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Re Repulse, look at the bright side. You saved 10% of the VPs on a high-VP ship whether the CO lived or not. Worth an xAK loss or two.

Hmm, I think I heard a rumor that Tennant was picked up by a sub.

12/23/41 and 12/24/41
 
DEI:  Stringbags sortied against enemy combat ships near Batavia, scoring a few bomb hits on BB Fuso, but revealing an interesting notation in the report " Chokai sunk."  This dovetails with a comment by John in his email that he had made a "bonehead play."  I also heard the sound of an enemy vessel hitting a mine, so putting all that together suggests a catastrophic sequence of events for that cruiser.  If so, that's the first enemy combat vessel to go under.  Elsewhere, one Brit brigade is ashore at Cocos with another a day away.  That Allied AV here will be 300+, which is sufficient for my purposes.  That base will be tough for John to take.  He has landed and taken Merak, Java, and is landing at Oosthaven.  The guy is moving fast.

Malaya:  Imperial Guards is moving down the peninsula.  The various reports of IJA divisions hither and John all point to a fairly straightforward move on the main targets (Luzon, Malaya, Sumatra, Java, etc.), which is good news for NoPac, Hawaii, Oz and India short term.  Singapore is good on supplies at the moment and will have about 1,000 AV or more when all the troops finally pull back.

SWPac:  A USN sub torpedoed an AKE near Truk.  Based on the "sinking sounds," I think she went under.  That's a pretty signal achievement, if I understand the Japanese OOB (the scarcity - and importance - of those ships).

SoPac:  Ent and Lex continue NE and will pass between Baker and Christmas.  In IJN sub keeps interacting with the carrier's patrols, so John may be getting a good feel for what's going on.

CenPac:  The IJN invasion force has stood down at Midway.  The CD badly damaged an xAK and an AMC.  Two USN combat TFs are enroute, along with two DM TFs.

NoPac:  The IJN carrier TF has vacated the area, I think.  It does not appear that John intends to pull a PzH on me in this theater, which is fine by me.  Having the IJ present in force on the Canadian islands poses many different problems for the Allies.

I can confirm that nailing an AKE is a terrible blow. Unless RA gives him more, Japan only starts with two AKEs and a marginally useful ARD. He can convert more, and smart JFBs always do, but it takes a year to finish the conversions. Nice! Chokai is also nice.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The various reports of IJA divisions hither and John ...

[:D] One of those things editors put in to see if the reader is paying attention?

Cribtop - Not sure where you are getting the info on one year for AKE conversions. I pulled up Scenario 1 and checked the first five cargo ship classes in Tokyo harbour. All can be converted to AKEs as follows:
Aden Class - 21 days available 12/41
Toho Class - 21 days available 2/42
Husimi Class - 30 days available 3/42
Kyushu Class - 30 days available 4/42
Yusen Class - 21 days available 5/42
I find it hard to believe that a different scenario would stretch it out to a year. IJN AS and AV conversions take six months in scenario one. I never found a candidate for AE conversion but that should not be a really long process - add some cranes for underway ammo transfers and your AKE is an AE.

Thought I should bring it up since CR may make a judgement call about how soon the enemy can reload based on the info.

Perhaps the year time frame was because all the xAKs were committed to amphib operations for the first year of war and could not be spared for conversion?

I think our Texan friend was referring to AR conversions, which take forever and a day. As BBfanboy points out, there are myriad AKE upgrades that may take place in a timely manner.

12/25/41
 
Cocos Island:  A Christmas present to Japan.  An IJN combat TF showed up unexectedly and trashed two transports carrying much of a UK brigade.  That hurts!  I had previously split up the TF into separate TFs for each brigade, then I subdivided that, sending in the first brigade successfully, but the Japs caught part one of the second brigade.  This will excite John's desire to deal with Cocos, though he may not realize it already has 200+ AV ashore.  Trailing his combat TF was his Mini KB, which trashed a TF of small transports (empty) fleeing Java.  An ugly day made possible because Allied patrols didn't pick up the carriers or combat TF. My patrols only reported invasion TFs at Oosthaven and Merak.  PoW TF and another combat TF are to the SE of Cocos and will pull back a bit.
 
SoPac:  The Pearl Harbor-branch of the KB is way down near Noumea now.  There's no prey anywhere close, but I love knowing the KB is this far away since I don't have to worry about my carriers bumping into them in the next week or two.
 
