An Idiots Guide To Losing Your CV's Before 1942: WiTP:AE KyzBP vs UCG

[KyzBP]

*Side Note: I haven't built a model plane since I was a teenager (30+ years ago) but I found myself shopping online for model planes today.  I want a 3D version of all these aircraft involved in this game so far.  Has this or any other game inspired you to do something similar?  I would be surprised if I was the only one.

Yup.  It was my failed search for a good PC game covering bomber command that got me back into board gaming and now has me looking at dumping too much money into a WWII era air combat miniatures game.

Which game, SDR?  I really shouldn't ask because I have no will power when it comes to Miniatures.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Wings of Glory.

Sorry.  I seem to have hijacked the thread.  Back to the money business!

[KyzBP]

SDR-I remember having a WWI boardgame, Dawn Patrol or something like that.  This game looks like a 3D version of it w/cards.  I could see myself spending a lot of money on that game.  And don't worry about derailing this thread.  We're going to be here awhile so a little diversion will keep it interesting.

[KyzBP]

January 23rd, 1942

A relatively quiet day.  We'll start with Palmyra.

A rather in effective bombardment.

His troops are either digging/dug in or there's fewer of them to hit.

His men crawl from their holes to bask in the morning sun.  The last morning sun for some.


The air attacks are still achieving a body count.  I have to keep the pressure on him and not let his troops organize.
At last report there are about 6900 Geek troops on the island.  That gives him about a 6 to 1 advantage.  My men have to hold.

I continue to bombard Savaii as well.

All these guys do is tear up the landscaping.  I need to be hitting his men.  The facilities can wait...and I'll just have to fix them
anyway when I retake it.

Geek's carriers have decided to try and finish off the hapless bombardment TF that earlier had tried to intercept  those carriers. 
The Good Guy TF was trying to get under the Airacobra umbrella at Canton.

This is the Airacobra squadron that decimated his unescorted bombers about a month earlier.

They account for themselves pretty well again by knocking down a couple of planes, including a Zero, while being outnumbered and only losing one
of their own.  Most of all, they prevented any ships from being hit.
Geek sent his planes back for a second try.

This time the Airacobras were ready and were able to splash 2 Geek Zeros and damage 2 bombers while losing none of their own.  The tradeoff however,
was the Dale taking a couple of bombs.  She was at Canton so she'll probably be saved.  It may be a while before I can safely send all the damaged ships
here back to Pearl for repairs.  That carrier TF of his has to be drooling yet almost paralyzed by the number of targets in the area.  They've accounted 
for a lot of my losses though.  I'm hoping they run out of gas soon.

A few of the B-17's in OZ paid a visit to Port Moresby.

Nothing really noteworthy.  I'll try to send them again and this time try to hit the port or airfield.  I don't think hitting the troops is a good use of
their abilities right now.  Not here at least.

I hate China.

Nothing more needs to be said.

Geek continues to soften Manila and Alor Star.  Both are seeing massive bombing efforts.  I so wish I had just one decent fighter squadron to sneak
into Manila.  There would be flaming bomber wreckage everywhere as Geek knows he can send his bombers in escorted with impunity.

I've decided to unload all the troops that are taking part in the Monkey at Dutch Harbor.  I need to reorganize them and set up a landing order so the first wave isn't an AA unit or something.  Plus, it allows some of the second wave support units to get closer to the first wave.  I figure I have to have everyone unloaded in 3 turns or less before it starts getting crazy.

That's really it for the 23rd. 

[KyzBP]

January 24th, 1942

A bit of sub action to start the day.
The Sealion makes it's presence know.

Every Geek merchant ships that sinks or is damaged is a minor victory.  My early war goal was to knock out as much of his transport capability
as possible.
The Sealion finds another target.

This one fires back though and does some damage to the Sealion.  American torpedoes are so bad.  The Sealion was forced into a surface attack
because she ran out of torpedoes.  Her damage isn't that bad but she will have to head back to Manila to rearm while Manila is still there.

