Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

This makes the AFB inside me smile and giggle like a school girl.

Just, please, no dresses. [:)]

Another turn back. Moved the FAA torpedo bombers to Pt. Blair off the retiring RN carrier headed for Colombo. Four good B-24 units headed for Rabaul. The B-17s there already continue to rest. Truk is reconed daily. If it goes as a re-fueling option the Marshalls will be hard to defend. I just need two more carriers or CVE equivalents.

I wonder in retrospect when this is over if having 160,000 troops at Rangoon/Pegu/Moulmein, and 130,000 or so camped at Chungking will have been the best use for them. Rangoon only matters if the oil from up-country is Japanese. It has never been Japanese in this game. Rangoon holds open the Burma Road, but he has the other end in strength, plus all of the Chinese countryside beyond. Supply wouldn't flow to Chungking even if the Road were open. He has sea control on the Burma coast. Rangoon could be evacced across to Sumatra. That stack could take PBang most likely, with the air assets he has. Some of the Chungking stack could get to Hong Kong easily and he has sea control all along the Indo-China coast to Singers and then Sumatra. The troops are available. He has to have the fuel or the economy tanks. But so far, nothing.

Maybe, but the truth is PB is the IJ target for Dec 7, 1941. Everything else is diversion and to secure your LOC to PB. As the IJ, you must land there mid-Dec and take it (or be in a position to prevent reinforcements and forts to be built up). Either way in a PBEM, you are going to suffer damage to those facilities but you must take it. Medan, Balik, Miri, etc are important, but PB is not an option. I want Singer, Rangoon, Batavia, Sorbaya, and Manila/Clark mainly because they are 4E bases in range of the oil fields; so take them ASAP. Blitz really is the byword.

Sending the KB to the DEI is prolly going to be the best opening move long term for the IJ players going forward. PH was a grand diversion in reality and it worked perfectly. But with hindsight, it loses that diversion capacity. With the KB in the DEI, the pace of the blitz can be doubled or more. You can take Java, Sumatra, Darwin, and Rangoon in Jan ... you still have 2 months of landing bonus left, now where do you go? Fear the IJ! [;)] [:D][:D][:D]

I agree. PH is a pipe dream Japan players still exercise because they like to Hulk Smash! some BBs on Day 1. In this game Mike went for a Hawaiian campaign (Johnson, Palmyra, Christmas, big battles over Hilo) early and got severely off-track elsewhere. To me there are two gotta-have targets in December: Singers and PBang. Here he split air efforts between the PI and Singers and both took too long. PBang was not addressed at all until way too late.

In my other game Cliff has read this AAR (I asked him to stop after I saw he had read too closely [:)]) and seen how much I like to strat bomb petroleum. We are in mid-February 1942 and he has not taken any of north Borneo yet, or Balikpapan, Soerbaja, Burma oil. And he has let me get a really good start on a Fortress PBang while invading northern Oz, which I don't care about. I disagree a bit that Darwin ought to ever be a Japanese target. Like the dog chasing the car, what do you do with it once you catch it? Darwin is not a good 4E base for fuel denial. The ranges are too great and the resupply too onerous in 1942. The Allies have much better places to push than out of Darwin.

Don't disagree ... Darwin is not a high priority for me. I generally do take it, but its mostly just a tripwire like Adak.

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Don't disagree ... Darwin is not a high priority for me. I generally do take it, but its mostly just a tripwire like Adak.

Cliff is pushing south from Darwin, now at Katherine. I have a lot of B-17s in OZ and a pretty stout defense at Alice Springs. I'd be doing Sumatra.

We also have very large battles up north. The Aleutians are one place the USN can fight and win right away and the geography favors the US. I agree Adak is a key base given its potential AF and port, and we are fighting there. So far it's DDs but I sense my success to date is going to bring some BBs soon. The winter rules and the game start date favor the Allies if they get busy right away. By the time the snow melts the bases I want are going to be pretty solid.

Fanmail from some Flounder

I agree. PH is a pipe dream Japan players still exercise because they like to Hulk Smash! some BBs on Day 1. In this game Mike went for a Hawaiian campaign (Johnson, Palmyra, Christmas, big battles over Hilo) early and got severely off-track elsewhere. To me there are two gotta-have targets in December: Singers and PBang. Here he split air efforts between the PI and Singers and both took too long. PBang was not addressed at all until way too late.

See Quixote's AAR to see how destructive and decisive the KB DEI opening gambit can be!

ORIGINAL: desicat

Fanmail from some Flounder

I agree. PH is a pipe dream Japan players still exercise because they like to Hulk Smash! some BBs on Day 1. In this game Mike went for a Hawaiian campaign (Johnson, Palmyra, Christmas, big battles over Hilo) early and got severely off-track elsewhere. To me there are two gotta-have targets in December: Singers and PBang. Here he split air efforts between the PI and Singers and both took too long. PBang was not addressed at all until way too late.

