Hairy Asian Experiences - GreyJoy (J) vs. Q-Ball (A)

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Double check the leaders of the stack in China and replace the worse for the divisional units. You want high inspiration, above average leadership and land skill.

Ok, they are good enough imho, but i'll double check anyway!

But what do u think? Wait, attack or shock attack?

Sorry to inundate your AAR with posts, but I just would stress not shocking until a day or two after you've gotten at least a 1:1 and have good supply, low fatigue/disruption. I've had the 1:1 turn into a 1:2 and set me back a week. But once the supply is white it looks like you can break through by the above report.

The only problem is that he will bring fresh troop in if i wait, while now those units are badly mauled.... At Mitikina, despite being in red with supplies and very fatigued, the shock attack worked very well....

Tough call....

[ny59giants]

According to my "Leaders" list that I copy & paste (now have printed out), for land units the priority is Land, Inspiration, Leadership, and then Admin.

How high is your disruption and fatigue levels of these troops?? Are any of your units with over 50% squads disabled?? Those will get far worse if involved in an attack.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

The only problem is that he will bring fresh troop in if i wait, while now those units are badly mauled.... At Mitikina, despite being in red with supplies and very fatigued, the shock attack worked very well....

Tough call....

Yeah, looking at the report and the state of your troops, it'll probably be fine. I just had one that was similar and didn't turn out fine. But he has very little left with AV in the hex and your disruption is low. I'm changing my view. I say go for it. [:)]

[veji1]

So say I. disruptions and fatigue are low, and his supplies must be way worse than yours.. Although I the air bombing proved the key than... Hmm. Basically go for it but remember that you alone are responsible for your actions... [;)]

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Totally agree with obvert. Supply is the key in China and he won't ever have enough. Just keep grinding and the Chinese army will eventually break. Don't destroy Chinese units just wear them down and push them back until you take Chunking. There are no replacement devices and squads won't replace due to the shortage of supply.

Also, I think you need to garrison Rossell Island. Not important for Japan but too valuable for the Allies if they take it and build a base there. At least make him fight for it.

Rossell?? Where is it? [X(]... I know Rennell Island (already garrisoned) and Russell Island (garrisoned)...but Rossell?? So many islands in the map[:D]

Nice to see you Crsutton!

Spelled it wrong, Rossel Island. If you follow the chain of islands running SE of Milne Bay, the very last one in the chain is Rossel. If I were the Allied player I would grab it as soon as I felt strong enough to fight for it.

I am reading all the time but commenting less because I am reading your opponent's at times and don't want to blow any intel for either of you...

[Canoerebel]

Stepping back for a moment to look at the game overall, I am amazed at how well GJ has handled himself. This is his second game. This is his first game as Japan. His opponent is very experienced and capable. By all rights, the wheels should have come off long ago. GJ's empire should be in tatters, so that he ought to be looking forward to ending this game and starting a new one.

While everything hasn't gone the way he'd like, GJ has performed very credibly and hasn't done anything to skewer himself.

[GreyJoy]

Very busy...got a couple of meetings with clients coming in... just to let you know that we shock attacked and achieved a 2-1, inflicting great damage to the chinese... 7 out of 9 units have retreated but 20,000 enemies are still dug in the contested hex. Another cavarly corp is arriving as reinforcement. We have a brand new army (43,000 fresh men, for 1300 AVs) ready to come in and relieve the heroes of the 1st Army.
Tomorrow we'll shock attack again, hopefully gaining the complete controll of that damned hex.
BANZAI!!
 
Thanks CR, much appreaciated

[veji1]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

Very busy...got a couple of meetings with clients coming in... just to let you know that we shock attacked and achieved a 2-1, inflicting great damage to the chinese... 7 out of 9 units have retreated but 20,000 enemies are still dug in the contested hex. Another cavarly corp is arriving as reinforcement. We have a brand new army (43,000 fresh men, for 1300 AVs) ready to come in and relieve the heroes of the 1st Army.
Tomorrow we'll shock attack again, hopefully gaining the complete controll of that damned hex.
BANZAI!!

Thanks CR, much appreaciated

*
wouhou!!!

