Forlorn Hopes: John III vs. Canoerebel

[Canoerebel]

2/4/42 to 2/6/42

The South Pacific: John's rapid expansion in Cen- and SoPac, and his aggressive use of his CVs and combat ships far to the south and east are making life difficult.  He finally called off the KB - or at least the KB didn't catch up with the remaining Allied transports trying to make New Zealand.  While the KB has been acting as the hammer, his combat ships have acted as an anvil.  As my ships fled Auckland for Australia, they ran into various small, but stout, Jap TFs.  On one occasion it was BB Haruna and a DD, then on another it was BB Kongo and a DD, and on another it was CA Furutaka and DDs.  These combat ships sank alot of transports over several days.  At least 5 AK, 1 TK, and an AP.  Ouch.  My CA/CL TF led by Louisville ran into BB Kongo and a DD, but held its own.  To my surprise, John keeps sending his combat ships further and further west - three TFs are now well to the NW of NZ's north island.  What I hope John isn't aware of - and doesn't suspect - is that two US CVs were in Sydney.  Three or four days ago I sent them NE.  If he continues to hang around, he should receive a rude surprise tomorrow, February 7.  But he is outthinking me - and thinking so far ahead - that I'm worried that he might have orchestrated everything in hopes that his ships would flush my CVs.  Heck, he may chase me right to Australia, because the Allies are sorely lacking in fighter cover there.  Then I would have to send my CVs to India!

Cen- and SoPac:  An invasion force took Canton Island on the 5th, and another is heading for Pago Pago.  Gracious, John has a voracious appetite!  He may keep right on going to Bora Bora, severing the Allied supply line to Oz.

Shipping Elsewhere:  John's subs have been effective too, sinking AKs from India to Dutch Harbor.  Allied mines and subs have scored a few hits, and Dutch torpedo planes in Darwin torpedoed two APs.

Australia:  The Japs took Derby.  On the 6th, recon aircraft were seen over Daly Waters.  I expect a paratroop attack somewhere.

DEI:  The Japs aren't moving on Malang or Soerabaja yet.

Malaya:  A bright spot for the Allies.  John got a 14:1 attack against the cut-off UK troops in the mountains west of Kota Bharu, but they held.  He didn't attack Singapore this period.  I pulled the Rangoon CD force away from the hex across from Moulmain to make sure I had a good retreat route.  The CD unit made it without trouble.  TheJaps tried a 2:1 shock attack against the remaining force on the 6th, but failed (losing 787/21 to 114/7).

Overall Situation:  The Allies are desperate to achieve a state of equilibrium on the map as there are perilously few sanctuaries left.

[Canoerebel]

2/7/42
 
South Pacific:  CVs Enterprise and Lexington find themselves surrounded by Jap CAs, CLs, and DDs NE of Sydney.  The results are gratifying - in multiple strikes throughout the day, the following damage takes place: CA Furutaka (4 bombs, 1 TT); CL Isuzu (6 b); CL Tama (4 b, 1 TT); DD Hokaze (5 b, 1 TT); DD Isonami (4 b); CL Kashii (8 b); CL Kashima (9 b).  At the end of the day, Kashii, Isuzu, and Hokaze are confirmed sunk.  The CVs will continue NE another 90 miles looking for cripples (and praying the KB isn't out there).  Then I have a big decision.  John knows where these CVs are, which I don't like considering his aggressiveness.  I plan to refuel the two TFs midway between Oz and NZ (an AO is waiting), and then sail south around NZ, hug the south edge (but not TOO close due to the infamous bug), and make for a rendezvous with Saratoga and Yorktown south of Papete.  Ordinarily I like dispersing my CVs, but I'm going to need them together to act as a strong force protecting my sea lanes.  I'll be holding my breath while those ships move out in the open sea, but if the move is successful, John should be left thinking Ent and Lex are in Australia.
 
SoPac:  The invasion fleet I thought was heading for Pago Pago has disappeared.  I wonder if John is leap-frogging PP to seize Bora Bora.
 
Australia:  No changes here yet.  I'm waiting to sea whether John will invade Darwin by sea, move on it by land, and whether he'll try a paratroop drop at Alice Springs, Daly Waters, Tenant Creek, or Katherine to try to cut me off.
 
Singapore:  No Jap attacks since the 3rd.  AV is back up near 955 and forts 1.  Most troops are now 70 to 85 prepped for Singapore.  Hold, fortress, hold!  The Orphans in the Mountains near Kota Bharu held yet again.  That stand is taking on epic proportions.
 
