Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

The weakness of PT boats, other than daylight and range, is fuel. But I think they can sit out there a few hexes from a port with remain on station indefinitely.

Will have to put my thinking cap on.

They will still burn 1 hex worth of fuel each day.

The big thing about 1 ship TFs like this is the burn in Ops points.


Maybe try using your Shimakazes as 1-ship clearing TFs? They're fast... I'd only do that during high moonlight. You can also try fighters/fighter bombers on strafe.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

You can also try fighters/fighter bombers on strafe.

They don't fly.[:(]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

You can also try fighters/fighter bombers on strafe.

They don't fly.[:(]

What do you mean "they don't fly".

Read this thread.

tm.asp?m=2932352&mpage=1&key=boats&#2932506

Plenty of other threads exist on the subject of combatting Allied PT boats but this is one of the very few which has a dev commenting.

As always, one needs a good DL. Moonless nights are therefore good for PTs, a full moon is good for the PT hunters. Single ship TFs are always harder to get a good DL fix on, but not impossible.

The only reliable altitude for hunting PT boats is 100' on a naval attack. No good reason why fighters at that altitude on that mission profile will not fly at identified targets.

Would need much more precise info on your problem to identify the particular Romulan cloak employed. Info such as precise locations of PTs, location of hunters and mission profiles, weather conditions etc.

As you have mentioned on several occasions in this AAR, there is always (well at least 99.99% of the time) a counter to any enemy tactic.

Alfred

ORIGINAL: Alfred

What do you mean "they don't fly".

Thanks, Alfred.

I am not nearly precise enough the AAR.[:)]

In groups I don't have a problem sinking PT boats, have had Nicks and Zeroes strafe them straight to Davy Jones locker. Heck, I even have had night bombing runs made against them.

Simply put, I cannot get the planes to prosecute attacks against single ship PT boat task forces.

My guess is the detection level on a single ship PT boat is very low. I would have to go back and look, but most times, say the majority of times, the screen just lists 1 ship spotted (see graphic above). Not much in the way of details, and this points to a very low detection level.

It is not surprising then that my Oscars don't take off even though they are set at 100 foot naval strike max range (no drop tanks).

I am going to try a very narrow, limited, naval search rather low, backed up with fighters on strafing naval attacks and perhaps some Betties thrown in on low naval too or Nicks.

Can't do it this turn, since I have 5 BB bombarding Trinkat and those pesky paratroopers there with the hopes of kicking them back into the Ocean before the situation deteriorates more and I have the Oscars and more working over the Airborne.

Sept 22, 1943 (maybe it is the 23, lost track)

I now have 98 repaired factories working on the Ki202. I should get the engine, with current research in May to June of 44. I am thinking about getting another factory working on researching it to speed things up even more, but I am not sure that I will need to. Time to do a little arithmetic.[:)]

Night bombing of Rabaul again by the Allies. Just letting the AA guys handle it, although I have some Irving NF on their way. They are taking their time, transferring a base, resting, transferring. No hurry as the pilots are all still catching up.

Quiet day, relatively. Allies resting their bombers in Burma, only bombardment attacks there. Some bombing of Trinkat's airfield; but I have landed 250 AV of the heavy 4th Infantry Division there with no loss, flying in dribs and drabs more.

Those paratroopers are going to get hit, hopefully, by two BB groups (5 in all) screened by two CL/DD surface groups. Then they will be bombed at very low altitudes and also strafed, then the 4th will attack. Lots of floats on recon to walk those heavy BB guns in on target.

Trashed another Chinese corp, and bombed several more.

In a complete screwup on my part, I lose another CA this time in the Solomons. They were doing fast transport and got stuck out exposed. Wave skimming assault bombers reached out and touched me.[:(] I have used these guys in Downfall against m-m just in this manner...not too pleasant to be on the business end of something like 8 fifty caliber machineguns and then getting bombed too. We will see if I can save the ship. Fingers crossed.

Burma got a hefty dose of supplies, plus an E escort landed 28 hits on a Yank sub they tried to interfere at Mergui. Will stop unloading supplies and send the rest to Sabang, worried he will send some destroyers in on a night time dash and all my ships will be at Trinkat. Allies have ships bound for Trinkat (?) behind Port Blair an Iboat shoots and misses on a xak, and can't target a LST.

