Lorks-a-lordy, my Empire is on fire! GBL vs 1EyedJacks - Nemo's mod

[goodboyladdie]

The KB appears to be moving East with a task force containing APs just ahead of it. I am guessing that they are tankers, but will move to protect Hilo and Lahaina just in case. 6 PTs are off to Lahaina and I moved some subs inshore. I commissioned a new PT at PH only to find it is Dutch! I will have to get that back to SWPAC at some point...

I forgot to mention in the post above that the PH bombers raided the KB. 3 Zekes were damaged, as were a couple of B-17s, for no hits on the 2 DDs targeted.

Gar and Grayling sailed for Manila from Los Angeles. They will mine Saipan and Tokyo Bay on the way. 61st and 62nd BS, with B-17Es, transferred to SWPAC and staged to Canton Island and Johnston Island. CVL Kittyhawk is sailing to SF from Seattle with 2 DDs as escort. They are routed out to sea to avoid spotted subs.

[goodboyladdie]

KXVII was hit by a Betty off Kota Bharu (just realised I forgot to check for damage) and Porpoise was sunk by a Nell off Bataan. She had been heavily damaged by an 800kg bomb the day before. S-39 torpedoed DMS Ishigaki off Legaspi.

Manila was hit twice during the day. Mike lost 3 bombers and a fighter and I lost 6 P-40Es in total. Damage was not heavy, but the damaged ships in harbour took another pounding. Clark was hit twice also. Damage was slightly heavier and I lost 2 fighters on the ground, with Mike only have 1 bomber damaged. Manila is 19/16/17 and Clark is 0/21/42.

B-17s out of Cagayan attempted at least 7 raids on shipping with no damaged caused. ML Redstart was caught near Hong Kong and took 5 bombs. She is still afloat. DD Pillsbury took 4 torps, AO Pecos 1 (but shot down 2 Kates), AO Trinity 1, TK Manatawny 2 and AP Luzon 4. Pillsbury and Luzon both sank. All the attacks apert from Redstart came from CVA so the mini KB must have moved North.

USS Houston will take a short detour to bombard the Jap paras at Miri and USS Marblehead will join the Dutch Southern Strike Force at Kendar(currently 1 CL with 4 Dutch DDs). My US DDs will head for dockyards to get their ASW upgrades. USS Boise will head off to the West Coast for duties as a CV AA escort, as I start so light in the Cruiser department.

[goodboyladdie]

In the CBI, there were 3 raids on Hong Kong, which cost Mike a Sonia. HK then survived a ground assault with 18 casualties against 351 on the Jap side.

Legaspi, Miri and Laoag fell this turn, btw.

Here is a screenie of the vessels I have hiding in Bataan while they repair flood damage. I'll try to sneak them away later...
There are also 2 Hong Kong refugees.

[goodboyladdie]

09/12/41

The AK Boreas was attacked by I-1 in the Western Pacific and sunk over the course of two attacks - the first of many casualties at sea today...

PH took only one raid. Kates came in at 9000 ft and from longer range as only bombs were dropped. 7 were destroyed and 4 damaged. US casualties were 3 P-36A, 2 P-40B, 3 F4F-3, 1 B-17E, 1 B-19A and 3 B-18A.
BB California 6 bombs;
BB West Virginia 2 bombs;
BB Nevada 1 bomb;
BB Arizona 2 bombs;
BB Tennessee 2 bombs;
BB Maryland 2 bombs;
DD Reid 1 bomb;
AR Vestal 1 bomb;
AV Curtiss 1 bomb.
Airbase 2, supplies 1, runways 15, port 4, port supplies 1. Damage stands at 7/58/98.

A-20Bs out of Johnston attempted to attack one of the KB's tankers and 8 were knocked down in return for 1 Zeke.

[goodboyladdie]

The KB is moving away to the South West, so a small ASW task force has sortied after Jap subs. More will follow once Ops points allow. AKs have begun to leave PH for SF. Damaged ships will head for the West Coast as soon as they are able and I will probably move the main fleet to SF until I can build up proper fighter defences at PH. A newly activated Marine Dive Bomber Squadron has flown to Johnston in their Vindicators in case there is a chance for a lucky shot at the departing KB.

62nd BS flew their B-17Es to Darwin from Johnston Island in an epic journey that cost one aircraft. They will need about 4 days to recover fatigue, which was over 100 before a new pilot joined. The DMSs that fled to Noumea will head for Suva and then Brisbane. The CAs from various convoys had detached and moved to Noumea, where they will join my CVs as they reduce speed and head East to begin the return to the West Coast. AOs are sailing from CONUS to assist. The KB has tankers, but is probably short of planes/sorties, so I do not think Mike will come after my CVs.

