PzB vs Wobbly - Clash of Steel

[tekk]

PzB I offer you inspiration and hope - read this....

tm.asp?m=1392935&mpage=16&key=

[PzB74]

[:D] That's a decisive trashing! Quite typical for the early period of US rising power.
Got a bit too daring and got spiked on LBA! Things change when Corsairs tag along the cv's.

Just slow adjustments of the defenses, we're almost in November and need to be ready.
I'm holding the bombers away from enemy convoys south of the Bonins - they're covered by CVs
and I want to rest and train before the coming battle.

November - December - January - February
That's 4 full months to go. Manual says game ends in March 1946 - does this mean 01-03-46?

If the invasion starts in November there will be gruesome battles throughout 45 and into January 46.
In the last month both sides will be exhausted and the game will slowly ebb out. That's my prediction.
Pretty sure Andy will succeed in grabbing 1 or 2 bases in the Home Islands archipelago, too many
bases to make bomb proof against a man with an oversize sledge hammer and no scruples about loosing
his fleet in order to get ashore [;)]

Going to make it hard for Andy in India though - he has to battle his way through a lot of forts.
Should I move all air power out of India or leave 150 fighters there? Not sure what good they'll do,
already moved the Shindens out, last 48 are almost on Formosa.


AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 10/27/45

Air Combat

Enemy continues to bombard Bangalor while his Army marches forth.

Day Air attack on Bangalore , at 17,19

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft
B-29 Superfortress x 43

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-51 Sonia: 1 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
12 casualties reported

Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 78
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 11
F-5C Lightning x 3
A-26B Invader x 37

Allied aircraft losses
A-26B Invader: 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
39 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 28
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Madras at 18,21

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 24

Allied aircraft
F4U-1D Corsair x 6
P-38J Lightning x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 10 destroyed, 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1D Corsair: 2 damaged
P-38J Lightning: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
CVE Hoggatt Bay
CV Yorktown
CLAA Atlanta
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Madras at 18,21

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
F4U-1D Corsair x 6
P-38J Lightning x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 1 damaged
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavy AA kept the Yorktown out of harms way today

[tekk]

he got that victory in 1944 though [:D]

and yes the game ends march.1 1946

I'd say keep them there, but if you've already moved 48 might as well move the rest.

How's your ac production coming? have your pools increased and stuff?

[PzB74]

Ah, 1944 - those were the golden days of opportunity! [:D]
It was an impressive trashing, opposite of what I did with the KB [8|]

Yes, we have 1100 Shindens in the pools and increasing.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 10/28/45

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TF 1061 encounters mine field at Ishieak (52,46)

Japanese Ships
TK Nisshin Maru #2, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DE Holt
DE George A. Johnson
DE Eugene E. Elmore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Combat

Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 11
F-5C Lightning x 3
A-26B Invader x 39

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
145 casualties reported

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 52
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 2nd Tank Regiment, at 17,19

Allied aircraft
Thunderbolt II x 12
Liberator VI x 9
Beaufighter VIC x 14
Mosquito FB.VI x 14

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
20 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 34th Ind.Mixed/B Brigade, at 17,19

Allied aircraft
FM-2 Wildcat x 5
F6F Hellcat x 13
F4U-1D Corsair x 7
TBM Avenger x 6

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
21 casualties reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground Combat

Ground combat at Bangalore

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 8750 troops, 13 guns, 418 vehicles, Assault Value = 330

Defending force 3700 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Allied max assault: 418 - adjusted assault: 223

Japanese max defense: 0 - adjusted defense: 4

Allied assault odds: 55 to 1 (fort level 9)

Allied forces CAPTURE Bangalore base !!!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
B7A Grace: 1 destroyed
Ki-51 Sonia: 2 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
634 casualties reported
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

India Endgame 1945

[PzB74]

Defensive Deployment

[Nemo121]

What are your AV, fort level and terrain modifiers for the Kyushu ( Sasebo, nagasaki and Hiroshima ) landing zones and the same for the two Shikoku landing zones... Also when he recons how many "units" will he see in each of those bases. I think he'll head for a base with a low unit count but I'm sure all of the above factors will play into the decision

[PzB74]

Pressed the 'divide unit' button in most Home Island bases today - Allied intelligence will get more to do!

All bases in Home Islands have level 9 forts.
I think Sasebo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima are all wooden terrain bases, must check.
Have to confirm the data below tomorrow. A big shifting of units going on.

