Monday Night Montage (ex-Moose Crossings) - (J) vs. Bullwinkle/Obvert (A)

[Lokasenna]

Well, by request for posterity... here's some top-level musings.

Game date is now 01/31/1944. This is 4.5 months after my last post. Here's the current strategic map with just bases selected, and cropped for clarity.

In yellow are areas I'm concerned about. Notables:
-- I've reinforced Sabang and Tavoy/Mergui/Victoria Point after he took Port Blair a short while back. I'm concerned about forts levels, and my airfields are spread really thin. There is not enough Av Support to go around yet, not without sacrificing dominance/parity over lower Burma or being able to project torpedoes into the IO.

-- The Marianas are well on their way to fortified status. Forts on Guam hit level 7 this turn. Saipan is at 6. Tinian and Rota will have a division each and are at forts 4. Still, I didn't get enough supply to Kusaie/Ponape soon enough. I neglected lots of things doing short turns and thinking there wasn't really anything I needed to do. Kusaie fell a few days ago, and Ponape will follow in a day or two. I'll lose a lot of troops there.

-- The Celebes/Moluccas area is very weak. I have sent some token units to places like Boela, Ambon, Ternate, and so on in an attempt to stop him from taking them for "free" via SST, as he has been doing with the Timor area. Koepang needs evacuated, as I can't supply it and it's already in the yellow. In short, I blew it on the supplies game. I have 3M in Japan but not enough at the front. Will work to rectify by the time it matters.

-- In general, I've allowed him to recover a lot of strategic ground. The Marianas are open to him as soon as he has the navy to do it, but I'll try to make it a hell of a fight. I'm concerned he will push in from the west. There just aren't enough air groups to go around.

-- Strongpoints I have some degree of confidence in: Java, as a whole. Mindanao to an extent. Luzon, or at least Manila. The Marianas. Babeldaob is making progress. I appear to be delaying enough in Burma to allow for forts to get built in Thailand. I'm going to try to delay him outside of Rangoon for as long as possible. He can't break through yet, and hasn't tried to maneuver around.



The white line is my rough "I can cover this with my LBA" zone. Notables:
-- Rabaul has been out of action for about a week. With the Solomons fully in his control, plus Moresby/Milne, I can't really defend it. I recently evacuated the crack division from Kavieng and will send it to Hollandia for now, but have been unable to extricate the secondary division from Umboi Island. I will try to get more out of Rabaul as well.

-- I didn't train enough Army pilots in NavB, even though I got the Lily DB up and running with a few squadrons. The only attacks by them so far have been failures.

-- I can project search out from Truk and Marcus, but can't reliably sink anything unless it's under my nose. He hasn't been coming under my nose lately.

[Lokasenna]

As I was thinking about my situation last night, it occurred to me that it's entirely up to me in how many VPs I give him. There are a few places where I absolutely can't let him get to without fighting to keep him out for as long as possible, such as the Marianas, the Kuriles, Malaysia, and Luzon. However, there's no reason for me to commit major forces to the New Britain area (with the Solomons and now Kusaie/soon to be Ponape in his hands) or to New Guinea. No more than is necessary to delay him. There's no need to throw away a few hundred planes and a few hundred VPs of LCUs. My reasoning is because I have the following permanent VPs:

23715 Allied LCU
~9200 Allied planes (8885 total loss, accounting for ~550 4Es worth 2 each, minus some portion of Ops losses that don't seem to count)
~9500 Allied ship VPs

Essentially, I have my VP total minus base VPs as permanent VPs. That is 58274 - 16216 = 42058. That means he needs somewhere in the neighborhood of 85,000 VPs plus compensating for future Allied losses in order to achieve victory (plus whatever bases I still hold onto). He is at 30197 right now. So that's about 55,000 VPs, and only about 10,000 are available to him via bases if he captured Manila, Rangoon, Singapore, and the Marianas (guesstimating here). Which means I would need to give up 45,000 VPs in ships, LCUs, planes, and strategic bombing.

