Day of Infamy AAR - Feinder vs. Ngineer (no Ngineers allowed)

[Feinder]

Ok. He were go again!

Our prior game, using Elessar's most excellent Mod: https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... &start=480

Now a new replay, for Strategic Command's newest "War in the Pacific".
Fender = Japan, Ngineer = Allies
The default constraints like hard build limits.

No Ngineers allowed!

[Feinder]

A fairly standard First Turn.
It's actually turn 3, and I don't have the old screen-caps, so these pics are a little improvised.

In CentPac, KB sinks 3 of 4 USN battleships, and withdraws back towards the Home Islands.

Wake Island quickly falls.

A CL and Sub are sent north to blockade Midway, to possibly catch a reinforcement convoy.

[Feinder]

SoPac - SNLF forces embark to move against The Solomons and Rabaul, escorted by a Light Cruiser group.

[Feinder]

The Philippines

IJA forces land in the north, and push south towards Manila. SNLF forces land and capture Mindanao.

The assortment of USN forces are heavily damaged. A light cruiser is sunk, along with a squadron of torpedo boats. A heavy cruiser is damaged and finds port at Panay. An enemy sub managed to ambush one of our Cruisers, but damage is slight, and the sub is driven under.

[Feinder]

Malaya

Japanese airstrikes manage to sink both the Prince of Wales and Repulse. IJA forces land at Kota Bharu and push towards Singapore. Landings a Kuching and Brunei capture these lightly defended cities.

[Feinder]

China

Hong Kong quickly falls, and IJA forces move to encircle (whatever the name of the city is), on the Chinese coast. Also IJN vessels are tasked to blockade the port, while troops move towards the city.

[OldCrowBalthazor]

You two are back. Right on!

[Feinder]

12-27-1941

China

Some IJA assault formations begin taking "Level-1" upgrades for Infantry Warfare.
Siege continues on Chinese coastal city (one of these days, I'll remember to look up its name).

[Feinder]

12-27-1941

Philippines and Dutch East Indies

IJA forces push south the outskirts of Manila. An initial attack is repulsed with heavy casualties. That kinda sucked.

However, Commonwealth forces collapse in the defense of Malaya, and Singapore quickly falls. Malaya surrenders. The facilities are Singapore are only slightly damaged, and IJN fleet units make port to refuel.

Our forces push into Burma, and make first contact with Burmese colonial defenders.

[Feinder]

12-27-1941

Strategic Map

[Feinder]

01-16-1942 (turn 3, or 6, depending on how you look at it)

Central Pacific

Nothing exciting here. Having refueled the carriers, KB continues on to the Home Islands. A few straggling capital ships, refuel at Wake. A second invasion TF embarks at Guam, and will head for Rabaul.

For those unaware, KB starts with like 7-supply off of Hawaii. I think this is a good thing, because it means you can't linger and just clobber/invade Hawaii in the first few turns. You can make a second strike on the last BB if your opponent cooperates and leaves it in port (I assumed "not"). In my beta-game against AI, I had not bothered to pay attention to the supply level of KB, and happily seal-clubbed everything that the AI left me in Hawaii. Then I ran out/low on supplies. So it took KB forever-and-a-day to get back to the Home Islands to re-arm. Fortunately, the game was against the AI; if I had been playing Ngineer and made that mistake (to lock-out KB until probably Une/July, to include the upgrades), he would have made me pay dearly for it. My date/planning on this matter...

Even with fastest return to Home Islands (as I am doing):
02-05: Earliest port into Home Islands.
02-25: Ship - Elite Reinforcements
03-17: Airgroup - Regular Reinforcements
04-06: Airgroup - Elite Reinforcements
04-26: Upgrades (I'll probably go ahead and move out, and do the upgrades further south, for better position).
05-16: First turn where KB is/can be fully upgraded and refitted after PH.

Just sayin'.
This should definitely become a part of the calculus of, "Where am I going to need/want KB, and when?".

[Feinder]

01-16-1942

Philippines

Ugh.
Y'all ever play D&D, and your party gets stuck trying to force your way thru a bottlekneck at a doorway?
That's Manila.

We thumped the Corps in Manila hard, but was unable to destroy it or force a retreat.
I've moved up my Tac-Bmbrs and a Med-Bmbr to help (their range is insufficient to help in DEI invasion, and I dont need them in Burma yet). And I sent the Yamato nearby as well.

If I can get (very) favorable odds vs. Manila, I might try directly for Manila.

Otherwise, I will (more likely), use Yamato to pound the Corps at the Clark Field, drop lots of bombs, and then kill or retreat it by attacking with IJA Army. I'm really just trying to open up that second hex to attack with (I'm unable to move into those jungles to NE of Manila). I need to open up that second hex to attack Manila with, as it will allow me to get in attacks with all 3x of my ground units (I can switch one). As noted in the pic, I could move up the SNLF from Mindanao, but I'd rather not incur that MPP cost if I don't have to.

Next turn, if I go directly at Manila and fail, I've wasted a turn (which amounts to 40 days!), because he'll just replace or switch his units). So I'll most likely go for occupying Clark Field, and THEN Manila.

[Feinder]

01-16-1942

Dutch East Indies

SNLF assault troop begin loading onto transports. I'll move/congregate them into the Java Sea first, so that they can all land together. As noted in previous post, LBA (even with Range-2), is out of range to bomb Batavia. So D-Day for Java invasion is set for March 17th. Hopefully will be a swift overrun.

[Feinder]

01-16-1942

Burma

IJA light armor, and Thailand Inf-Corps continue to press into Burma. Burmese units hold.
I've moved up the group of Med-Bmbrs along with fighter escorts, if he's kept AVG around. Bombers will be available next turn. Also moving up an Army from Malaya. Burma is secondary to MPP expenses needed for DEI and Philippines.

I also pushed up my Sub, to raid that convoy. I don't really expect much, but interfering with MPPs is a good thing.

[Feinder]

01-16-1942

China

Like Burma, China is not my priority yet. I'll use the newly arrived paras, and Inf-Army to assault the Chines beach-town. I should be enough, once supplies get ground out.

[Feinder]

01-16-1942

Strategic Map and Losses (no surprises there)

[Tanaka]

01-16-1942

Strategic Map and Losses (no surprises there)

Love the style of your AAR and visuals/map narration. Very informative and entertaining! O7

[Feinder]

02-05-1942

China

Nationalist Chinese forces amass in the Center and attack Wuhan. The attacks are uncoordinated, and are repulsed. Our forces counter-attack a Chinese Inf-Corps, and drive it back with heavy casualties. An additional IJA Inf-Army is transferred from the Northern flank, to assist in the defense of Wuhan.

Meanwhile, we prepare to attack the Chinese coastal town of "Secondary Supply", because I can't otherwise read the name.

[Feinder]

02-05-1942

South Pacific

A large low-pressure system moves over the Solomon Islands and New Britain, further masking the continued approach of our invasion forces.

[Feinder]

02-05-1942

Philippines

The USAAC transfers fighter-group into Corregidor. IJA concentrates is attacks on Clark Field. First bombardment by the mighty Yamato, followed by air-strikes by tactical bombers. The Allied fighters sortie, but are repulsed with losing many of their number. Further attacks on on the Philippine Inf-Corps at Clark Field inflict heavy casualties, but do not force a retreat. Japanese Commands decides to bring up the SNLF force from Mindanao to add pressure on Manila.