Howlin' At The Moon - DBB Vettim(A) vs Greasylake (J)

[vettim89]

I took over 90 F6F losses; so, its time to get the hell out of Dodge. There is a REPL TF at Townsville with CVE-R in it to replinish

Iamge shows final positions of the TF after the battle

[obvert]

OUCH!!!

That's about as one-sided as a CV battle gets, and it looks like the entire KB is wiped! Nice work.

Just thinking about what this means for you now, will you continue to grind up the Solomons, or change gears and go for something more close to something critical for the Japanese? SRA? Marshalls?

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: obvert

OUCH!!!

That's about as one-sided as a CV battle gets, and it looks like the entire KB is wiped! Nice work.

Just thinking about what this means for you now, will you continue to grind up the Solomons, or change gears and go for something more close to something critical for the Japanese? SRA? Marshalls?

My opponent thought the CV battle was going to be on the next turn. He didn't have his forces aligned the way he would have liked. Still, it will be a while before I see the IJN CVs again. He still has Kaga, Sho, and Zui. Kasagari was hit by a sub about a month ago. I doubt she is sunk although FOW wants me to believe she has indeed gone to the bottom. Still four fleet carriers vs all mine is bad odds without some LBA help. I just took Lexington out of the yard and she is heading South along with a newly arrived CVL. My Essex class need October upgrades. Now feel like I can spare them one or two at a time to get that done.

As to where to go. I am set to retake Wake as soon as my CVTF are free. After that I will clear the Gilberts and Marshalls. I am considering doing something most Allied players do not: take Truk. From there I will move on the Marianas then west towards the Celebes, Borneo, and the Southern Phillipines. Also, I have planned all along to invade the Kuriles and possibly Sakhalin and maybe Hokkaido. That will be a mid-late '44 move. I am also considering moving along the Southern edge of NG into the Timor/Banda Sea region.

I have deliberately played this game quite conseratively for two reasons. The first is that I wanted the game to stay interesting for a longer period of time. The second is that I was a bit aggressive last game with Larry. I figure changing play styles up on him would be a curve ball for him. (Of note, I invaded Padang on Sumutra in late 1943 in our previous game)

[vettim89]

29 November 1943

Shaking the last few drops out of that can of whoopass. A/C losses indicate 27 A6M5 and 24 Jill lost on the ground today. That seems like too much to just be from Junyo (esp. considering her air group was likely depleted) So I expect some one else joined her on the sea bed South of Rabaul. Of course FOW says Kaga sank today. Every time I hit an IJN CV, the game tells me it was Kaga. Her participation in this battle is at least her third return from the dead. Still one more TF 120 NM SSE of Rabaul trying to make safe port. My CVTF are safely out of harms way and heading for Townsville.

[obvert]

It'll be interesting to see the mid-Pacific advance with the Northern advance added in later in 44.

After this battle I'd say your strengths would be any isolated islands in the Central Pacific. So Wake, yes. But you could just skip the Gilberts and Marshalls and hit Kusaie, Ponape, Eniweitok and then Truk. Nothing much he could do in that area without the KB at full strength, but for you hitting all of the heavily defended Gilberts and Marshalls could potentially give you setbacks if he's got the forts high and garrisons maxed.

In my above post I meant to write Marianas, but wrote Marshals. Marianas could be ripe if he's not ready for you there yet.