Tale of the Sheep! - JocMeister (A) vs. Lowpe (J)

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]March 16th 1942[/font]
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Ouch. Stupid mistake at Chungking.

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NORPAC/WC
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KB lingers outside Seattle...need 1-2 more turns for Glass Cannon. 18 Zeroes sweep Seattle.

I also have some surface raiders South of San Diego. Not sure if I should try and hit them or not. Probably not worth the risk right now. They don´t do any harm sitting there anyway.

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China
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Jeff hits the airfield at Chungking catching a lot of Chinese planes on the ground. Stupid mistake by me.

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India
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Suddenly a LRCAP appears over the Japanese troops.

Morning Air attack on 18th/A Division, at 56,40 , near Chittagong

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid spotted at 37 NM, estimated altitude 22,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 9 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 12

Allied aircraft
H81-A3 x 20

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
H81-A3: 3 destroyed

Not a good day as I lose an ace KIA and have another wounded. Some Brit Hurris dish out some real damage later in the day downing a lot of Oscars.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

[font="Verdana"]Replacement pools[/font]
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Well, I´m running out of things I´ve never been before. Absolutely bone dry right now:
- US Rifle squads
- US 90mm AA guns.
- US 40mm Bofors
- US 155mm CD guns.

This is a bit problematic. Given the situation the AA guns are the real issue. Several of the WC AA units are not even close to full TOE and the ones destroyed at PH can´t fill out. Replacement rates are abysmal.
-20 90mm/MO
-40 Bofors

This is basically a coast AA unit per month...slow. At least the AA units coming as reinforcements seem to have a full TOE. 4 full ones arriving within the next 30 days.

I always run out of those things, except the 155mm CD guns.

Even the 155mm GPF are not available in good numbers. In late 1942 I am still waiting for some to replace 5" guns in some Coast Defence Units and Marine Defence Battalions. Not a huge deal as the 5" guns have some bite too.

[JocMeister]

Problem for me is that the Defense Battalions I bought back come with the 155mm M1918 GPF gun. Its not even in production so I have to wait for the TOE upgrade in 255 days when it switches to the 155mm M1A1.

So they are pretty useless right now. [:)]

[Bullwinkle58]

There's a giant free AA dump on June 30 (?) right into the pools, convoy-style. Still a ways for you but it helps.

Any base forces you can disband right now? You can scare up some infantry squads there.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Problem for me is that the Defense Battalions I bought back come with the 155mm M1918 GPF gun. Its not even in production so I have to wait for the TOE upgrade in 255 days when it switches to the 155mm M1A1.

So they are pretty useless right now. [:)]

Well, except that they're Marines... you'll still have useful USMC battalions. Nice squads. The 155mm guns are chrome in most applications.

[Blackhorse]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

There's a giant free AA dump on June 30 (?) right into the pools, convoy-style. Still a ways for you but it helps.

Any base forces you can disband right now? You can scare up some infantry squads there.

Listen to the Moose!

Historically, the US stripped its West Coast AA units in early 42 so other units could deploy at full strength. That's what you are living through now. Until the July 1st surge, you don't have enough replacements to fill out your restricted units as well as the ones you are shipping overseas.


For now, most of your AA units should have 'replacements off'. Even the July 1st reinforcements are not a panacea -- there's 100 90mm and 20 3in M3 heavy AA guns, and 120 40mm and 100 37mm light AA. There's lots and lots of machine guns, so at least you won't have to worry about the Japanese strafing your troops. [:)]

[JocMeister]

Thanks guys! Didn´t know/had forgotten about the US convoy reinforcements! [&o] I guess July will be too late to change anything though. Whatever strat bombing campaign Jeff will try it will surely be decided by then!

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]March 17th 1942[/font]
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Quiet....

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NORPAC/WC
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KB stays on station West of Seattle. A little bit too bold being so stationary...subs will intercept next turn. I want him to burn as much fuel as possible.

"Glass Cannon" will launch next turn. I pretty much only get one shot at this (hence the name). 70 B17Es will try and close Coal Harbor AF. 20 P38Es, 25 P40Es and 25 P39s will hopefully sweep ahead. Unless KB moves North all of the sudden it will be too far away to lend support. If I can manage to close the AF it will pin the KB in the area for a little longer. It will also force Jeff to keep up a much bigger CAP giving him less to sweep with.

I´m putting a great deal of faith in the B17Es. So far I´ve seen only Zeroes flying from Coal Harbor. I know from experience they are horrible at dealing with B17s...my pilots though are not...good. So we will see how it ends up.

I´ve also built up a good reserve force further south with 150 P40Es. Some of them are even piloted by decent pilots! [X(]

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India
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A lone RGT of the 18th move out from the coast after the shattered Indian BDE. This RGT is about to face a nasty surprise as is the rest of the 18th sitting at Chittagong.

The Japanese 5th ID is prepping for Calcutta. This is not a serious threat yet and I should have time to deal with the 18th first. Calcutta has 1100 AV behind level 5 forts. He will need 3-4 IDs for that.

1/5th Division is planning for an attack on Calcutta.

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China
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Jeff continues to hit the AF at Chungking destroying some more planes on the ground.

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SOPAC
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Some subs pop up outside Noumea.

[CaptBeefheart]

Good luck with the CONUS defense. I'm wondering how in the screen above it says "Base Administration: 1 of 12 groups." I'd think it would be "9 of 12."

