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Could anyone provide info re: skip-bombing with > 80 low naval attack experience crews? I think 80 Exp is the cut-off for getting good results so it'd be interesting to see what the results are there. I amn't far enough along in my game to know.

Not it isn't. In my experience, at 65-70 skill skipbombing become super-effective and everything in the range that cannot shrug off bomb hits just dies (considering that Mitchells and Marauders almost always can break through even without escort). Generally every pass yields at least one bomb hit. DDs and APDs are hit regularly as well.

About altitude, I too think that the problem is overrated. Ki-43-Ics even perform better by flying always at 15k, instead of their max altitude. People often tend to mix bounce caused by a combat advantage (i.e. of CAP vs. escorts) with bounce caused by superior altitude. These are different things. Altitude bounce potential runs out quickly, combat advantage lasts the whole combat.

As about giving interceptors a greater chance to engage bombers, instead of fighters, just no. Specialized anti-bomber fighters were generally a bad idea in RL, except when the enemy was forced to fly unescorted, why they should work in AE?

Nemo,

good to see you reemerging, it has been a while since you last posted. It looks as if I may have some time at my handsd today, so I'll try to comment on this or that later on, but first things first:

The meaning of my subject was "I fear Nemo, even if he brings presents" (the meaning noone should be blocked, because I think that should be "neminem", but not sure there). This references Vergil's rendering of Laokoon's warning in view of the Trojan horse in his Aeneis ("Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes"), unfortunately I don't know greek, so I'll turn a blind eye on Homer .

I am a big fan of EA (or at least was a big fan of EA WitP, not knowing the new, improved product as of yet) because it is layered and requires second looks. Don't just proceed without having pondered about the consequences now and in the long run - just like you said in your own post.

Consequently, it is this mindset one should apply with respect to the addition of degrees of freedom in Allied production. It probably sounds like a wish come true for many of the Allied players, which feel constrained by the airframe production they are given now and probably feel an abundance of supplies and -at least after a year or so into the game- xAKs. I really don't think that assessment will be correct and thought a word of warning for those players who expect to be given something for free (like in other mods) would be adequate.

Hopefully more later.

Hartwig

I sank an IJN DD and xAK near southern Borneo with a CL-led raiding TF.

Would that be more of the veteran Marblehead at work?

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 16, 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Tawau at 69,91, Range 1,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Karii, Shell hits 16, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
DD Yanagi, Shell hits 1
xAKL Bunzan Maru, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CL Glasgow
CL Newcastle
DD Bagley
DD Blue

These were detached from the PoW/Repulse TF which is currently hanging around Kendar and Manado.


Ground combat at Kiukiang (85,53)

Allied Shock attack

This closes the long envelopment of the IJA forces at Changsha.

Attacking force 38380 troops, 152 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 1533

Defending force 4442 troops, 53 guns, 30 vehicles, Assault Value = 117

Allied adjusted assault: 978

Japanese adjusted defense: 127

Allied assault odds: 7 to 1 (fort level 2)

Allied forces CAPTURE Kiukiang !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), leaders(+), preparation(-)
Attacker: shock(+), disruption(-)

Japanese ground losses:
1156 casualties reported
Squads: 56 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 69 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 17 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 11 (11 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 18 (18 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3

171 destroyed squads. That's another helpful blow.

Allied ground losses:
202 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 10 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
99th Chinese Corps
46th Chinese Corps
70th Chinese Corps
100th Chinese Corps

Defending units:
Kyuko Naval Guard Unit
22nd/B Division
17th JAAF Base Force

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 18, 42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Tandjoengbalai at 47,78, Range 2,000 Yards

The raiding TF i used to cover the landings in northern Sumatra struck an IJN reinforcement TF my subs had spotted at Tandjoengbalai. Most of the troops had unloaded but a PB and 5 xAKs is nothing to sneeze at. best of all they got away scott free. They'll reload and refuel at Rangoon and then return to station ready to repeat the performance with the next reinforcement TF which makes for Tandjoengbalai.

Japanese Ships
PB Kozan Maru, Shell hits 6, and is sunk
xAK Heito Maru, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAK Ryuko Maru, Shell hits 9, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
xAK Ansyu Maru, Shell hits 40, and is sunk
xAK Hokutai Maru, Shell hits 29, and is sunk
xAK Hukuzyu Maru, Shell hits 7, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk

Allied Ships
CL Nashville
DD Napier
DD Nestor
DD Nizam
DD Norman

Japanese ground losses:
Vehicles lost 8 (5 destroyed, 3 disabled)



Allied Ships Reported to be Approaching!
Japanese TF suspends unloading operations and begins to get underway
Reduced sighting due to 7% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions and 7% moonlight: 2,000 yards
Combat ends with last Japanese ship sunk...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Kwajalein Island at 132,115

Japanese Ships
SSX Ha-20

Allied Ships
DMS Perry
DMS Zane
DMS Elliot
DMS Wasmuth
DMS Chandler
DMS Long


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Groot Natoena at 57,84

Japanese Ships
E Omae

Allied Ships
SS Searaven

More TF making for Singapore. I have a CL TF waiting for this TF to arrive in 2 to 3 days time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 201st(Sep) Infantry Regiment, at 136,48 (Onnekotan-jima)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 14 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G4M1 Betty x 22



No Japanese losses


Allied ground losses:
56 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled


Aircraft Attacking:
22 x G4M1 Betty bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 2 x 250 kg GP Bomb, 4 x 60 kg GP Bomb

Also attacking 47th Construction Regiment ...
Also attacking 201st(Sep) Infantry Regiment ...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kanhsien , at 81,57

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 47 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 6
Ki-30 Ann x 17



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kukong , at 79,57

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 9
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 14
Ki-51 Sonia x 21



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 8
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 34

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x Ki-51 Sonia bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 50 kg GP Bomb
14 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb

Lots of IJAAF action over China, as always.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kweilin , at 76,54

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 7
Ki-36 Ida x 16



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 6

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x Ki-36 Ida bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 30 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kiukiang , at 85,53

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 44 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 19



No Japanese losses



Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 6

Aircraft Attacking:
19 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 22nd/A Division, at 85,54 (Nanchang)

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-29A Hudson x 3
SB-III x 8


No Allied losses

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

Nice results from just 11 bombers.



