The Power of Inexperience / GreyJoy(A)-Rader(J)

[LoBaron]

If he wants to land anywhere else with KB in support where could he go?

Support of landing operations is not the only mission you can assign to KB.
And besides active offensive/defensive missions, masking her position is a mission too.

Not saying youre wrong, just be flexible when trying to assess his options and capabilities.

[GreyJoy]

Alpha, don't worry, i am not pessimistic![:D]
 
About supply flow from Buna to PM....we'll see. We can only remain flexible and use every chance we have to resupply PM. I'll use the subs i have at hand (the SSTs aren't there at the moment :-/) and even the APDs (we have a good numbers of them), plus i'll use catalinas and transport planes. We'll see...however if he concentrates against PM, that will leave room to expand in the solomons. Munda remains a primary target. I already have a para unit and a raider one fully prepped for Munda, along with a Marine regiment, a base force and a costal artillery unit...if he concentrates on PM i'll be moving elsewhere! At this point of the game he can still have what he wants...but only one at time...and will be my goal to exploit his weakened flank once he has chosen where to strike. have to be ready in 3 different places (PM-in order to reinforce it every time i can; Solomons-in order to advance towards Munda; and the Gilberts- in order to get to Tarawa-Abenama as soon as he shows me where he's aiming at)
 
 

[GreyJoy]

Dec 22, 23 1942

Another turn of pain for PM. 250 bombers (both Betties and Helens) bombed the base heavily burning more than 600 supplies. 100 Zeros keep on providing LRCAP over the base, prevening me from paradropping any help to the poor bastards over there....
The first jap unit come out from Buna and started to march through the mountains...a scouting unit maybe?

I made a huge change. Diverted the last 30 Spits VIII i had and all the P-38Gs based at Karachi, along with their crack pilots. In few days they'll be operating in SOPAC, providing new headhaces to Rader.
The Karachi defence will be left to the Hurricanes, the P-39s and the P-40Ks. They are expendable and now Karachi is a secondary theatre. I love the idea of having spits that suddendly pop up at Lunga during one of his raids....[:D]

P-38s will operate from Cooktown for the moment being.

Ordered a night bombing of Buna with B-24s and B-26s from Coocktown and Cairns. Moonlight is at 96%...good weather forecasted...should be good 6k feet and may God be with us

[ADB123]

What do you have for Air Defenses in Cooktown? Those 2 amphibious TFs sure look tempting... If Radar sends the KB to the spot 3 hexes west of the "T" in Tagula then he could hit those TFs quite hard. In his shoes I'd go there, send half of the A6M2s on a Sweep of Cooktown and let the DBs and TBs take care of the ships.

At this stage the KB is still in prime condition to act as a TF killer. And with 2 day turns the KB could be in and out long before your CVs can react...

To a good extent I'm really surprised that he isn't actively hunting your CVs... If he can sink 2 or 3 of them he can do what he wants for the next six months... Consider yourself lucky.

[GreyJoy]

Hi ADB, those are worthless TFs at Cooktown. 5/6 little xAPs and xAKLs...nothing really important...and i have 70 fighters there...he'll lose more than he could sink if he came there. However Rader isn't extending his naval search towards the coasts of OZ, so my shippings aren't detected.

My CVs are pretty safe at PH by now and my CVEs are moving to Christmas...we just avoided a pack of subs lurking between Pago Pago and Christmas...i have to be carefull with those damned subs...they tend to be always at the right place!





Dec 24, 25 1942

Christmas Eve saw a shining moolight (96%) and so we decided to strike Buna at night. On the 24th there were storms over there so we aborted the mission, but on 25th we managed to arrive there in a good coordinatio (20 planes from Cairns and 18 from Cooktown at the very same time) and bombed the strip from 6k ft...10 planes are reported destroyed on the ground...only a nuiance but i'm happy cause Rader noticed that in his last email.
I remember we have a rule for night bombing saying that the number of bombers that can fly at night is exactly the half of the moonlight percentage and they cannot fly below 6k....

