Castles in the Sand - Spidery(J) vs MrKane(A) no MrKane please

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Spidery
Lightnings sweep Darwin but this time the result is okay. 10 Tojo lost but 7 Lightning shot down. Main difference from before was that I replaced all pilots with less than 65 defense by ones of 68+. Average defense skill is now about 68.

The triangle approach to the air war: fighter pilots need excellent exp, air, and defense. Lack any of those and you suffer - better off not flying unless you absolutely must.

Good intelligence/observation.

[Spidery]

August 25th 1942

Air Losses: 2 Japanese, 4 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

Quiet

China

Air strikes and bombardment at Chengtu:

Ground combat at Chengtu (75,41)

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 1080 troops, 64 guns, 88 vehicles, Assault Value = 307

Defending force 14592 troops, 97 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 442

Allied ground losses:
112 casualties reported
Squads: 3 destroyed, 5 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Assaulting units:
12th Tank Regiment
8th Tank Regiment
15th Tank Regiment
2nd Recon Regiment
36th/A Division
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment
4th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
11th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
28th Field AA Machinecannon Company
North China Area Army
5th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion

Defending units:
24th Chinese/A Corps
24th Chinese/B Corps
3rd Chinese Base Force
12th Chinese Base Force

I have both army and command HQ 100% prepped and in range but I still think an attack may be risky.

At point "Y" (see below) he has sallied in force from Chungking and there is an arrow suggesting more troops on the way. I have 1100 AV there including both tank divisions. However, it is not enough so will fall back into Neikiang where I will have level 2 forts soon and may have 3 by the time he arrives. I have another 450 AV there. I might abandon there and send everything to take Chengtu. Meanwhile, I can bomb his troops in the open. I guess he has about 5000 AV.

If he moves South he could attack across the river and overwhelm the defenders.

At point "X", he vacated the hex and I immediately got a division across the Wei. His 10 units SE from there will now have to risk a river crossing to get anywhere.

Burma

Quiet

Australia

Quiet

Pacific

Ineffective BB bombardment of Ndeni.

Engineering

Quiet

R&D

Mitsubishi Ha-44 to 12/44
Ki-44-IIc to 4/43

[Spidery]

August 25th 1942

Air Losses: 7 Japanese, 15 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy: Koumac
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

Allies launch a couple of attacks, one dud and one miss.

China

Allies raid with mitchells. All 12 attackers are shot down.

Multiple strikes against the large Chinese force, about 300 aircraft in total attack. Thunderstorms in the morning and severe storms in the afternoon.

The very first attack sees bursting flak but after that there are no flak animations.

Allied ground losses:
193 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 21 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Guns lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

652 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 8 destroyed, 67 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 11 (1 destroyed, 10 disabled)

753 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 31 disabled
Non Combat: 9 destroyed, 33 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 10 (3 destroyed, 7 disabled)

148 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

129 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 14 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

105 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

105 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

So that is 74 squads disabled and 11 destroyed. Just a start.

Burma

Quiet

Australia

Quiet

Pacific

Quiet

Reinforcements

CVL Ryuho

Engineering

Manila airfield to 8. Allies expand Katnerine to 5, Coal Harbour to 3.

R&D

Nakajima Ha-44 to 1/43

[Spidery]

August 27th 1942

Air Losses: 1 Japanese, 1 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

Quiet

China

Weather grounds air strikes.

Movement arrows show the large stack is splitting and crossing the Yangtze and not heading for Neikiang. I'm not sure what he is planning. He could be trying to isolate my forces in the plains by taking the South side of the Yangtze, he could be evacuating to India, or planning to reinforce or counter-attack in Kunming area.

I have crossed the Yangtze East of Chungking in force and this should free my forces from the Patung area to occupy the plains and attack to get the forces from Kienko area.

The ground combat in China is becoming tricky.

Burma

Quiet

Australia

Quiet

Pacific

Quiet

Engineering

Quiet

R&D

Quiet

[Spidery]

August 28th 1942

Air Losses: 2 Japanese, 1 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

A claimed hit by an aircraft near Rabaul. 2 claimed hits by an SC near Japan.

China

All air strikes go in well. Claim 194 devices disabled and 33 destroyed. Mostly damage is to non-combat devices. I suspect that mostly these are badly damaged units retreating to India and not the intact ones.

Burma

Quiet

Australia

Quiet

Pacific

Quiet

Engineering

Allies have airfield and port at Ndeni now.

Taiping to level 7, will build to 8 to cover the Malacca straits.

R&D

A6M5b to 1/44

[Spidery]

China Options

I need to decide what to do in China after I take Chengtu. Options are:

1. Isolate Chungking, destroy forces outside of Chungking, keep Chungking under siege and allow reformed corps to starve.
2. Hold down forces outside Chungking, capture Chungking as soon as possible, then destroy forces outside Chungking.
3. Destroy forces outside Chungking, allow them to reform, and then attack Chungking.
4. Attack at Chungking to reduce forts to level 1 or 2 then follow as #3.

With a side question to all of this as to whether to divert a couple of divisions to assist the drive to Burma.