Near Rangoon:  The 33rd and 55th Jap divisions finally boot the defenders from the hex across the river from Moulmein.  It comes on a 4:1 attack that results in 793/4/2 Japanese casualties to 46/2 for the Allies.  The next planned roadblock is Meiktila,where the Allies should have about 350-400 AV with at least 1 fort.  The Allied defenses at Akyab have an AV of 300+; that at Mandalay is currently about 500.  I think I can hold without too much trouble until Singapore falls and John can move reinforcements into Rangoon by ship.

[ny59giants]

If you are playing one day turns, you will need to base your dash back to safety with your CV's by the weather forecast. I have clicked on multiple hexes before looking for bad weather (rain is your friend [:D]). 
 
If his CV's have been to the SE of the Pacific and back, how many sorties does he have left??
 
Good Luck. [:)]

[Canoerebel]

2/8/42 to 2/11/42
 
John demostrates his knack for projecting power over this period.  He also suffers a setback that could have far reaching consequences.
 
KB Division 1:  On the 8th, a KB division shows up 300 miles east of Auckland and launches air strikes against shipping there (sinking three MSW) and at Gisbore (sinking an AK carrying about 1/7th of a RCT).  John inquires whether I will send my CVs his way.  Of course not!  I send them south to rendezvous with an AO.  This KB division isn't seen again (from the 9th through 11th), leaving me to wonder whether it scooted north to refuel at Noumea, or headed south again.  I would like to send Enterprise and Lexington east toward Bora Bora, but don't want to bump into those Jap CVs.  CL Tama, one of the combat ships damaged by the US CV raids on the 7th, goes down.
 
KB Divsion 2 (or a Mini-KB more likely):  Johns sends a Mini-KB force sprinting north to the Aleutians where I have a fairly stout surface combat force.  Recon shows a force with CAs coming on the 9th.  I suspect CVs are present, but I'm not sure.  Rather than send my TF from Dutch Harbor toward Kodiak, a trip which would make it vulnerable to an attack while in transit and fairly distant from a port, I leave the TF parked there, hoping John's force might just be a surface combat force.  He's already seen my TF in action once and may be under the impression that the heaviest ships are a couple of CAs, but they've since been joined by BB Colorado.  Well, it turns out John does have carriers of some sort, because a sortie of Kates and Vals numbering in the 20s strikes my TF, putting a TT into Colorado.  Sys damage is 14, flotation in the 30s.  Seven Jap bombers are downed by flak.  That night, I send the TF toward Cold Harbor, where I also send a squadron of Mohawk fighters.  I have a second base force at Kodiak prepping for Cold Harbor, and I begin air transporting this to Cold Harbor.  Presto, instant CAP (though of poor quality).  Weather prevents any air sorties on the 10th and 11th.  On the 11th, a strong surface combat TF with BBs is seen approaching from the west.  I'm going to try to be clever - the forecast is for a blizzard, hopefully preventing the KB from launching.  I'm sending my TF two hexes east and ordered the Mohawks to fly long range CAP.  I don't wish to tangle with BBs when my BB is damaged.  I don't really want a battle in the Aleutians, since I'm pressed everywhere else already, but it looks like I have one on my hands.
 
SoPac:  John has problems of his own at Pago Pago where his invasion force arrived on the 8th.  His AKs and APs got eaten alive by shore guns, then his troops, including the 56th Division, ran into a feisty CD unit.  On the 8th alone, reports showed three AKs and 13 APs either "on fire" or "heavily damaged."  The ships took more of the same from the 9th through 11th.  John sent ashore various support units in the first wave, which proved to be a mistake.  Ground losses included:  4914/15 and 1212/26/2 and 826/9 (shore guns followed by Allied bombardment followed by Jap shock attack on the 8th).  I didn't record shore gun damage over the next few days, but the Japs lost 468/10 on a shock attack on the 9th and 2046/32 to a shock attack on the 11th.  At the end of the day, John lost three base forces and a heavy artillery unit to "attrition."  He's spitting nails.  Over the long haul, I wonder how seriously this will affect his ability to transport troops and whether it will also discourage him from mounting similar operations.
 
CenPac:  Johnston Island is building rapidly.  There's a RCT, another to arrive soon, two CD units, and two field artillery units.  A large base force is on the way.  There are 4000+ mines. 
 
Australia:  The Japs have now rolled up Broome, Derby, and Wyndham.  No visible moves toward Darwin yet.  John continues to recon Daly Waters, where an Aussie tank regiment sits.
 
Java:  No Japanese moves yet on Malang or Soerabaja.
 
