Matrix Games Forums

October 10, 1942

Sometimes, you get lucky. Rarely, you get stupid lucky. Today, we get the Bear...

Subs

Sturgeon duds on a merchie near Palembang and endures an attack by ASW aircraft as recompense.

Glens spot an enemy BB TF moving between Luganville and Fiji. Sure is a lot going on down here lately.

4th Fleet

Recon bombing of Baker Island hits only the 1st Marine Raider Bttn. There are 3 LCUs here, but no intel on the other two. That said, ground attack usually targets the largest enemy LCU, so for the moment Operation Spider is still a go.

SE Fleet

So, seriously. 2 IJN DDs enter the harbor at Luganville, admittedly on a moonless (3% moon) night. They encounter CA Pensacola, CA Australia, CL Leander, DD Clark and DD Le Triomphant. Both sides spot each other at 8,000 yards. Several combat rounds of misses later, the IJN unleashes Long Lances at 3,000 yards. Two hit Australia, and she is confirmed sunk during the replay, by destruction of Seagull float planes as Op losses, and by irritated e-mail from Cuttlefish. Several combat rounds of the IJN running away results in a single shell hit on DD Clark, then combat ends. Other than that we had bad luck. [:D][:'(]

The hope is that CF chooses to pursue right into the teeth of LBA and Combined Fleet. We shall see.

A picket PB in the area evades surface combat.

Southern Army

Normanton makes level 2 airfield. Normally not an event worth reporting, but Cribtop Intel continues to wonder whether the enemy is up to something here.

15th Army

Night bombing at Ledo nails a C-47.

China

Another DA at Changsha is imminent.

Combined Fleet

We need to re-fuel the 2 brave DDs that hit Luganville. Hopefully they will serve as chum for big fish.

Nice job!

Cheers

Rob

The game is borked! [;)]

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

I think the inquest will come to the same conclusion as I .. the RNG came up snake-eyes .. [or whatever improbable number required to duplicate such said situation ..] [8D]

Totally borked! Matrix fix or do somefink!

Hate to tease, but just FYI today's action will justify another first person account, and it's another good one for the Empire! [&o]

We're back, folks. Things have been very spotty lately as I move from Austin to San Antonio (actually Boerne) for my new job. I have gone full circle in my life, staying during the week at my parents' home within 1/4 mile of my old middle school and high school. Weird. I mostly use my iPad now but for AE need a PC, of course. I don't have a laptop so last week was turnless. I'm in Austin with the Family on weekends, and plan to lug my PC down to SA so I can run turns during the week. All this silliness will end around May 25 when we close on and move into our new home in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. So, thanks for your patience. On with the show...

October 11, 1942

Lieutenant Kawaii Sosuke crouched low behind a ruined wall as another burst from the Maxim-Nordenfeldt Model 1889 machine gun sprayed the rubble where his platoon was taking cover. The venerable weapon was still deadly, and it was the key strongpoint in a position that had defied capture for over a week. Most of the Chinese city of Changsha was in ruins after a month of hard fighting. KMT units that had melted in the plains, and even in the forests, had put up determined resistance in the urban environment. The Japanese High Command long ago abandoned the idea of preserving the city's industry, ordering constant bombing and artillery fire in a pattern that would charitably be described as "indiscriminate." Only the bridges over the Xiangjiang River were exempt from attack. Slowly and painfully, the combined might of Japan's 17th and 13th Armies had pushed the defenders into the northwest corner of the city, but there slow progress had become no progress.

The size of the battle was massive even by the standards of the China front, but for Lt. Kawaii, the Maxim machine gun nest was the only enemy. Kawaii’s company commander had tried direct assaults, both day and night, flanking manuevers, covering fire, grenades, air and artillery support, producing nothing but a depressing stream of casualties back to the aid stations. Repeated requests for tank support were turned down. Meanwhile, increasingly strident orders from Division HQ demanded further advances. Other than that, things were going according to plan.

Kawaii's 38th Division had begun the war in China, capturing Hong Kong and going on to successful campaigns in the Southern Resource Area and Australia before returning to Canton, where it began the war, for Operation Red Dragon. Even that had gone well until the KMT abandoned maneuver and stuck 250,000 men in Changsha, leaving the IJA with little choice but to dig them out. Both sides knew that the fall of the city would open up a land route for the riches of the new Empire to flow to the Home Islands, while also leaving the Japanese within striking distance of Chungking itself. Therefore, both sides were locked into the fight until one broke.

