Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

April 30, 1943

The war progresses, Allies seemingly moving quite lethargically it seems to me. Lack of updates because I am traveling, using a new laptop and haven't loaded graphics program yet so I am using 3d which I am unfamiliar with. Also a bit of graphical problems solved by setting windows to 100% scaling. Took me a bit to figure that one out.

DeHaven left southern New Guinea and moved north, tangled with 4 IJN destroyers yesterday (expending all torpedoes and causing one Fletcher to drop back to Brisbane for repairs) & two Val attacks (beaten back by Australian Fighter Bombers (Beaufighters) and good evasion by the Captains. Tonight, Dehaven charged into Boela where PBY aerial recon reported a tanker convoy and several ASW task forces; they left at dawn with the harbor burning and ammo severely depleted....full speed away....radar reports a contact! Beaufighters!

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[Lowpe]

Fletchers are fearless....and this raid, the first after the April upgrades, is the 3rd and 4th naval clash the Fletcher Squadrons have performed in the last two days. Two other skirmishes with IJN destroyers around New Guinea.

We will be using this basic formula for the rest of the game, slowly growing the Fletcher squadrons from 3 to 5 to 9. AD, AE, AKE trype ships will be forward supporting them....and they will be fearless tangling with anything Japan can throw at them: battleships and cruisers, mines, dive bombers....following Nelson's age old stratagem: Straight at em!

The April upgrades really increase the AAA rating....and all the crew training means none of the Fletchers currently in service have rookie crews.

[Lowpe]

Two Commonwealth Brigades, a R class BB and a few Dutch destroyers spearhead the reconquest of Ceylon.

Jaffna taken easily, moving on Trin....

Japanese ground defenses weak....

Lost a 2000 capacity merchant ship to Iboats...but other than that a textbook invasion.

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[Lowpe]

Japan has been bouncing ships around here lately and planes. All flying into and out of damaged runways.

Rabaul is mined heavily, and protected by Wake CD guns so only bombers hit there....Corsairs and Lightnings do good work against them.

Indiana left Sydney and is enroute, will be the largest ships in theater and the Fletchers are back and chomping at the bit.

Japan has at least 2 battleships in the area...plus the super heavies. KB location unknown but suspected to be lurking.

Deathstar is at Pearl upgrading to Hellcats....I guess I need to move them down here for the May push to Moluccas. Most of our shipping is disbanded into ports for a general reorganization. Flying boats and transports are moving troops forward.

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[Lowpe]

China and Burma

IJA gearing up for an attack on Chungking...which now has 5000+ AV. Japan bombing daily.

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You can see we are playing the old Beta....a little hesitant to upgrade.

[Lowpe]

May 1st, 1943

Sent two more fletchers into harms way to test a theory. This time at Darwin:

Night Time Surface Combat, near Darwin at 76,124, Range 8,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Nagato, Shell hits 3
CA Chikuma, Shell hits 1
CA Aoba, Shell hits 3, on fire
CL Jintsu
CL Isuzu, Shell hits 1
CL Yubari
DD Minegumo
DD Asagiri
DD Akebono
DD Fumizuki
DD Yuzuki

Allied Ships
DD LaVallette
DD Taylor, Shell hits 5

Reduced sighting due to 10% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 10% moonlight: 8,000 yards
Range closes to 10,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 8,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 8,000 yards
Yano, Hideo* crosses the 'T'

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[Lowpe]

I lost my graphic .... but the test works, after the fight, the IJN task force bombarded Darwin as normal, but then only had enough time left in the day to make it four hexes north west of Darwin....well within range for a Deathstar ambush with a coordinated plan.

[Lowpe]

May 2nd, 1943

The joy of Fletchers....I am a little concerned at provoking an Alpha strike from a lurking KB so I returned to using destroyers up front....we bombarded Kavieng and then had an attack by Iboat in which the Fletchers scored penetrating hits on. The normal ship defenses don't work too well against Fletchers. Mines, Iboats, etc.

