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ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Tanaka is savaged in the fight...but it allows Task Force Kongo to close on Soerabaja without firing a shell. The results are devastating:

As an allied player all can say is och.....

Rook749

The game has reached its first speed bump. Apparently, the ABDA forces in Tjilatjap can't take the railways out of town to Soerabaja. The move is accepted and then nothing happens during the turn, and it is reset.

We will see what happens.

A few more posts on the dramatic events of yesterday are in order...especially Tanaka.

Tanaka had to be fished out of the wreckage...how he lived is a miracle!

Java: the big picture and IJ perspective.

About the first offensive action I took in this game was taking an undefended Denpasar with airborne troops. The base suffered mightily in the short term, but now is pretty much forgotten as ABDA concentrates on Kali and Malang currently.

This breather has allowed Denpasar to reopen and house quite a few Vals for interdiction of ABDA shipping, especially if the 20-30 ships in Soerabaja try to make a run for it.

I was worried that using paratroops this early would alert ABDA to their threat and garrison units would protect the bases on Java, but luckily they overlooked the threat.

Taking Malang turned the ABDA’s focus there…while 7 divisions unloaded at Kali without a loss dramatically changing the balance of power in the north. Now, one infantry division will hold Batavia while the rest stream south for the ultimate battle on the open ground of Soerabaja.

Malang is so weakly held, primarily by the shattered remains of the 38th Infantry Division with a 23 morale…but ABDA doesn’t recognize this. They see a 250 AV in the bombardment screen and try to get more troops there. As ABDA air tries to soften these guys up, the primary threat is free to maneuver.

At Loemadjang and now Bandoeng IJA forces will have taken prisoners large numbers of specialty troops…air maintenance specialists. This has to hurt ABDA’s remaining forces shelled at Soerabaja yesterday.

Soon, I will be able to concentrate Japanese air power to hopefully shut down the last major ABDA air base.

I believe ABDA’s plans are to create a fortress Soerabaja and hold out there like they did at Manila, but the terrain is against them this time.

At Semarang is PT-37. I must have had about 25 skirmishes with this PT boat and can't hit it! The ammo expended on this one miserable craft has been amazing....we obviously need more gunnery practice!

Luckily, the PT-37 hasn't hit anything with torpedoes, but she still might!

China

A river crossing north of Kweiyang!

The last week has been particularly bad for China's troops. I don't see it getting better for them anytime soon.

My primary goal now is to deprive China of the Changsha region's industrial production. Not sure what to do after that...on one hand I could conquer it all, on the other hand I find that a little gamey.

Right now, I am leaning towards containment, supply conservation. Boring.

We have a HR to pay political points for crossing borders.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Ouch. Those support losses are going to hurt any ops he's hoping to run in the next year or so. I really like how you're turning this game around - it just goes to show that no matter how bad things get for Japan in 1942, as long as she's got a navy it's still better than what the Allies have [8D].

Thanks for the encouraging words. I feel so very very weak and exposed, and I am taking risks I would never normally do...but it is all fun. Great fun in fact.

ORIGINAL: rook749

As an allied player all can say is och.....

Rook749

Don't crowd your air bases! [:D]



I think he was relying upon either minefields, or the industry in Soerabaja to protect his planes. I think, but don't know, that with a high enough detection level bombarding the port is relatively safe. Of course, I probably was just lucky.

Since I bombarded Batavia, he had to know I would bombard Soerabaja too.

I need Java. I need Rangoon. I might need Port Blair...especially if I destroy the 18th Division that is there.

Ok, got this email the Allies:

so for whatever reason, it appears that you can't strat move out of a hex once it is occupied. I don't know if it is a bug or if it is intended. I don't agree with it... if my units are packed and on the trains, troops on the other side of the hex shouldn't be able to stop them from moving (bombard / bomb / otherwise attack ok - but not outright stop). I'll leave it to you on how you want to handle it.

I have never, ever, tried to SR out of an occupied hex. Is it a bug or wad? My guess is wad.

I could move my troops out to let him SR out and away, but then I couldn't cut the rail lines with more paradrops.

He sent me a fresh turn, but then added in another email that he had forgotten something -- so I am letting him resend the turn.

