Greyjoy(J) vs. Obvert(A) - The air war in China- DBB, SLs, PDU OFF

[GreyJoy]

Thx Micheal!

Checked... i have groups with very high inspiration but very low aggressiveness... will change that asap!


Here's a map of western Oz...

[MrKane]

Nico,

Your bombers need air-leader with high air & inspiration skill. You need pass air skill test, inspiration skill test, experience test, morale test & weather check.
So if you squadron will not fly it means it fail one of those tests. Leader aggressions does not affect any of tests.
I suggest check yours units for rookies and remove them (even those in reserve are used for experience test by engine). Game engine is adding a few from time to time to yours squadrons. Rookies additionally are responsible for attack fragmentations either.
Leader aggression only count when your bomber will meet enemy CAP and flak. So, you need low aggression for army bombers and some navy, but not all navy bombers ( carriers bombers need reach target regardless of losses ).

Tom

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: MrKane

Nico,

Your bombers need air-leader with high air & inspiration skill. You need pass air skill test, inspiration skill test, experience test, morale test & weather check.
So if you squadron will not fly it means it fail one of those tests. Leader aggressions does not affect any of tests.
I suggest check yours units for rookies and remove them (even those in reserve are used for experience test by engine). Game engine is adding a few from time to time to yours squadrons. Rookies additionally are responsible for attack fragmentations either.
Leader aggression only count when your bomber will meet enemy CAP and flak. So, you need low aggression for army bombers and some navy, but not all navy bombers ( carriers bombers need reach target regardless of losses ).

Tom

Thank you Tom!

I've always given lot of importance to inspiration of my bomber squadrons leaders. The air skill? not much at all.
However I guess they didn't fly (all the 7 squadrons) for some strange reasons (some tests failed...). The following day they did, so the problem was solved apparently.
I'll keep a deep look at them anyway.
Thanks for the tips!!!


April 7, 1942

Nothing much going on.
The only thing that needs to be noticed is that the American CVs have disappeared.
I have a strong feeling that they moved to SOPAC and they are now south of Syndey... too many radio signals spotted there in the last 4 days.
KB2 is now positioning itself west of Perth...unseen.
KB1 is near Darwin...unseen afaik.
If the basterds really wanna come and fight for western Oz I may try to close them between the anvil and the hammer...

More units are being sent in CENTPAC now anyway, just in case the demonstrarion of strength of the last week was a prelude to something else.

[leehunt27@bloomberg.net]

Very exciting invasions Greyjoy. I think its fair the contested landing succeeded for the Japanese- such a landing on Australian soil might have caused a panic while the IJ troops' morale would be at an all time high.

Does it make sense for an Allied player to abandon Perth and retreat to Kalgoorlie? I mean, nobody wants to lose Western Oz of course, with the resources & base VP's etc, but there's not much the Japanese player can do with that position either? Do you plan on trying to hold and expand further SE into the rest of Australia? Or hold and then withdraw from Perth at "just the right time"- to avoid the Australians either outflanking you with an amphibious landing or simply marching down the road with air cover later in the war? It seems like if the Allied player has even a reasonable amount of infantry he can hold up an advance across Western Oz long enough to leave the Japanese player's SLOC's tremendously vulnerable.

To be clear, I do think invading Western Oz is a good idea. Its just like, now that you've got it, what the heck do you do next with it?

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: leehunt27@bloomberg.net

Very exciting invasions Greyjoy. I think its fair the contested landing succeeded for the Japanese- such a landing on Australian soil might have caused a panic while the IJ troops' morale would be at an all time high.

Does it make sense for an Allied player to abandon Perth and retreat to Kalgoorlie? I mean, nobody wants to lose Western Oz of course, with the resources & base VP's etc, but there's not much the Japanese player can do with that position either? Do you plan on trying to hold and expand further SE into the rest of Australia? Or hold and then withdraw from Perth at "just the right time"- to avoid the Australians either outflanking you with an amphibious landing or simply marching down the road with air cover later in the war? It seems like if the Allied player has even a reasonable amount of infantry he can hold up an advance across Western Oz long enough to leave the Japanese player's SLOC's tremendously vulnerable.

To be clear, I do think invading Western Oz is a good idea. Its just like, now that you've got it, what the heck do you do next with it?

Nice question!

Strategically, i wanted to try this solution in this game: owning both Ceylon-Diego and Western Oz.
In my view, western Oz cannot be retaken by land.
The allies cannot march from port Augusta to Kalgoorite...have you seen the road there??? Nor they can starve it with a bombing campaign.
They need to retake it back with an amphib op. Which is somewhow risky, so the allies need to have enough strenght to do that... and this should buy me time...

