ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon
...I know you don't want to lose the airframes, but defending your troops in the open from Japanese bombing attacks should be a win/win for you. As you mentioned, targets like Akyab and Ramree are left alone while any aircraft you lose are over your own lines so the pilots most likely live to fight another day.
Right now I have the luxury of John coming to me - he's in a position where he has too, but that's reinforced by his aggressive disposition. As long as I'm able to fight over my own airfields, I'll be content to do so. If the situation changes, I may have to fight further forward, but for now Longstreet has the high ground and is waiting for Sheridan (not the less aggressive Meade or McClellan) to attack.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Actually, it seems a bit more like Longstreet waiting for "Hood" to attack.....I give Sheridan more credit for avoiding obvious "traps" or attacks that never should be launched in the first place.
Never Underestimate the Power of a Small Tactical Nuclear Weapon...
I can't tell yet for certain. I stubbornly clung to the high ground instead of boldly going forward. Smart or too conservative? Only time will tell, although I think solid arguments can be made for both.
John reacted belatedly to the Allied position. I think he's also spread out a little bit too much. Yet he has thrown in quite a few divisions and put up an MLR that may give me trouble. Has he done well or has he grievously miscalculated? The jury is still out on that question.
I'm still feeling my way through this campaign. I am optimistic about Burma in and of itself, but especially so when appropriately measured as part of the entire Bay of Bengal theater and the desire to draw John's full attention even if I take quite a few lumps in doing so.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I'm trying to get a second front established in a location that will require John to commit to another air war. If I can do that, he's going to be pressed pretty hard. So there's a hint - where on the map can the Allies move that would prompt a second air war?
Ndeni gets my vote! You have used the Solomons to gut the IJN and IJA air forces before.
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
Bay of Bengal: No sign of enemy carriers or combat ships. Akyab airfield goes to level six.
Ramree Island: Helen raids target 147th US RCT. This is interesting because it shows a marked interest in the ground units at Ramree. John's clearly coming or he would instead be targeting the airfield (which goes to 5.24 on the day). This analysis is consistent with today's SigInt that 10th Div. is prepping for Ramree and recent SigInt that 25th HQ and 14th HQ are too (anybody know if doubling the number of HQ doubles the HQ bonus?). I covet a fight for Ramree - drawing in big enemy units and tying them down in remote terrain with good defensive bonus - as long as I don't under-defend the base. A strong Punjab brigade will move here from Diego Garcia (leaving that island protected by 18th UK Div.). An Indian brigade will report to Chittagong from Bombay. And I'll keep the PP on hand to buy out an Indian division at Akyab if necessary. All those units are prepping for Ramree. The Indian Div. can be moved foward via fast transport if I begin to develop a case of the willies.
Burma: Marauders from Cox's Bazaar rough up an IJA regiment in the open. John will probably return the favor, though today most of his Tojos sweep at Imphal (no Allied CAP present) with some at Ramree.
NoPac: Moving additional units and ships from Seattle up to Alaska, including an AKE and an AD to Kodiak. Fast transport to carry part of a SeaBee unit to a dot hex west of Kodiak tonight. Japanese patrols caught wind of this TF yesterday, which is what I want, though I'm trying not to be too obvious.
CenPac: The two American carriers will be ready in 12 days. The long string of TFs that have departed Pearl and LA make a truly impressive chain of shipping. Both ports have been stripped of non-restricted units.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
This analysis is consistent with today's SigInt that 10th Div. is prepping for Ramree and recent SigInt that 25th HQ and 14th HQ are too (anybody know if doubling the number of HQ doubles the HQ bonus?).
No! What will happen is the AI will check both HQ to see if they pass the dice roll. What John did was prep both hoping for the best. If he gets one to pass, it will give him the 10% bonus. In RA, there is more than the 2 mobile Command HQs so he would be wise to have one at Rangoon prepping for this base.
Michael, you'll be glad to know I have two Allied command HQs prepping for two targets in my upcoming and very exciting amphibious operations which I am adroitly keeping secret for the time being....