Aircraft Attacking:
3 x A-29A Hudson bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb
4 x SB-III bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb
4 x SB-III bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kwajalein Island , at 132,115

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 28 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 6 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-20A Havoc x 12
A-29 Hudson x 6


Allied aircraft losses
A-20A Havoc: 8 damaged

Japanese Ships
SSX Ha-8, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk

Runway hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x A-20A Havoc bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb
6 x A-29 Hudson bombing from 9000 feet
Port Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Petropavlovsk at 141,48

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 39 NM, estimated altitude 7,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 16 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6
B5N2 Kate x 1



No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
xAKL Island Mail, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Damn, he has another CVE TF backstopping the TF he sent towards the Aleutians.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Bering Island at 146,49

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 38 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 16 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 17
B5N1 Kate x 8



Japanese aircraft losses
B5N1 Kate: 1 damaged

Allied Ships
APD Manley, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
APD Gregory, Bomb hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Langsa , at 46,74

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 22 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 16
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 24



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 1 damaged
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 damaged


Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x Ki-21-Ic Sally bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
24 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 15000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Also attacking 45th Indian Bde /1 ...
Also attacking Langsa ...
Also attacking 45th Indian Bde /1 ...
Also attacking Langsa ...
Also attacking 45th Indian Bde /1 ...
Also attacking Langsa ...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on 45th Indian Brigade, at 46,74 (Langsa)

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 18
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 33



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 3 damaged
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 1 damaged



Aircraft Attacking:
15 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
18 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
18 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Langsa , at 46,74

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 43 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-30 Ann x 25



No Japanese losses



Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
25 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 15000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Onnekotan-jima (136,48)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 19973 troops, 149 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 725

Defending force 6057 troops, 116 guns, 155 vehicles, Assault Value = 186

Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1

Japanese adjusted assault: 320

Allied adjusted defense: 493

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

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
734 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 123 disabled
Non Combat: 8 destroyed, 96 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 17 disabled


Allied ground losses:
640 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 72 disabled
Non Combat: 5 destroyed, 100 disabled
Engineers: 3 destroyed, 4 disabled
Vehicles lost 33 (2 destroyed, 31 disabled)

Heavy allied losses. I need to get supplies in there so I can build the forts back up.


Assaulting units:
64th Naval Guard Unit
62nd Naval Guard Unit
48th Engineer Regiment
Guards Mixed Brigade
65th Naval Guard Unit
63rd Naval Guard Unit
61st Infantry Group
67th Naval Guard Unit

Defending units:
201st(Sep) Infantry Regiment
161st Infantry Regiment
1st Marine Raider Battalion
1st/102nd Infantry Bn /1
111th USN Base Force /9
Bobcats USN Naval Construction Battalion
47th Construction Regiment
205th Field Artillery Battalion
42nd Construction Regiment
C Det USN Port Svc /1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Canton (77,59)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 20611 troops, 119 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 671

Defending force 17971 troops, 186 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 508



Assaulting units:
4th Chinese Corps
25th Chinese Corps
49th Chinese Corps

Defending units:
68th Ind.Infantry Battalion
Yokosuka 1st SNLF
20th RGC Division
1st Ind.Inf.Group
66th Infantry Regiment
Yokosuka 3rd SNLF
1st Sasebo SNLF Coy
31st Special Base Force
47th JAAF AF Bn
1st JAAF AF Coy
Canton Special Base Force
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
2nd JAAF AF Coy


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 86,42

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 24985 troops, 110 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 965

Defending force 30983 troops, 254 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 1101

Japanese ground losses:
9 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


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


Assaulting units:
15th Chinese Corps
9th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Corps
5th New Chinese Corps
27th Chinese Corps
43rd Chinese Corps
8th New Chinese Corps
14th Group Army
15th Group Army

Defending units:
35th Division
3rd Ind.Mixed Brigade
11th Division


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Nanchang (85,54)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 4705 troops, 43 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 506

Defending force 4002 troops, 38 guns, 18 vehicles, Assault Value = 142



Assaulting units:
46th Chinese Corps
78th Chinese Corps
16th Group Army
9th Group Army
Central Reserve
23rd Group Army

Defending units:
22nd/A Division

The raiding TF i used to cover the landings in northern Sumatra struck an IJN reinforcement TF my subs had spotted at Tandjoengbalai. Most of the troops had unloaded but a PB and 5 xAKs is nothing to sneeze at. best of all they got away scott free. They'll reload and refuel at Rangoon and then return to station ready to repeat the performance with the next reinforcement TF which makes for Tandjoengbalai.

Truly impressive torpedo performance -- that's the difference between RN and USN torpedoes in 1942. The failure to take Rangoon on schedule is having a cost to the Japanese war effort.

Should be sung to the tune of the Spam song by Monty Python

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 19, 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Onnekotan-jima at 136,48

Japanese Ships
SS I-7

Allied Ships
xAKL White Wing, Shell hits 40, heavy fires, heavy damage

Damn,
Cost of the current supply effort to Onnekotan: 4 ships.
Supplies Delivered: 0 tons.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub vs Sub: SS I-172 attacking SS KVIII at 51,94 - near Toboali

Japanese Ships
SS I-172

Allied Ships
SS KVIII, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

SS I-172 launches 4 torpedoes at 3,000 yards

Glug, glug.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Kwajalein Island at 132,115

Japanese Ships
SSX Ha-20

Allied Ships
AM Tern
AM Bobolink
AM Robin
AM Vireo
AM Grebe



SSX Ha-20 is sighted by escort
AM Bobolink fails to find sub and abandons search
AM Robin fails to find sub, continues to search...
AM Vireo fails to find sub, continues to search...
AM Grebe fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Peleliu at 90,98

Japanese Ships
CL Jintsu, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
xAKL Ryua Maru
xAKL Horei Maru
xAKL Fukuyama Maru

Allied Ships
SS Grampus

Interesting results here. He's lost two CL to subs over the past month as they are tied to escorting transport TFs. This has been forced on him by my surface raiding missions and is both forcing him to commit warships to escort missions instead of surface combat TFs AND it is costing him ships as these CLs are moving slowly with the AKs and make great targets for my subs.

SS Grampus launches 6 torpedoes at CL Jintsu
Escort abandons search for sub

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Singapore at 50,84

Japanese Ships
xAKL Genkai Maru
DD Yudachi

Allied Ships
SS Grayling



SS Grayling is sighted by escort
Grayling bottoming out ....
DD Yudachi fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Yudachi fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Yudachi fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Yudachi fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Yudachi fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion, at 46,74 (Langsa)

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 27 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 17



No Japanese losses



Aircraft Attacking:
17 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Talaud-eilanden at 79,97

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 48 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 10

KB showed up off Talaud.... Weather was terrible so they only caught two xAKs unloading the NZ 2nd Base Force. Those two ships were sunk and the BF took heavy casualties but, all in all, Manado will be buzzing with fighters tomorrow and it'll be a brave Japanese player who sends KB in there. The strike groups will get through and cause great damage but KB will be a spent force for 2 months after such a day.



Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 4


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed




Aircraft Attacking:
4 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 9000 feet
4 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 9000 feet

CAP engaged:
33rd PS (P) with P-40E Warhawk (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(4 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 29000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 4 minutes



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 61st PA Infantry Division, at 79,84 (Iloilo)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6



No Japanese losses



Aircraft Attacking:
6 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kanhsien , at 81,57

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 44 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 6
Ki-30 Ann x 17



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 3

Aircraft Attacking:
17 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 61st PA Infantry Division, at 79,84 (Iloilo)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 17 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 12



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 damaged


Allied ground losses:
78 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 10000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion, at 46,74 (Langsa)

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 42 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 20
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 23
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 27



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 3 damaged
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 7 damaged
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 3 damaged


Allied ground losses:
17 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled


Aircraft Attacking:
20 x Ki-21-Ic Sally bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
23 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
23 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb
4 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Langsa , at 46,74

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 33 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 24
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 15



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 damaged


Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 15000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb
24 x Ki-21-IIa Sally bombing from 15000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb

Also attacking 45th Indian Bde /1 ...
Also attacking Langsa ...
Also attacking 45th Indian Bde /1 ...
Also attacking Langsa ...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kiukiang , at 85,53

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 19



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
19 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 22nd/A Division, at 85,54 (Nanchang)

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 18 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-29A Hudson x 3
SB-III x 8


No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
13 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled



Aircraft Attacking:
3 x A-29A Hudson bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb
4 x SB-III bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb
4 x SB-III bombing from 6000 feet
Ground Attack: 6 x 100 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kwajalein Island , at 132,115

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-20A Havoc x 9


Allied aircraft losses
A-20A Havoc: 5 damaged



Airbase supply hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x A-20A Havoc bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kwajalein Island , at 132,115

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 24 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-20A Havoc x 3
A-29 Hudson x 6


No Allied losses



Runway hits 3
Port hits 3
Port fuel hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x A-29 Hudson bombing from 9000 feet
Port Attack: 4 x 250 lb GP Bomb
3 x A-20A Havoc bombing from 9000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 500 lb GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Langsa , at 46,74

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-30 Ann x 25



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 1

Aircraft Attacking:
25 x Ki-30 Ann bombing from 15000 feet
Airfield Attack: 1 x 250 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on TF, near Talaud-eilanden at 79,97

Weather in hex: Light cloud

Raid spotted at 28 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 10 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 15
D3A1 Val x 10



Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 1


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
xAK Michael Embiricos, Bomb hits 5, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Kutsang, Bomb hits 1, on fire


Allied ground losses:
88 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 9 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled


Aircraft Attacking:
10 x D3A1 Val bombing from 9000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
3 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 9000 feet

CAP engaged:
33rd PS (P) with P-40E Warhawk (1 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 29000
Raid is overhead

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAK Kutsang
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAK Michael Embiricos


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Kukong , at 79,57

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 9



No Japanese losses



Aircraft Attacking:
9 x Ki-27b Nate sweeping at 10000 feet



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Iloilo , at 79,84

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 47 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 6



No Japanese losses



Aircraft Attacking:
6 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Kukong , at 79,57

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-51 Sonia x 15



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 12

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x Ki-51 Sonia bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 50 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Kweilin , at 76,54

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 12 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 8
Ki-36 Ida x 12



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 1
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 12

Aircraft Attacking:
12 x Ki-36 Ida bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 30 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Iloilo , at 79,84

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 22 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 15



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 4

Aircraft Attacking:
15 x Ki-21-Ic Sally bombing from 15000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 250 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Talaud-eilanden at 79,97

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 31 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 49
D3A1 Val x 13



Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 4


Japanese aircraft losses
D3A1 Val: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-40E Warhawk: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
xAK Kutsang, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Michael Embiricos, heavy fires, heavy damage


Allied ground losses:
245 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 4 destroyed, 44 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Guns lost 3 (1 destroyed, 2 disabled)


Aircraft Attacking:
13 x D3A1 Val bombing from 9000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 250 kg SAP Bomb
4 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 9000 feet
5 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 9000 feet
11 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 9000 feet
8 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 9000 feet

CAP engaged:
33rd PS (P) with P-40E Warhawk (1 airborne, 3 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(1 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
1 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 29000 , scrambling fighters to 29000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 25 minutes

Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAK Kutsang
Heavy smoke from fires obscuring xAK Michael Embiricos


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Babeldaob at 90,97

Japanese Ships
DMS W-8
DD Tatsukaze
PB Hakata Maru #2

Allied Ships
SS KXV, hits 14, heavy fires, heavy damage

A hunter killer group gets lucky.



SS KXV is located by DMS W-8
KXV bottoming out ....
DD Tatsukaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tatsukaze attacking submerged sub ....
DD Tatsukaze fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Tatsukaze attacking submerged sub ....
DD Tatsukaze is out of ASW ammo
DD Tatsukaze is out of ASW ammo
SS KXV forced to surface!
PB Hakata Maru #2 firing on surfaced sub ....
DMS W-8 firing on surfaced sub ....
PB Hakata Maru #2 firing on surfaced sub ....
DMS W-8 firing on surfaced sub ....
PB Hakata Maru #2 firing on surfaced sub ....
DMS W-8 firing on surfaced sub ....
PB Hakata Maru #2 firing on surfaced sub ....
DMS W-8 firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Tatsukaze firing on surfaced sub ....
PB Hakata Maru #2 firing on surfaced sub ....
DMS W-8 firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Tatsukaze firing on surfaced sub ....
PB Hakata Maru #2 firing on surfaced sub ....
DMS W-8 firing on surfaced sub ....
DD Tatsukaze firing on surfaced sub ....
PB Hakata Maru #2 firing on surfaced sub ....
DMS W-8 firing on surfaced sub ....
Sub slips beneath the waves


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submarine attack near Semarang at 53,100

Japanese Ships
SS I-164

Allied Ships
TK Ferncastle, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires

Well, he's found my new convoy routes. Time to change them again.



TK Ferncastle is sighted by SS I-164
SS I-164 launches 4 torpedoes at TK Ferncastle


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Manado at 75,99

Japanese Ships
SS I-168, hits 2

One of these hits was a penetrating hit which caused major flooding and engine damage. Fingers crossed it sinks.

