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Well... eventually you'll kill enough of his pilots that your pilots should be better? In addition to on-map training and such, you get some fighter groups with elite/veteran pilots already filling them out. I'm thinking of the P-47 units that arrive in Eastern USA in 1943/1944. That's when I would expect your sweeps to begin performing much better - when your pilots are better.

You should check out CR vs John III; they are having epic fighter fights over Formosa with results you are getting.

I think you suffer from selective memory[;)]; in that it is easy to remember the 10-1 sweeps, but those usually come after some grueling earlier fights and when the defender is worn down, morale low from bombardments, and runways damaged or the final sweeps of a heavy sweeping day. Or they come from epic mismatch...Jugs versus A6M5c for example.

You should be thankful that Japan can put up a defense...where is the fun is simply steamrolling Japan? Anyhow, those bombardments your are dealing out will get Japan to substantially change how they defend...which should be to your benefit.[:)]

Gents, I should have added a caveat to my last post that I'm not complaining. [8D]

My post was just trying to explain to crsutton that my P-38's, or fighters in general, weren't owning anybody.

I'm quite happy employing my new tactics. Lowpe, you said yourself I wasn't using all my toys. I am now.

I acknowledged that I was expecting air results compared to other games, but that this one was different. I turned that corner and have come to terms with what I need to do to be successful in the air war. So far so good.

Sadly, P-38s don't really own anything except Oscars and Zeroes. It sucks.

I've also concluded that we define success in the air differently, which is fine, but it also renders any advice I might give less useful as it will be towards what I define as the goal.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Sadly, P-38s don't really own anything except Oscars and Zeroes. It sucks.

Tell us what your really think![:D]

I like P38's for LRCAP...does very well against naval strikes.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I've also concluded that we define success in the air differently, which is fine, but it also renders any advice I might give less useful as it will be towards what I define as the goal.

I'd still appreciate any advice you're willing to give. I need to improve. Right now, I'm just taking a step back and letting the navy do some heavy lifting for a change. As I move forward, I'll continue to try and tweak my tactics to have success in the air. At least I'm not playing Erik's war anymore. I'm solely concerned on righting my own ship and refining my tactics.

[8D]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Gents, I should have added a caveat to my last post that I'm not complaining. [8D]

My post was just trying to explain to crsutton that my P-38's, or fighters in general, weren't owning anybody.

I'm quite happy employing my new tactics. Lowpe, you said yourself I wasn't using all my toys. I am now.

I acknowledged that I was expecting air results compared to other games, but that this one was different. I turned that corner and have come to terms with what I need to do to be successful in the air war. So far so good.

Congrats on having a corner to turn :] I have come to the conclusion that MrKane is going to beat me to death in the air through 1946

Sept 7/44:

A three battleship bombardment mission to suppress Hollandia's airbase doesn't perform well. Erik has deployed the Wake Coastal CD unit and his favourite 15th Base Force to Hollandia. My battleships dueled it out with the CD guns rather than concentrate on the airbase so damage to the airfield was minimal.

In Australia U.S. paratroopers paradrop on Kalgoorlie and capture the undefended base. Reinforcing units will begin railing to the base from Esperance and Port Augusta. There is a small enemy garrison at Perth. Liberating Western Australia is all about removing base VPs from the Japanese total.

I continue to dink and dunk in Burma not really accomplishing anything. The Australian divisions are still marching through the rough terrain to get to Katha. Once they reach Dimapur they will deploy by rail to Karachi and sail to Aden. From there they will strategically redeploy to San Francisco.

There is no Japanese opposition to any of my movements in New Guinea or the Solomons. Erik is content to shore up his second tier defences and await the Allied move.

I'm looking forward to October. I'm throwing everything I have at Erik in an effort to break the back of the Japanese Fleet. It's going to be a chaotic end to 1944.

Sept 9/44:

Roi-Namur is captured today. As a bonus a number of Norms are destroyed. AAR follows:

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Ground combat at Roi-Namur (132,114)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 1022 troops, 18 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 69

Defending force 392 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 5

Allied adjusted assault: 21

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 21 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied forces CAPTURE Roi-Namur !!!

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
E15K1 Norm: 2 destroyed

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

Japanese ground losses:
267 casualties reported
Squads: 4 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 35 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 4 destroyed, 0 disabled
Units destroyed 1

Allied ground losses:
199 casualties reported
Squads: 5 destroyed, 22 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Vehicles lost 2 (2 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
22nd Marine Rgt /3

Defending units:
7th JNAF Coy

New Guinea:

The current score:

Sept. 10/44:

Quiet turn.

Bombers and P-38Ls target Woleai. I've been bombing the base periodically to keep it suppressed and generally the sweeps fly first. This time they don't and Erik sets LRCAP. However, no B-24s are lost and 6 Oscar IVs are listed as Ops losses. Severe storms over the target limited the damage, but the day belongs to the gunners on the heavies.

Erik is pulling out troops from Hollandia and I'm unable to interdict any transports as usual. I tried both day and night CAP over Hollandia at a range of 3 hexes. I wish I knew the trick to intercepting transports. I'll try to add some LRCAP in addition to the CAP and see if that makes any difference. Totally sucks that I can't stop the withdrawal by air, or at least make it a costly tactic.

