Bill Brings Banzai

[jdsrae]

ORIGINAL: durnedwolf

Hi Bill,

In China, normally I'm running all of my "garrison" troops hither-yawn to different bases so I can free up good divisions stuck pulling garrison duty. It looks like you've no house rules. Will you pull troops and air groups from Manchukuo for your China campaign?

Moving 5 x infantry divisions and most of the artillery / engineers will still leave an 8k+ garrison in Manchukuo. I moved HQ 20th Army with them.
More troops fighting in China will use more supply, but I think it’s worth it.
I learnt after I moved HQ 2 Air Div and a bunch of AF Bns that you can’t move the air groups to China until you pay PP, so I sent the base forces back and will just use all the Manchukuo air groups for basic training until I can buy some air groups out later.

Note that a few of the Divs in the 100s are actually Type B fighting Divs (with combat engineers) that you can better use on the front line. You can replace them with the C type garrison Divs as they have a tendency to get chewed up by big stacks of Chinese troops anyway. The 100+ Divs at Canton, Shanghai and one up north from memory.

[BillBrown]

First report, more later
Dec 13, 1941

Things took a huge swing to the better this turn

Morning Air attack on TF, near Howland Island at 146,125

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 34 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 44
B5N2 Kate x 74

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 13
F4F-3A Wildcat x 23
F4F-3 Wildcat x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 3 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F2A-3 Buffalo: 1 destroyed
F4F-3A Wildcat: 4 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Enterprise, Torpedo hits 6, and is sunk
DD Balch
CA Chester
CA Northampton, Torpedo hits 1
CA Salt Lake City
Fuel storage explosion on CV Enterprise
---------------------------------------------

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Howland Island at 146,125

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 35 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 33
B5N2 Kate x 78

Allied aircraft
F2A-3 Buffalo x 16
F4F-3 Wildcat x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 6 destroyed, 1 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CV Lexington, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CA Astoria, Torpedo hits 1
CA Chicago, Torpedo hits 3, on fire
CA Portland
DD Drayton

Fuel storage explosion on CV Lexington
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring an Allied CV
-------------------------------------------------------------
this took place at 7 hex range and the DBs were set for 6.
Moving in to take care of the cripples with DBs.
A lot of the afternoon Kates were using bombs, I only have 18 torpedoes left.
But with no effective CVs to worry about, The Vals can clean up.

[Anachro]

You are making your opponent, relatively new to the game, learn a lesson. He will miss those carriers, thought it will still certainly be possible for him to spring a trap if you give him the right situation. If not, you are in good shape till the Essex's come along.

[btd64]

From an AFB point of view, that sucks early on. Lex is a goner to....GP

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown
Things took a huge swing to the better this turn

Tenno Heiko BANZAI!!! BANZAI!!! BANZAI!!! [&o][8D]

[Chickenboy]

Lexington isn't dead yet-not from 2 torp hits and a fuel explosion. She's not at all well, but that's not the same. Close and finish her.

Do you have an SCTF that can precede KB into the fray? Were I the Allied player, I'd probably cobble together some group of undamaged CAs and take a shot at KB to buy the Lexington time to make Pearl. The SCTF shield before KB would be useful to deflect a desperation bid.

Also, any submarines between Howard island and Pearl that can be given patrol zones on likely axes of retreat?

[BillBrown]

Yes, yes, and yes CB

I have my AO fleet moving in to refuel KB in a couple of turns
I sent them to Kwajalien on turn 1, they have been waiting to see what happens.

[BillBrown]

Dec 13, 1941

Ship and air losses. Sadly I seem to lose 1 or 2 ships most every turn to
those pesky S class subs and the dutch ones.

He seemed to set his CVTF CAP to 100 %, since there were two ineffective SBD
strikes on KB that were not escorted.

[BillBrown]

Here is a quick look at the overall economy

[BillBrown]

For what it is worth, here is my aircraft production. Anyone see something wrong?
Are 64 Oscars a month enough or should I boost that?

[BillBrown]

Here is my Air R&D. I have not resized all the R&D factories to 30 yet, so the total looks low

[jdsrae]

On your Oscars, 64/month will keep your current Oscar groups fighting with change.
How quickly do you want to upgrade Nate groups so they can fight too?

