Matrix Games Forums

Here's mine, which happened just yesterday.

I'd started scenario 17 as the Americans. Avoiding the confrontation at Coral Sea in the beginning, I had Enterprise, Hornet, Saratoga, Lexington and Yorktown available to fight when I went to re-inforce Lunga with the Americal Division and some other units.

I was able to get the initial units onto Lunga without any problem, but when I sent in the next transport TF, the AI was waiting for me in the slot with what I guess was 7 CV's and CVL's.

I had left Yorktown at Noumea since she had 9 sys damage, leaving me with Saratoga, Lexington, Hornet and Enterprise. This TF enaged the IJN CV's just SE of Lunga, and in this battle, my attack from four CV's consisted of exactly 15 SBD's and 50 Wildcat escorts. After being mauled by over 120 A6M2's, the 18 remaining Wildcats and 9 SBD's inflicted no damage.

The incoming IJN strike consisted of 252 Kates & Vals, escorted by 90 A6M2's. My Cap of 79 Wildcats put up a good fight, but as you can guess, the remaining live 200 Kates and Vals left all four of my CV's at the bottom of the sea.

So now I am in defense mode, hoping to survive until the Essex class CV's make an appearance. The fact that I was only able to launch 15 SBD's, and the AI was able to launch over 200 Kate & Vals, doesn't quite seems right to me, considering I had four CV's....but, C'est la Guerre.

Bax,

I see you're playing against the AI. You should try a PBEM game (they are a hoot!). Let me know if you're interested: cassmj@yahoo.com

Bax,

I went to post my worst experience but after seeing yours , mine wasn't worth posting.

Originally posted by Toro
Bax,

I see you're playing against the AI. You should try a PBEM game (they are a hoot!). Let me know if you're interested: cassmj@yahoo.com

Hey Toro, thanks for the offer. How much time do you guys playing PBEM devote to your games? 1 turn per day? More? I guess I don't really know how that works. I've never done a PBEM game before. I have played many online games against another person, but never a PBEM.

Not sure if I have enough time to devote to a PBEM game, as I have a young son who needs his Daddy time each night. But if the time commit isn't too strict I would sure like to give it a try.

My email is dahlen@charter.net if you'd rather take this discussion offline, Toro.

Out of lurker mode I guess,,, anyway still very much a learner too and I can very much relate to losing all 4 carriers in one go against the AI. Luckilly I saved my previous turn and since Im learning I see no problem with reloading and trying something different.

Anyway ,my main problem was overloading my carriers so in essence they were only flying transport missions. After looking back through the manual it states if more than 110 % planes on carrier it will not launch offensive missions. Maybe that could have been part of your problem? Quite easily overlooked I think for someone new to the game like me:)

I don't think so, Pawlock. I didn't load any more planes onto my CV's. Was using the default loads, and had 10% of my vals on search, with the rest on naval attack. All the Kates were on Naval Attack, and I had 60% CAP for my A6M's.

Now that I think about, my ships didn't shoot down any of the Vals or Kates, either, and it just dawned on me that I had started this senario on patch 1.30, so I may have run into the "No AA ammo" bug.

Oh well, live and learn. I love this game!

Originally posted by Bax


Hey Toro, thanks for the offer. How much time do you guys playing PBEM devote to your games? 1 turn per day? More? I guess I don't really know how that works. I've never done a PBEM game before. I have played many online games against another person, but never a PBEM.

I currently have 2 PBEM games going. One turn a day usually, maybe more on weekends depending on whether or not everyone is there.

Turn length depends. If nothing is going on besides a few air raids, sub attacks, and things like that, I'll take 10-15 minutes or so, and that's being pretty indepth.

If I want to do something (land troops, raid something, etc), it'll take maybe 30 minutes.

This doesn't count of course, the other times that I'm figuring out what to do in my PBEM games (in the shower, on the way to work, at work, on the way home from work, in bed....)

In a PBEM game against U2 we were avoiding a major carrier battle. He was working on taking PM (which he did in a grand fasion) and I was working on Lunga. He had all 8 of his carriers in several TF covering the landings at PM and I had 5 near Lunga.

