I have been attriting his A/F since the beginning of the game. In just over 6 weeks I have destroyed over 600 of his a/c for about 560 of my own.
PS: My opponent is Yamato Hugger, and yes, he does know exactly what he is doing....
Dark Days - the allied perspective
Moderators: wdolson, Don Bowen, mogami
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Jan 28, 1942
It turns out that the Pago-Pago operation is just a raid. He is going for Nanomea, but I think that I can stop him. As an added bonus, I know where his tankers are...
China: No change, I am continuing to rotate troops, and have begun accumulating some good corps (55 - 65 exp)
Australia. His other CV group is hanging around Brisbane, waiting for another crack at Colorado. In a strike/counterstrike operation 2 days ago, one of my Beauforts put a torpedo into Soryu. I scored a 'Listing/counterflooding' critical hit, but apparently the damage wasn't that bad. Soryu is still with the main CV group. His counterstrike put a few more bombs onto Colorado. I lost 25 a/c to 15 of his. All told, round 1 was an allied victory. This action was followed by two days of thunderstorms.
PI: One of the divs trapped at Vigan has escaped to Lingayan. If my luck holds, I will have the place evacuated in 2 days. Then it will be back to Clark Field. I counterattacked his troops at Clark a couple of days ago, and chased their filthy hides back to Bataan. His paratroopers fight like school girls when they encounter any real opposition. Come to think of it, his whole army fights like school girls.....
India: Still bracing for a possible invasion. With his CV's playing "chase the decoy" in the South Pacific, I don't believe an invasion can take place until at least March. However, I am taking nothing for granted.
Burma: I am still building up Mitkyana (sp?). As soon as I can fly B-17's from there (months probably), I will start bombing his industry at Hanoi. This should force him to siege the place.
Java: Siege of Soreibaja still under way. He has three divisions there, but is content to bombard. I have lots of supply.
South Pacific: See for yourself. By the way, one of my F4F-4 pilots shot down 8 Jap a/c in one fight a couple of days ago. He picked off an Alf today, and is now my leading scorer. I have 7 aces, for those of you who care.
It turns out that the Pago-Pago operation is just a raid. He is going for Nanomea, but I think that I can stop him. As an added bonus, I know where his tankers are...
China: No change, I am continuing to rotate troops, and have begun accumulating some good corps (55 - 65 exp)
Australia. His other CV group is hanging around Brisbane, waiting for another crack at Colorado. In a strike/counterstrike operation 2 days ago, one of my Beauforts put a torpedo into Soryu. I scored a 'Listing/counterflooding' critical hit, but apparently the damage wasn't that bad. Soryu is still with the main CV group. His counterstrike put a few more bombs onto Colorado. I lost 25 a/c to 15 of his. All told, round 1 was an allied victory. This action was followed by two days of thunderstorms.
PI: One of the divs trapped at Vigan has escaped to Lingayan. If my luck holds, I will have the place evacuated in 2 days. Then it will be back to Clark Field. I counterattacked his troops at Clark a couple of days ago, and chased their filthy hides back to Bataan. His paratroopers fight like school girls when they encounter any real opposition. Come to think of it, his whole army fights like school girls.....
India: Still bracing for a possible invasion. With his CV's playing "chase the decoy" in the South Pacific, I don't believe an invasion can take place until at least March. However, I am taking nothing for granted.
Burma: I am still building up Mitkyana (sp?). As soon as I can fly B-17's from there (months probably), I will start bombing his industry at Hanoi. This should force him to siege the place.
Java: Siege of Soreibaja still under way. He has three divisions there, but is content to bombard. I have lots of supply.
South Pacific: See for yourself. By the way, one of my F4F-4 pilots shot down 8 Jap a/c in one fight a couple of days ago. He picked off an Alf today, and is now my leading scorer. I have 7 aces, for those of you who care.
- Attachments
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- SouPac2.jpg (113.64 KiB) Viewed 118 times
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Looks good. If he's going to leave that invasion TF unescorted, it you're moral obligation to obliterate it.
Good luck!
-F-
Good luck!
-F-
"It is obvious that you have greatly over-estimated my regard for your opinion." - Me
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
I think he has realised his peril. This turn he headed north with his CV's, and turned his tankers around. He should not be in strike range of point Python next turn, even if he sprints. I am guessing that he is low on Fuel, as my CV's are running on fumes despite just having gassed up...
I am waiting for the turn to arrive now, and am quite anxious. Actually, I've been waiting for about six hours. I hate waiting...
