herbie goes bananas again

[1275psi]

14/3/42
thunderstorms
Massive day!
dd russell is gutted by a torpedoe
then 1 dd vs 2dd, and the australia!!! - my dd is sunk
then another DD vs the australia - and she too is sunk
then CL kuma has a go - she sinks an enemy dd, but is hurt too

then the war goes very bad
Australia, 1 dd vs 3pg and 15 APs
3 pg sunk, 1 ap hit hard
then CL kuma attacked by 7 pt boats - she sinks 2 of the vermin
ssi-3 torps the australia
ss i-4 hits an AP, but is sunk in turn
ss i-169 sinks a dd, hit, but not sunk in return
(told ya it wasa big turn)
15 corsairs,11 duantless-34 oscars
BB nagato wears a bomb, no damage really, but she turns from the battle apparently, her captains nerve finally breaking
21 beufighters, 15 corsair- 34 oscars
no A/c losses, my planes bugg out[:@]
2 aps hit
32 tony,36 oscar - 1 corsair shot down, 6 tonies lost
lots of dakatos intercepted again
Nagato, 3 dds, vs 3 dds, and a screen full of enemy APs and LSTs - his troops arriving
I lose 2 DDs - I really have none left now[X(][X(][X(]
no aps hit
nagato naval bombs - kills 1 corsair
I shock attack - 1 to 1 odds - 6610 men to 9503, I lost 248 to his 163

I remain on high release, 1 bb, 4 ca, 1 cl and 7 dd enroute - but not the cvs!!!

And enemy CVs are sighted near irau!
KB enters rabual - try to reorganise the remains of my naval air

[1275psi]

wobbly writes - this is getting ugly!!!

He aint wrong mate

15/3/43
thunderstorms
1 ap is sunk by a sub, i lose men
he must be desperate - 1 dd, 5 ap encounter the australia, and a burning nashville
but 13 new DDs are here[:(]
4 aps sunk, 2 damaged

then 17 aps, and 1pg of mine are attacked by the dds, only 1 ap sunk!
cl kiso is hit by a sub
100 4 eng bombers hit the island - i think that saved him today.
My 3 cs ships are straffed and bombed, all moderately damaged, thats them out of the fight, my oscars are shredded by his corsairs, and some p38s return

Shock attack as my last troops go in - there are no more to be had
5 part strength regiments,2snlf, 2 eng units, vs
112 cav, 147 reg, 2nd marines, 2 see bee units
20,588 vs 13641, i lost 36 men, he lost 22,

buggar
buggar

Im reduced to ags trying to take troops from lunga now.
no ships left
none, except KB, and she has no escorts to speak off
I will try to get the best sqs I can on KB., or , if the next turn goes bad, return it to japan, with out planes, to lesson any point losses there loss would cause.

rabual must be a fortress - so I order the CS ships on the way to truk to bring as many munda base forces as theyt can - munda is untenable soon, as is shortlands, and lunga will be gone

Brutal, but the war is lost here.
But I fight on!

It sure is good WITP practice for 43!

[1275psi]

16/3/43
The CL nashville and 11 dd take up guard duty at rennell, and I try to break the blockade today
2 APDs try - and are sunk
5 ags try - and are sunk
(bit of a pattern developing here[8|])
14 AP and 1pg try, 2 ap sunk
But a lot of troops do get ashore.
regrettfully so do a lot of his
75 zero,3 oscar 17 bettie attack, the corsairs do their thing
47 zeros shot down
1 ap torpedoed, 1 dd hit
he bombards the island with something, and I don't attack today.
Im retiring the remains of the fleet, and standing down the planes, as I try to organise rabual - thats the next major base I think.

[1275psi]

17/3/43
I turn to night bombing - which is viable as most of my bombers remain in the 80's experience, not bad for 3/43.
Also replacement pilots are so far pretty good - just goes to show how much conservation happened this game
CL nashville sinks ags, as I hit the airfield tonight
2 aps sunk today by subs
oscars tangle with corsairs over rennel, losses are light as his fatigue bites.

