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IJNAF elite A6M2 Zero unit Chitose Ku S-1 or its detachments or division(s)

3 (42.9%)

a IJAAF Ki-43 unit in Indochina, to be used in China/East Indies(mostly)

1 (14.3%)

a IJAAF Ki-43 unit in Burma(at least initially)

3 (42.9%)

Total Members Voted: 7

Voting closed: May 04, 2014, 08:49:03 am

[Erkki]

Have been super busy, but basically he knew the position of your carriers a while back because of that intercept. Is the intel always 100% once you engage in a surface action like that?

Either way, with 3 carriers identified he can hardly believe there isn't at least one.

How dangerous is that, in the grand scheme of things? Those things can move pretty fast, so I guess you can just move it around a bunch?

Nope, the intel is never 100% certain. Theres always a (usually very slight) chance that a ship gets mis-ID'd, even carriers. I've seen that happen my own eyes in both a carrier battle and a surface one. That incident of Allied surface raiders first getting attacked by and then visually ID'ing IJN Carrier Division III  was near Iwo and Chichi Jimas so deep, deep within IJ controlled area and behind the first naval search covers from Yokohama, Chichi Jima and Marcus Island, and they were the 3 smallest carriers: Hosho, Taiyo and Nisshin. It takes literally over a week to sail to Hawaii from there.

Yeah the carriers and their escorts are very mobile. My air patrols revealed that the Allies attempted to intercept this carrier force by positioning at least 5 submarines between Chichi-Marcus line and Tokyo/Yokohama. I'm 99% sure they only sighted one of the escorting light cruisers and a destroyer a couple of days after this incident.

I've now left Taiyo to train a D3A squadron to carrier operations at Yokohama. BB Ise is with her. Hosho and Nisshin + some cruisers and an armed merchant cruiser are on their way to raid Allied shipping deep behind the lines. I also sent one of the CS scout cruisers to join these raiders, those are VERY fast and the HMIJNS CS Chitose(notice the name!) has redeployed from South of Fiji where it was scouting for the main body of the Kido Butai to 800nm North of Midway in less than a week! It even had the time to refuel between Marshalls and Truk. I love those ships, 18 knot cruising speed rocks. 

[Erkki]

Any way, heres what happened to the other raider:




The Canadian armed merchant cruiser got away though. I have a serious lack of naval air search aircraft, groups and trained crews and I'm attempting to fill the gaps and strengthen the more important areas with both IJNAF and IJAAF 2-engine bombers flying nav search with specially trained aircrew(usually just float plane and patrol crews get trained to naval search). Their training will be soon ready. 6 more 12-plane squadrons should help a a lot to avoid Allied surface raiders to get that deep again undetected...

[Anvilfolk]

Hah, sweet! Did the Raleigh sink in the end? He looks pretty damaged there, and just took another hit!

[Erkki]

Hah, sweet! Did the Raleigh sink in the end? He looks pretty damaged there, and just took another hit!

Yeah, Yahagi finished her. It wasnt the heaviest light cruiser in the USN arsenal but still a cruiser, about as good as the Japanese ones.

[Erkki]

The game has reached February 4 1942.

Chitose group has lately been reinforced with 11 planes and a similar number of pilots - some are still underway though. I'll post a new screenshot of the roster next turn! The group is now effectively in strategic reserve as the Japanese are about to secure Port Moresby and the entire Solomons chain has been conquered. The furthest Japanese outposts are Ndeni in the Santa Cruz Islands and Tabiteuea in the Gilberts.

Heres the map:

[10ebbor10]

Any update to the tactical situation. The problem with the detail of this game is that it sometimes get confusing to see how good or how bad everything is going.

[Erkki]

Any update to the tactical situation. The problem with the detail of this game is that it sometimes get confusing to see how good or how bad everything is going.

Strategically we are doing fine! Japan has managed to secure oil, refineries and resource sources to run its economy at 100% rate long term. Losses have been light for both Navy and Army. Allies have not lost any major assets(unlike in my previous campaigns at this phase) but the war in China is going better than ever. IJA has managed to pocket, cut off and now mostly eliminate a full KMT army group. Over dozen KMT Corps(division equivalent) have been destroyed and about a similar number trashed hard. Also Burma is about to fall into IJ hands months earlier than in real life. Another important thing grand strategy wise is that the Allies have lost 31 to 34 submarines already. They wont be sinking Japanese tankers, resource or supply convoys during the following years!

[Sheb]

How would you rate your strategy of going for the submarines rather than surface vessels in the traditional IRL strike? Sure, the war was fought with carriers rather than battleships, but those were still useful.

[10ebbor10]

About those submarines, when does the US gets it's first actually useful torpedoes?

[Erkki]

How would you rate your strategy of going for the submarines rather than surface vessels in the traditional IRL strike? Sure, the war was fought with carriers rather than battleships, but those were still useful.

3 points favoring Manila:

- KB will be where its needed the most right in the beginning: near the DEI oil.
- KB will be scaring away the best Allied assets of the first month: force Z and the cruiser force
- the Pearl BBs arent very good: they are imho best used to support landings. BBs damaged at Pearl will most be repaired by 1943 when the US has real capability for major operations

Manila subs use mainly the still horrible mk 14 torp, but thats still 27 subs less that would otherwise raid, harass and scout doing lots of damage for 4 long years.

About those submarines, when does the US gets it's first actually useful torpedoes?

The smaller S subs have perfectly good torps. Other USN subs will have their torpedo dud rate reduced from 80% to 50% in 1/43 and to 20% iirc 6/43. Other Allied nations have ok subs already though and even the USN ones can still scout, lay mines and score the occasional hit with a torp that does explode. Japanese ASW equipment and training is lacking and mainly of poor quality...

[10ebbor10]

Anyway, so what's the near future plans. Any further expansion, or are you going to bunker up now to wait for the inevitable counter-attack.

[Erkki]

Anyway, so what's the near future plans. Any further expansion, or are you going to bunker up now to wait for the inevitable counter-attack.

Theres still work for a couple of months at least: Java and Timor mainly. Even after they are studying Japanese I will attempt to hold the initiative as long as possible.

[Sheb]

Any chance of a landing in Australia?

[Erkki]

Any chance of a landing in Australia?

Yeah. And Ceylon... And maybe something in the Central and South Pacific. 

[Karlito]

Wow, I'll probably catch up on the main AAR at some point, but are the allied forces asleep?