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ORIGINAL: Lowpe

... I also have to assume Japan is going to cross the Brisbane line.

But I wonder if IJ will ...

[&:][&:][&:]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

... I also have to assume Japan is going to cross the Brisbane line.

But I wonder if IJ will ...

[&:][&:][&:]

It depends on his overall aim. If he just wants a base in range of Sydney and Melbourne so he can bomb industry, he can go for Brisbane without triggering the emergency reinforcements. If he is trying to conquer OZ, I don't think he can with present forces.

I think his overall aim was to get autovictory…so he will be hunting for vps anywhere he can grab them.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I think his overall aim was to get autovictory…so he will be hunting for vps anywhere he can grab them.

Looks like it. Then he could go for the strategic VP, and once he can’t milk the Australian industry for more, go in for the kill. There’re a bunch of VP’s to catch, with Sydney and the other bases, and the number of LCU’s.

However, given the attrition he suffers, especially in the air, I’m still doubtful he can achieve that AV in ‘43...

The Allied side must be played criminally poorly for there to be any realistic chance of a Japanese autovictory on 1 January 1943. The correct approach is always for Japan to prepare the groundwork for an autovictory in 1944.

Alfred

ORIGINAL: Alfred

The Allied side must be played criminally poorly for there to be any realistic chance of a Japanese autovictory on 1 January 1943. The correct approach is always for Japan to prepare the groundwork for an autovictory in 1944.

Alfred

I might have misunderstood your post. Do you imply that it's correct, from the Japanese perspective, to aim at the A.V. in 1944 rather than in 1943?

If so, without going offtopic of course, can you elaborate a little bit why?



Personally, I found much easier to get the A.V. at 01-01-1944 than in 01-01-1943, but I thought I have had two very peculiar cases in my last games. Now, I start wondering whether I mistunderstood/overlooked some basic strategic approach.


In general, I suppose that the same player who makes you get close to the 4:1 in 1942, is not going to turn his gameplay level upside down and recuperate immensely in 1943. However, at that point, a 4:1 in 1942 looks easier to achieve than a 3:1 in 1943 due to the difference in the quality and quantity of Allied equipment in 1942 and 1943 respectively.
Basically: I found easier to win 3:1 in 1944, but I have always thought that a 4:1 in 1942 is more feasible than a 3:1 in 1943.

Feb 4th, 1942

First American squadrons arrive at Bombay...

Looks bleak for the Dewey...

The IJA Tank Spearhead has intel warned us about.

Japan is getting cautious leading off with a bombardment.

Here they come!

Looking ahead...

5 P40 squadrons get withdrawn in 39 days from Australia...currently there is one F4F squadron, 2 Airacobra, 1 P40E squadron on the way. Several more that start arriving in 4 days or less at Cape Town.

Revenge, Resolution, Ramillies and Hornet all show up in c23 days or less.

Plane losses for the day:

I wonder how much further south of Suva he's going to go?

To cut the supply routes to Oz, he's got to a bit further, and its a huge logistical stretch for him

Ok. Read the whole topic from where I left time ago.


Personal opinion: the Japanese player has committed several tactical and strategic errors, especially in letting Singers behind. Moreover, he doesn't really look committed to a target, something that can be dangerous for you if it is an able maskirovka, but might simply highlight a lack of strategic thought.


Regarding Australia. In my last PBEM, the one I was referring to few posts above, I ended with an easy A.V. in 1942. In the current one, I got it but in 1943. Australia has been the key for the "easy" (ahah!) A.V., while India hasn't given me enough points to do so. Probably I am a newbie, but that's my experience. In India you incurr in so many losses that it's basically impossible to keep the 4:1 ratio needed for the A.V.
In Australia, OTOH, you can try. If he aims at an A.V. (and I really think it's impossible in his current strategic condition), Australia is gonna be his target and he will need the famous "boots on the ground". You can stop his strategic bombing quite easily.