You will see that China is very much about breaking successive Crusts of crackling... Sometimes you bang your head on it but give it enough bombing and supplies on your side, you will eventually get through, each and everytime, once you got it snowballing.. For the allies it is at the very beginning that one can set up a defense if left enough time by the IJ, once it snowballs it is dead.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: veji1

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

Very busy...got a couple of meetings with clients coming in... just to let you know that we shock attacked and achieved a 2-1, inflicting great damage to the chinese... 7 out of 9 units have retreated but 20,000 enemies are still dug in the contested hex. Another cavarly corp is arriving as reinforcement. We have a brand new army (43,000 fresh men, for 1300 AVs) ready to come in and relieve the heroes of the 1st Army.
Tomorrow we'll shock attack again, hopefully gaining the complete controll of that damned hex.
BANZAI!!

Thanks CR, much appreaciated

*
wouhou!!!

You will see that China is very much about breaking successive Crusts of crackling... Sometimes you bang your head on it but give it enough bombing and supplies on your side, you will eventually get through, each and everytime, once you got it snowballing.. For the allies it is at the very beginning that one can set up a defense if left enough time by the IJ, once it snowballs it is dead.

And those Corps will be trashed for the remainder of this portion of the fighting. Good call to go for it. Keep it rolling! [8D]

[GreyJoy]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR May 15, 42

Here's the result...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground combat at 82,38 (near Tienshui)

Japanese Shock attack

Attacking force 36018 troops, 334 guns, 119 vehicles, Assault Value = 924

Defending force 29879 troops, 183 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 214

Japanese adjusted assault: 744

Allied adjusted defense: 322

Japanese assault odds: 2 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
1054 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 120 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled


Allied ground losses:
3463 casualties reported
Squads: 198 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 388 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 6 destroyed, 2 disabled
Guns lost 10 (10 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 7 (out of 9....)


Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
63rd Division
13th Tank Regiment
110th Division
59th Infantry Brigade
12th Indpt Infantry Regiment
1st Mortar Battalion
1st Army
6th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
Botanko Hvy Gun Regiment

Defending units:
85th Chinese Corps
80th Chinese Corps
30th Chinese Corps
76th Chinese Corps
92nd Chinese Corps
38th Chinese Corps
23rd Chinese Corps
4th Group Army
14th Group Army


Only the two corps with decent AV remained in the hex. We'll keep on attacking. My 1st Army is exausted...this will be their last attack for a while. No matter how it goes the next one, in two days the whole army will be substituted by 3 brand new divisions.




Finally Whyndam falls...now the whole northern Oz (with the exception of Port Hedland) is in my bloody hands. Now it's time to finish off Batavia and to start to prepp the future defences in the region... there's still the option for Cocos...but i really don't like the idea of risking a landing there... however, as soon as Batavia falls, the Southern Area Army HQ will be prepping for Cocos (already have 2 Divs, 2 Eng Rgt and 2 Tank rgts 100% prepped).

Also moving some troops to the Mariannas and to the Kuriles...just in case

Here's the resources situation in Japan...things are improving!
Also the fuel situation is getting better. Palembang, Miri and Brunei are already empty[:)]...and the convoys from HK to Sasebo are working just fine

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Stepping back for a moment to look at the game overall, I am amazed at how well GJ has handled himself. This is his second game. This is his first game as Japan. His opponent is very experienced and capable. By all rights, the wheels should have come off long ago. GJ's empire should be in tatters, so that he ought to be looking forward to ending this game and starting a new one.

While everything hasn't gone the way he'd like, GJ has performed very credibly and hasn't done anything to skewer himself.

Well, actually i've been playing for a couple of weeks a third game, as allies. Unfortunately my japanese opponent had to resign due to RL problems and the game has been halted on mid Jan 1942...

Let's say that I was so scared of committing some bad and fatal mistakes that i moved very very cautiously...maybe i was even too cautious! Gotta say that i made some mistakes...mostly strategical...Not to have conquered Balikapan early on for example...or not to have exploited the first chinese breakthrough the way I should have... but, overall, i cannot say i'm not happy with the overall situation!

[GreyJoy]

And, for what it's worth, i gotta say that i strongly suggest to all the AFBs out there (and you all know i am an AFB) that playing on the evil side is defenetly cool. It's challenging and it teaches you a lot about the weaknesses and the strenghts of japanese power.
Now that i've played Japan for 6 months, i can say that i feel i become a stronger allied player than i was before.
Moreover, managing the economy is really interesting!!!
 
