JFB in charge of the USN??? BtS Lite ver. 4.5 Kitakami (A) vs Falken (J)

[modrow]

ORIGINAL: Kitakami

Off-map movement is much safer, and there are tons of small ships that can move supply and fuel from the East Coast to Cape town without fear of running out of fuel.

Aye, but at least in stock San Diego-Sydney (direct route) ist 190 hex [with a detour maybe 200 hex], whereas Eastern US => Capetown=> Perth is 170+139=309 hex. So you'll use 50% more time. Did you mention a shortage in lift capacity [;)]

Hartwig

[modrow]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

[ You can easily run out of fuel at Cape Town (been there, done that!!).

+1 [:o]

Hartwig

[Kitakami]

After reading your comments, I am going to run both. Reason being, I want to put to use those slow and short legged YOs, TKs, xAKLs and xAKs that would not be that useful for on-map hauling. It might not be much, but I am sure it will build up over time if I do it right.

There is 150k+ that left Los Angeles a turn or three ago, destination unknown. A number of 16- and 14-knt tankers have not arrived to LA yet. They were literally on the other side of the world!

Now let's get to the business of reporting:

Dec 29th, 1941

After a few turns of respite, my opponent has gathered strength (and gotten used to 2-day turns) and is now tightening the noose. He has been quite thorough in the taking of the small islands, and last turn I lost Mauban, Polillo, Kluong, Johore Bahru, Ambon, Lolobato and Sidate. The one that bears mention is Ambon. Although the base was lost, my esteemed opponent told me that he lost 3x APs due to CD fire. Going by the combat report, they were the xAP Tsingtao Maru, xAP Hoten Maru, and xAP Taizan Maru (all three 17-kt, 1000+600cap). I do not see them reported as sunk, but I have no reason to doubt Falken's word. At least that will slow down the advance of the 1st Kure Assault Div until transports are replaced. Only a couple of turns, but still, I take whatever I get at this point.

Ok, now with the data...

[Kitakami]

I was not quick enough to vacate the premises at Soerbaja, so CarDiv 3 from KB caught a number of small ships as they tried to escape, and sunk them all. My bad. I should have rerouted their escape. Must be much more careful from now on.

[Kitakami]

Pilot losses keep rising. I just hope that Japan is having more problems than I in this. If I recall correctly, Japan has less WIA and more KIA among its pilots. I lost my best ace last turn, which was not good.

[Kitakami]

The one thing I find strange to be going so much in my favor is plane losses. Last turn it was 20 Japanese to 10 Allied. I did not expect to be going my way so consistently. Hopefully this will help start eroding Japanese pilot quality.

[Kitakami]

For brevity's (and sanity's) sake, I decided not to post accumulated airframe losses and VP tallies every turn. I might do so once every 1-2 game weeks, or whenever anyone asks.

I do want to focus on a few areas of the map, though. First, the Philippines. In Davao, I have gathered defenders in Cagayan as much as I've been able to. I have 358 AV there, and don't think I'll be able to do more, due to supply. Still that force with level 2 forts will at least cause some enemy losses.

In Mindanao, enemy forces have reached Iba and Manila, but have not attacked Clark Field. Manila is well defended by now, but Iba will be lost in 1-2 turns. I am transferring remaining combat units from other bases to Manila, which currently has an AV of 715, plus all available artillery. I am sure the air bombing will begin this turn, so things ought to get nasty soon.

[Kitakami]

In Java, things are... interesting. KB CarDiv 3 is 7 hexes due east of Soerbaja, and could strike the port at any point. Surface fleet is not there, but there are a few tankers and subs being repaired. I have ordered all available fighters to CAP, and might cause some damage, but the Japanese bombers WILL get through.

Current AV in Soerbaja is 551, and forts are at 2.35

[Kitakami]

Fortress Singapore has been isolated. In the process of retreating, I lost an Indian Bde, and both Australian Bdes are in BAD shape. The rest of the forces are actually decent. AV in Singapore is 750 with forts at 3.19 CAP is not what I'd like, but it is there to keep Japan honest. No free bombing of Singapore.

Allied TB and 2EB have not seen action at all in this theater. They have been training until now. I am certain this will change next turn. I will try to unleash them all at once, hoping to hit at least a few transports with them. I see no land air in Singkawang yet, so I might have a chance to do something.

Finally, THE place where a lot is going to happen BADLY for me. I decided to reinforce Palembang, and did, but it was a turn too late. One more turn, and I would have been happy. All I can hope for now is to make Japan bleed as much as I can. Palembang has an AV of only 114, with forts at 1.44. 52 more AV will reach the base this turn, with a lot more in the next 2-3 turns, but unless mines, subs, and TB planes conspire against my opponent, I am doomed. There is more than a token CAP here, so I do hope that the base does not fall on the first turn.

