Rookie AAR

[Leandros]

BBfanboy wrote: At Davao you are seeing one of the weaknesses of the AI scripts - if they don't take something they are supposed to take, they keep sending more to the same place even when the situation is hopeless (e.g. a mid-1942 attack on the Hawaiian Islands).

That might actually be to my advantage (in this game, that is) in that I get more time to consolidate myself south of Mindanao. But it shall also be tougher to get past it. Otherwise, you are correct regarding the simulator plan. I suppose I have to play both sides to keep track of the development as I see it. That said, I was a little ahead of myself when I advertised they had landed in Davao again. That should not be until my next installment…

BBfanboy wrote: Striking carriers is a very tough proposition - the Zero is superior to the Allied Fighters available and the KB pilots are the best in the world. That said, there are enough chance elements that you might get to plant a few bombs on their decks. Weather is a big element. It can hide your strike until it comes in out of the clouds or it might hide the carriers so you never find them. The AI usually places CAP in the 10-20,000 foot range so sometimes a very low level strike (1000 or 100 feet) can sneak by the CAP and strike before they are spotted and the Zeros get down to that level. Numbers of strikes can have an effect on reducing CAP too - the fighters have to land to refuel and re-ammunition so there are fewer on CAP to stop later flights. Carrier Naval strikes cannot be directed to a particular spot so sometimes they are decoyed by convoys, especially anything with APs or AOs in it.

We shall see how it worked out….[&:]

BBfanboy wrote: If you are thinking of committing Enterprise and Lexington to the fight, keep in mind that their initial performance will be terrible - especially the Devastators which rarely get a hit and about 80% of their torpedo hits will be duds. Better to use bombs IMO. The USN fighter pilots are good, but not enough experienced to fight crack Zero pilots with their early model Wildcats and Buffalos.

It’s seems to be a no-win situation.

BBfanboy wrote: About QE/QM - they are great ships for hauling lots of troops but they can take little equipment and they need a large port to dock at (Level 7, I think). On the first point, you will need to load up a lot of slower ships with the Marines' equipment and have them follow weeks behind or, if in the same convoy, negate the Queens' speed advantage.

I was not planning to take her into the combat zone. Whatever that is when she arrives....[:)]

Fred

[Leandros]

January 10th 1942.

1. Waited one day and went for the three enemy carriers in the Celebes Sea with Enterprise’s air components and bombers from Menado. Escort by P-36’s and Dutch Buffalos. The cruiser units were concentrated to Bombard Ternate again. Northampton from the Enterprise TF participated, too. The confusing battle ended with unknown damage on the enemy CV TF, they withdrew towards west and are now approaching the Northern approaches of the Macassar Strait. The BB’s have separated and moved eastwards. 20 Kates and Vals, 2 Zeros and 1 Nate were shot down, some maybe in other Theatres.

2. The enemy came upon Pensacola and her cohorts as they were leaving Menado for the Ternate raid. Pensacola was sunk. 2 of her Kingfishers were lost, the others evaded to Menado. Apart from that we lost 2 Wildcats, 2 B-17E’s, 1 TDB and 1 SBD. Enemy losses unknown.

3. 3 Marus are claimed by the Ternate bombardment group, bombers and subs.

4. 4 Allied transports were sunk in Menado harbor. S-37 was heavily damaged.

5. An Aussie HMG battalion with 24 Vickers sections got ashore just in time. Menado is now defended by that unit and two Aussie Ind. Coys (Commandos), Sparrow and Gull Bns and the local Dutch forces, in all approx. 5400 troops.

6. The Japanese are back in Davao! That is what it was all about! A whole division is ashore. I shall switch part of the sub force to the Davao Gulf and plans to take the Enterprise TF into Donggela Bay to get at the enemy CV force across the narrow land part of Celebes. If it continues south the Strait it shall also get within reach of the Dutch bomber force recently transferred to Bandjermasin, 25 of them. This could be a feint before it turns toward Tarakan. A Base force seems to have passed between Jolo and Zamboanga. They are quite haughty!

