Empire of the Rising Lemon? SqzMyLemon (Japan) v Smeulders (Allies)

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

I'm playing Downfall right now.  Properly done, the HI is a tough nut to crack.  Sam/Franks are good.  Shinden/Karyu would be nice but PDU OFF really limits them.  I think with the Sam/Frank you will ok.  Enough fighter groups and even B-29's are susceptible.  You need a lot of good fighters, good pilots, and a huge store of HI to keep producing planes.  Put up +500 fighters with 60-70 skill pilots over a target and you will be able to seriously deplete any B-29 attack. 

I think in stock game (or non RA/Downfall/Iron Man) both Reppu and Shinden are possible to get, at earliest, by May or June 1945 only. Doesnt Karyu (= Me 262) have arrival date of 1/46? You might have already lost the game by then, or your industry is ruined and theres little left to defend, when you could have received the planes that matter more when the situation will presumably get worse (N1K Shiden, J2M Raiden, Ki-84 Hayate) earlier and in greater numbers.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

I'm playing Downfall right now.  Properly done, the HI is a tough nut to crack.  Sam/Franks are good.  Shinden/Karyu would be nice but PDU OFF really limits them.  I think with the Sam/Frank you will ok.  Enough fighter groups and even B-29's are susceptible.  You need a lot of good fighters, good pilots, and a huge store of HI to keep producing planes.  Put up +500 fighters with 60-70 skill pilots over a target and you will be able to seriously deplete any B-29 attack. 

I think in stock game (or non RA/Downfall/Iron Man) both Reppu and Shinden are possible to get, at earliest, by May or June 1945 only. Doesnt Karyu (= Me 262) have arrival date of 1/46? You might have already lost the game by then, or your industry is ruined and theres little left to defend, when you could have received the planes that matter more when the situation will presumably get worse (N1K Shiden, J2M Raiden, Ki-84 Hayate) earlier and in greater numbers.

So arrival dates for Scen 1:
IJN
N1K1 George - 9/43
A7M2 Sam - 9/45
J7W1 Shinden - 12/45

IJA
KI-84a Frank 4/44
Ki-201 Karyu 3/46

IJN - Shiden (George) is a good plane, but he has PDU OFF. That means only 6 groups ever can upgrade and 3 of those are restricted. I would not invest 100,000 supply and the HI to build for only 3 groups. My opinion, YMMV. Jack has similar issue. Shinden can upgrade to more groups, but still limited. Sam can pretty much upgrade all groups. So, I would really focus on Sam. You're going to get the Zero's anyway, and they peak with the A6M3a. After that, they decline relative to the Allies. You really have nothing until Sam and that is a lot of air groups fighting with sub-par equipment for a long time.

IJA - Frank is about as good as you get ever for IJ. I would work really hard to get this one as early as you can and build as many as you can. The Karyu is a bet ... it has both speed and armament. The SR=5 means if you pursue it, you have to build huge numbers to get lots of air groups equipped. So if you go after the Karyu, it means having +200 factories. That's +400 engine factories, or investing at least 600,000 supply. Minimum. That's on top of your investment in Frank. Tough call. You could get a lot more Franks for that investment and we know that NUMBERS do matter in air combat. 200 Franks is going to be better than 100 Karyu in most air battles IF you can get another 100 equivalent pilots.

PDU ON changes all this dramatically. PDU ON, go for George. BIG time. Then Shinden. Still want Frank. Karyu looks better with PDU ON.

Just my opinions here. It will be interesting to see how you do. Good luck! You too Erkki! Watching your AAR as well.

[SqzMyLemon]

Thanks for a great post Pax. [&o]

I'll look more closely tonight as I only briefly glanced at things last night, I was a little gamed out so didn't work on my next turn.

PDU off is a challenge, and originally I ramped up production prior to understanding the limitations I'd be facing. Hence the ability to produce 200+ A6M2 Zero's before realizing they couldn't just switch over to the A6M3a without factory repair.

Off the top of my head, I'm limited in N1K1 George research, as I do recall reading that only a few units could upgrade with PDU off.
Ki-84a Frank I'm putting some serious R&D into.
A7M2 Sam not so much, but this can change easy enough as I have fully repaired A6M3a R&D factories I can switch over before production starts. I should have a chance to advance every four months from here on out and it will only get better over the coming months as more factories are fully repaired.

