Hairy Yankee Reports: Q-Ball (A) v Greyjoy (J)

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: JeffK

Allied intel is much overrated.
Lots of useless info, very occasional snippets that are useful.

Not unlike real life intel.

I think it takes some work but with WitPTracker, and a OOB the entire picture of the deployment of the empire can be deduced. There are the obvious the XYZ static fortress is located at XYZ .. however, as I am doing battle I account for units I see in the battle reports, I account for the static units, then on occasion a variable unit will be found in a location message. Pretty soon the Allies can get an overall view of the deployment -- and know where the holes are ...

Also .. The Heavy Radio Traffic messages with a few "XYZ is moving to ABC on AK HJK" are great hints to lay down a submarnine or surface trap.

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I wonder if you gentlemen would comment on something I have long suspected but never fully tested. Sorry Q-Ball for a big tangent to your AAR (which I have read). It is my contention that Allied search capabilities pound for pound are better than the Japanese. Having tested with the same specs on Allied and IJN planes and played for long hours against the AI (peaking from time to time)- I wonder if there is a bias in the code toward the Allies.

I'm not here to say whether I think this is right or wrong; I just wonder your thoughts on the matter.

I think Allied search is better than the Japanese, but really this is mostly due to numbers, not individual air frames.

I have very few patrol planes, and they have of course very high service ratings, and so must rely heavily on 1E float planes which are more fragile, shorter ranged and easily destroyed by flak/figters (landing, flying and sitting on the ground as well!). So the only way for the IJ to compete in my opinion is to overproduce Jakes and other float and recon planes at the expense this incurs to the economy and to place these as close to frontlines as possible, getting 3-5 losses per day.

[PaxMondo]

Use Netties for search.  You get a lot more of them, they have good range, and are a lot cheaper to build compared to Mavis/Emily.  And when you need them, they are still effective LBA Naval strike a/c.  I keep the G3M3 in production throughout the war due to its patrol range.

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ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Use Netties for search.  You get a lot more of them, they have good range, and are a lot cheaper to build compared to Mavis/Emily.  And when you need them, they are still effective LBA Naval strike a/c.  I keep the G3M3 in production throughout the war due to its patrol range.

Ahh, yes, but there pilots are more expensive!

[PaxMondo]

True.  But by 4/42 or thereabout I generally have a good supply of IJN bomber pilots.  Largely because, as you note, they are expensive to train up and so I tend to take less risks with them as compared to IJA bombers.

[JeffroK]

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

ORIGINAL: JeffK

Allied intel is much overrated.
Lots of useless info, very occasional snippets that are useful.

Not unlike real life intel.

I think it takes some work but with WitPTracker, and a OOB the entire picture of the deployment of the empire can be deduced. There are the obvious the XYZ static fortress is located at XYZ .. however, as I am doing battle I account for units I see in the battle reports, I account for the static units, then on occasion a variable unit will be found in a location message. Pretty soon the Allies can get an overall view of the deployment -- and know where the holes are ...

Also .. The Heavy Radio Traffic messages with a few "XYZ is moving to ABC on AK HJK" are great hints to lay down a submarnine or surface trap.

Yep, plus intelmonkee is making it easier.

I try to keep away from too much, in my mind ahistorical, abilities to know 100% what is on the other side of the hill.

I have a rough idea, which to me is historical. I shouldnt have exact knowledge.

Plus intel can be wrong, or a PBEM player may set you up with false leads.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

True.  But by 4/42 or thereabout I generally have a good supply of IJN bomber pilots.  Largely because, as you note, they are expensive to train up and so I tend to take less risks with them as compared to IJA bombers.

Really? I'm struggling to fill the ranks of my good IJN bomber pilots until mid-war. Why? 'cause I use my skilled Nettie pilots for my CV torpedo pilots and / or DB pilot pools. Very good to excellent Nettie pilots are shuttled to the reserve pool and kept available for carrier air.

I consider my carrier air arm to be a higher priority than uber-skilled Netties, which get the 'just OK' replacements.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

True.  But by 4/42 or thereabout I generally have a good supply of IJN bomber pilots.  Largely because, as you note, they are expensive to train up and so I tend to take less risks with them as compared to IJA bombers.

Really? I'm struggling to fill the ranks of my good IJN bomber pilots until mid-war. Why? 'cause I use my skilled Nettie pilots for my CV torpedo pilots and / or DB pilot pools. Very good to excellent Nettie pilots are shuttled to the reserve pool and kept available for carrier air.

