Wrangling Loki - Mind_Messing (J) vs Lokasenna (A)

[obvert]

The Zero NF will be phased out in favor of the Judy NF as the single engine night fighter of choice.

The zero NF is not bad and actually has much better chance to hit B-29s than the Judy with it's better armament. The Judy looks better with it's speed but it's fragile too with no armor.

The J1N1-S Irving is your go to choice for now. If you can get the J1N1-SA radar version you're much better off, but even the first one will make those attacks costly.

I find if you can get them to within 2k of the attack altitude the Irvings work right up through 45. I usually set them at expected strike altitude (Jocke liked 8-9k consistently) and they hit pretty well.

[Lowpe]

I found if the Altitude is very close(I liked a little lower), and you fly with a higher percent CAP (I liked 60%) my slower NF still got in the attacks.

Frances anytime soon?

Didn't you focus on the Dinah NF for army?

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I found if the Altitude is very close(I liked a little lower), and you fly with a higher percent CAP (I liked 60%) my slower NF still got in the attacks.

Frances anytime soon?

Didn't you focus on the Dinah NF for army?

+1

Exactly. Although at altitude worked too.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: obvert

The Zero NF will be phased out in favor of the Judy NF as the single engine night fighter of choice.

The zero NF is not bad and actually has much better chance to hit B-29s than the Judy with it's better armament. The Judy looks better with it's speed but it's fragile too with no armor.

The J1N1-S Irving is your go to choice for now. If you can get the J1N1-SA radar version you're much better off, but even the first one will make those attacks costly.

I find if you can get them to within 2k of the attack altitude the Irvings work right up through 45. I usually set them at expected strike altitude (Jocke liked 8-9k consistently) and they hit pretty well.

The fragility of the Judy doesn't bother me - I consider night fighters on the same lines as kamikazes. I'm building lots so as to win the attrition war. I'll keep the Zero NF in production in case I find problems keeping NF's in the air. I normally put my half-baked pilots in the NF squadrons anyways - pilots die like flies attacking 4E's, and the annoying tendency for Japanese planes to ram Allied ones won't help matters.

The J1N1-Sa is up and running, starting to convert the regular squadrons to have the radar version.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I found if the Altitude is very close(I liked a little lower), and you fly with a higher percent CAP (I liked 60%) my slower NF still got in the attacks.

Frances anytime soon?

Didn't you focus on the Dinah NF for army?

Frances IIRC is being R&D'd, but I'm not sure at what rate.

Dinah NF is in mass production for the IJA, I'll need to go over and double check if there's any other squadrons that can convert. I've about 50 Dinah NF each flying over Soerabaja, Palembang and Balikipapan.

[mind_messing]

The Thailand front is blown right open due to my idiocy. Details to follow.

[mind_messing]

July 2nd to July 10th, 1944

Funny how quickly the war changes in a few turns.

Central Pacific

Allied bombing of the Marshalls continues, and these bases are withering on the vine. Nothing Japanese that flies or floats remains east of Truk, which is an arrangement that seems to suit both sides. I've a bunch of air groups moving up to the front from Japan, so I might fly in an Oscar or Frank group here to try and gank some bombers on milk runs.

South-West Pacific

I'm trying out night-time torpedo attacks with my land-based Jills. Not much luck, but we did sink a 15 point xAP loaded with some troops at Biak. There are a fair few Allied ships around here, so I'm content to keep trying my luck. At the very least it will divert Allied fighter strength to night CAP.