PDU off certainly doesn't allow a lot of flexibility, but it does force you to prioritize and make the most of the decent aircraft you can get and optimize their production. I think I'll appreciate the lessons learned much later when I can apply them to another PDU on game right from the start.

I reached a point where I sort of gave up on the end game because of my percieved issues with this matchup. Having decided to make a go of things and have a better attitude towards the game, I'm taking things a little more seriously and these kinds of discussions and suggestions have helped me recharge my interest and apply lessons learned in improving the production side of things as well as game play. So I just want to let everyone who is posting know (or not, but who may be silently enjoying as well) that I appreciate the time spent following this matchup when there are many other AAR's to follow.

Anyway, a little more game homework to squeeze in along with shoring up the resume to begin the RL new job hunt.

[PaxMondo]

Boy I really hate being the bearer of bad news, but ...

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon
Off the top of my head, I'm limited in N1K1 George research, as I do recall reading that only a few units could upgrade with PDU off.

Correct. That is also how I read Tracker and why I cannot see making the investment.. It just looks too much like throwing away supply. When they arrive, they will be useful. Just can't see the expense to accelerate them.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon
Ki-84a Frank I'm putting some serious R&D into.

Very good news this. Sit down and think through how many you will need (and are going to be able) to produce. When it comes on line, it will be your best IJ fighter until the Sam arrives for the IJN.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

A7M2 Sam not so much, but this can change easy enough as I have fully repaired A6M3a R&D factories I can switch over before production starts. I should have a chance to advance every four months from here on out and it will only get better over the coming months as more factories are fully repaired.

Sorry, but the A6M factories do not upgrade to the A7M factory. When you change, you will have to repair those factories all over again, and given how far out in the future they are it is going to repair pretty slow. Really sorry to tell you this.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon
PDU off certainly doesn't allow a lot of flexibility, but it does force you to prioritize and make the most of the decent aircraft you can get and optimize their production. I think I'll appreciate the lessons learned much later when I can apply them to another PDU on game right from the start.

I agree. Just remember that the IJN and IJA have good aircraft, particularly fighters, at different times. Be flexible on your deployments. Be sure you have the best match you can between mission and aircraft.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

I reached a point where I sort of gave up on the end game because of my percieved issues with this matchup. Having decided to make a go of things and have a better attitude towards the game, I'm taking things a little more seriously and these kinds of discussions and suggestions have helped me recharge my interest and apply lessons learned in improving the production side of things as well as game play.

Very happy to hear. One of the best AAR's so far was Stone Age's. He got in trouble real early, but stuck it out until the end. He did surprisingly well considering he lost the KB in '42, essentially a historical game. Just did not occur at Midway.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon
Anyway, a little more game homework to squeeze in along with shoring up the resume to begin the RL new job hunt.

GOOD LUCK! Been there so well acquainted with that particular stress.

Look forward to this one for sometime yet. Think you are doing fine. [8D]

[SqzMyLemon]

Nov. 22/42:

Sub Ops:

SS Pickerel sinks the xAK Syozui Maru with one torpedo near Toyohara.
SS Gar duds on the PB Seki Maru #2 near Shikuka.

I don't like using Shikuka as a source of resources for the Home Islands for just this reason. Allied subs can work off the coast with impunity. Neither air or surface ASW suppresses the submarines that are parked squarely on the route to Hokkaido. I'll try some upgraded E's here, they seem to be my most effective ASW platform at the moment.

Australia:

Darwin is swept today by A6M2 Zero's (18) and are treated roughly. Enemy LRCAP consisted of Kittyhawk IA's (3), P-38G Lightning's (5) and P-40E Warhawk's (9). Three Zero's were downed against one Warhawk. A second sweep of A6M2 Zero's (3) faired no better. One Zero shot down for no Allied loss.

A night attack by Sally's against Fenton was grounded due to weather.

The Solomons:

Lunga hammered by B17-E Fortress' (34) in two raids. The airfield suffers 2 AB, 5 ABS and 64 Runway hits. The airfield is 100% non-operational.

