War and Peas - Hortlund (J) vs. Canoe (A)

[Canoerebel]

3/28/42

India Theater: The KB is off the western (true) tip of Sumatra. There could be any number of targets. Viz, Ceylon, Diego and Attu Atol are probably the most likely candidates. There are only two direct rail lines leading west from the Calcutta/NE India sector to Karachi. I think Steve will try to cut these to prevent the Burma Area army from retiring. I plan to keep the road open, but I'm also not that interested in retiring the army. I think I'd rather fight forward, forcing him to commitment enough to conquer the region and thus depriving him of that little extra that could be utilized to move west towards the Indian heartland. The American carriers have begun to recover their aircraft squadrons, which had replaced losses and in some cases upgraded at Bombay.

India Theater Strategic: Overall I feel pretty good about things, primarily because alot of reinforcements are enroute and I should be able to keep the sea channels open for quite some time. Garrisoning Cocos, Diego and Socatra pretty stiffly buys alot of peace of mind. Early on, Japan can run roughshod over India. But that eventually comes to an end - usually around August or September. So Steve doesn't have an unlimited clock to work with and the presence of a number of Australian and American units makes his job that much harder.

China: I confess that I don't know what Steve is doing around Lanchow. He now has four units in the mountain hex to the east (true). Chinese bombers attacked and reported one of the units was one of those pathetic route brigades. (Don't bomber traditionally target the largest/most powerful unit in a hex? Doesn't this suggest that Steve's stack is weak?). Perhaps he's trying to freeze some of my units. As I deploy units to guard my LOC behind Lanchow, that means those units aren't going to Lanchow. But that's okay, too, as it is allowing me to attend to the key hexes between Lanchow and Sian. That way, should my army north of Lanchow fall, I will have a new backup line.

North America: Still quiet. The clock is ticking. Tick. Tick. Tick.

[Canoerebel]

3/29/42

IJN Carriers: KB is still parked just off the western tip of Sumatra. She's possibly awaiting arrival of troop transports coming from the west, below Sumatra. Still unsure what the next target will be.

Allied Carriers: Southwest of Cochin, India, while still recovering aircraft squadrons. Due to low aircraft pool levels, I probably only have enough for one good carrier fight. That means I probably won't send them to land bases this time. I aso will not commit my carriers into the Bay of Bengal, where they might get pocketed and cut off. I don't want damaged carriers hung out in no-man's-land. So, the carriers are there to protect Ceylon, western India, Socatra and Diego. If the Japanese move NW towards Viz, Diamond Harbor or Calcutta, the Allies might raid south of Sumatra towards the Sunda Straights.

Small Things: By leaving Cocos Island and Sabang in Allied hands, the Allies are getting lots of patrol information and are also able to stage 4EB to India from Oz. I'm certainly not operating in the dark right now. In China, the Japanese have made many unsuccessful attacks in recent weeks. The Japanese haven't incurred heavy losses, but many Chinese units have gained valuable experience.

China: A Chinese HQ will cross the river and enter the hex where the big IJN stack is north of Lanchow. Since my unit doesn't have a combat component the crossing might not generate a combat report, so this might be my own version of a fool's errand. Meanwhile, a rag-tag group of Japanese units continues to filter due east into the mountains. I don't think these units pose any threat, though I do have to block them to protect my LOC.

North America: Quiet.

[BBfanboy]

The crossing will generate a combat report. All crossings generate a shock attack and units with no AV (even if its an infantry unit just totally disabled) will get an imputed AV of 1. This simulates biting, clawing and throwing stones. The assault odds will be 1 to 99 since dividing by zero would result in an infinite figure which neither the computer nor I can process.[;)]

PS - the combat report will only reflect those units that bothered to fight the helpless double crossers [they will be thrown back across the river if not annihilated].

[Canoerebel]

3/30/42

KB: Remains on station off Sumatra's western tip. Whither goest thou? I dunno.