Soon, we will attempt to provoke air attacks on these Desrons with LRCAP up over them to bleed Japans air force even more.

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[Lowpe]

Yesterday, the IJA decided to launch their first deliberate attack at Chungking! The poor city has been bombed and bombarded for quite a long time:

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[Lowpe]

Post battle:

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[Lowpe]

The bloody details:

Ground combat at Chungking (76,45)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 110347 troops, 1361 guns, 2364 vehicles, Assault Value = 3938

Defending force 167894 troops, 48 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 5369

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 5

Japanese adjusted assault: 1023

Allied adjusted defense: 13169

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 12 (fort level 5)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), preparation(-)
experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
15477 casualties reported
Squads: 287 destroyed, 1193 disabled
Non Combat: 16 destroyed, 276 disabled
Engineers: 55 destroyed, 156 disabled
Guns lost 196 (12 destroyed, 184 disabled)
Vehicles lost 417 (59 destroyed, 358 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
2287 casualties reported
Squads: 28 destroyed, 184 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 100 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Assaulting units:
9th Tank Regiment
110th Division
1st Tank Division
13th Division
19th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
41st Division
15th Tank Regiment
2nd Tank Division
32nd Division
3rd Tank Division
37th Division
17th Division
Guards Tank Division
1st Mortar Battalion
1st Army
5th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
3rd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment
North China Area Army
13th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
12th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
4th Mortar Battalion
4th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
11th Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
91st Chinese Corps
3rd Chinese Corps
100th Chinese Corps
79th Chinese Corps
5th New Chinese Corps
15th Chinese Corps
81st Chinese Corps
19th Chinese Corps
11th Chinese Corps
39th Chinese Corps
63rd Chinese Corps
89th Chinese Corps
82nd Chinese Corps
3rd Prov Chinese Corps
1st Chinese Corps
41st Chinese Corps
88th Chinese Corps
84th Chinese Corps
33rd Chinese Corps
4th Chinese Cavalry Corps
1st Chinese Cavalry Corps
55th Chinese Corps
17th Chinese Corps
62nd Chinese Corps
303rd Brigade
40th Chinese Corps
12th Chinese Corps
8th Prov Chinese Corps
9th Separate Brigade
51st Chinese Corps
50th Chinese Corps
22nd Chinese Corps
23rd Chinese Corps
26th Chinese Corps
80th Chinese Corps
259th Brigade
69th Chinese Corps
95th Chinese Corps
34th Separate Brigade
17th Chinese Base Force
22nd Artillery Regiment
6th Chinese Base Force
32nd Group Army
22nd Group Army
23rd Group Army
18th Chinese Base Force
10th Group Army
21st Group Army
25th Group Army
29th Group Army
3rd Group Army
China Command
24th Group Army
CAF HQ
34th Group Army
6th War Area
17th Group Army
2nd Group Army
3rd War Area
12th Group Army
15th Chinese Base Force
14th Group Army
7th Artillery Regiment
5th War Area
19th Chinese Base Force

[RangerJoe]

The bloody details:

Ground combat at Chungking (76,45)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 110347 troops, 1361 guns, 2364 vehicles, Assault Value = 3938

Defending force 167894 troops, 48 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 5369

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 5

Japanese adjusted assault: 1023

Allied adjusted defense: 13169

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 12 (fort level 5)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), preparation(-)
experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
15477 casualties reported
Squads: 287 destroyed, 1193 disabled
Non Combat: 16 destroyed, 276 disabled
Engineers: 55 destroyed, 156 disabled
Guns lost 196 (12 destroyed, 184 disabled)
Vehicles lost 417 (59 destroyed, 358 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
2287 casualties reported
Squads: 28 destroyed, 184 disabled
Non Combat: 3 destroyed, 100 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)