Allied Ships
xAK Jalapalaka
xAK Barpeta
AM Whippoorwill



SS I-168 is sighted by escort
I-168 bottoming out ....
AM Whippoorwill attacking submerged sub ....
AM Whippoorwill cannot establish contact with SS I-168
AM Whippoorwill cannot establish contact with SS I-168
AM Whippoorwill loses contact with SS I-168
AM Whippoorwill fails to find sub, continues to search...
AM Whippoorwill fails to find sub, continues to search...
AM Whippoorwill attacking submerged sub ....
SS I-168 eludes AM Whippoorwill by hugging bottom
SS I-168 eludes AM Whippoorwill by hugging bottom
AM Whippoorwill cannot establish contact with SS I-168
AM Whippoorwill cannot reach attack position over SS I-168
AM Whippoorwill fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Canton (77,59)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 20606 troops, 119 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 671

Defending force 17963 troops, 186 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 506


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


Assaulting units:
4th Chinese Corps
25th Chinese Corps
49th Chinese Corps

Defending units:
Yokosuka 1st SNLF
66th Infantry Regiment
68th Ind.Infantry Battalion
20th RGC Division
1st Ind.Inf.Group
Yokosuka 3rd SNLF
1st Sasebo SNLF Coy
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
Canton Special Base Force
31st Special Base Force
47th JAAF AF Bn
1st JAAF AF Coy
2nd JAAF AF Coy


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 86,42

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 24992 troops, 110 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 966

Defending force 30987 troops, 254 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 1101


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


Assaulting units:
9th Chinese Corps
27th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Corps
5th New Chinese Corps
15th Chinese Corps
43rd Chinese Corps
8th New Chinese Corps
14th Group Army
15th Group Army

Defending units:
3rd Ind.Mixed Brigade
35th Division
11th Division


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Nanchang (85,54)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 13539 troops, 81 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 513

Defending force 4007 troops, 38 guns, 18 vehicles, Assault Value = 142

Allied adjusted assault: 367

Japanese adjusted defense: 46

Allied assault odds: 7 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
1102 casualties reported
Squads: 37 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 38 destroyed, 18 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Just pushing another third of an IJA division back.

Allied ground losses:
167 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
46th Chinese Corps
78th Chinese Corps
16th Group Army
Central Reserve
9th Group Army
23rd Group Army

Defending units:
22nd/A Division


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 85,52

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 20022 troops, 76 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 837

Defending force 2879 troops, 48 guns, 8 vehicles, Assault Value = 61

Allied adjusted assault: 446

Japanese adjusted defense: 87

Allied assault odds: 5 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
1184 casualties reported
Squads: 54 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 67 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Vehicles lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3

The long arm of the Changsha envelopment continues to push onto the port linking the northern and southern Chinese fronts. Once that's taken I'll have finally gotten good lateral LOCs along the front which will allow me rapid shifting of forces and give ME useful interior lines as opposed to the mirage of interior lines China has at the beginning of the war which are so poor in quality that, functionally, Japan can shift forces more rapidly.


Allied ground losses:
408 casualties reported
Squads: 2 destroyed, 42 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
99th Chinese Corps
100th Chinese Corps

Defending units:
Kyuko Naval Guard Unit
22nd/B Division
17th JAAF Base Force

Ground combat at 86,42

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 24992 troops, 110 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 966

Defending force 30987 troops, 254 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 1101


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


Assaulting units:
9th Chinese Corps
27th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Corps
5th New Chinese Corps
15th Chinese Corps
43rd Chinese Corps
8th New Chinese Corps
14th Group Army
15th Group Army

Defending units:
3rd Ind.Mixed Brigade
35th Division
11th Division

Am I reading this wrong, or should you have had more active troops? Well, in spite of the low results, I imagine this attack gave some useful experience to your units.

No Harlock, you're reading it right. Basically quite a few of those Corps are 50 to 60 AV units. When he first attacked his arty butchered a few Corps. I have three reasonably-sized Corps and then 3 or 4 40 to 60 AV Corps holding this path. It looks more impressive than it is but it is enough to hold 1,000 AV of IJA troops in wooded terrain. The bombardments are being done to bring my experience up to IJA levels. I have another 120,000 tons of supply in Rangoon ready to bring into the theatre and have 40,000 tons in Sian so supplies, for once, aren't a problem in the northern sector of China.

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Apr 20, 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Singapore at 50,84, Range 2,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
PB Kohuku Maru, Shell hits 22, and is sunk
xAK Keisho Maru, Shell hits 20, and is sunk
xAK Matsukawa Maru, Shell hits 3, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
xAK Hokuzyu Maru, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk

I'm using my sub concentrations around Singkawang and Singapore to search for IJN TFs making for Singkawang and Singapore so that I can plot their speed and distance to port and intercept them on the phase they arrive - thus allowing me to sink them before they unload. Unfortunately I mis-timed this and missed a DD-escorted convoy yesterday. I got it right tonight though but I think the xAKs were empty after having delivered troops to northern Sumatra.

It doesn't really matter though, another 4 IJN ships destroyed at almost no cost to Allied shipping. The system damage is creeping up though so I'll rotate this CL TF with the DDs and CLs which have just finished refitting in Soerabaja and Colombo.

Fortunately the river into Palembang doesn't allow access to IJN CAs so if Mike wants me he'll have to send CLs and his CLs are taking a significant beating, as are his DDs so I don't think he will be willing to lose the 12 to 20 CLs and DDs which eliminating this TF would require.

Allied Ships
CL Enterprise
CL Emerald, Shell hits 1
CL Ceres
CL Caledon
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Fortune, Shell hits 1
DD Griffin
DD Hotspur



Allied Ships Reported to be Approaching!
Japanese TF suspends unloading operations and begins to get underway
Reduced sighting due to 25% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions and 25% moonlight: 2,000 yards
Range closes to 11,000 yards...
Range closes to 10,000 yards...
Range closes to 9,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
Range closes to 7,000 yards...
Range closes to 6,000 yards...
Range closes to 5,000 yards...
Range closes to 4,000 yards...
Range closes to 3,000 yards...
Range closes to 2,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 2,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 2,000 yards


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Peleliu at 90,98

Japanese Ships
xAK Unkai Maru #6
xAKL Horei Maru
xAKL Nanka Maru

Allied Ships
SS Grayback


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASW attack near Tandjoengpinang at 50,85

Japanese Ships
SS I-169

Allied Ships
CL Enterprise
CL Emerald
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Hotspur
DD Griffin



SS I-169 launches 4 torpedoes at CL Enterprise
DD Hotspur fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Griffin fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub

It looks like Mike is trying the same thing, kill my CLs as they transit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Manado , at 75,99

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 45 NM, estimated altitude 20,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 14 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 24



Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 10
F2A-3 Buffalo x 9
F4F-3A Wildcat x 5
F4F-3 Wildcat x 8


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed

It looks even but 21 of the Zeroes were damaged in combat so at least 5 or 6 of them should fail to return to base. Overall I expect I'll lose 3 planes and he'll lose 8 to 9 Zeroes, including ops losses.

