Yea, the LRCAP thing doesn't always work. I doubt Dan 'knew' you would have fighters there, I tend to fly sweeps with my bombers whenever possible, just in case an LRCAP gets thrown up.
Would like to see some of my opponents to fly sweeps with bombers... [;)]
Combat Report March 11-14, 1944
I finally get some time to update the AAR today. Dan and I are trying to get 2-3 turns in today to get a bit of movement within the Campaign.
There hasn't been any major events over these days but action continues.
North Pacific
Dan is striking at all my Aleutian bases right now. He is striking Dutch Harbor, Umnak, Kiska, and Attu. I don't have anything substantial in ANY of these bases. Perhaps he intends to clean up the Northern Front this spring by taking these islands. I somewhat doubt it but we'll see.
Central Pacific
No real developments in this theatre. I have strong garrisions and solid amounts of supplies at Wake, Marcus, the Marianas, and Kwajalein. A supply convoy that was carrying over 60,000 supply is unnloading at Pagan, Tinian, Saipan, and Guam. Truk has nearly 30,000 supply and recent convoys have raised the amount of ful there to nearly 50,000.
South Pacific
I have heavy supplies arriving at Suva for my planned assault to the SE. The 22nd Inf Div will arrive at Suva in two days. I will allow it to unload and check the prep percentage. An additional group of units will arrive within a week after that. Several minor engineering units and Naval Guard troops will be ready pretty soon.
Nearly 40,000 supply and 40,000 fuel will arrive within the next few days as well.
My CV and 2 CVL will arrive at Truk on the 15-16th. They will reform into a single TF and then move to join my four CVEs at Suva. The moment the CVs arrive at Suva the Invasion Force will sail.
Rarotonga
My bombers continue to get good training hitting this base every day. An average of 40-60 Bettys are hitting this base and are keeping the AF seriously damaged thus not allowing the Forts to rise. On the 14th I order the bombers to standdown for two-three days so their morale can climb a bit. I have two Daitai of Frances set to Naval Attack and 4 Daitai of Betty 1--2 hitting the base.
Australia
My retreat continues without serious Australian interference. My trailing Inf Div and Brigade have turned hit Dan's armored units several times over the last two weeks and have served to caution his pursuit. The tricky part of operations is now appraoching. I MUST evac my units without any serious aerial opposition so I need to buy a few days at Daly Waters as my convoys pick-up nearly a dozen units to spread through Timor, Kendari, and Amboina. I figure that my evacuation of Australia should be complete by April 1944.
How about holding Australia until then??!! Pretty good work I think.
DEI
More Allied SS have been moving into the DEI area. I have 4 ASW TF and 3-5 Bomber Sentai on ASW Patrol. I am seeing hits on Allied SS about every other turn. Another large convoy is forming up in Jesselton that should depart for Japan about the 20th with about 150,000 oil and 200,000 resources.
Malaya--Sumatra
Action--Action--Action!
My STF keep hitting small TF at Malacca forcing Dan to stay honest about trying to supply his forces trapped there. There are surface clashes against my TF and Allied LCT on both the 11th and 14th. Each fight sees 4-6 LCT sunk each time.
I bombard Johore Bharu and Malacca by my STF almost everyday. On the 14th two Allied SS score with a Torp hit on CL Yubari and a DD. Both disband at Singapore without issue.
A complete Brigade of troops begins unloading at Singapore on the 14th. These troops should be enough to finish the two units trapped at Johore Bharu. I want a SURRENDER there and then will move these troops up to Malacca and see what might be accomplished.
My 4 CV are now moving north about 5 hexes from the edge of the map. Within 3-4 days they should be in a position to attack any Allied convoys moving between Sumatra and Ceylon.
Indochina
Things are GRIM here. Most of Dan's troops are up at Haiphong trying to wipe out my remaining troops there; however, he still has TEN Chinese Corps attacking my tired forces ar Hue. An attack on the 14th gains 1-1 and drops the Forts down to 5. I order a fallback to Cam Ranh Bay where the Forts are at 8.