Miscellaneous:

Uttaradit expands airfield to size 5

Nov. 23/42:

Australia:

Fenton's airfield is bombed during the night by Ki-21-IIa Sally's (30) inflicting only 2 Runway hits.

A first sweep of A6M2 Zero's (2) attack Darwin and again achieve little. A Zero is downed for no Allied loss. Once again, the second sweep comes in after. A6M2 Zero's (18) claim one Kittyhawk and Warhawk, but lose two Zero's in return.

I am hitting Darwin with two Sentai's of Oscar's tomorrow. If this doesn't overwhelm the Allied LRCAP, I may re-evaluate the enitre Darwin suppression operation. It was fine when I wasn't losing many aircraft, but I'm clearly losing this small battle of attrition, especially against the Lightning's.

China:

I decide to hit Changteh's airbase to see what massed Japanese bombers can accomplish. Let's just say I'm envious of Allied firepower. Despite clear sky, Ki-51 Sonia's (41), Ki-21-Ic Sally's (22), Ki-21-IIa Sally's (84) and Ki-49-IIa Helen's (20) only cause damage to the airbase of 6 AB, 9 ABS and 87 Runway hits. The airfield is at 28% damage. I have to say, quite poor results considering the number of bombers commited.

At this stage, all my bomber units behind the lines are set to naval attack training. Japanese tactical air power is dismal at best. I hope they will take a toll on Allied shipping at some point. I have adjusted my operational thinking accordingly. A reliance on Japanese air power alone to delay Allied ground movements or base expansion is folly. The Japanese just lack the punch. Rather than fool myself into thinking they can accomplish anything against ground targets or bases, I'll focus their efforts on taking out Allied shipping when the opportunity arises. Other than China, tactical bombing of Allied bases will be minimal at best.

Burma:

Mandalay is hit hard again by Allied bombers. B-24D Liberator's (69) cause 12 AB, 5 ABS and 72 Runway hits. Overcast conditions limited the effectiveness of of the bombers.

The Solomons:

Lunga is hit again by B-17E Fortress' (36) for 3 AB, 1 ABS and 56 Runway hits. I wish there was someway my LRCAP at Munda would engage, but the Nick's just never fly. I checked the BF at Lunga and learned it has no radar. That probably explains why my Nick's are twiddling their collective thumbs.

Miscellaneous:

Chiang Mai expands fortifications to size 3
Ponape expands airfield to size 3
Tabiteuea expands airfield to size 1 The Allies will have local CAP before I can arrive in force.
Liuchow expands fortifications to size 4
Komodo expands fortifications to size 2

It's taking longer than anticipated reacting to the Tabiteuea invasion. The Allies will have some measure of local LBA before I can arrive in force and suppress the expansion. I see now there are six Allied units on the island, they are being snuck in by fast transport, air, or submarine. I'll be arriving with the bulk of the Combined Fleet within a few more days. Fuel is my achilles heel though, not planning on fighting in the Gilbert's or Marshall's means there isn't an adequate amount available. Until I can ship some fuel from Truk, I'm limited in how I can respond.

Perhaps, as much as I want to fight, I should reassess the situation and prepare for a counterstoke I'm better prepared for. The consquences of not preparing an adequate defence are showing and my operations will be nothing short of shoestring. Then again...I'm days away from getting LCU's into the theatre and supply/fuel are already on the way. I stick to the plan...attack when I'm ready!

[SqzMyLemon]

Just a quick update. The war has reached Dec. 1/42. KB is withdrawing back to Truk, as the Baker invasion is delayed due to logistic constraints. There have been some sightings of small Allied patrol ships and small xAKL supply run around Ndeni, but otherwise the Allied naval presence has retired as anticipated. I've decided to reinforce the Marshall's and Ponape and get more fuel/supply/troops into the theatre prior to any move on Tabiteuea.

I'll update in greater detail in a few days and then I'll be on vacation for two weeks. It's been a long haul to complete a year of game time and it's time for a break. I'll be concentrating on NFL football drafts and some model building while away, not to mention enjoying the sights and culinary delights of Vancouver.

[PaxMondo]

Hey, enjoy Vancouver! keep this AAR going~!!!