Anyhow, wish me luck..
I am waiting for the turn to arrive now, and am quite anxious. Actually, I've been waiting for about six hours. I hate waiting...
Anyhow, wish me luck..
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Be advised that low/no gas for a CV TF is -BAD-. Not only does that mean you're stuck, but it DOES affect your strike capability (as in, all but eliminates it, if not entirely). Low on fuel is bad too, because you'll end up burning ops points refueling other ships in your TF, which may also stop your strike.
Just some things to consider.
-F-
Just some things to consider.
-F-
"It is obvious that you have greatly over-estimated my regard for your opinion." - Me
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Jan 30, 1942
Operation 'Monty Python' is an unqualified success, though not in the manner envisioned. The Japanese tankers ran as fast as their oarmen could pull, and so escaped unharmed. The allied CV's arrived when and where they were supposed to, but my Australian cruisers had already reduced his Nanomea invasion group to matchsticks. If this keeps up, I may make Australia the senior alliance partner...
Anyhow, the evil Japanese CV's are still wandering around Pago-Pago, no doubt running low on fuel. His second CV group is leaving Brisbane, probably heading back to the Solomons. Nanomea has been saved for the forces of free-market capitalism. My CV's will be back at Canton in 2 days, with lots of fuel should the evil Japanese really be trapped (bwa ha ha!).
In the Phillipines, more Japanese school girls were ejected from Lingayen yesterday. Unfortunately, everytime he sends troops there, my troops in Vigan stop moving. One Div and a BF are(were) stuck at 30 miles from escape, the second Div at Vigan has escaped already, and is helping to hold the Lingayen corridor open. If I extract my troops, I will withdraw to Clark Field. At some point in time, YH is going to have to get serious about PI. I doubt if he can afford the thorn in his side...
My opponent has found a creative new use for his escort carriers. He is using them to hit convoys travelling along the western map edge from India to Oz. All fragments and P-40B groups are already in India, so it's not like he is doing any real damage, he is just sinking a few empty AK's. I think that I will slip the Hermes into a convoy as soon as I get some Seafires...
Operation 'Monty Python' is an unqualified success, though not in the manner envisioned. The Japanese tankers ran as fast as their oarmen could pull, and so escaped unharmed. The allied CV's arrived when and where they were supposed to, but my Australian cruisers had already reduced his Nanomea invasion group to matchsticks. If this keeps up, I may make Australia the senior alliance partner...
Anyhow, the evil Japanese CV's are still wandering around Pago-Pago, no doubt running low on fuel. His second CV group is leaving Brisbane, probably heading back to the Solomons. Nanomea has been saved for the forces of free-market capitalism. My CV's will be back at Canton in 2 days, with lots of fuel should the evil Japanese really be trapped (bwa ha ha!).
In the Phillipines, more Japanese school girls were ejected from Lingayen yesterday. Unfortunately, everytime he sends troops there, my troops in Vigan stop moving. One Div and a BF are(were) stuck at 30 miles from escape, the second Div at Vigan has escaped already, and is helping to hold the Lingayen corridor open. If I extract my troops, I will withdraw to Clark Field. At some point in time, YH is going to have to get serious about PI. I doubt if he can afford the thorn in his side...
My opponent has found a creative new use for his escort carriers. He is using them to hit convoys travelling along the western map edge from India to Oz. All fragments and P-40B groups are already in India, so it's not like he is doing any real damage, he is just sinking a few empty AK's. I think that I will slip the Hermes into a convoy as soon as I get some Seafires...
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Feb 2, 1942
Very few developments to report. One Japanese CV group still hanging around Brisbane, another one en route to Noumea from Pago-Pago. I considered chasing this second group, but my CV's are too far away after refueling at Canton. A third CV group is continuing to convoy-hunt in the Indian Ocean. Looks like CVE's, because his CVL's were with the big boys at last report.
Jap troops continue to hamstring my efforts to escape Vigan, he doesn't want to loose the training opportunity for his pilots. He keeps landing small groups at Lingayen, who promptly disappear or are killed. I think this is stopping the Vigan units from moving, as they are stuck at 45 miles. Does anyone have any idea how I can counteract this?
While we are on the subject of ruthless tactics, consider this: I am debating putting my VMF squadrons on my CV's to increase fighter availablitiy. I understand that pulling carrier air groups OFF of carriers creates problems, but what about this deployment:
2 x CV with
1 x 27-size F4F-3 Carrier fighter sqdrn
1 x 24-size F4F-4 Carrier capable VMF sqdrn
2 x 18-size SBD Sqdrn
2 spare SBD's
Total 89 a/c on 90 capacity CV.
