Defending the empire 1943, the allies attack - a Jap AAR
Moderators: wdolson, Don Bowen, mogami
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Here we can see the stats for my three main taskforces. Another force of two BBs and some CAs and DDs are refueling at Palembang.
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The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Recon report of Trimcomalee:
When my recon-Betties arrived, the base was protected by a defensive CAP of 4 Hurricane IIb.
Enemy forces reported at the base are 3 units consisting of 4900 troops, 57 guns, 2 AFV.
Tomorrow I'll do a recon run of Colombo.
When my recon-Betties arrived, the base was protected by a defensive CAP of 4 Hurricane IIb.
Enemy forces reported at the base are 3 units consisting of 4900 troops, 57 guns, 2 AFV.
Tomorrow I'll do a recon run of Colombo.
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Recon report just came in from Colombo. The recon Bettys were met by a CAP of 6 Mohawks and 18 Hurricane IIb's.
Reports on the ground indicate a single unit 3700 men, 42 guns and one AFV. Sweet mother...he has left Ceylon completely undefended.
I have a division right now at sea just off Andaman Island, together with the two parachute regiments that are also just off Andaman Island. Should I make an attempt on Ceylon instead of reinforcing Akyab? I have the KB in position, I have the entire Combined Fleet in position. Is one division enough?
He has nothing defending Ceylon. Perhaps there are mines there, perhaps he can fly in most of his bombers from India there...I will still have the 200 Zeros from the KB to defend my ships...I have almost my entire navy in this area right now. He cant have much...
Also, look at the sice of his defensive CAP. That is the only base with fighters, and the size of the CAP is pathetic. Maybe the RAF is in more dire straits than I thought.
Reports on the ground indicate a single unit 3700 men, 42 guns and one AFV. Sweet mother...he has left Ceylon completely undefended.
I have a division right now at sea just off Andaman Island, together with the two parachute regiments that are also just off Andaman Island. Should I make an attempt on Ceylon instead of reinforcing Akyab? I have the KB in position, I have the entire Combined Fleet in position. Is one division enough?
He has nothing defending Ceylon. Perhaps there are mines there, perhaps he can fly in most of his bombers from India there...I will still have the 200 Zeros from the KB to defend my ships...I have almost my entire navy in this area right now. He cant have much...
Also, look at the sice of his defensive CAP. That is the only base with fighters, and the size of the CAP is pathetic. Maybe the RAF is in more dire straits than I thought.
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The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
The unit in Colombo can only be the static baseforce that starts there. One of the units at Trimcomalee must also be the static base force.
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
I am really considering this move.
I have the units in place, he is off-balance. Even if he dispatches reinforcements to Ceylon today they would not arrive before my invasion fleet.
I can launch the full might of the Japanese battleships on his bases. I have checked what sort of equipment the baseforces start with, and they do have two 9.2 inch guns each, but that should be no problem for my 8 BBs and 8 CAs. I also have the entire KB here. All CVs except Zuikaku, and 3 CVLs, that means I have 7 CVs and 3 CVLs right here (two hexes south of the Combined Fleet).
Avaliable landforces are the 5th Division and the 1nd and 2nd Parachute Regiments. Surely these units would be able to overcome a single base force?
I am sooo tempted to do this.
I have the units in place, he is off-balance. Even if he dispatches reinforcements to Ceylon today they would not arrive before my invasion fleet.
I can launch the full might of the Japanese battleships on his bases. I have checked what sort of equipment the baseforces start with, and they do have two 9.2 inch guns each, but that should be no problem for my 8 BBs and 8 CAs. I also have the entire KB here. All CVs except Zuikaku, and 3 CVLs, that means I have 7 CVs and 3 CVLs right here (two hexes south of the Combined Fleet).
Avaliable landforces are the 5th Division and the 1nd and 2nd Parachute Regiments. Surely these units would be able to overcome a single base force?
I am sooo tempted to do this.
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The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
This is what the base force at Trimcomalee looks like at the start of the war.
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The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
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jwilkerson
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RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Hey - if you're gonna do it - don't think about it too long - he probably knows something is up by this point - so he may be reacting already.
