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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Sweep Stakes: Brad is continuing large-scale fighter sweeps over Madras, but the Japanese are losing more aircraft than the Allies. Probably at a 3:1 rate, though the actual losses aren't very high. Perhaps 15 IJ fighters to 5 RAF.

Ugh. This was awful. Not the game activity, but the pun. I may have to rethink my subscription to your AARs, CR. [;)]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Aleutians: The Allies paid political points for 1st USN Engineers and will send the unit to Attu Island ahead of the Marine regiment now on its way to Seattle from East Coast. I am very, very anxious to occupy, fortify, and secure the Aleutian chain. This is the most important Allied offensive that will take place during the first half of '42 - even though there's no enemy troops present at the moment.

Why do you think that defending (they are American a the start) the Aleutians is so important? What would you lose, should he decide to invade them?

Let me put it this way: So far, you have done almost nothing to make the situation more difficult/complex for Q-Ball. Any and all mistakes that Q-Ball has done so far were mistakes he did himself, without any real input from your side. You are basically sitting passively at the side, and letting him do his thing.

Why this passive posture?

DTurtle, you are mistaking an absence of armed conflict for passivness. The Allies are not being passive. They are actively reinforcing forward positions as quickly as possible, though the progress is slowed by lack of political points and lack of units.

It's March 1942, for goodness sakes. Where excactly should the Allies be attacking?

I think most players will agree that it is nearly impossible for the Allies to mount a credible amphibious operation in early 1942 - both in the real war and against a good opponent. Moreso in Scenario Two which gives Japan extra goodies.

So, what you are probably saying is, "Why haven't you used the one offensive asset you do have, the Allied carriers?"

I played a hunch and had them correctly positioned for an invasion of India, but I'm not willing to take on the combined might of the KB at this point. Mink-KB, yes; full KB, no. Why? Many reasons including that articulated by crsutton, above. The odds of achieving anything favorable are low and the cost of revealing their position could be very, very high even if they accomplish something.

As for the Aleutians, far, far too many players, both Japanese and Allied, ignore this region. In Allied hands, it is a pistol pointed right at Japan's head. Brad knows I've used the northern route with success in the past - and without success on another occasion - so he's going to take extra pains to garrison and defend his NoPac territory. That means less units elsewhere, which suits me. Moreover, most of the Aleutians are vacant early in the game - an easy conquest for Japan. If the enemy takes and garrisons those bases, the Allies are challenged to reclaim them. If the Allied player does organize an amphibious operations, he runs the risk of facing a much larger Japanese force. IE, the risks can be great. So, occupying and securing the Aleutians is a tremendous step forward for the Allies. Believe me, I can use those bases to my advantage even if I never move further forward in NoPac.

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth
Dan,You are about 3 months in. How goes the pilot training?

I think I'm making satisfactory progress.

Three months into the game I think I've set up my training squadrons correctly, and the pilots seem to be advancing in skill as expected. I'm just reaching the point where I'm sending 50/70 pilots to general reserve. I haven't reached the point yet where I'm drawing from general reserve into front line units. That will follow very soon (as reflected in a post I just made in the War Room).

So I'm catching on to pilot training, but my dislike of it is even greater than I had feared back when I avoided it. I detest it. I cannot imagine how pilot training ended up in a game of this scope.

One other point about how a lengthy spell of inactivity can sometimes work to the advantage of the Allies. When the Allies are seemingly quiet, it sometimes seems to spook the Japanese player into doing something rash or into misreading the situation. I'll bet most players have experienced this to some degree or other, but here are two examples from my last game with Miller:

1) In February 1942, as the Allies were preparing to invade the Kuriles, most of the action was taking place between Townsville and Darwin. The Allies had a large number of ships at Townsville awaiting an "all clear" to make the hazardous run through contested waters to Darwin. The force included at least one BB and many transports. Miller saw that force at Townsville - then watched as it grew and grew as additional ships made it to T'ville only to be held there because I wasn't sure where the KB was. Miller understandably thought this growing and clearly powerful force was gathering to invade New Guinea or vicinity. He kept his carriers positioned to respond. Meanwhile, the real peril was in NoPac and I had a two-week window without the KB to open my invasion.

2) A few months later, the Allies gathered a force of vast size at Darwin. I didn't move out for weeks, but the growing menace clearly worried my opponent. Eventually he committed the KB to launch a huge strike against Darwin from long distance. The strike was pretty effective, but at a cost of hundreds of valuable Japanese navy pilots and aircraft.

