2Es at 2k.

I also set all FPs on cruisers escorting CVs to ASW.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Some squadrons of WHAT? [:D]

You complain bitterly about being awash in outdated planes. Well, it don't matter for ASW...heck almost any plane works great in either a naval search or if the range is there an ASW mode. Old SBDs, Wirraways, Bolo, etc, you have much more than you realize.

Where is the beer AAR? What are you drinking tonight?

Ah, the problem is not PLANES! Its the RIGHT planes! [:D] I have 4 Vindicator squadrons at Pago Pago. Problem is they are all 2 plane squadrons. I don´t have any Vindicators to fill them out with. And I can´t upgrade them because I don´t have any SBD-3 in the pool...bloody PDU OFF. I though it was supposed to make things easier? [:D]

I do have a squadrons of Bolos at PH though...that would work! [:)] Wirraways have to short range to be useful. Remember that the range is halved when flying ASW. Right?

Here is what I´m drinking tonight. Not the best beer but I had two in the fridge! [:D]

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/wychwood-h ... ised/5107/

[offenseman]

+1 on an ASW/Train/Rest split that these guys are talking about. It gets your planes in the air doing more than they are doing by simply training and I have seen good results in raising skill levels using both those ratios. At the least a few planes will get a few subs to duck under the water and not be able to get a shot a high value target now and then.

[HansBolter]

Wirraways and Kingfishers I use for close in port defense.

Hudsons, Blenny Is and Bolos provide the longer range coverage.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Ah, the problem is not PLANES! Its the RIGHT planes! [:D] I have 4 Vindicator squadrons at Pago Pago. Problem is they are all 2 plane squadrons. I don´t have any Vindicators to fill them out with. And I can´t upgrade them because I don´t have any SBD-3 in the pool...bloody PDU OFF. I though it was supposed to make things easier? [:D]

I think it's worth reminding everyone who is going to play PDU Off that there is this insanely frustrating drawback, right here. Units that get shot up or just don't start with very many planes are stuck with those 2 planes forever while you wait for your pools to build up. At least as the Allies.



I've had Hobgoblin. I think I prefer it to Newcastle and some of the other pub beers you can get in the states at those places that only go halfway towards making a good English/Irish/Scottish pub/tavern type place. My home city has a really good one, though. They're all the way in Iowa and they have Fullers on tap, along with the standards and other more obscure ones.

In Alexandra, VA, there's a really awesome Irish pub. Complete with live folk music. I wish they'd get better beer - I always end up ordering a Guinness because they've got that, Newcastle, a house ale (OK I order that one too), and then standard American fare: piss beer and IPAs. Boring.