Watching with interest. I've never been able to hold Hanoi/Haiphong due to terrain. I've always had to make my line starting with Lang Son going North.
You are right
I will retreat behind Hanoi line as soon as troops from Luangpraband join with main forces.
Get one INF LCU in place in the non-base hexes north from Lang Son ASAP to start forts. That will anchor your lines as you retreat additional forces in place.
Even a weak Bde will work in this role as long as they have at least one engr squad.
3-8 April 1945
After days of air and ground bombardments allies deliberate in Saigon. Base hold. They lose 2x more that Japan but they have reserves. 2000AV vs 350AV. I think i will hold one or two more attacks.
Allied fighters sweep Hanoi. CAP rise to intercept. Ki-83 do good job against P-47D25
68 Japanese fighters lost for 34 P-47[:D]
P-83 sweep Rangoon. 1:1 battle. 25 planes lost for both sides.
Marcus Island again In stalemate. Docup try to deliberate but was hold with small loses for both sides. Last two turns i have airlifted 120AV garrison unit to reinforce base.
Bad place for allies. They almost lost two ID in that island.
I am starting rotating bombardment of Shimushiri-jima. I will use 4 Battleships (2 BB in each TF)
With use of Es (small maximal speed) in TF i manage to force TF to bombard during day without use of flank speed.
It is good solution. I dont need to use flank speed. so no extra fuel is used. And day mission is more effective than night naval bombardment. Last turn 300 enemy soldier killed and 70 squads/vehicles/guns disabled. BBs are protected by 300 fighter CAP.
From tomorrow i will add also 200 bombers.
Oh boy. With the Allies quagmired on multiple islands in the Pacific its going to difficult moving forward. But even so the Allies are still getting new ships every day and its only a matter of time until the USN tries something new.
Shimushiri-jima bombard today from air only. 300+ enemy soldiers KIA and 30+ squads disabled.(13 bombers lost from flak)
Long range search planes detect 3 enemy TFs near Attu (Aleutian Islands) moving West.
Not sure what that mean but i lost over them plane from enemy CAP. It could be LCAP from LBA but also it can be CV TF that i don`t see.
Allies again deliberate in Saigon. Not good. Forts down to 2, no supplies. I hold base today but probably tomorrow base will fall.
I am sending last operational CVE toward South China Sea(second CVE still need 30 days of repairs). I will use it in role they where designed for. Escort. With Saigon(AF lvl9) in allied hands Docup will probably try to use navy bombers to attack tankers convoys moving between Palembang and Manila, And i cant count on LBA support. I am already directed all convoys to move near North Borneo coast line.
I see enemy fleet concentration in Eniwetok.
In Vietnam i start eventuating toward Lang Son line. I already have two ID (one north another south of city) building forts in jungle
My boys hold another assault in Saigon. But tomorrow city will surrender. AV reduced to 0.
Supplies 0.
200 Japanese bombers attack Shimushiri-jima. Almost no flak[:D]. They fly on 11k and only 4 bombers damaged. It looks allies are low on supplies. Bombing kill 200 enemy soldiers and disable 40 squads.
Docup unload something on Marcus Island. I suspecting leftovers of 41st Infantry Division he don`t manage to unload week earlier.
It trigger response from Japanese defenders and 41st Infantry Division go to shock attack. Only that single unit attack but i believe entire ID evaporate.
My kamikaze units don`t fly.
