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

[FarAway Sooner]

Particularly at Bundaberg, have you experimented with setting a lower altitude for your bombing raids?  I know that makes the level-flight bombers more accurate, and it doesn't seem like he's got much AA.

I've read the directions for that section of the game and it talks about faster-flying planes (e.g., B-25s) being more survivable than huge old 4-engined bombers at lower altitudes.  My sense is hitting the deck without knowing what will happen is probably a bit reckless, although (as I think I've mentioned before) the Aussies custom-modified B-25s to have 10 or 12 forward-facing .50 caliber machine guns that came in right at tree-top level and opened fire as soon as it came over the tree-tops. 

It chewed up a lot of Japanese airplanes on the ground, and spat out such a huge volume of fire that many of the AA gunners just hunkered down in their foxholes for the 5 or 6 seconds when the plane was within their line-of-sight/line-of-fire.

[Staggerwing]

Particularly at Bundaberg, have you experimented with setting a lower altitude for your bombing raids?  I know that makes the level-flight bombers more accurate, and it doesn't seem like he's got much AA.

I've read the directions for that section of the game and it talks about faster-flying planes (e.g., B-25s) being more survivable than huge old 4-engined bombers at lower altitudes.  My sense is hitting the deck without knowing what will happen is probably a bit reckless, although (as I think I've mentioned before) the Aussies custom-modified B-25s to have 10 or 12 forward-facing .50 caliber machine guns that came in right at tree-top level and opened fire as soon as it came over the tree-tops. 

It chewed up a lot of Japanese airplanes on the ground, and spat out such a huge volume of fire that many of the AA gunners just hunkered down in their foxholes for the 5 or 6 seconds when the plane was within their line-of-sight/line-of-fire.

Martin Caidin actually wrote a novel about a B-25 gunship pilot:

.
I remember reading it back in the eighties and enjoying it. I recall the descriptions of strafing runs as being pretty vivid.

[KyzBP]

Particularly at Bundaberg, have you experimented with setting a lower altitude for your bombing raids?  I know that makes the level-flight bombers more accurate, and it doesn't seem like he's got much AA.

I've read the directions for that section of the game and it talks about faster-flying planes (e.g., B-25s) being more survivable than huge old 4-engined bombers at lower altitudes.  My sense is hitting the deck without knowing what will happen is probably a bit reckless, although (as I think I've mentioned before) the Aussies custom-modified B-25s to have 10 or 12 forward-facing .50 caliber machine guns that came in right at tree-top level and opened fire as soon as it came over the tree-tops. 

It chewed up a lot of Japanese airplanes on the ground, and spat out such a huge volume of fire that many of the AA gunners just hunkered down in their foxholes for the 5 or 6 seconds when the plane was within their line-of-sight/line-of-fire.

The House Rules dictate that 4 E's can go no lower than 10K feet.  Everything else is fair game.  I have everything staggered from 2000 feet for torpedo bombers up to 9000 feet for the dive bombers.  I do have some of the hybrids, such as the Wirraways, set from 100 to 1000.  I think Geek sets his CAP above 15k so I put my fighter escort between 10k-15k.  That seems to buy time for my bombers.  My bomber losses usually happen after the run is done, but not always.

I'll give those B-25's a low level shot coming up.

[Airborne Rifles]

Please stay tuned. ;)

Don't worry about that! Waiting eagerly to see how those scrappy Australians make out and what happens in the Guadalcanal of the far north.

[KyzBP]

April 30th, 1942

Sorry about the delay.

Sub attacks at Port Augusta.



The subs have begun arriving at Port Augusta.  It may be a bit too late though.  Geek probably has 50k+ worth of
troops on these transports and hitting one or two at a time isn't going to do much.  I can only hope that we're hitting
high value targets, HQ's and stuff.  It looks like he dispersed his units across many transports to allow for a quick landing
and to minimize casualties should a transport be hit.  It looks like his plan is working.

Minesweepers attacking transports.

It's all I have in the area and since his transports have no escorts I had to give it a shot.  I have a few patrol boats
on the way but they'll be attacking empty transports once they do arrive.  His carriers aren't too far away so anything
bigger than these guys would surely draw their attention.

