Rookie AAR

[wdolson]

People don't learn things without some experimentation and research. It's worth a shot.

Bill

[Buckrock]

ORIGINAL: Leandros


Sorry, guys - but if I was to start discussing, and justifying, the pre-requisites I have set up for the subject of this thread I won't have time to actually go through with the "experiment" this is supposed to be.

Apologies if that's the case but a public AAR that comes complete with opinions on real war possiblities may attract comment.

I thought it had been an appropriate time to question the plausibility of your historical assumptions as you'd announced the end of your current AAR and plans for another in the future. I unfortunately then missed seeing your recent post stating the AAR was being resumed.

Please continue.

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: Buckrock

Please continue.

Thank you - appreciate it...[;)]

Fred

[Leandros]

Discovered that I have missed three sources for supplies of men and materiel, Cape Town, Abadan and the West Coast. As of yet, I have not drawn on any of those.
This is remedied now and men and materiel are put on trains from the East to the West Coast.

March 6th 1942.

The enemy has control of almost all of Java. Sumatra is pretty much ignored.

CL Dragon was torpedoed after a nightly bombardment of Menado. I was stupid enough to keep it hanging around. It got away, but damaged. Menado airfield was bombed
during its withdrawal process but not very heavily.

At the same time a bombing mission was sent against Ternate. Zeros flying from there have been over Ambon. 6 B-17E’s and 3 Aussie Hudsons went in at 15.000 feet
and 3 of the first B-26’s in the area at 1.000 feet. All escorted by P-36’s flying out of Namlea. Not much damage on the airfield but one Zero was destroyed on
the ground by the B-26’s. 4 B-17’s were damaged and one Hudson lost.

More enemy transports sunk during last night and day.

Continuing the build-up of the Moluccan strongholds and the preparations in Darwin for a Menado amphibious invasion force. 6 AP’s have been assembled so far. Maybe
I should go for Ternate first? Good airfield there now.

CV Saratoga never came within range of the alleged enemy CV TF north of Soerabaja. I believe these are CVE’s. Now I have positioned the Saratoga TF just south of
Bima so it can make another foray into the Western Banda Sea tomorrow, coordinated with Dutch bombers flying out of Denpasar and Makassar. Hopefully, Saratoga’s
planes shall catch it then.

CV Yorktown, fully repaired, has left SF together with three old battlewagons - Idaho and Mississippi among them. The TF shall skirt PH to pick up another squadron
of fighters for Yorktown and a TF carrying a Marines detachment heading for Christmas Island. This has been in Japanese hands for some time now. After supporting
the landing the battlewagons shall return to the West Coast. Some deliberately sloppy radio communication and domestically planted press releases shall hopefully
result in some wasted use of Japanese resources.

A 6-ship APD TF that just came through the Canal has been routed via SF for refuelling for the onward jouney to PH. I shall connect them with an oiler in PH. These
ships are meant for future landing operations in the Moluccans. They shall probably not get that far before I start a new game.

The first Aussie Kittyhawk squadron has arrived in Port Moresby.

I don’t know why he is doing it but day after day the enemy is bombing Iloilo from Luzon and Jolo. Is it because he is out of ground forces, having used his
resources against Zamboanga? He is spreading himself terribly thin now, putting units in at every small town and island. Anyway, that large Zamboanga force shall
probably soon be directed southwards again. Concentration is everything. That said, I have concentrated a submarine force in the western and NE approaches to the
Banda Sea. Some Dutch among them.

As long as I have Ambon and Namlea his Moluccan Sea operations shall cost him dearly in transports and support vessels. That is, as long as I can keep up my CL and
DD forces there for their nightly forays. Some of them are quite damaged and out of ammo. 1 CL (Dragon) and 4 DD’s are sent to Darwin for repairs. Four ships I
reckon are too damaged to go.

Fred

The “ships sunk” statistics are holding up well:

[BBfanboy]

That bombing attack on Iloilo sounds like the AI getting "stuck" and not moving on with its program for those air units. Some players have reported that when the AI gets stuck they have to do something deliberately stupid to get it unstuck - like give the IJA air groups on Luzon a small TF to attack.

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

That bombing attack on Iloilo sounds like the AI getting "stuck" and not moving on with its program for those air units. Some players have reported that when the AI gets stuck they have to do something deliberately stupid to get it unstuck - like give the IJA air groups on Luzon a small TF to attack.

