The Normal Turn One variant is in play.
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USN Report: We are using NT1 which accounts for the non-typical deployment. I don’t want to risk the 2 CVs, so they stay in the HI. I didn’t think about putting 2 patrollers in the NPO until too late. But the I Boat whiffed so it didn’t cost anything. Hermes raided so as to be able to base in Singapore next turn.
After the smoke cleared 4 BBs and the 7th AF
escaped the Pearl raid with 3 of the BBs damaged. The USN chose not to engage.
Both Brit BBs were severely damaged after the 5th AF was shot down on
the first round. POC at the “usual” 3.
USN Report: The IJN sends heavy patrols into the USM/HI making a strong 2 area threat (or possibly 3 area). I can either try for a block or plan to fight. Since I got 4 BB survivors out of Pearl and Jim has patrolled 2 BBs in the SPO/Marshalls, I decide to put my entire USN surface on raid except for the NPO patroller. With 21 surface ships available to raid, I’m guessing that Jim will send most of his raiders to the HI – the more valuable area. I especially need to keep the POC down, since the bid is only .5 in this game. So I risk an LBA in the USM. If he does a strong 2 area attack, then we will fight in one of the home areas.
Hmm, Jim surprises me with a 2 area attack splitting his forces into almost equal parts. I’m further surprised when both Junyo & Shoho attempt to SR to the HI. (Fortunately Junyo fails it’s speed roll.) The IJN decides the opportunity for USN CV attrition is worth the risk of almost a 2-1 surface disadvantage and the US flags. Or perhaps he is hoping that it will intimidate me into staying out. But that option is a non-starter here, because I didn’t patrol the Marshalls where I might get a block.
That makes my choice pretty straight forward. The HI offers the opportunity to go after the SNLF in either D or N. If I can remove the marine and some carriers, the IJN will be hard pressed to flip Pearl & maybe Samoa. I should be a solid favorite to prevent IJN control of the area and open up the CPO with a BB raider. That will make the Marianas/JI open to USN raiders next turn. Of course there is the obvious risk of losing several CVs. But it’s an even die roll for a pure N vs D action (42% each) and the D/N this time will be an advantage to the USN for an overall 58% to 42% advantage on the D/N roll. But these things can take big luck swings, so we shall see how things work out.
I start off getting lucky with the D/N rolls in the 3 key areas. It’s D in Marianas (so I can shoot at Sasebo), N in USM (so the LBA can run) & D/N in the HI (not my first choice, but OK I hope).
It’s D in Indo where a Brit BB is sunk & another damaged, N in CS allowing the 2 CAs to escape unscathed and D in CPO allowing the IJN CA to run.
The big action is in the HI. The IJN sink the Enterprise, max damage the Lexington and ding/disable the Saratoga. The I Boat then disables the Yorktown. On the down side there is only one operational CV left. But very much on the plus side is the fact that only 1 CV is sunk.
The USN fire sinks Yokosuka, Kaga, Soryu & Zuiho and disables the Akagi. That’s a great round of fire for the USN. Plus we have the N portion of the battle to go after the last CVL.
During N, the USN loses 3 CAs and the IJN loses Shoho and 2 CAs. Several ships on each side are damaged/disabled. During pursuit, Nachi is sunk.
The other action is in the Marianas, where luck again is on the side of the USN as Sasebo is dinged/disabled. So the Philippines is saved and it’s a 3 POC swing for the Allies.
This is a very bad turn for the IJN. Sixteen bonus shots only sink one CV (and max damage another). I had a similar disaster as the IJN on the last ladder round, so I know how Jim must feel. However, the IJN still has a lot of punch & luck can swing the other way. We are feeling good, but there is a lot of game left to play.
POC goes to 9.
USN Report: The IJN sends out strong patrols to the USM, Marianas and CPO. (I had 2 BBs base in Australia at the end of last turn to prevent cheap IJN CA patrols of the CS or SPO.) The Brits challenge in Indonesia & CAs patrol the NE corner for the Allies. The PoW, Lex & W Va repair. Jim uses his LBA to defend the perimeter & interior POC rich areas while mine defend the Home areas. Three in the USM probably isn’t enough if Jim sends the bulk of his carriers there. But that would leave the Marianas and/or CPO weak. That’s a trade I’m willing to make.
