<insert witty title here>: an Allied WitP:AE AAR

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

For your reading pleasure, Slaughterhouse Clark Field.  The TL;DR:

Side	Troops lost	Squads Dest	Squads Dis	Non-combat Dest	Non-combat Dis	Engineers Dest	Engineers Dis	Guns Dest	Guns Dis	Vehicles Dest	Vehicles Dis
Allies	1263	15	177	6	22	1	20	7	21	20	50
Japan	16113	424	844	83	263	15	162	80	158	157	169

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Updates for the week of 05JAN42 - 11JAN42

I drew more blood this week.  I sent the ANZAC fleet up to Tulagi, and they had a field day crushing transport groups.  They were responsible for all Japanese surface vessels on the sunk list this week.  They also caused over 1000 Japanese ground casualties.  It was a very successful raid, ended only because the destroyers were running out of gas.  In all the combat, the Japanese landed a grand total of six shell hits on the force.  Lexington and Saratoga are now in the area and have joined the turkey shoot, though I have no reported sinkings from their actions yet.  The ANZACs are currently headed back for round two.

The Southern Resource Area is headed south, though.  Cagayan was beset my massive Japanese reinforcements, and the Japs were able to capture the base on the 10th.  Multiple bases on Borneo have fallen, as have the Moloccas and half of Celebes.  To make matters worse, Little KB has arrived and is causing havoc around Java.  They bombed Soerabaja multiple times and have hit almost every other base on the island at least once.  They are moving west and are threatening to block the Singapore resupply convoy that left Calcutta on the 11th.  The one bright spot is Luzon, where the troops at Clark Field continue to raise a giant Flipmerican middle finger at the Japanese as they beat their heads against the defenses.

The Chinese are still useless.  I am abandoning all offensive operations and turtling along a defensive line.  I probably won't say much about China from here on out, either.

Little KB's appearance revealed another OOB surprise: Chiyoda and Chitose have already been converted into CVLs.  Just what I need, more Nip flight decks.

Allied ship losses since 04JAN42:

Name	Nation	Sunk Date	Sunk Location	VP	Tonnage
DD Van Ghent	Dutch	01/09/42	Soerabaja	5	1316
AM Lark	US Navy	01/09/42	Soerabaja	3	840
AM Quail	US Navy	01/10/42	Soerabaja	3	840

Japanese ship losses since 04JAN42:

Name	Nation	Sunk Date	Sunk Location	VP	Tonnage
DD Nenohi	IJ Navy	01/05/42	114,137 near Tulagi	7	1715
PB Yoshida Maru	IJ Navy	01/05/42	114,137 near Tulagi	4	830
SC Ch 19	IJ Navy	01/05/42	114,137 near Tulagi	2	438
xAK Nissyu Maru	IJ Navy	01/05/42	114,137 near Tulagi	13	6400
xAK Kozui Maru	IJ Navy	01/05/42	114,137 near Tulagi	13	6400
SS I-112	IJ Navy	01/05/42	205,58 near Tillamook	11	2200
DD Akigumo	IJ Navy	01/06/42	114,137 near Tulagi	10	2600
xAK Mogamigawa Maru	IJ Navy	01/06/42	114,137 near Tulagi	13	6400
SC CHa-17	IJ Navy	01/06/42	114,137 near Tulagi	1	99

Air losses to date:

Side	Total Loss	Total Air	Total Flak	Total Ground	Total Ops
Allied	603	256	3	201	143
Japan	350	189	34	2	125

[CountDeMoney]

The Chinese are still useless.

[Ideologue]

I salute your effort, but most WitP.AE AARs have the longevity of King of Dragon Pass AARs.

Does that mean long?  Mine were usually pretty short and to the point.

vM: Husband your B-17s.  95% chance this gets me a rolleyes, but I can explain how LBA secured victory all my games if you like.

[Ideologue]

Lexington and Saratoga are now in the area and have joined the turkey shoot, though I have no reported sinkings from their actions yet.