Midget subs and carriers left port today. I am sending the very slow minisub to Ceylon, while the fast minisub is going to Port Blair (where there is a juicy xAP in port). We will see how the work,hopefully no mine hits.

General Notes:

Marianas Defense:

Bought out another Infantry Division, it will head to Tinian very shortly. I am figuring on needing 400 fighters now to put up a credible defence of the Marianas, and in the next 30 days I get 5 Sentais of Zeroes (size 27) which will all go there a mix of A6M5cs and Georges for the big airfields. I feel comfortable I can keep the Marianas safe as long as the KB is around, but I expect he will start doing something to pull the KB out and away.

So far Guam, Saipan have divisions, soon Tinian. Each base has some ART, AA, 20mm machine cannons at the smaller bases. I am short on coastal guns, most of my base forts are further forward in the upper Solomons and CentPac or in Burma/SRA. I also want to get a Tank Regiment on the big four islands, they will come from China.

Ground reinforcements are starting to show up in the arrival que....and they are needed everywhere.

Luzon: PaxMondo always said you need to amass 3000 AV to hold against the AI; I suspect you cannot hold it no matter how much AV you put in there especially in a non-stacking limit game. At this point, not sure how I would get close to 3000 AV there unless I strip China dangerously thin.

Bonins: Flying troops in, almost one full division on HahaJimi, the other have Naval guards and assorted supply troops. At least the Allies can't take anything by SST.

Kuriles: A full division and Independent Brigade are out there with lots of support troops. With Winter I don't expect much action here.

Hokkaido: I am starting to fly some restricted troops into here from the HI. It makes a nice target for a hail mary attack.

Burma: The great exodus has begun very well. Most of the ENG and AA units are out and back close to Raheng. AA will go to main airbases and oil. Engineering can be used all over. Two Tank Regiments are headed from HI to Indochina slated for Chiang Mai area.

Trinkat: Deliberate attack today by the 4th ID supported by planes and ships. It is too much to ask for that I win in one day, those paratroops will fight in the jungle for a while I suspect.

OZ: Still holding on to bases there...no new Allied movements at all. Quite hard to explain, except for the trashing I gave the Aussie Army back in 42.

Marcus Island: needs work. Forts are fine, gotta get the engineers off and replace with some ground pounders.

Sept 24, 1943

No night bombing.

Allied destroyers, as expected make a night run into Mergui looking for cargo ships. Nobody home, they only get two hexes away and are attacked by a sentai of torpedo bombers who all miss. NavB skill only averaged 60 and they were attacking at 10K. Hard to hit destroyers like that.

Kongo eats two torpedeos on a bombardment run at Trinkat. The five BB cause minimal losses, but high disruption among the paratroopers and with a bad die roll I get a 1-1 and don't kick them off the island. Paratroopers are malused for disruption, supply, fatigue. So I will keep trying.

Trinkat, the bigger picture.

Kind of a fun place to fight, but perhaps what is most fun is neither is bringing overwhelming force and bludgeoning their way thru.

100 transports at port blair, and it looks like all of the single ship pt boats are gone as promised.

I need to figure a way to keep supply down at Port Blair and now Car Nicobar, but it does look like the Allies have a some type of carrier, av, ake?, behind Port Blair. I will have to see if the Langley is sunk.

I think every Allied bomber and and fighter made passes against poor Mergui this day. 50 Jugs sweep; Lightnings, Mitchells and Liberators. Oh my. A few hit the troops at Trinkat. Once again, I am defending by running away. Planning something...always planning something.[:D]

Car Nicobar:

I am sweeping Car Nicobar at night with 4 task forces: two CL/DD groups and 2 straight DD groups. I expect he will move in PT boats, perhaps landing craft to get some more forces there, or he may simply fly them in. I have about 100 bombers on airfield strike at low altitudes at night. Maybe something will actually fly and attack.

The BB are heading back to resupply, other forces taking their place for now. Another deliberate attack at Trinkat...keep the pressure up.

