Spanking Lowpe (NJP72 vs Lowpe (A))

[Lowpe]

Well, I was too high with my escorts, not enough close escorts....and as such the IJ lrcap penetrates, especially the Franks, and savages our bombers...

a.jpg (437.09 KiB) Viewed 727 times

So, we got two penetrating hits on a light cruiser with Helldiver dropped bombs....

[Lowpe]

Country Code 47?

I have damaged 7 heavy industry in Hong Kong, and I have 14 strategic VP....so I am guessing that the points come from here.

a.jpg (16.8 KiB) Viewed 690 times

[Lowpe]

Jan 17, 1944

Our 100 prep division for Ningpo is at Foochow....assault shipping present. Load, assemble, and move we could invade in 3 to 4 days. While the IJN destroyers are heading for Luzon resupply.

Is it worth the risk though? 1500 AV will be at Chuisen in 2 days....

a.jpg (538.65 KiB) Viewed 688 times

Our first strategic bombing off Japan last night...will move night bombing to manpower only.

Night Air attack on Kagoshima , at 102,60

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 24 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Allied aircraft
Liberator B.III x 6

No Allied losses

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x Liberator B.III bombing from 8000 feet
City Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

[Lowpe]

This last turn was a little disappointing...hoping for some destroyer action....but we missed.

Assembling the fleets for a possible landing down the Chinese Coast...

Heavy Bombers to hit Hong Kong's manpower. Now the bombers are organized to the proper headquarters. Other heavy bombers striking deep in China at random airfields, looking to cause damage hit supplies, and stretch Japan's fighters.

Looking to cut off southern Luzon, forcing Japan to resupply thru Mauban only which will get air dropped mines and visits from planes striking the port. Subs getting into place....plus a strike just short of Mauban, and plenty of sweeps over the bases looking for LRCAP since Japan didn't build up the runways and none exist. I have never seen air dropped mines ever work....but we are dropping them at night in somewhat constricted waters.

[Lowpe]

Jan 18, 1944

Night strafing fighter bombers hit the small size one port...and find a ship disbanded there

a.jpg (171.27 KiB) Viewed 640 times

[Lowpe]

Dropping some mines...Avengers are air dropping from another runway

a.jpg (366.38 KiB) Viewed 639 times

[Lowpe]

Final air attack on Hong Kong:

Night Air attack on Hong Kong , at 77,61

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 23 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Allied aircraft
B-24J Liberator x 4

Allied aircraft losses
B-24J Liberator: 1 damaged

Manpower hits 7
Fires 9194

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-24J Liberator bombing from 9000 feet
City Attack: 10 x 500 lb GP Bomb

22 planes went in, for 22 hits with 500#ers.

Flying at 11k no damage from flak, flying at 9k some damaged planes and more hits.

The goal is to create a firestorm....not sure that is possible in Hong Kong as the manpower is 7 I think. But it seems to me to get fires up into the hundred of thousands, you need a holistic total approach. Some night bombing, day bombing, perhaps using planes with larger bombs, naval bombardments, really anything that will generate a fire and then keep at it. Local weather should not include rain. Maybe high moonlight, lots of bomb radars and great detection levels. The bombers need support and supply and HQ coordination.

Perhaps using the deathstar to deliver a precision raid...so that is either 9k or 16K altitude for level bombing with dive bombers.

Also, I wonder what is the best way to suppress AAA effectiveness. Strafing is not an option...naval bombardments were possible might work. I don't think morale on the AAA unit itself is used...so you need to disable the gun or run it out of supply.

I would like to try to stagger the bombing runs at different altitudes....which means multiple HQa. I have a feeling that might be effective.

I have been told by Jocke, old time AFB poster, you need manpower over 10, and flying at 10k seems to net good results during the day. Too low and at built up bases those 4Es run into balloons.

I think you need firestorms to get the highly coveted destroyed VPs....can an already damaged industry be destroyed? I need to figure that out since I want to destroy...


Hong Kong on Jan 2, 1944....subsequently damaged 7 HI.

a.jpg (109.35 KiB) Viewed 622 times

[Lowpe]

Disappointing attack here, our early naval bombardment missed the enemy troops (seems to happen a lot to me this game). I was going in with 0 DL though.


Night Naval bombardment of Lucena at 79,79

Allied Ships
CL Marblehead
CLAA San Juan
DD Piet Hein
DD Warramunga
DD Benham
DD McCook

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 21
Port hits 9
Port fuel hits 8
Port supply hits 1

SOC-1 Seagull acting as spotter for CL Marblehead
CL Marblehead firing at Lucena
CLAA San Juan firing at Lucena
DD Piet Hein firing at Lucena
DD Warramunga firing at Lucena
DD Benham firing at Lucena
DD McCook firing at Lucena

Since we didn't pound the enemy unit, and we were flying our paratroopers a long way...our attack failed for now.

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 105 troops, 1 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 9

Defending force 612 troops, 3 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 22

Allied adjusted assault: 3

Japanese adjusted defense: 11

Allied assault odds: 1 to 3 (fort level 0)

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

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

Assaulting units:
1st Australian Para Bn /1

Defending units:
III/81st Naval Guard Unit

[Lowpe]

What Allied planes carry a 1000#er bomb this early?

Divebombers. Pretty much all of them...some with some wing bombs too.
P38-J (two 1000#ers)
Corsair (CV capable)

Is there a relationship between size of bomb and the fires it starts?