Singapore:  The beleaguered garrison finally falls on the February 10.  By all rights, this should be the lead story for this posting, but I had already nearly finished the post when I received this turn and learned the sad news.  79,000 Allied troops surrendered.  I really thought the fortress might hold awhile longer.  The way is open for the Japs to enter the Bay of Bengal in force.  They are everywhere else on the map, so they might as well be here too!
 
Philippines:  On the 11th, three Jap tank regiments show up at Clark Field ahead of the infantry, and get tossed losing 1426/87.  John didn't like this either.  So he's finally moving on Clark.  My AV there is 1100 with 6 forts and plenty of supplies.  Rather than retreating to Manila (and some to Bataan), I think we'll contest Clark.
 
 
 

[Canoerebel]

2/12/42 and 2/13/42
 
Aleutians:  I knew the minute I said that I was trying to be clever I was in trouble.  I sent my combat TF including BB Colorado two hexes east of Cold Bay, protected by LR CAP from Cold and by the blizzard forecast.  For some reason, my fighters didn't fly, but the weather cleared in the afternoon.  Glug, glug BB Colorado, which takes at least four more torpedos.  It also appears that John has another invasion TF moving east toward one of my bases in the Aleutians - perhaps Cold Harbor.  This guy is everywhere on the map.
 
SoPac:  John has suffered a sort of Midway/Gettysburg/Waterloo debacle at Pago Pago.  Another of his units evaporated due to attrition, and 56th Division is down to something like 6,500 men (!).  I don't think he can take PP now unless he lands more troops, but he's probably afraid to risk more ships.  Sure enough, my troops have zero fatigue and low disruption.  He'd better bombard the heck out of PP first, but I think most of his big ships are around NZ, OZ, and Alaska.  I hope so, anyhow.  CVs Yorktown and Saratoga are about 600 miles east of Papeta, sailing gingerly to the west to see if the coast is clear to land a few units at Papete and Bora Bora.  I have a damaged DD and an AK further to the NW, serving as pickets.
 
NZ/OZ:  I really want to combine all my US CVs.  Lex and Ent are well SE of Sydney, have refueled, and can make it around the southern tip of NZ within three or four days.  I think I'm going to make a run for it as there hasn't been any sign of that KB division in the past four or five days.  John is pounding Darwin by sea (a TF that includes 4 BB) and by air (from Koepang).  The fort is drawing supply overland, however, because Australia HQ is moving from Alice Springs toward Katherine.  RO-62 hit a mine in Sydney harbor, probably while trying to feel around for Ent and Lex.
 
Java:  Jap units have arrived at Soerabaja, which has an AV of about 280 and 6 forts.  We should know soon how much fire power John brought along.
 
Burma:  A Japanese unit arrived at Magwe and others are approaching Miektila.  
 
Philippines:  To his chagrine, I suspect, John has largely ignored the six US PTs in the PI.  On the 12th, they put 6 TT into an AK and another TT into another AK.  The next day they sank two MSW.  I'll bet John is hot and will send a stout combat force to dish out some payback.
 
Losses to Date:  The spread between air losses has dropped to about 100 now (Allied losses about 850, Japs about 750).  In shipping, the Allies have lost about 105 ships for 1250 points (including two BBs) while the Japs have lost 88 ships for about 650 points.  The Pago Pago debacle really hurt Japanese troop transports. 

[Canoerebel]

2/14/42 and 2/15/42
 
Pago Pago:  The Japanese debacle at Pago Pago continues.  A transport convoy arrives on the 15th and begins unloading the 14th Independent Brigade.  Once again, shore guns chew up the transports, resulting in at least 8 APs "on fire" or "heavily damaged."  Another hit a sub-layed mine.  The 14th IB soldiers take 1294/31 and 251/2 casualties to shore guns, then another 1956/46 in a shock attack.  An announcement comes at the end of the turn:  "14th Independent Brigade wiped out by attrition."  Holy cow!  That's an IB, three BF, a heavy artillery regiment, and an engineering unit obliterated thus far, and a division shredded.  All by a BF, CD, and artillery unit.  The problem is that John came in without any pre-invasion bombardments or bombings and his transports did not have a single combat ship bigger than a PG as best I can tell.
 
