More Variants - The End of Western Imperialism - No Nomad please (Feb 1944)

[Xargun]

How are you setting up your LRCAP? Are you assigning the destination hex or TF with max range set to 0?

I have used both - TF and base Hex with just enough range to reach the target and no more. Ramree Island is 5 hexes from Rangoon where the Fighters are currently based. So I set them to LRCAP, target Ramree Island and set the range to 5, yet they fly off to Akyab 2 hexes to the north.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Well I think I have an idea as to whats wrong with this game... Nomad spent 50 points to turn ALL of his Withdrawls off - ship, ground and air units. I think this has given him a plethora of units to use that he wouldn't normally get. In the future I think this option should cost a lot more than 50 points - perhaps a flat percentage of the Allied total points... And perhaps breaking it down into three categories -- Land, Air and Ship...


Burma:
I tried to sneak in a Fast Transport TF into Akyab but they ran into the RN Bombardment TF and got destroyed - lost 2 PBs with one heavily damaged.


South Pacific:
CD guns at Rabaul damage another pair of AMs clearing mines - unfortunately the CD guns are only 8cm so they are not doing much damage to the AMs when they hit.



I lost a total of 10 aircraft this turn, but 9 of them were destroyed on the ground at Rabaul - 1 Emily was shot down performing NavSearch over the Solomons.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Burma:
RN Bombardment TFs hits Akyab inflicting minimum damage to the troops and base.
RAF bombers pound my troops at Akyab in preparation for an attack, which comes at the end of the turn. My abused troops hold, but the forts drop from 3 to 2. I inflicted more losses on the British, but unless their disruption and fatigue are high I can expect another attack next turn. I am figuring I can hold for another day, three at max before they take the base and the troops are cut off.

I am airlifting out as many troops as I can while I have the chance. I have fragments of each of the units at Rangoon so they won't need to rebuild from scratch back in Tokyo, but the more I rescue the faster the unit reaches full combat strength.


Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 58867 troops, 1040 guns, 1227 vehicles, Assault Value = 2204

Defending force 21951 troops, 191 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 779

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 2

Allied adjusted assault: 1939

Japanese adjusted defense: 881

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), disruption(-)
preparation(-), fatigue(-), experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
762 casualties reported
Squads: 42 destroyed, 47 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Guns lost 13 (5 destroyed, 8 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
644 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 34 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 29 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 60 disabled
Guns lost 17 (1 destroyed, 16 disabled)
Vehicles lost 21 (1 destroyed, 20 disabled)

Assaulting units:
I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion
B Sqn 3rd Hussars Regiment
18th British Division
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
7th Armoured Brigade
7th Australian Division
6th Australian Division
2nd British Division
2/13th Field Regiment
2/11th Field Regiment
35th Light AA Regiment
6th Heavy AA Regiment
III Indian Corps
2/9th Field Regiment
21st Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
23rd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
26th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
86th Naval Guard Unit
17th Indpt Guards Regiment
5th Guards Engineer Regiment
Imperial Guards Division
6th Guards Div /3


South Pacific:
US Marine Corsairs and P-40s sweep Rabaul followed by bombers hitting the airfield and catching another six or so planes there destroying them. In good news, 1 Mavis was repaired and flown off to Truk !!


In eight days the Ki-44-IIc Tojo will come into production with 5 factories set right now. I will then convert the two factories producing IIas and start building 7 Tojo IIc a day. In a month I can replace most of my front line fighters with the IIc - a much better aircraft than the Oscars and IIa I am using now.

The A6M5c Zero is approaching readiness as well - that aircraft should come online near the end of November. That will be a huge improvement over the A6M2s I am still using everywhere.


Xargun

[BananaConvention]

How are you setting up your LRCAP? Are you assigning the destination hex or TF with max range set to 0?

I have used both - TF and base Hex with just enough range to reach the target and no more. Ramree Island is 5 hexes from Rangoon where the Fighters are currently based. So I set them to LRCAP, target Ramree Island and set the range to 5, yet they fly off to Akyab 2 hexes to the north.


Xargun

From now on, set range to ZERO for your LRCAP. Don't set it to 5. Select your target TF or hex, and set range to 0. Trust.

[Xargun]

How are you setting up your LRCAP? Are you assigning the destination hex or TF with max range set to 0?

