Intellectus Ex Nihilo (Wal-Mart on Ice)

[Canoerebel]

[Edited: This was meant for my other AAR, but I'll leave it here since RangerJoe replied and humorously so!]


Erik sent vague (very vague) word that he'd encountered some major glitch when trying to run the turn. He didn't say what the glitch was or hint in any way about it's nature. He only said it wasn't user error.

May I just say right here that it seems that we men are, as our women tell us, atrocious at communicating?

I suspect this is the issue- I bet Erik set his air force to strike and it hasn't, either day. If that's the case, it might be weather. He's already flown one mega-strike and lots of smaller strikes against Death Star. So I don't know of there being any organic issues.

Of course, that's sheer speculation. But that's all I can do - speculate - given lack of information.

[RangerJoe]

OOOPS! Wrong thread! [:@]

If your American CVs are not busy, you might want to have them resize some extra FAA air units for large training units. I don't think that the RAF units can resize, even with carrier capable airframes. Torpedo bombers can always train LBA bomber pilots.

[Bif1961]

I have had those weather non-strikes happen for a few days. However, if they are from his carriers he might have too many in the same TF and going beyond the coordination thresh hold, causing strikes to not be flown. I had that happen early in 1942, until I broke up my carriers into smaller TFs following each other instead of one mega carrier TF.

[RangerJoe]

This was my reply:

. . . May I just say right here that it seems that we men are, as our women tell us, atrocious at communicating?

Wife to husband: "Do you love me?"

Husband: "Of course I do."

Wife: "You don't say so!"

Husband: "Yes, I did!"

Wife: "Once, twenty years ago!"

Husband: "If something had changed, I would have told you!"

*******************************************************************

If your American CVs are not busy, you might want to have them resize some extra FAA air units for large training units. I don't think that the RAF units can resize, even with carrier capable airframes. Torpedo bombers can always train LBA bomber pilots.

[Canoerebel]

3/30/42 to 4/9/42

Almost everything I'm doing now is to milk time and draw Dave's attention so that Singapore's forts can make it to six. It's quite a undertaking!

Bay of Bengal: KB is patrolling the Bay of Bengal as Dave brings in reinforcement convoys. He's taken control of the theater. My intrepid expeditionary army that mistimed is operation badly (due to commander error) is trying to retreat into the jungle. It's probably go to die an ignominious death but it is drawing bombers every day, which helps Singapore. Nealry a third of one divsiion and a fourth of the other is at Madras (these were the troops that weren't unable to unload before KB arrived).

China: Dave has a big stack between Sian and the rough hex two hexes NW. Everywhere else, things remain mostly stable. The Chinese still have a viable MLR but are pressed mainly at Sian and possibly way over near Liuchow.

Philippines: The Allies still hold at Clark, which is remarkable. My guys have no supply. Defenses will collapse as soon as Dave gives a good push.

Singapore: Dave tried a costly deliberate attack on 3/31 - just his second there - that didn't touch my forts. I think he felt chastened and probably won't try again until he can bring in another division or three. Forts are at 5.89. You can bet I'm ruing the eight or ten days that I had fort building switched off, just after they reached level 5. Dave is bombing more frequently, so fort building is slowing. I need about three to six days at current bombing levels. Whether I get that may depend on what's going on in the DEI.

DEI: The Allies still hold Batavia and Soerabaja by the skin of their teetch. Either or both may fall tomorrow. Dave has been daily bombing Batavia for ten days, after he suffered a series of costly shock attack repulses that drove down his AV badly. My guys were toast - just 50 AV - but Dave's had to rest his for a week now. Elsehwere in the DEI, he's rolling across Sumatra and he's nearly taken all the small bases on Java, Borneo, and the islands to the east.

SoPac: It's been very quiet. The Allies are building a decent position at Luganville and are just beginning one at Efate.

CenPac: No enemy activity. Midway continues to build forts and supply stockpiles. No enemy subs seen in a month except at Christmas Island.

NoPac: Dave's never made an apperance here. Allied troops are about to garrison Adak Island to build forts. This is too far too soon, but he's stretched pretty thin and can't be everywhere. He can, of course, be here and in other places, but let's see if the base-building ongoing reaches a point where he truly can't handle them all.
SigInt today reports 53rd and 54th IJA divisions prepping for Anchorage. Those are both restricted Home Island divisions. This could be legit but feels like misinformation.

[BBfanboy]

Preparing for Anchorage without prepping for Kodiak and Seward seems pretty unrealistic.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Preparing for Anchorage without prepping for Kodiak and Seward seems pretty unrealistic.

I captured Anchorage by way of landing at the small base just east of there. Whittier, I think...

Also, just because SIGINT showed prep for Anchorage only doesn't mean he isn't prepping for other bases.

[RangerJoe]

Bay of Bengal: KB is patrolling the Bay of Bengal as Dave brings in reinforcement convoys. He's taken control of the theater. My intrepid expeditionary army that mistimed is operation badly (due to commander error) is trying to retreat into the jungle. It's probably go to die an ignominious death but it is drawing bombers every day, which helps Singapore. Nealry a third of one divsiion and a fourth of the other is at Madras (these were the troops that weren't unable to unload before KB arrived).

That sound just like the real "Operation Shoestring" with the 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal. Then, of course, the ever courageous Admiral Fletcher decided to leave too early . . .

Singapore: Dave tried a costly deliberate attack on 3/31 - just his second there - that didn't touch my forts. I think he felt chastened and probably won't try again until he can bring in another division or three. Forts are at 5.89. You can bet I'm ruing the eight or ten days that I had fort building switched off, just after they reached level 5. Dave is bombing more frequently, so fort building is slowing. I need about three to six days at current bombing levels. Whether I get that may depend on what's going on in the DEI.