Done as you suggested and is moving small units out of Nagasaki and into the other bases.
Unit count will surge in all bases except Nagasaki. The Mongol Cav divisions are especially useful - they're small
but can be divided in 3.

In total some 15000 AV from the Okinawas - Osaka.
Ca another 12000 AV from Osaka to Sakhalin.

Okinawa area bases:

Kadina: 1200 AV - 22 units (mountain)
Naha: 1340 AV - 35 units (mountain)
Amami: 1500 AV - 26 units (clear)

Kyushu area bases:

Nagasaki: 2000 AV - 12 units (wooded) - 3 units will head out from here, leaving 1500 AV.
Sasebo: 1200 AV - 24 units (wooded ?) - The Imp Division will move inn here.
Kitakyushu: 1200 AV - 23 units (wooded)
Kagoshima: 1200 AV - 22 units (wooded)
Hiroshima: 1000 AV - 17 units (wooded?)
Nagato: 650 AV - only 4 units here (terrain?) - small base to the north of Hiroshima.

Island of Ikikutsi - 850 AV - 10 units (terrain?)

Shikoku Island:
Matsuyama 1100 AV - 15 units (wooded) Moving in more units here, 3-4 enroute
Takamatso 1100 AV - 18 units (clear) More units enroute here (5-6)
Also sending an armored div to place on tbe hex between these 2 bases. Aiming for 3000+ AV within a short time.

The last major reinforcements are being taken from Formosa. Dangerous business but the troops convoys have sailed.


AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 10/29/45

Sub/ASW Attacks

Sub attack at 65,45

Japanese Ships
MSW Hakata Maru #7, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage *sinks*
MSW Choyo Maru #2
MSW Kyo Maru #1
MSW Aoi Maru
MSW Choun Maru #8
MSW Wa 103
MSW Fuji Maru
MSW Wa 16
MSW Wa 11
MSW Shintohoku Maru
PC PC-116

Allied Ships
SS Carbonero
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Combat

Forgot to stand down some CAP fighters.

Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
Ki-100 Tony x 5

Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 12
F-5C Lightning x 3
A-26B Invader x 38

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-100 Tony: 5 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
A-26B Invader: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
75 casualties reported

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 41
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enemy carrier sunk!!!

Does anyone know which carrier the Imperial High Command claims sunk (completely without reason this time!-)

[Honda]

Saratoga?

[PzB74]

Nope, Saratoga it is not. This carrier was built very late in the war.
Any other suggestions? [8D]

Not a really good day today....

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 10/30/45

Loaded up some more troops at Taichu today and Andy sent 100 sweep fighters against
our CAP. I had put the recently arrived 48 Shindens from India there together with some
other units in need of training. The green Shindens suffered high losses and most ships
were destroyed. An Engineer Rgt and Naval construction unit is destroyed while a B Bde
takes 50% casualties.

Only good thing is that Andy probably thinks this is the best our Shindens can give.
Just wait until he meets the experienced ones in numbers [;)]

Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 8
N1K1-J George x 6
J7W Shinden x 18
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 4
Ki-84-Ic Frank x 16

Allied aircraft
P-51D Mustang x 51

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Reppu: 3 destroyed
N1K1-J George: 9 destroyed
J7W Shinden: 23 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 4 destroyed
Ki-84-Ic Frank: 8 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-51D Mustang: 16 destroyed, 3 damaged
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 3
N1K1-J George x 1
J7W Shinden x 4
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 1
Ki-84-Ic Frank x 5

Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 48

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Reppu: 2 destroyed
J7W Shinden: 10 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 2 destroyed
Ki-84-Ic Frank: 7 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38J Lightning: 11 destroyed, 4 damaged
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Taichu at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 5
N1K1-J George x 2
J7W Shinden x 10
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 1
Ki-84-Ic Frank x 6

Allied aircraft
Mosquito B.XXVI x 6
P-40N Warhawk x 26
A-26B Invader x 113 - have you ever seen such a number of Invaders on naval attack?
Good that Andy first noticed and reacted towards our evacuation effort now. I've already run 3-4 convoys
out of Taichu [;)]

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Reppu: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
J7W Shinden: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-84-Ic Frank: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Mosquito B.XXVI: 2 destroyed
P-40N Warhawk: 14 destroyed
A-26B Invader: 5 destroyed

