Turnaround? Lowpe (J) vs Tiemanj (A) Stock

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ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

FM-2s stay in the pool. My CVEs all get the Hellcats while the CV/CVLs get the Hellcats as minimum and the highest experienced get the carrier capable Corsairs.

+1

Pretty much the biggest allied benefit of PDU ON. Never used the FM-1 or the FM-2.

Although I have been pleasantly surprised about the number of groups that actually will upgrade to Hellcat after upgrading to the FM-1. Better than I'd feared anyway.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

FM-2s stay in the pool. My CVEs all get the Hellcats while the CV/CVLs get the Hellcats as minimum and the highest experienced get the carrier capable Corsairs.

+1

Pretty much the biggest allied benefit of PDU ON. Never used the FM-1 or the FM-2.

It depends on pools. In my game, I may find myself using the FM-2 in combat - it's better than the FM-1, at least. "Backfield" CAP but still within Netty range, probably. Maybe more. There just aren't enough Hellcats and Corsairs until sometime in 1944 if you're using them for all of the CVEs and such. So the few USN LBA might get FM-2's... the USMC gets the Corsairs, some Hellcats also.

[Lowpe]

Dec 20, 1943

No night bombing. Japanese planes don't fly against Port Blair.

Daytime, Allies bomb the airfields at Raheng and Bangkok. No less than 4 Jugs squadrons sweep Bangkok. Only flak there, and the Allies lose 9 planes to Japan's 4 for the day.

Our daring strike at Akyab didn't go off. Will have to retreat the planes lest he bomb them to smithereens.

A lot of the action is in Burma, the Allies hit the troops defending the Bangkok road hard from the air, but adequate AA (which is starting to get worn out) and the terrain, and forts 2 for the infantry and some artillery protect them.

The Allied deliberate attack comes close to a 1-3, but gets a 1-2 and the Allies lose as much as Japan, about 150 squads disabled and a handful of miscellaneous destroyed. Tomorrow the IJA will get 4 28cm Howitzers to help with the defence, moving in under combat mode. In two days the 2nd Guards Division will come in, and perhaps in a week the 1st Tank Division.

The 4th Heavy Division is holding east of Tavoy.

The road west of Raheng looks okay, a bombardment there and we destroy several Allied guns. I have four more Artillery units moving in, nothing really great some mortars and small howitzers, still it will help.

All the infantry from Chiang Mai have made it to the jungle hex north of Raheng, Allies are pursing the armor, artillery and engineers that are lagging, but I think they will make it too. These 14 units will hopefully combine up with their splinters and get some much need reinforcements and rest -- they will form a reserve before being thrown back into the front.



Looking at the map, the Allied forces at Moulmein could be heading for Tavoy...should I move the 4th Division there -- probably take them 8 days.

Or should I threaten to cut off the Allies in Tavoy by taking the road to the north of Tavoy? Nice terrain there.

[Lowpe]

In two days the IJA will launch another attack on Chungking. Chinese are down to under 2700 raw AV there, Japan will be 5,000+.

I have managed to move another fresh IJA division off the western mountain passes, it has 100 prep for Chungking and will make it in time for a followup attack in a week to 10 days.

I feel the end is near for Chungking, I hope I didn't just curse myself there.[:D]

[topeverest]

Is this a VP play?

Just curious...

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

In two days the IJA will launch another attack on Chungking. Chinese are down to under 2700 raw AV there, Japan will be 5,000+.

I have managed to move another fresh IJA division off the western mountain passes, it has 100 prep for Chungking and will make it in time for a followup attack in a week to 10 days.

I feel the end is near for Chungking, I hope I didn't just curse myself there.[:D]

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Is this a VP play?

Just curious...

No, it is called survival![:D] I need those troops elsewhere, and I need Chungking's production.

VP are a bonus.

[Lowpe]

Setting up a CAP trap over Trinkat, the bait a CL/DD squadron under two Sentai of Oscar IVs. The Oscars don't really have the firepower to bring down 4E, but they are really good against single engine bombers, so I hope to nail some. Been a while since I have done this, so should work.

If not, the CL/DD squadron will hit the PT boats at Cap Nicobar and retire.

Moving troops, and supplies, etc., etc.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Is this a VP play?

Just curious...

No, it is called survival![:D] I need those troops elsewhere, and I need Chungking's production.

VP are a bonus.

I think you have it reversed - the troops elsewhere and Chungking's production is just a bonus, while the VPs are the most important part! Even just preventing him from holding the city is a big boost in terms of how long you can survive strat bombing.

Because realistically...you could keep him bottled at Chungking with about 1500 AV of IJA troops, especially if it included tanks. And the production you can't really count on at this point as it is within range of everything from Burma.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
And the production you can't really count on at this point as it is within range of everything from Burma.

Not so, kemosabi! HR: no strategic bombing in China. I went back and looked it up.[:)]

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
And the production you can't really count on at this point as it is within range of everything from Burma.

Not so, kemosabi! HR: no strategic bombing in China. I went back and looked it up.[:)]

Well then. That's a gift.