India: Uh oh. 5th IJA Division caught up to 8th Marine Regiment (the miracles of instantaneous railroad networking by Japan). The Marines will get a bloody nose tomorrow. This is the fifth IJA division confirmed in India (plus one at Port Blair). This, along with additional information coming from China, suggests that Steve is committing his "schwerpunkt" in these two theaters. I'll continue to "verify," but Allied units in the USA and Oz will continue to make haste to India. 27th/A Div. begins loading at Perth tonight.

China: The Japanese are probing and fighting everywhere. And everywhere, to this point, unsuccessfully. The Chinese MLR is still intact and I am confident everywhere except Lanchow (eventually, I'm going to have to send more troops south to the Kunming sector to handle what's going to come from Burma). At Lanchow, my headquarters unit refused to cross the river! It was in combat mode and had already made 45 miles, but it just reset itself and sat down. My guys are disobeying orders to commit suicide. This is intolerable!

North America: Quiet. Sara and York are enroute to a point of the SoCal coast to recover their squadrons. There's a heckuva lot of enemy aircraft at Alliford Bay. I still don't think Steve can wage an effective air war from a point that distant. He'll force me to keep aircraft in the Pacific Northwest. That's fine, because they can continue to train (or gain combat experience, should Steve conduct a sustained campaign).

[Canoerebel]

I keep pinching myself, reminding myself to savor every minute of this. I don't think the experience could get any better. I'm facing an aggressive and very experienced player and he's giving me fits everywhere. The game is taut, with alot going on. There is so much information to process. So many decisions to be made. So much at risk. Just a blast!

[GreyJoy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I keep pinching myself, reminding myself to savor every minute of this. I don't think the experience could get any better. I'm facing an aggressive and very experienced player and he's giving me fits everywhere. The game is taut, with alot going on. There is so much information to process. So many decisions to be made. So much at risk. Just a blast!

I perfectly understand your feelings!!!!

+1

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I keep pinching myself, reminding myself to savor every minute of this. I don't think the experience could get any better. I'm facing an aggressive and very experienced player and he's giving me fits everywhere. The game is taut, with alot going on. There is so much information to process. So many decisions to be made. So much at risk. Just a blast!

I perfectly understand your feelings!!!!

+1

Is this where the 12 step meeting is?

[Cribtop]

I fully understand y'all's feelings, which is a sad commentary on all of our social lives. [:D]

Except you, GreyJoy. You're young enough to not require sleep and thus can maintain both AE and a real life - for a few more years, anyway. [;)]

[Canoerebel]

3/31/42

India: 8th Marines withstood an attack by 5th Division in the woods north of Calcutta. Tomorrow, though Imperial Guards will join the attack. The Marines will get roughed up, but the real trick will be to extract them from the front lines. The best thing is that the Allies now have B-17s and Liberatores that can slow the rate of enemy advance. The KB remains parked near Sumatra's west tip. Karachi has 350k supplies and Bombay 450k. The convoy system from USA to Capetown and from there to Karachi and Bombay is now fully functional, with lots of fully-laden cargro vessels inbound to India.

Reinforcements: 27th/B Div. begins loading at Perth tonight. So, 27th Div. is enroute, as is 18th UK Div. another UK Div. that arrives at Aden over the next two weeks, and two more Marine regiments. The USA RCT enroute to Socatra is about ten days out, so even in the unlikely event Steve sends his carriers there, the Army will arrive first.

China: The entire MLR is beset by the enemy - from the Indian border to Changsha to Ankang to Lanchow to Yenan to Hami - but everything looks good everywhere that's critical. Only at Lanchow do I not have enough information to know how tight my defenses are. Steve is trying to get something going in the two hexes east of Changsha, but the Chinese should be able to handle that. The Chinese haven't suffered a defeat/retreat/mass-loss-of-squads since the very start of the game, when a few units got caught in the open. So the Chinese army is in the best possible condition right now.

North America: Quiet.

