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Do the Soviets lose a lot of troops anytime soon to the European theater?

May 3, 1942

Japanese CAP traps all miss...Soviets continue to destroy the units at Heiho, with no base, Japan can't evacuate anymore from there.

Allies now have over 200 fighters at Singers and the British fleet is bombarding daily the western coast above Singers threatening to cut the rail line.

ORIGINAL: jwolf

Do the Soviets lose a lot of troops anytime soon to the European theater?

They do lose at least 5 divisions, but I do-not recall the date.

Edit: They lose infantry divisions. No tank units, motorized divisions, artillery leave.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

May 2nd, 1942

Heiho falls.

Oh joy 5K more SOV AFV's. [:@]

That is a lot of fighter production. Do you have the pilots to fly them?

ORIGINAL: offenseman

That is a lot of fighter production. Do you have the pilots to fly them?

Sure, pilots is not a problem. Or a big problem yet.

May 4th 1942

Some Sallies strike elements of the Soviets in western Manchuko, but the flak present prevent any damage. Heiho is attacked again at 360-1 odds, but a few stalwarts remain to tie up Soviet motorized formations and tank divisions.

The British and Americans are looking at cutting the rail lines into Singers. Navy heavily concentrated at Singers under a healthy CAP.

Palembang's beaten defenders holding out in the jungles, but not for long.

May 5th, 1942

The Allies keep reinforcing Malaya...

Japanese CAP traps miss...

Looks like three days for the first A6M3 to roll off the assembly lines...

The Akagi, torpedoed in the opening month of the war several times is almost operational again. Junyo has arrived.

Nicks...

Mopping up in Mindanao.

Manchuko

May 7th, 1942

Allies strike Kuching with waves of bombers and finally a Lightning Sweep. Zeroes at 40% and Oscars at 50% did well but really wore themselves out in a very long first engagement. A third wave of heavies came in (7 planes) unopposed and did a fair bit of damage. First appearance of the Lightning in an offensive role for quite a while.

I have been thinking on how to counter Allied bombers, and in past games used NF set to an altitude lower than the bombers. This seemed to yield much better results than flying say 2-3K above the bombers.

The first fight had a long initial encounter but with few enemy planes destroyed according to the animation, but the bombers were caught after making their runs and that seemed to be where most were destroyed. The Wellingtons should be noted are pretty darn slow.

3 Zeroes and 0 Oscars lost for 17 Wellingtons, 3 Beasts (2 D's & 1 E) and 2 Mitchells.



AFBs will tell me the Wellington Ic are junk, but they have good range, durability, and decent payload. Sure they don't compare to top tier Allied bombers, but used correctly they are very good I think. I wish Japan had something equivalent.

These Dutch planes have sank more shipping, used this way, for whatever reason I cannot get my fighters into them flying LRCAP at very low altitudes. Well, I can think of some of the reasons: distance, no radar, etc.

I was shocked to see these two little destroyers make it this far, as they were at Cam Ranh Bay yesterday unloaded, and they really steamed hard and furious only to sink.

Understanding Fast Transport mechanics is surely an art.


Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Chumphon at 52,66

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 6 NM, estimated altitude 5,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 2 minutes

Allied aircraft
Do-24K-1 x 2

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
DD Yanagi, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage

Japanese ground losses:
28 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 5 (3 destroyed, 2 disabled)

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



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Chumphon at 52,66

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 4,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Allied aircraft
Do-24K-1 x 3

Allied aircraft losses
Do-24K-1: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
DD Yamagumo, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

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

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

Plane losses for the Day....

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

... AFBs will tell me the Wellington Ic are junk, but they have good range, durability, and decent payload. Sure they don't compare to top tier Allied bombers, but used correctly they are very good I think. I wish Japan had something equivalent.

Those will be AFBs who cannot win unless everything is stacked heavily in their favour.

There is nothing wrong with the Wellingtons. They are best used as night bombers which of course is what they were mainly used in the ETO until the British 4Es became available. Daylight operational usage where enemy fighters are present will see them perform like all other 2E bombers unless they are well escorted. Few AFBs are prepared to escort their bombers, preferring instead to use sweeps ineffectively.

Alfred

Re the Dutch Dorniers.
 
Are you flying the LRCAP at 1k altitude?
 
Alfred

Worth mentioning that he can't sustain those losses.

I think thats two months Wellington replacements right there

ORIGINAL: Alfred

Re the Dutch Dorniers.

Are you flying the LRCAP at 1k altitude?

Alfred

No, 3K is normally the lowest I go. This time the ships moved too far and had no LRCAP. Sitting ducks.

May 9th, 1942

The A6M3 finally arrives. Nicks repairing.

Allies on the march around Singers and in Manchuko.

Turn is finished and off to the Allies. I forgot to take a picture of the Singers area, but the Allies are pushing forward with troops, planes and ships. He is super aggressive....