Rising Sun over the Rockies - F.K. vs OSO - Wake captured by US

[FeurerKrieg]

Hello everyone!

I've decided to start an AAR on a game I've had in progress for a long time, but has only made it two months game time. I'm the Japs and OSO is the dreaded Allies. The game is starting to pick up pace in terms of turns completed so I think updates won't be too far apart.

I've also just completed a move to Denver CO so my other games are all packed still. Rather than go to the trouble of unpacking, I figure I'll just spend my time writing another AAR. [:D]

For those who might have read The Emperor's Champions, you'll know I try to use a lot of pictures, and nearly no combat reports. I plan to use the same approach on this game. If I get ambitious I might go back through the turn (I have all of them archived) and put together the monthly statistics like I did in my other AAR.

Another reason for this AAR is because I got so much good advice on a War Room thread I put up, that I figure some of that same advice might be useful throughout this game. That chat was here:
tm.asp?m=1658715
and basically helped me decide to not pursue my India plans, and rather continue to focus on the Pacific and maybe go for the big NZ.

I'll get some posts up shortly of house rules and such, and then I'll start running though the old combat reports just to give some summaries of what has happened so far.

Below is a map that shows my timetable for the Pacific. A few game days have past since that screeny, but the PM landing occurred on the 29th, so it is on schedule. Christmas Island will probably be 2 days behind as I gave my troops and extra couple days to knock off some disruption/fatigue.

And this is a CLOSED AAR so please do not provide OSO info about strategy discussed in this thread. Thanks!

[FeurerKrieg]

So this game is CHS scenario 160 on the extended map.
Game settings:
1 day turns
Weather ON
FOW ON
Allied sub doctrines ON
Jap sub doctrines ON
Set all facilities to expand at start OFF
Accept Reinforcements OFF
Variable reinforcements, +/- 15

The house rules are pretty long, and I'll post them below. The most interesting one (I think) is the atoll stacking limits. The general idea is to allow for a more 'realistic', although not necessarily historical game. So to simulate different prewar planning, etc, we still have surprise turned on, but we have a rule about how close Jap TF's can get to Allied to bases to prevent turn 1 capture of Pago Pago or some such nonsense. I've also scrapped all the R&D factories, and put some limits on the PDU so that I can still use good planes, and downgrade as needed for training, kamikazes, etc, but I can't make all DB and LB units into Helen's for example. Also listed what Allied units can upgrade to 4E's.
Shinano is available as Battleship or Carrier.
And I used the editor to activate the Russians so OSO can move them around and move the Soviet Navy as needed, however they can't attack unless my Machukuo AV's are less than 8000, which I'd tell him if that were the case.

House Rules:

CHS 160
Japan Specific
1. The KB may not hang around Pearl Harbor after 7 DEC 41. It may only conduct the 7 DEC 41 raid and must leave the area to a distance of not less than 30 hexes from Pearl Harbor and remain at least this distance from Pearl Harbor for a period of not less than one week. KB may moved NW, W, SW after Pearl Harbor.
2. Kwangtung army units may not leave Manchuria without spending PPs to do so.
3. No Kamikaze attacks above 28,000 ft to prevent ‘warping’ of Kamikaze fighters that are over Allied fighter ceilings.
4. If all Russian bases are captured, a garrison must be maintained at Russian map entry points to simulate defense from Russia reinforcements. Urumchi – 500 AV, Abakan – 2000 AV, Krasnoyarsh – 2000 AV.
5. If all Chinese bases are captured, a garrison of 4000 AV must be maintained at Chungking.
6. Japan may not attack Aden.
7. No garrison required at Karachi because British arrive at Aden. No garrison required in Indian bases because no in game units present from the Indian National Army.
8. Air units may not bomb unoccupied Allied bases repeatedly for training purposes. Two-four attack can be expected to determine that a base is unoccupied but after that attacks should cease. In China, the only fighters that may do ground attacks are those that are assigned to the China Command or Kwangtung Army. Only the ‘training’ command can be used to train.
9. Any air unit named as a ‘Training unit’ (ie ##th Training Sentai) may not be used in combat except for defensive CAP in Manchukuo or the Home Islands, or if they are converted to Kamikaze.
10. The construction of at least one of the two Shinano ships MUST always be halted. The Japanese player is only permitted to be building ONE of the ships at any time. The player may halt both ships if they wish, or switch construction between the two ships at any time as long as one of them always remains halted. If by some error BOTH Shinanos are launched, then BOTH must be scuttled immediately as soon as this is discovered by either player.