Sosuke shifted his position to keep the scabbard of his katana from cutting off circulation to his left leg. The sword was his prized possession, a true Samurai katana passed down through five generations of Kawaii warriors, not the cheap imitations most junior officers carried. His grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather had served proudly in some of Japan's many medieval wars. His father, like all Samurai, was stripped of his position during the Meiji Restoration, but the sword was kept hidden by a clever subterfuge. Required to turn in their weapons, Sosuke's father and uncle had crafted imitations of their katanas and surrendered them instead, risking imprisonment but preserving their honor. Although his Father had been angered by Sosuke's decision to serve in the Emperor's Army, in the end he allowed his son to bear the family sword once katanas became fashionable again.

A stir to the rear brought dread into Sosuke's heart. He knew that the satchel charges, latest ploy to destroy the hated Maxim, had arrived. He had volunteered his platoon to try the man carried explosives. It was time to live up to the family name.

Fifteen minutes later, Sosuke and two of his soldiers gripped their charges and prepared to attack the Maxim at dusk. The plan was for one to go left, one right, and for Sosuke to go up the middle, with the rest of the company providing covering fire. Sosuke was under no illusion which of the three runs was most dangerous. Then the whistle blew, signaling the attack.

He was over the wall in a single motion as Japanese small arms and knee mortars peppered the enemy position just across the road. Sosuke’s goal was a shell hole in the middle of the street. He ran as fast as he could, dodging left and right on occasion to throw off the gunner’s aim.

As he prepared to leap into the depression, Sosuke felt his left leg buckle. He was hit! Down he went to the bottom of the rugged hole, praying that the explosives he carried wouldn’t go off accidentally. His leg wouldn’t move, and the Lieutenant awaited the bullet that would finish him. It never came. The Maxim gunners must have assumed he was dead and shifted to other targets.

Sosuke arched his neck, trying to see what he could do next. He found himself looking at the Maxim gun from below as it spat fire. As he watched, he could occasionally see the heads of the machine gun crew serving their weapon. An odd sense of detachment came over Sosuke, and it occurred to him that these men were brave warriors defending their country and their homes. It followed that the Kawaii family business – War – perhaps wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Sosuke finally brought himself to look at his leg. Visions of bleeding out or living his life as an amputee ran through his mind, but, to his amazement, he was uninjured. His leg felt bruised, but whole. It was a miracle from his ancestors! Filled with martial spirit again, Sosuke armed the satchel charge and leapt from the shell crater, hurling the explosives into the Maxim position.

Hours later, while he tried to lay down to rest, the source of the “miracle” became clear as Sosuke put away his katana. The machine gun bullet had struck his scabbard and ricocheted off his family steel. Smiling ruefully, Sosuke reflected that perhaps his ancestors had protected him today after all…

October 11, 1942

Changsha falls! Banzai! [&o]

Subs

IJN ASW harasses Amberjack near Taihoku. Looks like CF is finally putting subs in the much used passage between Formosa and the mainland. Hmmm. Escorts chase Swordfish away from a resource convoy in the South China Sea and harass Sturgeon (again) near Palembang. That thing is the sub that won't die. [:@]

A Glen is shot down by CAP over Colombo. Glens and subs spot numerous enemy TFs near Luganville and Tanna.

Better yet, I-4 torpedoes the Idaho off Nadi. Banzai! It doesn't look bad, but even a minor hit can put a BB away for a month or two. Nice. Hordes of I-boats are vectored toward Nadi and Suva to try for this huge TF with multiple BBs and CAs reported.

4th Fleet

No change.

SE Fleet

The brave DD raiders withdraw from Luganville and are in tough shape with 0 fuel points just off the Reef Islands. We will send in a re-fueling TF under cover of MKB's Zeros. IJN DDs are precious and these two are heroes after sinking Australia. That said, the capital ships will stay well back to avoid detection.

19 B-24Ds hit Horn Island. Damage is minimal and we will LRCAP from Merauke tomorrow.

Southern Army

No change.

15th Army

Hordes of Blenheims bomb 33rd Division, still in the jungle 1 hex away from Kalemyo. The raid is ineffective. Our first Tojo group will sweep Imphal in a few days.

Ramree Island forts go to level 3.

China

Operation Red Dragon culminates today with the capture of Changsha. The base falls to a 6:1 attack and 20 enemy LCUs are forced to retreat over the river toward Changteh. Casualties are a satisfying 33,064(2,321[X(]) vs 9862(59). As is expected after such a huge battle, what industry was undamaged at game start is thoroughly trashed. More importantly, the land route to Fusan is fully open. That port jumps by 70K resource points in one day. Nice.

17th Army will be pulled out of China. The three best divisions will go into strategic reserve. The fourth will be transferred to Burma and put under 15th Army's command.

