NFC East Showdown: Cribtop (J) vs NY59Giants (A) - Between the Storms

[Cribtop]

Now that I have 6 CVs and 6 CVLs together, there is little I fear! [8D]

PS - Still, it goes to show that the Allies in this mod have the ability to do some serious damage wherever KB is NOT, eh?

[Cribtop]

Okay, two questions:

1) IJAAF 2E bombers seem especially feeble so far in this game. Does the version of DBB that BTS is based on contain the IJA "bomb nerf," where the 250lb bomb does less damage than stock?

2) We are close to completing research on the A6M3, so all the R&D factories are purple. In a repeat of the most often asked question on the boards, if you want to keep an R&D factory as an R&D factory, the correct settings are No/Yes/No? Or something else?

[Lowpe]

No clue on bombs being weakened.


Upgd – This is a Yes/No toggle which determines if the factory will upgrade automatically to a new type
of aircraft if and only if the existing aircraft has a valid upgrade path. So a G4M1 Betty factory will
automatically upgrade to the G4M2 Betty version if this value is Yes. Otherwise, the factory will continue
to produce the G4M1 version until this is changed to Yes or the player changes the factory manually.

For R&D:
We still have the planes listed and the toggles, etc. The major difference is the Upgrade toggle
determines if the factory switches from an R&D factory to a production factory when that plane type
becomes available. Once a factory becomes a production factory, if can never return to being an R&D
factory. Once nice feature that has been added, is that the plane’s name will turn blue when it is within
30 days of its availability date. This way you can determine if you want to allow the factory to switch or
not.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Okay, two questions:

1) IJAAF 2E bombers seem especially feeble so far in this game. Does the version of DBB that BTS is based on contain the IJA "bomb nerf," where the 250lb bomb does less damage than stock?

2) We are close to completing research on the A6M3, so all the R&D factories are purple. In a repeat of the most often asked question on the boards, if you want to keep an R&D factory as an R&D factory, the correct settings are No/Yes/No? Or something else?

1) As far as I understand it, all of DBB has lessened bomb effect for both sides. I certainly have noticed playing the Allies and using 4Es. It's a good thing as far as I can tell after ten months of game. Seems like the Japanese still can get licks in, but neither side can close fields as easily and both have trouble hitting AA defended troops on the ground.

2) Just change them now if they're purple to the next model in the correct path. (Save before doing!). That is the setting I use, but if I don't check each month, I've had factories still change to production.

[Cribtop]

Thanks, guys. Always have to double check that one. We should get A6M3, 4 and 5 this year with the R&D commitment made.

[temagic]

BANZAI!!! BANZAI!!! BANZAI!!!

[Cribtop]

A few updates coming tonight, but for the moment, umm,

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS?@?@?@?@?@?!?!!?!?!?!?!?

We are actually good. Shocking stuff. That is the best Offensive line in football. Sweet.

[Cribtop]

January 18, 1942

Shhh….

5th Fleet

Atka Island occupied by rowboat. Unloading of support troops and supplies at Amchitka, Ulak and Adak continues without interference from the enemy cruiser squadron seen a few weeks back.

SE Fleet

Vanimo falls.

Forces are moving into place to invade Lae, Munda, and Tulagi. Support troops and lots of supply are unloading at Rabaul.

25th Army

Johore Bahru falls. Tomorrow we rail the whole army (6 Divisions plus support stuff) into the base. On to Singapore.

[Cribtop]

January 19, 1942

Subs

Over the next 3 days, a horde of recalled subs will arrive at Kwaj. We will refuel, repair SYS damage, and then send them to their new assignments.

Enemy CVs and CVLs are spotted in the Makassar Strait again and we vector 4 subs to intercept (see below).

5th Fleet

Other than a few unspotted supply ships unloading at Amchitka, our support Op up here is complete. All TFs are recalled to Japan in preparation for the next phase. Jakes out of Adak begin naval search over the approaches from Dutch Harbor, and LBA will fly in as soon as airfields are constructed.

SE Fleet

All four KB TFs RV West of Truk and re-organize into a 3 TF configuration. We will be using 2 CVs and 2 CVLs in each main KB TF. The whole enchilada is ordered to sail for Babel, target the DEI.

14th Army

A force led by 48th Division arrives in Bataan today and will BA to test combat power. If we can clear out the 9 units in this base we can bombard Manila from the sea and hasten the end of the siege there.