2 x CV with
1 x 27-size F4F-3 Carrier fighter sqdrn
2 x 18-size SBD Sqdrn
2 x 12-size TBD Sqdrn
2 spare SBD's
Total 89 a/c on 90 capacity CV.
This scheme has the benefit that it does not require carrier air groups to be removed from carriers, where thay are subject to all sorts of nasty mishaps. What do you think? is this feasable, or am I asking for trouble?
Of course, once Avengers arrive and the carrier ftr sqdrns expand to 36 a/c, things will have to change back to the way they were.
Thanks for your input, it is appreciated. [&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o]
I will post the score at the two-month mark.
Very few developments to report. One Japanese CV group still hanging around Brisbane, another one en route to Noumea from Pago-Pago. I considered chasing this second group, but my CV's are too far away after refueling at Canton. A third CV group is continuing to convoy-hunt in the Indian Ocean. Looks like CVE's, because his CVL's were with the big boys at last report.
Jap troops continue to hamstring my efforts to escape Vigan, he doesn't want to loose the training opportunity for his pilots. He keeps landing small groups at Lingayen, who promptly disappear or are killed. I think this is stopping the Vigan units from moving, as they are stuck at 45 miles. Does anyone have any idea how I can counteract this?
While we are on the subject of ruthless tactics, consider this: I am debating putting my VMF squadrons on my CV's to increase fighter availablitiy. I understand that pulling carrier air groups OFF of carriers creates problems, but what about this deployment:
2 x CV with
1 x 27-size F4F-3 Carrier fighter sqdrn
1 x 24-size F4F-4 Carrier capable VMF sqdrn
2 x 18-size SBD Sqdrn
2 spare SBD's
Total 89 a/c on 90 capacity CV.
2 x CV with
1 x 27-size F4F-3 Carrier fighter sqdrn
2 x 18-size SBD Sqdrn
2 x 12-size TBD Sqdrn
2 spare SBD's
Total 89 a/c on 90 capacity CV.
This scheme has the benefit that it does not require carrier air groups to be removed from carriers, where thay are subject to all sorts of nasty mishaps. What do you think? is this feasable, or am I asking for trouble?
Of course, once Avengers arrive and the carrier ftr sqdrns expand to 36 a/c, things will have to change back to the way they were.
Thanks for your input, it is appreciated. [&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o]
I will post the score at the two-month mark.
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Feb 4, 1942
The evacuation of Vigan is finally successful. The next thing to do is withdraw from Lingayen to Clark Field.
In the Indian Ocean, the convoy massacre continues. There are no troops or supplies on the ships involved, but I will never send an unescorted convoy between India and Australia again. Indomitable is on her way south (at least I think it is the Indomitable, British CV's look pretty much alike to me), but she is at least 5 days from the scene.
Nanoumea gets reinforced next turn. He raided the place with CL's, and caught an AV, so I will have to station surface ships there.
Colorado was sunk. I had ordered her back to port, then the game crashed. Like an idiot, I forgot to change her orders after reloading the turn. Australia is quite isolated for the time being. Once I can spare 3 CV's, a division and a pile of fuel and supply, I will send a convoy via New Zealand.
In Burma, he is finally moving on Mitikyana (sp?) He is sending at least one division, although he will need more than that to take the place. The entire Burma army is there, and I have 2 Chinese divisions 20 miles away. I have begun an air training program in the area. If he can train his pilots, I can train mine....
Soeribaja is still holding out. There are now 5 Japanese divisions sieging the place.
In China, he is preparing to assault Changsha. I have at least 10 corps defending the place, and am building forts as fast as my troops can dig trenches. I am slowly rotating troops around, as I have a decent collection of 60 experience corps.
Edit: I figured out how to do it, thanx anyway.
Anyhow, time to go. Barring any new developments, my next post will be the Feb 7 turn and the score after two months.
The evacuation of Vigan is finally successful. The next thing to do is withdraw from Lingayen to Clark Field.
In the Indian Ocean, the convoy massacre continues. There are no troops or supplies on the ships involved, but I will never send an unescorted convoy between India and Australia again. Indomitable is on her way south (at least I think it is the Indomitable, British CV's look pretty much alike to me), but she is at least 5 days from the scene.
Nanoumea gets reinforced next turn. He raided the place with CL's, and caught an AV, so I will have to station surface ships there.