Another nosy Geek sub is spotted around Umnak Is.

The KVs make quick work of the meddling intruder.  I have to make sure I destroy everything I find in this area.  I can't let him detect the invasion
force once it sets sail.

The CA Houston and her 2 CL friends are still trying to fight their way out of the Java Sea.

The Houston takes some hit but makes sure she isn't going to go out without a fight.  That should buy time for the 2 CL's to get clear of the area
but the Houston is probably a turn or two from a watery grave unless I can get her to one of the small ports on one of the small islands that I still
control.

Geek did manage to pull off a Pearl Harbor like attack Suva.

This was launched from his other, larger carrier group in the area.  Luckily all the troops had disembarked before the attack or it could have been
much worse.  That being said, I did lose another AP and another seriously damaged.  My hopes of getting troops to the South Pacific are dwindling
with every AP lost.  I sent the remainder of the long leg AP's from Australia to the U.S. West Coast a few turns back.  They'll have to reroute to the
far south Geeks carriers remain in the area.  The good news is the longer Geeks carrier planes are down south, the better my chances of Monkey being
successful.

In the Philippines, Clark Field absorbs another bombardment.

I know I've asked it before but why does the attacker take so many casualties during a bombardment?

A strange turn of events near Buna.

It doesn't look like he has anyone occupying the base.  I'll attack it with the small force fleeing Port Moresby and hopefully capture it in time
for that small supply ship to dock and resupply Buna.  In the very remote chance that he lets me hang out there a little while, I'll get a small
contingent of bombers over there and hit some of his shipping while I can.

The bombardment of Palmyra produced almost no results.  I have another contingent of surface combat ships inbound from Pearl.  When
they arrive I'll swap them with the carrier escort contingent and send those guys back to Pearl to refit and rearm.  They'll then have to head
right back to Palmyra so we can keep the pressure on Geek there. 

[JasonPratt]

That bombardment casualty calculation seems like a bug. What, do the Japanese guns just self-destruct when being fired?? Or do the defenders have so many artys ready for counterbattery, that they can score that kind of counterattack??

[KyzBP]

That bombardment casualty calculation seems like a bug. What, do the Japanese guns just self-destruct when being fired?? Or do the defenders have so many artys ready for counterbattery, that they can score that kind of counterattack??

I have no idea but it doesn't seem right.  I think this also happened in the original version of the game as well.  The designers were pretty thorough in their research for this game, I wonder if there were some real life statistics to back up these numbers.

[KyzBP]

January 25th, 1942

We start today with a little good news:

The SS Pollack stumbles across a Geek troop transport.

We found another rare, loaded, troop transport.  The Pollack killed 70 troops.  It looks like it was loaded with either Engineers
or a Base Force.  My fingers are crossed that the ship sinks.  I still have a lot of getting even to do on the Sinking Transports front.
Geek didn't let the hitting of his transport go unanswered.  He later sank one of my empty AP's headed for the U.S.
The AM Wollongong then attempted to get retribution for that attack.

The short of the long is: I don't have enough ASW assets near Australia.  The ASW are doing very little as far as I can tell.

CV and Land Based bombers continue to pound the attackers at Palmyra.


The problem is I still don't think it's enough.  The CVs are headed back to Pearl now.  There are 2 Bombardment groups enroute to
Palmyra.  Once they hit it a couple of times they'll have to leave and that'll leave the Land Based SBD's to go it alone until the CV's return.
That may be the window he needs to make his assault.

Geek let an AV stroll a little too close to the mainland of OZ.

If the RAAF can keep hitting the ships that stray too close it may send a message that any invasion attempt will require carrier
based air cover.  If one of his carrier groups begins to head towards OZ, that may be the early warning signal that the invasion
is imminent.  I'll have to set the B-17s to hit the Port Moresby airfield to deny him that option and force his carriers to move.