PDU Restrictions
11. Only Glen floatplanes on subs (and Glens on subs only). I-400 Subs can equip Seiran floatplanes.
12. Only ‘A’ series naval fighters/fighter-bombers on carriers, except the A6M3 which was not carrier capable due to its fixed wingtips (A6M3a is okay for carriers).
13. Japanese Dive Bomber units that upgrade to level bombers may only upgrade to the Lily/Randy path (Ki-48-I >> Ki-48-II >> Ki102b)
14. All air units attached to CL, CLAA, CA, and BB may only upgrade to Pete or Dave unless they enter as a Jake or Alf. AV, CS, and others may upgrade floatplanes to any class (except Glen/Seiran).




First turn Japanese & Allied restrictions
1. No attacks on Allied bases more than 10 hexes from a Japanese starting base. Additionally, no Japanese transport TF may end turn 1 less than 5 hexes from any Allied base more than 10 hexes from a Japanese base.
2. Only port attack allowed is Pearl Harbor or Manilla.
3. KB must either attack Pearl Harbor or Manilla or move to a major base – Truk, Palau, Saipan, Home Islands, Shanghai, Formosa, Saigon, or Haiphong. IE – KB may not hunt US carriers for the first two days.
4. Allies can only move those TF’s which are already formed. They may not form any new TFs.
5. No Allied port or airfield attacks on day 1.
6. Japanese R&D factories will be converted repeatedly on turn 1 so that the amount is 0. The Tojo RD factory will not be reduced. Also, any R&D factories that start at (9) or less will not be reduced. The large R&D Factories are not based on reality, but they are an AI crutch to assist with construction of late war planes. Japan will have to expend supply and manpower points to expand any production.

Allied Specific
1. LCUs and Air Groups under China Command may not leave the borders of China for any reason. Political Points may not be spent to change their command to circumvent this rule either. The only exception is the AVG Fighter Group as it starts in Burma and also spent most of it’s time fighting there. Note that there are several Chinese divisions that start the game under the Southeast command. This restriction does not apply to them.
2. No Corsair's allowed on US CV's until 1/44 except for air transport missions.
3. The 2nd Marine division may be divided on/after the first turn. One of the 3 groups created may deploy to the Central or South Pacific immediately. The other 2 groups created by dividing the parent unit and all other Division-sized Marine Corps LCUs must remain on the continental US until 1 JUN 42 or in the event that Port Moresby falls into Japanese hands whichever comes first. Historically, one brigade of the 2nd Marine division was deployed to Samoa on 24 DEC 41. The 1st Marine division invaded Guadalcanal on 7 AUG 42. The 1 JUN 42 date should be a sufficient restriction to prevent them from being able to stage a counterattack with Marines until roughly this date.
4. No withdrawal of Allied LCU's from Malaya, Phillipines, or Dutch East Indies until Singapore, Manila, Palembang, Batavia, or Soerabaja is under LCU attack. This applies separately for each area.
5. No Naval Attack by Allied land based bombers (2E bombers) under 1000', until 1/43.
6. 4E bombers may never attack below 9000’.
7. PT boats may not combine with other surface ships in a TF except to transfer to another base.
8. No more than 6 PT boats in a TF.
9. No more than 3 PT boat TF’s at the same port.
10. HMS Implacable’s fighters should remain Seafires, as Corsairs and Hellcats were too large to operate from this carrier.
11. All Australian nationality Brigade and Division LCUs are only allowed to move within Australia Proper and New Guinea (including New Britain but NOT Dutch New Guinea). The exception is all Australian LCUs of this size that are designated as AIF units, e.g. 9th Division AIF; the two AIF Brigades that start in Malaya. This restriction is permanent, even if the units are reassigned to a HQ other than ANZAC Command, and still applies even if a Division or Brigade is split into smaller units. There are no restrictions for Australian air units, other than the normal restrictions that apply to air units that are assigned to the ANZAC Command restricted HQ.

