Small Scen VS AI

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: tarkalak

There is something I do not understand.[&:]

A few turns ago the pool for "Ind Inf Section 42" had:
Pool: 104
Used So Far 180

Now one of the Indian Brigades have upgraded to "Ind Inf Section 42" drawing ~100 squads.

I expected the pool to show:
Pool: ~0
Used So far: ~280

But instead I get:
Pool: 107
Used So far: ~288

Used so far looks correct, but why the pool didn't go down?

Squad upgrade involve removing the old squad from the unit to the pools, changing the squad anti-armour and anti-soft ratings of the new squad type (simulating better equipment) and putting them into the pool of new squads. It looks like your units had more of the old type removed and upgraded than they have drawn so far from the pools. Your units will eventually draw them (up to their TOE numbers) if there is enough supply. They can draw greater numbers and more often if the unit is at a large, well supplied base. Presence of a land HQ can help too, as can having a commander with better Admin Skills.

You may already know this but breaking a division or other unit down to its three component thirds (divide unit button) allows it more chances to draw devices from the pools as each component gets its turn. This is good to do if the unit is far behind the lines and you have lots of devices to distribute.
But if you have a unit near the front and you want to get newer squads or other devices to it, the best way is to turn off upgrades and replacements for all other units and leave the key unit as the only one drawing the goods. If it is unable to draw fast enough to reduce the pools, select the next unit you want to upgrade and turn on upgrades and replacements.

Be very careful about this for some armoured units - they can change the TOE and upgrade to a new device that has very shallow pools and a low monthly production rate, so they lose a plentiful number of the old AFVs and gains just a few of the new one resulting in a loss of nearly all AV for the unit!

[tarkalak]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: tarkalak

There is something I do not understand.[&:]

A few turns ago the pool for "Ind Inf Section 42" had:
Pool: 104
Used So Far 180

Now one of the Indian Brigades have upgraded to "Ind Inf Section 42" drawing ~100 squads.

I expected the pool to show:
Pool: ~0
Used So far: ~280

But instead I get:
Pool: 107
Used So far: ~288

Used so far looks correct, but why the pool didn't go down?

Squad upgrade involve removing the old squad from the unit to the pools, changing the squad anti-armour and anti-soft ratings of the new squad type (simulating better equipment) and putting them into the pool of new squads. It looks like your units had more of the old type removed and upgraded than they have drawn so far from the pools. Your units will eventually draw them (up to their TOE numbers) if there is enough supply. They can draw greater numbers and more often if the unit is at a large, well supplied base. Presence of a land HQ can help too, as can having a commander with better Admin Skills.

So when an infantry squad "upgrades" it effectively changes the old squad type to the new squad type, right?

But other devices (tanks, guns, etc) will return the old type and draw the new type.

In this case I have noticed that some of my brigades can upgrade the Indian squads and decided to pull one of them for upgrade in Rangoon. My frontline hex is level one airfield and is permanently red on supplies (the units have enough though). If I understood the manual correctly every base in supply range that has more the 2x "required supply" will contribute.

You may already know this but breaking a division or other unit down to its three component thirds (divide unit button) allows it more chances to draw devices from the pools as each component gets its turn. This is good to do if the unit is far behind the lines and you have lots of devices to distribute.
But if you have a unit near the front and you want to get newer squads or other devices to it, the best way is to turn off upgrades and replacements for all other units and leave the key unit as the only one drawing the goods. If it is unable to draw fast enough to reduce the pools, select the next unit you want to upgrade and turn on upgrades and replacements.

Be very careful about this for some armoured units - they can change the TOE and upgrade to a new device that has very shallow pools and a low monthly production rate, so they lose a plentiful number of the old AFVs and gains just a few of the new one resulting in a loss of nearly all AV for the unit!

Thanks. My tanks in this scenario do not upgrade, but I will surely experience what you describe above later on. One has to learn by doing dumb things, right. [:)]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: tarkalak

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: tarkalak

There is something I do not understand.[&:]

A few turns ago the pool for "Ind Inf Section 42" had:
Pool: 104
Used So Far 180

Now one of the Indian Brigades have upgraded to "Ind Inf Section 42" drawing ~100 squads.