7. I like to think that the offensive defense of Davao and Menado, and the consistent attacks on Ternate, has made it necessary for the enemy to use these forces to get back at Davao to secure his supply route to Palau. That is good. I’m moving more ground forces across Mindanao towards Davao.

8. MacArthur is safely ensconced on Bataan with 40.000 troops. He is well supplied but has an equal number of civilians to feed, as well. The Bataan airfields are being expanded and improved upon.

9. The Japanese are fast approaching Singapore. It shall all be over by the end of the month, I’m afraid. In the meantime I could have had good use of the Aussies being shipped there. But, the British…

Fred

[BBfanboy]

Well done!
You don't say what damage the enemy CVs suffered - would be interested to know. Can you use the Print Screen button to capture the combat report, copy it into a picture handling program like Paint and then save it as a JPEG to your hard drive. Then when you want to post it just start a post window, write your intro text, click the box at the bottom that says "Embed picture in post" and then click on the "Click here to upload!" text. You can then browse to wherever you stored the picture, click on it to select it and click OK. The Combat Report picture should then be posted with your text.

The presence of Nates in that battle tells me the enemy force was the one with CVEs and maybe a CVL, not the main KB. That is entirely an appropriate target for an Allied CV with support from LBA, because it has far fewer aircraft to defend or attack with than KB. Did the transports at Menado draw their strike? That could be why your strike got through to them.

Unless you have had time to build substantial forts (level 5 or more) I doubt you can hold out against an IJA division at Davao. If you want to fight somewhere in Mindanao the best hex IMO is the mountain hex between Davao and Cagayan. You get the defensive benefits of mountain terrain and no malaria effects. The same advantages work for the IJA if you attack there, so resist the urge and let them suffer the losses attacking you.

[wdolson]

There are also some free software programs out there for doing screen captures. I use an open source program called ShareX.

Bill

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Well done!

You don't say what damage the enemy CVs suffered - would be interested to know. Can you use the Print Screen button to capture the combat report, copy it into a
picture handling program like Paint and then save it as a JPEG to your hard drive. Then when you want to post it just start a post window, write your intro
text, click the box at the bottom that says "Embed picture in post" and then click on the "Click here to upload!" text. You can then browse to wherever you stored
the picture, click on it to select it and click OK. The Combat Report picture should then be posted with your text.

Problem is, at one stage, I lost the Singint and Combat Report buttons. Just open spaces in the headline. I haven't bothered with it, I shall soon upload from the
CD which just arrived. In the meantime I'd like to continue a little on this scenario as it is. Also, I do not use the combat report movies to save time when
running it.

The presence of Nates in that battle tells me the enemy force was the one with CVEs and maybe a CVL, not the main KB. That is entirely an appropriate target
for an Allied CV with support from LBA, because it has far fewer aircraft to defend or attack with than KB. Did the transports at Menado draw their strike? That
could be why your strike got through to them..

We shall see....I'm not even sure if they found the enemy carrier force. But there surely were several CV's in it.

Unless you have had time to build substantial forts (level 5 or more) I doubt you can hold out against an IJA division at Davao. If you want to fight
somewhere in Mindanao the best hex IMO is the mountain hex between Davao and Cagayan. You get the defensive benefits of mountain terrain and no malaria effects.
The same advantages work for the IJA if you attack there, so resist the urge and let them suffer the losses attacking you.

I'm afraid you are right. It could maybe have helped if I had been able to follow MacArthur's stratgy, that of reinforcing Mindanao from the other Visayan Islands
and if that bloody Pensacola convoy hadn't off-loaded the artillery regiments at Suva I might even have had one of them on Mindanao Before tings heated up. After
all, the convoy (in RL), was in Brisbane December 22nd. In my scenario they would have been there almost a week earlier (no shuttling back and forth due
to Washington vaccilations).

Fred

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

There are also some free software programs out there for doing screen captures. I use an open source program called ShareX.

Bill

Thank you, Bill - I shall look into it in time.

Fred

[wdolson]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Well done!

