RADM Yamaguchi's Diary (Pls no affins or cheesesteak)

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

It looks like there is only one railroad bridge there and if the town on the far side is open and you have paratroopers, you can slow down any reinforcements. Then you can capture some Indian oil production and hopefully destroy some Commonwealth units. [:D]

mind reader?

[Alamander]

You can check rail-lines with the "Y" hotkey. Note that not all rail-lines and roads correspond precisely to the map graphics. There are a couple hexes where the map graphics differ from the actual underlying road and rail terrain (at least I think this is the case with the stock map; it certainly is the case with the extended map that I am using). When in doubt, be sure to check with hotkeys.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

i made a mistake and converted my Kyushus to AVs. So I'm going to have 21 extra AVs soon. I think i may have just found a new use. If i get in a situation where a CV vs CV battle is imminent i may just change KB into a Escort TF and throw all those AVs in there. Then the allies can have fun trying to hit the CVs amongst all those BBs, CSs, and AVs while at the same time i can still launch airstrike and fly CAP.[;)]

[Alamander]

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

i made a mistake and converted my Kyushus to AVs. So I'm going to have 21 extra AVs soon. I think i may have just found a new use. If i get in a situation where a CV vs CV battle is imminent i may just change KB into a Escort TF and throw all those AVs in there. Then the allies can have fun trying to hit the CVs amongst all those BBs, CSs, and AVs while at the same time i can still launch airstrike and fly CAP.[;)]

I wouldn't mess around with KB... lol. AVs will sometimes be mistaken for CVEs by scout planes (as will TKs and AOs). They could be used for deception. Be sure to convert all your Yusens to AKs then and most of them to AK-ts. AKs are invaluable. After the amphibious bonus, xAPs are mostly just for ferrying troops around rear areas. (I think the Yusens convert to AKs in stock, though I might be mistaken).

The Yusens can be better than the Kyushus in dangerous waters since they are a little more rugged and can usually withstand a 500 lb. bomb or even a torpedo without sinking. The Kyushus, in most cases, will not survive a torpedo and often will struggle to stay afloat with only a single 500 lb bomb hit.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: Alamander
I wouldn't mess around with KB... lol. AVs will sometimes be mistaken for CVEs by scout planes (as will TKs and AOs). They could be used for deception. Be sure to convert all your Yusens to AKs then and most of them to AK-ts. AKs are invaluable. After the amphibious bonus, xAPs are mostly just for ferrying troops around rear areas. (I think the Yusens convert to AKs in stock, though I might be mistaken).

Thanks Alamander - I did convert all Yusens to AK-t.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: Alamander
The Yusens can be better than the Kyushus in dangerous waters since they are a little more rugged and can usually withstand a 500 lb. bomb or even a torpedo without sinking. The Kyushus, in most cases, will not survive a torpedo and often will struggle to stay afloat with only a single 500 lb bomb hit.

I'm glad you pointed that out. I won't feel as badly about the mistake of converting. I'll try to really protect my Yusens.

[Alamander]

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

ORIGINAL: Alamander
The Yusens can be better than the Kyushus in dangerous waters since they are a little more rugged and can usually withstand a 500 lb. bomb or even a torpedo without sinking. The Kyushus, in most cases, will not survive a torpedo and often will struggle to stay afloat with only a single 500 lb bomb hit.

I'm glad you pointed that out. I won't feel as badly about the mistake of converting. I'll try to really protect my Yusens.

You'll be fine then. I just ran 4 Yusens AK-ts on a rescue mission for a paradrop gone bad (I dropped the paratroopers in "rest mode"... lol) through bombers, submarines, mines, everything... and they all made it back intact with the paratroopers securely aboard. I really do prefer them to the Kyushus despite the slower speed.

