Gaishu Isshoku: John 3rd vs Cribtop Between the Storms

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Somebody is up early this morning considering there was a WS game last night. Me, I've two turns to get out.

BANZAI ROYALS! Series: 2---1

Yes...it is waaaaaaaay too early for ANYTHING at this point. We have an auction to go to this morning so the Cochran House is moving (more like stumbling about) early this day.

[John 3rd]

Turn ONE is sent.

STANDARD Port Attacks for Turn One:
--Pearl is hit by KB-1 and -2 hit Pearl Harbor: CARDIV1 (Akagi--Amagi--Ryukaku) and CARDIV5 (Shokaku--Zuikaku--CAV Kushiro)
--Manila by KB-2: CARDIV2 (Hiryu--Soryu--CAV Tokachi)

Other Notes:
--KB-4 (3 CVL) move south from CRB to Cover the Kuching Landing scheduled for Day TWO.
--Landing all Malaya troops at Kuantan.

[John 3rd]

Good morning. The turn has been sent and Cribtop has it. He has warned me that his OCD will be totally in force for Turn TWO and it might be 4-5 days before I see it come back.

While waiting for December 7th, I thought I would layout some broad strokes as to IJA concentration:

Malaya
--All starting ID will land at Kuantan and they will reform their into the actual IDs and then bounce down to Mersing on the 9th or 10th.
--Imperial Guards, as normal, come in from the north.
--4th ID will land at Mersing about the 10th/11th.
--The 33rd will join the assault when it arrives from Japan.

The Moment Singers Falls then these ID re-load and head for CEYLON.

Burma
--All Tank Regiments and support units will drive overland and push into southern Burma

Philippines
--Luzon will get the 48th, 35th Brigade, and one more of the Home Islands ID
--Mindanao will be quickly gobbled up by a full ID from the Home Islands
--Paras will grab Cotabato on TURN ONE for immediate usage by Kates and Zeros from Mindanao.

Borneo to Java
--The 21st ID will take Kuching on Dec 8th, bounce to Singkawang, and then Merak by December 15-17th.

Borneo
--The two Brigades that start in Indochina will take Tarakan and Balikpapan by Dec 15th. They will then move south and eventually grab eastern Java by January 1st.

South Pacific
--Imperial Guards Brigade takes Rabaul and then move on to Koumac
--2nd ID is tasked with Port Moresby by January 1st and then it jumps west to Horn and Darwin.

[ny59giants]

Did you mean 65th Brigade on Luzon, not 35th??

16th ID usually lands on southern Luzon. Is that the one going to Mindanao??

38th ID goes where after Hong Kong??

Will elements of 55th ID still head into Burma to back up your tanks??

Where is 56th ID going??

What about all those five Assault Divisions??

Any plans for your para??

[Kitakami]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants
Did you mean 65th Brigade on Luzon, not 35th??
16th ID usually lands on southern Luzon. Is that the one going to Mindanao??
38th ID goes where after Hong Kong??
Will elements of 55th ID still head into Burma to back up your tanks??
Where is 56th ID going??
What about all those five Assault Divisions??
Any plans for your para??

All of those are excellent questions... I also want to know the answer

And, one question, since it is your design: how many divisions do you think are needed to take Singapore, if you cut Malaya in half like you are doing? 5? 6?
I am in the beginning stages of a BtS game, and I am fretting over that...

[Mike Solli]

[ny59giants]

John doesn't enjoy micro-management as much as I do. [:D] I would have all elements of 18th ID land at Kuantan on 7th (with a few BFs) and then land all elements of 5th ID with tanks and BFs at Mersing on the 8th or 9th to cut off Singapore from rest of peninsula. Since you have the 3 CVL at CRB to provide LRCAP, this is doable. As Japan, I would switch over the AF attacks to hit the troops themselves. Focus on Alor Star and Taiping to try to get higher casualties from those elements of 11th Indian Division (about 310 AV when combined) trying to get into Strat Mode to get into Singapore before you cut the peninsula in half.