Japanese Ships
AP Kiko Maru, Bomb hits 12, on fire, heavy damage
AP Eihuku Maru, Bomb hits 11, on fire, heavy damage
AP Kizan Maru, Bomb hits 12, on fire, heavy damage
AP Ryuosan Maru, Bomb hits 14, on fire, heavy damage
AP Hayo Maru, Bomb hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
AP Maya Maru, Bomb hits 18, on fire, heavy damage
AP Juko Maru, Bomb hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
AP Yoshinogawa Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

Japanese ground losses:
1721 casualties reported
Guns lost 19
Vehicles lost 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Taichu at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 2
N1K1-J George x 1
J7W Shinden x 4
Ki-84-Ic Frank x 1

Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 25
B-24J Liberator x 21

Japanese aircraft losses
J7W Shinden: 10 destroyed
Ki-84-Ic Frank: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38J Lightning: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
AP Juko Maru, Bomb hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AP Yoshinogawa Maru, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
AP Kizan Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AP Eihuku Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

Japanese ground losses:
387 casualties reported
Guns lost 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In India enemy ac bombards our troops moving back:

Day Air attack on 2nd Tank Regiment, at 17,17

Allied aircraft
SB2C Helldiver x 5

No Allied losses
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 2nd Tank Regiment, at 17,17

Allied aircraft
Liberator VI x 9
Mosquito FB.VI x 36
A-26B Invader x 6

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
18 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 38th/C Division, at 17,17

Allied aircraft
Mosquito FB.VI x 14

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
10 casualties reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on 38th/C Division, at 17,17

Allied aircraft
Liberator VI x 9
Mosquito FB.VI x 4
A-26B Invader x 3

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
10 casualties reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy also took a scratch decision to drop a regiment of paras on Lucknow from troops
that marched into Bangalore this very same day. Of course he timed it so that they landed
on an almost empty base. 3 days ago I marched the Regiment there towards Dehli as part of
the re-organization of troops towards Karachi/Bombay. The replacement Regiment is still 4 days
away and the NLF marching from Benares got stuck in the jungle.

Sometimes I wonder how Andy always manage to time everything to embarrassingly well [8|]

More annoying than important though, I don't have more units that can be pulled from the south to
the north. Promised that I would not abandon all bases in order to defend one city.
(But I will abandon some!-)

Day Air attack on 102nd IJNAF Base Force, at 28,16

Allied aircraft
B-29 Superfortress x 35

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
60 casualties reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few bombers dropped through to hit a couple of transports

Day Air attack on TF, near Colombo at 14,24

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 10

Allied aircraft
Spitfire XIV x 13

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 2 destroyed, 6 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Spitfire XIV: 2 damaged

Allied Ships
AK Sea Quail, Torpedo hits 1
AK Cape Constantine, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Madras at 18,21

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 3

Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIC x 9

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 3 damaged

Allied Ships
AP Laurens

Aircraft Attacking:
3 x G4M2 Betty launching torpedoes at 200 feet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground Combat

Andy really didn't like that his tanks pursued towards Hyderabad. He turned all
but 2 Tank regiments around.

Ground combat at 18,19

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 4576 troops, 0 guns, 212 vehicles, Assault Value = 114

Defending force 40 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Allied max assault: 214 - adjusted assault: 72

Japanese max defense: 0 - adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 72 to 1

Japanese ground losses:
24 casualties reported

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
80 men here, talk about landing in the snack break! <G>

Ground combat at Lucknow

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 3287 troops, 41 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 78

Defending force 80 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1

Allied max assault: 56 - adjusted assault: 28

Japanese max defense: 0 - adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 28 to 1 (fort level 9)

Allied forces CAPTURE Lucknow base !!!

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Debacle in India

Nemo, do you think Andy will go for both Bombay and Karachi? Will the capture of any of
these cities give him all his 'lost' Commonwealth hardware back?

[PzB74]

Air losses and TFs moving West from Luzon

[saj42]

Unfortunately, and this is no secret, Andy won't be getting much of the UK Fleet, if any.
When Karachi fell the ships days of delay froze (stupid code thinks they are being built in the base). If he recaptures Karachi the ships will then resume their countdown to arrival - so he'll get them in 1948 [X(]

LCUs and LBA continue to count down to zero days delay and sit in the reinforcement queue until the base is recaptured. Then all on zero appear the following day.