CenPac:  Midway has apparently held.  I think the Japanese invasion force is trashed, possibly out of supply and somewhat over the garrison limit of 6,000.  So John really can't bring in reinforcements.  If he wants the island, he'll have to send in a bombardment TF.  I wouldn't be surprised if he also detailed the NoPac KB to provide cover (that TF withdrew west from the Aleutians several days ago).  The Allies are scurrying to take advantage of what could be a nice opportunity.  The first DM TF dropped off 160 mines with a second TF coming in tongiht.  Two combat TFs (not real strong) are in the vicinity.  Ent and Lex are a bit south of Palmyra and moving north to rendezvous with replenishment ships south of Pearl.  Sara may leave San Diego tomorrow.  York is still about four days off.  A small amphibious TF is loading part of a Marine CD unit at Pearl.
 
NoPac: The Allies will gear up to do some reinforcing in NoPac.  If the IJN carrier force diverts from here to Midway, we can handle this without carrier escorts.  If the INJ carries stay up here or if I'm unsure, I can detail the American CVs once I'm satisfied with the situation at Midway.
 
 
 

So John really can't bring in reinforcements. If he wants the island, he'll have to send in a bombardment TF

I would not make that assumption CR. With the same stacking restrictions in a recent Allied invasion of Wake Island my first waves were totally trashed. Thus, I landed a lot more troops, 3X the stacking limits in fact, to dislodge very pesky IJA units. This decision was at the expense of a much higher supply draw and the side effects therein, but it can be done assuming the risk of the consequinces vs. benifits. The IJ could very well decide to do both -- bring in another unit or two and combine that with a amphibious bombardment. I might even contend that this is a good operational technique as subsequent waves seem to not take as much disruption from an amphib landing [or it could be that one risks another die roll that could randomly be better [;)].. either way I find this techique works.

The real problem in my opinion is getting the stuff back off the island/atoll to redeploy. Overstacked and low port levels means multiple loadings/TF's and a lot of time to get the disrupted/disabled/destroyed squads from these units replensihed.

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

So John really can't bring in reinforcements. If he wants the island, he'll have to send in a bombardment TF

I would not make that assumption CR. With the same stacking restrictions in a recent Allied invasion of Wake Island my first waves were totally trashed. Thus, I landed a lot more troops, 3X the stacking limits in fact, to dislodge very pesky IJA units. This decision was at the expense of a much higher supply draw and the side effects therein, but it can be done assuming the risk of the consequinces vs. benifits. The IJ could very well decide to do both -- bring in another unit or two and combine that with a amphibious bombardment. I might even contend that this is a good operational technique as subsequent waves seem to not take as much disruption from an amphib landing [or it could be that one risks another die roll that could randomly be better [;)].. either way I find this techique works.

The real problem in my opinion is getting the stuff back off the island/atoll to redeploy. Overstacked and low port levels means multiple loadings/TF's and a lot of time to get the disrupted/disabled/destroyed squads from these units replensihed.

Plus the invader can evacuate a trashed unit(s) simultaneous with landing a fresh one(s). The subsequent landings do not seem to incur the same wrath that first landings do.

Either way, good news on thwarting them!

Plus the invader can evacuate a trashed unit(s) simultaneous with landing a fresh one(s). The subsequent landings do not seem to incur the same wrath that first landings do.

That would be now N=2 for observing this behavior. I have shifted my atoll attack to landing the force required to stick but not necessarily enough to take the atoll [about 1.5 times the stacking limit] then the next waves come in for the serious action of ejecting the defenders.

Chickenboy is correct. My brain somehow transposed AR for AKE. You can quickly convert a lot of AKEs, but ARs take a year.

I probably messed up because my own ARs are finally about done at Tokyo and I'm all excited.

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Chickenboy is correct. My brain somehow transposed AR for AKE. You can quickly convert a lot of AKEs, but ARs take a year.

I probably messed up because my own ARs are finally about done at Tokyo and I'm all excited.

At my age, I completely understand brain farts, but what is this excitement thingy??[;)]

[:D]

Perhaps the real question is how geeky you have to be to get excited about completing a virtual ship conversion in a computer game you've been playing for more than a year!

Perhaps the real question is how geeky you have to be to get excited about completing a virtual ship conversion in a computer game you've been playing for more than a year!

Hee, hee.....now that I think we can all empathize with!  We are a bit strange in a common, forum sort of way.

12/26/42 and 12/27/42
 
CenPac:  The Allies are working on the possibility of an advantageous carrier battle.  Midway's patrols just reported a Mini KB about seven hexes SSW (true), carrying 34 F, 56 B, 10 A.  Lex and Ent are midway between Palmyra and Pearl, refueling.  They will steam NW in hopes of taking on the enemy carriers, which I think are probably covering for a landing at Midway.  (I may not have mentioned that the Marines eradicated the Japanese amphibious troops on Midway, so John basically has to start from scratch.)  Saratoga leaves SD tonight.
 
NoPac:  This theater should be fairly open now, so the Allies hope to be able to beef up the garrisons at Kodiak and Anchorage, though I need some PP before I can buy the necessary troops.
 
