Intellectus Ex Nihilo (Wal-Mart on Ice)

[Canoerebel]

You bet. I've mulled that over several times. But then I remember that the invasion of Sabang was possible because John was focused on Oz and the Pacific. Had I still held Singers, he'd have been all over Sumatra to counter any threats.

[Lecivius]

As for your P-38's, can't you disband them? Yeah, they are gone for 60 days, but you save the frames & pilots.

[Canoerebel]

Yes, that's the plan.

[Canoerebel]

11/12/42 to 11/17/42

Bay of Bengal: Following the Allied carrier raid near Sumatra (inserting fighters at Singers), KB followed hard and swift, arriving near Diego Garcia before I'd expected it to. Dave used some flank speed here, I think, which is helpful information. His raid netted three small xAKs. The USN carriers are upgrading at Colombo (these early war upgrades come often and take a long time).

China: Still no assault on the Chinese MLR. Another Chinese corps fleeing Wenchow is going to make the MLR. Supply situation is currently decent, which allows a unit or two to occasional draw replacements. Many units have been in place and digging in for months. The MLR isn't impregnable but neither is it smoke and mirrors.

Singers: Still holding; likely to fall in December, if Dave has enough infantry to handle things; no later than January.

Oz/SWPac: No enemy pressure anywhere in the vicinity.

SoPac: Allies inserted a detachment of 4th Raiders into undefended Abemama just to see what Dave would do. He replied with a quick counterinvasion by Ichiki Detachment and some tanks. The first day, his troops got mauled on landing. The second day, he reclaimed the little island. I've also inserted some troops at Tabituea. I have no grand plans here, at present, but he'll probably beef up his presence in this theater if it's not already strong.

CenPac: Midway forts at 5.96.

NoPac: For the first time in the war, enemy subs reported near the Aleutians. My ASW ships are few, so I'll stand down supply runs temporarily. Allied forts are mostly at 4 to 6 from Adak to Anchorage. During the winter months, I'll work at beefing up the garrisons alot, giving Dave plenty of reason to garrison the Kuriles and vicinity.

[Bif1961]

Looks like he is raiding and probing Diego Garcia for a future potential landing, as many playing the Japanese take it to try and cutoff supplies entering near by. I know you said previously you have already put a Bde in to make any landing on the cheap, get a bloody repulse.

[Canoerebel]

This KB sweep was probably in reaction to the Allied carriers patrolling near Sumatra and withdrawing towards Diego/Ceylon. I don't think Dave'll come for Diego. He seems to have withdrawn into his shell, content to work on his MLR without chancing forays further forward. This is my first experience with him, though, so he might still surprise with a bold leap forward.

[Canoerebel]

11/18/42 to 11/22/42

China: Following the fall of Wenchow, the Chinese army, which wasn't too badly battered fled NW. Then several units turned around and moved SW. Two corps and a base force have now managed to reach the MLR. One corps, two HQ and one engineer unit are still wandering far from safety. Recon reports 13 units at Kaifeng, SE of Sian. I wondered if this might be the gathering of troops for the next big push. I'm not sure yet, but will monitor the situation.

Burma: A couple of nighttime 4EB raids vs. the remaining 35 oil points at Magwe whiffed. A cadre of 7th Aussie Div. is still wandering through the woods.

Bay of Bengal: No further signs of KB. Allied carriers in the midst of upgrading, requiring about two more weeks.

Singapore: Supply down to 10k. Dave's ASW is working over my sub bucket-brigade, having sunk two or three more. Most subs return to Colombo with minor to moderate damage. But I'll keep it going until the bitter end.

SoPac: The little probe against Abemama yielded an unexpected harvest, as three USN DDs inbound from Pearl Harbor ripped into an enemy transport TF (if I'm right that this is the amphibious TF that offloaded a counter-invasion force about four turns back). Actions like this one have been uncommon in the game. I'm preparing to garrison Canton Island in strength, which is fairly close to enemy territory. Dave will be anxious to exact revenge.

CenPac: Midway forts to 5.98.

NoPac: No further sign of enemy forces, following on the two subs recently sighted. Fort-building progressing nicely at Attu and Amchitka. Garrison troops (probably at least RCT in strength) will join the engineers in a month or so.