I expected the pool to show:
Pool: ~0
Used So far: ~280

But instead I get:
Pool: 107
Used So far: ~288

Used so far looks correct, but why the pool didn't go down?

Squad upgrade involve removing the old squad from the unit to the pools, changing the squad anti-armour and anti-soft ratings of the new squad type (simulating better equipment) and putting them into the pool of new squads. It looks like your units had more of the old type removed and upgraded than they have drawn so far from the pools. Your units will eventually draw them (up to their TOE numbers) if there is enough supply. They can draw greater numbers and more often if the unit is at a large, well supplied base. Presence of a land HQ can help too, as can having a commander with better Admin Skills.

So when an infantry squad "upgrades" it effectively changes the old squad type to the new squad type, right?
The change is made in the pools, but your unit will usually not upgrade unless there are enough squads to fill the TOE for that slot. So yes, it appears as if the unit just changed the squad to the new type.

But other devices (tanks, guns, etc) will return the old type and draw the new type.

In this case I have noticed that some of my brigades can upgrade the Indian squads and decided to pull one of them for upgrade in Rangoon. My frontline hex is level one airfield and is permanently red on supplies (the units have enough though). If I understood the manual correctly every base in supply range that has more the 2x "required supply" will contribute.

Your unit can draw the devices from supply at other bases, but a level one base only gets supply/replacement devices about once a week. The upgrade will go much faster if you can withdraw the unit to a bigger base.

You may already know this but breaking a division or other unit down to its three component thirds (divide unit button) allows it more chances to draw devices from the pools as each component gets its turn. This is good to do if the unit is far behind the lines and you have lots of devices to distribute.
But if you have a unit near the front and you want to get newer squads or other devices to it, the best way is to turn off upgrades and replacements for all other units and leave the key unit as the only one drawing the goods. If it is unable to draw fast enough to reduce the pools, select the next unit you want to upgrade and turn on upgrades and replacements.

Be very careful about this for some armoured units - they can change the TOE and upgrade to a new device that has very shallow pools and a low monthly production rate, so they lose a plentiful number of the old AFVs and gains just a few of the new one resulting in a loss of nearly all AV for the unit!

Thanks. My tanks in this scenario do not upgrade, but I will surely experience what you describe above later on. One has to learn by doing dumb things, right. [:)]

[tarkalak]

Currently I use Rangoon as R&R base for disabled units and for the upgrade mensioned before. Rangoon has 26000+ supply, and stays there. There is also ample support there.

However I have moved all my 4 Land HQs (1 command, 3 corps) to Sittang Bridge, because I was below required support level.

What will help me cure disablements best at Rangoon?
Should I pull one of the HQs back for that?

EDIT: OK, I re read the faq in War Room. So Rest mode + plenty of supply = cure disablements.

This is not mentioned in the FAQ, but I also pulled out one of the Corps HQs back to Rangoon and it seems to help.

[tarkalak]

Another question. I know that I can enter with train move in a contested hex, but cannot move out on train. All the British, Burmese, Indian troops can enter the hex using trains.

However the Chinese do not. When ordered to enter Sittang Bridge by rail they travel all the way to Pegu then shift to Combat there.

Why is that difference?

The Chinese division shown below was born in Lashio some days ago and was ordered to take the train to Sittang Bridge (lvl 1 base) dirrectly. They stopped at Pegu last turn showing 20 miles progress towards Sittang. This turn they are unpacking without destination.

[tarkalak]

In other news:
I did a counter attack at Sittang. Some Japanese retreated.
The units that stayed are the three Regiments that have plenty of firepower.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Sittang Bridge (56,54)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 39694 troops, 442 guns, 332 vehicles, Assault Value = 1616

Defending force 15366 troops, 88 guns, 10 vehicles, Assault Value = 361

Allied adjusted assault: 1565

Japanese adjusted defense: 449

Allied assault odds: 3 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
2173 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 122 disabled
Non Combat: 31 destroyed, 54 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 14 disabled
Guns lost 22 (2 destroyed, 20 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Units retreated 4

Allied ground losses:
1946 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 253 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 20 disabled
Guns lost 36 (2 destroyed, 34 disabled)
Vehicles lost 8 (1 destroyed, 7 disabled)