There are a lot of obsolete fighters, like Hurricanes, that carry 2 500#ers, Some P39s carry wing bombs, Avengers two 500#ers. Ventura Night Fighter carries some 500#ers too, although the pool is quite limited on them.

Captain Cruft, an old time JFB, used a 2nd generation Oscar as a strafing platform....worked well until Allied AAA caught up. Might not be able to do a city attack with a fighter, but it might help diminish enemy AAA.

[Lowpe]

Well, I can't figure out how I got 14vp.....supposed to be only from country code 100, right?

a.jpg (480.54 KiB) Viewed 600 times

22 night bombing planes hit Hong Kong and did decent work...for no losses.

Nagasaki has 700+ guns...so it will be a tougher nut to crack, plus perhaps night fighters.

[BBfanboy]

Pescadores is Country Code 100.

[Lowpe]

I think I only did 5-6 points of damage, but maybe I did more and Japan has repair initially turned on. The print lettering is small, and I didn't magnify it....shame on me.

I will reduce it then, tomorrow, and get the VPs.

Many thanks,BB. Anythoughts on creating Firestorms....with fires in the hundreds of thousands?

[CaptBeefheart]

It seemed like up to 10-12 years ago you could create firestorms using a lot of B-29s over high manpower cities like Tokyo and Osaka at something like 6,000-9,000 feet. In real life, I think LeMay's incendiary missions were at 6,000 feet, a sweet spot in AAA coverage. Is there an entry in the manual? Anyway, with what you have now, you might create fires and sustain them for a few days, but it'll be nowhere near the firestorm threshold.

The last two or three game runs I've done, whether late campaign or the Downfall scenario, I haven't been able to create firestorms. They might have been nerfed. That said, if there's a guy who can prove me wrong, his name is Lowpe.

I assume the Ningpo question was rhetorical, as you had made up your mind one way or the other. Unless you have a lot of heavies to base there, and you probably don't in January 1944, there's no rush. For sheer psychological purposes, though, it might be a good move.

Cheers,
CB

[Lowpe]

Jan 19, 1944

Our lead tanks don't take control of the road junction west of Chuisen, and the 4th Marine Division, Heavy AAA, and follow up tank units divert to the east (directly SW of Chuisen) and cut out across country thru nasty terrain. I will divert them to the east to cut off one road to Wenchow. This off course leaves the tanks west of Chuisen vulnerable to air bombardment and the Japanese hit them with 100+ Sallies for moderate disruption on one unit. Chuisen is swept and the runway lightly damaged by a heavy bomber squadron.

Wenchow is hit pretty hard by a cruiser task force....and the USN is concentrating at Foochow, rearming, refueling, and fixing minor damage.

There are 200 fighters and 80 bombers at Shanghai...

The big tank clash west of Canton, going on for a 2nd day, sees all the IJN smaller tank units rendered combat ineffective, while the IJ Guards Tank Div manages to maintain their cohesiveness. The 900 Av Chinese Corp simply bombarded...

a.jpg (620.06 KiB) Viewed 477 times

[Lowpe]

Cleanup around Luzon. Japan has sent quite a few troopers here...plus there are 80 Franks in Manilla. We are using regiment sized troops so far...

a.jpg (488.62 KiB) Viewed 475 times

[Lowpe]

More recon planes used as Kamikazes, this time flying out of Babeldaob. Kittyhawks make short work of them.

a.jpg (379.97 KiB) Viewed 474 times

[Lowpe]

It seemed like up to 10-12 years ago you could create firestorms using a lot of B-29s over high manpower cities like Tokyo and Osaka at something like 6,000-9,000 feet. In real life, I think LeMay's incendiary missions were at 6,000 feet, a sweet spot in AAA coverage. Is there an entry in the manual? Anyway, with what you have now, you might create fires and sustain them for a few days, but it'll be nowhere near the firestorm threshold.

The last two or three game runs I've done, whether late campaign or the Downfall scenario, I haven't been able to create firestorms. They might have been nerfed. That said, if there's a guy who can prove me wrong, his name is Lowpe.

I assume the Ningpo question was rhetorical, as you had made up your mind one way or the other. Unless you have a lot of heavies to base there, and you probably don't in January 1944, there's no rush. For sheer psychological purposes, though, it might be a good move.

Cheers,
CB

I might test firestorms out in Downfall...not sure the ranges will be right. I have around 500 US HB currently....it is the massive supply consumption that has me worried.

The problem, is you can never really slow down your tempo forward, as it makes every subsequent fight harder as Japan beefs up their defense. Currently, recon on Ningpo is empty (but I suspect 1 eng unit is there), Shanghai had no mines as of a destroyer raid a week or two ago, the Aussies are loaded, the USN is gathered. The AAA is back at Swatow still loading...but I think we will go today and hope to fly some AAA in or Japan has to use their bombers against our tanks near Chuisen. We will pause at Wenchow with the fleets, Japan should assume we are invading there with the heavy bombardment from the cruisers yesterday....

The only bothersome thing is the moonlight. And all the clicks, sigh.

[Lowpe]

Turn is away....let us see how much I screwed up this turn....could be a big day.

[Lowpe]

Jan 19, 1944

Morning scouting, early reports...

a.jpg (259.17 KiB) Viewed 409 times

[Lowpe]

Scouting turns up fleets to the north....

a.jpg (283.13 KiB) Viewed 408 times