Colorado was sunk. I had ordered her back to port, then the game crashed. Like an idiot, I forgot to change her orders after reloading the turn. Australia is quite isolated for the time being. Once I can spare 3 CV's, a division and a pile of fuel and supply, I will send a convoy via New Zealand.
In Burma, he is finally moving on Mitikyana (sp?) He is sending at least one division, although he will need more than that to take the place. The entire Burma army is there, and I have 2 Chinese divisions 20 miles away. I have begun an air training program in the area. If he can train his pilots, I can train mine....
Soeribaja is still holding out. There are now 5 Japanese divisions sieging the place.
In China, he is preparing to assault Changsha. I have at least 10 corps defending the place, and am building forts as fast as my troops can dig trenches. I am slowly rotating troops around, as I have a decent collection of 60 experience corps.
Edit: I figured out how to do it, thanx anyway.
Anyhow, time to go. Barring any new developments, my next post will be the Feb 7 turn and the score after two months.
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Feb 7, 1942
Two months after Pearl Harbor, and the war is not going well. As promised, I am attaching the score to this post. And now for a summary:
South Pacific: The Japanese hold Noumea, Espiritu Santo and Efate. Due to the speed of his advance, I was unable to challenge him in this vital sector. I am contemplating a counterattack at Espiritu Santo, but it will have to wait until July or August. I have been reading several Japanese AAR's, and have noticed that an early southern thrust aimed at either Noumea or Canton Island is pretty much standard proceedure for the Japanese players. Fiender is correct in his observation about hindsight, it is a wonderful thing. I believe that it works two ways however, and am preparing what I hope will be a nasty surprise for the enemy.
Australia: Continues to brace for an invasion. My divisions are concentrating at Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra. I believe that any invasion will take place in the south, because that is where the points are. I was recently reading an AAR where a group of fanboys were drooling over the opportunity to attack Perth. I have sent a Bde to Perth, and am fortifying the place. I will not disburse my troop concentrations on the basis of fanboy chatter, however. Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra are the real prize. I am bringing a Bde over from Tasmania in a few days, though, and they may be sent to some back water garrison if I see fit.
Java: The siege of Soreibaja continues. 5 Japanese divisions are bogged down in front of a level 8 fort. The garrison has 26,000 supply points. I am hoping for a long siege, and counting on my opponent not repeating his Phillipines mistake. The idea is to stall for time, and take as many Japanese troops as I can with me. If his troops fight like they have in PI, that should not be too difficult. On the bright side, I think YH is growing impatient with the siege. He landed some troops under my guns today, and I blasted two more AP's. [:)]
The Indian Ocean: Japanese pirate vessels continue to loot and plunder unarmed merchant ships. The India-Perth convoy under attack is down to 17 ships and counting. He hit me with a cruiser group today, and got one of his paper-machet destroyers lit up for his effort. Go merchant marine! It is amazing what you can do with a map edge, I will have to remember this trick if the opportunity arises. On the bright side, several Japanese officers will be tried as pirates after the end of the war.....
PI: The withdrawl from Lingayen is almost complete. One of my tank Btn's is in San Marcellino, and should grab this ungarrisoned base tomorrow. I am debating sending a small force south, to try and mess him up at Naga. The objective, as always, is to stall for time and mess up his timetable. Any supplies captured can also be used to prolong the siege.
Burma: Three Japanese divisions are now sieging Mitikyana. An air war should start soon....
India: Still preparing for invasion.
China: There was a huge air battle over Chunking today. 220 Sallys, 30 Zeros and 10 Oscsars mixed it up with AVG and friends. Sheer weight of numbers won the day for Japan, but at a staggering cost. 19 A6M2's, 7 Oscars and over 20 Sally's were blasted from the sky in exchange for 7 Hurricanes, approx 15 P-40B's and a mess of I-16 and I-153's. Japanese bombers went on to hit my airfields pretty hard. The Japanese are also hitting resources in Chunking. My back is against the wall in China, but I cannot afford to back down.
I still have over 30 P-40B's in Ceylon that are being moved to China. Additionaly, the 2 P-40B squadrons in Chunking have been disbanded into AVG. Even better, I count 5 squadrons of 85 experience Hurricanes in the theater. 2 are at Chunking, the other 3 are on the way. With his troops bogged down in Burma, I can afford to reallocate resources elsewhere. A war of attrition against his air force is just what I want. If he really wants to shut down Chunking, he will have to fight on my terms for once.