[SqzMyLemon]

I find myself drawn to your comments more and more Pax. Me thinks the new avatar has something to do with that. I laugh when I look at it as well. I picture her saying that if I don't kick some serious Allied butt soon, then I can add not getting anything more then the smokin' sultry eyes anytime soon. [:-] [:D]

[PaxMondo]

Well, I have so little to say. Figured I would give the JFB's a morale boost!

[:D]

[Crackaces]

SqzMyLemon: I think that submarine thing works both ways. In my game as the Allies, Late Feb 1942 the IJ subs are parked off ports off the land of Oz and they are terrorizing escorted shipping. Another sub just nailed a AS off PH being protected by no less than 8 DD's including 2 Farragaut class DD's. ...But the IJ E boats are doing a fine job of reacting and stomping my boats....

But I have gotten my licks in early from 8th December 41 to the 17th I sank 8 AK's/AP's full of troops. It all evens out ..and Submarines are just plan terrorist in every sense of the word.

However, in looking at the schedule ...1943 brings on a healthy list of platforms that provide plenty of opportunity to station numbers and it is a numbers game ... Things do not get better for the IJ player

[SqzMyLemon]

Hi Crackaces,

Thanks for the post and I appreciate your comments about the submarines. I try not to make generalizations about the game anymore, and I realize everyone's experiences are different from game to game for whatever reasons. I think in this particular PBEM, and from my own perspective, it's safe for me to say the Japanese submarine and ASW effectivness has sucked ass completely. [:D]

My rants about submarines are well documented throughout the AAR, however I've turned a new leaf. I still get frustrated of course and still have had little success to date, but knowing I've done everything I can to minimize the risk has allowed me to relax about it. I've tried all I can, the rest is out of my hands. I put my forces into play and just see what happens. Although, every time I sink one of the buggers, I treat myself to a Scotch. So it's all good.

I do not look forward to the coming increased effectiveness of Allied torpedoes though, but at this stage I almost don't care and have already prepared myself for it to get a lot worse. [:D]

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Hi Crackaces,

Thanks for the post and I appreciate your comments about the submarines. I try not to make generalizations about the game anymore, and I realize everyone's experiences are different from game to game for whatever reasons. I think in this particular PBEM, and from my own perspective, it's safe for me to say the Japanese submarine and ASW effectivness has sucked ass completely. [:D]

My rants about submarines are well documented throughout the AAR, however I've turned a new leaf. I still get frustrated of course and still have had little success to date, but knowing I've done everything I can to minimize the risk has allowed me to relax about it. I've tried all I can, the rest is out of my hands. I put my forces into play and just see what happens. Although, every time I sink one of the buggers, I treat myself to a Scotch. So it's all good.

I do not look forward to the coming increased effectiveness of Allied torpedoes though, but at this stage I almost don't care and have already prepared myself for it to get a lot worse. [:D]

I usually break out a Speyside when I hear that whoooosh and it misses something vaulable :[:'(]
But that is all one can do is figure out the best odds and let the die be cast ...

In the first turns of the game the IJ player had his subs hit the Lady Lex and 3 TK's ...and I do think the simple presence of IJN submarines have a great effect. At least in my game nothing leaves or arrives at a port without an escort.

BTW) That is just US Torps with the 80% dud rate .. the Brit's and Dutch have a simple 10% dud rate and can be extremely effective if deployed in deep water against convoys ..

[SqzMyLemon]

Well, my vacation is over and it's back to the routine. I had a great time and the break from work and the game was much needed. I must have bought at least 10 model kits of various Japanese ships in 1:700 scale, mainly carriers and heavy cruisers, as well a 1:350 scale Yamato! [8D] On to the game though.

We zip ahead to December 3, 1942. I've provided screens updating the China theatre. My river assault is days away from commencing, it's going to be bloody. I just hope I can make a push here before too many Chinese troops arrive on the scene to force a stalemate. The plan in China over the next 3-4 months is to engage as many enemy units as possible and cause casualties. I want to force the Chinese to eat up their remaining supply stocks.

We've also upgraded to the latest beta patch so I'll spend tonight getting familiar with the changes and get the next turn out for tomorrow. I'll be focusing on the economy soon to get the numbers increasing again. I'm going to build up engine and airframe stocks again. I've been primarily sending fuel to the Home Islands, but I'm going to shift to getting more oil there instead and keep the fuel heading to my main bases in anticipation of naval operations occurring on a regular basis.

