Ironman: Insanity (T3) Shilka (A) vs. AI

[BBfanboy]

A lot of IJ VPs are probably in temporary category - for bases that you can take back eventually. They also get a lot of points for LCU devices destroyed, which will dry up pretty soon while you can start destroying more than you lose.

And if you manage the air war properly, the AI will keep throwing bombers at your bases with heavy AA and fighter defences so you can rack up the points for aircraft losses on their side. See Saudakar's AAR and note the way he has made Akyab, Port Moresby, Darwin and Nanking key locations to bleed the IJ air fleet. He is also playing the AI.

The other VP advantage the Allies have is in building bases. You get way more engineers than the Japanese and you have some bases that carry a great VP multiplier (like Noumea and Tahiti). Bring in lots of engineers and build them to max before year end. Also build everywhere in the US and Canada, and off-map locations. All those permanently restricted army units with engineers embedded should be sent to bases that have no engineers to start building.

[Shilka]

Empire is still pushing but is the tide turned?


The date is currently 27/6/1942.

A lot has been happening and I’m in the process of going through combat reports. I’ll try to catch them up to date and post at some point, but there’s a lot to filter.

In Canada, the allies have finally kicked Japan out of their isolated outposts at Coal Harbor and Bella Bella. The North Pacific has been relatively quiet excluding the bombing of Umnak Island, Dutch Harbor and Cold Bay from the Japanese bases in central Aleutians. This frees up a lot of shipping, and the several regiments and artillery units tied up in this area. This happened just in time as the majority of the USAAF bombers are withdrawing to other fronts in mid-June.

By extension, a major problem that’s continuously ongoing is the lack of fighters, especially US fighters due to heavy Japanese raids with two large CV forces along the Australian east and south coasts. The air fights have been heavy and costly for both sides, but the Japanese have had the brute force. A lot of valuable shipping is in ports at Brisbane and Melbourne, but we scraped what fighters we could to hold them back and cause high enough attrition, but a lot of shipping took hits as well. They can be mostly repaired, and a lot of the cargo ships have now gotten hefty AA upgrades as well. Another big problem is the lack of flying boats (PBYs). During the Japanese CV incursion along the Aussie coasts they did take a lot of losses, and they have been taking a lot of other op losses, as well.

The Japanese have almost completely taken the western Australian coast and associated rail network. The Australians fended off attacking units for a while, but now there’s brute force on the ground. Meanwhile the Japanese effectively blockaded Australia from shipping troops or fuel. However, there was a small gap after mid-May where Japanese CVs left (they hang around for several weeks, including a German carrier or two), presumably Truk and beyond (maybe get their upgrades). One Fleet CV was spotted just south of Honshu. This gap could be used to trickle some fuel in, and an important convoys of AA, base forces and a marine infantry regiment, motorized regiment and the Americal division. Before IJA took Kalgoorlie, Australians set up another post at Rawlinna, east along the rail line. Initially just an Aussie brigade, arty and an armor regiment, the force is now reinforced with two marine regiments, tanks and arty. It’s a very important focal point now. The air base at Alice Springs and Adelaide is built up to lvl 4 (currently) to fly heavy bombers against the Japanese force in Rawlinna, and in case they defeat the AUS/USA force and start advancing east. However, they might get CAP if it falls. Some smaller INF unit is also advancing along the coast towards Ceduna, but Aussie bombers are presumably managing to slow them down.

In northern Australia, Japan has occupied the bases West of Darwin. Darwin itself has been basically abandoned of any air or naval operations, although no enemy force have yet threatened it. It has also occupied Normanton on the southern end of Gulf of Carpentaria. An additional US Division, regiment, mot regiment and combat engineers and arty were sent along the coast to the area of Townsville to hold and push back the offensive. The Japanese first kicked out the mot regiment from the woods NW of Charters Towers and advanced to the town itself. However with the American division enabled the Japanese force to be kicked back towards the north, which is a very important relief victory.