P.S. At Ramree, I have an Indian HQ about 50% prepped for that base.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Ramree Island: Uh oh. Big escorted Helen raid pretty much shuts down this field (50% service damage, 96% runway). I don't think I can efficiently base fighters there due to this damage, so I'll try to orchestrate some big LRCAP from Akyab (with Akyab, in turn, receiving help from Cox's Bazaar).
Burma: Another week before the Americans begin to lend a hand with the campaign in the open country.
NoPac: A fair bit of 11th SeaBees comes ashore at the dot hex near Kodiak. The vehicles are aboard an AK a few days out.
CenPac: Some of the advance troop transports replenish after rendezvouing with pre-positioned AOs. Still absolutely no indication of enemy interest in the region I'm heading. By the way, there is a secondary objective just in case the first gets scrubbed for some reason. Hornet and Wasp are at sea well out of Pearl. The other four CVs should get underway in about 10 days.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Michael, you'll be glad to know I have two Allied command HQs prepping for two targets in my upcoming and very exciting amphibious operations which I am adroitly keeping secret for the time being....
As we both know, the Americans are short of Corp HQ throughout '42 and it doesn't get better until sometime in '43. So, without a Corp HQ prepping for those two targets, the Command HQs will act like a Corp HQ. "IF" you are attacked a defended base, I would suggest prepping an Aussie Corp HQ if you want to get the Command HQ bonus of 90% (if both HQs pass the dice roll).
I'm interested in seeing how the next turn goes at Ramree. John will likely bring everything he has including 50 to 100 Tojos. The aifield is 96% damaged. I put NZ Kittyhawks and RN Sea Hurricanes there, but the bulk of the CAP will come from Akyab. More than likely things won't go well for the Allies, but this will be a key test. I'll make him work hard to keep Ramree closed in hopes that it allow the ground troops to continue unmolested (or mostly so).
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Operations at airfields are stopped after runway damage of {20 + (5 * size) percent} for everything except CAP, and {50 + (5 * size) percent} for CAP. At 96% it sounds like no CAP will fly from Ramree.
Bay of Bengal: No menacing reports of enemy carriers or combat ships.
Ramree Island: Massed sweeps by 100+ Tojos and raids by 100+ bombers. Modest losses to both sides, with the Allies on the short end of a 2:1 ratio. The airfield is shut down good now. For the foreseable future, Ramree me become a defensive bulwark standing against enemy land, sea and air attacks. The proximity of Akyab - and the ability to feed in reinforcements by fast transport if necessary - may be key if John really goes "all in." Not sure he'll be able to do that - events in Burma may influence Ramree's fate.
Burma: The Brit army (three UK and one East African brigade) have been joined by an enemy unit - I think a regiment. The Allies will attack tomorrow. To the northeast, near Magwe, an odd thing happened. An Aussie brigade that for weeks was moving one hex due west finally reach the point of leaving its home hex....and instead of going west, somehow leaped through time and distance to arrive one hex southeast! Thus, instead of being mired in the jungle, it's now in the open terrain facing an enemy unit (I think tanks). So the Aussies will attack tomorrow. I'm sending in Marauders and some LRCAP. In coming days, the American division will also move into the open, so the stakes should rise considerably in Burma.
NoPac Lots of Allied shipping in the Gulf of Alaska. I'm not sure John notices, but here's hoping.
Pacific: The titanic movement of ships and men continues. Absolutely no indication (yet) of major enemy attention to the targeted region. As the Allied airfields closest to the targets approach the next level, I'm standing them down as I don't want building to trigger John's spidey senses. So, at about the same time the invasions take place, a bunch of Allied airfields and ports will suddenly increase by one level.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Perhaps one of the most important days of the war thus far. While there are some interesting battlefield developments, though, the importance lies in a couple of minor encounters....
John's Spidey Senses: As you will recall, John has recently commented several times that his "spidey senses are tingling." I've been pretty sure, but not positive, he felt like something was up either in the Aleutians or Bay of Bengal or perhaps both. I've been wanting to tweak John's awareness in these areas, plus western Oz, and I think today went about as well as possible.
John's Email Today: "Interesting turn. VERY interesting..." When I received this message, I thought, "Uh oh, something big and bad has happened somewhere - perhaps some raiders stumbled across my line of amphibious TFs moving across the Pacific." Then I wondered if it might have been an encounter with my "feint picket DDs" way up near the Aleutians. Indeed, the latter proved true with some bonus material thrown in.
