The Hive - Cruft PBEM (Japan, Scen 2 Beta + Stacking Limits)

[Captain Cruft]

17 Sep 1943

The huge stack of sweaty Brits and Indians continues to move towards Pegu. I am not trying to stop it but will attempt to deliver some ordnance when it arrives. You have to make a show.

Meanwhile, a problem has occurred over at the Kawanishi Rex factory. A shortage of balsa wood for the plane's float has arisen, and in desperation engineers have experimented with fitting wheels to the airframe instead. It seems to work, sort of, and the resultant mongrel aircraft has been christened the George. It's ugly but can just about stay in the air as long as you don't put it into a dive.

I will only be producing 10 a month, and the Zero and Jack will remain the mainstay of the IJNAF fighter force.

Cruft contradicts himself again ... [8D]

[FDRLincoln]

Diversity is good, even in a Hive there is room for worker bees/aircraft with different skills.

[Captain Cruft]

I just want to be able to show him the George, since it scares him a bit.

Welcome back BTW

[Captain Cruft]

20 Sep 1943

Pegu falls at the first attempt after every Allied 2E bomber in the theatre delivered some 500lb love onto the lonely 21st Division. He has brought a huge stack, which I am unlikely to be able to stop west of the Yangtze.

Note the consolation prizes at Hakodate though. He keeps sending his subs through minefields ...




AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Sep 20, 43
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TF 223 encounters mine field at Hakodate (119,53)

Allied Ships
SS Scorpion, Mine hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

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TF 226 encounters mine field at Hakodate (119,53)

Allied Ships
SS Sunfish, Mine hits 3, on fire, heavy damage

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Ground combat at Pegu (55,53)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 92151 troops, 1553 guns, 2474 vehicles, Assault Value = 3823

Defending force 12012 troops, 132 guns, 57 vehicles, Assault Value = 431

Allied engineers reduce fortifications to 4

Allied adjusted assault: 7293

Japanese adjusted defense: 56

Allied assault odds: 130 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied forces CAPTURE Pegu !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), leaders(+), disruption(-), fatigue(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
7676 casualties reported
Squads: 142 destroyed, 221 disabled
Non Combat: 140 destroyed, 45 disabled
Engineers: 43 destroyed, 11 disabled
Guns lost 87 (61 destroyed, 26 disabled)
Vehicles lost 64 (64 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 2
Units destroyed 1

Allied ground losses:
987 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 119 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Guns lost 26 (1 destroyed, 25 disabled)

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
254th Armoured Brigade
18th British Division
3rd Carabiniers Regiment
39th Indian Division
50th Tank Brigade
111th Chindit Brigade
14th British Brigade
19th Indian Division
150th RAC Regiment
16th Indian Brigade
11th Indian Division
16th British Brigade
7th Australian Division
44th Cavalry Regiment
45th Indian Brigade
3rd Cavalry Regiment
5th Indian Division
12th Indian Heavy AA Regiment
35th Light AA Regiment
XV Indian Corps
85th British AT Gun Regiment
28th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
IV Indian Corps
14th Army
24th Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
6th Heavy AA Regiment
2nd Indian Heavy AA Regiment
1st West African AA Regiment
8th Medium Regiment
2nd West African AA Regiment
5th Field Regiment

Defending units:
21st Division
28th Fld AA Gun Co
4th RF Gun Battalion

[Captain Cruft]

I am sending some amphib TFs to Rangoon to evacuate the beaten up 21st Division. There will not be enough time for it to recover before he attacks. There are also some CLs and DDs on their way to Georgetown which I may use to bombard Pegu if the coast is clear.

[Captain Cruft]

Here's the score.

One thing I will be watching closely from this point on is the ratio of army loss points. It's currently at something over 7, but obviously that includes all the stuff that was destroyed in the initial expansion phase so it's likely to decrease.

If I am going to win this game it will be by destroying ships and LCUs, not holding bases.

[obvert]

Losses are low all around so far. It looks to get much more busy soon I guess.