SoPac: The events at Pago Pago are already a great Allied victory.  I wonder how John will react and whether he might push things in order to make the best out of a bad situation.  I'm thinking about the possibility of a trap.  He has subs watching over Papete, Bora Bora, and Raratonga.  I have CVs Sara and York just SE of Bora Bora.  Hornet is steaming south from Panama City to join them, and Lex and Ent are steaming east - they will pass the south tip of NZ in a couple of days.  Assuming all of them make the journey without encountering opposition, I'll have five CVs in the vicinity of Bora Bora within two weeks.  Then I think I'll send some ASW and supply transports to BB or Papeta and see if it draws a strong reaction from John.  He'll probably think I have two CVs in Australia, so I might be able to surprise him.  That's the plan.  If nothing comes of it, the five CVs will begin the journey north to upgrade in San Fran in April.
 
Aleutians:  John has far greater strength here than I do.  I think his invasion force is aimed for Cold Bay.  I have a RCT at Umnak and another at Kodiak.
 
Philippines:  The 2nd and 4th Divisions with support units arrived at Clark Field.  The Allied defense AV is 1100 with 6 forts and 25k supplies.  The AV at Bataan is 280 and at Manila is 330.
 
Burma:  BBs Nagato and Mutsu are at Rangoon.  That's a stout force - are they serving as protection against Force Z (which is nowhere around) or does John plan a Bay of Bengal invasion too?  He can't be everywhere on the map at once, can he?  Especially not with all the transports he's lost at Pago Pago.
 
China: I'm abandoning Kanhsien simply because it has zero supplies.  Some units go to Changsha, some to cities to the south and west.
 
 

[Q-Ball]

You're opponent is doing well. I am playing Big B's mod as well, against Hemajor. I am IJN. It's 8/42, I have the usual spots plus all of Norther Aus, and a base at Nukufetau. A major landing at Suva was defeated, and that was the turning point there. He also holds Mandalay. He completely surprised me this month by landing on Wake and Marcus, but I think Marcus was a mistake; I have sunk 3 BB's around there, and am about to land 5 div to capture the 20K troops there. Haven't lost any CV.

John is really pushing the envelope, and that's probably the right approach.

[Canoerebel]

Thanks for the insight, Q-Ball.  Despite John's rapid and far-flung expansion, I don't feel too bad about things right now.  In the first place, it creates a real challenge.  Secondly, I still have my CVs (but they are at risk and will be for several weeks).  Thirdly, I followed John's game against CapMandrake and it's reassuring because Cap suffered some tough defeats at places like Pago Pago and Port Moresby, but eventually (actually, by Sept. '42) had the initiative again.  I'm gonna beat John.

[Q-Ball]

The one good thing for you is he will have a ton of territory to defend. That is a significant problem with the IJN pushing out into the central pacific. What he accomplishes is lengthening your supply line to Australia. What he suffers is being very spread out, in territory that can be easily cut off, doesn't produce any resources or oil so is economically worthless, and requires a huge troop commitment to defend.

It will be interesting to see if he defends all those islands. If not, they will be easy to re-take. If he does, that presents opportunity to cut off and isolate alot of units.

I think the proper strategy as Japan if you do have all those bases out there is to either a) don't defend, only leave base forces to harass invaders with Aircraft; then, withdraw the planes, or b) create a couple "super bases", size 9 forts, mines, CD guns, Infantry, with LOTS of supplies, the works; these are a platform that have to be eliminated. Everything else left undefended. Even with the "Super Base", it's viable only if you park those bases in high VP locations like Pago Pago or Suva, so that the Allies feel more compelled to get you out of there. If it's Tarawa, I would just bomb it to the stone age and leave it alone.

He who defends everything, defends nothing. This is very true for the Empire.

[String]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

The one good thing for you is he will have a ton of territory to defend. That is a significant problem with the IJN pushing out into the central pacific. What he accomplishes is lengthening your supply line to Australia. What he suffers is being very spread out, in territory that can be easily cut off, doesn't produce any resources or oil so is economically worthless, and requires a huge troop commitment to defend.

It will be interesting to see if he defends all those islands. If not, they will be easy to re-take. If he does, that presents opportunity to cut off and isolate alot of units.

I think the proper strategy as Japan if you do have all those bases out there is to either a) don't defend, only leave base forces to harass invaders with Aircraft; then, withdraw the planes, or b) create a couple "super bases", size 9 forts, mines, CD guns, Infantry, with LOTS of supplies, the works; these are a platform that have to be eliminated. Everything else left undefended. Even with the "Super Base", it's viable only if you park those bases in high VP locations like Pago Pago or Suva, so that the Allies feel more compelled to get you out of there. If it's Tarawa, I would just bomb it to the stone age and leave it alone.

He who defends everything, defends nothing. This is very true for the Empire.

Or, a third option to defend the area heavily, but only up until early-mid 1943, depending on how comfortable the japanese player feels, and then start pulling back in secret.