If I don't commit very much yet, the goalposts won't move much. I'm going to lose another 200 or so LCU VPs when Ponape falls, but after that there's no reason for me to lose 200 VPs across New Guinea so long as I am able to keep him at a slow enough pace via sea/air power.


We'll see. I could be entirely wrong. I've already come to the conclusion that I am an awful defender in this game.

[Lokasenna]

Port Blair captured by the Allies on November 26, but he hasn't been able to use it much because I haven't let him. I'm not ready to abandon Burma. Shortly after, I got a fair number of planes on the ground and he hasn't really transferred much in. He can periodically search, because of the level of flak I am not able to bomb the AF effectively. It's also expanding... I'm not sure how much supply he is able to ship in, however. I have pretty good eyes on the Bay of Bengal with Nells from Sabang plus periodic search from Rangoon/Bangkok. Until recently, I had half of my CVs based out of Singapore to respond to things over here but I've transferred them to the Central Pacific as half of them in each spot just isn't good enough to fight USN fleet CVs if they show up in strength.

I have a couple of BBs and a handful of CAs based out of Singapore/Medan to harass Port Blair, and respond to anything on Sumatra. LBA is going to have to handle the heavy lifting. More air support began to arrive in the recent months, so we might be alright. A few days ago, some kind of CV TF was spotted west of the Andamans but he didn't come close. This was following a TF of 10 Fletchers that fought my 4 CAs and DDs. I suffered a few damaged DDs and managed to maybe sink a few of his. I think it was a ploy to get my navy exposed, but I didn't go past the islands.

[Lokasenna]

Northern Sumatra/Malaya/Thailand

I got a late start here. I don't know why this didn't occur to me as a probable axis of advance by him, in strength. Perhaps it was because he hasn't really suffered any APA/AKA losses, but the rest of his navy is pretty bloodied (lots of cruisers sunk, BB North Carolina also, and a few CVs). Until he landed at Blair, I was woefully underprepared here. If he had brought everything from the Pacific to Blair, and then Tavoy, it would've been Bad News Bears. He couldn't have known, though; not really. This was mostly the product of lazy turns on my part. I'd just react to what happened in the replay, and check for sightings of TFs and most days would check SIGINT, but that's it. I'd move KB and BBs around if I wanted to react to something bigger.

Some of these units were chilling at Manila or back in China, waiting to see where they should be deployed. I'm trying to get things set up good enough so that when I do have to get out of Burma, it doesn't crash all the way back to Indochina or beyond. That would be brutal. The Thai army withdraws in 180 days... So far, I'm trying to defend Victoria Point, Mergui, and Tavoy with enough that he has to bring more than he brought to Blair or risk being ousted, however if he did manage a landing it would necessitate my pulling back from the lower-western half of Burma (we're currently stalemated outside Ramree, will show that later). Sumatra has just 3 Divisions for now, plus various support units (brigades on the outlying western islands). Air support concentrated at Sabang and Medan, with others at Benkoelen for ASW. Still weak.

I'm struggling with air support, and air units, with which to counter any invasion. I have a handful of torpedo units around, and just got 2 Lily divebomber units here (but without NavB skill [:-]), but otherwise most of my air strength in this sector of the map is fighters. At least that's going well. Kaga-1 with 45+ Georges (I prefer the -1 model for sweeping at 41K), and plenty of Franks/Tonys. I've decided the Oscar-IV can take a hike - the Ki-100 is better in every respect for defense, and if it comes down to kamikazes later it also carries the 2x250kg bombs.

Forts at Tavoy/Mergui are at 4 and building. Bangkok is lagging behind... until recently it only had 32 air support. I need the level 8 AF desperately for the doubled AvS.

Further down in Malaya, Georgetown/Taiping and Kota Bharu are my next bases for defense. The Air Division at Chumphon is temporarily diverted from Kota Bharu. Hopefully when the time comes they can get back down there.