There's also an inconclusive naval engagement at Biak as Japanese destroyers make an attempt to intercept an Allied supply convoy:

ight Time Surface Combat, near Biak at 87,110, Range 2,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Yukikaze, Shell hits 1
DD Maikaze
DD Shiranui, Shell hits 1
DD Tokitsukaze, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CA Pensacola
CA Salt Lake City
CL Mobile
DD Bradford, Shell hits 1
DD Bullard, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Conner
DD Hale
DD Laffey

Reduced visibility due to Thunderstorms with 75% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Thunderstorms and 75% moonlight: 2,000 yards
Range closes to 24,000 yards...
Range closes to 18,000 yards...
Range closes to 12,000 yards...
Range closes to 8,000 yards...
Range closes to 6,000 yards...
Range closes to 4,000 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
DD Bullard engages DD Tokitsukaze at 2,000 yards
DD Shiranui engages DD Bullard at 2,000 yards
DD Maikaze engages DD Bullard at 2,000 yards
DD Yukikaze engages DD Bullard at 2,000 yards
DD Bullard engages DD Tokitsukaze at 2,000 yards
DD Tokitsukaze engages DD Bradford at 2,000 yards
DD Bradford engages DD Tokitsukaze at 2,000 yards
DD Bradford engages DD Shiranui at 2,000 yards
DD Yukikaze engages CL Mobile at 2,000 yards
DD Yukikaze engages DD Bradford at 2,000 yards
DD Yukikaze engages DD Bullard at 2,000 yards
Range increases to 7,000 yards
DD Bullard engages DD Tokitsukaze at 7,000 yards
DD Bradford engages DD Shiranui at 7,000 yards
DD Bradford engages DD Maikaze at 7,000 yards
DD Yukikaze engages DD Bullard at 7,000 yards
DD Yukikaze engages DD Hale at 7,000 yards
DD Tokitsukaze engages DD Conner at 7,000 yards
Task forces break off...

When things opened up at 2k yards I had hoped for some Long Lance action, but no hits sadly. I'm bringing the four Kongo's over to this area as well, as Biak is a good distance for them to make bombardment runs and escape far away enough to avoid retribution. Considering most of Loka's fast battleships are in the Darwin region, this should give me the upper-hand. Ideally, I'd like to force an engagement between my fast battleships and his cruisers, but likely I'll get a drubbing from the Fletcher hoards...

DEI

This theater has calmed down a little. Just the usual Allied bombardment runs on my forward bases and bombing of abandoned airbases. Supply on Timor is getting problematic again, so I'll likely run a big convoy in to Koepang later this month.

Lot's of troops shifting here from the Home Islands, most destined for Java and Sumatra. Mostly AA and aviation support, but some ground troops too.

Thailand/Burma

This is the big one.

What should have been a deliberate attack on a single isolated Chinese corps stuck between the Moulmean-Raheng road ends up wiping out two Japanese divisions. Allied troops arrived in the hex prior to the attack, and my adjusted odds were horrible. A prompt Allied counterattack drives out the shattered Japanese troops without much hassle and puts Allied troops alarmingly close to the open terrain of Central Thailand.

The second hammer blow is that the Allies wrest Chang-Mai from my hands after a bloody battle. Supply just did not want to flow up the railway, and the logistical difficulties, combined with Allied bombing quickly using up what supply made it through turned the tide.

This puts the IJA in Thailand in a serious position. The tank divisions, which were to be my mobile reserve, are trashed, along with some infantry divisions. Once (if) I get them out of danger, they're headed for Manchuria to rebuild, and so I can move other troops out in their stead.

The net result can be seen below:



I'm running my troops south from Chang-Mai as quickly as possible, but it's likely that the Allies will get another rout in before my troops make it to safety.

I'm re-focusing my defense on the Raheng "triangle" (the three bases around Raheng) and attempt to form a second line there.

Japanese troops are pouring in from all over the Empire to help stabilize the front. I've raided the garrisons of Luzon and Java for a division each, sent two divisions (one infantry and the freshly arrived 4th Tank Div.) and some brigades from the Home Islands and I'm railing a division up from Malaya. I'm also debating stealing another division from the Formosa garrison.

In short, there's about 3000 AV en-route to Thailand. I'm hopeful of being able to stall the Allied advance at the Raheng triangle, but at the very least I can ensure that Bangkok won't fall any time soon.

I'm feinting a withdrawal at Moulmein in the hope of baiting a counter-attack over the river into level 5 forts. Allied naval movements west of the Andaman's have put the fear of a landing on the panhandle in to me, so I'm more than ready to run if it looks like the Allies won't co-operate.