105th RAAF Base Force has loaded at Devonport for Noumea and 201st RCT is loading at Kodiak for Dutch Harbor.

[goodboyladdie]

ML Redstart was hit by patrol planes off Northern Luzon and sank later after further LBA attacks. PG Moth was also hit but is not too badly damaged. AK Forafic was torpedoed by I-153, AS Canopus by I-155 (later sunk by CVA), TK British Lord by I-158 and TK Alfred Clegg by I-155 (also later sunk by CVA).

S-39 put 2 torpedoes into CL Kiso at Legaspi and will now head to Manila to rearm. Another S-Boat will move to take her place. At San Fernando S-38 torpedoed the laden AP Takatiho Maru.

Manila and Clark both took 2 raids. Damage was not severe (apart from to ships at Manila), but the loss of another two precious P-40s means I have to withdraw them from Manila.

The real carnage was caused by the Mini KB and LBA which got in amongst my fleeing ships. AS Otus, PC Napa, PC Genesee, AO Pecos, AO Trinity, AP Basilan, MSW Finch, PG Luzon, PG Oahu were sunk. More were badly damaged, including a couple of ships carrying troops out of Manila. Some ships have diverted to Darwin to take them clear of the expected route of the mini KB. DD Scout and DM Thracian will flee from Bataan at full speed by this route, hopefully before Mike's planes at Legaspi can fly.

On the credit side, B-17Ds from Cagayan put 2 bombs into AP Kiri Maru at Legaspi and USS Houston bombarded Miri, gaining hits on port fuel and supplies.

[goodboyladdie]

Blenheim IFs attempted a night attack on BB Kongo off Kota Bharu with no hits. Day raids got 2 hits on Kongo, but caused little damage for losses totalling 12 bombers of various types. My Beauforts out of Rnagoon attacked an AV off Singora, but their experience is so low they have little chance of success yet.

CV Indomitable arrived at Aden and is heading for Colombo. I have spaces in my TB squadrons aboard, but am at capacity so I have turned off replacements (not that there are any). Jat Rgt is unloading at Trincomalee.

In China Hong Kong came in for 3 raids, which caused a bit of damage at the cost of 3 Sonias. My Biplane bombers were ambushed by Nates and I lost three. Until I can get some fighters to Changsha to escort them I will stand them down. SB-2s bombed Ichang causing 15 casualties and IL-4cs made attacks on Jap shipping near Batan Island with no success.

Hong Kong fought off another assault with 154 casualties against 300 Japanese, but forts were reduced to 4. Guam and Kavieng fell.

[goodboyladdie]

10/12/41

1 Vindicator was destroyed in a failed attack on the KB's TKs. Then 5 more were lost attacking DDs in the KB's screen. The KB attacked Johnston in the meantime, destroying another SB2U and an A-20B, as well as hitting the base 14 times, supplies 6 times and the runways 53 times. The KB is moving away to the West. PH damage stands at 7/58/95, while Johnston is at 0/25/37.

I have started the exodus to the West Coast. Various damaged ships are heading to anywhere with a repair yard and all fit Cruisers and some 8000 mile range DDs are heading to SF to form escort groups for my soon to arrive CVs. I am shipping more B-17s out to SWPAC, but will have to be careful how I use them as I only get 16 E models a month and B-24Ds do not arrive until 08/42 in this mod. I also only get 28 P-39Ds a month. There is no way I can get into an early attrition battle as he has more and better planes, many excellent pilots and plenty of replacements. This is going to hurt all the way through...

147th FA Rgt is unloading at Pago Pago.

[ny59giants]

Don't forget the 12 B-19s per month. [;)] You have enough to upgrade 2 x 12 plane squadrons at the start. Their 33/44 range makes them truly your SAC force.

[goodboyladdie]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Don't forget the 12 B-19s per month. [;)] You have enough to upgrade 2 x 12 plane squadrons at the start. Their 33/44 range makes them truly your SAC force.

Hi Michael

I am looking forward to causing Mike a few problems with those babies! I still have not decided how I am going to use them or where. The squadron at Pearl will need rebuilding before I can think of converting any more. I am torn between hitting his Ports with night attacks and starting an early strategic hit and run offensive to keep his economy stretched...