PDU Restrictions
1. No Allied two-engine bomber units may upgrade to four-engine units except for those units listed at the end of this rules list.

Both
1. Night Bombing: Aircraft groups not designated as night aircraft may only perform City Attack, Naval, Airfield, and Port Attack missions, versus Manpower only. No restrictions on night Naval Attacks.
2. Railroad Use: We got rid of this one.
3. Submarines: No submarine invasions.
4. Invasions: No invasions against hexes that do not contain a dot/base in them. Not every coastal hex was suitable for amphibious operations. Without this rule it is possible to use a couple of squads to disrupt the flow of supplies along coastlines.
5. Dividing Units: No breakdown of LCUs in combat to reduce fatigue and disruption. “In combat” is defined as sharing the same hex as an enemy LCU for this purpose.
6. Mine laying: Only mine laying classed ships may lay mines. This restriction doesn’t apply to submarines or aircraft. Also, only one Offensive Aircraft minelaying mission per turn until CAP vs Minelaying bug is fixes. Unlimited defensive air minelaying.
7. TF Rearming: No TF may re-arm in a port smaller than size 3 without a AE ship present (TF consisting of DD class ships only may use a AD type ship to fill this requirement). No capital ships may re-arm in a port smaller than size 3 without a AO/TK and a AE ship present. No forward base refueling of SS TF in ports under size 3 unless a AO/TK is present.
8. Naval Bombardments: No naval bombardments against hexes that contain "no" friendly LCUs. No fragmented LCUs may be used to satisfy this requirement. Naval bombardments "may" be conducted on pre-invasion sites up to two weeks prior to the actual landings. This rule is to deter the use of strategic naval bombardments. This puts a stop to the “gamey” rush-in-at-night-to-bombard-the-airbase-to-kill-the planes type attacks. Historically bombardments were always used to support an invasion or a battle in progress. The earliest preparation was conducted by the USA prior to the invasion of Guam and that was 13 days.
9. Aircraft Stacking: The maximum number of aircraft that can use an airbase is limited to 110 times the base size.
10. Fortifications: Maximum fortification on an atoll is limited to the airfield SBS + port SBS. For example Wotje is port 1 (1) and airfield 0 (1). The max fortifications would be 1+1 = 2. Note some Atolls will start with larger fortifications – these should not be increased.
11. Atoll
Defensive Stacking limits:
• Any combination of units up to 10,000 men per max fort level as above in LCUs may be stationed at an Atoll. Each vehicle (tank, engineering vehicle, etc) counts as 4 men. If an atoll starts with higher fort level, that will determine troops limits.
Offensive Stacking limits:
• Any combination of units up to 20,000 men per max fort level as above may be stacked at an Atoll. Each vehicle (tank, engineering vehicle, etc) counts as 4 men. If an atoll starts with higher fort level, that will determine troops limits.
If an atoll is attacked and taken then the new owner should attempt to get to the defensive stacking limit within 1 month.
12. Air Transport: Only planes designated as transport aircraft may airlift troops. Other aircraft allowed to transport troops by game mechanics are only permitted to do so when evacuating troops.
13. Paratroops: Air drop capable units must be ‘whole’ (ie no fragments on the map) before being dropped. Allied Paratroop divisions can be broken down into thirds and used separately, but each third must not have fragments on map when it is dropped.
14. Russian War Entry: At game start, Japan will move a unit to activate Russia, and then move back. Russia may not attack Japan until either 1) August 8, 1945 is reached, 2) Japan units cross Russian border or Japan units attack Russia units. (Japan’s responsibility to ensure naval air attack range is limited to prevent accidental attacks on Soviet navy. One attack should be considered ‘international incident’ and not declaration of war if agreed to by both players) or 3) Japan AV in Kwangtung goes below 8000. Japanese player must notify Allied player if this occurs. At that point Russian player may attack or not, but before any offensive action must declare war by notifying Japanese player. No Allied units may use Russian bases or move through Russian areas at any time, except Allied ships with float damage may enter Russia ports until float/fire is 0 then must leave.
15. Named Pilot Pool: This will not be used by either player as abuse can happen where highly experience float plane and bomber pilots can be instantly moved into fighter planes with no retraining period.
16. Sigint: Each player will only read their own SigInt file.


