I know that tone of voice! And yes, thinks often turn out to be more difficult than we envisioned. That'll happen here. But the Allies are gonna win.
No ofense meant. I really don't what course is best. The Burma in my game is very "odd", so that's no help. I'll be interested to know what malaria plus monsoon does to your efforts, if anything. My understanding is the monsoon should have no direct effect on flow to units in the field, but it might cut down on volume available to flow.
7/11/42
Bullwinkle: And none taken! I just know what you mean. Almost always things turn out harder than we estimated (as most men who do home projects know - "This should take about two hours" generally means two to four days.)
Bay of Bengal: A USN S-Boat puts a torp into Junyo, south of Rabaul. Let me pause to celebrate momentarily, because this is the first capital ship one of my subs has hit. No "fires" or "heavy damage" noted, so I suspect light damage - perhaps around 20 or so? Maybe yard time that will amount to two months. But still nice! John was probably counting on her to give him the comfort needed to face my carriers, so this should make him less rambunctious. I'm sending more subs along her path of retreat. Also on the plus side, unescorted Bettys sortie into the teeth of my CAP at Akyab. 31 are splashed. Big escorted raids of LBA go in against Ramree, but do only slight damage. My own big airstrikes vs. Mandalay (from Imphal) fail because supply drops enough to prevent my fighter missions from flying (not enough to support fuel tanks). As usual, when one squadron at a base can't fly a mission, none of the others do either. I'll try again tomorrow.
NoPac: The Japanese conquer Akutan easily. I'm not celebrating this event, of course, but the bright side is that 8th Marines, a fragment of which was positioned at Kodiak, is now free to rebuild. This unit is 100% prepped for Adak. Okay, now let's see if John comes for Cold Bay. I think he will.
CenPac: Lots of shipping is being rerouted to Pearl (or West Coast) for the upcoming Aluetians operation. I have ships on the move from Capetown and from Melbourne. Four BBs hit Tarawa.
SoPac: Two BBs hit Luganville.
Oz: Status quo.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I know that tone of voice! And yes, thinks often turn out to be more difficult than we envisioned. That'll happen here. But the Allies are gonna win.
No ofense meant. I really don't what course is best. The Burma in my game is very "odd", so that's no help. I'll be interested to know what malaria plus monsoon does to your efforts, if anything. My understanding is the monsoon should have no direct effect on flow to units in the field, but it might cut down on volume available to flow.
The big problem is keeping the bases in Burma with supply so you can bomb. use drop tanks. and keep flak up .. but the LCU's draw supply in the Monsoon and can maintain operations ..
"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so"
I think Burma can be a decisive theater. I intend to make it one in this game. Burma doesn't suffer the drawback of fighting in the open seas, which can be dominated by Japan into '43. I can pretty much control the flow of supply (little chance of interdiction), I can concentrate on infrastructure to my heart's content (airfields!), and I can feed in good ground troops in numbers as large as needed.
Since I have seized the high ground, I should be in a good position to move en masse against an enemy that is dispersed and lacks good defensive terrain. If I win that campaign, I open up China and probably have a good shot at moving into Thailand and Vietnam.
All this, mind you, without any threat of massed KB cutting off my LOC.
Oh, in the meantime, I can engage in the fun amphibious operations, but in '42 and early '43 those are tough to sustain against a concentrated enemy naval presence. And in this mod John's naval presence is considerably enhanced.
If I'm right, Burma will prove to be the key campaign of the game. And John might have lost the campaign in March 1942, when the Allies first began seizing the "high ground" unopposed.
I concur with the rebel canoe driver. It depends on the opponent but in a scen 2 scenario with a strong Japanese air force and with a very strong Japanese Navy in RA, Burma is a great place to wade into the Japanese without severe risk. Fighting in Asia serves a few purposes. It sucks up Japanese supply, allows for a great experience gain with your Allied troops that only can be gained in sustained fighting somewhere, and is a theater where it would be very hard for the Allies to be defeated or cut off.
My first great victory came in Burma where Ark stayed too long and too far forward. I don't think a single IJN infantry unit that marched north of Moulmein in 42/43 survived the campaign.
Just like the Allies in Northern OZ, there is a limit to the flow of supply for Japan into Burma. It is not an easy place to defend as it looks for Japan and smart Japanese play calls for a strong defense combined with a timely withdrawal. Not easy to do because you need to gauge when and if the Allies are moving attack transports to Asia.