I hope this is fixed in AE

[PzB74]

ORIGINAL: Tallyho!

If he recaptures Karachi the ships will then resume their countdown to arrival - so he'll get them in 1948 [X(]

Oh, this is horrible [:D]
So no big rip of from re-capturing India....

I've been a bit worried because my AV in Madras didn't provide me with the expected defensive value.
Was expecting 300 AV x4 x4 = 4000+

Ended up with 1/8 of this, and even on a bad day this is...bad.
So the need to reinforce Karachi and Bombay is still a valid one, better to sacrifice some secondary bases than
loose the big ones and take the lid of Pandoras box. You can't imagine how many uglies that will fly out of it [8|]

[Nemo121]

My understanding of things is that when he takes Bombay he will get all the troops which were due in Bombay prior to that date. Same for Karachi.
&nbsp;
Now as most Allied ground forces only show up in Karachi there is little point in him taking Bombay but not Karachi. Accordingly I think he is going to go for Bombay and Karachi.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
That's the rationale behind it but I also think that the psychology needs to be considered. Andy always tries to go for the big bang. Bombay is a limited victory, Karachi is the big bang. As such I think you should expect him to try for both.&nbsp; I can't remember how many UK forces appear in Bombay but I would imagine there won't be many. You might want to consider pooling your forces in Karachi in order have it hold out for so long that even if it falls and 10 divisions appear the next day Andy won't have the time to transport them to the Home Islands. If this gambit hasn't occurred to him already ( capturing Indian bases, having UK divisions instantly appear and then transporting them to the Home Islands to boost any invasion ) then it will soon.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In terms of the home islands... I see that you have roughly equal forces in these bases. My worry would be Amamatsu which is a clear hex. While the others will get boosted to 3000+ AV by the terrain Amamatsu will only have an effective defence of 1,000. I'd increase the forces there. Andy is psychologically scarred by atolls and mountainous/forested terrain from previous invasion. Amamatsu ( if it really IS a clear hex ) is going to be an attractive landing zone.

[Fishbed]

Nope, Saratoga it is not. This carrier was built very late in the war.
Any other suggestions?

USS "reef" Oriskany then I guess?

[PzB74]

Hm, well I guess my decision about posting 12-1500 AV in both Bombay and Karachi is a relevant one then.
Why risk loosing the biggest claims in India just as the endgame is about to begin.

Andy told me he is getting very accurate data regarding how many troops I got in my bases.
That's why he was able to launch the paras against Lucknow just as I created an opening for him.

So it will be important to cover all potential invasion hexes in Japan with 20+ units.
That must be a bit discouraging.

Amamatsu? Do you mean Takamatus (or whatever) in Shikoku just next to Osaka?
It is a size 9 AF and a clear hex indeed, unloading some troops there right now and moved the 240mm
heavy artillery unit in. You're right - I will strive towards 2000+ AV here, but it's getting difficult to
find more troops

Continuing to pull in the odd unit from the frontiers while releasing smaller LCUs from China.
I also think it's about time to start organizing the Air Defense of the Home Islands.

Going to move most Shindens home and place them in 4 key bases.
150 Shindens in each + 150 Franks/Tonys and Oscars (bait). Any strike against these 'hot spots' should hurt - a lot!

[PzB74]

That's right Fish, well done! [8D]
She was delayed in production when the war ended - could have been made ready for 1946?
Sunk as a reef not so long ago. Interesting story.

Managed to mess up prep points in a base today - pressed 'All prepare for' using the wrong unit [:(]
So bad that 100 prep points can be changed to 0 but not back again. What should happen is that the 100 counter
should count backwards, e.g. Sasebo 99 pp - Nagasaki 1. Would be a vast improvement in AE.

Today I commenced Operation 'Homebound' - fighters outside the Home Islands are being moved back and into their
new and vastly improved tarmacs there. 75% of all bases in main bases in Home Islands hold 250+ AS.

Our goal will be to resist enemy 4E bombers and carrier air.
If we can reduce the latter the fleets will become vulnerable for out 1000 LBA and 500 dive and torpedo bombers
and 500 kamikazes that are currently being readied for the defense of the motherland.