I am curious as to how everyone else is dealing with the Japanese strategy of grabbing Noumea/Canton Island as fast as they can? Please let me know.
Anyhow, here is the score:
Two months after Pearl Harbor, and the war is not going well. As promised, I am attaching the score to this post. And now for a summary:
South Pacific: The Japanese hold Noumea, Espiritu Santo and Efate. Due to the speed of his advance, I was unable to challenge him in this vital sector. I am contemplating a counterattack at Espiritu Santo, but it will have to wait until July or August. I have been reading several Japanese AAR's, and have noticed that an early southern thrust aimed at either Noumea or Canton Island is pretty much standard proceedure for the Japanese players. Fiender is correct in his observation about hindsight, it is a wonderful thing. I believe that it works two ways however, and am preparing what I hope will be a nasty surprise for the enemy.
Australia: Continues to brace for an invasion. My divisions are concentrating at Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra. I believe that any invasion will take place in the south, because that is where the points are. I was recently reading an AAR where a group of fanboys were drooling over the opportunity to attack Perth. I have sent a Bde to Perth, and am fortifying the place. I will not disburse my troop concentrations on the basis of fanboy chatter, however. Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra are the real prize. I am bringing a Bde over from Tasmania in a few days, though, and they may be sent to some back water garrison if I see fit.
Java: The siege of Soreibaja continues. 5 Japanese divisions are bogged down in front of a level 8 fort. The garrison has 26,000 supply points. I am hoping for a long siege, and counting on my opponent not repeating his Phillipines mistake. The idea is to stall for time, and take as many Japanese troops as I can with me. If his troops fight like they have in PI, that should not be too difficult. On the bright side, I think YH is growing impatient with the siege. He landed some troops under my guns today, and I blasted two more AP's. [:)]
The Indian Ocean: Japanese pirate vessels continue to loot and plunder unarmed merchant ships. The India-Perth convoy under attack is down to 17 ships and counting. He hit me with a cruiser group today, and got one of his paper-machet destroyers lit up for his effort. Go merchant marine! It is amazing what you can do with a map edge, I will have to remember this trick if the opportunity arises. On the bright side, several Japanese officers will be tried as pirates after the end of the war.....
PI: The withdrawl from Lingayen is almost complete. One of my tank Btn's is in San Marcellino, and should grab this ungarrisoned base tomorrow. I am debating sending a small force south, to try and mess him up at Naga. The objective, as always, is to stall for time and mess up his timetable. Any supplies captured can also be used to prolong the siege.
Burma: Three Japanese divisions are now sieging Mitikyana. An air war should start soon....
India: Still preparing for invasion.
China: There was a huge air battle over Chunking today. 220 Sallys, 30 Zeros and 10 Oscsars mixed it up with AVG and friends. Sheer weight of numbers won the day for Japan, but at a staggering cost. 19 A6M2's, 7 Oscars and over 20 Sally's were blasted from the sky in exchange for 7 Hurricanes, approx 15 P-40B's and a mess of I-16 and I-153's. Japanese bombers went on to hit my airfields pretty hard. The Japanese are also hitting resources in Chunking. My back is against the wall in China, but I cannot afford to back down.
I still have over 30 P-40B's in Ceylon that are being moved to China. Additionaly, the 2 P-40B squadrons in Chunking have been disbanded into AVG. Even better, I count 5 squadrons of 85 experience Hurricanes in the theater. 2 are at Chunking, the other 3 are on the way. With his troops bogged down in Burma, I can afford to reallocate resources elsewhere. A war of attrition against his air force is just what I want. If he really wants to shut down Chunking, he will have to fight on my terms for once.
I am curious as to how everyone else is dealing with the Japanese strategy of grabbing Noumea/Canton Island as fast as they can? Please let me know.
Anyhow, here is the score:
- Attachments
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- Score2.jpg (69.8 KiB) Viewed 118 times
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Yes, IJN grabbing SoPac bases (Canton, Pago-Pago and that line, Suva, Luganville, and Nouea) is very common. Almost every opponent I have played, has done it. It's free for picking, because they know you can't reinforce it on time. Take consolation in the fact that there wasn't much you could have done about it anyway. What to do about it? Don't even worry about it until about August (esp against Yamato Hugger, he's no neophyte). Just to be blunt, he's going to continue to soundly kick your rear for the next 3 - 4 months. What you're really doing now, is damage control.