Allied units that upgrade to 4 engine bombers:
Bombardment groups

2nd 3rd 19th 21st 23rd 26th 27th 29th
31st 33rd 36th 38th 42nd 72nd 74th 98th
397th 406th 408th 431st

VB- groups

123 130 131 133 135 136 137 138 139 142
144 146 148 149 150 151 152 153

Others:
No.321 Squadron RAF
VP-2

[FeurerKrieg]

Well, I getting tired, so tomorrow I'll start posting some summaries of the first two months of game time. The last turn run was Jan 29th, so it won't take me too long get everyone caught up to current events.

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 7, 1941
The Japanese empire has launched massive attacks in Malaya, the Philipines and across the Pacific, highlighted with a daring raid against Pearl Harbor.

Malaya, Indo-China
Japanese bombers hit several British bases including Alor Star, Georgetown and Kuantan. Army dive bombers attacked enemy positions at Tavoy and Nate fighter planes bombed targets at Victoria Point. The disruption caused by these attacks allowed paratroopers to assault from the air and seize these two bases before the stunned defenders even realized what was happening.
Japanese warships shelled the coast at Khota Bharu and added to the confusion and enabled army units to disgorge from many many transport ships.
At Tavoy and Victoria Point, three enemy merchant marine ships were scuttled in port before Japanese prize crews could make it aboard.
In the China Seas many enemy ships were attacked. 6 AK, 2 AP and the PG Wake were all reported damaged or sunk.
British planes attempted to stop the oncoming wave of the Japanese with little effect. Most attacks were directed against the fleet at Khota Bharu, but between Zero's on CAP and flak from the larger ships, only one cargo ship was hit resulting in 28 wounded and killed Japanese soldiers.

Philippines
Paratroops again played an important role here, capturing important bases at Tuguegarao and Vigan. Batan Island was capture by naval landing forces with no resistance. Japanese ground forces were also landed at San Fernando, Naga, Taytay and Lamon Bay.
80+ Betty and Nell bombers, escorted by 50 Zero's attacked the airbases at Manilla, easily fighting through the 6 P-40E's sent up for defense.
Clark airfield was attacked by over 100 Betty and Nell bombers, also escorted by 50 Zeros. Here 9 enemy planes (P-26A, P-35A and P-40B) came up and all were shot down. The airfield was heavily damaged by the bombers. 2 Dozen Lily bombers also hit San Fernando to assist with the amphibious assault proceeding there.

Pearl Harbor
149 Val dive bombers, 128 Kate torpedo bombers and 48 Zeros flew into the primary US base in the Pacific and brought much damage to our foes.
Intelligence review of damage photos provided the following damage report:

BB Tennessee, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB Maryland, Bomb hits 12, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 8, Torpedo hits 6, on fire, heavy damage
BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 10, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
CA San Francisco, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1
CL Detroit, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB California, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CL St. Louis, Bomb hits 1
DD Jarvis, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AK Aroostook, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Helena, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DM Pruitt, Bomb hits 1, on fire
AVD Avocet, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Both the battleships Nevada and Maryland have been confirmed sunk. Arizona, Oklahoma, California and West Virginia are all considered heavily damaged and out of operation for a sufficient time to prevent the US Fleet from interfering with our Pacific expansion plans.
[center][/center]
[center][/center]
[center]Battleships Nevada (top) and Maryland before sinking.[/center]

Pacific
Nells from Kwajelein attacked US Marines on Wake in advance of a landing there. 4 Furataka class cruisers also shelled the US defenders. Our superior forces then landed and defeated the enemy, taking over 2400 enemy POWs and capturing 6 F4F-3 aircraft on the ground.
[center][/center]

Guam was also assaulted and should fall shortly.
Both Tarawa and Nauru Island were captured with no resistance. At Nauru an enemy ship was scuttled in port.
North of New Britain, the Admiralty islands were landed on and should fall shortly.
A force was also landed at Sorong to capture oil facilities there as well as provide a base for short range torpedo bombers to protect our left flank as we advance into the DEI.

