Tale of the Sheep! - JocMeister (A) vs. Lowpe (J)

[JocMeister]

Time to gamble? Might ditch 4 of the DDs which have spent 27 OPs...

[BBfanboy]

27 Ops points is nothing since you get 1000 points per phase (day and night). I would check that they have replenished whatever AA ammo they expended during the air attack last turn. It they go to the Sulu Sea there will be air attacks.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

27 Ops points is nothing since you get 1000 points per phase (day and night). I would check that they have replenished whatever AA ammo they expended during the air attack last turn. It they go to the Sulu Sea there will be air attacks.

Indeed, but I´m wary of even the smallest OPs loss when its comes to "darting in under cover of darkness". Lost too many ships due to them stopping in the middle of nowhere for no reason at all. [:D]

Finally decided against it. The presence of Boise and gang is more worth too much to risk at this point. Without them Nick can move at will without almost any cover.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

27 Ops points is nothing since you get 1000 points per phase (day and night). I would check that they have replenished whatever AA ammo they expended during the air attack last turn. It they go to the Sulu Sea there will be air attacks.

Indeed, but I´m wary of even the smallest OPs loss when its comes to "darting in under cover of darkness". Lost too many ships due to them stopping in the middle of nowhere for no reason at all. [:D]

Finally decided against it. The presence of Boise and gang is more worth too much to risk at this point. Without them Nick can move at will without almost any cover.

I agree with your decision. Intercepting a CV TF that is moving around has a low probability of success, and usually you get few shots and even fewer hits on the CVs. If you had four SCTFs to try the intercept that would be worthwhile, but not with just one.

The DD/APD TF could probably fight off your SCTF and escape without much damage.

[Lokasenna]

Anchorage.

He might be coming for Seattle's industry.

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]December 9th 1942[/font]
______________________________________________________________________________

The steamroller blasts Mersing!

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Malaya
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So this is what Nick brought to Mersing. [X(] Can anyone find a reason for this besides a very early India invasion?

[JocMeister]

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DEI
------------------------

A lone sub sinks two unescorted tankers outside PB. Should have sent some escorts there but I figured my window to leave the area is very small. So I currently have a large number of unescorted merchants heading for various locations. The longer range ones are heading to Cape while the shorter ones will go to Oz or India.

Nick tries to be sneaky...

Ground combat at Malacca (49,81)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 65 troops, 2 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 5

Defending force 3688 troops, 33 guns, 18 vehicles, Assault Value = 91

Japanese adjusted assault: 0

Allied adjusted defense: 15

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 99 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), leaders(-), preparation(-), morale(-)
experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+), leaders(-)

Japanese ground losses:
45 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

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

Assaulting units:
Yokosuka 3rd SNLF /5

Defending units:
3/16th Punjab Battalion
2nd Argylls Battalion
5/2nd Punjab Battalion
109th RN Base Force
11 Battery/3 HAA
112th RAF Adv Base Force
272/273rd Bty 80th AT Gun Regiment

Not a fan of using fragments. We don´t have a HR against it though so its fine. I´ll have to be ready to defend against this in India/OZ though.

Nick certainly isn´t predictable. No merger of the Kaga/MKB. Its a shame I didn´t go in with Boise/Houston as I could potentially have smacked the Jolo invasion.

Multiple sweeps hit Manila. Empty skies though as my squadrons are in hiding or have left the PI.

[JocMeister]

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NORPAC
------------------------

Dutch and Cold Bay it is...this invasion really makes me scratch my head. Just a feint? Or something bigger? Sadly he brought enough to quickly overcome Dutch. Even if I had any reinforcements they wouldn´t get there in time.

[JocMeister]

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Pearl Harbour
------------------------
The KB lingers...not really sure why. The only thing I can think of is that he is going to use KB in NORPAC shortly. Sweeps hit PH and wrecks my Fighters there. At least we shoot down a few in return.

But I can´t keep this up more then 2-3 days more. I don´t have any planes in the pool. I guess the bug(?) where sweeps arn´t detected by radar is still not fixed?

Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 20 NM, estimated altitude 25,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 18

Allied aircraft
P-26A x 1
P-36A Mohawk x 24
P-40B Warhawk x 38
F4F-3 Wildcat x 4
SNJ-3 Texan x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-36A Mohawk: 2 destroyed
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Aircraft Attacking:
10 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 20000 feet

Two more sweeps do even better. At least I´m shaving off some of those irreplaceable starting KB pilots.

[JocMeister]

I need to figure out where Olorin is heading...and soon. I figure he will need to shave off 2 IDs from Singers to deal with PB and Java. That leaves 4-5 IDs that are free to go somewhere else. But where?

-NORPAC?
-India?
-OZ?
-PH?

I´m thinking that India is actually most likely given the opening. He needs Singers to start moving on India. But he can also quickly shift south and go for Java -> OZ. NORPAC and PH I deem quite unlikely. Especially PH. Then again a serious NORPAC campaign to target US industry have only been done once before I believe? But PjH disappeared before that one played out if I remember correctly?

Thoughts?

[ny59giants]

Pearl - You have very few units with radar to start with. You can update relatively quickly, but it is a process.

Malaya - If he can take Singapore before end of year it frees up lots of troops for wherever he wants to go. IMO, its just sound tactics to take it quickly and gain the nice port of Singapore for future operations. It doesn't mean he is going for India, but since you are playing Scenario 2 with DBB 30, those extra troops will go somewhere.

[JocMeister]

This...this you don´t see every day. [X(]

Of course the return fire was a joke...I really wish something would be done about the CD guns in the game. [:(]

Night Naval bombardment of Pearl Harbor at 180,107 - Coastal Guns Fire Back!

