Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Encircled]

Probably not going to want to hear this, but the losses you will take retaken Port Blair (and a prep of 0 is well iffy) won't be worth it.

If you had some prep, then yeah, go for it

Regarding the DL 10/10, that is an unpleasant surprise in my current game as well, and I wish I knew how he did it.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

Regarding the DL 10/10, that is an unpleasant surprise in my current game as well, and I wish I knew how he did it.

It is incredible and I have probed his entire logistics line from Saigon to Honshu...perhaps he is flying at 100 feet? I have never seen anything like this and it means a sea change of tactics for an incredible amount of game play.[:(]

[Lowpe]

You guys are right, of course about the Port Blair reconquest.

[Lowpe]

Learning lots of things about how Japan plays...

Notice the circled unit, it is the 102 Regiment, 102 AV, and I have 407 Chinese AV there now in two Corp...but he is pushing on...we met here two days ago, he stopped movement for a day and then started again.

Japan has 2-3 units pushing on Pingsiang. 2 I think, with a third holding open the bridge to the southeast. China has Two corp at Pingsiang, with more arriving each turn for the next three days I think...we should be able to get over 1,000 av there in level 1 forts.

The 102nd Rgt is obviously designed to support the attack on Pingsiang, to prevent an isolation I think.

The other thing to note, is that the beach ports of Amoy etc, must be pretty well stripped of defenders and they are vulnerable. Japan is probably eating some temporary garrison VP deficits early here to speed up his conquest.

The eastern push towards Sian doesn't look stoppable to me, but I might be able to buy some time allowing the Reds from Yenan to get back...

The southern push up the Sian road or Ankgang road I am confident I can stop now...

I always thought Sian is a deathtrap to this type of double envelopment...Japan is bringing enough units to surround and isolate it...I want the bulk of my troops in the mountains north and west of Sian...but that doesn't mean I don't want to keep the two Japanese schwerepunkts separated for as long as possible. I need time for Chinese troops to get into position, dig in, and acquire more support troops and recover from disablements. If I can get two Corp to hold a position on the Sian road where retreat isn't possible they can stop forward movement for a week or two before they are finally wiped out. Not sure it is possible with Ankang though.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: JoV

What gives you confidence that Japan will move into India or Oz? Past experience of the player or disposition of Japanese forces to date? Admit no PH strike and quick Java conquest does seemingly point in that direction...but how much would an alternate drive into the South Pacific upset your current plans? Am interested to see which way this one goes [:D]

Would be curious to see if the early Port Blair landing could be countered like you are planning. Seems risky without fighter cover though...

I do know Japan is playing for AV, and in a scenario 2 game that is a real threat. That means China + something. A super early attack on India seems most likely to me because he has to take China too. If he leaves India alone and goes for Australia and south pacific he might not be able to take all of China quickly enough since he knows how I will move heaven and earth to dump supplies into China.

He has the benefit of attacking India in several games.

Port Blair....everything is risky. Slowing down Japan is the name of the game, and gaining even a day or two early here can mean quite a lot.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Encircled

Regarding the DL 10/10, that is an unpleasant surprise in my current game as well, and I wish I knew how he did it.

It is incredible and I have probed his entire logistics line from Saigon to Honshu...perhaps he is flying at 100 feet? I have never seen anything like this and it means a sea change of tactics for an incredible amount of game play.[:(]

Any chance that a Glen FP from an I-boat could get a DL like that? Otherwise, perhaps a flock of Jakes from a CS?

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: JoV

What gives you confidence that Japan will move into India or Oz? Past experience of the player or disposition of Japanese forces to date? Admit no PH strike and quick Java conquest does seemingly point in that direction...but how much would an alternate drive into the South Pacific upset your current plans? Am interested to see which way this one goes [:D]

Would be curious to see if the early Port Blair landing could be countered like you are planning. Seems risky without fighter cover though...

I do know Japan is playing for AV, and in a scenario 2 game that is a real threat. That means China + something. A super early attack on India seems most likely to me because he has to take China too. If he leaves India alone and goes for Australia and south pacific he might not be able to take all of China quickly enough since he knows how I will move heaven and earth to dump supplies into China.

He has the benefit of attacking India in several games.

Port Blair....everything is risky. Slowing down Japan is the name of the game, and gaining even a day or two early here can mean quite a lot.

Yeah, in this game, avoiding AV is the first priority.

To get it, if he rolls up Madras -> Calcutta it almost guarantees it IF he gets all the troops. Those troop points are what really add up to tip him to AV. So you need to ensure you don't allow to many units to be encircled .... CHI too, but those are 1/2 the points so you can afford to lose more there.

[Lowpe]

So, I am thinking about Oz...and our initial plans is to turn Kalgoorlie into a huge base, and relocate a lot of Aussie troops here as Perth is definitely at risk.

The question, is if I relocate the bulk of the Australian army to this coast...can I hold Perth? Probably not if Oz is the focus, but yes if Perth is part of an AV campaign in taking India.

Japan is moving fast and hard and invading directly...so my thought is to move a ton of troops here, stripping the east coast pretty much and rely upon the USN to provide enough safety for that Coast.

Oz troops are horrible this early pretty much, but there is a lot of engineers and cd units scattered about.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Encircled

Regarding the DL 10/10, that is an unpleasant surprise in my current game as well, and I wish I knew how he did it.