Do you know where the KB is?  Are you 100% sure?  And I mean all nine, including Hosho, Ryujo, and Junyo.  If not, you are playing with fire.

[sbr]

Nice work so far.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

vM: Husband your B-17s.  95% chance this gets me a rolleyes, but I can explain how LBA secured victory all my games if you like.

I don't have enough squadrons yet to do anything with them, nor the front-line aviation support.  So, by default, I need to husband them.

Do you know where the KB is?  Are you 100% sure?  And I mean all nine, including Hosho, Ryujo, and Junyo.  If not, you are playing with fire.

I know I'm playing with fire, because I don't know how many carriers the Japanese actually have.  I know they all seem to be crawling over the DEI at the moment.  I have no doubt the AI will shift some to the Solomon Sea after my escapades.  My carriers are (as of 14JAN) retiring due to accumulated operational damage anyway, so I'll have a couple weeks to see if I drew some flattops over.  None have yet been spotted by Port Moresby's recon flights.

[grumbler]

I don't have enough squadrons yet to do anything with them, nor the front-line aviation support.  So, by default, I need to husband them.

You also don't have combat-effective planes.  Best use for them at the moment is training pilots.

As an aside, don't ley the Japanese get all those little Dutch tankers and merchants that you have in the DEI.  Get them to Oz (probably Darwin first, and then Perth).  They can be very useful in the coastal movement of supplies and fuel.

Also, start to set up an occasional convoy from Capetown to Perth.  Maybe 10 of those 4500-tonners, loaded 75% with supplies and 25% with fuel, won't overload the port and will add a lot to Oz's ability to keep the home front busy training pilots and maintaining ships.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

You also don't have combat-effective planes.  Best use for them at the moment is training pilots.

There is that, too.  I'm using my B-18s for ASW patrols right now.  Scoring very few hits, but giving the pilots lots of stick time and keeping tabs on all the Jap boats swarming the West Coast.

As an aside, don't ley the Japanese get all those little Dutch tankers and merchants that you have in the DEI.  Get them to Oz (probably Darwin first, and then Perth).  They can be very useful in the coastal movement of supplies and fuel.

I have already evaced all but 10 small xAKLs.  I'm pulling them out now as well, after Little KB's raid on Java.

Also, start to set up an occasional convoy from Capetown to Perth.  Maybe 10 of those 4500-tonners, loaded 75% with supplies and 25% with fuel, won't overload the port and will add a lot to Oz's ability to keep the home front busy training pilots and maintaining ships.

Good idea.  I have been sending everything to India so far, but its easier to get stuff to Oz from South Africa than San Francisco.

[Ideologue]

Has the Brit carrier (Ark Royal iirc?) arrived yet?  Is it possible to move it to the South Seas area?  I remember trying in one of our games, but it didn't get there before things were settled.  Iirc there's some PP expenditure or something, I dunno.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Has the Brit carrier (Ark Royal iirc?) arrived yet?  Is it possible to move it to the South Seas area?  I remember trying in one of our games, but it didn't get there before things were settled.  Iirc there's some PP expenditure or something, I dunno.

Indomitable is the first one, and she just arrived a few days ago.  Joining her with the Americans is a good idea.  I don't know about PP cost for doing so, as I am still getting a handle on the effects of HQs on warships.

[Neil]

I am interested in this, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Hopefully your dreadnoughts will have the opportunity to strike.

[CountDeMoney]

Considering the Japanese totally whiffed on Pearl Harbor, he ought to have plenty of battlewagons to spare.

[grumbler]

Considering the Japanese totally whiffed on Pearl Harbor, he ought to have plenty of battlewagons to spare.

Yeah, in his shoes I'd be looking at a restart with a better scenario.  The Japs have completely whiffed on everything in this one.

The Reluctant Admiral is a good one.  I'm playing that one as the Japanese first, then will switch to the allies on 1 July 1942.  It has a much smarter Japanese air production model than historical, and changes more ship production to carriers and light carriers.

[Neil]

This is an example of a game that really needs a tutorial.