Lambs to the slaughter (Lowpe (J) vs Jocke; BillBrown (A)) Finished

[Canoerebel]

We can't look at the moonlight when you crop the photo that much!

[:)]

[Lowpe]

Some Nicks bombing from 5000 feet put 19 250 kg bombs on the runways here at Kunming. I worry a little about the Allies sending a fighter squadron here for LRCAP over Chungking.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

We can't look at the moonlight when you crop the photo that much!

[:)]

My bad.

It was in the first version of the map...

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Olorin

Japan is in excellent shape as she sets out to her grand adventure. My only question is: why leave a sizeable force at Chittagong and not use it to add further strength to the invasion? What was your thinking?

Some reasons I will keep to myself, but I will say that all of the Indian adventures were & are a distraction and misinformation.

I wanted to sell an invasion of India, and to do that I needed it to be big enough to worry Jocke. On the other hand, it had to be small enough for Jocke to really buy into a chance at an overland counter punch here and allocate forces to India/Burma. That is I wanted his ships, planes, and troops here.

I wanted Jocke looking at the opportunity in India...looking at the map, thinking if I had this American division here I could do this. Why, look at that, Japan is overextended, etc., etc., etc.

I also wanted to get a flavor of how Jocke moves his troops on the ground. His force compositions, his style.

I have drawn down the area from what it was two months ago, but not all of it was detailed in the AAR.

Time will tell if I made a mistake in not allocating 3 more divisions to the West Coast. I don't think so, especially with stacking limits, and I am comfortable with the forces allocated.

More on this when my plan is revealed.[;)]

[Lowpe]

This is where I thought I would nail another big ship.

None of these excellent runways are built up. He could be flying float planes from them, but you need land based air to really get good anti-ASW in place.

[Lowpe]

Got the turn finished...and I am trying something different at Chittagong.

There might be some really good fireworks there tonight, or at Cox's or at Akyab.

I don't think I finished the turn in time for Jocke to flip another tonight, but we shall see.

I have 5-6 basically small task forces stopping one hex short of Chittagong with range set to 1, normal, normal routing, and home base Akyab. With so many task forces I can't LRCAP them, but rather have set the range of the CAP at Akyab to one short of Chittagong.

In addition I have one Nell, one Betty and one Val squadron all set to attack with very good escorts from three different bases.

My hope is the Allies run in and bombard Chittagong, hitting a mine along the way would be nice. After the bombardment, then comes a whole host of reactions hopefully draining the second half of the ships ops points limiting their retreat from the bombardments. In addition, hopefully the Japanese can really launch their torpedoes in the low moonlight environment.

The last two task forces have cruisers in them.

Then after many combats, the Allied ships only retreat a few hexes and the three aerial squadrons get a shot at attacking them.

Well, that is the plan, we shall see if the Allies play ball.

[Lowpe]

First week of Dec, 1942

Poor Allies won't be happy, again.[;)] This is a great area to have Iboats, but I usually only move them in when there is low moonlight now, and the rest of the time move them away. It is easy for the Allies to get good aerial ASW up here.



Especially since he missed on a CL of Japan's.

[Lowpe]

Another milk run.

[Lowpe]

Still about 100 victory points here to get.


Well, less now.[;)]

[Lowpe]

No big surface conflict here.

Japanese artillery does well again.



All my multiple small ship task forces of between 2-6 ships are spotted but one at Akyab, most with a 10/10 DL.

Allied Carriers are hugging the coast near Cuttack judging by DLs on my subs in the area.

[Lowpe]

Allied detection is too good now in Burma. Good DL's on Magwe and Mandalay...so I moved out the bombers & transports and restocked with fighters. Abandoned Akyab, at least temporarily for now of ships and planes. A little search there.

First squadron of Tonies are flying over Mandalay at 20K. They might give a rude surprise to sweepers although generally speaking I never had good luck with the 61-Ia (perhaps they will do better with the altitude restrictions). 200 Fighters and FBs at Magwe stacked from 10K to 20K. 1 Nate flying night CAP. 5-6 AA units there now, too.

