Notes from a Small Island

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Using the F6 key, you can see that blue (ocean) hexsides extend as far as Nanking but no further. That's consistent with what I've seen when I've issued test orders - CVs and BBs will go as far as Nanking but no further. CLs and DDs will go all the way up to Hangkow.

Your first Deep-River Raid was epic!. I see some Allied land airbases.
What air cover can you now give to ships going UP THE YANGTZE?

[Canoerebel]

Tungchow is the main Allied airfield, at level 6. There's a level two airfield two hexes to the NW. So Allied fighters can fly, and are flying, LRCAP. They provide modest protection to the DD TFs moving further upriver, but the primary objectives are to protect Tungchow, DS and the Allied army.

[palioboy2]

Have you taken much damage from shore fire or mines?

[Canoerebel]

Allied ships have taken some fire and hit some mines at Shanghai, but thus far only smaller vessels (CL, DD, DMS, AM) have visited there. No shore guns, mines or enemy vessels have been encountered further upstream. (Given Erik's creativity, I had expected him to use the Yangtze but thus far there's no indication he is/had.)

[Canoerebel]

5/20/45

Strategic Map: This illustrates the Allied holdings in the Hokkaido/Kuriles region and the "all-in" commitment in the East China Sea and Strait of Malacca. It doesn't do justice to the commitment in SEAC, where I have 10k AV moving or ready to move from Thailand into Indochina and then north into China. But, at present, many of those units are in Strat Mode at Bangkok, waiting for armor and air forces to clear forward bases for sprinting forward.

[RangerJoe]

If you can cut off the SRA or be close to doing so, he might evacuate most of his garrisons there. He might just leave token forces at bases. While you won't need the supply and fuel/oil production, having it won't hurt plus those would be easy VPs. Right now it looks like he can use the Phillipine Sea but it may be something to think about if when you get more troops coming in and/or want to move up strong garrison forces. It would also open your SLOC as well as shutting his.

[Canoerebel]

He's been evacuating - and repositioning - for awhile. For instance, he's just abandoned Sabang, which opens up Sumatra to a land campaign. And he's reinforcing Manila, due to it's high points.

Allied troops are prepping for Luzon. If an when the Allied army from SEAC shows up in China (which I think will be about a month or six weeks), that should free up some of TNNBT to move into the Philippines with full prep.

[HansBolter]

If your intel can be believed and there are truly only 4 LCUs totaling 9k troops in Nanking, you should GO NOW and GO HARD.

No pussyfooting around, no flanking maneuvers, run your invasion force straight in as soon as possible.

Get there and take it before he can get more into it.

Shanghai with 26 LCUs in it, promises to be a siege that will last the duration of the game, but Nanking is a plum ripe for picking.

[Canoerebel]

I sent a turn to Erik on Friday with the invasion of Nanking set to take place. So it's underway.

Shanghai with 76k troops isn't strong. The base will be subject to non-stop bomardments and bombing. Supply and disruption will be an issue. The base would fall relatively quickly. But he'll probably bring in more reinforcements and I may pursue other objectives, so I'm not yet sure when the Siege of Shanghai will begin.

I dealt with Shanghai in my last game, vs. John III, so feel some confidence in my ability to handle it (with care, enough power, and enough time).

[HansBolter]

You are likely correct about Shanghai not taking as long as I speculated.

It took the Chinese 4 years to siege Hong Kong in my current game, but they did it with almost no supply for the first three years, only received allied artillery, combat engineer and seaborne bombardment support in the last six months. It fell on August 29th, 1945. Two days after Singapore fell.

I just launched my first assault on Shanghai and dropped the forts to level 8. There is a good chance I can take it before the scenario ends on March 31st, 1946.

I had lost sight of how quickly things go down hill for large stacks whose supply is getting destroyed systematically.

[RangerJoe]

Invade Sabang now might be better than doing it in November of 1942 . . .

I always wondered why you did not invade Pegu then to try and cut off the army in Burma.

[Canoerebel]

5/20/45

Invasion of Nanking: Based upon the combat report it appears that the Allied invasion of Nanking went smoothly and that the enemy garrison is weak and ripe for plucking. I haven't viewed the movie yet nor seen the next-turn file, so my understanding isn't complete yet. But if Erik can't bring in reinforcements, this base should fall in one to three days (allowing for heavy enemy forts and the pending reinforcing landings by additional Allied divisions fully prepped).

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Invade Sabang now might be better than doing it in November of 1942 . . .

I always wondered why you did not invade Pegu then to try and cut off the army in Burma.

Erik was strongly entrenched at Pegu and obviously primed to deal with an earlier invasion there. His air force was more powerful than mine and he could position KB in the NW extremity of the Gulf of Siam, thus devastating any Allied forces. And, more than anything, I didn't want to dislodge him until very late - I wanted his troops as far forward as possible as late as possible.

[RangerJoe]

Thank you. I did not know the situation at Pegu and this happened before I even had the game. Since I read it years after it happened, I could not ask.

You should take Nanking fairly easily unless it is reinforced.

[Canoerebel]

5/20/45

Nanking: Bombardments not particularly effective, except vs. supply, but as it turns out the enemy garrison is not terribly strong anyway.

[Canoerebel]

5/20/45

Nanking: 4th Marine Div. is divided into a number of amphibious TFs, each one having many LCI gunships. The bombardments aren't particularly strong. The landings opened with APDs carrying part of the division, without support of gunships (ineligible for FT TFs).

A landing at neighboring Wusih by unrepped units supported by LCI gunships inflicts a very strong bombardment on the small enemy garrison, but the Allied troops also take heavy disablements due to lack of prep. But the rail from Shanghai should be severed for about three to four turns - enough to take Nanking, I think.

[RangerJoe]

4th Marine Div. is divided into a number of amphibious TFs, each one having many LCI gunships. The bombardments aren't particularly strong. . . .

Death by a thousand cuts! [X(]

[Canoerebel]

Garrison requirements are factors shaping Allied strategy. Nanking is something like 300. Shanghai is more than 400. I'm willing to take one now if, as I see things, it helps in the long term. But I want to avoid tying down 10% or 20% of my mobile forces for garrison duty. The primary objective is to threaten enemy armies, if possible. Then, when the SEAC armies arrive, those units can handle most of the garrison duties.

[Canoerebel]

5/20/45

SEAC: Erik has chosen to fight an important delaying action at Udon Thani. I don't think it will mean much, long term.

[Canoerebel]

5/20/45

Udon Thani: Allied bombing decimated the combat value of the two enemy brigades, but the Allied armored units didn't fare much better. Only the Japanese suffered losses in this funny looking attack.