The I-Boat Raid and CPO Withdrawal adjustments are in play.
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IJN Report: The Pearl raid was about average with 1 crippled BB, 2 CAs & the 7th AF escaping the raid. The Indo raid was a clean sweep though as the 5th AF and both Brit BBs were sunk.
The real excitement came with the WXYZ rolls however. W showed up in the HI and X, Y & Z all showed up in the CPO!!! This may well turn into a disaster for one of us. I elect to stay as I believe that taking the free withdrawal yields far too much of an advantage to a good Allied player. Dan decides to stay and gets his pure D. Uh oh, this may be a short game – and not one that I will like! The Hosho disables a CV. Dan’s return fire is deadly as the Hosho and 3 CAs are sunk. I was hoping for a whiff or disable in there somewhere, but not this time.
I stay again for N. Dan decides to stay for another round. But on the second day, it is pure NIGHT! All right. Now if we can just take advantage of it. Two CAs are sunk and one disabled. Unfortunately 16 BB shots and 5 bonus CAs shots can only sink one CV. The other 2 are disabled with no damage. Rats! Dan sinks 2 CAs in return. During pursuit, the last 2 US CAs are sunk and the IJN lose 1 CA.
So in the end, both players faced and escaped disaster.
The IJN did gain an advantage as 5 IJN CAs and the Hosho were traded for 4 US
CAs and the Saratoga. POC ended up at the standard 7.
IJN Report: Dan has 3 CVs based in Australia, which puts a lot of pressure on me. I patrol all 3 Allied Home Areas. What I do with the rest of my forces will depend on Dan’s response. Hmm. He patrols only my perimeter & the Brits and puts all 3 of his LBA into Indo.
I counter with a 2-area attack and a sizeable force in Indo. If Dan sends his 3 US CVs with the Brit CVLs, he has pretty good odds to win it. But he would be in danger of a KO in 3. I’m counting on that pressure to keep the US CVs out of it.
Dan decides to send all the Brits to Indo and defend the USM with most of his fleet. In the SPO, Marshalls, CPO & CS it is D action. Three US CAs and 1 IJN CA are sunk before successful retreats end the action.
The USM is D/N. In the D battle 1 US CV & both IJN CVs & a CA are sunk. The Enterprise is disabled. In the N battle, 3 US CAs are sunk and 2 disabled. The US sinks a BB & a CA, disables a CA and damages 2 other ships. The IB disables the last US CV. An IJN CA is sunk in a 2nd N round before the IJN retreat without pursuit.
The Indo action is exciting & long. Dan decides to shoot his air at my LBA and count on getting a N action to get his Brit BBs on my CVLs. But amazingly it is 8 pure D actions in a row. After all the smoke clears, the IJN lose 2 LBA. The Allies lose 3 LBA, 3 Brit CVLs and a BB before retreating. That is going to hurt Dan for T3.
POC goes to 20.
IJN Report: Some options open up for me since Dan only has 3 LBA and a depleted fleet for this turn. I now have enough to threaten the USM in addition the Pearl conversion attempt. As is fairly typical, I give up Indonesia to have LBA for the southern perimeter and the HI. With POC in good shape, I don’t patrol the NPO or CPO. Dan patrols the SPO & the Marshalls. The SPO flag would help the T4 Guad defense. A Marshalls flag would let him threaten to flip those bases on T4. Dan sends his 3 LBA to defend the HI to keep my fleet/CVs busy.
My marines deploy to threaten capture of N Heb and the D Harbor gimme. The Hiyo fails its SR to the HI & I risk it by returning to Truk. I’m guessing Dan can’t afford the CVs in the SPO or Marshalls to be a raiding threat as I expect them to defend the USM. But Dan surprises me by sending 2 CVs to the SPO and risking problems in the USM.
Both USM marines and 1 LBA are sunk in the HI in a Day action before the US runs. They can only disable 1 CV. During pursuit of the 3 BBs, the USN has 1 sunk, 1 crippled/disabled & 1 damaged/disabled while the IJN lose 1 BB & a CA and have a CA damaged. Pearl flips.
In the USM, I ask for D sacrificing the marine to help preserve my patrollers and shoot at the CV. But we can only disable the CV while Sasebo is sunk. Dan sticks around hoping for N to take out my patrollers. But I get D on R2 and sink the N M & ID. Dan runs & I don’t chase the CAs to protect my patrollers. But we do sink the crippled MD at no cost.
In the SPO, the 22nd AirFlot and Hornet sink each other. Fortunately the I Boat comes through sinking the Lexington saving the Hiyo from raids. The IJN win the CS when the Minneapolis is sunk for no IJN loss. The Houston is disabled in the Marshalls. Kure captures D Harbor locking up the last NE base.
It is a good turn for the IJN as POC hits 29 and they own all 3 US Home areas. That will make T4 much easier.
IJN Report: I place substantial patrols in the USM & SPO. I’ll end up raiding where Dan is the weakest with his LBA. That turns out to be the SPO. I also raid the CS to go for the attrition of a CA and force the Yorktown to leave Australia so the I Boat will get a shot.
Dan has some success however as he disables Yokosuka SNLF in the SPO and sinks 3 CAs in the USM during D actions. I sink the RAAF & Houston (CS D action). Unfortunately the I Boat whiffs against the Yorktown. POC stays at 29.
IJN Report: With POC maxed, I only need to protect a perimeter. So I concede the SPO and don't need to patrol the JI or NPO. My 3 LBA each should hold the HI & Marshalls, while my fleet holds Indo. My 3 SNLFs will protect Lae from being taken by the Allies. We sink all 3 Brit ships during D in Indo, but can only disable the Vicky in the HI. Dan keeps the US CVs in port to protect them from the I Boat. POC stays at 29 for the IJN.
IJN Report: I spread my LBA around so that Dan is forced to fight them or lose too much POC. I'm happy to trade my LBA for his CVs. Plus it will be difficult for Dan to win Indo, Marianas and the Marshalls. Dan downs both Indo LBA and destroys one of my 3 SNLFs which landed in the Philippines during follow-up raids. That allowed his 3 Marianas marines to capture the Philippines by exchanging out all his marines. But the I Boat sinks the Essex. That proves enough for me to hold the Marianas. I also hold the Marshalls. Two more US CVs are sunk and 2 carriers are max damaged making the Allied cause grim indeed. POC stays at 29.
USN Concession: Sorry - I have recently gotten engaged and am already working on details for a marriage next year. Plus my fiancée lives in Aurora, about and hour away (or more with traffic) so I am away from e-mail more. I will not be able to complete the game by the 12th [of July -- a GM-imposed deadline] so the match is yours Ed.