ALLIED ONLY: aztez (A) vs erstad (J) ...2nd ROUND

[Rob Brennan UK]

HI again aztez my old chum..

I'm fine thank you , hope your well too.

Strategic move and railsways are MEGA quick compared to old WitP rail movement. so you can
pull back along the west of malaya quite easily (if japan doesnt bomb the troops, then they
auto adopt combat mode and slow to a crawl). Same can be done in burma too so long as you hold pegu. once japan shows up adjacent to it ,, strat/rail up from rangoon and you may be
fast enough to pull out completely before your cut off.

British inf replacements are v v low so be careful who you set on recieve replacements, esp
any static units.

just my 2c .. and V good luck .. great to see you in another AAR.

[devoncop]

Hi Aztez,

This aar is definately going to be my staple learning exercise so any mistakes made by you should be considered "deliberate" for readers like me as remember we learn most from our mistakes[:D]

I was especially interested in your comments/plans re Ceylon and the Maldives. The strategy of developing bases off the coast of India and Ceylon to avoid naval bombardment seems spot on to me so Ceylon becomes even more inmportant with a decent sized airbase in its interior.I think I would be looking to really try and hang on there.

As for the Maldives I can see what you mean about a possible attack there but Tojo will surely be very exposed to a superior airbase and better ports in Ceylon which he would have to take prior (or simultaneously) to any Maldive landings.........?

Fingers crossed for the next turn and hope the carrier TF manage to combine and stay afloat !!

Great stuff.

Ian

[aztez]

First the bad new. Dave did send me turn back with the comments "Wow. I wonder how much stuff I forgot!" ...well he did forgot one quite important thing.. to PRESS THE END TURN BUTTON!!! [:D]

So.. no news yet regarding the Pearl Harbour strike damage etc.

Rob: Nice to hear everything is ok. Back here it has been very rough and "bad" year rl. Oh, at least it builds up character if nothing else.

Damn you Rob! You got me 2nd guessing the Burmese front! To be honest I do appreciate the views though and personally I feel it is well thought out.

Railroads... railroads... railroads.. hmmm. I haven't actually been too intrested with AI. I know it is good now but it misses something... and don't feel motivated enough to compete againts it. I know there must be something wrong with me.

..back to the subject though. If he doesn't bomb Malaya too hard maybe it is actually worth pulling something like 100 av points out. Maybe.. I haven't looked the situation with enough thought yet due to time restraints. Quite hectic at work currently now that the summer vacations are over.

I think Pegu is the key if southern defense is to be considered at all. Hell, he might push hard enough initially that I'am lucky to survive few weeks there. Allthough I have an feeling that Dave has his sights on DEI very early on. He just likes to toy with the production and sooner he gets materials do this the better he feels. Last time around we did not have PDU on.

Replacements are low indeed so that is an concern. Another big concern to me is the poor leaders and low experience. These two just don't mix up well together. Noyp! This is especially true in Burma and China.

Really appreciate the comments mate.

devoncop: Thank you. At the work today I actually had a feeling that this AAR will turn JFB wet dream AAR! So the goal is not to allow this happen! I really hope that feeling was not an bad omen.

What I said to Rob about motivation... well I'am definately a one to learn the hard way. The idea is to answer a lot of WHY..WHY.. questions in order give insights about areas. I could do an original combat txt + pictures AAR but not this time around. I intend to invest enough time to keep this kind of format running all the way through to the end.

Ceylon and Maldives those are diffrent from stock Witp, aren't they? In the old Witp there was no real reason to defend, garrison or do anything with them. Let the japanese have it and it became solid prison for them without any strategical signifigance.

I think you are right. I don't see Dave focusing mainland India (early on) but instead I think he wil do offensive againts Ceylon and Maledives. Cape Town is the reason why. If I would play as japanese player I would go for it since it gives strategic edge to many things in my opinion.

That is why I love to play PBEM. You never really know how your opponent is mentaly set and what is his gameplan. Only thing you can do is to make reasonable assumptions.

Glad to hear you are enjoying this read.

[aztez]

Ok. I got the 1st turn open. I will just post 2 screenies from it and start working the allied side tomorrow night. It will take sometime.

Now off to bed. It is getting kind of late back here in Finland.

[aztez]

...and the other screenie from Force Z. I really like the artwork and details put into AE.

