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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

In the war, the Allies torched Tokyo from two bases: Saipan and Tinian. If the Allies largely relied on those two bases in the game, they'd lose 85% of their B-29s and score about 1,000 strategic points, if that. The Japanese player would clean his clock. Production of advanced air frames and pilot training are the main reasons, of course.

Now sir, this is hyperbole. All that needs to be said is that the historical strategic bombing campaign from the Marianas is impossible to replicate.

I'd guess that a campaign from the Marianas only could accumulate perhaps 10,000 VPs if you tried really, really hard. And were patient.

Maybe 15,000 if you A-bombed Tokyo once or twice.

And I don't think it would cost 85% of the B-29s. Maybe 50%...

Hyperbole probably requires conscious exaggeration. I'm not consciously exaggerating, though I may be mistaken due to ignorance.

There may be Allied players that could work from Tinian and Saipan to more effect against an experienced IJ player, but I doubt I could. I'm basing this on what I've experienced from much closer. Granted I'm new at all this, but enemy night fighters and flak make night missions pretty tough. Enemy fighters and flak make daytime missions at extreme range prohibitively tough. All this assumes that Japan has a robust number of fighters and pilots, and if the Allied player is bombing from that far away, Japan probably does.

I think 85% isn't far off the mark. The 1k points might be. 10k points might be possible. Maybe.

Bottom line: bombing from those two bases would bear no resemblance to the real war, which was the point I was trying to make.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

In the war, the Allies torched Tokyo from two bases: Saipan and Tinian. If the Allies largely relied on those two bases in the game, they'd lose 85% of their B-29s and score about 1,000 strategic points, if that. The Japanese player would clean his clock. Production of advanced air frames and pilot training are the main reasons, of course.

Now sir, this is hyperbole. All that needs to be said is that the historical strategic bombing campaign from the Marianas is impossible to replicate.

I'd guess that a campaign from the Marianas only could accumulate perhaps 10,000 VPs if you tried really, really hard. And were patient.

Maybe 15,000 if you A-bombed Tokyo once or twice.

And I don't think it would cost 85% of the B-29s. Maybe 50%...

I'm not so sure CR's comment is hyperbole, especially if you subtract the 4EB losses from the VP's.

John has put up a good fight & certainly made CR pay for his education in Strategic Bombing - but we are looking at a campaign that has already passed the tipping point.

It appears that CR should, outside of a couple of bloody initial days, overwhelm the remaining fighter strength in the Home Islands and put Tokyo et. al. into the crosshairs fairly quickly.

There are multiple paths to auto-victory now, no reason not to try out a few to see which is the most efficient.

It appears that CR should, outside of a couple of bloody initial days, overwhelm the remaining fighter strength in the Home Islands and put Tokyo et. al. into the crosshairs fairly quickly.

Has an allied player ever managed to gain air supremacy over the home islands against an experienced IJ player?

I've read a fair number of AARs and I don't recall ever seeing it happen.

I'm pretty close to that point. Not quite there, but given about three weeks I think I could achieve it.

4/28/45

Intel Screen: Given nearly all B-29s stood down, most B-24s stood down, and the big Osaka sweep got scrubbed by weather, this was a pretty good day.

The points scoring is about over in China. The Japanese army evaporated awfully fast there. Peiping, as noted in previous posts, in this next hope for points.

Korea is shaping up to be a Stalingrad for Japan in the near term.

Weather permitting, tomorrow could be interesting in the Home Islands. The big sweep scheduled vs. Osaka and most B-29s set to hit Ominato port at night. John has a large number of ships there.

When April began, I thought the table was set for the Allies to score alot of points. I thought achieving AV was possible but unlikely unless John banzaiid his fleet. I thought it would be challenging but possible to get the AV spread beneath 5k. That was achieved today.

I'll post the bigger picture screen after lunch.

4/28/45

The Inveterate Raider: Even though KB stumbled through all kinds of tripwires two days ago, John is continuing the raid. KB sank three picket YMS today. There's nothing else out here. Now what does he do?

I suppose there's no way he'd raid Pearl. He doesn't have any oilers left (I think).

4/28/45

DEI: Kendari fell two days ago. That may be the last significant event in this section unless John sends combat ships or carriers raiding here.

4/28/45

Singapore: The Allied army marches on Singapore tomorrow. If things go right, the crossing shock attack should take place on May 1.

4/28/45

Asia: An Allied army began the advance on Peiping today.

Korea: Masan fell today; key attack at Chinhae (adjacen to Fusan) tomorrow.

Hmmm, operation Bill Brown, it is a bit more and further than I was thinking, but it should be a big surprise to John, if they fly.

Could be lots of nice little points to pick up there......

Next turn is in and John had modest success deploying lots of fighters to Nagasaki and downing some Death Star strike aircraft in raids against riff-raff at and near Fusan (I'm trying to balance between closing down Fusan and avoiding CAP traps, a delicate dance that sometimes doesn't work). John's feeling pretty good, sending these emails:

"Though it irritates, can I let lose my probably last, plaintive BANZAI!??!! Took your advice from a few emails ago…" [Well, maybe he learned something, but I bet you in ten minutes he reverts to his former position that everything is broken.]

A follow-up email: "Just so you know…I don’t have 1500 Fighters in the Home Islands but about 800…" [I know - many of the fighter numbers revealed by 9/10 detection may actually represent kamikazes, but the larger point is that I have to allow for you to have that many fighters since that's what extensive recon reports over the course of many turns.]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I'm pretty close to that point. Not quite there, but given about three weeks I think I could achieve it.

I expect you might be able to. Airframes are probably low but you've been seeing worse pilots. Tat being said, all the good ones are at Singapore and the remaining Japan bases. You probably have more. You would need the Deathstar, and you would lose a bunch of Hellcats, but that would allow your good stuff to prevail. Airframes are one thing but his pilot pools have been ridden hard and those cant be rebuilt fast

Oddly enough, the Hellcats are now performing well against Sam, George and Frank, even over John's good bases.'

4/29/45

Torbay vs. Ibuki: Miss, darn it!

4/29/45

Near Fusan: USN DDs handle enemy DDs. Something's up, because BB Kirishima and an IJN CA are sighted nearby by USN float planes.

4/29/45

Battle of Chinhae: This is the most important land engagement of the day. Allied attack comes off at a very high 1:1, drops forts to 2 and inflicts disproportionate damage on the Japanese. Allies will shock attack here tomorrow.