Macro Strategy: Obviously, China is the locus of Steve's primary plan. My only question at this point is whether his India expedition is intended to tie up the northeastern part of that country to prevent supply and reinforcements from going to China, or whether Steve really intends to pull a Q-Ball on me here. With some reservations, I am skeptical that he will come full bore in India. I just think the Allies have too much there (and coming) and have had too long to prepare the necessary speed bumps and redoubts to prevent the place from being isolated. North America is fine now, but I'm still keeping a wary eye out in Oz. I've essentially stripped it of all outside support, now, so that it would be in trouble if Steve committed ten divisions there. But I don't think he has anything like that available any longer.

[paullus99]

Now that he's committed himself to a couple of major actions, is there anything offensively you can do right now that might throw a spanner into the works?

[Canoerebel]

No major amphibious operations are possible in the Pacific since I have so few unrestricted units available. I do have alot of combat ships spread around, which has allowed some raiding. More will come.

The other possibility is carrier raids. Sara and York are on the way to West Coast to recover their aircraft. From there, they might go to the Indian Ocean, or they might remain in the Pacific. I'm not sure yet.

I think it's still very early for the Allies to get too rambunctious. Steve is unfolding his big plan right now, so my highest priority is to counter his thrusts. If I do that everything else will take care of itself in good time.

(The Allies may do some small operations forward from Fiji and Pago Pago in coming months, but even there the best use of my scarce resources might be to reinforce Noumea, Fiji, and Baker.)

[Cap Mandrake]

Maybe there are 500,000 Korean slaves building a bridge from Sumatra to India and the IJN is just pouring the concrete for the foundations.

How big a port is Georgetown? Perhaps he is having trouble loading his ground troops. I doubt there is enough dock space for more than one division-worth of transports at one time. What you have to do there is load division A...undock...begin loading Division B...undock..lather rinse repeat. Also, if he doesnt have enough naval support he will have trouble loading equipment.

If he is bringing 4 divisions and support it might take 10 days

[Canoerebel]

4/1/42

India: 5th Div. and Imperial Guards pushed back 8th Marines. Now it becomes a challenge as both sides will try to bomb the other to impede movement. Cap, that's good insight into what might be going on. That hadn't even occurred to me, but the KB is still parked off the tip of Sumatra. (PH is the kind of player that would think to bring a Naval HQ to avoid such a problem, but who knows. Nobody's perfect.) I have spread a variety of units around bases in northern (true) India, both to prevent para assault and to react to any "leaking" IJ units that are using the open spaces to penetrate into the interior to sever rail lines (this is going on, but I'm on it).

Reinforcements: A long train of well-spaced transport TFs is making its way from Perth towards India. The lead TF, carrying 18th UK Div., is well south of Cocos Island. Is it possible Steve doesn't have a blockade in place? That would be nuts.

China: A small Chinese unit got pushed out of Yenan. Steve has roughly five divisions moving on Changsha, which was briefly lightly held while I contemplated a move out of Hengyang. But Changsha is covered once again and five (or eight or ten) divisions won't take that hex, though Japan should be able to lay siege, which stops production (I think). Elsewhere the perimeter still looks tight. I'm thinking that Steve must not have more than four or so divisions near Lanchow or he would have tried crossing by now. One division (3rd) has been tasked with chasing down the small Chinese unit that cut the supply road.

North America: zzzz.

Port Moresby: CL Helena and two destroyers just ate up three transport TFs here, sinking or heavily damaging 15 to 20 ships (mainly xAK with a PB and TB or two).

Oz: CL Sendai and some destroyers tangled with CL Boise and CL Mauritius at Port Headland, with inconclusive results. CA Australia is in the vicinity.

