Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

Well, our oil stockpile at Lanchow got recognized by tracker today....although it is cut off from Chungking.

Nice uptick in supplies for China today...

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[Lowpe]

Burma is showing steady growth as supply trickles across the roadless terrain....plus I am flying some in. The forts have been building steadily in Burma which increases the supply pull I suspect. Gives a big advantage to the Allies....over Japan I think.

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Given this trend I am thinking about rebuilding some restricted Chinese Corps by placing them near Paoshan with replacements turned on....

[Lowpe]

Chinese Army still has some punch left in it....but really need to get the supplies flowing in. For the most part, every defensive position is off base, in x3 terrain. X Force is in Burma...

My first Corp reached forts 6 recently in mountainous terrain on the road to Kunming. They will be very difficult to dig out...they are supported with some AA and artillery too. Well within air supply range of Ledo.

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[BBfanboy]

One last thing on bombardments: I don't remember player names, but there was a late-game AAR where the AFB was using invasion TFs primarily for bombardment. He'd create an amphibious TF with BBs, escorts and maybe one LCI with supply and "land" the supply at say Nagoya, where he had troops that came by land trying to take the base. It appeared amphib bombardment was more powerful than normal shore bombardment. Some commenters considered it gamey, but I think he justified it by saying it was a real slog at that point in the war.

Cheers,
CB

That's bizarre! I would not want to do that either.

Besides the Amphib bombardment's greater effectiveness, the big advantage is that it does not damage base or industry - just enemy troops. That means, after you take it, the base can be made operational faster .
I agree it is gamey to do so just landing a little supply.

[Lowpe]

Shocked to see that I have 40 USN sub chasers already....although their experience is generally poor. Still, a potent force, and it got me thinking I have been using them wrong -- generally dispersing them in dribs and drabs to protect merchant ships.

Instead I am going to be gathering them in hunter killer groups of 2-4 ships per task force and then grouping them and operating them in larger groups of task forces.

My shipping convoys will start to increase in size....especially the major hub runs.

Up to 3 CVEs now, Nassau just appeared at Portland with VRF squadrons. Yay. As Japan a good way to lose CVEs is to use them hunting American Submarines...however, the USN has much better tools in the toolbox and I wonder if this might not be a good use for the CVEs between fleet carrier operations as long as the CVEs can be supported with lots of ASW support? The Bogue class starts with surface radar...Long Island won't until a 43 upgrade.

I can see using the CVEs to pounce forward on a spotted sub in deeper waters away from bases....assign a dozen sub chasers and we are talking about having a pretty potent force to hunt down unsupported Iboats.

As Japan I normally start transitioning Iboats into picket ships along the perimeter...because Allied ASW gets so potent...I might be able to create some misinformation by using the CVEs this way.

Do any of you AFBs actively hunt and kill IJN Iboats? If so, what are your favored tactics?

[BBfanboy]

CVE air complement start with poor ASW ratings, and if they have the double complement of squadrons on arrival, you have to offload one first. I wouldn't expect to use them for direct ASW as much as Naval Search and CAP against Glens or LBA Patrol aircraft. At least until they get Avengers and some ASW training. They should be ready for ASW kills about mid-1943 I think.

[Lowpe]

CVE air complement start with poor ASW ratings, and if they have the double complement of squadrons on arrival, you have to offload one first. I wouldn't expect to use them for direct ASW as much as Naval Search and CAP against Glens or LBA Patrol aircraft. At least until they get Avengers and some ASW training. They should be ready for ASW kills about mid-1943 I think.

Oh, I have plenty of 70 skill ASW pilots....but I am thinking NavS might do better initially. Both skills high would be best.

General thought was -- something spots an Iboat....the Escort Carrier rushes forward to saturate the expected area with naval search while 3-5 packs of SCs patrol the area under search. If we can score some ASW hits from the SCs on the Iboat, the CVE force closes in to assist with ASW aerial attacks. I could form three groups like this, one for the Gilberts, one for India (using a British Carrier), and the last for around Pearl.

This is just very early in the formulation of a valid Iboat hunting technique....I will refine it more I think.

[traskott]

I always end merging my SC with the transports T.F. After all, its where the i-boats want to be...

Better have high NavS than ASW, except truly dedicated hunting groups. I mean: High NavS locates the SS. High ASW skill enables more and more efficient attacks, but they are short ranged ( max 4, IIRC ), so you need to use NavS, and in the end is more easy use air support with NavS to locate the enemy SS and use the DD/DE/SC to hunt and sunk them.

[BBfanboy]

Whatever you do, try to keep the CVE two hexes or more away from the SS you are hunting. It can react one hex, and if it manages to escape detection the CVE is a much more likely target than the escorts.

[Lowpe]

October 19, 1942

Pleasant surprise here....as we were very low on ammunition. After the battle our cruisers pulled away a hex and then managed to make a full speed run back to Tabby for rearming and refueling.

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[Lowpe]

Another round of solid defense here, despite Japan bringing up two very fresh IJA Divisions and their tanks managed to regain so much assault value so quickly...which is worrisome.

There is another 400 AV marching towards the battle from Kienko, including the 77th LRP which are in no hurry as they are still being flown in from Chengtu.

The 56th AT had 6 disabled guns, the Artillery had 0...other gun losses are from the Corps...

The 3rd New Chinese is a US TOE Corp...

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[Lowpe]

This is the other very worrisome attack...and we are frantically flying in supplies. The 11th has forts 4 at least, while the other has forts 2. Moving reinforcements here, but they are a long way away and Japan is pounding them aerially -- almost all air attacks are here.

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[Encircled]

Shocked to see that I have 40 USN sub chasers already....although their experience is generally poor. Still, a potent force, and it got me thinking I have been using them wrong -- generally dispersing them in dribs and drabs to protect merchant ships.