You don't say what damage the enemy CVs suffered - would be interested to know. Can you use the Print Screen button to capture the combat report, copy it into a
picture handling program like Paint and then save it as a JPEG to your hard drive. Then when you want to post it just start a post window, write your intro
text, click the box at the bottom that says "Embed picture in post" and then click on the "Click here to upload!" text. You can then browse to wherever you stored
the picture, click on it to select it and click OK. The Combat Report picture should then be posted with your text.

ORIGINAL: Leandros
Problem is, at one stage, I lost the Singint and Combat Report buttons. Just open spaces in the headline. I haven't bothered with it, I shall soon upload from the
CD which just arrived. In the meantime I'd like to continue a little on this scenario as it is. Also, I do not use the combat report movies to save time when
running it.

Did you accidentally turn them off in the preferences?

The presence of Nates in that battle tells me the enemy force was the one with CVEs and maybe a CVL, not the main KB. That is entirely an appropriate target
for an Allied CV with support from LBA, because it has far fewer aircraft to defend or attack with than KB. Did the transports at Menado draw their strike? That
could be why your strike got through to them..

We shall see....I'm not even sure if they found the enemy carrier force. But there surely were several CV's in it.

Nates are land based, it's Claudes that are the same generation carrier capable fighter. If you encountered Nates, the Japanese have some land based fighters that was contributing to the fight.

Unless you have had time to build substantial forts (level 5 or more) I doubt you can hold out against an IJA division at Davao. If you want to fight
somewhere in Mindanao the best hex IMO is the mountain hex between Davao and Cagayan. You get the defensive benefits of mountain terrain and no malaria effects.
The same advantages work for the IJA if you attack there, so resist the urge and let them suffer the losses attacking you.

I'm afraid you are right. It could maybe have helped if I had been able to follow MacArthur's stratgy, that of reinforcing Mindanao from the other Visayan Islands
and if that bloody Pensacola convoy hadn't off-loaded the artillery regiments at Suva I might even have had one of them on Mindanao Before tings heated up. After
all, the convoy (in RL), was in Brisbane December 22nd. In my scenario they would have been there almost a week earlier (no shuttling back and forth due
to Washington vaccilations).

Fred

If you restart the game at some point, you can redirect the convoy at start. Though the small assets you can get to the PI in the first couple of months is just going to be a drop in a big ocean. You have weak PI divisions and smaller US forces facing experienced divisions.

Bill

[BBfanboy]

wdolson - thanks for the correction on Nates vs Claudes - I seem to have trouble distinguishing those two since in my games they only appear for the first couple of months.
Leandros - I have had the headline buttons all disappear before, but never individual ones. The preferences should not affect their appearance or not since the idea is to be able to access the reports without having them appear while the turn is running.

There are hotkeys (manual page 17-18) you can use instead of the buttons: C for Combat Report, I for Intelligence Report, and L for Signals Intel Report.

Not trying to make your workload harder, but if you want some help with the game the forum can show you what you can glean from report details - e.g. if the CR shows hits on a carrier and the following text info says "fuel storage explosion" you can get some assessment of the likely state of damage on that ship.

[Leandros]

wdolson wrote: If you restart the game at some point, you can redirect the convoy at start. Though the small assets you can get to the PI in the first
couple of months is just going to be a drop in a big ocean. You have weak PI divisions and smaller US forces facing experienced divisions.

I’m sure you’re right – it’s all part of the experience. I feel this is going quite nicely, everything considered, with the weaknesses I’ve found in the way I
have played the game so far I hope to have my theories confirmed in future tests. However, I’m not ready yet and would like to keep this game going for a Little
while.

BBfanboy wrote: Not trying to make your workload harder, but if you want some help with the game the forum can show you what you can glean from report
details - e.g. if the CR shows hits on a carrier and the following text info says "fuel storage explosion" you can get some assessment of the likely state of
damage on that ship.

Thank you, guys – I’m learning from you all the time – I really appreciate it. But, as you wrote yourself the AI is driving a hard bargain…
Fred

[mind_messing]

While you seem committed to securing the Darwin-Manila axis, remember that there's the wide open spaces of the Pacific as well.

