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

[KyzBP]

March 1st, 1942

Just a week to go and we'll have survived 3 months with no CV's lost.  Knocking on wood with a wooden hand.

Geek tests the CAP at Darwin.

He's got to be grinning from ear to ear because that's about all I have there.  I expect an invasion force launched soon.  I'll try to
harass him as much as I can using subs and unescorted bombers but the reality is he's going to be on his way soon and I can't really
stop him.  I need a big turn of events somewhere.

Rockhampton captured.

Damn, Damn, Damn!  This is becoming an all too regular occurrence. I wish I could have gotten those planes out of there before Rockham'
fell but I thought I had another turn or 2.  Time to get Brisbane ready.

Air war over Moulmein continues...

...sort of.  This is the most boring battle for air supremacy ever.  Geek reinforced his fighter squadrons at Moulmein.  I can't seem to
attrit him by air.  This looks like a job for the Royal Navy.  Stay tuned here as it'll take a few days to get ships from Colombo over here.

The boys at Buna are still hanging on.

Without any chance of resupply these guys won't last a week.  Too bad too because I had visions of grabbing random bases with these units.

His CV's.

I'm still not sure what his target is but I'm pulling the convoys in the area to Suva and under the CAP there.  If he heads East I should be able to
get some stuff through to Australia.  He's got enough bombers and fighters in that group to do whatever he wants.  I'm much more comfortable
staying at AM knowing these guys are here.  I'm even considering some offensive action against the Japanese Home Island.

[BanzaiCat]

Do you think that maybe his carriers are taking a scenic route to Australia?

[KyzBP]

Do you think that maybe his carriers are taking a scenic route to Australia?

I think when I thought he was reacting to AM he really just went to Truk and repaired, rearmed, and resupplied.  I'm starting to believe he never had any intention of reacting to AM.  I think he's now moving into a blocking position to cut off Australia.  He really doesn't need to take his carriers there as I have nothing that can stop his forces currently present.  We'll see shortly though.

[BanzaiCat]

I see.

When do your Essex-class carriers come online? And do you have airpower to go on them? Sounds like you're scraping the bottom of the barrel...I'd think there's a torrent in the near future. Hope you can hang on until it arrives.

[KyzBP]

I see.

When do your Essex-class carriers come online? And do you have airpower to go on them? Sounds like you're scraping the bottom of the barrel...I'd think there's a torrent in the near future. Hope you can hang on until it arrives.

The Wasp is due on the East Coast >:( in less than a week but it will take awhile to get it over to San Diego.  The next carrier I get is in June and then I think I'm done for 42.  I've got a decent stream of Navy Fighters coming in plus the ones at AM are getting a lot of experience.  I'm toying with the idea of doing fighter sweeps over his Main Island as I don't think he has anything more than 2nd line pilots there and my guys should be able to handle them.  If successful, it could pay big dividends later when he's suddenly short of planes and pilots.  Just an idea right now though.

[BanzaiCat]

If he's not coming after you up around AM, do you have the strength to consider doing a little island-hopping up there?

[KyzBP]

If he's not coming after you up around AM, do you have the strength to consider doing a little island-hopping up there?

The transports that were used for AM are beginning to arrive at Seattle.  I do have troops I could load up and send so that may be an option.  The carriers should comeback soon to repair and refit.  I'll keep this idea on the front burner for now.  I may have to be more aggressive somewhere to buy time for Australia.

[KyzBP]

March 2nd, 1942

Overall a very quiet turn...sort of.

Baker Island gets bombarded...again.

They banged up the island a bit but didn't hit anyone.  I guess that's a good thing.  If he has to keep using supplies to continuously
repair the facilities here then he won't be able to adequately fortify and reinforce the island.  If I can keep this up, when the time comes,
I should be able to retake this without much effort.

Remember how I was wondering what his carriers would do?
Answer:

F me!  I had 50 Warhawks flying CAP so I thought I was fairly safe.  I was VERY wrong.  He sunk pretty much every supply ship or tanker
in the area.  If anything good came from this it's that none of these were troop ships.  Everything in the area is already pretty well supplied
so all I really lost was the some ability to move cargo and fuel but that is pretty minor considering how many of those types of ships I have
sitting idle.  What sucks is all those ships that sank give him Victory Points.  That's the last thing we need to be giving him right now.  I have
to hope he doesn't head West and catches up with the ships that are transporting troops and planes.

