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Canoe - your "snooping" at Cocos probably has John convinced you're going to make a move there, especially now that he's shown his hand around New Caledonia.....if that means he's moving in that direction with assets, it means your move Tarawa might be completely unexpected......I'd recommend against backing off there unless something really happens (bad happens).

I don't mean to suggest I'm not committed to Tarawa.  Rather, I think Tarawa is a good move, but if I get indications that the region is protected by Yamato and friends, plus some carriers, I can back down.  Bottom line is that Tarawa is first and foremost a diversion from the Bay of Bengal.  But there's at least a 50/50 chance I go in.  I don't have carriers; he doesn't have airfields; so there's a decent chance it can work.

In your games Tarawa is always the fat girl who really wants to go to the prom. Even is she has to go with a . . . lawyer. [8D]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

In your games Tarawa is always the fat girl who really wants to go to the prom. Even is she has to go with a . . . lawyer. [8D]

Right now he has John running platforms out to the Cocos Islands ... trying an invasion of New Caladonia, a threat in Burma, a threat in the Marshall's, Oz secured .. it more like "you thought you were going to the prom ... psyche!" I am not sure where the real moves will be made in late '42 [;)]

5/27/42
 
SoPac:  The Banshees at Noumea did pretty good work, doing serious damage to at least two xAP and two xAK and some paint-scratching to two or three Japanese BB.  They also missed an open shot at a naked AO.  The SBDs at Luganville didn't fly (that's probably good not to tip off John that my carriers might be somewhere around - keeps him more honest).  An IJN fast transport convoy visited Luganville - I can only surmise this was a Dunkirk-like evacuation.  The Allies garrison attacked again and wiped out about 30 AV...so perhaps the FT convoy was inbound, though...why would John do something that crazy?  The KB is stationed near Norfolk Island, right where she's least calculated to give me any worries. 

CenPac:  The Gilberts invasion TFs are 28 hexes due east (map-wise) of Tarawa.  They're 18 nexes NE of Baker Island, so I'm starting to worry about early detection, though no sign of anything yet.

China:  The Chines troops will consolidate at Kweilin before retiring to the interior.  Kweilin is great defensive terrain, but John has five divisions to the south and five to ten to the north and the Kweilin salient is so narrow that the risk of getting cut off is high.  So I'll retire the Chinese - hopefully in good order - to reinforce the new MLR in the wooded terrain.

Burma:  6th Aussie Div. is three days from reaching it's assigned key jungle hex.  The other Aussie division reaches Kalemyo in a day or two and will then make for the front.

Australia:  Everything looks good.

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Q-Ball mentioned that enemy control of Noumea impedes Allied movement from West Coast to Oz...

I no longer believe it does. Both my Allied opponents simply skirt the map edge and bypass anything within range of New Caledonia. The only way to guarantee preventing Allied material reaching Australia from the West Coast is to invade New Caledonia and New Zealand. Then again, I'm finding I'm not a very good strategic player so my opinion carries only so much weight.

In 1942 in my game Chez took both New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. All I did was route my troop and supply convoys through Wellington. It was no big deal. I've since chased him out of New Caledonia and the New Hebrides but since recon tells me that he has over 25,000 troops on Norfolk Island I've left it as a defacto POW camp.

Exactly right. it just adds a couple of days to steam south of New Zealand. The capture of Noumea is not a big blow to the Allies. Ditto Norfolk.

CenPac:  The Gilberts invasion TFs are 28 hexes due east (map-wise) of Tarawa.  They're 18 nexes NE of Baker Island, so I'm starting to worry about early detection, though no sign of anything yet.

Next turn, start to do some random clicking on hexes to the west and northwest of the Gilberts (look at the top of the AE map to see what the weather is next to the map coordinates). See if you can spot any changes in weather coming in shortly. I known it isn't 100% accurate, but it may show that there is a weather front coming in to give you bad weather.

Uh, is this a joke?  I aint fallin' fer no stinkin' joke!  Surely this monstrously complex game doesn't actually model weather fronts....or does it?

5/28/42
 
SoPac:  KB moves to within one hex of Noumea and flies massed and completely ineffecitve sorties against the airfield (the A-24s had relocated to Brisbane in anticipation of such a strike, but even so little damage was done to the airfield).  Strike packages are as follows:  165 Kates and 70 Zeros; 27 Vals and 8 Zeros; 27 Vals; 20 Vals; 24 Vals.  For any of you IJN players who aren't reading John's AAR, how many carriers does that represent (I could do the math, but some of you guys will know off the top of your heads).
 
CenPac:  Gilberts invasion TFs are 23 hexes from Tarawa (with Makin and Abemama also targeted).  No signs of detection...yet.  D-Day likely six days away.  I might drag just a bit to let the Burma invasion go first in hopes it might draw some Betties.
 
Burma:  The fast transport TF carrying the raiders will refuel at Trincomalee tomorrow.  D-Day might be four days away.  Behind the main invasion will come reinforcements - engineers, base force, and a UK brigade.  CAP will be provided by RN carriers plus Hornet with a big assist from P-40Es at Akyab.  John is reconning (and reconning by bombing) each of the hexes occupied by the Allied army.  I wonder if he's deduced that my objective is to seize and hold these hexes rather than to move forward?
 
Australia:  Quiet.  American CVs loitering south of Melbourne.
 