China

Nothing going on here other than troop movements. I've abandoned my northern offensive due to a rouge Chinese corps of 600 AV appearing at Urmuchi. Aviation support and garrison troops are strengthening the region around Chungking.

Other stuff

The Grace has arrived and will be the go-to bomber for carrier and LBA torpedo bombing. I'll still keep the Jill and Judy for massed attacks and/or kamizakzie.

The IJN undergoes it's big July withdrawal. I'm in the process of replacing withdrawn squadrons with squadrons that were on training duty in the Home Islands. I'm in the process of re-distributing the veterans around the IJNAF in a few select squadrons.

In a bit of a tactical shift, I'm starting to embrace offensive missions at night against naval targets. Considering that night attacks on airbases and ports doesn't favor Japan (bombers carry to few bombs to be effective, Allied flak is very strong), I'm shifting most of my land-based torpedo and dive bomber aircraft on to night naval attack missions. Results so far aren't great, but I'm viewing it as a good way to build experience in moderate pilots, without running the risk of flying into CAP traps.

I plan to do something similar to the US and British strategic bombing forces in Germany. The IJN will focus primarily on naval missions at night as the 2E bombers and eventually the Jill get reasonable radars, while the IJA, with it's Peggy (T) and Lily Dive bomber squadrons will hopefully work their magic in daylight.

[Lowpe]

A few observations:

Move some AV NE from Chiang Mai and cut the Allied line of supply.

Force a shock attack by the Chinese across the river north of Uttaradit. Great spot! You should be able to move much faster thanks to the rail line.

Think, now, about the line behind Rahaeng. Ayuthia, and Bangkok can be held if you prepare now. Holding them, even if surrounded will stop the Allied advance thru difficult supply lines.

If Rahaeng can't hold, then your troops along the coast are toast. Re-examine your desire to stay in Moulmein and make sure it makes sense.

Establish stockpile cities now if you can in the Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya.

Around the world: Is it the time to be defending so far forward?

How is the plane war going? Good luck on the night time strikes. I was an abysmal failure with that.

[mind_messing]

Move some AV NE from Chiang Mai and cut the Allied line of supply.

Everything north of Raheng is either trashed or established as a road-block. I might fragment up a division and try to scatter it into the jungle, but the Allies will likely get a shock attack in before they can get away. I'm delaying Allied pursuit with bombing raids to the best of my ability, but the Allies are close on my heels.

orce a shock attack by the Chinese across the river north of Uttaradit. Great spot! You should be able to move much faster thanks to the rail line.

I've already got a brigade nearly at the hex in question, and those Chinese are a battered corps and an HQ, so not much threat.

Think, now, about the line behind Rahaeng. Ayuthia, and Bangkok can be held if you prepare now. Holding them, even if surrounded will stop the Allied advance thru difficult supply lines.

If Rahaeng can't hold, then your troops along the coast are toast. Re-examine your desire to stay in Moulmein and make sure it makes sense.

Ayuthia is a base I've not even considered but I can see it's important to the transport network.

The Moulmein salient is not permanent. I'm feinting a retreat, but if the Allies don't bite within a week I'll be running back to Thailand - likely I'll form my new line at Tavoy running east. I'd like to keep Tavoy, as denying the Allies a base that close to Bangkok is vital. Moulmein, as a size 8 airbase, will be a pain if the Allies take it, but their terraformers will have more up and running shortly, so it makes little difference now.

Establish stockpile cities now if you can in the Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya.

Thailand is flush with supplies to the tune of 108k of supplies, and more is en-route with the reinforcements.

Around the world: Is it the time to be defending so far forward?

I think so. What would you suggest?

Loka has the B-29, but he doesn't have the bases to hit the Home Islands properly yet. He can base from the Aleutians, but the weather, range and bases up here make it less than ideal. He can hit the SRA, but I've a good concentration of fighters and flak at the major oil centers, so that isn't an ideal option either.