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 8th - 10th

Dec 8th
Several small surface actions across the China Sea.
KB returns towards Wake, scheduled to rendezvous with Midway invasion force (S.S Detachment) already enroute from Marcus Islands.
San Fernado Coastal guns do significant damaged to Japanese transports.
Japanese strategy in China is to clear out guerrilla encampments once and for all. Fighters and bombers begin to target wooded areas believed to be hiding Chinese irregular units.
Rabaul is bombarded by Japanese surface ships.

Bases Captured -
Admiralty Islands
Taytay
Legaspi
Guiuan
Lamon Bay
Sorong
Guam
Makin

Dec 9th
CA Houston appears at Jesselton, sinks PC and damaged two AP's, but too late to stop capture of base.
Northern Borneo bases are assaulted, fair damage caused by coastal guns.
First attack on Hong Kong - forts to level 3

Captured bases:
Laoag
Naga
Miri
Jesselton

Dec 10th
ML Prins Van Oranje hits Type 88 mine laid by sub at Balikpapan.
Rabaul attacked, forts to lvl 2
Hong Kong forts to lvl 2
Khota Bharu attacked, forts to lvl 1

Captured bases:
Brunei
Kuching
Sandakan
Jolo Island
Wewak
Abemama

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 11, 1941
PT Boats repelled at San Fernando by CL Naka and DD's.
Rabaul, Hong Kong and Khota Bharu all fall.
Chinese are repelled from Nanchang.

Captured bases:
Puerto Princessa
San Fernando
Rabaul
Hong Kong
Khota Bharu

Dec 12, 1941
Captured bases:
Lucena
Aparri

Dec 13, 1941
Chinese again repelled from Nanchang
Chinese pushed back from area west of Suchow

Dec 14, 1941
Missing report!

Dec 15, 1941
Engaged Chinese rebels in woods SE of Tsinan

Captured Bases:
Lingayen
Alor Star
Madang

Dec 16, 1941
Japanese ground forces begin shelling Manilla - Luzon is mostly secure, bulk of Allied units are trapped in Manilla.
Chinese are pushed back SW of Nanking
Chinese are pushed back SW of Yangku
Chinese face overwhelming odd in woods SE of Tsinan

Dec 17, 1941
Missing report!

Dec 18, 1941
Large air attack off Malayan coast against BBs Yamashiro, Hyuga and Ise.
37 Bombers (Swordfish, Vildbeest and Hudsons) escorted by 5 P-40E and 19 Buffalos fight against 23 Zeros on LR CAP from miniKB in the area. Several enemy fighters downed, but 31 bombers make it through to attack. Thankfully no hits are scored, and enemy losses high from CAP and flak.
Chinese rebels engaged in woods NE of Kaifeng.

Captured bases:
Brunei
Kavieng
Wenchow

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 19, 1941
Mersing Bombarded by Hyuga and Ise
Troops landed at Mersing
Mini KB sinks several small ships near Singapore

Captured bases:
Baguio
Buin
Salamaua

Dec 20, 1941
Chinese again repelled from Nanchang
Chinese pushed back from woods west of Nanking

Captured bases:
Georgetown
Mersing

Dec 21, 1941
British/Dutch again attack transports at Mersing. This time Oscars, Tojos, and Zeros stop several bombers. Those that get through score no hits.

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 22, 1941

After escorting the SS Detachment for several days from Marcus Island to Midway, the KB discovers some Allied surface ships in port at Midway! This may be due to the fact that the fleet approached Midway undetected. In any case, it is a fun day for the KB pilots as they sink the CA New Orleans, CL Detroit, DD Balcht and DD Monaghan.
[center][/center]
[center]Heavy Cruiser New Orleans[/center]

The battleships Hiei, Kirishima, and Mutsu get some sport as well, finding another two destroyers off the coast. These are sunk before the battleships roll in and shell the island defenders.

The landing goes smoothly, and a beachhead is formed. (IE - first assault 1 to 1, forts reduced to lvl 2)

Also on this day -
The Chinese continue to be pushed back in several areas, SW of Kaifeng, E of Singyang, and W of Yangku.
Bases captured:
Lae
Shortlands
Tulagi

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 23, 1941

Tarakan and Midway bombarded.
Zero sweeps over Singapore reduce enemy fighters.
2nd assault on Midway fails to gain ground (0 to 1)


Dec 24, 1941
Tarakan again bombarded by Haruna and Kongo.

