Tale of the Sheep! - JocMeister (A) vs. Lowpe (J)

[jmalter]

hi JM, welcome back from your family vacation, those are good times, even if the weather wasn't the best.

ORIGINAL: JocMeister
A big failure and he will have to pack up and leave.
He can´t stay for a long siege.

Wow, if you get a NavSearch sniff that he's trying to evacuate, that's when you should give a maximum effort against naval targets. Limit your bombers' range so they attack his shipping in coastal hexes - you don't need to run up against CV or Surf forces, but should try to ruin his AP/AK ships.

[JocMeister]

No turn today. Jeff told I should have it for tomorrow morning.

He also warned me pace will slow down for a while as he is feeling its a bit too much to handle right now with two games and two AARs. He will also scale back a little on the AAR for this game. His other game should be finished withing a couple of months though and he said we will be back to normal pace then.

I certainly know the feeling as I recently suffered the same kind of exhaustion. Its inevitable when you play a game that demands such a tremendous amount of dedication. I also knew when Jeff took over this game that this one would always come in second. I have WoT and other stuff to fill my time with. [:)]

[Bullwinkle58]

Regarding whether you should "let him off the mat" . . .

I agree with others that you should go for the win--always--in AE. He's a big boy and he chose to do a 1943 WC operation. Believe me, he got a lot of advice in his AAR. It's been interesting and informative for readers on both sides.

It remains to be seen how the WC finally shakes out, but once it does, most likely without an auto-victory, he has to withdraw in some way and you have to address that in some way. At the same time the war continues across the rest of the map.

Letting him off easy in order to allow him to re-group enough to run a conventional remaining war just re-plows frequently visited ground found in myriad other AARs. Instead, here, you have the opportunity to explore a 1943-1944 war with him severely imbalanced geographically as well as wounded on an LCU basis. In particular he has to decide how to handle the future of PH after this operation. What's it worth in terms of logistics after he has expended so much on the WC?

In the balance of the map you have to chance to see just how fast and violently the Allies can move when Japan has flowed so much capacity east. You don't have to slog into Burma for example. You have the chance to perhaps move right onto the western Malaysian coast and drive on Singers. Or go directly against his oil a year early. Many other options. Auto-victory works for both sides.

[CaptBeefheart]

Welcome back from vacation. I think you owe it out of respect to your opponent, and this forum, to prosecute the war to the best of your ability. DEI, here we come!

Cheers,
CC

[JocMeister]

Turn didn´t show up this morning. Not sure what happened. Either Jeff forgot to send it or somehow didn´t finish it. Hopefully later today then...

I´ll give it a thought after Pencil II is over and see how things look. I don´t know. I just don´t see the enjoyment of ending the game in 43 while Canada, NORPAC and the entire CENTPAC including Pearl Harbor is still in Japanese hands.

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Airlosses[/font]
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Finally got the turn. Good day in the air. Mostly in SEA though. Not much air combat on the WC.

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Shiplosses[/font]
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Ashigara not listed although she was the most heavily damaged. Seriously doubt she either she or Takao can make it unless already sunk.

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Next turn[/font]
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P47s are ready to sweep again. Troops can attack again at LA. We should capture Port Blair. CAs will hunt for cripples in SEA. Should be lots of action next turn as well. [:)]

We shall also try and strike 3 convoys at Santa Barbara. Probably leaving BFs and/or reinforcing.

Won´t start with the turn until tomorrow though. Too tired today.

[BBfanboy]

I think the CA on that list is misidentified - it should be Ashigara. Takao may have survived the five bombs and four small shells she took - I have seen the Atago class CVs survive with up to seven X 1000 pound bombs. I give her 50/50 odds. Even if she didn't sink she is out for at least five months, and collecting a CA, CL and Kagero DD sunk against loss of a DD is great results!

[JocMeister]

Turn is away to Jeff.

Hopefully I´ll get the replay back today. Should be eventful!

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]January 20th 1943[/font]
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An awesome turn. Until I double checked with the CR and found out if wasn´t all that good really. We updated to the latest beta last turn and was hit with huge syncproblems. Dang.

Lets start with the WC shall we.

------------------------
West Coast
------------------------
Subs have a good day here today. It was a fantastic day in my replay hitting 2 BBs and sinking a damaged CA.

Instead we have to settle for small fish.