The landings begin.


That may have taken down about 1% of his forces.  He's bringing in divisions and I'm dealing in battalions.  Unless I
get help from somewhere I don't think I'll be able to hold here more than a day or so.  I believe if he takes anything
further South/East it'll trigger my reinforcements.  I'm sure we'll find out soon.

The Allies fight back!
Allied bombardment of the landings.

Not much but it must have felt good to shoot at something.

Allied air attacks.


They tried.  The second group was intercepted by Geek's long rang CAP from his carriers.  I'll send more escort next
time and see if we can get those bombers through.  Sadly, the next time I get a crack at those transports they'll be empty.

Bombing Bunda.

Today's casualty count was only 177.  We need to do better than that.  The disruption to his troops is almost as important
as the loss of troops.

Geek tries bombing Bunda.

He sent them in without escort again.  I believe we shot down 4 or 5 and the rest were damaged.  No bombers made
it to their target.

Bombarding Port Moresby.

The TF ran into some patrol boats and used up their allotted operations before they could bombard.  I'm sending them back
to Bundagrad to bombard Geek's troops there.  It makes more sense.  I'm a little bummed that I missed an opportunity to bombard
a port full of ships.  Maybe there'll be another time.

SS Truant finds the Shoho.


You can never trust the pilots reports of what they've hit, damaged, and/or sunk.  I had the Truant and another sub
hang around Sabang in case any wounded ships tried heading back to Singapore or any place close that could begin fixing
his damaged ships.  A limping Shoho shambled right into the Truant. The Truant didn't get away without a thumping of
it's own but it was worth it.  The Truant is headed back to Colombo for repairs.

The Brit carriers continue to rampage towards Oz.


I'm not sure this one was worth it.  The Brits are losing too many of these almost indispensable biplanes and pilots.
By time they reach Geek's supply line they'll be nothing more than a surface combat TF.  Another carrier is on the way
but still at least a week out.  I want to put in at Tjilatjap to see if I can pick up some replacements but I don't want to
get too close to Java and I don't want to miss the opportunity to hit some of his cripples leaving Oz.  Decisions, decisions.

Maruaders at AM find targets.

Another AK over here.  What the hell is here??  I need to do some investigating because Geek continues to send transports
to this area.

Finally, here's a list of the Allied Aces.

The kills are pretty well spread out.  No one pilot is dominating the skies.  Some of these guys have picked up a lot of
experience and will become even better pilots as the war continues so long as I don't do something stupid.  No promises.

[KyzBP]

May 1st, 1942

We've made it to May and my CV's are still intact.  While I pat myself on the back there are Aussies learning Geekanese.

Lame DD force finds a lone transport.

These boys have been limping into fights this entire war and somehow manage to take down Geek's ships and carry their
crews back safely.  Here a single, fully loaded transport is sent to the bottom with all hands aboard.  This was a base force
or engineer unit of some type.  Hopefully they were supposed to carry out some uber important mission.

If you don't think our little destroyer friends have done enough yet, how about now:



Since Geek sortied out his damaged warships from Albany I thought it would be a good time for a port raid.  The DD TF ran
into that lone transport on their way here but were still able to shoot up some transports with the operation points they had
left.  These guys have more than carried their weight.  If Geek can't take Perth then these guys should be able to repair some
and limp their way into the next battle.

Bombing the Albany stack.

I wish I had more bombers here but half are set to try and hit his fleeing BB's leaving just these guys to hit the stack.
Perth is heavily fortified but not too heavily manned.  Hopefully, this will play out in my favor.

Bundaberg bombed.

Today's daily total is: 148.  We are becoming less effective in hitting him from the air here.  Maybe there's just less
targets to hit. :P  NOW there's less targets to hit:

He's attacking with mostly infantry and arty against dug-in armor and infantry.  His troops must be at least partially
disrupted from all the bombings.  I have a good amount of supply so I may try to disrupt him even more, maybe begin
bombarding from the sea as well.  I have to make sure he pays a big enough price taking Bundagrad so as to prevent
him from being able to attack Marysville.