When the day came a TF composed of:
BB Kongo
BB Haruna
BB Hiei
BB Kirishima
CA Tone
CA Takao
CA Atago
CA Chokai
CA Myoko
CA Haguro
CA Nachi
CA Mogami
CL Kinu
DD Shinonome
DD Usugumo
DD Shirakumo
DD Isonami
DD Shirayuki,

approached Lunga....if we only had there a couple of Dive bombers....but i retreated them back to Ndani...well, not time to regret...Rader must have made some mistakes with his calculations cause the TF ended up the first day 1 hex north of Tulagi...really exposed...he got lucky cause it wasn't attacked...my subs simply didn't see it and, the following night the BBTF came in...Tulagi first...they engaged 3 fights with my PTs that paid an heavy price...20 of them got sunk and they didn't fire a single torpedo[:@]...DD Shirayuki hit a mine and was left burning behind....

...the TF proceeded towards Lunga, sinking 4 AKLs on its way...when it reached Lunga they have expended quite a lot of ammos and their bombing run wasn't as destructive as we may have feared... Handerson Field was bombed, yes, but i think tomorrow will be again operative...only a transport plane got destroyed cause we had moved all our planes back to Ndani... playing cat&mouse again, like at Karachi few months ago[:)].

PM is again hit hard...250 bombers mauled the base today...supplies are down to 7k....we won't last long....[:(] Subs are starting to deliver their little cargos...but they won't be enough, we all know that.

The 49th FG is being equipped with P38Gs and with the best american pilots at Cairns, while the RAF group that will be equipped with Spits VIII is being transfered to Lungaville within the next week.

The KB moved to Shortland...but it seems to me that only one Car Div is over there...probably only CVLs and CVEs....so where are the big CVs now?

[ADB123]

My CVs are pretty safe at PH by now and my CVEs are moving to Christmas...we just avoided a pack of subs lurking between Pago Pago and Christmas...i have to be carefull with those damned subs...they tend to be always at the right place!

So you are totally depending upon LBA in the Region? Wow! You've given Radar a carte blanche for his Bombardment TFs...

BTW - did he have the floatplanes on his Bombardment ships set to Night Recon?

BTW II - what size were your PT TFs? And did you give them good COs ahead of time? Under these circumstances it's probably best to have multiple 2-PT TFs rather than a few larger PT TFs.

Also - do you have any Cats in the area? Put some at a base with an Air HQ and set them to Naval Attack with torpedoes at 1000 feet. You might put a torp into a BB and ruin Radar's day... <g>

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: ADB123

My CVs are pretty safe at PH by now and my CVEs are moving to Christmas...we just avoided a pack of subs lurking between Pago Pago and Christmas...i have to be carefull with those damned subs...they tend to be always at the right place!

So you are totally depending upon LBA in the Region? Wow! You've given Radar a carte blanche for his Bombardment TFs...

BTW - did he have the floatplanes on his Bombardment ships set to Night Recon?

BTW II - what size were your PT TFs? And did you give them good COs ahead of time? Under these circumstances it's probably best to have multiple 2-PT TFs rather than a few larger PT TFs.

Also - do you have any Cats in the area? Put some at a base with an Air HQ and set them to Naval Attack with torpedoes at 1000 feet. You might put a torp into a BB and ruin Radar's day... <g>

The idea was to move my CVs out without him noticing that so that he would have moved with more care knowing that my CVs were last seen south of Noumea...as far as i can tell he hasn't spotted them so maybe the gamble has gone well.
I needed to refit the Hornet and to send back the Illustrious...and i need them there if i want to get to Tarawa...

Yes, his float planes reconned Lunga at nigth... and yes, i gave good commanders to my PTTFs but they were large to say the truth...ok, i'll try to have them in smaller TFs, thanks!

Yes, the area is full of Cats...but none of them is trained for navalT and losing them really hurts...but i'll give a chance to a group of them...let's see if they can cover themself with Glory

My LBA in the Solomons is pretty good. If he doesn't bring the KB in supporting his own LBA i feel rather safe...and he's risking a lot moving the BBs so close...last turn he was close to disaster (the TF was 1 hex north of Tulagi when the day came)...he got lucky but i think he won't do it again...not with that light-heart...