All the major options for him to get a quick end-game are fairly limited. Festung Marianas and the Kurile Citadel are well documented. The Bonin's are somewhat skimpy at present, but their garrison is waiting for shipping in Tokyo.

My attitude is that the further from Tokyo I keep Loka, the easier 1945 will be. Once he can start hurting my factories it becomes a downward spiral for Japan. Which reminds me that I need to sort placeholder CAP over Honshu...

How is the plane war going?

The air war is going OK.

Loka spends most of his 4E offensive power keeping my bases suppressed. I occasionally resist these raids with LRCAP. P-47 sweeps are a problem, but the attrition tends to be in my favor. I don't go in for many offensive sweeps unless I can get massive local superiority, but those that I do mount tend to do well.

It really is night bombing that's the difficulty for me; too few night fighters for the major airbases (and those NF's that I do have are needed at the oil centers) and non-NF planes perform pretty poorly in fighting off night raids. Loka combines night bombing very well with naval bombardment - quite often a combination of fast bombardment forces and night bombers will pave the way for good daylight sweeps. In my mind this is textbook procedure for Allied play.

Nevertheless, he has to be cautious. I've a lot of aircraft, and I've the airbases to be able to deploy them in action. This is forcing him into a slow, methodical approach of systematically closing the nearest Japanese airbase, taking the base, building it up and then expanding. Keeping him stuck in this slow pace is key I think; it's important for me to stay ahead of the curve in the Pacific.

In short, I'm holding my own. A better player would likely make the air war more of a challenge for the Allies, but my talents don't really lie in that direction.

Good luck on the night time strikes. I was an abysmal failure with that.

Initial results are promising, but I'm going all-out on night naval strikes to a degree that might make some players uncomfortable. Everything that has radar and can carry a torpedo will be out hunting for Allied ships. From the single successful attack I've had so far, it's best to focus on merchantmen rather than combat ships.

Plus, quantity has a quality of it's own. If the average success rate of night torpedo attacks is 1%, if I can get a hundred planes to fly then I'll get a torpedo hit.

The fact that chances of surviving and building EXP is a secondary benifit, as being a Japanese torpedo pilot is the most dangerous job in the world at present. 1300 Jills have been lost in the war so far, 800 of them in the air. The pilots in the land-based Jill squadrons are well trained, but their EXP leaves much to be desired. Night raids are hopefully a safer form of on the job training than trying to fly into Allied buzzsaw CAP in daylight.

[mind_messing]

June 11th, 1944

South-West Pacific

Heavy P-47 sweeps around Sorong do acceptably against my Jack CAP. The Kongo's, the Oi, and some destroyers are sent off to smash the Allied base at Biak, while a host of Jills will sortie in the night phase to hopefully land some hits.#

DEI

The Allies drop some more troops off at Lautem using a small amphibious task force. Land-based bombers sink a few of the ships after fighting through a healthy CAP. The Japanese defenders of Latuem maul the troops as they try to land.

Thailand

The big news here is that we hold Rahaeng!

Ground combat at Rahaeng (58,56)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 132662 troops, 720 guns, 194 vehicles, Assault Value = 4291

Defending force 21514 troops, 281 guns, 733 vehicles, Assault Value = 761

Allied adjusted assault: 1729

Japanese adjusted defense: 1163

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

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), preparation(-), fatigue(-), supply(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1394 casualties reported
Squads: 23 destroyed, 49 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 48 disabled
Engineers: 7 destroyed, 11 disabled
Guns lost 28 (7 destroyed, 21 disabled)
Vehicles lost 105 (25 destroyed, 80 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
3619 casualties reported
Squads: 20 destroyed, 513 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 61 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 29 disabled

Assaulting units:
18th Chinese Corps
2nd Chinese Corps
63rd Chinese Corps
75th Chinese Corps
24th Chinese Corps
87th Chinese Corps
94th Chinese Corps
20th Indian Division
5th Chinese Corps
4th War Area
3rd Group Army
27th Group Army
7th War Area
32nd Group Army
22nd Indian Mountain Gun Regiment
6th War Area
34th Group Army

Defending units:
3rd Tank Regiment
2nd Tank/C Division
16th Division
2nd Tank/A Division
2nd Tank/B Division
34th/C Division

It's debatable if we can hold for another attack, so everything that can hold bombs and can fly will sortie to hit the attacking troops. Reinforcements are about two turns away, and I've two divisions moving out of strategic mode at present.