16th Army

We re-loaded the previously aborted Manado invasion and sailed out of Babel a few days back as a test. Sure enough, once we are spotted by seaplanes a big Allied naval force pops up in the Makassar Strait. We see CVLs and surface TFs. How much of the enemy carrier force is present is uncertain. The Manado invasion withdraws, its true mission a success. We plan to dangle this TF a third time and hope to draw the Allies out, then pounce with KB. Michael is probably too smart for the ruse, but it is worth a try and will introduce the world to the full power of a 12 carrier KB.

Panggoe occupied.

We are proceeding with an Op to attack Kendari by air assault. Specifically, we are flying in more troops and supplies to Kolaka and will move overland against the small garrison.

25th Army

The horde has arrived at Johore Bahru and is shifting into combat mode. We are also moving air support to the base to allow for easier access to bombing Singers.

15th Army

Probably unbeknownst to Michael, Imperial Guards Division arrived in Toungoo last turn. Today we DA with good results, odds 2:1, forts down to 1, casualties 211(3) vs 246(1). We will rest a day to get supplies back up and continue the attack. Mauling 1st Burma Division will be a small bonus here that is a direct result of hiding the presence of the Guards until they were really needed.

China

BA 83,44 is using bigger guns now and obtaining good results, as are daily ground bombings. DA tomorrow as more troops have entered the hex.

Two wrecked Chinese corps SA near Loyang in what appears to be a suicide attack to gain the respawn. Odds 1:22, casualties 130(5) vs nil.

We will take the mountain hex on the back door road to Sian tomorrow.

[temagic]

Looking forward to the Battle for the DEI.

[Cribtop]

I wonder whether there will be a battle for the DEI or if Michael pulls back once he sees KB. Hopefully I can make that first sighting interesting. We are only 2 days out, FYI, but will probably have to refuel DDs at sea one extra day.

In other news, the next roadblock to Ankang appears about to fall. Banzai!

[Cribtop]

January 20, 1942

Subs

Lurking in the Makassar Strait along with four other subs is RO-33. She is DC’d by what appears to be an ASW TF and then by escorts of either an SCTF or a CV TF. Unfortunately she doesn’t get off a shot and no other subs make contact. By day, the enemy ships are all gone again.

As part of an emerging operation to be detailed in full later, these subs now take up “scissor patrol” patterns in the areas where the enemy TFs have “popped up” in the straits. It is the first element of a trap.

5th Fleet

Semisopochnoi Island occupied. And I thought I hated spelling Dutch names.

4th Fleet

We unload the 4th Fleet HQ at Kwaj and begin loading 6th Fleet for transfer to Truk. 6th Fleet’s move is in turn intended to cover for the movement of SE Fleet HQ to Rabaul.

At Tokyo, base forces, engineers and an Air HQ depart for the front. Many of these forces are destined for the Gilberts with the balance headed for the Solomons.

SE Fleet

The Lae invasion enters the target hex. We unload tomorrow covered by LRCAP and a cruiser force. Tulagi will also be attacked tomorrow and Munda the day after that.

Elsewhere, we load an invasion force for Buna. Intention is to seize the base and then land 33rd Division for a march over the Owen Stanleys to Port Moresby.

Cribtop HQ has decided that Buin will host the 9th Air Fleet HQ. This will torpedo enable all bases on Bougainville and even Munda due to the Air HQ’s 5 hex range.

On the docks at Truk, the last passenger to board Battlecruiser Ishitaki pauses to survey his new command, which includes Battlecruiser Kongo and several modern destroyers, with more to come. His orders are to catch up to KB and provide a fast moving surface combat task force to support the carriers with slashing attacks on shipping and bombardments as needed. The passenger’s name is Rear Admiral Tanaka Raizo.

14th Army

BA Bataan finds little in the way of enemy AS despite the presence of 9 LCUs. DA tomorrow.

16th Army

The reformed KB steams toward a unique RV with a force of “Aggie Oilers” – high endurance merchants that will top off the DDs of each main TF in anticipation of a speed run into a spot in the DEI. Intention is to get as close as possible without entering the known enemy air search umbrella. Then we will move the Manado Invasion TF back into range on purpose, anticipating a similar reaction from Michael. KB will surge to range for an 8 hex strike on the position he likes to take up the next day, while the invasion TF again retires. We will also switch orders for our Netties from nav search to nav attack. Will it work? Maybe. Odds aren’t great, but it’s worth a shot.

We continue to fly in troops to Kolaka and will march on Kendari in a few days. Recon confirms only 2 small LCUs present.

25th Army

The IJAAF moves into Johore Bahru and will soon begin hitting the base from short range to reduce Ops losses.