It was when I was bring up my 6th carrier that I got into hot water. I forgot to take react to enemy off. Next thing I knew I had one carrier one hex away from 8 Jap carriers (his reacted to mine too). Lucky for me all flight operatinns were grounded that turn.

Now I am stuck. What the heck am I to do? Well, I figured what to hell and steamed my entire carrier force to the rescue. I lost 4 fleet carries and maybe score 2 hits. It made me ill.

Now I am fighting for my life.

Lucky, so far, but here's mine:

Playing Japan, scen 17, against fdobbins. I had been doing the Tokyo Express thing against his invasion and resupply of Lunga, and tearing him apart (well, at least making him write LOTS of letters home to son-less mommas and make many reports to the Sec of War on why he lost those transports...). Third time's a charm, right? Well, it was for him. He moved a surf action group composed of many CAs and met my force, one BB, some CAs, DDs. What a hoopin' battle that was! But, befuddle me to death, in two engagements that night, my force had the proverbial "T" crossed by his commander's force. Errrrrr! Lost two CAs and a DD, others damaged somewhat (not telling how much, 'cuz he might just read this -- "They're fine! Really they are! Shakedown cruises going on now!").

Anyway, I fired that TF commander.

...crossed the damnedable "T" my butt...

Was when I had just won a Coral Sea vs. the IJN, sinking the Shoho and damaging the Shokaku for no loss.

To my dismay, both the Yorktown and the Lexington were torpedoed and sunk by I-boats!

I spent the next six months on the defensive playing cat and mouse...

Well in a PBEM SCEN#15 with Drongo, I had all USN 4 CV's sailing in one TF steaming along towards the East coast of Australia to help support the up-comming invasion of PNG. Thinking that this would be a good time to get some training in I had all the aircraft set to 60% training. And guess what I should bump into? Yup, all of Drongo's Jap Carriers. Scratch 4 carriers!

And that was in the first two weeks of the game! So I have been limping on waiting for some more CV's to come to my aid......I tell you it is a long hard haul without your CVs!

Originally posted by Kid
In a PBEM game against U2 we were avoiding a major carrier battle. He was working on taking PM (which he did in a grand fasion)
.

Thanks Rick.

Oh I wrote you an email. I think both you and I are expecting a turn but I dont know where the turn is now:( I send one but did not get a reply. This usually happens sooner or later. Big mix up:)

Dan

Posted by Raverdave

Well in a PBEM SCEN#15 with Drongo, I had all USN 4 CV's sailing in one TF steaming along towards the East coast of Australia to help support the up-comming invasion of PNG. Thinking that this would be a good time to get some training in I had all the aircraft set to 60% training. And guess what I should bump into? Yup, all of Drongo's Jap Carriers. Scratch 4 carriers!

We did you a favour by giving your pilots an accelerated training program. Those guys must be amongst your best by now (unless they all drowned :p )

I had all my DDs, most of my CAs (the ones still floating anyway) and roughly 20 APs, 10 Aks, 6 or 8 tankers and 4 AVs sitting at Nevea. Supporting catalinas, unloading engineers, base force troops, Coastal defence units, AA units, loads of supplies and fuel - everything needed to create a spanking new bad *** base.

His mavis spotted my ships, and I thought "hmm - he is going to hit me the day after tomorrow with everything he's got - fine with me, all the troops will be offloaded and I'll park all of the transport tfs (about 4 big ones) out of the port hex for that turn just in case. I am an evil genius etc."

He turned up the next day, not the day after - BBs, CAs, DDs. I couldn't watch. Up until then I'd sunk 7 of his shps (1 CV, the rest rubbish), and he had sunk 6 of mine - mostly subs. After that he'd sunk 33 or 34 of mine - all 4 AVs bought it, thousands of troops drowned, APs sunk etc etc.

