Here we go again! tc464 (A) vs. Mike (J) - No tc464

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: cap_and_gown

If you want to build up the resource stockpile, you are going to need to turn off some of the LI factories at some point. Turning off Tokyo and Osaka will help you get your resource pool up very nicely.

Or you could leave 'em on and dump as many resources as you can into the home islands. I've been able to keep all LI and HI on and grow my resource cushion in the home islands through the first 10 months of the war. Obviously this will require a more concerted effort to import resources home.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: cap_and_gown

If you want to build up the resource stockpile, you are going to need to turn off some of the LI factories at some point. Turning off Tokyo and Osaka will help you get your resource pool up very nicely.

Or you could leave 'em on and dump as many resources as you can into the home islands. I've been able to keep all LI and HI on and grow my resource cushion in the home islands through the first 10 months of the war. Obviously this will require a more concerted effort to import resources home.

Ideally, that's what I'd like to do. The goal is to increase the resource stockpile without shutting off industry.

[Mike Solli]

13 Apr 42

Reinforcements: Lots of stuff today.

13 Air Flotilla HQ - This is a training HQ in Japan. A lot of air units are already here and they're all frantically training pilots.
26 Air Flotilla HQ - Part of the 11 Air Fleet. No air units are currently attached. I'm not sure if any come at all. Not sure where I'm going to use it. I'm thinking maybe at Paramushiro Jima?
13 Mortar Bn - 5 Army, Kwantung
11 Ind Hvy Art Bn - Kwantung
12 Ind Hvy Art Bn - Kwantung
18 Naval Guard - SE Fleet
85 Naval Guard - SE Fleet
86 Naval Guard - SE Fleet
87 Naval Guard - SE Fleet
88 Naval Guard - SE Fleet
89 Naval Guard - SE Fleet
I/19 Naval Guard - SE Fleet - Elite unit.
II/19 Naval Guard - SE Fleet - Elite unit.
III/19 Naval Guard - SE Fleet - Elite unit.
3 Ind SNLF Co - Elite unit.
6 Ind SNLF Co - Elite unit.

Those Naval Guard units will come in handy in the SE Fleet area. I want to expand a bit but don't have any infantry available.

China

I took Nanyang today. At a cost of 1k troops, I took out 16k Chinese. That pretty much trashed that army, taking out a third of their strength. They ran into a clear area surrounded by woods, a river and my troops. I'm chasing them to mess them up some more. Then I'll move the bulk of those troops up toward Sian. Things have finally broken open in that area after a lot of stalemate.

Palembang

I took Lahat unopposed. It's the dot hex next to Palembang. Soon I'll have Palembang surrounded on 3 sides and will move in for the kill.

Noumea/Brisbane

The I-10 caught an Allied xAKL and blasted her to splinters with 3 torpedo hits one hex to the east of Noumea.

Between Noumea and Brisbane, I have a few subs patrolling. One of them is being chased by several Allied ASW TFs. They include some DDs, KVs and some other stuff. I'm trying to keep them busy until KB arrives. I'd love to sink it all.

KB

KB arrived at it's rendvezvous to the east of Rabaul. When the Replenishment group arrives (a couple of days), KB will top off and head south for a little excursion. It'll be a quick in and out to clean up any shipping in the area. Escort ships are the priority. I may do a quick port attack on Brisbane or Noumea if it appears there are ships in either of those ports. Then KB will do it's vanishing act again. I'm hoping to surprise him.

[Q-Ball]

I prefer a direct invasion on Darwin. That is a very long overland march from Wyndham, and you'll have to send a couple units to double back and take out the CD unit at Darwin from behind, even if he abandons the base.

The CD guns at Darwin aren't that great; just embed a KATORI CL or two with the invasion transports, and you'll be fine. You'll lose a couple, but that's alot better than wasting 3 weeks on an overland march. You probably have BBs to spare also, a few salvoes on that CD unit will blunt it's impact. Australian Militia units are paper tigers, VERY weak in combat and fall apart quickly, so clearing Darwin is easy if it's not reinforced.

Good luck, but I would have gone straight in myself.

RE: RESOURCES, I do the same thing C & G does; turn off Osaka and Tokyo LI. I find there are ample supplies anyway, more than you really need at both spots, particularly Tokyo. I'll turn them on again if I ever find myself short of supplies in the Home Islands, but that hasn't happened yet. I would rather build a stockpile of RESOURCES and save it for the Heavy Industry.

Alot of resources come through the Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea, so it's 1945-ish anyway before you have RESOURCE problems. FUEL/OIL figure to be a problem first.

[Mike Solli]

You're swaying me (as usual) Q-Ball. My forces are still congegrating at Koepang. Three more days until they launch. I have a BB TF (4 BBs) for support as well as ~6-7 CAs. Do you recommend I put the CAs and BBs together and bombard or not? Baby KB will be hovering in the area as well, in case of enemy naval interference.

[Cribtop]

I'm no Q-Ball, but I'd allocate 2/3rds of those surface assets, including 3BBs, to bombardment and put the balance, including 1BB, into the invasion TF itself.

PS - Of course, ideally you'd have a third SCTF to protect against surface threats, but at some point you run out of heavies. You can't count on heavies in the invasion TF to protect from surface attack as they have to get underway. The purpose of the organic ships is to protect from CDs during the invasion support actions.

