Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

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Taxcutter
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Well, he's certainly following his cript.

Game time May 11.

His Oz Tourist Fleet is almost back to Perth, but he won't find anything but a couple of Aussie fighter squadrons.

Je invaded Geraldton, and the big fleet was way east, so I ordered Doorman to take his Dutch refugee CLs and DDs plus a couple Aussie DDS and attack the invasion fleet. Doorman did quite well sinking about two dozen transports but I think most were empties. He got a couple brigades ashore and took Geraldton anyway. He began advancing south to cut the rail line but is about to get ambushed by Desert Rats. I got all but one brigade of the Aussie I Corp unloaded at Perth (the other one is hiding from his air assets for now.

But after Doorman massacred the transports two CVLs (Shoho and Zuiho) and a bunch of CLs and DDs appeared and hit Doorman hard. Dutch cruisers are pretty helpless against Kates. All that is left are two wrecked (70+ damage) cruisers and three trashed DDs. If I can get them all into the yard they'll be there for months. Oh well. Nobody expects a few refugee colonial cruisers to do much anyway. I probably got my money's worth out of them.

On the OZ east coast my P-39s survived better than I thought. My Brisbane pile of supply had plenty of replacement P-39s. Because I was totally defensive, most of my aircrew survived and picked up a bunch of experience. Average from mid-40s to mid-50s. He has another go at Brisbane with a smaller force and my P-39s held their own.

Apparently the script is changing. Now that KB and the Tourist Fleet have stirred things up he has sent some two-CVL task forces commerce raiding in the easyern approaches to Australia. Maybe the script is trying to bait my CVs in committing.
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mussey
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by mussey »

How is northern Australia faring? Horne Is.?
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

So far northern Australia is quiescent.

Darwin is semi-isolated and I've shut down most of the air ops to stretch supply.

Ironman is assaulting Horn Island with a picayune force. I can supply it by air. Am moving the otherwise useless B-26s of 22ng BG to Cains to pummel the bad guys.

Best I can figure Ironman is trying to isolate Australia from the west. Geraldton will be afight but now the entire Aussie I Corps is on the job and these are formidable units. I'm also getting some US reinforcements (32nd division and some artillery. 3rd BG (mostly A-24s) is about a week out of Sydney.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Slight diversion: the submarine war.

I'm playing with historical US torpedoes so there are lots of doinks, but I found a trick in earlier games.

For the most part I pull my subs to safety until I can get radar installed. With radar, contacts increase dramatically. I set max react range for subs to one hex.

By holding off til 4/42, I have amassed enough political points to load up my subs with aggressive skippers. The guys with the big brass ones (aggression rating 70+) get close enough that even Mk. 14 torps will get an explosion about every third salvo.

I send my "strategic" subs to Japanese waters. I've played the Japanese before and know there are only a few approaches. So I send out subs in two-sub wolfpacks. One skipper with 68+ aggression and one with 60+. If they are less than 60 aggression they better have a 70+ naval rating or they are freight drivers. The two sub pack allows the less aggressive skipper to mrescue the brave one when their boat gets sunk. And super-aggressive skippers get so close that vigorous and effective ASW has to be expected. I send out bold captains by themselves and they have away of not coming back.

But results speak for themselves. 1-3 hits every day - in May of 1942 with defective torpedoes.
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mussey
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by mussey »

The "battle" for north Oz is an exciting one but with some anxiety. While I'm fighting for survival at PM, Ironman is hitting Horn and raiding down east Oz. It takes awhile to get units up to Cookstown and Portland - essential bomber bases. Need a railroad![:(]
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by HansBolter »

I typically airlift the commandos up there o get token garrisons in place and do the same with the light components of a base force.

Then I take the long walk up the road with the heavy equipment form the base force and a heavier garrison unit.

I am a long timer here who exclusively plays the AI. Have played all but one of AndyMacs many different Ironman scenarios.

I'm currenl;y playing scenario 40 which is this scenario ported to Babes....ie Ironman built into the DaBugBabes mods.

I'm a big fan of Babes and prefer them to stock. After much cajoling I managed to get AndyMac to create scenario 40.

He is working now on updating AI scripts, but so far, only for stock scenarios.

