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This is my 3rd pbem as Japan, but only my 1st one with PDU off. Hopefully it will create the circumstances for me to avoid inefficient supply expenditure this time. Having a healthy late war supply stockpile is one of my goals, but at the same time I want to win before that stage.

My 1st turn is almost complete except the R&D part. I'll look at a few AARs for relevant tips and hopefully by Sunday the turn will be ready to be shipped to Jocke.

My initial feeling is that the Zero and Oscar lines are pretty much the only ones I need to invest in. Having said that, I'm not sure if using the A6M5 a few months earlier is really worth the cost in supplies it demands.

Any advice on R&D, or indeed any subject, is welcome.

Game Settings:
FOW: ON
Advnaced Weather Effects: ON
Allied Damage Control: ON
PDU: OFF
Historical 1st Turn: OFF
Dec 7 Surprise: ON
Realistic R&D: ON
Reinforcements: Fixed
Turn Cycle: 1

Game Version:
1.24, DaIronBabes B (scen 30), extended map with stacking limits.


"One does not simply walk into ***. Not with 10.000 men could you do this. It is folly."
-Boromir

Good luck!

I think PDU off simplifies production for Japan. You only need to concentrate on advancing those airframes that your air units upgrade to in large numbers or whichever specific air frames you feel will make an immediate impact arriving early. I think you'll find the production side of playing Japan with PDU off far easier than you've experienced before. You'll still have to police yourself to avoid overinvesting, that hasn't changed. [8D]

Thanks for the good news!

I'm tempted to turn all repairs off and postpone the work for turns 2-3.
Jocke will be out of town on Monday and Tuesday, that will be a good time to work on R&D.

Good luck Olorin! This is going to be fun! [8D]

Thanks obvert, I'm going to need it!

Enjoy your stroll into Mordor! be sure to bring those 10,000 men...

What do you know about how your opponent will pursue the war?

topervest,
My plan is to bring 60.000!

Obvert who has played against JocMeister before provided me with some valuable info: Jocke is patient, will handle major setbacks well and when the Allied machine is ready, he will concentrate everything in one direction. I played against NYGiants who makes a predictable but unstopable death star and advances slowly but steadily.

I 'll try to win by an early AV, while planning for a long war. If no AV occurs, the Japanese perimeter will be large enough to buy me lots of time to prepare inner defenses.

ORIGINAL: Olorin

This is my 3rd pbem as Japan, but only my 1st one with PDU off. Hopefully it will create the circumstances for me to avoid inefficient supply expenditure this time. Having a healthy late war supply stockpile is one of my goals, but at the same time I want to win before that stage.

My 1st turn is almost complete except the R&D part. I'll look at a few AARs for relevant tips and hopefully by Sunday the turn will be ready to be shipped to Jocke.

My initial feeling is that the Zero and Oscar lines are pretty much the only ones I need to invest in. Having said that, I'm not sure if using the A6M5 a few months earlier is really worth the cost in supplies it demands.

Any advice on R&D, or indeed any subject, is welcome.

Well, in mid-43 the A6M8 is pretty good. That armor, maneuver and speed combo works.

The George line and the Tony line are very good for early use of those airframes also I know they're limited in terms of groups, but I think you have to prioritize some airframes that can be better than the Allies at a given point, even if you only have two groups that use them.

I'd aim to use the George as your #1, the Ki-100 as your late 43-early 44 defensive fighter (which if you're using Symon's air mod has a speed boost) and of course the Frank ASAP. Then get way ahead on the Oscar and A6M lines to use 45 fighters in 43.

What I'm crious about is how many groups eventually upgrade to the better fighters I haven't looked deeply into that. Is there a point in time when ALL IJNAF groups get a George/Jack/Sam and ALL IJAAF groups get a Frank/Ki-100/Ki-83?

So do I help by posting against my old opponent here OR do I resume my role as his opponent vicariously and stay away from this AAR and just post on Jocke's AAR.

Decisions...Decisions...