I already have an Air HQ in Lunga that provides support in a range of 5... I'll try the Cats thing now...and i'll put SDBs on minor bases (Tessafaronga and Tulagi...)

[GreyJoy]

mmm...again i think Rader sniffed my movements even before i think them. His CVs suddenly disappeared from view. I'm pretty confident his subs did, in fact, spotted my CVs moving back to Pearl and he's probably moving the KB back in order to cover a possible landing at the Gilberts. I'll be very carefull. Gilberts operation won't change the war and could be really risky if the KB is around. I think i can handle the Netties/Zeros combo but cannot against both them and the KB...so i'll begin the operation ONLY if i'm confident the KB is up against a different target (covering a landing at PM for instance).
But if the KB has really moved back from its bouganville position, that will mean i'll have some freedom in the Solomons...and maybe a chance of saving PM...we'll see...

Only one thing is clear...Rader never sleeps

[Canoerebel]

That's exactly what you want - him reacting to you (if he is doing so).&nbsp; If you draw the KB away from the Coral Sea region, you'll be able to put up a fair fight there.&nbsp; If the KB comes back, you'll be clear to hit the Gilberts.
&nbsp;
Do you have a feel, yet, for what is moving across the Owen Stanleys?&nbsp;&nbsp;Bomber missions or recon would tell you.

[GreyJoy]

Still nothing CR...only a recon regiment at the moment is moving there...i'll need to get the P-38s first in order to be able to sweep that hex, then i'll start bombing them from very high altitude...

However i want him to be dragged away from the Coral Sea, yes, but i don't wanna risk a decisive defeat in doing so. I need to be smart...i need to find a way...gotta first clear the path between Pago and Christmas from his damned subs, then i'll probably divide my forces (the fleet CVs will stay between Pago and Christmas, while the CVEs will move back to Suva, trying to support the Solomons campaign or a resupply effort of PM...if the KB is away...)

Now my subs fleet is all being getting their 12/42 upgrades...once they're all ready i'll try to use them in a different way, following what Rader is doing...not anymore lonely wolves...but Packs of them! I'll try to saturate one little area at time, trying to surprise him, rather than using them as a defensive shields...

Also in India i'm now regrouping my 25 subs operating there...will try to give him some headhaces between Port Blair and Calcutta....

[crsutton]

Yep sometime the fact that he does not know where your carriers are is the best defense you can put up. I would not leave them at Pearl for long as you know he will scout it with Glens soon and he seems like the kind of guy that won't hesitate to attack your carriers at Pearl. Like you say, he is good and you have to try and think like him.

[GreyJoy]

Dec 26, 27 1942
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Another harsh day for PM. The bombing continue. 2 subs that tried to deliver some supplies got sunk by the dreaded ASW Helens (Lord, they are deadly!).
&nbsp;
In the Solomons he's advancing southwards...Chouseul (sp!?) Bay now...south of Shortlands...he has unloaded already 3 units there...he's reaching Munda...
&nbsp;
At Buna there are 35 UNITS!!!!![X(][X(][X(][X(][X(][X(][X(]...another division (the 19th) is reported to be moving there...I will never be able to hold this kind of overkill...they're gonna get PM...probably 100.000 men are marching through Owen Stanley...[:-]
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The KB comes back in her usual position, while i brought to Lunga again my Cactus Force and some SDBs too. I'll try to sneak through the iron bottom sound tomorrow with a good SCTF...let's see if i can - for ONE time - get him off guard...
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[ADB123]

t Buna there are 35 UNITS!!!!!...another division (the 19th) is reported to be moving there...I will never be able to hold this kind of overkill...they're gonna get PM...probably 100.000 men are marching through Owen Stanley...

Hmmm - so Radar is going with his forte - Ground War in the Pacific... <g>

I can't say that I blame him - invasions in AE are very risky. This way he can overwhelm you with unstoppable hordes while holding back the KB to go after your ships.