I've been buying out more units from China for deployment in the Pacific, however I'm down to a garrison level of about 10600 AV and I don't want to get too close to the 8000 AV mark. I think I'll draw out troops until around 9500 AV.

The Combined Fleet is at Truk, but I'm sending a few CL's and DD's for upgrades. I have to keep on top of what needs to go, these upgrades are important as it increases the AA capability of my naval forces substantially.

Enjoy the screens and as always comments are welcome. The match should be back on track soon as I get settled back in. First, Northern China:

[SqzMyLemon]

Southern China:

[SqzMyLemon]

Dec. 4/42:

China:

The river assault by 13th Army will commence tomorrow. Japanese bombers have been hitting the defenders for the last two days in preparation for the attack. I'm worried about heavy casualties against the dug in defenders, which appear to be nine Chinese Corps and six support units of unknown composition. The enemy consists of around 150k troops and 500+ guns. This is going to be messy.

All sub-components of the 3rd Tank Division have arrived at Wuchang, but I'm unable to combine them. One unit is still unpacking from strat mode, otherwise I have no idea why I can't combine the units. I'd like to get this unit moving pronto.

Other than that, the Pacific is quiet with my usual troop and supply movements. I'm still in no position to launch operations in the Gilbert's. I just don't have the bases built up enough, nor stocked with troops/fuel/supplies to the extent needed. I continue to move assets into the region, but have to admit I may have to wait upon the next Allied move before striking back.

Bombing of Darwin has ceased as bad weather weeks ago grounded Japanese bombers to the point where the airfield and port were able to be 100% repaired. Japanese bombers can maintain damage quite easily if it remains high, but once it creeps down it gets harder and harder to bring the damage levels back up. The number of engineers at Darwin allow the daily damage to be repaired and I'm facing actual CAP and not LRCAP now. So the attempt to neutralize Darwin solely from the air has failed simply due to poor weather and inadequate strategic bombing capabilites of the Japanese.

Fingers are crossed for my assault in China tomorrow.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Dec. 5/42:
All sub-components of the 3rd Tank Division have arrived at Wuchang, but I'm unable to combine them. One unit is still unpacking from strat mode, otherwise I have no idea why I can't combine the units. I'd like to get this unit moving pronto.

That will stop the recombination in the beta. Once it gets unpacked, and all HQ's are the same, and all devices are the same, it should combine.

[SqzMyLemon]

I received a turn in my inbox yesterday so needless to say I was excited to run the turn and see the carnage from my assault. It was for Smeulders' other PBEM against Erkki and not ours.

The suspense is killing me! [:D]

Having read the recent thread on adjusted attacker AV values, I'm pretty certain I'm going to suffer extremely high casualties, and think I may have made a huge mistake. Probably feeling something similar to what real life commanders may have felt on the eve of an important battle, even if just pixeltruppen.

[SqzMyLemon]

The next turn has arrived! Now the moment of truth...is it a brilliant assault or a monumental debacle and Japanese bloodbath? My spidey sense tells me I'm getting my ass handed to me. [:D]

[SqzMyLemon]

Dec. 5/42:

Well, the assault went ahead as planned and it went better than expected. Losses were heavy (I expected more to be honest) and disruption is at least 75% overall, but I've established a beachhead! I'm worried about a Chinese counterattack to take advantage of the large number of disabled Japanese squads and the high disruption, but there also isn't much I can do about it. In hindsight, I should have waited until I had a few divisions in reserve to arrive the next day after the assault and immediately reinforce the position. These units wouldn't have had to shock attack either. The Chinese are low on supply and I still have over 2700 AV in rough terrain, I just need some time to rest and recover. The 15th and 70th Division's will be withdrawn to Kweilin to regain strength and I will reinforce with the 13th and 36th Division's.