Time will tell as to how things develop here.

Lot's of air combat in Thailand as well, but we're holding our own in the air. Between Bangkok and Uttradit I've two excellent airbases with which to rotate out squadrons as needed.

[Lowpe]

OK, you gave me a lot to think on.[;)]

How about a picture of the victory point screen?

What is left in your plane r&d program?

Chinese are fragile on the attack....egads,I would be worried about where all the good Allied troops are!

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Chinese are fragile on the attack....egads,I would be worried about where all the good Allied troops are!

Nah, my troops got wrecked.

The landslide of shit that is Thailand continues to amaze me. The Japanese starve, despite a rail network, while Allied troops numbering in the hundreds of thousands can wander through the jungle without supply issues in combat.

My attitude to Thailand right now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FjWe31S_0g

[Lowpe]

Ayuthia should be a fortress with level 5 forts by now. You can stand up to Allied bombers with high forts and AA and enough units but you should still be able to put up a good fight in theair too. With the Rahaeng Triangle and Bangkok to Lang Son, you won't have a better chance of grinding out air losses against the Allies until Honshu.

Bangkok and Ayuthia incredibly important, especially since he can't naval bombard you (which are absolute killers).

Since he lacks naval access behind your lines you should really have an advantage in holding this area.

You need more supply, which I think might be your weakspot now that you seem to have fighters covered. Try to get 300K into Vietnam/Thailand, especially if you are planning on fighting in the air.

BTW, what are your supply levels now?

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Chinese are fragile on the attack....egads,I would be worried about where all the good Allied troops are!

Nah, my troops got wrecked.

The landslide of shit that is Thailand continues to amaze me. The Japanese starve, despite a rail network, while Allied troops numbering in the hundreds of thousands can wander through the jungle without supply issues in combat.

My attitude to Thailand right now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FjWe31S_0g

It is easier to defend outside of towns as Japan there for sure, but that is why I am harping on setting up huge supply hubs -- it takes a while to make them, more so in Malaria bases.

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Chinese are fragile on the attack....egads,I would be worried about where all the good Allied troops are!

Nah, my troops got wrecked.

The landslide of shit that is Thailand continues to amaze me. The Japanese starve, despite a rail network, while Allied troops numbering in the hundreds of thousands can wander through the jungle without supply issues in combat.

My attitude to Thailand right now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FjWe31S_0g

I don't think it is as simple as wandering through the jungle ...
When I played this game it took building up bases on the Burma border and stocking up supplies ..
then releasing these supplies... Capturing Ramree Island was essential .. once Rangoon was secure this trick of building up so much supply it washing out as a tide ..
I would assume the same mechanics are required by the IJ with the only difference the amount of supply attrited .. the rail moves more and costs less .. the jungle looses a lot more supply that does not penetrate as far ..

[tiemanjw]

I agree with the above posts. The allies are week in supply (looking at your map). Their troops won't starve, but they won't be blitzing across Thailand either.
Lowpie had an effective defense set up here that stymied me for months. He had 4 main defensive positions, only one was a "base".
Try to get some strong defenses in the x3 terrain, and protect it well with AA. Moulmein is a bit out on a limb right now, but if that movement dot to the north is real, it's probably worth waiting to trash a few units before retreating. I'd probably still keep an expendable unit behind to make him reduce the forts before taking the base.
I would still defend Tavoy and Mergui, but once he takes Moulmein and starts pushing down that road, don't be afraid to back out. He can't move quickly out of them so long as you defend the roads. Any movement he makes will take weeks, your counters take days.
Victoria Point and other bases south can't be overlooked though, as they can cut off Malaya. Georgetown in particular has good road networks coming off it.