SoPac:  The Pearl Harbor Branch of the KB is at Efate after making it as far south as Fiji.
 
DEI:  The DEI Branch of the KB is NW (true) of Cocos Island.  It might be covering for an invasion of Cocos or it might raid further west, towards Diego, Ceylon or Port Blair.  Enemy combat ships caught up with a couple more TF fleeing Java, doing in most of an assortment of low-value ships.  I had to pull Force Z and my other combat TF away from the KB threat, but now they're moving back towards Soerabaja.
 
China:  Nothing major since last report.  The Chinese are beginning to reach the various MLR positions.
 
Synopsis:  John has pushed very fast and very far thorugh the DEI and into the Indian Ocean.  I'd like to make him pay for his boldness.  I hope his Mini KB will indeed hang around Midway for a few days.

(I may not have mentioned that the Marines eradicated the Japanese amphibious troops on Midway, so John basically has to start from scratch.)

Hmm, no, you hadn't. In fact, you were saying that the Japanese troops there were over the stacking limit. How'd you manage to wipe them out so fast?

The only thing I can think of is that they were out of supply.  John landed some kind of "special amphibious division" that may be peculiar to Reluctant Admiral.  The troops had 160+ AV and should have squashed the Midway garrison.  A couple of attacks went bad, then a third attack went very bad.  So I ordered a counterattack yesterday.  It resulted in 13 squads destroyed, none damaged.  At the end of the turn, the message "eliminated by attrition" was generated.  Voila, we somehow won a little campaign we shouldn't have won.

What do you think about Lex and Ent going up against this Mini KB?  I think it consists of three CVLs, but I can't be absolutely positive.  My two carriers are toting more aircraft, but not a whole lot more.  But I will probably move some of the carrier squadrons to Midway, and then forward some of the Pearl squadrons to the carriers.  It's a risk, but I'm going to take it if John doesn't retire, though the soonest it could happen is probably two or three days out.

It's a gamble, but probably a good calculated risk, especially if you can add some LBA to Midway. John likes to separate his carriers. Make him pay for that. Be durn sure he only has what you think he has, but three CVLs sounds consistent with a Mini-KB, and minis are notoriously vulnerable. They are sort of like an armored car - king of the battlefield until real tanks show up.

Question that may change the risk-reward - are you still flying Buffaloes or do you have Wildcats?

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The only thing I can think of is that they were out of supply.  John landed some kind of "special amphibious division" that may be peculiar to Reluctant Admiral.  The troops had 160+ AV and should have squashed the Midway garrison.  A couple of attacks went bad, then a third attack went very bad.  So I ordered a counterattack yesterday.  It resulted in 13 squads destroyed, none damaged.  At the end of the turn, the message "eliminated by attrition" was generated.  Voila, we somehow won a little campaign we shouldn't have won.

What do you think about Lex and Ent going up against this Mini KB?  I think it consists of three CVLs, but I can't be absolutely positive.  My two carriers are toting more aircraft, but not a whole lot more.  But I will probably move some of the carrier squadrons to Midway, and then forward some of the Pearl squadrons to the carriers.  It's a risk, but I'm going to take it if John doesn't retire, though the soonest it could happen is probably two or three days out.

If CVL they have Zeroes and not Claudes, right?

Biggest risk to me is the Kates and a Glen-equipped seeing you coming.

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

The only thing I can think of is that they were out of supply.  John landed some kind of "special amphibious division" that may be peculiar to Reluctant Admiral.  The troops had 160+ AV and should have squashed the Midway garrison.  A couple of attacks went bad, then a third attack went very bad.  So I ordered a counterattack yesterday.  It resulted in 13 squads destroyed, none damaged.  At the end of the turn, the message "eliminated by attrition" was generated.  Voila, we somehow won a little campaign we shouldn't have won.

What do you think about Lex and Ent going up against this Mini KB?  I think it consists of three CVLs, but I can't be absolutely positive.  My two carriers are toting more aircraft, but not a whole lot more.  But I will probably move some of the carrier squadrons to Midway, and then forward some of the Pearl squadrons to the carriers.  It's a risk, but I'm going to take it if John doesn't retire, though the soonest it could happen is probably two or three days out.

If CVL they have Zeroes and not Claudes, right?

Biggest risk to me is the Kates and a Glen-equipped seeing you coming.

I think CVL Ryujo may start out with Claudes but can swap them out if it returned to a major base after the initial attacks around the Philippines.

Another possible gain is interception of the amphib TF that MKB is covering - as long as it does not divide your attack on MKB.
Putting DBs on Midway is good. So is off-loading the Devastators and loading them up with bombs for a run at 1000 feet. They miss a lot of CAP at that altitude and can be surprisingly accurate at that level. Who cares if they get chewed by AA!