Ground combat at Marcus Island (123,85)
Japanese Bombardment attack
Attacking force 6191 troops, 119 guns, 18 vehicles, Assault Value = 280
Defending force 14751 troops, 304 guns, 487 vehicles, Assault Value = 250
Docup move again in north. Still dont know what he will try to do but this time he is serious. Look at numbers of CAP above his carriers. Currently he is 8 hexes from Shimushiri-jima
Morning Air attack on TF, near Paramushiro-jima at 141,51
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid detected at 120 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 33 minutes
Japanese aircraft
B7A2 Grace x 38
Ki-83 x 34
Allied aircraft
Corsair IV x 11
Hellcat I x 11
Seafire L.III x 40
FM-2 Wildcat x 26
F4U-1A Corsair x 43
F4U-1D Corsair x 133
F6F-3 Hellcat x 147
F6F-5 Hellcat x 134
Japanese aircraft losses
B7A2 Grace: 27 destroyed
Ki-83: 4 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
F6F-5 Hellcat: 1 destroyed
P-51D have baptism of fire today. And allied pilots pay with blood. Docup sweep Paramushiro-jima
49 Ki-84r fight against multiple P-51D sweeps (80 P-51D total). 37 Mustangs never back home. 15 franks lost 1 KIA, 7 WIA pilots
After Mustangs B-29 plaster AF.
Morning Air attack on Paramushiro-jima , at 137,47
Weather in hex: Overcast
Raid detected at 46 NM, estimated altitude 34,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes
Japanese aircraft
Ki-84r Frank x 49
Allied aircraft
P-51D Mustang x 22
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-84r Frank: 4 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
P-51D Mustang: 7 destroyed
Also some planes from enemy carriers attack ships in Kuriles. CAP was not able stop them
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Onnekotan-jima at 136,48
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Raid detected at 30 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes
Japanese aircraft
N1K2-J George x 23
Ki-84r Frank x 20
Allied aircraft
F4U-1D Corsair x 49
F6F-5 Hellcat x 67
SB2C-1C Helldiver x 28
SB2C-4 Helldiver x 12
Japanese aircraft losses
N1K2-J George: 1 destroyed
Japanese Ships
xAK Sanura Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
xAK Kureha Maru #3, Bomb hits 1, on fire
xAK Kashu Maru, Bomb hits 4, and is sunk
E Kiku
xAK Kuretake Maru, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
Doccup is really making a mess of the whole Marcus Island situation. What he really needed to have done was prepare a fresh invasion force and land it all at once. This piecemeal reinforcement is doing more harm than good.
And it seems to me that Doccup is preparing landing on an island near Shimushiri-jima to establish some LBA in the region. No other options make sense to me; I can't imagine it will be a reinforcement of Shimushiri-jima because you've already heavily reinforced your defenses. I have to say I really do not like Doccup's timid firepower strategies. He should have brought in his fast CVs to strike your key AFs in the region at the same time before you could react. Only Paramushiro-jima was smashed which is not enough. This may be yet another opportunity to smash the Allied fleets in a battle where all the LBA is going to be on your side.
Docup defiantly bring hammer this time. I already confirmed 1000+ enemy planes on carriers. But this is not over. I see two more AC TFs that i have low DL on them.
It can be another 1000+ planes or more.
It is not good time to send KB. This is time to retreat everything from see surface back to main island. This is not that i am afraid but i feel this is not right time to carrier clash.
I suspecting 4 options what Docup is doing.
1.He try reinforce Shimushiri-jima. Probably worst chose. I have 2000AV on island with fort 5 and 2x terrain. Even if he capture that island it will cost him to much i believe.
But it is passable that Docup think i have ~1000AV on island. Last time Docup or I use LCUs was when Jap garrison was ~1000AV. And from that moment I dont fight to avoid giving Docup intel about defenders.
2.He only want resupply Shimushiri-jima. His boys must be low on supplies. Month of constant air bombing must burn lot of supplies.
3.He want to land on different island to capture AF and with use of LBA win local air superiority. Itwill also not be easy. All island around have decent garrisons 500-600AV behind fort 6. So no easy to capture.
4.He want to provoke KB and decimate it in carrier battle.
PS. I am sending 20 subs to area. They will star hunting tommarow. All surface fllet will reatret. This time i will give initiative to Docup. I cant stop him from Doing point 1-3 but i can hold my boys and avoid point 4
Docup keeping small AC TF in Marcus island. He don`t land fresh troops. But allied AV is reduced to 96 and Docup have two IDs on island. 41st Infantry Division is 0AV, 40st Infantry Division is 90AV, and TD battalion is 6AV.[:)] Japanise AV 260. I sending also light 250AV ID to Marcus. It is time to push allies back to see.
