The end of the world as we know it?

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, a warm welcome to the briefing, especially to our Polish Ally......

Last night our airfields were busy. Over 300 bombers took off and assembled south of Shanghai before making a direct course for Nagasaki. Japanese residents of this city were the first on the 'home islands' to feel the vengeance of the Allies as the airfield was destroyed, and the port facilities were attacked. Over 30 planes were obliterated on the ground, the opposition was identified as obsolete Nate type fighters.....

This effort did not diminish out round the clock attacks on other targets closer to our bases......

We trust the Emperor has a few sleepless nights over the opening of our strategic bombing campaign. he will have further bad news in the next day or so.

Elsewhere, as expected, Japanese resistance has stiffened. Lead elements arriving at Nanchang have been rudely ejected by the 300K troops that have retreated there. A probing attack at Tientsin was also repulsed. Neither of these was unexpected..... we remain sanguine. On Onnetokan Jima and way back at Pearl there were desperate banzai attacks staged which gained nothing except the piling up of Japanese bodies.......

[DuckofTindalos]

Keeping busy, I see...[:D] Any problems keeping your seaborne lines of communication open to the northern Japanese islands?

[Roger Neilson II]

Well the Emperor did try to interdict/ throw me off some of those islands recently.... but that didn't work. He has next to no subs left, next to no long legged naval assets left, the air balances up there are Shikka (-318 Jap held) and Etorofu (384) going back to Paramushiro at 4217... so his bombers won't attempt anything - anywise the weather is pretty bad most days. I also have some CV power up there now. What I am finding is that construction work is pitifully slow..... just in case anyone thinks its an easy backdoor to the Home Islands.

The reason I am finding it untroubled is the massive losses around Batavia & Davao that really decimated his forward offensive capability. His ability to attack is severely limited.

Roger

[Yava]

Yes, Batavia and Davao that few turns were a masterpiece. Seems that your opponent has not much to send against you at all.[:)]

[Roger Neilson II]

Just noticed the AAR past 10K hits.......... glad some of you gentlemen are enjoying it. More to come......

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, we are on the brink of a major step. Yesterday Chinese forces stormed across the river at Nanking and assaulted some formidable defence works. As yet they have not overrun these but have made inroads on a variety of places along the line. At dawn they will renew their assault and fully expect to be in possession of the City by tomorrow night. The result of this will be that the Japanese forces around Nanchang will have no retreat to the coast and will have to either sit and starve or attempt to punch a hole in our ring of steel. Hengchow is strong, with advance armoured forces probing Soochow now.

To the north at Tientsin the enemy seems to be massing forces to try and thrust down the rail line.... we shall see if he can do so. Meanwhile a paradrop by the 1st MC paras liberated Anking.

Elsewhere we build and ready ourselves for the next great assaults......

[DuckofTindalos]

You're really making some good work in China, Roger. I always have the feeling I'm not being all I can be in that particular theatre.

[Roger Neilson II]

Its interesting that its the land war that the enemy is strongest in - he has next to no naval assets and his airforce is held in the HI or stranded on Saipan. I think that the success is due to my being able to cut his large forces off and then leave them isolated. His two major thrusts on Ichang and Sian were neither big enough to win, but nor were they protected from flank actions. More importantly the thrust into Malaya from Indochina almost worked - it was a near run thing at Georgetown for a while - bu ultimately the forces surrounded and destroyed there were the ones that would have held the Commonwealth advance in that area back for a long time - once they were gone the advance along the coastline is what really has been the killer blow. My opponent was so busy holding the Chinese hordes back he did not have the wherewithal to stop the advance along to Hong Kong - once that was open supplies poured in!

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, we are on the brink of a major day or two in the war. In the Pacific Operation Kraken Wakes has begun and first news of its progress should be with you by the end of the next 48 hours.

In our own area things are looking 'interesting'. The enemy has decided to move to unite his forces and needs to break our grip on Hangchow. We have now detected 12 units in the immediate vicinity, with another 19 on the road snaking back to Nanchang where a rearguard of some 10 units remain. Our recent conquest of Hangchow means that we are still, frankly, tidying the place up and as yet have had no chance to set about any real entrenchments. It could well be a bloody out and out stand up fight. We are aware that as the enemy reaches us he will probably have a 2:1 plus advantage - on the negative side for him his troops are exhausted, have had no respite from a fighting withdrawal for several weeks, and must have poor supplies. if we can hold them then each day will strengthen our position and at the same time weaken him. Of course if he manages to assault from Soochow then we face a further 30 units and that could be decisive. Timing is going to be everything here and we do have our Chinese allies heading down from recently liberated Nanking to pressure the Soochow forces. We also are about to assault Tientsin for a second time and this time we expect to take that city too.