I think you are in ok shape (not withstanding the unknown location of the good allied units). This is a slow, painful area to advance. Pick your defensive lines (I like the x3 terrain better than any bases), don't worry too much about allied units trying to flank you in the jungle (holding the length of the roads, however, is critical), and make sure when you are pushed back, you can head east, and not south.
Also keep in mind he needs supply, and a lot of it. A trickle comes overland from India (no where near enough to support the number of troops he has here), so he needs to be shipping it into somewhere... probably Rangoon, maybe Ramree. Get some scouts up and see if you can hit a supply convoy (with air, or even a naval raid).

[mind_messing]

Thanks for the comments! I'll reply in due course. My undergrad dissertation is due this week so AE is a secondary consideration at present!

[mind_messing]

June 12th to June 20th, 1944

So, we resume the game.

North Pacific

Ain't nothing going on up here except fort and airbase levels. Hokkaido is turning into a real nasty island; hopefully the numerous large airbases connected by rails will deter the Allies from contemplating invasion until '45

Central Pacific

Milk run air and naval bombardments are regularly occurring in the Marshalls and on Ponape. I'm quite content to let this happen. I've some fighters at Truk that I'm debating sending to the Marshalls to spice things up, but I can't jusify commiting strike aircraft to this theatre, especially with so much Allied shipping concentrated in the DEI.

South-West Pacific

Allied forces are bombarding the Sorong area with disturbing regularity. We're still contesting them, and I'm building up bases nearby to help draw out the contest. I'm debating keeping the fast battleships on station to keep the Allies honest about naval commitments here.

No luck on night air attacks on Allied shipping, but the moonlight hasn't been so goo.d

DEI

The Allies ram more supply onto Latuem, as well as more troops. Their additional troops take horrific losses in the landing phases (unprepared?), but I still have the advantage, both in raw AV and in deployment. Supplies seem to be the major concern for both sides, however. This is one stalemate I am more than happy to keep drawing out.

Thailand

Loka misses a big chance to rush thousands of Allied AV into the open Thai plains after the fall of Raheng. I've managed to extract every unit from Chang Mai, and re-focused my defense around Uttradit.

With reinforcements being shovelled into theatre whole-sale, I'm debating a counter-attack on the Allied spear-head. With Bangkok so close at hand, my supply problems have disappeared, and my units are again upgrading and reinforcing. The four Japanese tank divisions will operate together with two or three infantry divisions to give me the offensive power to hopefully drive the Allies back. Retaking Raheng might be a bit too much, but at the very least I can hopefully get the hexsides closed off...

Time will tell.

In the air, Utteradit is closed by massed P-47 sweeps and 4E strikes, but that's not an issue as the air groups regroup at Bangkok and fresh groups are moved up to Pinasokole. The Allies attempt to sweep this base, but get a fairly bloody nose by low-stacked CAP - which seems to work quite well here.

[mind_messing]

June 21st to June 29th, 1944

Here's a long overdue update of all the major fronts.



Burma is going quite well - the front is well on the way to being stabilized. The Chinese spearhead that has broken out into the open plains will be thrown back across the river in a few turns, and three IJA divisions plus some regiments will be following in close pursuit.

The Allied troops south-east of Chang Mai ended up crossing into the hex NW of Utteradit and suffered heavy losses, and the IJA troops will make Utteradit without much difficulty.

We had some success around June 24th. Part of the KB was having downtime in Manila for repairs and upgrades, so I sent a sizeable fragment to Medan in case any targets presented themselves. The original plan was for a sortie into the Indian Ocean to hunt convoys, but an Allied SCTF appears off Port Blair.