It is incredible and I have probed his entire logistics line from Saigon to Honshu...perhaps he is flying at 100 feet? I have never seen anything like this and it means a sea change of tactics for an incredible amount of game play.[:(]

Any chance that a Glen FP from an I-boat could get a DL like that? Otherwise, perhaps a flock of Jakes from a CS?

Having thought about it while getting ready this morning, it is not floatplanes from AVs as they are being using to provide CAP over invasion sights and forward task forces.

Army bombers are notoriously absent...so that is part of it.

But there is something else, the 10/10DL at Baker could only have come from float planes on Iboats --even if he is flying several floatplanes I have never been able to do that...I mean he gets 1 dl from the Iboat, maybe a 2nd from an attack...but to get 10/10 across multiple task forces...it is simply amazing.

[Lowpe]

Trying to rescue these guys...hopefully they can get away. Fingers crossed.

[Lowpe]

I figure he will land with as much as 5 divisions within three weeks, perhaps 2 weeks.

Singapore has to hold for a while to slow him down.

Other than planting mines at those likely invasion hexes that have CD guns, getting supplies and fuel off Ceylon, and making festung Bombay and Karachi not sure what else to do here...I don't think I can contest the invasion on the beaches given how poor the troops are.

Preplacing the British warships in ports to challenge the invasion beach hexes might work, but then they would be gone...

If the USN Carriers are tied up saving the Thundering Herd for 2 weeks, then an operation against Hokkaido could be started and that coincides with the arrival of the Yorktown (14 days, Wasp 73 days). I think an operation against Hokkaido would go to primarily shooting down attacking Japanese planes and secondarily for scoring strategic vp...Japan can move quite a lot of AA to Hokkaido if they want to though (I do).

[Lowpe]

And finally, if India hopes to stand...don't these bases need to be heavily protected, but how this early?

[PaxMondo]

To hold India, I think you have to start moving USA units right away ... when do your first ID's arrive in Cape?

[RangerJoe]

Move some armour to those islands. Maybe even some American armor as well. Engineers and supplies to build forts, combat engineers will also defend. Some CD guns may help. Maybe even an entire division if you can spare it until the forts are Maginot Line effective.

With the Chinese forces going into India, they will help the defense.

Since he did not attack Pearl Harbor, you have a rather large bombardment force to hit strategic places along the coast while the carriers supply CAP and wreck convoys. Combine those with surface raiders and resource and oil shipments can be stopped for a little while. Take some of the Kuriles if you can especially if they are undefended. Hold the for the winter and have fuel there for the short ranged S-boats and any Dutch subs that may make it there. With some Cats for Naval Search, that would make your subs more effective. The other subs with Mark 14s could lay mines and then wait with guns for lonely ships.

How many Betties and Nells do you see over the Philippines? He may be using those for air search instead of bombing or Naval Attacks.

Once you get some Commonwealth paratroopers in Burma, check those Chinese coastal bases and capture them with the paratroopers if empty then evacuate. He would then have to divert something to recapture them.

[Lowpe]

The massive IJN oiler fleet is at Batavia in 1 day...

The invasion of Ceylon and India will be gathering as soon as Batavia falls...

American troops have been moving from Dec 8th for the East Coast, and the first unit, a base force, arrived today.

It is 44 days to Cape Town, then what, another 2-3 weeks to India. There is not enough time.

[Lowpe]

18th Div reinforcements isn't even on the map yet...

[Lowpe]

My working assumption is that Japan will not clean their perimeter, but will instead keep pushing aggressively forward. He might not take Singers, not clear all of Java, rather he will focus on Batavia, Soerabaja as they are easy and as soon as possible go for Ceylon and India or Oz. He will be content for Philippines to wither on the vine till after April.

[Encircled]

Hells bells, in this mod he can cut India off from the Gulf and Aden really easily

Indian Bdes have small Engineer components and you get a few at the start (in this mod I have no idea, but you do in stock)

Look on the bright side, you only need 100 days and they will be fully prepped for defence, but still have appalling exp and equipment............

[Q-Ball]

Do you think he'll leave Singers behind? I don't think I've seen a game where Singapore was left in the rear for an invasion of India.

If so, this should be interesting, and makes sense why he would grab Batavia right now....Japan needs a major port closer to India, if Singapore is bypassed, you need Batavia. You also really need it for free passage to the Indian Ocean, since passing Singapore won't be an option

The only way IMO to get US units to India any faster than late February (which I think is about max speed shipping through Cape Town) is to load up the Marines Dec 8th and sail all the way to India. That's a tough call however, because there are alot of other priorities for those jarheads along the way.

If the Empire really really commits to landing 4-5 divisions in India in January, I think it's impossible to stop them in Eastern India...you almost have to focus on holding Bombay at that point, and making him cross the reinforcement line

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

So, I am thinking about Oz...and our initial plans is to turn Kalgoorlie into a huge base, and relocate a lot of Aussie troops here as Perth is definitely at risk.

The question, is if I relocate the bulk of the Australian army to this coast...can I hold Perth? Probably not if Oz is the focus, but yes if Perth is part of an AV campaign in taking India.

Japan is moving fast and hard and invading directly...so my thought is to move a ton of troops here, stripping the east coast pretty much and rely upon the USN to provide enough safety for that Coast.

Oz troops are horrible this early pretty much, but there is a lot of engineers and cd units scattered about.

As long as you can bomb out his supply ships so that Perth is under supplied, he doesn't get the points for it. I think your plan is fine.