Assaulting units:
9th Tank Regiment
110th Division
1st Tank Division
13th Division
19th Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
41st Division
15th Tank Regiment
2nd Tank Division
32nd Division
3rd Tank Division
37th Division
17th Division
Guards Tank Division
1st Mortar Battalion
1st Army
5th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion
6th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
3rd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment
North China Area Army
13th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
12th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
4th Mortar Battalion
4th Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
1st Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
2nd Hvy.Artillery Regiment
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
11th Field Artillery Regiment

Defending units:
91st Chinese Corps
3rd Chinese Corps
100th Chinese Corps
79th Chinese Corps
5th New Chinese Corps
15th Chinese Corps
81st Chinese Corps
19th Chinese Corps
11th Chinese Corps
39th Chinese Corps
63rd Chinese Corps
89th Chinese Corps
82nd Chinese Corps
3rd Prov Chinese Corps
1st Chinese Corps
41st Chinese Corps
88th Chinese Corps
84th Chinese Corps
33rd Chinese Corps
4th Chinese Cavalry Corps
1st Chinese Cavalry Corps
55th Chinese Corps
17th Chinese Corps
62nd Chinese Corps
303rd Brigade
40th Chinese Corps
12th Chinese Corps
8th Prov Chinese Corps
9th Separate Brigade
51st Chinese Corps
50th Chinese Corps
22nd Chinese Corps
23rd Chinese Corps
26th Chinese Corps
80th Chinese Corps
259th Brigade
69th Chinese Corps
95th Chinese Corps
34th Separate Brigade
17th Chinese Base Force
22nd Artillery Regiment
6th Chinese Base Force
32nd Group Army
22nd Group Army
23rd Group Army
18th Chinese Base Force
10th Group Army
21st Group Army
25th Group Army
29th Group Army
3rd Group Army
China Command
24th Group Army
CAF HQ
34th Group Army
6th War Area
17th Group Army
2nd Group Army
3rd War Area
12th Group Army
15th Chinese Base Force
14th Group Army
7th Artillery Regiment
5th War Area
19th Chinese Base Force

There might be an easier way for him to take out the defenses but it is probably too late for him to try. I did it against the AI which had forts built to level 9! But his way is bloody!

[Lowpe]

Yep, Ranger....it was a tough fight for Japan, but the first attack always is.

I am overstacked by 40k troops and I am moving them out trying to take some more hexes around Chungking to prevent that! The Chinese keep respawning with 0 prep and no accumulation even though they start with Chungking as target.

[Lowpe]

First Week of May, 1943

Kind of boring, waiting for Deathstar for the next push into the Moluccas.

Destroyers are doing the bombarding in and around New Guinea....they savaged an I boat with two penetrating hits and a massive explosion.

Yesterday lost a few very small xakl I forgot had on CS to Grove (Australia).

Assembling shipping to take advantage of this new shipping route! Shorter than England to Cape Town to India.

Quick look at plane losses sorted by total, flak (Japan is really suffering here, flying recon way too low), and ground. I have kept up a stead night bombing campaign by 2 squadrons of British medium bombers all game....

Is there a way to see the daily losses graphed by airplane model...would like to take a closer look at transport losses now the infrastructure is built up for them...

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[Lowpe]

A nice chart:

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[Lowpe]

Common sense makes me think that airport sizes, squadron settings and pilot experience are the largest determinants of transport losses by far....here is the best average experience transport squadron making the Ledo to Tsuyung run...

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[Lowpe]

Here is the lowest experience squadron....when at Tsuyung they were airlifting troops out of China which seems a lot safer than carrying supplies:

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[Lowpe]

My hardest working transport squadron on a shorter range trip...op losses seem low despite the operational tempo. I also try to keep planes in reserve...squadrons filled up.

10 x C-47 Skytrain transporting supplies to Meiktila

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[Lowpe]

I am going to send a hundred transports to Imphal to make the short range run to Katha...at a high operation tempo and see what happens. Plentiful AV support, smallest runway is a 5. Of course Paoshan can only pull in 600 supplies a day, assuming everything else in Burma is fed.

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[Lowpe]

May 7, 1943

Commonwealth troops retaking Ceylon...taking this island will certainly knock Japan's victory level down to draw.

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