Tale of the Sheep! - JocMeister (A) vs. Lowpe (J)

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I've never set a CV TF to "patrol" - not once in 12 years of playing WitP and AE.

Setting to "patrol" seems to encourage carrier TFs to react, often against your wishes (leaving behind an important merchant TF or critical LRCAP, for example)...often with disastrous consequences.

100% of the time, my carrier TFs are set to follow either an ASW TF or a combat TF.

Interesting. I've never had an issue. I usually set patrol zones with my last one being set to remain on station for 1 day. I've never had an issue of my CV's not reaching their last patrol point or reacting away from it. Of course, there usually isn't an enemy TF encountered to react to during my movement phases.

Do you set your ASW or SCTF that your CV's are following to patrol or are they set to a destination hex with/without waypoints?

[Canoerebel]

I set my lead TF (ASW or combat) to a specific hex and to remain on station; I never set them to patrol. I occasionally use waypoints, but not often.

I do have to be carefully using an ASW TF in this role, because I have had them react to enemy subs before, heading off with an armada in tow. So I usually assign a low-aggression commander.

Under certain circumstances, I might also use an MSW TF in this lead role, but I don't think I've tried it to this point.

[Lokasenna]

I don't think reaction while patrolling is a thing CVs do. The CV reaction (to other CVs) is a separate part of the turn sequence entirely. The reaction setting is for ASW and SC TFs (and subs).

I don't typically have my CV TFs following anything, unless 1 CV TF is following another. There's too much potential for them to get confused if there is any sort of enemy interdiction. I order them to remain on station and set their destination manually.

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Burma[/font]
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Now things are not going well here. I thought I had actually managed to save the 2 isolated divisions. I never in a million years thought Jeff would contest allied movement in a clear hex. Well he did and his luck continues as my bombers are grounded for 2 days. When they finally take off its Thunderstorms of course. [:(]

If he attacks here and wins he will not only wreck 2 divisions, 1 armored BDE and 4 AA units but its also means my 2 isolated divisions are doomed.

I just can´t predict what Jeff is doing. With 4k Allied AV around the Ramree area I was sure he would pull back to defend central Burma. Instead he moved North. I can only hope this backfires at him but right now it looks like he will pull it off.

All I need is 1(!) day of decent weather and those troops in the open will be wrecked for a long time to come. I think I deserve a little luck here after 2 horrendous bad dice rolls.

[Bif1961]

Sounds lie a Pacific version of Battle of the Bulge and the Americans surround at Bastonge. If the weather breaks the Allied advantage in air supremacy will save them if it doesn't they will risk destruction.

[Lokasenna]

Shhhh! Don't tell Joc that it's dependent on the weather!

[CaptBeefheart]

Happy Midsummer Festival again! Do they party as hard over in Norway? Someday I'll have to pop over to the ancestral homeland to remind Little CC that she's half viking.

I like your five-week vacations. If I left my business for that long it wouldn't be there when I got back.

Congrats on the CL vs. BB battle at Rabaul. Who was your TF leader on that one?

Also, good luck in Burma. Perhaps with the focus up north you can cut off the lot at Rangoon and Pegu.

Cheers,
CC

[JocMeister]

ORIGINAL: Commander Cody

Happy Midsummer Festival again! Do they party as hard over in Norway? Someday I'll have to pop over to the ancestral homeland to remind Little CC that she's half viking.

I like your five-week vacations. If I left my business for that long it wouldn't be there when I got back.

Congrats on the CL vs. BB battle at Rabaul. Who was your TF leader on that one?

Also, good luck in Burma. Perhaps with the focus up north you can cut off the lot at Rangoon and Pegu.

Cheers,
CC

Its pretty rough once the kids are in bed! Lots of schnapps and herring during the day followed by beer and beef in the evening! [:D]

Sadly I don´t remember the TF leader and the TF is now disbanded/split up.

Regarding Burma...I have not played well there. In fact I have played very poorly coupled with some horrendous bad luck with the rolls. We had to redo a turn due to a movement bug. In the first version my cut off divisions got a 2-1 and took control of the hex. The live version they suffered a 1-2 and ended up cut off again. [:(]

At Schwebo "my version" of the replay the Japanese counterattack failed miserably suffering 12k losses versus 4k allied. The real version I lost 12k vs 2k Japanese.

Not happy about Burma right now! And it has gotten worse... [:(]

There is still hope but very little of it. I will probably lose 4 allied divisions.

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Burma[/font]
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Not going well here as mentioned earlier. I counted on Jeff pulling out from the North rather than risking being cut off. I should have predicted otherwise though. He has been nothing short of obsessed with destroying those 2 divisions.

Now I risk losing another 2 divsions unless the airforce can suppress the troops in the clear hex. Normally this wouldn´t be a problem if it wasn´t for constant thunderstorms. 2 Japanese divisions + 1 tank division in the clear hex North of Schwebo. Jeff also have a massive load of AA there. They arn´t doing much to the bombers though but forces me to fly up at 12k. I hope they burn supply though!