[BBfanboy]

Wow - isn't that the third time you have hit his transport TFs around Pt. Moresby?
Since he isn't dumb, the lack of coverage speaks to the commitment elsewhere and the opportunities in this area - unless that is where Akagi & Co. are headed! Watch your six

[BBfanboy]

Removed - double post

[Canoerebel]

4/2/42

India: KB remains in place. 4EB hit the 5th Div./Imperial Guards stack, but no IJ strikes against 8th Marines. There's a chance the good guys might get away. The Allies will have fairly stout pockets of resistance behind enemy lines - Akyab and Myitkina in particular. While this means units face eventual liquidation it also creates that much more for Steve's troops to handle. Time is everything, though right now the reinforcement queue seems to be operating very, very well (I absolutely cannot believe Steve hasn't tried to interdict or blockade the sea lanes from Oz, but thus far they seem open).

Oz/Port Blair: It is unlikely but possible that Steve's layers upon layers of deception have one final layer - a sudden switch from India to Oz. If I detect any such, the transports heading west will have to turn around. But this remote possibility is fading fast. Today, Steve committed a second division to Port Blair. That should be enough to take the island, but it has served as an effective speed bump and distraction.

China: 17th IJA Div. left the Lanchow sector and moved into the mountains. What the heck? These moves puzzle me simply because the Chinese have such a good road network and interior lines, plus plenty of units to commit to good defensive terrain. I think Steve's going to try to see if he can make some progress at Changsha, but he won't.

North America: zzzz.

Calendar: We're in April! March, the cruelist month, is over.

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
Wow - isn't that the third time you have hit his transport TFs around Pt. Moresby?
Since he isn't dumb, the lack of coverage speaks to the commitment elsewhere and the opportunities in this area - unless that is where Akagi & Co. are headed! Watch your six

BB, you're right. That's at least three separate strikes in the past few weeks. I keep thinking Shoho will show up (or Betties at the airfield), but thus far nada. You're exactly right on both counts - he's stretched thin and undoubtedly he is contemplating diversion of carriers here.

On that note, it may also be that the IO KB detachment is parked while awaiting arrival of Akagi and Kaga. I'm not positive yet that he's removed them from NoPac, but my hunch is a resounding "Yes!"

[Cap Mandrake]

Yes...the waiting for the other carriers idea makes good sense but why sit there accumulating pilot fatigue and allowing daily intel? He could move South and make you worry about a landing in Oz or just disappear and keep you guessing.


It almost seems like he is pulling the Shaka Zulu thing and trying to scare all the redcoats.


Also, the uniting the carrier thing likely means he is coming for India/Ceylon as he would not need them to go to Oz.


Is the KB near Sabang or down by Java?

[Canoerebel]

KB is at Sabang.

I think the KB is necessary for Oz if Japan is coming for the entire continent. A blockade is necessary to prevent reinforcements from coming in via Capetown.

But it is highly unlikely that Oz is the target in this game. I'm still not sure exactly how many divisons Japan gets in the game, but vast numbers are already committed in China, India and Port Blair. The two recently at Java and Koepang are both at Port Blair. It would take him weeks or months to move everything back to Oz. The Allies could probably beat him there.

That reminds me. 32nd USA Div. (SWPac and therefore free to transfer) arrives pretty soon. Where should she go? India? Oz? Noumea? Or a counterinvasion? (The latter is unlikely at the early date for reasons articulated in my previous post, plus even more reasons.)

[Canoerebel]

4/3/42

India: KB remains in park. Sub Truant claims a DD that's escorting a nearby transport TF. IJ bombers targeted 8th Marines, but 4EB reciprocated against 5th Div. It's almost certain the Marines will clear the hex tomorrow before the Japanese can attack. A USN Port Service unit will unload at Socatra tonight, which will allow me to unload the Marine CD unit's big guns plus expedite unloading of the US Army RCT enroute. 45th East African will arrive at Mombasa in a week or two. This unit might also go to Socatra. That would give the base something near 400 AV, which would be sufficient for any conceivable purposes and contingencies, I think.

China: A second IJA division (40th) has moved into the mountains NE (true) of Lanchow. Okay. Changsha looks to be in good shape.

North America: zzzz

Port Moresby: A five-DD combat TF will arrive tonight (I think), so we'll see if Steve is better prepared this time.