There's plenty of room to sneak single merchantmen loaded with supply through the Japanese search patterns. Use waypoints to set up a big dogleg north of Wake and Marcus and then between the Marianas and the Bonins. The best port to unload at is Naga on Luzon - big enough to unload the ships quickly, but pretty removed from Japanese attention.

It's right through the heart of hostile territory, but Japanese search planes will be stretched thin and a series of single ships stand a good chance of getting through. Obviously don't try ramming big convoys through, but a dozen or so merchantmen strung out can set up a pretty respectable shuttle service to Luzon.

I've pulled it off against a human opponent, but it really does depend on equal parts of luck and how thorough your opponent is. If the Japanese have floatplanes operating from Iwo Jima, Pagan and Marcus in the early months of the war, forget it.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

I don't know if this will work against his AI opponent.

The AI sees everthing... but it just don't mind

[Leandros]

January 13th 1942.

1. Enterprise is gone! After two days struggle to stay afloat till she reached Ambon she went down in The Moluccan Sea. Most of her planes evaded to Menado,
only 5 damaged Wildcats followed her down.

2. That Japanese carrier force – it must be the KB - is going totally bananas! It has now rounded the south-western corner of Celebes. It consists of several
CV, CVE’s and BB’s. In The Macassar Strait our scouts counted 7 CV and CVE’s. Now there are only 3 CV’s that we know of. A Dutch tanker convoy returning to
Soerebaja from Ambon was caught east of Soerebaja. 6 ships went down. What are their intentions? Are they heading for Ambon via the back door, or Timor or Darwin?
No enemy transport fleets are known to be in their vicinity.

3. Last day and night’s attacks on the Ternate garrison was a great success. 9 PB’s and transports are claimed sunk, most by gunfire and DD torpedoes but also
a 1000 lb SAP bomb – Enterprise’s SBD’s flying from Menado? Those ships not sunk are retreating towards Palau.

4. IJN I-121 depth-charged and claimed sunk near Lihue.

5. 7 Wildcats lost during the last 2 days, inclusive those going down with Enterprise. 3 B-17E’s, too. That is not good.

6. What to do with Lexington? She is now just west of Ambon. Should I fly off her planes and send her down to Brisbane to pick up the P-40’s for the Luzon
fighter squadrons? Her fighter complement consists of 27 Buffalos. If the P-40’s are flown north by heaps and bounds there’s got to be numbers of OPS losses.
OTH, the pilots accompanying them are frightfully inexperienced and obviously have little to do in a combat zone. But, it is 68 fighters! Is it possible to have
pilots stranded on Bataan flown out?

7. The C-47 transport flight is holding up well. I plan to fly in the 2 Aussie Ind. Coys. in Menado to Mindanao to help in the defense.

8. Another Japanese TF with carrier escort is just south of Davao, proceeding west. I’ll let them in peace till their intentions are clearer.

9. The Davao landing force has expanded south to Digos and the former USN base in Malalag Bay. They shall surely try to cut across Mindanao to Cagayan.
They failed in their earlier try but are much stronger now.

Fred

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Leandros


January 13th 1942.

1. Enterprise is gone! After two days struggle to stay afloat till she reached Ambon she went down in The Moluccan Sea. Most of her planes evaded to Menado,
only 5 damaged Wildcats followed her down.


[&:] What happened to Big E? I went back through page one and could not find mention of damage to her? Perhaps you mean Yorktown?



2. That Japanese carrier force – it must be the KB - is going totally bananas! It has now rounded the south-western corner of Celebes. It consists of several
CV, CVE’s and BB’s. In The Macassar Strait our scouts counted 7 CV and CVE’s. Now there are only 3 CV’s that we know of. A Dutch tanker convoy returning to
Soerebaja from Ambon was caught east of Soerebaja. 6 ships went down. What are their intentions? Are they heading for Ambon via the back door, or Timor or Darwin?
No enemy transport fleets are known to be in their vicinity.