Phantom Encounter in NoPac: An Allied TF encountered an IJ TF somewhere in NoPac. The encounter yielded no intelligence for either side - both sides avoided contact without disclosing the identity of the foe. The contact led to this report: "Task Force 299 encounters enemy Task Force at 163 , 68." TF 299 is a "feint picket" DD I have on patrol south of the Aluetians. The DD probably came across an enemy picket ship (like an xAKL) that fled. This was the primary "Very Interesting" (to John) encounter in NoPac, but there were two susidiary events - a Lightning recon squadron began work over Akutan today, and an enemy Glen nosed around Prince Rupert.
Meaning: If John's "spidey senses" comments were about NoPac, and I think they were, he just got some very subtle tweaks. (If I were ready to move in the Pacific in the next week, it would be even better, but it's still going to be about four weeks before my operation unfolds.)
Phantom Encounter Western Oz: A second fortuitous encouter perhaps 15 hexes off Oz's SW Cape, where some kind of IJ patrol aircraft reported Allied shipping. The location would be optimal to trigger any concerns John might have about an Allied move on the Exmouth/Port Headland area and perhaps even Cocos Island. The hex is so far from his nearest bsse that I'm pretty sure the sighting was by a Glen or possibly carrier aircraft. (Each of the two Allied TFs consist of an ACM and xAK heading eventually to Chittagong and Akyab - the xAKs are along to provide fuel.) In addition, John reconned Perth for the first time in awhile and found a sizeable "fake amphibious TF" posted there. Meaning: This probably isn't enough to convince John that a major Allied move is in the offing here, but it should be enough to prompt some thought and investigation. He might even conclude that this is a feint while the real move is in the Aleutians.
Bay of Bengal: Enemy minelaying subs have been active recently. One laid mines at Chittagong a few days back (an AMc is working on that). Another one (or possibly two) came in to Akyab today. One sub hit a mine. That sub or another then fired some shots at an RN BB but took in response heavy hits from gunnery. I think at least one of the subs went under. Big enemy air raids again targeted Ramree without opposition.
Burma: Marauders accompanied by escorts and preceded by sizeable sweeps targeted the enemy tank unit adjacent to Magwe. This was the first Allied sweep mission and came off pretty well - both sides losing roughly 25 fighters. The Marauders did pretty good work. The Australian division then crushed the tank unit. Further south, the four UK brigades mauled 143rd Regiment, destroying 100+ squads. The Allies didn't lose any. It's still very early in Burma - where the sitaution is uncertain and fluid - but the campaign has resulted in at least four enemy units getting trashed: 48th Div., 2nd Tank Div.., 8th Tank Regiment, and 143rd Infantry Regiment. A few Allied units have been badly mistreated: Gloucester Battalion, a Punjab battalion, and BFF Brigade. The most serious loss for the Allies was Eastern Army HQ, which lost about 50 of its 250 support.
Pacific: Quiet in all the right places - the Allied shipping continues to move unmolested and apparently undetected. No signs of unusual enemy activity, SigInt, or base building in the targeted region.
Political Points: The Allies have 1750 in the bank. The priority is to have enough to buy an Indian division to insert at Ramree if the need should arise. The next priority is to buy some reserve divisions that will target my secondary objectives in the Pacific just after the main show opens. I need a total of about 3000 AV to cover these two contingencies, so it appears these can be achieved on schedule.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Okay, I've sent the turn back to John. I wanted to strike the right tone - like I am worried about his "very interesting" comment. That I feel compelled to try and find out what he's referring to while seeming not to be worried." [:)]
So, in the transmittal email, I wrote: "What's interesting?"
John will reply without specifics, but he might reveal a little more, even if unintentionally. Every fiber of my being tells me he's focused on NoPac.
Meanwhile, a chain of 32 TFs - many of them very large - is on the seas between Pearl Harbor and....somewhere. A 33rd - the USN CVs - will deparat in nine days. And BBs Washington, South Dakota and North Carolina are already enroute.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Bay of Bengal: No menacing reports of enemy carriers or combat ships.