Sub attack near San Diego at 225,79

Japanese Ships
AKE Toyama Maru, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage
CA Mogami, heavy damage
PB Tonon Maru
PB Heiei Maru #7
PB Toko Maru #4
PB Nako Maru #2
PB Okiyu Maru

Allied Ships
SS Sunfish

Sub attack near Santa Barbara at 223,76

Japanese Ships
DD Makigumo, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
DD Ariake

Allied Ships
SS S-30, hits 5, heavy damage

Sub attack near Balikpapan at 64,98

Japanese Ships
PB Hakkaisan Maru, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage
PB Kosin Maru #3

Allied Ships
SS Amberjack

Meh...

Japanese bombard SD both from sea and air to little effect. My sweeps hit nothing and the huge convoy at Santa Barbara is gone.

Then comes a really bummer moment.

Ground combat at Los Angeles (225,76)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 26099 troops, 580 guns, 632 vehicles, Assault Value = 3480

Defending force 66236 troops, 875 guns, 813 vehicles, Assault Value = 1514

Allied adjusted assault: 133

Japanese adjusted defense: 4665

Allied assault odds: 1 to 35

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
135 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 9 (1 destroyed, 8 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
4199 casualties reported
Squads: 120 destroyed, 172 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 78 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 38 disabled
Guns lost 104 (2 destroyed, 102 disabled)
Vehicles lost 52 (5 destroyed, 47 disabled)

[X(][X(][X(]

Had a mid turn save and went back to check my setting. No clue what I did but only 2 divisions where set to attack with the others in reserve. F...

So now I wrecked the two motorized divisions...and they are PERM restricted so I can´t even buy them out cheap.

[JocMeister]

This was my face when I saw the LA attack...

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Pencil[/font]
_____________________________________________________________________________

Another day on the job here. I have overstayed my welcome though...

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Port Blair at 46,58

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 70 NM, estimated altitude 29,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 27 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 23
G3M2 Nell x 15

Allied aircraft
Martlet II x 11
F4F-3 Wildcat x 11
F4F-4 Wildcat x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 destroyed
G3M2 Nell: 2 damaged
G3M2 Nell: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
Martlet II: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
CA Dorsetshire
xAP Duchess of Bedford
xAP Lancashire
CA Cornwall
xAP Dunera, Torpedo hits 1

There was numerous attacks on various TFs. All penetrated CAP including two attacks by Nells on my CA TFs. Luckily we evade all hits. Its clear though that my CAP is spent. Time to pull back. In my replay we captured Port Blair and Little Adaman. In reality with only captured Little Adaman though. So no LBA CAP tomorrow. Which means I will pull out and return later. PB should be safely captured tomorrow.

Ground combat at Port Blair (46,58)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 8838 troops, 28 guns, 61 vehicles, Assault Value = 686

Defending force 5012 troops, 31 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 77

Allied adjusted assault: 563

Japanese adjusted defense: 119

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
353 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 29 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
355 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 66 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled

Assaulting units:
19th Indian Division
14th Indian Division
101st RAF Base Force
108th RAF Base Force
3rd (Special Force) Division

Defending units:
Kure 5th SNLF
21st Air Flotilla
22nd Special Base Force
84th JAAF AF Bn

The CAs will bombard tomorrow and a shock attack will be ordered. That should do it.

None of the previously damaged ship were found by my chasers. I gambled they went south but they might have turned towards Rangoon instead and escaped.

There are a ton of Japanese subs in the area and my ASW TFs are running low on ammo. So we will pull out tomorrow.

[JohnDillworth]

2 torps on a badly needed AKE good day. He doesn't have many, and needs all of them. Did you hit another one of these a while back?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

This was my face when I saw the LA attack...

Yuck! - at the results, not the caricature.

Wondering if you used the buttons for "Set all to this combat orders". I have seen fairly often that not all the units obey that command so I scroll through unit by unit to make sure the setting is correct after I do this.

Only thing I can think of as I am sure you would not forget to give orders to all your units, even when you are tired.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

This was my face when I saw the LA attack...

1 to 35 odds. Ouch.

I'm not sure, coulda been dreaming, can't say, might be wrong . . .

. . . but didn't somebody say "Don't attack at LA. Let him come at you behind the forts you so expensively built"? And that person was promptly shouted down by the Maneuver War brigade?

1 to 35. Sheesh. If you'd have had the whole LA stack attack might it have been 1 to 10?

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

2 torps on a badly needed AKE good day. He doesn't have many, and needs all of them. Did you hit another one of these a while back?

Sadly I think this was the same AKE previously damaged. It was burning pretty badly before being hit by the first torpedo.

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Yuck! - at the results, not the caricature.

Wondering if you used the buttons for "Set all to this combat orders". I have seen fairly often that not all the units obey that command so I scroll through unit by unit to make sure the setting is correct after I do this.

Only thing I can think of as I am sure you would not forget to give orders to all your units, even when you are tired.