The initial IJA landings in the DEI tend to be southern Sumatra, Western Java and the Celebes area (including southern Borneo). Ambon generally is assaulted after air bases are established in the other islands to suppress Ambon.

3. Last day and night’s attacks on the Ternate garrison was a great success. 9 PB’s and transports are claimed sunk, most by gunfire and DD torpedoes but also
a 1000 lb SAP bomb – Enterprise’s SBD’s flying from Menado? Those ships not sunk are retreating towards Palau.

The Combat Report will tell you what kind of aircraft dropped the bomb. Did you fly A-24 Banshees or SBD-1 Vindicators into the area?

4. IJN I-121 depth-charged and claimed sunk near Lihue.

5. 7 Wildcats lost during the last 2 days, inclusive those going down with Enterprise. 3 B-17E’s, too. That is not good.

6. What to do with Lexington? She is now just west of Ambon. Should I fly off her planes and send her down to Brisbane to pick up the P-40’s for the Luzon
fighter squadrons? Her fighter complement consists of 27 Buffalos. If the P-40’s are flown north by heaps and bounds there’s got to be numbers of OPS losses.
OTH, the pilots accompanying them are frightfully inexperienced and obviously have little to do in a combat zone. But, it is 68 fighters! Is it possible to have
pilots stranded on Bataan flown out?

CV's are a strategic asset, not an aircraft ferry. Without their air group they are a helpless target under enemy attack, and you can bet the Philippines will now have lots of Japanese aircraft around it. Using Lexington to ferry would be like the RN's mistake using CV Courageous to hunt subs.
Lex is needed to escort troop convoys and keep them safe from surface raiders like AMCs and CLs. (Escorting carriers should be in their own TF, not part of the troop convoy!) Use xAKs to transport the aircraft somewhere close to Mindanao, then land them where there is air support and fly them in.

7. The C-47 transport flight is holding up well. I plan to fly in the 2 Aussie Ind. Coys. in Menado to Mindanao to help in the defense.

8. Another Japanese TF with carrier escort is just south of Davao, proceeding west. I’ll let them in peace till their intentions are clearer.

Other than subs and expendable PT boats, you should avoid strong IJN carrier groups like the plague!

9. The Davao landing force has expanded south to Digos and the former USN base in Malalag Bay. They shall surely try to cut across Mindanao to Cagayan.
They failed in their earlier try but are much stronger now.

Fred

[jmalter]

hi Fred, a bit of a follow-up on my earlier post.

In a post-air-attack Combat Summary screen, you might see a line similar to
"6 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 5000 feet *"

The asterisk at the end of this line indicates that the planes are using their extended-range ordnance load.

All non-Attack Bomber types use the ext-rng load for low-level attacks, also, airgroups tasked to Naval Search or ASW Patrol will only carry their ext-rng load, regardless of their actual range setting. Note that for airgroups on ASW Patrol, their patrol range will be only one-half of their actual setting (tho' I believe they will have an automatic coverage range of 4, unless they were set to less than that value).

[Leandros]

BBF wrote: What happened to Big E? I went back through page one and could not find mention of damage to her?

She was damaged while lingering in Donggela Bay preparing to attack the enemy CV force in The Macassar Strait. They obviously got ahead of her. It was a BIG enemy
TF. She diverted her planes to Menado automatically and I directed her towards Ambon. On her way flooding only increased.

There is a repeated problem. I have several times concentrated quite large air forces towards the Jap carrier force but they don’t seem to find it as there is no
action mentioned on it when it runs the scenario. As I understand it, to attack an enemy unit at sea I have to use the “Naval Attack” and “Recon”, specifying the
flown angle of the “recon” search area. Is there another way?

BBF wrote: CV's are a strategic asset, not an aircraft ferry. Without their air group they are a helpless target under enemy attack, and you can bet the
Philippines will now have lots of Japanese aircraft around it.

You mean….like Malta…[;)]

BBF wrote: Lex is needed to escort troop convoys and keep them safe from surface raiders like AMCs and CLs. (Escorting carriers should be in their own TF,
not part of the troop convoy!).