I think KB was supposed to follow up this strike but the weather was bad and so it didn't launch.



Aircraft Attacking:
2 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet *



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Manado , at 75,99

Weather in hex: Overcast

Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3



Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 2
F2A-3 Buffalo x 6
F4F-3A Wildcat x 1
F4F-3 Wildcat x 3


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kukong , at 79,57

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-27b Nate x 9
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 14
Ki-51 Sonia x 21



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 7
Runway hits 31

Aircraft Attacking:
21 x Ki-51 Sonia bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 50 kg GP Bomb
14 x Ki-48-Ib Lily bombing from 10000 feet
Airfield Attack: 4 x 100 kg GP Bomb



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on I Aus Corps Engineer Battalion, at 44,70 (Sabang)

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 48 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 16 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 20
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 23



Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 8


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-Ic Sally: 4 destroyed, 5 damaged
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 destroyed, 7 damaged

A bad day for the IJAAF. Tomorrow Sabang will be swept by fighters though and that will put the cat among the pidgeons.



Allied ground losses:
32 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kiukiang , at 85,53

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 43 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 19



No Japanese losses



Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 12

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Sian , at 83,41

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 12
Ki-27b Nate x 9



Allied aircraft
I-16-III x 2
I-15-III x 3
Hawk 75M x 1

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Sian , at 83,41

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid spotted at 19 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 7



Allied aircraft
I-16-III x 1
I-15-III x 3


Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-48-Ib Lily: 1 destroyed, 4 damaged

Now that he's found the Chinese fighter groups he'll sweep to kill them. Time to pull back now that the easy kills are gone.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on 102nd Infantry Regiment, at 81,59

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 11 NM, estimated altitude 9,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-29A Hudson x 3
SB-III x 8


No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
41 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Prepping for the river crossing later today... Note the heavy casualties inflicted by the bombers. My Chinese bombers have lost almost no planes to FlAK or A2A combat and so are mostly above 70 ground attack experience. They've flown more ground attack sorties than any other Allied bomber type.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kwajalein Island , at 132,115

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-20A Havoc x 9


Allied aircraft losses
A-20A Havoc: 9 damaged



Runway hits 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Kwajalein Island , at 132,115

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 21 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes


Allied aircraft
A-20A Havoc x 3
A-29 Hudson x 6


Allied aircraft losses
A-29 Hudson: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
SSX Ha-25, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage

Runway hits 5

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Langsa , at 46,74

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 30 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 24



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 damaged


Allied ground losses:
6 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 4


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Langsa , at 46,74

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-30 Ann x 25



No Japanese losses



Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Iloilo , at 79,84

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 10 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 9



No Japanese losses



Aircraft Attacking:
9 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on 3rd PI Base Force, at 78,84 (San Jose)

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 19,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8



No Japanese losses



Aircraft Attacking:
8 x A6M2 Zero sweeping at 15000 feet



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on 3rd PI Base Force, at 78,84 (San Jose)

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 26 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 11



Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 2 damaged





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Iloilo , at 79,84

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-21-Ic Sally x 15



No Japanese losses



Runway hits 1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at Canton (77,59)

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 20604 troops, 119 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 671

Defending force 17991 troops, 186 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 508



Assaulting units:
25th Chinese Corps
4th Chinese Corps
49th Chinese Corps

Defending units:
68th Ind.Infantry Battalion
66th Infantry Regiment
Yokosuka 3rd SNLF
1st Ind.Inf.Group
Yokosuka 1st SNLF
20th RGC Division
1st Sasebo SNLF Coy
Canton Special Base Force
1st JAAF AF Coy
31st Special Base Force
20th Ind. Mtn Gun Battalion
47th JAAF AF Bn
2nd JAAF AF Coy

Interestingly apart from the 10th Garrison division it looks like an IJA normal infantry division ( the 21st ) is also making for Canton. That is two divisions from his reserve diverted into this sideshow. Excellent work.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 86,42

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 25016 troops, 110 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 970

Defending force 30983 troops, 254 guns, 32 vehicles, Assault Value = 1101



Assaulting units:
15th Chinese Corps
9th Chinese Corps
27th Chinese Corps
93rd Chinese Corps
43rd Chinese Corps
5th New Chinese Corps
8th New Chinese Corps
14th Group Army
15th Group Army

Defending units:
35th Division
3rd Ind.Mixed Brigade
11th Division


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 81,59

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 8260 troops, 37 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 299

Defending force 1523 troops, 34 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 36

Allied adjusted assault: 336

Japanese adjusted defense: 21

Allied assault odds: 16 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
722 casualties reported
Squads: 14 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 23 destroyed, 6 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1


Allied ground losses:
211 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 12 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
73rd Chinese Corps

Defending units:
102nd Infantry Regiment

|The river crossing went well. The 102nd Infantry Regiment pretty much ceases to exist as a militarily-capable force. Now time to fully isolate Changsha and to begin shifting my dive and torpedo-bomber groups into southern sumatra in preparation for the Singapore raid. It should be about 5 or 6 days away.

Recently there's been quite a bit of discussion about various Allied strategies on the forum. I've engaged in a couple of the discussions but, honestly, the reality is that in life most people are satisfied once they have an explanation which exonerates them from responsibility. Whether that be due to the game hating them, their opponent being ueber-awesome or some supernatural entity/deity making the crops fail --- Note to self, sacrifice more virgins next year so the rains come.

In any case I've been interested recently to see various people anchor the discussion of strategy with various assumptions both explicit and implicit and I've also been thinking of the hermeneutics of the situation - Yes, you've guessed it. I'm on call to the ER for 72 hrs straight and I'm a bit bored - which is good because it means no-one is currently psychotic or trying to kill themselves - and desperately trying to avoid having to look at statistics for my research * shudder*.


