Pacific Assault - coming soon!

jim panse · June 10, 2003, 10:22

Nearing its completion, my newest scenario is about the Pacific Theatre of Operations in World War 2. I placed all the cities now and I´m going to place the units and some minor optical changes to the map within the next few days. After working on this for 6 hours so far today I will now post some impressions. Enjoy!

jim panse · June 10, 2003, 10:22

And the units.gif

As you have seen, I´ve changed a lot of the units and made/put in new ones.

* you can find now a US Submarine unit (next to the M3A1 Stuart/Honey);
* I also left the Type-97 tank out;
* gave the Japanese an own carrier class and included a generic flat top;
* substituted the battleship unit with an other one;
* included also the P-40 Flying Tiger for China;
* included also a communist chinese infantry unit;
* included the F4-U Corsair as an additional Allied plane;
* included the B5N Kate ("... a day which will live in infamy...") to give the Japanese an torpedo bomber;
* included also the Ki-21, the workhorse of the Japanese Air Force in the 1st half of the war;
* changed the generic bomber (if any has a better idea for this unit, tell me)
* eliminated the Supply Truck;
* replaced the Field Artillery with another unit;
* added an AA Battery;

I´m not happy at all with the generic bomber, and the Dutch Infantry will get recoloured once I know which colours to take ....

edit: changed the units.gif

jim panse · June 10, 2003, 10:24

And a screenshot of the Japanese Isles.

edit: spelling

jim panse · June 10, 2003, 10:38

Stupid question: How I can make all land squares stackable?

rmsharpe · June 10, 2003, 12:11

I don't remember how it was done, but I know your signature quote wasn't from George Washington, it was from Sir James Dewar, a British chemist/professor/etc.

Interestly enough, there was another James Dewar famous for his "chemistry" - he invented the Twinkie.

fairline · June 10, 2003, 12:13

See Mercator's site:

http://www.civgaming.net/mercator/mapedit/downloads.htm

There is a utility called CivStack which will do it

curtsibling · June 10, 2003, 12:31

Those Japanese cities look vaugely familiar!

jim panse · June 10, 2003, 14:34

Quote:

See Mercator's site [...] There is a utility called CivStack which will do it.

Thanks a lot, Gareth!

Quote:

Those Japanese cities look vaugely familiar!

Well, I took the best ones I could find ......

Dr. Nick · June 10, 2003, 17:27

Those mountains are Very Cool(tm)

Arthedain · June 10, 2003, 19:00

more screenshots plz? *drools*

Case · June 10, 2003, 19:38

That's looking great Jim. However, where's the US submarine unit? The US Submarine fleet almost won the war singlehandedly, sinking more then 50% of the Japanese mechant fleet! [german U-Boats sank less then 1% of the Allied merchant fleet].

Your choice of units seems to be a bit 'armour heavy'. The Pacific Theatre was really infantry terrain, with tanks only being used in a supporting role (each US infantry and Marine division had a tank battalion attached). AFAIK, there were a grand total of 6 armoured divisons in the Pacific Theatre - 3 Japanese and 3 Australian. The US was planning on commiting 2 Armoured Divisions to the invasion of Japan but the war ended before they arrived in the theatre.

The only full armoured division to see combat anywhere in the Pacific (prior to the Soviet Manchurian offencive) was the Japanese 2nd Tank division in Luzon in 1945 which was slaughtered by the tank battalions attached to the US divisions as well as the US 13th Provisional Tank Group, which consisted of 2 tank battalions and an tank destroyer battalion (making it the largest US concentration of armour in the pacific war).

As for the minor combatatants, The Brits had a couple of Armoured Brigades in Burma in 1942 (the famous 7th Armoured Brigade covered the retreat from Burma, before returing back to North Africa) and 1944-45. The only Australian Armoured formation to see any action was the 4th Armoured Brigade whic, equiped with Matilda II's, served in New Guneia, Bouganville and Borneo from 1943 to 1945.

BTW, the Dutch East Indies troops wore quite a different uniform then what you're given them. Also, the Australians definetly wore the hat I drew, not Guk Guk's version. As some chrome, you can give one of the Aussies a British-style helmet - Australian troops seem to have been free to chose between the two.

I'll confess to being something of a Pacific War geek, so feel free to shoot any questions at me.

curtsibling · June 10, 2003, 20:56

Quote:

Originally posted by jim panse
Well, I took the best ones I could find ......