Strongly suggested

[khyberbill]

I find it interesting that you are concentrating on a land war in China. You have already proven in your game with Radar that one can lose China and win the war. Looking at it from another angle, the Japanese foes that have given me the most trouble in games are those that basically ignore China and devote their resources to other areas.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: khyberbill

I find it interesting that you are concentrating on a land war in China. You have already proven in your game with Radar that one can lose China and win the war. Looking at it from another angle, the Japanese foes that have given me the most trouble in games are those that basically ignore China and devote their resources to other areas.

No, I think the Japanese player should always take China because it can be done without too much pain and "it is there to take." Taking it does not win the war but frees up Japanese troops and resources for the later Allied onslaught. A nerfed China is just one less theater to have to fret over. And, if you don't, the Allies will sooner or later be basing bombers out of China. Not a good thing at any time. I think the Japanese player need only take Chunking. Taking Lanchow is OK if it can be done but not a real problem if it can't Take Chungking and drive the Chinese into the mountains near Kummin and I doubt that they will ever recover.

I will say that if the Japanese player opts to take out India or OZ then it just might be necessary to give up the China dream. However, if I were bold enough to try and take India then I would want to take China as well as doing both just compliments each.

[GreyJoy]

Slow turns. I've shocked attacked once again in the contested hex in china, but managed only a 1-1 and he reinforced the place with another cavalry corp. Need to start the process all over again [:(]...my troops need some rest and am moving them back, being substitued by 3 fresh divisions.... But yes, Brad has won this battle!

KB is stationing at her secret hancor at Saipan, waiting for 3 CAs and 12 DDs to arrive from tokyo after their upgrades. Then my KB would be complete once again.

2 tojo sentais are now ready at Rangoon... Soon we'll start the new air offensive in India!

[GreyJoy]

AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR May 21, 42


We reached May 21st.
The new chinese breakthrough has failed miserably. Bradd's chinese heroes managed to stop two more shock attacks of mine and we have been forced to move our units back again for rotation. The Mix Bdes are the units that suffer most usually. He reinforced the hex with 4 more corps and we've been statlemated once again.
We're now changing strategy: a good portion of my bombers will be now devoted exclusively to AF bombings. If i cannot push him back with brute force i'll target his supply. There's no other way.

At Kweiling we've now massed an army of 80,000 men (2,000 AVs). In one week we'll begin the siege against his 1100 AVs. Will be bloody but i hope to be able to get there.

In the pacific everything is quiet...too quiet i'd say!
We've recieved several "heavy volume of radio trasmissions" from Perth and Sydney lately... which can mean he's up to something on Eastern and Western Oz.... KB has moved in the MAriannas so to be able to move fast to one point or to another, while Mini KB will remain between Singa and Sosarbaja, along with a strong surface force (4 BBs and 6 CAs).
He may try to reinforce Batavia or one of the DEI island that are still in allied hands...maybe even Balikapan!... However that would be a mistake. At Koepang i have an Air HQ with 200 aviation support points and Sosarbaja is now a fully operative base with an Air HQ (and so is Palembang).

In NE Oz he may be up to an operation against Horn Island, Port Moresby, Milne Bay or Rossel Island as Crsutto suggested. However it would seem strange to me that he'd avance towards any of these places without having built first the AFs in the NE coast of Oz (Portland Roads, Cairns, Cooktown etc)... would be too risky imho.

I do believe his first targets will be in the Marshalls/Gilberts. He could be moving from Pago Pago to Tabiutea and from there build up a series of islands and start an offensive in the Marshalls.
I'm pretty weak in that area, having garrisoned and built only Tarawa and Makin.
If he goes bolder and try to reach something north of Makin, that would be cool!. KB can be there in no timw and i have 2 Air HQs in the area. Can transfer in 2 days something like 300 Netties and 200 Zeros, along with 22 subs... and the americans aren't really ready yet for any atoll-amphib operation...

