Pathos in the Pacific - Yubari`s Humiliation

[yubari]

Overnight, two Japanese transports sink. AP Joban Maru sinks at Thursday Island, more than two months after being hit during the evacuation of Cooktown Island. AK Fuyukawa Maru, a large cargo ship sinks in the Aleutians, after being hit by bombs from B-26s.

For the first time, 72 Lightnings sweep Coen, possibly looking for any LRCAP Zeroes from Portland Roads. They arent there, as Portland Roads is still heavily damaged. Afterwards, the normal 140 Airacobras attack the troops there. They must be getting fairly experienced now, and so hopefully they wont be upgrading into useful fighters, Airacobras are little more than targets.

None of the three airfields highlighted in the last post are attacked today. Meiktila completely repairs its damage, and even starts building up, it is 21 percent of the way to a level three airfield. If and when it does reach level three, two or three squadrons of Tonys will be rebased there. Tennant Creek is still heavily damaged, at 98, 39, with only 40 operational fighters, and so needs at least four or five more days of respite. Fortunately, thunderstorms are predicted there tomorrow. Portland Roads is still gradually repairing, and is at 35 airbase damage. There are now 95 operational fighters at the base.

I have two of my Armed Merchant Cruisers sailing around the islands in the Pacific. The Hokoku Maru is currently heading towards Fiji, and the Akagi Maru towards Johnston Island. They will try to attack any merchant shipping which arrives at those ports. I have no great expectations of success, but it is at least a little excitement during these quiet months.

[yubari]

A turn which really highlighted the growing allied airpower, particularly in medium and heavy bombers. The enemy pulled off a number of successful raids, destroying many Japanese fighter planes on the ground and suffering few losses. Well, it will get much much worse from now on.

The hoped for thunderstorms at Tennant Creek failed to materialise, and a large force of Hudsons attacked the base torching a number of planes on the ground. The battle for Tennant Creek seems to be lost. I was surprised at the number of planes attacking, particularly after the battle of the 24th. The allies seem to have more Hudsons there than I thought. I will leave the fighters there for the moment, but with only 30 undamaged, and with 20 Tonys and 3 Tojos destroyed on the ground today, the battle seems hopeless.

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 3
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 12

Allied aircraft
Beaufighter VIF x 8
Hudson I x 94
F-4 Lightning x 4

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 2 destroyed
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 10 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufighter VIF: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Hudson I: 2 destroyed, 18 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
103 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 3
Runway hits 91

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x Hudson I bombing at 6000 feet


Next, 50 4Es from bases in India attacked resources at Moulmein. 4 resources were damaged, but 19 bombers were damaged. A reasonable trade off at this stage in the game.

After that, a massive raid from Mandalay hit Meiktila very hard. Damage is back up to 47 airfield, 57 runway. There could be some enormous air battles over Meiktila in the near future I think.

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 91
P-40E Warhawk x 68
B-25C Mitchell x 61


Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 1 destroyed, 7 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 3 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
282 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 4
Airbase supply hits 18
Runway hits 108

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet

Then, 118 Airacobras hit Coen at low range. I want to try and stop these attacks, but I cant really see how to at the moment.

Allied aircraft
P-39D Airacobra x 118

No Allied losses

Japanese ground losses:
14 casualties reported

Aircraft Attacking:
24 x P-39D Airacobra bombing at 2000 feet

Finally, 130 B-24s hit Portland Roads at 32000 feet. The combat debut of the Nick was a hopeless failure. Sustaining 1 hit, they all disengage. Morale is down to 22, and the commander is immediately replaced by one with inspiration 83. Useless. 7 more fighters are destroyed on the ground, and damage rises once to again to 45 airbase, 14 runway.

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 36
A6M3a Zero x 9
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 16

Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 130

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M3a Zero: 2 destroyed, 1 damaged
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged
A6M2-N Rufe: 1 destroyed

Japanese ground losses:
72 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 18

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 32000 feet


In a spot of good news, the Hiryu upgrades to its September 1942 config, and gets a modest AA upgrade. All carriers are now ready for the assault in the Aleutians.

[yubari]

27th October.

The Allied bombing campaign appears to have intensified dramatically in the last week or so, and Japan is now firmly on the defensive in most theatres.

In Northern Australia, 46 B-17s attack Daly Waters from 36000 feet and do almost no damage. They will observe that only one Oscar group is defending the base however. I have three other groups there trying to repair, and hopefully they will be in the air within a week. 96 Hudsons also attack Tennant Creek. The airfield is at 100, 82 and will probably never be used again by Japanese planes. 120 Liberators attack Portland Roads at high altitude. Damage there rises to 49, 27.

PG Hokoku Maru, which received 5 bombs near Johnston Island yesterday ( I forgot to mention it) takes a further three bombs today, as it is still within four hexes of the island. It will surely sink. Finally, IJA Dive bombers attack troops at Nanchang, doing almost no damage, even though all the planes are in the high 80s experience wise
In some good news, a large convoy escorted by three CAs and numerous DDs has arrived at Port Moresby unspotted and is now unloading the supplies. Over 40000 are there now.

28th October.
The IJN sorties. All ships are set to converge on Tokyo Bay, which they should depart on the 30th of October, or the 1st of November. The CVs will head to the south of the Aleutian Islands in the hope of hitting a supply convoy or two, and will then go to provide air cover for an invasion of the Aleutians. More details at the end of the post.

There are four large allied air attacks today. 43 B-17s attack Daly Waters again, this time at 15000 feet, and destroy a number of fighters on the ground. I made a mistake in not moving them to Darwin to repair. 91 Hudsons attack Tennant Creek. The Liberators also attack Portland Roads, and finally the Nicks based there are able to do something. They manage to damage 4 of the bombers, and at the end of the day, two of them are lost to ops. With them flying almost every day, I hope that the ops losses will increase as fatigue goes up. Portland Roads is now at 52 airfield, 19 runway damage. The Japanese hold on there is still precarious.

At Meiktila, there is a major dogfight, as 68 Blenheims and 66 P-40Es meet two squadrons of IJA fighters on LRCAP. The Japanese fighters get the counce and do well, as can be seen below.

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 7
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 9

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 68
P-40E Warhawk x 66

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 2 destroyed, 5 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 2 destroyed, 17 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 6 destroyed, 19 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
228 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 3
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 29

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x Blenheim IV bombing at 6000 feet

At the end of the day, 3 Tonys and 2 Oscars are lost, for 10 Warhawks and 2 Blenheims. I will rotate the LRCAP squadrons, three different squadrons will LRCAP the base tomorrow, and damage is at just 8 airfield. The 373 engineers there repair fast, and can certainly repair more damage than was done today.

Preparations continue for the invasion of Adak Island in the Aleutians, which should hopefully take place on about the 20th of November. I have one full division earmarked, which is now 100 percent prepped and based at Sapporo. I also have the Guards division, which is currently loading at Kwajalein. They will link up with the Combined Fleet, the full 6 CV Kido Butai, supported by 6 or more battleships and a large number of cruisers and destroyers. Around 250 planes, mostly Zeroes and Bettys will be stationed in the Western Aleutians.

This is the final throw of the Japanese dice, the aim of the plan is to deny the allies a major base in the Aleutians; Adak Island the target can potentially be built up to airfield size 6, and hopefully to get the US fleet to react and head to the Aleutians, and away from where they would be more useful, the Solomons and Northern Australia. One potential problem for this plan is the cold weather zone; it causes invasions to become more badly disrupted during winter, but I feel that this battle is a risk I have to take in securing at least one frontier of the empire. Another potential risk is the US Navy turning up unannounced. Indeed, I havent so much as seen a US warship since the carrier battle at the end of March. Where are they?

