Off to see the lizard.....

[pontiouspilot]

If I get sinus infection I put a little hydrogen peroxide into the saline solution in a regular netipot and do the usual neti routine. My cousin who is pharmacist recommended it. I use the regular 3% hydrogen peroxide you get for topical application at drug store.

[AW1Steve]

For those of you guys who won't read Geoff's AAR because your reading mine , please go ahead. I'm having all I can do to complete my turns, writing intelligent (or even stupid) comments here are simply too much for me now. Maybe in a couple of weeks? We'll see. Thank you all sincerely for your support! [:)][&o]

[AW1Steve]

Last turn was a tough one. Geoff took Wake and Hong Kong. And one of his I-boats put a fish into the Lexington off San Diego. 25% Systems damage , otherwise not bad.

He has a massive scouting line just off the west coast , but just outside of patrol plane range. I was planning to bring all four CV's into San Diego where I was going to drop all TB's , and replace them with fighters and maybe some dive bombers. But my big problem is DD's with decent ASW. Pretty much all my escorts have an ASW factor of 2 , and it will be at least a month before I can upgrade them. What I can do, and am doing , is converting my 4-piper DD's to APD's and DDE's which will give me some ships with a factor of 6. The 1st bunch will be ready in two weeks. Si as soon as Yorktown arrives , and Lexington is repaired , I'm planning an "Operation Pedestal" type convoy with every AKE, AO, Tanker, AP and AK stuffed full of troops , engineers and some LBA which will avoid his subs by using the higher capability ASW ships to "Break trail".

This mega force will then head WAAAAYY south , and drop off detachments at each major base in the chain. I intend to reinforce and supply all of the bigger islands from Christmas Island all the way to Noumeau. Each island then will get AVD's and PBY's to act as a screen which my forces will hide behind. My fear is that while I'm coming from the West heading west , that he might try grabbing Islands on the other end while heading east. I've had opponents do that.

Either way , I need a supply line from the west coast to Oz. And if he does grab one of those islands (I'm thinking he'll try Noumeau or Suva) , then that will be my 1st stop in my campaign to fight back.


Things look rough in the PI , I've evacuated every aircraft except a PBY squadron to Oz for rebuilding. I'm trying to sneak a badly crippled Houston to Oz. I doubt very much she'll make it , but I'd rather she sink then be in Manila when it's captured. She's so badly damaged that she can't exceed 7kts, but she's no where near bad enough to be able to scuttle her. Everything else in the PI is falling back to prepared positions on Bataan where I managed to build up fortifications and stockpile supplies.

He's surrounded Singapore , but left a large number of troops in his rear. And he's not really trying to stop me from collecting them. I've got a fair bit of supply , so I plan to 1) cut off his supply lines , then 2) hit him in his rear.

Geoff is playing a strange game , but basically the same that he has in the past. He's grabbing forward bases , but leaving units and bases to his rear. I'm very much hoping that I can take advantage of that , but it's only 20 December. He's wearing hell out of his CV's , dashing from one place to the next. I'm guessing that he's detached the two damaged ones , but doesn't seem to have picked up the mini-kb (it looks like that is still south of the PI). So he's got his main KB , with no ship yard time . dashing around. My USMC Wildcats at Wake engaged several large gaggles of Zero's (which could have come from Saipan , even if it's a long haul) but CV type aircraft were sighted west of Wake. I'm guessing that's where the KB is. I'd head for the home islands but I doubt he'll do that. I'm guessing he'll head south , but to Rabaul or maybe Noumeau? He doesn't have much air search south , but does south of Rabaul. If he does that , I'll have a surprise for him. I moved Buffalo's and B-17's to Charter Towers and Townsville , and have P-40's moving there. In the next few weeks I'll have 3 provisional groups of P-40's in Brisbane (but with lousy pilots). My best PI pilots will be there to take over those nice new airplanes.