[Canoerebel]

2/16/42 and 2/17/42

Aleutians: See map below for situation as of 2/15. Since then, John has landed and taken Dutch Harbor. That isolates my garrison at Umnak Island, but it will be a LONG time before John can build an airfield at Dutch. Eventually, I'll have to transfer a division up this way, but I can't spare the political points or transports needed to do so right now. I do have two Canadian base forces moving toward Alaska (one via transport for Kodiak, the second by land to Anchorage). When these arrive, I should be able to base enough planes to deter John from getting too frisky here.

CenPac: The Johnston Island garrision is complete, at least for now: 2 RCT, 2 CD, 2 AA, 2 artillery, and a BF (with another BF on the way). Forts are 3 and building pretty rapidly, suppies 50k, and 3,000 mines. So Johnston and Pearl are the two Allied bastions in CenPac right now.

SoPac: The Allies no longer have any bastions in SoPac, and never really did. Suva fell on the 17th. Pago Pago continues to hold, but it's not particularly strong. The question is what will John do now that his invasion failed. Will he reinforce? One of the ironies of all this is that I had a RCT and an army division heading to PP when they had to detour due to John's aggressive moves. PP held anyway (temporarily at least) while those two ground units arrive safely in NZ, substantially strengthening the Allied presence there. The Allies will try to build up Bora Bora and Papete. I have a EAB unit in the area, but I won't land it just yet. I'd pefer to have all five US CVs available first. The long roster of ships sunk at PP continues to mount steadily - at least five AKs and APs went down on the 17th alone. John and I have now lost an equal number of ships (though I'm still well behind in points due to my loss of two BBs).

US CVs: Sara and York are SE of Bora Bora. Hornet should join them in about a week. Lex and Ent are still west of NZ's south tip. A Glen equipped sub is not too far away. However, it keeps sighting an AK transport convoy that fled NZ for Australia some time ago. So I think John is only getting reports of Allied ships heading west, and not reports of CVs or combat ships heading east. I hope so anyhow, or I'm going to have a very bad day soon.

Perth: A Jap DD TF raids Perth, sinking 3 AKs that had recently arrived from India.

DEI: John tried a deliberate attack at Soerabaja, getting 1:1 and dropping forts from 6 to 5. I moved another ground unit there from Malang. John doesn't seem to have a stout enough force to overwhelm these cities, yet.

Philippines: The US PT boats continue to make hay while the sun shines, sinking an MSW on the 16th. On the 17th, they sank an APD, torpedoed an AP, and with gunfire damaged 3 PC and an MSW. All this at the cost of a single PT. I'm surprised John is moving his ships in harm's way without escort. The US PT boats have already accomplished a great deal. Three Jap divisions (2nd, 4th, 38th) are at Clark, but no attacks yet.

[Canoerebel]

2/18/42 to 2/20/42

Aleutians: Since the Japs took Dutch Island, things have quieted down a bit. They are reconning Cold Bay and Umnak Island. The former is vacant, the latter held by a BF and RCT. Transports carrying a Canadian BF will arrive at Kodiak tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers John doesn't send in a combat TF.

CenPac: A BF will arrive tonight at Johnston Island. This will allow me to base 200 aircraft here. I believe Johnston is secure for now. 7th Division in San Fran begins prepping for Palmyra.

SoPac: This has all my attention. It will be at least a week before the US CVs rendezvous here, and transport ships are beginning to arrive now. I'm holding them south of Bora Bora until I can coordinate arrival at BB and Papete with the presence of the CVs. I have an EAB unit, RCT, and base force for Bora Bora and a RCT for Papete. All my CVs are low on fuel, so they'll be mid-ocean refueling from a TK convoy. CVs Ent and Lex rounded the southern tip of NZ on their way east. A "picket" AK stationed east of Gisborne was torpedoed and sunk on the 20th by I-26. An ASW force will arrive at Bora Bora in less than a week. The roster of ships sunk during the Pago Pago invasion grows: 3 AP and an AK go down on the 18th, a PG and an AK on the 19th.

NZ: No signs of John moving this way, yet.

Oz: Darwin is the target of regular bombardment runs by combat ships from Koepang. A Aussie division is stationed at Katherine, where forts will soon reach 1.

Java: Japs are bombarding Soerabaja, which now has a defensive AV of 300+. Malang's defense is nearly identical. Does John have the troops needed to take these cities?

Philippines: Same question here. Can the Japs take Clark Field with the three Jap divisions at hand? A 0:1 deliberate attack on the 19th lowers forts to 3 and results in 1604/52/4 to 568/22/2. US PTs stationed at Bataan continue their success. On the 18th, they sink a PC, damage 4 AP, an MSW, and 2 PC. On the 19th, they sink a PC and damage a PC, MSW, and AP. Truant torpedoes and sinks an AK on the 20th.

