Gensui jdsrae (J) vs SolInvictus (A). IJ War Council room

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

Remember that they will only move one phase, not two phases.

Cheers Bill

ABDA Flot can’t recombine on day 1 but they could concentrate within a week.

Here’s my outline plan for the IJN for the first week or two, subject to change of course!
I probably also need about a week to reorganise my task forces to the way I want them, to give me 3 x BB, 7 x CA and 7 x CL surface combat task forces.
If I commit all of these task forces to one Area Fleet I’ll leave myself open to raids, but if I try to cover all areas I won’t dominate anywhere.
SWAF probably just edges Southern “Area” Fleet as I’ll call it for priority one status. SAF is priority 2, plus a small reserve at home means SEAF, 4F and 5F need to fend for themselves with land based naval air. Probably too dangerous to send CA/CL out east without air cover with USN CVs and BBs on the loose.
I will probably use 2 x CV/CVL task forces in the western Pacific but keep them within mutual support range of each other to cover more search area. I’ll give them 2 x Kongos each for close protection.
I think the CVEs with a few CS will probably stay at home as an air training reserve to masquerade as a CV task force if he tries a Hokkaido raid.

Summary of IJA missions by Army HQ to follow, with only a few planned variations on historical at that level.

[RangerJoe]

I would not think too much about defense if you have adequate search aircraft in the correct places along with a reserve of Betts/Nells and Zeros. He will not have the ships in the correct places, enough units to attack while trying to set up defensive bastions and a definitive shortage of aircraft carriers. Except for the Dauntless and the toughness of allied Wildcats, P-40s, and Hurricanes, your comparable aircraft are better with a longer range. You can control production, he can not. You have highly skilled pilots, he does not. He has to react to you, do not lay back with anything the first few turns. Until he concentrates his aircraft carriers, he will not have to capability to overwhelm your air defenses that you can quickly bring to bear, not to mention being able to attack his fleets from a farther away than he can attack you.

Once your invasions have captured airfields and you have repaired the damage, you can and should have the KB go "dark" which will leave him wondering where you will strike next.

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Yes, see just how far the significant portions of the Allied fleets can move and attack accordingly. Miri, Brunei, Tarakan, Kendari, Rabaul, Noumea, Fiji . . .

See if you can wipe out LBA by invasions as well.

Cheers joe, I am planning to review and tweak the targets I used in my last AI game for my opening amphibious landings.
Miri/ Brunei are high priority for fuel and I think they are too far for Houston and Boise to interfere on day 1.
I’ll assign cover task forces and hope the Asiatic Fleet do visit on days 2,3 or 4...
I didn’t take any oil/fuel early last game vs the AI as I was waiting for AA Regts to move forward, but I will just have to risk the B-17Ds visiting Miri.
Miri will need some Zeros on CAP and an AA regt asap...

Industry orders are complete for turn 1.
Starting on Army orders now, I won’t finish them tonight.
Navy orders are probably a few days away yet so still time to ponder.

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: Hanzberger

I would save your R+D separately. Just in case you change your mind when moving your units into position. I would use the LB's for Manilla.
Do the Allies get any magic moves? If not then those battle wagons can't be more then 9 hex out right? I would go for Pal~!

Thanks Hanz
R&D is now set in the proverbial concrete. No changing my mind now without incurring HI and supply costs!
Happy to share some screenshots later to summarise if that’s if interest.
I’ve asked Yamamoto to prepare a Palembang operation plan for day 1 and I’ve given him 48 hours to report back

[Hanzberger]

Don't forget to bomb the Port at Hong Kong day 1. Expect his DD's to move out also. Send a JAAF to Pal with your invasion and possibly a AA.

[RangerJoe]

Nates and Claudes on defense will disrupt and possibly damage B-17s. They will shoot down the Dutch version of the B-10. They will annoy Hudsons but B-25s are too fast. At 5000 foot CAP, they will do good work against early torpedo bombers. Zeroes work better with their cannons but they should be higher up.

[rustysi]

Midway just to see if that draws him out to fight. I need to find a decent land unit but if I took Modway early he’d have to be tempted to use his BBs to try and bombard

Probably the best land unit you have available in the beginning that you can get at quickly is the Guards brigade on Honshu. Its restricted so it can't be loaded onto ships until you 'buy' it out, but that should only take a few days as you start with 500 PP anyway.

There're other units available that are not restricted, but I find I need them for the conquest of the SRA.