Maybe a player should figure out just how much would be needed to build a smaller level of fortification, leave the fort building on until a certain percentage is reached, then stop the fort building. That way, as soon as you lose a level, you can restart and regain a level back. That is, if there is an excess cost of going from level 5 to 6 compared to going from level 4 to 5. Anyways, the bigger the forts the better as long as the enemy has to fight to take the base and can't just bypass it.

Philippines: The Allies still hold at Clark, which is remarkable. My guys have no supply. Defenses will collapse as soon as Dave gives a good push.

If you have a submarine hauling supplies to Bataan instead of those using those excellent Mark 14 torpedoes against enemy shipping, that might be a more effective use for them. One submarine load of supplies so the main units will have even just ONE unit of supply will render them fully combat effective. It may be gamey but that is how it works in the game.

[Canoerebel]

I knew what BBfanboy meant. [:)]

Given time a major enemy op into mainland Alaska would like include troops prepping for Whittier or Seward in addition to Anchorage. For SigInt to reference Anchorage alone on a single day wouldn't be odd but it would be over the course of a week or three.

[Canoerebel]

4/10/42

The Allies still hold Batavia, Soerabaja and Clark Field by the skin of their teeth. The tenuous MLR in China remains intact. The Japanese are working to surround the isolated Allied expeditionary army in Burma. Japanese bombers are working all these areas. The fighting today was routine, so that the only thing that really matters:

Singapore: Forts to 5.91.

That's up two with modest enemy bombing. Supplies are currently 140k, so should be in the 130s when forts reach 6. I'll have to shut down fort building then. Allied subs reporting to Colombo will be switching over to supply runs to Singers, beginning tomorrow.

[Canoerebel]

4/11/42

Singapore: 5.93

[Canoerebel]

4/12/42

Singapore: 5.95.

At Singers, an RAF heavy AA unit upgraded to bigger guns.

Somehow, Batavia and Soerabaja both withstood enemy deliberate attacks. I think Dave will shock attack tomorrow and take both. That'll free up some bombers to target Singers, if he chooses. I have 55 P-40Es at Port Blair that can come into Singers to try to get forts over the hump, but last time they tried they got eaten up.

Now that it's April, I'm seriously considering buying out Percival. Would it make a difference? It could. And at the moment Singers might tie up five or six enemy divisions for another six to eight weeks. If it actually plays out that way, Dave likely will be too late for any big missions into India or Oz (if he ever had such). But summer, the Allies are much more capable of facing the enemy under select circumstances. By late autumn....I was invading Sumatra against John III (way too early but instructive).

RAF 2EB and USAAF 2EB and 4EB hit Magwe's oil, putting 100 points out of commission at a cost of about 20 aircraft (and a handful of enemy fighters). Pretty good day.

[RangerJoe]

Remember, when planes are damaged or there is an ops loss, the pilot loses an experience point - maybe more than one but I read where they lose one. So CAP/LRCAP missions which have increased ops losses can hurt the pilots experience ratings because of the ops losses.

[anarchyintheuk]

If you can spare the pps, I'd buy out Percival.

[Canoerebel]

4/13/42

Singers: 5.98

Soerabaja fell today. That frees up 70 Betties. I'm crossing my fingers they need a day of rest or that Dave employs them against Batavia or that he simply gets in a hurry so that it doesn't occur to him that Singers might be 2 points and one day from level six forts.

Gulp.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: anarchyintheuk

If you can spare the pps, I'd buy out Percival.

If Singers reaches Forts 6, I think I'll celebrate by replacing Percival.

[Mark VII]

Now that you actually have a "Gibraltar of the East", put a better General in there. He may not help but should. Holding Singers for another month or two will really wreck his plans, could even force him to move units out of China.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

4/12/42

Singapore: 5.95.

At Singers, an RAF heavy AA unit upgraded to bigger guns.

Somehow, Batavia and Soerabaja both withstood enemy deliberate attacks. I think Dave will shock attack tomorrow and take both. That'll free up some bombers to target Singers, if he chooses. I have 55 P-40Es at Port Blair that can come into Singers to try to get forts over the hump, but last time they tried they got eaten up.

Now that it's April, I'm seriously considering buying out Percival. Would it make a difference? It could. And at the moment Singers might tie up five or six enemy divisions for another six to eight weeks. If it actually plays out that way, Dave likely will be too late for any big missions into India or Oz (if he ever had such). But summer, the Allies are much more capable of facing the enemy under select circumstances. By late autumn....I was invading Sumatra against John III (way too early but instructive).

RAF 2EB and USAAF 2EB and 4EB hit Magwe's oil, putting 100 points out of commission at a cost of about 20 aircraft (and a handful of enemy fighters). Pretty good day.

[RangerJoe]

Singapore should have a lot of AAA, check the aggressiveness of their leaders as well as making sure that there is enough radar to detect and track the bombers to increase the effectiveness of the AAA. I remember reading an AAR (was it the one where Stalin complained of some rotten Sushi being dropped of on an isolated coast) where the Japanese AAA did not seem to fire if there weren't enough searchlight and/or radar sets for the night firing of the AAA. A few fighters on night CAP might also help should he decide to bomb at night.

[Canoerebel]

4/14/42

Singers: 6.01

Dave turned those 70 Betties against Batavia, which made perfect sense but also helped the cause.

Percival is gone. Slim is in.

When Singers is on the brink of collapse sometime down the road, should I buy out Slim and save him from capture? Is that standard procedure?

[BBfanboy]

With stats like that, Slim should push the Japanese out of Malaya and not need to be rescued! [:D]