Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

October 20, 1944

Here is a fine example of Barrage Balloons!

I wonder if the loose barrage balloons will end up on the west coast of the US with the jetsream pushing them there.

Hah-Hah---You are NOT supposed to know about THAT SECRET Plan....

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Hah-Hah---You are NOT supposed to know about THAT SECRET Plan....

Not a secret:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_balloon

(The only WWII war deaths in the contiguous States.)

October 21, 1944

Another Tanker TF makes it home and drops anchor at Osaka. 72,000 Fuel immediately begins to unload...

October 21, 1944

The Allied Juggernaut swings eastward so that is in striking range of Shanghai. Course not much happens but it is interesting. Will Post a screenshot with next entry.

Had a decent day in the air:

Here is their location...

Avenger I is a British plane. Weird to just strike with that. Seems like a click may have been missed. Was it going after merchant ships? Brits don't carry many of these so it might be a whole CV's worth

You've got "0" fuel and only ~17k supply at Shanghai? How come? You can't expect your 350+ aircraft there to perform well if they have to make supply checks on a regular basis...

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

You've got "0" fuel and only ~17k supply at Shanghai? How come? You can't expect your 350+ aircraft there to perform well if they have to make supply checks on a regular basis...

I saw that, too.

Supply TF just arrived with 30,000 Supply but I disbanded it with the JUGGERNAUT approaching.

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Supply TF just arrived with 30,000 Supply but I disbanded it with the JUGGERNAUT approaching.

Last I looked, Shanghai and Fusan share a rail network....so, why are you shipping supplies anywhere but Fusan?

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Supply TF just arrived with 30,000 Supply but I disbanded it with the JUGGERNAUT approaching.

Last I looked, Shanghai and Fusan share a rail network....so, why are you shipping supplies anywhere but Fusan?

Because it tends to disappear traveling from Fusan to Shanghai!

The massed group of Japanese I-Boats deploy hunting in areas that they haven't for over a year.

October 22, 1944

I feared that the enemy was moving somewhere VITAL. Feared it might be a 'go-for-the-throat' moment. It isn't. Thank goodness!

In a pleasant surprise the Allies land at Ningpo, CHINA. Thirteen different Task Forces begin unloading troops at the base. Several ships hit mines, a number get knocked about by CD, and 4 small STFs engage the enemy causing some issues with the landing. Overhead, 37 2EB and 88 4EB plaster the troops holding the base. Am surprised to see some actual TACTICAL bombers get used. VERY exciting!

For a landing site, this is a pretty good choice for Japan. Two full strength Infantry Divisions just finished shifting from Strategic Movement to normal. They immediately depart and head SE. Five Artillery units join them in this move. Two MORE IDs will arrive here in 2-3 days. Let us see if we can bottle him up once more.

Three IDs and more CD hold Shanghai.

Allied Forces: 93rd ID and 1st Cav Division make up the shock troops. Nine other units accompany them.

October 23, 1944
Shanghai--Ningpo

Sea Action
If it is floating and mounting anything of machine gun size or higher, it is ordered to cross the forty miles to Ningpo! Torpedo Boats, Subchasers, 3 Dds, and CA Tone answer the call. Though entertaining nothing is truly accomplished. The Japanese lose CA Tone, 3 DD, 1 E, 11 SC, and 5 MGB is attacking the various TFs at Ningpo. In truth we knew nothing would work but it was worth the ole college try.

Tone fought off CA Pensacola and 8 DDs (hitting 4 of them), to retreat back to Singapore to fight 4 DDs (hitting two of them), to then give up and retire towards Saishu To where SS Gudgeon put a Torp into her, SS Sea Dog MISSED, and then SS Shark hit her with another TT. The valiant Tone didn't sink until the evening phase. Good ship.

Air Action
In yet another example of futility, two massed air strikes come in from Shanghai: 71 Fighters and 38 TB are followed by 79 Fighters and 47 TB. They encounter 232 Allied Fighters flying CAP. Nothing gets through.

Sweeps by the Allied Fighters over Shanghai yield higher losses for them as they encounter 138 Fighters.

A bunch of 4EB--no 2EB--pound ground troops at Ningpo.

Total Air Losses for the Day is 183 Japanese for 65 Allied.

Ground Action
The CD unit at Ningpo smacks more Allied shipping. Those boys did a bang-up job over two days of action.

The Allies land several more Brigade-Sized units and easily take the base in a 64-1 attack.

Two ID move south from the rail-line at Hangchow and will be in the base hex next to Ningpo tomorrow.





Am working on getting pond finished and operational in the back yard today. Expect to get one more turn in at some point when I am in resting/recovering from the heat.

My goodness, those are huge patrol areas! For the Iboats...

You have to hold Ningpo...if he takes that base you are in deep trouble.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

My goodness, those are huge patrol areas! For the Iboats...

You have to hold Ningpo...if he takes that base you are in deep trouble.

Ahhhhh....well...

I did large areas so he cannot easily kill the I-Boats.

Oops, too late.

Ningpo is of more tactical import than Okinawa. You are in deep trouble -- auto loss on Jan 1, 1945 just arrived on your doorstep. [:(] EDIT: That is not to say this is will happen, you have lots of tools left...but the odds of it happening have greatly increased.

Sorry to see the Tone go down, one of my absolute favorite ships.[:(]

You are almost always better off only using one squadron to naval attack and having everything else escort it, than you are flying in several naval attack squadrons. Unless of course you are making the big attack...there are exceptions of course, but with a deathstar around...

This is easy to say and very difficult to do with all the demands on your fighters and bombers and runways and supplies and aviation support.

What is the condition of your Night Fighter squadrons and what are the pools like. If there are any planes worth spending supplies on at this late date, it is making the Dinah NF and the Zero NF. Not that they are any good, but rather that it allows several recon squadrons to convert to NF planes including the largest possible NF squadron (I think). In the case of the Zero, it will allow you to resize some of those pitiful size 18 Irving squadrons to say 27. You should be able to field some 20-21 NF squadrons.

Since you let your TOE upgrades slip, I fear you have not been aggressive at converting squadrons to NF models.

Btw, you can sort all ground units and show every unit that needs a toe upgrade very easily from the ground unit screen.

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

My goodness, those are huge patrol areas! For the Iboats...

You have to hold Ningpo...if he takes that base you are in deep trouble.

Ahhhhh....well...

I did large areas so he cannot easily kill the I-Boats.

I never use more than one day's movement allowance for patrols. I see the merit in your thinking here.[&o] But with aggressive sub leaders and reaction of 1 the patrol length might not matter.

Ningpo...live and learn.

This game is very odd in the end. There are so many different ways that the Allies can beat Japan, and Japan has to protect against them all...often starting on Dec 7th, 1941. You have to plan your late fighter r&d, your nf r&d, your base forts and runway builds etc., and not against anyone possible Allied strategy but a host of strategies.

You can do everything right, except for one area, and you can bet your last dollar the Allies will find the one area you neglected and use it against you. Happens every time to Japan...as Japan is not forgiving in any way shape or form.

The Allies on the other hand can stumble from one disaster to the next and still win the game in 1945.