Now proud to present HMS Prince of Wales.

[devoncop]

Hi.

As you are in Finland, can I assume it was late , but not necessarily dark when you received your turn[:)]

Now, that is a bit of a bonus at Pearl,so not only have 3 battleships (just) survived but the cruiser and light cruisers have not fared too badly either so Tojo will at least have something to put a mental brake on being too reckless.

I agree that Prince of Wales not going to Khota Barou avoids making the obvious move but I think I'd be worried about leaving her so isolated for too long.Will she be heading for a friendly port or looking to disrupt landings?

Looking forward to the full report.

Best wishes
Ian

(and hope the year improves for you generally,its been tough for a lot of people all over the world so far)

[Sardaukar]

I'd strongly advice against defending Burma too heavily. Especially moving extra units south of the "jungle". There will be no supply route after you get pushed out of Pegu and Rangoon. Basically, your units will be pushed "in the bottom of inverted sack", even AI has been able to do that to me in AE. Worst case your troops may get pushed into jungle and lot of low exp units may surrender because of lack of valid supply route... Even if you can keep Swebo, you'll end up sucking supplies from China, which would be bad.
 
Set defence in Akyab, Cox Bazaar, Chittagong, Imphal, Kohima etc and let Japanese come after you through the jungle...and let them suffer the supply attrition.

[aztez]

Argh.. just got back from work. This is really killing me. The bright side is that I'am hoping for the manual to arrive tomorrow. It has been 3 days after the shipment confirmation.

Allthough I should be happy that I do have workplace.

I will also get the girls via Friday to Sunday so it is hard to estimate when the turn is done.

I'am aiming to get it done by sunday night! After that the turns will be much quicker.

As the turn goes along I will be taking screenshots and thoughts about operations for sure.


devoncop: It is bright, sunny and hot here! [:D]

The plan is to get Prince of Wales into India. So, the remaining Force Z will be heading into Batavia for refuel and continue towards Colombo. The respawn rule is NOT on in stock campaigns. Thus meaning it is important not waste capital ships for nothing. DEI is doomed with or without Prince of Wales.

This definately doesn't mean that DEI is freebie. No, the Dutch naval forces along with few US ships will fight into bitter end.

Absolutely, I think those 3 BB's will survive. Unless ofcourse "Tojo" will take another run againts Pearl Harbour.

Sardaukar: You still happily married and living in Malta?

Basically what you are saying is what I described in Burmese plan? I guess we Finns thin alike. I'am worried too that the Rangoon area could end up in total disaster. Maybe worth of defending heavily againts AI but not againts experienced opponent.

Allthough I think Schewebo and Mandalay can be tough nuts to crack if I get some fort levels build to them. Not easy to flank those bases. Basically I think Burma will be down to supplies for both sides. The side that manages to keep that in solid levels will "win" the fight.

...oh and the leader bonuses. It is important I feel with low level experienced troops. This is the same with lba bombers.

Now off to get the turn started.

[Sardaukar]

Yep, still here in Malta. [8D]

I don't think that anything Allies can throw into Burma can stand against what Japanese has available in Feb/March 42 for that theater. So I think Chittagong-Imphal-Kohima is the preferred defensive line. Maybe committing all 18th Division and some Australian brigades from 6th/7th Aus Divisions could make difference in Burma. But that'd mean very weak SW Pacific and put one of the strongest assets that can be used in India (18th Division) into peril.

[aztez]

Ok guys. The Philippine perimeter is set. I took quite a "few" mouse clicks to get done. Nomore tonight because my head hurts! [:D]

Sardaukar: Again good to hear that everything is ok. You and Rob have been following my blunders for a while.

Yeah. Burma seems kind of same old deathtrap as it was in Witp. Basically we think a like. I will put up and skirmish fights in South. More stubborn defense around Mandalay and when things get too hot than time to get out towards India.

The main goal is not to loose units surrendering to the enemy.


Here is the Philippines defensive plan!


The Alamo will be Manila. It is still an urban hex which gives nice bonuses. Allthough the map is diffrent I think it is still much better than Bataan.

Obviously Clark Field needs to held as long as possible. It has good airfield and is northern buffer for Manila.

The P40E's are set on 80% CAP and 20% rest. Lets hope that is adequate.

