Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

I don't understand why he would bring clearly inferior forces to that fight.....go big or go home is a good rule of thumb in WITP. He should've gone home for now.

I personally would've waited until I had KB, then beefed up surrounding islands with Base Forces and Air HQ, and isolated your guys. The Empire can easily control the air there through 1942, plenty of time to eventually make your guys POWs

Well, the fight isn't over. He is coming with multiple SAGs...and there is another CVL with 40 fighters in the area too.

Maybe just seizing the opportunity to take a shot at your CV's.

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Maybe just seizing the opportunity to take a shot at your CV's.

+1. If he can bag them, then it is a better trade...we shall see if I can survive the night.

In other news Horn Island is taken, Timor invaded, Koepang taken. Several blocking forces in China cleared, and some of his tanks caught some troops east of Sian...east of Kukong holds, but is being heavily bombed.

Nothing happens in the Bay of Bengal or the Diego Garcia fronts...damaged CA and CL from our Andaman feint make it back to Ceylon...I thought they were gone.

KB SE of Port Moresby.

To me, the question is: Does Japan have to respond right away to a dot base being taken in the Marianas? Is it worth a major adjustment in plans?

Sure, it can be used for PBY patrols, but would take a while to become a threat. Once the AF become level one Betties could keep it suppressed.

Cheers,
CB

ORIGINAL: CaptBeefheart

To me, the question is: Does Japan have to respond right away to a dot base being taken in the Marianas? Is it worth a major adjustment in plans?

Sure, it can be used for PBY patrols, but would take a while to become a threat. Once the AF become level one Betties could keep it suppressed.

Cheers,
CB

At game start, six BBs are in Honshu, two small carriers, and at least one CS....normally they go to support Rabaul, PM, Midway...plus there are 3 heavy Cruisers in the Guam force...but he has had time to move them around to support his goals but now they are all headed for my carriers.[X(]

My latest thinking is he hasn't decided to go for Oz or India yet...he is waiting to see how the game develops.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: CaptBeefheart

To me, the question is: Does Japan have to respond right away to a dot base being taken in the Marianas? Is it worth a major adjustment in plans?

Sure, it can be used for PBY patrols, but would take a while to become a threat. Once the AF become level one Betties could keep it suppressed.

Cheers,
CB

At game start, six BBs are in Honshu, two small carriers, and at least one CS....normally they go to support Rabaul, PM, Midway...plus there are 3 heavy Cruisers in the Guam force...but he has had time to move them around to support his goals but now they are all headed for my carriers.[X(]

My latest thinking is he hasn't decided to go for Oz or India yet...he is waiting to see how the game develops.

He has been poking at Oz and India perimeters a bit to see where your resistance is, but you have been poking areas he wasn't expecting to defend. I say you have disrupted his timetable and plans more than he has yours. Very interesting start!

The Port Moresby theater...

I have done nothing to reinforce PM or Rabaul with ground troops, only shipped minimal supplies to PM. But, I do have many cruiser and smaller SAGs scattered all over in dot bases.

There is 80 points of strategic bombing targets between Bowen, Cairns and Charter Towers.

Having him react to you this early is all good.

Got the turn finished yesterday, hectic weekend with two dinners at our house and then the wife's cat went missing...oh, my. Drop everything and look for it for hours and hours![8|]

Fact: Cats don't come when you call them. They come when they are hungry. Cat finally showed up at 1 am.

Lexington and Enterprise are making a full speed run due east and then cutting south to end up one hex behind Wake ready to turn into the wind. Two AEs are at Wake and an AD.

Two destroyers are going to steam west into the hoard of IJN ships chasing us, and will attempt to buy time for the Carriers and Cruisers to escape.

One squadron of fighters flown off to land at Wake and provide some local CAP in case things go sideways. Another freshly rearmed squadron of destroyers is leaving Wake and setting up a patrol perimeter where we expect to see the IJN main effort NW of Wake.

It could be a nasty turn![X(]



Two squadrons of PBYs at Wake, I set one to naval attack down low, two squadrons of TBs are set to attack high (with torpedoes -- been saving them) and the DB are set to attack at 15K. Almost all fighters are set to escort, as I have pretty much pulled the teeth from the following carriers (about 50 fighters).

In my last Allied game, I wanted to use the Thundering Herd as bait to draw IJN shipping into a CV strike. This game didn't quite work out that way as the CVs went to escort the Thundering Herd thru the Marianas and cover the invasion of an island there.

By far and away Wake Island is the place to fight this battle at. ADs and AEs and tankers can provide fuel and rearming. Cats provide good boost to naval search -- we are operating under our much stronger naval search and Japan isn't.

We don't have to split our Navy and planes and worry about Tinian and Saipan.

Lots of room for improvement on this tactic...but it can work nicely. Having the Saratoga join. The 5 Sboats were delayed in getting to Wake, as they had to wait for fuel at Midway so they aren't in place. Having a few more subs as scouts would be nice. Not bombarding Saipan at 0 range where the CD guns are tough. I should have set the TB on naval strike at very short range instead I was (and am) worried about Iboats as this area could potentially be crawling with them.

I also didn't have the CVs retreat far enough yesterday, as they are danger close to IJN SAGs.

I was thinking about other areas on the map where you can set up this kind of situation for a favorable battle and there are a few of them.[:)]

Conversely taking these lone bases you can establish the trap as Japan.[;)]

Dec 26th, 1941

Not good...IJN breaks into smaller task forces hunting the CVs...our brave 2 DD SAG delays TF Myoko.

Caught! If maximum visibility is 11K yards we have a chance!

So far so good...where will the CVs retreat to?

TF Myoko catches us[X(]

Lexington takes two 20cm hits: one to the flight deck and the other to the superstructure. A smaller 12.7 cm hits too.

The Cruisers are pretty much not fighting as they are all low on ammo now...

It looks like we retreated due east...hopefully again and safety!

Iboats!

The CVs make a good one hex retreat and now the waypoint in negated and they are withdrawing to Wake because of low ammo.

Minfield explosions start going off...most likely outside Palembang.[:)]

And then it is daytime, all the DL are reset and we might just get away, but more importantly if the weather is good the engagement ranges will be long and our crews are much better day fighters than night!

We might just pull this one out!

In the chaos of battle I am not sure where the Ellet came from...one of the Thundering Herds xak's pumps failed and sank...

Look at the blue wide open Pacific -- lots of places to roam and our carriers are using their sea legs to steam flank speed.

Its Magic!

We survive the night and day...but no IJN surface ships in sight.