See Quixote's AAR to see how destructive and decisive the KB DEI opening gambit can be!

Read a bunch. A better use than Pearl I think. But still risky with B-17s active, as well as Boise. Sending carriers into the DEI always makes me a little skeeved.

August 26, 1942

To see how this game has slowed down, Mike didn't send the movie for the 26th until after he sent the next turn. And I didn't notice. [:)]

Anyway.

1) Eniwetok expands fortifications to size 5

2) He has subs up in the Chittagong op area. ASW dinged one. AM Oudh was sunk off Ramree. (How is that pronounced?)

3) The air raids near Rangoon were opposed by some CAP and seem even more tired than yesterday. Only about 40 troops lost today.

4) Got some LRCAP over Pbang. P-40Es, and they disrupt the AF bombing a fair bit and down a couple for a couple.

5) More bouncing at Chungking.

6)Couple of small 4E strikes from Wake hit Roi Namur and Kwaj. One Mavis killed, made some holes.

7) Soerbaja hit for light damage. The yard left alone. The cruisers made a bit of progress on system. Two points I think.

8) I-16 sticks its nose into Oosthaven, the first incursion for months. KV Cyclamen hits five times.

Thhhhhaaaaattts all, folks!

August 27, 1942

MUTTLEY Moves on Moulmein

A few fireworks today.

1) I-16, lurking just west of the exit from the Sunda Strait, torps xAK Silverwillow and adds three gun rounds for good measure. First sub activity here in months. Ships have been running in and out of Oosthaven hauling fuel to Cocos and Perth without molestation.

SS Sturgeon finds a small TF in Benk harbor and shoots for duds. But supplies are coming in here, even if I can't see any troops.

In the Makassar Strait NE of Balikpapan two attacks are made on a 5-tanker TF with fleet DDs in escort. All duds and misses.

Sub attack near Donggala at 69,96

Japanese Ships
TK Juko Maru
TK Zuiyo Maru
TK Ryuei Maru
TK Kozui Maru
TK Kanze Maru
DD Asakaze

Allied Ships
SS Seadragon

Off Akyab xAKL Oklahoman engages in a gun duel with I-159, driving the sub under with two holes and leaving the Okie on fire.

2) Burma troops bombing medium bad. About 400 casualties. Most raids are met by at least some CAP. Japanese losses are medium.

3) The leading MUTTLEYS shock attack across the river into Moulmein. Not as bad as feared, and only one full ID is in the battle at this point. There is a (-) on prep too, which is good. A lot of troop shuffling on both sides in Burma over the summer. Much more Allied force is coming to Moulmein, from three directions. It will still largely depend on who can supply the battle.

Ground combat at Moulmein (55,55)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 49601 troops, 301 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1893

Defending force 24621 troops, 242 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 637

Allied adjusted assault: 941

Japanese adjusted defense: 1301

Allied assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 4)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
2240 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 243 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled

Allied ground losses:
4257 casualties reported
Squads: 40 destroyed, 536 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 41 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 29 disabled

Assaulting units:
85th Chinese Corps
76th Chinese Corps
90th Chinese Corps
59th Chinese Corps
48th Chinese Corps
3rd New Chinese Corps
7th Group Army

Defending units:
13th Ind.Mixed Brigade
57th Division
22nd Field AA Machinecannon Company
3rd Provisional Base Force
50th Field AA Battalion
1st Provisional Base Force

4) Japan lands in Java in new front. Losses on landing indicate poor prep. Perhaps results at Soerbaja have changed the overall plan for Java.

Amphibious Assault at Tjepoe (54,103)

TF 294 troops unloading over beach at Tjepoe, 54,103

Japanese ground losses:
620 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 90 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 23 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 7 (0 destroyed, 7 disabled)

5) The Dutch patrol planes get another scalp and escape the CAP.

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Denpasar at 58,108

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 3 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 1 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 11

Allied aircraft
Do-24K-1 x 2

No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAK Bisan Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Do-24K-1 bombing from 1000 feet
Naval Attack: 4 x 300 kg SAP Bomb

6)Masses of torpedo Nells from Truk reach far south and sink DD Fanning just north of Rabaul in an ASW TF. The Rabaul B-17s, 32 strong and some upgraded to the red-tails, practice ground bombing on the north coast of NG. Madang is hit for 30+ casualties on the SNLF huddled there for many months now, alone. Just a bit more maintenance and the B-17 force will hit Truk again. Rabaul port goes to Level 4 today.

Just a note as I would probably forget by next daily post. Received the turn for the 28th and had confirmation that CV Junyo was sunk way back when in the foray into the IO. So, Yamato, Hiyo, and Junyo on that one.

Zuikakau is still showing sunk in the Marshalls, but I do not buy that one at all.