We now need to rest our exhausted army in the south. Although destroyed squads were few, the first 3 DAs at Changsha resulted in literally thousands of disabled squads. Several divisions are already getting back on their feet, but others will need some R&R.

We must consider eventual offensives toward Changteh/Chikiang, toward Kweiyang (Cribtop HQ's preference) or elsewhere. Perhaps we could swing a force overland toward the dot base and yellow road near Ichang.

While the IJA rests, the IJAAF in China will commence Operation Dragon's Tail, an air offensive against the Chinese air force and then against supply at Chungking in furtherance of the strategic intention to starve the KMT.

Combined Fleet

Continued sightings of the USN near the New Hebrides and Fiji give a strong indication that the enemy is up to something here. If the huge SCTF currently at Suva stays there, MKB may pay a visit.

Other

Opening the land supply route is a significant accomplishment that will hopefully pay dividends for years to come. More engineers are bound for Fusan to further augment the already building port.

Question: If we build up Tshushima to port level 3, will resources, fuel and oil flow Fusan - Tshushima and then Tshushima - Fukuoka on their own? If so, is that a good thing or would it strip Manchukuo's industry? Anyone ever try this?

October 12, 1942

Subs

Sailfish duds on a PB escorting a supply convoy near the Mussau Islands. Gar duds on an ASW DD near Toyohara. Amberjack is reported hit by ASW aircraft out of Pescadores after being DC'd by an ASW TF.

Many enemy TFs are reported at Suva by a Glen that is later shot down by CAP. Looks like at least the BB/CA SCTF that had the Idaho and a DD/APD TF. Perhaps CF mistakenly believes the coast is clear and is preparing another FT TF invasion.

A Catalina attacks but misses RO-34 near Pearl Harbor.

4th Fleet

We will re-load the Baker Invasion TF today as the test load and unload was successful. On to the real thing. The Brigade is 100% prepped.

SE Fleet & Combined Fleet

We successfully refuel Maikaze, Shiranui and much of Combined Fleet, including MKB. The two DDs need to return to Truk to refit after their long speed runs. The Capital ships may react to the enemy concentration at Suva.

Saipan's port goes to level 4 and will stop there. We are looking to the future when Saipan will be the immediate rear area base for Truk.

Southern Army

39 B-17s hit Daly Waters today with minimal effect. Unfortunately, the 3 AA units, one with Type 3 radar, don't exactly hit much either. So much for that little surprise.

15th Army

The enemy finally builds Kalemyo's airfield to level 1. Signs continue to point to an offensive here by the enemy, probably shortly after the end of the monsoon. That said, there are no new ground concentrations spotted in NE India despite heavy recon. This could mean an amphibious move, which we are on the lookout for.

China

The IJAAF bombs the former Changsha stack today and inflicts good casualties. The enemy force is retreating toward Changteh per a move arrow.

We still have 6 enemy LCUs surrounded in South China and will try to scrape up a few divisions to finish them.

5th Fleet

Yesterday we spotted a small convoy approaching Umnak. Just for fun we put the Jakes at Adak on Nav Attack. They try their luck today against AP Barnett and DD Kane, but no joy. 3 I-boats will try for the valuable AP. Not long until winter up here, but Cribtop Intel so far sees no sign that CF has any plans for the region.

Picket Boats, a conundrum...

CF and I are having some trouble with IJN PBs used as picket ships. I am loathe to use xAKLs for this role as it seems ahistorical, but using patrol ships with naval crews seems valid.

Anyhoo, the problem is that CF has tried to catch the PBs on several occasions, but when his SCTFs enter the same hex, we get a "TF xxxx encounters enemy forces" message, but no combat occurs. Thus, CF cannot counter the pickets, which is unfair to him. We suspect it is because of the "1 ship TF" problem, but I don't have an infinite number of patrol ships to use in 2 ship TFs. For now, I've pulled the pickets back, but would sure like to know if anyone else has had this problem and solved it.

I run in to problems with 1 ship TFs all the time, as you stated. I don't have a counter for it either. Have you tried using AVs with floatplanes in place of pickets?

I'm using AMCs with float planes, which is pretty similar. Seems to work ok, but obviously I'd rather lose a PB. [;)]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop


Question: If we build up Tshushima to port level 3, will resources, fuel and oil flow Fusan - Tshushima and then Tshushima - Fukuoka on their own? If so, is that a good thing or would it strip Manchukuo's industry? Anyone ever try this?

You have to ship the stuff similar to the passage from Hokkaido between Ominato and Hakodate. Press the 'W' to see the hex sides and there should be a blue line for ocean there.

Manchukuo's fuel and oil is being stripped in my game with the draw from Fusan if I continue to pull there. It's not (yet at least) drawing from farther on.