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
13th Indian Brigade
55th Prov Chinese Division
6th Burma Rifles Battalion
49th Chinese Division
3rd Burma Rifles Battalion
16th Indian Brigade
96th Chinese Division
Rangoon BAF Battalion
1st Gloucestershire Battalion
46th Indian Brigade
2/BFF Brigade
1st Iniskilling's Battalion
63rd Indian Brigade
4th Burma Rifles Battalion
200th Chinese Division
RM Viper Force
7th Hussars Regiment
1st Burma Brigade
1st Cameronians Battalion
2nd Burma Brigade
9th Burma Rifles Battalion
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
14/7th Rajput Battalion
1st West Yorkshire Battalion
11th Burma Rifles Battalion
56th Madras Coy
48th Gurkha Brigade
93rd Chinese Division
28th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
27th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
2nd Anti-Tank Regiment
106th RAF Base Force
Burma Corps
Burma Corps
103rd RN Base Force
1st Burma Div
108th RAF Base Force
3rd LAA Bty

Defending units:
143rd Infantry Regiment
215th Infantry Regiment
112th Infantry Regiment
33rd Engineer Regiment
214th Infantry Regiment
33rd Division
33rd Mountain Gun Regiment

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: tarkalak

Currently I use Rangoon as R&R base for disabled units and for the upgrade mensioned before. Rangoon has 26000+ supply, and stays there. There is also ample support there.

However I have moved all my 4 Land HQs (1 command, 3 corps) to Sittang Bridge, because I was below required support level.

What will help me cure disablements best at Rangoon?
Should I pull one of the HQs back for that?

EDIT: OK, I re read the faq in War Room. So Rest mode + plenty of supply = cure disablements.

This is not mentioned in the FAQ, but I also pulled out one of the Corps HQs back to Rangoon and it seems to help.

HQs are full of support squads, and some HQs also draw extra supply to the hex. They will help the support level at Rangoon, but also decide if you want them to support the front line units, then make sure their command radius is enough to do that.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: tarkalak

Another question. I know that I can enter with train move in a contested hex, but cannot move out on train. All the British, Burmese, Indian troops can enter the hex using trains.

However the Chinese do not. When ordered to enter Sittang Bridge by rail they travel all the way to Pegu then shift to Combat there.

Why is that difference?

The Chinese division shown below was born in Lashio some days ago and was ordered to take the train to Sittang Bridge (lvl 1 base) dirrectly. They stopped at Pegu last turn showing 20 miles progress towards Sittang. This turn they are unpacking without destination.

The unit should not come out of Strat mode on its own unless the enemy attacked and forced it into combat mode. Was there an air attack last turn?

[HansBolter]

Air attacks can't force units out of strat mode.

They do force units in move mode to revert to combat mode slowing movement.

Sometimes units strat moving into an occupied hex stop one hex short and automatically start unpacking.

Not sure what causes this as normally you can strat move into an occupied hex, you just can strat move out.

If the occupied hex you are trying to strat move into is not a base hex, this may cause the auto-revert to combat mode with the unpacking delay.

[tarkalak]

Thanks All.

There were Air attacks by the enemy. In the case above the unit showed up in Lashio, and I ordered it to take the road to Sittang Bridge. I think that the same have happened with the other Chinese Division that showed up at Lashio.

Sittang Bridge is a base hex on this map. It is the hex SE of Pegu.

When I saw the Chinese Division unpacking at Pegu, I ordered it to take Strategic movement into Sittang Bridge (borderting hex), but it didn't comply.

I have had other units who had no problem entering the hex with strat move. Most of them came from Rangoon though.

Theory: May be Strategic movement is not allowed between bordering hexex, when there is an enemy in the target hex. By coincidence the movement from Lashio ends one hex short of the target and the unit is unable to proceed and starts unpacking.

[HansBolter]

It may have to do with the pwhex file for this scenario.

There is no base, dot or otherwise at Sittang Bridge in any scenario I have ever played.
Perhaps the scenario designer didn't get the pwhex file edited properly when he added that base.

