Lambs to the slaughter (Lowpe (J) vs Jocke; BillBrown (A)) Finished

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

... Lost two Nicks strafing the trapped forces at Ledo...trying to eat up their supplies. They don't fire at higher altitudes.

Merely being attacked increases their shot count. Shooting back just means they consume even more supply. Besides keeping them suppressed is more important than the supply situation.

Alfred

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

Merely being attacked increases their shot count. Shooting back just means they consume even more supply. Besides keeping them suppressed is more important than the supply situation.

Alfred

As always, thanks Alfred.[&o]

You imply that suppression is a greater malus than no supplies? By suppression I take it you mean disruption? I see where that is true in the times my troops have had high disruption the AV can basically go to 0, while low supply won't achieve that outstanding result.

I have been using a lot of strafing attacks (and also divebomber attacks) on ground troops in China, Luzon, and Burma/India. My thoughts were that it drains supply from already low supplied troops. Adds some disablements and disruption -- hopefully causes some morale loss too.

It is tough on my four squadrons of Nicks, but a good use for them since I have found it hard to sweep Jocke in this game since he seldom CAPs.

It also jives nicely with my holistic approach of using lots of different tools to get the job done.[:)]

I like to coordinate heavy strafing/divebombing when I attack as it seems to also really reduce the damage done to my attacking troops helping to accelerate ground offensive tempo with less time spent recovering or cycling units in and out...

[Alfred]

Not quite.[:)]
 
The Ledo pocket eats whether you bomb them or not.  Cutting them off from supply sources means they cannot replenish their supplies.  Thus to get them to starve the primary focus should be to cut off their supply sources rather than forcing them to consume supplies.  Of course if you can get them to consume extra, that speeds up the starvation process but against that you have to consider your own supply consumption and in this instance, loss of airframes/pilots.
 
Keeping them suppressed at minimal cost to you helps in getting disabled devices destroyed independently of your direct actions.  Also means, as you have noted, the deleterious impact on their combat performance.  Remember that even with no supply, their modified AV only drops to 25% but with high enough fatigue, morale and disruption, the performance in the fire phase of combat will be terrible and in turn be reflected in the adjusted AV.
 
Alfred 

[Lowpe]

Thanks Alfred.[:)]

[Lowpe]

Getting to be the end of July.

Identified another division at Asansol-- Yankees.[X(]

As predicted Jocke didn't sweep, my bombers had a clear run, and the fighters rested.

Strafed Ledo twice, got casualties and no plane losses. Still shooting his low alt flak. 6th Chinese Corp is there, 23K troops.

Will be a while before I can flip this turn, as I am still working away on my other game and I need to be careful here with the Noumea operation in swing.

[Lowpe]

Jocke knows I am coming, but nothing spotted yet.

Hvy radio traffic at Sydney, Wellington, Karachi.

[Lowpe]

No movement spotted at Asansol. Hard to rely upon however...

Ledo attack very close to being launched.

[Lowpe]

Here is a PDU off trap I think....

Tsurugi....you can see the squadrons that upgrade to it.

I have two factories of 30 each researching away for it, but I wonder if these squadrons all stay size 10 (not good), and I guess I will leave the factories working but would feel more comfortable with only factory.

[Lowpe]

The Noumea fast transport TF has been spotted, they are heading in...other fleets assembling behind them hopefully not spotted, except the picket squadron has 1/1.

If this invasion goes well, then I will have naval search up and about with a dozen Mavis.

[Lowpe]

One more attack on the road here and we should be in the town, and the Chinese severely overstacked.

[Lowpe]

Brutal combat at Asansol![X(]

What will happen next?

[Lowpe]

Noumea operation unfolding without a hitch...so far.

[Lowpe]

Bombing continues...

[Lowpe]

Allies don't attack again at Asansol...Japan lightly bombs his forces there.

Jocke has dispatched reinforcements up from Calcutta, and is also moving troops out of Asansol. However, I think it is a mistake to think he is evacuating Asansol, but rather is looking to either attack there again in force or to stall there and get my relief divisions which are a scant two miles away from the road and an increased Allied presence of 8 units.

I have reset the relief column's movement once already, and will do so again this turn.

Meanwhile I am evacuating Asansol...14 miles progress made today. We did build the forts up a level, and I have a Tank Regiment that will make Asansol this day. Hopefully Jocke thinks I am cycling out my badly beat-up regiment but planning on staying here to duke it out some more.

Meanwhile 2 divisions will start unloading at Chitt...unfortunately Jocke has 10/10 DL on them. We will see what he does on seas here, and what my counters are.[:)]

[Lowpe]

Looking ok here. Spotted 7 units at Noumea today, up from 5 previously. Does Jocke want to fight here?

Hvy volume of radio traffic at Sydney again.

[Lowpe]

Another slug fest in Asansol....and we hold. Our troops should all evacuate tomorrow, except for a lousy ENG unit that sneaked in by train. How did I miss him?[&:] It was a 1-1 attack.

Japan lost four bombers hitting his troops prior to the attack.

Forts are now at 0.

Troops should start their assault on Ledo in a few days...perhaps 3. All troops at 100% prep.

[Lowpe]

On the Tuyun road...another grinding attack. It seems Jocke slipped in a fresh Corp. Will attack again in three days.

[Lowpe]

My Mavis unit, that had poor recon pilots, is starting to report a stronger presence at Noumea as the experienced pilots become available.

Hm...

[Lowpe]

A look at the defenders of Asansol. They did a very good job.[:)]

I just did the math, and both the Oscar IIb (very important plane), A6M3a and A6M5 will start production Aug 1. I upgraded my first sentai to the A6M3 over in Burma/India.[:)]

These fighters will be the workhorses for the rest of 1942. The next fighter to really look forward to is the Tojo IIb, not because it is a great fighter, but because several more squadrons upgrade to it. And I guess I am looking forward to the first Tony --both planes will start production probably in October along with Judy which comes in November.

[Lowpe]

Getting to be the end of July....

In India, the Allies shock attack after yesterdays 1-1 skirmish, and knock me out of the hex. It was a RTA unit there.

I need only hold the rail lines open in central India here for 2 days I will extract all my forces back to a defensive line, in additions to starting the attack at Ledo designed to bag all those Allied troops. I should be bringing overwhelming force with the spearhead all at 100% prep.

Some action down around Noumea...a SNLF lands at Efate opposed by a COY. Should take the base today, and another landing at Aoba to the north.

On the plane front, in the last couple of days we have started research on the Oscar III, the A6M5b. Serious improvement in Japanese air quality with the A6M5, A6M3a, and the Oscar IIb all starting production on August 1.[:)]