I have used both - TF and base Hex with just enough range to reach the target and no more. Ramree Island is 5 hexes from Rangoon where the Fighters are currently based. So I set them to LRCAP, target Ramree Island and set the range to 5, yet they fly off to Akyab 2 hexes to the north.


Xargun

From now on, set range to ZERO for your LRCAP. Don't set it to 5. Select your target TF or hex, and set range to 0. Trust.

I will try that next time I do some LRCAP.

Xargun

[Xargun]

Burma:
RN TF Bombards Akyab during the night starting some fires and doing minor damage to troops there.
RAF Hurricanes swept Akyab and ran into some Tojo IIas on LRCAP there. The Hurricanes shot down more Tojos than they lost, but I can't just surrender the air to them.

B-17s, B-25Bs and Wellingtons came in next and bombed everything at Akyab - mostly the troops today in preparation of their attack.

I had ordered my bombers to his the British troops at Akyab, but my airfields were closed due to severe storms... The weather gods hate me.

After the allied bombers finished the troops attack and took the base. No surprised - my troops we suppressed by sea and air and their troops were nice and fresh.

Ground combat at Akyab (54,45)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 58216 troops, 1042 guns, 1229 vehicles, Assault Value = 2126

Defending force 20016 troops, 173 guns, 41 vehicles, Assault Value = 625

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Allied adjusted assault: 1324

Japanese adjusted defense: 301

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 1)

Allied forces CAPTURE Akyab !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
1872 casualties reported
Squads: 39 destroyed, 175 disabled
Non Combat: 22 destroyed, 28 disabled
Engineers: 74 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 47 (41 destroyed, 6 disabled)
Vehicles lost 29 (29 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
825 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 99 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 18 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 43 disabled
Vehicles lost 10 (2 destroyed, 8 disabled)



South Pacific:
Rabaul is swept by five squadrons of F4U-1 Corsairs again as well as two squadrons of P-40B Warhawks. Then the B-17s and B-24s came in and hammered the troops and airfield, killing 3 more planes on the ground.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Burma:
Enemy AMs clear the minefield at Akyab.
My Sallies and Helens bomb the enemy troops at Akyab inflicting decent damage for IJA bombers. A day late but better than never.

British troops attack IJA forces at Akyab inflicted 2113 losses in exchange for only 593 of their own.


South Pacific:
Enemy fighers sweep Rabaul and bombers hit troops and the airfield killing a couple more damaged planes.



Xargun

[Xargun]

Sub Warfare:
Allied S-37 was spotted at Woodlark Island and attacked by a PB there. The PB did great damaging the sub with two hits, one of which was a direct hit.


Burma:
Sallies and Helens bomb the 9th Indian Division inflicting minor losses.

British troops attack the IJA Troops at Akyab inflicting 1146 casualties while receiving 796. My troops are holding out quite well outside the base - lasting longer than I thought they would.


South Pacific:
After sweeping Rabaul, allied bombers attacked troops and the airfield. I probably still have 20 damaged aircraft on the field that I cannot repair due to constant bombing.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Burma:
Sallies and Helens bomb the 9th Indian Division inflicting minor casualties.


South Pacific:
Same old same old - sweeps and bombing of the airfield and troops at Rabaul.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Not much happened this turn - sweeps and bombing at Rabaul and the British attack and surround my troops at Akyab, with two of the small units dying to attrition - which is good, which means the fragments back in Rangoon are now the main unit and can start taking on replacements and rebuilding.


Xargun

[Xargun]

South Pacific:
Same old again - sweeping and bombing of Rabaul. What stinks is a new Sentai of IJN Recon planes arrived at Rabaul today They arrive with 6 aircraft all damaged... So that unit is dead.

I am using Fast Transport TFs of 1 or 2 PBs to begin evacuating troops from Woodlark Island and Milne Bay - while using float planes and transports to airlift troops out. I am guessing Nomad is going to ignore those bases until he takes Rabaul, which will effectively trap all units south of Rabaul so I am planning ahead and trying to evac as much as I can. I am airlifting troops out of Port Moresby and have half a dozen PBs heading there too.

