cap_and_gown(j) v witpqs(a) - no witpqs

[TheLoneGunman_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: CarnageINC

Nice deep strike with your surface units [;)]

Agreed! The German Kriegsmarine would be proud! [:'(]

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: TheLoneGunman

ORIGINAL: CarnageINC

Nice deep strike with your surface units [;)]

Agreed! The German Kriegsmarine would be proud! [:'(]

Thanks, but I am not one to count my chickens before they are hatched. The surface raiders still need to make good their escape!

[Q-Ball]

That was slick! Escape is the tough part; if I had CVs at Pearl, I would be looking for your replenishment TF (in this case AKs, but either way, you need a fuel source)

Pretty cool though! What will he do now, change Convoy routes?

[TheLoneGunman_MatrixForum]

If you manage to extricate them from the area, I wouldn't do a repeat run. Seems like such an action is a one trick pony and that any further attempts will be met with overwhelming force.

If it were me, I'd increase sub patrols in the region following this to monitor the situation, perhaps you'll get lucky and bag some enemy warships seeking your raiders, or at the very least find out whether or not he has changed anything as a result of the raid.

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

That was slick! Escape is the tough part; if I had CVs at Pearl, I would be looking for your replenishment TF (in this case AKs, but either way, you need a fuel source)

Pretty cool though! What will he do now, change Convoy routes?

Well, the closest his CVs might be is half way between Tahiti and Pearl. I suspect, in fact, they are prepping to support another invasion, perhaps of Baker and Canton. They might be at Christmas. The only reason I launched this raid is because I knew his CVs were all way down in the south.

As to fuel, I selected the highest endurance ships I have for this raid. Right now it looks like they could make it home without having to refuel. They tanked up on the way out and seem to have enough to get home without needed the xAKs. But I will leave them in place as a contingency.

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: TheLoneGunman

If you manage to extricate them from the area, I wouldn't do a repeat run. Seems like such an action is a one trick pony and that any further attempts will be met with overwhelming force.

If it were me, I'd increase sub patrols in the region following this to monitor the situation, perhaps you'll get lucky and bag some enemy warships seeking your raiders, or at the very least find out whether or not he has changed anything as a result of the raid.

That is an interesting idea. I was not going to do a repeat. But I had not thought about putting some subs out there. I may do that.

[CapAndGown]

Feb. 4, 1943

I guess witpqs thought the float plane that sighted his convoy in the southwest last turn was a Glen since his ships stayed on course to the west. Too bad for them. Turned out be be tanker convoy. Apparently it was totally wiped out since there was no attack in the afternoon phase and there is no icon there now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Busselton at 15,177
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid spotted at 41 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
D3A1 Val x 48

Allied Ships
TK Salland, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
TK British Colonel, Bomb hits 10, and is sunk
TK Solor, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK British Hope, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
TK British Commodore, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
TK Osthav, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
TK Belita, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires
TK Seirstad, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
TK War Sirdar, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Busselton at 15,177
Weather in hex: Moderate rain
Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
D3A1 Val x 24

Allied Ships
TK Osthav, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
TK Seirstad, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK British Hope, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK Salland, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK British Commodore, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
TK War Sirdar, Bomb hits 4, heavy fires, heavy damage

Now I need to get my CVEs out of Dodge and back to the relative safety of my fleet CVs which are due west of Perth.

My Tone TF failed to intercept the surviving ships from the convoy they butchered yesterday. The Jakes did sight two TFs, one of them in the same hex as the Tone group. I initially thought about trying for another intercept tomorrow, but my Nagumo instincts took over-don't get greedy!

So now it is retirement time for everyone. If we can successfully extract all our forces this will have been a successful operation with one troop convoy demolished and one tanker convoy obliterated.

(For the below picture, notice how the Vals just missed bombing Gary Grisby.)

[TheLoneGunman_MatrixForum]

Wow, 9 tankers down!

That's really gotta hurt.