Yesterday in the north Chegting was liberated as the enemy retire on Kaigan and, we assume, Peking.

Gentlemen, the next few days are going to be fast and furious.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, we have now had day one of Operation Kraken Wakes. Our Allied Cvs set sail from Yap for a RV W of Tinian. Like most operations it did not go entirely to plan. At first light diver bombers and torpedo bombers from the Allied CVs launched and formed up to attack the assembled shipping in Saipan harbour. Unfortunately due to some SNAFU (an American expression) the fighter escorts did not appear leaving the bombers to go in unescorted. It is reported that almost 50% did not return! This was not good, and indeed the American TF Commander was heard to scream 'Where the ***** are the escorts you ****** ****** of *******, where are you **************?'

As expected, the Japanese responded. Their planes, so far grounded whilst Operation Kraken occurred, finally could resist the provocation no more and took off to destroy the Carriers.
At least our CAP was in the right place. No Japanese pilot got within striking distance of any of our ships, and no Japanese pilot returned to base!

Eleven CVs, three CVEs and six CVLs are now maneuvering in the face of predicted storms to continue day two of the operation - we have to hope the escorts manage to do their job this time round!

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, after two days aerial warfare SW of Saipan the balance has irrevocably changed. His pilots are no match for the well trained Americans flying vastly superior aircraft. Only in the attacks on Saipan harbour, where we face fierce flak, are we losing appreciable number s of planes - but those that are getting through are steadily reducing any sealift capacity for the garrison there.

China slumbers, his forces continue to arrive at Hangchow, they look a miserable, tattered army according to ground observers.

[Gen.Hoepner]

Amazing Job Roger...i just caught up with your aar...amazing!
 
Just a question...are all those planes and pilots losses worthy? I mean...the Kraken operation managed till now to sink or damage nothing of particular interest, in terms on naval power...while your pilots are really important...
Overall losses, especially of your crack SDB and TBs seems really high

[Roger Neilson II]

Ah yes General Hindsight has called at my HQ and expressed his opinion on that too.

In excuse of it all I would offer the following observations>>>>>>>>>

1. The first strike went in completely unsupported, despite orders! This meant that I assumed I had a lot of planes shot out of the sky - it was only the second strike - supported and effectively uncontested by enemy fighters, that suggested I was throwing my fliers away unnecessarily.
2. My intention was not really the sinking of the naval assets, but the threat to them would force a response - and it did. His planes are now mainly a distant memory on the Marshalls. Maybe I should have just hit the airfield, frankly some of my play at present is 'lets just try it out'. Another time I'd do it differently. Up to then his planes had stood on the ground and I really wanted them eliminated.
3. I lost patience, I got tired of waiting for the airfields to grow sufficiently on Yap etc. Again a note to myself for the future.
4. I agree I lost a lot of good crew, but frankly they are just sitting around anyway. The allied air power I have at my disposal is awesome, and CVs are becoming a little irrelevant once we neutralise these bases.
5. I much prefer to wipe out his air power at Saipan than have them sitting in the home islands. He also has 55 units identified on Saipan - better they stay there for the duration than he manages to pull them back. In these two days he has lost 300 aircraft, mainly in air to air combat - his pilot resources are strained - and overall he has lost 8,235 aircraft in the campaign. He has no real naval assets left (I think) and the fewer planes he has left in the Home Islands the easier the next phase will be for my lads. So, the CVs are, to an extent expendable - but don't tell them they might get upset. His choice now is to accept he no longer has any air power in the Marshalls, or to fly more of his dwindling air in to challenge me. neither I think is a good choice so he's effectively between a rock and a hard place. Whereas Saipan is very heavily defended the other islands are not....... I will say no more at this stage!


Happy for any comments and discussion like this - but bear in mind its an open AAR, and Ddog has been, both in this game and our previous one an entirely honorable and gracious opponent. I will not appreciate any comments that have a go at him. That's not aimed at you General H, you are the master of tact and diplomacy as anyone who follows your AAR will acknowledge.