Man am I getting a good lesson on how to defend in WITP

100 heavies hit rennel - and this i think was the war winning moment, with out it I think I would have prevailed here at rennel

dakatos shot down in droves over rennel
deliberate attack today, 27000 men to 19000, 0 to1, forts to 2, 500 men lost both sides

Im trying to re organise my air, the squadrons are dissolving quickly, now its just form up as best we can, and fly.

[1275psi]

18/3/43
Ags killed by subs today
Night air strike, 11 bettys, 20 lillys
CL tana succumbs short of truk

His heavies hit again - and this really does decide it
I shock, and get 1 to 1, forts to 1, but lose 1200 men to 259

As wobbly says - that was way too close.
he admits that he has absolutely nothing left, and I believe him.
But thats that.

rabual air is consolidated, the solomons are lost, now for the battle for shortland

[1275psi]

19/3/43

the betties conduct a very nice night naval attack, this is going to help if I can attrit away - a dd hit tonight.[:'(], and only lost 1 betty
2 ss lost, while another enemy dd is hit in turn

Other than that, the war was quiet today.
KB is back to truk, I awaitto see what is released after the next wave of ships arrive

Its not ships I need, its men now.

This is a hot war now!

[toraq]

the betties conduct a very nice night naval attack, this is going to help if I can attrit away - a dd hit tonight.

I´ve never seen this before. Do you still have the combat report. How did it happen?

[1275psi]

Well blow me down - a reader!
Sorry toraq, no replay - I get them to work quite often - the group must be above 80 experience to conduct a naval strike - (might be 70) - i save my elite pilots for this.
In another game Ive seen catalina's get away with it - especially in WITP, and I once hit a CV in another game with night port attacks.

20/3/43
More night strikes - strafing the enemy AF
2 irving, 24 nick, 11 lilly - he puts 8 havoc up
no real hits

during the day over 50 corsairs sighted over rennell
nagato goes home - medals all round!!!

And a new squadron arrives- and the experience level is suddenly 30!!

[1275psi]

Everyone rests today, an AG is sunk at lunga,a quiet turn - wobbly calls it as quiet as the grave - a japanese soldiers grave

nasty Wobbly, we hate him we does, hates him

[1275psi]

The troops at rennell island shout insults at each other - and that is all that happens

Air is all ready to be thrown into the war again
3 days, significant surface forces arrive - if no more CVs are issued after they arrive, KB as it is will strike at IRAU, and see what happens.

[TAIL GUNNER]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

Well blow me down - a reader!

I'm sure you have more readers than you think....after all this by far the longest AAR on these boards!

Your opponent reminds me of Montgomery.....cautiously builds up and then throws everything at one objective..

P.S. I also read your AAR on the WitP boards....even though I don't own that game....yet.
I like your style of posting....no endless boring combat reports....and the fact that you waste time at work posting on these boards is classic!

keep up the good fight!
Chad

[1275psi]

Well thanks for the comments[8D]

24/3/43
wish wobbly was doing his AAR, Ill never know how close I was to defeating his invasion

Night air action over the island taday, he puts up 12 havocs -they actually come of worse - 2 bullet holes in him, 1 in me[:'(]
CL nashville still sits at the beach like a limpet

And the bombing continues, if its not the heavies, its the mediums

I have to come up with something soon[8|]

[1275psi]

25/3/43

Lunga recieves exactly 100 heavy bombers today, and supplies - which at the start of the year were nearly 100000, slip into the pink, at 6000.
Gawd!
Tanaka comes up with a plan

2 brand new BBs in the Truk lagoon now, and 4 CAs
What to do?

we get out the good dress uniforms, and prepare a new desperate venture.
Im sure this game has it worked out - it watches what one side has got, then balances the other side to it[:'(]
wonder what wobbly is recieving this month - cant be many BBs left!


26/3/43
A lot of WITP turns this weekend gone, poor UV got neglected.
Actually it is getting painful opening up the turn - what horror for herbie today.
A deliberate attack at Russell island, 0 to 1 he gets, I lose 700 to his 300.
the door is creaking though....