I'm not counting on Brad doing something like that in this game - you can never predict with certainty that something of that nature will occur - but it's possible. The lack of Allied activity in the Indian Ocean may lead him to make a mistake.

I agree with keeping the Allied CV as a force in being, but is Cape Town the right place??

Your force can exit via the Indian Ocean to India (if available) or Perth and take a long time to move into the Pacific. It can also sail to Panama (about 20 days in transit?) or via Pt Stanley, around the Cape and on to Tahiti.  You are keeping your force together but its poorly placed to do much other than force QBall to be careful in the Indian Ocean.

Should it be moved to a more strategic base where it is more capable of quickly getting into the action, if Pearl Harbor is too risky, maybe any West Coast port or Panama where it can get into action more quickly (and also pick up upgrades faster than at Cape Town)

I would also consider allowing some CV to " be seen", a quick circuit of Attu, Johnston Is, Midway etc might get spotted by Emily, Netty or a sub search and make QBall wonder what you are up to!

But don't rush into things like you did (with a lot of help from the gallery[8D]), you probably have 1000 turns to go and in this scenario you don't start to overwhelm the empire until much later than IRL.

I think I'm making satisfactory progress.

Three months into the game I think I've set up my training squadrons correctly, and the pilots seem to be advancing in skill as expected. I'm just reaching the point where I'm sending 50/70 pilots to general reserve. I haven't reached the point yet where I'm drawing from general reserve into front line units. That will follow very soon (as reflected in a post I just made in the War Room).

So I'm catching on to pilot training, but my dislike of it is even greater than I had feared back when I avoided it. I detest it. I cannot imagine how pilot training ended up in a game of this scope.

The 50/70 rule seems to be the way 2 go. I may have mentioned it before, but the single most important factor in training seems to be the inspiration rating of the leader. You have a bunch of 60+ guys, put them in charge.
I have been doing OK with level bombers, but fighters definitely move faster.

I agree 100% on training. Waste of time but a necessary evil. I hope that it will eventually be gotten ride of

JeffK, actually, my carriers are positioned optimally.

From the outset, I said that Allied carriers would only be used to defend Hawaii, Australia, or India, and then only in the event of the most dire emergency. I also wanted to keep my carriers hidden for "force in being" purposes. Since almost any base on the map is subject to unlucky sightings by Glens, subs, or other wandering enemy ships, that left me with two main choices: Panama City or Capetown.

I played a hunch that Brad was going to focus on either Australia or India, so I chose Capetown. Now my carriers are well hidden, but close-enough to the main theater of action to sortie should the need arise.

As for showing a carrier, that would weaken rather than strengthen my position. Brad knows I have a history of using my carriers early. Right now he has absolutely no idea where they are. He has to allow for them showing up anywhere on the map. If I reveal even one carrier smewhere, that tells him that the rest of my force, if separated, is that much weaker.

No, even though my plan is not perfect, I like it and I think that it is working very well. If I secure the entire Aleutian chain, I'll chalk that up as a major victory on a par with anything else I could do by the end of March 1942.

Hey Dan,

One thing you have not mentioned (unless I missed it) is the use of the RN subs. Here is one way where Q-Ball has done you a favor. Until 1943 your subs with working torpedoes are relatively short legged. He has done you a favor here by moving right into their wheel house. Any plans for them? How many RNN subs did you get out of the DEI and where are they now? Hitting a IJN CV would be great but those are usually well protected. That said, he will need a lot of supplies to keep all his new bases going and fuel his offensive. He will be stretching his ASW assets pretty thin. Then in just nine short months the USN fleet boats starting hitting things, he will be even further stretched. You are taking it on the chin now but I have no doubt he will feel some logistical pressure very soon.

In my WiTP game, I remember my opponent Larry bemoaning the day the US torpedoes started working. He desperately wanted those annoying minelaying mission to come back. Of course you can't do that very well in WiTP but every little bit helps.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

DTurtle, you are mistaking an absence of armed conflict for passivness. The Allies are not being passive. They are actively reinforcing forward positions as quickly as possible, though the progress is slowed by lack of political points and lack of units.

It's March 1942, for goodness sakes. Where excactly should the Allies be attacking?

I think most players will agree that it is nearly impossible for the Allies to mount a credible amphibious operation in early 1942 - both in the real war and against a good opponent. Moreso in Scenario Two which gives Japan extra goodies.

