Canuck Amuck - ADavidB vs. Yank
Moderators: wdolson, Don Bowen, mogami
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ny59giants
- Posts: 9902
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 12:02 pm
RE: Updating to 1.801 here too...
In one of my games I have about a 5:1 ratio of subs killed around Hawaii to my DD's in their ASW role. I told him to keep sending them. [:D][:D]
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RE: Updating to 1.801 here too...
ORIGINAL: ny59giants
In one of my games I have about a 5:1 ratio of subs killed around Hawaii to my DD's in their ASW role. I told him to keep sending them. [:D][:D]
You're doing something a lot better than I am... [&:] [;)]
Cheers -
Dave Baranyi
Successful sub wars...
December 21, 1941 -
There was a surprising amount of sub action this turn, and even more surprising, it turned out fairly well for the Allies. SS Perch attacked an AP on the surface in the Philippines and hit it with 8 shells, with the AP only getting one hit back at the Perch. Then MSW Ipswich caught I-157 loitering off of Java and whacked it with several depth charges. Next, KXVII hit a troop-carry AK off of Malaya, and finally I-2 was hit several times by ASW off of Hawaii. And to balance things off a bit, sub-based Glens continued to scout the Hawaiian Islands at will.
There was a fair amount of air activity too, with big Japanese strikes hitting Singapore, Balikpapan, Clark Field and even Port Moresby. The raid on Port Moresby caught some Wirraways on "CAP", with ensuing results that were anything but "pretty". But my planes at PM continue to attack Japanese ships off the north shore of PNG (and hit an AP this turn), so I'm not pulling back yet.
Japanese troops continue to land at Apamama, and this turn more troops started to land at Salamaua. Finschafen and Kavieng were captured by the Japanese this turn, but for some reason Apamama wasn't. In China, Changsha and Yenen both received artillery bombardments.
And the big Japanese SC TF is still off of Singapore, blocking escape. A second Japanese TF is moving slowly up the Straights of Malacca for some reason. I'll have to keep an eye on both of them.
Dave Baranyi
There was a surprising amount of sub action this turn, and even more surprising, it turned out fairly well for the Allies. SS Perch attacked an AP on the surface in the Philippines and hit it with 8 shells, with the AP only getting one hit back at the Perch. Then MSW Ipswich caught I-157 loitering off of Java and whacked it with several depth charges. Next, KXVII hit a troop-carry AK off of Malaya, and finally I-2 was hit several times by ASW off of Hawaii. And to balance things off a bit, sub-based Glens continued to scout the Hawaiian Islands at will.
There was a fair amount of air activity too, with big Japanese strikes hitting Singapore, Balikpapan, Clark Field and even Port Moresby. The raid on Port Moresby caught some Wirraways on "CAP", with ensuing results that were anything but "pretty". But my planes at PM continue to attack Japanese ships off the north shore of PNG (and hit an AP this turn), so I'm not pulling back yet.
Japanese troops continue to land at Apamama, and this turn more troops started to land at Salamaua. Finschafen and Kavieng were captured by the Japanese this turn, but for some reason Apamama wasn't. In China, Changsha and Yenen both received artillery bombardments.
And the big Japanese SC TF is still off of Singapore, blocking escape. A second Japanese TF is moving slowly up the Straights of Malacca for some reason. I'll have to keep an eye on both of them.
Dave Baranyi
Lots of small actions...
December 22, 1941 -
There were lots of small actions this turn. Japanese troops continued to land unopposed at Salamaua and Apamama, and eventually captured both bases. The weather has started to get worse everywhere, so none of my planes an PM were able to try to interfere with the Japanese ships that are sitting off of various bases on the north coast of PNG. Dobodura was also occupied automatically. I'm assuming from this early action in PNG that Yank intends to go after Gili-Gili and PM fairly early on.
Unfortunately, my early burst of task force activity used up most of my initial fuel stocks in the South Pacific. I try to never run my TFs, and in particular my CV TFs, on low fuel levels, so I've pulled back my TFs from the South Pacific and I'll have to leave the advantage there to the Japanese for now. I've got some refueling TFs on their way in the South Eastern Pacific, but I used up the fuel stocks over there too, so it will be some time before I can get the kind of flow of fuel and supplies that I like to have in place in order to support my naval forces. And as an outcome of this, I've created a TF in Pearl to bring my 4-stack DDs and DMSs to the West Coast. They are all short-legged, so I've got them sailing with three lightly damaged bigger ships; a BB, a CA and a CL. Those ships will also provide naval search from their float planes.
There are still a large number of Japanese subs off of the Hawaiian Islands. My ASW TFs were a bit more successful last turn in hunting these subs, but I still haven't succeeding in driving them off. It's funny in a way; the Glens that are still plaguing the H.I. are mainly spotting the ASW TFs that are chasing their parent subs.
In the Far East another big attack of Nells hit Singapore, and a bombardment TF hit Kuantan just before there was a land attack. The Japanese SC TF that had been blocking the straights off of Singapore finally moved, but I don't know where it went, nor am I certain where that other TF full of CAs went. Therefore, I am not attempting to send more APs to Singapore at this time.
Tarakan received a strong sweep of Zeros this turn and it looks as if several Japanese TFs are on their way in the general direction of Tarakan. I've moved the Dutch planes out of Tarakan and have a number of subs in the area. Otherwise things remain fairly quiet in the region.
Burma also remains quiet, with no sign of any enemy troop movements. That's good from my perspective because it allows me to remain in place longer, and I need time to reinforce the Burma Road. I don't want to lose it this time like I did in the game against Treespider.
China remains reasonably stable. Yank is building up forces at Changsha, Ichang, Yenen and Homan. At the moment the only base that is in real risk is Ichang. I am trying to cover the routes around the base so that I can prevent flanking maneuvers. The Japanese forces did artillery attacks at all four bases.
Dave Baranyi
There were lots of small actions this turn. Japanese troops continued to land unopposed at Salamaua and Apamama, and eventually captured both bases. The weather has started to get worse everywhere, so none of my planes an PM were able to try to interfere with the Japanese ships that are sitting off of various bases on the north coast of PNG. Dobodura was also occupied automatically. I'm assuming from this early action in PNG that Yank intends to go after Gili-Gili and PM fairly early on.
Unfortunately, my early burst of task force activity used up most of my initial fuel stocks in the South Pacific. I try to never run my TFs, and in particular my CV TFs, on low fuel levels, so I've pulled back my TFs from the South Pacific and I'll have to leave the advantage there to the Japanese for now. I've got some refueling TFs on their way in the South Eastern Pacific, but I used up the fuel stocks over there too, so it will be some time before I can get the kind of flow of fuel and supplies that I like to have in place in order to support my naval forces. And as an outcome of this, I've created a TF in Pearl to bring my 4-stack DDs and DMSs to the West Coast. They are all short-legged, so I've got them sailing with three lightly damaged bigger ships; a BB, a CA and a CL. Those ships will also provide naval search from their float planes.
There are still a large number of Japanese subs off of the Hawaiian Islands. My ASW TFs were a bit more successful last turn in hunting these subs, but I still haven't succeeding in driving them off. It's funny in a way; the Glens that are still plaguing the H.I. are mainly spotting the ASW TFs that are chasing their parent subs.
In the Far East another big attack of Nells hit Singapore, and a bombardment TF hit Kuantan just before there was a land attack. The Japanese SC TF that had been blocking the straights off of Singapore finally moved, but I don't know where it went, nor am I certain where that other TF full of CAs went. Therefore, I am not attempting to send more APs to Singapore at this time.
Tarakan received a strong sweep of Zeros this turn and it looks as if several Japanese TFs are on their way in the general direction of Tarakan. I've moved the Dutch planes out of Tarakan and have a number of subs in the area. Otherwise things remain fairly quiet in the region.
Burma also remains quiet, with no sign of any enemy troop movements. That's good from my perspective because it allows me to remain in place longer, and I need time to reinforce the Burma Road. I don't want to lose it this time like I did in the game against Treespider.
China remains reasonably stable. Yank is building up forces at Changsha, Ichang, Yenen and Homan. At the moment the only base that is in real risk is Ichang. I am trying to cover the routes around the base so that I can prevent flanking maneuvers. The Japanese forces did artillery attacks at all four bases.
