Herb VS Tabpub

[1275psi]

16/4/44
CA ashigari, 5 DDs attack aitape -meet 4 PTs
Ashigari takes a torp, 1Dd takes one as well.
Crud
No hits on the PTs at all

Did i mention what I think of PTs[8|][8|][8|]

I deliberate at wuhan -and am smashed[:(]
7591 AV to 3607, and I suffered 8500 casos to his 500
grrrrrrrrrrr

And sabang falls today
The end begins to accelerate
Still trying to rebuild airgroups.
Torn between now filling the CVs with rookies, or using the last trained squadrons on them
Iether way, rebuilding is such a pain -fragments all over the map.

[1275psi]

17/4/44
CA Atago and CL Noshiro and 5 Dd attack aitape tonight
4 pt again -sunk 2, landed a few shells on the base

The usual bombing all over the map -still rebuilding the groups, hope to refill the CVs tomorrow.

I will continue to harass Aitape.

[jumper]

ORIGINAL: 1275psi

them
Iether way, rebuilding is such a pain -fragments all over the map.

If you downgrade/upgrade the squadron, all its fragments will join the unit immedietly. I´m using it time to time to clear the mess on the map.. [;)]


oh, btw, do you have some summary what you got and what you have lost in this CV raid?

[1275psi]

Hi, nice to get a reply!

I am playing stock -pdu off -cannot it seems downgrade!

(or Im too stupid)[8|]

Lets see -just off the top of my head this little adventure cost about

8DDs
2CVLs
1CVE
and about 1000 zekes[X(]
about 300 bombers

Off the top of my head -sunk about 8-10 DD/DE
several APG/AV and other auxillaries
about 300 allied planes

so a shattering defeat really
Still got 12CV, 4cvl and 4cve -and finally restocked -last of the trained crews.

Only benefit of the action was Tabpub tells me he has ships scattered all over the place that fled -he now has to regather them for his next invasion -I think all I bought myself was 2 weeks at the most.

I am now hoping that he thinks he wont see me for several months -wrong.
This has taught me that the CVs are useless -going to use them to cover a BB run or two -then unload them i think, and go hide them somewhere in the antartic[8|]

[jumper]

Hi,
oh, it´s pdu off.. then you are right and it is not possible to downgrade.. you have to clean the mess in an good old fashioned way - by a million of mouse clicks.. [:)]
 
That was an expensive adventure (sounds better then "shattering defeat" [;)]), but you still have KB intact. You have raided enemy base with hundreds ships and planes all around and you have managed to get your ships home. Well your pilots stayed behind, but it would happen sooner or later anyway. It was a bold move and it deserved better results..
You could detach some fast carrier division and send them to raid his supply lines. With a replenishment TF and a wolfpack of glen-equipped subs. There are allways a few blind spots between enemy convoy routes, where you can park a TF for weeks, waiting for pray.. I admit the results are usually not worth of the risk, but you can say the same for most of the japanese operations in 44´. And hitting enemy where he doesn´t expect it is fun..
Could you post a strategic map, please?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[1275psi]

18/4/44
been off line for 3 days, various reasons
Sorry -Im too hopeless at screen shots[X(][:(]

Just think of an ever deflating balloon and you have the empire..........[8|]

Well today was crud -a SS gets the CVE shinyo today -near palua -it could have been worse -she had the Zuikaka in her sights at one stage...............
A turn of just re building the groups

But already the high command is thinking ahead -the AOs and what fuel i have are gathering near moriatia -and the fleet is enroute.
Operation A-go 1 is totally abandoned.
I am going to fight for Kai island, and Timor until I am brocken I think

Yes, having the carriers is still good -and this time they are stuffed with fighters -CAP for the battlewagons.
Every, and I mean every invasion tabpub parks his CVs 1 hex off the coast of the target.
Lets see if i can exploit this!

[1275psi]

19/4/44
The fleet re gathers
36 kami oscars hit a CA near timor
The invasion of kai island continues
And i swing the balance of air power I have from siapan, palua, towards the battle of timor............

2 days and we go in I hope -again!

