Attack Attack Attack - a Hotseat AAR

[Remington700]

This will be my first AAR, so I encourage readers to share what you like and dislike about my presentation style, as well as my strategy and tactics. I am unfamiliar with the mechanics of uploading pictures to the Matrix forums so it may be a bit rough at first. And I believe multiple posts are required before you can upload images – so I will start with separate paragraphs in each of the next few posts.

[Remington700]

I was inspired by incbob’s AAR and thought it was time I did one myself. Because my work schedule is a bit nuts, I plan to create multiple turns of content in my off time and post when I can throughout the week. This is not a historical reenactment so my comments will be based more on game play rather than historical accuracy. Turn one is lengthy – future turns will have less coverage.

[Remington700]

As usual I am playing the Pacific 1941 campaign in “Hotseat” as that fits my playstyle and time schedule. The naval movement and spotting system in War Plan is perfect for playing both sides of the game at once and I expect it will be much the same in War Plan Pacific. This is my first run-through and I have not played WPE in months, so I am not up to speed on many of the changes. But I do understand the basic mechanics.

[Remington700]

This AAR will show operations from both combatant's point of view. I will share the strategy of each side and will do my best to avoid cheesy play operating from perfect knowledge - always a challenge when playing hotseat. So please call me out if I do.

[Remington700]

Setting

The Imperial Japanese Army vehemently oppose the naval doctrine of extended lines of island defense and seek further resources to sustain their mainland offensives. They feel by pushing China to surrender large amounts of territory and resources, India can effectively be controlled. British resources are stretched too thin to stand up to the Japanese armies, as they are deeply engaged in the ETO. However, fuel is needed for the army’s plan, so an agreement is reached to capture the oil in the DEI region before expanding operations against China.

[Remington700]

Japan - Dec 7th 1941
Pearl Harbor is hit hard by Naval Air. Four Battleships are sunk and more are damaged. US forces are caught off guard. It will be months before offensive actions can be undertaken. Little can be done to slow the Japanese rising tide.

[Remington700]

The success at Pearl Harbor on turn one demonstrated the need for land-based naval air groups. Various Japanese Ground Support units will be converted to Naval Air for island defense. And the effectiveness of concentrated CV groups leads me to believe the 1st Air Fleet must be kept intact. This will maximize air strike and defense capabilities.

[Remington700]

Dutch East Indies

Imperial forces overrun Malaya as Kuala Lumpur falls and the march to Singapore continues at high speed. Sumatra and Java are invaded to start the capture of oil. Supply is cut off to Malaya and Singapore and the DEI should be under control within a month.

[Remington700]

Coral Sea
Rabaul falls and New Britain will soon be under complete control. This will be the main base to support attacks throughout the Soloman Islands.

[Remington700]

Main Objective
Once key islands can be seized in the Solomans, Fiji will be the target. Supply would then be cut to Australia, and New Zealand will be open to attack. This will effectively separate the US from her allies.

[Remington700]

Philippines
Landings are made in the north and south while Manila is blockaded. Supply is cut and it is only a matter of time before the Philippines become Japanese territory.

[Remington700]

Saipan
Saipan and Truk are key bases and must be held. Guam is taken to remove US presence in this area.

[Remington700]

Kwajalein
The Marshall and Gilbert Islands act as key supply bases and a buffer zone between Japan possessions and US incursions. Tarawa is taken and Kwajalein will be reinforced. Wotje will be used as support for submarine operations in the South Pacific until a better location can be found. Who knows, this may open an opportunity for an occupation of Hawaii.

[Remington700]

Thailand
Army operations in Thailand are underway to reach the Irrawaddy River to cut the Burma Road and capture the key victory objective at Rangoon. Movement and supply are a challenge.

[Remington700]

South China
Hong Kong has been taken providing an important port for the Navy. Changsha is the key victory objective in southern China and Japanese forces are mobilizing to push hard to take it. This has caught Chinese forces in a pocket which may provide an opportunity to cut them off.

[Remington700]

Japanese Advancements
As a result of the success in the first two weeks of war Japan has reallocated the use of scientific resources to further support their naval doctrine. Production is focused on bringing reduced ranks up to full strength in key locations across the Pacific. Reinforcements are sent to attacking units in these areas.

Units in the Kwantung Army will be stripped of their experienced units and equipment, being replaced by untrained recruits. After the non-aggression pact, Russia is less of a threat.

[Remington700]

Allies - Dec 7th
The loss of DEI will provide the Imperial Navy with fuel to continue their advance. India is not able to slow down the Japanese onslaughts. Britain has no transport ability to ferry men and planes to the points of contact. Nor can they withdraw forces from areas being overran. The US is caught off guard and cannot respond to Japanese aggression.

[Remington700]

Philippines
US forces in the Philippines are in trouble. Supply has been cut as attacks come from the north and south. Japanese reinforcements and supplies continue to land. The sub fleet has left port to attack fuel convoys from the Dutch East Indies. Recon shows a Carrier group southeast of Manila causing the bomber group to relocate south to a field outside of Davao. Attempts to resupply have failed.

[eskuche]

Oh, did you not need to take Surabaya for the DEI surrender?

[Remington700]

Sadly this AAR is on hold until I can successfully upload screen shots again. The message tells me it will be 7 days.