Not me....[:)]...I don't have one in the vicinity, anyway.

Fred

[Leandros]

Strange things happen in-between in the game play. I mentioned, and got a response to, the daily repeated Japanese bombings of Iloilo from Luzon and Jolo. While
they have taken Mindanao no effort has been made against the other, Visayan, islands. Otherwise, they are spreading themselves thinly all over the map.

I see air units that have been stood down still fly offensive sorties. On the last turn all the Wildcats of Saratoga were missioned on “CAP”, not LR CAP, still
they operated over a couple of my ships way up in a Celebes bay, far away from the carrier.

A planned escort of a large fighter unit with pilots of high morale never showed up even if they were planned towards the same target and flying on the same
altitude.

Of a new bomber unit “in town” only 3 of 12 showed up over the target even if the target was quite close to their departure point. Well, thinking about it, these
last points may be caused by wx’s. But, the inexperienced dive bombers which were slaughtered by the Zeros reached their target.

But, sometimes, it feels like the game takes a little too much control over matters of which there are facilities in the game meant to control it. Not really
complaining, though. This is quite interesting.

March 8th 1942.

My planned ambush of the enemy CV TF north of Soerebaja did not come off as I had hoped for. I’m afraid I could have fared quite badly if I had been closer to it.
It started with recce reports that CV Zuikaku was sighted. After that, a Hiryu class CV. Then the Saratoga TF’s “tail”, at that time it was heading east again, was
attacked by carrier planes with no ill effects.

BB Royal Sovereign, with a couple of destroyers, that has been “loaned” from the British (some hard pushing by Roosevelt on Churchill to achieve that) after having
escorted an AIF convoy down from Aden, was bombed outside Macassar. Luckily, some Wildcats from Saratoga were in the area. Cost the enemy 4 destroyed and 1
damaged Betty out of 6. Later in the day the old battlewagon hit upon a Japanese transport convoy in the middle of the Banda Sea. No idea what it was doing there
but the Royal Sovereign and her cohorts made short process of it. More than 3.000 Japanese perished.

The enemy Bettys have indeed been remarkably ineffective lately. Several attacks against shipping in open sea have resulted in little but destroyed and damaged
Bettys.

Dutch DD Piet Hein was attacked by torpedo-armed Bettys in the same area as the Royal Sovereign. Claimed 6 out of 6 by AA.

Dutch CL’s Java and Sumatra with two destroyers were attacked by 6 Bettys escorted by Zeros outside Ternate. 6 Bettys damaged, no hits. The Dutch obviously have
good AA equipment and crews. In PM, however, 15 Bettys were successful in torpedoing an Aussie AK and damaging an AP during unloading.

All Saratoga’s VS’s and VB’s, the Devastators loaded up with bombs, were searching in the west to no avail. It ended with that. Pulling the Saratoga TF south now.

The nightly rounds to the occupied ports of the Moluccan Sea bagged a number of transport and support vessels.

An A-24 dive bombing attack on Ternate ended in disaster in spite of a planned escort of 20 P-36’s. They never showed up in the combat reports. The 13 A-24’s were
jumped by 10 Zeros. All A-24’s went down.

As new P-40 squadrons have arrived in Australia I have initiated a withdrawal of worn-out squadrons to the airfields around Darwin. They have all been driven hard and are
getting very low on morale. I wish I had more P-36’s.

Shortlands has been occupied. Batavia is under attack but the defenders are giving the aggressors a hard time. Not everything is going the Japanese way, however.
The defenders of Sabang, on the northern point of Sumatra, beat back the invaders - those Japanese having come ashore surrendered.

The Aussie Kittyhawk squadron in Port Moresby have made their first sweep over Salamua even if they have not been ordered to do so. On the contrary.

Horn Island in the Torres Strait is being bombed by Bettys flying from Rabaul. Is this just to show off? Probably a good idea to put a section of P-40’s there…

The Aussies are eagerly waiting for a squadron of Beaufighters arriving in two weeks’ time. That shall be interesting. B-25’s in a month.

Fred

[obvert]

I see air units that have been stood down still fly offensive sorties. On the last turn all the Wildcats of Saratoga were missioned on “CAP”, not LR CAP, still
they operated over a couple of my ships way up in a Celebes bay, far away from the carrier.