Will take as many as I can with me though. I am going down fighting.

[Kitakami]

This is the reason I think I am a turn too late: in Singkawang there are five task forces containing BBs (which I think can't go up the river, but can block my cruisers), cruisers (which can go up the river and bombard, mine sweepers (for obvious reasons), and cargo ships.

I think my only hope is not to lose the base on the initial assault, and feed reinforcements before the base falls. I may have gotten in too deep for my own good, but reembarking those troops in a size-1 port would not be easy either, especially without air cover.

Alea iacta est! (or, much more likely, Morituri te salutamus!)

[BBfanboy]

If his transport ships are still at Singkawang they are not going to make it to Palembang and unload in one turn. If he tries, he might lose a lot of his troops in a partial unload. I know ships unload completely in one turn with the Amphib bonus for Japan, but I think it still requires that at least one phase of ops points is still available.

[Kitakami]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
If his transport ships are still at Singkawang they are not going to make it to Palembang and unload in one turn. If he tries, he might lose a lot of his troops in a partial unload. I know ships unload completely in one turn with the Amphib bonus for Japan, but I think it still requires that at least one phase of ops points is still available.

if this is so, then I might have a chance. But with 2-day turns I am not certain what will happen. Should he delay his departure from Singkawang for one more turn, I might just make it.

The 251st Recce Bn will arrive this turn, as will the Padang Cdo. The Riouw Cdo is being airlifted from Tandjoengpinang, and only 16 AV are left. But the British 54th Bde. is still 132 miles away via a good road, and the 53rd and 55th are still in Benkoelen.

I did not land at Oosthaven out of fear, and that may have been my undoing. Well, you learn from your mistakes lessons you don't learn from your successes

[Capt. Harlock]

Second area that worries me is Sumatra, specifically Palembang. My esteemed opponent has over 19k troops assembled in Singkawang, and there is no juiciest target for them than Palembang. The place's defences are not setup yet..

Do you have any Engineer units that can get there? Short of a miracle, you are going to lose Palembang, and Engineer units will help greatly in damaging the Oil facilities so the Japanese will be short for a while.

[Kitakami]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock
Do you have any Engineer units that can get there? Short of a miracle, you are going to lose Palembang, and Engineer units will help greatly in damaging the Oil facilities so the Japanese will be short for a while.

All I have there is three engineer squads from 113th RAF Adv Base Force. Besides those, the closest ones are in the 54th British Bde, 78 miles away.

[Kitakami]

Ok... so a bad turn of sorts, and a good turn of sorts...

First, my esteemed opponent decided to cover the landing in Palembang with CardDiv 3 instead of the CVLs, so he shifted the two fleet carriers north... right smack into range of my surface force in the area. Result was one BC sunk, one BB, one BC and one DD damaged (but survivable). I was paying so much attention to Palembang itself, that I left those ships in harm's way. My mistake. My BIG mistake. Now the threat those ships pose is much less, so Falken can be a lot more aggressive.

But... I guess every cloud has a silver lining. He lost far more planes than I did. You sill see the numbers. That is a tempo that Japan can ill afford to keep up. At the start of the game, Japanese airframe production is 130 A6M2, 55 B5N2, 60 D3A1, 22 G3M2, and 50 G4M1. If tracker is correct, Falken so far has lost 138 A6M2, 49 B5N2, 30 D3A1, 47 G3M2, and 114 G4M1! That means he's got no more zeroes than at the start of the war, has gained dive bombers, but has lost a lot more two-engine torpedoes than he's been able to build. Even if he's increased A6M2 production by 1/day (which I don't think so), he would still be in a tight spot.

Anyway, here are the numbers:

[Kitakami]

Naval losses first. Besides the BC, I also lost 2 TKs that I risked filling with oil in Soerbaja. Another careless mistake. The damaged ships will immediately leave for dock. Let's see if they make it.

[Kitakami]

This is the damage on the ships. Nothing critical... if they are allowed to leave, that is.

[Kitakami]

Pilot losses were, for once, MUCH lighter than I expected. Note that all air fighting took place over Allied airspace. I am certain that the Japanese did not fare that well.

Also, although I lost another ace today, the total number of fighter aces increased to 11.

[Kitakami]

The number of Japanese air losses this past turn was... scary! I wish I could keep it up. Alas, I do not have enough planes to do so. But it is comforting to have at least one turn like this in the first month of the war.

[Kitakami]

And here are the total air losses at the end of 1941. In this, at least, I am not doing THAT bad.