Made to 1945 as Japan

[Ramjet]

Well it's Feb 01 1945 and I'm still kicking as Japan. Zeta16 is my foe and we have battled across the entire board. We both play several quick turns a day and focus all the logistic and time consuming stuff for one turn. Game moves much faster since you don't forgot what you are doing during turns. This has been a great lessons-learned for me and I am satisfied with my performance. The entire original Pearl Harbor strike force is still around, but my surface fleet is in shambles. The most lethal units in the whole game are the Japanese Heavy Cruisers; I have ruined Matt's day many times with "Savo Island" type hit and run night attackes. There has been almost nothing that we have felt was gamey. I do believe that some at-sea air stacking limits should be used and we agreed that 400 ac per hex was the limit (about the size of the original KB). We have both been very very active with our sub fleets; thing is for me my subs are like kamakaze's; once they attack they get wasted by allied ASW. Anyway, will write more as the game draws to it's conclusion, but it's cool to have I-400 class subs and some of the other interesting aircraft that we usually never get to use.

[Cribtop]

Nice - would love to hear the lessons learned in two specific areas:

1) Countering the now traditional Allied thrust along the Darwin/Timor axis into the DEI (if it occurred); and

2) Your opinion on the best defensive strategies for Japan in the mid to late war - sounds like you did well given that KB is still around.

[NAVMAN]

Ramjet,
What is the farthest point of the Allied ground advance?

Thx.

[rader]

Can you post at least a strategic map, and maybe give an overview of when the allies took what?

[Ramjet]

I'm not sure how to capture screen shots for the forum, but the Allies have based their line of advance from the south. They have taken the DEI back except Boreo and Celebes, but I can't use any of the oil from there except Brunei and Mili. I still hold all of Malaya and Thailand, and his army is tied up in Java trying to kill off my remaining army there (they are doomed). In the Pacific he took the Marshall islands and did a huge island jump by gonig for Guam. Took me by surprise since he did not take Rabaul or Truk, but it has really paid off for him since I was not completely ready for him. He had taken the southern PI islands (Mindanao and Leyte) and looks to be moving to advance to the main island. He still hasn't gotten close enough to activate my Kamakaze attacks. Durint the game however, I noticed that I had a few planes make Kamakaze attacks on their own (maybe happened about 4 or 5 times in over 3 years of fighting). There has been sub on sub attacks, a few collisions, mine explosions and such, and other misc happenings. What an awsome experience to play this game!

[Ramjet]

In reply to Cribtop, I havent' come up with anything defensively that worked. The allies always show up with more & better stuff and waste the defenses. What has allowed me to last this long with my military still combat effective is my counter-attacks. I would hit a major transport fleet with two or three small surface groups. Typically two groups of 2CA, 1CL, 4DD or 2CA & 6DD, and a third group of 1CL & 6 DD. I reserved my task force id numbers by keeping TF 1 - 20 always used. So you come in with three groups, (TF 5, 6 and 7 for example, with 7 being the CL/DD group). The lower numbered group fights first, so if he has a surface fleet, your CA groups will take them on and are almost always successful. Small groups (<10) with a very aggressive leader in command are not easily detected, get in close and hit hard, then run away. Depending on his surface forces, at least one of your surface groups will get to the transports and I'm here to tell you it's an ugly thing for the allies. Sometimes the entire force gets sunk.

For question 2, I know it's a cliche', but the best defense is an offense. As long as you have lethal offensive weapons, the Allies have to remain cautious. The Long Lance Torpedoe is the main killer for the Japanese; so get in close and fire at the hull! (Adm Nelson)

[topeverest]

Agree that IJN Major assets are the the key to slowing down Allies. Also agree that agressive, smartly planned, and well timed counter invasion naval thrusts are one of the big keys to lasting longer.

[Zeta16]

Ok I am the allied player in the game wanted to give an updated. We are to 9/11/45

Score Allied 94047 to Japan 56663, My goal to get to douple by 10/45

Basic scores

Allied Japan

4297 A to A 16370

1023 ground lose 2087

1254 Flak 1089

6346 OP 7570


14259 Total 27116


As the Allies I think I dominated this part of the war, but as you see he dominated in surface battles and it was not even close.

Ships lost Allies 1763 for 26422 points.
Ships lost japan 1279 for 19971 points.

My ships lost/major ones

CV's 10 usa, 1 brit
CVL's 5 usa
CVE's 38 usa, 6 brit
CB 1
BC 1
BB 12 usa, 6 brit
CA's 18 usa, 9 brit
CL's 18 usa, 8 brit, 3 oz, 4 dutch, and 2 nz
CLAA's 4
DD's to many to count

By B29's have caused 13594 points worth of damage but I am starting to use them more now.

Pilot wise
Top Aces

3 with 20
1 with 19
3 with 18
4 with 17
4 with 16

Number of Aces per branch

Navy 658
Army 249
Marines 111
OZ 9
NZ 20
Brit 133
Canada 7


My advance was from South pacific to NG to Mariana's
Also from North OZ to Java area then up to PI
From PI to Hanian Island then Hong KOng and Canton. Also to Formosa and then Okinowa.
From there to Kochi in Home Islands advancing on Takamatu


Soviets are moving from Mongolia down to Chihfeng then to out skirts of Mukden
Also ffrom a line from Hailar to Tsitsitar closing in on Harbin
And from Vald to Yenki to Mutankiang to a move on Kirin and Chungchan

It's been a hard fought game and even in the last few months of game time his surface fleets did numbers on mine. They get in and out before air power can do any thing.

[DivePac88]

ORIGINAL: Zeta16

It's been a hard fought game and even in the last few months of game time his surface fleets did numbers on mine. They get in and out before air power can do any thing.

Yes Ramjet is a wily fox, and will jump on any small mistake, he has done 'a number' on me many times in the past.

[Ramjet]

Matt is now bombing me into the middle ages; I believe it is time to break out the Samurai Swords! He took the DEI and the effects are disasterous. I thought I could hold out, but once you lose that oil flow everything shuts down. If I could do it over again I would have thrown the entire fleet at him during the campaign for Java. I am out of supply everywhere but my largest cities in Japan. My entire mainland China and Russia armies are useless and are being torn up by the Russian army. I can't build anything; I have hundreds of good experienced pilots and nothing for them to fly. I don't have the aircraft, and can't even build arms or vehicles. He has actually gotten a bridgehead on Japan, and I never thought that was possible but the Allied Army is huge late in the war. Much larger than I imagined it could be.

To play a game to the late stages of the war is a great learning experience. It has been a blast.

My MVW (most valuable weapon) is the Long Lance torpedoe! My small CRUDES groups (2 CA 6 DD) were incredibly successful throughout the war. The Allies suffered many "Savo Island" type defeats!

Zeta's use of mass Fighter cover was just too great to overcome. From 1944 on, you might as well fly Kamakaze missions; your aircraft aren't coming back from a raid anyway!

[Ramjet]

Game was concluded on October 16th, 1945. Allied Marginal Victory. What a game! Thans Zeta16 for a lively, non-gamey contest. The last few months for me were nothing to write home about for me, but it is satisfying to play a game to its conclusion.