Malaya/Burma: Jap reinforcements arrive in the mountains west of Kota Bharu, where UK troops have gamely held out since the start of the game. They should finally capitulate in a day or two. The Japs don't seem to be pushing hard up the road from Rangoon toward Meiktila. Perhaps an end-run by invasion is in the works.

India: I-155 does alot of damage over several days, sinking an AK and damaging two others. Mandalay, Akyab, and Madras are strongly held, with Chittagong, Calcutta, and Diamond Harbor holding reserves. There are a few units in the interior of India to serve as a rapid response team, but not enough yet. A British armored brigade is arriving in Karachi tomorrow and will augment the reserves.

China: Nothing really is happening here. John pulled out at least one brigade that he then sent to Pago Pago. So I think he is happy with a state of equilibrium here, where he can siphon off troops and send them elsewhere. Accordingly, I'm prepping troops for Canton and Nanching, and will advance toward those cities eventually in order to make a show of force.

Point Spread: Right now, John has a 2:1 lead (10,000 to 5,000). When he finally takes the Philippines and Java, the differential will grow. I'll have to watch out for a 3:1 auto-victory. Right now, the Allies are doing well in the air and at sea. I'm not building many ports or airfields while I concentrate on fortifications, but that will change in another month or two. I believe the key is whether I can consolidate my CVs and establish a defense at Bora Bora and Papete. If so, I'll be ready for the second phase of the game - the one that follows the rapid Jap expansion following Pearl Harbor. The second phase is when the map begins to reach a state of equilibrium and the Allies are no longer toothless.

[Canoerebel]

2/21/42 and 2/22/42
 
SoPac:  I'm really nervous about the chance I've taken with Enterprise and Lexington.  My poor, lonely CVs are steaming east from the southern tip of NZ, making slow time.  They have a LONG way to go before rendezvouing with Saratoga and Yorktown south of Bora Bora.  The whole operation to reinforce BB and Papete and to consolidate my CVs there is taking far too long.  Adding to my angst, Seagulls sighted I-22 near Christchurch, alerting John to the presence of some type of major Allied combat ship in southern NZ. Did he pay attention to the report?  If so, did he dismiss it as Seagulls from one of the CAs that tangled with Japanese combat ships awhile back?  Or did he immediately deduce that US CVs are in the area?  I've sent out another "picket" AK due east from Auckland hoping to get warning before any intercept occurs.  The Jap-Ships-Sunk-as-a-Result-of-the-Pago-Pago-Disaster continues to grow:  Five more AP and 2 PG go down over these two days.  I think that brings the total to more than 30.  The stuff is gonna hit the fan in about five days when I proceed with the reinforcement landings at BB and Papete.  John has subs there so he'll know what's going on.  What I may end up doing is sending the CVs from the area west to rendezvous with Ent and Lex, the combined force then moving west rather than to the north as originally planned.
 
Australia:  It appears that the Japs intend to move on Darwin by land, from Wyndham, rather than by amphibious assault.  The Allies should have an Aussie division, tank regiment, and possibly a brigade at Katherine by the time the enemy arrives.  Forts just reached one.
 
Java:  John has two mixed brigades (35th and 23rd) and a mixed regiment (4th) at Soerabaja.  A shock attack on the 22nd at 0:1 and five forts cost him  611/26 to 118/15/1.
 
Philippines:  The PT boats ambush and sink an MSW on the 22nd.  The Japs aren't making a concerted, large-scale bombing campaign here yet.  Occasional large strikes hit Clark or one of the other bases, but not enough to shut down fort-making at Bataan and Manila yet.
 
Malaya:  The Japs launch a 63:1 attack on the isolated UK troops west of Kota Bharu.  The gutsy Brits hold one more time! 
 
Burma/India:  After Allied bombers get in several good licks against 55th Division near Meiktila, John sets a trap with more than 40 Zeros.  On the 22nd, they down 6 Blenheims, 2 Hudsons, and 10 AVG (what the heck?) against a loss of just two.  I suspect John will mount an seaborn invasion behind my main defense line, but I haven't decided what to do about it yet.  An armored brigade just landed at Karachi. I'll likely move it to a reserve position like Dacca (unless John heads toward southern India).  I-153 sinks an AK at Karachi.  I have ASW working the port, but they aren't earning their keep.

