Pat vs Jan - stopping the yellow tulips

[George Patton]

THIS AAR IS OFF LIMITS FOR JAN MULDER


The date is April, 11th 1942. I start to keep this AAR just now, because I didn’t have time before.
I resume what’s happened during the past 4 months of war.
Jan is proceedings slowly, but he wants to be secure about what he’s doing. Until few weeks ago.
In someplace, as DEI, I think that is loosing his patience.



CHINA NORTH

At Yenen I have 64’000 men, 444 guns, with 1200 ass strenght. I’m holding the city since the beginning of war. The japanese have 180’000 men, 2030 guns and 180 AFV. Jan had lost thousands of men until now, but I think that here it’s just a matter of time. Anyway I don’t have problem of supply.

In Ichang I have 45’000 men and 280 guns, with 1180 ass strenght. I don’t know exactly what Jan moved here. I just know that he has 5 units. By now I don’t have particular problems to hold.

My intention on this front is to hold. That’s all.

[George Patton]

CHINA SOUTH

I’m holding without problems Changsha ,Hengchow and Wuchow. Recently I’ve occupied Pakhoi and Nanning.
Since weeks I keep under siege Canton, with 122000 men and 744 guns, with 2366 assault strenght.
I don’t have further offensive plan by now. It’s enough, for me, to stop his advance.

[George Patton]

BURMA

I’ve organized a defense line, Akyab-Madalay-Lashio.

At Akyab I have 53600 men, 518 guns, 654 AFV, with 758 assautl strenght. The afld is at size 6, the port at 4. 47 fighters, 36 fighter-bombers and 144 bombers are in the airfield.
The fortification is at 9.

In Mandalay I have 39600 men and 272 guns, with 680 assault strenght. The HQ is Burma Corps, all the other units are chinese.

At Lashio I have two chinese units, with 13000 men and 108 guns and an assault strenght of 281.

In the rear, at Myitkyina, I have others chinese units. Around 32000 men, 141 guns and 77 AFV, with 440 assault strenght.

From Akyab and Dacca I’m bombing japanese airfields in Rangoon (84 damage), Pagan (damage unknow) and Victoria Point (77 damage).

It seems that Jan doesn’t want to attack here. I suppose that he has understand how I am strong and he doesn’t want to loose men.

[George Patton]

MALAYA

In Malaya I made an organized retreat. I pull out every units from other bases and I concentrated my forces in Singapore.
The city is under siege since a couple of months. The defenders are fighting very well, inflicting thousands of casualties to the enemy every time they are trying to conquer the fortress.
The fortification is still at 9, but the airfiled is closed and the supplies are now terribly low.
A couples of AK arrived in Singapore in the last weeks, but others have been sunk.
I’ve transferred 2 squadron of Catalina at Bankha. They will transport supply to Singapore for one day. After that they will transfer to Medan and they will do the same. After that another transfer and so on.
Meanwhile I’m preparing soe AK in Ceylon to send, separately, to Singapore.
But I’m pretty happy to still hold the base until half april. I didn’t expect that.
During those months I pull out some base force units, one sent to Ceylon and others I don’t remember where…
The defenders now in Singapore are made by 78500 men and 538 guns, with 1315 assault strenght.

[George Patton]

this is Sumatra on April, 11th 1942

[George Patton]

DEI

Sumatra

As you can see on picture, the situation is easy. I don’t plan to reinforce or to evacuate. I simply wait the end of dutch colonialism on that island.

Borneo

Only Sampit and Banjarmasin are still dutch. All the rest is in japanese hands. So it’s only a matter of time.

Java

The japs landed and occupied in Teloekbetoeng (Sumatra) and for that reason the adjacent hex of Meraka (Java) is now japanese, but the only place were they landed on that island is Kragen. Form there they marched directly towards Soerabaja, were they have, by now, 27300 men and 272 guns. Another units is landed in Kragen and is now marching south.
In Soerabaja I dispose of only 5700 men and 53 guns, with an assault strenght of only 51. The fortification of 6 helps a lot, and the defenders already stopped two japanese assault.

