The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop
PPS - I think we can file "trying to send in your BBs for two days, telling your enemy what you've been trying via e-mail, then trying again the next day" in the BAD IDEA basket.

+1 [:D]

[Chickenboy]

Ugh. What a terrible turn for John. Gotta feel for the guy, but he brought a bunch of it on himself.

[paullus99]

Ouch.....wow, I mean, ouch.

He lost, what, 3 BBs with a 4th in the yards for quite some time, plus a gaggle of Destroyers, a couple Light Cruisers and damage to multiple other ships & he took out a handful of allied warships?

He's fighting as well at sea as he's fighting on Land in China or Burma.....I've always said that he's got an inflated sense of his own abilities & expects that the Allies will just waltz right into his guns.

I suspect it is going to take a while for him to digest this.......

[JohnDillworth]

CR!!! When did you get those TBF's in there? Land based? They did their part, Wow, nicely done. Ships, TBF's, mines, PT's. Everybody did their part. He took his best shot and just took a tremendous beat-down. He is done and will never come back again. I know you don't engage in taunting, but if you did, I would go all Wellington on his sorry ass: "They came on in the same old way and we defeated them in the same old way."

[Canoerebel]

The TBF (and Beuforts) have been parked at Calcutta for months. I've had torp capaibility at Akyab for many months due to 10th USAAF HQ. In fact, the Beuforts flew once about three months ago, putting fish into a couple of destroyers. So John knows (or knew and forgot) that I had torp capability, though he didn't know Avengers were in theater. I'd been holding them until a likely time arrived.

More later tonight.

[Cpt Sherwood]

I can see why John is not real happy about this turn. [X(]

[JeffroK]

Psyops would be not giving JIII any feedback about this turn and having a great Holiday.

Let him stew.

[Canoerebel]

I have edited, considerably shortening, the combat report above, for those interested.

Here's the combat reconcilation for the Second Battle of Assam:

Allies Lost: CA Canberra; CLs Hobart, Adelaide, Dauntless; DDs Vendetta, Hotspur, one PT boat.
Damaged Allied Ships: BB Resolution has 23 Eng damage (no FLT or SYS).

IJN Ships Sunk: BBs Yamashiro and Hyuga; CL Natori; DDsKawakaze, Murakumo, Kuretake, Shiratsuya, Uzuki
IJN Ships Heavily Damaged: BB Mutsu (2 TT, multiple gun and bomb; reporting "fire/heavy damage"; BB Nagato (gunfire, reporting "fire").

The "Points" screen shows that Japan lost 479 points on the day, which would pretty much corrobate the "losses" show above.

Major Factors:
1. Don't know how big an impact the PT boats had, but probably played a big role.
2. Three mine hits shown in the combat report, but Akyab has nine less mines at the end of the day (that means nine hits, because the ACM in port there prevents erosion).
3. Notice how often the Allies crossed the T and gained surprise. The Allies had radar. Visibility was low due to thunderstorms.
4. Tennant and Ching Lee are bad dudes.
5. The Australians are proud.
6. The Avengers were critical.
7. I figured John would bring much more. My force was a bit on the rag-tag size, but big enough and supported by enough (airfields, mines, etc.) that a truly overwhelming force was called for.

[Canoerebel]

10/29/42

Bay of Bengal: Breathing a sigh of relief after winning the Second Battle of Assam, the Allies will sorite some PT boats and combat TFs to chase some cripples (not far - they should all return to base by the time enemy air is up). All Allied ships have 100% ammo, but most TFs are low on TTs. The PT boats rearmed TTs. Will John lick his wounds and try again? He may in about a month or so.

Burma: The Allied shock attack vs. 21st Div. gets a 1:1 but fails. The troops will try again tomorrow.

NoPac: The feint ships are scampering for safe waters. Nells sortied, but went for well protected shipping at Kodiak. The CAP splashed a fair number.

SoPac: Enemy CL/DD TF is raiding uncomfortably close to the Allied invasion TFs and carriers. They'll slide a little further south temporarily. I will use my vacation to mull over the New Guinea invasion. I'm almost certain to go now, knowing that even in a big fight, Japan can ill afford to lose capital ships. Indeed, I think D-Day is 13 or so days away.

77/57

[Cribtop]

BIG win, Dan. Twice John has come to the Bay of Bengal. Twice you have stoned him. The initiative is yours, IMHO.