[Canoerebel]

2/23/42 and 2/24/42
 
SoPac:  The feeling of impending doom grows.  SBDs from Lex or Ent sighted a Jap sub.  If John is paying attention and if his CVs are posted at Noumea or Suva, he's going to leap at the chance to strike.  I wish I could undo what I've done, but it's too late.  Each time John sends an email, I hold my breath expecting to read:  "Ha!  I found your CVs and they went down in defeat!"  When I got this last email, I had a heart attack because it read: Yay...I was always panicked when I saw those AVG planes...Don't feel that way right now."  I thought he meant my Avengers had sortied first, failed to hit his CVs, and that the Japs had taken care of business.  Then I realized I don't have Avengers yet....John was actually referring to the AVG in Burma.  Anyhow, if I get lucky and the KB doesn't strike my dispersed CV TFs, they will rendezvous in about a week now.  In a bit of a surprise, John evacuated the rest of his troops from Pago Pago.  So 2 PBY squadrons are based there again.  Two more Jap APs sink (more Pago Pago invasion casualties).
 
Aleutians:  A Japanese DD TF strikes Kodiak, sinking a PT and an AK.  A squadron of Bolos sortied but failed to score any hits.  A squadron of B-25s just arrived to augment the strike potential at the base.
 
Philippines:  The AVG contingent at Bataan flew LR CAP over Manila, downing 2 Zeros and 2 Oscars and damaging 11 Sallies on the 24th.  The AVG lost a single plane.
 
Malaya:  The isolated Brit force survives two more attacks - one at 28:1 and the second at 7:1.  How are these guys doing it?
 
Burma:  A Jap bombardment TF with two BBS bombards Akyab.  Blenheims and B-17s fly strikes against this TF, but fail to score.
 
India:  I-153 puts a TT into an AK at Karachi on the 23rd.  On the 24th, an ASW TF hits I-157 with 4 depth charges including one that does critical damage.  Thus far in the game, John has lost five or six subs.  The Allies have lost but one (Trusty).
 
Score:  The score is actually Japs 12,100 to Allies 5,400.  John will rack up some points when he takes the DEI and Philippines, so the 3:1 auto-victory is going to be a concern.  If he hammers my CVs, the hole will be that much deeper.  I'm on the ropes right now.

[trollelite]

Rest peacefully. If you don't make big mistakes (i.e. use 2 carriers against his entire KB), he would be clearly defeated before 1943.

[saj42]

When trying to sneak CVs around the map do you:
a. stand down all a/c in the TF so as to stop all sighting reports, but remain in the dark.
b. keep a/c on naval search so as not to be surprised, but give away your position.

It's a tough call.
Looks like you tried b. - how about going dark to slip away with a quick full speed sprint (if you can spare the fuel)???

[Canoerebel]

2/25/42
 
John's email comment:  "I spotted something..."  Yeah, if didn't know already, he does now.  My CV TFs happened across I-25 and either sank it or seriously damaged it.  The combat report didn't disclose anything larger than a DD, but John's no dummy.  He probably noticed the SBDs last turn.  The only question now is whether his CVs are within range.  If they were at or near Noumea or Suva I'm toast.  If they were far away on some other mission, or if they are out of fuel, then there's a chance.  But my CVs are 49 hexes (nearly 3,000 miles) from Papete (and about 40 hexes from CVs Yorktown and Saratoga).  I'll begin landing troops at Bora Bora and Papete in about three days.  That will get John's attention and present multiple targets, so if he somehow loses track of my CVs it might be a help to tempt him elsewhere.
 
Tallyho, I've gone dark before with good success and probably should have done the same this time, but chose not to.  I would go dark and make a sprint for it, but my ships are running low on fuel.  To say I've botched this operation would be an understatement. 
 
SoPac:  I'm still surprised that John abandoned Pago Pago, but I don't have the ability to reinforce right now.  I am sending a 3k AK from Pearl with supplies.  Americal Division is prepping for Bora Bora and loading on transports at San Fran.  These ships will take the safe route via Panama City.
 
Australia:  Three BBS (Ise, Yamashiro, and Fuso) are in the TF regularly bombarding Darwin.  Two others are based at Rangoon. 
 
Aleutians:  John lands at an undefended Cold Bay.
 
Philippines:  The Japs try a deliberate attack at Clark Field at 0:1 and 3 forts, losing 1414/40/2 to 1341/37/9.
 
Burma:  I continue to suspect that John will make an end run via invasion.  Akyab has an AV of about 350 with 3 forts and plenty of supplies.  Chittagong and Diamond Harbor also have decent defenses.  18th UK Division is in reserve at Dacca, prepped for Mandalay.  A Brit armored brigade is on the way to Dacca from Karachi.