The small contingent of Airacobras at Canton are attempting to provide CAP for the various ships that are attempting to flee the area.
Here they manage to fend off one such attack:

Unfortunately this one gets through:

These guys are going to need to be beefed up soon.  I may be able to island hop some P40's with drop tanks to Canton.  If not, I'll have to slow boat a squadron
from the West Coast.


A little more, a little later.

[KyzBP]

In other news on this 25th of January, 1942:

The Australian troops that were "strategically retreating" from the Port Moresby area managed to capture an ungarrisoned Buna.  The random supply transport that was in the same area docked at Buna and is unloading.  The race is on to see if I can get the rest of the troops there from Port Moresby before he retakes it.

There were massive bombing runs on both Manila and Alor Star again.  I'm not sure why he's waiting to attack Alor Star, maybe because he can.  Manila is slowly being tenderized. 

The CA Houston lost her battle to stay afloat and sunk in a small nondescript port on an equally nondescript island close to Java.  The other 2 ships that made up the Houston's TF are headed to safety and the chance to fight another day.

Geek seems to be mopping up all the straggler units that were evicted from their respective bases.  None of these troops are putting up much resistance.

Now for AM related news:

PBY's from bases in the Aleutian Islands were able to get intel on one of the potential target islands.

If the intel is close then I stand a good chance of securing that island but I think I want to be closer to the home island so I'll keep looking.  I want him to feel pressured to do something, hopefully the wrong thing, whatever that may be.

[jomni]

That bombardment casualty calculation seems like a bug. What, do the Japanese guns just self-destruct when being fired?? Or do the defenders have so many artys ready for counterbattery, that they can score that kind of counterattack??

I have no idea but it doesn't seem right.  I think this also happened in the original version of the game as well.  The designers were pretty thorough in their research for this game, I wonder if there were some real life statistics to back up these numbers.

Counter-fire is more effective at taking them out? All defender's guns are trained at them as there were no attacking ground troops.  Plus defenders are in more prepared positions?

[KyzBP]

That bombardment casualty calculation seems like a bug. What, do the Japanese guns just self-destruct when being fired?? Or do the defenders have so many artys ready for counterbattery, that they can score that kind of counterattack??

I have no idea but it doesn't seem right.  I think this also happened in the original version of the game as well.  The designers were pretty thorough in their research for this game, I wonder if there were some real life statistics to back up these numbers.

Counter-fire is more effective at taking them out? All defender's guns are trained at them as there were no attacking ground troops.  Plus defenders are in more prepared positions?

All of those could be possible.  I was hoping someone more familiar with the game than me would know.

[KyzBP]

January 26th, 1942

I don't think today will go down in history as the best day for the Allies.

The CL Adelaide and the ships she was charged with protecting are pulverized by this force marauding in the Solomons.

Of course I lost more AP's.  At least they were unloaded.  This is really beginning to annoy me.  I may have to turtle up just because
I'm losing the ability to move troops.

The good ole Dutch subs continue their sneaky, destructive ways.

According to the In Combat report this DD was flooding and there was fire.  The after combat report makes it look like she was only
scratched.  At worst, it'll be out of action for awhile.

The nightly bombardment of Palmyra.

The 6th Base Force has been taking quite a beating.  I wish we were hitting the units that can hit us.  I'm not sure if a beat up
Base Force is going to slow Geek down here.

The carrier based bombers continue to add to the 6th Base Force's daily dose of misery.


The land based bombers at Palmyra change things up and hit the 61st Naval Guards unit.

Variety is the spice of life.

A skeleton crew of B-17's manage to hit a troop laden ship from 13,000 ft.

It's a matter of time before these guys are all damaged and out of the game.  I think I only have 5 or 6 total and they
are always down for repairs.

Once again the Chinese are being pushed around.

I wish I could spare the Political Points to sack all the Chinese generals.  Most are useless.

Dili fell.

That means Timor belongs to Geek now.  He now has Timor and Port Moresby as jumping off points for an Australian invasion.