I created 3 sub minelaying TF's. They will lay out all the mines out of Manila. So, if Japanese didn't bring in MSW ships than hopefully they have to swim to ashore.

I did withdraw on depleted B17 squadron into India. It seemed like an good idea.

Rest of the submarines are set on normal patrol duties. I'am not yet comfortable with patrol zone setup so instead I send them out with "direct" moving orders and with max 6 reaction range.

Also, created an 1 "wolfpack" TF consisting of 3 subs. I want to see whether that is effective or not.

I will conduct heavy MSW efforts in Bataan since I have an feeling there will be mines laid out.

Replacements are set very cautiously for ground units. Only units around 40 exp and above will receive them initially. I would like to change few commanders but need to save PP for China and Burma changes. These are much more costly in AE.

Those transports, tankers and other vessels are divided into groups of 1-3 ships. Some will sail into Kendari, Soerebaja, Balikpapan and Darwin. I will try to withdraw as much materials out of DEI bases before they are seized.

CL Boise and CA Houston will head out to Soerebaja to link up with ABDA navy.

I'am only building up forts in Clark Field and Manila. Other base to receive this compliment was Cagayan. The thinking is that building up smaller bases is a waste of time and precious supplies.

Here is the map from Luzon viewing some operational areas...

[Laxplayer]

Aztez,

Love the AAR so far. I realize that it's only day 1, but I wanted to tell you I really liked the screenshots and the running commentary regarding your different theater strategies. Very helpful and informative, and much better than the AARs that end up being a repetitive copy & paste of combat reports with very little commentary.

Also, I agree with the poster that said if you build up Pegu fortifications and reinforce with units from the area, you might be able to put a cork in the bottleneck with regards to land advance from Moulmein/Tavoy. If you feel you can risk it, ship in an extra division (such as the 18th if you are feeling confident, though as you've said, your opponent likes to charge hard into India, so probably not) or brigades withdrawn from Malaya (better choice, IMO) and shipped into Rangoon. It will have to be done fairly early, before the Nells and Betties lock down the Straits and shipments into Rangoon. If anything, it will cause him to dedicate more units to breaking through, or risking an amphibious landing at Rangoon... either of which will cause him to possibly slow down elsewhere (like DEI and Northern Oz). I doubt it's the fortress you could form in WITP, but it's still better than running. If you see him potentially breaking through Pegu via land, you should still be able to strat mode and railway out all the units in Rangoon to Mandalay (or better yet, Shwebo) within 2-3 days max. But you know your opponent better than I. [;)]

Good luck, and I look forward to reading it!

[sfbaytf]

Nice AAR! I agree with the comment on the artwork. As someone who grew up building plastic models, I really appreciate the different paint schemes on the aircraft. I would not be surprised if the paint schemes depicted are accurate. 

[Laxplayer]

Ignore the idea of blocking advance at Pegu without bringing in extra units (China, Malaya evacs, the 18th Brit Div.). I had most of the native Indian bdes from Burma there with 4 forts, plus an early-arriving BDE reinforcement (about a division and a half or so). AI IJA steamrolled me in 3 days. Next time, I may try starting my defense in the jungle hex between Moulmein and Pegu. Might be harder to force me out of there, plus it allows units to rail in and out from Rangoon even once the IJA have arrived. Honestly though, I now think it might be a lost cause without reinforcing a LOT (including the 18th).

[Sardaukar]

Plus the units in Pegu will retreat to Rangoon. Unless you start running right then, one of them is getting out of Burma...

[jrlans]

My other sugestion from my game v. the ai would be try to evac malaya or at least some of the larger units there. In my game singapore got crushed by 1/15/42 the new land combat model is very unforgiving when it comes to armor without AT. IMO it is better to try to save what you can from malaya as they wont even provide much of a speed bump

[aztez]

An status update. I'am still working on allied tun 1 ...it is actually 10 x time consuming than old Witp.

This weekend I have my daughters with me so bulk of the time will be with them. Though I have spent maybe 6-7 hours on Witp after they head to bed. [;)]

I blundered the initial setup at Philippines so had to redo the stuff there. Which is now done. Basically I have done Aleutians, CenPac, Oz, Philippines, 70% DEI, 80% Malaya and Burma. Still plenty to do.

Currently pondering with the dilemma of Noumea since it seems to be vital for South Pacific efforts. The question is where on earth I'am to get decent troops to stabilaze it from the start.