Burma is the most interesting front right now. Our 15th Army reached the dot base north of Mitikina where 32,000 enemies are waiting for us. The Monsoon season has started so his supply situation there must be worse than us.
Today also started our first air offensive operation beyond the border. 75 zeros and 42 Tojos swept Dimamphur (the base from where all his B26s missions have been launched against my armies in Mitikina area), followed up by 60 Sallies of 3 Crack Sentais. We caught him with his pants down cause no CAP was present... 25 enemy planes torched on the ground and several more damaged. He will have the rail them all out.
This was the first mission of the Tojo. Unluckly we didn't have the chance to see how it performs... but we're confident.
Gotta say that it's difficult to mount any offensive operation without overstacking my AFs... I have Mandaly which is a level 5 AF and Magwe (a level 3) as the only decent AF north of Rangoon. From there the max offensive effort we can make without overstacking is something like 150 fighters and 80 bombers...probably less.

Now we'll reorganize and soon we'll attack one of his crowded AFs in southern India once again. Tomorrow 42 more Tojos will be transfered at Rangoon.

The main problem remains the supply.... too low in Burma to be able to do anything...i cannot even use the drop tanks for my fighters...[:o]



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Dimapur , at 62,38

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 21,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 75



No Japanese losses




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Dimapur , at 62,38

Weather in hex: Light rain

Raid spotted at 16 NM, estimated altitude 13,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 4 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 27
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 60



Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-21-IIa Sally: 3 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Hurricane IIb Trop: 89 damaged
Hurricane IIb Trop: 9 destroyed on ground
F4F-3A Wildcat: 9 damaged
F4F-3A Wildcat: 1 destroyed on ground
B-26 Marauder: 61 damaged
B-26 Marauder: 5 destroyed on ground
Hurricane I Trop: 17 damaged
Hurricane I Trop: 2 destroyed on ground
Hurricane IIa Trop: 11 damaged
Hurricane IIa Trop: 3 destroyed on ground


Allied ground losses:
19 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Airbase hits 12
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 49

[obvert]

Strange he didn't have CAP up. Great attack.

It's tough to get those planes to fly together from different bases during the monsoon. Beware your bombers flying but the sweeps being grounded.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

Strange he didn't have CAP up. Great attack.

It's tough to get those planes to fly together from different bases during the monsoon. Beware your bombers flying but the sweeps being grounded.

I know. I've always suffered from that feature...i remember when i was bombing Rader's HI, my B29s always arrived before the P47s and got slaughtered[:@]

However i always try to give my bombers a decent escort..just in case.


AFAIK monsoon doesn't effect the weather. It will always be the same in Burma (AKA, horrible). What the monsoon does is to effect the flow of supplies among small bases (< lvl 5 Port+AF) and via "trails"

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: obvert

Strange he didn't have CAP up. Great attack.

It's tough to get those planes to fly together from different bases during the monsoon. Beware your bombers flying but the sweeps being grounded.

I know. I've always suffered from that feature...i remember when i was bombing Rader's HI, my B29s always arrived before the P47s and got slaughtered[:@]

However i always try to give my bombers a decent escort..just in case.


AFAIK monsoon doesn't effect the weather. It will always be the same in Burma (AKA, horrible). What the monsoon does is to effect the flow of supplies among small bases (< lvl 5 Port+AF) and via "trails"

I didn't realize the weather was not affected. It must just be always bad there then! [:D]

For supply I've pumped so much in there I'm doing fine for a good while.

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: obvert

Strange he didn't have CAP up. Great attack.

It's tough to get those planes to fly together from different bases during the monsoon. Beware your bombers flying but the sweeps being grounded.

I know. I've always suffered from that feature...i remember when i was bombing Rader's HI, my B29s always arrived before the P47s and got slaughtered[:@]

However i always try to give my bombers a decent escort..just in case.


AFAIK monsoon doesn't effect the weather. It will always be the same in Burma (AKA, horrible). What the monsoon does is to effect the flow of supplies among small bases (< lvl 5 Port+AF) and via "trails"

I didn't realize the weather was not affected. It must just be always bad there then! [:D]

For supply I've pumped so much in there I'm doing fine for a good while.

in Stock it's easily done using PAlembang as a supply factory. In DBB everything west of Luzon is always so low on supply that it's impossibile to bring more than 20k supplies every two months to Burma...and i bet the situation will get worse in late 42...