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Good points all, Sangeli. Thanks.

ORIGINAL: Sangeli

I think you need more like 5 days without bombardment to get the AF ready. Disruption on service troops as you have noticed is very high from bombardment and units that are disrupted cannot repair. 3 days of disruption recover and 2 for repairs.

That being said, it can be done. If it were me my goal would be to intercept the Japanese bombardment fleets AFTER they've bombarded the base while getting some air cover and protection from the Death Star. Deal a blow to the SCTFs there and your troops will have an easier time. Though this is definitely an area where you want to be careful. If there is one place where John expects the Death Star to pop up, its near Sabang. And this is really the best place for Japan to have a big carrier clash; Singapore is right there while the Ceylon shipyard is relatively modest. I would avoid a fight with the KB here even if it means leaving the Sumatra defenders to Japanese.

Giving it further thought, I'll do this to minimize disruption to engineer units (so that they'll be ready to build). I'll post engineers to either side of Sabang. If John doesn't bombard, they recover disruption (and they're never more than two days from Sabang given the good roads). IF he does bombard, he's diverting BBs from their main mission, meaning less damage to the base.

A while back JWE mentioned that there is a point in the engine where Allies ship get a boost to their gunnery to reflect the better fire control systems that they acquire. He would not state the date though. Although, I suspect that date is on or around 1/44. I just don't recall losing any equal naval fights after that date. Another thing I noted in the data base with dababes vs stock is that the crew quality of American warships coming as reinforcements in 1943 does not totally suck as they do in stock. They are only average but much better than the 30 to 40 night skills that you got in stock. After 1/44 the crew quality really jumps in all American ships.

I've noticed this after somebody else pointed it out a day or so back, maybe Obvert or you? I checked my Fletchers and found that some of them have 55/55 day/night while others have something like 72/55. I think the difference is that the newer ones are arriving with improved skills.

So the question will be whether I know the whereabouts of KB when the time comes to choose between Circus and Chicken. John might accomodate me by utilizing KB in the Sumatra campaign, as he has even recently. But if he doesn't, I have an Ace up my sleeve. There's still an Allied island/ dot base in the Java Sea. Subs are providing a bit of supply. In a few weeks, just before "decision day," I"m going to insert a base force fragment. Then I'll send in a PBY unit from Oz (distance is less than 40 hexes from big airfields, so distance isn't an issue). Playing that Ace will alert John that something's up, so I'll have to do all this at just the right moment.

keep in mind a Fletcher can get pretty far into Indian country before it gets detected and the are pretty hard to hit with LBA. a couple or two sent into the the North Pacific might get pretty far before they get detected. might help with operation "Blink the Lights"

What the heck is Operation Blink the Lights?

All my Fletchers are in the IO Theater. There are DDs opeating out of Kodiak and Pearl. A few months back I tried a raid into the NoPac region, but John's nav search found them (this was at the same time that raids into the Java Sea and Okinawa vicinities weren't detected).

What the heck is Operation Blink the Lights?

operation Blink the Lights is when you want to light up all parts of the board with false information. kind of when they flick the lights right before the Circus starts

Oh. Yes, Operation Blink the Lights will span from India and China to CenPac to the Aleutians. While I don't have Fletchers up north, I do have a host of YMS that will fill the sea lanes between Marcus and the Aleutians. But the real gem up that way is a US RCT that was cut off on the peninsula after retreating from Cold Bay. It's been supplied by Dakotas from Kodiak, has fully rebuilt, has plenty of supply, and just began the march for Cold Bay. It won't have enough oomph to take the base, but it's appearance seemingly "out of the blue" right when all those "TFs" light up John's radar should get his full attention.

Similar feints will occur especially in the CenPac and SoPac regions, around Sumatra (if I don't pull the trigger on Operation Chicken), and on a limited scale in China.

Current situation I Sumatra.

4/23/43

Battle of Sumatra: No invasions. No bombardments. Aerial bombing focuses solely on the east side troops. No sign of KB. Pretty quiet considering the importance of the theater.

Operation Circus / Operation Chicken: Essex will not arrive in time to join either operation, so the Allies will have six USN fleet carriers, one RN fleet carrier, one CVL, and at least eight USN CVE. If I flip the switch on Operation Chicken, the carriers will lean heavy fighters. I think I can cram 600 onto those flattops. About 125 will be Hellcats, probably 400 F4Fs, and the balance a mixture of Buffalo, Martlets and F3Fs.

SWPac: Allied fighters have been sweeping Tennant Creek and bombers have been hitting it pretty hard. This campaign has been ongoing for months now, though the sweeps (by F3Fs are new). The airfield has long been closed and I'm expecting there to be little or no supply with the garrison (90th Regiment) roughed up. Two Aussie brigades and the old Tennant Creek BF are heading that way. I'd like that airfield in order to probe Timor and vicinity with long-range recon prior to Circus.

SoPac: All ships are safely away from Canton Island, leaving behind part of a US RCT totaling roughly 35 AV. An IJN sub arrived today and missed a shot at a departing xAK. John usually reacts aggressively to incursions on his perimeter. I hope this is no exception.

