Playtest of Pacific at War 3 25 14

[larryfulkerson]

I've decided it might be a good idea to designate an official airodrome where all the major repairs are done that can't be done
out in the field. Like major overhauls etc. Plus I'm expecting this to be the reentry point for the reconstituted units. One stop
shopping. There's all kinds of shanty towns popping up around New Deli to accomodate the rapidly rising military population.
People out to make a buck are flocking here by the hundreds. Little shops that sell all kinds of stuff are becoming the background
now. Like a flea market that got organized.

[larryfulkerson]

This is the image of the typical British fighter squadron. They are down in pilots by more than half and these are highly skilled
pilots too. I'd like to avoid the destruction of this squadron, hence the one-dot setting. We're not making very many of the
plane type they are flying so the squadron isn't going to fill up very soon and replacing their losses might not take place right
away. It might seem foolish to try to protect Rangoon with just one fighter squadron but the rest of the aircraft are down for
maint. and there's not much else to add here.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's happening in Malaya now. My troops on the east side are isolated and trapped by paratroop drops and rapid
advances. On the west side they are holding so far but as soon as the east group repositions the west side will have to fall
back and displace. Perhaps the fall back should start now before it's too late.

[larryfulkerson]

I moved some Indian armor into the jungle to get a recon mission under their belt and found the boundary between our forces has
a dip in it where the evidence of the presence of some Jap engineers at one time is evident. I think. I've not seen the river hexes
be converted unless and until an enemy unit enters it. So I'm taking that to mean that perhaps one or more enemy units may be
nearby.

[larryfulkerson]

I've got an aircraft unit at Singapore with two different plane types. Their ranges are different so I had to shorten the range of the
unit to the range of the shorter ranged aircraft so that they will fly together and therefore have better combat power. The longer
range isn't really needed if you're on point defense like they are. One of them is airborne at all times for about an hour at a time
then they switch.

[larryfulkerson]

So um....I've emplaced a carrier bomber squadron at Port Moresby and he's within range of a large stack of Jap ships and I'm seeing
what the status line says at the bottom of the screen and it doesn't tell me what the range the bombers have to fly to attack and I
really need that info if I am to know whether or not fighters are within their range in the attack as well as the bombers. To get that
info I'll have to select the fighter unit and check it manually.

I'm not sure whether or not to launch the attack. There's lots of nearby Jap fighters and a large stack of ships mean a large
accumulated AAA value and I'm thinking such a strike would be suicide for the pilots and planes. I think I need more and better
fighters and bombers before I start attacking really dangerous targets.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the results of an airstrike on a Jap combat unit on the east coast. None of the planes touched any Jap ground equipment
so the Jap CAP did their job. The Japs had a slightly higher loss than the Allies so I'll count this an an Allied victory. The Allies
had something like 1 in 8 losses. I'd rather shoot for 1 in 10 but 1 in 8 isn't THAT bad.

[larryfulkerson]

The Jap CAP was so scanty in the previous air strike I decided to take on that large stack of Jap ships and see what
happens. So here's the results of the air strike and I got a CA and maybe some DD's but it cost me half of my TBD's
and I'm wondering if that's worth it. I suppose so.

[thomasharvey]

The screen shot shows the situation in Malaya. The Allies lost most of their defenders in the middle of the Malaya peninsula with only one division left in the city. I have sent in several fresh units for the siege and the final attacks. Once Singapore is taken Borneo, Sumatra and Java are next, followed by Burma.

[larryfulkerson]

Evidently the Japs found enough volunteers for a cross-river incursion and I just happened to have some units standing
nearby so they didn't get very far. So far I think I can contain it. If there's very many more units I'll have to get some more
Indian divisions into this AO quickly. Maybe I should dispatch somebody right now just in case.

EDIT: Since the Jap combat unit is one of the three pieces of the 33rd Division I predict that the rest of the division isn't
far away.

[larryfulkerson]

There's been several attacks on Singapore so far and a lot more scheduled and I was wondering how the division defending was
holding up and I was surprised to find it in relatively good shape. There's 3+ Jap divisions that have been assaulting plus the Jap
ships offshore lending their support and the 8th division can probably weather a couple more attacks. But in the end I know the
base must fall.

[larryfulkerson]

New moves from Thomas, new turn. Singapore fell and Tarakan fell and there's been some movement of ships and planes into the
AO and it's happening at the wrong time because my planes are tired, too tired for combat yet.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the face of PI now. There's been no pushing and shoving for a while now and that's because most of the Jap reinforcements
are going to the mainland for the past couple of turns. The proficiency of the Phillippine troops is too low to attack with but so far
they have held their positions. It's just a matter of time until the entire island chain is in Jap hands. Eventually.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the face of north China. This area seems stable and that's because nothing has happened here for a couple of game turn
months. I've still got a couple of free partisans to do things with but mostly it's frozen in place.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the face of Burma. So far the Japs have been contained and things are going smoothly for the Allies. But now that Singapore
has fallen I expect a lot more Jap units to appear sometime soon. Thomas may invade at Rangoon again. I have reason to believe
that he wants to see what he can do in India. I personally wish he'd invade OZ.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the face of Java now. I've made it about as ready as I can. The rest is up to the fighting ability of the individual units.

[larryfulkerson]

Now that Singapore has fallen Thomas seems to be concentrating on Burma and Java. He's railed in some fresh troops and I
predict that he'll press north with them. That's my weak spot in that area.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the face of Java now. Thomas found a weak spot and invaded there and he's rushing out from there to the different
ends of the island. He's flown in some planes and there's several TF's in and around these waters. It's a substantial effort.
My planes are tired and worn out and he's already displaced a couple of the squadrons I had based there. The good news
is that the troops were rested and fully supplied. I'm curious to know how long the two ends of the island can hold out.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the face of Sumatra now. I had a few defenders on the island but only a few and Thomas has had no problem pushing
them aside and taking over the bases. He's pursuing my defenders into the fields and mountains.

[larryfulkerson]

I have two defenders trapped on Borneo and I'm afraid both of them are write offs. I still own Mandalay and Davao but I'll bet
Thomas has designs on the island. The planes in Java will have to displace eventually and I'm thinking of moving some of
them to Davao and some to OZ. Maybe Darwin.