Cheers,

CC

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

Good luck with the CONUS defense. I'm wondering how in the screen above it says "Base Administration: 1 of 12 groups." I'd think it would be "9 of 12."
Cheers,
CC

You know what, that is a really good question! Anyone have any ideas? [&:]

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Locations of Japanese ID[/font]
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NORPAC/WC
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-16th ID at Coal Harbor
-48th ID at Bella Bella
-48th/B at Annette Island

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CENTPAC
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-4th ID at PH (2 weeks old SIGINT)

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DEI
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-5th on Java. Prepping for Calcutta.
-38th on Java.
-19th ID on Mindanao. Prepping for Manila
-18/C

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Burma
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-Imperial Guards (probably moved to Paoshan)
-18th ID (2/3rd at Chittagong)

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Unknown/on the move
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-21st. Unknown
-33rd. On ships from PH to Canton.

[CaptBeefheart]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

Good luck with the CONUS defense. I'm wondering how in the screen above it says "Base Administration: 1 of 12 groups." I'd think it would be "9 of 12."
Cheers,
CC

You know what, that is a really good question! Anyone have any ideas? [&:]

From WITPQS on another thread: "Note the following: Groups that are stood down or on training collectively count as 1 group."

Are those B-17s on 100% training? That would explain it.

EDIT: After all these years, still learning things about this beast. [:D]

Cheers,
CC

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Japanese intentions[/font]
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I´m starting to wonder if I have been mistaken in my belief considering SOPAC. Spent a while in Intel Monkey today going through various locations and Japanese combat units.

-Nothing is prepping for Pago Pago, Noumea, Koumac, Nadi or Penryhn Island.
-"Bogus" units are prepping for Suva. These are all Kwantung Brigades.
-Nothing in prepping for anything on OZ or NZ besides Perth.
-There is very little activity in SOPAC at all. Jeff took Ndeni with a small unit but have not expanded the base. Only Japanese presence since the SCTF around Koumac 2 weeks ago are subs.

Japanese are now committing to both India and NORPAC. They have made very little progress in China so far (although that will change soon as supply is gone) and still have Luzon and Darwin on the "must take list". With the thrust into NORPAC/Canada I don´t think Jeff has enough to threaten SOPAC. At least not for now. And very soon the Amphib bonus will be gone slowing him down considerably.

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody
From WITPQS on another thread: "Note the following: Groups that are stood down or on training collectively count as 1 group."

Are those B-17s on 100% training? That would explain it.

EDIT: After all these years, still learning things about this beast. [:D]

Cheers,
CC

That was the first thing I checked! Nope. [&:] If I stand everything down it still shows 1 active group. It works as it should except with the B17s...very odd.

If I fly in some FS the number is matching the new FS.

[CaptBeefheart]

Maybe a home airfield advantage? They were built in Seattle, after all.[;)]

Cheers,
CC

[BBfanboy]

Could it be that it is referring to the BOMB GROUP, not each squadron, and that the base has the same HQ as one of those groups (IV US Bomber Cmnd)?

[BBfanboy]

About the B-17 strike on CH - does an IJA Inf Div have good light AA in 1942? If not, I would be tempted to put poorly trained B-17 squadrons on low level attack, around 3000 feet to avoid MG fire. At that level they can get hits with a poor Low Ground skill level.

Or you could put them at 100 feet and bomb then strafe with all those MGs! [:'(]

EDIT: There is a bonus to flying very low level - most of the CAP at 10000 feet or so will never get down in time to intercept. [:)]

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

About the B-17 strike on CH - does an IJA Inf Div have good light AA in 1942? If not, I would be tempted to put poorly trained B-17 squadrons on low level attack, around 3000 feet to avoid MG fire. At that level they can get hits with a poor Low Ground skill level.

Or you could put them at 100 feet and bomb then strafe with all those MGs! [:'(]

EDIT: There is a bonus to flying very low level - most of the CAP at 10000 feet or so will never get down in time to intercept. [:)]

A long time ago before my forum savvy clued me in to how politically incorrect it is to bomb below 10k with 4Es I experimented with B17 port strikes at 100 ft.

It was the most devastating thing I have EVER seen in WITPAE...way better than a KB strike.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

About the B-17 strike on CH - does an IJA Inf Div have good light AA in 1942? If not, I would be tempted to put poorly trained B-17 squadrons on low level attack, around 3000 feet to avoid MG fire. At that level they can get hits with a poor Low Ground skill level.

Or you could put them at 100 feet and bomb then strafe with all those MGs! [:'(]

EDIT: There is a bonus to flying very low level - most of the CAP at 10000 feet or so will never get down in time to intercept. [:)]

A long time ago before my forum savvy clued me in to how politically incorrect it is to bomb below 10k with 4Es I experimented with B17 port strikes at 100 ft.

It was the most devastating thing I have EVER seen in WITPAE...way better than a KB strike.

This would actually use regular ground bombing skill. Low ground skill is used ONLY at 1000 feet. This was a change in an early beta from the previous 6000 threshold.


As for the base administration... to my knowledge, sometimes groups with the same HQ or with the same "grouping" (bomb group, fighter group, etc.) seem to take up less base administration overhead. Also, to my knowledge, having HQs present increases the maximum number (in this case the 12), and does not reduce the effective number.

I do think that having those air units' specific HQ at the base makes them not count, though.

I dunno... I just do what the white or red numbers tell me to do in these cases. Planning the minutiae here rarely matters - even if every one of those groups was using up space, as you say, you'd only have 9...

[JocMeister]

Thanks for the replies guys. I´m mostly worried something amiss and I can´t get the planes to fly. Didn´t this turn..update coming shortly!