The picture below shows the situation. Amchitka is a level 5, and currently bases 2 Zero, 1 Val, and one Betty Squadron. A similar force is at Attu. For the allies, Umnak is a level 6 airfield, and has at least one squadron of B-26s, and at least 80 P-39s and P-40s. The pop-up shows the force at Adak, which is currently a level four airfield, and has no planes there. A large battle is brewing up.

[yubari]

29th October.
In real life, some big earthquakes in Tokyo today, real building shakers, and the biggest for some three years.

Another bad day for the Japanese Empire, as the allies keep up their bombing campaign. Portland Roads again takes a heavy blow, as allied 2Es show up, escorted by P-38s

Day Air attack on Portland Roads , at 49,94

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 4
A6M2 Zero x 24
A6M3a Zero x 9
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 14

Allied aircraft
A-20B Boston x 16
B-25C Mitchell x 46
B-26B Marauder x 59
P-38F Lightning x 24

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2-N Rufe: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
A6M2 Zero: 7 destroyed, 11 damaged
A6M3a Zero: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 7 destroyed, 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
A-20B Boston: 2 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 7 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 2 damaged
P-38F Lightning: 4 destroyed, 9 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
234 casualties reported
Guns lost 4

Airbase hits 5
Airbase supply hits 2
Runway hits 53

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet

The base, now at 58 airfield, 52 runway damage cant sustain many more battles like this, and so, with the B-24s expected to return tomorrw, I withdraw the fighters from the airfield. Unfortunately, this leaves 26 experienced Zero pilots and 18 not so experienced Nick pilots marooned with their damaged planes. If only there was a way to transport out pilots and leave the planes.

It now seems certain that this is the allies main attack route, and so I will begin to build up Darwin as a main fleet base. Ships from here should be able to attack any transport fleets landing at Portland Roads without having to run the gauntlet of 4E bombers from Cairns, and may even be undetected, as the whole of the area from Darwin to Thursday Island is Japanese controlled. Aditionally, Darwin is currently out of range of bombers from Alice Springs.

The key battle now is to keep Port Moresby and Gili Gili (Milne Bay) airfields operational. As they are a greater distance from Cairns, 11 and 12 hexes respectively, this should be a little easier than Portland Roads, at a range of 8 from the size 7 Cairns airfield.

Elsewhere, B-17s flew against Daly Waters at 15000 feet, and the Oscar and Tojo fighters there perform very well, damaging 25 of the 39 attackers. The normal Tennant Creek raid also flies, 79 Hudsons there taking the airfield to 100, 99 damage. Hopefully they will continue hitting there, and not Daly Waters, as I need time, at least 4 or 5 days to rebuild my Tony squadrons.

47 B-17s also fly against Rangoon at 32000 feet, and for the first time, the 2 Tojo squadrons there are able to intercept, damaging 29 of the bombers. Only 1 airfield hit is scored. Despite all the damaged bombers, only 2 B-17s are shot down during the day.

[yubari]

Well, the earthquake was magnitude 6.8, but the epicentre was some 100 miles north of Tokyo. A lucky escape I feel.

30th October.
A very quiet day. Combined Fleet meets up in Tokyo Bay, and is reorganised into four main fleets. It sets off for its destination to the south of the Aleutians.
There is only one allied air attack today. 50 B-25s and 50 P-40Es attack Meiktila doing a small amount of damage. At the end of the day, the airfield is at just 1 airfield damage. The IJA hits Chinese troops at Nanchang. How much damage is being done is unknown.

31st October.
For the second day in a row, there is no sign of the allied heavy bombers. Maybe the heavy activity of the preceeding two weeks has caused their fatigue and morale levels to accumulate. Whatever, they certainly won the battles over Portland Roads and Tennant Creek.
The Japanese launch a large strike from Port Moresby against Cooktown hoping to get lucky and catch a large number of enemy aircraft on the ground. Unfortunately, a number of Lightnings are on CAP over the base. On the allied side, 6 Lightnings are shot down, and 7 Zeroes and 2 Bettys also perish. 3 Planes are destroyed on the ground, 2 of them P-38G Lightnings. given that the P-38F has generally been beating the Zeroes in recent weeks, the arrival of the slighlty improved P-38G is not good news.

Allied bombers again attack Portland Roads, destroying a couple of already damaged airframes, but not doing major damage. The base is lost, but Port Moresby continues to grow in strength. Nearly 140 fighters are there, along with 60000 supplies. A large transport fleet has nearly unloaded its cargo, and is set to retreat at full speed to Rabaul this turn.

95 Blenheims again attack Meiktila without fighter escort. 4 fighter squadrons from Rangoon and Moulmein are set to LRCAP the base this turn.

1st November. Commerce raiding in the South Pacific.
On the morning of the 1st November, PG Akagi Maru comes upon a slow moving transport group. Appearing as a normal merchant ship, she catches the enemy transport fleet unawares, and then procedes to heavily damage the majority of the enemy transports; a mighty performance. She finishes the battle at 32, 13, 7 damage, a long way from home and the wrong side of Johnston and Canton Island.

Day Time Surface Combat at 115,104

Japanese Ships
PG Akagi Maru, Shell hits 7

Allied Ships
SC SC-699, Shell hits 2, and is sunk
SC SC-700, Shell hits 1, and is sunk
AK John C. Calhoun, Shell hits 8, on fire, heavy damage
AK Thomas Nelson, Shell hits 8, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK William C. Claiborne, Shell hits 4, on fire
AK Coquina, Shell hits 10, on fire, heavy damage
AK Manoa, Shell hits 12, on fire, heavy damage
AK Empire Ocean, Shell hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
AK Venus, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AK Masaya

Five submarines in the area will begin hunting down the battered survivors, and Akagi Maru will sail south

A large air battle happens at Meiktila. 17 Kittyhawks and 6 Mitchells are shot down, for the loss of 11 Japanese fighters, the majority of them Tonys. This is beginning to turn into a war of attrition. The allies conduct the normal runs against Tennant Creek and Portland Roads; both of these bases have been surrendered. What seems to be a small cargo fleet is observed at Umnak Island. A small force of 2CLs and 4DDs will head to within 6 hexes of the island to attack it next turn, under the protection of 2 squadrons of Zeroes. Maybe the Mitchells stationed there will attack.

2nd November.
A good day for the Japanese Empire; the hero of the day is SS I-21. Overnight it puts two torpedoes into AO Cimarron. This ship was already damaged, it had been torpedoed in early June, so to see it operating now could hint at tanker shortages for the allies. I-21 then continues in the day, torpedoing AK William C. Claibourne, damaged from the encounter with PG Akagi Maru yesterday, sinking it, and then it puts two torpedoes into AK Coquina, sinking that too.
A huge 4E bomber raid attacks Rangoon airfield. I have a large transport task force unloading there, and so all of my fighters there were on CAP. A massive furball occurs.

Day Air attack on Rangoon , at 29,33

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 13
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 17
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 53
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 10

Allied aircraft
Liberator III x 40
B-17D Fortress x 15
B-17E Fortress x 24
B-24D Liberator x 48

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed, 7 damaged
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed, 6 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 2 destroyed, 37 damaged
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged
L2D2 Tabby: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Liberator III: 1 destroyed, 35 damaged
B-17D Fortress: 12 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 21 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 4 destroyed, 40 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
158 casualties reported
Guns lost 2

Airbase hits 9
Airbase supply hits 6
Runway hits 59

Aircraft Attacking:
1 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 15000 feet

Hopefully this battle will shatter the morale of the bombers, and they should be out of action for at least a week. 12 of the bombers are shot down, and 15 Japanese fighters are destroyed on the ground, a very good result. The Tojos perform very well in their interceptor role, shooting down about 10 of the enemy bombers.

With a small task force unloading at Umnak island, I send a small task force of two CLs and 4DDs to within 6 hexes of the island. B-26s, escorted by P-38Gs attack, but fail to hit any of the ships. They will head to Umnak the next day to hopefully engage the enemy transports. I expect to see some PT boats there as well.