[1275psi]

19/4/44
postscript -
I pulled as much air as i could out of palua today - a B-29 reconned it today


The big devils are about to arrive[8|][8|][8|][8|][:o]

[1275psi]

20/4/44
The shambles that the imperial fleet has found itself in after truk continues to have ramifications
The enmy continues to land at kai island, as I try to gather ships to the northwest
very large death star operating beside the island -and its well protected by BBs ect
Fundamentally today about 6 waves of planes of mine attacked the death star -only little packets -as Ive found that sometimes planes get through -he is running 240 plus hellcat Cap though -and nothing gets through
He pounds babo island with 100 plus raids of CV planes

Its a jap nightmare
Allied deliberate at bangkok and the forts fall to 8.
I lose the homan intersection again[8|]
And 77 B-29 hit wewak[8|] in their debut -not sure id have done that though

OK -Im trrying to get some CVs to the north west of him at kai -and trying to gather the rest of the fleet to the northeast -under a lot of CAP -at Bulla and ambonia ect.
I am thinking of throwing the fleet in anyway -if I can get it together.
I have fuel left for 3 days of fighting I think, and after that............[:(]

Im scraping the bottom of the barrell here now.

[1275psi]

21/4/44
A crud of a turn
I get the fleet to one hex north of Bulla island, under some LRCAP
he moves the death star to one hex north of kai islandSome cvs of mine are 5 hexes north west, the rest still coming from palua

his CAP -368 hellcats
Overall some 120 planes go in from various places, some from the CVs, and I lose the lot
No kamis make it through iether

Fortunately no attacks on my fleet
I have 3 choices
retreat
Send in all the BBs -they might make contact
Or -stay -everything on react

I choose retreat -just too disorganised, I think tabpub will pull back as kia falls today

[1275psi]

22/4/44
worst turn of the war for me[8|][:(]
If Id chosen -stay -battle fleet on react, today would have been different
Instead i retreated, all ships making for davao for regrouping

tanaka in BB Hiei and Kongo -I left him on react -so he did[:o]

Enemy fleet has sailed north to Bulla -and tanaka intercepted it

Round 1 saw a slug fest
Hiei, Kongo, CA maya and takao, 3 dds vs
New Jersey, Iowa, 6 fletcher Dds, 2 dms
Japan gained surprise, hit the BBs fairly hard, , sunk 2 enemy dds, and a DMS
The fletchers torped both CAs[8|][:(]

tanaka trys to escape -and runs smack into
BB penny, arizona, 2 CL, 5 DD, 2 dms
I lose a DD, the maya another torp -the cl Honolulu goes down, and so does another DMS

dawn -and the death star sinks all of tanaka s ships as they crawl north.

It could have been worse, or better -who knows.
I am in full retreat
need to come up with another cunning plan I think.
Aint got any -but i need one[:'(]

[1275psi]

23/4/44
Pools of all fighters except george -all empty
totally
Jills empty
Judys still ok
Most level bombers -empty

My this is fun

B-29s bomb wewak -waisted again i reckon.
The fllet refuels at davao -and sails south -with the last fuel reserves

parishimo joins the bombing list -grrrrr
His death star seems to be retiring south east back into the Timor straight.
I feel another tabpub invasion soon, as the bombing of bases on the north coast of PNG rises

bangkok is getting 300 bombers a day at the moment!

[1275psi]

I really, really laugh at the comments on the AArs at times about japan being unbeatable, never be able to take islands ect, ect.

Here I am, with a fleet theoretically as strong as pauks -and Im almost helpless.
Why -because i have no fuel, no industry churning out zillions of planes.
Why -because Tabpub has concentrated totally on the Key tactic playing the allies

Strangle Japan
Any allied player who does'nt concentrate totally on a SS merchant war -from day one -deserves what they get.
Any one who does not defend the resource/oil centres in 42 -at all cost -deserves what they get.
tabpub did -and i captured all of them badly damaged -and now in $$ he gets the pay off.
The fleet exists -yet it is tied to davao -and 1 weeks sailing from there -thats it.

