The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

I had pretty good luck with the sweeps early on, but yesterday's was sobering. The loss ratio was positive but the failure to clear the skies for the Liberators was bad news.

So parking Death Star next to Japan has some advantages in forcing John to protect a lot of bases, but I think I do need to expedite Korea. So last night, sat down to think things through. Most of this was already in the works, but the timeline and the dovetailing needed refinement. The gist:

1. Invade Korea at Gunzan. It will take about ten days to assemble the core troops at Shanghai. The assault shipping and supply are at Formosa. In the meantime, my carrier fighters may occasionally sweep but they'll spend some time in port too.

2. A lot of the Western Army will continue moving up the Coastal China plains, taking high value cities, battering the enemy army, and looking to make it to Manchuria and or Korea via that vector.

3. When the lodgment at Gunzan is secure, Death Star and a bunch of empties will begin the move to Manila to pick up more empties. On the way, they'll escort an invasion TF to Hainan Island. Two divisions will be involved. This should be a quick campaign that will secure the LOC BBfanboy referred to in his recent post above (allowing LSTs and the like to shuttle supply from Bangkok and/or Saigon up to China; thanks for the suggestion, BB).

3. Death Star and the Empties will move to Manila, pick up more empties there, and move to the DEI to retrieve lots more supply and fuel and some reinforcements (mainly base forces).

4. On it's way back from the DEI, Death Star will pick up the divisions at Hainan Island and deliver them to China or Korea.

5. I will determine whether or not an invasion of Malaya (campaign for Singapore) is desirable. If so, where does it fit in?

6. I'll make a final decision on the divisions in the DEI prepped for places like Balikpapan and Kendari. Am I ever going to trigger those invasions or should I shuttle those units to China/Korea?

7. All the while, I'll continue to work the Strategic Bombing campaign. Lots more B-29s have arrived in recent days and weeks. I've been resting the squadrons until the planes are airworthy. They are, so the SB campaign has now resumed.

8. What about CVs Bennington and Randolph and the CVEs in SoPac? Death Star doesn't need any more carriers, so these guys will remain somewhere in the Pacific to provide security against future enemy raids.

9. In the Bay of Bengal, the RN has assembled a carrier force sufficient to handle some ops against Port Blair and the Nicobars, as long as I'm sure KB doesn't factor in. Some of the bases are worth taking and are vacant or lightly held. So at some point there will be small amphibious ops in this region.

[MakeeLearn]

IJN Special

Free Sushi Slurpee with every fill-up

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

KB East: The two carrier forces end up just five hexes apart! They get good detection. No sorties fly. Foiled by the weather!

Rats. But I know the feeling. [:(]

I'm blaming the Moose and Lowpe. They whispered secret incantations and spells that voided my mojo. Everyone knows that there's nothing more helpless than a mojoless AE player.

Did you guys have a synch bug on the carrier interaction? I see a note in one box on the screenshot, and I see results in each AAR I don't understand.

[Canoerebel]

Yes, there was a sync replay, which I did mention somewhere above. In the sync version of the carrier intercept, my carriers reacted and launched an unescorted bomber raid against what I think was his replenishment TF. Most of my bombers turned around due to no escort, John's CAP was pretty small (Sams), and none of my bombers got far enough to report any ships. I deduced it was his AO TF because of the meager CAP. And I assumed that the carrier reaction only took place in the sync bug version, which is the only version I "saw," but it might've taken place in the real turn. John would know.

[Canoerebel]

1/15/45

KB East: I think John tried some cleverness with his carriers and decoy TFs, but it backfired. He hoped to draw strikes, but my CVs withdrew successfully; but my LBA SBDs sortied from Efate and scored hits on three AOs and several escorts. I think two of the AOs went under.

[T Rav]

I'm usually just a lurker. But I have to say that you have a great AAR! When I come home each day, I check the news and then your ARR. Thank you, T Rav

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, T Rav. It's fun putting this together, so thanks for reading.

[Canoerebel]

1/15/45

KB Central: I'm waving the red flag at John again. Scores of empty transports have just left Boela, under decent observation by enemy NavSearch. His LBA and subs are ineffective in dealing with this. I think it drives him nuts (or raises his blood lust) to see this.

I think he'll react by orchestrating a consolidated KB raid into the Gulf of Carpentaria in a week or two. I'm giving thought to defense matters but also wish to get the empties to Normanton to fill up with supply. Death Star will be down here in a month or so to get it.