PS - given item 1 above, you owe me a beer. I have relatives in S. Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Next time I visit, I plan to collect. [;)]

[BBfanboy]

All credit to you for having the "right stuff" present, including your own intestinal fortitude![&o]
Nemo has been maintaining that the Allies should seek night battles in poor visibility conditions to get to point blank range before engaging, and have surprise because of their radar. Your battle strongly supports his doctrine.

Also critical was having British and Australian ships with high experience and working torps. With good commanders they are just as deadly as the Japanese. Give them first shot and OUCH!
BTW, I am certain it was Hotspur that fired those torps at Mutsu. It has a highly experienced crew, considered a hero ship for its torpedo attacks against the Italian fleet.

Your vacation will be all the sweeter for eliminating a big threat to your pixels! [:D]

[JocMeister]

Nice work CR. I bet John is really fuming right now and blaming the engine and whatnot. [:D]

[Miller]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Ugh. What a terrible turn for John. Gotta feel for the guy, but he brought a bunch of it on himself.

That $10 is almost in the bank.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
77/57

More 'accidental' key strokes, Dan? Also-the sudden appearance of those torpedo-equipped Avengers to the surprise of your readers...

You sandbagging us? [;)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Miller

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Ugh. What a terrible turn for John. Gotta feel for the guy, but he brought a bunch of it on himself.

That $10 is almost in the bank.

Not just yet!!

This is John's mod right? He can't quit before he gets all of those toys 5-9 months earlier than usual. Didn't he make extra BCs in this mod anyway? He's got to let CR have a go at the atoll defense units at least.

Someone should start an odds thread for ongoing games! (Or maybe that's a bad idea).

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Miller

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Ugh. What a terrible turn for John. Gotta feel for the guy, but he brought a bunch of it on himself.

That $10 is almost in the bank.

Not just yet!!

This is John's mod right? He can't quit before he gets all of those toys 5-9 months earlier than usual. Didn't he make extra BCs in this mod anyway? He's got to let CR have a go at the atoll defense units at least.

Someone should start an odds thread for ongoing games! (Or maybe that's a bad idea).

OK. You want to go double or nothing on this one for starters, mate? [:)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Miller




That $10 is almost in the bank.

Not just yet!!

This is John's mod right? He can't quit before he gets all of those toys 5-9 months earlier than usual. Didn't he make extra BCs in this mod anyway? He's got to let CR have a go at the atoll defense units at least.

Someone should start an odds thread for ongoing games! (Or maybe that's a bad idea).

OK. You want to go double or nothing on this one for starters, mate? [:)]

That's assuming I've lost the first one, which is not the case. I'll stick with the original bet but throw in a few beers if it happens this does end by Dec. 30 1943 and I'm ever driving through MN or you're stopping over in London. [:)]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: obvert




Not just yet!!

This is John's mod right? He can't quit before he gets all of those toys 5-9 months earlier than usual. Didn't he make extra BCs in this mod anyway? He's got to let CR have a go at the atoll defense units at least.

Someone should start an odds thread for ongoing games! (Or maybe that's a bad idea).

OK. You want to go double or nothing on this one for starters, mate? [:)]

That's assuming I've lost the first one, which is not the case. I'll stick with the original bet but throw in a few beers if it happens this does end by Dec. 30 1943 and I'm ever driving through MN or you're stopping over in London. [:)]

Right. Done and done.

[Schlemiel]

That 1000 yard thing is brutal. I do think it comes down more to who has the better, faster ships as to who benefits. Sending battleships that close at night seems pretty suicidal to me (for either side). I'd honestly fear the cruiser group more than anything with a bb at that range in the dark in 42.

[crsutton]

I just don't understand the general love of using old BBs at night. Ok, sometimes you just have to-especially if you are playing Japan but it just happens way too often. Yes, of course they can deal out damage, but how many times have you seen them engage at 2,000 meters and not fire a single shot. Why give the enemy an opportunity to land torpedo blows on valuable capital ships? This is just what DDs are made for. I see no economy in risking BBs in the hopes that they will shoot up some CLs and DDs. It is not cost effective in any way. 10 major flotation damage on an old BB means at least two months in the yard. It is crazy to use them this way and people have seen enough combat results by now that it is even crazier to send them in expecting any other results.

Not to mention what happens when air power catches the old pigs as they limp away the following day....