[Bif1961]

A harvest of points, every bit helps.

[Canoerebel]

11/23/42 to 12/4/42

Reading the Opponent: Dave's style of play thus far reminds me most of Miller. I played Paul several times, many years ago. He was methodical on offense, attending to the things that needed attending without taking big risks, and was especially adept at tenacious defense. I wonder if Dave is following the same general recipe. SigInt and many other indicators suggest he long ago converted to a primarily defensive posture, even as things have lagged badly for him at Singapore and in a few other areas. A year into the war, he hasn't probed so many areas typically targeted by many Japanese players. That, in turn, gives me the feeling of "having a head-start." But if he's properly attending to defense in depth, the going will turn slow and bloody for the Allies when the time comes to move forward. In addition to his woes at Singers, Wenchow and Clark Field, that cost him so much time, he's left a lot of dot bases under Allied control. He still has time to attend to some/most of these, but it could bite him if he dallies too much.

China: MLR intact with no major enemy probings. Two of the four Chinese corps that retired from Wenchow are back inside friendly lines. The other two might make it. Those are sort of gifts, providing help in bolstering the defense in depth.

Bay of Bengal: The sub bucket brigade to Singers continues. Dave's ASW work is thorough and many of my subs take minor to moderate damage on each run. I lose roughly a sub every ten days or so. All worth it.

Singers: No enemy attack. Supply at 7k. The drop has been slower lately, either because I have more subs in the brigade or because supply magically shows up since I'm such a deserving and nice fellow.

Oz: No enemy movements. Allied troops are prepping and positioning for future offensive action. The first moves will be small ones and aren't too far off.

SoPac: Other than enemy subs around Fiji, Noumea and Efate, very quiet here. A New Zealand brigade is coming ashore at New Caledonia - the first real augment to defenses there. I'm landing occasional troops at Tabituea, in small TFs to spread out the risk (Dave will strike there soon). The main effort is to insert a Marine RCT at Canton Island. I'll be careful there, too.

CenPac: Midway at 6 forts and working towards Port 2.

NoPac: RCT inbound to Amchitka. A Canadian brigade will then go to Attu. At that point, the Allied chain of defense will be largely complete.

[jwolf]

... because supply magically shows up since I'm such a deserving and nice fellow.

I'm sure that's in the manual somewhere. [8D]

[Canoerebel]

Alfred found it in Rule 4.3(a)(x)(ii)(Index A to The Holy Book of Armaments)

[Miller]

That's a great result against that TF at Abemama. All those PBs sunk are the ones that can carry 1000 supply at 14kts and are vital for FT resupply of his far flung bases. I think the Japs only get 100 or so in the entire game. They are worth 10 VPs, the same as an average DD but much more valuable to the IJN.

[Canoerebel]

I didn't know that. Thanks, Paul.

PBs are weird - some are worth ten points, some one point.

[Canoerebel]

12/5/42 to 12/11/42

China: Dave has belatedly turned his attention on the units that fled Wenchow several months back. He might be able to trap one battered corps. Another looks like it'll make it to the MLR, joining two others that made it weeks ago. No enemy attacks along the MLR. I keep expecting an all-out weighted punch to break the MLR at some vulnerable spot.

Bay of Bengal: The USN carriers have finished upgrading, as have most of the other USN capital ships. Some adjustments were made to major-unit prep, reconfiguring target selection a bit.

Singapore: I think I lost three subs since my last post, so I spoke too soon. There's a temptation to think, "Man, I'll be glad when this is over, because it's sure hard on the sub corps." No way! This has been an incredibly productive effort. I think the subs may have bought at least three months for this fortress. Supply somehow still there - 5.3k at the moment. My best calculations, made months ago, was that supply would vanish on November 24. How there's any there given the unabated aerial assaults and regular bombardments is a mystery.

The Vast Pacific: I-151 sank two xAPs at Tabituea after both had delivered part of their troops. This base is very vulnerable to attack, but it's meant primarily to draw attention from other places - like Canton Island, where a Marine RCT is mostly ashore without incident. An Army RCT to unload at Amchitka Island tonight. A marine CD unit is about a week from Attu Island.