Yes, my "Death Star" was going to make Mindanao a very busy place in the weeks ahead before our game ended.

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

So do I help by posting against my old opponent here OR do I resume my role as his opponent vicariously and stay away from this AAR and just post on Jocke's AAR.

Decisions...Decisions...

Yes, my "Death Star" was going to make Mindanao a very busy place in the weeks ahead before our game ended.

[:D]

Before I took up Jocke's offer, I continued our game head to head just to see the battle of Mindanao unfold. The results were... interesting.

Join the Dark Side!

Edit:
1st turn is sent and I'm now waiting for Jocke's reply. [8D]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

So do I help by posting against my old opponent here OR do I resume my role as his opponent vicariously and stay away from this AAR and just post on Jocke's AAR.

Decisions...Decisions...

Yes, my "Death Star" was going to make Mindanao a very busy place in the weeks ahead before our game ended.

These guys don't need help. Just post away and don't offer "advice" on current situations. Talk about general tactics, logistics, RnD and beer! [:)]

Here is my advice. Don't do what I did![:)]

Good luck!

Here is hoping that Force Z visits Davey Joneses Locker! So much fun to kid Joc about![:D]

I don't see how you can go for AV and have a viable late war defense. It seems to me it is one or the other, but I am only really familiar with scenario 1.

Cheers.

I'm pretty sure you can you just have to be very good.

Unfortunately for me, I'm not that good!

The fuel and supply consumption involved with going for AV are not nearly as significant as people think.

Just don't lose KB.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Here is my advice. Don't do what I did![:)]

Good luck!

Here is hoping that Force Z visits Davey Joneses Locker! So much fun to kid Joc about![:D]

I don't see how you can go for AV and have a viable late war defense. It seems to me it is one or the other, but I am only really familiar with scenario 1.

Cheers.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Here is my advice. Don't do what I did![:)]

Good luck!

Here is hoping that Force Z visits Davey Joneses Locker! So much fun to kid Joc about![:D]

I don't see how you can go for AV and have a viable late war defense. It seems to me it is one or the other, but I am only really familiar with scenario 1.

Cheers.

Thanks!

I've never done it, but I think it can be done, as njp72 says. There are some old Japan AARs that came close to AV, didn't get it, but the resulting perimeter would be very time consuming to conquer back.

After the first few turns are in the picture will be clearer.

The other final comment I would make is, by Oct/Nov 42 you will have a pretty good appreciation if you are going to achieve AV or not.

Another good indicator is the Allies score. Generally if the Allied score is over 9K and the trend is slowly heading higher then the likelihood of achieving AV is poor. Competent Allied players will be undertaking significant base building which will also make it tougher.

If it looks like it is not going to happen, start tightening the perimeter and withdrawing exposed ground units before the hammer arrives. By applying pressure on the score board you are likely to force him to deploy his carriers to support some form of counter. Whilst most allied players have no intention of being anywhere near KB, a couple of lucky torps from a well positioned sub can have a strategic impact in early 43.

Good luck, it will be interesting to see what you target

ORIGINAL: Olorin

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Here is my advice. Don't do what I did![:)]

Good luck!

Here is hoping that Force Z visits Davey Joneses Locker! So much fun to kid Joc about![:D]

I don't see how you can go for AV and have a viable late war defense. It seems to me it is one or the other, but I am only really familiar with scenario 1.

Cheers.

Thanks!

I've never done it, but I think it can be done, as njp72 says. There are some old Japan AARs that came close to AV, didn't get it, but the resulting perimeter would be very time consuming to conquer back.

After the first few turns are in the picture will be clearer.

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Olorin

This is my 3rd pbem as Japan, but only my 1st one with PDU off. Hopefully it will create the circumstances for me to avoid inefficient supply expenditure this time. Having a healthy late war supply stockpile is one of my goals, but at the same time I want to win before that stage.

My 1st turn is almost complete except the R&D part. I'll look at a few AARs for relevant tips and hopefully by Sunday the turn will be ready to be shipped to Jocke.