Second tactic - -preparation -.
he bombs, and bombs, and bombs
And if its an island -he raids, he raids, he bombards, he goes away, he comes back, he bombs
He pounds every base that might be flying in reinforcements -not that that happens, i have no transports left -cannot build them and fighters!

I keep looking for an opening -cannot find one

So -is the game unbalanced -only if you play it wrong i reckon[8|]

His PNG advance is typivcal today - today the death star from the south of PNG -effectively finished Biak as a base.
B 29s finished the job
Hollandia was pounded, as was wewak

So, its iether wewak, or hollandia next -probably wewak -which still has supplies, hollandia is going backwards though quick.

wewak also gets a BB visit -again

This is so hard to counter

The fleet does sail again -from davao -headed south, looking for an opening -again.[:@]

[1275psi]

25/4/44

3 betties attack a DE at lea -and miss
This is the total air offensive from japan today

he on the other hand..........
b-29s hit Biak
Timor bombed
All of PNG bombed
Hollandis recieves triple dose

In China 4th or 5th battle of kaifeng is about to begin..........

The reconstituted fleet sails at cruising speed from Davao.......seeking to destroy something, anything[:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

[1275psi]

26/4/44
Today was almost amirror of yesterday.
A huge convoy battle developing along coast near Miri - losses both sides

If I ever play again as Japan from the beginning -or if you are starting up -here is how I would do it.

BIG convoys. Repeat. BIG
But only 1 escort in the convoy itself -stops ss surface attacks
Have the convoy follow a dedicated ASW group
The ss attack will get a kill -doesn't matter if you had 200 escorts -it still will get a shot in -but the asw group will get the kill back.
Other ASW groups base at key points -and use them aggressively.

The fleet comes south still - undetected so far
1 CV is headed towards soerabaya - a decoy I hope.
I want Tabpub to keep the death star west of PNG..............

On the air front, I am slowly reorganising.......some action over timor and png planned, Im not entirely doggo at the moment.

[1275psi]

27/4/44

Bombs, bombs, and OH, some more bombs[:D]...........................

[1275psi]

28/4/44

According to the pattern of war -as written loud by tabpub -another bite of PNG and Timor (kupang/Hollandia/wewak) is about to take place

The fleet is in position.
Biak today is stuffed with planes

We wait ........................

[1275psi]

29/4/44
You think you are winning the SS war -another one goes down near japan -then promptly a convoy is attacked near miri -and you lose 2 loaded ships[:@].............
Usual massive bombing of Bangkok, and Wewak recieves 30 odd superforts, .
I bomb land forces west of lautern, he smothers mine there with bombs.

The fleet is 2 days north of hollandia -waiting.
A single CV is near balikapapan -coming around as a decoy.

Mostly my turns are full of trying to get what cargo ships I have left to supplies/fuel, and the slow, slow process of rebuilding plane groups - all fighter pools still remain empty -as do most bomber pools.

Gazillions of pilots also in some groups -up to 220 at experience level 65 in one group -but only 15 fighters to share!
Tough times for herb coming up.
If tabpub just pushed the pressure a bit I would collapse -he has low losses this way, the steady bite size way - but a single attritional battle of say 3 days duration will finish me .

take your time Tabpub, take your time![:'(][:'(]

[1275psi]

30/4/44
Today i lose a tanker, a AK, a AP for one SS killed, the asw war continues quite intensley
The late model PGs are killers -but a lot of mine I will never see with the reduced production.
P38 sweep biak, rack up 30 kills, leave
41 B-29 join the carnage there as well

Bangkok is a living hell as endless streams of bombers pound it.

Other than convoys I have very little to do at the moment - nearly the entire fleet is at sea in one hex, north of hollandia, waiting
Franks in 30 days -I begin to gather every Tojo unit and send them to soerabaya for training

[1275psi]

1/5/44
After last months fiasco, I disbanded many groups -a lot in a hurry
Just reviewed them all again -and found a zero daitai experience level 65 -202 pilots[8|][8|][8|][:'(]
I wil move this to japan -the reserve unit for homeland defence

Lost 4 more AK to SS today -huge convoy battle near miri -and I am losing!