[rustysi]

I think the CVEs with a few CS will probably stay at home as an air training reserve to masquerade as a CV task force if he tries a Hokkaido raid.

I wouldn't bother. You should have enough LBA assets in the region to repulse any incursion he may make into this area at the start of the game. There're also ways you may enhance this early in the game. One way is to 'flip' the HQ of the bases of Etorofu and the one on the southern end of Sakhalin. These will only go to another restricted base, but that will allow air transport of some land units, and most importantly restricted air units in the HI.

This will leave your CVE's and CS's for other more important duties in the expansion period.

[rustysi]

I didn’t take any oil/fuel early last game vs the AI as I was waiting for AA Regts to move forward, but I will just have to risk the B-17Ds visiting Miri.

[8|]

No worries... (isn't that what you guys say[:D])

Tina's can be placed in range to air lift AS devices into Miri on the first turn of liberation. You have an Oscar unit that may be broken down into squadrons of 10 A/C. One of these (should be enough) could then stage to Miri with drop tanks. In addition if you choose and no enemy fighters are in range you may use whatever CS or AV unit(s) you have that may get there with Pete's on board to act as 'ersatz' CAP units.

QED.[:'(]

[rustysi]

Nates and Claudes on defense will disrupt and possibly damage B-17s.

I've even had a Nate shoot down a B-17D once.... Once.[:D]

[rustysi]

Oh, and while I'm here...

You guys are playing 'no holds barred' correct?

Then the easiest way to win IMHO, is to get everything you can possibly free up in Manchukuo and overrun China. From there its on to Burma and India. Just remember to 'buy out' some units from the area to defend your northern areas after China is done.

[RangerJoe]

If it is no holds barred, while you have the invasion bonus it does not hurt to invade hexes with no base. Doing that with armor on a grey road hex in Java could get you a base or two fast and you can cut the defense in half. Once the ABDA forces vacate the Singapore area, you can also Fast Transport a unit to cut the western rail line in Malaya. You have to route around Singapore to escape its defenses.

[jdsrae]

I’ve finished General Defence Army orders and Kwantung Army orders, so it’s worth recounting this:

“...on September 5, 1941, on the verge of the war against the United States and Great Britain, GEN Sugiyama was severely berated by Emperor Hirohito for having earlier predicted in 1937 that Japanese invasion of China would be completed within three months, and challenged over his confidence in a quick victory over the Western powers.”

Stung into action by the Emperor’s rebuke, GEN Sugiyama has proposed a large scale transfer of front line Infanty divisions, with supporting artillery, armour and AA assets from Kwantung Army to the CEA. Probably no surprise in this for the allies. The question for Japan is, will the allies try to send help to China?
HQ 20th Army will be temporarily attached to North China Area Army. Supporting arms will be spread across the front apart from the armour, which will form the tip of the spear.
All Kwantung Army engineer units are moving to Fusan. The officers will be using their time on the train trying to remember everything about port construction that they’ve forgotten since university.

China Expeditionary Army orders are being drafted now. The China front has been active for far too long and with war coming in the south it needs to be concluded quickly. The two strategic objectives are the vast quantities of Resources and the opportunity to redeploy front line CEA units to stage 2 operations.

The choice for that will be made later. Continue the advance overland into India or the Soviet Far East, or garrison the borders?
Three separate teams within the IJA General Staff ops branch have until late 1942 to develop those plans before I decide.

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Oh, and while I'm here...

You guys are playing 'no holds barred' correct?

Correct, the rules are there are no rules.
I’m going to have to come up with a tactic to try and counter B24s at 1000’ aren’t I?!

[RangerJoe]

Capturing bomber bases works pretty well.

Push the Chinese units aside but don't destroy them if you don't have to. Capture all HI, LI, and resources, you don't have to capture a base without those unless it is on your supply route. Capture Chungking and the other resurrection city, then kill the Chinese units. Put LRCAP over every base that you can where he could be flying in supply from India. Find a weak base on the Burma Road and drop in paratroopers to capture it to stop those supplies. Where he can't fly CAP, bomb every airfield to destroy supplies.

Don't be suprised if he evacuates a lot of Chinese units to India, I would.

[Hanzberger]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Capturing bomber bases works pretty well.

Push the Chinese units aside but don't destroy them if you don't have to. Capture all HI, LI, and resources, you don't have to capture a base without those unless it is on your supply route. Capture Chungking and the other resurrection city, then kill the Chinese units. Put LRCAP over every base that you can where he could be flying in supply from India. Find a weak base on the Burma Road and drop in paratroopers to capture it to stop those supplies. Where he can't fly CAP, bomb every airfield to destroy supplies.

