Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: seille

Sadly it´s a PBEM this time. Wanted to make it better and got the worst possible outcome.
Two Divisions with Shock attack seems to be a good solution. Hitting hard and fast.
I bet it was the long time the enemy baseforces had to prepare all the destruction.
Imho it has NOTHING to do early or late attack, just with the enemy defense and the time the fighting lasts.

ORIGINAL: seille

This is the log for the last combat:

Ground combat at Palembang (48,91)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 17778 troops, 187 guns, 85 vehicles, Assault Value = 474

Defending force 9254 troops, 122 guns, 92 vehicles, Assault Value = 202

Japanese adjusted assault: 255

Allied adjusted defense: 112

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Palembang !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
447 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled


Allied ground losses:
4369 casualties reported
Squads: 163 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 209 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 91 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 36 (36 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 87 (87 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 13
Units destroyed 1


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
19th Ind. Engineer Regiment
38th Division
20th Ind. Engineer Regiment
2nd Mortar Battalion
9th Base Force

Defending units:
West Borneo KNIL Battalion
44th Indian Brigade
So.Sumatra Garrison Battalion
Riouw KNIL Battalion
1st Manchester Battalion
45th Indian Brigade
2nd Gordons Battalion
2nd Loyal Battalion
48th Gurkha Brigade
West Sumatra Base Force
24th NZ Pioneer Coy
North Borneo Base Force
Palembang Base Force
109th RN Base Force /1

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

Palembang is a festering sore for the Japanese player in the PBEM which I'm engaged, It's July 3rd and the Dutch with the help of 2 Indian Divisions from Singers and two Punjabs are still calling the place home. The only thing I know about Japanese Industry is I can't run it so I sent a PM to someone I thought could help me understand the effects of holding on, 2000 plus AV, with 5 forts in a #3 defensive hex plus plenty of supply is big trouble not to mention facilities are already damaged. My short term goal is one more month- last Combat Report at Palembang looked like this-

Ground combat at Palembang (48,91)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 122004 troops, 1495 guns, 814 vehicles, Assault Value = 4065

Defending force 65265 troops, 818 guns, 449 vehicles, Assault Value = 2243

Japanese adjusted assault: 1830

Allied adjusted defense: 11776

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 6 (fort level 5)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
     7152 casualties reported
        Squads: 236 destroyed, 808 disabled
        Non Combat: 159 destroyed, 604 disabled
        Engineers: 18 destroyed, 46 disabled
     Vehicles lost 54 (4 destroyed, 50 disabled)


Allied ground losses:
     2914 casualties reported
        Squads: 7 destroyed, 191 disabled
        Non Combat: 15 destroyed, 274 disabled
        Engineers: 1 destroyed, 16 disabled
     Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)


Assaulting units:
   65th Brigade
   38th Division
   112th Infantry Regiment
   Yokosuka 2nd SNLF
   2nd Division
   4th Division
   11th Garrison Unit
   5th Division
   4th Tank Regiment
   16th Division
   56th Division
   55th Cavalry Regiment
   55th Engineer Regiment
   143rd Infantry Regiment
   Yokosuka 4th Battalion
   124th Infantry Regiment
   2nd Tank Regiment
   48th Division
   91st Naval Guard Unit
   15th Army
   3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
   55th Mountain Gun Regiment
   15th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
   14th Army
   16th Army
   14th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
   1st Medium Field Artillery Regiment
   8th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
   3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
   20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
   1st Hvy.Artillery Regiment
   2nd Mortar Battalion
   18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
   21st Medium Field Artillery Battalion
   9th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
   3rd Mortar Battalion
   3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
   2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
   10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
   5th Mortar Battalion
   17th Medium Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
   5/14th Punjab Battalion
   WS KNIL Territory Regiment
   Makassar Garrison Battalion
   Barisan KNIL Regiment
   11th Indian Division
   1st KNIL Regiment
   Riouw KNIL Battalion
   2/15 Punjab Battalion
   2nd KNIL Regiment
   VII KNIL Battalion
   West Borneo KNIL Battalion
   2nd KNIL Landstorm Battalion
   6th KNIL Regiment
   Van Altena Battalion
   Prajoda Garrison Battalion
   4th KNIL Landstorm Battalion
   Mobiele Eenheid Battalion
   Dili Detachment
   Marinier Battalion
   Manado Garrison Battalion
   1st KNIL Landstorm Battalion
   4th KNIL Regiment
   1st Regt Cavalerie
   Zuid KNIL Battalion
   So.Sumatra Garrison Battalion
   Tjilatjap KNIL Battalion
   3rd KNIL Landstorm Battalion
   SE Borneo KNIL Battalion
   9th Indian Division
   1st KNIL AA Battalion
   Batavia Base Force
   3rd KNIL AA Battalion
   Bandoeng Base Force
   Balikpapan Base Force
   Teloekbetoeng Base Force
   North Java Base Force
   North Borneo Base Force
   South Java Base Force
   Celebes Base Force
   ML-KNIL
   KNIL Army Command
   Bintan Det. Base Force
   Palembang Base Force
   West Sumatra Base Force
   Samarinda Base Force
   ABDA
   Bandjermasin Base Force