I know that tone of voice! And yes, thinks often turn out to be more difficult than we envisioned. That'll happen here. But the Allies are gonna win.
No ofense meant. I really don't what course is best. The Burma in my game is very "odd", so that's no help. I'll be interested to know what malaria plus monsoon does to your efforts, if anything. My understanding is the monsoon should have no direct effect on flow to units in the field, but it might cut down on volume available to flow.
It probably should not work this way but if the Allies take Ramree and build it up fully then the flow of supply into both Burma and China works just fine. You just need to have a good 20 LSTs in that theater to make it work.
Until I took Ramree, the flow of supply from India was a big problem especially in the monsoon season. But Canoe should not have to worry if he holds onto Ramree.
As crsutton says supply won´t be an issue. Me and my opponent have some 500.000+ men in Burma and neither of us seems to suffering any supply problem. Make sure you max out all bases in the vicinity. And Ramree of course helps! [:)]
Bay of Bengal: CA Pensacola goes back into action at Ramree against a CL/DD force, chewing up Oi and Kitakami in the process (both of those ships taking "heavy fires/heavy damage.") Then Pensacola faces a DD TF, doing some damage and taking some in return. Then the small Achilles TF takes on the IJN DD TF doing a bit of damage. Overall a solid performance by the Allies. Pensacola will retire to Colombo for some repairs, but I have Vincennes and Canberra inbound to take on some of the load. This theater is turning into an attrition zone, which is good since the Allies have a number of good ports and several big airfields handy. I am willing to fight here for as along as it takes. And the ante is up - John's going to have to bring more and he's already stretched thanks to his focus on the Pacific, where nine IJN BBs are currently in combat TFs. That leaves but a few to help out with the KB or to report to the Indian Ocean. This battle's gonna be long and bloody, but I think it augers well that John will be compelled to reinforce even while my focus will be increasingly on NoPac.
NoPac: The new 8th Marines at Kodiak go from AV zero to AV 11 in one day. That's good (and I know it's going to be a drain on my pools and that eventually I'm going to have to replace some of the Marine units in the Gilberts).
CenPac: Half KB is gone from my screen.
Oz: 4EB will hopefully hit Corunna Downs tomorrow - the first in the tweaks that will build towards a feint at Exmouth in September.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Bay of Bengal: Fairly quiet today as both sides reorganize from the recent fighting. Several minelayers are moving forward to Akyab in preparation for a run to Ramree. They will be escorted by a two-CL TF commanded by Ching Lee. That capable captain will have Vincennes in two days. SigInt now reports three IJA divisions inbound to Rangoon. It also appears that John may elect to establish an MLR in the open terrain (he's moving units there, but I'm not yet sure whether that's skirmishers or the Confederate army poking around Plum Run and the Peach Orchard while Hancock's Corps smiles down from Cemetery Ridge and LIttle Round Top).
Elsewhere: Mostly quiet, though I should report at least a Mini KB at Jaluit (not sure it's the Half KB that was there recently).
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
The mental disconnect of everyone's favorite rebel using Gettysburg analogies from the Yankee perspective is short-curcuiting my brain! [;)]
That said, the analogy may be apt. Surely he can't intend to establish a defensive position in the open?
I don't think he has any clue about how strong CR's position is. Even if he did some recon, it is notoriously hard to ID anything in jungle cover. He could be thinking of all those low-AV, low-morale Indian units that start the game. He may have to do a "reconnaissance in force" [Pickett's charge] to find out he's brought too little, too late.
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
I don't think he has any clue about how strong CR's position is. Even if he did some recon, it is notoriously hard to ID anything in jungle cover. He could be thinking of all those low-AV, low-morale Indian units that start the game. He may have to do a "reconnaissance in force" [Pickett's charge] to find out he's brought too little, too late.
Just remember, this is a bit more like The Wilderness than Gettysburg. The IJA does not have to attack; as long as they hold Rangoon and block the Burma Road, they have a strategic victory even if they're in bad terrain.
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
I don't think he has any clue about how strong CR's position is. Even if he did some recon, it is notoriously hard to ID anything in jungle cover. He could be thinking of all those low-AV, low-morale Indian units that start the game. He may have to do a "reconnaissance in force" [Pickett's charge] to find out he's brought too little, too late.
