Matrix Games Forums

October 16/17 1942

Back to Tulagi. The KB heads to Rabaul.

The game engine doesn't model mobile operations at all well. This is even a more serious problem in WitE, where the campaign was about mobile operations. The 23rd is screening for a corps that's advancing, but it's likely to be clobbered in the next turn or two. Not much I can do about that and retain any sort of realism in how I organise my forces for combat.

Ground combat at 55,52 (near Rangoon)
 
Japanese Bombardment attack
 
Attacking force 14818 troops, 125 guns, 41 vehicles, Assault Value = 455
 
Defending force 8238 troops, 107 guns, 126 vehicles, Assault Value = 270
 
Japanese ground losses:
      19 casualties reported
         Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
         Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
         Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
 
 
 
Assaulting units:
    18th Division
 
Defending units:
    23rd Indian Division

I recapture Bassein.

October 17/18 1942

Let's see what happened. The forces in New Guinea are retreating to Terapo, those near Tulagi are landing at Auki and the Russell Islands, and those in Burma are cutting off most Japanese forces from supply.

His bombers go after the forces that just retook Bassein. Fine, it keeps the air units occupied.

I need to reduce the intensity of air ops in Burma.

October 18/19 1942

Frustration in WitP is playing a ground campaign. Of course, it could be worse--WitE, with a broken model of mobile warfare.

Not a great deal of activity this turn--some B24s will be arriving in Ceylon next turn.

Gee - WITE is that bad? Sorry to hear it.

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Gee - WITE is that bad? Sorry to hear it.

They're patching it, and I haven't heard any complaints for a week. The game has zones of control that pretty much shut down mobile operations, so you can't simulate Deep Operations or Panzer tactics.

October 19/20 1942

Not a great deal happening. I'm making landings around Guadalcanal. My opponent is using his tanks to block my Burma operations.

I do my ground operations planning generalising from the patterns of modern and WWII warfare, and the game engine doesn't work that way.

October 20/21 1942

More of the same. My forces in Burma are advancing, and my opponent is trying to reopen the supply route via Pegu and Toungoo.

My opponent appears to be hunkering down.

My opponent has asked for some time to plan the completion of his defensive perimeter.

October 23/24 1942

Quiet again.

I'm about to sneak some troops into Auki.

1st MAGTF loading for Luganville.

October 24/25 1942

Let's see what happened...

That's really strange. The cargo of that amphibious TF, including two CB battalions has disappeared. OK, found them. They were dropped off at a waypoint on the TF's path from Noumea to Auki. I guess I need to go back and pick them up. Is that supposed to happen?

October 25/26 1942

KB appears off Munda and hits Rennell Island. Ryujo avoids being torpedoed. Air strikes on Rennell are hit by F4Fs from Kirakira.

Japan opens up a road from Buna to PM.

Japan captures Hengyang.

ORIGINAL: herwin

October 24/25 1942

Let's see what happened...

That's really strange. The cargo of that amphibious TF, including two CB battalions has disappeared. OK, found them. They were dropped off at a waypoint on the TF's path from Noumea to Auki. I guess I need to go back and pick them up. Is that supposed to happen?

Hell no! Be best if you could find the save just pre-drop off for Michael.

ORIGINAL: witpqs

ORIGINAL: herwin

October 24/25 1942

Let's see what happened...

That's really strange. The cargo of that amphibious TF, including two CB battalions has disappeared. OK, found them. They were dropped off at a waypoint on the TF's path from Noumea to Auki. I guess I need to go back and pick them up. Is that supposed to happen?

Hell no! Be best if you could find the save just pre-drop off for Michael.

It's probably something I did. The KB has come on the scene, so I'll just be thankful the ships weren't busy unloading and instead had headed back.

I have an empty level 1 dirt strip at Rennell Island with 150 engineer points and plenty of supplies. The KB is bombing that bean field to smithereens. Seems like one of the better things it can do with its time, especially as I have sixty F4Fs making daily sweeps from Kirakira. I'm loading a MAG, some AA , and about 10,000 supply at Noumea to make a visit once the KB has gone home.

If it was a destination hex, then they should have unloaded unless you set 'do not unload'. But if it was a way point hex, then they should only have unloaded there if you actually clicked on the 'unload' button when they were actually at that hex.