In an Op similar to the Kolaka move, today we load up a paratroop unit and 21st Mixed Brigade at Saigon. They will unload at Kuantan, which is now emptying of the fighters formerly guarding attacks on Singapore (they are moving to Johore Bahru). We will then fly in a large number of transports and seize empty Djambi by air assault, with air transport of 21st Brigade as the follow on. This will threaten Palembang and may even be enough to take the base. If not, KB will escort 38th Division to Oosthaven to finish the job.

Batu Pahat falls to a tank unit on cleanup duty.

15th Army

Bassein falls. The enemy force abandons Toungoo before we can gain supplies for another attack. The base will fall tomorrow and we will continue pursuit towards Mandalay.

China

DA 83, 44 gets a 1:1, casualties 1927(75) vs 619(19). The casualty count here is swinging rapidly in our favor, and enemy disablements from ground, air and arty attacks are quickly causing his AS to plummet. We should take this hex very soon.

DA 86, 43 finishes off two stragglers on suicide respawn missions with casualties 1554(180) vs nil. I’m not a fan of killing wrecked KMT units in general, but in this case the location was strategic and Michael could simply continue to shock attack until the units died anyway.

[Cribtop]

January 21, 1942

Bataan falls.

SE Fleet

Lae and Tulagi invaded. Resistance at both bases is either nil or minimal.

14th Army

DA Bataan achieves 5:1 odds and thus takes the base despite level 3 forts. 10 enemy LCUs surrender, casualties 8490(1,030) vs 228(1). 48th Division will now move to liberate the middle and southern Philippine Islands while 16th Division and 65th Brigade besiege Manila.

Speaking of sieges, in China, the PI and Singers we are about to engage in siege warfare. In all cases, we want to take every action possible to deplete enemy supply. What can we do? Obviously attack when possible, bombard and bomb other turns, and, at Manila, bombard with the IJN. Is there anything else we can do to run down supply?

15th Army

Toungoo occupied as the enemy marches out before we can DA.

China

BA 83, 44 achieves a disappointing 81(4) vs 12(7). Although our losses are all vehicle support in arty units, losing anything in a BA is a bummer. DA tomorrow as the enemy is shaky and our supply has rebounded.

[Cribtop]

January 22, 1942

Breakthrough in China. Banzai!

Subs

Allied ASW works the Makassar Strait, with I-157 missing a DD and RO-33 harassed in the same area.

5th Fleet

Kiska occupied.

SE Fleet

DA Lae takes the base with 60:1 odds. 1 Allied LCU is destroyed but oddly casualties are reported as nil vs 141(7). Surely this is FoW.

Tulagi falls.

16th Army

KB is re-fueled and we will soon attempt Operation Kingfisher, detailed above. Cribtop Intel takes the enemy’s ASW efforts in the Makassar Strait as a good sign that he may repeat his past pattern once we reveal the Manado invasion TF again. We will add an SCTF to sweeten the bait.

25th Army

All divisions recombine at Johore Bahru (we were waiting on units to get out of strat mode). Tomorrow 6 IJA divisions march for Singapore.

15th Army

Tavoy falls.

China

The big news today is that a DA at 83, 44 achieves 3:1 odds and forces 4 KMT LCUs to retreat. Casualties 9,292(857) vs 277(17). With only trashed units in our way, the road to Ankang is functionally open. We will march on that target with the ultimate goal of a breakthrough to the Chungking plain that unhinges the entire Chinese defense. The danger is an enemy counterattack to cut our LoC along the road to Ankang, but we have plenty of troops ready to deal with this. Nice.

SA 90, 49 as an IJA regiment crosses a river to attack the Lusu War Area HQ. Odds 36:1, casualties 406(11) vs nil. This annoyance ends soon.

[Cribtop]

The situation in China.

We have broken through at hex 83, 44 (red circle). Only 5 defeated LCUs and 2 LCUs in Ankang stand in the way now. Per recon, one of the LCUs in Ankang is an HQ unit.

At the yellow circle, recon today reveals a roadblock on the backdoor to Sian. Given events near Ankang, we will keep our focus there.

[temagic]

Just bumping this great AAR up from second page with a huge BANZAIIII!!!

[Cribtop]

Thanks! I owe you guys about 3 days' updates. Will try to get them out soon.

[temagic]

Great! I'm getting abstinences here...

[Capt. Harlock]

Great! I'm getting abstinences here...

I would have thought the lack of updates would drive one *to* drink, rather than away from it... [:D]

[temagic]

[:D]