What about bombing the telephone pole? Will show you are still interested in that beast and maybe get him starting using his planes again.
What about bombing the telephone pole? Will show you are still interested in that beast and maybe get him starting using his planes again.
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RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
I would run a few more recons on Ceylon before hitting it. But it is a very tempting target of opportunity. I always keep a full brigade in each of those bases and 1-2 indian divisons in Madras with every transport plane I can scrape up there for fast re-inforcement of Ceylon.
But if he did leave the place basically stripped, then you just found a huge weakness in his front. If you go for it, I would be shifting my army level bombers to Tavoy for a fast shift to Ceylon. I would be thinking hard about loading up a 2nd division from the DEI area and ton of supply for either reinforcent, or rapid advance to secure a toehold on India proper after a base on Ceylon is secured. If you go for India proper or think you might, I would be shifting my armor forces to where I can grab them and ship them in for the rapid advance in India.
Oh and a few Betty groups to keep the Brit navy at bay too. I would not over stack ceylon with airpower though. Be prepared to grab some AA units for the first base you secure, because he is going to throw the kitchen sink at whatever base you grab.
A fast strike can be devestating, but you better think a little ahead and be looking for base forces, HQ's, supplies, fighters, bombers, AA units etc that can be rapidly shifted to Ceylon without much risk. Even just an aviation regiment will help tremendously. But be very cautious about landing a division, taking the base and then trying to find all the units you need. Look around and start loading and shifting the forces towards Ceylon the moment you decide to make the move. You can always turn them around if the invasion FUBAR's on you. Even KB will be vulnerable if trying to LRCAP your base and protect itself.
I would grab whatever base force is in Singapore or Palembang along with the AA units and have them started right behind the invasion force. Those bases are far enough from the front, that you can back fill them. But I would not want more than 3-4 days between the securing of a base and the arrival of my support units so that I can forward deploy my airforce and shift KB around.
But if he did leave the place basically stripped, then you just found a huge weakness in his front. If you go for it, I would be shifting my army level bombers to Tavoy for a fast shift to Ceylon. I would be thinking hard about loading up a 2nd division from the DEI area and ton of supply for either reinforcent, or rapid advance to secure a toehold on India proper after a base on Ceylon is secured. If you go for India proper or think you might, I would be shifting my armor forces to where I can grab them and ship them in for the rapid advance in India.
Oh and a few Betty groups to keep the Brit navy at bay too. I would not over stack ceylon with airpower though. Be prepared to grab some AA units for the first base you secure, because he is going to throw the kitchen sink at whatever base you grab.
A fast strike can be devestating, but you better think a little ahead and be looking for base forces, HQ's, supplies, fighters, bombers, AA units etc that can be rapidly shifted to Ceylon without much risk. Even just an aviation regiment will help tremendously. But be very cautious about landing a division, taking the base and then trying to find all the units you need. Look around and start loading and shifting the forces towards Ceylon the moment you decide to make the move. You can always turn them around if the invasion FUBAR's on you. Even KB will be vulnerable if trying to LRCAP your base and protect itself.
I would grab whatever base force is in Singapore or Palembang along with the AA units and have them started right behind the invasion force. Those bases are far enough from the front, that you can back fill them. But I would not want more than 3-4 days between the securing of a base and the arrival of my support units so that I can forward deploy my airforce and shift KB around.
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jwilkerson
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RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Getting a foot hold in Madras is what will really and truely get his attention and take pressure off Akyab. He might figure he can mostly ignore Ceylon and surpress it with aircraft. But regardless it will take focus off Akyab - and he really needs to continuously bring large AK supply convoys to the NE Indian ports so that his forces can drawn large amounts of supply down the trail to Akyab. As long as you sit on Ceylon he will be unable to do this.
Is it possibly worth a division to attack/take/hold Madras? Maybe, especially if it enables you to hold Akyab for at least another year. I would toss a division for that.
Is it possibly worth a division to attack/take/hold Madras? Maybe, especially if it enables you to hold Akyab for at least another year. I would toss a division for that.
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RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Madras is very nice, but any base you take on the mainland will really grab his attention. What base was that recon report taken that shows 7 units? On Ceylon or Madras?