Dave Baranyi
Shortages...
December 23, 1941 -
Fortunately for me, Japanese forces have taken a bit of a break from their initial widespread attacks and are now focusing upon more core targets. This is allowing me to stabilize my next line of defense and plan further counterattacks. This also allows me the time to recover from my own initial overly ambitious counterattack plan which, while it did create a certain amount of disruption in the initial Japanese expansion, had one side effect which will cost me for some time yet. I ran myself out of fuel in the South Pacific!
Thus, I've had to send my combat TFs limping back to major bases that are far out of the way of the continued Japanese expansions into the Gilberts, PNG and Solomons. I don't normally run out so badly, but Yank captured some key bases in the Bismarcks and I had more combat TFs in the South Pacific that I usually do. The end result is that I have plenty of combat ships that are "ready and willing", but don't have the fuel to act. I'm just hoping that my initial aggressiveness keeps Yank wondering for a while where I'll "strike" next. Unfortunately, it will be in bars in major ports, far from the action. [X(]
Yank appears to have pulled his two combat TFs back from the blockage of Singapore and thrown them into the attack upon Kuantan. A BB-lead TF and a cruiser TF bombarded Kuantan this turn. Then a number of bombers hit the base from the air. While this did soften up the base, the defenders were still able to beat back a shock attack with no casualties to themselves.
There was a lot of Japanese air activity throughout the Far East, although not at the usual levels thanks to the arrival of universal bad weather. I'm going to try to take advantage of the bad weather to move more forces around and to rest my air units. It's pointless to take operational losses on top of the constant combat losses that my Brit and Dutch pilots have been taking.
Amongst various air attacks, some of the key ones was yet another big unescorted Nell attack on Singapore. I only wish that I had some decent fighters available to move to Singapore. I'm tempted to use the AVG, but I hate to let them get swamped by overwhelming force. Tarakan was swept again and Balikpapan was hit by escorted bombers, so it looks as if southern Borneo will indeed be the next big Japanese target. And the airfield at PM was hit again. I've pulled my Wirraways out - it's pointless to leave them there for practice for the Zeros.
In land combat news, I was surprised by a landing on Cebu. Usually Japanese players leave Cebu for last, or for a bomber practice target. I've got some remaining US PT boats nearby; I'm sending them in to see if they can disrupt the landing. And at Clark Field another Japanese unit came in on its own and joined the two armored units in a very unsuccessful shock attack. If Yank continues to do piecemeal attacks the Philippines may well last a fair while.
In China Yank continues to build up his multiple base sieges, with Yenen and Ichang being the most dangerous at this time. Changsha, Ichang, Yenen and Homan all received artillery bombardments this turn. My Chinese air isn't flying due to the weather so I haven't been able to disrupt any of those attacks.
Dave Baranyi
Fortunately for me, Japanese forces have taken a bit of a break from their initial widespread attacks and are now focusing upon more core targets. This is allowing me to stabilize my next line of defense and plan further counterattacks. This also allows me the time to recover from my own initial overly ambitious counterattack plan which, while it did create a certain amount of disruption in the initial Japanese expansion, had one side effect which will cost me for some time yet. I ran myself out of fuel in the South Pacific!
Thus, I've had to send my combat TFs limping back to major bases that are far out of the way of the continued Japanese expansions into the Gilberts, PNG and Solomons. I don't normally run out so badly, but Yank captured some key bases in the Bismarcks and I had more combat TFs in the South Pacific that I usually do. The end result is that I have plenty of combat ships that are "ready and willing", but don't have the fuel to act. I'm just hoping that my initial aggressiveness keeps Yank wondering for a while where I'll "strike" next. Unfortunately, it will be in bars in major ports, far from the action. [X(]
Yank appears to have pulled his two combat TFs back from the blockage of Singapore and thrown them into the attack upon Kuantan. A BB-lead TF and a cruiser TF bombarded Kuantan this turn. Then a number of bombers hit the base from the air. While this did soften up the base, the defenders were still able to beat back a shock attack with no casualties to themselves.
There was a lot of Japanese air activity throughout the Far East, although not at the usual levels thanks to the arrival of universal bad weather. I'm going to try to take advantage of the bad weather to move more forces around and to rest my air units. It's pointless to take operational losses on top of the constant combat losses that my Brit and Dutch pilots have been taking.
Amongst various air attacks, some of the key ones was yet another big unescorted Nell attack on Singapore. I only wish that I had some decent fighters available to move to Singapore. I'm tempted to use the AVG, but I hate to let them get swamped by overwhelming force. Tarakan was swept again and Balikpapan was hit by escorted bombers, so it looks as if southern Borneo will indeed be the next big Japanese target. And the airfield at PM was hit again. I've pulled my Wirraways out - it's pointless to leave them there for practice for the Zeros.
In land combat news, I was surprised by a landing on Cebu. Usually Japanese players leave Cebu for last, or for a bomber practice target. I've got some remaining US PT boats nearby; I'm sending them in to see if they can disrupt the landing. And at Clark Field another Japanese unit came in on its own and joined the two armored units in a very unsuccessful shock attack. If Yank continues to do piecemeal attacks the Philippines may well last a fair while.
In China Yank continues to build up his multiple base sieges, with Yenen and Ichang being the most dangerous at this time. Changsha, Ichang, Yenen and Homan all received artillery bombardments this turn. My Chinese air isn't flying due to the weather so I haven't been able to disrupt any of those attacks.
Dave Baranyi
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ny59giants
- Posts: 9902
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 12:02 pm
RE: Shortages...
When do you feel it is wise to tranfer your air force out of Singapore?? I don't want to keep it there too long after the Sally's are based on the upper Malaya peninsula and close to 100 planes are blasting Singapore back to the dark ages. [X(][X(]
It seems to be a balancing act so as to have something left for Burma/India.
It seems to be a balancing act so as to have something left for Burma/India.
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[/center]RE: Shortages...
ORIGINAL: ny59giants
When do you feel it is wise to tranfer your air force out of Singapore?? I don't want to keep it there too long after the Sally's are based on the upper Malaya peninsula and close to 100 planes are blasting Singapore back to the dark ages. [X(][X(]
It seems to be a balancing act so as to have something left for Burma/India.
I wait to see how well my pilots are doing. If they are holding their own, I leave them in for a while. If they are immediately blasted down to morale in the 20s and only a few planes flyable I pull them out. I tend to move the units with the worst morale to Burma/India and the better ones to Java to recouperate. Brit Buffalos have a long enough transfer range to get them almost to anywhere that I want. I tend to use them in India just to have some fighters on CAP over bases to discourage long range unescorted bomber attacks. But if the Japanese come to India in a serious manner then the Buffalos aren't going to be much good at all. I tend to just pray for Hurricanes, then Spits...
Dave Baranyi
Surface Sub Attacks...
December 24, 1941 -
I witnessed something this turn that I've rarely seen in the Game, and then saw it twice! Dutch sub KXVII fought it out with the AP Koan Maru in the daylight and on the surface just off of Malaya. KXVII put a torpedo and three shell hits into the AP, setting it on fire. But Koan Maru returned the fire and hit KXVII six times! But KXVII wasn't finished by a long shot, because it then engaged a second AP on the surface, Kisogawa Maru. This time KXVII hit the AP with two torpedoes and 8 shell hits, causing heavy damage that eventually sank Kisogawa Maru. And this time KXVII didn't received any hits in return. Right now KXVII is heading to port to reload and to repair a bit of damage. I only wish I good get its skipper and put him in charge of a battleship! [:D]
In other news, the Japanese continued to land troops at Cebu, but this was eventually interrupted by 4 US PT boats that hit two of the APs with shell fire and drove them all off. This turned out to be good timing because the Japanese troops on Cebu attempted a shock attack that failed later on. I'm going to send those PTs out of the Philippines and let them try to reach full replenishment.
Otherwise, things were pretty much the same everywhere. My ASW fruitlessly chased Japanese subs off of the Hawaiian Islands. Japanese bombers hit plenty of bases in the Far East again. The same four bases received artillery bombardments this turn. And a Japanese land unit finally reached the long-empty Victoria Point. Tavoy is still unbothered by the Japanese, so I may be able to hang on to the Burma Road this game.
