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Two months into this game and I am still struggling to put the air force back together.

Here is a look at an Oscar Sentai....they are markedly better than when I took over with poor morale, defense in the 20s and fatigue in the 60s.

My basic air strategy is still defensive in nature until I get better planes and pilots, but I have started some sweeps in Java and the Kuriles.

I started up the Nick production again (30/month) and A6M3 (30/month) and will still get 500 Ha-35 engines in the pool in two days. My large 150 A6M2 factory will be off for a while yet...

I have one Oscar Ic factory left, 22(8) and it will upgrade to each successive model of the Oscar line and produce them until I get the Oscar IV which I will produce in large numbers given my starting factories of them.

Lots of Allied players like to use Christmas Island...and indeed I spotted several convoys there several days ago and sank one ship.

So, I have 5 submarines which are vectoring in. They will approach, hopefully stealthily, until they are within range of the port and then move in as a group for one night of mayhem.

I hope to snare a tanker...

I am pursuing similar tactics in Burma and Oz...they have been very rewarding so far.

Ok, in the above post I showed you some of the submarine tactics I have been using with good results so far.

Well, how do the Allies respond. One way would be ASW planes and minefields. Since IJN submarines aren't loitering and running in only if not previously detected, planes aren't as strong a deterrent.

So far no new minefields, since the Allies seem to have used them all in the Kuriles and Java.

The third method is escorts and hunter killer groups. So, I felt a dash with surface ships would change the pace quite nicely...and here are the results (while subs hit Coxs to the north getting another xak). [:)]

Sure, it is only shooting down two planes, but I did the same thing three days running: in Batavia, in Soerabaja and now the Kuriles.

I hope the Allies are starting to get the idea that the air forces of Japan aren't easy meat anymore.

I suspect he will strike back with his bombers and attempt sweeps of his own, somewhere in the Burma, DEI.

Christmas Island, the dark of night, nary a mouse is stirring, except sleek IJN I-boats prowl the harbor, no netting, ships idle in port...ducks in a row...fire...

And what to my wondering eyes should appear but a loaded tanker...

And as the sun rises, we find another at sea...

Meanwhile, during the 85% Moonlight night, Allied bombers raid Magwe where 45 Nicks and Oscars sortie nicely to challenge the bombers.

The bombers shoot down 7 Japanese fighters suffering only 2 air to air losses and almost all the bombers get thru (unescorted bombers withdraw message came up once).

They destroy many planes and do 8 service and 12 runway damage to the fields at Magwe.

The AG got to port, and seems to have slowed the fires, but too little to late.

The final daily tally for submarines was 3xaks, 1 tanker, 1 AM. Out of five submarines involved only one get hit for 13 system damage by an AM...the submarine rushes took place at Coxs near Burma and Christmas Island in the pacific.

I dropped off two more naval guard units at Ambon, which still has supply, and the coastal guns did in an xak despite the presence of a BB which eventually ran low on rounds.

KB is near the Kuriles, refueling and rearming. Subs spotted two CVEs north of Christmas Island (pacific)....another deliberate attack at Soerabaja...hopefully knock the forts down to 4 without suffering too much.

Big attack in Soerabaja lowers fort to 4. Pulling two divisions out to rest one hex away, and will try again in a week after the art bombards every day again.

Night bombing in Magwe again, where I lose 18 Oscars, 4 zeroes and 1 nick for two of his bombers but at least one of them is a b17e.

The first sentai of 42 Tojos is a day away, and there are five units of AA on trains headed to Magwe...so they should help.

Lost my first Submarine doing rushes...but she went down swinging.

Sept 22, 1942

Big Allied sweep at Magwe and the Oscars actually do good. There is 40 Tojo IIas there now, with my some of my best pilots but they did not fly. He bombed at night as usual.

IJN forces take Cocos Island, some more of the Timor chain of islands, and Rossel island south east of Milne Bay.

Quiet otherwise...the DMS W-21 finally finished burning up and sank.

September 23, 1942

Engine pools of the Ha-35 surpass 500 yesterday, eight days early from my target date, so now I can rebuild my depleted fighter forces. I have one size 150 A6M2, 94(32) Tojo IIa, 25(6) Oscar Ic, 30 Nick, 25(5) A6M3. The Oscar Ic will be idled, waiting for the IIa to come online in November (a month and half).

Up in the Kuriles, two night engagements start the turn off nicely. I chose Captain Hirata to lead this light surface group for his skills: Naval 73, Aggression 45. I wanted an excellent naval commander that was unwilling to risk his ships too much and he performed well eventually breaking off combat. It would have been nice to sink the Wharton, but not at the expense of loosing destroyers. I can't afford DD losses.

Not a great surface fleet composition on the IJN side, I have 4 different destroyer classes, but it was an ad hoc group from the initial days of the Yankee invasion of the Kuriles.

Kuriles:

Light damage on the Hirata's task force, and he will retire to rearm and send the damaged DDs back to the shipyard for repair. Won't take long to fix them.

A second CL force will pursue, and for the first time this game the KB is fully assembled & in this theater. Although it hasn't been spotted, I suspect the Americans have had some sigint warnings...I can't spot any American CVs anywhere here in the North.

If I had to guess, I will see some renewed activity either in Java or more likely in the Marshals. I think the Allies want me to run the KB from one map edge to the other burning fuel...

Plane losses for the day.

Night bombing of Magwe was unproductive for the Allies, his planes must be getting tired. 4 fresh AA units debark from the railyards.

A large bombing raid strikes the port at Oosthaven. The Oscars there do quite well, until they are swept by Lightnings and fall like flies from the skies.

The heavy bombers sink a To-su PB and a CMc (1 vp each) and damage three to four other ships. The four AKEs, fully loaded, were undamaged as is the port itself.

At Soerabaja, the artillery concentration fires on the doomed defenders:

Two divisions do a probing bombardment of the Chinese...these troops are on their way to cutting off the main road from Changsha to Chungking -- my plan to eliminate the Changhsa triangle industrial production.

One lone Cavalry corp stands in their way.

Below are some of my wonderfully well trained up fighter pilots in the reserve pool. IJN is really hurting for pilots, I probably can afford one carrier engagement. Nope, can't even afford one...

Good luck, you seem to be getting things together. Your opponent offered me this game before you but I had to decline due to agreeing to another game beforehand, glad I did lol!

By the way, that 91 plane group, how is it possible? I thought 81 (Akagi resize) was the biggest you could have? And if I was you I would be using her to resize other groups to help get your training program up to speed quicker. After all the Allies can do the same, unless you have a HR against it of course.