Just remember, this is a bit more like The Wilderness than Gettysburg. The IJA does not have to attack; as long as they hold Rangoon and block the Burma Road, they have a strategic victory even if they're in bad terrain.
We all seem to know that, but John's move into open terrain suggests he is not thinking strategically right now. A man of action never stops to consider whether what he is doing contributes enough to the long range goal to be worth the resources/effort/time used.
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
NoPac: Movement across the map in prepararation for the Aleutians campaign. Adak-prepped troops at Seattle moving by rail to Prince Rupert, a level five port (they are second-wave troops, so this will pre-position them closer to the action). The four American carriers will depart Melbourne tonight and begin the journey to Pearl or San Fran. More transports are enroute to Pearl and Seattle. The Allies won't move until the KB is confirmed far, far away. In belief that moving early with KB far away is preferable to moving later under uncertain conditions, I want to get things ready to go.
CenPac: Some part of the KB remains at Jaluit.
SoPac: Quiet.
Oz: 4EB hit Exmouth.
Bay of Bengal: The Allies have thus far won the first three rounds of the Ramree campaign: 1. Invasion; 2. Post invasion reinforcement, supply and build up while awaiting the enemy response; 3. First major enemy response - air attacks and combat TFs. So the Allies have raised the ante and I think Japan will respond likewise. While waiting, more mines go in tonight followed by a heavy AA unit tomorrow night. Base building has recommenced with the previous damage repaired. Things look good here at the moment. Down at Ceylon, I've withdrawn CV Indomitable. The other CVs will depart Colombo and make for Attu, just in the interest of not leaving them in the same place too long.
Burma: Marauders and B-17s from Imphal do some effective missions at Magwe and against 4th Division, which is out in the open. I think the net effect of using LBA has led John to shift momentarily to defensive mode with his aircraft, thus allowing the Allies to make some progress at Ramree.
China: Looks good.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
1. Burma: There may be strong sentiment out there that I should have pushed forward into Burma weeks ago when the bases were lightly held. I debated doing so and elected not to, though I confess that I'm uncertain which move was the right one. I chose the more conservative because I'm unsure how monsoon will affect supply, and I didn't want to take the chance of moving my troops forward to find that they couldn't take and hold key positions. Instead, I want to take the time to be more sure. In the meantime, John is moving lots of troops into the theater, but I think that's also beneficial. He's got a tenuous supply line and he's close to my major airfields, so he's placing lots of good units in the killing zone. When the campaign is over, I'll know if I made the better choice or not.
2. Aluetians: This is a complicated, massive and lengthy operation that is predicated on surprise and the KB being far, far away. The Allies have to take the key island - Attu - and still have enough time to retire southeast - avoiding Adak and Umnak - without getting hit by the KB. So I can't move until I'm positive the IJN carriers are far away. I'm pretty sure - but not positive - that an opportunity will occur sometime between late August and mid October, which is my window. If I don't get the opportunity, I'll stand down and eventually divert many of the assets to an overwhelming invasion of either Exmouth or New Caledonia.
The invasion of Attu will begin with a Marine raider battalion to measure enemy strength. Assuming its isn't too strongly held, the main force will then land there and at a variety of small bases that I'm confident are lightly held or vacant. I also hope to take Amchitka, though that may be strongly garrisoned.
If the Allies are fortunate enough to pull all this off without major opposition, so that I want the opportunity to strike again, I'll have the troops ready prepped for Adak pre-positioned at Prince Rupert (or possibly Anchorage/Kodiak).
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I think you made the right choice in Burma. You are strongly entrenched & John is going to need to bring a lot to the party (more so than he would have otherwise).
If you had moved forward earlier, sure, you might have won some tactical victories, but there would be a good chance that John would have seen this as a good place to launch a counteroffensive or perhaps even an invasion of India (to get behind your lines).
Right now, you have the time and space to build up & an excellent avenue to launch a much more massive and well-planned offensive of your own, when the time in right.
Never Underestimate the Power of a Small Tactical Nuclear Weapon...
I think you just did the right thing in Burma. If you went on the offensive too early, you could have gotten caught with a too thin perimeter when the japanese response arrived.