Indeed I did. And I didn´t double check which was very stupid of me. Something kept most of the units in "reserve" despite me telling them all to change to "combat". But only the two Motorized divisions did. When I then set all to attack the troops in reserve obviously didn´t.

Bad mistake on my part.

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
1 to 35 odds. Ouch.

I'm not sure, coulda been dreaming, can't say, might be wrong . . .

. . . but didn't somebody say "Don't attack at LA. Let him come at you behind the forts you so expensively built"? And that person was promptly shouted down by the Maneuver War brigade?

1 to 35. Sheesh. If you'd have had the whole LA stack attack might it have been 1 to 10?

Hehe, yeah you did. Problem with letting him come to me in LA is that he is never going to attack there though. He doesn´t even have half the raw AV. Its x3 terrain and he knows for sure there are forts there. Just not how many. So he is not going to attack. He is just trying (successfully) to block me in.

I´ll attack again next turn. I´ll grind him down eventually as I can recover and cycle troops in and out. He can´t. [:)]

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]San Diego[/font]
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Jeff turned his attention fully to SD this turn. Two BB bombardments did very little damage. This was followed up by strat bombing. That is good news for me.

Morning Air attack on San Diego , at 227,78

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 119 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 47 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 20
G3M2 Nell x 27
G4M1 Betty x 29
Ki-43-IIb Oscar x 10
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 5

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 1 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 damaged

Manpower hits 23
Fires 3276

This is no danger for me right now. Even if he burns down the AC factories they can be rebuilt. This also adds more work for his already struggling fighter force. P47s didn´t fly yesterday probably due to weather. Tomorrow will be another tough day for the Japanese in the air I hope...

Another bombardment not going well for the Japanese! [:)]

Ground combat at San Diego (227,78)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 930 troops, 119 guns, 104 vehicles, Assault Value = 2146

Defending force 56101 troops, 790 guns, 639 vehicles, Assault Value = 1392

Japanese ground losses:
Guns lost 50 (39 destroyed, 11 disabled)
Vehicles lost 27 (21 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Units destroyed 1

Assaulting units:
1st Tank Division
21st Division
5th Guards Division
48th/A Division
14th Division
48th/B Division
2nd Division
48th/C Division
8th Area Army
23rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
31st Air Defense AA Battalion
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
3rd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
1st Art.Mortar Regiment
2nd Hvy.Artillery Rgt /1
15th Medium FA Rgt /1
15th Ind.Art.Mortar Bn /1
2nd Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
9th Ind.Hvy.Art. Bn /1

Defending units:
22nd Marine Regiment
37th Infantry Division
25th Infantry Division
43rd Infantry Division
192nd Tank Battalion
31st Infantry Rgt /1
11th Naval District
14th Marine Defense Battalion
30th Field Artillery Regiment
San Diego USN Base Force
Camp Pendleton Base Force
Camp Pendleton
SD Harbor Defense
ComAirFMFPac

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

2 torps on a badly needed AKE good day. He doesn't have many, and needs all of them. Did you hit another one of these a while back?

They're essentially just xAK. As Japan you can convert all of several classes to them if you want.

So really they're 10-12 VPs. but useful to hit them when you can as in theatre he may not have enough.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: obvert

They're essentially just xAK. As Japan you can convert all of several classes to them if you want.

So really they're 10-12 VPs. but useful to hit them when you can as in theatre he may not have enough.

Sadly I think he brought all of them with him to the WC...[:)]

ASW attack near Camp Pendleton at 226,77

Japanese Ships
PB Nichi Maru #1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
PB Seikai Maru
PB Unkai Maru #1
PB Takunan Maru #8
AS Yasukuni Maru
AD Shintoku Maru
AD Ryotaku Maru
AG Hoshi Maru
AG Juyo Maru
AK Nitti Maru
AKV Tensin Maru
AKV India Maru
AKV Holland Maru
AKE Miyatama Maru
AKE Mansei Maru
AKE Norfolk Maru
AKE Hauraki Maru
AKE Dakar Maru
AKE Teihoku Maru
AKE Turuga Maru
AKE Matumoto Maru
AKE Koto Maru
AKE Taito Maru
AKE Kashino
xAP Teison Maru
xAP Teifu Maru
xAP Kasado Maru
xAP Tsingtao Maru
xAP Manzyu Maru
xAP Kokuryu Maru
xAP Haruna Maru
xAP Teia Maru
xAK Hokuriku Maru
DD Natsushio
DD Susuzuki
E Kasasagi
E Ishigaki

Allied Ships
SS S-45, hits 6

The usual sub attack on a PB rather then something important.