The whole debacle was the classic case of falling into a pile of dung and coming out smelling like a rose. There was about 35 AV on Ramree island with 0 forts and I dropped 2 elite para units, 72 AV, which should have been enough to take the base, except they were in "rest mode" and shock attacked in rest mode. Then I lost 40 transport planes by being an idiot again and forgetting to stand them down, so they flew into CAP. Anyway, in the rescue operation, I sank a sub, bombarded and bombed the base, netting 30 fighters on the ground, and shot down 27 bombers trying to attack my Yusens. The paratroopers lost a total of 1 squad destroyed through the whole mess. So, somehow, being an idiot worked out for me... lol.

[Bif1961]

Fortunes of war. If he asks you planned it that way.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

Does anybody have any recommendations for planning or industry modifications i could be doing while waiting for the next turn. It's October of 1942.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

I'm just hoping Lowpes game progresses faster so i can read that in between

[RangerJoe]

No increase in HI, LI, Refinery, do not repair any Resources or manpower. As long as your research is going fine with plenty of engines being built and/or researched you should be fine there. Keep building stockpiles of engines that you will need. Just check your research so when the airframe is ready to produce, go to the next model. Skip the research on any models that you do not want, like the Ki-67 Tonies but go to the KI-100 Tony.

[Alamander]

ORIGINAL: RADM.Yamaguchi

Does anybody have any recommendations for planning or industry modifications i could be doing while waiting for the next turn. It's October of 1942.

It's getting late in the day to make any major modifications to the Japanese economy. Be sure you have some size 30 factories on Frank and Sam and enough production of Nakajima 45 engines and maybe Mitsubishi 33 engines depending upon how much use you intend to make of the A6M8 and the Ki-100. Remember that the later Judies also use the Mitsubishi 33.

Check your pools of Naval points and Merchant points. Check your ship production. Are there ships that you can halt? If you haven't lost many merchants, you can probably shut off all or almost all merchant ship production. If you haven't lost many TKs, you can also halt some TK production. If you have a large pool of merchant points, start shutting down merchant ship factories to save heavy industry for increased air and engine production later. If you have excess naval points, can you accelerate some CVs? The small RO-class subs and the SSTs are not very helpful. Are these vessels halted? Certainly the SSTs should be. Will this free up some extra naval points?

How is your supply level? You should be at 4 million or more stockpiled at this point. Is there extra for fort building or is your stockpile not growing sufficiently? If you are short, where can you save some supplies? If you have enough, are you fortifying all the areas that you want to fortify?

How are your reserve pools of trained pilots? Is your training program adequate to take double the pilot losses that you have had in 1942 during 1943, and then at least quadruple or more for 1944?

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

sounds like i'm in trouble already. Here are my engines as of 10-7-42

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

SUPPLIES - oh no!!! only about a million short

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

I've accellerated CVs as much as i could - i think

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

otherwise i'm only building DDs and bigger TKs. All xAK, xAP, CLs, SSs have been stopped and/or halted.

I'm at 4 or higher forts almost everywhere. at least 6 at all the main bases like Rabaul, Luganville, Noumea, Kwaj and places like singapore, rangoon, palembang, batavia, soerbaja, manila, tarakan, balikpapan - was that a lot of wasted supplies?

I've got well over 200 naval fighter pilots 80+, at least 150 army fighter pilots 80+. almost all bomber pilots on CVs are 80+ most nell pilots are 70+.

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

my pilot replacements ain't looking too good. Maybe it's because i've expanded and filled up so many groups. Especially naval pilots - isn't that pool kinda skimpy?

[RADM.Yamaguchi]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

No increase in HI, LI, Refinery, do not repair any Resources or manpower. As long as your research is going fine with plenty of engines being built and/or researched you should be fine there. Keep building stockpiles of engines that you will need. Just check your research so when the airframe is ready to produce, go to the next model. Skip the research on any models that you do not want, like the Ki-67 Tonies but go to the KI-100 Tony.

I might have made mistakes here too. I wasn't going to build any Tonys. Or Helens. I never built the engines. i think i'll get the D4Y4 Judy and B6N2 around 1-15-43 or so. Can't make any predictions on any others yet.