One thing I'll add. I think the Chinese should have suffered higher losses. This was a massive assault and they were inexperienced and undersupplied. I sometimes think the game is far too favourable on the defender and the combat model penalizes the attacker too much in rough terrain. The defenders are already benefitting from large defensive modifiers to AV because of terrain/forts, the attacker is suffering from large disruption from having to shock attack across a river and they are further weakened by an AV adjusted even lower because of attacking high terrain/forts once again. The defender has already reaped the benefits from the forts/terrain. The attacker is hit with a double whammy, increased defender AV followed by a further reduction to it's own strength. To have 4500 AV which should have been increased because of the shock attack, which is then reduced to 1700+ seems too steep. The enemy was undersupplied and inexperienced, that should count for something. Terrain shouldn't trump the quality of the forces involved nor the many other factors that contribute to just how effective a force really is.

How will the Chinese react? My fingers are crossed that I can recover disruption and strength fast enough to hold the position and then begin to grind down the defenders and rout them before substantial reinforcements arrive. I hope the Chinese decide to drive on Luichow, Hengyang or Changsha sensing weakness, that will buy me time and open the possibility of catching the Chinese in clear terrain. Every aircraft in the Chinese theatre will be comitted to supporting the ground offensive. I will be pounding the defenders daily and interdicting any Chinese moves to reinforce. If it moves, it gets bombed.

The combat reports follow from the two major ground operations and a screenshot of Southern China.

Ground combat at 75,51 (near Tuyun)

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 15859 troops, 144 guns, 42 vehicles, Assault Value = 544

Defending force 4718 troops, 23 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 148

Japanese adjusted assault: 423

Allied adjusted defense: 190

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1

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

Japanese ground losses:
388 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 33 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled

Allied ground losses:
1751 casualties reported
Squads: 80 destroyed, 8 disabled
Non Combat: 57 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 4 (1 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
104th Division
4th Ind.Mixed Regiment

Defending units:
11th Chinese Corps
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 76,51 (near Chihkiang)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 124686 troops, 1277 guns, 306 vehicles, Assault Value = 4514

Defending force 87215 troops, 595 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 3630

Japanese adjusted assault: 1777

Allied adjusted defense: 5602

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 3

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

Japanese ground losses:
29125 casualties reported
Squads: 166 destroyed, 1349 disabled
Non Combat: 6 destroyed, 192 disabled
Engineers: 44 destroyed, 221 disabled
Guns lost 137 (10 destroyed, 127 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
3809 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 394 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 27 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 18 disabled
Guns lost 63 (12 destroyed, 51 disabled)
Units destroyed 1 (Nice, didn't expect this)

Assaulting units:
15th Division
70th Division
3rd Division
51st Division
116th Division
22nd Division
60th Division
34th Division
17th Division
68th Division
20th Ind. Engineer Regiment
11th Army
4th Mortar Battalion
13th Army
51st Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
2nd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
15th Ind.Medium Field Artillery Regiment
1st Mortar Battalion
23rd Army
21st Mortar Battalion
2nd Mortar Battalion
2nd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
3rd Ind.Hvy.Art. Battalion
52nd Ind.Mtn.Gun Battalion
10th Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment

Defending units:
77th Chinese Corps
14th Chinese Corps
61st Chinese Corps
56th Chinese Corps
95th Chinese Corps
45th Chinese Corps
68th Chinese Corps
5th Chinese Cavalry Corps
59th Chinese Corps
71st Chinese Corps
19th Chinese Corps
3rd New Chinese/C Corps
13th Chinese Base Force
2nd Chinese Base Force
3rd New Chinese/B Corps

[SqzMyLemon]

Edited once again for being delusional. I still have a problem of determining what my strategy is, immediate or otherwise.

We have offically reached Dec. 7/42 and it really is time to do a detailed update focusing on Japan's economy and production status. Some feedback from experienced Japanese players on the state of the pools would be appreciated.

As to future strategy, I think it may be best to yield the initiative (not that I have been initiating anything) as Nemo suggested. Go on the defensive and simply react to the enemy. I should plan in terms of counteroffensive or counterinvasion operations. I do not have the logistics or a base of operations prepared adequately for any real thrust at the enemy at this time.

There are glaring defensive weaknesses I need to deal with first, that is the priority. I'm need to get my house in order first.

There's a slight pause in the game while we address the DL issues that have arisen from the 1108q3 beta. We are hoping it is a simple matter of installing the latest beta to fix the problem.