[ny59giants]

I upgraded 2 B-17 squadrons on the west coast and then turned on the replacments for the one at Pearl. Soon, I'll have 3 x 12 plane squadrons. See my PM for possible missions. [:D]

[goodboyladdie]

I had a SigInt flash that 56th Ind Inf Brigade is prepping for Davao. The RN PTs escaping from Hong Kong have been given Davao as their next refuelling stop and a Dutch K-Boat is on her way to lay some eggs...

AKs Empire Baron and Mapia were sunk by I-155 and I-122 respectively. Later in the day a mix of CVA and LBA put paid to a TK, 4 AKs, 1 AP, 2 PGs and 3 Minesweepers, as well as damaging others. I am hopeful that this rate of loss will now slow down as my ships get clear of Mike's air assets. The Mini-KB seems to be heading for IndoChina.

Manila and Clark were each hit twice. My flak seems to be ineffective here. 2 more P40Es were destroyed on the ground. Clark is now 0/33/54 and Manila is 26/16/11. My ASW assets are carrying out attacks on some of Mike's subs, but do not seem able to cause any damage currently.

[goodboyladdie]

It got very interesting off Singapore as the Kota Bharu covering force came South. 3 small ASW ships were destroyed in very uneven battles. Large air raids out of Singapore lost in excess of 12 planes, but a Vildebeest managed to put a torpedo into BB Haruna. She is on fire, but not badly damaged as she did not detach from the Surface Action Group.

A small raid of B-17Ds and Blenheim IVs heavily damaged the AV Kamikawa Maru at Singora. I have moved the Beauforts from Rangoon to Kuantan in the hope of some lucky hits as the SAG moves North. For now it seems to be heading SW, so Force Z, with the Dutch attached, is moving to patrol off Palembang. USS Houston will miss out on all this as she is sailing for Brisbane, before heading back to the West Coast for an upgrade and duties as a CV AA escort.

Hong Kong fought off another assault with heavy losses on both sides, but will not last much longer. My units in Sinyang were ejected. They will go straight back as reinforcements are on the way into the hex.

Tarawa fell.

[ny59giants]

I see that you still hold Kota Bharu. I would consider pulling out before he takes the base and makes your LCUs combat ineffective due to their high disruption values. Using Kuala Lumpur and the hex directly east of it (mtn with x 4 combat bonus) for your second line of defense. It gets you away from BB TF and may make a large speed bump on the way to Singapore. Just remember to give those LCUs a base as a destination so they actually leave the base. I've forgotten before and paid the cost. [:@]

You can rotate your Bde in and out of Johore Bahru if he doesn't break the line in an effecient manner to rest them.

[goodboyladdie]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

I see that you still hold Kota Bharu. I would consider pulling out before he takes the base and makes your LCUs combat ineffective due to their high disruption values. Using Kuala Lumpur and the hex directly east of it (mtn with x 4 combat bonus) for your second line of defense. It gets you away from BB TF and may make a large speed bump on the way to Singapore. Just remember to give those LCUs a base as a destination so they actually leave the base. I've forgotten before and paid the cost. [:@]

You can rotate your Bde in and out of Johore Bahru if he doesn't break the line in an effecient manner to rest them.

I left them to fight on. Anything that slows him down and buys me time is good. I try to hold the crossroads South of KL as it covers my retreat path to Singapore. I am still dug in in the far North too.

[goodboyladdie]

11/12/41

85 Vals with a small Zeke escort pounded Johnston Island again. 5 SB2Us and 2 A-20Bs were destroyed as the base took 4 hits, supplies 2 and runways 55. Damage stands at 0/31/56. I have begun to pull the planes back to Hilo. PH damage is now 7/58/82. Another damaged ship, together with a number of auxiliaries, left for the West Coast.

392nd BS traded in their B-17Es for B-19As at SF. They are assigned to SWPAC. 25th and 26th Pursuit Squadrons, assigned to SEAC, are loading for transit via Australia in SF also. 40th Div and 808th EAB are loading for Suva.

60th BS (B-17Ds) flew from Palmyra to Cairns and 427th BS flew from Canton Island to Brisbane. 131st FA Bn is unloading at Suva.

[goodboyladdie]

SigInt: 14th Tank Rgt is planning for Singapore.

S-41 was hit by a patrolling Betty off Aparri. Damage is 43/22 and she is heading for Soerabaya. AK Ben Nevis and TK Ebonol fell victim to I-121 and I-158 respectively. S-40 got some revenge by putting a torpedo into AK Kumakawa Maru, while the damaged S-41 managed to hit AK Matsukawa Maru. USS Perch, having just finished minelaying at Legaspi, torpedoed CL Tama. The escorts then got stuck into Perch and she took many hits and was scuttled with damage at 45/96.