There isn't much yet defending Indochina (a mixed brigade at Battambang is the biggest highlight...), as I'm anticipating at least some of the Burma army to get there.

[Lokasenna]

Hrm, just noticed I'm all the way back on page 5 or whatever with this. I don't want it to expire, as I'm like 5th from the end (!)...and I do intend to update this sometime, someday.

We're currently nearing the end of June 1944. VP ratio is 1.7:1 in my favor, but he's made some large territorial gains and some places that I wish I had been able to set up a decent defense sooner are already in jeopardy.

[witpqs]

Pictures or it didn't happen!

[Canoerebel]

Man, I'd love to see an AAR for this match. I'd like to see one from both sides, but I'm pretty sure Bullwinkle isn't literate (ha ha, just kidding; he writes books, for goodness sakes), but I'd be satisfied if just one of the two players (Loka, that means you!) did one. As I recall, this game had no house rules and featured an all-out invasion of China, Bullwinkle promptly diverting all Chinese troops to India, and Bullwinkle orchestrating an early invasion of the Home Islands in an effort (probably ill-advised) to create a draw on Loka's supply situation. That's a crazy game! But these are two old time players who are well known and well-regarded. As witpqs says, we need pictures!

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Man, I'd love to see an AAR for this match. I'd like to see one from both sides, but I'm pretty sure Bullwinkle isn't literate (ha ha, just kidding; he writes books, for goodness sakes), but I'd be satisfied if just one of the two players (Loka, that means you!) did one. As I recall, this game had no house rules and featured an all-out invasion of China, Bullwinkle promptly diverting all Chinese troops to India, and Bullwinkle orchestrating an early invasion of the Home Islands in an effort (probably ill-advised) to create a draw on Loka's supply situation. That's a crazy game! But these are two old time players who are well known and well-regarded. As witpqs says, we need pictures!

Yeah but I can't just like... skip ahead to where we are now. I have to somehow cover the in-between!

[Canoerebel]

You might think that a daunting, tedious prospect. If so, just skip ahead to the present and then backfill as time allows. One literary way of doing that would be, in describing what's going on today, note how these things were shaped by events and decisions of the past.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

You might think that a daunting, tedious prospect. If so, just skip ahead to the present and then backfill as time allows. One literary way of doing that would be, in describing what's going on today, note how these things were shaped by events and decisions of the past.

Yep. I've thought about it. I'm just crunched for time. I do want to update, but turns come first, so...

I've got a lot going on besides turns, which makes it hard to take the hour or so to do some posts to bring it closer to the current game date. Changing jobs at work, moving offices, I have a car to fix, a fallen tree to finish cutting up, a bathroom shower to finish, a back door/deck to design (spurred by the falling of the tree), and 200 feet of fencing to install.

At this point, the only realistic way is to zoom out and talk about what's happened, but even there the notes I keep every turn don't contain much context in themselves and are just a record of what happened where and the occasional bolded/capitalized comment to myself to remember to take care of something in the coming orders phase.

[Canoerebel]

Yeah, maintaining an AAR of substance is a huge time commitment.

[Lokasenna]

Well, the latest turn was an uneventful one. So I've got time to do at least one update. Off to the races...

[Lokasenna]

Moose Date: June 23, 1944

I'll start with a theater where a whole lot has been happening even if there hasn't been any change in the front lines in 6 months or maybe more. Because of that, I also think I'm doing great here. Maybe it'll all come crashing down at some point, but we'll see...

BURMA!

I'm going to go back to my numbered hexes and then you can look below for what occurred/is at each location. After I'd reached my furthest point (basically the border with India), I moved a LOT of my units back to Manchuria to await Soviet activation. Note to JFBs - never do that. You're just wasting unit-time. It's taken me a couple of months just to get them shifted back to Indochina and only now are they making their way to the second lines.