[Canoerebel]

2/26/42
 
Ent and Lex Watch:  It's agonizing to take this game one day at a time, praying that these two CVs will somehow make it to safety, but knowing the KB is almost surely arrive.  I could do without this feeling of of impending doom.  John has a Glen equipped sub tracking the CV TFs now.  I have a picket AK will to the north (about 600 miles north of my CVs and due east of Auckland).  I've separated out my CAs and CLs and formed them into a separate TF, hoping they'll move more quickly than the CV TFs.  My CV TFs use 250 points each turn to refuel, slowing them considerably.  I've tried to stop this (ordering the TFs to refrain from refueling) to no effect.  That's why these TFs are moving so slowly.  An ASW TF will arrive at Bora Bora tomorrow along with an AP carrying an engineering aviation battalion.  They will be followed in a day or two by an AK carrying a fighter group, AKs carrying a base force, APs carrying part of a RCT, and CVs Yorktown and Saratoga which need to siphon some fuel off the transports.  Hornet is just reaching the mouth of the southernmost chanel leading to Panama City.  So my forces are scattered, low on fuel, and vulnerable.  Arg.  Admiral Me should be sacked for this fiasco.  In the meantime, I'll continue to wait for the boot to drop.

Aleutians:  The Japs seize Cold Bay.

Burma:  Blenheims and B-17s drop a 500 pounder on DD Fubuki and another on BB Mutsu. 

China:  Japs have advanced 60 miles west of Nanching on the road to Changsha.  I have four units out there at the moment, while a stout garrision awaits at Changsha (5000+ AV). 

[Canoerebel]

2/27/42 and 2/28/42
 
There are certain emails you don't want to receive from your opponent.  Here was one such that I got for the 2/28/42 turn:
 
"I THOUGHT that the US Fleet was at Bora Bora...[/align] [/align]I THOUGHT I was going after a STF and/or Transports going back to the Canal...[/align] [/align]I...wow...B A N Z A I!"[/align] [/align]Lex and Ent Watch:  Oh the shame.  It's humiliating to suffer a lopsided defeat and have to report it to the public (even if the public consists of only 20  people or so).  With no actual warning, but lots of warning bells going off, the entire KB arrived on the 28th and hammered Enterprise and Lexington, sinking both, and biting deeply into the CA/CL force that I had sent sprinting toward safety - safety meaning that it spent the turn two hexes from the KB.  The surprise was complete - my AK picket ship to the north must have just missed the KB (or vice versa); neither of my CVs even got a strike off the deck (reminiscent of my days as a UV player).  Out of this battle I've lost two CVs and will probably lose 6 to 8 CAs and CLs, and about 200 aircraft.  The only thing the Japs will lose is about 75 aircraft.  It was hard to watch, but there's nobody else to blame.  I've scattered my surviving ships - most of the DDs are heading west, most of the CAs (and they all have at least moderate damage) steered to the E, NE, and N.  [/align] [/align]Cen- and SoPac:  The troops have arrived at Bora Bora and Papete.  I should have three or four turns to accomplish a few things before I have to skedaddle.  With good reason, John will be feeling his oats and looking for new targets.  I'll have part of a RCT and a full EAB at Bora Bora, and part of another RCT at Papete with a base force and one fighter squadron.  On the 27th, ASW pummeled I-16 at Bora Bora.  Japs landed at Tongatapu on the 27th, but the garrison holds - he doesn't have a big force.  While the KB is far away, I'll see if I can get some troops and supplies to Palmyra and Christmas Island.[/align] [/align]Aleutians:  A stout Jap CA/DD force sinks two PTs at Kodiak on the 27th.  A B-25 hits DD Arashio with a 500 pounder.[/align] [/align]Australia:  John is flying recon over all the bases on the road between Darwin and Alice Springs.  But no obvious move on Darwin yet.[/align] [/align]DEI and Vicinity:  Pontiatak finally falls.  The Japs are arriving at Soerabaja with big numbers.  I'm withdrawing my garrison, whose AV has fallen below 300, to reinforce Malang.  That will be my final stand here.[/align] [/align]Malaya:  The crazed Brits in the mountains west of Kota Bharu continue to hold against shock attacks at overwhelming odds turn after turn.  42:1 on the 27th, something similar on the 28th.  How they are doing it I don't know.[/align] [/align]Philippines:  Japs are bombarding Clark Field.  No further attacks there since the last one reported.  [/align] [/align] [/align]

[trollelite]

You mean entire KB? Is Kaga also there?