The Accidental War Obvert vs Lowpe

[paullus99]

It is a very interesting strategy - since most, if not all of those allied assets are going to be lost anyway, it makes sense to do as much damage as possible....

[Lowpe]

Feb 23, 1942

I have had worse days as Japan, but today was tough for what it means long term...

I send four destroyers to the the north of Sumatra and tangle with a small force. I want to bleed him of ammo and torpedoes, while I await the big girls arriving.

The Electra is left on fire, a hit on the Emerald bounces. A little to the south a landing barge task force evades two Allied ships -- Le Triomphant and a minelayer.

[Lowpe]

British sweep...destroy the pitiful Nates, and then a few Blennies come in and miss thanks to the AA, but from Chittagong way, B26 Marauders come in...and about 30 of them score 75 oil hits.

I think the Allies swept with 40 or so fighters.

[Lowpe]

Allies send cruisers upriver to bombard my air base, and then heavily escort in their 4E bombers. Our air defenses are simply pitiful.

[Lowpe]

Allies test the waters with a bombardment...

[Lowpe]

The first of several base losses because Japan's railroads are somehow cut. I have no clue how the Soviets gained hexside control of all hexes here.

[Lowpe]

Relatively speaking very few Marauders did this from 11K. Of course the first attacks are always the worst.

[Lowpe]

Allied build up ...

[Lowpe]

Manchuko/Soviets

I can take Sakhalin, but I can't protect any of it from the air.

The cut railroads have crippled my defense. I think the Vlad sector will be okay...but everything else is high risk.

[Lowpe]

That is the LeTriomphant there ....as the barges evade in the night time, filled to the rafters with troops for Sumatra.

[Lowpe]

In China, Yenan falls and Wenchow gets attacked at 2-1, dropping forts to 2.

So, all is not bad news.

[ny59giants]

How bad is your supply situation? There is so much to do in the first 6 months that it can be easily drained. Add in the Russians and its got to be worse.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: AcePylut

Just caught up fully with this AAR – man that was a bloodbath there in the DEI in early January holy moly.

You’ve remarked before about how the Allies best strategy is to ‘contest everything right from the start’. Would you say that is fall-out from all the fighting done earlier on this AAR or is that in your experience of all the games you’ve played?
What, in your experience and opinion, leads you to say this?

In general you want to buy time for the Allies, and if you Sir Robin you aren't. Plus, it is never too soon to start attriting the IJN.

I think you want to be smart about allocating your forces...clear weather for ships for example.

[AcePylut]

What would you consider a "fair exchange" of the early war US assets vs early war IJ assets?

It seems that whenever i try to go "toe to toe" with the IJ in the early war, I don't get good returns. For example, in previous PBEM's I'd have 4DD and 2 CL square off against the same IJ force, and I'd lose everything (sunk outright, or damaged then sunk by netties, or damaged then either overrun when a DEI base gets taken, or damaged then sunk while fleeing the DEI to safe harbor)... I'd love everything and maybe sink DD and maybe putting an IJ CL in the shipyards for a couple of months.

I'm fighting forward in my new PBEM against BigBadWolf. Just sent orders, on Dec 8th, for Force Z to interdict an invasion fleet at Kuantan (sp). She's covered by every available fighter I can muster in the DEI. Every bomber, torpedo plane, etc. is launching naval strikes.

I fear I'll end up with 2 BB on the bottom of the ocean for maybe sinking a couple of transports. To me, that would not be a trade that is "slowing down" the IJ... all it would do is "maybe" slow the pace a "little" as he ensures his fleets are adequately protected by SCTF (until such time as the Netty reigns over the DEI).

I'll let you know how it goes. I sent the CL Boise and 5 DD to Miri to interdict an invasion there. I launched multiple Ca/DD tf's at the KB at Pearl (because I think he might try for a second strike - his first alpha strike on the entire base sank - get this - 1 AM. That's it. 1 AM sunk at PH by the KB. No BB's in any danger at all. No fires on anything. It was the worst PH result I've ever seen, in the history of WitP).

What ratio would you consider "hurtful" to the IJ? 1 IJ dd for 2 US dd? 1 for 3?