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-5 Catalina: 37 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 2 destroyed on ground
P-36A Mohawk: 15 damaged
P-36A Mohawk: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 3 damaged
C-33: 1 damaged
C-33: 1 destroyed on ground
P-40B Warhawk: 13 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 12 damaged
A-20A Havoc: 3 damaged
A-20A Havoc: 1 destroyed on ground
B-18A Bolo: 8 damaged
B-18A Bolo: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-1 Dauntless: 5 damaged
SBD-1 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
O-47A: 5 damaged
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
R3D-2: 1 damaged

79 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Hyuga
BB Ise, Shell hits 1 [8|]
BB Yamashiro
BB Fuso
BB Mutsu
BB Nagato
CL Kitakami
CL Kinu
CL Yura
CL Naka
DD Tadeshiwa
DD Inazuma
DD Ikazuchi
DD Shiranui
DD Isokaze
DD Kagero
DD Akigumo

Allied ground losses:
433 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 17 destroyed, 40 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 3 disabled
Guns lost 36 (15 destroyed, 21 disabled)
Vehicles lost 42 (6 destroyed, 36 disabled)

[Bullwinkle58]

All damaged planes are still in your hands. You lost nine planes. He has to withdraw these guys to Truk (?) to reload. He risked the substantial mines at PH. I know they don't hurt Bombardments much, but they can still hit.

Overall, I think a pretty dumb move by Japan. A signal he's done with Pearl, more or less, for now.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

All damaged planes are still in your hands. You lost nine planes. He has to withdraw these guys to Truk (?) to reload. He risked the substantial mines at PH. I know they don't hurt Bombardments much, but they can still hit.

Overall, I think a pretty dumb move by Japan. A signal he's done with Pearl, more or less, for now.

Probably Truk yes. Don´t think the Japs have any AEs/AKEs big enough to reload BBs at Midway? Do they?

After 4 PBEMs I lack faith in mines and CD guns. This didn´t help. [:)] You are right about the move though. I wouldn´t call it dumb but rather unnecessary. I don´t have any planes left so he will have full control of the skies in a couple of turns. He could have achieved a better result with just sweeping.

Perhaps that is his plan? Clear the skies and then methodically bomb out the stricken BBs. Probably will work. But I´m not sure its worth the effort.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

All damaged planes are still in your hands. You lost nine planes. He has to withdraw these guys to Truk (?) to reload. He risked the substantial mines at PH. I know they don't hurt Bombardments much, but they can still hit.

Overall, I think a pretty dumb move by Japan. A signal he's done with Pearl, more or less, for now.

Probably Truk yes. Don´t think the Japs have any AEs/AKEs big enough to reload BBs at Midway? Do they?

After 4 PBEMs I lack faith in mines and CD guns. This didn´t help. [:)] You are right about the move though. I wouldn´t call it dumb but rather unnecessary. I don´t have any planes left so he will have full control of the skies in a couple of turns. He could have achieved a better result with just sweeping.

Perhaps that is his plan? Clear the skies and then methodically bomb out the stricken BBs. Probably will work. But I´m not sure its worth the effort.

The CD guns at Pearl will devastate any landings. Against an in-and-out night bombardment with no radar they're as any CD installation anywhere. I've tested a day landing in a testbed. Brutal.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

All damaged planes are still in your hands. You lost nine planes. He has to withdraw these guys to Truk (?) to reload. He risked the substantial mines at PH. I know they don't hurt Bombardments much, but they can still hit.

Overall, I think a pretty dumb move by Japan. A signal he's done with Pearl, more or less, for now.

Probably Truk yes. Don´t think the Japs have any AEs/AKEs big enough to reload BBs at Midway? Do they?

After 4 PBEMs I lack faith in mines and CD guns. This didn´t help. [:)] You are right about the move though. I wouldn´t call it dumb but rather unnecessary. I don´t have any planes left so he will have full control of the skies in a couple of turns. He could have achieved a better result with just sweeping.

Perhaps that is his plan? Clear the skies and then methodically bomb out the stricken BBs. Probably will work. But I´m not sure its worth the effort.

The CD guns at Pearl will devastate any landings. Against an in-and-out night bombardment with no radar they're as any CD installation anywhere. I've tested a day landing in a testbed. Brutal.

Yeah, I remember someone trying it out in a sandbox a while back. They just threw everything they had a Pearl (SCEN 2) about 10 times to see if they could capture it. They never did.

[JocMeister]

Well...I´ll be...this was about the last thing I expected. [X(]

[ny59giants]

Welcome to my world....[:D]

[KenchiSulla]

Welcome it.... You might feel intimidated by a siege of Pearl Harbor but it will be a major resource drain for him... I suggest you try to get some more flak into the area...

[JocMeister]

Intimidated is a bit mildly put! [:D]

Just looked at the turn for 30 minutes now. Can´t really decide what to do...my first instinct was to divert everything towards PH and defend it to the death. But after pondering for a while I´m more inclined to do absolutely nothing about it. At least not for now. With the amount of troops in Malaya there is zero threat to PH itself. At worst the damaged BBs are toast. But they themselves are not worth any major risks.

One thing really strikes me though. If this is something serious and not just a feint...then there won´t be any India invasion, nor any OZ invasion. Because KB will be pinned in Hawaii until the Japanese leave or PH is captured. And if I know where the KB will be for the next 6-12 months...

I have until tonight to send the turn back. Going to ponder this for a while. Advice is welcome! [X(]