Guad Mod - AE Scenario 4 - AAR - No Nik

[jwilkerson]

27-28 October 1942

Results
I think all the carriers are refueled now - though I cheated and pull about 14K fuel off the AOs. So now the AOs will begin to reload. We are making supply runs to Finschhaven and Gasmata with FT TF. A single AKL will try to sneak some supply into Shortland this turn.

Planning
A large 26K supply convoy will load up at Truk bound for Rabaul - might as well stage a bunch of supply forward.

[jwilkerson]

29-30 October 1942

Results
Shortlands convoy is half unloaded. Truk to Rabaul convoy is half loaded. AOs at Truk have 19K out of 48K fuel.

Planning
We have two new small base forces that arrived at Truk (24 Aviation Support each) we will have one plan for Buka and the other for Gasmata.

[jwilkerson]

31 October - 1 November 1942

Results
Oh Boy - our TASS troops - shot down one of those brand new B-17Fs !!! Not sure what with - they have a few AA guns - but maybe more guns than rounds for same. More B-17s are starting to hit Shortlands from PM - so we will send up our mighty Rufes to exacerbate the B-17 compressibility issue! The Hiyo arrived - we put the Kate unit ashore, added more planes and pilots and started them training up. This gives us 7 carriers total - but only 6 BB. This is the force we will have to go fight the Americans in December.

Planning
The big Rabaul convoy will leave Truk this turn - taking 26K supply to Rabaul. The Shortlands airfield is 87% - so in about 2 weeks it will be done. We will try placing a Zero unit there to defend it. Then we can try to run in a big pile of supply.

[jwilkerson]

02 - 03 November 1942

Results
Rufes and B-17s fight it out over the Shortlands. Large supply convoy heading for Rabaul from Truk. Shortlands is now 90% done - about another week and we will be done.

Planning
Truk is loading up a convoy of three units bound for Buka, a constuction engineer, an aviation support unit and a naval garrision unit. The AOs continue to load fuel at Truk now 27K out of 48K.

Here is a shot of the Rufe's anti-compressibility issue running head on into the B-17s compressibility issue.
[:D]

[jwilkerson]

04-05 November 1942

Results
The Rabaul convoy will begin unloading this turn. The Buka convoy will reach Buka this turn - a followup supply convoy is loading at Truk. The Shortlands convoy has unloaded and is returning to Truk. FT TF cocntinue to service Finschhaven and Gasmata. Submarines continue to service TASS. Shortlands is at 93%.

[Q-Ball]

Joe;

Thank you again for the AAR, your presentation is EXCELLENT.

From your AAR's and Nik's notes though it looks like you're in trouble; you apparently lost alot of ground troops at Milne, which is going to make it REAL tough to extract the Marines from Lunga. From the outside, it looks like only a major CV victory will right the ship so to speak.

This is really for fun and testing, but if you had to do this over agian, what would you have changed?

[Przemcio231]

Joe why did you ever embarked on the Milne Bay adventure... considering your chronical lack of Fuel would it not be wiser to send all those troops with some supply to Tass and use the Fleet to Cover??? Tass is closer to Truk the MB and you could always use your BB's and CA's to bombard Lunga?? I think this would trigger the reaction of Enemy CV's as well...

[Dili]

This a demonstration AAR. Joe said this earlier:

However, we see the American carriers in the Eastern center of the Coral Sea, so they are positioned farther West than we would like (see pic). Also we see Allied shipping at Milne Bay. This is the second "large" delivery we've spotted at Milne Bay, so counting 30 Bde, we could be facing 4 Brigades at Milne Bay by the time we get there. Our four SNLFs and one regiment will be likely to evaporate in the face of such opposition.

I don't know what increased recon and DL(detection Level) showed but probably this was only for a show since doesn't make much sense to send that comparatively weak forces if one is expecting that enemy strenght, the 3:1 advantage for attacker is the usual victory requirement.

[jwilkerson]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball
you apparently lost alot of ground troops at Milne

I sent in 7 Battalions (4 SNLF and 1 Regiment). I evacuated about half of this force - so that left 3.5 Bns on the ground.

if you had to do this over agian, what would you have changed?

Well this depends on your objective. If you really want to maximize your chances of winning the scenario on victory points - then obviously you need to analyze the situation in detail. Look at the VP bases - and look at your forces and reinforcements and even look at the enemy forces and reinforcements. I did not do any of these activities - so I would start there!

ORIGINAL: Przemcio231

Joe why did you ever embarked on the Milne Bay adventure... considering your chronical lack of Fuel would it not be wiser to send all those troops with some supply to Tass and use the Fleet to Cover??? Tass is closer to Truk the MB and you could always use your BB's and CA's to bombard Lunga?? I think this would trigger the reaction of Enemy CV's as well...

