Howlin' At The Moon - DBB Vettim(A) vs Greasylake (J)

[vettim89]

Well my old buddy Larry has consented to take DBB scenario 29B out for a spin. That is December 8th start with only the modified map in Malaya and the PI (i.e., not the Arabian Sea changes). As to the AAR name, I found the pace of my game with DivePac to be frustrating. Constant checking for turns, wondering when the turn would be back, etc. I can only equate my obsession to a wolf "howlin' at the moon". Hope this game provides the scratch for that itch.

House Rules:

Fighters max alt is the band with their second highest MAN rating
No night bombing if moonlight is less than 50%
Units must pay PP to cross national borders

8 December 1941

Japan lands at Laoag and San Fernando on Luzon. Kota Bharu falls. Fleeing shipping losses are limited to one xAKL south of Hong Kong. KB retires to points unknown. A RNN sub fires at an xAK in the Gulf of SIam but all the TT fail to explode.

LBA
P-35 out of Clark Field are the lone successful Allied airmen today as the put a total of four 100 lb bombs into two xAK off Laoag
Almost all the bombers out of Malaya go all OCD on me as usual and attack IJN BB in the Gulf of Siam. There were a few xAK attacked for no hits.

Really looking forward to this match with Larry. For those of you that missed it, here is the AAR from our WitP game: Reversal of Fortunes

[vettim89]

9 December 1941

Second turn today. Now that will make the dogs bark at the moon!!

Night of my plywood toys

PT boats hit Laoag

TB Kiji
TB Kamo
DMS W-20, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
PB Kyo Maru #2
PB Kyo Maru #11
PB Shonan Maru #1
PB Shonan Maru #2
PB Shonan Maru #17
xAK Nagara Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAKL Fukuei Maru, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
xAKL Korei Maru, Shell hits 8

Unfortuanately no troop losses so only supply went down with the sunk ships.

MTB hit Pescadores

PB Chohakusan Maru
PB Yodozo Maru
SC Ch 3
SC Ch 10
SC Ch 11
xAK Somedono Maru
xAK Kosin Maru #2
xAK Kurohime Maru
xAK Daisin Maru
xAK Ueizuru Maru
xAK Yasuteru Maru
xAP Terukuni Maru
xAP Husimi Maru, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
xAP Kamo Maru

Unfortuanate two MTB hit mines on the way out and sunk.

Two separate sub attacks take out a AM and a xAP in the Straits of Malucca. Appraently I can expect SS activity in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) soon. I lost three AM at bataan but only after they cleared the minefield there. Mines are about swept clear of Singapore also. LBA killed merchant shipping in the South China Sea also. The AM and AP that start at johnston Island were both sunk by separate sub attacks trying to get back to PH. Clark Field P-35 hit an xAKL and an AV at San Fernado
Laoag fell to the Japanese. Tarawa was invaded and captured

[CapnGreasy]

Hi all! Tim said I could poke my head in and say Hi.

Wow this is cool in here. So organised and well planned. All the staff seems task oriented, their areas are clean, well lit, and fully supplied. Look at the huge reference library and intel section. Everyone is so focused on what they need to do. So this is how a war is run! I lost my old HQ to Health Department, something about condemned. Most of the staff will be out on work release soon.

I mainly just wanted to pass along to any hesitant players that being a JFB can be a lot easier than it sometimes seems, or others make it. Not that there is anything wrong with detailed planning. Sure you are more than likely going to loose in the end, but way up until late late in the game you do some serious fighting.

This game has been out long enough you can find anything you need to know on AAR's or the war room. But the best post I ever read with advice for someone playing Japan, and I wish I could remember who said it, went something like this; You can run the whole war without really changing much, you do not have to follow what every player does, they do things for their own ends that might not fit yours.

Anyway Enjoy Tim's AAR, I only read the first few lines (rules!,we have rules) but if it is anything like his last one I can't wait to hear the details. (About how I Won, OohRah)

[Canoerebel]

Wasn't there a very well known WitP AAR by a name similar to this one? Oh yeah! "Dark Side of the Moon" I think it was. I may have to go back and look through it. I don't think it involved Vettim or Greasylake. And who was it that had the AAR vs. Greasylake that specified "no oily bodies of water." [:)] That was a fun AAR too.

Good luck to both you gents!