[Mike Solli]

That sounds like a plan Cribtop. I just counted and have 9 CAs in addition to the 4 BBs. I'm thinking the following:

Surface TF 1: 3 BB, 3 CA
Surface TF 2: 4 CA
Amphib TF: 1 BB, 2 CA

They all go into the hex together. On the invasion turn, TF 1 is surface and TF 2 is bombardment. Next turn when the attack happens, switch them. My reasonng:

I want some bombardment when everyone goes in. I use CAs because they have much more ammo. Next turn, I use the BB TF because it'll cause more damage. But, it'll also use 2/3 of the BB ammo. TF 2 will still have plenty of ammo left to repel a surface attack.

[Mike Solli]

14 Apr 42

Reinforcements:

CHa-32
5 Ku S-1 - 9 Rufes - 13 Air Flotilla (Training)
38 Sentai - 27 Ki-26-II - 1 Air Division (Training)
94 Sentai - 27 Ki-21-Ic - 1 Air Division (Training)
203 Sentai - 27 Ki-43-Ic - 2 Air Division (Training)
171 Cav Reg - 71 Division (Kwantung)
71 Mtn Gun Reg - 71 Division (Kwantung)
71 Eng Reg - 71 Division (Kwantung)
49 JNAF AF Unit - Southern Army

The 3 ground units from the 71 Div rounded out that division (3 infantry regiments started the game present). Early on, I bought the infantry for 5 Fleet for defense. I bought the 3 above units for 5 Fleet today. They'll go to reinforce the infantry. Later I'll use them in an offensive capacity. I can't let Ted have the Aleutians without a fight.

Not much other than in the air today. In Burma, over Magwe Ted sent fighters to try to take control of the air from me. I have a Sentai of Oscars and a reduced Chutai of Tojos in Magwe. The Tojos are from the chutai that starts the war with Tojos. It had 6 remaining at the beginning of the turn. Overall, he lost 7 Hurricanes of various flavors and one Warhawk in return for 1 Tojo.

In Pt. Moresby, Ted sent his B-17s again, at 30k ft. My Zeros are flying at 32k ft (their max height). Unfortunately, their maneuverability is only 10. Ouch! A few days ago he was sending 11, now it's down to 9. Either operational losses or just damage is taking it's toll. So far, I've lost 2 Zeros (but no pilots) to no B-17 losses. I finally shot one down today. Banzai!

[Mynok]

I'd go 2 BBs + 2 CA in 3 TFs then have a 3 CA TF for surface action and amphib support. Those first 3 will have a lot of firepower and you can bring it to bear easier because you can withdraw for replenishment while others take over the bombardment.

Get 3 TFs going in a Bombard--Replenish--Move cycle and you can bring the hurt repeatedly.

[Mike Solli]

Clever idea Mynok. I have a 4900 ton AKE in Koepang for BB ammo replenishment. Should the 3 CAs be in the amphib TF or in a separate surface TF?

[Mynok]

Well, if you believe the rumors that having CAs in the amphib TF helps with CD suppression, then put a CA or two in there and the others in the SC TF. You absolutely want a surface TF around to cover the landing. This was a Witp lesson and from the AARs I've read, applies even more so to AE.

You could probably get by with 1 CA in the bombardment TFs if you wanted more punch in the surface/amphib group.

[Cribtop]

I concur with Mynok's dispositions and would put the 3CAs in the invasion TF. I've done this in my own PBEM and it seems to help. At a minimum, the CD guns spend more time shooting at the CAs and less at the invasion TFs, IMHO.

[Mike Solli]

Yeah, a surface TF is necessary. How about 4 TFs each with 1 BB & 2 CA. One is always surface and the other 3 can rotate bombardment. I'll put Tanaka in the surface group. That leaves 1 CA for the amphib group.

I also have 45 Nells that can hit from Ambon and 36 Oscars that can just barely make it from Koepang with drop tanks at extended range. My intel shows 45 bombers and 50+ auxillary craft but no fighters. Not sure I believe it.

I'm trying a night Nell attack against the airfield, just to see what I hit.

[Cribtop]

Remember to put a few float planes on night recon from the bombardment TF as it has been shown to really improve accuracy of the shoot.

[Mike Solli]

I'll figure out something. I really like the idea of 3 bombardment groups. Only I'd like more than 1 CA in the amphib group though. I'll see what other surface forces I can scrounge.

[Mynok]

That's better. For some reason I counted six BBs in your original setup. With four, 1 BB, 2 CA is exactly what you want. Useful for both bombardment and surface action. The extra CA can go in the invasion TF.

[Mike Solli]

Now there's another clever idea. Never thought of that. Thanks!

[Cribtop]

Very historical. You even get a combat replay message "Pete spotting for BB Kirishima" or words to that effect. Cool.

[Mike Solli]

Very nice. [:D]

Here's the available surface fleet (not counting Baby KB's escort):

4 BB
9 CA
2 CL
12 DD
12 PB
2 DMS
1 E

Not a lot really. That's for everything including the amphib escort.

[Mynok]

Ok...this is Darwin op. For some reason I had Palembang in mind......

Obviously your PB/DMS/E types are going to be in the amphib TF. Put 3 CA in their initially too.

Changing my suggestion, run a big bombardment TF in for the first round, then split and do the cycle stuff. You are gonna need a big whack at the start to keep things copacetic.

Or do 2 BBs/3 CAs in two TF and run them both in. Then retire to Koepang and start cycling them. 12 DD is really not enough to do it right with 3. But you can try. [:D]