There was also another day of very heavy bombing at Alor Star.  The troops there seem to be holding up well but if they're anything like
all of the rest of the Allied troops so far, they'll crumble as soon as Geek attacks.

Geek is also moving his smaller carrier force towards either Canton or Palmyra.  I can't tell yet but it's eastbound.  It my pass them both and try for one of the other islands I'm using as a refueling point for the South Pacific convoys.  Time will tell.

[KyzBP]

January 27th, 1942

As the Combat Report began rolling along there seemed to be almost no action taking place today.  The time span in which I usually have 4 or 5 screenshots collected, I had none.  I was wondering if I was about to have a day of me just telling you that Manila and Alor Star were heavily bombed, that Palmyra was shelled again, and that I hate the China part of this war...

...then this happened:

WHAT IN THE HELL IS A LOADED GEEK TROOP TRANSPORT DOING IN ALASKAN WATERS?????
I literally stared at the combat screen for over a minute to make sure I was really seeing what I was seeing.
We officially have a situation.  The situation has been named "Frosty Carp".

First off, he pulled this off without it being detected by my SigInt guys.  I'm guessing he is/was using the same deception method I am.
Second: Has he been doing scouting of the area? If so, does he know about or is he suspecting the Monkey?  I'm thinking he doesn't or he
wouldn't have sent a bunch of unescorted troop transports into the hungry and vengeful mouth that is the Northern Fleet of the United States Navy.

I'm going to destroy this invasion fleet in it's entirety but I have to do it with as few ships as possible.  I can't show my full hand yet or he'll get very
suspicious as to why there are Battleships, Cruisers, and oh yeah, Aircraft Carriers in the area.  At Attu Island I have 4 or 5 DDs and a CL.  They are going
to make a beeline for the first group of ships.  If we can catch them at sea they should all go under.  I have 4 subs (2 off screen) that can get in
the path of these guys.  They will pick off any stragglers.  Then I have the Cats at Attu which will hopefully add to the destruction.

If his destination is Dutch Harbor then he'll be in for a real big surprise as nearly all of the Arctic Monkey units are disembarked and itching for action.

No matter what, economy of force is my best course of action here.

The good thing is the units he's using for Frosty Carp are units he can't counterattack the Monkey with.

So that gives me enough to think about right?  No, Billy, there's more!

Why is there a small invasion TF headed to Australia already?  Doesn't Geek know I'm not ready for this yet?
Luckily, the Banshees made short work out of these guys and I've changed every aircraft in the area to Naval Attack.  According to my
SigInt there are Geek units planning for Cairns.  I'll try to get what I can there but my best hope is to catch his ships at sea. 
I've sent what's left of the Royal Australian Navy in that direction.  It will probably be their last Hurrah.

A few other things happened this turn but they pale in comparison to those two events.

Here's a current map of the world:

The Good Guys are in a precarious position near Oz.  The next few turns could determine the outcome of this game.

[JasonPratt]

WHAT IN THE HELL IS A LOADED GEEK TROOP TRANSPORT DOING IN ALASKAN WATERS?????

I know this is kind of a sideshow in the greater scheme of things (see world-game map), but 

(Not that that implies anything. I just love the Thousand Mile War.)

The Good Guys are in a precarious position near Oz.  The next few turns could determine the outcome of this game.

One side only has to be annoyed out of fighting. Stay the course. A thousand points of light. Stay the course.  O0

[KyzBP]

WHAT IN THE HELL IS A LOADED GEEK TROOP TRANSPORT DOING IN ALASKAN WATERS?????

I know this is kind of a sideshow in the greater scheme of things (see world-game map), but 

(Not that that implies anything. I just love the Thousand Mile War.)

The Good Guys are in a precarious position near Oz.  The next few turns could determine the outcome of this game.

One side only has to be annoyed out of fighting. Stay the course. A thousand points of light. Stay the course.  O0

I imagine this is what you guys were waiting for.  I hope he's equally surprised when my transports start dropping troops off on Geek soil.

Thanks for the encouragement Jason. O0