Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Congratulations.

Those Georges must be very good.

He might surge at you and attempt a general naval engagement depending upon ammo levels.

Goodness, he is still one full day away from landing on Midway.

Anyway you can get recon on Wake?

Is there an AGP at Midway?

Definitely look at improving flak makeup of your task forces. You might want to consider embedding the slow battleships with the CVEs...I believe they offer a very good flak package and will divert attention away from the CVEs. But that is for the future, I doubt he can attack again in the air. He can defend however, I wouldn't launch a retaliatory air strike, but rather think about a naval fight with careful tactics and some CAP out of Midway.

The other good aspect is that his remaining squadrons should have shattered morale.

A lot of AFBs like using their CVEs as disposable, try to avoid thinking like that.[;)]

The only things to be treated as disposable is your enemy and your ordinance.

Not that it really matters at this point, since your Midway ground defense should be robust enough, but it wouldn't surprise me if that Midway-planning 4th Brigade were putzing around the Inland Sea or headed to do garrison duty somewhere on as many xAKLs as possible to ensure SigInt hits. Note that the brigade has at least 29 slices according to one of your intel pieces (post #2122). You haven't actually spotted anything looking like an amphibious TF, have you?

My advice would be to follow Lowpe's advice.

Cheers,
CB

No, sorry I didn't give the full picture. The TF with BB Yamashiro, etc. that wasted all its ammo included what looked to very much be an amphibious invasion force with numerous xAKs, DMSs, and escorts. I just snipped them from the photo. There is definitely an invasion force there with all his other stuff that cannot move that fast at mission speed.

Look at all of those xAKs. Maybe that is why that brigade is so divided up. In fact, it looks like 29 troop carrying vessels in AMC, AK, and xAK ships.

If you think that he is going to charge at you with surface combat TFs but not his Carrier TFs, do you think that it would be worth while to slightly pull back and have shorter ranged Naval Strike set to attack his SCTFs that may end up too far forward? Especially if they were to lose OPs points fighting many small battles against PT boats and small DD TFs?

If you remain unseen it might be worth the effort to see how the landing at Midway goes, I think you have enough there to easily beat back a Bde only. He might use the KB to do a strike on Midway Then when he has his forces engaged at Midway move in from the NW to get behind him and cut off his line of retreat. He won't expect an attack from behind. I am not a fan of the all fighter defense, but it work for Muhammed Ali.

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

If you remain unseen it might be worth the effort to see how the landing at Midway goes, I think you have enough there to easily beat back a Bde only. He might use the KB to do a strike on Midway Then when he has his forces engaged at Midway move in from the NW to get behind him and cut off his line of retreat. He won't expect an attack from behind. I am not a fan of the all fighter defense, but it work for Muhammed Ali.

The danger is that we do not know for sure that the Brigade mentioned in SigInt is the only unit coming. If he did manage to land enough to take Midway, that would be painful.

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

If you remain unseen it might be worth the effort to see how the landing at Midway goes, I think you have enough there to easily beat back a Bde only. He might use the KB to do a strike on Midway Then when he has his forces engaged at Midway move in from the NW to get behind him and cut off his line of retreat. He won't expect an attack from behind. I am not a fan of the all fighter defense, but it work for Muhammed Ali.

The danger is that we do not know for sure that the Brigade mentioned in SigInt is the only unit coming. If he did manage to land enough to take Midway, that would be painful.

+1, Midway really should have high forts and more support. Allied tactical options are kind are limited because of it.

Do you have an AR/AS/AE/AGP/AD up in the Aleutians?

One of the great competitive advantages the Allies have is destroyers, and you should have plentiful ADs to support them on the front lines. Nothing scarier to Japan than the full speed Fletcher raid with P38s providing some LRCAP.

The other interesting tactic is to put AB on Midway with night naval strafing orders and look to maximize your night dls. They can be quite devastating. [8D] IJN CVs usually like to burn which raises dls even more.

A unit switching prep at the last minute, if 100% prepared for the initial target might only have 33% prep for the new target. But that might be enough for the second wave attackers.

Yes, I need to get better at using my auxiliaries. I have all the above up in the Aleutians. Keep in mind I only control half of them. Adak, etc. have lots of Japanese fighters, bombers, but I have plentiful of each of those up there as well.

I have had no indications whatsoever of additional invasion troops. Even then, it will be tough, as John would need sustained attack and bombardment, whereas I can more easily reinforce from Hawaii. I have 160 AV on the island already with level 4 forts. Everyone keeps wondering about the psyops of the attack, but its pretty clear to me this was the brute force main attack with little subterfuge beyond the fact that John initially tried to hide his main KB to the north for some sort of swooping-down attack on my ships leaving Pearl as they came to Midway's relief. When this was discovered, main KB moved down to accompany the invasion force. The convoy we did see had 28 transports, and given that Japanese ships have troop capacity, the brigade could also be divided further among those. Given that, as Bif said, there is at least 29 divisons of the 4th Brigade, this is undoubtedly the force carrying it.