It's still easy to break the AI in Ironman scenarios, but at least the AI has a lot more it can afford to lose while remaining viable.

IIRC in this scenario the AI goes pretty heavily for Canton.

You can use Canton to create a huge naval disaster for the AI, but may not want to as too many of those leads to a breaking of the AI.

It feels good to trash the other side, but doing so too often will shorten your game.

I never saw the AI push hard ion Burma or enter India in this scenario.

In scenario 40, they came aggressively into Burma before I could get my pat strategy blocking force into position because they started the game with infiltrators already deployed in Burma.

They pushed hard and took Imphal so this is the first time I have had to fight the AI in upper Burma and India.

Unfortunately after taking Imphal, it did what the AI always does in China....it moved right out with the entire stack headed for Khohima leaving Imphal open for me to re-enter.

I wish the AI wasn't so inept at land warfare.

Hans

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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

I have repulsed Ironman at Canton six times.

He attacks often but with too little land forcr.

Contrast to where he ran my butt out of Port Moresby. I had a pretty good, well-supplied garrison there - three full strength infantry brigades, two battalions and a US flak unit I saved out of the PI.

At first he tried with just his 40th Brigade. Stalemate in Feb. 1942.

Then the AI gets motivated and he defeats my lame cruiser force and drops three full divisions. He got PM in two days attack.

I do agree the AI is poor at land warfare. He doesn't watch his flanks at all. My Chinese amoeba oozes around his invincible stacks the AI never seems anxious to attack out, so I drain his supply and (eventually) destroy strong forces.

The AI is also heedless of casualties (that's historical) but his units bleed out pretty quickly.
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mussey
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by mussey »

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

I typically airlift the commandos up there o get token garrisons in place and do the same with the light components of a base force.

Then I take the long walk up the road with the heavy equipment form the base force and a heavier garrison unit.

I am a long timer here who exclusively plays the AI. Have played all but one of AndyMacs many different Ironman scenarios.

I'm currenl;y playing scenario 40 which is this scenario ported to Babes....ie Ironman built into the DaBugBabes mods.

I'm a big fan of Babes and prefer them to stock. After much cajoling I managed to get AndyMac to create scenario 40.

He is working now on updating AI scripts, but so far, only for stock scenarios.

It's still easy to break the AI in Ironman scenarios, but at least the AI has a lot more it can afford to lose while remaining viable.

IIRC in this scenario the AI goes pretty heavily for Canton.

You can use Canton to create a huge naval disaster for the AI, but may not want to as too many of those leads to a breaking of the AI.

It feels good to trash the other side, but doing so too often will shorten your game.

I never saw the AI push hard ion Burma or enter India in this scenario.

In scenario 40, they came aggressively into Burma before I could get my pat strategy blocking force into position because they started the game with infiltrators already deployed in Burma.

They pushed hard and took Imphal so this is the first time I have had to fight the AI in upper Burma and India.

Unfortunately after taking Imphal, it did what the AI always does in China....it moved right out with the entire stack headed for Khohima leaving Imphal open for me to re-enter.

I wish the AI wasn't so inept at land warfare.


Yes on those commandos!

Hans, as with you I've yet to see any AI invasion of north Burma/India beyond a few landings at Coxs Bazar, but I'm not sure if I have experienced all the 'variations' (20?) that Andy had (I don't play Babes). Maybe the future ones will have 'em... Likewise, no invasions of Australia beyond Horn Is., and maybe a small raid on Geraldton. HOWEVER, I always play as if both are very probable (since again maybe there's one script that does so) and thus reinforce those areas.

In China, for play balance I don't surround japanese spearheads, I pretend that the flanks are covered and allow a thin supply line to his units. No fun in China[:(]
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

In addition to taking Geraldton (for now) Ironman tried a direct amphib assault of Perth. Bad idea. I had the equivalent of three Aussie divisions just into combat mode. I shock attacked his beachhead and exterminated them. I'm slowly lassoing all the bits from the Geraldton thing.

Ironman is totally dominant at sea off Perth. The scraps of Doorman's force are limping east to find some available yard space. But that really gains him nothing. I can now decently garrison evety base west of Ceduna and maintain a powerful reaction force (Australian I Corps, 32nd US division and some artillery, two Australia Command infantry divisions. Plus my force has the interior lines. Ironman can attack all he likes at Perth.