October 26/27 1942

He noticed I was unloading supplies at Terapo. Time to pull out.

KB continues to bombard Rennell Island.

Air casualties for the turn: 31 Allied, 23 Japanese.

October 27/28 1942

54th Division travelling up the trails from Buna attempts an unprepared shock attack on Allied forces retreating to Terapo.

Ground combat at 98,129 (near Port Moresby)
 
Japanese Shock attack
 
Attacking force 12943 troops, 104 guns, 34 vehicles, Assault Value = 381
 
Defending force 8331 troops, 153 guns, 66 vehicles, Assault Value = 222
 
Japanese adjusted assault: 114
 
Allied adjusted defense: 364
 
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3

54th Division travelling up the trails from Buna attempts an unprepared shock attack on Allied forces retreating to Terapo.

(rant on)

Just what is "unprepared" supposed to mean in this situation?

I think that this whole business of units having to "prepare" for 100 days in order to not be penalized during attacks is totally inappropriate for 99% of the ground combat in the WitP/AE games.

Sure, I tolerated the original Gary G insistence that units had to "prepare" for 3 months to make amphibious invasions, but to apply the same model to combat between units meeting in battle in non-city terrain is totally nuts.

Just where in WW II did armies wait around for 100 days in order to "prepare" to attack an enemy 45 miles away? Forget WW II - what about any time in history?

Once again, Gary's insistence on making his Pacific War games "capture the atoll" games causes more grief than it is worth.

There is probably only one element of WitP/AE that makes me more angry than the "100 day BS" and that is the weather.

(rant off)

ORIGINAL: ADB123

54th Division travelling up the trails from Buna attempts an unprepared shock attack on Allied forces retreating to Terapo.

(rant on)

Just what is "unprepared" supposed to mean in this situation?

I think that this whole business of units having to "prepare" for 100 days in order to not be penalized during attacks is totally inappropriate for 99% of the ground combat in the WitP/AE games.

Sure, I tolerated the original Gary G insistence that units had to "prepare" for 3 months to make amphibious invasions, but to apply the same model to combat between units meeting in battle in non-city terrain is totally nuts.

Just where in WW II did armies wait around for 100 days in order to "prepare" to attack an enemy 45 miles away? Forget WW II - what about any time in history?

Once again, Gary's insistence on making his Pacific War games "capture the atoll" games causes more grief than it is worth.

There is probably only one element of WitP/AE that makes me more angry than the "100 day BS" and that is the weather.

(rant off)

I'm not sure it has to be a full 100 days to not get a (-) for the combat. I do not know, but I have executed "unprepared" shocks using Chinese troops agaisnt ill-prepared IJA with little problems ... always against reasonable targets. Here we have terrain as a big plus for the defender. So yes .. it might be that a month or so preperation would be required to take a fortified postion in unfavorable terrain ...a lot of 'preperation' in base forces and airpower at the very least [while the troops are preparing] to reduce the target. Here we have the IJA marching up and clearly expecting to take command ...having handed their rear-ends to them ..

October 28/29 1942

In Burma my southern force needs to hold, while my northern force needs to save supplies for a deliberate attack at Shwebo.

The KB splits and the heavy half approaches Kirakira.

Afternoon Air attack on Rennell Island , at 113,140
 
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
 
Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes
 
Japanese aircraft
      A6M2 Zero x 63
      B5N2 Kate x 75
      D3A1 Val x 48
 
 
 
Allied aircraft
      F4F-4 Wildcat x 11
 
 
Japanese aircraft losses
      B5N2 Kate: 1 damaged
      D3A1 Val: 1 damaged
 
Allied aircraft losses
      F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed
 
 
 
Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 27

Morning Air attack on Kirakira , at 116,140
 
Weather in hex: Light cloud
 
Raid detected at 14 NM, estimated altitude 24,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes
 
Japanese aircraft
      A6M2 Zero x 38
      A6M3 Zero x 26
 
 
 
Allied aircraft
      F4F-3A Wildcat x 8
      F4F-4 Wildcat x 26
 
 
Japanese aircraft losses
      A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed
 
Allied aircraft losses
      F4F-4 Wildcat: 5 destroyed
 
 
 
Aircraft Attacking:
      23 x A6M3 Zero sweeping at 19000 feet