August 28, 1942

Truk

Another prep day. Some interesting learning.

1) Seadragon sinks xAK Midori Maru near Balikapapan in a four xAK TF escorted by a DMS.

2) A bit of LRCAP from Oosthaven is working over PBang most days and coordination routines mean some raids come alone. P-40s rough up some Bettys today. Fort building still halted at 38%. Lots of very large sweeps over PBang, Soerbaja, Chungking, etc. mostly find empty skies.

3) The Allied LRCAP effort in Burma is concentrated on Moulmein and the rally hex just north of it. Very small numbers of Allied fighters, but even three can disrupt. Some raids are, some are not. Troop losses are "only" about 150 today. More force is very near to crossing into Moulmein. And the Aussie 7th continues to lead a charmed life with only six squads disabled, morale high and fatigue low.

Off-shore the Allied carriers are lurking again, less one RN sent home. Multiple escort float plane hits on subs out west of Port Blair. The DDs along are some of my best, but it's a constant worry. I want to be in position to run in for a quick hit on coastal resupply TFs seen by the 5-6 subs in shallow water or just on the line with deep. Moulmein supply is open to the south and Tavoy, but not to Chiang Mai or directly to Bangkok.

Still, the ops report says this: "Rangoon expands port to size 7". If he's still building levels he's pretty sure he has supply, at least at Rangoon. I have not attacked or bombarded there in many weeks. Some new armor has moved into the Rangoon hex, but other than that the stack is the same as it was, just more rested and de-disabled. My plan is to start with Moulmein and work backwards, but that's always open to adjustment.

4) Some of the gadfly units roaming the Chinese countryside outside Chungking are jumped. These guys are just there to cut roads as long as possible and jump up and down and wave their arms. I've noticed Mike likes a tidy battlefield, especially in China, and will usually go after these kinds of scrap units. He does, defeating a motley crew and retreating them deeper into his territory and very rough terrain.

Ground combat at 76,46 (near Chungking)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 3516 troops, 38 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 127

Defending force 5897 troops, 48 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 47

Japanese adjusted assault: 240

Allied adjusted defense: 85

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+)

Japanese ground losses:
45 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
776 casualties reported
Squads: 27 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 161 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 10 (8 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Units retreated 4

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
66th Infantry Regiment

Defending units:
3rd Chinese Cavalry Corps
39th Group Army
1st Chinese Base Force
3rd Construction Regiment

5) One-plane recon from Rabaul showed an anchor at Truk, so the B-17s fly on port strike today. A good size strike and a Zero CAP. Couple of Forts are lost, couple of Zeros, no port damage. Need better recon.

The newer-model B-17s can't reach Truk, so they work over northern NG.

Morning Air attack on Maizuru 1st SNLF, at 97,123 (Madang)

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17F Fortress x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
27 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Morning Air attack on III/66th Naval Guard Unit, at 96,119 (Wewak)

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-17F Fortress x 10

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
113 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

August 29, 1942

The Site Is Borked!

The forum software won't let me bold anything and word wrap is disabled, so I'm going to just throw this up for continuity and move on.

1) Getting some fighters to Port Blair makes a big difference. Torpedo and regular bombers stage six strikes on passing TFs. Two IJN DDs are hit by torpedoes, but no sinking sounds are noted. The other four come up empty but everyone gets home. I expect Port Blair will be plastered tomorrow, but that will give the MUTTLEYs a break.

2) Various inconsequential sub/ASW actions. Sturgeon has one penetrating hit at Benk. that also disables the forward tubes. To the yard in Perth she goes.

3)Oddest bombardment I've ever seen. The cruiser/DD gaggle moves down from Rangoon to Moulmein and whales away. Not one casualty. Never seen this before.

Night Naval bombardment of Moulmein at 55,55

Japanese Ships
CA Furutaka
CA Myoko
CL Tama
CL Abukuma
CL Yura
CL Natori
CL Isuzu
DD Mikazuki
DD Minazuki
DD Yugiri
DD Sagiri
DD Ayanami
DD Uranami
DD Shirayuki
DD Shirakumo
DD Kagero

CA Furutaka firing at 39th Indian Division
CA Myoko firing at 76th Chinese Corps
CL Tama firing at 39th Indian Division
CL Abukuma firing at 37th Chinese Corps
CL Yura firing at 82nd Chinese Corps
CL Natori firing at 82nd Chinese Corps
CL Isuzu firing at 39th Indian Division
DD Mikazuki firing at 3rd New Chinese Corps
DD Minazuki firing at 3rd New Chinese Corps
DD Yugiri firing at 82nd Chinese Corps
DD Sagiri firing at 39th Indian Division
DD Ayanami firing at 39th Indian Division
DD Uranami firing at 76th Chinese Corps
DD Shirayuki firing at 71st Chinese Corps
DD Shirakumo firing at 39th Indian Division
DD Kagero firing at 82nd Chinese Corps

4) Burma troop bombing normally heavy, but more and more CAP is getting up. Only about 120 lost today and a bunch of Sallys and others are downed or damaged.
The Aussie 7th Div. has left the rally hex heading into Moulmein proper. It takes 40 casualties today.