[RangerJoe]

Go to the intelligence screen, sort by engine, then see what airframes you want.

The first Judies are no better than Vals, try at least for the third version with the 500 kg bomb. That means switch those Aichi Ha-60 factories!

The later Tonies, if you have been researching the earlier ones, use a different engine, have a different engine, cannons, and an SR of 1 so they can go up every day. Other fighters, not so often.

How is Saipan, Guam, and Pagan looking for forts? With those, the Home Islands are vulnerable. Noumea can be bypassed. See the defensive line that you REALLY need and make that as difficult as is possible. You want to protect the DEI, The Home Islands, the convoy routes between them, and the northern flank as well.

You have time since the American carrier fleet decided to submerge. [&o][&o][&o]

Think points. Late war IJN subs may have a hard time surviving, but if the have Glens then they can be a picket line. Also, subs can pick off cripples and in an air gap, they may do something. You may also have a bunch ready to swarm an area if you want to contest an invasion. There they can help especially if you have DD TFs, CL TFs, and such going in to attack any ASW or smaller DD SCTFs before your big boys show up. The enemy has only so many OPs points and if they are used against MTBs, mini-subs, and regular subs, there won't be many left to protect the invasion forces and/or carrier TFs.

[Alamander]

Mitsubishi 33 engines look good. You have overproduced Nakajima 35s and won't have enough Nakajima 45s. You don't really have the supply stockpile to make major changes. Only fortify key points to reduce supply usage going forward.

Since you are good on Mitsubishi 33 engines and will be short Nakajima 45 engines. Work on the A6M8 if you can, which uses the Mit 33. You will have to rely some on fighters that use the Mitusbishi 33, I suspect. I recommend that you get a couple of factories (2-3) working on the KI-61a. They should repair almost immediately 1 per day and be ready in a month. Don't bother to produce it, however. Just advance the factories to Ki-100 once they turn blue.

I play PDU:Off, so I use all the planes. I find the Tonies to be invaluable, especially the KAI-61s and the 100s. The KAI-61s because there just aren't enough Ki-81a squadrons: a problem that you won't have. The 100s, however, will be useful to you (and these use the Mit 33 engine). They are service rating 1 and can bring down a 4-E, which allows you to keep something in the air, after a major battle when many of your Franks are out of service. PDU:ON players mostly tend to just adapt to having mostly high service rating planes. Personally, I can't stand it, because it greatly reduces my tactical flexibility to have to depend exclusively on high service rating planes. All my opponent needs to see are a large number of damaged planes to know that he can attack the next day, and I won't be able to put much in the air. The KI-100 makes this dangerous for the allies.

Expand your Nakajima 45 production by at least 110. You could use more, probably 250, but your supply stockpile is not great, so try to be as frugal as you can. Try not to build anything but Franks that use the Nakajima 45. Take a look at your naval land-wing: the J2M and N1K. You may have to use the J2M, unless you are already heavily invested in the N1K. In which case, you'll have to expand your Nakajima 45 production a bit more.

Set your Mitsubishi 32 factories to stop repairing. 250 per month should be more than enough. The Nakajima 35 will begin to phase out throughout 1943, and by 1944, you will not be building much that uses that engine except Lilly DBs and a few other odds and ends. You can probably shut off a factory or two.

You heavy industry pool looks to be in good shape (much better than mine at the same point in the game, and I am building far fewer engines and planes now than you, though I have expanded naval shipyards substantially and have expanded vehicle production to 270).

How are your vehicle points? 215 is on the low side, but can get you by if you are careful with your tanks and don't upgrade everything right away. The type 1s are not ideal for every situation anyway. They use a high-velocity 47mm that is an anti-tank weapon. The Type 97s and 89a use a low-velocity 57mm that is a better anti-infantry weapon. There is no good reason to upgrade tanks that you intend to use exclusively in China or as anti-infantry weapons. Those that you expect to encounter enemy armor should be upgraded to the type 1s and then some (though not all) later to type 3s.