Blenheim IFs attempted another night attack at Kota Bharu, but they had as little success as all my bombing raids off Malaya today. Manila and Clark took small raids at the cost of 2 Jap bombers. Damage now stands at 26/16/1 AND 0/33/50 respectively. The Beauforts are starting to show their teeth, just missing Mogami and Kumano. The FAA Beauforts are moving to Singapore from Kuantan. No 2 RAAF Sqn are moving their Beauforts North to assist off Borneo, where suspected reinforcements for Miri are on their way in. They have got as far as Menado. 30th BS at Singapore has upgraded from D to E model B-17s. I have started to withdraw the B-17s from Cagayan as they are vulnerable to a para attack now that Mike has Legaspi.

In China the P-35 escort prevented the Nates from getting at my V-92Cs attacking 13th Div, but Hong Kong fell. Rabaul and Tavoy also experienced a change of flag.

10 Minelaying subs are sailing from Vladivostock to mine Ohka. 1st Rifle Brigade is heading to the same place. If Mike hits the convoy there will be trouble...

[goodboyladdie]

12/12/41

I-2 was attacked by an ASW force of six four stackers off the West Coast. She is heavily damaged and will hopefully sink. Mike has lost no ships so far! PH damage stands at 7/58/64 and Johnston is at 0/31/52.

CVL Kittyhawk, with 2 DDs in company is about to do a high speed run to PH. I can then justify using replacement fighters at Pearl Harbor as I attempt to build up air defences so that the fleet can return.

Off the Southern tip of mainland Australia AK Empire Ortolan, fully laden with resources bound for CONUS, was attacked twice by I-6 and sunk. 4 MSWs are racing to the scene in the hope of catching the attacker.

The screenie below shows the Allied Pilot Replacement situation. British, Commonwealth and Dutch forces are the most vulnerable. I'll post the Jap screen next time so you can see how truly horrible the Allied situation is. It could be worse, though - in RHS the replacements suck. Here they are mostly ok or good.

[goodboyladdie]

AK Dos Hermanos was sunk by I-121 as she neared the safety of Batavia.

Blenheims attempted more night attacks off Kota Bharu and caught a sub on the surface. It's a shame they can't hit anything! My ASW forces, such as they are, harried some Jap subs, but did no damage.

Manila took 1 raid, which sank another AK in the port. A DD and AV Langley are repaired enough to make a run for the South in case Mike gets round to hitting Bataan. My best sub, S-39, reloaded at Manila and headed back to Legaspi. Clark took two raids taking moderate damage at the cost of a Nell. Damage is 33/6/0 annd 0/44/50 respectively.

Then it got interesting as my bombers and torpedo planes attacked Mike's forces off Miri. CA Chokai and CL Isuzu were hit by torpedoes from T-IVas and CL Kashii took a bomb from a Hudson IV. None of the ships hit were even left on fire!

[goodboyladdie]

It looks like the mini KB is coming South again, unless they really are BBs on their way to Kuching or Brunei. I have moved RAAF 2 Sqn and their Beauforts to Kuching in the hope of putting more holes in shiny Jap ships. B-17s from Soerabaya will bomb the Oilfields at Miri as they fell intact and Mike is sure to get Float Fighters in there soon.

In China a PC hit a mine at Hong Kong. My V-92Cs and their P-35 escorts got roughly handled by Mike's Nates, losing 1 and 3 respectively, for no Jap losses. I have a bombardment attack going in at Nanchang after a Jap defeat there this turn. Mike lost 1648/51 casualties/guns to my 400/16, but I will have to wait for more units before I can do a deliberate attack due the the shocking quality of my troops. I am bombarding at Hangchow also. Ichang was bombed by SB-2s again as my land forces approach. The V-92Cs will join this air campaign instead.

In a dangerous development, Jeans out of Mutsu attacked my Soviet reinforcement convoy heading for Okha. It cost them 4 Jeans to my LaGG-3 CAP, but an AK was damaged by a bomb. Stalin has stopped short of war, using the incident to justify supplying the Chinese Air Force with aircraft. A stern protest has been lodged and as a warning subs are putting to sea and Soviet Recon planes will fly over the Home Islands. Any repeat of the incident will result in punitive airstrikes being launched. I will be aggressive in the area now to see if Mike has failed to restrict ranges on anything else. The Soviets getting involved early would cause him a lot of problems...