So, for those of you who aren't aware of hermeneutics it is the concept that communication is a process of interpretation and that words have meaning only because we ascribe them meaning. When you listen to a foreign language which you don't know it is simply a collection of sounds, just as English ( to choose an example ) is simply a collection of sounds which ONLY have meaning because those who "speak" English have all agreed that those sounds have meaning. The smallest conglomeration of sound to which we ascribe a meaning is called a phoneme and words are made up of a series of phonemes which are joined together to create a unique-sounding collection of phonemes which everyone ascribes a meaning to. We call this collection of phonemes a word and in the truest sense of the word words have NO meaning beyond that which we, humans, agree them to have.

E.g. The word "automobile" has no objective uniqueness which associates it with a car. It could refer to anything if we all agreed that its meaning would change. So, words have meaning because we agree on their meaning. Without our agreement these collections of phonemes have no meaning. If we went back in time we could decide that the first time we saw a plane we'd not call it a plane but call it a "zoomer".

There are some caveats to do with compound words - which are very common in agglutinative languages like Germand and to a lesser extent in English "aero-plane", "auto-mobile", "sub-machine-gun" etc.

Ok, so those are the basic terms.... It gets a little more complicated when we realise that combining hermeneutics with neuro-linguistic programming ( and not in the "How to pick up any woman in 10 minutes" books which claim to channel NLP to make you irresistible to the opposite sex ( or same sex, or both if that's your thing ) sense but in the proper, psychologically researched sense of the term ) means that collections of sounds have meaning because we agree them to have meaning and that agreement on meaning comes with all manner of other, inter-related, implications ( this can be seen when we have to translate from one language into another and can get a literal translation but are told, by the translator - or have to tell others if we're translating - that the literal translation doesn't capture the entirety of what was said because a certain word carries various other connotations in the foreign language.... said connotations arising not out of the phonemes or their arrangement but out of the cultural context of the foreign country/culture etc and thus being unknowable unless that cultural context is explained to you.

That's a gross ( in the proper sense of the word not the "ooh it is yucky" sense ) example but it serves to illustrate the point. Now, unbeknownst to us all words have similar, often subconscious, connotations. Most of the time these connotations have to do with values, setting a context and/or conveying an emotional attitude.

E.g. In Ireland to call someone an informer would be one of the worst things you could ever call someone. Even the police when they refer to informers in their employ tend not to use the term. Why not? Simple, most Irish uprisings in the timeframe 1400 to 1916 were destroyed by informers who infiltrated the organisations and undermined them. So, in Ireland, saying someone "informed" on someone else carries a huge weight of emotional information conveying disapproval of the person doing the "informing" and a very real sense that they should NOT have done so.

Saying someone "passed on information", however, carries with it the sense that they didn't betray people and that what they passed on was appropriate and right. It is the phrase which is often used officially since it doesn't have the unfavourable subconscious connotations.


All cultures have similar words, phrases etc which we often don't even think about and those words/phrases influence how we interpret things ( the hermeneutics of the situation ). That's words and phrases taken care of.... Now we move on to interpretation and subconscious anchoring of entire discussions.

It is possible through the selection of words to impart the exact same information yet create entirely different emotional responses in the readers and it is possible to predict this pretty accuracetly if you've got a homogenous audience drawn from a single culture ( either born there or assimilated ) and you know the triggers for that culture. Phrasing and word selection creates subconscious associations and also anchors the discussion at a certain point and towards a certain goal. E.g. When asked "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" It is very difficult to begin having a discussion about what a good relationship you and your wife have. The question anchored the discussion in the territory of either, yes, you still beat her or, no, you used to but don't anymore. Either way the subconscious anchoring among listeners even before you answer is to view you as a piece of slime who is capable of serious violence and who, if he denies the question entirely, is probably lying.


So, now on to the discussion of players, their ability and how that impacts on strategy with reference to hermeneutics, a little NLP and hermeneutics... which was why I had to do the above setup since these may not be things everyone is familiar with.


Ah, unfortunately the drought of psychotic and suicidal patients has ended. Time to go for a bit....

Nemo,

the above is a promising start. Looking forward to be able to read on to see where you are going and object [8D].

Hartwig

Nemo,

well, it looks like the drought has been replaced by a flood, so let me try to move this a bit further.

First of all, I would rather prefer to isolate any discussion on strategy (which is determined by your national goal) from the opponent (who does not really influence your national goal). IMHO the underlying strategic principles are determined by objective parameters and quite independent of the opponent in a game like AE. Proper application of basic principles shall give you appropriate results.

This is not to say work on the opponent is not an important parameter in a successful campaign – personally, I am convinced that the AI would do much better in most games if it would send the turns back as e-mail attachments of e-mails comprising a few short taunting lines that are based on a rough evaluation of major combat events (e.g. “that B17-attack must have hurt” if you just found out that your B17 force on naval attack took it on the chin without return, which a simple analysis of the combat report could show).

Hermeneutics is a way to assess your opponent (or why people are discussing "strategy" in the way they do), not strategy. And to be fair, I think one should not just put Hermeneutics alone in the middle of the ring, but also less modern (en vogue ?) concepts like cognitivism or behaviorism.

I’m sure you use elements of both in your own work with your opponent, e.g. the viewpoints “ My opponent’s mind is an information processor in a black box which should be opened and understood, so I’ll look for patterns (good old GOMS e.g., - goals, operators methods and selection rules is what is behind this acronym) and modification of patterns (aka learning) and make use of them by feeding him suitably adapted input variables” or “My opponent will be responsive to environmental stimuli, punishments and rewards, so I’ll provide such stimuli in game (sacrificing an old BB or two to create a stimulus acting in my favor) and outside of the game (“great play at XYZ” or “had to think a lot about situation at ZYX” in a comment e-mail if I think this represents an avenue which I would like my opponent to walk)”. Which of the various approaches provides the most useful output is a function of what and how you pose your question.

As a matter of fact, I think your starting point may even hint towards that what you are really planning to do here is sort of related to a –eventually double layered- application of Weiner’s attribution theory, which I would probably place more in the cognivite context. But hey, I'm an amateur, you are the professional.

Briefly, according to attribution theory you observe behavior, you determine said behavior to be intentional and you attribute the behavior to internal and external causes. This is in a way what happens in an AAR. Specifically, the assignment of internal and external causes that can be observed is very “attributional”. Successful Op by my opponent = external locus of control (luck). Failed op by myself = external locus of control (situational factor working against me). Failed op by my opponent = internal locus of control (his gameplay is not up to par). Successful op by me = internal locus of control (my supreme skills).

Now, you seem to switch to a meta layer and observe the behavior of the participants, determine the behavior to be intentional and attribute the behavior to internal and external causes in order to analyze the achievements of contributions made.