My initial feeling is that the Zero and Oscar lines are pretty much the only ones I need to invest in. Having said that, I'm not sure if using the A6M5 a few months earlier is really worth the cost in supplies it demands.

Any advice on R&D, or indeed any subject, is welcome.

Well, in mid-43 the A6M8 is pretty good. That armor, maneuver and speed combo works.

The George line and the Tony line are very good for early use of those airframes also I know they're limited in terms of groups, but I think you have to prioritize some airframes that can be better than the Allies at a given point, even if you only have two groups that use them.

I'd aim to use the George as your #1, the Ki-100 as your late 43-early 44 defensive fighter (which if you're using Symon's air mod has a speed boost) and of course the Frank ASAP. Then get way ahead on the Oscar and A6M lines to use 45 fighters in 43.

What I'm crious about is how many groups eventually upgrade to the better fighters I haven't looked deeply into that. Is there a point in time when ALL IJNAF groups get a George/Jack/Sam and ALL IJAAF groups get a Frank/Ki-100/Ki-83?

Majority of Army Fighters units will upgrade to Ki-84 or Ki-100 and Ki-83 next.
Majority of Navy Fighters units will upgrade from Zero line directly to Sam. Only a few can upgrade to Jack and Gorges.

Forgot to mention our house rules:

no new allied TFs in 1st turn
no strategic bombing for Allies in allied held territory in Dec '41 and China for the duration of the war.
no Jap strat bombing in China
no allied 4E bombers on naval strike below 10.000 feet
PPs for moving restricted units beyond national borders.
Fighter altitude restrictions:
Dec 1941- May 1942: 20,000
June 1942-Dec 1942: 25,000
1943: 30,000
1944-: 35.000

Jocke's reply arrived.
I made a couple of serious mistakes in my orders. Initially I was disappointed and asked to redo the turn, believing the allied T1 only takes 5 minutes to do. Jocke told me he spent 8 hours! Anyway, I 'll live with the mistakes. The original plan will suffer a delay in one particular direction and some improvisations will have to be made.

As Japan you should always do a trial run of your first turn before sending it away to catch those mistakes.

But that first turn is such a bear, it feels good to just get rid of it most times, and put it behind you.

Adapt and improvise...great attitude.[:)]

Dec 7, 1941

The mistakes in my orders were due to my eagerness to get rid of the turn, Lowpe is right about that [:)]
One of the these mistakes is revealed in this report (mini KB failure to combine). The other one will be made clear very soon.

Central Pacific:
- A midget sub sinks BB Tennessee with a single torpedo. Magazine explosion.

- The damage from the 5 committed carriers (KB minus Kaga) is spread evenly among the other 7 battleships. Only BB Maryland might be marginally operational. Three cruisers and one destroyer are also damaged. The airfield is hit pretty hard.

- A transport TF carrying two SNFL units ends up 10 hexes west of Midway. These transports can cover the distance tomorrow and land on the evening. KB is potentially one full speed run away from covering the landing.

Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 114 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 37 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 86
B5N2 Kate x 117
D3A1 Val x 108

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 2 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 15 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 2 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 5 damaged
D3A1 Val: 2 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-5 Catalina: 108 damaged
PBY-5 Catalina: 3 destroyed on ground
A-20A Havoc: 15 damaged
A-20A Havoc: 1 destroyed on ground
B-18A Bolo: 32 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 38 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 25 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 2 destroyed on ground
B-17E Fortress: 9 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-1 Dauntless: 38 damaged
SBD-1 Dauntless: 3 destroyed on ground
P-36A Mohawk: 5 damaged
P-36A Mohawk: 1 destroyed on ground
R3D-2: 1 damaged
R3D-2: 1 destroyed on ground
C-33: 2 damaged
O-47A: 11 damaged
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
F4F-3 Wildcat: 5 damaged
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed on ground
OS2U-3 Kingfisher: 1 destroyed

Allied Ships
DD Monaghan, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
CA New Orleans, Torpedo hits 1
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 8, Torpedo hits 4, on fire
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CL Honolulu, Torpedo hits 1
BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
BB Maryland, Bomb hits 6, heavy fires
BB California, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DM Sicard, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CL St. Louis, Bomb hits 1
BB Tennessee, and is sunk

Repair Shipyard hits 5
Airbase hits 23
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 60
Port hits 18
Port fuel hits 2
Port supply hits 1

Massive explosion on CA New Orleans
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malaya:
- Mersing gambit on Dec 8th. Transport TFs carrying 5 divisions end up 6 hexes diretly east from Mersing. This is one of the two main features of Japan's Phase I offensive. The goal is the rapid capture of Singapore.