Also discovered that neither bases on Shikoku had their own Army HQ - so I had to scrounge 2 - not easy, took one from
Okayama and released one from China. Will lift it over.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 10/31/45

ASW Attacks

ASW attack at 65,45

Japanese Ships
MSW Choyo Maru #2
MSW Kyo Maru #1
MSW Aoi Maru
MSW Choun Maru #8
MSW Wa 103
MSW Fuji Maru
MSW Wa 16
MSW Wa 11
MSW Shintohoku Maru
PC PC-116

Allied Ships
SS Carbonero, hits 13, on fire
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack at 65,45

Japanese Ships
MSW Choyo Maru #2
MSW Kyo Maru #1
MSW Aoi Maru
MSW Choun Maru #8
MSW Wa 103
MSW Fuji Maru
MSW Wa 16
MSW Wa 11
MSW Shintohoku Maru
PC PC-116

Allied Ships
SS Carbonero, hits 1, heavy damage - should be rid of this one for the remainder of the war...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Air Attacks

I have not given and green replacement pilots to our night fighter units, so they're crack by now.
Still almost impossible to achieve hits. Will go into a CAP role in the Home Islands later on.

Night Air attack on Ishieak , at 52,46

Japanese aircraft
J1N1-S Irving x 5
C6N1-S Myrt x 44

No Japanese losses

Runway hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Air attack on Ishieak , at 52,46

Japanese aircraft
C6N1-S Myrt x 14

No Japanese losses
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Combat

Tried a sneak attack on Bangalor to hit the transports there.
Was a sqd of pesky Spits there that hurt our Bettys.

Day Air attack on Bangalore , at 17,19

Japanese aircraft
G4M2 Betty x 23

Allied aircraft
Spitfire XIV x 11

Japanese aircraft losses
G4M2 Betty: 8 destroyed, 7 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Spitfire XIV: 4 damaged
Dakota I: 1 destroyed
C-47 Dakota: 1 destroyed

Runway hits 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some leaky CAP remained over Taichu!

Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 4
N1K1-J George x 3

Allied aircraft
P-51D Mustang x 36

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Reppu: 1 destroyed
N1K1-J George: 1 destroyed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 1
N1K1-J George x 1

Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 11
F-5C Lightning x 3
A-26B Invader x 46

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Reppu: 1 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
51 casualties reported

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 51
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on Taichu , at 49,43

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 1
N1K1-J George x 1

Allied aircraft
P-38J Lightning x 17

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Reppu: 2 destroyed
N1K1-J George: 1 destroyed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground Combat

Was moving a Naval Guard unit past Bangalore - was hoping the enemy troops would force it
to withdraw towards Bombay - no such luck. Squeezed back towards Trivandrum.

Ground combat at Bangalore

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 31212 troops, 393 guns, 253 vehicles, Assault Value = 2093

Defending force 3468 troops, 17 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 106

Allied max assault: 664 - adjusted assault: 511

Japanese max defense: 102 - adjusted defense: 19

Allied assault odds: 26 to 1

Japanese ground losses:
493 casualties reported
Guns lost 7

Allied ground losses:
250 casualties reported
Guns lost 6

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASW Attack!!

[Nemo121]

Warning ---- This is a major "thinking out loud" post.


Aye, if Takamatsu is the CLEAR one then that's the one ( remember I don't have stock installed so I have to go only by what is written in this AAR).

I think that it is REALLY looking like Andy is going to go for either:

1. Nagasaki ( main invasion ) and Sasebo ( holding action to prevent timely reinforcement of Nagasaki ) or
2. The Shikoku gambit --- land at Takamatsu and use that to gain the other base on Shikoku and use those two bases to destroy your fighter CAP over the Home Islands with his USAAF fighter groups operating out of these bases such that he can mount further invasions under the cover of land-based CAP.

I amn't sure which he'll go for. Militarily I think Nagasaki/Sasebo is better. Psychologically I think the Shikoku gambit is more in keeping with both his exhibited personality in this game ( going deep yet being a bit cautious at the same time... its a strange mix ) and the operational conditioning he has been getting over the past two years of game time ( massive losses, USN fighter groups crippled, horrific defeats when he lands on mountainous terrain or atolls etc ) as he has advanced on your holdings.

When push comes to shove people usually obey their instincts before they obey the diktats of rational obervation and calculation. It may be that I'm scaremongering because Takamatsu is your weak point ( 1000 or so AV with no modifying terrain means it is only about 1/3rd as strong as nearby bases with the same AV but favourable terrain ) but if I were you I'd treat Takamatsu and Nagasaki/Sasebo as his two likely landing sites. Usually I'm pretty good at figuring out intentions but this time the two aspects of decision-making contradict eachother.