Nemo in his game (also Scen. 2) started with (limited) counteroffensives in January '42. Now, Q-Ball might be an enemy of another caliber, but I did not get the impression that Nemo calculated with this while making his early plans. Page 5 of his AAR includes some good discussion of the possible risks and rewards of his approach.

I'll leave at that, since I don't want to distract further from your AAR. It will, of course, be interesting to see the effects of your approach.

At the very least, this is a very interesting game.

I can't comment on Nemo's game because I have no idea what kind of opposition he is facing. If Nemo's opponent is experienced and capable, then Nemo is at a level at which I do not play.

I wrote a day or two back that the "hit 'em hard" defense is a good one and has been successfully employed by a number of players. I've tried it with mixed results.

But I chose a different model for this game, I like it (so far, at least), and I don't want to begin radically changing it now. You know, trying to avoid the sudden "Oops, I went the wrong way/Haste makes waste" kind of indecision that can spell disaster.

So, for better or worse, I shall forge on.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth
Dan,You are about 3 months in. How goes the pilot training?

I think I'm making satisfactory progress.

Three months into the game I think I've set up my training squadrons correctly, and the pilots seem to be advancing in skill as expected. I'm just reaching the point where I'm sending 50/70 pilots to general reserve. I haven't reached the point yet where I'm drawing from general reserve into front line units. That will follow very soon (as reflected in a post I just made in the War Room).

So I'm catching on to pilot training, but my dislike of it is even greater than I had feared back when I avoided it. I detest it. I cannot imagine how pilot training ended up in a game of this scope.

My biggest complaint is that it just eats up my time. Sometimes a half hour to an hour a turn must be spent on pilot training. It is fun for a while but I dread when mid 1944 comes around and I have many more units and thousands of pilots to manage. This was not a great idea. At least give the players the option to turn it off and train pilots automatically the WITP way. More vanilla but lets get real here.

Once setup, on the Japanese side!, it is fairly easy to maintain. I dont go through my pilots every turn. I just look at general experience levels in the air unit list and if I see any of my training squadrons at "higher" levels of experience I empty some of them into the reserve pool.

I think the allies have bigger problems in this game. All those nationalities... brrrrr

3/22/42 to 3/26/42

Ceylon: Colombo falls to the Japanese on the 26th, meaning that Ceylon is now a Japanese colony. The defenses on Ceylon held for just 19 days despite the presence of a British division (albeit one with just 40 experience). Was it worth it? Yes, I think so. Brad committed more than five divisions to the invasion and it created a three-week speed bump. Reinforcements arrive at Aden in five days. If I can get them to Karachi, the time bought by Ceylon will have proven vital. Still, though, it's sobering to lose an important island like this one, and it's the first place I've put up a serious defense. (Note: Evacuation of cadres from Ceylon was successful).

KB: Still in the Arabian Sea causing trouble. I think I can get the reinforcements to Karachi, though, unless the KB parks right offshore and stays there, which I doubt will happen.

India: Brad landed 113th Regiment at Cox's Bazaar beginning on the 24th. He didn't bring enough, so he followed up with bombardment by Hyuga and Ise plus aerial bombings. He'll probably take it, but he can't go any further without landing additional troops. I think this is a diversion meant to give the appearance of threat to NE India. I really think Brad will move on the Bombay/Surat region next. I'm trying to cobble together a defensive line in that area. It would suit me very nicely if Brad crosses me up and instead focuses on the Calcutta region.

Allied Carriers: Remain at Capetown. Two that were upgrading are about seven days from being ready to go, but I still need to replace Buffaloes on two ships, and biplane Helldivers on Hornet. Those are additional good reasons to keep the carriers right where they are.

DEI: Lautem falls to the enemy.

SoPac: The Allies flew recon over Baker for a few days. The purpose is to feed any suspicions Brad might have that Baker is a possible target.

NoPac: The Marine regiment arrived at Seattle and is loading aboard transports for the trip to Attu Island. This is the last island I need to occupy, as an Army battalion recently landed at Amchitka.

Sub Wars: I-172 nailed an xAKL south of Pearl Harbor, then missed an escort DD; S-40 got a TK in the Molucca Straits.

ORIGINAL: vettim89

One thing you have not mentioned (unless I missed it) is the use of the RN subs. Here is one way where Q-Ball has done you a favor. Until 1943 your subs with working torpedoes are relatively short legged. He has done you a favor here by moving right into their wheel house. Any plans for them? How many RNN subs did you get out of the DEI and where are they now?