The IJN decide to try to lock up their interior holes and abandon the USM. I have a nice advantage in the game at this point and don’t want to get into a fight where I may lose 2 or more carriers. So the USN plays conservative and goes for attrition while the Brits go for the Gold in Indonesia. That means abandoning the marine in the Marshalls. The CVs could stay in Pearl and not risk an I Boat shot. But I’d like the flexibility of basing in New Hebrides (or Australia if we get lucky & win Indo) so they can threaten the entire IJN perimeter next turn. Plus we will get unanswered bonus shots if we can get a D action in USM (or better yet D/N).
I get lucky & get N in the Marshalls so the marine can run away from the LBA fire. Even better the marine is disabled with no damage. Indonesia doesn’t go so well though as 1 CVL is sunk & another disabled while the Brits whiff. So much for that foray. The Brits run home.
The IJN get their N in the USM. They decide to fight in the AI to try to remove the USN patroller & have no choice in the NPO. But the surface battles all go to the USN. After the smoke clears, 5 IJN CAs are sunk and a couple damaged, while the USN takes 1 damage point on a BB from the fire of 8 bonus CAs!! And the Allies control all three areas.
Although things go wrong for the IJN in the surface battles, the turn is not all bad for them. The I Boat comes through sinking the Yorktown. They establish their perimeter except for the AI and they capture Midway & the Philippines. POC goes to 11.
USN Report: The IJN patrolled several ships in the JI in response to Allied ships based at Dutch Harbor. A heavy force also patrols the SPO in obvious preparation for an attempt to take Guadalcanal. I patrol several ships conserving my LBA for the fight over Guad. I am surprised by his placement of an LBA in the AI. That means a weaker perimeter elsewhere.
His SNLF goes to the SPO as expected. I decide to send my marine to the CPO where it can disable the IJN LBA. The IJN send their raiders to the SPO and a suicide carrier to the CS to try to take out my marine. Most of my surface raids the CS with a couple BBs failing SRs. My CVs raid the CPO where I anticipate one or both of his LBA will fire at the marine giving us a free round of fire. And I might get lucky & get a N action to retake Midway uncontested.
The D/N rolls all go the IJN way. N in SPO to take Guad, D in the AI where they sink a CA, D in the CPO where both LBA fire on the marine & sink it. In the CS, they get pure D but they aren’t so lucky here as the Junyo whiffs. My LBA can only disable the Junyo but the 1st Marines retakes Guad. In the CPO both LBA are downed in one deadly round of fire. The I Boat whiffs.
POC goes to 13, but the IJN is in a bad position. The POC is already low and it will very hard for the IJN to gain much if any POC next turn.
USN Report: The IJN patrol the SPO heavily while the Allies counter with LBA. Two LBA go to the CS to protect the back door to Guadalcanal. There is a risk of raids in the HI/USM with only one LBA in each area. But that is likely to weaken other areas, so I elect to take that risk.
The IJN raid aggressively to try to gain some sorely needed POC. Akagi fails her SR to the BoB. I elect to go after the SPO, CPO and AI and let my LBA and the Brits fend for themselves. It is unlikely that the LBA will lose both the HI & USM. I want bases and the perimeter open for my T6 CVs so I’ll take some risks in the other areas.
But things go the IJN way this turn. The HI/USM LBA are shot down in one round while the CVs are only disabled. In the SPO, the LBA sink Kure during D and the IJN BBs run away uncontested. In the AI, Sasebo and a CA are sunk and one disabled by air strikes. The 3 Marine invades Midway during N after the I Boat misses. In the NPO, the IJN CA whiffs before being disabled. The Brits get the worst of it in the BoB sinking 1 CA at the cost of several ships.
The IJN gain more POC than I expected going to 17. But they are in tough shape with Allied bases and raiding lanes everywhere.
USN Report: I patrol all areas except where the IJN fleet is massed in Indonesia. The IJN will only be able to effectively defend a couple areas and I want the maximum pressure on them. The USN raids the easy areas as we are in great POC shape and don’t need the JI or Indonesia.
The I Boat manages to save Lae by disabling one marine during N in the SPO. But the IJN ships/LBA are all sunk in areas that the USN raids. At this point the IJN waive the white flag.
I was able to get a good advantage on T2 and exploit it. Jim is a very good player, but he wasn’t able to overcome that hole he found himself in.
IJN Report: Ed Menzel just defeated me in our Top 10 Invitational game. We played NT1 with a bid of 0.5 for the IJN. My IJN resigned after turn 6 with only an 11 POC lead and Americans swarming all over the place.