Ramree Island: Massed sweeps by 100+ Tojos and raids by 100+ bombers. Modest losses to both sides, with the Allies on the short end of a 2:1 ratio. The airfield is shut down good now. For the foreseable future, Ramree me become a defensive bulwark standing against enemy land, sea and air attacks. The proximity of Akyab - and the ability to feed in reinforcements by fast transport if necessary - may be key if John really goes "all in." Not sure he'll be able to do that - events in Burma may influence Ramree's fate.
Burma: The Brit army (three UK and one East African brigade) have been joined by an enemy unit - I think a regiment. The Allies will attack tomorrow. To the northeast, near Magwe, an odd thing happened. An Aussie brigade that for weeks was moving one hex due west finally reach the point of leaving its home hex....and instead of going west, somehow leaped through time and distance to arrive one hex southeast! Thus, instead of being mired in the jungle, it's now in the open terrain facing an enemy unit (I think tanks). So the Aussies will attack tomorrow. I'm sending in Marauders and some LRCAP. In coming days, the American division will also move into the open, so the stakes should rise considerably in Burma.
NoPac Lots of Allied shipping in the Gulf of Alaska. I'm not sure John notices, but here's hoping.
Pacific: The titanic movement of ships and men continues. Absolutely no indication (yet) of major enemy attention to the targeted region. As the Allied airfields closest to the targets approach the next level, I'm standing them down as I don't want building to trigger John's spidey senses. So, at about the same time the invasions take place, a bunch of Allied airfields and ports will suddenly increase by one level.
At 9/4/42 John can make a fight at Ramree, but that is what you want at this stage, a fight. Ramree is an important base for the Allies to hold but not critical. However, it is bad news for Japan if the Allies hold it. A nice place for a little fighting. Especially as you round into 1943 and your flow of reinforcements increases.
If he has to send KB to the Indian Ocean to support this fight then you have won just by forcing him to use it there...
That sub or another then fired some shots at an RN BB but took in response heavy hits from gunnery. I think at least one of the subs went under.
If I'm reading that correctly, it means that the IJN sub surfaced and took on a battlewagon with its deck gun. [X(] That alone would make it a "very interesting" turn.
Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?
That sub or another then fired some shots at an RN BB but took in response heavy hits from gunnery. I think at least one of the subs went under.
If I'm reading that correctly, it means that the IJN sub surfaced and took on a battlewagon with its deck gun. [X(] That alone would make it a "very interesting" turn.
Looks to me like: Naval Skill 11, Aggression 97 [not 100 because he didn't try to ram], Ego 110
He had these dreams of being like Gunther Prien and sinking a BB - greetings from the PM, parades in Tokyo, an audience with the Emperor - the whole 9 nautical miles ... and then he shot off all his torps for no hits. In a rage, he orders his crew to the deck gun, dreaming of the young women adoring a man with such cojones ... until the BBs main guns open up and blow a gaping hole in the dream![:D]
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
NoPac: One of the USN picket ships, DD Blue, moves back a few hexes, but still has another mysterious encounter with an enemy ship. Finally, on the third time being in the same hex on the 7th, the ships give battle, with Blue sinking a picket xAK. John's spidey senses might be on overload. My three pickets will pull back closer to Midway. John might move stouter patrolling forces forward. John didn't reply to my "What's very interesting?" query yesterday, in part because we flipped a turn on the fly. So I followed up with one more: "So, what's very interesting?" No reply to that one, either, so John's making a concerted effort not to reply now.
CenPac: All troop transport TFs are long out of Pearl and LA now. The four USN CVs at Pearl will be ready to go in seven days.
Bay of Bengal: Two enemy carrier TFs at Port Blair. They don't appear strong, but the reports might be very incomplete. No enemy air raids at Ramree today.
Burma: The second Oz Div. is 45 of 46 miles in moving one hex to the west. If it does so, it will have to negotatiate that final jungle hex before moving into the open. However, if it teleports like its sister division last week, it might move out into the open tomorrow. 41st USA Div. is about four days from emerging in the open. So the Allies should have a strong and mobile forward force very soon, which will permit more aggressive offensive moves.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
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