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

[KyzBP]

December 14th, 1941

Everything seems to have quieted down some this turn.  The calm before the storm I'm guessing.  Geek has been very deliberate and methodical so far.  I'm expecting him to turn up the heat soon.  I'm not feeling pressured.  From the little I've played of this game it seems Japan is at it's best when it's pounding at you everywhere at once.  When you have to change the destination of a supply/transport fleet a few times in transit because their landing spots keep ending up in Japanese hands is when you know you're being pressured.  I still think Geek is saving his forces for something big.  I just hope I don't get too confident before it happens.

Anyways, back to our show.

The Hawaiian waters look like this:

It seems that he's more or less bracketed the most likely routes to and fro Pearl.  That allows me to set up a patrol pattern across all of his know subs with little
wasted effort.  I'm redirecting some of the ASW groups to do just that. 

Earlier I recalled all the subs that were patrolling off Hawaii and I'm now sending them to BJ with presents.  I hope they arrive in time for Christmas.

The rendezvous off of Palmyra will take place shortly.  However, I'm probably NOT going to try anything with them.  Both Carrier TFs need some time out of service for repairs.  Before they do I'm going to head them in the direction of Pearl.  Once one of his subs spot me we'll then change direction and head for Seattle.  I know it's a long shot but maybe he'll come back looking for the carriers.  That would give me a chance to attrit  some of his veteran pilots at no risk to my carriers.  It's a real long shot but you never know?

It looks like Rabaul is about to have visitors.

There's not much I can do about it.  If he doesn't have any CAP over the landing then I'll try to reach out and touch him with the B-17s now in Australia.  They
may be out of range though.  Maybe I'll move them to Port Moresby.  I only have Whirraways and Hudsons at Rabaul.  Not exactly scaring anyone. 
Now if they were P35s...

Did someone mention P35s?

Anything in the Philippines that couldn't or wouldn't be evacuated was set to Naval Attack.  With one attack I think they surpassed the entire Dutch Air Force.
PBYs, Wildebeasts, and P35s and my new favorites.  These guys have greatly exceeded expectations.

[KyzBP]

Do you know what hasn't exceeded or even met expectations?  US subs. >:(
The Sea Raven went toe to toe with a fearsome Japanese Ak.  The sub launched all 8 of it's torps and had to go to deck guns to finally damage, not kill, the monstrous Ak.  The best part, the Ak was able to damage the Sea Raven.  I imagine this boat will want to dock at night once it reaches Pearl.

Our friends, the Dutch, have requested some help at Sabang.  They are intercepting multiple raids daily.  They say they're holding for now but operational loses
are starting to mount.

Although it looks like the Dutch/British got the better end of the deal on this, the Japanese keep coming and whittling away at the aircraft and facilities.
I then received a request from some AVG major named Boyington or something.  Anyway, he asked if he and his squadron could take a crack at those Oscars since things were quiet near Rangoon.  I granted his request but am only giving him a week.   

That was really about it for the turn.  I lost 2 AKLs and UCG lost a DD.  Next turn should be more interesting.

[jomni]

Bookmark.  (to remind me where I left off)

[KyzBP]

December 15th, 1941

We survived the first week of the war without any major naval loses.  We have lost a bit of shipping, some smaller warships, and some subs.
We've lost a few bases, some important, most expected.
UCG has certainly downed some aircraft but nothing that can't be replaced.
We've seen the versatility of the PBY, the tenacity of Dutch subs, and the futility of the Dutch Air Force.
Most of all the CVs, the Repulse, and the Penguin are all still afloat.
Week One was tense yet enlightening and we survived it relatively well.  Let see what week Two holds.

Our newly converted Carrier Tracking Stations (formally used to track Santa on Christmas Eve) are keeping a close eye on the KB's movements.

Those are two very formidable forces south of Wake.  Beside the carriers there is a task force that (reportedly) contains a bunch of CAs, CLs, and PBs.
I wasn't given a direction of travel for either group so, for now, I'll assume they're headed for Wake.  As usual, there's nothing I can do about it.  This
time he'll have air cover over his ships so my Devastators don't really have any hope of hitting anything except the water...with their planes.

I do have some good news on the sub front.  The mighty Sea Wolf was able to, most likely, put down an AK.

I'm sure she exhausted her torpedo supply to achieve that single torp hit but at least this one is probably going down.