Seeing the fate of Enterprise, the size of the enemy carrier force and the need for fighters I thought this a good idea. As long as that carrier force is present
I believe I should only try to avoid it. It’s sinking a lot of transports, too.

Use xAKs to transport the aircraft somewhere close to Mindanao, then land them where there is air support and fly them in.

Here I was only trying to be a little realistic. As I see it there is a weakness in the game in that the assembly times of the planes are somewhat optimistic.
The A-24’s arriving with the Pensacola is a good example. Most were up flying the day after they arrived. In RL it took weeks. OTH, the 3 crated P-40’s sent in
the back door to Cebu/Mindanao were assembled in few days. By bomber mechanics.


Fred

[Yaab]

Leandros, I see you like to play historically.

Here is what I try to do.

Allies enjoy the benefit of unified supply. Since supply in the game represents food, construction materials, ammunition and devices, you can use the supply from Java to bolster the PI/US forces in Philippines. This leads to gamey tactics (empty Java of supplies, move the supply to Philippines, resupply Java from Colombo, refill Colombo from Indian supply etc.)

What I am doing in my game is to divide supply into 5 national pools: Commonwealth, Chinese, Soviet, Dutch and US/PI. Combat units and ships can only use their respective national pools. The only exception is the Chinese using US supply.

Thus, you can only reinforce Luzon with US supply. Thus, Pensacola convoy needs to move to Luzon, and any other additional supply has to come from PH (closest source of the US supply). Dutch get no help whatsoever. Americans need to ship supplies from CONUSA to India before they can move it by air from Ledo to India etc.

Only non-combat units (HQs, base forces, construction regiments) can use ANY supply. Thus a US construction regt can be moved to India and freely use Commonwealth supply for developing bases in India.

Try it, it really adds another level of planning to this great game.

[BBfanboy]

Re: finding the enemy TFs, Naval Search is absolutely essential to pinpoint the enemy TF location and composition so that a successful attack can be made. Unless you have the enemy pinpointed during the night the morning air phase is usually taken up by search looking for them and, if found, the attacks tend to be in the afternoon.
I usually set my DB on Naval Attack but use the section below that to set 20% Search. Sometimes the search aircraft will return in time to take part in the strike. Sometimes the search aircraft will attack by themselves after they radio their contact report - this happens a lot with submarine sightings. It is good to also have PBYs doing search to assist your TFs. Many players have noted that search beyond 12 hex range tends to be ineffective, and will increase the chance of ops losses to your patrol aircraft. Its all part of the huge learning curve for this game! [:)]

For the Malta operations the RN had to assemble several carriers - one or two to bring the fly-in aircraft and one or two to provide CAP on the way in. With Enterprise gone and Yorktown damaged, Lexington cannot carry significant land based fighter numbers plus have her own air group. Add to that the consideration that the Japanese have very long range naval torpedo bombers in the Betty and Nell which can put the Lexington in danger long before it can launch the ferried aircraft. Then there are the very strong surface combat forces, especially those with the big, fast heavy cruisers. My take is that the situation between DEI and Philippines is much more risky that the Med where at least the RN still commanded the seas.

There are some game nods to aircraft assembly times. Putting them on a simple "Transport" TF means they are disassembled and crated, and take about three days to reassemble.
Putting them on an xAK in an "Air Transport" TF means they are not disassembled, but are tied on deck and covered, probably drained of fuel. These take one or two days to put into operation.
Putting them on an AKV in an "Air Transport" TF means they are stored intact below deck, some of them slung from the overhead beams to use the space. These are ready to go the turn after they unload.

[wdolson]

Not only do TFs need to be found with air search, but whether an attack is launched or not depends on the local commanders. If the commanders are poor and timid, they will be more reluctant to go after well defended targets. Aggressive commanders will go after well defended targets, but losses will likely be very high and results will probably be poor. In the early going IJN 1st line fighters and their pilots are better than any Allied pilots except possibly the AVG and all Allied fighters.

Sending a single carrier into a zone where there might be multiple Japanese carriers is suicide. Especially anyplace where the Japanese might get help from land based air.