Troops to use: Imp Gds to come and push down the west coast; 18th to push in from Kuantan; 5th to land at Mersing; 4th will follow from Samah (moved here in BTS); and 21st from CRB (another redeployment in BTS). I would probably reload 18th and move to Mersing to get her into Singapore quicker. You 'may' need another division depending on what the Allies got into Singapore.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

John doesn't enjoy micro-management as much as I do. [:D] I would have all elements of 18th ID land at Kuantan on 7th (with a few BFs) and then land all elements of 5th ID with tanks and BFs at Mersing on the 8th or 9th to cut off Singapore from rest of peninsula. Since you have the 3 CVL at CRB to provide LRCAP, this is doable. As Japan, I would switch over the AF attacks to hit the troops themselves. Focus on Alor Star and Taiping to try to get higher casualties from those elements of 11th Indian Division (about 310 AV when combined) trying to get into Strat Mode to get into Singapore before you cut the peninsula in half.

Troops to use: Imp Gds to come and push down the west coast; 18th to push in from Kuantan; 5th to land at Mersing; 4th will follow from Samah (moved here in BTS); and 21st from CRB (another redeployment in BTS). I would probably reload 18th and move to Mersing to get her into Singapore quicker. You 'may' need another division depending on what the Allies got into Singapore.

The 5th and 18th (ALL OF THEM!) are landing at Kuantan (as said above).

I am only nailing the northern Malaya AF on Day One. Kuantan isn't attacked whatsoever by Naval or Air Bombardment. Really WANT that AF intact. Ground units are to be attacked from Dec 8-10th to slow them down in movement.

My GUT feeling (with this Mod) is a need for six ID. IF one can take North and Central Malaya cutting off and destroying the troops there then my better guess is four ID. It will solely depend on what Cribtop chooses to do.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Did you mean 65th Brigade on Luzon, not 35th??

16th ID usually lands on southern Luzon. Is that the one going to Mindanao??

38th ID goes where after Hong Kong??

Will elements of 55th ID still head into Burma to back up your tanks??

Where is 56th ID going??

What about all those five Assault Divisions??

Any plans for your para??

Answers:
1. 65th Brigade---YEP!
2. 16th to Mindanao---48th to Luzon
3. 38th will move either:
A. Malaya if Cribtop gets most of his troops into Singers.
B. Luzon to force the Allies back into a corner ASAP.
4. 55th still drives on Malaya. ONLY Tanks go towards Burma. Want Cribtop to see LOTS of units and either pull back or fight. If he fights then I have to move slow and that is GREAT! Want him moving troops eastward and NOT see Ceylon as a target.
5. Paras SNLF Brigade takes Cotabato, then loads to Kuching (LOVE Tinas!), and then lands in Malaya to stop a retreat. Others Paras move to staging points to support Burma.

The SNLF Assault Brigades will head for:
1. Aleutians
2. Midway
3. Wake
4 and 5. Christmas Isle/Line Islands

[John 3rd]

Just got turn ONE back. Running that bad boy in about an hour!

BANZAI!

May the best Japanese Admiral win in this contest...

[John 3rd]

OK. The die is set and war has begun. We'll do action area-by-area:

December 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor

The Japanese bring 4 CV, 1 CVL, and 1 CAV to STRIKE at Pearl. The attack comes from slightly west of the 'normal' launch point. Total aircraft in the assault are 91 Zero, 102 Val, and 123 Kate. They are by 11 Fighters who are all shot down.

Results:
Battleship Row
Arizona 4 800 Kg--2 250 Kg--3 TT On Fire, Heavy Damage
Nevada 1 800 Kg--2 250 Kg--4 TT Heavy Damage, On Fire
Oklahoma 2 800 Kg
New Mexico 3 800 Kg--1 250 Kg--3 TT On Fire, Heavy Damage
Idaho 1 800 Kg--3 250 Kg--3 TT
Tennessee 3 800 Kg--5 250 Kg--4 TT On Fire
California 3 800 Kg--3 250 Kg--2 TT Heavy Fires, Heavy Damage

Cruisers
San Francisco 1 800 Kg--1 250 Kg--1 TT On Fire, Heavy Damage
New Orleans 1 250 Kg--1 TT On Fire
Helena 1 800 Kg On Fire
St. Louis 1 250 Kg
Anchorage 1 250 Kg

DDs
Jarvis 1 TT Heavy Damage
Cassin 1 250 Kg On Fire

Other Wessels
AM, AS, AE, DM, and AV's Wright and Curtiss


Look like an OK attack, Not great but not terrible. The battleline is mostly out and I gotta like all the hits on the cruisers (especially the CAs).

Losses are 1 Zero, 1 Val, and 12 Kate. Don't like those kate losses but their are pretty spread out so things are OK.

KB moves towards Midway to refuel from its AOs. When they are topped off, the carriers will slowly move SW (as if retiring) and will then move due East and interdict the Line Islands to Cover those landings by fast AMCs.