ORIGINAL: seille

That looks strange. I would not expect anything undamaged there....

With that many troops you should maybe try too cut him off from supply and then pound the Palembang airfield
as much as you can. That´s what i would try there.

ORIGINAL: stuman

I have captured Palembang before with over 80 % damaged. I waited too long I think to go for it. Runing the Jap. economy was a bit more difficult because of that level of damage.

ORIGINAL: castor troy


holy crap... don´t know how much fun this PBEM is in the end and you also have to wonder how realistic it would be to give up on Singapore without even trying to hold on while bringing everything to a Dutch place called Palembang. I guess not realistic at all. There are a couple of things in a PBEM that can be done that totally rob the fun for me. I want to fight it out over years, not for 4 months. That´s what the smaller scenarios are for and I have never touched them. But noone take it personally, to each his own I would say.

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

ORIGINAL: castor troy


holy crap... don´t know how much fun this PBEM is in the end and you also have to wonder how realistic it would be to give up on Singapore without even trying to hold on while bringing everything to a Dutch place called Palembang. I guess not realistic at all. There are a couple of things in a PBEM that can be done that totally rob the fun for me. I want to fight it out over years, not for 4 months. That´s what the smaller scenarios are for and I have never touched them. But noone take it personally, to each his own I would say.

Last time I moved no LCUs at all from Singers and lost the place in 4 days despite changing to the best leaders, I like to play with an historical feel but also would like to think that agreements could be made to slow the onslaught and save India/Austrailia from invasion. Although you stated I "brought everything " from Singers to Palembang which is false what I brought has provided a cushion for building up for a possible seige elsewhere. In my opinion the Japanese side has the initative and you have to put up speed bumps when or where you can.

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

ORIGINAL: castor troy


holy crap... don´t know how much fun this PBEM is in the end and you also have to wonder how realistic it would be to give up on Singapore without even trying to hold on while bringing everything to a Dutch place called Palembang. I guess not realistic at all. There are a couple of things in a PBEM that can be done that totally rob the fun for me. I want to fight it out over years, not for 4 months. That´s what the smaller scenarios are for and I have never touched them. But noone take it personally, to each his own I would say.

Last time I moved no LCUs at all from Singers and lost the place in 4 days despite changing to the best leaders, I like to play with an historical feel but also would like to think that agreements could be made to slow the onslaught and save India/Austrailia from invasion. Although you stated I "brought everything " from Singers to Palembang which is false what I brought has provided a cushion for building up for a possible seige elsewhere. In my opinion the Japanese side has the initative and you have to put up speed bumps when or where you can.

yeah, everything is of course an exageration, forget the everything and replace it with what you´ve brought there. I guess in real life, the divs would then be moved to Java to defend that place if you want to see some agreement between the Dutch and British (if for some reason Singapore would be lost) but not to Palembang to defend the oil rigs, or more game whise speaken, to "destroy" the oil/refineries there. Like I´ve said, no critism here, to each his own while I wouldn´t do it to have a "better" campaigin in the end. I have seen people sending all their carriers on a kamikaze raid to take out Palembang´s and Borneo´s oilfields while losing all carriers, also destroying most of the oil. A disaster for the Japanese (they lost immediately without oil) and a war winner for the Allied. But having a dozen carriers sunk to do it? I found it, let´s say, strange. If you invade Palembang as the Allied sometime in 44 that´s one thing, denying the Japanese of all oil in 42 already doesn´t seem to be a good idea to me if you want to have an interesting campaign for four years. Just my 2c.