Turnaround? Lowpe (J) vs Tiemanj (A) Stock

[Lowpe]

March 27, 1944

More 2K night bombing by B24D-1.

During the Day, the Allies sweep several bases, especially painful is a sweep of Hammatsu where Zekes only respond, and they get chewed to pieces by Jugs.

Spitfires are sweeping Tokyo at 10K, I may heighten my CAP to 15K in layers to try and get above them. They are painful planes.

[Lowpe]

Only about 80 4E beasties flew today against either Honshu or the Kuriles...but I only managed to down 1.[:-]

A look at the targeted city du jour:



The Ha45 factory started the day of at 60.

[Lowpe]

Setback during the retreat to the Bangkok line, the 4th ID is cutoff. They are 4 miles from making the next hex to the south, and hopefully I can open up the road from the south allowing them an avenue to retreat, or else they will die fighting in the jungle...buying time.

The Bangkok line is just horrible for Japan to defend with all the open ground in the rear, but to not hold it means giving free time to the Allies. So I guess we will set up some type of defense here...a good Allied player will simply concentrate their forces and punch thru; but, just perhaps, the Allies will divide their forces. Anyway, it should hold for a month or so.

[Lowpe]

Kuriles both island bases fall...

I managed to put three holes in a LST. Yippee![&:]

I flew out a fragment of the base force and a naval guard. I will fly out two more fragments tomorrow.

Both bases were invaded with one division and a tank unit.

[Lowpe]

Turn is away; trying to rescue the cut off ID in Thailand; starting to feel the bombing effects in Honshu, fighter production is down to 36 per day, from a high of 50. Especially hard hit are the Ki100I. Zekes and Oscars are untouched.

But it is really engine production that has been mauled and could become very worrisome.

Supply generation still holding pretty strong.

8 more months of pounding before 45. Wow.

[Lowpe]

Got a turn, then later an email asking for a redo since the Allies left many orders on the table especially with his Fighters. I really hadn't started issuing orders.

So, I am letting the Allies redo the turn.[8D]

[Lowpe]

March 28, 1944

No night bombing.

Another invasion in the Kuriles.

No bombing of Honshu today at all. Lots of dogfights, we lose less than 2 for each of 1 of his fighters. By far the most damaging planes the Allies use against me are the Spitfires...I manged to bring down another 8 today but they seem very nasty. P51b show up in numbers over Gifu I think...gosh, another 440 mph screamer.[&:] We knock down about 7 of those.

Rahaeng attacked again today, it will fall tomorrow as 80% of the defenders leave. Only 3 units at Pisanuloke, withdraw up here almost complete.

Looks good to rescue the 4th ID on the Bangkok/Moulmein Road.

[Lowpe]

Today I splurged and switched a Jake factory at Nagasaki over to Jacks...Nagasaki now has one factory making Jacks (or will be) and another making Franks.

Making 13 Franks a day, and it isn't enough. 36 Total fighters per day.

I haven't swept in the last day, and didn't today, but should be able to tomorrow. I can only really sweep with Franks or George both SR3...

I have moved all Oscars and Zekes back to 13 hexes from the closest Allied base. Nicks, KAI Dinah, Tojo, Rex, and Zekes or Zeroes prior to the 5c even further back.

Tomorrow I get another Irving Sa NF at Chiba. Starting to look pretty good with NFs, but boy they get destroyed on the ground when his bombers break thru on daytime raids. A small price to pay if he goes after the runways rather than the factories however.[:)]

[Lowpe]

March 29, 1944

No night bombing.

Allies are content to sweep to Honshu; about 2 Empire ftrs lost for each Allied: 12 Jugs, 5 Spits, 6 Corsairs, 11 P38J. A lot of Japanese losses came from the P38Js which shot down 5 Rufes and 8 A6M2s which I had a little too close. Wasn't expecting Lighting sweeps, still gratified by the number of Lightnings downed by obsolete planes.

The real excitement is in the far west: the 4th Tank Regiment races north to link up with the isolated 4th ID (and 6 heavy ART units). They breakthru easily, while the 1st Tank Division races north from Bangkok to reinforce the clear hex of death (and to replace 3 heavily disrupted divisions that make good their retreat to Bangkok).

It was a good thing too, the clear hex of death wasn't too heavily bombed (hence my meticulous planning of troop arrivals and departures wasn't strictly needed), the AA present did a great job on protecting the troops on the ground, when surprise, surprise the Allies attack! The 1st Tank Division arrived just in time to hold the line, and inflicted over 100 AV in losses on the attacking Commonwealth troops.

The Allies have 1 Division, 2 Brigades, the Marauders, and some other odds and ends there...it would be nice to counter attack and wipe them out...but for the Allied airpower.

Now, the 4th ID will move south, can they get to Bangkok and relative safety? Only time will tell, there are 16 Allied units one hex north looking for payback!

[Lowpe]

Yanks continue to consolidate their holdings in the Kuriles....

I lost a dozen Emilies flying out troops(splinters) here. Not worth the cost...but the first interception.

[Lowpe]

And finally, off Hong Kong a 50K fuel convoy comes in, and some old Es along with float planes from an AV, manage to force a Yank sub to the surface where she is sunk.




I get 2 Lornas today or tomorrow. I actually have a small factory cranking these guys out, I plan to run one small squadron of them...I wonder how they will do. Very short range but Radar and MAD in June.

[leehunt27@bloomberg.net]

How has your experience of the Allied night bombing on the HI been so far? Pretty damaging or pretty weak?

Extricating out of Burma/Thailand is not easy! Good luck. Clear hexes of death apply to them too if you still have some Army LBA left

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: leehunt27@bloomberg.net

How has your experience of the Allied night bombing on the HI been so far? Pretty damaging or pretty weak?

Extricating out of Burma/Thailand is not easy! Good luck. Clear hexes of death apply to them too if you still have some Army LBA left

My night defenses have been very strong I think...a few slip ups, but in general he has avoided night bombing for the most part.

Might change with the advent of the B29.[&:]

I went and checked Tracker, and I find I did much better in the air than originally thought. 17 P47D25 gone! Banzai, Baby...

[Lowpe]

This plane is pretty worthless, but Japan had 200+ of them. They dropped depth charges...pretty neat and flavorful.[8D]

I will run one small Sentai of them - perhaps two. Can't hurt much can it?

[JocMeister]

I would die to know your opponent pools and squadrons. He has to be hurting badly as this pace is unsustainable even in 45.

[Lowpe]

The Home Islands....

With the recent invasion of the Kuriles, I am now a little worried he might go for the Islands and not Honshu.

Still, Japan has made a lot of progress in fortifying the area.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

I would die to know your opponent pools and squadrons. He has to be hurting badly as this pace is unsustainable even in 45.

You would think so...but he remains incredibly aggressive.

[MrKane]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

This plane is pretty worthless, but Japan had 200+ of them. They dropped depth charges...pretty neat and flavorful.[8D]

I will run one small Sentai of them - perhaps two. Can't hurt much can it?

You know it can do ASW max up to 2 hexes away ? It sample of very very useless plane

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: MrKane
You know it can do ASW max up to 2 hexes away ? It sample of very very useless plane

Part of the attraction of making a few...at least for me.[:D]

[Lowpe]

March 30, 1944

Night bombing at 2,000 feet. A good night!