[John 3rd]

Dec 7, 1941
Philippines

Air Attacks
Iba
This base is crushed by 54 Betty/Nell 27 Air Base Hits/19 Supply/106 Runway Hits.

Clark
9 Zero and 54 Betty/Nell hit here and fight through 11 Fighters (no real losses--1 Zero and 1 Betty--for 6 American). They do an excellent 38/04/102 for their results.

Cagayan
9 Nells from babeldoap hit here and do 06/05/28

Manila
A powerful strike by 81 Zero and 54 Betty SMASH the AF: 32/12/96.

This Raid is timed to Cover the Port Attack by CARDIV2: 39 Zero, 45 Val, 53 Kate. The Bombs fall and do good work:

SUNK: SS Seawolf, Sealion, and Saury plus a TK and PT Boat.
DAMAGED: 6 SS, 1 S-Boat, 1 AV, 1 AVD, 2 TK, 1 AM, 3 AK, 3 AKL, 2 AP, and an AO.

Pretty decent results for 2 CV and a CAV!


We'll work to sink EVERYTHING in Manila tomorrow!

Ground
Batan is taken by a Base Force. Move in two Air Search Chutai and a Sentai of Nates.

Cotabato is taken by Paratroopers. More will be flown in tomorrow by 2 Daitai of Tina. A Fast TF carrying 2 Base Forces should arrive tomorrow.

Sea
5 STF move into intercept positions to sink anything trying to flee the islands.

CARDIV2 will cross the central Philippines and crush resistance moving into the Sulu Sea.

[John 3rd]

December 7, 1941
Malaya

Georgetown
This base is hit twice by 27 and 48 Bombers. A Sweep of 27 Nates destroy the 3 Buffalo on CAP. Totals are 36/12/79.

Kota Bharu
Base hit by 9, 22, and 31 Bombers. Get OK results with 12/04/41.

Alor Star
Base is smacked by 55 Lily doing 27/11/74. Nice work there.

Kuantan
As the Invasion Forces unload their troops, the RAF attempts to interdict with six strikes. There are initially 43 Fighters flyin LR CAP over the Japanese TFs. These Zero and Oscars kick some serious tail and bag nearly 30 British planes. Two AKs are hit for 124 Casualties. NICE CAP work here! A lot of those losses were Swordfish and Vildebreest. Good to trash them quickly.

The troops will take the base tomorrow.

[John 3rd]

December 7, 1941
Other News

Hong Kong is attacked repeatedly.

TF's leave Babeldoap, Truk, and Jaliut for points south.

The big action will be a landing by the 21st ID at Kuching. They bring with the Invasion Force several Base Forces for immediate aircover at this Lvl-2 AF. This landing is covered by Nagato and Mutsu as well as cruisers and DDs. KB-4 will provide LR CAP and force projection if the Allies try to get close.

[John 3rd]

Here is an overwhelmingly optimistic timetable for conquest:

RED is by January 1st
YELLOW by Feb 1st
PINK by March 1st

We'll grab the key points and back fill as time passes.

[Kitakami]

If you can achieve it... kudos! I find that the threat of the additional allied units in BtS make me attack in fewer directions than in RA. Do not spread yourself too thin... it may turn around and bite you. It did to me. I lost a CVL to a surface action of all things :/

[John 3rd]

Between the Storms is a MUCH NASTIER Mod then RA. The Allies gain soooooo much from the Treaty Period that life could be quite hard on the GOOD guys.

The thrusts toward Midway and the Line Islands will be covered by KB-1 and KB-2. Eastern DEI is covered by KB-3 while the initial moves in the Western DEI will be covered by the 3 CVL of KB-4. As soon as the Palembang and Merak Lodgements are achieved, KB-3 and KB-4 shall join together. Working the two forces together should prevent any unwanted surprises. Working in conjunction will place KB-1 and -2 with 4 CV, 1 CVL, and 1 CAV while KB-3 and -4 will have 2 CV, 3 CVL, and 1 CAV. Each Butai should have enough firepower to deal with any quick Allied CV counter.

The Allies have an additional 2 BC, 2 CAV, 2 CLV, 2 CA, 3 CL, 4 SS, and 14 DDs added to their STARTING OOB. Remember that the Aussies gained 1 CAV, 4 DD, and 2 SS while the NZ got an additional CAV, and the French start with 1 CL, 4 DD, 2 SS. The French pick-up a goodly number of additional reinforcements fairly early as well as the Americans gaining CVL King's Mountain with Yorktown when they arrive at the end of December. These additions make for a healthy boost in Allied firepower at the start of the war. Lots of danger in that.