[vettim89]

10 December 1941

Three turns in the first day of this game. The dogs are a'howlin'. Reminds me of the old Warren Zuvon tune, Werewolves of London. ahhwooooooo

So the good feeling I had about not losing much shipping disappeared this turn. SCTF subs mines and a/c sank: 2 xAKL, 2 xAK, a xAP, and a HDML. Six units are now ashore at San Fernando. USN fleet boats launch TT at TF's off Luzon and south of Wake but all with dud torpedoes. A RNN sub scores the first sub hit against an xAK off the SE corner of Indochina. Raids continue to whittle away at the air power in the PI but one strike did come in unescorted. Only four airframes destroyed. P-35's continue to be a thorn in Larry's side off San Fernando with three xAK and a DMS all taking 100 lb hits.

First deliberate attack launched at Hong Kong came off at 1:2 with losses slightly higher for IJA (500 to 400). TF spotted off Miri and in the Celebes Sea. Expect invasions on the north coast of Borneo and either Ternate or Menado next turn

[witpqs]

Jeepers - how can you do the Allied 2nd turn PLUS two other turns in one day?

[vettim89]

11 December 1941

The Japanese flex their muscle.

* Hong Kong DD's arrive at Miri at the same time as an IJN SCTF. Two are sunk
* Subs take out shipping in the Java Sea including an AMC that was lifting combat troops from Kuching to batavia
* SV air hits shipping in the Celebes sea wiping out a TF carrying a small BF out of the PI
* SCTF sink several merchants in the Celebes Sea
* Heavy air attacks over Luzon seriously attrit the USAAF fighter force
* Japan invades and takes Wake Island
* Japan invades Menado
* Japan invades Miri
* Japan takes San Fernando

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Jeepers - how can you do the Allied 2nd turn PLUS two other turns in one day?

I should have said two turns after my return of turn one to Larry. Once things were set in motion, we proceded rapidly

[koniu]

Subscribed

Hi. Me and Docup are in mid Jan 42 and i can tell firs 20-25 turns are most difficult to set. I am playing Japan so setting everything to move take lots of time. Planes, ships production. Setting cargo TF`s and managing industry take me 3 weeks of game. On beginning there is also problem of remembering units OOB.

After that i need 1-1,5h to make turn and i micromanage allot, so I hope later it will be around 1h.
We are playing 6-8 turn in week so it is very good. We also take breaks for vacations and other important things in RL.
In few weekends we manage to play 4 turns in 2 days

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: koniu

Subscribed

Hi. Me and Docup are in mid Jan 42 and i can tell firs 20-25 turns are most difficult to set. I am playing Japan so setting everything to move take lots of time. Planes, ships production. Setting cargo TF`s and managing industry take me 3 weeks of game. On beginning there is also problem of remembering units OOB.

After that i need 1-1,5h to make turn and i micromanage allot, so I hope later it will be around 1h.
We are playing 6-8 turn in week so it is very good. We also take breaks for vacations and other important things in RL.
In few weekends we manage to play 4 turns in 2 days

Now AE is obviously more intense as far as micromanagement goes but Larry and I averaged 15-18 turns a week during the most intense part of the game (late '42 to late' 44)

PS: forgot to mention. USS Soulpin hit an AO in the Yellow Sea with a working torpedo - first hit of the war. Nice that it went into such a high value target

[vettim89]

12 December 1941

Dutch subs hit two more xAK in the Gulf of Siam. That is my lone good news for the day. The IJN SCTF plus min-KB are killing a lot of MS in the Celebes Sea. Davao falls. Kavieng falls. Vigan is occupied. Miri falls. Wewak is invade. Menado holds.

In other words a typical AFB 12 December 1941 turn

[vettim89]

13 December 1941

Jolo is taken as is Wewak. Almost a dozen xAKL are sunk today mostly by SCTF in the Celebes Sea. Most impressed by both the pace Larry is moving at and his excellant use of SCTF. For those of you who did not read our WitP AAR, Larry is masterful in the use of the SCTF

[vettim89]

14 December 1941

Japan is pushing hard on Luzon. Lingayan falls just one turn after San Fernando. In addition I forgot to mention that Larry landed at Atimonan yesterday and the base fell to the Japanese this turn. S-36 was roughed up pretty badly at Laoag and his heading to Manila. IJN subs hit an xAKL and a xAK off the HI. Dutch subs have begun mining Kota Bharu. The Allies had a good day in the air with the numbers being 29 to 8 in their favor. Most of the good results were over Singapore where Buffalos went toe to toe with an Oscar escorted strike and came out on the winning end. There were 18 Lily and 4 Bett shot down today. A deliberate attack at Hong Kong reduced forts to 1. The IJA pushed a KMT corps out of the hex just south of Nanyang. There is a landing at Madang today.