I think I explained the Milne Bay idea earlier in my AAR. This was essentially a diversion - and it did succeed in drawing out the enemy fleet. But two turns in a row - I missed the enemy by 1 hex.

Oh, also, if you read back earlier in the AAR, I did send the carriers over to patrol near Lunga ... and sent the BBs in to bombard as well! What I did not do was focus all resources on LUNGA from turn 01.

[jwilkerson]

06-07 November 1942

New Britain
Units in Milne Bay reported making their last transmission. Good news is that all the fragments of those units which we had evacuated to Rabaul have now switched to the parent. This is good because it shows this part of the code is working!!! [:)] So we switched the four SNLFs and the regiment to "supplies on" and set them to plan for LUNGA.

Buka
The construction engineer and aviation base force have unloaded - the SNLF is almost done unloading.

Shortlands
Airfield is 95% should be 2-3 more turns and then done.

Truk
The AOs are now at 30K out of 48K capacity.

Planning
Once Shortlands is done - we will try to run a decent sized (20K) supply convoy into there.

[jwilkerson]

08-09 November 1942

Solomons
Shortlands is 98% - should finish next turn. Followup supply convoy with 6k supply unloading at Buka. Big 26K supply convoy still unloading at Rabaul - other stray AK will join this convoy for its return to Truk.

Gasmata
73% done

Truk
AOs are at 33K out of 48K capacity. Filling up about 4K per turn.

Planning
17th Army is prepping for LUNGA.

[jwilkerson]

10-11 November 1942

Solomons
Shortlands level-1 is complete - we moved a 27 plane A6M2 unit to the base - and have sent a 12 knot PB there to act as a guard ship. To actually try to use this is a supply staging point - we will need some fuel - exactly what we don't have. [:D]

Gasmata
We are at 76% for the level-1 here. This base will not directly assist in an attack on Lunga - but it will help the forces in Papua hold out longer.

Planning
AOs are at 37K out of 48K. We make stop now and switch to loading up some TK to take fuel to Rabaul and some to Shortlands. A large supply convoy is loading for Shortlands as well.

[jwilkerson]

12-13-14-15 November 1942

Solomons
B-24s are now hitting Shortlands and Rabaul at night. A surface force came in and hit Shortlands. So certainly the level-1 is attracting attention!

New Britain
Single APD continue runs into Gasmata and Finschhaven.

Truk
We will load up a tanker for Shortlands.

[Mistmatz]

ORIGINAL: jwilkerson

10-11 November 1942

Solomons
Shortlands level-1 is complete - we moved a 27 plane A6M2 unit to the base - and have sent a 12 knot PB there to act as a guard ship. To actually try to use this is a supply staging point - we will need some fuel - exactly what we don't have. [:D]
...

Whats your intention with this guard ship? Wouldn't it be too little and too few to even fend off a single cruiser bombardment TF?
Or did naval combat change that much that the bombardment TF would be delayed considerably sinking this vessel and you hope to get some attackers before the are back under friendly air cover?

[jwilkerson]

ORIGINAL: Mistmatz
Whats your intention with this guard ship?

Adds ops points to inbound bombardment forces (due to bombardment force needing to sink the guard ship first), thus lessening the effects of the bombardment.

[tigercub]

A little gamey perhaps.

Tiger!

[Dili]

A little gamey perhaps.

It happened in Mediterranean.

12th June 1940

Bombarded positions at Tobruk with HM Cruiser GLOUCESTER and four destroyers.
Engaged enemy minesweepers whilst under fire from shore batteries. Sank minesweeper GIOVANNI BERTA.

http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono ... erpool.htm

Every small port usually have support boats for many things.

[steveh11Matrix]

No more "Gamey" than using a frigate to check for possible minefields. I think Sandy Woodward would be perfectly at home with using a PB as a local speedbump...

Steve.

[jwilkerson]

16-17 November 1942

Solomons
The calm before the storm. Our AOs are up to 43k out of 48k - and the tanker that will go to Shortlands is at 5k out of 11k. A 20K supply convoy is loaded and hovering out at Ponape. B-24s continue to make night bombing attacks against Shortlands and Rabaul.

Papua
Our APDs continue supply runs to Finschhaven and Gasmata. A Lily group just arrived at Wewak - but not sure what to do with them. After they rest up - from their pre-arrival activities we may try them on a night bombing run to PM if they can make it that far.

[jwilkerson]

18-19 November 1942

Solomons
We see lots of PT boat TFs at Lunga - some minesweepers, etc. Lots of "stuff" to crunch through if we wanted to send in surface forces.

Truk
After loading up one large 20K supply convoy for Lunga, and some smaller ones for Wewak and Shortlands, Truk is actually low on supplies. We will probably start loading troops soon.