Finally, a submarine 5 hexes to the north of Palmyra island is spotted by a Dauntless, it seems as though the US carriers have sortied south from Pearl Harbour in an attempt to sink Akagi Maru. I have sent that ship further south towards the Society Islands, which currently appear to be unoccupied. With the Japanese carrier fleet currently some 15 hexes north of Midway on a mission in the Aleutians, this is good news indeed.

[yubari]

3rd November. Battle of Umnak Island.
Overnight, the small Japanese fleet heads into Umnak Island harbour. They first encounter a group of three PT boats. DD Yunagi sinks PT 38, and DD Matsukaze sinks PT 40. The remaining PT escapes. Then they reach the small transport fleet.

Night Time Surface Combat, near Umnak Island at 101,37

Japanese Ships
CL Tama
CL Kiso, Shell hits 1
DD Kamikaze
DD Matsukaze
DD Hayate
DD Yunagi, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
MSW Outarde, Shell hits 9, and is sunk
AP President Monroe, Shell hits 7, on fire
AP President Polk, Shell hits 2, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk

Immediately afterwards, SS I-33 torpedoes President Monroe and sinks it. The Japanese ships escape without being attacked, and will head back towards Attu Island. For the first time, the allies bring planes to Adak Island. For the moment, I think that my ships are undetected, and hopefully the island base will be flattened on the 6th November, Combined fleet is nearing the base.

AO Cimarron also sinks after being torpedoed yesterday, the allies lose six ships today.
The only other major event is another large allied air attack against Meiktila. Japanese fighters at Rangoon are still repairing from the major battle of the 2nd.

4th November.
Ovenight, CA Houston hits a sub laid mine at Palmyra. Whether this is part of the Carrier fleet that had been spotted two days ago is unclear. Whatever, it is more evidence that the US Navy is operating far from the action zone in the Aleutians. The AK Thomas Nelson also sinks, another victim of the Akagi Maru fight from the 1st November. Akagi Maru herself is still undeteceted and sailing further south towards Tonga.

The enemy has brought planes into Adak Island, and they launch an attack against Amchitka airfield, consisiting of a strange hodgepodge of planes.

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 19
A6M3a Zero x 10

Allied aircraft
Beaufort I x 9
P-39D Airacobra x 24
P-40E Warhawk x 23
B-18A Bolo x 13
B-26B Marauder x 43

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed, 10 damaged
A6M3a Zero: 1 destroyed, 7 damaged
G4M1 Betty: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort I: 3 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 6 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 2 destroyed, 3 damaged
B-18A Bolo: 7 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 11 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
84 casualties reported

Airbase hits 2
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 17

5 Japanese fighters, are destroyed on the ground, and more seriously the pilots are also killed. Aditionally, there seems to be a light surface fleet at the island. The large number of Japanese planes in the area are ordered to attack. There are 3 squadrons of Bettys, 1 each of Vals and Kates, and 4 Zero squadrons. Aditionally, the KB of Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu, supported by a battleship fleet is ordered to within 4 hexes of the island, and their planes are set to naval attack, with a secondary order for the Kates to attack the airfield. Tomorrow could bring major fireworks, or alternatively the poor weather could ground all the planes.

With 6 Dakotas lost today, it seems clear that the enemy is transporting supplies, and maybe additional troops to the island. There is a third unit spotted at the island today, although the number of troops doesnt appear to have increased. With the invasion fleet roughly five days away from the island, I am having second thoughts about the whole adventure. Serious disruption on the landing could leave me fighting a Guadalcanal style withdrawal, with the added handicap of poor weather. Not taking the island however would leave the Aleutian front very vulnerable to counter attack, as todays large bomber raid showed.

[yubari]

5th November. Bombardment of Lunga. KB in the Aleutians.

A very busy day. Overnight, the AK Hokusei Maru, bringing supply into Port Blair hits a mine, suffering medium damage. She should survive the trip back to Singapore if no submarines get her.
The CL Hobart and DD Napier both hit mines at Lunga airfield prior to launching a naval bombardment of the island, the first time that the allies have tried such an operation. The bombardment is effective, destroying 20 planes of the 80 or so that are based on the island. Maybe Hudsons will be back to visit tomorrow. CL Perth and CA CAnberra both take a lot of shellfire from the coastal gun regiment I have there, but seem to be undamaged. That these ships were not even spotted before the attack is somewhat worrying.

Then the action in the Aleutians starts. First, a fighter sweep from Amchitka goes against Adak. Losses are 8 Warhawks for 1 Zero. Then, a number of bomber attacks go in against the KB, or to be more accurate, the battleship force that is escorting the KB. Here is the biggest of the attacks.

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 70
A6M3 Zero x 43

Allied aircraft
Beaufort I x 12
P-39D Airacobra x 13
P-40E Warhawk x 35
B-18A Bolo x 7
B-26B Marauder x 28

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 12 damaged
A6M3 Zero: 2 destroyed, 8 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufort I: 1 destroyed, 10 damaged
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed, 11 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 33 destroyed
B-18A Bolo: 6 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 3 destroyed, 22 damaged

Japanese Ships
BB Kirishima
CA Aoba
BB Haruna
CL Naka

Other such attacks fail to score any hits, and more planes are lost to the elite KB Zero pilots.
The KB then launches its customary high altitude Kate attack against the airfield. Three Kates are lost to the P-40s, but around 25 planes are destroyed on the ground.

Finally, a group of 4 small transports at Portland Roads which are trying to evacuate the small plane fragments is attacked by the allied bomber groups at Cooktown and Cairns. Two transports are sunk, and one is heavily damaged. They do however manage to evacuate the fragments. Whether the ships will survive the run to Thursday Island is another matter though.

Today, the allies lost 108 planes, and the Japanese 32, 20 of those on the ground at Lunga. Tomorrow, a battleship group will bombard Adak island, hoping to catch a number of damaged planes on the ground, and the KB will withdraw slightly to the northwest. It is worth mentioning that an allied surface group is spotted by submarine near Dutch Harbour. It will be interesting to see what those ships do.

6th Nov.
Another very busy day. Overnight, the first Japanese bombardment attack against Adak Island occurs. As expected, it is met by three PT boats. They are surprised and fail to launch any attack. CA Furutaka manages to sink PT 67 before the other two PTs escape. The bombardment is somewhat dissapointing, destroying only one Catalina there.

With the airbase at Adak heavily damaged and snowed in, no attacks are launched from the island, but the Kates of the KB again launch an airfield attack. This causes a lot of damage, 9 airbase hits and 31 runway hits, and about 30 planes on the ground are destroyed. Next, 37 Bettys from Attu Island attack, and do a lot of damage. 25 runway hits, and a further 15 or so planes destroyed on the ground.

Elsewhere, 3 Nells from Lunga put two torpedoes into the DD Napier, which had hit a mine the previous day, and sink it. Overall allied losses for the day are 48 planes, PT 67, DD Napier. The Japanese lose four planes, all to ops losses.

The map below shows the situation in the Aleutians. The KB with 348 planes is two hexes to the south of Amchitka island, along with a bombardment TF. A small force carrying an NLF is at the "chi" of Amchitka. This should hopfully unload next turn, and allow us a chance to see how badly disrupted the units will be in a cold weather invasion. A full division and a HQ are on the transport fleet two hexes to the west of Kiska Island. Both units are 100 prepped for Adak Island. Two further heavy task forces are in the hex to the east of Attu Island and 6 hexes to the west of Kiska Island. The invasion target now has an increased number of men compared to last turn, possibly this is a base force. I guess that the other 2 units there are a coastal defence unit, and a brigade sized marine division.

[ny59giants]

Some observations from the cheap seats:
I've played CHS as the Allies (4/43) and not until the Japanese get Jack's do you have something to take down Allied 4e bombers (you may damage them now, but not kill them). Thus, push the r&d on these airframes.
 