Dave Baranyi
I witnessed something this turn that I've rarely seen in the Game, and then saw it twice! Dutch sub KXVII fought it out with the AP Koan Maru in the daylight and on the surface just off of Malaya. KXVII put a torpedo and three shell hits into the AP, setting it on fire. But Koan Maru returned the fire and hit KXVII six times! But KXVII wasn't finished by a long shot, because it then engaged a second AP on the surface, Kisogawa Maru. This time KXVII hit the AP with two torpedoes and 8 shell hits, causing heavy damage that eventually sank Kisogawa Maru. And this time KXVII didn't received any hits in return. Right now KXVII is heading to port to reload and to repair a bit of damage. I only wish I good get its skipper and put him in charge of a battleship! [:D]
In other news, the Japanese continued to land troops at Cebu, but this was eventually interrupted by 4 US PT boats that hit two of the APs with shell fire and drove them all off. This turned out to be good timing because the Japanese troops on Cebu attempted a shock attack that failed later on. I'm going to send those PTs out of the Philippines and let them try to reach full replenishment.
Otherwise, things were pretty much the same everywhere. My ASW fruitlessly chased Japanese subs off of the Hawaiian Islands. Japanese bombers hit plenty of bases in the Far East again. The same four bases received artillery bombardments this turn. And a Japanese land unit finally reached the long-empty Victoria Point. Tavoy is still unbothered by the Japanese, so I may be able to hang on to the Burma Road this game.
Dave Baranyi
RE: Surface Sub Attacks...
December 25, 1941 -
My ASW was busy again in the Hawaiian Islands, but not successful. I hope that I at least run those spy subs out of fuel soon. Oh well, at least having all those subs in the Hawaiian Islands means that there are fewer Japanese subs to bother me elsewhere. It is quite convenient to not have any spy subs off of the West Coast of North America.
The weather was generally lousy everywhere, which contributed to a lower than usual number of air sorties on both sides. I don't mind at all because this is allowing my forces and bases to recover a bit. The Australian Hudsons at Port Moresby did get off and hit an AP at Salamana so this turn wasn't a total waste in the air for me.
Yank started to land troops at Miri this turn. I've got that Brit base force there that was kicked out of Brunei. I did have a Dutch Catalina squadron there, but I've now moved them out. Yank didn't get more troops into Cebu this turn so another shock attack there failed again. A Val spotted one of my subs off of Davao; I wonder if that is a land-based plane or if Yank is bringing some carriers back into the region. I've got some surface combat ships sitting back in places like Kendari and Koepang, but I'll whip them out of there fast if it turns out that there really are Japanese carriers around.
The land war continued much as before, with few attacks. Yank must be resting up and readying his troops that are besieging various bases. Changsha, Ichang, Yenen and Homan all received artillery attacks again. It also appears that Yank is attempting to send some troops on the long, long march along the Mongolian border to Lautem. I've already got some combat troops in place, and I'm building up the airfields, so I'll happily bomb any fatigued Japanese troops who eventually stagger in to even greater depths of fatigue.
I am still amazed that Burma is being left totally alone. There aren't even any long range air raids. Therefore I am not yet pulling back most of my troops. If Yank doesn't move forward I may eventually become "tempted" to move those Chinese troops farther than just the Burma Road. [;)]
Dave Baranyi
My ASW was busy again in the Hawaiian Islands, but not successful. I hope that I at least run those spy subs out of fuel soon. Oh well, at least having all those subs in the Hawaiian Islands means that there are fewer Japanese subs to bother me elsewhere. It is quite convenient to not have any spy subs off of the West Coast of North America.
The weather was generally lousy everywhere, which contributed to a lower than usual number of air sorties on both sides. I don't mind at all because this is allowing my forces and bases to recover a bit. The Australian Hudsons at Port Moresby did get off and hit an AP at Salamana so this turn wasn't a total waste in the air for me.
Yank started to land troops at Miri this turn. I've got that Brit base force there that was kicked out of Brunei. I did have a Dutch Catalina squadron there, but I've now moved them out. Yank didn't get more troops into Cebu this turn so another shock attack there failed again. A Val spotted one of my subs off of Davao; I wonder if that is a land-based plane or if Yank is bringing some carriers back into the region. I've got some surface combat ships sitting back in places like Kendari and Koepang, but I'll whip them out of there fast if it turns out that there really are Japanese carriers around.
The land war continued much as before, with few attacks. Yank must be resting up and readying his troops that are besieging various bases. Changsha, Ichang, Yenen and Homan all received artillery attacks again. It also appears that Yank is attempting to send some troops on the long, long march along the Mongolian border to Lautem. I've already got some combat troops in place, and I'm building up the airfields, so I'll happily bomb any fatigued Japanese troops who eventually stagger in to even greater depths of fatigue.
I am still amazed that Burma is being left totally alone. There aren't even any long range air raids. Therefore I am not yet pulling back most of my troops. If Yank doesn't move forward I may eventually become "tempted" to move those Chinese troops farther than just the Burma Road. [;)]
Dave Baranyi
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BrucePowers
- Posts: 12090
- Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2004 6:13 pm
RE: Surface Sub Attacks...
In my game against the AI, I have several task forces of DDs searching for subs around PH. I think I damaged one. They are at least gaining experience.
For what we are about to receive, may we be truly thankful.
Lieutenant Bush - Captain Horatio Hornblower by C S Forester
Lieutenant Bush - Captain Horatio Hornblower by C S Forester
RE: Surface Sub Attacks...
ORIGINAL: BrucePowers
In my game against the AI, I have several task forces of DDs searching for subs around PH. I think I damaged one. They are at least gaining experience.
I think that we need to drop some boosters on them... [;)] (Nice photo of the Shuttle.)
Thanks -
Dave Baranyi
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BrucePowers
- Posts: 12090
- Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2004 6:13 pm
RE: Surface Sub Attacks...
OV-103 Discovery rollout for July launch. Return to flight. Yes!!!
For what we are about to receive, may we be truly thankful.
Lieutenant Bush - Captain Horatio Hornblower by C S Forester
Lieutenant Bush - Captain Horatio Hornblower by C S Forester
Unintentional status report...