New Zealand:  For the past week or so, several IJN subs have been closely monitoring Wellington/Christchurch region in a particularly intensive way.  Either John suspected my carriers might be there or he has plans to invade New Zealand, which would be so ridiculously nuts that he might just be thinking about it.  Auckland has 650 AV with a Kiwi brigade due in about 25 days.  That's my strongest outpost and NZ won't draw any outside reinforcements now.  If John's coming, we'll welcome him and then use the Line of Death reinforcements in Burma.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

For any of you IJN players who aren't reading John's AAR, how many carriers does that represent (I could do the math, but some of you guys will know off the top of your heads).

I'd say 5, which would allow for some of the D3A1s to perform typical ASW / search tasks too. I'm not broaching any sort of OPSEC here, as I've not read any details on John's AAR.

Deleted duplicative post. Sorry about that.

Thanks, Poultry Lad!  And thanks for the duplicate post - it helps me in my long-cherished objective of beating GreyJoy, that ostentatious and outrageous Italian guy that's living the veeda locuh.

I need to puzzle this out - John probably kept back some Zeros and strike aircraft on naval strike mission just in case my carriers pounced, and I also think he might've devoted some Zeros to LRCAP his shipping at Koumac since he was unsettled by the Banshee strikes the day before.  So...is this essentially all of the KB...or are there unaccounted parts lurking in the Gilberts, the Bay of Bengal, or anywhere else my active imagination can create worry out of thin air?

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Thanks, Poultry Lad!  And thanks for the duplicate post - it helps me in my long-cherished objective of beating GreyJoy, that ostentatious and outrageous Italian guy that's living the veeda locuh.

Velvetta locust? Crunchy, cheesy, high protein goodness!

I've had roast crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms, but not locusts...I wonder if they taste the same.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I need to puzzle this out - John probably kept back some Zeros and strike aircraft on naval strike mission just in case my carriers pounced, and I also think he might've devoted some Zeros to LRCAP his shipping at Koumac since he was unsettled by the Banshee strikes the day before.  So...is this essentially all of the KB...or are there unaccounted parts lurking in the Gilberts, the Bay of Bengal, or anywhere else my active imagination can create worry out of thin air?

Well, if you believe that to be the case, then clearly he's got more than 5 CVs in the neighborhood. What does your special super-duper mouseover Allied SigInt tell you about local TF constructions?

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
Velvetta locust? Crunchy, cheesy, high protein goodness!

I've had roast crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms, but not locusts...I wonder if they taste the same.

I haven't had them insectivorous beasties, but I have eaten buzzard, black bear, fox, beaver and other assorted critters. The Wildlife Biology department at the University of Georgia has a wild game supper every year - or did "back in the day." Black bear was the best of that particular group. Most of these were road kill. I don't want you guys to think the good wildlife folks were roaming about shooting the objects of their ardor.

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
Well, if you believe that to be the case, then clearly he's got more than 5 CVs in the neighborhood. What does your special super-duper mouseover Allied SigInt tell you about local TF constructions?

I've been getting good sightings of the KB from patrol planes operating from nearby Noumea. Mouseover for this turn shows two big TFs:

1. 3 CV, 5 CVL with 111 F, 212 B, 36 A.
2. 4 CV, 2 CVL with 120 F, 89 B, 15 A.

Total report 7 CV, 7 CVL, 331 F, 301 B, 51 P.

Nearly 700 aircraft would be roughly equivalent to 10 fleet carriers. I know John doesn't have that many yet - probably the six big carriers plus Hiyo plus Junyo plus miscellaneous CVL? Or do you think I'm off? (Please don't chime in if you're reading John's AAR, or reading it recently enough to be up to date on what he might have.)

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
Well, if you believe that to be the case, then clearly he's got more than 5 CVs in the neighborhood. What does your special super-duper mouseover Allied SigInt tell you about local TF constructions?

I've been getting good sightings of the KB from patrol planes operating from nearby Noumea. Mouseover for this turn shows two big TFs:

1. 3 CV, 5 CVL with 111 F, 212 B, 36 A.
2. 4 CV, 2 CVL with 120 F, 89 B, 15 A.

Total report 7 CV, 7 CVL, 331 F, 301 B, 51 P.

Nearly 700 aircraft would be roughly equivalent to 10 fleet carriers. I know John doesn't have that many yet - probably the six big carriers plus Hiyo plus Junyo plus miscellaneous CVL? Or do you think I'm off? (Please don't chime in if you're reading John's AAR, or reading it recently enough to be up to date on what he might have.)

I haven't opened up RA to look at the IJN OOB, but from those that have done so, I'm lead to believe that 1942 does not hold that many new CV/CVLs beyond vanilla. Question:

Do some of the CVEs come back as CVLs in RA? Because that's (7) too many CVLs for 'vanilla' 1942 OOB.

Given that he probably believes you to have an interest in Cocos I., woudn't he keep some strike force in its vicinity? Otherwise I have no idea on numbers of CV's, but I do not mind adding to your post count in order to defeat Greyjoy. [:)]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
Black bear was the best of that particular group.

Food safety tip of the day-don't eat smoked bear meat. Largest growth of Trichinosis in eaters of this meat.

http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b2000_18.htm

I'd steer clear of anything racoon-related too (Baylisascaris spp.). Different mechanism of infection, but I'd have to be dern certain that there was no inadvertent leakage of intestinal contents during carcass preparation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baylisascaris_procyonis