Roger

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, I have just returned from a flying visit to Hangchow to witness the enemy assault. We knew it was brewing, and I wanted to gauge how things would go personally.

With a very minor initial barrage, dwarfed I must say by our defensive one and by the supporting fire from our battleships and cruisers off shore, the enemy came forward. We estimate over a third of a million troops assaulted our lines. We had, as you know, less than a third to defend against them. It was a close call when they got into our lines, but they were beaten back. We estimate casualties to them of over 5,000 troops and a search of the bodies indicates many were only able to fight with a bayonet, not having any ammunition upon them. Our lines have held, further attacks by the enemy will be on less even terms as we strengthen our defences, and his own supplies weaken further.

Elsewhere we continue to chew up his land forces, on Onnekotan Jima we now outnumber his invasion troops by a 2:1 ratio, but qualitatively we are looking at a growing gap in the ability to fight here as he burns up his supplies landed a few weeks ago now. Our CVs have ceased the aerial attacks on Saipan and the surroundings, pulling back for some respite and refitting of their squadrons. Yesterday a TF of Japanese destroyers sallied to attack a MSW TF near Satawal. They caused some damage in a night action, but were found at daybreak by carrier based planes. None of the destroyers is still afloat.

Gentlemen, the skies above Saipan and the other Marshall islands are ours, daily we fly sweeps over his airfields to engage any planes that are willing to come up and fight - none are appearing to accept the challenge. Operation Kraken Wakes is, so far, a success. Not however so cheap a success as we first thought it might be.

[Yava]

Commenting on the Kraken Wakes day one operations Roger.
I hate when that happens with the planes. The loses were such a waste, just because some bob tails didn't fly...[:@]
However, the whole operation was nicely done! [:)] With the skies free you can technically do what you want.[:D]

[Roger Neilson II]

Well it wasn't subtle at all..... it was sheer brute force, but it got the job done!

Roger

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen. Operation Intimidate is underway. This is a support to the bigger Operation Kraken Wakes. You will see from the situation map that there is a Transport Tf heading for Guam and one or two of our carriers waiting to see if any jap planes would like to take off and try to make a fight of it.

I must inform you that a mine has been detected off Guam, the mine sweeping duties normally allocated to MSWs and DMS was being undertaken by the USS Saratoga. This is an annoyance.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, raise your glasses. I propose a toast. To Singapore, Ours once again!

Last night an assault across from Johore Bahru, long time in the planning, was finally made. The troops - a mix of Commonwealth and Chinese forces were expecting a bloody fight of it against 70k of veteran Japanese, cooped up there for months. Evidently our bombing had reduced these fighting formations to the point where their morale broke. For a loss of less than 3000 men we broke their defenses and streamed into the city. There are around 60K of them left to be rooted out, but the city is unquestionably ours. The Port and airfield are totally devastated, but these will soon be restored to civilian use. Singapore was long ago bypassed in our advances, but the symbol of our power, influence and trade has been recaptured.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen, as far as the war goes, mostly it is just a game of waiting, bombing and organising. However in the vastness of the pacific things continue to progress.

We can only surmise the enemy, seeing that we were intent on hitting Guam hard, and detecting a series of transport forces heading towards the island, felt the time was right to sortie from under the protection of Saipan harbour. We also feel he had probably seen our Cvs retiring on Yap.

In the night the CVs turned, having deliberately done a 'Parthian shot' and arrived west of Guam to detect a strong CA/CL/DD enemy TF bearing down upon what they had assumed would be transports about to unload at Guam. The results were more than satisfactory, as the illustration below indicates. The remnants of the TF have been observed heading back to Saipan.

[Roger Neilson II]

Gentlemen. I am pleased to announce that the Kraken is awake! Yesterday the 25th and 37th US Divisions commenced landings on Tinian. They encountered no opposition and already our base forces are disembarking. The airfield had been developed already to a state where medium bombers can fly from it, and that, plus the facilities were captured intact. American P47s and P38s have flown in to operate from here and they have been joined by the 1 RNZAF Squadron flying Beaufighters. The Marianas are now all dominated by our land based aircraft. The shipping at Saipan is awaiting its destruction, and the 55 units defending the island are trapped with no supply route or escape.

Elsewhere fighting rumbles on throughout mainland Asia. We are clearing parts of Singapore street by street. Kuikang has now been taken and it is felt that Nanchang will be soon ours.