I'm amazed at the results your ops have been making. [&o]

Between lost fuel carrying capacity and lost troops, you may hinder his potential advances for weeks if not months. As well as shake him up enough that he might commit mistakes.

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: TheLoneGunman

Wow, 9 tankers down!

That's really gotta hurt.

I'm amazed at the results your ops have been making. [&o]

Between lost fuel carrying capacity and lost troops, you may hinder his potential advances for weeks if not months. As well as shake him up enough that he might commit mistakes.

Well, if you think this is good, you should go read PzB's AAR. He has been demolishing Andy's TFs left and right.

I doubt any of this will slow down witpqs or cause him to make mistakes. He is a cautious and meticulous commander. The only mistake I could see here is if the RN CVs are at Perth and he sorties them to try an interception. I might lose a carrier or two, but I am pretty sure my 5 CVs, 3 CVLs and 3 CVEs are more than enough to handle the Royal Navy.

This raid does raise one possibility: twice now when he has revealed the position of his CVs I have staged raids on his lines of communication. First in the south when I wiped out a xAK convoy, and today's and yesterday's operation. It is possible, though unlikely, that he could decide to hold a CV or two in reserve in order to deal with these raids and so not have all of his CVs present for his next invasion or two. Now that would be a mistake for not too far in the future I am planning to execute the decisive battle. (That is so top secret I cannot discuss it further without having to kill you afterwords. [:'(])

[CapAndGown]

Feb. 5, 1943

Witpqs let slip that my surface units missed a TK TF in the pacific. My jakes had spotted a TF with TK listed in the rollover. I tried yesterday to intercept thinking it was the cripples but I missed. I am not going back, however; everyone is heading home.

An IJN SC was obliterated today by a torpedo launched by the Gurnard. It seems kinda silly to call these guys sub chasers since they are so slow they could never catch one. [;)]

I wonder if our sigint has detected the next American invasion?

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: cap_and_gown

As to fuel, I selected the highest endurance ships I have for this raid. Right now it looks like they could make it home without having to refuel. They tanked up on the way out and seem to have enough to get home without needed the xAKs. But I will leave them in place as a contingency.

Hi cag,

Pardon my ignorance, but what Japanese xAK's can be used for replenishment? I thought only the AO's could be used for that purpose? I'm off to check the manual as well, I'm sure I'll find something along those lines, but can't remember seeing that. [:D]

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

ORIGINAL: cap_and_gown

As to fuel, I selected the highest endurance ships I have for this raid. Right now it looks like they could make it home without having to refuel. They tanked up on the way out and seem to have enough to get home without needed the xAKs. But I will leave them in place as a contingency.

Hi cag,

Pardon my ignorance, but what Japanese xAK's can be used for replenishment? I thought only the AO's could be used for that purpose? I'm off to check the manual as well, I'm sure I'll find something along those lines, but can't remember seeing that. [:D]

Any ship can refuel from another. They don't carry the fuel as cargo, it is in their bunkers.

[CapAndGown]

Feb. 7, 1943

This is just a note on my ship production.

I have only lost one TK so far. Right now I actually have 24 TKs sitting idle (the little 1250 capacity ones) and other TK TFs often sit idle waiting for fuel or oil to accumulate before they can start loading. I also have an excess capacity of xAKs (and xAKLs which I don't really use).

Therefore, in order to reduce the number of ships the allies can sink, I have decided to halt every TK and xAK when its delay reaches one day. That way, if I need reinforcements I can have them in one day.

I am also halting all C, D, and E class xAKs the moment they start building. These can all be built quickly should I need them. The Es take 30 days to build, the Ds take 60, and Cs take 90. I am also not building any of the TKs with less that 14 durability.

Now that E class ships are beginning to arrive in significant quantities I have also decided to halt the production of all SCs when they begin building. I am even starting to convert some the the bigger PBs back to xAKs. Right now I seem to have plenty of escorts and I really don't like PBs or SCs because they are so slow.