I sent my carriers after it, but Allied LBA CAP made a mess of several poorly co-ordinated Japanese strikes (bad weather), but the IJN pilots managed to give the Allied ships a reasonable mauling:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Car Nicobar at 45,62

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 80 NM, estimated altitude 18,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 26 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5 Zero x 16
A6M5b Zero x 14
B6N2 Jill x 26
B7A2 Grace x 12
D4Y3 Judy x 58

Allied aircraft
Corsair II x 6
P-40N5 Warhawk x 9
F4U-1A Corsair x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5 Zero: 2 destroyed
A6M5b Zero: 3 destroyed
B6N2 Jill: 8 damaged
B6N2 Jill: 3 destroyed by flak
B7A2 Grace: 1 damaged
D4Y3 Judy: 8 damaged
D4Y3 Judy: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
P-40N5 Warhawk: 1 destroyed
F4U-1A Corsair: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
DD McGowan
CA Cumberland, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DD John Henley
DD Richard P. Leary, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DD Norman Scott
DD Remey
CL Emerald, Bomb hits 2, on fire
DD Paul Hamilton, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CA Shropshire, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Hudson
DD Bryant
DD Black, Bomb hits 2, on fire
DD Rocket

My bases in the DEI seem to be causing Loka some difficulties as he's not been as aggressive as he could be. I am massing aircraft against any moves beyond Sorong, as well as on Timor and in the Marianas. The KB is recombining at Manila ready to respond to any attacks.

Manado and Minadano are being built up to the point that they will be very serious obstacles for any further advance.



Not much of note going on in the Central Pacific, other than the Allies cleaning up my bases from the air. Ponope, Truk and Eniwetok are my frontline bases now, though the supply situation on Eniwetok does cause me serious concern.



Here's the air losses screen. The Jills have been my mainstay of anti-shipping since they arrived, and have suffered accordingly. They have a joyous love of flying into the teeth of Allied CAP either unescorted or with insufficient escorts. Still, it keeps Loka honest, and they've had some great luck over the course of the war so far.

In other news, I'm starting to get excited about late-war airframe arrivals.

1945 will be a good year for new planes. The A7M2 Sam is due around the middle of the year, while the Shinden won't be long behind. Ki-83 and the rocket fighters are due in Q3.

The Ki-115a will arrive in early '45 as well, giving me my first dedicated kamikaze airframe.

More immediately, the N1K5 George and the Frank r are due within two months or so, bringing immediate relief to the Thud and Mustang sweeps.

As a side note, the discussion a few weeks ago on low-layered CAP as a counter to stratosweeps seems to be bearing fruit for me. While the losses aren't always in my favour, I'm exchanging second-grade airframes such as the Tojo and Zero for Thuds and Mustangs, which is perfectly acceptable for me.

[Lowpe]

I think the last thing you want to do is send portion of the KB out into the Indian Ocean, away from your land based air search to hunt convoys.

You are doing so very well...don't risk your CVs on something so penny smart but dollar dumb.

Anyhow, you are putting together a great game...[&o]

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

I think the last thing you want to do is send portion of the KB out into the Indian Ocean, away from your land based air search to hunt convoys.

You are doing so very well...don't risk your CVs on something so penny smart but dollar dumb.

Anyhow, you are putting together a great game...[&o]

This is true, but every deployment of the KB is a risk at this point. Even movement beyond a large port runs the risk of subs. Given the Allied focus on the eastern half of the map and the concentration of both Allied and Japanese carriers around it, I'd have felt pretty good about a sortie into the SLOC between India and Oz.

As it happens, I found something better in an Allied SCTF that picked the wrong day to bombard Victoria Point. It's hardly a victory (didn't even make any VP's from it), but I'm hoping the psychological impact is to keep Loka from thinking that he can sail ships around here freely.

I get the feeling we're reaching the decisive point of our game. The next six months will be the most important of the game. if I can keep Loka behind schedule and away from the Home Islands, I might be in such a strong position on the ground and in the air as to make his '45 campaigns a terrible slog.

Already the Bonins and Luzon are more or less ready for the Allies. Okinawa has the forts, but not the troops, and Formosa is the same. I've started moving reformed Naval Guard units to the smaller islands off Japan, and the restricted divisions that have been arriving as reinforcements are garrisoning the beaches of Japan proper.

I won't win, but I might not lose...