1) What has come to be called "The Stack Hex." Here's why:
June 19 unit stack

Allied units, Assault Value = 3347:
209th Combat Engineer Battalion
11th PAVO Regiment
18th Cavalry Regiment
Provisionl Tank Brigade
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
75th Indian Brigade
Merrills Marauders Regiment
54th Chinese Corps
1st Patiala Lancers Regiment
26th Indian Division
18th British Division
72nd British Brigade
268th Motorised Brigade
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
38th Infantry Division
99th Chinese Corps
23rd Indian Division
3rd Cavalry Regiment
150th RAC Regiment
25th Indian Division
20th Indian Division
7th Indian Division
17th Indian Division
19th Indian Division
7th Australian Division
254th Armoured Brigade
5th Indian Division
25th USN SeaBees /1
29th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
I/221 Gp Forward Base Force
XV Indian Corps
23rd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
102nd RAF Base Force
25th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
20th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
India Command
1st Bombay Construction Battalion
24th USN Naval Construction Battalion
848th Engineer Aviation Battalion
32nd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
224 Group RAF
30th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
26th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
28th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
95th Coast AA Regiment
21st Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
1st Middlesex Battalion
Sikh Construction Battalion
8th Belfast Heavy AA Regiment
12th USN Naval Construction Battalion
122nd British AT Gun Regiment
ACSEA
2nd Indian Field Regiment
31st Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
15th Indian Heavy AA Regiment
109th RN Base Force
43rd Cavalry Engineer Regiment
1883rd Engineer Aviation Battalion
12th Indian Heavy AA Regiment
77th Chindit Bde /2
823rd Engineer Aviation Battalion
123rd RAF Base Force
Southeast Asia
125th RAF Base Force /3

Japanese units, Assault Value = 1466:
8th Division
12th Division
21st Division
3rd Tank Division
Guards Tank Division
15th Army
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
5th Army
22nd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
11th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion

He's tried many attacks here, and I've held them off each time. The rock of my defense is the Guards Tank Division. Don't tell him this, but his latest attack came close to breaking through. The Guards Tank got beat up by about 40% of its AV, and I had already cycled the 8th Division out of the hex to the SW. Yes, my 1K-1.2K AV was holding off his 4-5K AV, with only the 8th and 21st Divisions alternating in taking the big hits. After about a week, the Guards Tank is back up to 349 AV of its potential 378. Morale is down to 87, but Exp remains at 99. The lowest Exp division here is the 21st at 86. The others are all 91+.

I'm not entirely sure what my goal is here. I'm mostly playing it by ear. I've enjoyed taking chunks out of his stack each time he's attacked. However... see #4 for Pegu. And it appears as if he's either cycling units out for extended R&R, or pulling them out to try another thrust (I would expect Tavoy/Mergui).

2) I had been holding this road against any Allied thrust down from Magwe, along the road. He attempted it once a short while back with a Chindit unit, which was promptly smashed by two Divisions attacking it on successive turns (I got lucky with river crossing timing from the west). It's back at Magwe now.

3) Toungoo. He's moved a couple of brigade-sized units down from Meiktila, but I successfully closed the hex side behind him. I'm going to try to destroy the units, but he's moving down from Meiktila again. I have 1 Division, 1 RTA Division in the hex with another Division coming in from the NE. Once I've destroyed the units (assuming I do so), I intend to move a Division back to the west. Hopefully he doesn't have the forces to move down from Magwe before then... this calculus hinges entirely on how much he has committed at/near The Stack Hex.

4) Pegu. I forgot he could land here, and he did so in strength - about 800-1000 raw AV when at 100% TOE. I can't stop him from bringing in more, or bringing in supplies, but I can harass a little bit. He almost took the place, which would've been rather bad for me. I've been able to shore it up, and I have an attack going in on his troops with 2400 of my own AV this turn - 4 or 5 divisions' worth. We'll see what happens...