[font="times new roman"]December 26, 1941 -[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Yank forgot to send the Combat Replay along with the Turn this time, and before I noticed that it was missing, Yank had overwritten everything in his Save folder thanks to playing a turn against the AI. So this is a Status Report based upon my observations of the December 27 turn rather than being a report of action the previous turn.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Checking all the areas of the map, the West Coast remains clear of subs and my TFs are sailing along unhindered in that region. There are still a half dozen Japanese subs sitting to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands in the shipping lanes. I refuelled the ASW ships that went out last turn and disbanded them, and then I created more ASW TFs out of ships that had sat in port last turn. None of the ships from the previous turn's ASW action had any damage, which is good news because it means that none were surprisedut the enemy subs. But I doubt that they hit any of the Japanese subs badly either.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Yank has a lot of naval action occurring in the Celebes Sea. There is one transport TF that appears to be heading to Tarakan, and another that is likely heading for Morotai, but may be heading for Menando instead. I've decided to challenge these invasions and have moved up a number of the Dutch air units that I've been resting for the past game-week or so. I also have the US PTs headed for Morotai and a small Dutch surface combat TF heading for Menando. I have LR CAP in the region to cover the Menando-bound TF. The weather is generally stormy, so my air units may not find anything even if they do take off, but I've got them spread across four different bases so maybe I'll get lucky. [/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Right now all of my CVs are sitting in port, getting their system damage reduced and replenishing air units. There are no good targets of opportunity around right now, and I want to get the flattops into as good a shape as possible before I send them out again. So this means that Yank will have one less type of counterattack to worry about for a while, but it can't be helped.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Most everything else is either as expected or unusually quiet. In Luzon, for example, I still hold Legaspi, Naga, Manila, Bataan and San Marcelino without any Japanese contesting my presence. There are five Japanese units at Clark Field, but they aren't close to capturing it yet. There are also three small Japanese units in Lamon Bay, but I trapped them in place with a Philippine Army Division. So they can't cut southern Luzon off from Manila. In Mindanao I still hold Cagayan and Dajangas, but with tired and weak troops, so they will fall whenever Yank bothers to go after them. And the Japanese troops that landed at Cebu still haven't captured it.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]In another surprise, the Japanese troops that moved into Miri last turn haven't captured it either. Considering that the base force there was kicked out of Brunei, I can't imagine that it will stand up to much of an attack. But for now I'm still enjoying the opportunity to refuel subs from the ample fuel supplies that are there.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]The situation is also static in Malaya. The Brits still hold Alor Star and Kuantan, despite Kuantan being heavily damaged from naval and aerial bombardments. To the north, Victoria Point was finally captured unopposed and there is now a Japanese unit at Tavoy. It also appears that Yank has sent some troops to Rahaeng. I'm sending some bombers over on recon in order to verify this. Rahaeng is dangerous because troops from there can cut off troops in the Rangoon area due to the rail bonus. [/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]In China Yenen, Ichang and Changsha remain the Chinese bases facing the most serious Japanese threats. I believe that I can win the "reinforcements war" at Changsha, but I am certain that I can't at Ichang, and am starting to get a bit worried about Yenen. My one hope with the Ichang situation is that I might be able to cut the Japanese supply lines if Yank doesn't capture the base too quickly. However, Yank is apparently sending more and better air units against the Chinese bases from the look of the damage levels of some of my Chinese fighter units.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]But all-in-all, I'm reasonably satisfied about the current situation. Yank's initial multi-pronged lunge has slowed, I've been able to move a lot of Allied forces into good positions, and I haven't taken too many losses. For example, right now the Allies have only lost 31 ships, against 14 for the Japanese. The two biggest Allied losses were a US CA and an Anzac CL, and both were lost in surface action, so they were able to draw blood in return. The biggest Japanese loss has been a CL, but I'm still happy to be able to cause problems for the Japanese anywhere and in any manner.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Dave Baranyi[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Yank forgot to send the Combat Replay along with the Turn this time, and before I noticed that it was missing, Yank had overwritten everything in his Save folder thanks to playing a turn against the AI. So this is a Status Report based upon my observations of the December 27 turn rather than being a report of action the previous turn.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Checking all the areas of the map, the West Coast remains clear of subs and my TFs are sailing along unhindered in that region. There are still a half dozen Japanese subs sitting to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands in the shipping lanes. I refuelled the ASW ships that went out last turn and disbanded them, and then I created more ASW TFs out of ships that had sat in port last turn. None of the ships from the previous turn's ASW action had any damage, which is good news because it means that none were surprisedut the enemy subs. But I doubt that they hit any of the Japanese subs badly either.[/font]
[font="times new roman"] [/font]
[font="times new roman"]Yank has a lot of naval action occurring in the Celebes Sea. There is one transport TF that appears to be heading to Tarakan, and another that is likely heading for Morotai, but may be heading for Menando instead. I've decided to challenge these invasions and have moved up a number of the Dutch air units that I've been resting for the past game-week or so. I also have the US PTs headed for Morotai and a small Dutch surface combat TF heading for Menando. I have LR CAP in the region to cover the Menando-bound TF. The weather is generally stormy, so my air units may not find anything even if they do take off, but I've got them spread across four different bases so maybe I'll get lucky. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Right now all of my CVs are sitting in port, getting their system damage reduced and replenishing air units. There are no good targets of opportunity around right now, and I want to get the flattops into as good a shape as possible before I send them out again. So this means that Yank will have one less type of counterattack to worry about for a while, but it can't be helped.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Most everything else is either as expected or unusually quiet. In Luzon, for example, I still hold Legaspi, Naga, Manila, Bataan and San Marcelino without any Japanese contesting my presence. There are five Japanese units at Clark Field, but they aren't close to capturing it yet. There are also three small Japanese units in Lamon Bay, but I trapped them in place with a Philippine Army Division. So they can't cut southern Luzon off from Manila. In Mindanao I still hold Cagayan and Dajangas, but with tired and weak troops, so they will fall whenever Yank bothers to go after them. And the Japanese troops that landed at Cebu still haven't captured it.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]In another surprise, the Japanese troops that moved into Miri last turn haven't captured it either. Considering that the base force there was kicked out of Brunei, I can't imagine that it will stand up to much of an attack. But for now I'm still enjoying the opportunity to refuel subs from the ample fuel supplies that are there.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]The situation is also static in Malaya. The Brits still hold Alor Star and Kuantan, despite Kuantan being heavily damaged from naval and aerial bombardments. To the north, Victoria Point was finally captured unopposed and there is now a Japanese unit at Tavoy. It also appears that Yank has sent some troops to Rahaeng. I'm sending some bombers over on recon in order to verify this. Rahaeng is dangerous because troops from there can cut off troops in the Rangoon area due to the rail bonus. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"]In China Yenen, Ichang and Changsha remain the Chinese bases facing the most serious Japanese threats. I believe that I can win the "reinforcements war" at Changsha, but I am certain that I can't at Ichang, and am starting to get a bit worried about Yenen. My one hope with the Ichang situation is that I might be able to cut the Japanese supply lines if Yank doesn't capture the base too quickly. However, Yank is apparently sending more and better air units against the Chinese bases from the look of the damage levels of some of my Chinese fighter units.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]But all-in-all, I'm reasonably satisfied about the current situation. Yank's initial multi-pronged lunge has slowed, I've been able to move a lot of Allied forces into good positions, and I haven't taken too many losses. For example, right now the Allies have only lost 31 ships, against 14 for the Japanese. The two biggest Allied losses were a US CA and an Anzac CL, and both were lost in surface action, so they were able to draw blood in return. The biggest Japanese loss has been a CL, but I'm still happy to be able to cause problems for the Japanese anywhere and in any manner.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Dave Baranyi[/font]
Deadly Dutchmen...
December 27, 1941 -
Dutch forces showed some "muscle" at the beginning of this turn. Granted, the euphoria didn't extend beyond the later part of the turn, but it was still fun while it lasted. First off, I sent four Dutch PT boats to Kuching to see if Yank had left his transports there unguarded. Well, I lucked out, because the "Dutch Blasters" first ran into an unescorted transport TF and put a torpedo into an AP full of Japanese troops.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kuching at 28, 56
Japanese Ships
AP Batavia Maru
AP La Plata Maru
AP Kagi Maru
AP Kaifuku Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
Allied Ships
PT TM-4
PT TM-5
PT TM-6
PT TM-7
Japanese ground losses:
78 casualties reported
The Dutch PTs then ran into a Japanese PT, with whom they exchanged fire but there were no hits on either side. The same Dutch PTs then ran into two Japanese MSWs and this time neither side got any shots off. So the "Dutch Blasters" are on their way back to base, safe and sound, and also successful.
But that didn't end the excitement. Right afterwards Dutch sub KVIII found the same TF and put a torpedo into a second AP:
Sub attack at 28, 55
Japanese Ships
AP Batavia Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied Ships
SS KVIII
But the fun wasn't over yet, because later in the day some Brit torpedo bombers got a chance at the MSWs that were still hanging around Kuching:
Day Air attack on TF, near Kuching at 28, 56
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
Allied aircraft
Brewster 339D x 11
Vildebeest IV x 5
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
Brewster 339D: 6 destroyed
Japanese Ships
MSW Choun Maru #7
MSW Choun Maru #6, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
That MSW later sank. There was a lot of other LBA action in all the primary Fronts, with Japanese air causing some damage to a number of Allied bases, and Allied air attempting unsuccessful attacks on other Japanese naval targets. One of the more interesting Japanese LBA attacks was from Davao against Menado where the Japanese got a bit of a surprise:
Day Air attack on Menado, at 39, 67
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
G4M1 Betty x 15
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 7
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
You can bet that Yank wasn't expecting to find Warhawks there. I also surprised the unescorted Nells that have been flying to Singapore on a daily basis by bringing some Brit CAP back again:
Day Air attack on Singapore, at 23, 50
Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 53
Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 6 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 3 damaged
Allied ground losses:
52 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 21
Unfortunately, there weren't enough Brits to make a big difference, but this will cause Yank to rethink his tactics. He will also have to reconsider things in the air over China:
Day Air attack on 4th New Chinese Corps, at 47, 36
Japanese aircraft
Ki-51 Sonia x 9
Allied aircraft
I-16c x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-51 Sonia: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 1 damaged
Between my hit-and-run air tactics and the universally bad weather Yank will have to stay flexible in order to maintain an LBA campaign on the outer Fronts.
