Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: obvert

[font="Times New Roman"]Strategy and Tactics[/font]
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Now the doors are open to begin discussions about the game itself. Firstly, I will not be as detailed in this AAR as with the Wild Sheep's Chase. I just don't have time. I'll do my best, but if the game takes off at some point past the 2-3 turns a day we've agreed on, I will struggle to post everything relevant. I will give more combat reports and try to keep the major events up to date.

This will be a chance to see what I've learned about the Japanese economy and force structure, research and production, as well as how to use the elements strategically and tactically.

The Opponent: Historiker (Torsten) appears to be fairly aggressive and experienced. He also has read a good portion of my posts, and maybe more than I realize. I'll attempt to use his aggressiveness against him. Also, I will vary what I've done before to keep him guessing, in direct missions and in more strategic planning and hopefully also in tactical style. I have some ideas to play with now.

If his style is aggressive, mine will be slow and methodical. I want to take care of my forces and units. The first punch of turn 1 should be a right hook, but for the next week there will only be jabs and feints unless other opportunities present themselves.

SRA and PI: The first turn will see most usual invasions with the secondary TFs at Samah speeded up toward Malaya with the quick surface forces available there in the magic TFs. No Mersing, no Singkawang on turn 1, not even Kuching or Miri. I'll hold and see where his forces are deployed, unload a lot of slow badly designed convoys and reload on fast transports. I may not have anything on Borneo for several days or a week.

The one incursion I'll make on turn 1 is to Sorong. This will become scouting base number 1 for this region. I want to see what's moving. Then will come Ternate and possibly Manado. I'll wait a few days to go for Mindanao until the US CAs and the other surface forces are located.

There will be a strong strike on the port at Minilla turn 1 with anything that will fly that far. Then a bunch of sweeps without bombing runs. Then more bombing once the P-40s get thin.

Para-drops will land on Luzon at Vigan and at that base one hex from Aparri with the small PA unit in it.

The Bataan Island invasion will be the one heading to Sorong.

Pacific: Wake will not go immediately. I'll unload and recompose the TFs to throw two ground units into it. Also, I'm VERY concerned about a CV strike in the Marshalls. I will evac all valuable shipping and even get the Claudes out. No sense trashing stuff when I know I can't stop an attack anyway. The Nells will remain, and could get a lucky shot in by flying low, so that's how I'll use them.

There will be no quick moves to The Solomons. I'll wait until the KB begins to come back that way.

The Guam invasion will unload and recompose its TF, then head to Truk on the way to Rabaul. The cover force of the 4 CAs will move to Truk to become a fast transport if the situation presents itself. If the Allied CVs come close, these are at least quick enough to get out of the way.

Pearl Harbor: Vanilla. Might go for day two, but with planes set on naval/port and the KB in an unusual position to the E of PH. I'll also sweep heavily in the morning phase, and any port strikes that go will be afternoon. Subs will be used to screen for the KB and a CL/DD will be detached as a SCTF. Then the KB will sprint back to support first the Wake invasion, then the Cent Pac and So Pac moves.

AOs will be sent to Marcus. Only the 4 19 knot ones with 4 DDs. They will wait and see if the coast is clear before a potential rendezvous near Wake.

China: This will NOT be my focus for this game, surprisingly. I've figure out that China can be defeated, but it doesn't necessarily need an all-out effort to be successful. I'd like to try a few other things instead. More info about the alternatives will come soon.

The IJA in China begins all out of whack, not at full strength and with low moral. Most units will rest for a week before doing anything. I'll begin buying up to 2E for bombing units, but won't commit the entire IJAAF here this time. I'll focus on clearing the South and East, then on Sian and Lanchow to take away the fuel. Changsha will come later. Nanning and Liuchow after that if possible.

The Economy: This time around I have a decent blueprint for where I'd like to go with research, production and ship building.

To build pools early all non-essential ships will be turned off. I also hope to accelerate ALL CVs. We'll see if this works.

Extra research will be put into the Tojo this time from the beginning. Also more into the Frank and several late-war models like the Ki-83 and the Sam especially. It's a travesty to have to keep using Zeros after 43, and I will try to get this plane VERY far forward with this investment. Hopefully up to a year ahead, but most likely more like 8-9 months. never been there, so not sure if I can pull it off. But I might as well try.

Less emphasis will be put on bomber types except for the IJNAF models, the Judy and the Grace.

I'll also toy with moving the jets up into 45. Not sure this will work either, or if it will matter with their service rating 5 and being that late. Just want to try them out, and I hope to last that long.

With China eating a lot of supply last time around I had to put a hold on certain expansions and even quickly repairing the Miri Oil. That will not occur this time around. China may get a boost occasionally, but setting up a good base in the SRA and in the Pacific will be the primary goal, plus any other minor offensive plans that take shape after the SRA is taken.

Looking forward to the game. Now for the replay of turn 1.

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ORIGINAL: Icedawg

I thought you had a house rule that limited you to one port strike on turn 1. How is it then that you are hitting both PH and Manila on Dec 7th?

ORIGINAL: Walloc

ORIGINAL: Icedawg

I thought you had a house rule that limited you to one port strike on turn 1. How is it then that you are hitting both PH and Manila on Dec 7th?

One CV portstrike on turn 1.

Key being CV.

Hope it helps,

Rasmus

Also, what was your rationale for making a second strike on PH on Dec 8th? Based on the Dec 7th combat report, you got a result better than any I can remember getting. One BB reported sunk and two or three others probably sinking sounds pretty darn good to me. I know hindsight is 20/20 here, but I definitely would not have stuck around with a day one strike as good as the one you got.

ORIGINAL: Erkki

At least set home base to something else than Paramushiro, or they'll keep refueling all the time and use ops points, and get slowed down even more! Whats the closest island in Japanese control - Marcus?

ORIGINAL: Walloc

ORIGINAL: Icedawg

I thought you had a house rule that limited you to one port strike on turn 1. How is it then that you are hitting both PH and Manila on Dec 7th?

One CV portstrike on turn 1.

Key being CV.

Hope it helps,

Rasmus

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Walloc

ORIGINAL: Icedawg

I thought you had a house rule that limited you to one port strike on turn 1. How is it then that you are hitting both PH and Manila on Dec 7th?

One CV portstrike on turn 1.

Key being CV.

Hope it helps,

Rasmus

Thanks for clarifying that Walloc. Appreciated.

Also, what was your rationale for making a second strike on PH on Dec 8th? Based on the Dec 7th combat report, you got a result better than any I can remember getting. One BB reported sunk and two or three others probably sinking sounds pretty darn good to me. I know hindsight is 20/20 here, but I definitely would not have stuck around with a day one strike as good as the one you got.

The rationale for a second day at PH is that in my limited experience and in the way I was watching the replay and reading the reports, it didn't seem that I had sufficiently crippled the Allied fleet. That simple. Especially when to go a second day is very common in AE and I had not seen such an all-out move with the US fleet.

If I had followed my instincts and gone around Lihue to 6 hexes West of PH, I would've been in range of the Enterprise TF and numerous SCTFs near Pearl, most likely without any of them contacting me as they were sent East en masse. It would have been a field day. I didn't make this move because it's exactly the path I took in my first game, (also AARed information) and I thought he might expect something similar. My bad. Don't second guess best play.