[CapAndGown]

Feb. 9, 1943

One of the PBs on my picket line east of the Home Islands was spotted multiple times by SBDs. No attack though. I am fortunate in that I decided to send my xAKs back to Japan instead of leaving them out there. The Cruisers have more than enough fuel at cruising speed to get home, but a little less than needed at full speed. Nevertheless, they will make a full speed run tomorrow towards the Aleutians. I have to hope that allies have not set up a seaplane base in the western Aleutians. Either way, I want to put some distance between the cruisers and those carriers. I split off the Teruzuki. It has 14 sys damage and 7 float damage. Not only does that slow the other ships down, I am afraid a full speed run could be as fatal as a carrier strike. Hopefully it will be more difficult to spot a single ship.

Meanwhile, over in the Indian Ocean a US sub sank my picket PB guarding the eastern flank of my carriers. They are all about due west of Perth right now and heading for Oosthaven.

[CarnageINC]

Good luck on your escape, hope he doesn't follow up with another carrier south of this one, sail north and pin your units in.

[krupp_88mm]

send your picket subs out and try to mix it up with the carriers, if he decides to block your escape you can make him move with some subs

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: krupp_88mm

send your picket subs out and try to mix it up with the carriers, if he decides to block your escape you can make him move with some subs

Don't have any subs up there, just PBs.

Looks like we made a successful extraction. Not quite to Paramashiro yet, but close. We are just south of the Kormandorski Islands.

[Swenslim]

What is tanker system ? I use all my small and slow TK 1250 and 7500 for auto convoys from Palembang, Medan and Miri to ship oil and fuel to Singapore and then use fast and large in big convoys with lots of DD and 1 CVE to ship to Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: Swenslim

What is tanker system ? I use all my small and slow TK 1250 and 7500 for auto convoys from Palembang, Medan and Miri to ship oil and fuel to Singapore and then use fast and large in big convoys with lots of DD and 1 CVE to ship to Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

I have mostly discontinued the use of 1250 size TKs. I have enough larger ones that I use those instead since they are more efficient.

There is no need to have convoys coming from both Medan and Palembang. The Medan oil and fuel will migrate to Palembang.

E class escorts are better that DDs when they be become available. More and better depth charges generally, and it frees up your DDs to support the fleet. A number of the older type DDs, such as Kamikaze's and Wakatake's can be converted to E class. All your DMS can also be converted.

I do not use CS convoys for oil and fuel. I handle this manually since they need to change what they are carrying based on what is more plentiful at the moment, oil or fuel. For instance, I have one TK convoy from Miri to Singapore. On one trip it will carry fuel, on the next trip it will carry oil while the fuel stock builds back up.

If you haven't lost that many tankers and you manage your TFs properly you can have more tankers than you need by early 1943. This does, however, require extra work since you cannot use CS convoys to achieve this level of efficiency.

[CapAndGown]

Feb. 14, 1943

The cruiser task force that raided the eastern Pacific has made good its escape. It is now passing by Etorofu on its way to Yokohama. The carriers that raided the southern Indian Ocean are currently passing by Cocos Island on their way to Oosthaven. Overall, this was a successful operation with numerous allied ships sunk and troops destroyed for minimal losses (2 PB picket ships were sunk).

In production news, the Judy dive bomber was accelerated to March, 1943. This is a very significant development. The Judy carries a bomb that is twice as big as the one carried by the Val and, according to the device data, it is more accurate-significantly more accurate. So in 15 days we are going to start churning out Judy's in a big way. As an interesting side note, I had 5 factories doing R&D on the Judy. Once the production date was moved up, I decided to convert 4 of them to research the 3 model of the Judy (it is available 44/8, uses the Mitsubishi Ha-33 engine, and has a service rating of 1, and so is a much better plane). Lo and behold, when I did the conversion none of the factories were damaged! I don't know if this is working as intended, but it means I will be making 57 D4Y3's a month. That means that come January of 44 I will have accelerated the DY43 from 44/8 to 44/2. Not bad. Now if only my fighters could make such significant advances!