A planned escort of a large fighter unit with pilots of high morale never showed up even if they were planned towards the same target and flying on the same
altitude.

This is called 'bleeding CAP.' The planes set likely had CAP and a several hex range set. They will defend distant targets on this kind of setting if able to make it in time. This works especially if the attacked ships have radar.

LR CAP is very finicky. We'd have to see your actual settings to help. Sometimes if you set them to 100% LR CAP they will wear out and come back to the CV to refuel before the actual battle occurs. I prefer a percentage LR CAP.

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: obvert

This is called 'bleeding CAP.' The planes set likely had CAP and a several hex range set. They will defend distant targets on this kind of setting if able to make
it in time. This works especially if the attacked ships have radar.

LR CAP is very finicky. We'd have to see your actual settings to help. Sometimes if you set them to 100% LR CAP they will wear out and come back to the CV to refuel before the actual battle occurs. I prefer a percentage LR CAP.

You may be right about this, I think maybe I had forgotten to adjust the hex range. I agree on your comment on the LR CAP percentage. It's shaping up...[:)]

Fred

[Leandros]

There is an (obviously) important side of the game I have only recently involved myself fully in – that of repairs. I’ve done superficial adjustments on ships in
Darwin and Sydney, and Yorktown in SF, but none in PH. I see how important this is now. Reading the manual and going through PH ships in repair gives me 3 SS’s,
2 DD’s and 3 CL’s in less than two weeks, as opposed to indefinite.

Fred

[Andy Mac]

Great AAR keep going !!

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Great AAR keep going !!

Thank you! And from a Veteran...!....[&o]

Fred

[Leandros]

March 9th 1942

The Batavia and Soerabaja defenders are very stubborn. Their coast artillery is scoring on every Japanese landing attempt. No confirmed sinkings, though.

CV Saratoga is lingering in Koepang. Her fighter pilots are totally worn down because of the constant CAP’s.

The Dutch bomber units based in Bandjermasin are also at the end of their strength. There is constant enemy air activity over this SE part of Borneo. They have to
be stood down for a couple of days.

The submarine barriers in the western and NE approaches of the Banda and Moluccan Sea are in place. The nightly rounds to the Japanese-occupied parts continue.

Only a couple of more days now and everything is ashore in Namlea and Ambon. It has been a frightfully slow process. On Namlea are the 8th Marine Regt., 118th AF
Base Unit and the 804th EAB.

An 11-plane Aussie P-40 sweep over Salamaua, met by 4 Oscars. No losses on either side. Good training.

Another day with largely inconsequential torpedo attacks by Bettys. OTH, 40 casualties on Horn Island after enemy bombings. For the first time the Aussie units
barring the Kokoda Trail are bombed, too. We know what usually follows.

No allied planes lost on this day. More an indicator of less activity than anything else. One more day and the airfield on Saumlaki shall be operational.

Fred

[Leandros]

As you guys surely have noticed I’m commenting very little (nothng at all, really) on the Burma/China situation. That’s intentional, simply to save time for the
progress of the Central scenario. Also, I don’t think anything I do in these areas would influence much on the events in the center.

March 10th 1942.

A complicated ambush was planned to trap a Japanese supply convoy in Kendari but it got away through the Moluccans Sea towards NE even if it at one point bumped
into two US DD’s. It got away scot-free. Untypical of the last period this convoy was escorted by a DD. Maybe they’re running out of PB’s? Anyway, that US flotilla
leader has a court martial coming for him when ashore.

An Aussie P-40 sweep over Salamaua bagged 1 Oscar without own losses. Consequently a Betty raid over PM was not met by any resistance.

An enemy CV force has sneaked back to just north of Soerebaja. DD Dent heavily damaged by carrier bombers. It later sinks.

CL Sumatra was attacked by 5 torpedo-armed Betty bombers outside Menado. No hits but all Bettys claimed damaged.

2 Bettys attacking CL Trenton near Watampone, Celebes. No luck.

Samarinda is next target for the enemy. Landing now. Batavia is still yielding stiff resistance.

The enemy balanced the “Ships sunk”-statistics somewhat today. 3 US ships down – no Japanese. Three more enemy supply convoys to their starving beachheads have
entered the Moluccan Sea again. Haughty devils!