The Allies are just plain ill prepared for the war they are presented with and being aggressive early will just allow Japan to run up the score. The KB did operate as a single force for most of the first six months of the war. The only time they didn't was when Hiryu and Soryu were detached to support the second Wake Island landing, the Indian Ocean Raid when the Kaga was detached because she was both slower and needed to have some damage repaired, and the Battle of Coral Sea. At Midway, the plan had been for the Shokaku and Zuikaku to join the rest of the KB, but with the Shokaku damaged and the Zuikaku's air losses, they went home instead.

The KB in the early going is like a black hole. It distorts and destroys everything around it. The Allies can have some naval successes with hit and run raids, but any serious Allied assets sitting on station anywhere or concentrated in any place where the Japanese can see are going to draw in the KB.

By 1944, the Allies have their own black hole force in the fast carriers that is even more potent than the KB ever was, but that is two years in the future.

Bill

[jmalter]

ORIGINAL: Leandros
She was damaged while lingering in Donggela Bay preparing to attack the enemy CV force in The Macassar Strait. They obviously got ahead of her. It was a BIG enemy
TF. She diverted her planes to Menado automatically and I directed her towards Ambon. On her way flooding only increased.

There is a repeated problem. I have several times concentrated quite large air forces towards the Jap carrier force but they don’t seem to find it as there is no
action mentioned on it when it runs the scenario. As I understand it, to attack an enemy unit at sea I have to use the “Naval Attack” and “Recon”, specifying the
flown angle of the “recon” search area. Is there another way?

Dunno where exactly 'Donggela Bay' is, but CV/CVL airgroups are hampered by 50% if they're flying from a TF located in a base hex.

When a ship is heavily damaged, you must immediately change its TF to 'cruise speed', & change its destination to a nearby port. Even if the damaged ship has been auto-transferred to an EscortTF, you must manually change the TF speed to 'cruise', otherwise the TF will accrue add'l damage as it attempts to escape.

wrt Attack settings from CV TF airgroups, Recon is useless against naval targets. In early-war, a USN CV has 2 dive-bomber groups. When the TF is moving in for a strike operation, each DB group should be set to Naval Attack, altitude 10-15k', w/ 20-30% set to Search. Leave the search-angles alone, unless you've got a very specific target in view, & have nearby patrol-plane search to assure that your flanks are covered.

[Leandros]

Thank you for interesting proposal, Yaab!

Yaab wrote: Leandros, I see you like to play historically.

Here is what I try to do.

Allies enjoy the benefit of unified supply. Since supply in the game represents food, construction materials, ammunition and devices, you can use the supply from
Java to bolster the PI/US forces in Philippines. This leads to gamey tactics (empty Java of supplies, move the supply to Philippines, resupply Java from Colombo,
refill Colombo from Indian supply etc.)

Not necessarily too gamey….I mean fuel is an item that could be transferred with no “gameyness” and there was plenty of it in the DEI. Apart from that much common
ammunition was used, too - .30 and .50 caliber as an example. If I restrict myself to fuel I think that is feasible. That said, my scenario should portray an even
closer Dutch/US cooperation than RL. See my pre-requisites in the beginning of the thread.

Yaab wrote: What I am doing in my game is to divide supply into 5 national pools: Commonwealth, Chinese, Soviet, Dutch and US/PI. Combat units and ships can
only use their respective national pools. The only exception is the Chinese using US supply.

Nice, but a little too complicated for me at this stage.

Yaab wrote: Thus, you can only reinforce Luzon with US supply. Thus, Pensacola convoy needs to move to Luzon, and any other additional supply has to come
from PH (closest source of the US supply). Dutch get no help whatsoever. Americans need to ship supplies from CONUSA to India before they can move it by air from
Ledo to India etc.

I suppose it could transfer its load to local transports.

Yaab wrote: Only non-combat units (HQs, base forces, construction regiments) can use ANY supply. Thus a US construction regt can be moved to India and
freely use Commonwealth supply for developing bases in India.

Try it, it really adds another level of planning to this great game.

I shall keep it in mind. Thank you!

Fred