Mark these words: A consolidated KB will pay a visit to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Just to make sure, I'll be releasing 50 empties from Boela every day for the next three or four days.

[Canoerebel]

1/15/45

Malaya: Basically, I'm taking what I can get. John is probably fairly weak here but the terrain and bad road system helps him a lot. I'd like to move on Singers but don't know if that'll happen before war's end.

[BBfanboy]

Nice job on that AO TF, I wouldn't bet on any of the AOs surviving unless that one with Heavy Damage only is out of fuel in its tanks.
So, speaking of out of fuel, unless John has some at his closest islands his KB East could be running short. Given the amount of time his SoPac islands have been cut off from the DEI, I doubt he has much available on them.

Hope you can monitor KB's withdrawal and have forces ready to pounce if he does run empty! Subs like OOF ships! I am not sure if flight ops are affected when a carrier goes dead in the water.

[Canoerebel]

1/15/45

Fancy Pants: Good day in this theater. Strong strategic bombing raid with no losses; Death Star hits a strong reinforcement TF in the Yellow Sea; the Allies have entered what seems to be a weakly defended Hong Kong; and the Allies are about to cross the Yantze in big numbers.

[BBfanboy]

As I mentioned earlier, the hex side into HK is white, meaning free passage by land or by sea. No mandatory shock attack ever.

[Flicker]

Per usual, I'm enjoying your AAR. Pleased you took a shot at KB East.

Is destroying the IJN old and busted, while destroying the Home Islands being the new hotness? It seems that focusing on your air campaign (including Korean fighter bases) is the game winner at this point.

Re: Singapore, would the Mersing gambit be an option? Taking Singers might crush most backwater resistance.

[Canoerebel]

1/15/45

The Battlefields of the Future: I think.

[Canoerebel]

1/15/45

Intel Screen: The last post, given since we're halfway through the month.

[JohnDillworth]

The way I figure it John had supply problems before in China and now with Shanghai gone he really has not practical way to supply China. I think once you get into open country up North you may roll fast and far

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Flicker
Is destroying the IJN old and busted, while destroying the Home Islands being the new hotness?

I guess John loves his IJN remnants so much that that chasing those becomes a time losing hassle for the Allies. Victory is in the Home Islands anyway

[adarbrauner]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I've never had cable or satellite. But when wife and I married and moved into our little house 30 years ago, we had an antenna and could generally pick up three stations from Chattanooga. We watched a fair bit of television. But gradually a lot of good stuff migrated to cable or got born there. So then there came the day around 2010 when everybody with an old TV had to get a converter to transform from Analog to digital (am I putting that right?). We simply decided, "Nah. The heck with it."

So we haven't had television in about seven years.

I haven't missed it, but then I wasn't a big watcher anyhow. I do a lot of stuff with AE, but I also do a lot of reading, a lot of studying (preparing to teach mostly), and a lot of time in the woods. For me it was a good trade.

I cut off tv from home some ....20+ years ago.

Not the slightest regret. 150%++++ net gain and reward.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Yes, there was a sync replay, which I did mention somewhere above. In the sync version of the carrier intercept, my carriers reacted and launched an unescorted bomber raid against what I think was his replenishment TF. Most of my bombers turned around due to no escort, John's CAP was pretty small (Sams), and none of my bombers got far enough to report any ships. I deduced it was his AO TF because of the meager CAP. And I assumed that the carrier reaction only took place in the sync bug version, which is the only version I "saw," but it might've taken place in the real turn. John would know.

The only place I saw it mentioned was in the map box, spelled "syn."

The reason I ask is his version, which should be the true one, shows heavy losses to your unescorted strike planes.

[Canoerebel]

Moose, you're right. I discovered the mistake early this afternoon, prompted in part by your previous question. Then, while working the turn and checking my two carriers, I found that they were shy about 35-40 SBDs and SBCs. That set bells to ringing, so I checked the combat report again. The strike was indeed listed, but I thought it was a strike by Malaya LBA against shipping near Victoria Point (the fact that the bombers had no escort, and the fact that I didn't recognize the place name, through me off the scent. I was reading fast, looking for an escorted carrier raid). So my carriers did react; the dive bombers did fly unescorted (whether against John's AO TF or his carriers, I don't know); and I did lose a bunch of dive bombers. I'm not sure why the escorts didn't fly. John got pretty lucky, I guess. I had a decisive detection advantage and almost got in a strike against his carriers without a counterstrike against mine.