I see that he has Beaufort I's in Aleutians. These are his only torpedo carrying planes he has. Take them out so he doesn't get a chance to sink something valuable. [:D]
 
You will need to go at least to Umnak Island to have a good defensive line here. That AF can be strongpoint.
 
Good Luck!

[yubari]

7th Nov.
Another violent day in the Pacific. Overnight, a second bombardment group hits Adak Island, and this time it hits it very hard indeed.

Allied aircraft losses
B-26B Marauder: 5 destroyed
PBY Catalina: 1 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 6 destroyed
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed
B-18A Bolo: 2 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CL Kuma
CL Abukuma
BB Hyuga
BB Ise

Allied Ships
PT PT-66, Shell hits 1, on fire, heavy damage

Allied ground losses:
2076 casualties reported
Vehicles lost 12

Airbase hits 10
Airbase supply hits 5
Runway hits 105
Port hits 5

The hapless PT sinks immediately. Also overnight, AK John C. Calhoun sinks, the sixth casualty of the PG Akagi Maru battle of the 1st Nov.

The 31st NLF lands at the unoccupied Ogliuga Island (great name) immediately to the west of Adak. Casualties are very severe, the unit is now only at 43 percent operating strength. The base will fall tomorrow, and hopefully the unit will be able to recover quickly. Noting the heavy damage caused to a unit in an uncontested landing, I will call off tomorrows landing at Adak Island, at least for the moment. A second division, the Guards, veterans of Singapore and Townsville are on transports around a week away. The second section of the KB, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Junyo and Hiyo is also travelling north at a somewhat ponderous pace, and is also about a week away. When I can land the two divisions together, then maybe I will try to attack then. Ideally of course, I would have attacked two weeks ago, but the carriers of the KB were still repairing damage and being upgraded. Of course, the arrival of planes on Adak on the 4th November also pushed forward the operation. The original plan had both divisions of the KB arriving and attacking at the same time, around the 15th November.

The other major action is a large 4E bomber attack against Rangoon airfield. The airfield is still repairing from the large battle of the 2nd November, and CAP strength is much reduced compared to that battle.

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 9
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 18
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 16
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 16

Allied aircraft
Liberator III x 48
P-40E Warhawk x 42
B-17D Fortress x 23
B-17E Fortress x 24
B-24D Liberator x 43

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 4 destroyed, 2 damaged
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 2 destroyed, 10 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 15 destroyed
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 2 destroyed, 6 damaged
L2D2 Tabby: 4 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
Liberator III: 10 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 15 destroyed, 12 damaged
B-24D Liberator: 6 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
315 casualties reported
Guns lost 3

Airbase hits 16
Airbase supply hits 4
Runway hits 124

Aircraft Attacking:
9 x B-24D Liberator bombing at 15000 feet

I lose nearly 40 aircraft on the ground today. All available airgroups are set to 100 percent CAP, and planes from nearby bases are also set to LRCAP Rangoon. The small amount of damage inflicted on the enemy bombers means that they could arrive again tomorrow. Note that this time there are fighter escorts, they have come from Akyab.
By the end of the day, the allies lose 65 planes, and the Japanese lose 57.

Ahoy there Giants. I agree with you about Umnak Island. It is currently a size six, and so can base 300 planes, and would be able to dominate the islands of the Aleutians even if I held Adak. Should I be able to take Adak, then I probably will have to try and take Umnak as well. That would mean me either attacking in the crippling cold weather time, maybe in mid December, or waiting until March 1943. Neither option is particularly appealing, particularly as Corsairs will be available by then. Whatever, first I will have to try and neutralise the airfield there.

I agree with you about the Jacks as well, with a gun value of 12, they should be able to deal a bit more effectively with the 4Es. Unfortunately we are playing with PDU off, and my first Jack squadron is due to arrive a long time in the future. Mid October 1943 IIRC. I dont think any of my current planes upgrade to it either.

[ny59giants]

Don't forget to review the weather effects for operating here (p 173 of manual). You will suffer 3x the casualities when you invade. [X(] Thus, BB TF are your friend if you hope to survivie up there. [:D]

[Feinder]

Code: Select all

 Day Time Surface Combat at 115,104 
 
 Japanese Ships 
 PG Akagi Maru, Shell hits 7 
 
 Allied Ships 
 SC SC-699, Shell hits 2, and is sunk 
 SC SC-700, Shell hits 1, and is sunk 
 AK John C. Calhoun, Shell hits 8, on fire, heavy damage 
 AK Thomas Nelson, Shell hits 8, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage 
 AK William C. Claiborne, Shell hits 4, on fire 
 AK Coquina, Shell hits 10, on fire, heavy damage 
 AK Manoa, Shell hits 12, on fire, heavy damage 
 AK Empire Ocean, Shell hits 7, on fire, heavy damage 
 AK Venus, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage 
 AK Masaya 
 
 

 
Good grief.  If only surface combat were NORMALLY like that.  How many times do you see a CL and DDs get a hold of a convoy and see only CL shoots up on AK and "task forces break off..."
 
Well done for Akagi Maru.  That is how is SHOULD be done.
 
-F-

[yubari]

Ahoy there Feinder. Yeah good old Akagi Maru. I have no idea of the reason for the carnage she caused. She is a fairly low speed PG with a few cruiser size guns, an inexperienced crew and a mediocre captain. Nice to see such a massacre though. She is currently trying to head through the gap between Samoa and Fiji. Theres is a 14 hex wide gap, but she is moderately damaged and can only make 13 knots. Good luck to her.

Yes, the cold weather landings are pretty horrible. The full strength AV 40, 100 percent prepped NLF I landed at Ogliuga island was left with just 20 undamaged rifle squads and 14 support. If I can land 2 divisions at the same time, hopefully they should have a combined AV of around 400 or so, which might be enough to take Adak within two or three days. I will keep bombardment runs up against that island for the next few days.

8th November.
The slaughter continues. Overnight, four battleships bombard Adak Island. I have three battleship task forces working to disrupt the troops based at Adak Island, and to keep the airfield there out of action.

In the day, there is more action in Burma. Allied 2Es from Mandalay attack the heavily damaged Rangoon airfield, and again meet a large CAP.

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 3
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 19
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 16
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 39

Allied aircraft
Blenheim IV x 51
B-25C Mitchell x 61

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 2 damaged
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed, 7 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 6 destroyed, 5 damaged
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 3 destroyed, 14 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Blenheim IV: 5 destroyed, 30 damaged
B-25C Mitchell: 16 destroyed, 29 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
51 casualties reported

Airbase hits 10
Runway hits 27

Aircraft Attacking:
7 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet

In the end, 32 of these bombers are shot down, a great success. With the Rangoon airfield now at 72 runway damage, I set 4 groups of fighters on LRCAP over Rangoon. I expect to see the 4Es back again tomorrow.

Elsewhere, there are more attacks against Adak Island, again destroying a number of planes on the ground. Ogliuga Island falls, the NLF has recovered slightly to 44 percent undamaged. 2E bombers launch attacks against the disabled Portland Roads and Tennant Creek airfields. These two airfields have been lost, and no more efforts will be made to keep them operational. Transport planes have been taking elements of the base force at Portland Roads out whenever possible. Today, the allies lose 46 planes, and the Japanese 20. Also, AK Venus sinks, the 7th victim of PG Akagi Maru.

9th November.
Another violent day, although not quite as savage as the past week or so. For the first time in the game, a 4E bomber strike, at Rangoon, is convinvingly defeated.