It's also been very bloody in the air here. I've shot down a bunch of P-47D25's, B-24J's, and B-25's of various models. I've also lost about an equal number of Tony and Frank, and my air units are perched a little precariously right now. Fortunately, I think his are too so I think we're doing alright.

A couple of times, I've moved CAs and KB up to try to sink some ships. In some cases we've been successful, bagging a few amphibs and LSTs, but in most cases we've fought to a draw. A couple of CAs are repairing at Singapore from these sorts of actions.

5) The "Rahaeng triangle" - I did not build it up soon enough. I'm now expanding Rahaeng and Pisanuloke in order to better provide bombardment-immune LRCAP to Pegu and an anticipated future battle over Moulmein (which is at 8+38% forts). Chiang Mai is bombed periodically, so it's an unreliable base for LRCAP but I still use it when able.

6) The Lashio area hasn't seen much action for about 6 months, and some of my units at Toungoo/Pegu came down from up here. In fact, the unit just SW of Toungoo is the 51st Division and it got creamed in the open attempting to make it to Pegu. That's a treacherous hex. It's currently recovering in rest-thirds. In any case, up here I've mostly been holding the river and keeping what I think is a sufficient force to guard against entry into China - about 5-6 Divisions, all told, plus artillery and HQ. The mountain bases in China each have 120+ AV garrisons and forts 6 to protect against a paratroop attack. Chungking and Chengtu have a division each, and Kweiyang's AF 9 provides backup if necessary (although most planes are currently elsewhere).

[Lokasenna]

CENTPAC

[Lokasenna]

More CENTPAC

The invasion of Marcus took me a bit by surprise, but it's a 6000-troop atoll and indefensible. I saw him coming a day or three away, but couldn't do anything about it.

Ponape was not a surprise. My troops there didn't hold all that long, but it was fine. Same at Truk, where they held out for longer and I was able to lift out many of the supporting units before the end - HQn's took priority, then AF Bn's. These are now being distributing between Babeldaob and the Marianas.



I notice in this screenshot that when I shifted some search towards Truk a short time ago, I left a big hole to the east. I'll have to fix that next turn. He's been able to use marauding DDs and sometimes CLs to penetrate to the Bonins and he even tried to get as far as Daito Shoto once. The Bonins are now more properly outfitted with D4Y3/D4Y4, search (backed up from Yokohama and Chiba), and some fighters. If he sent CVs, I'd lose the airfields for a time.

I expect him to either come straight at the Bonins, or the Marianas. Perhaps even before the end of 1944. That would not be good. I am trying not to end up with 3000 AV trapped on Guam and Saipan. I'm a bit short on supplies there, and his subs sometimes sink a ship or three. I'm hoping that he comes for the Marianas first so that I don't have to sail around the Bonins in attempts to whittle him down in a Marianas campaign. To that end:

Iwo Jima: Port 1(1), AF 4(1), Forts 6. 524 AV, 47.8k supplies. 84F, 59DB, 37 FP at present. 204 AvS.

Haha-jima: Port 1(0), AF 1(0), Forts 6. 220 AV, 23.3k supplies. Just 30 FP with 24 AvS here - supplementary search. I don't think he'd come here without first coming to Iwo or Chichi, given the SPS of 0.

Chichi-jima: Port 1(1), AF 2(0) + 22%, Forts 6. 236 AV. 28.2k supplies. Only 30 AvS present for now, but more will come as well as some more AV. Currently 68 DB, 20 FP, and 15 Emily here.


Pagan - Port 1(1), AF 2(2), Forts 6+11%, with not enough supplies to continue building. Only 263 AV. This is just a fighter/float plane base.

Saipan - Port 3(1), AF 7(4), Forts 8+95% (almost there!). 1300 AV, 52.9k supplies. 336 AvS to support 220 fighters, 18 NFs, and only 39 Netties. Also Transports, Patrols, and FPs present. If I had to guess, he'd come to Saipan first given that he has Marcus and Truk.