At the rate I am doing this it will take a couple weeks to fully evac everything south of Rabaul - but I am concentrating on getting at least a fragment of each unit out first incase the evac is stopped. I also need to start evacing Rabaul - lots of troops there. Then Truk.. Roughly 80,000 IJA & IJN troops are at Truk (limit is 60,000) and I'm burning through supplies. I plan on leaving around 50,000 troops to defend and die at Truk -- approximately 2.5 divisions worth. The units are already selected and if they weren't planning for Truk they are now.


Xargun

[Xargun]

South Pacific:
More sweeps and bombing at Rabaul.


Not much more to report.

Xargun

[Xargun]

South Pacific:
More of the same at Rabaul - sweeps and bombings.

The Ki-44-IIc Tojo has finished R&D today !!! I will be building 5 a day from now on out and my IIa factories are converting over but it will be a bit before they repair up.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Burma:
My bombers hit the airfield at Akyab cratering it pretty good - there seems to be no allied planes there yet, but they will eventually show up.

Only the Imperial Guard Division is left at Akyab and it has 0 fighting strength. I am just waiting for it to die off so I can start rebuilding it at Rangoon.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Not much going on - men and supplies are moving in the South Pacific and SRA, as well as Burma Nothing new to report this turn.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Sub Warfare:
Dutch sub O16 is spotted and attacked in the Straights of Malcca. Reports indicate 3 minor hits were scored on the enemy sub before contact was lost.


South Pacific:
Allied CL heavy TF appears out of nowhere at Kavieng catching a fast transport TF consisting of 1 PB carrying evacuated troops from Rabaul and sinks it.

Also, allied troops land at Rossel Island.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Sub Warfare:
IJN I-8 fires a pair of torpedoes at DMS Wasmuth, hitting with on. In return the rest of the allied TF hammers I-8 sinking her. As she sunk, DMS Wasmuth was heard to break up.


South Pacific:
The allied TF I-8 attacked arrived at Milne Bay, catching a PB there loaded with 290 troops and sinks her.

US SBDs spot and attack the IJN Heavy Combat TF just arriving at Kavieng and attacks with an escort of 17 Corsairs. They run into 20 Tojos. In the air IJA Tojos shoot down 1 Corsair and three SBDs while losing 4 of their own. The rest of the enemy SBDs continue on attacking the TF, but missing with all bombs, while many aircraft were damaged and at least 1 shot down by flak.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Kavieng at 106,122

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 20 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIa Tojo x 20

Allied aircraft
F4U-1 Corsair x 17
SBD-3 Dauntless x 30

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIa Tojo: 5 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 1 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 3 destroyed, 13 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 1 destroyed by flak

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato
BB Yamashiro
BB Mutsu
CA Takao


Later that afternoon eight B-25s attempted to attack the same heavy TF and run into 14 Tojos. My fighters shot down 5 B-25s and flak from the BBs brought down another.

I was trying to sneak a 4-BB heavy combat TF into the area so I could rush in, bombard some airfields and rush back out, but we have been spotted. Time for a new plan.


Xargun

[Xargun]

Burma:
The British troops finally destoy the Imperial Guards Division at Akyab, allowing the fragment at Rangoon to become the new parent and begin rebuilding.


South Pacific:
As expected Corsairs swept Kavieng, but my fighters were no longer there. The bombers still hit Rabaul though - he is keeping that airfield completely suppressed - wish he would give it a day or two off so I can repair some of the aircraft there and fly them away, but I don't think he will.

Operation evacuation is still going on and despite a few losses going good.


Xargun

[Xargun]

South Pacific:
Allied bombers hit the airfield at Rabaul keeping it suppressed. Would having an AV in port help repair aircraft even if the Airfield Service Damage is 100% ?

Nothing else happened this turn.


Xargun

[Xargun]

South Pacific:
Allied troops land at Tagula Island.
Allied bombers keep the airfield at Rabaul completely suppressed.
An allied ASW TF is moving around trying to kill my subs a couple hexes south of Rabaul. I have moved some Vals to Kavieng to try to remove that threat.



I have turned off all upgrades on my armored units across the empire in anticipation of the Type 3 Medium Tanks coming online Dec 1st, 1942 - instead of June 1944. Not only are they months early, I have purchased a 50 replacement rate for them - so I will basically get 2 of them every day for free - may not seem like much, but thats hundreds of free tanks over the next couple months - let alone the rest of the war.


Xargun