The Japanese also sent a naval bombardment TF in to hit Tarakan. The TF surprisingly enough came in during the daytime; that may have been because it stopped during the night to chase another Dutch sub. Then Japanese troops started to land; once again during the daytime. I couldn't figure why my LBA wasn't going after the invasion TFs until the following happened:
Day Air attack on Balikpapan, at 31, 64
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 112
D3A Val x 126
B5N Kate x 93
Allied aircraft
Brewster 339D x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged
B5N Kate: 10 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Brewster 339D: 4 destroyed
Martin 139: 3 destroyed
Allied ground losses:
32 casualties reported
Airbase hits 13
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 115
Oops! I now know that at least part of the KB is sitting in the Celebes Sea. I'm also guessing that IJN Zeros are likely flying LR CAP over the invasion of Tarakan, and that's why none of my bombers attempted to attack the TFs there.
The presence of the KB may very well provide the flexibility that Yank needs for him to recover the momentum in the DEI. Obviously, I am pulling my ships out of the region at full speed. And while I'm leaving my Dutch air units in various locations that have the potential for launching ambushes, it is equally obvious that the Dutch planes won't fly against the KB and wouldn't have a chance if they did. I wonder if Yank will use the KB to systematically crush the Dutch air bases in the DEI?
In the land war, things remained relatively stable in China, with Japanese troops doing artillery barrages at Ichang, Changsha, Homan and Yenen. Japanese troops captured Tavoy against no opposition, and kicked the Commonwealth troops out of Kuantan. However, a Japanese shock attack at Clark Field failed. I suspect that was just more troops coming into the hex.
Dave Baranyi
Dutch forces showed some "muscle" at the beginning of this turn. Granted, the euphoria didn't extend beyond the later part of the turn, but it was still fun while it lasted. First off, I sent four Dutch PT boats to Kuching to see if Yank had left his transports there unguarded. Well, I lucked out, because the "Dutch Blasters" first ran into an unescorted transport TF and put a torpedo into an AP full of Japanese troops.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Kuching at 28, 56
Japanese Ships
AP Batavia Maru
AP La Plata Maru
AP Kagi Maru
AP Kaifuku Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
Allied Ships
PT TM-4
PT TM-5
PT TM-6
PT TM-7
Japanese ground losses:
78 casualties reported
The Dutch PTs then ran into a Japanese PT, with whom they exchanged fire but there were no hits on either side. The same Dutch PTs then ran into two Japanese MSWs and this time neither side got any shots off. So the "Dutch Blasters" are on their way back to base, safe and sound, and also successful.
But that didn't end the excitement. Right afterwards Dutch sub KVIII found the same TF and put a torpedo into a second AP:
Sub attack at 28, 55
Japanese Ships
AP Batavia Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Allied Ships
SS KVIII
But the fun wasn't over yet, because later in the day some Brit torpedo bombers got a chance at the MSWs that were still hanging around Kuching:
Day Air attack on TF, near Kuching at 28, 56
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
Allied aircraft
Brewster 339D x 11
Vildebeest IV x 5
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
Brewster 339D: 6 destroyed
Japanese Ships
MSW Choun Maru #7
MSW Choun Maru #6, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
That MSW later sank. There was a lot of other LBA action in all the primary Fronts, with Japanese air causing some damage to a number of Allied bases, and Allied air attempting unsuccessful attacks on other Japanese naval targets. One of the more interesting Japanese LBA attacks was from Davao against Menado where the Japanese got a bit of a surprise:
Day Air attack on Menado, at 39, 67
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 8
G4M1 Betty x 15
Allied aircraft
P-40E Warhawk x 7
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
You can bet that Yank wasn't expecting to find Warhawks there. I also surprised the unescorted Nells that have been flying to Singapore on a daily basis by bringing some Brit CAP back again:
Day Air attack on Singapore, at 23, 50
Japanese aircraft
G3M Nell x 53
Allied aircraft
Buffalo I x 6
Japanese aircraft losses
G3M Nell: 6 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Buffalo I: 3 damaged
Allied ground losses:
52 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 3
Runway hits 21
Unfortunately, there weren't enough Brits to make a big difference, but this will cause Yank to rethink his tactics. He will also have to reconsider things in the air over China:
Day Air attack on 4th New Chinese Corps, at 47, 36
Japanese aircraft
Ki-51 Sonia x 9
Allied aircraft
I-16c x 9
Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-51 Sonia: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
I-16c: 1 damaged
Between my hit-and-run air tactics and the universally bad weather Yank will have to stay flexible in order to maintain an LBA campaign on the outer Fronts.
The Japanese also sent a naval bombardment TF in to hit Tarakan. The TF surprisingly enough came in during the daytime; that may have been because it stopped during the night to chase another Dutch sub. Then Japanese troops started to land; once again during the daytime. I couldn't figure why my LBA wasn't going after the invasion TFs until the following happened:
Day Air attack on Balikpapan, at 31, 64
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 112
D3A Val x 126
B5N Kate x 93
Allied aircraft
Brewster 339D x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
D3A Val: 2 destroyed, 13 damaged
B5N Kate: 10 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Brewster 339D: 4 destroyed
Martin 139: 3 destroyed
Allied ground losses:
32 casualties reported
Airbase hits 13
Airbase supply hits 11
Runway hits 115
Oops! I now know that at least part of the KB is sitting in the Celebes Sea. I'm also guessing that IJN Zeros are likely flying LR CAP over the invasion of Tarakan, and that's why none of my bombers attempted to attack the TFs there.
The presence of the KB may very well provide the flexibility that Yank needs for him to recover the momentum in the DEI. Obviously, I am pulling my ships out of the region at full speed. And while I'm leaving my Dutch air units in various locations that have the potential for launching ambushes, it is equally obvious that the Dutch planes won't fly against the KB and wouldn't have a chance if they did. I wonder if Yank will use the KB to systematically crush the Dutch air bases in the DEI?
In the land war, things remained relatively stable in China, with Japanese troops doing artillery barrages at Ichang, Changsha, Homan and Yenen. Japanese troops captured Tavoy against no opposition, and kicked the Commonwealth troops out of Kuantan. However, a Japanese shock attack at Clark Field failed. I suspect that was just more troops coming into the hex.
Dave Baranyi
The KB "Krunch"
December 28, 1941 -
Despite lousy weather most everywhere there was a fair amount of action this turn. The invasion of Tarakan continued, with Dutch T IVs putting a torpedo into one of the Japanese APs while trying and missing some of the ships in the associated bombardment TF. The Japanese carrier TF moved closed to Balikpapan and hammered the air base there with a lot of planes:
Day Air attack on Balikpapan, at 31, 64
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
B5N Kate x 137
Allied aircraft
Brewster 339D x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 6 destroyed, 30 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Brewster 339D: 1 destroyed
Allied ground losses:
45 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 70
The only good thing was the number of Kates that were hit in the attack. For some reason they were attacking at 100 feet. I don't care how much Yank hammers Balikpapan because I only have a couple of damaged planes there, and if he invades soon he will have to repair all the damage anyway. And fortunately, because Yank has an overwhelming air advantage with his carrier TF, my LBA planes aren't wasting themselves against the Naval CAP and are attacking other "softer" targets instead.
Yank sent unescorted 50 Nells against Singapore again, and once again the handful of Brit Buffalos there drove off half of the bombers and shot down one. But there just aren't enough of the Brits to do the entire job. Bettys and Zeros also flew against Menado again, and again were stopped by the Warhawks. There were also a number of air raids in China from both sides.
In the naval war the USN ASW ships started to find the range this turn as they attacked three different subs off of Hawaii, missing one, damaging another slightly and damaging a third sub a lot. As long as Yank keeps the subs off of Hawaii I will keep the "naval circus" sailing in and out after them.
In land action, there were Japanese artillery attacks on Ichang, Changsha, Homan and Yenen again. The only other land attack was the unopposed capture of Taytay.