So, Cribtop, you need to update this. It's a necessary companion thread to CF's AAR.

ORIGINAL: mdiehl

So, Cribtop, you need to update this. It's a necessary companion thread to CF's AAR.

Certainly he is doing something strange like hunting,camping or spending time with his family.

I've been so far ahead of CF, but he's catching up. Until we move to our new house (changed jobs and moved), I'll be lucky to keep up with turns, much less the AAR.

Still, I'm glad y'all like it and will try to catch up. I'm currently only three days behind as we lost a whole week when I started my new job.

Certainly he is doing something strange like hunting,camping or spending time with his family.

Point taken. [;)] Hunting? Good on him.

Alas, GZ is confusing me with CanoeRebel. I wish I was hunting, instead I'm doing the "live in your parents' home during the week to work at the new job, go home to the Fam on the weekends, can't wait to close on our new home next Friday and move" routine.

Crib, best of luck in your new job. I know you were looking ofrward to it. I hope the move goes as smoothly as a move can go....which isn't very smoothly. Looking forward to seeing new additions to the AAR soon.

October 13, 1942

At long last we catch up. A few program notes first. Next weekend we at last move into our new home. This will allow the game to begin moving faster again and will also facilitate the more regular updates y'all have gotten used to. What a relief!

Thanks to you all and to Cuttlefish for putting up with the delays inherent in taking a new job and moving.

Finally, CF has agreed to let me read the first four pages of his AAR. Awesome of him. I'll be good and stick to those pages, so don't think poorly of me if you see me in his thread over the next few days.

Subs

I-11 misses an ASW KV near Karachi. I-165 misses a DD near Koggala but picks up valuable intel as it spots CA Dorsetshire in this SCTF. More evidence that CF is planning to move both in Burma and in SWPAC.

Sturgeon is DC'd near Palembang. At least we're keeping this sub's head down. In fact, enemy subs have moved away from the area for the most part as our trained ASW pilots have made things uncomfortable for them.

4th Fleet

Bettys from TB try for a long range strike against the DDs spotted yesterday but can't locate the target.

SE Fleet

Ndeni makes level one airfield and port, a sure sign in Cribtop Intel's estimation that the slow motion enemy offensive here continues.

B-17s attack Horn Island's garrison with little effect. We'll shift our second group of Nicks to deal with this.

Southern Army

B-17s attack the airfield at Daly again but don't do much damage. Our three AA units, one radar equipped, help reduce accuracy and causes an Op loss. The Nicks will patrol Daly tomorrow.

15th Army

We are keeping a close eye out for offensive moves. Night bombers at Ledo account for two C-47s. We are still LRCAPing Kunming with Oscars, but no kills in a while. As soon as the Lao Cai field increases in size, we'll up the ante with bombing attacks.

China

Continuing to recover 13th Army while 17th Army marches for the rail head. The shock troops will embark at Shanghai for a strategic reserve role. We are also repositioning air support in order to allow the planned air offensive to proceed.

Combined Fleet

We are still dog paddling near Nauru with the fleet. We may take action against Ndeni soon.

Other

Just in time, three engineer units arrive at Keijo and will head to Fusan to accelerate upgrades to the port.

October 14, 1942

Day o' subs.

Subs

IJN ASW hounds Amberjack near Taihoku. The sub is moving between the few deep water hexes in this channel. Our tankers stick to the shallows while ASW TFs and trained ASW aircraft swarm the deeps. This turn the enemy sub ventures into shallow water, however, and duds on a big TK. Whew. Return DC is ineffective despite the shallow water.

Truant sinks an xAKL bearing supply to Kuching near that port. DD Shigure causes a fire and oil leak on the much hunted Sturgeon near Palembang. She's not dead, but probably needs to retire.

I-6 misses an ASW AM near Perth. I-162 misses a DD near Trivandrum. The enemy TF contains CA Houston. Second CA spotted in these waters in as many days.

RO-34 puts three torps into the big TK Hadnot near Pearl and down she goes.

4th Fleet

The Baker invasion approaches its target. Combined Fleet will move to escort it for the run in soon. We plan to send in a small SCTF to bombard the base soon, trolling for the presence of CD guns to gauge resistance. If necessary, the Yamato TF will bombard.

SE Fleet

We sweep and bomb Ndeni's new airfield. No one is home yet.

Southern Army

Taberfane hits fort level 4.

15th Army

A picket between Sumatra and Sabang detects enemy aircraft. Is this a Cat out of Ceylon or a harbinger of an enemy task force approaching?

Rangoon makes fort level 5.

China

No change.

Combined Fleet

No change.