However, that pesky sub off San Fran was able to strike again.

That AK went down.  The good news is that sub is probably out of torps and will have to make the long drive back to wherever it came from.
Thankfully another sub has shown up near LA.  We wouldn't want our ASW skills to get rusty.  :-\

The Dutch subs continue to impress.

Only 2 torpedoes used and one of them hit (I'm looking at you American Sub Captains).  That ship is probably sunk as well.
Again, I like what the Dutch subs are showing me.   

[KyzBP]

I should've known by the slightly slurred speech and aggressive demeanor that Major Boyington was filled more with bravado and Johnny Walker than actual ability and means in which to deal with the raids over Sabang.

Sabang has some problems.  They're getting hit 4 times a day and they only have 10 points worth of Aircraft Support.  The mechanics simply can't keep up
with the damaged aircraft.  I'm trying to remedy that but there aren't any base forces I can free up just yet.  If the AVG doesn't perform a little better today
then I may send them back to Rangoon early to preserve the pilots and aircraft.

The P35s continue to inflict heavy damage on any ship that strays too close to the Philippines.

Although none of those ships were severely damaged they may have to spend a day or two in port to make repairs.  I'll call that a win.

I had to take a closer look at these guys to see why they've been so successful.

I'll give you a second to see if you can find it.
.
.
.
.
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Major Skills: Strafing. 
Again i got lucky.  Just like the PBYs, I set these guys up to do what they could before they get destroyed and lucked into their strength. 
I have to pay more attention to the finer details in this game.  Next turn I'm going to look around and try to take more advantage of the strengths of
the squadrons.

The unsung heroes of the Catalina(PBY) and Vildebeest squadrons continue to put their fingers in the dike (out of the gutter Starfury, if you're following this).  They
seem to hit what they attack but there's just not enough of them.

We lost Johore Bahru.

It's now just a matter of time before before Singapore falls.  I didn't have much time to improve Singapore's defenses so they'll fall quickly.  I'll
get all the aircraft out I can.  It was a good move on UCG's part to go directly to Singapore and not waste time up north. 

Rabaul also fell.  That's going to put a lot of pressure on Port Moresby.  I'm trying to get all the fighters from the Philippines over there now.  If I don't every supply and transport ship that tries to dock there will be shredded.

[KyzBP]

The Destroyer Tree I planted in Balboa is starting to bear fruit.

Half are being sent to San Diego and the rest to SF.

Only one ship was reported sunk this turn so it's not worth showing.

Here's the end of turn stats:


Thanks again to everyone following this.  It really does make exponentially more fun when I see people are actually reading this. O0

[Staggerwing]

I won't say whether or not UGeek has cottoned to the PBY scouts yet, but it's no secret he knows about the PBYs who have been methodically murdering ships.

Nor will I be spoiling things to say he was VERY impressed with that move.  O0 He doesn't think he's ever seen or read of anyone doing that before.

I hope it doesn't turn out to be considered "Gamey".  I've used them before in an ASW role but never prior this have I considered using them in a naval attack
posture.  They've gone from being kind of an afterthought in other games to being one of my favorite units right now.  They really are a force multiplier at this stage in the game. 

Thanks for the input and following along.  :)

PBYs were used by both the RAAF and the USN as bombers with good results, especially against Japanese morale:

Night attack and naval interdiction[edit]

Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall aboard a Consolidated Catalina before being shot down and captured near Ceylon by the Japanese
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also operated Catalinas as night raiders, with four squadrons Nos. 11, 20, 42, and 43 laying mines from 23 April 1943 until July 1945 in the southwest Pacific deep in Japanese-held waters, bottling up ports and shipping routes and forcing ships into deeper waters to become targets for U.S. submarines; they tied up the major strategic ports such as Balikpapan which shipped 80% of Japanese oil supplies. In late 1944, their mining missions sometimes exceeded 20 hours in duration and were carried out from as low as 200 ft (61 m) in the dark. Operations included trapping the Japanese fleet in Manila Bay in assistance of General Douglas MacArthur's landing at Mindoro in the Philippines. Australian Catalinas also operated out of Jinamoc in the Leyte Gulf, and mined ports on the Chinese coast from Hong Kong to as far north as Wenchow. Both USN and RAAF Catalinas regularly mounted nuisance night bombing raids on Japanese bases, with the RAAF claiming the slogan "The First and the Furthest". Targets of these raids included a major base at Rabaul. RAAF aircrews, like their U.S. Navy counterparts, employed "terror bombs", ranging from scrap metal and rocks to empty beer bottles with razor blades inserted into the necks, to produce high pitched screams as they fell, keeping Japanese soldiers awake and scrambling for cover.[18]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_PBY_Catalina#Night_attack_and_naval_interdiction

You might also find this interesting:

[Sir Slash]

Ground losses for the Japanese seem unusually light. Any idea why that is?