Thanks!
You do me and St.Leo great honour!

fairline · June 11, 2003, 02:58

I'd support what Case said about infantry versus armour. This could be a scenario where infantry are useful for a change. You'd be more justified in having a larger range of aircraft. Where are the Hellcat and the Corsair, for instance? or a Nationalist Chinese Flying Tigers P-40?

The British infantry didn't wear standard battledress - they should have light khaki uniforms early on replaced by a jungle green battledress later. I'm not sure why you've included Brit paras either; I'd replace them with Chindits who can still have paradrop. To be really geeky, you've got the wrong US Airborne division as well - the 82nd served in Europe.

jim panse · June 11, 2003, 04:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Case
That's looking great Jim. However, where's the US submarine unit? The US Submarine fleet almost won the war singlehandedly, sinking more then 50% of the Japanese mechant fleet! [german U-Boats sank less then 1% of the Allied merchant fleet].

Your choice of units seems to be a bit 'armour heavy'. The Pacific Theatre was really infantry terrain, with tanks only being used in a supporting role (each US infantry and Marine division had a tank battalion attached). AFAIK, there were a grand total of 6 armoured divisons in the Pacific Theatre - 3 Japanese and 3 Australian. The US was planning on commiting 2 Armoured Divisions to the invasion of Japan but the war ended before they arrived in the theatre.

The only full armoured division to see combat anywhere in the Pacific (prior to the Soviet Manchurian offencive) was the Japanese 2nd Tank division in Luzon in 1945 which was slaughtered by the tank battalions attached to the US divisions as well as the US 13th Provisional Tank Group, which consisted of 2 tank battalions and an tank destroyer battalion (making it the largest US concentration of armour in the pacific war).

As for the minor combatatants, The Brits had a couple of Armoured Brigades in Burma in 1942 (the famous 7th Armoured Brigade covered the retreat from Burma, before returing back to North Africa) and 1944-45. The only Australian Armoured formation to see any action was the 4th Armoured Brigade whic, equiped with Matilda II's, served in New Guneia, Bouganville and Borneo from 1943 to 1945.

BTW, the Dutch East Indies troops wore quite a different uniform then what you're given them. Also, the Australians definetly wore the hat I drew, not Guk Guk's version. As some chrome, you can give one of the Aussies a British-style helmet - Australian troops seem to have been free to chose between the two.

I'll confess to being something of a Pacific War geek, so feel free to shoot any questions at me.

I'd support what Case said about infantry versus armour. This could be a scenario where infantry are useful for a change. You'd be more justified in having a larger range of aircraft. Where are the Hellcat and the Corsair, for instance? or a Nationalist Chinese Flying Tigers P-40?

The British infantry didn't wear standard battledress - they should have light khaki uniforms early on replaced by a jungle green battledress later. I'm not sure why you've included Brit paras either; I'd replace them with Chindits who can still have paradrop. To be really geeky, you've got the wrong US Airborne division as well - the 82nd served in Europe.

Would you geeks be so kind to post some colour schemes that I can go again after the units? Currently I´m replacing and redrawing a lot of them. Thanks in advance & keep the comments coming!

Case · June 11, 2003, 04:06

Quote:

Originally posted by fairline
I'm not sure why you've included Brit paras either; I'd replace them with Chindits who can still have paradrop.

The British 5th Parachute Brigade did arrive in the theatre just before the Japanese surrender. It was to take part in operation 'Zipper', the liberation of Malaya, and operation 'Mailfist', the liberation of Singapore (the brigade was to wade ashore in 'Zipper', but make an airborne assault on the Johore Casuseway as part of 'Mailfist'). The entire 6th Airborne Division had been alerted to move to the pacific as well, but the war was over before the Divisions other 2 brigades could even start packing for the move.

I think that there was also an Indian Airborne division, but it never saw action (it may not have even completed training). The Australian Army also raised a supurbly trained and equiped parachute battalion which, bizarely, was never used in combat.

Quote:

To be really geeky, you've got the wrong US Airborne division as well - the 82nd served in Europe.