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: AcePylut

What ratio would you consider "hurtful" to the IJ? 1 IJ dd for 2 US dd? 1 for 3?

I would start at the capital ship level. Any cruiser and up you can sink will not be replaced - IJN only gets a few CLs during the war and most people don't build them.

The IJN CAs are powerful and are usually sought after more so than the BBs are. I know I use my CAs way more than the BBs - mostly due to speed and fuel consumption.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: AcePylut

What would you consider a "fair exchange" of the early war US assets vs early war IJ assets?

It seems that whenever i try to go "toe to toe" with the IJ in the early war, I don't get good returns. For example, in previous PBEM's I'd have 4DD and 2 CL square off against the same IJ force, and I'd lose everything (sunk outright, or damaged then sunk by netties, or damaged then either overrun when a DEI base gets taken, or damaged then sunk while fleeing the DEI to safe harbor)... I'd love everything and maybe sink DD and maybe putting an IJ CL in the shipyards for a couple of months.

I'm fighting forward in my new PBEM against BigBadWolf. Just sent orders, on Dec 8th, for Force Z to interdict an invasion fleet at Kuantan (sp). She's covered by every available fighter I can muster in the DEI. Every bomber, torpedo plane, etc. is launching naval strikes.

I fear I'll end up with 2 BB on the bottom of the ocean for maybe sinking a couple of transports. To me, that would not be a trade that is "slowing down" the IJ... all it would do is "maybe" slow the pace a "little" as he ensures his fleets are adequately protected by SCTF (until such time as the Netty reigns over the DEI).

I'll let you know how it goes. I sent the CL Boise and 5 DD to Miri to interdict an invasion there. I launched multiple Ca/DD tf's at the KB at Pearl (because I think he might try for a second strike - his first alpha strike on the entire base sank - get this - 1 AM. That's it. 1 AM sunk at PH by the KB. No BB's in any danger at all. No fires on anything. It was the worst PH result I've ever seen, in the history of WitP).

What ratio would you consider "hurtful" to the IJ? 1 IJ dd for 2 US dd? 1 for 3?

There are two factors...straight up vp trading, and the other is gaining time. I talk about time a lot, and if you can gain time that is often more important than getting the vp.

POW is a super strong fighting ship, the Repulse not so much. Losing them on day 2 is a huge mistake, as they don't provide the fleet in being slow down to gain time...the Japanese conquest of the SRA speeds up considerably once they are removed from the picture even if only temporarily.

Those two ships, your carriers, you don't want to risk early. Everything else you can lose pretty much.

You can run your Brooklyn class destroyers deep into IJN waters...Hokkaido, Truk to Honshu shipping lines, and really cause some damage. Send a few subs with them to help out.

There are some places you can really pull off great ambushes...Midway, Wake, Kuriles, SRA, Rabaul, South Pacific. It is easier to pull off the ambushes as the game progress and chaos effects Japanese efforts.

[Lowpe]

By far and away the only really effective fighter I have at this point...

116 Claudes working, plus these Zeroes which definitely need time off to recover. They ain't getting it.

[Lowpe]

I am going to dispatch the ships for the invasion of Alexandrovsk today.

The Imperial Guards are already on ships at Bihoro. TF Shokaku is near Etorofu and the TF Ise is at Wakkanai. I hope I will scratch together as many Zeroes as I can for this op.

I won't be able to immediately defend the base, not with Mig around (4 Soviet runways around), but I should be able to take the base cheaply and Isolate the two infantry regiments at Shikuka. Then I can plan an op for Okha for later, and rebuild the oil there (80,000 supply) once better air frames become available.

[PaxMondo]

totally amazed that you are doing as well as have so far ...

[&o][&o][&o]

[Lowpe]

It doesn't look like I will get any fighter early, the first generation of research.

Rufe will come in April and is really important. The cannons provide bomber defense, and will let me free up Zeroes from protecting oil in the SRA.

The A6M3, Nick, and Tojo will arrive, and with substantially large starting production facilities that the air war will really change then.

I have a huge emphasis on Jack and Frank and Sam.

Until then, it is nail biting time for the Empire.