I have an ARD arriving in a few weeks. It's been a long time since I've fooled around with one of those puppies. The last time might've been in a game vs. Miller maybe eight years ago. They are slow. They are big. They are worth enough points you don't want to have one steam for eight months to make 300 miles only to get her sunk....

So what do you guys do with your ARD (or ARDs)?

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
So what do you guys do with your ARD (or ARDs)?

I send them to Tahiti then to Suva/Noumea when it is more safe.

Regarding Sumatra, is there a chance that the west 3 IJ div are going to east side ?
3 + 4 = 7 IJ divisions. Enough for Langsa ?

Pair a 3,000 capacity ARD with AR for my forward based subs. Pair a 20,000 capacity with AR near forward operation for surface warships so they can handle CAs and smaller.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I have an ARD arriving in a few weeks. It's been a long time since I've fooled around with one of those puppies. The last time might've been in a game vs. Miller maybe eight years ago. They are slow. They are big. They are worth enough points you don't want to have one steam for eight months to make 300 miles only to get her sunk....

So what do you guys do with your ARD (or ARDs)?

Don't know which patch you guys are playing, but Michael altered/fixed ARDs in a major way a couple of betas ago.

Going back to WitP days, this was my first experience with an ARD. It arrived in Portland in '43 or '44. It was too big to navigate the river, and thus remained right there throughout the war.

[:)]

4/24/43

Battle of Sumatra: No amphibious landings. Two BBs bombard the contested hex south of Langsa. Enemy bombers focus there and on Langsa. Three enemy divisions in that hex (there was a fourth that John just withdrew) deliberate attack with these results

Ground combat at 45,75 (near Medan)
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 38439 troops, 353 guns, 126 vehicles, Assault Value = 1212
Defending force 19390 troops, 336 guns, 385 vehicles, Assault Value = 650

Japanese adjusted assault: 592
Allied adjusted defense: 581
Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
2768 casualties reported
Squads: 9 destroyed, 131 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 19 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 13 disabled

Allied ground losses:
611 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 43 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 31 (1 destroyed, 30 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (1 destroyed, 5 disabled)

Assaulting units:
Imperial Guards Division
19th Division
2nd Division
4th Ind. Engineer Regiment
15th Ind. Engineer Regiment

Defending units:
32nd Infantry Division
763rd Tank Battalion
20th Indian Division
198th Field Artillery Battalion

John should be encouraged by these results. He'll probably step up the bomardments and bombings. I'd expect him to send another division there post haste. Then he might try a shock attack. But I'm going to reinforce the hex with another US infantry division. It should only take a few days to reach there from Langsa, even if bombing's force combat-mode movement.

If John does focus his BBs on the Langsa sector, it might give an opening to get Sabang's airfield up and running. There has already been some improvement. So we'll keep a careful eye on this situation. An opportunity may (or may not) be in the offing.

On the west side, John's lead division has advanced into the hex with the picket RCT (52 AV).

No sign of KB or the Kongos in recent days.

Operation Circus: Lots of Jap subs sniffing around Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Allied ASW, including USN DDs near Melbourne, have attacked. Thus far the subs aren't sniffing the right ports. Peanut 3 will be in place in less than a week. Peanut 2 is about two weeks out. Peanut 1 and Peanut 4 may not make it in time. Cotton Candy 1 is in place. Cracker Jack 1, 2, 3 and 4 are in place, though I haven't expended the PP yet - waiting until the right time. If Operation Chicken goes into effect instead, there's no need to spend PP on Cracker Jacks.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Going back to WitP days, this was my first experience with an ARD. It arrived in Portland in '43 or '44. It was too big to navigate the river, and thus remained right there throughout the war.

[:)]

Actually was a problem in the early AE as well. Michael eventually fixed it.

I don't fret them much in the early going as you are usually operating close enough to shipyards. If you are secure in the Solomons holding Manus and Rabual then one is useful there as Sidney is pretty far away. They can be very beneficial late in the game if you have not captured Singapore, Hong Kong or Manilla. Without a good advanced shipyard, you will need them.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I have an ARD arriving in a few weeks. It's been a long time since I've fooled around with one of those puppies. The last time might've been in a game vs. Miller maybe eight years ago. They are slow. They are big. They are worth enough points you don't want to have one steam for eight months to make 300 miles only to get her sunk....

So what do you guys do with your ARD (or ARDs)?

I move my ARD's toward the front slowly. Typically some of my bigger ships will take major flotation damage that makes it risky to move them so those ARD's will make their way to those locations to bail out the flotation damage. Then keep moving them toward the front lines.

I have a few questions about Japanese SigInt and Glen-generated detection levles.

1. Several of my big Australian ports show detection levels like 1/0 or 2/1. There are IJN subs close by. I "think" the detection levels are from Glen reconnaissance. Any chance, in your experience, that John could be getting an specific information like the number and quantity of ships in port? (I have some BBs down there and I'd prefer that John not find them.)

2. Several of my big West Coast ports show similar detection levels. I haven't seen a sub near the West Coast since before the Sumatra invasion. I'm pertty sure there aren't any subs around, so I've been attributing the detection levels to the usual "radio signal" SigInt reports. Any chance in your experience that a Japanese player could be getting more specific information, like numbers and kinds of ships?

So the basic question is really the same: what kind of information might a Japanese player get from a 1/0 or a 2/1 detection level of a port?