The I-Boat Raid and CPO Withdrawal adjustments are in play.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Allied Report: Rob had devastating attacks on
Pearl and Indo. The 7th AF, a wounded CA and a crippled BB escape
Pearl. He got a clean sweep in Indo. I was able to get 2 CVs to base in
Australia. POC at the usual 7.
Allied Report: Rob does a typical aggressive IJN patrol. I can’t afford a fleet fight, so I put three LBA in the USM. Rob presses everywhere except the USM with his raids. With my Pearl losses, I need to hang on to my CVs, so I only hit one area with them – the SP. My fleet hopes for some N action to drive off his CS thrust.
In the SP, the IB whiffs. We take down both LBA in the next round but Yorktown goes to the bottom. My two Marshalls CAs get lucky when neither side registers a hit during a first round N action. They then run for cover. Rob gets two pure D actions followed by D/N in the CS. I lose 3 CAs in the process while my 11 surface shots can’t muster a hit in the bunch although Zuiho is disabled (thankfully). Chikuma then runs. No luck for me either in the USM as my 6 shots can only damage a CA before they run. Rob doesn’t lose a single ship, he gets a lot of bases and the POC goes to 14. Not good. Definitely not good.
IJN Comments: I threatened a two area attack, but Ed's LBA forced me to one. I beefed up Aleutian and CPO forces a little, to give me patrollers for T3 in Hawaii in case Ed goes for a block. I was worried Marshalls was too light. Ed hits SPO and gets away with only one sunk CV. At least I get all the bases except Lae.
IJN Comments: I use all four LBA in Hawaii,
hoping to spare enough CV to cause CV attrition elsewhere. I originally was
going to put one CV in the SPO, but at the last minute decided to switch it to
USM.
I'm unfortunate in the CV attrition department, as I lose four of big ones for
only one of Ed's. I do well otherwise, sinking both Marines and then all three
BBs in the ensuing pursuit.
I've still got Lae and Guadalcanal to worry about, but I should have three NLF
next turn to take care of that.
Allied Report: The IJN concentrate on converting
Pearl, abandon Indo, threaten the USM and defend other IJN perimeter areas
lightly with a sprinkling of carriers. I patrol lightly to maximize the raiding
threat to the HI. Then it becomes a matter of deciding on which areas to hit.
I’d like the flag in the SP for T4 defense so I send a CV there. I can’t afford
to risk a IJN flag in the USM, so 2 CVs go there. I finally decide to go for the
Marshalls hoping for a flag. The IB attempts to deny me POC in the CS.
R1 is D everywhere. We sink the Tone in the SP to save that flag. Hiryu disables
a CV in the USM and is sunk in return fire. The IJN then run. Hornet and Soryu
sink each other in the Marshalls. Nagato stays and sinks my patroller, but our
return 10 shots can only nick/disable Nagato in return. Sigh!
In the HI, both marines are obliterated with massed air strikes, 2 LBA shot down
and 2 damaged in a nice round of shooting for Rob. Our LBA shoot well too
sinking Shokaku/Akagi, disabling Zuiho/Shoho and damaging Zuikaku. I decide to
run to preserve LBA for T4 defense. My 3 BBs scatter, but that does no good as
all 3 are sunk in pursuit for no cost to the IJN.
Fortunately the IB whiffs. POC at 16.
IJN Comments: I plan to use fleet and NLF in SPO,
to at least take Lae and hopefully Guadalcanal. Ed's commitment of LBA to the
SPO forces me to use enough CVs to leave the rest of the areas not too well
defended, and I make a mistake putting 5 LBA in Indo (4 would have been
sufficient). I had meant to put two in Hawaii, but slipped up. Sure enough, Ed
hits Hawaii, and sends the Wasp to SPO, where there's a good chance he'll stop a
couple of NLF.
Then, disaster strikes the Allies. First round in SPO is night, allowing the IJN
to take both bases, disable the USN LBA, and sink Wasp. It gets even worse in
Hawaii as the 26th Airflot, Junyo and the I-boat hold off three USN CVs, sinking
two. Junyo also gets disabled instead of sunk. Suddenly, the Allies go from a
decent position to way in the hole.
Allied Report: Rob patrols the SP & USM keeping
lots of raiders back for flexibility to raid either area. Five LBA go to Indo to
make sure Singapore & Saigon don’t flip. I debate between a 4/2 & 3/3 LBA split
between SP & USM and finally go with the 3/3. As expected Rob’s marines and most
of his raiders head for the SP. I really don’t want to lose both SP bases. The 3
LBA don’t have much chance to remove 2 or more marines, so I send in a suicide
CV since I have the flag. If I can decontrol the HI, my marines will be more of
a threat on T5. Surface raiders go to the Marshalls/Mari’s to deny POC & open up
raiding lanes.
It’s bad news as Rob wins all the key D/N rolls. In the SP, Rob gets N against
the flag. Yuck!! The bases fall and I lose a CV for nothing. And he gets D in
the HI, Marshalls & Mari’s. I win two inconsequential rolls in the USM & Indo.
Not only that, in the HI Rob sinks Enterprise while I only disable Junyo and
whiff on the LBA. The IB then sinks Lex. More yuck. I stay for another round
hoping to get some luck, but it is not to be. Sara is disabled and we whiff
again.
Three rounds in the Marshalls sees my patroller disabled but we do sink Zuiho.
In the Mari’s we disable Kongo & Hosho with 1d. The USM is a bust too as we can
only damage one of the CAs during D action. We get a little luck in the CP
sinking Takao while getting a CA dinged for 1d. The Brits run home under cover
of darkness.