Ironman looks like he is going to give Luganville a try, but his force is small (in a well-searched area) and I sent Crace with his Anzac cruisers to rebuff them. No KB or Oz Tourist Fleet in sight.

He better hurry up. New Caledonia is about two weeks from being impregnable. 1st and 2nd US Marine Divisions and the Americal Division. Lots of support and mountains of supply.

I am astonished at how well mt strategic sub war is going. I had to double check to confirm "Historical US Torpedos" My aggressive skippers are launching shoals of torpedoes and the law of large numbers works in my favor.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Update. Game time: First week of June.

Ironman continues to make half-hearted efforts at Canton, Fiego Garcia, and a larger but hopeless attack on western Oz. I have a fairly good sized army (Aussie I corps plus two home divisions, plus US 32nd division amd some armor and nine regiments of artillery) there so while (with local sea control) he can annoy me he cannot hold any ground.

He did take Akyab but I have built a strong defense nearer Chittagong. I am bombing the crap out of Akyab to starve his ground forces of supply. Also mined the port and maintain British sub patrols off the port. Otherwise, the India front is quiet.

China is semi-quiet. Ironman made a lunge at Changsha but I used triple terrain and stopped that and he seems to have lost interest. As with all AI, Ironman is careless of his flanks and I have his spearhead isolated with lots of Chinese moving up to polish off his spearhead.

Ironman took Attu but has done nothing with it. Otherwise the northern Pacific is quiet.

Other than Canton, the Central Pacific is dead as a doornail.

Ironman holds Port Moresby and all the islands off New Guinea, plus all of the Solomons including Guadalcanal but has gone quiet since.

Looks to me like he's either getting ready for crushing blow at Midway or is turtling up.

Ironman galumphs around the map with his Death Star fleets, but I decline battle on any meaningful scale. His OOB is so heavily augmented I may not be able to confront him til third or fourth quarter of 1943.

Good thing this game is AI-only. Japan is so augmented that a noob could beat masters of the game. As is, I just managed to fend off automatic defeat.

My subs are wearing out his merchant shipping. I checked yet again. Historical US torpedoes. Big problem is that I only have six wolf packs working Japanese waters. Some of the boats are coming back beat-up which is to be expected when you load up with aggressive skippers.
Taxcutter
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Update: Game time second week of June.

Turns clicking by quickly now. Not so much to do.

Ironman took another whack at Midway but it was hardly a crushing blow. A CVL I didn't know of, some CLs & DDs and a small fast amphib force. I had eight CA's there plus the now-formidable island. I sank his CVL and two cans in a night action. Honshu? Must be an Ironman special. Then my CAs got some of his transports. Everything else lomped away to the NW and SW.

Ironman invaded Attu, but I'm dug in pretty good at Adak. Even have a squadron of USMC dive bombers.

South Pacific was quiet. I was gonna let the 1st USMC raiders have a go at Funafuti but air recon found three units there, so I'll defer that. My S-class boats sank a couple freighters in the Solomons. Otherwise the South Pacific is better defended than San Francisco.

Just a few land-based air attacks in northeast Oz. I was able to send the (half-strength) 8th PG to Perth.

I have his Geraldton invasion force surrounded in two pockets. I'm moving up the 32nd US infantry plus nine regiments of artillery to reduce one pocket. Ironman is launching a small CV air raid on Carnarvon. Darwin is virtually isolated, and I've stood everything down to conserve supply. Ironman seems to be more active of Horn Island. Took him long enough.

Gone completely defensive in India. I have a strong position in front of Gox's bazaar, but he has a 30,000 man force at Akyab. I've stashed most of my shipping at Aden and Capetown. Just a few tankers sailing between Abadan and Cape Town trying to build up fuel stocks there.

I sent a mega-convoy of otherwise useless ships to blighty. Result: I've strip-mines Blighty of fuel and supply.

CV Wasp finally showed up. My CVs are about 40% converted to Avengers. Still way short of good fighters.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Update June 18, 1942.

Ironman is making a big move for Midway. For CVs, Six CVLs, BBs and CAs galore.

He chased off my CA covering force and sank some of the auxiliaries in the port, but the airfield is still in business. For how long is hard to day.