The new event in this area is the attack of a british carrier task group, leaded by CV Indomitable and CVL Hermes, that hit several merchant ships heading Soerabaya. They are probably carrying reinforcements.

You can see the situation in the DEI by the last picture, including Java.
By now I didn’t garrison Timor. Instead I trasferred a lot of unit to norther Australia.

[George Patton]

SW Pac

The jap invasion is proceedings smoothly. Jan gave me time to reinforce Noumea, Luganville and PM.
In PM I have now 25500 men, 186 guns and 98 vehicles.
Yorktown and Enterprise are operating in the area but now they are heading south to refuel.
I have also BB Arizona, Pennsylvania and Tennesse heading now north to intercept japanese convoys if they are approaching without air cover as they’ve done until now.
In this TF was included also BB California that was sunk in the DEI months ago. I explain immediately. When I was searching the opponent for this match, I asked no attack on PH, just to see how can I use the BB in the first months of war. It’s a what if Kimmel sent out all the ship from PH when he was warned about a jap attack.

In Noumea I have the 2. USMC div and support units, and in Luganville I have the 14. NZ Inf Bde and support units.

[George Patton]

Central and South Pac

Nothing special happened here. Jan occupied Tarawa, Makin and Apanama in the first turns. That’s all. I had all the time to reinforce the area.
40. Infantry Div and some RCT Regiments are deployed in Canton, Palmyra and other islands in the south.
Midway has 45000 men and is plenty of a/c. Wake I. instead, has the same troops as the beginning.
In PH I have 3 CV and 3 BB. The others 4 BB are in Suva.

North Pac

I’m building a base in Kiska and Dutch Harbor. The situation is very calm.

[George Patton]

Ok. That's the situation until now.
The problem is that since weeks I didn't spot the KB so I need to be very careful.
The british TF will return to Ceylon to refuel and to meet with Formidable, that just arrived in the area.
Enterprise and Yorktown will continue to operate but I will keep them under NG.

[George Patton]

Jan had problems with PC. Now we restart to play.

Rep of  4/11/42

DEI

The japs landed in Morotai.

Singapore

The AK dispatched to Singapore received 4 torpedoes near Toboali and sunk with all the supllies destined to the british garrison. The situation is becoming desperate there. [:(]

SW Pac

7. AUS Inf Division arrived in Port Moresby and begun to unload. After this reinforcement it will be very tough for Jan to occupy the city.

[George Patton]

Rep of april, 12th-13th 1942

DEI

Royal Navy hit again. Planes from carriers Hermes and Indomitable, with dutch planes coming from Soerabaya and Banjarmasin, heavily damaged at least 5 merchant ships returning to their base after unloading reinforcements at Kragen.
Now it's time to run away as quick as possible. I suppose Jan is a bit furious.

Singapore

3170 japanese were killed or injuried in an attempt to conquer Singapore fortress. 1681 are the casualties among the british troops.
Supplies are now terribly low: 3278 [8|]

[George Patton]

Rep of Aprile, 15th 1942

Manila

Japan attacked Manila and reduced the fort down to 3, but lost 4953 men and 88 gun.
The heroic defenders of the capital city lost 1769 men and 13 guns.

[George Patton]

Recon Message of 4/17/42

Recon planes based in Port Moresby spotted thi afternoon 4 enemy ships at position 56:96, aprrox 120 miles S of Gili-Gili, heading West. The pilots said that among those ships there was at least 1 CA and 3 DD.

VAdmiral Spruance, with CV Yorktwon, is in Townsville to refuel. The TF is ordered to sail immediately. However the corse is to be set to SE, until further information about enemy TF.
It's almost sure that among those ships there is at least one carrier, otherwise why heading towards Coral Sea without air cover, and under air threat from allied planes?
Don't, repeat, don't expose Yorktown to overhelming enemy forces.
Meet with carrier Enterprise, now at north of New Caledonia and heading west.

We hope recon planes from PM will provide more information during early morning of 18th.