- Mini KB was tasked with sinking Force Z, after making a full speed run to the Singkaang area. Zuiho, Hosho and Chiyoda failed to merge with Kaga (this was the first cock up in my orders). As a result, naval search suffered. The lone Kaga launched its DB group and sunk CL Dragon. No sign of Force Z.

- Singora, Patani and Kota Bharu get one regiment each.

- Singapore is sweeped by Zeros and then attacked by 81 bombers. 6 Buffalos destroyed in the air, the airfield remains operational in the afternoon. Kuantan and Georgetown airfields attacked by IJAAF.

-The afternoon allied naval strikes are dealt with with ease.

Morning Air attack on Singapore , at 50,84
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid detected at 39 NM, estimated altitude 15,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 15 minutes

Japanese aircraft
G3M2 Nell x 54
G4M1 Betty x 27

Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
G3M2 Nell: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Hudson I: 5 damaged
Hudson I: 1 destroyed on ground
Buffalo I: 11 damaged
Buffalo I: 1 destroyed on ground
Blenheim IV: 16 damaged
Swordfish I: 2 damaged
Swordfish I: 1 destroyed on ground
Vildebeest III: 3 damaged
Catalina I: 3 damaged
Buffalo PR.I: 1 damaged
S.19 Singapore III: 1 damaged

Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 21

Philippines:
- No landings yet.

- Busuanga and Taytay are captured by 1st Yokosuka Para SNFL. A cruiser TF moves into Busuanga, ready to intercept the Allied exodus from Manila and deal with the hated CL Boise. Busuanga will be built up to be the main base from which 5th AirDiv will cut off Luzon and attack its supply depots.

- CVL Ryujo & CVE Taiyo attack Cagayan, damaging a few B-17s.

- Manila and Clark Field are swept by 9 Zeros each. Netties attack the port at manila, army bombers attack the airfields. Underwhelming resutls.

Morning Air attack on Manila , at 79,77
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid spotted at 34 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 34
G3M2 Nell x 36
G4M1 Betty x 81

No Japanese losses

Allied Ships
SS Spearfish, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
AV Langley, Bomb hits 1
SS Seadragon, Bomb hits 1
SS Saury, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
SS Seawolf, Bomb hits 1
PT Q-112, Bomb hits 1, and is sunk
AO Pecos, Bomb hits 1, on fire
SS Sargo, Bomb hits 1
SS S-37, Bomb hits 1
AS Otus, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AM Quail, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAK Tantalus, Bomb hits 1
TK Gertrude Kellogg, Bomb hits 1, on fire

Allied ground losses:
11 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Port hits 4
Port fuel hits 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76
Weather in hex: Clear sky
Raid spotted at 40 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 12 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 25
Ki-48-Ib Lily x 27

Allied aircraft
no flights

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 8 damaged
O-47A: 3 damaged

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afternoon Air attack on Clark Field , at 79,76

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid spotted at 13 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 3 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 50
Ki-21-IIa Sally x 18

Allied aircraft
P-26A x 4

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
P-26A: 3 destroyed

Allied ground losses:
10 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Airbase hits 5
Runway hits 18
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northern Pacific:
A transport TF moves close to the Aleutians, undetected. Will land simultaneously on Dutch Harbor, Adak and Cold Bay in two days.

That was quite a result on BB Tennessee. Most of the other BBs look like they may survive but will require extensive yard time.

I'll be following this with interest - good luck!