I consider my carrier air arm to be a higher priority than uber-skilled Netties, which get the 'just OK' replacements.

I only do that for '42. Once the A6M becomes obsolete, I no longer consider naval carrier elite. I can't protect them and I'm going to lose a lot of them irrespective of their skill.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: n01487477

ORIGINAL: JeffK

Allied intel is much overrated.
Lots of useless info, very occasional snippets that are useful.

Not unlike real life intel.

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Like JeffK I have found the allied intel to be very much overrated.

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Hehehe. If you think allied intel is overrated, you need to spend some time on the other side. [;)]

If you are lucky, you can detect some radio transmission at some hex in your turn. Sometimes, the hex is correct! [:'(]

I wonder if you gentlemen would comment on something I have long suspected but never fully tested. Sorry Q-Ball for a big tangent to your AAR (which I have read). It is my contention that Allied search capabilities pound for pound are better than the Japanese. Having tested with the same specs on Allied and IJN planes and played for long hours against the AI (peaking from time to time)- I wonder if there is a bias in the code toward the Allies.

I'm not here to say whether I think this is right or wrong; I just wonder your thoughts on the matter.

No, plane for plane it is the same. I have never seen or heard anything to contradict this. Japan hold the edge in the first half of the war with more long range planes and those damn float equipped subs. Allies get the edge later due to numbers. I really do not know how Allied radar effects search but have not noticed much of a difference.

On the other hand, Allied recon after 1942 is far superior. Cameras do make a big difference.

[Q-Ball]

RE: Search, I don't notice a significant difference. For my part, I don't really use search arcs much; they used to be broken, and with that I just got in the habit of not using them. I use Catalinas of course, but also the ANZAC air forces are stuck with alot of Hudsons, which are useless except for maritime patrol; I train them on Nav Search to patrol sea lanes for subs. This is pretty much all the RNZAF does.

As Japan, I use Nell/Betty alot on search, because you don't get enough flying boats. I train all Nettie pilots for Nav Search, at least up to 50 or so.

Allied recon is terrible, until the F-4/5, and then the larger aircraft with Cameras. Then, it gets very good.

RE: Intel, probably the most useful are "troop loaded on AK headed to X ones", because they reveal unit location,AND I always vector a sub to intercept. That has worked a few times. Otherwise, I have locations of some troops, but RECON is really more revealing.

I have never received Intel on the location of a Japanese Carrier, maybe that's just bad luck


11-12-42 to 11-14-42

Burma:

The only major event was problem Greyjoy had with leakers; he set a whole bunch of ZEROS to LRCAP, and they ran into a buzzsaw of sweeping Allied fighters, shooting down 70 of them, in exchange for 18 of my guys.

Leakers are a big problem for the Empire over Burma; I will not exploit it intentionally, but it's going to happen sometimes

Other problem is that the Zero is now looking more obsolete; it did fine against P-39 sweepers, but the Hurris did a number

Convoy:

An IJN sub sighted a large convoy of mine filled with support ships; AV, AO, AD, AR, etc., headed for Sydney. This would probably reinforce GJ's notion that something is up down there. Something is; this is why I am moving alot of support ships to Oz.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball


I have never received Intel on the location of a Japanese Carrier, maybe that's just bad luck

So rare. I have had it happen three time in about 1,000 turns. But nice when it happens.

[KenchiSulla]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball


Burma:

The only major event was problem Greyjoy had with leakers; he set a whole bunch of ZEROS to LRCAP, and they ran into a buzzsaw of sweeping Allied fighters, shooting down 70 of them, in exchange for 18 of my guys.

Leakers are a big problem for the Empire over Burma; I will not exploit it intentionally, but it's going to happen sometimes

Other problem is that the Zero is now looking more obsolete; it did fine against P-39 sweepers, but the Hurris did a number

In my first game (still running) I noticed that Zero fighters were doing fine against P40s, P39s and F4Fs but relatively bad vs the Hurricane (IIB, C). It stopped me from deploying the Navy in the North, making Burma an army only area untill 1944 somewhere..

Oscars seem to do better and Tojo's do fine against the Hurri..