If there are further reinforcements planned, I have not seen it in the sigint. In fact, the only heavy radio activity for the day is sighted in the hex where we see five Japanese task forces currently. Anyways, I'll be putting in initial orders with images as a proposition after Lowpe's comments. The key here is to avoid having my CVEs run into John's SCTFs.

Frankly, I think its an open question if John continues with the landing. I'll happily take that if he does.

ORIGINAL: Anachro
after Lowpe's comments

Make sure you make it your own plan as I have no clue on all the variables: leadership, ship types, ops point, weather, moon, fuel levels, DLs, etc., etc.

ORIGINAL: Anachro

Yes, I need to get better at using my auxiliaries. I have all the above up in the Aleutians. Keep in mind I only control half of them. Adak, etc. have lots of Japanese fighters, bombers, but I have plentiful of each of those up there as well.

I have had no indications whatsoever of additional invasion troops. Even then, it will be tough, as John would need sustained attack and bombardment, whereas I can more easily reinforce from Hawaii. I have 160 AV on the island already with level 4 forts. Everyone keeps wondering about the psyops of the attack, but its pretty clear to me this was the brute force main attack with little subterfuge beyond the fact that John initially tried to hide his main KB to the north for some sort of swooping-down attack on my ships leaving Pearl as they came to Midway's relief. When this was discovered, main KB moved down to accompany the invasion force. The convoy we did see had 28 transports, and given that Japanese ships have troop capacity, the brigade could also be divided further among those. Given that, as Bif said, there is at least 29 divisons of the 4th Brigade, this is undoubtedly the force carrying it.

If there are further reinforcements planned, I have not seen it in the sigint. In fact, the only heavy radio activity for the day is sighted in the hex where we see five Japanese task forces currently. Anyways, I'll be putting in initial orders with images as a proposition after Lowpe's comments. The key here is to avoid having my CVEs run into John's SCTFs.

As a reminder, here is a link to a thread on the auxillaries. Some of them do word as repair vessels so they are doubly useful.

TENDERS and SUPPORT/AUXILLARY SHIP GUIDE
Special credit to and inspired by wwengr.
Includes citations to source (except recommended uses).

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2920431

Yes, I know their function; I'm just not detail-oriented to use them enough. I'll make an effort to get them to forward bases for the future.

We'll see what happens; I opted to send my DDs and CA/DD force in at flank speed, with one DD moving down to intercept anything coming at Midway. The cruisers and one DD TF are trying to move west and down. My undamaged CVEs and my BB task forces move at flank speed slightly north and then to the west. Naval strike setting of distance of 4. My damaged CVEs fleet at flank speed to the northeast.

Nice thing is my PTs are all around the enemy task forces, so he should run into them and hopefully use up more ammo.

Good luck.

My prediction. John looks for surface engagements while moving most of the KB present to 1 hex of Midway. The invasion goes in, hoping that 29 ships can unload the entire brigade in one go. At least one bombardment will happen at Midway. He will probably precede the invasion and bombardments with small surface SAGs to clear away the trash. He might strike Midway with some air assets.

Probably one CV fleet will follow behind the aggressive SAGs hunting your CVEs, most likely on intercept back to Pearl, this is to absorb any possible air strikes from your CVEs so it will be defensive with strike at short range.

He might surge one CV fleet flank speed to get between you and Pearl, he has a speed advantage over your CVEs and is most likely trying to coordinate a night naval battles with another short range aerial strike depending upon how many bombers are left, or they may simply zoom far hoping to catch any support fleets in the area without fighter coverage.

I think your move with the CVE will surprise him, one hopes he doesn't have great night naval search (unlikely), and doesn't let his SAGs react too far (unlikely) or that he gives direct/absolute orders (likely). A little depends if he uses patrol orders or to hex orders and return to base.

The other option he retreats. That doesn't sound like John. He has speed, and thinks a decisive advantage in surface ships (I think). If he spotted some of the slow battleships, I am sure he is really pumped. Course I don't know ammo levels, fuel levels, bombers left, whether he can fly in replacements etc.

Well good luck!

I hope your 4 range aerial strike isn't too much...

Interesting position - the IJ warships are a long way from a safe port, and I don't fancy the IJ chances of taking Midway given the defence.

Ah, no worries, Anachro. I see you did describe it as an Amphib TF earlier.

It does looks like the whole TF is dedicated to hauling the one brigade, though. Barring some seriously bad die rolls I'd say you're quite safe.

Good luck!

Cheers,
CB

April 11th, 1944

Not the big battle we were expecting. John flees, perhaps in the direction that makes the most sense and one I had though he would do if he did flee: southwest. Unfortunately, my ships had gone in a direction more towards Wake Island. More unhappily, John gets some DL on most of my TFs. The one good piece of news is that a submarine does manage to plant two torpedoes into the CVL Ryujo, which shows heavy damage. If she is slowed down enough, there might be interesting tactical possibilities.

What is an AME?

Is that pretty much all he has....perhaps you have really depleted his ammo? Where are his oilers?

Funny to be outmaneuvered by CVEs. How low is your fuel stocks?