Now. A piece of advice. In the game I got Australia, I cut it off immediately taking Noumea and Raoul Island. It didn't really stop resupply efforts, but made them complicated and gave me enough warning on their arrival from US. Ancillary actions in Pago Pago, Canton Island and Fiji have been carried out shortly afterwards without many problems.
Then I landed around 14/Jan in Carnarvon and Geraldton with 3 IJA Divisions (I skipped Philippines and did a massive Mersing on 7th Dec to get Singers easily).
Here similarities with your game start to occurr.
I was keeping the KB (minus Kaga) in the Pacific Ocean and the 2ndKB (plus Kaga) in the DEI. When I landed in Western Australia I did a huge mess, bombing with every surface combat ship available and waiting to attack to "show" him all the tools I brought there. I was also being relatively slow intentionally to give him time to respond.

He reinforced Perth.

In the confusion after the landings, I slipped a mega-TF with three more divisions, which landed in Port Augusta on the 27th of January.

Conclusion: he moved immediately to reinforce Perth with what he had available, thinking that he could eventually contain an effort from my side in Eastern Australia, and instead I cut his guys off in Perth.
The "Battle of Perth" has been a bloodbath with my BBs and CAs bombarding everyday from the sea. He couldn't really save his troops at that point.
On the other side of Australia, KB was vigilant over any resupply effort from East.
The landing force for Port Augusta, criminally without air cover, has been damaged by Force Z + whatever australian and Royal Navy had + Hermes, but Mutsu and Nagato took it in the chin and somehow protected my troops.
He had too little warning to do anything since I used the fastest ships available for the landing with the final couple of turns in full speed.

Sydney fell then after a long siege in May. In the meanwhile, aslo, I have landed a strong force in Eastern Australia ordering them to link with the guys in Port Augusta.

Scen01 stock game. Usual HRs.


What I am trying to say is that I feel your opponent has lost the strategic grip over his Japanese global posture, but he can still do some evil trick, which can make you lose the game due to A.V. if he punches hard at the right spots.
It hasn't of course to be necessarily the "Port Augusta Gambit" I did, but something else.


I have the daily AAR of that game, but it's in Italian so I guess it's of no use [:D][:D][:D]

Your post justifies all the paranoia I that guides my play as Allies in the early game.

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Your post justifies all the paranoia I that guides my play as Allies in the early game.

Ditto

Everytime I think about a very aggressive forward defence, I look at what I've got if the unthinkable happens, and its almost always a

"Ah, well that would be a game ending move so I'd better defend against that"

ORIGINAL: Encircled

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Your post justifies all the paranoia I that guides my play as Allies in the early game.

Ditto

Everytime I think about a very aggressive forward defence, I look at what I've got if the unthinkable happens, and its almost always a

"Ah, well that would be a game ending move so I'd better defend against that"

Not only what you’ve got in reserve, but what you’ll get in the future. Every time I ponder deploying the 18th British division to Singapore, for historicity sake sake, or even to Palembang or Java, I have to remind myself that reconstituting the division will suck half the Brit Infantry section replacements for the whole length of the war.[8|]

Thanks to Giants, I am forewarned about the Port Augusta invasion possibility.[&o] For now I have it countered.

Pulling back into Maryborough...our front line troops pulled off 30 miles yesterday and will concentrate there with this turn.

Our first convoy arrived in Port Stanley.

Started shipping from Cristobel to Cape Town yesterday.

Feb 6th, 1942

We got our shots in, a night and afternoon attack...

Over Cloncurry, we flew the P40Es at bomber intercept level, around 13K, while the P40Bs flew up in the stratosphere to counter the sweeping Zeroes at 30K.

The high altitude P40Bs had a high percentage duty, while the lower P40Es had a low percentage so as not to wear themselves out on the sweepers and be there for the bombers.

Worked very nicely.[:)]

I used the B17s to fly in supplies to Lasho, runway size 2, and the first day they were fine, but the 2nd day they lost 3 planes to op losses. My bad...they can deliver supplies by parachute, but need a much bigger runway if they are delivering to a base. Lesson learned.

Well done !