Instead I am going to be gathering them in hunter killer groups of 2-4 ships per task force and then grouping them and operating them in larger groups of task forces.

My shipping convoys will start to increase in size....especially the major hub runs.

Up to 3 CVEs now, Nassau just appeared at Portland with VRF squadrons. Yay. As Japan a good way to lose CVEs is to use them hunting American Submarines...however, the USN has much better tools in the toolbox and I wonder if this might not be a good use for the CVEs between fleet carrier operations as long as the CVEs can be supported with lots of ASW support? The Bogue class starts with surface radar...Long Island won't until a 43 upgrade.

I can see using the CVEs to pounce forward on a spotted sub in deeper waters away from bases....assign a dozen sub chasers and we are talking about having a pretty potent force to hunt down unsupported Iboats.

As Japan I normally start transitioning Iboats into picket ships along the perimeter...because Allied ASW gets so potent...I might be able to create some misinformation by using the CVEs this way.

Do any of you AFBs actively hunt and kill IJN Iboats? If so, what are your favored tactics?

Not in 1942, not enough decent ASW assets available

But once Frigates and the stuff with an ASW rating 6+

Have an ASW group of 2-3 (3 ideally) followed by 2 CVEs + 4 escorts (AMs. older DDs) - 2 Fighter groups providing CAP, 1 Bomber group on ASW, 1 on Naval Attack with half on search -

Covering the main convoy routes (which are of course top secret!)

Also has enough to deal with any raiders

I was really struggling to protect my convoys from subs + raiders with Glens/Jakes

I also have a the odd Fletcher on its own shadowing convoys and the ASW Groups, unless the Japanese send a CA to raid its more than enough to deal with anything

But you have to have the assets to do this, and it can be hard to get them till mid-43 onwards

[Lowpe]

Here is my thinking...for now I will use the Copahee and Nassau, perhaps in two separate groups. I also get two more CVEs over the next 6-8 days at Tacoma (thought they all came in at Portland). I will assign 12 subchasers and 1 DE and 1 DD to each group (perhaps a KV to each too although their 16knot speed might be too slow) -- using up 24 out of 40 SC, 2 out of 5 DE, 2 out of 4 Fletchers. If I can, I will assign all 40 subchasers to these two groups.

The CVEs will carry the Avenger preferably which has radar (active 6/42), and carries dual 500#ers at 50% operational tempo that would be c14 planes flying. Decent range. To start the pilots will be 70+ naval skill so I can have the CVEs stand off from the Iboats. The Avengers help spot, and the subchasers groups kill.

Escort Task Forces allow subchasers to join...

One transmarine AG for instant resupply at any level one port...also acts as an oiler.

One to two S boats.

Also have the Taney and Charleston...the latter has radar, but they both meet my speed requirements. There are two very good Dutch subs too, that might get assigned to this duty but they will with the British efforts off India. The ASW efforts here are insanely good with those short range motor launches.

Perhaps one small oiler/tanker to act in a run silent run deep type bait...

The weakness is no night naval search. Perhaps we can get it from islands if within PBY range.

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[Lowpe]

Not in 1942, not enough decent ASW assets available

But once Frigates and the stuff with an ASW rating 6+

Have an ASW group of 2-3 (3 ideally) followed by 2 CVEs + 4 escorts (AMs. older DDs) - 2 Fighter groups providing CAP, 1 Bomber group on ASW, 1 on Naval Attack with half on search -

Covering the main convoy routes (which are of course top secret!)

Also has enough to deal with any raiders

I was really struggling to protect my convoys from subs + raiders with Glens/Jakes

I also have a the odd Fletcher on its own shadowing convoys and the ASW Groups, unless the Japanese send a CA to raid its more than enough to deal with anything

But you have to have the assets to do this, and it can be hard to get them till mid-43 onwards

I will disagree and say I have the assets now...I just need to use them intelligently.

I am mixed on using the Fletcher...right now, in October I have 4 and they have the best ASW rating on any Allied ship (I think) at 8 (except for British MLs). And their night experience is low...once their night experience climbs they are far too valuable as surface skirmishers, but for now I think putting them in ASW groups hunting Iboats isn't a bad use as they will gain experience while being subjected to minimal risk.

I am going to assign all my Dutch and weak Destroyers to convoy duty...it might be thin...but all the escorts will peel off when within 4-6 hexes of a major hub with lots of aerial search (both night and day). LA to Pearl is my main shipping hub needing escorts....Prince Rupert to Aleutians is another. Then getting supplies to the front lines: Christmas to Gilberts for example will need escorts.

I can also use YMS...the trick here is to load the convoy, once loaded switch it to escort and transfer in the YMS and send it on its way...will automatically unload at destination, and return to home port. You lose the ability to use CS convoys...but if you use this for very large convoys from LA to Pearl it really isn't that many more clicks...

[Lowpe]

Just ran into the out of memory problem for Tracker....is there currently any workaround? Normally I just create a new folder...and start from scratch pretty much losing all that historical data which normally isn't that big of a deal.

[Lowpe]

Subs has disappeared recently....might be one off Wake.

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[Encircled]

You've probably done a much better job of saving your assets than I have!

[witpqs]

The biggest shortcoming of the USN subchasers is range. They are good for convoy escort (although the 1,500 nm ones slow a convoy for frequent refueling) and ASW near ports. They are not so much sub killers as they serve to stymie subs' attacks.

[Lowpe]

The biggest shortcoming of the USN subchasers is range. They are good for convoy escort (although the 1,500 nm ones slow a convoy for frequent refueling) and ASW near ports. They are not so much sub killers as they serve to stymie subs' attacks.

Even the tiny ones get 37 hexes of range...more than enough.