Maybe Andy'll be torn too and split his landings??? It'd be in keeping with his habit of concentrating overwhelming force and then dissipating it in myriad little actions which don't advance the main aim of his offensive ( e.g. this whole sideshow of India is another excellent example of this. I'm sure he's rationalising this as a means of making gains at minimal cost but at a point in time when ANY committment of troops is robbing troops from his invasion of the Home Islands --- a thing which is the ENTIRE POINT OF THE GAME from the Allied perspective ---- it is really an inexcusable diversion of effort).

So, your worst case scenario: He lands everything at Takamatsu in one huge invasion at one single hex under cover of EVERYTHING he has. USAAF fighters fly in immediately and then he tries to take the rest of Shikoku with ground fighting.

Best case scenario: He lands at four sites, the two in Shikoku (concentrating on Takamatsu ) and Sasebo/Nagasaki with the landings at Sasebo and Takamatsu being major landings and the other two pinning actions.


Since even to Andy it won't make sense to have two massive landings at such a vital time BUT he does dissipate his effort whenever given the opportunity to do so I wonder if what you will actually see would be a two-wave landing.
1. Initial landings at Takamatsu and Nagasaki and Sasebo of small forces ( assuming he has 15,000 to land with we could see 1500 per landing )
2. A follow-on wave with the main 10,000 AV landing force hitting whichever of the three appears weakest ( which would be Takamatsu ).

A two-wave landing seems very iffy to me but I think Andy is prone to such things in terms of his apparent outlook on risk management. I think you or I would feel that one lessens risk by striking boldly while the enemy is unprepared and with maximum violence. Andy tends to try to feel things out and only try things like Lucknow when he has intel which shows it to be empty ( whereas either of us might just try it speculatively without any intel ).


It'll be very interesting to see what he does. If I absolutely HAD to pin my colours down I'd say he's incredibly torn between Shikoku and Nagasaki/Sasebo and is thus highly likely to split his forces. I think that overall landing in three places with exploratory forces is likely to be too much for him ( especially as two of those exploratory landings are right beside eachother in Kyushu ) and so we'll only see two exploratory landings. I think we'll see those in Takamatsu ( the clear hex in Shikoku ) and the other in Nagasaki proper. The way Andy thinks if he's landing in 2 places and has 15,000 AV he'll commit 10,000 to the main body and 2,500 to each landing. He'll think that having two exploratory landings of 2,500 is "strong" whereas in fact he's wasting 2,500 AV on one exploration he doesn't need to do.

Two exploratory landings: Nagasaki and Takamatsu of 2,500 AV each.
Main landing holds offshore before deciding to hit Takamatsu and bring the landing force there to 12,500 AV.

IMO he should hit Takamatsu with all 15,000 AV if he's going to land in Shikoku at all but Andy isn't brave enough to commit everything to a throw of the dice. He'll "hedge" with unnecessary and wasteful exploratory landings.

Sorry that that's a chance in position but I hadn't realised that Takamatsu was CLEAR when I was pointing up Nagasaki as the most likely landing zone previously. Obviously this is just my thinking as I reconsider things and I may be 100% wrong but if Takamatsu is clear it seems like a very attractive target you know? I think they key is that his psychology will trump military logic and that his psychology is to be extremely bold in his broad thrusts but to draw back as the spear of the tip is about to strike as he fears what he has committed himself to. This results in the thrust being dissipated JUST before it strikes ( as we've seen so often in this game ) and what I've outlined above best describes a very bold thrust which is robbed of much of its momentum by the dissipation of forces in what seems like a "prudent" first wave.

[PzB74]

Appreciate the comments Nemo.

My 'dilemma' is that each time I think I know were Andy is coming and reinforce heavily, he is able to spot
my reinforcements and divert to another target. So this time I have to be prepared not only in the most likely spot,
but in the 3-4 most likely spots. There will still be less well guarded areas, but these will be so far away from his major
bases in Luzon that their attractiveness sours considerably - I hope [;)]

While we have a lot of troops in the Home Islands, it will be difficult to stack enough in any single base to prevent a
monster assault by 10+k troops from succeeding.