I am not out to win the game at any costs, and therefor am inclined to move my troops back and let him SR away despite slowing my timetable down...

What do you think?

Games back on track, thanks to forum answers.

I was greeted with this enjoyable sight...hit twice by a sub. She has two hexes to to make it to a port size 1. Can she do it? I am dispatching 2 pbs and 2sc to merge this day with her.

Bandoeng capitulates! A day or two earlier than anticipated.

His British bombers and some American one hit Ramree.

Here is why the Allies were worried about Tjilatjap! A veritable hornets nest. Good thing the 21st Division arrives tomorrow.

Isolate the island and kill all of those troops. That's a big fat stack of LCU VPs.

Banzai!

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Isolate the island and kill all of those troops. That's a big fat stack of LCU VPs.

Banzai!

Great minds think a like.[:)]

The Island has been blockaded for a while now. Here is the north Java in a little more detail. I was going to paratroop in and take some of the empty bases...but will hold off and just use afvs.

If you can get these surrounded on a coastal hex, just keep two divisions there and blast them every other turn with naval bombardments for the next month. That'll net a good haul of points and even if these are bought back the Aussies will not likely get back to full strength for a few years. This is worth your loss of time from the early poor play by your predecessor.

While those are isolated and the rest of Java is mopped up, get your other troops out to make a difference wherever else you're being challenged or behind schedule.

A quiet air day in Java -- some night bombing of the airbase at Kali.

Lost a fully loaded tanker, large Type 1TL, off Miri to a submarine attack.[:@] Time to change the routes again.

But, up in the north Emilies spot a visitor...a CV I suspect. I am really weak here with but destroyers in theater and second rate airplanes for training. I guess I will be flying some back shortly to better garrison this area.

He can't bomb industry without being in range for two turns...of course, he might turn tail now that he is spotted.

Java shaping up nicely...one more division is arriving shortly from Manila.

Allies seem to be flying their planes out, at least those than can. He might disband others back to the pools if he can. Still, plenty of Allied fighters at his two southern bases.

I am starting to plan out night fighter strategy and Obvert is right that there is some tough upgrade paths to get Army night fighters, and in general the Army fighters are inferior to the Navy until Randy comes along if you last that long.

So, prior to Randy you have 3 choices: Nick, Dinah and Peggy. Nick and Dinah got poor marks from Obvert, but you need to make them to fill out groups to have coverage and help disrupt attacks. Given this philosophy, I am also thinking about Peggy.

Sure, her gun is horribly inaccurate, but on par with the 37 mm that the Nick and Dinah sport but the 75mm has twice the penetration level and she is armored like the Nick. The Peggy can also fire from outside the range of the 50 caliber guns on the bombers...if that works properly. I can't see them using the turret rear machine gun against bombers, which would put them in range of the 50 calibers.

Peggy might be more durable than Nick for this reason.

So, has anyone used the Peggy and how horrible is she as a night fighter?

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I am starting to plan out night fighter strategy and Obvert is right that there is some tough upgrade paths to get Army night fighters, and in general the Army fighters are inferior to the Navy until Randy comes along if you last that long.

So, prior to Randy you have 3 choices: Nick, Dinah and Peggy. Nick and Dinah got poor marks from Obvert, but you need to make them to fill out groups to have coverage and help disrupt attacks. Given this philosophy, I am also thinking about Peggy.

Sure, her gun is horribly inaccurate, but on par with the 37 mm that the Nick and Dinah sport but the 75mm has twice the penetration level and she is armored like the Nick. The Peggy can also fire from outside the range of the 50 caliber guns on the bombers...if that works properly. I can't see them using the turret rear machine gun against bombers, which would put them in range of the 50 calibers.

Peggy might be more durable than Nick for this reason.

So, has anyone used the Peggy and how horrible is she as a night fighter?

If it does get a hit there must be a good chance of destroying the target.

If the game treats night air combat differently from daytime combat then the upward pointing guns on the Nick and Dinah should perform better than the center line gun on the Peggy. Also the Nick and Dinah should only be vulnerable from the ventral guns on the bombers. However, if it treats it the same as day combat then the gun being center line mounted may offset some of its inaccuracy.