All in all, a disaster for me. I lose 3 CVs and don’t save a SP base or
decontrol the HI. POC goes to 22. Things look grim for the Allies.
IJN Comments: I split my fleet to max out the
POC, and defend the perimeter with LBA. Ed tries to break control in the
Marshalls, and scores one hit on each LBA!!, but only for 1 and 3 repectively.
I-boat damages the Marines for 3, which land and take a base in the Marshalls.
Ed sticks around with his night forces to try and sink Kaga. He succeeds, but
not before I sink 5 of his cruisers.
Allied Report: It is desperation time for me.
With only Sara and Vicky on the eastern side of the board, our choices are very
limited. I decide to go for the Marshalls since there is no flag and it is my
best chance for a N.
But no luck there either as it comes up pure D. Sara is sunk and Vicky disabled.
We’ve got one round to bring down the LBA. We do get hits on both, but can’t
bring either one down. The marine takes a base after being damaged by the IB. I
keep trying to get a N. It takes 6 rounds before I finally do and sink Kaga. It
costs me 5 CAs. Sigh.
Canberra is sunk in the HI under a hail of bombs and torpedoes. I retake Guad.
The POC maxes at 29. I have almost no chance in the game, but we will carry on
for another turn looking for miracles.
IJN Comments: Fleet goes to Indo and LBA to
Hawaii. I repair ships in Japan in anticipation of T7 and T8 fights.
Ed challenges my 6 LBA with his T6 reinforcements, and succeeds, but 2 CV and 2
CVL are sunk. In retrospect, maybe a more sure route was 2-3 LBA in Indo, and
everything else in Hawaii.
Allied Report: Rob locks up Indo with his fleet
and takes the rest of the “gimmees” on the board. I anticipate 6 LBA in the HI,
but I have no choice but to go for it. Sure enough that’s what Rob does. I
repair a couple CAs and see if we can beat the LBA in the HI.
Rob is a decided favorite and asks for N to get an IB shot first. I accept as I
have to be able to land a marine. Fortunately the IB misses. I get lucky. It
takes 6 rounds but we finally down the last LBA with my last CV. It costs us 2
CVs and 2 CVLs.
POC stays at 29. Since I still have a tiny mathematical chance, I’ll fight on to
T7.
IJN Comments: I have to swing 10 POC to win, and
I have 7 this turn with Japan and the Aleutians. Therefore I can decontrol Japan
next turn to win. Without my LBA, I'm sorely lacking in air cover. However, if I
just sit back passively, Ed can easily use his three marines to secure forward
bases for his fleet. I want to try and do something.
I patrol two ships in Japan to be safe from the F-boat. I throw a patroller in
Aleutians in case the flag will help next turn. I might be able to fight in CPO,
so send my remaining 118s there just in case.
As the turn lays out, Ed keeps plenty of raiders, so holding the CPO seems
unlikely. However, if he DOES attack with all his fleet, I merely sink his one
marine that can reach from Johnston Island, day or night, and he has to base out
of range of Japan for T8. So I considered CPO to be safe. I sent the NLF that
was based at Midway to cover Dutch Harbor, which could also be invaded by Ed's
marine at Johnston. I raid CPO, with a suicide carrier to Indo to make it chancy
for Ed to be able to take Philippines or Lae without some CVs to air raid.
Ed then comes up with about the only plan which could work, and I was amazed I
didn't see it. He sends the BBs from Lae to Indo, and the rest to CPO. This
relies on my suicide carrier failing, and getting day in CPO, about a 25%
chance, but he gets both! In hindsight, I realize I should have focused more on
the fact that Ed needs forward bases for his fleet. For example, sending the NLF
to Aleutians was unnneccessary with a flag in Aleutians.
Another big problem is that I had to target in CPO before knowing the outcome of
the Indo suicide carrier. I decide I have to target the Marine in case the other
mission fails. I put my two three bangers on the CPO marine, sinking it. This
only left 5 bonus shots and 6 non-bonus against his carriers, but my boys come
through, sinking two CVs, crippling two others, and disabling the Essex, leaving
him with the four CVLs. His ships sink or disable all my air units. The F-boat
sinks a 436.
Next round is night, which lets me kill off his remaining air force, and Ed
resigns.
I can't claim full credit for the win, I got some very good dice. Especially on
the T1 raid and T4. And throughout the game, with the exception of T3, Ed often
disabled my CVs instead of sinking them.
USN Surrender: It's time to wave the white flag. Whatever slim chances I had are certainly gone now. Congratulations on a well played game. Good luck in the rest of your games.
John, you may chalk this win up for Rob in T7.
Allied Report: Rob patrols the AI to block any
US JI patrols from D Harbor based ships. He remembers to use 2 CAs to safeguard
against an F Boat attack in the JI. Rats! He sends the fleet to the CP. I can’t
afford to give that to him. So we will fight there even though I’m badly
outgunned on the surface. I will need shooting luck and several D actions in a
row to have a chance.
Rob also goes after an Indo marine with a CV to prevent me from getting a base
there. If I have no base to patrol the JI from, Rob will have a lock on the
game.
The first round is D in both areas. Zuikaku whiffs on the Indo marine. Whew. But
his CP carriers come through big time sinking a marine and missing only 1 US
carrier they shoot at. I manage to remove all his carriers. The F Boat sinks a
BC. I have 4 operational CVLs to his none. I need a few more pure D actions. But
it is not to be as the next round is pure N. That ends any feeble chances that I
had.
Congratulations Rob on a well played game. Turn 4 was a disaster for me that I
couldn’t overcome.