It's a tight line to walk.
a. You do want to make him pay for what ground he takes, when it's worth it to make him pay, depending on the cost.
b. You don't want to be overly agreessive, because he'll kick your butt if he really wants to.
c. You don't want to be "predictably" agressive, because he'll just lure you into over-committing, and then clean your clock.
Regarding the USN CVs.
Putting the VMF squadrons will help -some-. But please, PLEASE, PLEASE, do NOT rely on your fighters to defend your carriers. Between his EXCELLENT pilots, and the Zero bonus, YOU WILL GET KILLED. Even if you put 90 F4Fs on your CVs, YOU WILL DIE, early war. The key is to attrit his naval pilots. THIS TAKES MONTHS. Whether it's an ops loss, or Flak, anythign to works. BUT DO NOT THINK THAT YOUR CVs ARE THE EARLY ANSWER.
[* beats dead horse for another 38 minutes *]
That being said, back to VMF squadrons on your CVs.
Remember that you don't lose flight ops until you're at 115% capacity. Which means you can safely put 104 planes on your CVs withou shutting down ops (but I'd keep it to 100 to be safe). I think that would include full VMF squadrons, without exploding the capcity, since youre VF squadrons are short anway. If you wanted to, you could remove the TBD squadrons entierly. With a range of 2, they suck. Maybe lift the TBDs, and put on a VMF and VB squadron. But also be aware that the TBD squadrons are better (torps are great, and the exp of your TBD squadrons are far better than your Mariens). But again, range = 2 is kinda tough to achieve.
The Marine sqdns are supposed to suffer higher ops losses (haven't really seen that, but you've been offically warned). So what I've done in the past is to put the Marine sqdns to
VMF - Escort 100%, CAP = 0%. This means they sit on the deck until there's actually a strike. They don't take ops losses flying CAP, and you can up your CAP pecentage of your VF squadrons (AGAIN, DO NOT RELY ON YOUR VF SQUADRONS TO BE EFFECTIVE).
VB - Nav/Air/Port attack mission, with 0% search. Again, they sit on the deck until a strike, so no unecessary ops losses.
-F-
It's a tight line to walk.
a. You do want to make him pay for what ground he takes, when it's worth it to make him pay, depending on the cost.
b. You don't want to be overly agreessive, because he'll kick your butt if he really wants to.
c. You don't want to be "predictably" agressive, because he'll just lure you into over-committing, and then clean your clock.
Regarding the USN CVs.
Putting the VMF squadrons will help -some-. But please, PLEASE, PLEASE, do NOT rely on your fighters to defend your carriers. Between his EXCELLENT pilots, and the Zero bonus, YOU WILL GET KILLED. Even if you put 90 F4Fs on your CVs, YOU WILL DIE, early war. The key is to attrit his naval pilots. THIS TAKES MONTHS. Whether it's an ops loss, or Flak, anythign to works. BUT DO NOT THINK THAT YOUR CVs ARE THE EARLY ANSWER.
[* beats dead horse for another 38 minutes *]
That being said, back to VMF squadrons on your CVs.
Remember that you don't lose flight ops until you're at 115% capacity. Which means you can safely put 104 planes on your CVs withou shutting down ops (but I'd keep it to 100 to be safe). I think that would include full VMF squadrons, without exploding the capcity, since youre VF squadrons are short anway. If you wanted to, you could remove the TBD squadrons entierly. With a range of 2, they suck. Maybe lift the TBDs, and put on a VMF and VB squadron. But also be aware that the TBD squadrons are better (torps are great, and the exp of your TBD squadrons are far better than your Mariens). But again, range = 2 is kinda tough to achieve.
The Marine sqdns are supposed to suffer higher ops losses (haven't really seen that, but you've been offically warned). So what I've done in the past is to put the Marine sqdns to
VMF - Escort 100%, CAP = 0%. This means they sit on the deck until there's actually a strike. They don't take ops losses flying CAP, and you can up your CAP pecentage of your VF squadrons (AGAIN, DO NOT RELY ON YOUR VF SQUADRONS TO BE EFFECTIVE).
VB - Nav/Air/Port attack mission, with 0% search. Again, they sit on the deck until a strike, so no unecessary ops losses.
-F-
"It is obvious that you have greatly over-estimated my regard for your opinion." - Me
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Thank you again Feinder for your solid advice.
I have no intentions of charging into an offensive while the Zero bonus is in effect. I will put VMF and VMB groups on my CV's, and put spare VT units ashore for now, and I will not rely on inexperienced pilots to save my bacon.