Another division is currently in Auckland, waiting to go to Australia, but a very strong CV force is steaming down the eastern coast again. All British CVs are in the Indian Ocean with the US CV Hornet. One US CV is in Sydney upgrading and another is South of Hobart trying to intercept a surface TF. Supply lines are still troubled. Between Pearl Harbor and Los Angeles, IJN raiders intercepted the 40th division, putting two torps into the CVE Long Island which absorbed the hits. Even so, it miraculously survived being 13 hexes to PH. Float damage was 77 initially.

In the Southern Pacific, Japanese Tahiti was assaulted with some regiments and tanks and successfully liberated in a few days. However, as mentioned before, the Marquesas Islands are very strongly held, with strong air power. There is no way to deal with them now and will have to wait. These islands have to be avoided since several ships have been lost to long ranged torpedo bombers, even supplying Rangiroa and Tahiti.

Japanese have taken all the Fiji Islands, and Savaii on the Samoan islands. However Allied have the complete naval and sea control of the Samoan area, unless Japan decides to contest with their full carrier might. Looks like this area is gridlocked. Occasional Japanese supply convoys have been sunk in this area, but it’s apparent more air power is coming online to prevent too much further raids.

Ceylon has been a complete gridlock. The Japanese base on Koggala has been continuously bombarded, but now 2 of the UK BBs have received battle damage requiring long repairs. One is less damaged. Now, the Japanese managed to invade the northern tip of Ceylon (Jaffna) as well and landed a full division. I guess it’s a matter of time for Colombo as well, but 4 CL and several DDs are still operating out of Colombo to intercept anything coming to Koggala. Jaffna is so-so. The Japanese carrier power is not so strong currently as it was before, in this area. Diego Garcia and Mombasa are being built as back up bases for carriers and navy and are getting stronger.

Meanwhile, two Japanese invasions on the western Indian coast have been defeated.
In the Burmese-Indian front, Japan is in the process of outflanking Chittagong to the east through the jungle, kicking one Indian brigade defending there. It’s a pretty large force of over 1000AV, and allies committed one Indian and US division, arty and armor to Comilla to prevent a complete breakthrough, and pulled back one division from the jungle south of Chittagong The rest have pretty hefty forts built up, including a full Indian armor regiment with modern Valentine tanks, and one US tank regiment. The allies maintain air superiority NE of Chittagong and will use it to bomb those IJA troops. The jungle south of Chittagong is defended with a pretty large force as well, effectively blocking a IJA advance north.

[Andy Mac]

Sounds like you are just about holding the line !!!

[Shilka]

Yes, but the going is tough.

CV Wasp took a a couple of torps from IJN raiders east of PH, on the map edge! Luckily it got away, and it's going back to the east coast for probably some long repairs. CV Enterprise took a couple of torps too in the Tasman sea as well from 4 CVE CAG groups but got that to New Zealand, which by now fortunately has decent CAP, AA and support. It's continuous hunting for raiders. Luckily, fuel is currently flowing from Port Stanley to NZ pretty freely now although it's a long trip. The island of Rapa between NZ and Port Stanley is going to get built up, just in case it may be of any use. IJN is once again blockading Australia pretty effectively. The fate at Rawlinna is still open, IJA reinforcements could arrive at the rail head at any moment, and a small unit might cut the rail line soon, to which we are countering with an Aussie armored regiment to kick it out if it does wander on the rail line. The good thing is all invasions of West Coast India have been defeated. Still, IJA is pretty effectively bypassing Chittagong, but we'll see what happens there. It has a potential to get ugly, too.

South of Darwin we now encountered a 500 AV mobile division. I guess the front will be once again rolling south pretty soon. It's a hard war for Australia!

[Shilka]

Situation on July 9

The Battle of Western Australia continues to be a stalemate for now. We are roughly equal AV, but notice we are maybe destroying a bit more IJ devices. Notice also Cairns in the top right corner is under attack and will probably fall soon. SW of Cairns an IJA regiment unit which has been defeated several times is being chased further by a US division, and Aussie armored regiment. South of Darwin a large mechanized division, all units are retreating south towards Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs if need be.

[Shilka]

India. IJA attempting to flank Chittagong through the jungle. However, we are actually sending troops to the jungle too to meet them, and slowing the advance with bombing.