In the scrappy bar-fight CV/air battle in subsequent days he sank the Long Island and pounded 3 of my 4 carriers so bad they won't get back from pearl before july 43 (the 4th he had already reduced to a floating target). Lucky a new one showed up that day. In return I dented (not too bad) some CVLs, and recorded 13 1000lbs hits on the Junyo - although she isn't reported sunk. I had previously pounded the Akagi back to Japan and sunk the Zuikaku - so I should have had a big CV advantage. Anyway, to complete the disaster, all the smacked up airgroups (that survived his zeroes) diverted from Nevea - the exact air ops phase before the surface combat phase which saw his recently landed combat troops massacre 5000 base and engineer troops (the RCT I'd sent to police the operation drowned), and destroy all of those planes and pilots on the ground.

Rather disappointing few weeks that I'm still trying to recover from.

Luskan,

I hate to tell you this, and don't take it personally, but you're fired.

Ok, how about 8 (thats eight) cruisers being sent to the bottom, or completely crippled (to sink later) in a nighttime surface engagement against two BBs and some escorting DDs and cruisers.

I think I sunk one destroyer, and damaged some of the other ships.

Game isn't over yet Toro! And all my CVs are still technically afloat!

Although the whole inability to transfer fighter squadrons between australia (where they all started) and noumea (where I really need them!) is really hindering my "riposte".

This happened in the closing days of my long campaign against Japanese computer player. I had captured all the bases, except Truk, and from my point of view the war was over. However, I fancied an idea of capturing Truk before 30.12. 1943 and I had about 3 weeks to fulfill this dream. I had plenty of quality troops in Los Negros and Kavieng with already set up transport taskforces for them, so I thought I might as well try to pull this one off. The only obstacle that was standing on my path to glory was the Japanese airplanes in Truk.

I had tried a daylight raid from Kavieng to Truk with all my B-17s (a bit less than 100 of them), but I suffered heavy losses to CAP and Flak as my fighters couldn't escort them. Also the damage they caused was not enough to justify daylight raid. However, I had previously raided Truk with a fast CA bombardment taskforce without any losses and the air activity of Truk had ended with the fall of Kavieng so I felt confident that the Japanese airpower is virtually non existent.

In fact, I felt arrogant about my superiority. I reckoned that I only need to get the base once in such condition that it's fighters can't take off. Then I can keep it in that state with continuing day raids with my heavy bombers. This worked for Rabaul and Kavieng. It will work for Truk as well.

So I devised my master plan: I send all my 4 CVEs (didn't want to risk CVs), loaded with only fighters, to sail to close vicinity of Truk using part of the fighters as CAP for the ships, while the rest would fly sweep missions over Truk to escort B-17.

When the carriers are close enough, I send a bombardment task force of 3 BB's and 7 CA's to give additional punch the devastation of Truk's airfield.

Whole operation starts with a full compliment of some 120 Liberators flying a night missions from Momote trying to cause as much disruption and airfield damage as possible. At the next night the bombardment task force should completely shut down the airfield, so that the main day raid of 100 odd B-17s, flying at 3000ft with 40-60 Corsairs as an escort, should have an easy job of putting the airfield in such a condition that further air raids can all be conducted during the daylight from low altitude and without escort.

Goal of the operation: To gain air superiority over Truk, to pave way for the invasion fleet.

Everything went wrong from the day one. My night raids of 100 odd Liberators didn't cause as much damage as I hoped for (only 20 runway hits, while normally the hit average was 40).

The next day, while my bombardment task force was waiting for the night to do their run under the protection of 40 Lightnings from Los Negros, the Japanese launched an air attack on them. This came to me as a bit of a surprise; this didnt happen the last time I raided Truk.

I don't remember the figures anymore but there were almost 100 fighters and some 60 bombers of all sorts against my 40 Lightnings. Needless to say I suffered, but not as much as I feared. One CA had to turn back to Los Negros and 2 BBs lost some speed but otherwise everything was OK. As my carriers were in place and they had not been detected, I decided to go ahead with the bombardment and with it, the rest of the plan (the arrogance, the arrogance).

Next night the Liberators struck again with only minimal results, but the bombardment, to my exhilaration, was a great success (120 airfield hits and 40 service hits). Also quite a few airplanes got smashed as well almost 1000 soldiers. I was in ecstasy: the B-17's will arrive shortly and that's the end of Truk as an airfield. However, my luck changed.

B-17s never arrived to meet my Corsairs over Truk, as bad weather cancelled the air-operations (NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!).

