Quisling! An AFB does Japan (No PanzerKat)

[John B.]

Last but not least, here is the current VP situation. Sadly, I got word that the Hermes survived the June carrier battle.

[John B.]

Quick update. Two torpedoes into the Saratoga. Both had belt armor penetration and one report of severe flooding. But, the action report did not show damage or heavy damage and no fire. Ship will probably survive but it might take some time int the yards.

[Aurorus]

Marshalls: a level 2 or 3 fort on an atoll will not hamper a heavy bombardment and a sturdy invasion. I would not be deterred by the possibility of a few forts. After a year of fort building... that is another issue.

Burma: It is monsoon season, from May 15 until October 15. Bases will only receive or ship out 50% of their maximum "draw." Supporting 5 divisions in one hex will be impossible without massive (i.e. every available) transport aircraft. Use your transport a/c for supply runs to support an offensive until October. Having a network of bases with supply paths to units, as well as a dispersion of units is helpful in this period. Offensive operations are difficult, and you will probably find that units are only fully supplied once a week or so. The allies are in a similar position, however, and a simple bombing mission can put an enemy unit low on supply for several days.

Try to avoid matching up Oscars against Hurricanes. 23 to 13 is, in fact, very good for Oscars against Hurricanes. His pilots must be terrible, and I suspect that the Hurricanes must have been escorting bombers to perform so poorly. Use Zeros, Tojos, or even Nicks against the Hurricanes. Tojos are merciless against Hurricanes and will quickly put an end to the Hurricane threat.

[John B.]

That is a good point about the invasion. Alas I think playtime is over. He is clearly sending the American KB back. It will take a couple of weeks but my own KB is heading to Japan for the July 42 upgrades. I'll have three carriers at Truk (Shokaku and Zuikakau are on their way) but I think it's time for more caution by my guys.

It's a little frustrating in China. I have a 4-1 and then a 9-1 shock attack at Kweilien and no retreats so no mass casualties. Killing 100 Chinese squads just does not add up to much. . Looks like he'll slip away again.

In Burma I take your point about Monsoon. so, I'm sending two regiments and two divisions to retake Ramree. Given it's roll in Chinese resupply I'd rather have it than let Scott have it.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: John B.
It's a little frustrating in China. I have a 4-1 and then a 9-1 shock attack at Kweilien and no retreats so no mass casualties. Killing 100 Chinese squads just does not add up to much. . Looks like he'll slip away again.

That's because he has no valid hex to make retreat to. Your troops are in the NW one, the only one he has hexside opened with. Yet he can cross that hexside on foot if time allows him. So you better either leave clear retreat path or completely surround the enemy in your future attacks in other places

[Aurorus]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: John B.
It's a little frustrating in China. I have a 4-1 and then a 9-1 shock attack at Kweilien and no retreats so no mass casualties. Killing 100 Chinese squads just does not add up to much. . Looks like he'll slip away again.

That's because he has no valid hex to make retreat to. Your troops are in the NW one, the only one he has hexside opened with. Yet he can cross that hexside on foot if time allows him. So you better either leave clear retreat path or completely surround the enemy in your future attacks in other places

If he has no valid supply path by which to retreat, his units will surrender if they fail a morale and leadership check. This will completely destroy the units and result in a haul of VPs. Isolating units and then destroying them is the best way to accumulate VPs for army losses. Attack 1 or 2 more times and watch what happens.

Again, however, remember that Chinese units are worth only 1/4 of the VPs of other allied units, so even if you destroy 1200 Chinese squads, you will only receive 100 VPs. A few months ago, in my game against Opilot, I shock attacked an isolated stack of 105,000 Chinese troops and destroyed 2700 squads in one day to a loss of precisely 0 Japanese squads (this was without a surrender)... the difference in my VPs was barely noticeable.

[John B.]

Ohhh, now I understand. I could not figure out this amazing defense that these troops were putting on. Thanks! The map indicates that they are pulling out so I just hope to mop up some of the survivors. Even the ones who get out wont be worth much for a long time.

In other news, I cleaned up a few AKLs at Roi Namur and there is a couple of surface actions brewing at Akyab (my BB TF is going in at what is reported to be CAs) and at Ramree Island where a CL/DD TF headed by the razor is attempting to hit what looks to be a resupply convoy. The Razor has not done well the past two sea battles so let's hope he steps up his game.

[John B.]

@ Aurorus. I'd look at your victory as the same as sinking a BB since it's worth 225 VP. It means that the allies will have to rack up 450 VP just to stay on the final victory path. The terrain is too awful to really kick in China but it is a good place to accumulate VP to make up for what you lose once the American Freight Train picks up speed.

[Aurorus]

ORIGINAL: John B.

@ Aurorus. I'd look at your victory as the same as sinking a BB since it's worth 225 VP. It means that the allies will have to rack up 450 VP just to stay on the final victory path. The terrain is too awful to really kick in China but it is a good place to accumulate VP to make up for what you lose once the American Freight Train picks up speed.

Yes. 200 VPs is 200 VPs, and I should not complain. But I accumulated much more in my Burma campaign in that game with the destruction of far fewer allied squads in an operation involving half as many divisions and using less supply overall. In that campaign, I isolated and destroyed a few Indian brigades completely, and these few brigades were worth more than 3 whole Chinese corps. He eventually did break the isolated Chinese units out with a relief column that gained control of a hexside that gave his army a retreat path. Otherwise, I would have scored a much larger haul of VPs: probably another 6000 Chinese devises destroyed or about 500 VPs. So, I was a little frustrated that I did not have 2 or 3 more days to finish those Chinese units. Of course, instead of receiving freshly rebuilt Chinese corps at 1/3 strength, he has been forced to make do with corps that have a large number of disabled squads. So, it was not a complete loss that I failed to fully crush the pocket.