Not that it's a big part of your strategy or a goal, but holding that stack in a jungle hex would only take 3-4 supported divisions dug in. If you do want to slow him so he stays out of escort range of the Hive HQ there are some prime locations along the Burma-Thai and the Chinese-Indochina borders.

[Captain Cruft]

Yes I guess it's not that big an army. Just relative to what I have deployed anywhere outside China.

I am sort of drawing a line in the sand at Nanning. Hopefully once Rangoon has fallen he will concentrate on taking Bangkok and Singapore before turning east properly and so I should have some time to reinforce the area.

[Captain Cruft]

1st Air Army

The 1st Air Army is now fully formed up at Takao and is training Escort. It's 725 planes at the moment, and I reckon it should throw off several 50/60/60 Air pilots every week or so.

[Captain Cruft]

Due to filling out the 20 Sentais, I have managed to get the IJA replacement pool below 4,000.

The sooner I can get these pools down to zero the better. However, I refuse to do the gamey thing of pulling them all through to the Reserve. I like to keep this free of noobs as it gives me a much better idea of what I have to play with.

[Captain Cruft]

This is the flak suite which will accompany the 1st Air Army on its travels, comprising of 40 x 88m guns, 12 x 12cm guns and 6 x Ta-Chi 7 radars. These are all the units which start out at Fusan. I really can't see that I will need any air defence at that base for the time being, and there are boatloads of 75mm AA units in the reinforcement pipeline which I can deploy instead, albeit that these are pretty much useless.

[Captain Cruft]

Ta-Chi 7 Radar

Unfortunately you cannot see what the various land-based radars do without looking at the editor. Which is what I have done

The IJA's Ta-Chi 7 radar is very definitely the best radar available at the moment, and is greatly superior to the IJN's Type 2. It exists only in Air Defense units and JAAF Base Forces. Therefore if one is serious about CAPing a place these are the types of LCUs to deploy.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

Ta-Chi 7 Radar

Unfortunately you cannot see what the various land-based radars do without looking at the editor. Which is what I have done

The IJA's Ta-Chi 7 radar is very definitely the best radar available at the moment, and is greatly superior to the IJN's Type 2. It exists only in Air Defense units and JAAF Base Forces. Therefore if one is serious about CAPing a place these are the types of LCUs to deploy.

Good to know. I'll keep one at all level 9 major bases.

By what factor is it better, like how much farther does it 'see?'

I have yet to mess with the editor.

[Captain Cruft]

Ta-Chi 7 (IJA) has range 82.39 miles, accuracy 45, effect 55.
Type 2 (IJN) has range 39.77 miles, accuracy 30, effect 30.
Type 3 (IJN) has range 56.82 miles, accuracy 50, effect 50.

The Type 2 upgrades to the Type 3 in 10/43.

I have no idea what accuracy and effect do, but bigger is better.

[Captain Cruft]

23 Sep 1943

He is consolidating at Pegu and it looks like Jaluit will be the next target in the Marshalls.

I have noticed that the first version of the B-29 arrives in 6 months time. It has a range of 35 hexes. This means that he will be able to bomb lots of places without even expanding his current possessions. Eek!

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

23 Sep 1943

He is consolidating at Pegu and it looks like Jaluit will be the next target in the Marshalls.

I have noticed that the first version of the B-29 arrives in 6 months time. It has a range of 35 hexes. This means that he will be able to bomb lots of places without even expanding his current possessions. Eek!

make sure to get all of those NF units filled out and trained up as well. The Irving is not great, but it's all there is for a while.

[Captain Cruft]

Well as of now I have one night fighter unit at Yokosuka which has one plane in it, this being the legacy of the mysterious and pointless Endo Det.

I think the Irving comes onstream quite soon, but I don't have any other airgroups for it yet.

[Captain Cruft]

Here is a map of what lies beyond Burma. Lots of empty bases.

[Captain Cruft]

I am going to send 8 x 30cm howitzers to Bangkok. This gun has a very high anti armour rating and a long range. It might help when the British tanks arrive on the scene.

[Captain Cruft]

This is what Bangkok looks like. The transport planes are air-lifting the 21st Division out of Rangoon.