Guam - Port 5(2), AF 8(5), Forts 9. 1685 AV, 83.3k supplies. Abundance of AvS here with 592, and only 350 planes at present. Just 126 F, with 50 FP for ASW/Search and then 36 DB and 115 Netty/Frances to help with search until targets spotted.

Tinian - AF 3, Forts 6. Currently basing 50 fighters but only 24 AvS. Needs more supplies (8.3k). I have 1051 AV here. Dang, I need to bring in a lot more supplies and soon.

Rota - AF 4, Forts 6+7%. Fighters and 24 Jakes for search/ASW. 38k supplies and 392 AV.

Yap and Ulithi are just garrisoned for now, and basing float planes. I stage fighters through for R&R periodically. Supplies are a bit of a challenge, as most of my shipping is trying to suck the DEI even dryer right now.

[Lokasenna]

Apologies for the delay, I had some work and another turn to do.

Celebes

Here is where I wish I had been better prepared to defend sooner. He landed at Waingapoe first - a good choice, with its nice airfield potential. By not preparing properly, I allowed him to conduct only one real landing and then do the rest (Timor, Flores, Ambon) on a budget. Rats. In retrospect, I should have figured he would come up this direction because:

1) He moved a lot of stuff to SW Australia to retake it, back when, and mentioned at that time that doing so had time-based logistical implications. This was a huge hint that he saw coming north of Australia as the best way to use those forces when on the offensive, and I forgot about it.

2) He had retaken Darwin at some point not too long ago, but hadn't yet turned it into a major base.

I only have 3 divisions and change on the Celebes. I don't intend to fight all out for them - Balikpapan can already be interdicted if he so chooses (he hasn't yet, presumably because of the threat of air strikes from Balikpapan/Makassar/Soerabaja). I do intend the Celebes to be a minor speedbump. So long as I can maintain the South China Sea for as many months as possible, I'll be OK here. He can take Balikpapan if he wants (he hasn't really tried to bomb it, so I suspect he might want the forward fuel). It is much easier to defend Mindanao and Jolo, although the time is coming when they will be under threat also.

Talaud-eilanden, that big island between Manado and Davao, is another place I think I can expect an eventual invasion because it controls the passage west. If he wants to take Luzon (I have no idea if he does or not), he needs to take either the Marianas or Mindanao + Babeldaob first. If he wants to take Mindanao, he needs to take either Manado or Talaud as well. Just IMHO. Maybe I'm wrong and he'll prove me wrong.

At this point, other than his enormous land forces committed in Burma and his USMC-anchored invasions in CENTPAC, I really have no idea what his goals are.

He has told me that from now on, all his stuff is going to be Really Big. He says it is out of necessity. Therefore I'm expecting the Marianas at the very least, or the Bonins, and I'd say 80% he'll try for Luzon. I'm less sure he'll bother coming this far south, but I can't just let him have it for free. If he takes Luzon, within about 6 weeks he'll have choked off all sea access to the South China Sea. I would not be surprised if that were one of his Big Hairy Audacious Goals.

[Lokasenna]

Expanding a little on my thoughts at the end of the last post...

He hasn't really grouped the USN CVs yet. Out west, in the Andaman Sea, there appear to be a few British CVs operating from time to time along with some CVEs. I think there might be a few USN CVEs here in addition to the Brits. I think there might be a USN CVL. Or at least, there was at some point a month or more ago. Given the huge stack of LCUs in middle Burma, including several from CONUS, I expect him to make further amphibious moves there so I am guessing that he'll have CVs nearby rather than sailing them somewhere else only to have to send them back.

He has at least 2, and I think 3, USN CVs based out of NW Australia. Also a couple CVEs. I lost the CA Tone on a long, sad raiding cruise just the other day. Sunk by Helldivers from at least one CV, but I think from the detected aircraft in the TF it was 2 CVs. All I got for her raid was a couple of empty TKs outside Perth, and then she was ambushed. She was too low on fuel to run away at full speed, although perhaps I should have tried. I got her almost up to Christmas Island IO. Oh well.