I have spent PP on leaders so that is not an option at the moment. I will leave the China and India for the last.

If everything goes smoothly I think the turn is done tomorrow.

Oh.. and really appreciate comments guys! I do mean it.


Laxplayer: Thank you! Hmmm, there really is two schools of thinking when it comes to Burma and this has made think that theatre through many times.

The more I look the more I feel that variant of Sardaukars opinions and the initial plan is the way to go. I would love to send reinforcements BUT I kind of know how it will end up. Dave will push hard.. troops retreat to Rangoon and that is the end of it. I do not want erstad to have that kind of an chance.

So.. skirmish, delay in the southern areas than withdraw towards north. I haven't looked China yet in terms ot troops so there might be something available but not much.

However I do see your way of thinking. What it comes down is the level of an opponent I'am againts so that is the key factor here.


sbaytf: Appreciate it. Definately nice art all around the game. I can only imagine what an task that was! Propably would have taken me something like 50 years to do! [:D]

Sardaukar: I have an feeling we have had many similar disasters on the previous version! I mean we think way too much alike! [:D]

jrlans: So, you are suggesting pulling those 2 +100av brigades from malaya to burma? I have looked and looked and don't see an working way to do it before the roads are closed... or did I misunderstand something?

[aztez]

The plans in the southern pacific!

This so much diffrent than stock. The atolls and bases don't seem to be where they used to be. That alone puts the game into diffrent thinking mode.

After studying the areas there seems to be bases that needs to be secured.

Noumea
Pago Pago
Fiji's

The important one is definately Noumea. Without the base any future offensives will have tough days ahead. As stated the problem here is the troops. I have now loading up 41st infantry division in Seattle and ship these guys into Noumea.

With the new air HQ, stacking limits, torpedo loading rules etc ... well this is the base to have and not to loose.

Pago Pago (never bothered with it in old Witp) is important base too. It serves as an blocking base to keep enemy from blockading Port Stanley. Also has an decent airfield and port.

Same can be said about Fiji's too. This base serves an link between Noumea - Pago Pago and Port Stanley. Without it things get complicated in the future.

I'am trying to clear my head from the original witp offensives. To me at least now it is important to own 2-4 bases in operational theatres which will be staging points in the future offensives. The ship loading rules have changes so much.

Here is an pick from Noumea area with few comments...

[aztez]

Aftermatch of Pearl Harbour disaster


I did take an couple of screenhots. The 1st one describes the new ship repair window. I didn't make any dramatic adjustments there to be on the safe side.

Notice though that those 3 damaged BB's are on the Ship Yards. I didn't accelerate any of them since it cuts down the tonnage which can be serviced.

The remaining fighters are on between 60-80% CAP. If he stays around with KB than with any luck my 2 PT squadrons will intercept by night. The submarines are in motion too.

US CV's will link up just north of Johnston Island. I cannot afford to keep them separated with no respawn rule. At San Diego CV Hornet is ordered to sail out and link up with the carrier TF's.

In around Pearl Harbour very aggressive ASW effort is launched immediately. I need to clear those subs out as soon as possible. The way I see it bombers will be the main tool for this due to their range.

Here is an pic from Pearl area...

[aztez]

...and the initial shipyard setup orders.

[aztez]

Australia

This took me by suprise too. The new map and units give much more flexible options here.

I'am moving along with somewhat old school approach.

By looking at the map few things becomes quite obvious:

1 Northern OZ is not worth reinforcing in large numbers. I did send some units into Darwin but not much else.

It is way too hard to keep supplied and you really strong and constant naval convoys heading towards the area.

2 I'am very much in favour on building up Townswille area. It has nice airfields and supporting bases.

It controls the bay leading towards Port Moresby. This is important because Port Moresby thus becomes not so vital base after all. I have read that many are sending troops there immediately but to me it is not as critical base.

Yes, I will fight it out but only if and when Noumea, Pago Pago and Fiji's are secured.

3 There are nice small armoured units in the south in various bases. Many of these can be moved out since I feel that with the new map you must be crazy to even try seize southern oz.

This lets you build up the areas around Townswille and Brisbane.

I really do like the new strategic movement orders. This comes very handy in Oz, WC and India. Definately of my favourite new options with AE.

Here is an pic from Oz....