Air attack near Port Augusta.

Nothing much here.  I'm happier about shooting down the Zero than hitting the ship.

Assault on Port Augusta.

We were able to hold this time but he's way stronger than I am here and I made almost no preparations. Adelaida is the
next spot I have prepared to hold him back.  I need to start sending reinforcements from India and the States but both
seem so far away and there are other things I wanted to do with those troops.  I'll start sending them anyway.  Australia
must not fall!

CV aircraft at AM attack BB TF.

And hit nothing.  Worse, they got themselves chewed up.  I'm really running low on carrier based bombers.  The Hornet
has arrived and will be able to help but her pilots don't have near the experience the Lex and Sara's pilots have.  Once I
accumulate 30 B-17's I'll begin bombing the Home Island or one of the more distant bases on Hokkaido.  I've got to eliminate
his CAP and those BB.

[Atilla60]

The House Rules dictate that 4 E's can go no lower than 10K feet.  Everything else is fair game.  I have everything staggered from 2000 feet for torpedo bombers up to 9000 feet for the dive bombers.  I do have some of the hybrids, such as the Wirraways, set from 100 to 1000.  I think Geek sets his CAP above 15k so I put my fighter escort between 10k-15k.  That seems to buy time for my bombers.  My bomber losses usually happen after the run is done, but not always.

I'll give those B-25's a low level shot coming up.

Hi KyzBP
Just in case you didn't know.
If you want your dive-bombers to actually dive-bomb,  they need to fly between 10- and 15k.
This is especially crucial when bombing naval targets.
Below 10k or above 15k they just glide-bomb.

[Sir Slash]

Daaammmmnn KyzBP!  You really put your foot in the Geek Buttocks this turn. Are you surprised that he had his transports so unprotected?

[KyzBP]

The House Rules dictate that 4 E's can go no lower than 10K feet.  Everything else is fair game.  I have everything staggered from 2000 feet for torpedo bombers up to 9000 feet for the dive bombers.  I do have some of the hybrids, such as the Wirraways, set from 100 to 1000.  I think Geek sets his CAP above 15k so I put my fighter escort between 10k-15k.  That seems to buy time for my bombers.  My bomber losses usually happen after the run is done, but not always.

I'll give those B-25's a low level shot coming up.

Hi KyzBP
Just in case you didn't know.
If you want your dive-bombers to actually dive-bomb,  they need to fly between 10- and 15k.
This is especially crucial when bombing naval targets.
Below 10k or above 15k they just glide-bomb.

Thanks Atilla! O0  That's really good to know.  I'll be adjusting as soon as the next turn arrives.

[KyzBP]

Daaammmmnn KyzBP!  You really put your foot in the Geek Buttocks this turn. Are you surprised that he had his transports so unprotected?

It doesn't seem like he gives a damn about a unit after it serves it's purpose.  He's focused solely on taking Oz.  I think it's his all or nothing gamble.
Take Oz or lose the war.  Sadly, he may pull it off.

[FarAway Sooner]

Yeah, the Zeros had much better performance than the P-40s or F4Fs above 10,000 feet.  The P-39 Air Cobra's engine gave it much the same problem above about 4,000 feet.  I guess it's good we weren't relying on P-39s to keep the skies clear above Denver, Colorado!

The P-38 was the first Allied plane that could outfly the Zero above 15,000 feet.  Once they were fielded in sufficient numbers, this capability (along with their longer range) made them a formidable escort for heavy bomber formations.  The F4U could outfly the Zero at pretty much any altitude (as long it didn't try for an extended dogfight), so once it arrived in sufficient numbers, things got much easier for the Allies.

Until then, of course, the Japanese had the upper hand--but even that upper hand was seriously mitigated by the effective tactics eventually devised/adopted by the veteran Allied pilots (e.g., "boom and zoom" attacks, or head-on confrontation such as was used in or "the Thach Weave").