Only solution I have found to fix this is to quickly secure central Burma. This will cut off his supply (and troops) and turn the table. All out attack on Magwe have started. Japanese have 15 units, (30k troops, 300 guns 300 AFVs) against 2300 allied AV.

Very angry with myself for putting me in this situation.

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]CENTPAC[/font]
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New front opening next turn! This is a bit risky as I have no idea where the KB is and I only have 6 CVEs for CAP. But I figure KB being in the area as extremely unlikely with the DEI under direct threat and the full allied fleet around Rabaul.

I will be landing 200 tanks here and just under the stacking limits. No engineers, no troops, no arty. I think it will work out beautifully!

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]SOPAC[/font]
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Rabaul is doomed. Just waiting for the troops to recover enough DIS for another attack. Time for the fleet to move on after delivering two nights of bombardments. Now its time for the airforce to take over.

Had to stand down bombings for a day or two as the number of bombers shot supply into yellow. Without DTs I can´t sweep ahead of the bombers. Supply is 2 days out so I guess it will be some R&R until then.

Fuel is extremely problematic right now. There is plenty of it at Noumea (400k) but I can´t get it forward to the ships fast enough. I just refueled the CVs and they alone ate through 40k fuel. I simply don´t have enough AOs to keep everything fueled up...A Replenishment TF with 109k fuel will arrive in 3-4 days which I hope is enough for the fleet to top off.

Time for another mission. Not a very exiting one though!

[JocMeister]

As usual Jeff doesnt do anything sensible or reasonable.

Full KB outside Midway. I will lose everything. Not blaming myself this time though. Jeff having KB there was simply not an option in my world. Stil isn´t TBH. Make absolutely no sense.

I guess I will try to take full advantage of having KB completely out of position and make a dash for the DEI with whatever troops I have in the area. Sadly most of the troops for the real landing there havn´t arrived yet. But if I can get an airbase up and running that would be golden for the real landing.

He will be busy for 3-5 days chasing everything down hopefully ending up even further East.

I will lose:
5 CVEs
5 slow BBs
5-7 AKA/APAs
Some LCIs.

All troops landed though.

[Bullwinkle58]

Oooof.

It happens. Every time Lokasenna has gutted me (many times) I seethe for a day (or two), then figure out how I was the reason it happened.

You get 100 CVEs. Press on.

[jwolf]

He will be busy for 3-5 days chasing everything down hopefully ending up even further East.

Maybe, maybe not. I think the Japanese now are in a similar position as the Allies early in the war in the sense that if they get a naval victory, cash in their winnings and leave. That is, hit and run. Staying longer would be an invitation to trouble.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Oooof.

It happens. Every time Lokasenna has gutted me (many times) I seethe for a day (or two), then figure out how I was the reason it happened.

You get 100 CVEs. Press on.

To continue my streak of pedantry, I think it's more like 80... but yes.

Also, don't write off the full force yet. There are reasons why Japan may not pursue. In most cases, I prefer to simply call it a day and not risk losing the initial victory by losing a few carriers for being too aggressive.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Oooof.

It happens. Every time Lokasenna has gutted me (many times) I seethe for a day (or two), then figure out how I was the reason it happened.

You get 100 CVEs. Press on.

To continue my streak of pedantry, I think it's more like 80... but yes.

Stock 1, per Tracker: 90.

CVL: 19

CV: 32

[JocMeister]

[font="Verdana"]Midway[/font]
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Here is the screen of the losses. This list will grow in the coming days.

Maryland and Idaho are untouched and will go after the KB at full speed. I will also mesh together what DDs are left and go after KB. With any luck they will cause reactions that sends KB off in the wrong direction.

Don´t care much about the CVEs to be honest. They are only able to fly Kittens in PDU OFF which limits their use. The amphibs is where the real loss are. All of them will sink tomorrow even without KB interference.

Usually I kick myself after losses like this but not this time. To have KB around Midway makes absolutely no sense and is quite "unconventional" to say the least. Perhaps in hindsight I should have postponed the Midway landing until I was ready for a full push in the DEI. But I still have some troops in the area which is ready for secondary targets so I guess I will go for that. I guess I have about 2 weeks before Jeff can get back to the DEI.

If I can get 1-2 bases with airfields up and running in the lower DEI unopposed it will be well worth the losses.

[JocMeister]

Betting on Jeff moving pretty much due East to cut the escape off. 14 DDs + 3 BBs will go SE at full speed with max react.

[JocMeister]

Going through the troops I have available in SOPAC I can land 2 divisions in the lower DEI very shortly. Unless Jeff steams back at flank I should be able to land at least one of them before he can get there. Biggest issue is that the other division will need 6-8 days before they can get into loading position...

Will recon the area heavily next turn. Hopefully the target will only require 1 division or I might have to rethink things. Only the CV fleet and fast BBs are refueled and ready. It will have to do for now.

[CaptBeefheart]

Ouch. I know this is full of hindsight, but did you put a screen of subs out there and then check their D/L numbers before approaching? That usually helps in detecting enemy CVs. Of course, it wouldn't help if he keeps his CV aircraft on deck.

Good luck getting a surface action going. Also, I hope you unloaded enough to take the atoll.

Cheers,
CC