Looks like you haven’t lost a single Oscar yet, but once you get them into the fight they will take some combat and a few more ops losses.
I’ve noticed that I’m not losing as many as I thought I would, they are either tougher than zeros or fighting easier opponents.
I’ll probably build 90/month next time.

[BillBrown]

OK, next turn I will change them.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown
Things took a huge swing to the better this turn

Edit: hah, first I thought those were all your subs. Was maybe thinking about Sara [:D]
Those moments are what JFBs fight for! Also, sudden carrier loss syndrome might rear its ugly head for your opponent. Be gentle

ORIGINAL: BillBrown
For what it is worth, here is my aircraft production. Anyone see something wrong?
Are 64 Oscars a month enough or should I boost that?

Air war intensity can differ wildly depending on your opponent moves, so it is hard to tell beforehand. Not overproducing the early planes is a good enough goal

[jdsrae]

I resized all my factories in the first week of my current game and didn’t run out of supply. That was the main thing I wanted to test.
I just monitored the supply stockpile in Tokyo and it hovered around 100k for a few months but I didn’t get any cautionary exclamation marks anywhere.
To do it I didn’t export any supply from Japan until Mar 42. My armies used what supply they had on hand until then and none of them ran out anywhere either.

It’s now Apr 42 in my game and my supply pool in Japan is growing again with some supply now being exported to feed the Southern and China Expeditionary Armies. The extra supply I’ve captured along the way has helped keep the Armies fed and fighting.
Only a few of my big engine factories are still repairing. All my research engine factories are researching and all of my aircraft research factories are slowly repairing as the dice rolls allow.

I’d recommend using most of your supply in Japan to get your aircraft research factories going so you get the new toys asap

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

For what it is worth, here is my aircraft production. Anyone see something wrong?
Are 64 Oscars a month enough or should I boost that?

I think 64 Oscars/month are fine. Again, this is Scenario 2 and you'll get the Ki-44-IIa in June 1942 by default (you'll get enough 'research' to pull it forward a month). That will be a more useful IJAAF aircraft for you for the balance of 1942 anyways.

ETA: Fixed date of arrival.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

Dec 14, 1941

Ship and air losses. Sadly I seem to lose 1 or 2 ships most every turn to
those pesky S class subs and the dutch ones.

He seemed to set his CVTF CAP to 100 %, since there were two ineffective SBD
strikes on KB that were not escorted.

I really like using the surfeit of SC and cSC ships in the DEI and big ports in the area for short-range escort or local ASW patrol. I actually replace some of their skippers to get their naval skills and aggression up in the midling area. They're the best ASW platform (in terms of ASW rating) you'll get for a long time and you have them in abundance.

They've got pretty short legs, so you'll have to stagger them through Nagasaki-Shanghai-Hong Kong-Manila-wherever. I'd have them coating the coast of Luzon and the Formosa straits to dissuade such S-boat activity.

Even with a 100% CAP and 80NM detection, the Allied fighter scramble was entirely ineffectual. Altitude settings?

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

Dec 14, 1941

Would you mind posting the combat report for 12/14? It's difficult to discern what happened on this day versus the 12/13 actions. The A2A losses on 12/14 suggest a major engagement and probable ship CV loss (30 SBD-2 on 'ground').

[witpqs]

I really like using the surfeit of SC and cSC ships in the DEI and big ports in the area for short-range escort or local ASW patrol. I actually replace some of their skippers to get their naval skills and aggression up in the midling area.

Keepin' words alive! Atta boy, er, Chiceknboy. [8D]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista
Also, sudden carrier loss syndrome might rear its ugly head for your opponent. Be gentle

No way. Times like this call for the jackboot to go onto the throat. Sure, don't lord your victory over him in your communications, but you've got to cut his guts out (in the game) early and often.

Perhaps he'll be demoralized by SCLS and quit? It's possible. But I'd rather have that happen early in the game than later. It would also be helpful to fellow forumites to know what future opponents are more likely to fade into the ether at the first sign of trouble.