I am considering a training program at Baker Island. The idea is to race in from Canton and ground strike the daylights out of the place. VF sqdrns on 100% CAP, and VMF units on ground strike at 6000 feet with 0 CAP. I figure that if I do this once a week or so, I will eventually get my VMF units trained up at 70 - 75 xp: One of them is already at 70 xp (the unit that fought at Pago-Pago). The only downside that I see is that this would tip YH off as to what I am up to. I will have a fighter group at each of Canton, Pago-Pago and Suva soon enough, and am in the middle of redeploying my VMF and VMB groups to the CV's.
I am counting on YH attempting another stunt before the Zero bonus runs out. His recent raid on Pago-Pago was only partially succesful: He tagged several transports, and lost about 20 good pilots. I agree that attrition is key: Against another raid, I will back off with my CV's and let my LB fighter groups do what damage they can. Against an invasion of a key base, I will meet him with 5 CV's grouped into 4 TF's, and a 3 BB stomp stack, backed up by LB air. I am willing to exchange carriers with him, as my ships can be replaced and his cannot. Also, he has split KB in two: I stand a better chance against 3 CV's than all 6. His CV's have not been back in port since the war started, and must be accumulating SYS damage. Soryu sucked up a torpedo at Brisbane, and is definately not 100% In 3 of 4 encounters with his CV's, I have cost him 15+ pilots each. PH, Brisbane, and Pago-Pago all cost me ships, but they all cost him Zero pilots.
His training program has been less than stellar: I annihilated one training group outright, and his latest assault on Chunking cost him another 19 Zero pilots. He cannot train in China without incurring massive casualties. The 'training group' at Vigan has been broken out. Sinkeep Island will soon be evacuated, and Manila has excellent AA defenses. He has wiped out everything else, except for a couple of Dutch fragments on Sumatra. These fragments are a couple of days away from walking into one of his bases, and thus being destroyed. His own blood-thirstyness will soon reduce him to training against ungarrisoned bases in New Guinea, and that is simply not efficient.
In short, I agree that attacking him at this stage of the game is suicidal for me. On the other hand, it has been my experience that a school bully will continue to pick on you until you give him a good shot in the face. I am philisophical about the loss of Noumea, there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. Had my CV's been there: they would now be sunk, and the droids would be back in the hands of the empire. Ooops, wrong movie....
Gotta go, I'm preparing another nasty surprise in Chunking.
I have no intentions of charging into an offensive while the Zero bonus is in effect. I will put VMF and VMB groups on my CV's, and put spare VT units ashore for now, and I will not rely on inexperienced pilots to save my bacon.
I am considering a training program at Baker Island. The idea is to race in from Canton and ground strike the daylights out of the place. VF sqdrns on 100% CAP, and VMF units on ground strike at 6000 feet with 0 CAP. I figure that if I do this once a week or so, I will eventually get my VMF units trained up at 70 - 75 xp: One of them is already at 70 xp (the unit that fought at Pago-Pago). The only downside that I see is that this would tip YH off as to what I am up to. I will have a fighter group at each of Canton, Pago-Pago and Suva soon enough, and am in the middle of redeploying my VMF and VMB groups to the CV's.
I am counting on YH attempting another stunt before the Zero bonus runs out. His recent raid on Pago-Pago was only partially succesful: He tagged several transports, and lost about 20 good pilots. I agree that attrition is key: Against another raid, I will back off with my CV's and let my LB fighter groups do what damage they can. Against an invasion of a key base, I will meet him with 5 CV's grouped into 4 TF's, and a 3 BB stomp stack, backed up by LB air. I am willing to exchange carriers with him, as my ships can be replaced and his cannot. Also, he has split KB in two: I stand a better chance against 3 CV's than all 6. His CV's have not been back in port since the war started, and must be accumulating SYS damage. Soryu sucked up a torpedo at Brisbane, and is definately not 100% In 3 of 4 encounters with his CV's, I have cost him 15+ pilots each. PH, Brisbane, and Pago-Pago all cost me ships, but they all cost him Zero pilots.
His training program has been less than stellar: I annihilated one training group outright, and his latest assault on Chunking cost him another 19 Zero pilots. He cannot train in China without incurring massive casualties. The 'training group' at Vigan has been broken out. Sinkeep Island will soon be evacuated, and Manila has excellent AA defenses. He has wiped out everything else, except for a couple of Dutch fragments on Sumatra. These fragments are a couple of days away from walking into one of his bases, and thus being destroyed. His own blood-thirstyness will soon reduce him to training against ungarrisoned bases in New Guinea, and that is simply not efficient.