The largest USN CV force I've seen has always been committed in CENTPAC. I am pretty sure these are different CVs than those in both the IO and near Darwin/Timor/Australia. I think this is the bulk of the Big Blue Fleet. Likewise, this is where I've seen the most amphibs. This is why I think he'll come Marianas or Bonins next. And why I really hope he goes for the Marianas for SLOC purposes. I can't defend the Bonins, but I could make them hard or even impossible for him to use until he takes the Marianas.

KB is entirely intact with the exception of CV Kaga, sunk in early 1942, and CV Hiyo, which is repairing from submarine torpedo hits over a year ago off Java. Most of them are based at Singapore as I think my best chance at eliminating Allied shipping will come either from an invasion of Malaysia or Thailand, or from action around the Celebes. The other 1/3 or so of KB is currently biding its time at Okinawa. I should disband them to port so that they don't burn up fuel sitting there. They aren't nearly strong enough to help against an invasion of the Bonins or Marianas, and so I might move some of my CVs from Singapore on over this way. CVL Ibuki arrives in about a month, but she doesn't come with any planes at any point and the IJNAF is about to be gutted by withdrawals (sigh.........). This will make her difficult to use.

[Lokasenna]

Continuing to add on RE: the CVs, he's really beginning to get a lot of them now. I know there's a pause before he gets more in October 1944, but I think by now he should be up to about 6-8 Essexes. I've only sunk (per the in-game screen - I think the CV/CVL are all correct but the CVE numbers may be off a little bit):

CV Lexington
CV Enterprise
CVL Monterey

CV Illustrious
CV Indomitable
CVL Hermes

CVEs: Santee, Suwannee, Sangamon, Liscome Bay, Anzio, Casablanca, Barnes, Breton, Long Island

Not as many sunk CVEs as I'd like, but I'm sure I'll bag more at some point. For my part, I've lost Kaga, Ryujo, Shoho, Taiyo, and Hosho. "KB1" is Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu, Zuikaku, 3 Unryu's, Junyo, Ryuho, Chitose, and Chiyoda. "KB2" is Taiho, Shinano, Shokaku, 3 Unryu's, and Zuiho. All told, they're about 1100 aircraft or so. Which I know is still not strong enough. If he has 10 Essexes right now, plus CVEs, and puts them all in the same hex... his CAP alone will outnumber my total striking capacity.

Observing other AARs, and thinking about it, I'm of the opinion that trying to sink the CVs should not be my goal. I should try for APAs in particular, but transports overall. The fewer APAs he has, the slower his invasions. If I can bag a CV here or there, I'll do so, but I don't expect him to give me the opportunity. He's too careful with his big ships... most of the time. Sometimes he throws caution to the wind looking for the big score.

[Lokasenna]

Kuriles

I've received several comments over the last year or two from Bullwinkle about how "most players don't defend the Kuriles with a division each like you do." This doesn't mean he won't invade up here, however... and I see 5-7 divisions, liberated from Chinese duty, as a small price to pay for northern security.

Two of the Depot Divisions are on duty up here, from when he activated them back when. Like the Celebes, some of these islands are intended only as speed bumps/obstacles. I would fight hard for Etorofu and Uruppu-jima for sure. Shimushiri-jima and Ketoi-jima I probably would fight for. The 3 northern islands I likely would leave to their own devices and stockpiles - they're just too far from Hokkaido and the Sakhalins.

I'm beginning to build the airfields at Wakkanai and Shikotan (the dot base/island you see the amphib TF at right now). I have torpedo coverage. I've got a fair amount of aerial ASW up here, and so far his subs haven't appeared in any great numbers for quite some time.

Sometimes, he tries some night bombing of Paramushiro. I have a NF squadron and some Georges on night CAP there, plus another unit on day CAP. I forget about them until he bombs again. Good way to train up pilots...

[witpqs]

Pictures, pictures, pictures! [:D]