Now you have a solid and strong perimeter that cannot be penetrated and with all those occupied positions in Burma you can rule the theatre. Soon John will understand his mistakes and will have to face the fact that he needs to fall back and to build up a defensive line in the jungle southeast of Rangoon.
I think you just did the right thing in Burma. If you went on the offensive too early, you could have gotten caught with a too thin perimeter when the japanese response arrived.
Now you have a solid and strong perimeter that cannot be penetrated and with all those occupied positions in Burma you can rule the theatre. Soon John will understand his mistakes and will have to face the fact that he needs to fall back and to build up a defensive line in the jungle southeast of Rangoon.
In fact a little sandbagging and poor mouth might be called for in the hopes that John leaves a substantial force North of Rangoon for you to cut off at a later date.
Bay of Bengal: The Japanese navy has temporarily vacated the area. Unescorted Bettys are mauled near Akyab. Plenty of escorted IJN bomber raids vs. Ramree do no damage. Big night tonight as minelayers and a transport TF carrying heavy AA arrives at Ramree. SigInt that 14th Army HQ is prepping for Ramree.
NoPac: I have 300 PP accumulated towards the 1300 needed to buy two RCT at Pearl that are prepped for Attu. So, say 20 days before the Allies have the "minimal force" needed to proceed. (It'll be longer than that until the carriers are available, so I think the Allies could be in position to move in about a month, should a window open).
CenPac: SigInt of an IJA assault division prepping for Makin. The Allies seized the three islands six weeks ago.
SoPac: Quiet.
Oz: The four American CVs pull out of Melbourne undetected, as far as I can tell. Hornet may move from India to Oz in order to bolster the feint I'll make against Exmouth just prior to the Aleutians invasions.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Ramree Island: Forgot to set my AA-toting transport TF to "direct/absolute." As a result it swings wide and gets hit by Kates from Rangoon. I lose an xAP and an xAK, but two other xAK should go in tonight. Japanese sorties in big numbers get easily handled by one P-39 squadron and one P-40E squadron based at Ramree. All in all, a good day for the Allies here. I think John has concluded that he needs more - possibly much more - to seize the initiative here. That would be a very good development.
Burma: Most of 2nd UK Div. is on map now. This division is slated for the coastal road that leads from Akyab area to Prome. The first regiment is already nearing Cox's Bazaar. 41st USA Div. is about 12 days from map's edge - roughly 60 days before it reaches the front lines. An Indian division is advancing from the jungle to take a position on the yellow road south (true) of Myitkina. This will sever Japan's foward LOC and should cause some consternation.
NoPac: More engineers arrive on map to be allocated to the Aleutians objectives. More detail to be provided in a follow-up post. Two IJN BB bombard Cold Bay. I'm nearly positive John will come for this island. I really hope so, as that will probably indicate he's thinking "forward and offense" rather than "rearward and defensive." I'm not getting the slightest indication that he's attending to his rear bases. For instance, I just got SigInt that a Naval Guard is posted at Paramushiro, but I haven't gotten anything along those lines for my target hexes.
CenPac: Mostly quiet today. Part KB at Jaluit.
SoPac: Two IJN BB bombard Luganville. USN CVs southeast (true) of Tasmania.
Oz: New Orleans is leading a small combat TF to western Oz to make a show consistent with the feinting in that theater.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Pardon the AAR clutter, but this helps me think and keep things straight:
Attu Island
Ready: I US HQ; 161 RCT; 151 Combat Engineer; 2nd Raiders; 5th Marine CD; 11 Sea Bee; 3rd Sea Bee; 203 AA; 198 Arty; 7th Bomb HQ; 34 USAAF BF.
Restricted: 27 RCT; 35 RCT; 53 RCT; 4 RCT; 220 USN BF; 32 USAAF BF; 54 AA; 217 AA; 28 Can. AA.
Needed: 1300 PP to buy out two of those RCT, at which point I have the minimum force needed to "pull the trigger" should an opportunity arise.
Kiska Island
Ready: 148 RCT; 58 RCT; D Port Service
Restricted: 221 USN BF; 5 Sea Bee
Needed: One more base force
Bethel and Nome
Needed: Engineers, supply, and possibly support ships (ADs to serve as replenishing stations for DDs that will raid Adak and Umnak to shut them down)? Give more thought how to use these bases, which are still in Allied hands.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