Dave Baranyi
Despite lousy weather most everywhere there was a fair amount of action this turn. The invasion of Tarakan continued, with Dutch T IVs putting a torpedo into one of the Japanese APs while trying and missing some of the ships in the associated bombardment TF. The Japanese carrier TF moved closed to Balikpapan and hammered the air base there with a lot of planes:
Day Air attack on Balikpapan, at 31, 64
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 20
B5N Kate x 137
Allied aircraft
Brewster 339D x 2
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N Kate: 6 destroyed, 30 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Brewster 339D: 1 destroyed
Allied ground losses:
45 casualties reported
Guns lost 1
Airbase hits 7
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 70
The only good thing was the number of Kates that were hit in the attack. For some reason they were attacking at 100 feet. I don't care how much Yank hammers Balikpapan because I only have a couple of damaged planes there, and if he invades soon he will have to repair all the damage anyway. And fortunately, because Yank has an overwhelming air advantage with his carrier TF, my LBA planes aren't wasting themselves against the Naval CAP and are attacking other "softer" targets instead.
Yank sent unescorted 50 Nells against Singapore again, and once again the handful of Brit Buffalos there drove off half of the bombers and shot down one. But there just aren't enough of the Brits to do the entire job. Bettys and Zeros also flew against Menado again, and again were stopped by the Warhawks. There were also a number of air raids in China from both sides.
In the naval war the USN ASW ships started to find the range this turn as they attacked three different subs off of Hawaii, missing one, damaging another slightly and damaging a third sub a lot. As long as Yank keeps the subs off of Hawaii I will keep the "naval circus" sailing in and out after them.
In land action, there were Japanese artillery attacks on Ichang, Changsha, Homan and Yenen again. The only other land attack was the unopposed capture of Taytay.
Dave Baranyi
Japan Grabs Three More...
December 29, 1941 -
Lae was occupied automatically this turn, which is an indication of the effect of Yank's early expansion into PNG, New Britain and the Solomons. It will be very costly later on to recover that area. Yank also continues to send daily bombing raids from Rabaul to PM. The raids aren't accomplishing much as far as damage goes, but they are a good way to give easy experience to his pilots and to keep my troops at PM repairing damage instead of building fortifications.
The real action this turn was still in the central DEI. Troops continued to land at Tarakan and the base received another naval bombardment. So when it was time for the Japanese to try a shock attack it worked perfectly. It also helped that Yank brought in an entire division for the invasion. He definitely wasn't taking any chances.
During the turn the Japanese carriers remained on station off of Balikpapan, but they didn't launch any attacks this turn. Yank probably had them "resting" on naval attack. There was rain everywhere again, so none of my bombers flew in the region either.
The biggest air attack occurred at Singapore which was once again hit by a ton of Nells. My Brit Buffalos are essentially finished and they couldn't do anything to stop the attack, I don't have anything else in the region that I can spare for Singapore, so it looks as if Yank will get to bomb it until he gets bored. Surprisingly enough, Yanks doesn't appear to be doing anything else in Malaya at this time.
The only notable news for the Allies this turn was that Dutch sub KVIII attacked a Japanese AP on the surface off of Kuching and sank the ship with four torpedoes and a shell hit. KVIII now has to go home to reload ammunition. That's a happening that occurs far too rarely for my subs.
In other land combat news, Changsha, Ichang, Homan and Yenen all received their "daily allotment" of artillery bombardments. These attacks aren't doing much, so I'm not bothering to reply. And Miri fell to a shock attack, finally getting rid of that Brit base force that retreated there from Brunei.
Dave Baranyi
Lae was occupied automatically this turn, which is an indication of the effect of Yank's early expansion into PNG, New Britain and the Solomons. It will be very costly later on to recover that area. Yank also continues to send daily bombing raids from Rabaul to PM. The raids aren't accomplishing much as far as damage goes, but they are a good way to give easy experience to his pilots and to keep my troops at PM repairing damage instead of building fortifications.
The real action this turn was still in the central DEI. Troops continued to land at Tarakan and the base received another naval bombardment. So when it was time for the Japanese to try a shock attack it worked perfectly. It also helped that Yank brought in an entire division for the invasion. He definitely wasn't taking any chances.
During the turn the Japanese carriers remained on station off of Balikpapan, but they didn't launch any attacks this turn. Yank probably had them "resting" on naval attack. There was rain everywhere again, so none of my bombers flew in the region either.
The biggest air attack occurred at Singapore which was once again hit by a ton of Nells. My Brit Buffalos are essentially finished and they couldn't do anything to stop the attack, I don't have anything else in the region that I can spare for Singapore, so it looks as if Yank will get to bomb it until he gets bored. Surprisingly enough, Yanks doesn't appear to be doing anything else in Malaya at this time.
The only notable news for the Allies this turn was that Dutch sub KVIII attacked a Japanese AP on the surface off of Kuching and sank the ship with four torpedoes and a shell hit. KVIII now has to go home to reload ammunition. That's a happening that occurs far too rarely for my subs.
In other land combat news, Changsha, Ichang, Homan and Yenen all received their "daily allotment" of artillery bombardments. These attacks aren't doing much, so I'm not bothering to reply. And Miri fell to a shock attack, finally getting rid of that Brit base force that retreated there from Brunei.
Dave Baranyi
Nells vs PTs...
December 30, 1941 -
Once again there was fairly lousy weather everywhere this turn. This didn't stop a lot of Japanese air attacks, but it did seem to minimize their effectiveness. And at the same time the Japanese air units built up a fair number of operational losses. Among some of the Allied bases that were hit were Singapore which got another Nell attack, Balikpapan which was swept by Zeros, Clark Field which got a fair number of mixed bombers, and Alor Star.
The oddest attack was at Singkawang where some Nells from Kuching came in at 100 feet to strafe the Dutch PT boats that are sitting there. The Nells got a few hits while the Dutch didn't get any hits back. I've never seen anyone use Nells for strafing before. If Yank tries it again I'll drop some fighters in to "discourage" him. [;)]
For the moment, however, I'm keeping my fighters on watch for the Japanese CV TF that is slowly cruising south of Borneo. This was the second day in a row that the planes from this CV didn't attack anything. I'm sending a bunch of Dutch subs into the area to see if I get lucky.
In other combat news, Japanese troops started to land at Sarmi. There was also a big Japanese shock attack at Clark Field that failed and didn't even reduce the fortifications any. And there were the usual artillery attacks on the various Chinese bases that are under siege.
Japanese troops are also starting to move towards Burma. I am sending some bombers after them, but if my experience is any guide, there will be few if any successful air attacks on the advancing Japanese troops. So this time, in contrast to my game against Treespider, I will attempt to engage and slow down the advancing Japanese in order to give my Chinese troops enough time to reach the Burma Road bases.
In addition, Japanese troops are attempting to cut my forces into two halves in Malaya. I'm seriously considering letting Yank split his forces rather than try a "mad dash" of my troops down the west coast of Malaya for a final stand in Singapore.
Dave Baranyi
Once again there was fairly lousy weather everywhere this turn. This didn't stop a lot of Japanese air attacks, but it did seem to minimize their effectiveness. And at the same time the Japanese air units built up a fair number of operational losses. Among some of the Allied bases that were hit were Singapore which got another Nell attack, Balikpapan which was swept by Zeros, Clark Field which got a fair number of mixed bombers, and Alor Star.
The oddest attack was at Singkawang where some Nells from Kuching came in at 100 feet to strafe the Dutch PT boats that are sitting there. The Nells got a few hits while the Dutch didn't get any hits back. I've never seen anyone use Nells for strafing before. If Yank tries it again I'll drop some fighters in to "discourage" him. [;)]
For the moment, however, I'm keeping my fighters on watch for the Japanese CV TF that is slowly cruising south of Borneo. This was the second day in a row that the planes from this CV didn't attack anything. I'm sending a bunch of Dutch subs into the area to see if I get lucky.
In other combat news, Japanese troops started to land at Sarmi. There was also a big Japanese shock attack at Clark Field that failed and didn't even reduce the fortifications any. And there were the usual artillery attacks on the various Chinese bases that are under siege.