Option 3 takes longer but nets the most VP.

Option 1 frees up forces soonest but keeps some tied down long term. It may get almost as many VP on the long haul but does risk a Chinese break-out supported by Allied air power in 43 or 44.

Option 4 is interesting as it may get more VP without increased costs or time.

[Spidery]

August 29th 1942

Air Losses: 3 Japanese, 2 Allied, 0 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

I-3 finds a convoy near Los Angeles and misses[:(].

China

Air strikes continue to punish the Chinese and again most damage is to non-combat and is mostly disablements. It looks more likely that all the corps damaged by retreats have had their disablements fixed and are retreating having not gained any more squads.

Attack will be launched at Chengtu this turn.

Have advanced 45 miles down the road to Kienko and will start bombardments again.

Signs of troops leaving Chungking to the North East to interfere with my attempts to cut the route between Kienko and Chungking.

Burma

Quiet

Australia

Quiet

Pacific

Quiet

Engineering

Kushiro to 3. Sian to 8 (probably surplus to need now).

R&D

Quiet

[Spidery]

This may of be interest. It shows oil freely flows from Urumchi twice a week but fuel and resources don't. Supply is slowly building because I decided it is worthwhile fixing the oil wells but supply is slow to get there.

I am shipping oil from Fusan and do get occasional oil shortages at Port Arthur so that, probably, creates demand.

[Spidery]

August 30th 1942

Air Losses: 60 Japanese[:@], 6 Allied, 46 Pilots[:@]
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

I-122 puts a torpedo into the BB Idaho near Fiji[:'(]. It is counter-attacked heavily by two escorts but damage is light (10 system and 2 float)[:)].

Japanese Ships
SS I-122, hits 4

Allied Ships
BB Idaho, Torpedo hits 1
DE Edsall
DE Bulmer
DE Barker
DE Alden
DE Kane
DE Lawrence
DE Litchfield
DE John D. Edwards

SS I-122 launches 4 torpedoes at BB Idaho
I-122 diving deep ....
DE Kane fails to find sub and abandons search
DE Lawrence attacking submerged sub ....
DE Litchfield fails to find sub and abandons search
DE John D. Edwards attacking submerged sub ....
DE Lawrence attacking submerged sub ....
DE John D. Edwards attacking submerged sub ....
DE John D. Edwards is out of ASW ammo
DE Lawrence fails to find sub, continues to search...
DE John D. Edwards attacking submerged sub ....
DE John D. Edwards is out of ASW ammo
DE John D. Edwards is out of ASW ammo
DE Lawrence fails to find sub and abandons search
DE John D. Edwards fails to find sub, continues to search...
DE John D. Edwards fails to find sub, continues to search...
DE John D. Edwards fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

China

He flies fighters into Chungking again and although I have some fighters protecting the bombers it goes badly. Not only are a lot of aircraft lost but many of the pilots. Included in the losses are 26 Nicks[:(].

Allied VP leaps again, somehow he has got more supply to Chungking[&:].

At Chengtu the defenders are behind forts 5 and hold[:(]. Will attack again the next day.

Ground combat at Chengtu (75,41)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 18686 troops, 393 guns, 953 vehicles, Assault Value = 1183

Defending force 14732 troops, 95 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 444

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 4

Japanese adjusted assault: 621

Allied adjusted defense: 1523

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 4)

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

Japanese ground losses:
318 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 28 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Vehicles lost 34 (1 destroyed, 33 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
235 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 56 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd Ind Engineer Regiment
36th/B Division
15th Tank Regiment
22nd Ind Engr Rgt /1
1st Tank Division
2nd Raiding Regiment
36th/A Division
36th/C Division
2nd Tank Division
1st Ind.Inf.Group
29th Ind Engr Rgt /1
3rd Army
5th Ind.Hvy.Art Battalion
4th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
28th Field AA Machinecannon Company
1st JAAF AF Coy
11th Ind.Art.Mortar Battalion
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment
13th Mortar Battalion
North China Area Army
2nd JAAF AF Coy

Defending units:
24th Chinese/A Corps
24th Chinese/B Corps
3rd Chinese Base Force
12th Chinese Base Force

Burma

Quiet

Australia

Quiet

Pacific

Quiet

Engineering

Katha to 4.

R&D

Quie

[Lowpe]

You were using the Nicks as fighters or bomber? If I recall correctly bombers.

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

You were using the Nicks as fighters or bomber? If I recall correctly bombers.

Strafing at 100 feet so it is not surprising they took losses. Also they were in the first groups to engage so met the worst CAP.

I don't know if the game includes fighter-bombers jettisoning their stores when engaged in Air-Air.

[Lowpe]

I don't know if the game includes fighter-bombers jettisoning their stores when engaged in Air-Air.

I think it does, at least I seem to remember seeing that somewhere...but they are still at a disadvantage.

[Spidery]

August 31st 1942

Air Losses: 20 Japanese, 19 Allied, 7 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

I-157 has an exciting day West of Fiji.