[George Patton]

Report of 4/17/42

SW Pac

Today Imperial Navy came down in the SW.
107 planes, launched by the misterious TF spotted yesterday, attacked PM harbor, sinking 3 merchant ships. CL Helena left during the night, hoping to escape.
Calculating the numbers of the planes that attacked, I suppose that at least one other CV, but probably two others, are in the TF. So, there should be 4 carriers south of PM.

Yorktwon has been ordered to heading SE, towards Noumea, to meet with Enterprise, and to stay away from KB.
A squadron of B-17 has been meanwhile recalled from Birmania, and, through Chunking and Manila, arrived in the evening in PM.

Imperial troops occupied today Green I, and Torokina.

[George Patton]

Report of 4/18/42

SW Pac

The main action is again taking place in this part of the world.
Japanese occupied Vella Lavella and landed in Godenough I.
Bad weather stopped air operaions of KB, that is now 300 miles S of PM, heading S.

[George Patton]

Report of 4/20/42

Philippines

Great soldiers! The defenders of Manila repulsed japanese again. 4721 casualties and 93 guns lost among them.
My troops lost 1953 men and 15 guns.

Manila

At Soerabaya japs reduced my fort to 5. Jan has 39000 men. I have only 5600.

[George Patton]

Reports of April, 21-26 1942

SW Pac

The KB is gone without other damages for me.
I have transferred 2 group of B-17 to PM, via China and Manila, that is still in my hand.
The Fortress started to bomb Rabaul and inflicted some damages to the airfield but they some of them have been shot down and a lot damaged.
Anyway you can see the situation of SW Pac from the embedded map.
Some air reinforcements are in Noumea and Luganville but I don't have enough aviation support in PM by now. One unit is now loading onto ships in Luganvile and willbe transferred to PM.

[George Patton]

Reports of April, 21-26 1942

DEI

Java is nearly under control of Japan.
Only Tjilitjap and Batavia resists, but it's only a matter of time.
You can see also the sit in this map.

Indian Ocean

I have decided to reinforce Andaman I. One Ind Bde is now loading in Diamond Harbor and one B.F. is en route from Karachi. One Hurricane sq. has been ferried by Hermes.

In plus, some AK loaded with supplies are heading to Singapore. Is the last chance to reinforce the wonderful garrison fighting in the fortress.
If I will fail maybe Singapore will fall. They have only 2200 supplies.
Meanwhile a big convoy with 42000 supllies is loading in Karachi and will sail to Colombo. It will be escorted by the whole Royal Navy to Singapore. It will be a sort of battle of Malta's convoy.

[George Patton]

Report of 5/4/42

Singapore

The japanese assaulted this morning the british fortress and reduced the fort to 6, but the odds were 0 to 1, so they've lost 2375 casualties. We lost 1542.

The operatione "Refresh" is started.

A convoy of 4 AK with 25500 supplies, sailed from Trincomalee, escorted by the whole British Eastern Fleet, including CV Indomitable, CV Formidable, CVL Hermes, 5 BB and 4 CA, plus escort ships.

[George Patton]

Report of 5/6/42

SW Pac

My Beaufort in PM sunk an enemy ML in Lae.


Malaya

My B-17 from Akyab destroyed on the ground 2 Sally and 2 Nate in Victoria Point airport.

Operation "Refresh" is entering in the hot phase.
During the morning 14 Sally taking off from Johore Bahru attacke British Eastern Fleet. They were attacked by 12 Sea Gladiator and by the flak. 2 Sally shot down and 10 damaged. 1 Sea Gladiator damaged. No scores onto the ships.
In the afternoon 11 Helen took-off from Georgtown and placed one bomb on dutch CLAA Van Heemskeerck. 5 Helen have been shot down.
Before dusk 17 Betty and 13 Helen, coming from Khota Bharu, attacked again. 1 Betty and 2 Helen shot down and another 14 bombers damaged. No score.
Meanwhile jap planes from Georgetown attacked the merchant convoy.
19 Fulmars from the carriers were in LRCap and shot down 2 Kate, 5 Nate, 4 Sonia and 1 Helen. 3 british fighters have been lost and 2 out of 4 ships have been badly damaged, another one took 2 bombs.