BTW - keep in mind that the KB can reach the Gilberts in2 days from Truk, and you are playing 2 day turns...

Do you have many subs in the Gilberts? You should send in a half dozen or so if you don't. Why, you might ask? Well, you want to know how much Air Search he has in the region, and your subs will tell you as they get spotted. You DO NOT want to sail into a massive trap where Radar knows exactly where you are, thanks to Air Search, while you have no idea where he is...

Good luck!

[Miller]

Where the hell are the US CVs? At this stage of the game you should be looking to fight the KB if you are in range of friendly LBA and he is not.........

[GreyJoy]

US CVs are repairing their damages...Hornet got a torp not more than a month ago and Sara is still repairing from that damned sub torp 3 eaten 4 months ago...CV illustrious had to go back so i needed to send here to SF... bad timing you say...i know...[:(]

Dec 28,29 1942

The KB pops up near Cooktown and swept the base along witn 100 zeros coming from Lae and Buna. I had P-38s, Spits Vc, canadian Hurricanes and some 30 Kittihawks...the loss ratio is brutal....nearly 1-1 and my pools are empty again[:(]...very few pilots lost however...but again, pilots are the last of my concerns...

My SCTF (composed of 2 Omaha class CL - Flagshipt Detroit, and 6 DDs), with the best captains and the best TF leader i could find reached Chouseul Bay...only to find a SCTF composed of 2 CAs and 2 DDs...guess what? we outnumbered the enemy 2-1 but my DDs didn't fire a single torpedo and we got mauled again...badly...Vals from Torobika found us limping back to Lunga and finished the job...History seems to go right on the opposite of RL... with the Japs advancing southwards and the allies getting crounched trying to stop them... At Chouseul Bay there are already 7 units and 12k men...and it's a dot base...don't know...i'm never able to do anything like that on a dot base...

PM was badly hit again....down to 5k supplies...

Enemy subs are savaging my convoys east of Pago Pago...out of naval search range...

Evacuated what i could from Cooktown and Cairns now...i'm pretty sure he wants to shut down the bases where my bombers can start to hit his advancing troops on the Owen Stanley....

Rader paradropped or sub landed what seems to be a base force on a dot base left "red" east of Noumea...pretty sure Mavis will pop up next turn there....[:o]

I feel down and harmless again...he seems to be strong everywhere...in this theatre he outnumbers me in everything (planes 10-1, troops 5-1, and ships, both in quality and in numbers...)...

Soldier on...i know...

[GreyJoy]

.

[ADB123]

The KB pops up near Cooktown and swept the base along witn 100 zeros coming from Lae and Buna. I had P-38s, Spits Vc, canadian Hurricanes and some 30 Kittihawks...the loss ratio is brutal....nearly 1-1 and my pools are empty again...very few pilots lost however...but again, pilots are the last of my concerns...

So he did go plane-hunting over Cooktown... I guessed right. Now he'll go after your TFs and ships in the northeastern ports. I wouldn't be surprised if he went all the way down to Brisbane to attack cripples in-port.

At this point in the Game, every Allied ship that can be sunk and plane that can be shot down is a bonus for the Japanese player.

Which reminds me - where are the Japanese BBs and CAs? I would be sending them out on repeat Naval Bombardment attacks on your forward bases.

[dekwik]

Perhaps the Oz coast shipping will be safer sent to autodisband in the minor ports like Bundaberg, Port Kembala etc?

Taking Mare island (??) by sub sounds like he's trying to psych you out. It'll be worth taking it back just to hear the Marine cheer in the combat replay!

Since it sounds like everything is designed to suck dry your plane pools especially your fighters, maybe you have no choice but to "refuse" the combat by withdrawing ships and air groups for a few months until you can fight on even terms? That means Lunga will get pounded from the air too pretty soon but since you have good forts and supplies, invading there sounds like a bad idea for Japan.