Opilot was just learning my ways in that China campaign, and he made a mistake. He expected me to build a big stack and try to engage his big stack, rather than isolating his stack, gaining control of the major roadways so that I could respond to his movements, and bombing his big stack daily to slow its movement significantly and reduce its supplies to 0, so that it was incapable of breaking isolation even against a single division.

Chinese stacks reduced to 0 supply have their already marginal firepower reduced so severely that they are not capable of inflicting signficant casualties. For example, I was able to destroy about 9 or 10 Chinese corps completely in my game against Apbarog without having more than 9 or 10 squads disabled in any of my units in any one battle.

China is a tricky theater, because to make any major VP gains there, you must destroy a significant number of Chinese devices while losing relatively few. Also, China can become an enormous supply drain, especially if you make heavy use of artillery, medium bombers, and long sieges of heavily defended entrenched positions (which is the only way to take a heavily defended entrenched position that is in supply without taking major casualties yourself).

[John B.]

Killing Western/Oz/Indian troops is so much more rewarding but it is tough to get them isolated and allied airpower really keeps their troops in the game. I was able to kill the Aussies in OZ and the americans on Eniwetok only because I was able to get the drop on Scott and be far away from his carriers. The OZ division at Warzup is vulnerable to significant losses but it looks like I need to wait until the end of the monsoon season. The East Africans on Ramree are very vulnerable and it looks like that hex is becoming Guadalcanal given the sea fights we've had over it. With nothing better to do I'm move two regiments and two divisions to retake the hex. The down side is that it takes so long to get over the river and onto the island.

The problem I've had when trying to isolate chinese big stacks is that when I infiltrate units around the flanks the Chinese have so many corps that Scott can peel off a couple of units to send them around the flanks as well. And, when Scott has tried to do that to me it only gives me the chance to kill a few squads basically for free.

The other nice thing about the China campaign is that you capture towns that give you 10 VP for each increase in the airbase level. So you do a quick build up to level 3 at little cost in supply and voila 30 bonus VP.

[Zecke]

ORIGINAL: John B.

Last but not least, here is the current VP situation. Sadly, I got word that the Hermes survived the June carrier battle.

looks fantastic map¡; Burma resources and chinesse factorys are enough for running the home island economy (although Palembarg is neccesary right away)

[John B.]

Sadly Scott has bombed the Burma oil in half. I don't particularly mind since it's tough to get it to the HI with the nasty brits poking around but so far it is supplying fuel for the IJN units out there. But, the capture of the chinese factories and oil centers is a very nice bonus.

[John B.]

Well, it looks as if the action is heating up around Ramree island. A critical base hex for the allies to get supply flowing into China. In China the grind continues and Scott is hunting down the reminants of my forces in Oz. I may get the motorized support squads out since they can head to a distant port but he'll run town a base force and an Airforce HQ. Screen shots to follow.

[John B.]

Here is the latest naval losses. Pay no attention whatsoever to those CV losses as I'm 99% positive that's just FOW. But. the Glasgow went down to land based air and the AKLs have been dying to my surface TFs. Not many VP overall but I'll take what I can get. And, sinking British ships is always nice since they don't get rebuilt!

[John B.]

Here is the actual Burma map. He has part of an East Indian brigade on Ramree. I have two regiments heading in and two divisions moving up (because why not). I suspect his troops are short of supply and it's tough to get them off of there. Also, you may see my TF just off of Ramree, that has a CL and 4 DDs. I'm going to try to catch his TF next to me and sprint into Chittagong since my air recon reports APs in a TF there. Maybe I"ll get lucky, or, maybe I'll be down a CL and 4 DDs.

[John B.]

And, here is China. Scott got away from Kawlein and I've been putting very heavy interdiction on his troops to see if I can catch up to them. For some reason, my interdiction does not seem to slow him down any. But, I should be up to him this turn and set up for an attack. Not much is going on in the So. Pac. His carriers are back off of Sydney so no more free reign for me but that's fine. I do want to get my regiment off of Eniwetok since I can't hold it and I don't want to poor more men and suppies into it.

BTW. I built the fort on Saipan up to level 6 and now the number is highlighted in red. What does that mean?

[John B.]

A little ruthless efficiency on the part of the Razor. [:D]

Those APs were worth a total of 54 VP so some big ships are rusting at the bottom of Chittagong harbor. My TF starts the turn there but I think they can get out of his air range since I'll move 14 hexes before the planes fly.

[John B.]

Some more good torpedo news in that Saratoga took two more. This time at least there was heavy damage but this was so close the several ports in Oz that this ship, alas, is not going down. But, it should be out of the fight for awhile.

[John B.]

Better news out of China. I finally got in a good attack on the army group that had been besieging Kewlein and this time it could retreat with very satisfying results. They also retreated away from the road which means that I may be able to get across the river again. There may be a big air battle next turn since Scott has 97 fighters very close to the new battlfield. I have three night bombing strikes on the airfield and then lots of fighter sweeps but no bombers over the road.

[John B.]

The sneaky plan of the day is that I think I know where Scott is flying lots and lots of B-17s from. he's got a level 9 base in Townsville and he has been getting 40+ B-17 raids over some poor heros of the fatherland who are stuck in the jungle of New Guinea. I notices that (a) the Mavis can carry two 250kg bombs each and (b) they have the range to make it to Townsville from Rabaul. So, I think a little surprise air raid is in order. I'd be gambling that he does not have fighters back on Oz since it is so far away from any threat or I could do a night raid there as well and come in low and slow in the 100% moonlight. That may be the safer option.