FWIW, the right-click menus are disabled now too. Cut & paste only through keyboard shortcuts.

Sounds like you have a browser problem? Everything works fine for me in Chrome!

I've had a lot of bombardments do that, even with recon and full detection levels.

Wonder what causes it?

Could it be FOW?

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Sounds like you have a browser problem? Everything works fine for me in Chrome!

I think I was auto-upgraded to IE11 in the recent set of patches. When this happened with IE10 I had odd forum stuff happen. The font auto-shifted to Courier and the main page doesn't refresh unless I right-click tell it to. Now this. I think the forum software was designed by Fred Flintstone and ain't compatible with whatever Redmond is doing these days.

I've tried Chrome but don't like the interface. If this keeps up I may have to try one of the other options.

Post in the General Forum got one "me too!" so far.

ORIGINAL: Encircled

I've had a lot of bombardments do that, even with recon and full detection levels.

Wonder what causes it?

Could it be FOW?

I looked in Tracker and I think it's the real goods. It's good defensive terrain and these weren't BBs, but still, nothing?

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Sounds like you have a browser problem? Everything works fine for me in Chrome!

I think I was auto-upgraded to IE11 in the recent set of patches. When this happened with IE10 I had odd forum stuff happen. The font auto-shifted to Courier and the main page doesn't refresh unless I right-click tell it to. Now this. I think the forum software was designed by Fred Flintstone and ain't compatible with whatever Redmond is doing these days.

I've tried Chrome but don't like the interface. If this keeps up I may have to try one of the other options.

Post in the General Forum got one "me too!" so far.

You don´t like Chrome?! [X(] I tried it once and instantly ditched my long time love Firefox. Firefox might actually be an option for you. Its more like IE. Old and slow... [;)]

But try Chrome again. How you can not love it is beyond me! [:)]

I use Firefox

Not sure how long its got left, but I know what I'm doing with it, and thats rare enough with all these new fangled techy things around.

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Sounds like you have a browser problem? Everything works fine for me in Chrome!

I think I was auto-upgraded to IE11 in the recent set of patches. When this happened with IE10 I had odd forum stuff happen. The font auto-shifted to Courier and the main page doesn't refresh unless I right-click tell it to. Now this. I think the forum software was designed by Fred Flintstone and ain't compatible with whatever Redmond is doing these days.

I've tried Chrome but don't like the interface. If this keeps up I may have to try one of the other options.

Post in the General Forum got one "me too!" so far.

You don´t like Chrome?! [X(] I tried it once and instantly ditched my long time love Firefox. Firefox might actually be an option for you. Its more like IE. Old and slow... [;)]

But try Chrome again. How you can not love it is beyond me! [:)]

I've been using IE since 1.0. Probably when you were a baby. [:)] It's not better, and it's not good sometimes, but it's set up like I like and my fingers know where to go without thinking. Chrome was too "tabby" for me, too spare. I like big and clunky. I'm a child of the 70s! [:)]

My first GF had a Gremlin. If you want to picture of the 70s, it's a pea-soup green Gremlin driven by a girl in high-waist pants and a tube top.

Haha, old habits die hard apparently! [:)]

I used IE in my early computer day (win 3.11) but later switched to Netscape. I was then back on IE for a while but in mid 2000 I switched to Firefox. Had that until Chrome was released. Tried it and instantly switched to it on both phone and computer.

Am I the only one who uses Opera? [X(]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Haha, old habits die hard apparently! [:)]

I used IE in my early computer day (win 3.11) but later switched to Netscape. I was then back on IE for a while but in mid 2000 I switched to Firefox. Had that until Chrome was released. Tried it and instantly switched to it on both phone and computer.

Memory is dim, but I think my first "ISP", which was a rack of gear in a guy's spare bedroom, sent me a copy of Mosaic on a single 3-in floppy when I signed up. US Mail sent. 14k modem, 40 hours a month metered service. I remember loading Mosaic, going to an FTP server in South Africa somewhere, and seeing a picture of a guy's dog. I remember thinking "I'm looking into a guy's computer in AFRICA!! That's so COOOL!!!"

I don't remember how I got IE1. I remember the browser wars with Netscape, but I stood aside. Just stayed with what I knew. Now, I have Chrome installed, but I haven't loaded it in a couple of years. Don't think cookies for this forum are enabled or anything. I haven't logged inhere in many years. I have no idea what my password might be. But I may have to do something. This composition window thing is a deal-breaker.