That's all for now , but I'll try to do a better job of keeping this AAR updated. [:)]

[witpqs]

Great update, thanks! [:)]

[BBfanboy]

From other posts the Gorn has made, I fully expected his game play to be "strange".[:D]

[AW1Steve]

It seems like I've been banned from another of the Lizard's threads. [:(] And he said he was going to do ANOTHER thread AAR for his new PBEM. If that guy played as often as he TALKED about it, we'd be half done by now. [:D]

After the last turn , not much has happened. Lexington is down to 22 Sys damage from her torpedo hit ,and she hasn't even made San Diego yet. If she could get repaired in less than 2 weeks , I'll still be on track for my "Mega-Gaggle" , ala "Operation Pedestal" type reinforcement.

My biggest problem is going to be coming up with a way to send troops to the other end of my "island way chain". I'd love to send a division to each Noume and Suva just to "hold" the islands till I can get proper reinforcements sent there. I don't know where I'd find them , and I really don't have much in the way of pp's. Anybody got any idea's?

Ideally my plan is to put a division on every island big enough to handle them. Of I could , I'd use strictly in garrisoning islands , and reserve my USMC units for amphibious assaults and to use as a "roving fire brigade" till I'm ready to go on the real offensive (that is after I receive specialized shipping and control units). Probably early spring of 1943. [:)]

[Chickenboy]

Beg, borrow or steal to get something regimental-sized or larger to Christmas island (PTO), Pago Pago, Suva and Noumea with the first and last of these being non-negotiable.

You're only 2 weeks into the war, so PPs will be at a premium and USMC units are still either restricted, unfilled or not on map. Not much you can do for another few weeks, Steve-o.

[AW1Steve]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Beg, borrow or steal to get something regimental-sized or larger to Christmas island (PTO), Pago Pago, Suva and Noumea with the first and last of these being non-negotiable.

You're only 2 weeks into the war, so PPs will be at a premium and USMC units are still either restricted, unfilled or not on map. Not much you can do for another few weeks, Steve-o.

Christmas Island will be no problem. THE other two are my main worry. I'm thinking of sending the partial 2 Hawaii Divisions, about two regiments each to Noumeau and Suva, maybe sending smaller units to back them up.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Beg, borrow or steal to get something regimental-sized or larger to Christmas island (PTO), Pago Pago, Suva and Noumea with the first and last of these being non-negotiable.

You're only 2 weeks into the war, so PPs will be at a premium and USMC units are still either restricted, unfilled or not on map. Not much you can do for another few weeks, Steve-o.

Christmas Island will be no problem. THE other two are my main worry. I'm thinking of sending the partial 2 Hawaii Divisions, about two regiments each to Noumeau and Suva, maybe sending smaller units to back them up.

I would if I could. Anything is a far sight better than nothing. Start the prep stat to at least have a preparation advantage that those roving SNLF bandits won't have time for. I also like buying out some inexpensive engineers from the left coast. They dig good.

[AW1Steve]

Should I rush everything to Noumeau and Suva and "back fill" Christmas? [&:]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

Should I rush everything to Noumeau and Suva and "back fill" Christmas? [&:]

That's a gamble, but logistics is the key consideration. It's easy to rush troops forward but harder to supply them when the enemy will have naval superiority any time he wants to. If you can get troops forward with oodles of supply and support to build forts and airfields, do it. Otherwise, send your troops where they will survive long enough to gain experience/morale.

[ny59giants]

IMO, you need Christmas Island as a hub to the SoPac for some time (later I shift to Vava'u due to its port potential). Marines go here for now. Don't forget to use PP to buy out the various engineering type units up in NoPac. Without Christmas, your LOC to NZ and beyond gets very, very long. As Japan, I would put Emilys there and make any non-CV escort TF vulnerable. [:-]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

Should I rush everything to Noumeau and Suva and "back fill" Christmas? [&:]

That's a gamble, but logistics is the key consideration. It's easy to rush troops forward but harder to supply them when the enemy will have naval superiority any time he wants to. If you can get troops forward with oodles of supply and support to build forts and airfields, do it. Otherwise, send your troops where they will survive long enough to gain experience/morale.