Bases Captured:
Tarakan
Taiping
Munda
Lunga

Dec 25, 1941 Merry Christmas!

Manado bombarded by Nagato et al.
KB Vals try to help the struggling SS Detachment - 140 Vals pound support and supply units on the island.
Chinese again repulsed from Nanchang.
Chinese shock attack against the Japanese besieging Wuchow fails.

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 26, 1941

Vals hit Marine front line at Midway, SS Detch gains significant ground. (3 to 1, forts go from 2 to 0)
Japanese attack at Wuchow, gain ground (1 to 1, forts 3-->2)
First attack on Johore Bahru goes okay (1 to 1, forts to lvl 1)

Bases Captured:
Baker Island
Irau

Dec 27, 1941
Midway US Marines solidify their lines and the SS Detach is stopped cold (0 to 1)
Japanese forces cross river near Honan, and take heavy casaulties from Chinese defense.

Captured bases:
Kuantan
Manado

Dec 28, 1941
Chinese units again repulsed from Nanchang.
Near Honan, Chinese force Japanese units to retreat back across the river to the east.
Attack on Wuchow continues to do well. (1 to 1, forts 2-->1)

[FeurerKrieg]

Dec 29th, 1941
Balikpapan shelled by Haruna and Kongo.
KB Vals hit Midway.

Captured:
Kuala Lumpur
Rennell Island

Dec 30th, 1941
Nothing much - air attacks as usual.

Dec 31st, 1941
Wuchows progress slows as Chinese reinforcements arrive (0 to 1, but very close)

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 1, 1942
CL Dragon and CL Durban attacked by Betty bombers near Kendari, but no hits scored.

Captured bases:
Clark Airbase
Malacca
Fergusson Island

Jan 2, 1942
In an effort to end the battle at Midway, Hiei, Mutsu and Kirishima return from Wake after rearming with an AE docked there. The battleships shell the island all night. In the daylight, 134 Vals from the KB also add to the carnage. The SS Detachments makes its push and takes the atoll easily (14 to 1). Midway is in Japanese hands!

Captured bases:
Midway Island
Pakhoi
Rossel Island

Jan 3, 1942
Zero's and Tojos escort Nells over Rangoon and shoot down 9 AVG pilots in P-40Bs.
CL Dragon is missed again near Kendari.

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 4th, 1942

Near Midway, KB and the battleships head back towards Wake to rendezvous with several NLF, SNLF and Nav Gd units that have been prepping for Johnston Island.
Mini-KB and a surface group headed by Nagato are heading towards Karachi along with the 56th and 65th Brigades.
Some Betty/Nells have attacked some Dutch cruisers in the area, but no hits have been landed.

The Chinese attack Nanning, driving out the Yobi Eki group that is there. Half of the unit abandons Pakhoi and heads for Haiphong to recover. The other half heads southeast to connect a supply route to Canton, and then help in the seige of Wuchow.
Pucheng is assaulted and strong gains are made, although the enemy is quite dug in. (6 to 1, forts go lvl 5 to 4)
Deboyne Island also captured.

Jan 5, 1942
Betty/Nells again attack Dutch cruisers in DEI. CL Tromp and CL DeRuyter are both hit. The plan is for the planes to do some minor damage, but enough that it will give our surface units an advantage. Submarines also take shots at the cruisers, but miss on multiple occasions.
Float planes from Mini KB also attack some Dutch ships.

Bataan is captured - 31,500 Allied POWs taken.

Wuchow attack again fails, but enemy fortifications are completly destroyed. 1 to 1, forts go to lvl 0.

More action upcoming as Nagato et al tangle with the best the DEI has in terms of surface units. Stay tuned!!

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 6th, 1942

In an effort to clear the waters around Kendari, the mini-KB moves into the seas lanes about 100 miles south of Kendari, while a surface group consisting of BB Nagato, CA Nachi, CA Haguro, CL's Nagara, Yura and Kitakami and 4 DD's moves in closer to the port.

The next three days are busy times for the Nagato.