But his landings have been a fiasco. My land defenses (Two USMC defense battalions and an Army coastal defense regiment are slaughtering his assault troops like sheep. Between sinking a couple of transports and mowing them down in the landing to repelling their shock attack, I think I've killed at least 4,000 soldiers.

BTW fort level at Midway is 4 and he has not reduced it at all.

My CVs are still at San Diego. I might have beat this force up but half my torpedo planes are still DEvastators.

Other news. Ironman took Attu but lost eight transports doing it. A TF of Omaha-class CLs cleaned up the anchorage. He is attacking Kiska, but I'm relatively strong at Adak.

Ironman keeps banging his head on Perth. I have a big garrison at that city and with the Australian I Corps and the US 32nd ID, ten regiments of 105mm artillery and a battalion of Stuarts, I've bottled up the force from Geraldton and I'm using the 32nd to reduce them.

I've noticed some IJN sub activity west of Columbo, mostly around Bombay. I'm moving some short-legged ASW assets into that area.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Update: June 21

Ironman's IJN sailed off to the Northwest leaving behind somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 troops and about 5,000 dead soldiers. They don't seem to be in very good supply.

My airfield is beat up but not entirely out of action. I have plenty of supply and not only the base force but a real engineer unit as well, so I should be able to get the base back up and running soon.
My fortifications are untouched.

The parade of damaged ships has flushed the WeeVee out of the PH shipyards. One more game day and I'll chance sending her to Alameda. Flt damage = 48.

My CVs remain at San Diego. I am about half upgraded to TBFs. I have the USS Washington, three CLAAs and a raft of long-range DDs to support the CVs. I will get more aggressive with them soon. I could have used this force to whack the carrier force Ironman sent to Midway and it would have been a good fight, but for now he can stand the casualties more than I can.

The Aussies have butchered his amphibious attacks of Perth and the 32nd ID and their supporting artillery and armor have been reducing a 14,000 man pocket. But I have zero ships in western OZ and precious little air power. Much work to be done.

Ironman took Kiska but I ambushed his transports with Omaha-class cruisers and sunk 'em all. So he holds Kiska but that's all he can say. The IJN still has some residual tactical edge on the USN in surface actions. Yeah, I sank a bunch of transports at Attu and Kiska but now two of my Omahas are headed to Bremerton for repairs. With the enemy having a tactical edge, I am all the more leery of committing my CVs unless I know I have a huge advantage.

I have got my convoy system working pretty well, but keeping fuel in Sydney is not easy. Darwin is semi-isolated, and in hibernation to conserve supply.

Ironman seems to have given up on Canton for now but he did invade Luganville. Crace and his cruisers wrecked the transports before they could completely unload. A have two regiments of US Army plus specialists and plenty of supply, so he's going nowhere there even if he does come with a force as big as what he had at Midway.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Yaab »

Why not rebase your fleet to i.e Rockhampton and set fuel there to stockpile? Then you ship fuel directly to Rockhampton by tankers. This will cut off Rockhampton fuel from fuel-sucking effect of Australia's Heavy Industry.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Yaab:

I have begun implementing your suggestion.

So far only two tankers have unloaded. (Ironman's Oz Tourist Fleet is out and about)

Sent two engineer regiments to Rockhampton to improve the port. Covered it with a couple USAAF BF, a flak battalion and 20-40 P-39s.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Update: July 5, 1942

In general, I have Ironman stopped. He presses at Canton, Perth, and the North Pacific with insufficient forces.

After beating the place up Ironman sailed away leaving a 6,000 man lodgement of Midway, but I still hold the level 4 fort and the base.

After being tormented at Attu and Kiska by a TF of Omaha-class cruisers, Ironman finally sent some surface forces (2 CL, 5 DD) and kicked my Ohamas' butts. One sunk two more badly damaged. Months in Bremerton if i can get them there. I'll have to find other assets for that area.

Western Oz has become a killing ground for the IJA. I killed off his overland effort at Perth and have three divisions marching to Geraldton. I'll let the 32nd ID do the heavy work as I don't want to deplete the Australian 7th. The 32nd need more experience. the 32nd will be supported by two (soon to be three) arored battalions and beaucoup artillery (most of it 105s).