Japanese aircraft
A6M3 Zero x 6
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 52
Ki-44-IIb Tojo x 6
Ki-45 KAIa Nick x 14
Ki-61-Ib Tony x 22

Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 21
B-17E Fortress x 24

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 1 destroyed
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 1 destroyed, 16 damaged
Ki-44-IIb Tojo: 4 damaged
Ki-45 KAIa Nick: 2 damaged
Ki-61-Ib Tony: 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-17D Fortress: 3 destroyed, 15 damaged
B-17E Fortress: 1 destroyed, 22 damaged

Japanese ground losses:
19 casualties reported

Airbase hits 2
Runway hits 5

Aircraft Attacking:
5 x B-17D Fortress bombing at 15000 feet

The actual results are better than they appear in this combat report. 12 of the bombers were shot down, and only 8 B-17Ds managed to drop bombs. The rest of them were turned back. Hopefully they will be out of action for at least a week or so, and Rangoon will be able to repair. Damage is still high, the runway is at 72, so I will keep the fighters on LRCAP for the moment, and accept increased operational losses. Keeping Rangoon open is absolutely crucial for the Burma theatre. Elsewhere in Burma, Hurricanes and Vengeances attack Meiktila, doing a little damage. There are currently insufficient fighters in theatre to even attempt to intercept them.

In the Aleutians, there is relatively little action. Bettys from Amchitka and Attu attack Adak (nice alliteration), destroying 5 more planes on the ground. The first group of the KB is now to head back to loitering AOs for refueling. The Guards Division and the second half of the KB is now around three days away from the theatre. Hopefully on around the 14th or 15th, the combined KB, now numbering some 700 planes will attack the large (size 6) Umnak airfield, and then the day after, the two divisions will land at Adak. There seem to be roughly 100 planes at Umnak, including P-38G Lightnings.

On the rest of the map, I make a ridiculous mistake and actually air transport a base force unit into Portland Roads, instead of evacuating a base force as I had hoped. That is the disadvantage of doing turns before work. Allied bombers make the usual attacks against Portland Roads and Tennant Creek. Overall, the allies lose 27 planes today, and the Japanese 13.

[yubari]

10th Nov.
A relatively quiet day. Overnight, a bombardment force against Adak Island encounters a small PT group. DD Asagumo sinks PT 39, and DD Ushio sinks PT 68. The bombardment does a certain amount of damage, hitting three guns and a vehicle, hitting the runway 16 times, and destroying an Airacobra on the ground. Despite the heavy damage being inflicted on Adak, the runway seems to be being repaired fairly quickly, intelligence indicates that airbase damage is now down to only 64.

The first section of the KB has now refuelled and the 2nd section is now almost in theatre. In two or three days time, both sections should be ready to make the raid against Umnak Island. A large group of patrolling submarines between the Aleutians and Pearl Harbour have yet to make contact with the American carriers, though I am sure that they must be somewhere in the area by now. I certainly dont want to try and attack Umnak Island and the US fleet at the same time. It is also noteworthy how quickly ships get damaged up in the cold zone. CV Soryu has taken 6 points of system damage in the past week.

The normal raids attack Portland Roads. I have 6 submarines arriving next turn to try to pick up the base force fragment that I stupidly transported there last turn. Rangoon remains unattacked, and runway damage is repairing slightly, now down to 64. A large engineering unit arriving next turn should speed up repairs significantly.
Both sides lose only a handful of planes today.

11th Nov. Battle of Nanning.
The main action today is a large attack from the Japanese airforce against the Chinese airfield at Nanning. The Chinese have brought in a large number of fighters. In the major battle that occurs, the Oscars generally get the best of the Chinese planes.

Japanese aircraft
Ki-43-Ic Oscar x 35
Ki-21-II Sally x 22
Ki-49 Helen x 84
Ki-48-II Lily x 7

Allied aircraft
P-43A Lancer x 22
P-66 Vanguard x 47

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-43-Ic Oscar: 5 destroyed, 10 damaged
Ki-21-II Sally: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Ki-49 Helen: 5 destroyed, 31 damaged
Ki-48-II Lily: 2 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
P-43A Lancer: 4 destroyed, 14 damaged
P-66 Vanguard: 17 destroyed, 14 damaged
SB-2c: 2 destroyed

Allied ground losses:
35 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Airbase hits 1
Runway hits 43

Aircraft Attacking:
16 x Ki-49 Helen bombing at 15000 feet

The Chinese airforce attacks transports at Haiphong and Samar. Maybe because of their low experience, the only thing they manage to hit is a small transport at Haiphong.
There are a number of bombing attack by the allies that are unopposed. Hurricanes and a small group of Vengeances attack Meiktila. 3 of those planes are lost and only a tiny amount of damage is done. Unless the attacks are being done for training purposes, they are a waste of time at the moment. 2 large attacks against Portland Roads continue to destroy the supply there. It has fallen from 20000 to less than 4000 in about a month.
In China, a large Japanese army has arrived at Nanchang, and launches a bombardment attack this turn. The Japanese AV is 5212, and the Chinese is 2405. A deliberate attack will be launched this turn. Finally, there seems to be a smal LCVP group heading to Adak. Hopefully this is indicative of a shortage of supplies. They will be arriving the same time as a bombardment group centred on Yamato.
Aircraft losses are 42 allies, 13 Japan. Very good in Mid November 1942.

12th Nov.
First with the Aleutians. DM Pruitt hits a mine at Adak Island, and is then torpedoed by I-172 sinking immediately. After that DM Ramsay and DM Montgomery hit SS RO-100 and that ship sinks. Yamato, Fuso, Yamashiro and Mutsu then bombard Adak Island, and also manage to sink two bsrges there. A third barge is sunk later in the day by a Val.

Chinese bombers from Nanning launch attacks against Japanese ships at Samah and Haipong. I have been keeping plenty of ships at bases in these areas to make it seem like I will be launching offensive action in the area. The Oscars are considerably superior to the Chinese airforce fighters, and shoot down a number. Only one bomb hit is scored, and the transport is not heavily damaged.

Finally, after about three months preparation, the Japanese finally launch their offensive at Nanchang, and to my surprise, it is immediately successful.

Ground combat at Nanchang
Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 239924 troops, 1054 guns, 174 vehicles, Assault Value = 5210
Defending force 87171 troops, 429 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2405
Japanese max assault: 5640 - adjusted assault: 6328
Allied max defense: 2265 - adjusted defense: 962
Japanese assault odds: 6 to 1

Japanese ground losses:
7873 casualties reported
Guns lost 81
Vehicles lost 5

Allied ground losses:
4269 casualties reported
Guns lost 75
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!
The China theatre has been still since about March 1942, so this is certainly a very significant victory.

13th Nov.
Overnight, ML Yaeyama hits a mine at Lunga, but sustains only moderate damage. S-35 is attacked by an american ASW force of 3 DDs near Canton Island.

There are major battles in the Aleutians. The first action is a large strike from planes based at Umnak island against Nagumos KB Tf operating some 5 hexes to the west. As can be seen below, no hits were scored.

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 63
A6M3 Zero x 37

Allied aircraft
Kittyhawk I x 10
Blenheim IV x 24
P-40E Warhawk x 5
P-38G Lightning x 24
B-18A Bolo x 3
B-26B Marauder x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 3 destroyed, 6 damaged
A6M3 Zero: 6 destroyed, 4 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
Kittyhawk I: 6 destroyed
Blenheim IV: 6 destroyed, 12 damaged
P-40E Warhawk: 5 destroyed
P-38G Lightning: 16 destroyed
B-18A Bolo: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Akagi
CVL Shoho
CV Kaga

Aircraft Attacking:
2 x B-18A Bolo bombing at 6000 feet

Three other smaller strikes are launched in the morning against other targets. All are shot down.
The KB then strikes against 6 DMs at Umnak Island. 3 Are sunk outright, and a fourth is crippled by 3 250kg bombs.
In the afternoon. Some small strikes are launched against the KB but none of them manage to score any hits. The KB then launches a large strike at the traditional 11000 feet against Umnak airfield, destroying about 20 planes on the ground, and scoring 83 runway hits.