KB has not been spoted as of yet. I suspect that they will reappear soon in the SoPac to support landings at Rabaul and PNG

[vettim89]

15-17 December 1941

The war grinds along for two days. Larry has started a northern China offensive. He also discovered that Ichang is not holdable; too late as his units are now moving and mine are ordered to shock attack. I have a blocking force to the SE so if I can force a retreat his units will go into the swamp. Larry is having a hard time dislodging the defenders at Menado. Two Deliberate Attacks have failed so far but forts are now 0.

The first SCTF battle occurs at that locale on the 17th. Unfortunately it was a daylight battle so CA Chokai was able to bring her superior armament to bear. I lost two DD outright and may lose three more. The CL's are lightly to moderately damaged and heading for Ambon. A USN SCTF is sent north to hit the base again (Houston, Boise, Marblehead and four-piper DD's).

My reinforcements have reached Rangoon (two Indian and a Ghurka BGD). The 1st Burma DIV is reconstituted at Pegu. Need more ENG in this theatre. I know it is nothing more than a speed bump but I decided to fight a little in Burma this game. The 18th UK is being sent to India.

[vettim89]

18 December 1941

Wow. Another SCTF fight off Menado. Cursor intel has me expecting CA CL CL instead of the BB. Oops. Of course this was a day time battle so the IJN big guns out ranged teh USN guns horribly. CL Boise was hit by a Kate launched bomb also. SHe is hurting and crawling back to Balikpapan. Mendo finally fell to the Japanese at the end of the turn

Air battle in the seas around Rangoon sees 9 G4M1 shot down as well as 4 A6M2. The Allies lose 2 Curtiss and 2 Buffalo. Supplies at Rangoon over 23k now.

Japan is invading Rabaul. SCTF sent in to hopefully interfere. No sign of KB.

The KMT evicts the IJA from Ichang and send them into the swamp. From my previouss experience, it will take the better part of three weeks to extract them

[vettim89]

19 December 1941

Yet another SCTF battle. This one was at Rabaul but I came out on the winning end (sorta). I lost Perth in the AM phase but my guess that is offset by a IJN CA. PT boats (Q-Boats) hit San Fernando and put 3 TT into an xAK and sink it. Dutch PT move to Singkawang and sink an APD, a TB, and a xAK with 1100 troop losses. No invasion there this turn.

Three more Betty and four Zeros are lost near Rangoon. Overall air losses are 16 Allied to 15 Japan.

Rabaul falls. Lucena SE of Batangas falls. IJA bombard at Clark Field but trail Allied AS but near 2:1 at this point

[vettim89]

20-21 December 1941

Things calm down at sea. Lots of dud torpedoes being fired by USN subs. An S-boat even got into the act on the 20th. Japan coming ashore at Kuching but no attack yet. Losses on the 21st: Iba, Hong Kong, plus another vacant base on Luzon (whose name eludes me). Allied forces repel the first Deliberate Attack at Clark Field on th 21st

[vettim89]

22-23 December 1941

Well, nothing happened on the 22nd of note. The 23rd saw heavy sweeps over Rangoon with the Allies losing 8 Curtiss and 7 Buffalo to 9 A6M2 lost in all theatres. Hurricane sq just arrived at Cape Town and may need to be rushed into the fray. My only consolation is that a lot of bombers were shot down today including 5 G4M1. No knew invasions. Larry seems bogged down at Kuching. It may be my constant PT runs in there which had come up empty until today

I told Larry I was going Trick or Treating as a PT Boat Captain. The first squadron was interecepted by a SCTF and I lost two boats for no hits. Then this little event occured (muwahahahaha in my best scary voice)

[witpqs]

I think they got PT boats tuned pretty well (not perfect I'm sure, but that must be impossible). Now they get chewed up by surface combatants seemingly 98% of the time, but when they catch unescorted "targets"... [:)]

[vettim89]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

I think they got PT boats tuned pretty well (not perfect I'm sure, but that must be impossible). Now they get chewed up by surface combatants seemingly 98% of the time, but when they catch unescorted "targets"... [:)]

Agreed. The key is to get them in behind the SCTF

24 December 1941

The Allies lose Georgetown today. Kuching holds by a thread as does Clark Field. However, a IJN CVTF is off Singapore and you can see from the AC loss that even though I lost a lot of Buffaloes, the Kates were decimated.

The 22nd Aust BGD is safe at Palembang. The TF is heading back to Singers to get the 23rd. After that I am done moving stuff around in the SRA. Holding Kuching as long as I have has bought me the time to get those two units out. I now have near 600 AS at Khoung with forts level 2 and growing

The pieces are in place to make Larry pay with time in the SRA. No doubt all will fall eventually but I think I can slow him down.