Well, the floor shall be yours again, I’ll end my interlude and give you a chance to elaborate what you really intended to say. This post is a bit hasty, but your choice of topic was just too tempting…

Oh, and have I stopped beating my wife? No, her chess skills have not improved sufficiently yet. Anchor is aweigh.

In most situations context is not predetermined, but can be influenced, at least as long as one doesn’t get caught in the feeling how embarrassing the situation one is in is but keeps thinking.

Hartwig

ORIGINAL: hartwig.modrow
and outside of the game (“great play at XYZ” or “had to think a lot about situation at ZYX” in a comment e-mail if I think this represents an avenue which I would like my opponent to walk)”.

Yes but is that ethical? So long as both parties understand that the email communication is "banter" then yes, but if your opponent thinks you are providing honest insight then maybe not. It is an avenue that can bring advantage but only if your opponent is unaware of the rules you are using. Besides if your opponent realises your duplicity then you may be the one losing out. Mind games, what fun.

Sorry for the derail Nemo. Great AAR and insight into the game.

Busy indeed, one newly diagnosed violent schizophrenic, a woman who tried to kill herself after realising the man she loves really ISN'T going to leave his new partner and 8 month old child to return to her, a very strange man who wanted a genital examination and sexually assaulted the doctor who tried to give it to him in good faith, a nice Hindu girl who had her Muslim boyfriend break up with her but cannot tell her parents why she is so sad since they'd never approve of interfaith dating, a young guy so high on drugs he punched one of my nurses in the face in between being held down by five security guards ( he'll be going to court for that ), a young guy who was so drunk that the ER doctor thought he was psychotic, he's not, he's just an alcoholic and a drunk middle-aged woman who decided tonight was the night to open her veins and assault the staff trying to help her. All sorted now though, one way or the other. Back to more relaxing topics.


Context is what you accept it to be.... What you accept it to be is a mix between your society's viewpoint and the extent to which you adhere to that viewpoint. Eating the dead is, in western society viewed as abhorrent but in the case of being shipwrecked at sea with no other food sources society can have allowances be made where such cannibalism allows survival, in certain tribes it is a means of gaining the strength of the dead and in Papua New Guinea it was a symbolic way of incorporating the dead into following generations - and coincidentally providing the first testbed for the transmission of prions which now cause such trouble via CJD.

Context, which we often take to be immutable is actually a social construct and, as such, responsive to the social mores of the time and situation. Social mores are not fixed and change slowly over time or rapidly with extreme circumstances.... Also there are individuals to which social mores do not apply. Some are relatively socially unacceptable - sociopaths whilst others are more socially acceptable and merely an extreme part of the social spectrum in which they view themselves as being in the middle of a group which exists along one aspect of the social spectrum trading their belonging to a large group for a sense of belonging to a more circumscribed group which exists along a smaller, more extreme portion of the spectrum.
E.g. Emos, nihilists, hedonists etc.

So, reject society's assertion that wife-beating is bad and the question above may not engender any sense of shame in one. It should, however, activate a sense of self-preservation as with intelligence one would realise that society frowns on those who do so it is better not to admit it anymore. That sense of self-preservation and awareness of social norms is how sociopaths can swim through the shoals of society, appearing superficially charming whilst ignoring social constructs and mores. If they internalise a strong external moral code they are useful to society and can fill reasonable positions in business, law enforcement, the army etc. Otherwise they can become marginalised, thrown back on their own morality - which is pretty non-existent and begin doing whatever it is they find pleases them ( which can lead to actions abhorrent to the rest of society ).

Well, 4am, time for bed. I'll finish the original post tomorrow.

Busy indeed, one newly diagnosed violent schizophrenic, a woman who tried to kill herself after realising the man she loves really ISN'T going to leave his new partner and 8 month old child to return to her, a very strange man who wanted a genital examination and sexually assaulted the doctor who tried to give it to him in good faith, a nice Hindu girl who had her Muslim boyfriend break up with her but cannot tell her parents why she is so sad since they'd never approve of interfaith dating, a young guy so high on drugs he punched one of my nurses in the face in between being held down by five security guards ( he'll be going to court for that ), a young guy who was so drunk that the ER doctor thought he was psychotic, he's not, he's just an alcoholic and a drunk middle-aged woman who decided tonight was the night to open her veins and assault the staff trying to help her. All sorted now though, one way or the other. Back to more relaxing topics.

I ran a day treatment for over 5 years with schizophrenic adults. They would be fine that day and that night I would be at the ER to see them totally de-compensated. They would not know who I was and talking some stuff that would make the best Hollywood writers grab for a pen and paper as their thoughts would be so strange. Too many of the ER doctors I have to deal with want nothing to do with any patients with any sort of mental health issues. Sad, but true.

ORIGINAL: ny59giants
I ran a day treatment for over 5 years with schizophrenic adults. They would be fine that day and that night I would be at the ER to see them totally de-compensated. They would not know who I was and talking some stuff that would make the best Hollywood writers grab for a pen and paper as their thoughts would be so strange. Too many of the ER doctors I have to deal with want nothing to do with any patients with any sort of mental health issues. Sad, but true.

Patient with both mental health issues and body health issues are victims, and even if many people tend to avoid them, they should be helped and should be apologized if the need arise. Their life seems to be like a nightmare (more or less).
And even more if these patients are closely related too you.
Sorry to highjack this AAR ...going back to silence [:o]

Gladiatt, hijack away....

In my experience people with mental illness are not just like us they ARE us. We all have the potential to have mental illness at some point in our lives. People with mental illness aren't mad or crazy, they just have a non-physical injury.

As to schizophrenics... I know many whose symptoms are well-controlled with medications and have families, jobs and satisfying lives. Some remain ill, often when there's a very high genetic load or they imbibe alcohol or drugs or are non-compliant with the meds. I have known some to be violent BUT proportionally speaking people who drink or have done drugs are many, many times more likely to be violent to my nurses or myself. I've had several attacks on staff and not a single one was ever perpetrated by a schizophrenic. Most of the staff I've had attacked when I was working were attacked by alcoholics or people coming down from cocaine or benzodiazepines.

People seem to have the idea that a schizophrenic can "flip" at a moment's notice and that simply isn't the case from what I can see. I think that almost invariably all anyone wants is to be listened to and heard ( those are two separate things ). I've found that when I meet them and tell them that I'll listen and hear but reserve the right to disagree the vast majority of the time people open up, talk and are appreciative of the sensation of having their opinions and thoughts listened to - even if, in the end, I disagree with their interpretation of events/ their paranoia etc.