And I would start running recons of Madras, Mannagudi and every other Indian base down south to keep him guessing and give you a very clear idea of what he has where.
And I would start running recons of Madras, Mannagudi and every other Indian base down south to keep him guessing and give you a very clear idea of what he has where.
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
ORIGINAL: jwilkerson
Hey - if you're gonna do it - don't think about it too long - he probably knows something is up by this point - so he may be reacting already.
What about bombing the telephone pole? Will show you are still interested in that beast and maybe get him starting using his planes again.
Well, I tried to bomb the telephone pole, but I came limping back home minus 14 bombers for no apparent gain. I think I took out 150 men in the 225th RAF base force or something pointless like that.
My guess is that he has alot of baseforces with him in that stack to use at Akyab after capture...
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
I would run a few more recons on Ceylon before hitting it. But it is a very tempting target of opportunity. I always keep a full brigade in each of those bases and 1-2 indian divisons in Madras with every transport plane I can scrape up there for fast re-inforcement of Ceylon.
But if he did leave the place basically stripped, then you just found a huge weakness in his front. If you go for it, I would be shifting my army level bombers to Tavoy for a fast shift to Ceylon. I would be thinking hard about loading up a 2nd division from the DEI area and ton of supply for either reinforcent, or rapid advance to secure a toehold on India proper after a base on Ceylon is secured. If you go for India proper or think you might, I would be shifting my armor forces to where I can grab them and ship them in for the rapid advance in India.
Oh and a few Betty groups to keep the Brit navy at bay too. I would not over stack ceylon with airpower though. Be prepared to grab some AA units for the first base you secure, because he is going to throw the kitchen sink at whatever base you grab.
A fast strike can be devestating, but you better think a little ahead and be looking for base forces, HQ's, supplies, fighters, bombers, AA units etc that can be rapidly shifted to Ceylon without much risk. Even just an aviation regiment will help tremendously. But be very cautious about landing a division, taking the base and then trying to find all the units you need. Look around and start loading and shifting the forces towards Ceylon the moment you decide to make the move. You can always turn them around if the invasion FUBAR's on you. Even KB will be vulnerable if trying to LRCAP your base and protect itself.
I would grab whatever base force is in Singapore or Palembang along with the AA units and have them started right behind the invasion force. Those bases are far enough from the front, that you can back fill them. But I would not want more than 3-4 days between the securing of a base and the arrival of my support units so that I can forward deploy my airforce and shift KB around.
Hey man, havent seen you in a while. How are things? [:)]
I hear what you are saying. I figure that I could fly in the support units after I have taken the base, that way I dont have to tie them up in ships for weeks. I have enough L3Y Tinas to lift an entire aviation regiment in a couple of days. Just look at how fast Im reinforcing Akyab, Im moving 1/3rd of a Division in just three days.
I am considering doing a paradrop on Trivandrum, that base is empty. I am also considering dropping on the base north of Madras, it is also empty. This guy is seriously underestimating how dangerous the Japs can be well into 43. Either that or he is a complete rookie. He seems to have the entire british and indian armies marching down the trail to Akyab and he has left nothing whatsoever behind to garrison India proper. I guess he is overconfident.
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
Madras is very nice, but any base you take on the mainland will really grab his attention. What base was that recon report taken that shows 7 units? On Ceylon or Madras?
And I would start running recons of Madras, Mannagudi and every other Indian base down south to keep him guessing and give you a very clear idea of what he has where.
The 7 units are at Madras.
Im doing another recon run tomorrow, but Im looking at Bombay tomorrow, just to give the impression that Im just looking around.
I can bring in a couple of NFLs and some naval guards. Other than that the large combat units are tied up in Burma or defending Timor. Id rather not remove any of my Timor garrison... but I have the 4th coming in from Tarawa, they are just passing Truk however, so it will take a while for them to arrive.