[tarkalak]

I have pushed the Japanese out of Sittang and the next Chinese devision from Lashio successfully railroaded into Sittang. I noticed that their movement stopped in Pegu before their final leg but they didn't start unpacking.

Unfortunately someone forgot to pay the internet last week, so no pics [:(]

Several things happened. The dates might be off with a day or two.

March 29th. I attacked and kicked out the rest of the three Jap regiments back to Moulmein with 1 regiment of tanks and one BFF unit (~50 burmese squads) in pursuit.
The tanks immediately went into the Moulmein hex without shock attack.
I have two tank regiments - they both have 52 Stuarts each.

March 30th. I sorted out the better looking units and sent them to Moulmein. I ordered the crappy small units ion Rangoon to come forth, I will replace them as garrison with the heavily disrupted units. Also the Japanese decided to shock attack my tanks with disastrous results for them. Apparently someone forgot to put antitank guns in the Japanese units. [:)]

March 31st. A single base force shock attacked into Moulmein. Surprisingly it wasn't beaten too badly. It didn't had less then 1/3 AV of the Tanks so it shouldn't have shocked.

April 1st or 2nd. My main force crossed. I have ordered the resident Tank regiment to Deliberate Attack.

I lost 69 squads destroyed and 153 disabled.

Most of the squads lost were in one Chinese division and one Indian Bde so no harm done [:D]. I have plenty of these guys. The more disabled units and the ones in need of replacements will travel to Rangoon, while the less disabled ones will heal at Sittang Bridge.

Also 1 tank was destroyed and 2-3 disabled, but the disabled ones quickly healed.

I noticed that the Rangoon Airfield was overstacked with 8/7 Base administration. So remembering one of the more obscure rules in this game I changed the Air HQ (command radius 3) to Eastern Command (Rangoon is attached to it), and now I have 8/8 Base Administration. Neat. I will probably never again remember to check that. [:D]

EDIT: Added bold.

[tarkalak]

This is the stoty of the Chinese Division trying to railroad into Sittang Bridge. I have taken this from the autosave, so no chance of me fidling with something and then forgetting.

I don't think it is with the pwhex file Hans. You have mentioned that you have seen it before. I think that this happens because the game prevents you from crossing into the next hex, from where the unit is, in Strategic Mode, if there are enemy units.

Later I might come back andtest with Pegu, or another base.

[tarkalak]

This is the result from the large shock attack into Moulmein that I mentioned above.

EDIT. Oh boy, .gif-s are ugly. I should try with .jpeg next time.

[tarkalak]

Situation as of 20 April 1942. The SCEN ends at 30th May

[tarkalak]

OK, Next question.

How do I drop paratroopers?

I have RM Viper Force at Mandalay with 9 Cdo/Para Section squads (one is disabled though) with 38 Prep for the target. I have set a Transport squadron (2 DC-3 s) to transport them. The distance is 9 and the DC-3 has normal range of 10. When I click on Liangprobang as destination the game tells me that it is an enemy controlled base and refuses to accept the destination.

I searched the manual for "para" but I couldn't find what I am not doing right.

[HansBolter]

While Viper has para/commando squads I don't believe it is a parachute capable unit.

Not all units with para/commando squads is parachute capable.

If the unit is the word parachute will appear in the upper left corner of the LCU interface.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

While Viper has para/commando squads I don't believe it is a parachute capable unit.

Not all units with para/commando squads is parachute capable.

If the unit is the word parachute will appear in the upper left corner of the LCU interface.

Right, that one and the fact that Raider units cannot be sub-transported in Combat mode but Parachute units can! Makes no sense but that is what it is!

[tarkalak]

OK. RM Viper Force is not a Parashute unit. That explaines it.

[tarkalak]

Training AVG squadron. These guys showed up 2-3 weeks after the start of the scenario and I moved their pilots to the other two and set them up as a training squadron.

I am fairly pleased with their training performance. At some point I did read that keeping the overall XP of the group above the training XP is a good thing. For most of their existance the trainees trailed the overall XP by at least a point.

My forth instructor was less then stellar guy at ~50+ XP and talent and he didn't move up a lot.

I might switch them to combat squad and try some sweeps on Rahaeng.

EDIT: Someone forgot to attach the pic to the post. I blame the staff. [:D]