[KyzBP]

Thanks Staggerwing!  That's one of the things I love about this community.  Somebody always has information you want or need.  I wrote down the squadron number of the squadron featured in the film.  I'll be looking around for them and I'll keep you guys updated with their progress throughout the war.

Sir Slash- The only thing I can think of right now is that I haven't had a chance to get fortifications built up.  I imagine it'll get harder for him as time goes on.  He may also be hitting me with forces larger than normal.  Maybe that's what he used the Philippine forces for.

[jomni]

Book marked.

[MetalDog]

Thanks again to everyone following this.  It really does make exponentially more fun when I see people are actually reading this. O0

I'm in, too.  LOVE a good AAR and this is one :)

[KyzBP]

Thanks again to everyone following this.  It really does make exponentially more fun when I see people are actually reading this. O0

I'm in, too.  LOVE a good AAR and this is one :)

Thanks MD!  I greatly appreciate the comment.

I'll be updating this a little slower over the next few days due to work.  Stupid work.

[KyzBP]

December 16th, 1941

If we use our Way Back Machine we can watch me say something to the effect of "UCG is moving too slow.  Time is on my side and he's giving me plenty of it."  If you say that in the same voice your wives use for you when talking to their girlfriends, then you can guess what's coming next.

This turn UCG took the following bases: (Oh boy, a list!!!)
Rabaul (I thought he took it last turn.  Either I was wrong or he took it again just to rub it in.)
Djambi (Sumatra) Not to be confused with Frank Sumatra of the Indonesian Rat Pack.
Hollandia (New Guinea)
Wewak (Papau) Not the furry guys from Return of the Jedi.
Medan.  The Repulse now rests at the bottom of Medan Harbor.

I'd say he had a pretty good day.  He'll probably take a few more tomorrow as well.  He definitely has the train rolling now.

He started his air campaign against Singapore.

I've removed all the fighters so he should have an easy time of it.  Singapore will be done before Christmas.

Over in lovely Java I've decided to try and set a trap, hopefully for him.

Since there are thunderstorms in the area and moonlight is near 0% I'm going to move some ships over to Makassar and drop them into port.
Those ships include the P.o.W, 3CL, and 5DDs.  There are also 12 PT boats already waiting.  I'm hoping the weather will keep them from being spotted and he'll continue towards Balikpapen.  Not pictured on this screen are some of his forces moving towards the Makassar Straight.  I hope to jump him with 3 different TFs from Makassar and then from Soerabaja I'll sortie 4 CLs and 9DDs to clean up what's left.  I've moved all of the Dutch bombers (you're trembling at the mere mention of them) to Batavia for now.  I don't want anything scaring his ships away.  They can help bomb ground forces north of Oosthaven for now.  I don't think he'll expect the P.o.W to be hanging around there and it's AA rating should scare any nosy aircraft.

[KyzBP]

I so wish these guys weren't locked down in the Philippines.

They'll make life rough for any ship that passes near their litter box.  If I were UCG I'd start bombing the airfields of the Philippines again.
I've got to believe he's taken notice of these guys and is more than a little irritated.

As much as I now love the PBYs, the honeymoon is coming to end.  They are no longer hitting shipping like they were and the cowboys on Guam let Geek
know where they live by attempting to bomb some random transport ship.  They did manage to do one thing right.

I now have an idea of who's hanging out at BJ.  This base deserves the attention I have in store for it.  I'd really love to hit it by air but the B17s are
the only bombers with that kind of range and the airfield is to small for them to operate.  If only I had another plane with that kind of range that could use
a small airfield or even no airfield at all...

If Geek doesn't hit Guam for at least 2 turns I'll try my own Pearl Harbor with PBYs.  It doesn't look like there's any air cover over BJ.  It's just crazy enough to work.

[Sir Slash]

I got my fingers crossed for you KyzBP.  O0