I've been rotating my P-39s and P-40Es around and rotating pilots within them. Trying to not get my aces killed and bring up the experience of the "average" pilots. At this time I have more good pilots than planes. My fighter squadrons usually have 5-8 more pilots than available planes.

Indian front has gone quiet. Ironman has 60,000 men at Akyab but doesn't do anything with them.

Overall logistics situation is fairly good, but not ready to support a counter-offensive yet.

I'm thinking that by mid-July (soon as I finish converting torpedo bombers) I'll move my Death Star (3 TF aggregating 6 CV, a BB, 3 CLAA, and almost all of my long range destroyers. (Fletchers have not yet begun arriving.) I'll have to be careful with my carriers as I don't have any more in the pipeline til the first of the year.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Update: July 19, 1942

Stalemate.

Ironman is going nowhere but I'm not ready to oust him just yet. Ironman (I know the script) seems to have given up on Canton Island, and Midway. Also the 100th Indian brigade booted him off Diego Garcia. Land battle in western Australia have stopped. I have all of the Australian I Corp, plus the Australian III Corps (2 home divisions, plus 2 home brigades and some menchaized battalions. I even found a use for the US towed AT unit. The US I Corps (the 32nd ID, nine artillery units and 3 armored battalions) resting at Geraldton. All but 2 FG of the of the USAAF V AF is at Perth. I'm still defensive in Northeastern Australia but the Rockhampton fuel buildup is coming along. I'm developing offensive bases in Townsville, Cairns, and Cooktown but they still need more supply.

I'm rock solid in the South Pacific except for air power. Two Marine division plus the Americal at Noumea. Two brigades on Fiji, and two regiments on Pago Pago. but little air assets beyond long range patrol and recon. NE Australia and the South Pacific are still full of B-17Ds which I used strictly for search and recon. I do have a squadron of B-24D on Pago Pago and will move them to Luganville as the base develops. First Marine Division is prepping for Lunga, but it might be a while. I need a corps HQ on Noumea.

I finally sent my unified carrier force (in two TF - 3 CV, 1 or 2 CLAA,and the Showboat) to Pearl. CVE Long island is at Pearl and I will use them to send 6 F$Fs of VMF-211 to Midway.


My short term plan is to nab Lunga (recon says its empty but what do airdales know?) then begin a comeback in New Guinea.

The shoestring effort in the Aleutians is going OK despite a very light commitment of resources. Adak is solid and I've been using Omaha-class CLs and a red-hot Marine dive bomber squadron to waste his lightly escorted transports. but I'm still a long way from going on the offensive.

I have him stopped in Pakistan. I have Cox's Bazaar fortified and become moreso daily. I have five full Indian divisions (variable quality on triple-defense terrain alog his likely axis of advance and two more in reserve. I now have 150 US P-40Es at Chittgong and have moved six British Hurricane squadrons to Calcutta.

With the attenuation of activity at Canton, I've straightened out my supply convoy routes. Where I used to turn west at Tahiti, I now turn at tau.
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by BBfanboy »

Taxcutter: 6 F$Fs

Sounds like an expensive investment. Don't send them if you can't afford to lose them! [;)]
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by jwolf »

I have him stopped in Pakistan.

??!! [&:] Ironman seriously got that far?
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RE: Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

Post by Taxcutter »

Update July 23.

Ironman holds one hex of what later became known as East Pakistan.

My F4F-3s got to Midway without a hitch. VMF-211 is now at full strength with 76 avg EXP.
Next project for Midway is replace the USAAF fighter squadron (60% strength, P-40B, EXP 72) for a Marine squadron. P-40Bs are becoming a problem with no replacements.

My carrier TFs are now at Pearl. I'm looking for Ironman's script to send another half-baked attack on Midway. If so maybe I can punch out a small CV or at least a CVL.

I gotta get some more experienced pilots into TRACOM. So far I've sent three but more eligible pilots are becoming apparent. I sure hate to send Pappy boyington to TRACOM, but the P-40E squadron he is in (based at Chittagong) has a lot of experience and he really isn't needed. Speaking of Chittagong, two full USAAF fighter groups (about 140 P-40Es) has discouraged Ironman from daylight operations there.
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