In the evening of the 5th, the battlegroup encounters a light surface group consisting of CL Java and Tromp, plus 3 DD's. In the initial battle, Tromp and an enemy DD are sunk, but CA Nachi take two torpedoes in the battle and is subsequently scuttled by morning. DD Yamakaze is also sunk. The Java escapes with little damage. Kitakami is heavily damaged and breaks away from the group to run to Palau.

I-175 takes some revenge, putting two torpedoes into the DD Evertsen which had already taken some damage int he battle.

When the sun rises, though, the mini-KB finds Java and also CL DeRuyter and puts one torpedo into Java which is enough to sink the ship, and 2 torpedoes into De Ruyter.

Elsewhere during the day, Johore Bahru is captured, opening the way to Singapore. Pucheng is also captured.

Troop convoy is about to unload at Kendari, and although Nagato's group is depleted, the transports must be defended. To make matter worse, several Allied cruisers are spotted west of Kendari. Mini KB is ordered to head west and attempt to sink or damage enemy cruisers before they can engage the Nagato group which is damaged and somewhat low on ammo.

[center]
Battleship Nagato[/center]

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 7th, 1942

The night of the 6th begins with Nagato, Haguro and Nagara shelling the beaches near Kendari as two IJA brigades begin unloading.

The night progresses smoothly, but early morning patrols sent out by mini-KB find enemy cruisers closing on the fleet at Kendari.

Kates and Jakes attack in an attempt to drive off the enemy ships. CA Houston, CL Boise, CL Marblehead and DD's Stewart and Bulmer are identified. One torpedo hit is scored on each of Boise and Marblehead. Nells also fly in from Jolo and put some bombs on the ships, one bomb hits Houston but does little damage. Both destroyers are also hit, and they do suffer from the effects of the 250kg AP bombs.

By the time the enemy ships reach Kendari, the only IJN ships left to defend the transports are Nagato, CA Haguro, CL Nagara and two destroyers. The heavies are all low on ammo after the battles of yesterday as well as the bombardment support of the landings. Neverless, in true samurai style they fight the enemy with what they have.

In the first of three daylight engagements, Marblehead is found isolated from the rest of the task force and pounded hard. Marblehead quickly sinks. DD Umikaze is also hit though, and sinks as well.

As Marblehead slides under the water, the Houston and Boise arrive and fight back. Four enemy destroyers are also seen with the two cruisers. Nagato and Haguro take the bulk of the hits, but nothing penetrates the tough ships' armor. DD Suzukaze takes only a couple hits from the powerful guns of Houston and is sunk. All the enemy ships are hit, and all are on fire to some extent, 3 of the 4 destroyers look to be sinking. With no main gun ammo, Nagato is unable to inflict any serious damage to the enemy cruisers.

As the Allied ships attempt to retreat, Nagato, with no main gun ammo, leads Haguro and Nagara on a final charge to drive off the Allied ships. This time, the IJN ships close enough that even their secondary armament has an impact. Heavily damaging Houston and sinking an enemy destroyer. The enemy ships, thus damaged are now slower targets for the nearby light IJN carriers. The price is not insignificant though, as Haguro takes a pounding from the amazingly strong Boise, and must be scuttled.

The troops continue to unload at Kendari, with no interference from the Allied surface ships, so although the price is high, the main goal has been achieved.

The Carriers do not get another attack launched today, but tomorrow they will be hunting.

In other areas - an attack on Wuchow makes no progress (0 to 1).
[center]
Light Cruiser Boise[/center]

[center]
Heavy Cruiser Houston[/center]

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 8th, 1942

As the transports unload at Kendari, it seems the allies have given up trying to defend the base. Nells from Jolo find the Boise and put 10 bombs on the ship, but the light carriers are stuck in weather and cannot launch any strikes today.

Far away from Kendari, in the Pacific, a refueled and reloaded KB nears Johnston Island and 143 Vals pound the airfield there, destroying 6 Wildcats and 2 Dauntlesses on the airstrip. The runway appears closed in bomb damage photos.

Elsewhere, Singkawang is captured.

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 9th, 1942

The last troops and supplies are unloaded at Kendari, and the army units easily overrun the base. The Empire now has a solid hold on their left flank in the DEI. Timor will now come under air threat and the Philippines are definitely isolated.

The light carriers have better weather today and find the Houston, and 7 bombs and 2 torpedoes are put into the ship, enough to sink her. Boise is also spotted sinking after yesterday's Nell attacks.