Over at Ketoi-Jima(AM), the boys opened up the first Allied airfield on Geekanese soil.

They've named it Pratt Field.  As other fields begin to open up, I'm sure they will continue to be named after contributors to this
thread.  The Base Force for Ketoi is already inbound but still a ways away.  I'll have to keep the carriers around until they arrive, if Geek allows
me.

I've given more thought to the expansion of operations around AM.  I think that's what I'll do.  Realistically I can't get troop ships through to Oz
right now so I might as well put those troops to work somewhere and here is as good a place as any.  I looked into the Troop Reinforcement Schedule
and Oz should be getting a few units during the next week and the US will be getting units as well so I'll press my position by taking another island
around AM.

That was really all that was worth mentioning for the day.   

[Staggerwing]

What's the range from your nascent airfields to the closest Geekanese home island port of any consequence?

[KyzBP]

What's the range from your nascent airfields to the closest Geekanese home island port of any consequence?

Shimushiri-Jima is my closest field.  It is 9 hexes Bihoro, which has a level 4 airfield.  Kushiro is 10 hexes away with a level 3 port.  I don't have fighters that can escort bombers that far so I'll have to get closer.  Etorofu is 5 hexes from both of aforementioned bases.  Capturing that would give my fighters a much shorter trip.  That may be the next target but will certainly require another carrier to provide cover during the landings.  I'll keep monitoring that situation.

[JasonPratt]

I was practically shedding a manly tear already for the opening of that field in such dire circumstances! 

[KyzBP]

March 3rd, 1942

Geek's subs around Christmas Island get aggressive.

The sub commanders are starting to get ballsy.  This guy drew first blood against an ASW TF.  I certainly got the worst
of it.  The damage to the Ward is pretty severe and she may not make it to port.

The SS Triton attacks an AK at Rockhampton.

The unsuspecting Triton was ambushed by the AK. An intense surface engagement ensued with both ships being badly damaged.
The Triton is dead in the water and will be finished off if a seagull so much as lands on her.

Remember when I said I was sending the Royal Navy to take care of Moulmein?  I probably shouldn't have said it so loudly.

Obviously, I had no idea his small carrier force was still around.

Round 2.

His Kates are getting shot up pretty well but it's coming at a steep cost.

Round 3.

This little operation failed miserably!  I've transferred some of the fighters at Rangoon to Port Blair to provide some Long Range CAP.
If he attacks again I should at least get a few licks in.  I'm bringing the survivors to Port Blair.  Whatever can still bombard will be cobbled together
and sent to Moulmein to exact our revenge.  I've got to be a little less careless.

The Battle for Manila is in full swing.

He outnumbers me about 4-1 and I have almost no supplies.  This is guaranteed to signal the end of the Philippines.  When the
Philippines fall Geek will no doubt ship some of these guys up to AM to remove me from there.  War is hard.

Here's a shot of the transports that got through before Geek's carriers returned.

Almost all of these are carrying fighters or bombers as all of our troop transports were allocated to AM.  I'm going to try and
build up the rim of the Coral Sea as well.  If Oz holds then these will be good places launch raids from until I get my troop strength
built up.

The supply situation in Northern Australia is becoming dire.

I sent some small, single ship supply transports to Darwin.  I hope that by using single ships I stand a better chance of not being
spotted.  If I send enough of them some of them are bound to get through, right?  Geek also continues to run fighter sweeps over
Darwin.  My 2 Warhawks can only do so much.  Maybe one of these supply ships will be loaded down with spare parts.

I've decided to push my position a bit.

If you use this screen in reference to Staggerwing's question, you can see which islands I need to take to be able to not only bomb
some of Geek's bases from the air, but to also launch CAP in support of any major offensive actions on Hokkaido.  What I decided to do
is send my BBs' and CA's to bombard Bihoro.  I suspect that this is home to the largest concentration of aircraft in the area.  My carriers
don't have enough of a bomber presence to make an impact by air so I'm sending the big guns.  I'll have the carriers trail the bombardment
TF and provide CAP.  What bombers I do have will be set to Naval Attack in case something juicy floats into range.

If you look closely at Shimushiri-jima you'll be able to pick out the newly opened BC Field.  The Locals keep pointing at it and yelling Banzai
so some of the men are now referring to it as such.  I guess we'll just wait and see which name sticks.

[jomni]

You wouldn't want to use the name Banzai.

[JasonPratt]

Banzci maybe?  :D

[Staggerwing]

Bonsai?