When a schizophrenic suddenly "flips" it is, in my experience, actually the result of a long process of becoming gradually more unwell but it not being noticed by those around them. With sensitive enough antennae I think any such deterioration can be spotted. Unfortunately often society has very little contact with these people and so signs are missed or doctors are too busy to sit down and chat with them for an hour or two and really get to know what makes them tick so they can spot the subtle precursors. When I worked in ER in a different life there was a competition to see who could get rid of the psych patient quicker than anyone else. If that were run with surgical patients people would be struck off. That's indicative of the attitude some have. To be fair though it is changing and I find that engaging with the ER staff and explaining why their assessment was right or wrong and taking the time to congratulate them for an appropriate referral and not saying anything about slightly inappropriate ones ( since I don't want to dissuade them from engaging with me in my "teaching ER docs a bit of psych 101" ) tends to yield results. Over the months that they work in ER you see them gradually getting a bit more competent, getting a bit more sympathetic to real psych issues and beginning to treat them as more than "something to be referred on ASAP without any appropriate investigations etc etc".


As to apologising for them... It depends on the reason for the issue. I had a sub-18 year old who assaulted a nurse yesterday cause he was high on herbal cocaine and a few other illegal things. He is going to be charged with assault because taking drugs and becoming unwell is pretty much the same as drink driving. He was responsible for taking the substance which caused the impairment and thus bears the consequences. When people are actually really unwell and haven't taken drink or drugs to bring on that altered state then, obviously, allowances must be made.


As to patients being closely related.... I state again, WE are them, or at least have the potential to be them if the die fall the wrong way.


As to their life being like a nightmare.... I'm not so sure about that. Some people who do everything right ( no drink, no drugs etc ) are still very treatment resistant but most people with mental health issues can, with the appropriate care and a good relationship with their doctor, do very well indeed and live pretty normal lives in much the same way as someone with hypertension can live a normal life so long as they take their meds and don't eat too much salt etc etc.


We need to get away from the bedlam idea of psychiatry and realise that most people with mental health issues, even schizophrenia have the potential to live lives which are, to them, fulfilling and happy. They may need a bit of help to do that but that's ok. I don't think things are as bleak as the public perception appears to be.

ORIGINAL: PresterJohn

Yes but is that ethical? So long as both parties understand that the email communication is "banter" then yes, but if your opponent thinks you are providing honest insight then maybe not. It is an avenue that can bring advantage but only if your opponent is unaware of the rules you are using. Besides if your opponent realises your duplicity then you may be the one losing out. Mind games, what fun.

Sorry for the derail Nemo. Great AAR and insight into the game.

PresterJohn,
Is that ethical - now that’s an anchor point for a discussion.

Let’s start by saying that at least in Germany a considerable number of people would say playing a wargame is unethical to start with. Later in this post we will see why this is the case.

Next, I’d like to point out that what you seem to think may not be ethical is being done (see previous discussions in this great AAR, where I think it has been applied and its application was discussed) and that I would very much like to contribute to an awareness that it is being done and foster thoughts about how it may be done. Let me quote our host, who (correct me if I’m wrong) stated repeatedly in other AARs “Why, always ask yourself why.” That is not limited to on-map events.

Let’s continue by thinking a bit about the (cognitivist and behavioralist) examples/approaches I presented. If there was not something that could be interpreted as a success or a complicated situation, clearly the comment would not work. There is no false information that is provided – so the simple “he’s lying” won’t stick. A “he lies” situation might emerge only if you believe assume that a) you are obliged to inform your opponent truthfully about your own plans, actions and force dispositions if he happens to ask (which I deny) or b) if there is an agreement to share insight into game mechanics (where in most cases a wrong answer is easily identified if your own handling differs from it, so it simply does not make much sense to do that). If you ask the question “are you reinforcing Singapore or evacuating” you are not really entitled to a true answer IMHO. What is done is influencing the interpretation of information, modifying the filters – work on understanding the “Orient” part of your opponent’s OODA loop.

In contrast, you do lie if playing Japan you set a unit to prep for a target that you never intend to attack, hoping for Allied intel to pass it on, or if you pile a ton of tiny fragment units on a base to obtain a deterrent read for cursor intel, or... Heck, the next unethical thing you are going to do is build a camp of rubber soldiers near Dover or parade the same tanks several times through the streets of Tripolis to convey false information!

All of the above is intentional misrepresentation or concealment of information in order to deceive or mislead – or, in other words plain simple fraud – and that cannot possibly constitute good gameplay – or can it in view of the fact that in reality deceptions like these are considered to represent great examples of military craftsmanship and form a cornerstone of successful military operations?

In my opinion, this AAR is one of numerous examples provided by Nemo for quite different games that application of what works in real life will work in the game: a sound strategic approach and application of OODA-loop theory.

This is exactly the reasons why some people believe wargames to be unethical – you practice (and reward by “victory”) methods that are out of bounds unless it is war. Problem is of course that this is not limited to wargames in the strict sense.

Do you play chess ? Would it be a sign of good play offering your opponent to take your Queen, knowing that if he does three moves later you can checkmate him? If you would present him with a business opportunity, knowing full well that if he accepts this, he will be bankrupt in three years, this may constitute fraud – highly unethical.

In general, the thing you need to do in order to win a competition against an opponent is make your own OODA loop work faster than your opponent’s and preferably cause your opponent’s OODA loop to collapse –which, as was pointed out it this great AAR, has happened in Nemo’s opinion. If you accept that, then you immediately arrive at the fact that you are in fact playing a mind game. Quoting John Boyd:

“In order to win, we should operate at a faster tempo or rhythm than our adversaries--or, better yet, get inside [the] adversary's Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action time cycle or loop. ... Such activity will make us appear ambiguous (unpredictable) thereby generate confusion and disorder among our adversaries--since our adversaries will be unable to generate mental images or pictures that agree with the menacing as well as faster transient rhythm or patterns they are competing against.”

So, the question is whether it is unethical to apply these real life principles how to win in a game and sportsmenship would require limitation to a comparison of the frequencies of the OODA loops while not getting inside it. If it is, as soon as you start making deceptive moves on the map you start being unethical, as you start messing with the “Observation”.

As always, just my thoughts.

Hartwig

I'm going to ask my university if this can be taken as a degree xDDDDD.

 Nice questions I see here !!!!

I can no more wrap my head around this discussion than I can fathom how Nemo is holding - and invading out FROM - the DEI in early 1942 in Scenario Two.