Not sure what is causing it. Might be the man. of the Hurricane is decent and it gets a lot of shots (and with 12 MGs or 4 20mm makes it is deadly vs no armour, low durability aircraft)

In engaging LRCAP fatigue is an issue as well...

[Q-Ball]

I have also noticed the Hurri handles the Zero quite well. P-40 is OK, and P-39 is a bit behind. I'm not a huge fan of the P-39, but it's available in numbers, so I use it.

Allied aircraft production is starting to catch-up, though, so most of the P-39 should be gone in a couple months

11-15 to 11-21-42

China:

Big problems in China; he has broken into the Central Plain, so Chungking should be invested soon. I made a mistake not thinking that Tanks could move so quickly over rough terrain, my bad. But even so, he can move alot faster than I can, so not a ton I could do about it.

China is doomed anyway

[JocMeister]

I think its time to start running for the hills. If you can take possession of the mountains you at least have a shot of getting them into supply sometime in the future. Better that then to be destroyed in the plains.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

I think its time to start running for the hills. If you can take possession of the mountains you at least have a shot of getting them into supply sometime in the future. Better that then to be destroyed in the plains.

By Houserule, Restricted units cannot cross national borders. So, the only units that can ever leave China are ones that I can "buy". I've done that for a few units to form a "Free Chinese Army" along the Burmese border; 2000-ish AV when they are fully built-up. Not much, but something.

But if I retreat into the mountains, they will just starve. Better to die in combat.

[Chickenboy]

I guess that's a good thing about your Chinese units getting chewed to pieces? They're cheap to buy out at that point. [8D]

[PaxMondo]

His tank units must have lousy supply ... 3 hexes of road and then two hexes of rough?  Getting there is only half the battle, he has to to keep them in supply. 
 
I'd keep the roads invested, get a couple of units in the hex with him ... chew up his organic supply.  armor units without supply are just like your units, except his losses are almost impossible to replace.  He can't get enough VEH points.  I would look to whittle his armor units down as much as you can ... even better send an almost dead unit to cut his supply line.  He's got nothing behind it.
 
He's gonna really wish he had all this armor in Burma in a couple of months ... 1000 AFV's, that has to be essentially all of his armor in one place and in clear terrain with fighter cover 5 hexes away ... lousy LRCAP range.  Some 4E's on ground attack would really ruin his day.

[Q-Ball]

11-21-42 to 12-8-42

Obviously, awhile since I posted! Oops. I'll try to be more frequent.

China:

I think Pax was right on the supply issues; he has paused for now, but is bringing infantry into the plains where he made that breach. I am leaving blocking forces on the roads; I may as well, because there is no room for them in Chengdu or Chungking, which is where we will circule the wagons for the last stand.

At this point, the supply situation is so bad, I'm no longer flying supplies in; Ops losses on transports are too high.

On the road to Kunming, he has been stopped; I am flying supplies to this mountain redoubt, we may hold it long-term, who knows.

Horn Island, etc:

We took Merauke, and have landed base troops at Gove. I don't think he is going to contest me moving to Darwin, so we will once we have some aircover.

If nothing else, I am forcing him to build bases east of Ambon, as Taberfane is now size-5. It's getting attention for sure.

Australia:

Things have mostly been quiet in terms of action, but we are conducting a massive buildup in Australia, of just about everything.

I think Greyjoy is noticing, too, because he has sighted convoys moving around the southern tip of OZ. I want to confuse him as to my intentions, so I am still prepping units and moving ships around for alternate targets.

As part of that, I took the CVs into the Coral Sea, to demonstrate toward Milne Bay. We also launched 100 4Es to flatten Woodlark. All of this is just noise-making, but unfortunately, I paid the price!

WASP, as you can see ate 2 torps. So did IDAHO. Both should live, but IDAHO in particular irks me; that will make 7 BBs in the yard for various reasons, which is almost as many as in the IJN. Ouch!

Next Steps:

I considered a snap move, but the loss of WASP hurts, as it tilts things in his favor for a CV encounter. I am debating whether to move now, or wait until April 1943, when I will have advanced landing craft, more BBs, Hellcats, and a bunch of CVs coming in the event I lose some. The downside is that it gives him 3-4 more months to prepare. Decisions.....

[JocMeister]

Ouch, that hit on Wasp sucks. You certainly been unlucky with his subs so far. [:(]

[KenchiSulla]

Unlucky that Wasp got hit, but by the looks of it you are lucky she didn't go down....