Don't be suprised if he evacuates a lot of Chinese units to India, I would.

Operation 'Chinese snow plow'

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: Hanzberger

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Capturing bomber bases works pretty well.

Push the Chinese units aside but don't destroy them if you don't have to. Capture all HI, LI, and resources, you don't have to capture a base without those unless it is on your supply route. Capture Chungking and the other resurrection city, then kill the Chinese units. Put LRCAP over every base that you can where he could be flying in supply from India. Find a weak base on the Burma Road and drop in paratroopers to capture it to stop those supplies. Where he can't fly CAP, bomb every airfield to destroy supplies.

Don't be suprised if he evacuates a lot of Chinese units to India, I would.

Operation 'Chinese snow plow'

That’s the plan, but I have hired a few bulldozers. Not much snow left in these parts as Spring has sprung!
I didn’t do this in my last AI game, practicing my surround and destroy tactics instead.
When I got to Chungking the AI had 150+ units and 800k+ troops waiting for me...
I do want to try and clear the rear areas in China to create a front, but I will try to leave escape routes in this game.

[jdsrae]

Army orders are all done with Navy orders barely started before the clock struck tomorrow...
I’ve started trying to optimise the magic move task forces.
The first few changes are to swap the Bns that magic move onto already captured Thai coast to take Miri, Brunei, Beafourt instead. They should get in and out before Houston or Boise can interfere.
I’ve also split KB with the plan that 4xCV+++ provide air cover to Singapore/Malaya ops and 2xCV+++ join the CVL to provide air cover to Luzon ops.
There are two options for the split, based on speed or armour? I think I’ll split based on armour with the heavily armoured force to make the sweep through the Java Sea submarine gauntlet. I had a Dutch sub hit Kaga with 1 torpedo in my last game vs AI and it barely scratched the paint.

After the initial landings are safe, the plan is for all CV to sweep the Java and Celebes Seas and recombine to cover ops in the SEAF / 4F areas.
Hopefully to find some USN capital ships coming west, or at least cover against that.
I need to check where KB can rearm after that sweep, other than going back to CRB.

I will reorganise what I can of the rest of the fleet for turn one, with about 60:40 split of task forces between SWAF and SAF.

I’ve also been making a list of all the things I need to spend PP on but haven’t spent any yet. I want to prioritise what I can get for the 500 points.
146th Infantry Regt from 16th Army so I can reform 55th Division is high on the list. So too will be appointing the best task force Admirals and replacing any poor air group leaders.
I don’t think I’ll have enough PP left for another land combat unit, but 90th Infantry Regt is an elite unit that would be wasted sitting in Korea for too long, even though it’s 100% prep for Miri is wasted. No specific plan for it just yet, it might just move to China for free.
Guards Mixed Brigade has been issued orders for Midway, but I might leave that as a deception plan and hope his sigint finds it. If he holds back to cover against it that would suit me without launching the op. I’ve got a few other deception preps that are a long shot, but his sigint might spot them and make him pause.

I’ll try and get the turn to him late this week.

[RangerJoe]

Have ships loaded with units prepped for a base, heading to that base but have a way point at or near the real destination. A bunch of land units heading for Hawaii . . . ?

[rustysi]

The question for Japan is, will the allies try to send help to China?

His forces won't be that good. Besides you could block all/most with ops you may still do in Burma. In addition to that its not too difficult to block things coming in from western China's one road. Not to mention blocking the escape route for Chinese units.

or the Soviet Far East,

An unnecessary addition of a 'new opponent'.

I’m going to have to come up with a tactic to try and counter B24s at 1000’ aren’t I?!

Don't forget the B-17's.[:D]

Easy enough to do in the early stages due to his low numbers and generally poor pilots. Also he'll have few forward bases to operate from. Your first fighter that can handle these machines is the Nick, then the TojoIIc.

As for your CV's just keep some on low CAP, and get the M5 ASAP. The M2/3 line is just too weakly constructed to handle the 4E's. Best done through the Rufe line.

Push the Chinese units aside but don't destroy them if you don't have to.

Destroy everyone you can. Keeps them form 'evacuating' and gets you points. You should be able to easily overrun any defense he puts up with the added Manchukuo troops.

Don't be suprised if he evacuates a lot of Chinese units to India, I would.

I think with a strong push into central/western China most of this could be prevented.