In a vacuum, you're right. But no one can hear you. Because you're in a vacuum. [:'(]

Anyways, in this game, I think the odds of the Gorn's CVs being suddenly discovered in SoPac are less likely.

Steve has indicated that he has aggressively used the entirety of KB in the DEI and flying around hither and dither with the group. When combined with the fact that two of KB's CVs have eaten tin fish, that diminishes the risk of a carrier-supported Japanese invasion of Noumea or Suva for the short term at least.

Fast tracking Noumea reinforcements might be a stretch just yet. But it's on my short list. Would Christmas-Pago Pago-Suva (with "interior lines") be more tenable? Perhaps? A prepared regiment, engineer unit to build forts and maybe a USMC defense battalion or small CD unit would be very difficult to overcome. You should be able to dump a load of supply at each of these locations very quickly (maybe even right about now in game time?). Noumea is a plum, but it's harder to reinforce from the American side in December 1941.

[Bif1961]

What about the British 18th Division in the Indian Ocean you could send it there if you want to take the risk that you don't need them there anytime soon.

[MakeeLearn]

Try to move in a combined force. Infantry, AA, and naval support so you don't have resupply ships taking forever to unload and therefore subject to attack. The AA makes up for no - or low numbers - of planes at the base.

[AW1Steve]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Beg, borrow or steal to get something regimental-sized or larger to Christmas island (PTO), Pago Pago, Suva and Noumea with the first and last of these being non-negotiable.

You're only 2 weeks into the war, so PPs will be at a premium and USMC units are still either restricted, unfilled or not on map. Not much you can do for another few weeks, Steve-o.

Christmas Island will be no problem. THE other two are my main worry. I'm thinking of sending the partial 2 Hawaii Divisions, about two regiments each to Noumeau and Suva, maybe sending smaller units to back them up.

I would if I could. Anything is a far sight better than nothing. Start the prep stat to at least have a preparation advantage that those roving SNLF bandits won't have time for. I also like buying out some inexpensive engineers from the left coast. They dig good.

Will do my best. Thanks!

[AW1Steve]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

Should I rush everything to Noumeau and Suva and "back fill" Christmas? [&:]

That's a gamble, but logistics is the key consideration. It's easy to rush troops forward but harder to supply them when the enemy will have naval superiority any time he wants to. If you can get troops forward with oodles of supply and support to build forts and airfields, do it. Otherwise, send your troops where they will survive long enough to gain experience/morale.

Supplies are easy (as is fuel)and I've plenty of support arms that I can scatter among the islands. What I need a lot of are combat arms and CD units.

[AW1Steve]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

IMO, you need Christmas Island as a hub to the SoPac for some time (later I shift to Vava'u due to its port potential). Marines go here for now. Don't forget to use PP to buy out the various engineering type units up in NoPac. Without Christmas, your LOC to NZ and beyond gets very, very long. As Japan, I would put Emilys there and make any non-CV escort TF vulnerable. [:-]

I'll fight to the death for Christmas island. Right now it's safer to send ships to than Pearl.

[AW1Steve]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

What about the British 18th Division in the Indian Ocean you could send it there if you want to take the risk that you don't need them there anytime soon.

I won't do that strictly due to a some what misplaced sense of ethics. I can't imagine the Brits willing release their best available combat division to the Americans . I'll use that unit as a "fire brigade" in the Indian ocean.

[AW1Steve]

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve





Christmas Island will be no problem. THE other two are my main worry. I'm thinking of sending the partial 2 Hawaii Divisions, about two regiments each to Noumeau and Suva, maybe sending smaller units to back them up.

I would if I could. Anything is a far sight better than nothing. Start the prep stat to at least have a preparation advantage that those roving SNLF bandits won't have time for. I also like buying out some inexpensive engineers from the left coast. They dig good.

Will do my best. Thanks!

I'm sending pretty much everything that I have bottoms for. And I have LOTS of bottoms. I like to concentrate AAA in to killer flak traps , usually close to the lines. Probably either Noumeau or Port Moresby.