Allies unload new invasion at Ketoi-jima. 1300AV land last turn. 5th Marine Div confirmed.
Japanese AV 620AV.
KB in full alert. Bad news is that i lost contact with allied DS. I only see CVE TFs in Ketoi-jima hex.
I em prepping KB. If allies move back for few days with fleet i will try to sneak fresh ID to island to reinforce garrison.
Because of lack of time we slowing game speed. I think we will be able to play 3-4 turn weekly maybe 5. Docup have family and all that stuff around it. I need to focus on work
ORIGINAL: koniu
Allies unload new invasion at Ketoi-jima. 1300AV land last turn. 5th Marine Div confirmed.
Japanese AV 620AV.
KB in full alert. Bad news is that i lost contact with allied DS. I only see CVE TFs in Ketoi-jima hex.
I em prepping KB. If allies move back for few days with fleet i will try to sneak fresh ID to island to reinforce garrison.
Well it seems Doccup did exactly what I predicted and landed near Shimushiri-jima to try to gain a base to support his beleaguered troops. But I think Doccup needs 2000+ AV to take the island given your forts and ability to reinforce it; a 2 to 1 edge is not enough. Now he could the prospect of yet another landing mirred on the beaches with no supporting LBA able to turn the tides. Things are only getting worse for the Allies it seems, not better.
If the Allied DS is gone then this is a perfect opportunity to defeat his CVEs with an 8 strike hex on Ketoi-Jima. Losing track of the DS is not so bad; if you take the right approach it should be impossible for the DS to sneak up on the KB without warning.
Allies still keeping small DS (250 planes) in Marcus Island. I think Docup want to blockade island. It can work for him as i am not able to reinforce or resupply base without KB commitment. I was trying two days ago to transfer some supply and troops by air, it cost me 33 transport planes[:(]
North pacific again intensive. Allies unloading in Ketoi-jima and Shimushiri-jima.
On second island allied troops have 1900AV but Docup unload last turn more guns. He have now almost 2000 of them[X(]. Not sure how big is Ketoi-jima attack force but i suspecting it can be close to 2000AV now.
Still not sign of DS but they must be close because he have CAP over fleet.
Over 400 planes DS in Ketoi-jima hex. I try today to move against them. 130 planes lost, allies lost 40 fighters. F6F have difficult time to CAP against A7M2, J2M5 Ki-84r escort. Don`t know if this is pilot quality But so far allies losing more fighters than me when I am attacking DS.
PT boats and subs i have in area sunk 5-7 enemy ships. Sadly only cargo ships and 3 AKA, APA ships.
I do math today. If needed KB will be able to send 870 planes in air. 3 carriers (150 planes) still in repair
Over 400 planes DS in Ketoi-jima hex. I try today to move against them. 130 planes lost, allies lost 40 fighters. F6F have difficult time to CAP against A7M2, J2M5 Ki-84r escort. Don`t know if this is pilot quality But so far allies losing more fighters than me when I am attacking DS.
It' everything combined : he has low quality, low morale, you airframes are just as good if not better, you have high experience (for this stage) japanese pilots, etc...
You have repeatedly eviscerated his Navy airforce, not surprising it can't cope with what you got.
Speaking about pilot xp.
Worst figter pilot in KB is 80xp. Those are elite pilots most of them fly over 200 missions.
It is much worst with bomber pilots. I have some 60-70xp but most of them is 50xp not bad but there is huge hit ratio difference comparing with prewar KB pilots
This is a good example of why the allies should always have a 2nd force ready and prepped if the first one can´t get the job done!
If a critical landing I often had a full Corps ready as a 2nd wave. At least for places like the Okinawas and Mindanao. You HAVE to secure that critical beachhead and do it fast. If you get stuck you can easily loose months and months.