First she encounters a convoy 5 xAP and 9 xAK accompanied by 8 escorts and fails to penetrate the screen. Next she is driven off by the escorts around the BB Idaho group (confirming that also has BB New Mexico and West Virginia) and takes 1 small hit. Undeterred she attacks again and plants a torpedo in the side of BB Idaho - this one gets a belt penetration and listing counter-flooding message[:)]. Then she makes another attempt at the screen and takes a shot at DE Edsall but misses. With only 6 of the 8 tubes loaded and no reloads left she is going to head for base. (The Captain has aggression 69.)

Meanwhile, I-18 puts a torpedo in the side of CLAA Juneau near Pearl Harbour[:)]. Getting an "on fire, heavy damage" result.

China

Aircraft are grounded apart from a few sweeps that fail to locate any targets.

At Chengtu the defense weakens:

Ground combat at Chengtu (75,41)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 32068 troops, 478 guns, 904 vehicles, Assault Value = 1177

Defending force 14372 troops, 95 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 399

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 3

Japanese adjusted assault: 840

Allied adjusted defense: 523

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 3)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 3

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

Japanese ground losses:
513 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 40 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 9 disabled
Vehicles lost 10 (1 destroyed, 9 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
548 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 68 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 10 (1 destroyed, 9 disabled)

Other Allied moves in China don't make much sense to me. Will show a picture soon.

Burma

Quiet

Australia

P-39D and P-38E sweep Darwin. 12 P-39D and 4 P-38E are shot down for the loss of 19 Tojo.

Pacific

B-17E strike at Rossel Island at night for limited effect.

Engineering

Koepang to 7.

R&D

Ki-43-IIb enters production at the rate of 90 per month.

H6K4-L enters production. An extra 2 hexes of range, is it worth it to complicate the replacement situation?

[Spidery]

August in Review

Mostly a satisfactory month.

Kunming and Niekiang taken and Chengtu under threat plus major breakthrough in China is a good result for the IJA. In Australia, have retreated to Darwin but managed a useful counter action that destroyed three Australian armoured units.

Very quiet for the Navy. A couple of bad air days in China and one in Australia. Magwe, and all other industry, remains operational.

Useful R&D progress.

VP Ratio is 2.453::1 but is heavily influenced by the Allied supply situation at Chungking.

Overall VP: Allied +648, Japanese +1146
Base points: Allied + 246, Japanese +432
VP for enemy air destroyed: Allied +376, Japanese +226
VP for enemy LCU destroyed: Allied +18, Japanese +445

[Spidery]

Ships Sunk

These are all the ships claimed as sunk or lost in the month. The BB Idaho is wishful thinking but the other two are probably true. Do not think anything else was sunk.

[Spidery]

September Economy

Code: Select all

  +16,785 Fuel
  -53,298 Oil
 +115,519 Supply
  +50,942 HI
  +21,533 Armaments
   +4,233 Vehicles
 

Not sure what is happening with fuel, the global tab in tracker shows a gain of about 76,000 on the month. I suspect, the August summary was incorrect. A useful gain on supply. HI gain is less than would like but made up for the armament and vehicle stock piles growing fast. I am concerned that I do not have enough vehicles.



Oil wells at Urumchi remain unrepaired.

Refineries reflect that Port Arthur failed to produce this turn.

[Spidery]

China Situation

Numbers are the numbers of Allied units in hex. However, actual strength varies.

Not sure what he is doing with the 30 units SW from Chungking; they may be heading for India.

One thing he has done is pull units out of Chungking so that it is back in supply. I suspect he has kept only the best units in Chungking and at a level below the supply generation (400 intrinsic + 65 LI) so he keeps supply available for air.

Most everything North of the central road should be screened from reaching Chungking. The group of 10 East of the Wei should be destroyed once I have occupied across the river West of it.

I have 2 tank and 2 infantry divisions in the plains to the West of the river. I have 2, soon to be 3, infantry divisions East of the river. There are numerous tank regiments in the plains. There are 5 infantry divisions pushing down the road to Kienko from Ankang/Sian. There are 3 infantry divisions in Kweiyang area and 1 at Kunming. There are 5 divisions engaged with the group East of the Wei. Other divisions are scattered or in the woods/mountains and will take time to be of use.

[Spidery]

September 1st 1942

Air Losses: 2 Japanese, 2 Allied, 1 Pilots
Japanese occupy:
Allies occupy:
Japanese land at:
Allies land at:

Sub Wars

Quiet

China

Sweeps come up empty.

Chengtu forts reduced to 2 and defenders continue to hold. Some troops need withdrawing from the attack to recover a bit.

Attack on the Kienko road has a mixed result doing quite good damage but suffering a bit.

Burma

Allies bomb Katha.

Australia

Quiet

Pacific

B-17E strike at Rossel Island at night for limited effect.

Engineering

Allies expand Ledo airfield to 9.

R&D

Quiet

Economy

The odd fuel state in tracker yesterday seems fixed as it shows another 43,000 fuel in the summary picture.

[Spidery]

Engine Status

Expanded Ha-35 because I decided to build more Nicks. Expanded Ha-34 to build more Helens.

[Spidery]

R&D Status