Instead of devastating bombing of B-17s, only my Corsairs flew a lonely sweep mission shooting down few fighters while losing some at the same time. My finely crafted plan was in ruins. While helplessly watching the turn running, I saw it all in my eyes what was to come: The airfield wasn't shutdown, the damage of bombardment was soon repaired and my CVEs detected…

Then it happened. In retaliation, the Japanese launched a MASSIVE air raid on my CVEs with 100 fighters and 300 bombers. Yep. It hurt. Badly. I lost 2 CVE and 3 DDs immediately, while the rest of the Task Force was a smoking and flooding hulk. (The two remaining CVEs sunk a few days later under a bomb rain while limping back to safe waters). Also my bombardment task force was caught by the same planes, suffering a loss of one CA and heavy damage to all the 3 BBs.

This all in one turn. I was in shock. Due to this, the next turn I forgot to cancel my day air raid and continued the game immediately only thinking about getting the poor ships back to the safety of Los Negros and Momote. This ended in loss of 30 B-17 as destroyed and about the same damaged, as they flew straight to heavy flak and fighter cover without any escort at 3000ft. (NOOO!!!!!)

I felt like an idiot. What was I thinking when hoping to capture Truk in 3 weeks? I guess this teaches something about human nature…

The war ended few weeks later in my decisive victory -but without Truk.

Two very BAD, BAD turns indeed
A miserable ending for otherwise so successful campaign

Originally posted by Piiska
Two very BAD, BAD turns indeed
A miserable ending for otherwise so successful campaign

Piiska,

your excellent report reads like true history. And in my eyes, this determines the superb quality of the game too.

Not exactly my worst drubbing....but the most shocking i will atest



Drongo....Yamamotto, and TIMJOT should appreciate this. Are you listening guys?

9/28/02

It was a dark and stormy night.

Suddenly, a convoy rang out...(flank speed)

A hatch slammed shut(on Lee's flagship)

and the mission was on.

Actually at this point i was in a pretty complacent move, having proved my utter superiority over the addled cyber brain of the AI. I had won the all-important carrier battle with acceptable losses and had severely depleated IJN surface assets to boot. In other words, i thought it was all smooth sailing ahead

Not to be 'too' cocky, i did opt to escort this 'routine' convoy to Lunga with a powerful battlegroup headed by the brand new North Carolina, helmed in by the indomitable W LEE with his stellar ratings in tow. Knowing i had a BB edge as well (having sunk four at this point with Yamato and Musashi not having yet made an appearance anywhere) i was confident that the 1 BB, 4 CA, 2 CL and 8 DD TF would frankly........give 'a whuppin.' to any IJN force that dared poke its nose where it did not belong

Wrong.

Actually i wasn't expecting a naval battle at all after the very recent drubbing i had given the last IJN attempt to bombard the island. Should have factored in the stoic firmness of the AI in the face of utter defeat. :p

Here's the kicker......Lee actually managed to cross the enemy's T hampering and reducing their fire and allowing only the lead ships to open up. Secondly, all of the CA's had some accumilated damage from previous excursions (witnessed by the trailing smoke coming from them on the battle screen)

Now here's the part Drongo and co will LOVE.

The AI opened fire.........with TORPEDOES first.

yep....first and only time i've seen it so far.....the lead CA opened fire with a torp salvo and guess what.....BOOM and whoosh goes a geyer of water over the venerable hull of the North Carolina.

Thus did things bode ill for Admiral Nik, and his crony Lee.

Indeed there was a 'whuppin' only i was the one who recieved it. NC ended up taking 5 fish in all along with a few small shell hits and went, glub glub, taking with him my best surface admiral, the two CL's were very badly handled and had to put in to Lunga harbor for emergency damage repair, two CA's recieved a moderate kick in the pants and 3 DD's went down to combination of accurate shellfire and torpedo hits.

I sank 1 DD in return, and the Cactus airforce, jeers echoing down from their airframes, managed to dispatch another DD and one badly damaged CA limping back to the shortlands.

Nothing of which took away from the agony of defeat nor the loss of my only battleship.

As Mojo Jojo would say.....



CURSES.......