[KyzBP]

Yeah, the Zeros had much better performance than the P-40s or F4Fs above 10,000 feet.  The P-39 Air Cobra's engine gave it much the same problem above about 4,000 feet.  I guess it's good we weren't relying on P-39s to keep the skies clear above Denver, Colorado!

The P-38 was the first Allied plane that could outfly the Zero above 15,000 feet.  Once they were fielded in sufficient numbers, this capability (along with their longer range) made them a formidable escort for heavy bomber formations.  The F4U could outfly the Zero at pretty much any altitude (as long it didn't try for an extended dogfight), so once it arrived in sufficient numbers, things got much easier for the Allies.

Until then, of course, the Japanese had the upper hand--but even that upper hand was seriously mitigated by the effective tactics eventually devised/adopted by the veteran Allied pilots (e.g., "boom and zoom" attacks, or head-on confrontation such as was used in or "the Thach Weave").

Thanks, Sooner!  I always enjoy the information.  The fight is so desperate right now that anything with wings and a gun are being thrown into the fray.  I have a feeling this game will be over before we see the F4Us.

[KyzBP]

May 2nd, 1942

Surface combat at AM.


Geek brought out the big guns and I had some pea shooters.  I knew this was going to happen.  I just hoped it would happen
a few turns later when I had my battleships on station.  This should be the last time he gets a relative free shot at AM.  The
Hornet is here, more planes have arrived or are arriving and there are a couple of BB groups just a few days out.  The B-17's
are being prepared for the bombing of Japan.  Their first target is still undecided.

Geek bombards Etorofu.

Losing they PBY's hurts far more than losing the 15 men Geek took out.  Both will be replaced very soon, the field will be
repaired within a day or two and it will be as if nothing happened...I keep telling myself.

Minor surface combat at Port Augusta.

That will give you an idea of how many ships Geek has left for me to try and destroy.  There's nothing there protecting
them, but then again I don't have much to throw at him.  There are a bunch of subs taking shots but they are either missing
the target or the torps are duds.  I guess we'll try be air.

P39's attack transports.

The altitude say 9000 ft but these guys were set for 1000.  They strafed the ships they could.  By time this is over Geek is
going to have a lot of shot-up transports.  I'm trying for him to not have any at all.

Bombing the Port Augusta stack.

I sent the B-25's in low this time (again, pay no attention to the altitude listed).  The results weren't much but I didn't have much to
send.  I have a bunch of bombers set to Naval Attack to make attempts at the transports or his carriers.  Next turn I'll send more.
Nevermind...

Geek captures Port Augusta.

Next stop Adelaide unless he's leaving the transports there to reload the troops at Port Augusta and then continue
his way along the Australian Coastline.  I'm going to go after the transports harder over the next few days in case he's
just playing leap frog with his stack.  I wish I had more naval assets to throw at these guys.

Bombing the Albany Stack.

Not bad results.  These guys are still pushing towards Perth.  Recon says it's 2 units.  Unless it's 2 divisions I don't think
it can take Perth.  We'll have to wait and see.

Bombing Bundaberg.

Now that's results!  Today's bombing total: 221 casualties and, with any luck, a bunch of disruption.

Assault on Bundagrad.

He outnumbers me about 3 to 1 so him losing at about 8 to 1 is good news.  I have to believe all the bombing has
had an effect on his ability to launch an organized attack.  I'm going to double down a have the ships that failed at
Port Moresby drop by and unload some ordinance on Geek's troops here.  I'm also going to begin bombarding his
troops with my armored units already dug in.  I think we have a chance of stopping him here as long as our backdoor
doesn't get kicked in.

China.

I'm telling you guys I've got China under control though I know there's some skeptics out there.  I think this little
plan may be working.

Current Score.

Do you guys notice something here?  How about Geek's "Major Victory" has been downgraded to "Minor Victory". O0
It may not look like it but we are making progress.

[Airborne Rifles]

Awesome!

[besilarius]

http://www.combinedfleet.com/Allied%20Defense%20of%20the%20Malay%20Barrier.htm

It's a little late, but this book on the Malay Barrier campaign of WWII might be fun.  In particular gives a very detailed review of the allied submarines.