SigInt: All reports, all signs, everything, indicate that Dave is focusing mostly on defense. Hey, that's not nearly as fun as withstanding a wacky John III onslaught. But it'll mean tough slogging forward, when that time comes. Drat. Playing opponents the leave holes is fun!

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I didn't know that. Thanks, Paul.

PBs are weird - some are worth ten points, some one point.

Depends on the size. There are three different sizes of xAK/xAKL that can convert to PBs - IIRC the smallest is 345 tons, the next size is about 765 tons and the big ones are around 4000 tons. I think the middles size are worth about 3 VPs. The big ones are valuable to the IJN because of their range, carrying capacity (including depth charges) and IIRC they have two 10 CM guns vs. one on the smaller vessels. That can be dangerous to a surfaced sub or small vessel like an MTB or AM.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I didn't know that. Thanks, Paul.

PBs are weird - some are worth ten points, some one point.

Depends on the size. There are three different sizes of xAK/xAKL that can convert to PBs - IIRC the smallest is 345 tons, the next size is about 765 tons and the big ones are around 4000 tons. I think the middles size are worth about 3 VPs. The big ones are valuable to the IJN because of their range, carrying capacity (including depth charges) and IIRC they have two 10 CM guns vs. one on the smaller vessels. That can be dangerous to a surfaced sub or small vessel like an MTB or AM.

My beef is where do they get off calling small merchant ships with a gun mounted on the fore deck a Patrol Boat?

Under that criteria every last xAK and xAKL in the Allied inventory qualifies as one.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter
My beef is where do they get off calling small merchant ships with a gun mounted on the fore deck a Patrol Boat?

Easy. Depth charges

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: HansBolter
My beef is where do they get off calling small merchant ships with a gun mounted on the fore deck a Patrol Boat?

Easy. Depth charges

And a naval crew.

[CaptBeefheart]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

11/23/42 to 12/4/42

Reading the Opponent: Dave's style of play thus far reminds me most of Miller. I played Paul several times, many years ago. He was methodical on offense, attending to the things that needed attending without taking big risks, and was especially adept at tenacious defense. I wonder if Dave is following the same general recipe. SigInt and many other indicators suggest he long ago converted to a primarily defensive posture, even as things have lagged badly for him at Singapore and in a few other areas. A year into the war, he hasn't probed so many areas typically targeted by many Japanese players. That, in turn, gives me the feeling of "having a head-start." But if he's properly attending to defense in depth, the going will turn slow and bloody for the Allies when the time comes to move forward.

It could be he's been reading your library of AARs and planning some sort of trap for one of your patented deep thrusts.

Cheers,
CB

[Canoerebel]

12/14/42 to 12/25/42

Over the years, I've dubbed 1941 "The Year of Surprise" and 1942 "The Year of Retreat" and so on through 1945. Since Dave really hasn't pushed forward, there's been much less retreating in '42 than I'm accustomed to. The question is whether this proves to be of material benefit to the Allies in '43 "The Year of Attrition" and '44 "The Year of Advance."

China: No change to the MLR. Three of the Chinese corps that retreated from Wenchow made the friendly MLR. The fourth is hung out in no-man's-land and probably won't make it. No Japanese attacks or strong probes along the MLR.

India/Burma/Bay of Bengal: Quiet except for the intense battle between enemy ASW and Allied subs on the bucket brigade to Singers. Over one two-day span, I lost three subs. Whenever I'm tempted to flinch, I just look at all the artillery and bombers that have been focused on Singers for the great part of a year.

Singers: Supply down to 20 today, with two units in the red for the first time. The sub bucket brigade may bring in enough supply to keep Allied arty firing, so it may take a little while before Dave understands the supply situation fully. Singers should hold into '43.

Oz: Quiet.

SWPac: No enemy activity except a few subs.

SoPac: After Dave reclaimed Abemama, he came no further. Marine RCT reached Canton Island.

CenPac: No enemy activity except a few subs.

NoPac: Enemy subs lurking but thus far haven't managed a hit. Marine CD unit reached Attu and an Army RCT reached Amchitka.