Half true - while the 11th Airborne was the only airborne division to actually serve in the Pacific (it fought in New Guniea, Leyte and Luzon), the 82nd was also on the way to the Pacific at the time of VJ day. It was planned that the division would land near Tokyo as part of operation 'Coronet' in 1946. As things happened, the Division never left the US after returning from Europe.

jim panse · June 11, 2003, 05:16

Any idea of the colour of the Dutch Colonial Infantry?

jim panse · June 11, 2003, 07:32

Progress so far: some minor graphical adjustments are still to be done; the Russian units have been placed.

fairline · June 11, 2003, 12:23

I bow to your greater knowledge Case

I think the 101st Airborne were slated to go to the Pacific as well for a planned invasion of Japan. I'd go with the 11th as they were the only division to actually see action in the Pacific (in Leyte I think). I think they only took part in limited airborne operations as most of the transport planes were used by the 2 US and 2 Brit airborne divisions in Europe. The 11th did see plenty of combat through '44 and '45 though.

I'd still replace the Brit airborne with Chindits. The Paras saw no action in the Pacific to my knowledge, while the Chindits saw plenty in Burma.

fairline · June 11, 2003, 12:48

Jim - the units you've used for the Aussies would be good for the Brits as well (I'd give the Aussies one or two slouch hats). The British wore jungle green after 1942 I think. They also wore slouch hats and tin helmets in equal numbers, like the Aussies. I'd distinguish the Australians by giving one of your units an Owen gun, which was an Aussie SMG with a vertical magazine. I think Case did a graphic.

Dutch East Indies troops troops wore a green uniform with brown putees and equipment, and a straw hat thing, turned up at the side like the slouch hat.

Case · June 11, 2003, 19:34

Quote:

Originally posted by fairline
I bow to your greater knowledge Case

And so you should

Quote:

I'd go with the 11th as they were the only division to actually see action in the Pacific (in Leyte I think). I think they only took part in limited airborne operations as most of the transport planes were used by the 2 US and 2 Brit airborne divisions in Europe. The 11th did see plenty of combat through '44 and '45 though.

There were enough transport planes in the Pacific for the 11th to have made larger scale jumps, but MacArthur didn't like paratroop tactics, and believed that they were ill-suited to jungle warfare. His plans for the invasion of Japan called for landing the paras from ships and using them only as elite assault infantry (much like how they were used in Leyte and Luzon).

Jim, http://www.geocities.com/dutcheastindies/ is the best source for all things related to the Dutch East Indies.

Here are my Australian infantry units. I've also includded my attempt at a British armoured carrier, the kind of carrier the British mainly used in the Pacific (the Ark Royal never went anywhere near the Pacific).

Case · June 11, 2003, 19:37

Attaching the file to my post would probably be a good idea

Note that the Australian Army changed over to jungle green uniform in 1943. Before that they wore standard British Khaki (I don't know where Guk Guk got his Australian uniform from!)

jim panse · June 13, 2003, 10:20

HELP NEEDED!

I finished the scenario and wanted to see if the date works properly and it crashes every time.

* Why?
* How many units are allowed? I´ve included more than 1000. Is this too much?

curtsibling · June 13, 2003, 10:49

Check your rules and events, it's likely to be a missing comma or something.

Each civ is allowed a few hundred units...

Paul Hanson · June 13, 2003, 10:52

It's probably something to do with the events; they're notorious for causing scenario problems.

jim panse · June 13, 2003, 11:10

there is no events.txt included yet ....

curtsibling · June 13, 2003, 13:09

Can we help you check through your rules file?
If you want to keep it secret, that is OK...

But I'll bet it's a missing comma...or something...
Easy to miss during late night scenario editing, but causes a huge problem...
And also everyone must have access to the 'future techs'...
If they do not, it causes a crash.
I found this out recently...

jim panse · June 13, 2003, 17:54

I do not think it´s the Rules.txt because when I did the unit placing via the Cheat option there is no problem with saving and loading the game. The problem occurs only when I try to load the pacificassault.scn file. I do not know what I did wrong. Maybe too many units?

curtsibling · June 13, 2003, 17:56

Could be...
Is it possible to resave the scn file?

Do you have a backup save for making a new one?

jim panse · June 13, 2003, 18:06

I have a couple of backup files. I´ll try to redo a *.scn file. I hope it will word. Does anyone know how many units are allowed?

Case · June 13, 2003, 19:35

The total unit limit is way abouve 1000. From memory, it's roughly 3000 (where the AI simplys stops placing new units, and doesn't crash the scenario!).