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Family issues and work have kept me very busy and stressed, but things are improving. Thank God. LOL
He is not a rookie..........But some of your actions have made him a little cocky from what I have seen. I will be cautious, because I have read his AAR too but not commented there. Of course, I have played you and some of your actions made me wonder too. LOL. Not the Steve I know. LOL
Airlift is fine, but I would still be loading some on ships right now. The Para invasions worry me some, they are too weak at long range. It is one thing when I can use every Tabby in the inventory to lift a brigade in to backstop them once they grab the base, but Tina's carry crap for load. Tabby's are my workhorse transport. Did you convert to Tina's or maximize for Tabby as your primary transport a/c?
What airfield size is Trinvindum (I hate spelling those bases)?
He is not a rookie..........But some of your actions have made him a little cocky from what I have seen. I will be cautious, because I have read his AAR too but not commented there. Of course, I have played you and some of your actions made me wonder too. LOL. Not the Steve I know. LOL
Airlift is fine, but I would still be loading some on ships right now. The Para invasions worry me some, they are too weak at long range. It is one thing when I can use every Tabby in the inventory to lift a brigade in to backstop them once they grab the base, but Tina's carry crap for load. Tabby's are my workhorse transport. Did you convert to Tina's or maximize for Tabby as your primary transport a/c?
What airfield size is Trinvindum (I hate spelling those bases)?
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Okay........large units are scarce...........that could be a small problem. How about this...........
Burma, is he reconning all your bases? If not, I would think about pulling some units from the front there (not Akayab). I know you have a couple divisions in other bases there. Keep 1 division say at Rangoon with a slew of transport a/c for rapid deployment. Place trip wire forces in the forward bases, naval guard units or such. I would have recon a/c at every base in Burma flying non stop so that they will spot any and every move towards your lines. Anything you can free up will greatly help out.
Once you grab Ceylon or a base on mainland India, I would bet the farm that the 25 unit stack moving to Akyab will turn around and be the least of your worry's. If I went for Ceylon or a toehold on the mainland, Akyab would have a brigade in it and everything else would be shifting to the new front. Period.
He may be overconfident now, but if you make the move, he will be 2nd guessing every plan he had up till now. And I would be hitting that monster stack every turn I could with some sort of air power maybe 2 Helen groups to rack up the disruption/fatigue and slow down his re-deployment of forces. I bet he splits his spleen if you take a base on Ceylon or the mainland.
Burma, is he reconning all your bases? If not, I would think about pulling some units from the front there (not Akayab). I know you have a couple divisions in other bases there. Keep 1 division say at Rangoon with a slew of transport a/c for rapid deployment. Place trip wire forces in the forward bases, naval guard units or such. I would have recon a/c at every base in Burma flying non stop so that they will spot any and every move towards your lines. Anything you can free up will greatly help out.
Once you grab Ceylon or a base on mainland India, I would bet the farm that the 25 unit stack moving to Akyab will turn around and be the least of your worry's. If I went for Ceylon or a toehold on the mainland, Akyab would have a brigade in it and everything else would be shifting to the new front. Period.
He may be overconfident now, but if you make the move, he will be 2nd guessing every plan he had up till now. And I would be hitting that monster stack every turn I could with some sort of air power maybe 2 Helen groups to rack up the disruption/fatigue and slow down his re-deployment of forces. I bet he splits his spleen if you take a base on Ceylon or the mainland.
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
Family issues and work have kept me very busy and stressed, but things are improving. Thank God. LOL
He is not a rookie..........But some of your actions have made him a little cocky from what I have seen. I will be cautious, because I have read his AAR too but not commented there. Of course, I have played you and some of your actions made me wonder too. LOL. Not the Steve I know. LOL
Airlift is fine, but I would still be loading some on ships right now. The Para invasions worry me some, they are too weak at long range. It is one thing when I can use every Tabby in the inventory to lift a brigade in to backstop them once they grab the base, but Tina's carry crap for load. Tabby's are my workhorse transport. Did you convert to Tina's or maximize for Tabby as your primary transport a/c?
What airfield size is Trinvindum (I hate spelling those bases)?
Good to hear things are improving. I was suspecting that work had claimed all of your time again.
Well, I hope he is judging my abilities from some of my earlier actions. I wanted to try a new strategy this game, and lets just say that I wont be doing some of the things I did again LOL
I have decided to go for this opportunity. Fidning Ceylon undefended is not too common really...especially not when you have all your forces in position.