The Allies have a mix of RN, RNN, and USN subs around Ceylon, with more on the way. The Allies have lost just three subs in the war - two at Manila and one to ASW, and all of them were USN. So the entire RNN fleet is available for duty.

3/27/44

Arabian Sea: A burning xAKL stumbled into one element of the KB. The radio officer quickly transmitted by wireless that Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu, and Ryujo were off his port bow before the xAKL slipped under the waves. Enemy recon aircraft were reported over Surat, and I'm sure they were aircraft from the enemy carriers since there's no Japanese airfield within range.

Hunches: I am increasingly sure that the next enemy invasion will take place on India's west coast, probably at Surat. This base already has two Australian brigades and one Indian brigade, but I'm sending the third Aussie brigade that way from Calcutta. So I'm drawing down my defenses around Calcutta and Chittagong on expectation that the real danger lies to the west. I think Brad would make a big mistake to go for Calcutta instead of the Bombay area at this point.

3/28/42 and 3/29/42

KB: The Japanese carrier fleet remains posted in the northeastern Arabia Sea, south of Karachi and generally SW of Surat. I think, but I"m not positive, that Brad would move the carriers south to escort any invasion armada - assuming he's worried about the possibility of Allied carriers sortying from the south to interfere. Patrol aircraft sighted what seem to be combat ships departing Ceylon and rounding India's south cape.

India: I believe it is more likely that the Japanese will hit Surat, Bombay, or Goa than northeastern India. For that reason I continue to siphon off troops from Calcutta/Chittagong to send them west. Surat currently has an AV of 400+ with another Aussie brigade and another Indian brigade on the way. Bombay is about to get an Indian division from Bangalore. The weak, but nevertheless helpful, 70th UK Divsion (50 AV) will arrive at Karachi in two days, and another Indian division will then arrive at Madras. It will be interesting trying to get the three UK brigades that arrive at Aden to Karachi, what with the KB lurking.

China: Things are stable here. The AVG bushwacked a flight of unescorted Sonia's over Kweilin, downing at least 12 in one of the few Allied victories in the air to this point.

Oz: Things have settled down here, too. The Allies just paid to "buy" 41/A Division at San Diego. This unit goes to SW Oz. I do not want to reveal to Brad the presence of US Army division in Oz. So 40th Division (already there) and 41/C (on the way and currently nearing New Zealand) will garrison rear areas while Aussie troops begin to move forward to battle the Japanese.

NoPac: Seabees will begin landing at Attu Island in no more than two days. The Marine regiment just left Seattle and will arrive in about a week. This operation is critical even though, at present, it doesn't look like Brad is paying any attention to the Aleutians. SigInt just showed: (1) 61 enemy aircraft at Paramushiro; (2) 1306 men at Onnekotan; and (3) 17,157 at Sapporo. Brad has taken steps to beef up the Kuriles, so he's cognizant of a threat. That's a perception I want to feed by securing and building up Allied bases in the Aleutians. The sooner the better.

When your reinforcements arrive at Aden, You may need to send you CV's out of Cape Town just long enough to show themselves. Hopefuly Brad will take the bait and run his CVTF south to allow you to move your convoys into Karachi. You may only need to send the RN CV's to accomplish this. The more I think about it the more I think you should just send the RN CV's - perfect use of Mistroika

3/30/42

The long-awaited reinforcements have arrived. Now comes some nail biting....

India: The Japanese are landing at Calicut on India's southwest coast. The base is vacant and will give Brad a good reconnaissance post. I'm sending two Indian divisions from Madras that way to see if I can force an eviction. If Brad reinforces, or if a hotspot develops elsewhere, the two units will already be in strategic mode and ready to move. The KB remains posted south of Karachi. It's far enough south that I can get ships to Karachi, but I don't know how long they will remain afloat. [Vettim, I may employ your idea if necessary, but I'm still hoping to avoid revealing any carriers. I think there's a chance I can run my troops in assuming Brad doesn't have any notion of a particular moment they would be arriving]. Allied troops continue to shift around, with 500+ AV now present at Surat, including a veteran Australian division.

USA: 4th Marines arrived at San Diego. I'm shipping this unit off to Nadi (the base adjacent to Suva). I was tempted to send this unit to the Aleutians, but some Army units arrive over the next few weeks that I can detail for that purpose.

Attu Islands: Most of a Seabee unit is ashore, and 7th Marines are aboard transports now well into the Gulf of Alaska.

Just show him the RN CV's. He has to already know that they are in theatre. You would be giving nothing away. All you have to do is let them be seen as a threat to his SLOC and KB should break south