Extra fighters training or protecting the coast line...will be able to swap them in and out if the Allies start a big Magwe campaign.

All ships back to Rangoon area or Ramree; except of course subs.

Egads, I have a lot of ships at sea right now!!! I wander if I have lit up the Allies sigint like a Christmas tree? Surely. There have been so many breeches of security on the website, especially in the Opp Wanted section...Jocke has to know the West Coast is coming doesn't he?

[Lowpe]

First week of Dec, 1942

Lots of Allied bombers here, in India! And that is a good thing!

[Lowpe]

If I wasn't doing the West Coast operation, I would have crushed the British Navy by now. Jocke is very predictable and likes patterns of behavior.

He can be funneled by restricting naval search.

Good things to know.[:)]

Heavy volume of radio traffic at Sydney and Karachi.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
....
Egads, I have a lot of ships at sea right now!!! I wander if I have lit up the Allies sigint like a Christmas tree? Surely. There have been so many breeches of security on the website, especially in the Opp Wanted section...Jocke has to know the West Coast is coming doesn't he?

I don't hang around the Ops Wanted section, so I haven't seen what you're talking about. But I hope there haven't been any OpSec violations. A big move like yours brings the most entertainment possible. We readers need to be awfully careful not to meddle accidentally be revealing things.

[Lowpe]

I returned for a second day here, but there simply is nothing left.

Recon always shows 1-2 repaired, even when they are rubbled it seems. Also it takes a day for the recon to catch up with the damage.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I returned for a second day here, but there simply is nothing left.

Recon always shows 2 repaired, even when they are rubbled it seems. Also it takes a day for the recon to catch up with the damage.

I can confirm you will not be able to reduce any of those to 0. It always seems to hang at 2 although they are phantom points.

[Lowpe]

Some sobering information...those last two armored units are restricted white. Nasty, stuff what?

3-4 Division are in India. Hoping some more are in Oz and NZ.

United States Ground Forces on the West Coast

41-Dec: 6 Divisions, plus 4 division-equivalents of separate infantry, marine and cavalry regiments
42-Jan: 7 Divisions, plus 4 division-equivalents
42-Feb: 9 Divisions, plus 4 division-equivalents (an armor division arrives)
42-Mar: 9 Divisions, plus 4.33 division-equivalents
42-Apr: 10 Divisions, plus 5 division-equivalents
42-May: 11 Divisions, plus 6.67 division-equivalents
42-Jun: 11 Divisions, plus 6.67 division-equivalents
42-Jul: 11 Divisions, plus 7.33 division-equivalents
42-Aug: 13 Divisions, plus 7.33 division-equivalents
42-Sep: 13 Divisions, plus 7.33 division-equivalents
42-Oct: 15 Divisions, plus 7.33 division-equivalents (two more armor divisions arrive)

[Lowpe]

In the last 20 days, my Frank A r&d factories have repaired 17 units. Some facilities are over 2/3rds repaired.

This huge investment in the Frank A, is my answer to the air reinforcements I will trigger with the West Coast Invasion.

In addition, I have come to the conclusion that the Frank A, followed closely by the Sam, are the two most important planes to r&d by far. By far. Especially true in a pdu off game.

[Lowpe]

Moving troops, supplies and oil.

Trying another sub trap in the Bay of Bengal. Concentrating my Iboats 6 hexes from Akyab, two hexes away from a 3 ship TF of AM's.

Goosed search in that hex, and set a squadron of Vals to naval strike range 6 with Oscar Escorts at Akyab. My hope is the subs can draw the AMs into range of the Vals.

Here is hoping for aggressive Allied ship Captains!

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

First week of Dec, 1942

Lots of Allied bombers here, in India! And that is a good thing!

At minimum, 10 groups.