Overall the Kendari operation cost the IJN 2 Heavy Cruisers (Nachi and Haguro) as well as 4 destroyers and several damaged light cruisers. Nagato also will need yard time due to the immense amount of shells the big ship endured. (Sys dmg 27). The Allies, by comparison lost CA Houston, and several CLs - Boise, Java, DeRuyter, Tromp, Marblehead, along with 5 destroyers. While the Nachi and Haguro will be missed, the Allies are unlikely to threaten us in the DEI with surface assets for some time.

In the Pacific, BB's Hiei, Kirishima, and Mutsu pound the beaches at Johnston Island as many NLF and SNLF units assault the atoll. Vals from KB also fly in and pound the 116th USAAF Base Force. The combined assault of air, sea and ground forces does the trick, and Johnston falls on the first day of combat. 5 B-17's from Pearl Harbor attack the fleet, and manage to hit one transport. On the island, several enemy planes are captured including 2 Catalina, 5 Wildcats, and 5 SBDs. 2210 POW's are taken.

The Japanese now have a base within bombing range of Pearl Harbor. Engineers and coastal guns are en route and will arrive in the next couple days to get the airfield operational ASAP.

[center]
Johnston Island[/center]

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 10th, 1942
SS Triton is hit.
SS I-7 is also hit and sunk.
Attack on Wuchow gains some ground (1 to 1).
141,000 of the IJA's finest cross the straight to the island of Singapore. THe city is well fortified (lvl 5) but Japanese casualties are reasonable.

Jan 11th, 1942
A Zero sweep over Port Moresby finds a lone Wirraway on CAP, and it is promptly shot down.
Japanese forces attack at Nanyang doing well but not yet taking the city. (3 to 1, forts from 5 --> 4)

Jan 12th, 1942
B-17E's from Pearl Harbor hit some of the ground troops at Johnston as they attempt to recover and prepare for their next target at Palmyra.
After over a month of aerial bombardment, the IJA at Manilla launches an attack in earnest. Results are disappointing and the army take heavy casualties and makes no advance against the dug in defenders. Another attack will be tried in a few days, but barring any change in outcome, Manilla will be put under seige until forces from the Singapore campaign can assist in the battle. Many Artillery units are in place around the city and it is to be shelled non-stop.
An attack at Wuchow again gains 1 to 1.
Nanyang is captured by the IJA.
Another division crosses the waterway into Singapore. All troops are now present and will being to push into the city after a couple days rest.

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 13th, 1942
26 Zeros and 52 Oscar's fly sweep over Rangoon and encounter 13 P-40Bs of the AVG. 8 of the American's are shot down for the loss of 1 Oscar.
The assault at Wuchow loses momentum (0 to 1).
Captured bases:
Pontianak
Wau

Jan 14th, 1942
First assault on Singapore is encouraging. (1 to 1, forts from 5 to 4, Allied casualties higher than IJA)

Jan 15th, 1942
A second attack on Manilla is again strongly repulsed. Air units are now sent to other areas. Some ground units are pulled out of the seige to attack Mindanao and some of the smaller islands of the chain.
San Jose is captured by naval landing forces.

Jan 16th, 1942
Singapore attack continues to go well. (1 to 1, forts 4 --> 3)
The 2nd Paratroop Rgt does a drop on Port Blair, seize the base from the surprised garrison forces.

[FeurerKrieg]

Jan 17th, 1942
81 B-17E's from Pearl bomb the airfield at Johnston. This does hamper our work there, but IJ engineers work hard to get the airfield ready for friendly fighters so we can defend the field better.
Roxas is captured.
Wuchow picks up a bit again. (1 to 1)
Balikpapan attack goes well. (1 to 1, forts 2 --> 1)

Jan 18th, 1942
Another attack on Manilla is repulsed.
Attack on Wuchow stalls (0 to 1)
Singapore continues. (1 to 1, forts 3 --> 2)

Jan 19th, 1942
A raid on Soerabaja hits several ships in port, the most significant of which are a pair of Dutch submarines, each put out of action, if not sunk for some time.
Singapore on the verge of surrender. (2 to 1, forts 2 --> 1)