Working on the theory that he can't be every where, maybe consider the early war tactic of using a handful of small STFs (even a single modern CL with long legs or a couple of modern DDs) that can slip through the gaps into his supply areas. You wouldn't be risking too too much, and the payoff might be significant if it forced him to react. If nothing else it will make the game a bit more fun for you!

If you DO get into LR CAPing of PM or Lunga, it used to be the case in vanilla WITP and I think the same in AE that subs in the ocean hexes on the flight path cut down on your pilot losses, although as you said that's not been a major issue yet.

Fight the good fight!

[GreyJoy]

Dec 30, 31 1942
&nbsp;
More sweep over Coocktown, but the base was already non-operative. Then arrives the BB/CAs to finish it. Then, when the sun went up, the KB started to pound it with 200 Kates... nothing is left at Coocktown. All those planes that weren't shot down yesterday have been annihilated on the ground today (i moved out what i could but not everything)
&nbsp;
At PM 350 bombers hit the base for two more days. Supplies down to 2000 and the fate of my garrison is already written...in blood and tears.
&nbsp;
Lost 3 more AKs near Pago Pago. Despite my air ASW his subs are really huting freely...have to stop that. We're assembling another patrol plane base in a island between Pago and Christmas, so to close the patrol gap we had there.
&nbsp;
With the new year arising in front of us we must see the end of the tunnell. Things MUST go better.
&nbsp;
Like Fox Moulders used to say: I WANT TO BELIEVE[:D]
&nbsp;
Hopefully the Solomons won't be as easy to shut down and isolate like PM...
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[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: ADB123

The KB pops up near Cooktown and swept the base along witn 100 zeros coming from Lae and Buna. I had P-38s, Spits Vc, canadian Hurricanes and some 30 Kittihawks...the loss ratio is brutal....nearly 1-1 and my pools are empty again...very few pilots lost however...but again, pilots are the last of my concerns...

So he did go plane-hunting over Cooktown... I guessed right. Now he'll go after your TFs and ships in the northeastern ports. I wouldn't be surprised if he went all the way down to Brisbane to attack cripples in-port.

At this point in the Game, every Allied ship that can be sunk and plane that can be shot down is a bonus for the Japanese player.

Which reminds me - where are the Japanese BBs and CAs? I would be sending them out on repeat Naval Bombardment attacks on your forward bases.

Luckly enough i managed to move my bombers out before he could crush them on the fields. Now all my AUS air force is at Brisbane. I'll probably move it back to Sydney along with the ships i have at Brisbane. Cannot move more ships out of Cairns now cause if he really want go hunting for them he'll catch em anyway, so better to leave them in port where they have a chance of surviving.

Seriously...what can i do!? PM is isolated and he managed to destroy what was the fierce Australian Air Force. He has 100k men marching to request PM back and the KB is hunting freely, forcing me to cat&mouse everywhere.
In the Solomons, despite my efforts, he managed in 2 months to garrison and build 4 bases from Green Island to Shortlands, putting there not less than 60k men and 300 fighters. Every time i move my Cactus force back to Lunga and Tulagi, he sweeps me into oblivion, then they come the 350 bombers that level my bases.
Tried to use my SCTFs in order to interdict his shippings...only to discover how poor my surface ships perform, even in good condition (even when we manage to cross the T).
My air force cannot accomplish his main task: defend my bases and my ships, and i'm always forced to use small xAKLs to resupply Lunga and the nearby bases...and these transports are regularly sunk by his subs, mines, KB or his SCTFs that steam down on the Iron Bottom Sound.
My A/C pools are empty and every reserve i manage to collect is destroyed after one turn of battle. No matter how good my pilots are (and they are good!).
I'm not able to stop his subs. Every time i manage to "close" a sector with ASW assets, he simply change the position of his wolfpacks...and i don't have enough escorts for all my ships. My CVs spend their time hiding around doing what they can to avoid being detected by subs or patrol planes...

The year 1942 ends with a sour taste in my mouth...one year has passed and we haven't seen any progress. Japan's power is intact and his perimeter is stronger than ever. His shipping capabilities haven't been touched and the allies keep on counting their cripples and licking their wounds...

I don't want to believe...i need to believe