Different Tactics:
1. Normally I split my KB-TF immediately and go EVERYWHERE with them. Not this time. These Carriers are operating in conjunction nearly immediately.
2. FAST TF: I've normally avoided heavy use of these but this campaign will see heavy deployment of this type of Invasion Force. I've already got a Fast TF headed for Lae carrying 3 units. A BIG one will try to load tomorrow and capture Palembang with an entire Brigade in 3-4 days.
3. 'Creativity:' The Line Islands will be invaded by a Fast TF of 5 AMC who can move at 21 Knots, carry over 1,000 troops each, and have some surface assets along for extra protection. We're looking at quick, DEEP grabs where I can then back fill later.
4. Lessons: Having read Michael and Cribtop's AAR, the biggest conclusion I have reached is to NOT ALLOW the Allied player a chance to concentrate his far flung forces into powerful units. I will seek to prevent that by hitting everywhere on the board and providing serious airpower coverage for the important missions.
5. SS: A lot will depend on the Japanese SS. RA and BTS allows for a different deployment of I- and Ro-Boats. We have HIGH HOPES that the sub arm will help the cause and get some high profile work done.

[John 3rd]

Glad to see that my opponent has gotten his AAR underway!

[John 3rd]

Cribtop said it would be 4-5 days before I saw the turn come back so I thought perhaps some specific planning might be good to share:

NORTH Pacific
At Ominato are the following available units: 5th JNAF BF, 7th BF and 7th Port unit, and Karafuto Brigade (AV 230)
At Etorofu: 2nd China SNLF Assault Brigade

NOTE: IN RA and BTS the various Japanese SNLF units are combined into a Brigade structure. Three SNLF Bn integrate to create the Brigade. It is able to divide back down to its component pieces if wanted. There are NO NEW SNLF troops present (with the exception of a small HQ Brigade contingent) and/or added to these Mods. When fully filled out these units have a respectable 210 AV but have been proven to be quite brittle. They are listed as SNLF Assault Divisions due to the Editor not allowing a Brigade to breakdown into smaller units.

NorPac Plans:
2nd China SNLF will be tasked with taking Umnak, Cold Bay and Dora Harbor
Karafuto Brigade will tackle Dutch Harbor
The BF will be landed at Cold Bay, Dutch Harbor, and Umnak. A few additional Support Units will be sent during December to enable base construction to begin.
We'll back fill and take the 'normal' islands fairly quickly.

Naval Support: 12 old DDs and a CL.

Central Pacific
At Saipan are 3 Port units, 5th BF, 1st/2nd Pioneer Bn, 1st Maizuru SNLF Assault, and 1st Sasebo SNLF Assault
At Tinian are the 1st China SNLF Assault and 12th JNAF BF
At Kwajalein is the 53rd Nvl Guard and 24th Air Flotilla
At Roi Namur is the 6th BF
At Jaliut sits 3 Nvl Guard units

NOTE: RA and BTS sees the addition of (eventually) 9 small Pioneer Bns. These troops are a woeful compatriot to American SeaBeas. They are for base construction have dedicated engineers and engineering vehicles. Keep in mind it is SMALL with roughly 12 Engineers and 12 Vehicles.

CentPac Plans:
1st Maizuru and 12th JNAF to take Midway
1st Sasebo and to take Wake
1st China to take Guam and then move to the South Pacific

53rd Naval Guard to take Nauru, Ocean, and Tarawa by FTF
Three Naval Guard to take the Line Islands
Supporting the Line Islands will be the 5th BF, 1st/2nd Pioneers, and 6th BF. 24th Air Flotilla to follow...

Naval Support
KB-1 and KB-2 to provide distant support and Bombardment help for Midway, Wake, and Line Islands
CVE TF (3 CVE--39 F, 12 Val, and 12 Kate to provide immediate CAP over the Midway Landing and then move to help with the Line Islands
Midway and Wake will be directly supported by BBs Fuso and Yamashiro, 4-5 CL, and about 12-15 DDs

[John 3rd]

My good opponent has been keeping me up on how he progresses through Turn TWO. Looks like I'll have a turn in a day or two (or three or four).

Question I have for readers is what sort of player will Cribtop be? He has never played the Allies so this will be new to him. Anyone have any good advice from reading his AARs? Would be happy for some thoughts and comments...