Here is a map.
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The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Now here is the beautiful part.
Both Bangalore and Trivandrum are not built at all. Recon tells me they are empty. I am shifting one airborne unit to andaman to fly from there using L3Ys and H6K2-Ls. I will try to take both those bases via coup de main.
I will land at Trimcomalee (with my division) and at Yanam with a naval guards unit. One of my subs was spotted by a B-26, so he has flown in some Marauders. But I should be able to overcome them with the KB.
There will be no more recon for a while now, and instead I will launch an air offensive in Burma to divert his attention again.
Both Bangalore and Trivandrum are not built at all. Recon tells me they are empty. I am shifting one airborne unit to andaman to fly from there using L3Ys and H6K2-Ls. I will try to take both those bases via coup de main.
I will land at Trimcomalee (with my division) and at Yanam with a naval guards unit. One of my subs was spotted by a B-26, so he has flown in some Marauders. But I should be able to overcome them with the KB.
There will be no more recon for a while now, and instead I will launch an air offensive in Burma to divert his attention again.
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
Panajii is almost undefended too. Just a single baseforce.
This is amazing, there seems to be no troops whatsoever in all of southern India.
This is amazing, there seems to be no troops whatsoever in all of southern India.
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
Okay........large units are scarce...........that could be a small problem. How about this...........
Burma, is he reconning all your bases? If not, I would think about pulling some units from the front there (not Akayab). I know you have a couple divisions in other bases there. Keep 1 division say at Rangoon with a slew of transport a/c for rapid deployment. Place trip wire forces in the forward bases, naval guard units or such. I would have recon a/c at every base in Burma flying non stop so that they will spot any and every move towards your lines. Anything you can free up will greatly help out.
Once you grab Ceylon or a base on mainland India, I would bet the farm that the 25 unit stack moving to Akyab will turn around and be the least of your worry's. If I went for Ceylon or a toehold on the mainland, Akyab would have a brigade in it and everything else would be shifting to the new front. Period.
He may be overconfident now, but if you make the move, he will be 2nd guessing every plan he had up till now. And I would be hitting that monster stack every turn I could with some sort of air power maybe 2 Helen groups to rack up the disruption/fatigue and slow down his re-deployment of forces. I bet he splits his spleen if you take a base on Ceylon or the mainland.
Burma
I have almost all my combat units at akyab. At Mytchina I have the Imp Guards together with a Tank Rgt and some engineers. At Mandalay I have 1/3rd of the 33rd Division (the rest is at Akyab) further north on the railroad between Mandalay and Mytchina I have a tank regiment looking for surprise attacks coming down the trail. Rangoon is empty except for HQ and flak units.
There is not much to pull out from Burma.
At Andaman I have two naval guards units for a total of 200 AV, I am in the process of putting garrisons on all the small bases from Rangoon to Georgetown. Sabang has two Nav Guards too.
LOL that guy must be very confident of himself, he seems to have left India completely unguarded, and put everything including the kitchen sink on the trail to Akyab.
If I manage to get a foothold in India, I will move in more units from the NEI, but not yet. I want to know where he has his CVs first.
One more month until the P38s arrive...before that I should be safe
The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close.
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
In its place we are entering a period of consequences..
-
jwilkerson
- Posts: 8272
- Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2002 4:02 am
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RE: Ride to the sound of the guns!
ORIGINAL: Panzerjaeger Hortlund
ORIGINAL: jwilkerson
Hey - if you're gonna do it - don't think about it too long - he probably knows something is up by this point - so he may be reacting already.
What about bombing the telephone pole? Will show you are still interested in that beast and maybe get him starting using his planes again.
Well, I tried to bomb the telephone pole, but I came limping back home minus 14 bombers for no apparent gain. I think I took out 150 men in the 225th RAF base force or something pointless like that.
My guess is that he has alot of baseforces with him in that stack to use at Akyab after capture...
Purpose of bombing the TP isn't so much to cause casualties as it is to try to break up the stack. Even a delay of 1 mile/per day for a day or two can cause the affected units to "fall out" and arrive late. Might increase your chance of having one lucky shot at attacking the early arrivals - but I wouldn't get my hopes up.
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