The idea is that, taking the western approaches of the Map, i will force the allies to attack in the pacific, where, imho, is easier to defend for Japan.
This should also avoid any early attack to the DEI, which now have a double defensive pillow: in the NW (India and Ceylon) and in the S-SW (Western and Northern Oz)

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: leehunt27@bloomberg.net


Does it make sense for an Allied player to abandon Perth and retreat to Kalgoorlie? I mean, nobody wants to lose Western Oz of course, with the resources & base VP's etc, but there's not much the Japanese player can do with that position either? Do you plan on trying to hold and expand further SE into the rest of Australia? Or hold and then withdraw from Perth at "just the right time"- to avoid the Australians either outflanking you with an amphibious landing or simply marching down the road with air cover later in the war? It seems like if the Allied player has even a reasonable amount of infantry he can hold up an advance across Western Oz long enough to leave the Japanese player's SLOC's tremendously vulnerable.

Erik is abbandoning western Oz just like you said.
I think it's the right call for him: in april 1942 the Allies cannot stand against 5/7 japanese divisions in clear terrain. He would have lost the Whole lot!
The good thing for me is that he won't be able to pose a threat to Southern DEI moving from Perth. Also the communications from CT to Oz will be much more difficult now (I'll base immediately subs and raiders at Perth!)
Centpac is not that an easy place to advance with SL... logistic becomes a nightmare there for the allies and the atoll landings are pretty harsh untill you get all those juicy APA/AKAs... but that's pretty late in the game. In the while, oil will keep on flowing to Japan and I'll keep on fortifying

[ny59giants]

As someone who is trying to overcome the loss of western Australia in 4/44, it has forced me to channel my attacks around both sides of New Guinea. It can force an Allied player to think twice about sending transports from Cape Town to southern Australia. Its like Port Moresby, a place that you want to deny to the enemy rather than it be important to you.

[Yaab]

If you hold:

-Western Australia
-Darwin
-Umboi Island and Rabaul

then how the Allies can start their counter-offensive? My guess is the Kusaie - Ponape - Truk axis.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

If you hold:

-Western Australia
-Darwin
-Umboi Island and Rabaul

then how the Allies can start their counter-offensive? My guess is the Kusaie - Ponape - Truk axis.

The idea is to hold:

- Western Oz;
- Cocos Is.
- Diego Garcia
- Ceylon
- Horn Island;
- Darwin;
- Port Moresby;
- Ponape-Truk-Rabaul line

I think the allies will be forced to start their offensive in the Solomons..and if i can keep them from getting into the western side of NG (and so holding Horn Island), their advance should be pretty slow, which is my main goal after all.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: Yaab

If you hold:

-Western Australia
-Darwin
-Umboi Island and Rabaul

then how the Allies can start their counter-offensive? My guess is the Kusaie - Ponape - Truk axis.

The idea is to hold:

- Western Oz;
- Cocos Is.
- Diego Garcia
- Ceylon
- Horn Island;
- Darwin;
- Port Moresby;
- Ponape-Truk-Rabaul line

I think the allies will be forced to start their offensive in the Solomons..and if i can keep them from getting into the western side of NG (and so holding Horn Island), their advance should be pretty slow, which is my main goal after all.

It is an excellent looking defensive line but I wonder if it comes at a cost. Personally, having slogged through a full campaign as the Allies, I just don't think there is enough fuel in the empire to accomplish this over the long run. To hold this line might mean serious economic woes by mid 44. It will be interesting to see.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: Yaab

If you hold:

-Western Australia
-Darwin
-Umboi Island and Rabaul

then how the Allies can start their counter-offensive? My guess is the Kusaie - Ponape - Truk axis.

The idea is to hold:

- Western Oz;
- Cocos Is.
- Diego Garcia
- Ceylon
- Horn Island;
- Darwin;
- Port Moresby;
- Ponape-Truk-Rabaul line

I think the allies will be forced to start their offensive in the Solomons..and if i can keep them from getting into the western side of NG (and so holding Horn Island), their advance should be pretty slow, which is my main goal after all.

It is an excellent looking defensive line but I wonder if it comes at a cost. Personally, having slogged through a full campaign as the Allies, I just don't think there is enough fuel in the empire to accomplish this over the long run. To hold this line might mean serious economic woes by mid 44. It will be interesting to see.

It's not in the long run, at least not in my thoughts. This is the external perimeter. I will try to hold it Till mid 1943, then will fall back on hopefully prepared positions. However yes, the cost will be high. But i wanna try something different than my last game against QBall and see if it pays off

[GreyJoy]

April 8-11, 1942

Perth falls. Abbandoned by its garrison, Perth is easily conquered by the 16th Army.
Kalgoorite is abbandoned and so it's the whole western oz. Now we'll just jump on the last abbandoned bases. Good.
Just bought the 8th ID. A very good one.
5 divisions are now moving to Luzon under the command of the 15th Army.
The 36th, the 41st (both rebuilt after sian debacle), the 8th, the 2nd and the 21st.