Japanese troops are also starting to move towards Burma. I am sending some bombers after them, but if my experience is any guide, there will be few if any successful air attacks on the advancing Japanese troops. So this time, in contrast to my game against Treespider, I will attempt to engage and slow down the advancing Japanese in order to give my Chinese troops enough time to reach the Burma Road bases.
In addition, Japanese troops are attempting to cut my forces into two halves in Malaya. I'm seriously considering letting Yank split his forces rather than try a "mad dash" of my troops down the west coast of Malaya for a final stand in Singapore.
Dave Baranyi
Danger? Or False Alarm?
December 31, 1941 -
The weather was wet most everywhere again, and although it didn't stop the Japanese from sending out large numbers of air attacks, the great majority of those attacks didn't accomplish much. The one air attack that did do a lot of damage was another attack by Japanese Carrier planes on the already heavily damaged airfields at Balikpapan. The only good thing that came out of all this was that once again the Kates on the CVs suffered a number of lost and damaged planes on a mission that was , in reality, totally unnecessary.
The Japanese AC TF is now sitting between Borneo and Sumatra. My Brit biplanes at Soerabaja foolishly attempted an attack on the TF and were appropriately sent flaming into the sea by a relatively small-sized Japanese CAP. I wasn't expecting those Swordfish to fly against the carriers; otherwise I would have had them on "Search" instead of "Naval Attack". It appears that the AC TF will continue to make the "Grand Tour" of the DEI, so I'm moving more ships and forces out of its way.
But under the "When the Cat's Away…" rule, in the absence of the Japanese carriers my Dutch torpedo planes did get to attack the Japanese ships at Tarakan. The T IVa pilots have yet to hit any of the combat ships that they keep on going after, but they did put a torpedo into a loaded AP, which is always a useful occurrence.
In the other interesting bit of Air/Naval combat, the Nells from Kuching went after the Dutch PTs in north western Borneo again. In the attack on Pontianak one of the Nells was shot down and none of the PTs were damaged. In the attack on Singkawang one of the PTs was hit by cannon fire and a bomb and was sunk, while none of the Nells were damaged. I'm sending the PTs from Pontianak to Singkawang to refuel and re-arm their machine guns, and just for fun I've moved a Dutch fighter squadron into Singkawang to see if they can "catch" any Nells that might come back.
In the other main Air battle news, Singapore was hit again, but this time the 50 or so Nells were escorted by Zeros, so it was "game over" for the Brit CAP. I've pulled the Brits out again because the morale of the survivors is much too low for them to be able to successfully combat even unescorted bombers.
In other naval news, a Japanese AP at Kuantan hit a sub-laid mine and was set on fire with casualties to the troops on board. Once again, it's nice to be able to interfere with the Japanese amphibious plans. And off of Rabaul SS Pike had a clear shot at a Japanese tanker but missed.
In the land war, Japanese troops captured Sarmi unopposed. Another shock attack at Clark Field failed as more troops arrived. And a shock attack at Cebu failed, although the fortifications were lowered to "0", which means that Cebu won't last much longer. As usual, Changsha, Ichang, Homan and Yenen were hit with artillery bombardments.
It looks as if Yank is getting ready to make a move into Burma. Japanese planes flew recon missions over Rangoon and the Japanese troops that were sitting outside of Tavoy have disappeared. I expect Moulmein to be attacked imminently. I am still busy building defenses throughout Burma and also bringing supplies to the British bases on the Bay of Bengal while I still have full control of the air. It makes a huge difference to have 20K+ of supplies in Akyab.
And in some final news, SIGINT reported a radio interception from 97,69. This is about halfway in-between Midway and Johnston Islands. Now, I do have my submarine picket line in place to the west of that location, and I do have patrol planes in place at both of those islands, so it is most likely that the radio intercept was from one of the Japanese subs that has recently left the Hawaiian Islands region. But just in case the other part of the KB slipped through while on a "fishing trip", I've put my forces in the region on Full Alert and moved my undamaged ships out of the Hawaiian Islands.
Dave Baranyi
The weather was wet most everywhere again, and although it didn't stop the Japanese from sending out large numbers of air attacks, the great majority of those attacks didn't accomplish much. The one air attack that did do a lot of damage was another attack by Japanese Carrier planes on the already heavily damaged airfields at Balikpapan. The only good thing that came out of all this was that once again the Kates on the CVs suffered a number of lost and damaged planes on a mission that was , in reality, totally unnecessary.
The Japanese AC TF is now sitting between Borneo and Sumatra. My Brit biplanes at Soerabaja foolishly attempted an attack on the TF and were appropriately sent flaming into the sea by a relatively small-sized Japanese CAP. I wasn't expecting those Swordfish to fly against the carriers; otherwise I would have had them on "Search" instead of "Naval Attack". It appears that the AC TF will continue to make the "Grand Tour" of the DEI, so I'm moving more ships and forces out of its way.
But under the "When the Cat's Away…" rule, in the absence of the Japanese carriers my Dutch torpedo planes did get to attack the Japanese ships at Tarakan. The T IVa pilots have yet to hit any of the combat ships that they keep on going after, but they did put a torpedo into a loaded AP, which is always a useful occurrence.
In the other interesting bit of Air/Naval combat, the Nells from Kuching went after the Dutch PTs in north western Borneo again. In the attack on Pontianak one of the Nells was shot down and none of the PTs were damaged. In the attack on Singkawang one of the PTs was hit by cannon fire and a bomb and was sunk, while none of the Nells were damaged. I'm sending the PTs from Pontianak to Singkawang to refuel and re-arm their machine guns, and just for fun I've moved a Dutch fighter squadron into Singkawang to see if they can "catch" any Nells that might come back.
In the other main Air battle news, Singapore was hit again, but this time the 50 or so Nells were escorted by Zeros, so it was "game over" for the Brit CAP. I've pulled the Brits out again because the morale of the survivors is much too low for them to be able to successfully combat even unescorted bombers.
In other naval news, a Japanese AP at Kuantan hit a sub-laid mine and was set on fire with casualties to the troops on board. Once again, it's nice to be able to interfere with the Japanese amphibious plans. And off of Rabaul SS Pike had a clear shot at a Japanese tanker but missed.
In the land war, Japanese troops captured Sarmi unopposed. Another shock attack at Clark Field failed as more troops arrived. And a shock attack at Cebu failed, although the fortifications were lowered to "0", which means that Cebu won't last much longer. As usual, Changsha, Ichang, Homan and Yenen were hit with artillery bombardments.
It looks as if Yank is getting ready to make a move into Burma. Japanese planes flew recon missions over Rangoon and the Japanese troops that were sitting outside of Tavoy have disappeared. I expect Moulmein to be attacked imminently. I am still busy building defenses throughout Burma and also bringing supplies to the British bases on the Bay of Bengal while I still have full control of the air. It makes a huge difference to have 20K+ of supplies in Akyab.
And in some final news, SIGINT reported a radio interception from 97,69. This is about halfway in-between Midway and Johnston Islands. Now, I do have my submarine picket line in place to the west of that location, and I do have patrol planes in place at both of those islands, so it is most likely that the radio intercept was from one of the Japanese subs that has recently left the Hawaiian Islands region. But just in case the other part of the KB slipped through while on a "fishing trip", I've put my forces in the region on Full Alert and moved my undamaged ships out of the Hawaiian Islands.
Dave Baranyi
The KB in the DEI...
January 1, 1942 -
Yank is not fooling around in the DEI - that Japanese AC TF contains Soryu, Akagi, and Kaga at a minimum. I know this the "hard way" because my Dutch bombers tried to attack the TF as it sailed past Soerabaja. Yank only had 24 Zeros on CAP but they were enough to prevent any hits, although a few bombers did get through and missed with their bombs. Yank also has various Japanese BBs in TFs around the region too, as my Dutch torpedo planes found out in an equally hard manner. (The flak over the Japanese SC TFs is nothing to laugh at.) Oh well, at least I can breath a bit easier in the Central and Eastern Pacific.
Speaking of the Eastern Pacific, one of my ASW TFs attacked I-18 a few hexes to the southeast of Hilo, and scared it a bit but didn't get any hits. Wouldn't you know it, but later on I-18 put a torpedo into an AK in a transport TF that was on its way to Palmyra. Fortunately the ship is still steaming along, so I've redirected it to Kona to drop off its load.
