Remember the Enterprise - RHS Test 6B - RAO vs Polynick

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: el cid again
I always said an offensive defensive was far better for the Allies - and these players proove it.

I agree re an offensive defence. Make em pay.

But, I was thinking about Force Z managing to hurt a landing on Malaya. If I tried that they might nail a few, if I was lucky - but they would almost certainly be toasted by Nells/Betties out of Saigon. How on earth did that happen? Was that just luck? Did he LRCAP them with a huge Brewster force?

And in CHS the Allied bombers can't hit the broad side of a barn. I've counted over 100 sorties in the first five weeks or so by Allied bombers of all types - torpedo bombers, dive bombers, the works - against Jap carriers in my game with Uamaga, and scored 1 hit, and that with a 500lber on a CVE, so about as inconsequential as a hit on a carrier can be.

From reading this I assume this mod is balanced differently.

P-40s and even Buffalos will do well enough IF you keep em fresh.

I agree here, P-40s are actually pretty good. And Buffaloes are certainly not useless.

[el cid again]

Force Z has been used against me with success - at Kuching. Historiker, Poly and Scot all forced me to cover better. But in my current game with Chicken of the Sea - air and surface cover worked perfectly - force Z got broken up and hurt - damage to big ships and Exeter - which joined them - eventually sunk.

See Shock and Awe for how Scot uses this force - and now another one of RN battleships - to raid the forward air bases - at times he wants to move surface ships in and out of Malaya.

We revised bombs so there is no nuclear bombing or bombardment - and bases so Japan cannot use forward bases for torpedo attacks - it has to build them to Level 4 first. If the Allies play skillfully - and that means mobile - don't just sit there and be overwhelmed - they can hurt the enemy. Scot bought many weeks in Malaya - got pocketed when the line broke - and yet managed to get his units out of the big pocket at KL - something considered impossible on the board. But it IS possible - even facing all the fresh anti ship units available - I was only able to damage some of the ships - not stop them. But he reduced my sortee rate with coordinated bomber, battleship strikes at the right moment - and got a little lucky with weather shutting down the rest of the bases on a critical day. But you make your own luck - you either set yourself up to have it - or you don't.

[Bogo Mil]

Could you write a few lines about your economy, please? In my game against Drew, I'm running low on HI points very fast, and a lot of the aircraft and engine production is not even online, yet. Do you have a large HI expansion programm or how do you manage it?

[el cid again]

There is a thread or two on this in the design forum - just for people like you.

The short answer is no - I NEVER engage in a major expansion of HI points - or much else.

In the first few days - when pools of supply are huge - and when payoffs are over 1400 days - I do expand many things a few points - including HI. Doing this at many points gives you SLIGHTLY larger production. But as each point drops in supply, I turn off expansion.
In the end I mainly expand aircraft and engine production - and merchant ship production - carefully managed at locations that have enough supply. Sometimes I manage that by dumping 10000 supply on the location to get one more shift in production (only over 10000 does expansion occur).

Mainly I use moderation. I reduce the demands on production by turning off ships I don't regard as high priority. You pretty must have to turn off expansion of aircraft or engines still in R&D - it is a formal RHS rule and things won't ramp if you don't - but also you cannot afford it. Engines are hard as there is no indication of when they are in R&D except the requrement is 0. But just producing everything is a big mistake - and will run you out of HI points - and lots of other things.

Over time I have mitigated this issue - and for both sides (there are different issues for the Allies but they were severe for supply and fuel production in USA) - so the later the file set - the easier it should be. 7.7 and later (7.8 or 7.9) should have all the features re economics.

Remember your Aristotle: moderation is a virtue in all things. Japanese production management in RHS is approaching real life - it isn't there - but you get the flavor: plans are for far more than can be afforded. How many ships or subs were built compared to plan? And I put them all (well not really all - but a lot) in there - you are to choose what you want - not just expect them all.

[el cid again]

5 January 1942

6 DD attacked, hit and ultimately sank USS Tambor - near Kwajalein

15 Ki-30s attacked Honan by night - achieved nothing - and took no losses. [If they even found the place in the dark???]

Japanese troops landed at Pakhoi, South China - which has no active defense. 264 casualties.

Mines were detected and evaded at Kwajalein - did Tambor lay them???

The day turn began with 32 JAAF bombers of 2 types were escorted by 42 Zeros - all from Canton - into the major ROC air base at Kwelin.
6 AVG P-40s were encountered, all of which were shot down. 26 casualties, 2 guns lost, 10 other hits. 2 Ki-51s lost.

4 Zeros swept Manila - met 4 P-26 Peashooters - and nobody got hurt.

3 IL-4s and 3 P-40s - out of Kwelin no doubt - attacked the Kainan Guard SNLF - met 3 Oscars - and nothing happened to anyone.
Then 5 ROCAF SB-2s attacked the First Independent Infantry Brigade - and achieved nothing as well.

10 Bettys attacked Corregedor - a mistake or code has a mind of its own. 2 were shot down for nothing. This hex has strong AA and should not be attacked from low altitude.

43 JAAF light bombers attacked the Australian Army 27th AIF Brigade (reinforced by multiple small units): 85 casualties, 2 guns lost, 3 vehicles lost.

9 Ki-32s attacked the British Army 2nd Burma Brigade - causing 11 casualties. 4 more attacked the Rangoon Force fortress unit,
causing 13 casualties.

7 Ki-48s attacked the Viet Minh First Battalion - 35 casualties and 1 gun lost.

3 B-10s met 6 fighters of 2 types over Brunei - penetrated - and everyone went home with nothing achieved.

3 Hudsons missed BB Fuso near Davao.

22 Hawks out of Manila attacked CA Myoko and 4 DD in the South China Sea. Opposed by 2 naval and 1 land based fighter - one Hawk was shot down - they did penetrate but missed all 5 targets engaged. Later 19 of the Hawks missed TK Kyokuyo Maru also in the South China Sea.

9 B-10s attacked DM Hatsutaka at Toboali Island - where it seems to be planted. Must investigate why? The bombers missed.

28 Zeros met 7 Buffalos on a sweep of Palembang: 1 Buffalo shot down.

3 Hudsons put a bomb into TK Moji Maru at Jolo - causing fires and heavy damage.

11 B-10s put 2 bombs into AK Nansin Maru at Pontionak.

Dutch sub KXIV missed a TK at Saigon.

Japanese troops landed unopposed at Cotabato Mindinao. 44 casualties.

At Luangprabang Laos the First Viet Ming Battalion was defeated and driven into the jungle - unusually it headed for Burma.
A NGF with 784 men engaged its 98 man compliment. This unit started with only one platoon and slowly grows over time.
Unlike normal units it does not need a supply source - although it will benefit from one if there is combat or if it is understrength.
Unlike Chinese guerillas it is always mobile.

Allied bombardment at Pakhoi was ineffective. Bombardment at Wuchang Wuhan resulted in 17 Allied casualties and 1 gun lost.

89 IJA paras captured Myitkyina Burma - cutting the Burma Road. It was not defended. This reduces ROC supply by 500 points per day.