In short, I agree that attacking him at this stage of the game is suicidal for me. On the other hand, it has been my experience that a school bully will continue to pick on you until you give him a good shot in the face. I am philisophical about the loss of Noumea, there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. Had my CV's been there: they would now be sunk, and the droids would be back in the hands of the empire. Ooops, wrong movie....
Gotta go, I'm preparing another nasty surprise in Chunking.
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
Feb 11, 1942.
Only a few developments to note.
South Pacific:
Hornet arrives at SF in two days. (Or is it Wasp, I always get those two mixed up). I now have several divisions and RCT's, along with Av regiments in the South Pacific. Four CV groups are also available, two CV's have an extra VMF unit, and a third has an extra VMSB unit aboard. As soon as my fifth CV arrives, I will begin rotating groups back to PH for upgrades. I have drawn up a monthly schedule of which ships to upgrade, and should be able to accomplish this task barring any Japanese interferance. All Japanese CV's were last sighted massing at Noumea. My opponent will have to strike soon if he means to finish me off before I can upgrade my fllet, the only questions being when and where?
A strile into the IO is also a possibility. I estimate it will take a maximum of two weeks to redeploy his fleets if he goes West. If he hits me too soon, he will not take out the bulk of the RN. If he hits me too late, he will be dealing with Seafires. If I see his fleet in the IO, I may counterattack Noumea with three divisions plus extra troops.
Burma:
Four divisions and four Arty units are now besieging Mitykanya (One of these days I will have to learn how to spell that name..). I have 8 Bdes and two Chinese Divs holding it, plenty of supply, and lvl 3 forts. It is a forest/jungle hex, which gives me double defense. If he wants the place, it will cost him a lot of blood.
China:
A second air battle was fought over Chunking a couple of days ago. Over 50 Japanese a/c (mostly Sally's) were destroyed. I have brought in two more Hurricane squadrons, and have one more en route. He has not attacked in a couple of days, so I think that his Sally pilots have a morale problem...
A new Japanese thrust has begun towards Changsha. I have 14 corps holding the place, and am about to counterattack. Stay tuned.
At Sian, I am rotating four green corps in, and pulling four experienced (67 - 72) corps out. I plan on assembling a large force of experienced corps to deal with any drive on Chunking. I also have several experienced Corps at Chansha, which will be rotated once the current crises is resolved.
Wish me luck.
Only a few developments to note.
South Pacific:
Hornet arrives at SF in two days. (Or is it Wasp, I always get those two mixed up). I now have several divisions and RCT's, along with Av regiments in the South Pacific. Four CV groups are also available, two CV's have an extra VMF unit, and a third has an extra VMSB unit aboard. As soon as my fifth CV arrives, I will begin rotating groups back to PH for upgrades. I have drawn up a monthly schedule of which ships to upgrade, and should be able to accomplish this task barring any Japanese interferance. All Japanese CV's were last sighted massing at Noumea. My opponent will have to strike soon if he means to finish me off before I can upgrade my fllet, the only questions being when and where?
A strile into the IO is also a possibility. I estimate it will take a maximum of two weeks to redeploy his fleets if he goes West. If he hits me too soon, he will not take out the bulk of the RN. If he hits me too late, he will be dealing with Seafires. If I see his fleet in the IO, I may counterattack Noumea with three divisions plus extra troops.
Burma:
Four divisions and four Arty units are now besieging Mitykanya (One of these days I will have to learn how to spell that name..). I have 8 Bdes and two Chinese Divs holding it, plenty of supply, and lvl 3 forts. It is a forest/jungle hex, which gives me double defense. If he wants the place, it will cost him a lot of blood.
China:
A second air battle was fought over Chunking a couple of days ago. Over 50 Japanese a/c (mostly Sally's) were destroyed. I have brought in two more Hurricane squadrons, and have one more en route. He has not attacked in a couple of days, so I think that his Sally pilots have a morale problem...
A new Japanese thrust has begun towards Changsha. I have 14 corps holding the place, and am about to counterattack. Stay tuned.
At Sian, I am rotating four green corps in, and pulling four experienced (67 - 72) corps out. I plan on assembling a large force of experienced corps to deal with any drive on Chunking. I also have several experienced Corps at Chansha, which will be rotated once the current crises is resolved.
Wish me luck.
RE: Dark Days - the allied perspective
There have been no turns for a few days, as my opponent has a computer virus. I will do a full update when things get back to normal. Have I told you that I hate waiting?