Getting back to the Far East, the Nells from Kuching went back to Pontianak and attacked the PTs twice. This time I had some Brewsters there, but with the post-v1.50 changes to tactical bombers, the Nells ate the Brewsters for lunch and then still attacked the PTs. The only damage in either attack was to the CAP - go figure. There were other Nell attacks too on Singapore and Clark Field. Yank sure likes those planes.
In ground action, Japanese troops started to land at Puerto Princesa and there were the usual artillery attacks on the various Chinese bases and Clark Field. Japanese troops have moved into Tavoy so I'm going to try to bomb them. With the ever-present bad weather in Burma/India, the odds are that my planes won't fly, but it can't hurt to try. And finally, Yank tried a shock attack at Cebu that failed.
BTW - I'm sending a dozen subs after the Japanese carriers that are making the "Grand Tour" of the DEI - I wonder if any of them will get lucky?
And finally, below are the stats as of January 1. I'm quite pleased with the low number of ships lost. The only two capital ships - a CA and a CL - were lost in combat too, so I don't mind that at all. Now I have to bring the air combat losses around and things will be in good shape.
Dave Baranyi
Yank is not fooling around in the DEI - that Japanese AC TF contains Soryu, Akagi, and Kaga at a minimum. I know this the "hard way" because my Dutch bombers tried to attack the TF as it sailed past Soerabaja. Yank only had 24 Zeros on CAP but they were enough to prevent any hits, although a few bombers did get through and missed with their bombs. Yank also has various Japanese BBs in TFs around the region too, as my Dutch torpedo planes found out in an equally hard manner. (The flak over the Japanese SC TFs is nothing to laugh at.) Oh well, at least I can breath a bit easier in the Central and Eastern Pacific.
Speaking of the Eastern Pacific, one of my ASW TFs attacked I-18 a few hexes to the southeast of Hilo, and scared it a bit but didn't get any hits. Wouldn't you know it, but later on I-18 put a torpedo into an AK in a transport TF that was on its way to Palmyra. Fortunately the ship is still steaming along, so I've redirected it to Kona to drop off its load.
Getting back to the Far East, the Nells from Kuching went back to Pontianak and attacked the PTs twice. This time I had some Brewsters there, but with the post-v1.50 changes to tactical bombers, the Nells ate the Brewsters for lunch and then still attacked the PTs. The only damage in either attack was to the CAP - go figure. There were other Nell attacks too on Singapore and Clark Field. Yank sure likes those planes.
In ground action, Japanese troops started to land at Puerto Princesa and there were the usual artillery attacks on the various Chinese bases and Clark Field. Japanese troops have moved into Tavoy so I'm going to try to bomb them. With the ever-present bad weather in Burma/India, the odds are that my planes won't fly, but it can't hurt to try. And finally, Yank tried a shock attack at Cebu that failed.
BTW - I'm sending a dozen subs after the Japanese carriers that are making the "Grand Tour" of the DEI - I wonder if any of them will get lucky?
And finally, below are the stats as of January 1. I'm quite pleased with the low number of ships lost. The only two capital ships - a CA and a CL - were lost in combat too, so I don't mind that at all. Now I have to bring the air combat losses around and things will be in good shape.
Dave Baranyi
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Attack of the Biplanes...
January 2, 1942 -
There was a lot of action this turn as Yank pushed almost everywhere in the Far East. My forces valiantly tried to counterattack but were unsuccessful. The closest they came was in a joint Dutch/British attack on the Japanese carriers off of Soerabaja:
Day Air attack on TF at 24, 64
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 24
Allied aircraft
Hawk 75A x 9
CW-21B Demon x 3
Brewster 339D x 7
Vildebeest IV x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
Hawk 75A: 4 destroyed, 1 damaged
CW-21B Demon: 1 destroyed
Brewster 339D: 4 destroyed
Vildebeest IV: 2 destroyed
Japanese Ships
CV Kaga
Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Vildebeest IV launching torpedoes at 200 feet
So two Brit torpedo bombers did get to drop their "fish", but missed. Other attacks by the Dutch torpedo bombers on Japanese ships off of Tarakan also failed. The Dutch level bombers remain on the ready to attack out of Batavia, but their chances look slim too. It now appears that job of trying to stop the Japanese in the Java Sea will have to be left to the ever increasing number of Dutch and British subs that are trying to make contact with the Japanese carriers.
There was one other case of Allied air power failing; the Kuching Nells came in to attack the PT boats Pontianak again. They blasted past the Brewsters on CAP and sank one Dutch PT boat with gunfire. I've not changed the leader of the Brewsters to the best British fighter squadron leader available, and lowered the altitude of the Brewsters. I'm determined that those Nells will be punished for their audacity!
While the Japanese continued with their wide-spread and reasonably successful aerial attacks, the main Japanese effort this turn was focussed on the ground war, where Japanese efforts were even more aggressive but not as fortunate. Some of the results were:
- A deliberate attack at Changsha was repelled strongly, although the fortifications were reduced by 1
- Another shock attack on the two Chinese LCUs that are sitting south of Wuchow was thrown back with big losses to the Japanese.
- A deliberate attack on Yenen by a large Japanese force was repulsed handily
- A shock attack at Clark Field was stopped cleanly
There were also Japanese artillery attacks at Homan and Ichang. Troops also continued to land at Puerto Princesa.
In the naval war, US ASW forces continued to chase Japanese subs off of the Hawaiian Islands, but without any hits. A Japanese sub also appeared off of the West Coast for the first time. With a number of the main Japanese carriers in the DEI I am moving a lot of transports between the West Coast and the Hawaiian Islands, so I will have to be diligent in my sub-hunting in order to avoid having the subs interfere with my plans.
Dave Baranyi
There was a lot of action this turn as Yank pushed almost everywhere in the Far East. My forces valiantly tried to counterattack but were unsuccessful. The closest they came was in a joint Dutch/British attack on the Japanese carriers off of Soerabaja:
Day Air attack on TF at 24, 64
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 24
Allied aircraft
Hawk 75A x 9
CW-21B Demon x 3
Brewster 339D x 7
Vildebeest IV x 4
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
Allied aircraft losses
Hawk 75A: 4 destroyed, 1 damaged
CW-21B Demon: 1 destroyed
Brewster 339D: 4 destroyed
Vildebeest IV: 2 destroyed
Japanese Ships
CV Kaga
Aircraft Attacking:
2 x Vildebeest IV launching torpedoes at 200 feet
So two Brit torpedo bombers did get to drop their "fish", but missed. Other attacks by the Dutch torpedo bombers on Japanese ships off of Tarakan also failed. The Dutch level bombers remain on the ready to attack out of Batavia, but their chances look slim too. It now appears that job of trying to stop the Japanese in the Java Sea will have to be left to the ever increasing number of Dutch and British subs that are trying to make contact with the Japanese carriers.
There was one other case of Allied air power failing; the Kuching Nells came in to attack the PT boats Pontianak again. They blasted past the Brewsters on CAP and sank one Dutch PT boat with gunfire. I've not changed the leader of the Brewsters to the best British fighter squadron leader available, and lowered the altitude of the Brewsters. I'm determined that those Nells will be punished for their audacity!
While the Japanese continued with their wide-spread and reasonably successful aerial attacks, the main Japanese effort this turn was focussed on the ground war, where Japanese efforts were even more aggressive but not as fortunate. Some of the results were:
- A deliberate attack at Changsha was repelled strongly, although the fortifications were reduced by 1
- Another shock attack on the two Chinese LCUs that are sitting south of Wuchow was thrown back with big losses to the Japanese.
- A deliberate attack on Yenen by a large Japanese force was repulsed handily
- A shock attack at Clark Field was stopped cleanly
There were also Japanese artillery attacks at Homan and Ichang. Troops also continued to land at Puerto Princesa.
In the naval war, US ASW forces continued to chase Japanese subs off of the Hawaiian Islands, but without any hits. A Japanese sub also appeared off of the West Coast for the first time. With a number of the main Japanese carriers in the DEI I am moving a lot of transports between the West Coast and the Hawaiian Islands, so I will have to be diligent in my sub-hunting in order to avoid having the subs interfere with my plans.
Dave Baranyi