Saumlaki airfield is operational. That gives good air communications between Darwin and Ambon and lessens the importance of holding on to Timor. Shall try that,
anyway.

The negative clash south of Menado with the enemy convoy escaping from Kendari the day before almost resulted in it getting away completely. It was escorted by
a DD and 2 TB’s. However, later in the day, it ran into our submarine screen between Menado and Ternate. Transport Montevideo Maru was torpedoed by S-36 operating
surfaced. Two shell hits in return. S-36 also fired a torpedo at PB Nikkai Maru, but missed. Still, later in the day, a third unsuccessful attempt by S-36. Must
be out of torps now.

The Japanese are pouring in troops at Batavia.

A second transport convoy trying to get out of the Moluccan Sea was intercepted but, for the time being, got away, too. This one also had a relatively strong
escort.

CL Sumatra with 2 DD’s was attacked by 11 Bettys near Loewok, Celebes – 1 torpedo hit. Sumatra is on fire. A second Betty attack misfired, 2 damaged out of 5.

This isn’t going too well. First of all I need to do something with that CV force north of Soerabaja. It’s been quite stationary for two days now.

Fred

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Leandros

There is an (obviously) important side of the game I have only recently involved myself fully in – that of repairs. I’ve done superficial adjustments on ships in
Darwin and Sydney, and Yorktown in SF, but none in PH. I see how important this is now. Reading the manual and going through PH ships in repair gives me 3 SS’s,
2 DD’s and 3 CL’s in less than two weeks, as opposed to indefinite.

Fred

To repair the system damage first just put the majority on pierside. Then when you only have float/engine damage to repair put them in the shipyard.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Leandros


March 9th 1942

The Batavia and Soerabaja defenders are very stubborn. Their coast artillery is scoring on every Japanese landing attempt. No confirmed sinkings, though.

This is something that has always puzzled me. Unarmored transport ships that would normally be sunk by a dozen rounds of naval gunfire in a surface engagement seem to be immune to sinking when incurring 3-5 hits per unloading round over multiple turns with multiple unloading rounds per turn.

All one can surmise is that in between each unloading round and each turn damage control efforts are sufficient to prevent the accumulation of damage from reaching a critical level as it does so quickly in a single naval engagement.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Leandros


This isn’t going too well. First of all I need to do something with that CV force north of Soerabaja. It’s been quite stationary for two days now.

Fred

This is one of the inherent failings of the AI. It parks its CV TFs and stays parked for long enough to allow the opponent to bring massive force to bear against it.

If you exploit this weakness too heavily you can trash the AI and skew the game so heavily in your favor it quickly leads to a game that is no longer viable for the AI.

Take your shots but do so with some temper.

[BBfanboy]

Leandros, the situation in China definitely has a bearing on the rest of the game. While China resists, many IJA divisions, regiments, artillery units, tanks and aircraft are tied down. If China collapses and the IJA takes Chungking, the Japanese have a huge force to redeploy wherever they want. The AI will likely have a list of secondary targets around the map that it will direct them to.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Leandros


This isn’t going too well. First of all I need to do something with that CV force north of Soerabaja. It’s been quite stationary for two days now.

Fred

This is one of the inherent failings of the AI. It parks its CV TFs and stays parked for long enough to allow the opponent to bring massive force to bear against it.

If you exploit this weakness too heavily you can trash the AI and skew the game so heavily in your favor it quickly leads to a game that is no longer viable for the AI.

Take your shots but do so with some temper.

The inherent failing of the AI is that it does not react strategically to allied movements.

It will respond tactically and does a good job of expansion but beyond the script it is incapable of mounting a plausible defense against an opponent not determined to dance to it's tune.

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Leandros, the situation in China definitely has a bearing on the rest of the game. While China resists, many IJA divisions, regiments, artillery units, tanks and aircraft are tied down. If China collapses and the IJA takes Chungking, the Japanese have a huge force to redeploy wherever they want. The AI will likely have a list of secondary targets around the map that it will direct them to.

Thank you, BB - I appreciate that. It's just that "my game" is not meant to last very long to fill my purpose. It was just to explain why I'm not mentioning it at
all. That said, it is just an advantage that the enemy - the Japanese - get this advantage. Makes the experiment more plausible...[;)]

Saves a lot of time, too. Maybe later.

Fred