American CVs have disappeared....

Another base in java is liberated (tijilap). Only one to go.

Consolidating Centpac with lots of units moving from HI to Truk right now.

Engineers and AAs are moving to Darwin and horn island.

Now the plan is to smash Luzon and then start a massive campaign in China, starting from the west (lashio-paoshan).

[GreyJoy]

Thinking abut Western Oz... I cannot but be glad to see Obert abandoning completely this whole sector.
Even if I wanted to bad some good aussie troops, conquering a city like Perth (port 5 and AF 7) without a fight is a gift. Conquering a whole sector without engaging in a battle of attrition is a another bonus I am not refusing.
Now the Japanese expansion may be called over.
Once left, western Oz, will be pretty hard to conquer back for the allies. Any "come back" operation must include an amphib landing without any LBA base nearby. Not a good thing to try until they have a total CV superiority.
This operation should now give me plenty of time to start building my "real" defensive perimeter.

Port Hedland and Koepang will be built and so will Saumlaki, Maumere and Horn Island.
Darwin isn't essential, cause they cannot really advance on it without securing the sealanes (too few supplies flow from Alice Spring).
Port Moresby will be denied to the allies as long as possible, while we start building Northern NG (Sarmi, Biak, etc..).
I need to force him to chose the slowest possible line of advance...which is Eastern NG.
Learnt few things in my game against Brad about that theatre and I know Erik thinks that he underestimated the importance of it in his game with Jocke... hope he keeps on thinking that!

[GreyJoy]

Impressive map of the Empire in april 1942.

As you can see now the approaches to the DEI are very difficult for the allies. The flow of oil should be secured...at least for some time

[koniu]

Impressive.[:D]

[leehunt27@bloomberg.net]

I'm looking at this April 1942 map, pretending to be the Allied player, scratching my head for long term offensive ideas. Maybe the Allies could try and swoop Cocos Island & Christmas Island (near Java) as a diversion, threatening the DEI while the main offensive begins in the Central Pacific, around say Tarawa-Ponape? That would require taking back Diego Garcia (probably just a tripwire island for you I imagine) and Addu.

Or the Allies start producing winter gear and go for the Kuriles early? Has anyone done that successfully? I imagine that's a temptation but not really a great strategy really.

Or they could consider a massive, all out amphibious assault on the Saipan area. That would basically be an "all-in" gamble for a surprise landing and then secondary wave on to the Philippines.

I would add if you don't mind that Horn Island seems to be a critical "rail" junction almost in this Empire's defenses. Maybe it could be kept supplied by air from northern New Guinea etc once the going gets rough late war?

[Yaab]

Nauru - Kusaie - Ponape - Truk. That is where I would go. This way you can isolate the Gilberts and go around the Umboi-Rabaul Mordor gate.

[Cribtop]

GJ, I would watch NOPAC a bit. It is a Hail Mary strategy but can bring dividends if Japan is caught napping (some crazy guy from Italy proved this once [:D]). Batten down the Kuriles, keep some strike planes in the area, have a good picket line, maybe even snag a few islands in the Aleutians as a trip wire.

Yaab's plan seems solid, but I guess forcing an Allied advance on the eastern side of the map is the whole point of GJ's strategy.

Another Allied plan is to bring the whole US Army and Navy via Cape Town to re-take India, but I imagine GJ would be happy with that too. A long slog to retake India, then Calcutta/Assam and Ceylon. Only then can you threaten what is normally the outer perimeter here.

This GreyJoy fellow is pretty good. [&o]

[pharmy]

Been reading the AAR and it's impressive as hell. I reached Calcutta in September,42 in a PBEM and due to an attraction to Pago Pago, now have no chance of taking Ceylon and securing the Bay of Bengal. However I was wondering how you find enough units to do India/N.Australia and Perth at the same time with the limited number of PPs and IDs. Where do units like the 21st Army, 5th and 6th Guard IDs, 5th Guard Tank bde and 5th Amphib brigadecome come from? Is it DBB specific? Or did I miss some triggered unit event? Thanks

[GreyJoy]

Sorry guys for the lack of updates.
The game is proceeding slower than usual cause I am having some tough days lately. My father has been hospitalized and work has risen a lot in the last days.
We have reached april 20th now...
I will try to update in the afternoon If I can find the time..

The good news is that I'm flying to London on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday I will be at Wimbledon (central court) and will watch the match Italy vs Uruguay with Obvert[:D]. Think we'll spend a whole day together (tennis, pimms, strawberries with cream - the classic Wimbledon lunch! and beers at night) but I doubt we'll be playing turns in a hot-seat mode!
For sure we'll talk a lot about our match[:D]

Will be fun!