[1275psi]

[:(]The war continues, well the meat grinder churns on

27/3/43
No sign of ever recieving the carriers, so I go with what Ive got.
KB, and 2 BBs will attempt to hit nevea, go around the board edge, await the storms, and see what happens[:'(]

Today I night bombed, he day bombed, and not many caso's
I-31 scored a tanker, and then the last sub I have is then sunk.

i spot a BB south of lunga

here it comes again
Lunga down to 3000 supplies.[:(]

[Freddy Fudpucker]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

25/3/43

2 brand new BBs in the Truk lagoon now, and 4 CAs
What to do?

wonder what wobbly is recieving this month - cant be many BBs left!

Hi Herb,

From what I see of Wobbly's style of play he seems overly cautious and marshalls his forces very well. With your shortage of just about everything at the moment, do you think Wobbly has already won the war of attrition?

Even so, is Wobbly also going to be too overcautious when it comes to his own offensives and not commit enough resources to do the job?

[Andy Mac]

Na when Wobb comes for you he will bring everything he has just look at what he tried at Java in his WITP game.

[1275psi]

been battling a few problems with WITP, time short today, the date is 30/3/43

Ive had 4 days of action this weekend, all very, very similar.
I bomb at night with hand fuls of bombers, and he has pounded PM and russell several times

A shock attack by wobbly failed, and so did a deliberate attack.

My new tactic is this - attack!!!!![:D][:D][:D]
KB is way out east, about to refuel, and then its going to go and hit nevea
the 2 BBs are just going to go south, smash and be smashed, then Ill get new ships I suppose!

In PNG, Im marching troops out of PM to buna - destination the solomons I suppose.

Its the nevea attack i hope will slow him down.

he boasts of 42 new ships enroute - his CVs at last I suppose.
so time to use mine.

Its all fun anyway.

[1275psi]

31/3/43
thunderstorms
I still get in a night raid, man, a lot of ships at russel island now.
A big surface action tonight, as Wobbly gets aggressive[:o]

That cursed ship - the nashville, and all its destroyers steam into shortlands harbour, I've been gutsy and sailed a very large convoy into the place
I lose 1 pg, 1pc, and 4 AP, for no hits really on him
But the troops were already ashore, and most of the supplies

the BBs are almost to rabual, and way out east we fuel tonight, then its wait for more bad weather (which won't be long!), and then KB strikes nevea

It'll end in tears, but thats life.
Im pleased that its alreadyApril, and he's got a long way to go....[:'(]

[1275psi]

Continuing to drop bombs every night on russell
great crew training for little loss, but little damage inflicted though

the 1st dauntless dive bomber raid out of russel against shortlands today, 21 tony vs 17 corsair and 11 DBs
1 AP hit, no planes lost my side, several on his.

tanakas CS ships launch 9 jakes to irau - ooops
the corsairs there do not intercept -wonderful !
lost another PG at shortlands as 6 PT boats sweep in
And an AP is sunk by a sub at buin.

2/4/43
great turn today[:'(]
tanaka gets into and out of lunga untouched - supplies not as important as the fact the imperial navy has not deserted the troops on lunga.

I also sweep Irau with 6 zeros at 100 feet from munda - again the corsairs miss (must be very, very tired those boys)
another deliberate by the allies - 0 to 1
and his heavies hardly hurt me at all

Tomorrow is a big day, 2 BBs will arrive at russell, and if all goes well 4CAs will bombard irau, and Im going to have KB off nevea as well.
its a big day, lets see how it goes!

[1275psi]

3/4/43
the turn opens with kirishima hitting a mine, her wimpy commander -I've killed all the good ones[:'(]- aborts the mission and runs away

the nightly raids continue at russell
At dawn 15 betties fly in at 100 ft over irau - not intercepted, but score no hits iether
Bb kirishima and Hyuga encounter 5 pt boats - sink 2

Down at Nevea - the big moment - a naval bombardment - 23 hits -buggar -not enough, some planes destroyed, not enough, and no heavies

Fortune smiles on me for a change - Wobbly was ready for me - 30 corsairs,20 wildcats on CAP, twice unescorted Vals flew in, and were un able to find the target - phew!!!
meanwhile 40 corsair and 70 mediums hit russel, 4 oscars failed to intercept
My ships hitting nevea get away, and Im retiring back to Truk

Kirishima is broken - home she goes too

A poor result for the turn.
Still for WITP - a good rehearsal for that game.