Elsewhere, the allies launch their two traditional bombing raids, against Portland Roads and Tennant Creek. Also, Liberators from Northern India attack Rangoon at 32000 feet. The Tojos and Nicks are able to intercept, damaging a lot of the bombers. 3 of them are destroyed at the end of the turn.
The PG Akagi Maru is now heading through the gap between Samoa and Fiji. She should be clear within about three days. She seems to be undetected at the monment.
At the end of the day, total planes lost; Allies 116 planes, Japanese 24 planes.

Future plans for the Aleutians;
The small cruiser task force that attacked the transports at Umnak Island on the 3rd of November will again go into the harbour to try and destroy the remaining DMs there. With the potential for a large number of mines there, I dont want to risk my battleships as of yet. The KB will stay in the same place and hopefully attack and close down Umnak airfield. The two divisions that will land at Adak Island are now just two hexes away, and will land next turn. 6 BBs will be providing bombardment support.

[yubari]

Relatively little action compared to the past couple of days.

The invasion of Adak is underway. The base is of course mined, and three transports and a destroyer manage to hit them. Allied coastal gunners fire a lot of shells, but do no great damage to the invasion fleets. A few of the escorting destroyers and patrol boats are damaged, but none seem likely to sink at the moment. Heavy casualties are suffered during unloading; the combat report lists around 11000 men, and the two divisions are at around 60 percent of full capacity, a reasonable figure. With more troops and supplies to unload, I will wait at least one more day before ordering an attack. The allied troops of course bombarded, and the following AVs were observed.

Ground combat at Adak Island
Allied Bombardment attack
Attacking force 5578 troops, 72 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 152
Defending force 20092 troops, 75 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 542

With more troops still to unload, and with the USN seemingly unwilling to interdict, it seems likely that the island will be Japanese held within a week.

It is a very quiet day elsewhere. The Japanese carriers launch an attack against Umnak airfield, destroying 15 planes on the ground. The only other attack is a small allied raid against Portland Roads. PG Akagi Maru also continues her flank speed run towards the Marshalls. Now north of Fiji, she appears to be safe from allied land based air.

With the surprising success of the operation so far, and from the advice of nygiants59, I am now considering an invasion of Umnak Island, five hexes to the east of Adak. Two divisions are now beginning to prepare for the invasion, and realistically, the earliest it will be able to happen is late December. Gaining that island would further secure the position in the Aleutians but would of course be very risky indeed. Intelligence indicates that there are 6 units and 24000 men at the base so it is better defended than Adak. Any campaign there would likely take at least a month to complete, with the ships involved gaining system damage at high speed I could potentially take heavy damage. It is also taking troops a long way from where the main allied advance looks to be going, along the coast of Australia and then to Milne Bay and Port Moresby.

I am also thinking about when I want to engage the USN CVs. Unless they attack before July 1943 and the Hellcat, and that is now beginning to seem unlikely, I want to try and battle them in early 1944; ie before they become all powerful, but also after they regenerate.

[yubari]

15th November.
Troops continue to unload at Adak Island, and ships continue to hit mines. 3 more APs and DD Mikazuki hit mines today. The two divisions there are now almost completely unloaded and now just await supplies. Both of them are about 50 percent disabled after the landing. There is very little action elsewhere. The airfield at Rangoon is now repairing quickly, and the number of available fighters is now steadily increasing. The allies recon Moulmein and observe it empty of CAP and so expecting a strike here tomorrow, extra fighters are put on LRCAP over the base.

16th Nov. PT boats at Adak Island.
At Adak, the troops are finished unloading, adequate supplies are on hand and a deliberate attack will be launched the next day. Three squadrons of Bettys are ordered on a ground attack mission, and there will also be four battleships bombarding. It will be interesting to see what level of forts have been built there. During the day, two small groups of PT boats arrive. The battleship group there blows them out of the water. Mutsu sinks PT 81, hitting it with a 16 inch shell. 4 other PTs are hit by destroyers
PG Akagi Maru continues her flight to safety. She is now 5 hexes from Tarawa, and so might arrive there next turn.

17th November. Fall of Adak Island.
After an overnight bombardment from four battleships, and numerous attacks by aircraft from other bases in the Aleutians, the American defenders of Adak are decisively defeated. The base is heavily damaged after all the bombardments. A base force unit will hopefully arrive tomorrow.

Japanese Deliberate attack
Attacking force 22908 troops, 111 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 570
Defending force 6210 troops, 68 guns, 1 vehicles, Assault Value = 144
Japanese max assault: 590 - adjusted assault: 1049
Allied max defense: 74 - adjusted defense: 82
Japanese assault odds: 12 to 1 (fort level 2)
Japanese forces CAPTURE Adak Island base !!!

Japanese ground losses:
232 casualties reported
Guns lost 1

Allied ground losses:
8973 casualties reported
Guns lost 52
Vehicles lost 2

Elsewhere, the Allies are launching increasing numbers of bomber attacks. The main attack is from 96 4Es against Rahaeng. The small CAP there manages to damage a number of Liberators, but none are shot down. Damage at the base is surprisingly light, only 8 hits being scored.
Chinese bombers based at Nanning launch attacks against ships anchored at Haiphong. One AK is heavily damaged, and a MSW is also hit. PG Akagi Maru reaches Tarawa. At 35 system damage, she will now head at full speed to Truk.

Here is the current situation in the Aleutians. All carriers are now low on fuel, and will head back to Japan. I have three divisions now preparing for Umnak, including the Guards that have just fought at Adak. There are a lot of ships at Umnak, including a CA that I assume is incorrect intelligence.

[yubari]

18th November.
I-172 sinks LCM 532C at Dutch Harbour. A seagull spots a sub near Noumea. It could be that the Americans are planning action near Lunga in the future. No other action of note today.

19th November.
Two APs, Miike Maru and Kasui Maru sink after mine hits at Adak. There is no other action. Recon shows only 8500 troops at Umnak, possibly indicating an allied withdrawal.
20th November.
SS I-3 is spotted and attacked by a huge enemy task force containing at least 12 DDs and DMS and also the battleships Tennessee and Alabama. They are east of Chistmas Island, and heading southwest, likely destination Noumea. Although they are still a long way from that island, it seems probable that the allies will be starting a regular attack against Lunga in the near future. They may be especially keen to try this as the Japanese carriers have been active so far to the north. With this in mind, I will cancel for the moment the planned operation to invade Umnak. The majority of Combined Fleet will be sent to Truk, with regular bombardment raids against Umnak in the Aleutians to make it appear that I am still interested in the area. I also want to get base forces to Munda (which is now close to airfield level 2) so I can use Kates and Vals in the area. The enemy battleships will quite likely do heavy damage to any bombers at Lunga itself. SS I-3 is sunk after multiple depth charge hits.

In southern China, large battle occuring between the two airbases of Samah (Japanese) and Nanning (Chinese). A large IJA bomber attack meets a large CAP over Nanning. The Oscars although seriously outnubered fight well shooting down 6 enemy planes for 9 of their own. A further twelve are destroyed on the ground. The Chinese then attack Samah port but fail to do much damage.

In the Aleutians, a small Betty raid against Umnak destroys two planes on the ground. There is very little flak from the base. Finally, in Burma, Rangoon is now completely repiared and about 150 undamaged fighters are based there. With Meiktila nearing a level 3 airbase, I want to transfer fighters to that area in the near future. Mandalay is now building up to a massive base, recon shows more than 600 planes there!

21st November.
There is little action today. Bombers based at Tavoy and Mandalay attack Meiktila. 44 Vengeances score only three hits, and 59 Mitchells score 39 hits. The large number of engineers are able to repair all of the damage, and even make two percent progress towards level 3 airfield. It is now at 72 percent completed. Japanese bombers launch attacks on Chinese units at hex (47,38). The hex is a forest hex, and current troop levels are Japanese 4754, Chinese 4388.

22nd November
A massive Hurricane attack force from Mandalay meets a large Japanese CAP over Meiktila. The Japanese fight very well, and win the battle by a ratio of 2 to 1, 32 Hurricanes to 17 Oscars. The other attack is at Umnak. 40 Zeroes meet 14 Wildcats and 4 Wildcats are shot down.

23rd November.
Chinese bombers based at Chungking hit the heavy industry at Shanghai. The Oscar Sentai there had just upgraded to the Oscar 2, so there is no CAP there at all. 11 HI points are damaged. 4Es hit Meiktila airfield and meet a large CAP, which is mostly on LRCAP from Rangoon. 6 of the escorting Mohawk fighters and 6 of the 4Es are shot down. To see the Mohawk still in action in late November 1942 is surprising. They are shot down very quickly indeed.

24th November.
Another battle over Meiktila, but this time a very different result. 200 Hurricanes from Mandalay sweep over Meiktila and are intercepted by a CAP of Tojos and Tonys. The Japanese CAP is destroyed. 19 Tojos and 14 Tonys are lost, and 6 of the Hurricanes are shot down. Meiktila is now 84 percent to a level 3 airifield. I had hoped to get a large CAP force of 120 planes or more at the base, and then try to expand fortifications, which are currently only at level one, but todays battle will make that much much harder.

The other major attack sees the Bettys and Zeroes from Amchitka attack Umnak. The 4 Wildcats over the base are overwhelmed, and 15 aircraft are destroyed on the ground. Among those destroyed are Dauntlesses, Marauders and Beaforts. Unless the airfield at Umnak can be kept comprehensively closed by LBA, any attack would prove extremely dangerous to the Japanese carriers. Aditionally, there are a large number of submarines in the area. The operation is now looking less and less likely.

The Kido Butai is now back at Tokyo and will refuel and head south to Truk in anticipation of battles at Lunga in the near future. Soryu and Hiryu at 16 and 15 system damage respectively will return to Okayama for repair and refit in February and March 1943.

[yubari]

After the furious action of mid November, we have reached another quiet phase. Jim still thinks I have the majority of the Japanese fleet in the Aleutians, whereas in reality they are now undetected and heading past the Marianas. Will we be able to catch any bombardment fleets by surprise? Will Jim try to attack my positions, and the Ise and Hyuga in the Aleutians? Where is the US fleet? I certainly havent seen much of them.

Here are some short descriptions of the previous few days.

25th November
SS Amberjack attacks AP Tofuku Maru three times, hitting her with two torpedoes. Hurricanes attack Meiktila, but do little damage. The Hurricane IV as a tactical bomber seems to be far from useful. Mitchells then continue the attack. Portland Roads is also attacked. Lunga reaches a size 5 airfield. It will now concentrate on reaching a size 3 port as an emergency refuge for heavily damaged ships. Of course, the Shortland Islands now at size 5 would be preferable for that purpose.

26th November.
B-17s attack Daly Waters at 36000 feet. They are underflown be a large CAP, including a squadron of Tojos. The Chinese attack Heavy Industry at Yangku, doing six points of damage. Vengeances attack Meiktila but do little damage. CVL Ryuho is completed at Tokyo. The KB now consists of nearly 800 planes. However there are no new carriers expected until December 1943, when the Taiho will be completed (I am trying to play a historical game, and have only accelerated the carriers a small amount).

27th November.
A very quiet day. The only two attacks are launched by the same planes. In the morning, Betty bombers launch a torpedo attack against transports unloading at Umnak Island, scoring two hits. In the afternoon, the same planes attack the airfields at Umnak and destroy a B-26 Marauder on the ground.

28th November
The transport convoy heading to Rangoon hits mines at Johore Bahru. DD Shirayuki and an AK are heavily damaged and will immediately return to Singapore. AP Shoun Maru sinks in the Aleutians. Hurricanes attack Meiktila but do little damage.

29th November.
In a massive battle at hex (48, 36), 5200 AV of Japanese troops attack 4200 AV of Chinese troops. Adjusted odds are at roughly 1.7 to 1, but the Chinese troops stand firm. The Japanese take 11000 casualties to 3000 Chinese casualties.
About 100 IJA bombers hit Lashio, and meet heavy flak. They destroy a couple of Cengeances on the ground, but 5 of the bombers are destroyed, a dissapointing result. Bettys operating from Attu hit the CL Marblehead at Umnak airfield. It seems certain that a large part of the US Navy is now in the area. Finally, Port Moresby reaches a level six airfield.

30th November.
Bettys continue to attack Umnak, this time destroying 14 planes on the ground, and about 35 airfield hits. It is unclear why there are enemy bombers at the base, but no enemy fighters. Hudsons attack Tennant Creek. 2 are lost to flak and one to ops. Mitchells attack Meiktila, but do little damage. The airfield is now at 94 of the way to level three. When that happens, roughly 5 squadrons of fighters, plus at least 3 more on LRCAP will arrive at the airfield, and probably fight a colossal battle against enemy Hurricanes, Warhawks, Mitchells and Fortresses. Wake expands to a level 4 airfield, and BB Musashi is completed at Hiroshima.

1st December.
At the moment, two large heavily escorted supply convoys are trying to supply forward bases. One is running from Singapore to Rangoon, and is escorted by a force of 5 cruisers. They encounter mines immediately after leaving at Johore Bahru, and one destroyer and one AK hit them. They immediately return to Singapore with medium levels of damage. Both should survive.

The second convoy is heading to Adak, and is escorted by BBs Ise, Hyuga and several light cruisers and destroyers. A small strike of Mitchells and Beauforts attacks during the day, but fails to score any hits: Adak is five hexes from Umnak and so the Beauforts cant carry torpedos there. Next, 4 groups of 3 PTs each attack in dayilght. 11 of the PTs are sunk, but they manage to torpedo CL Abukama and hit DD Arashio with small arms fire. Both are set ablaze and retreat to Japan immediately. Risking the longer journey to the safer port seems to give them a better chance of survival.

Little happens elsewhere. The B-17s attack Daly Waters at 36000 feet and hit nothing. Hurricanes attack Meiktila, and cause a small amount of damage. Katherine, the next airfield down from Darwin expands to level 3.

2nd December.
DD Hatsukaze hits a mine overnight at Lunga. Chinese bombers attack the empty Haiphong airfield. I would like to deal with the Chinese airforce, but seeing as we are in preparation for a major battle at Meiktila, I havent got the spare planes. Hurricanes and Vengeances again attack Meiktila, and for the first time do significant damage to the base such that the engineers there are unable to repair it within the day. We are still a frustrating 96 percent of the way to a level three airfield.

5000 tonnes of supplies have been unloaded at Adak Island, under the escort of the Ise and Hyuga. I will leave them there in this exposed position for one more turn, and then unload the rest of the supplies in the islands further along the Aleutians. The Ise and Hyuga will then head to Japan for upgrades and conversions which I think start in January 1943.

The Nissan, or advanced Mitsubishi, engines start producing. These engines are set to power a lot of the late war Japanese fighters such as the Shinden and Ki-83, so it important that we try to produce as many as possible. There are currently 201 factories, with another 169 under construction. I estimate that I will need at least 600 engines a month by mid-1944 and nearly 1200 by mid-1945 (should the game still be going by then).

[yubari]

3rd December.
A quiet day, there are only two major air attacks. The IJN launches its now customary attack against Umnak airfield, again destroying a handful of planes on the ground. Again, there is only a token defence of 4 Airacobras at the base. It seems to have descended into a phoney war. I am fairly certain that the majority of the US Navy is in the area, although I havent yet had any sightings of it beyond a couple of old CLs at Umnak. The allies seem to think that the Japanese fleet is in the area, whereas in reality, most of it is nearing Truk.

In Burma, Meiktila reaches a level 3 airfield, but we wont bring in fighters today. The IJA launches a large strike against Lashio, consisting of over 100 Helens and Sallys. They do well, destroying 5 planes on the ground, while only losing two to flak

4th December.
The Japanese economy is beginning to crack. The stored HI which had reached a high of 350000 at the start of November has been declining sharply since then, and today stands at 295700. Since the start of December, and the start in production of Nissans, as well as a number of minor planes, Nick Bs, Irving night fighters and Rex float fighters, the stored total has been falling by about 5000 a day. Merchant shipyards are the first to be cut back. The merchant fleet is in very good shape: I havent lost a TK or AO yet.

Today is all about Burma. The allies launch two large attacks. The first is by 57 Warhawks and 48 Mitchells. One is shot down, and 14 are damaged, they score about 35 hits. The second is on ships unloading supply at Rangoon. 33 Liberators meet a CAP of 128 fighters. The Liberators take heavy punishment, most are damaged multiple times, and 14 are shot down, but they still manage to hit DD Isonami with a 500 lb bomb. The destroyer isnt seriously damaged.

With these two bombing raids suffering heavy damage, now is the time to move fighters to Meiktila. 5 squadrons with the elite of the Japanese fighter pilots, including F1/Tainan Daitai, average experience 90 are transferred to the level three airfield. 4 other squadrons based at Rangoon and Moulmein are set to LRCAP the base. Finally, the IJA bombers are once again set to attack Lashio. If the weather stays good tomorrow, there will likely be massive air battles over Meiktila. The enemy has at least 200 Hurricanes and 80 Warhawks that he can send into battle.

[yubari]

It has been a long time since the last update, and that is largely because very little was happening.The period from the 5th to the 15th of December saw no major air attacks, and no sign of any allied ships. A small flight of B-17Es attacked the 100 plane CAP at Daly Waters in Northern Australia and were largely turned back losing 11 planes. ML Kyosai hit a mine at Palembang and sank a few days later, and a couple of APs sunk in the Aleutians after mine hits in november but that is it.
[>:]

Three routine bombing runs have been set up now. Bombers from Alice Springs hit Tennant Creek, Bombers from Cooktown hit Portland Roads and Bettys in the Aleutians attack Umnak Island. Most turns, at least two of these fly as airfield suppression.

On the 16th December, 129 B-24 operating from Cairns hit Milne Bay, which was defended by just 11 Zeros. There were so few Zeroes as the base hadnt been reconned, I was caught completelyby surprise. 15 planes, Zeroes and Vals were destroyed on the ground, and the base was moderately damaged. Had the allies kept up this attack, then the base would probably have been closed within 2 or 3 days, but the base has not been attacked in the last six days, and is now fully operational again with more fighters and engineers present.

Things got more interesting on the 20th December. I set 150 fighters on sweep, and 200 bombers with 100 escorts all to attack the major enemy base at Mandalay. The flak there is heavy, so this would be just a one day raid. The resulting raid saw 75 Hurricanes shot down or destroyed on the ground, for the loss of 13 bombers and 13 fighters.

The allies counter attacked on the 21st, attacking Hanoi and Meiktila airfeilds. At Hanoi, the lone Oscar group shot down a number of enemy fighters, but couldnt stop the bombers getting through. 17 Helens were destroyed on the ground.
At Meiktila, the 130 fighter CAP made short work of a 60 Warhawk and 60 Mitchell strike. 37 Warhawks and 6 Mitchells were destroyed, for 11 Japanese fighters. 116 4Es from Chittagong then attack, causing a lot of damage, and about 25 fighters lost on the ground. 3 4Es were lost in the raid. Finally, a squadron of Beaufighters sweep the base, and nine are shot down for the loss of 2 Oscars.

The 22nd saw the Chinese bombers attack Hanois resources. They caused a huge amount of damage, and more Japanese fighters are brought to the area. Meiktila is completely repaired again, and is starting to build to a level 4 airfield. Japanese bombers from Canton are ordered to attack the main Chinese base at Nanning in the south of China. This level of resource destruction cannot be allowed to continue.

The fighting of the past three days has seen 150 allied planes destroyed (130 of them fighters) against 100 Japanese (65 fighters). This is a resonable rate, particularly since the majority of the pilots have survived the battles, but I have to wonder how things will change when the better allied fighters arrive. Burma is still controlled by Japanese air, but for how much longer?

[yubari]

23th to 31st December
23rd S-45 torpedoes APD Hokaze in the slot, three hexes from Shortland Island. IJA bombers from Canton attack Nanning, and Airacobras attack the troops at Coen.

24th 178 bombers hit Tennant Creek. Munda reaches port size 1.

25th SS Grunion torpedoes AK Ceylon Maru. SS Pogy torpedoes AK Canberra Maru. Finally, Betties attack Umnak airfield, airfield is damaged up to 64 percent. There are now 9 units at the island, and there seem to be transport ships at the island. Meiktila continues progress on its forts, as well as a level 4 airbase. The airbase is at 7 percent progress, gaining 2-3 percent a day, and the forts are at 54 percent, gaining 6-7 a day. There are now 392 engineers at the base.

The 26th to the 28th were all very quiet days. 2 US subs hit small unescorted AKs which were bringing resources from the Philipines, the DD Asagao hit the SS Finback to the west of the Aleutians. Also, Airacobras attack Coen. A large transport convoy also approaches Port Blair to deliver a load of supplies.

The 29th continued along the same way, until 132 Liberators show up over Thursday Island. With little recon, they cause only a medium amount of damage, destroying 15 planes on the ground, most of which are Topsys which have been trying to supply Portland Roads. The base is not closed, and the squadron of fighters and 12 Rufe floatplane fighters remain. 3 of the Liberators are shot down, and a further 23 are damaged.

The 30th December is another quiet day, apart from a large 4E bomber raider which hits the airfield at Port Blair. With no recon, very little damage is done, 1 Nell is destroyed on the ground.

The 31st December is an action packed day.
Night Time Surface Combat, near Port Blair at 23,34

Japanese Ships
DD Nagatsuki, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Asakaze, Shell hits 2
MSW Kyo Maru #3, Shell hits 8, and is sunk
MSW Kyo Maru #5
MSW Yoshino Maru
PC Kyo Maru #12, Shell hits 15, and is sunk
AK Hakodate Maru, Shell hits 1
AK Himalaya Maru
AK Kosho Maru, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AK Momoha Maru
AK Shogen Maru
AK Tamashima Maru
AK Yubae Maru
AK Katsurahama Maru, Shell hits 1
AK Taiyu Maru

Allied Ships
CL Java, Shell hits 1
CL Sumatra, Shell hits 1
CL De Ruyter
CL Tromp
CLAA Jacob Van Heemskerck
DD Isaac Sweers
DD Van Galen
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Banckert
DD Van Nes
DD Witte de With
DD Evertsen
DD Kortenaer
DD Piet Hein
DD Van Ghent

The Japanese are lucky to survive with such moderate losses from the enemy Dutch task forces. It seems that it is essential to escort convoys with at least destroyers. Port Blair is still only at around 8000 supplies, so I will try to run a larger escorted convoy in the fairly near future.
Elsewhere, there is a large air battle over Mandalay. Total losses come to 57 Hurricanes, 12 Tonys, 7 Tojos, 7 Helens and 2 Zeroes. 164 bombers also attack Tennant Creek, both the airbase, and one of the 2 divisions that is at the base.
As we reach 1943, four Japanese ships are sent into the drydocks for major upgrades. The Chitose and Chiyoda upgrade to CVLs, and the Ise and Hyuga are set to convert to Battleship hybrids. I shall be keeping a close watch on the Industry and Naval Shipbuilding pools over the next few turns. Here is Japanese industry as at 31st December 1942, things are still in reasonable shape, the slow but steady decrease in resources is a concern at the moment.