Otherwise I'm just doing last minute preparations getting all the shipping and troops in place for loading once the CVEs rejoin the fleet.

Sept. 13/44:

The main news today is the naval battle of Biak. There has been a Japanese SCTF stationed at Biak for some time and I've been trying to figure out a way to get at it. Initially, I had been contemplating a carrier strike, but after positioning task forces for a full speed run, I either lost my nerve or felt there were too many unknowns to risk the carriers. So I mothballed the idea of attacking the Japanese ships at Biak. With the threat of naval bombardment against the airbases at Hollandia and Sarmi there had been a reduction in Japanese air search which allowed me to position an Allied SCTF to within seven hexes of Biak without being detected. Allied air search on the 12th indicated only a five ship enemy TF at Biak, when previously the total had consistently shown 10. I decided to attack anyway and ordered a full speed run. At 18,000 yards CL Cleveland started the battle landing a 5" shell hit on CL Kinu. After that, all hell broke lose. AAR follows:

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Biak at 87,110, Range 18,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
CL Yura, Shell hits 24, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL Kinu, Shell hits 18, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Nenohi, Shell hits 8, and is sunk
DD Hatsushima, Shell hits 17, and is sunk
DD Wakaba, Shell hits 13, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Ariake, Shell hits 14, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Ikazuchi, Shell hits 7, heavy fires
DD Inazuma, Shell hits 11, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Usugumo, Shell hits 28, and is sunk
DD Shirakumo, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Murakumo, Shell hits 18, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CL Cleveland
DD Knapp, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Laws
DD Longshaw, Shell hits 5, on fire
DD Luce, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Marshall, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Nicholas, Shell hits 1
DD Thatcher, Shell hits 3
DD The Sullivans, Shell hits 3
DD Walker, Shell hits 7, heavy fires

Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
Range closes to 24,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 24,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 24,000 yards
Range closes to 18,000 yards...

At first the Japanese DDs were effectively scoring hits, but then the Fletchers really started hitting home. CL Cleveland handled the Japanese CLs while the two destroyer forces hammered away at each other. Three enemy destroyers sunk outright in the first fight with another sunk in a follow up engagement. Further sinking sounds were heard during the replay. There were no mine hits, no Japanese submarines and more importantly, no Japanese naval air attacks against any of the damaged Allied destroyers that couldn't withdraw from the area. A decisive Allied tactical victory on the day.

Reported Japanese naval losses at Biak:

The follow up naval battle. AAR follows:

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Biak at 87,110, Range 18,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
DD Ayanami, Shell hits 27, and is sunk
DD Ushio, Shell hits 29, heavy fires, heavy damage

Allied Ships
CL Cleveland, Shell hits 1
DD Laws, Shell hits 1
DD Longshaw, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
DD Luce, heavy fires
DD Nicholas
DD Thatcher

Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions: 28,000 yards
Range closes to 24,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 24,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 24,000 yards
Range closes to 18,000 yards...

Current dispositions after the naval battle. The six Allied DDs near Biak are not out of the woods. There are some fresh Japanese DDs at Biak which I'm sure will be formed into a SCTF to go after my cripples. Depending on reaction and movement a few of my destroyers will be caught. Also, both airbases at Hollandia and Sarmi are currently undamaged so the threat of Japanese naval air strikes exist.

In other news for the 13th.

B-29s target Taberfane, but at 25k they do little damage. I'm experimenting with bomber altitudes to find a sweet spot that allows fighter sweeps to go first.

Also, Wotje is captured in the Marshall Islands. The navy air force actually destroyed the remaining Japanese garrison before the tanks went ashore. AAR follows:

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Ground combat at Wotje (135,115)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 1164 troops, 3 guns, 112 vehicles, Assault Value = 62

Defending force 0 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 0

Allied adjusted assault: 56

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 56 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied forces CAPTURE Wotje !!!

Combat modifiers
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+), leaders(-)

Assaulting units:
766th Tank Battalion

Eight more days until the CVEs complete their upgrades.

I'm frantically getting unit fragments sorted out and making sure the supporting cast is ready to go.

I believe I have finally settled down in this PBEM. Attitude is good, confidence level is improving and I have clear goals mapped out. It will soon come down to execution and a willingness to sacrifice as many units as it may take to achieve my objectives. I'm mentally preparing myself for a knockdown drag out fight.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Eight more days until the CVEs complete their upgrades.

I'm frantically getting unit fragments sorted out and making sure the supporting cast is ready to go.

I believe I have finally settled down in this PBEM. Attitude is good, confidence level is improving and I have clear goals mapped out. It will soon come down to execution and a willingness to sacrifice as many units as it may take to achieve my objectives. I'm mentally preparing myself for a knockdown drag out fight.

Keep in mind also that you picked this game up in late 1943, and the previous allied player had neglected the long, slow logistic build-up that allows the allies to put continuos pressure on Japan's forces (especially their air force) throughout 1943 into 1944. So, Obvert had more time and comfort than many Japanese players to build his pools, train his pilots, refit his ground units, and develop his R&D program. You have only had 1 year to accomplish what the allies normally do in 2 years.

Looks like you caught the Japanese unaware.