I'm now pretty sure Andy will bypass inner perimeter bases in Formosa, Okinawas and Bonins.
Time is running short. I'm going to keep defenses sharp, especially in Okinawas and use these bases to launch counter strikes
and reserve areas from were troops can be pulled.

In the Home Islands I am now concentrating on our 2 prime target areas: Islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.

1. When I look at the map any large concentration of force for an assault on Kyushu will gather around the small
atoll of Ishieak. This will give us some warning.

2. An assault on Shikoku will most likely come in from the central Pacific midway between Bonins and Luzon.
Got a spotting of an unrecognized enemy TF in this area today and this got me worried. I need more recon capabilities in this
are. Moved in 60 crack Emily, Dinah and Myrt units and sent out the remaining subs with scout planes. The gap must be closed!!

As for defenses of these areas only Takamatsu in the 2 most likely target zones is a clear hex.
It is also a size 9 AF and size 6 port. However, it is based next to Osaka and is surrounded by a semi circle of the most
deadly air bases in Japan. Reinforcements can be moved in by sea and air in no time - and we are willing to sacrifice a lot to achieve this. If I didn't know Andy I would disregard this option completely, but a Coupe de Main attempt would be typical Andy approach. Both bases in Shikoku now holds 1500 AV. Because of the clear terrain hex I'm issuing more troops to Takamatsu.
If the game only allowed me to see the actual modified defenses in each base...it's like being half blind [:o]

In Kyushu I can foresee a major landing at Nagasaki were a twin assault on Sasebo can isolate it altogether.
It will be difficult to counter such a move, but air and barge should be able to boost AV values to 2000+ here.
With high HQ, PP and terrain modifiers this could be enough to bog the invaders down.

It's limited how much more I can do in these areas now. The last reserves are being shuffled....
More time will now be used to think out how our AF and Navy will be deployed. An invasion of Shikoku will place a large enemy fleet just next to the remains of the Combined Fleet. This is not good. Shall I hold them back or try to disrupt the enemy as much as possible on the first days of the invasion?

A lot more possibilities with the AF. A landing in Shikoku will allow us to use all our short legged Shindens in multiple roles as interceptors, CAP fighters, sweep fighters and escorts. If we manage to sweep the invasion beaches with enough of these ac the enemy will become vulnerable to attack from our LBA!

An invasion on Kyushu will make this more difficult as more enemy LBA will be in range while less of our own bases will
be able to support Shindens in multiple roles.


AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 11/01/45

Night Air Combat

A hit! [:D]
Moving night fighters inland for some R&R

Night Air attack on Ishieak , at 52,46

Japanese aircraft
J1N1-S Irving x 6
C6N1-S Myrt x 16

Allied aircraft
no flights

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
No Allied losses

Allied ground losses:
25 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 1

Runway hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Combat

The enemy CV TF including carrier Franklin stayed around Bonins and launched strikes
on troop transports near Bonin. I had dispersed the ships and we managed to destroy 41 naval
ac without suffering unduly heavy losses ourselves.

Day Air attack on TF, near Bonin at 65,52

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 36
J7W Shinden x 26
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 3
Ki-84-Ic Frank x 15

Allied aircraft
F6F Hellcat x 17
F4U-1D Corsair x 3
SB2C Helldiver x 29

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Reppu: 4 destroyed
J7W Shinden: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 1 destroyed
Ki-84-Ic Frank: 8 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F6F Hellcat: 14 destroyed
F4U-1D Corsair: 2 destroyed
SB2C Helldiver: 13 destroyed, 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
AD AD-3161, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AP Hasuna Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Bonin at 65,52

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 32
J7W Shinden x 25
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 2
Ki-84-Ic Frank x 7

Allied aircraft
SB2C Helldiver x 29

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SB2C Helldiver: 7 destroyed, 2 damaged
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Bonin at 65,52

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Reppu x 29
J7W Shinden x 33
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 3
Ki-84-Ic Frank x 10

Allied aircraft
SB2C Helldiver x 20

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-IIa Oscar: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
SB2C Helldiver: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Invasion Alert?

[PzB74]

Not a lot of action today. We hit another sub with ASW ac - the poor submariners are
suffering again, stationary around the Home Islands with my best LBA at work.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR 11/02/45

Invasion Fleet?

[JeffroK]

Enemy carrier sunk!!!

Does anyone know which carrier the Imperial High Command claims sunk (completely without reason this time!-)

&nbsp;
Ark Royal ??