I would like to nail his support task force hiding behind Port Blair...have a few thoughts I put into action. Take a few days to get assets in place.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Luzon: PaxMondo always said you need to amass 3000 AV to hold against the AI; I suspect you cannot hold it no matter how much AV you put in there especially in a non-stacking limit game. At this point, not sure how I would get close to 3000 AV there unless I strip China dangerously thin.

You're not going to hold there. You can only stall there. There are too many islands and bases to hold, and if you try against a human you will find that 3k AV trapped and lost.

You can have enough to make him fight a long time there, and Manila and Clark are well protected from Shore bombardments which will help for a while. Think about your first and second layers now, and build the bases for the third, but he has a lot of territory to cover before getting to the PI.

PS - Posted in your opponents AAR about my thoughts on single boat PTs. Don't like it.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Kind of a fun place to fight, but perhaps what is most fun is neither is bringing overwhelming force and bludgeoning their way thru.

Yea, because it then becomes a full campaign instead of a single battle with a decisive moment. I also like the dynamic of the escalation of force. Neither side is willing to commit the most valuable powerful forces; just enough to have the edge over the other guy. This creates a situation with frequent naval skirmishes where each side is just jockeying for the slight advantage in the campaign. It's a good place for this sort of fighting too given the lack of large bases in the area so there is a large no-mans land where naval forces can go at each other without too much worry of LBA interference. Interested to see how how long you an keep the Allies stalled in the Andamans.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Ground reinforcements are starting to show up in the arrival que....and they are needed everywhere.

Luzon: PaxMondo always said you need to amass 3000 AV to hold against the AI; I suspect you cannot hold it no matter how much AV you put in there especially in a non-stacking limit game. At this point, not sure how I would get close to 3000 AV there unless I strip China dangerously thin.

You know my thoughts regarding Luzon.

From your last screenshot of China, it looks like the war there is starting to wind down. Once you get Chungking surrounded and start work on reducing it, you can move troops out as you please. I'd also look at optimizing your garrisons: you can free up quite a number of big units with careful management of the Mongolian and RGC units.

At the end of the day, the 3000 AV required to hold Luzon will come as reinforcements in late '44 or early '45 - look at the reinforcements for the first three months of 1945 alone. Quite a lot are restricted, but you shouldn't have much left to spend PP's on by this point. All you need to do is make sure you hold Luzon long enough to get those troops there.

Can we get a screenshot and details on your defense of northern Sumatra?? If he gets over there, it will put Palembang under 4e bomber range.

Sept 25, 1943

Allies bomb at night Rabauls. Irving-s are there,but they don't fly. They just arrived and were probably seeing to their quarters.[:)]

Light cruiser forces find and sink two xaks, one each at Trinkat and Car Nicobar and engage 3 pt boat squadron. A few sub attacks and counters but the Allies freshly mine Trinkat and two destroyers run into them and sink. Allies are very good at mine warfare.

There are two more encounters at Car Nicobar but no fights. Which is a shame, since it was most likely 10 ship LCT bringing lots of support and supply. Car Nicobar now has Warhawks, 60 of them, plus plenty of base support types.

Another 1-1 attack at Trinkat, and the xak dropped off enough supply to feed the paratroopers there.

At Car Nicobar a glutton for punishment.

Skirmish at Car Nicobar, no hits.

Four task forces, two encounters, and not one shot fired at the LCTs that landed these extra troops at Car Nicobar. Oh my.

Looking grim...

In other distressing news Yank subs torpedo a cargo ship, and a CS convoy arrives in Bangkok, one xak and one E, and the xak is promptly sunk by air attack. Forgot about them, my bad, no reason to really be going there anymore. I wonder if the 3000 supply offloaded?

Good news: haven't found any yet.[:)]

Well, it seems pretty clear to me the Allies are going to push in the Cent Pac and Burma/Sumatra area. Move the KB to stabilize one area and he will hit the other. Very dangerous times indeed.

Given my horrendous start, I had figured to get to Jan 44 with Palembang still producing and that is still my goal...

ORIGINAL: obvert

You're not going to hold there. You can only stall there.

I am not going to hold anywhere![:D] What makes you think I can?


PS - Posted in your opponents AAR about my thoughts on single boat PTs. Don't like it.

Thanks, case closed...he won't use them where possible.