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Looks like you double posted, no big deal.

What a blood bath!!!

PaxMondo wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 12:07 pm John has put up a pretty good fight here in the end war ... but B29 strat bombing ... there just isn't much defense against that once they are in range. I mean, if I am reading the tracker chart correctly, in Sept he has almost 2:1 in AC kill pts which is fantastic for the IJ. He's gotta be killing a lotta "beasts", but the trouble is they still get through and the factory damage they create cannot be recovered.

So, once the IJ loses Saipan, basically the IJ is then running on stockpiles of HI and supply. HI is safe, but supply isn't and there's the rub. And keeping the allies from taking Saipan in the late game? Only way I know to stop the Deathstar in late '44 is if the allies are fighting the war in NA. Only way to stop the B29's is by taking Seattle and converting those AC factories to VEH. Even if you flatten Seattle with strat bombing in '43, the allies have the supply to rebuild those factories.

This is a great game, really appreciate both of you sharing it with us. Both of you are playing excellent ...


(I miss the bowing emoji's of the old website)

Kudo's to you both!!!

As we move to a new month, the writing is on the wall for Imperial Japan.

Don't Post much these days unless I am doing Mod work but I do look every now-and-then. My commitment is to January 1, 1945 and then--I think--I am taking some months off of AE as a player.

Am currently working on updating all three of the BTS Mods and then, with Paula's help, am starting a new website for people to download the Mods and all the extra 'stuff.' Once BTS is complete then I will move on to Reluctant Admiral and Treaty for completing a revamp of all five Mods.

The May 1942 scenario that has come out is then the next project with then doing a BTS May 42 start set of Mods.

Anyone who has modded this BEAST knows that Michael and I are looking at dozens of hours of work to do all this. Think the only way to coherently achieve this is the step back from playing and focus entirely on game design and development.
John

John 3rd wrote: Mon Jun 23, 2025 9:52 pm Anyone who has modded this BEAST knows that Michael and I are looking at dozens of hours of work to do all this. Think the only way to coherently achieve this is the step back from playing and focus entirely on game design and development.
John

I think you are being quite modest in your estimate. Updates to my mod take me +100 hours if I have to get into device level changes. Running and clearing witpchkAE, yeah that alone can take a week. My current version has 32190 lines ... it just takes a LONG time to review that.

I do agree Pax. Just don't want to admit how much work it will really, REALLY be! Thanks though.

John 3rd wrote: Wed Jun 25, 2025 10:27 pm I do agree Pax. Just don't want to admit how much work it will really, REALLY be! Thanks though.

New Month. The fire bombing of Tokyo has begun 4 day ago. All air HQ prepped at 100%. Tokyo in 4 days has gone from 370 manpower to 160 with half of the 160 disabled. In one month Allies have moved from a tie to almost 1.25VP.
Alarming to me that I have conceded one level of victory to John for the Christmas Island sandbox do over.

44-10-2

44-10-8: Allies dropped 4 divisions into mindano for a total of 7 divisions in 3 corp. The transport was about 300 ships.
After dropoff the empty allied transporters are returning to Biak. Seems a large Jap Tanker fleet with BB/CV escort ran into my cover CVs lead by Mitscher.

44-10-9: On second day the Allies unleashed more air strikes, this time the damaged jap CVs have separated from the Tankers.

The Mindano Plan:

Wow! Just crushing!

Just now tuning in. Last few days have been...erm...'eye opening'! Good work!

I have sharpened my Katana and am opening my robes...

44-10-12/13: These two days see the withdrawal of the 300 ship transport fleet from the Area of operations and a small
3DD cover force commanded by Arleigh Burke delay the IJN in search of a surface victory. The daylight surface battle will be posted above the screen prints.
A 6 DD Flecher TF at Biak had been ordered to join the Burke TF but did not make it in time.
Note after the surface battle Cmdr Burke transfers to the Dortch and joins the 2nd 6ship DD TF with Burke taking command of a new surface group. see jpegs. The highlighted yellow hexes are the Burke TF patrol hexes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Time Surface Combat, near Morotai at 82,99, Range 18,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CA Mogami
CA Mikuma, Shell hits 1
CA Seiki, Shell hits 3
CL Shirbetsu
CL Oyodo
DD Shigure, Shell hits 1
DD Harusame
DD Ariake
DD Kashisuki
DD Sakurasuki
DD Tsubasuki, Shell hits 4, heavy fires

Allied Ships
DD Dortch, Shell hits 4, on fire
DD Guest, Shell hits 5, heavy damage
DD Ingersoll, Shell hits 9, heavy fires, heavy damage

Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 20,000 yards
Range closes to 24,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 24,000 yards
CONTACT: Japanese radar detects Allied task force at 24,000 yards
Range closes to 18,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 18,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 18,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages DD Sakurasuki at 18,000 yards
DD Guest engages DD Sakurasuki at 18,000 yards
DD Sakurasuki engages DD Dortch at 18,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Dortch at 18,000 yards
DD Tsubasuki engages DD Ingersoll at 18,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages DD Shigure at 18,000 yards
Range closes to 13,000 yards
DD Sakurasuki engages DD Ingersoll at 13,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Guest at 13,000 yards
DD Shigure engages DD Dortch at 13,000 yards
CL Oyodo engages DD Ingersoll at 13,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Ingersoll at 13,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages DD Sakurasuki at 13,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Dortch at 13,000 yards
Range closes to 10,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 10,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Guest at 10,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages CA Mogami at 10,000 yards
DD Tsubasuki engages DD Dortch at 10,000 yards
DD Kashisuki engages DD Guest at 10,000 yards
DD Guest engages DD Ariake at 10,000 yards
Range closes to 8,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 8,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Guest at 8,000 yards
DD Ariake engages DD Dortch at 8,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Ingersoll at 8,000 yards
Range increases to 12,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages DD Tsubasuki at 12,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Guest at 12,000 yards
DD Dortch engages DD Sakurasuki at 12,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Ingersoll at 12,000 yards
DD Dortch engages DD Tsubasuki at 12,000 yards
DD Shigure engages DD Dortch at 12,000 yards
Range increases to 14,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
DD Guest engages DD Sakurasuki at 14,000 yards
CA Mogami engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
DD Sakurasuki engages DD Guest at 14,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
Range increases to 15,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 15,000 yards
DD Sakurasuki engages DD Guest at 15,000 yards
CA Mogami engages DD Dortch at 15,000 yards
DD Sakurasuki engages DD Guest at 15,000 yards
DD Dortch engages DD Harusame at 15,000 yards
DD Shigure engages DD Dortch at 15,000 yards
Range closes to 14,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
DD Dortch engages DD Sakurasuki at 14,000 yards
CL Oyodo engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Ingersoll at 14,000 yards
DD Guest engages DD Harusame at 14,000 yards
DD Guest engages DD Shigure at 14,000 yards
Range increases to 16,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
DD Sakurasuki engages DD Guest at 16,000 yards
DD Harusame engages DD Dortch at 16,000 yards
CL Oyodo engages DD Guest at 16,000 yards
DD Tsubasuki engages DD Dortch at 16,000 yards
DD Kashisuki engages DD Guest at 16,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages DD Ariake at 16,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
DD Dortch engages DD Tsubasuki at 16,000 yards
CL Oyodo engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
DD Tsubasuki engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages DD Sakurasuki at 16,000 yards
DD Ariake engages DD Guest at 16,000 yards
DD Shigure engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
Range closes to 15,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 15,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Ingersoll at 15,000 yards
CA Mogami engages DD Ingersoll at 15,000 yards
DD Sakurasuki engages DD Ingersoll at 15,000 yards
Burke, Arleigh A. orders Allied TF to disengage
Range increases to 16,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
CA Mogami engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
DD Kashisuki engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
DD Ingersoll engages DD Ariake at 16,000 yards
DD Shigure engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
DD Tsubasuki engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
CA Mogami engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
CL Oyodo engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Ingersoll at 16,000 yards
Koma, T. orders Japanese TF to disengage
Range closes to 15,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Dortch at 15,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Ingersoll at 15,000 yards
DD Kashisuki engages DD Dortch at 15,000 yards
Range increases to 23,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Guest at 23,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Guest at 23,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Dortch at 23,000 yards
Range increases to 29,000 yards
CA Seiki engages DD Ingersoll at 29,000 yards
CA Mikuma engages DD Ingersoll at 29,000 yards
CA Mogami engages DD Ingersoll at 29,000 yards
CL Shirbetsu engages DD Ingersoll at 29,000 yards
Task forces break off...


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bigred wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 9:21 pm
A 6 DD Flecher TF at Biak had been ordered to join the Burke TF but did not make it in time.
Note after the surface battle Cmdr Burke transfers to the Dortch and joins the 2nd 6ship DD TF with Burke taking command of a new surface group. see jpegs. The highlighted yellow hexes are the Burke TF patrol hexes.

This is the late war killer for me; the Fletchers can hold their own against IJ CA's. Basically, no surface engagement is going to end well for the IJ after the Fletchers arrive. The issue is their speed. They can close and escape as needed and the IJ SCTF's are powerless against them.

44-10-13: The Arleigh Burke TF battle is located in the 4th panel of this screenprint. The allied DDs kept going back for more action.

44-10-14: And this is the second day of turn.

PaxMondo wrote: Sat Aug 23, 2025 8:13 pm

bigred wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 9:21 pm
A 6 DD Flecher TF at Biak had been ordered to join the Burke TF but did not make it in time.
Note after the surface battle Cmdr Burke transfers to the Dortch and joins the 2nd 6ship DD TF with Burke taking command of a new surface group. see jpegs. The highlighted yellow hexes are the Burke TF patrol hexes.

This is the late war killer for me; the Fletchers can hold their own against IJ CA's. Basically, no surface engagement is going to end well for the IJ after the Fletchers arrive. The issue is their speed. They can close and escape as needed and the IJ SCTF's are powerless against them.

The BTWS scenario provides for upgraded IJN BBs, CAs , CLs, and modified DDs with 5"inch guns similar to late war allied DDs. This Scenario Gives the Japs a fighting late war chance.

The Fletcher's in this scenario have speed reduced to 36 and armor lowered. My understanding is this is from DaBabes.

At this point of game, I use DD Tfs on surface patrol with LBA ftr cover out of Mindano. All BBs, CAs and CLs are being preserved for later Bombardment missions.

44-10-20:

44-10-21: