Fire across the Pacific,AAR (now a yokel free zone)

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: cantona2
My worry is if he decides to go for the west coast of India as i cant posibly cover every single point of landing or entry.

In your game it is late April, so I wouldn’t be too worried about India anymore. Unlike G.H.’s game, you have significant land reinforcements ashore now (including a lot of big air support units) and a lot more air power. Also if you’ve been building up your inland airfields from day one, you should have quite a few bases capable of supporting bombers now.

To take India he’d have to commit to an all out effort and leave himself quite weak in the Pacific considering it’s almost mid 1942. While your first attempt to take an island failed, you should not discount your ability to hurt him in the Pacific if he commits massive assets to taking India.

He’ll need most of his airforce, thus leaving his level 4 airfields in the Pacific exposed to CV attack. Once you can shut those down, you can probably grab an entire island chain from him before KB can get out there to try and stop you.

So I’d start gathering my forces at Pearl in preparation for a strike either at the Gilberts again or perhaps the New Hebrides. I’d be careful about massing troops on an island like Canton or Pago Pago though. If India is a bluff, he could show up in the Pacific and bag a huge pile of units on one of those exposed bases.

Pearl is defendable with mutually supporting airfileds, so it’s your safest marshalling point. If you go for the New Hebrides then gather your forces on New Zealand.

Jim

[cantona2]

Cheers Jim

[cantona2]

A bit of light amdist all the doom and gloom
 
--------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 33,77
 
 
Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 6
B-17E Fortress x 44
 
 
No Allied losses
 
Japanese Ships
AP Kisaragi Maru, Bomb hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
AP Sangetsu Maru, Bomb hits 2,  on fire
AK Meikai Maru
DD Minekaze
AK Myoho Maru, Bomb hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
AP Daitei Maru
AK Iwashiro Maru, Bomb hits 1,  on fire
AK Nikkyu Maru
AK Bujun Maru
AP Ussuri Maru
AK Shinsei Maru, Bomb hits 4,  on fire,  heavy damage
AK Fukuyo Maru, Bomb hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
AK Matsutan Maru, Bomb hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
 
Aircraft Attacking:
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17D Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 4 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17D Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 4 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------
Day Air attack on TF, near Lautem at 33,77
 
 
Allied aircraft
B-17D Fortress x 6
B-17E Fortress x 30
 
 
No Allied losses
 
Japanese Ships
AK Hikosan Maru, Bomb hits 3,  on fire
AK Meikai Maru, Bomb hits 1,  on fire
AP Sangetsu Maru, Bomb hits 1,  on fire,  heavy damage
AP Daitei Maru, Bomb hits 1,  on fire
AK Myoho Maru, Bomb hits 2,  on fire,  heavy damage
AP Kisaragi Maru, Bomb hits 3,  on fire,  heavy damage
DD Minekaze, Bomb hits 3,  on fire,  heavy damage
PC Kyo Maru #11, Bomb hits 3,  on fire,  heavy damage
AK Matsutan Maru, Bomb hits 1,  on fire,  heavy damage
 
Aircraft Attacking:
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17D Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17D Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
 3 x B-17E Fortress bombing at 12000 feet
------------------------------------------------------

[cantona2]

Radio Message sent to ANZAC HQ at Daly Waters, 10th May 1942
 
Massive damage from Japanese bombardment on airfield and port facilties. 80 aircraft damaged or destroyed. Evacuation of B17 squadrons day before yesterday saved most of them though 10 were destroyed on ground. Two brigades ordered south out of Darwin in order to prevent encirclement from West. Commander Coastal Defence Force placed under arrest for being drunk and not ordering his units to engage Japanese ships.
 
What this means is that 3 days ago i spotted a mssive jap armada heading SE. Great i thought plenty of LBA and TB's in Darwin to damage/sink some of the buggers. Yet again luck is on the Yokel's side. Weather covered his approach for two days. My B17's strike Lautem and put a 500Lber into an oiler but nothing over the incoming ships. Next day weather squalls again cover the invasion fleet. When the bombardment force enters the Darwin hex it nukes the base closing the port and airfield, thankfully i had the presence of mind to retire 4 B17 squadrons, 2 Hudson and 1 Swordfish unit from there.

What has pissed me off no end is that the commander of the Darwin CD had high leadership, inspisration and aggression ratings but the bloody gunners did not fire one flipping shot. Plenty of supply in base etc etc etc. All the months of planning have come to nothing. Fair play to the Yokel for a well coordinated move but it seems that when i bomabrd or try to invade here or there i get plastered by LBA and CD's. Love this game but sometimes it make me want to put my fist through the screen.

Thanks and rant over.

PS good thing he revelead the presence of his carriers as i had 1 Us and 2 RN carriers poised for a strike from the south east. i had sneaked them up the Torres Straits hoping to catch some shipping and had detected the incoming ships. I was thinking of risking them but with the KB around i do not want to lose my only carriers in australian waters so its back to sydney as an opportunity might be presenting itslef in the Lunga - Efate region.

[Gen.Hoepner]

It's just dice and rolls Jonathan...CD guns sometimes are dreadfull, sometimes they simply do not shoot...easy!
 

[cantona2]

Game is still alive. Yokel is in Australia and is penetrating into the desert. How much will be dictated by the amount of supply he has. In the meantime ive been building up Norfolk Island as a springboard to attack Noumea and Efate and Lunga are being reconned with a hope of using the forces at Suva in an attack there

[cantona2]

High time for an update. Game is alive and well! Well not so well for the Allied side. Japanese steamroller has finally stopped and now the Allies concentrate in defending Australia. 2 carrier groups monitor either side of the continent and all major cities have AF's of 6+. The supply and fuel situation is excellent and the flow from the US West Coast is assured by very strong outposts at Canton Island, Pago-Pago and Suva.
 
Suva is being built up to support an offensive into southern Pacific. Enterprise and Long Island are already there and Wasp is enroute. Saratoga, Yorktown and Hornet are in Pearl upgrading and changing Devastators to Avengers. P38F's are also coming on line and will soon be flying from Suva and Nandi, already at port 3 and af 3.
 
Adak Island has been developed into a fairly sized base and a CA squadron (1 CA, 1 Cl and 5 DD's) is operating out of Dutch Harbour. As soon as one of the AS's (AK upgrade in SF) is ready it will deploy to DH and it will become the major sub base in the North.
 
China is a still, though ive moved LCU's into Canton to stop production.
 
India is being safeguarded to avoid another Oz and he has stopped his advance on Burma.
 
Plans
 
1) Once Lexington has repaired all damage in Sydney, probe into PM area. If recon and intell are favourable, idea is to dislodge japs from PM and try to cut off his bridgehead at Thursday Island.
2) 2nd Marine at Suva, and 32 Div enroute from SF, will be hammer to rid Lunga and Efate from Japs. Hopefully i can move further North and cut off Noume. I have 20+ subs in Sydney that will cut off his supply from Truk, Kwaj when this operation commences.
3) Continue to build up Northern bases so that he is forced to deploy his troops there.
4) Launch offensives in Central and Northern China.

[cantona2]

Letters received by family members of sailors lost with CV Enterprise.
 
[font="times new roman"]The Commander-in-Chief and the Chief of Staff wish to convey their most sincere condolences and share your greif in this moment of  loss. They share your loss and wish to thank you for performing the ultimate act of sacrifice.[/font]
[font="times new roman"][/font] 
[font="times new roman"]May God Bless you.[/font]

[cantona2]

Extract From 'Unbrandished Sword: The Japanese in the Pacific Dec 41-July 42'
 
"...the loss of the Enterprise seemed to close a horrid chapter of defeat and retreat by the Allies. Pushed out of Malaya, Burma and Northern Australia the allied commanders coiled their forces into a tight spring defending with dear life what toeholds they had left. Suva and New Zealand were reinforced and the southern edge of the Austrialan Desert, well those railhead outposts there, were garrisoned and supported by airfields further inland.
 
Indeed the only successes the allies saw in these dark months were in the factories of the mid-west. Hundreds of aircraft were being produced at a very fast rate and naval losses were easily replaced, though the arrival of the Essex Class carriers was still almost a year away. B-24's were now filling the ranks of the frontline bomber squadrons and P-38's were begining to arrive at the frontlines.
 
The British had turned India into a fortress and in late July a big fleet spotted at Rangoon was hit hard by land based air at Dacca and Calcutta. Though precarious indeed, the Allied sitaution did not stop the planners in the different staff positions from planning where and when to strike at the impressive Japanese permieter. Burma was one option but the South Pacific presented a more appetising target..."

[cantona2]

The whooping of my arse continues...but the fight will go the bitter end, and its helping in my other games [:)]

[cantona2]

This game is still going strong and though im still losing heavily we are beginning to strike back. A force of over 100 RAF Liberators in India is pounding his installations in Burma. Fiji is seeing a massive build up of force and in Australia the reconquest has begun with Alice Springs and Portlands Roads about to be retaken.

There has been a massive reshuffle of forces in the past two months and ill try to give an overview of the land forces and do the same with aircraft and ships once all are in place. First CBI. The following make up British 14th Army, the 7th Australian AIF is in reserve.

INDIAN IV CORPS Mandalay

48th Gurhkas
2nd Infantry Division (British)
25th Infantry Division (Indian)
3rd Carabineers Regiment
7th Tank Brigade
21st Indian Mountain Artillery Regiment
15th Field Artillery Regiment
15th Coprs Indian Engineers.

INDIAN XV CORPS Myitkyina

18th Infantry Division (British)
77th Chindit Brigade
14th Chindit Brigade
16th Chindit Brigade
28th Field Artillery Regiment
254th Indian Tank Brigade
10th Indian Engineers

INDIAN III CORPS Akyab

63rd Indian Brigade
14th Indian Brigade
99th Indian Brigade
1st Field Artillery Regiment
19th KGVO Tank Regiment
Madras Engineer Regiment

[cantona2]

The following forces are tasked with the reconquest of Australia.

In Central Australia we have under the ANZAC HQ

1ST AUSTRALIAN ARMY

2nd Australian Division
1st Australian Cavalry Division
1st Australian Division
1st Australian Tank Battalion
2/8 Armoured Regiment
2nd Australian Anti-Tank Regiment
5th Airfield Squadron

1ST AUSTRALIAN CORPS

Americal Division
6th Australian Cavalry Brigade
3rd Australian Brigade
1st Motorised Australian Regiment
11th Australian Brigade
131st US Field Artillery Regiment
43rd US GS Engineer Regiment
4th Airfield Squadron
41st RAAF Aviation Regiment

[cantona2]

Eastern Australia has the following units and tasked to recover Portland Roads and prepare for operations in the Solomons and New Guinea when reinforced by New Zealand units.

AUSTRALIA COMMAND

3rd Australian Division
1st Australian Anti-Tank Regiment
7th Australian Brigade
29th Australian Brigade
2/I Independant Company
15th USAAF Base Force

Also attached are a large number of base and aviation regiments garrisoned in the main airfields.

[cantona2]

Finally Fiji Force that will attack the New Herbredies and then move into the Solomons and cut off New Caledonia. The Efate attack will go in first then an attack on Luganville using maximum possible force and both Corps and units from New Zealand and Central Pacific. The I Corps is currently in Suva, the I Amphibious in Nandi.

US I Amphibious Corps Luganville
37th Infantry Division (US)
161st US RCT
2nd Marine Para Battalion
183rd US Field Artillery Regiment
2nd Sea Bees
11th Sea Bees

US I CORPS Efate
1st Marine Division
2nd Marine Division (floating reserve)
32nd Infantry Division (US)
641st US Tank Destroyer Battalion
145th US Field Artillery Regiment
19th US CBT Engineers
3rd Sea Bees
14th Sea Bees

[1275psi]

Hi cantona2
herbiesan -aka 1275psi trying to contact you -
herbieham@optusnet.com.au

Time zone and no computer last night delay!

[cantona2]

Alice Springs was recaptured yesterday, 22nd September 1942. The Japanese unit that has been stationed there had left the town ungarrisoned but had left in the region of 3,500 supplies in the town. 2nd Australian Divison will push on ahead while two more divisions and support units rail into the town. ANZAC HQ, however, is not duped by such an easy conquest as no doubt the mass of Japanese strength in Australia is further North closer to their supply head in Darwin.

Question, why did the the flag icon become a US flag rather than an Australian one after the town was recaptured? Ive double checked and 2nd Australian Division is under Australia Command. Shouldnt, thus, an Australian flag appeared?

[cantona2]

The fight back continues. RAF Liberators from Dacca hit the 3rd Air Division's troop train enroute to Mandalay. USAAF Bostons and B-25c Mitchells out of Chittagong hit the 56th Infantry Division's positions outside Akyab. The raid of the day goes to the 72nd and 77th Bombardments out of Adak Island that ambushed and hit a convoy at Attu Island. The AP Murasaki Maru was sunk and 4 other ships were reported hit and burning.

------
Day Air attack on TF, near Attu Island at 91,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 9
A6M3 Zero x 9

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 11
B-26B Marauder x 10

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M3 Zero: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 4 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 1 damaged

Japanese Ships
AK Nanrei Maru
AK Peking Maru, Bomb hits 1
AP Murasaki Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Saipan Maru
AP Taizan Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire
AP Nachi Maru, Bomb hits 1, on fire
Aircraft Attacking:
2 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 6000 feet
2 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 6000 feet
1 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
-------------------------------------

------
Day Air attack on TF, near Attu Island at 91,35

Japanese aircraft
A6M2-N Rufe x 7
A6M3 Zero x 9

Allied aircraft
B-25C Mitchell x 6
B-26B Marauder x 7

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2-N Rufe: 2 damaged
A6M3 Zero: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
B-25C Mitchell: 4 damaged
B-26B Marauder: 3 damaged

Japanese Ships
AP Murasaki Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AK Toho Maru
AK Gassan Maru, Bomb hits 2, on fire
Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 6000 feet
3 x B-26B Marauder bombing at 6000 feet
2 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet
4 x B-25C Mitchell bombing at 6000 feet

[cantona2]

Conclurry airfield can now support combat opeartions and the first flight of Lightnings took off on a raid to Tennant Creek. A squadron of Mitchells has flown in to add more punch and support units are railing in to speed up the development of this airfield and the one at Alice Springs.

Elsewhere the two CVE's arrived at Suva and they each have 24 Wildcats to provide CAP for the Efate invasion. CV's Wasp and Yorktown (passing through Canton Island at the moment)  will add their fighters and torpedo aircraft. 20 submarines make a picket line north of Luganville, approximately the direction the KB appeared when it sank the Enterprise. The two atolls to the North East of Fiji have also been developed and occupied and Catalinas there have widened the search area therefore limiting the space for the KB to move into undetected. He is trying to resupply Efate by submarine and Coronados out of Nandi hit the I-5 in Efate port.

Burma is a hive of activity on both sides. He defends the southern bank of the Irriwady while my build up continues. Meiktina will be the first target and two chindit Brigades are getting into position while the RAF will work on closing supporting airfields. I am surprised he hasnt struck at my Indian airfields, bur the whole of the IJAAF and its wife is concetrating on Liuchow and Wuchan. He hasnt got enough Tojo's or A6M3a's to cober all of Burma at the moment.

Recon has detected 7 units on Attu island, over 11,000 troops. Will make a good training ground for my fighters and bombers, but im mindful of any carrier strike on Adak. Actually a KB strike there as the Efate attack goes in would be welcome indeed, i wouldnt mind the material loss if his attention is elsewhere.

[cantona2]

Tonys reported over Myktyina but they fail to stop my raids. Two sqaudrons of lightnings have been moved to Imphal and Kohima and will challenge the Tonys in the skies tomorrow. Liberators from Chittagong and Dacca fail to take off this turn, a pity as the only CAP was a measley four aircraft.

In China the heavy raids on Wuchow and Liuchow met resistance today from vanguards and P-40's. Though they still got through their effectiveness was somewhat impaired by the efforts of the fighters. Over Yenan 17th RAF Squadron took its tally of kills to 10 in two weeks, the CAF also managed a Sonia near Honan [;)]

P-38's out of Adak will fly their first sweep mission over Attu Island tomorrow.

My greatest problem at the moment is getting enough engineer and support units to the front lines

[cantona2]

Press Release by ANZAC Command HQ
 
Australia Command reports a successful completion of the Portlands Road operation where all Japanese Forces were annihilated and the base recaptured. Forces will now stand down for a few days and rest before conducting an air campaign against Port Moresby and southern New Guinea.
 
Elsewhere, a fairly even day in the skies as P-38's triumph over Tojos and A6m3a's over Mandalay but cannot best Rufe's over Attu Island. Likewise Hurricanes go toe to toe with Tonys over Myktyina.
 
Getting aviation support units to Eastern Australia is starting to have a negative impact on operations there now that PM is the target. Two units inbound for Suva have been diverted and one unit formely at Baker Island is also moving towards Townsville.