[Lowpe]

Dec 21, 1943

Night bombing! Two groups of Betties from one squadron hit Port Blair. No flak. No Night fighters. Milk run, and they nail several planes on the ground. Very good![:)]

[Lowpe]

Very quiet day from the Allied planes, however I mistakenly send a lot of Dinahs over heavily CAPed bases and lose 6 for the day. 9 Japanese planes lost overall for the day...

IJN CL/DD squadron takes up position in Trinkat, under a healthy Oscar CAP, after hitting a British sub on their way in.

It doesn't take long for the enemy bombers to show up, and as planned by High Command the bombers are single engine carrier planes....perfect grist for the Oscar mill!

[Lowpe]

Oscars down 22 for the day, and not a bomber gets thru. But, then, we forgot about the deadly assault bombers, and they are flying low, and better armored and armed than the divebombers. Uh, oh![:(]

Oscars dive to the challenge and manage to destroy 6, damage 14 more forcing them to jettison their ordinance and missing the light squadron at Trinkat.

Now, the squadron is free to attack the PT boats at either Cap Nicobar, or Port Blair. Happy hunting boys!

[Lowpe]

Allies lose 40 planes on the day...to 9 for Japan! Banner day.

On the ground, the Japanese heavy artillery facing off against the Allied juggernaut does wonders destroying more than a dozen guns and some afvs for no damage to the IJA west of Raheng, and north of Bangkok.

An Allied attack at Tavoy nets a 1-2, but does drop the forts one level.[:(]

An Allied shock attack into the defenders of Chiang Mai results in over 100 casualties to the Allies and only one disrupted squad for Japan. The Commonwealth Regiment was harshly treated by a IJAAF Eng unit! Hopefully they will crawl out of the JR terrain and into the jungle on the morrow making good their escape.

Japan avoids all Allied submarines.

Now, the tricky part, how to figure out how to hurt the Allies today!

[Lowpe]

I have the feeling the Deathstar is about to show up again.

Possible targets are Yap, Guam, Home Islands, Leyte, Samar, etc.

Let us hope the Allies are quiet for the rest of the year as they celebrate the holidays!

[mind_messing]

Damned forum ate my reply.

Short summary:

- Ishigaki has the General Defence Army command too, I think.
- I wouldn't bother about defending the clear island hexes off Japan, anything more than a token garrison would be a waste.
- The Shanghai and surrounding region is important to the defence East China Sea. I'd consider building up Soochow to help defend it. Soochow is a bit better than Shanghai in that it is safe from battleship bombardment, and any ships running past Shanghai need to run past the mines and CD guns (assuming you have something better than the 8cm popguns the Shanghai Base force has). In our Downfall game, Shanghai was where most of my anti-Fletcher strikes flew from.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

- I wouldn't bother about defending the clear island hexes off Japan, anything more than a token garrison would be a waste.

That is really hard to take, as there are quite a few good clear terrain bases very close. I definitely think leaving empty bases just accelerates Japan's end as in Wargamer/NJP excellent game.

I think the atolls just naturally take multiple small AV units (small in number of men too), as they are wasted almost everywhere else, but can help stall an Atoll invasion as proved the case during the Wake attack in this game.

[Lowpe]

Very nice tip about Soochow[&o]....haven't built it up at all. Haven't thought about it at all, to be honest. [:D]

Ishigaki is Southern Army as is the surrounding islands.

Edit: Pondering Soochow, leads me to think I should build some of the other bases nearby up as well, at least to level 2-4. Having multiple dangerous airbases to fall back on is always good and is very helpful in Indochina at the moment.

I need to look at the rail situation too, since the KI202 will rely upon them if I last that long. I have the HI build up pretty nicely to accommodate the 202. Will look at Korea too.

I have also been building forts on the HI, as it looks to me one day somebody might come calling.

[Lowpe]

In my ongoing efforts to pester the Allies, this turn we will be sweeping Akyab, Chiang Mai, and our troops in Indochina, along with daytime bombing run of Akyab and the 90 transports sitting there.

Massing destroyers to defend the Leyte, Samar, and Luzon. Lots of little bases to hide in, I will make some destroyer bases there...

Everyday a Ki202 factory repairs...pretty sweet; but I need to get them to start researching!

[DanSez]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

In my ongoing efforts to pester the Allies, this turn we will be sweeping Akyab, Chiang Mai, and our troops in Indochina, along with daytime bombing run of Akyab and the 90 transports sitting there.

Massing destroyers to defend the Leyte, Samar, and Luzon. Lots of little bases to hide in, I will make some destroyer bases there...

Everyday a Ki202 factory repairs...pretty sweet; but I need to get them to start researching!

Don't all repaired factories give a random pct chance of research?
Example of 5 factories:
Repaired(repairing)
10(20)
8(22)
14(16)
11(19)
17(13)

That is 60 repaired factories.

Certainly that isn't as good a 2x(30)[roughly 2 pts per day] fully repaired factories, but don't you get some research points out of that configuration and by the random dice gods, get at least 1 point of research per day?