Against the Wind: Cuttlefish (Japan) vs. Q-Ball (Allies)

[pat.casey]

Great game and an exciting read

[crsutton]

Yes, I enjoyed this AAR and have benefited from all the things I have learned. Thanks.

[Smeulders]

Great game and thanks for the AAR

[LoBaron]

Well done!

Both of you! Your AAR´s were a fascinating read and I learned much in the process, whether its brilliant
strategies or missed opportunities does not matter.

Thank you! [:)]

[Speedysteve]

Hi CF,
 
Not posted but watched from the start. It's certainly been a rollercoaster ride. Well done for sticking it out. It's not easy in the situation you were in. Certainly some things to learn from but you also got a share of bad luck too IMO.
 
Again well done for sticking it out!

[Q-Ball]

Such nice comments from everyone!

I think a 2-way AAR is the way to go. There are very few on the forum that are really kept up, but the ones that are, VERY helpful. It gives you insight into both sides you rarely get.

Reading Cuttlefish's now is interesting, a bunch of "I didn't know that!" type of stuff.

[Cuttlefish]

[font="Arial"]We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers, to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored.[/font]
- Douglas MacArthur, at the Japanese surrender aboard Missouri

--

And so we come to the end. I have read Q-Ball’s AAR, and a very entertaining read it was, too. It was fascinating to see that the genesis of the Timor invasion, the event that turned the tide of the war, was way back in late May ’42. It was also interesting to see how close I came to intercepting the Allied carriers following their raid in the Sea of Okhotsk early in ‘42. So very close! Had Q-Ball not had trouble refueling off the Aleutians the two forces would have met head-on.

Obviously this was a crushing defeat for Japan. That I made serious mistakes is obvious, but this should not detract from the fact that Q-Ball played a very good game. I was especially impressed, reading his AAR, with his determination to push quickly and hard once he had the advantage. The amount of effort he put into the diversion at Wake Island prior to the Timor invasion also won my admiration, to the level of putting troops aboard the transports so the losses would look convincing and Wildcats aboard Long Island so there was at least a demonstration of carrier support.

It’s no secret that my major error was in not fortifying the DEI nearly heavily enough. Even with the Allies on Timor a well-defended second line, places like Tarakan, Jolo, Puerto Princessa. Bandjermasin, etc., would have slowed my opponent down considerably. Contributing to my error was a major misjudgment about how soon and how quickly Allied forces could advance in AE. Well, I certainly know better now.

There were a number of things I did not know about AE when this game started, things that would have helped me considerably. Among them:

- The way that certain apparently unrelated units can combine. Checking the Unit Organization button is your friend. There are two naval guard units, for example, that combine to make a really powerful CD unit. Many port units combine with naval guard units to form nifty base forces with some CD capability. And many of the infantry units in the Home Islands can become full divisions with their proper sub-units present, and so on.

Well duh, CF, I hear you say. I know, silly me. Had I known this earlier I would have had some CD guns and a couple more infantry divisions in the DEI and that would have been a huge help.

- Fuel, fuel, fuel. It’s everything to Japan in this game. I focused on resources early, and it’s true that you do have to ship in a lot. But I underestimated the truly frightening speed with which Japan’s heavy industry sucks down fuel. Resources are plentiful and close to hand for Japan and sending the occasional load of oil here and there is useful. But fuel is what it’s all about. This is a big change from WITP and while I had read most of the discussions about Japanese industry when AE first came out I hadn’t really wrapped my head around it.

- Air search/attack. The IJN does not have nearly enough search planes. I should have started training my IJA bombers (Sally, Helen, Lily) for this role right away. Instead I focused on ASW training, remembering all the hits and kills against subs from the WITP days. It just doesn’t work like that now. Looking at Q-Ball’s side of the game I see that my aircraft killed a grand total of two Allied subs during the course of the war. I really needed some of those planes to be naval search/naval attack assets instead.

There were a lot of other lessons learned as well. Most of my failures were strategic; tactically I played a sound enough game, I think, with the exception of the disastrous defeat at Ambon.

Well, it’s time to put some of these lessons to work. My game against Erstad continues but I find I have room on my dance card for a new partner. Anyone out there interested in a game, especially someone interested in writing a concurrent AAR?

Oh, one final thing. I hope everyone enjoyed the quotes at the top of each AAR entry. I had a lot of fun picking them out. Most of them came from the "Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations," by Col. Robert Debs Heinl, published by Naval Institute Press back in 1966. I am sure this book is long out of print but it's a fun book to just sit and browse through while waiting for a turn.

[CapAndGown]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

Oh, one final thing. I hope everyone enjoyed the quotes at the top of each AAR entry. I had a lot of fun picking them out. Most of them came from the "Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations," by Col. Robert Debs Heinl, published by Naval Institute Press back in 1966. I am sure this book is long out of print but it's a fun book to just sit and browse through while waiting for a turn.

Thank you for this AAR. It very was instructive.

I did enjoy the quotes and wondered how you came up with them.

Will you be playing Japan again, or is it time to try the forces of goodness and light?

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: cap_and_gown

Will you be playing Japan again, or is it time to try the forces of goodness and light?

Japan next, I think. I want to try and get it right (that is, lose less badly). But I also want to start a game as the Allies soon. There's one quote that I dimly recall, one that isn't in my book. I think it was by Field Marshall Model after watching Allied forces on the attack in Europe, something to the effect of "Just once, to command such power!"

[Capt. Harlock]

There's one quote that I dimly recall, one that isn't in my book. I think it was by Field Marshall Model after watching Allied forces on the attack in Europe, something to the effect of "Just once, to command such power!"

I personally enjoyed the quotes very much. (I'm a "Bartlett's" fanboy.) I'm pretty sure I remember a quote much like the above in "A Bridge Too Far", spoken by a German general watching the huge Allied air armada.

[PresterJohn001]

Excellent AAR, thanks for writing and best luck in your next games!

[FatR]

Well, that certainly was a great AAR to read, and your/Q-Ball's double AARs offer excellent learning material. Thanks for your efforts.

[Kwik E Mart]

CF, from reading this AAR I get the impression you are a gentleman - a quality that is somewhat rare to find these days. Your gracious nature and sporting attitude certainly comes thru while reading this epic. Many thanks for taking the time tor write this AAR. I know having to "bare one's soul" while going down in defeat is not an easy task, so kudo's to you, sir! [&o]

[Chickenboy]

Cuttlefish,

Like others have said-this has been a very informative and easy to read AAR. You gave valuable insight not only on strategic and tactical actions, but also on a reader friendly format that was easy to digest. You're a good writer, and I thank you for your contributions to this great gaming community.

I would love to jump at the opportunity to play you in any capacity and would enjoy the production of an AAR. Alas, my dance card is full for the forseeable future. I do intend to use the hard lessons learned in your and Q-ball's game and AARs for my personal benefit and to continue the spirit of gamesmanship and comaradarie that you have both displayed for all to see.

Many thanks again.

P.S. (whispered) Banzai...

[thegreatwent]

Thanks CF. You and Q-Ball both represent the best of this games community.

[CaptBeefheart]

Thanks for the enjoyable and enlightening AAR, and better luck next time.

Cheers,
CC

[Lomri]

This was an awesome AAR to read - thanks a ton CF. Having both of you guys write AARs was both entertaining for us readers, but also an excellent way to enhance the game for you two - to see the "What if" and the "Whoa that was close" moments.

One question I have, if you don't mind. Back when Q was planning the Wake diversion I seem to recall a discussion on whether it was a 'cheap' move or not. From the sounds of it, you don't feel that way, nor did really anyone (if I remember right), but I thought it was an interesting thing for Q to bring up. What was your reaction to that discussion, reading it after the fact?

[Cuttlefish]

ORIGINAL: Lomri


This was an awesome AAR to read - thanks a ton CF. Having both of you guys write AARs was both entertaining for us readers, but also an excellent way to enhance the game for you two - to see the "What if" and the "Whoa that was close" moments.

One question I have, if you don't mind. Back when Q was planning the Wake diversion I seem to recall a discussion on whether it was a 'cheap' move or not. From the sounds of it, you don't feel that way, nor did really anyone (if I remember right), but I thought it was an interesting thing for Q to bring up. What was your reaction to that discussion, reading it after the fact?

It was interesting reading that bit in the AAR. It kind of foreshadowed the thread regarding the destroyer sent to find KB that came out of the Canoerebel/Miller game. I had no problem with it, in fact I was filled with admiration that the amount of thought that Q-Ball put into his diversion.

There are limits to the kind of missions that I will send my virtual troops on, especially when playing as the Allies, but my perspective on the game may have been skewed a bit by writing the Hibiki AAR back in WITP. I tend to look at things from the perspective of the troops involved. I do not have a problem when my opponents use such tactics.

[crsutton]

Ok, enough idle chit chat. Switch sides and start the next one....[:D]

[Astarix]

ORIGINAL: Cuttlefish

ORIGINAL: cap_and_gown

Will you be playing Japan again, or is it time to try the forces of goodness and light?

Japan next, I think. I want to try and get it right (that is, lose less badly). But I also want to start a game as the Allies soon. There's one quote that I dimly recall, one that isn't in my book. I think it was by Field Marshall Model after watching Allied forces on the attack in Europe, something to the effect of "Just once, to command such power!"

The author of the quote was Lieutenant General Karl Student. The father of the German paratroopers, as he watched the 82nd airborne landings from his HQ near Nijmegan. Model was too preoccupied with running for his life from his HQ near Oosterbeek as he was convinced that the airborne landings in Arnhem were meant to capture him personally. He was the only significant military target he could think of, located in the Arnhem area.