Japan
I have significant ground reinforcements arriving over the next two weeks and intend to keep most of them in Japan to strengthen my garrision there.
I've been running small convoys of AK to both ports in Okinawa as well as Formosa to make sure my troops there are well taken care of.
China--Korea
My Political Points will be high enough tomorrow to buy an Infantry Division at Pusan. It will move to strengthen Formosa. The ships that drop off the Inf Div will then pick-up a Brigade there and transfer them to Singapore. This should raise my total Army strength in Formosa to almost 3,500 AS.
Notes
Dan's CVs put in an appearance and wiped out a Japanese convoy moving north from Sendai to Paramushiro Jima. Most of his CVs are still in this area and I was glad to see them.
The reality is that I can do nothing to stop the next hammer blow to fall. I am fighting for my survival in Malaya and Sumatra so I can keep my convoys running from the DEI to Home Islands for as long as possible.
I expect to have to abandon all points north of Singora, Malaya by June 1st.
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
Combat Report March 15-16, 1944
Dan and I have gotten two more turns in today so I'll update on the events before heading to my other home today.
ASW/SS Action
After having two warships damaged by the SS operating in the area between Malacca and Singapore (at least 10 SS), I decided to shift my tactics. The 200 assorted bombers at Singapore, 100 Bombers at Palembang, and 100 Bombers at Batavia go over to ASW Mode and I immediately get results! The 15th sees 3 SS hit by LBA and the 16th yields another 4 SS hit! SS Sea Rover is sunk at Singapore. I will keep this up for another two turns before shifting my LBA back to something else.
Japan
Dan's 4EB at Iwo Jima are becoming true pains. A force of 130 Liberators struck Osaka's port and the shipping contained within it. These bombers easily fought their way through a weak fighter defense and hit 8 ships. Most importantly they sank the heavily damaged CA Suzuya in Port. To counter I reshuffled my Fighters by drawing 4 Daitai/Sentai from China training and placed them in Osaka and Okayama to protect shipping.
Malacca
My opponent keeps bombarding my forces everyday. I cannot think that he that much supply present but happily let him do that as my Fort status continues to rise.
I form a STF to bombard here on the 17th.
Johore Bharu
The Ghandi Brigade finishes unloading at Singapore and marches for Johore Bharu. This full strength unit should take the odds over 12-1 in that hex and so maybe I can induce a surrender.
Prior to my attack I will send all 3 BB against the beachhead to--hopefully--disrupt the troops even more.
Hue
The city falls on the 16th. I evacuated everything there prior to losing the town. I now fall back to Cam Ranh Bay where Forts are at almost 8. I'll make a stand there to buy some time.
Thursday Island
The Allies begin landing here on the 16th with just one ship and a few troops. I move a Daitai of Betty into Port Moresby for some target practice...
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
In a quick and easy turn not much happens in the war.
Thursday Island
This northern Australian base falls to the Gull Force. I wish I had destroyed that unit earlier in the war.
Rarotonga
I hit the base with 38 Bombers and do 63 Casaulties, 3 Guns, and the AF takes 18 hits.
Malacca
I have a STF hit the Allied beach doing 162 Cas and 6 Guns. The Allied bombardment does 72 Japanese Cas and 3 Vehicles. Surprisingly for the second day in a row the Allies take a few casualties from this bombardment. I wonder if there is anything to that? Forts are now 2/30.
Haiphong
The first barge convoy lifts a portion of the 55th Inf Div off and will move them to Hainan.
Sapporo
This base is hit by 70 Fighters and 94 4EB. They shot down 29 Japanese Fighters while losing 6 Fighters and 3 4EB. I lose 48 Resources in the attack.
4EB
The attacks over the alst two days proves to me that there are currently about 240 4EB at Sakhalin and Iwo Jima. They are CURRENTLY mostly Liberators...
Truk
The rendezvous between CV TF is made and the Japanese refuel. I then order my CV, 2 CVL, 1 CL, and 4 DD to Suva. The moment they arrive there, I will commense the invasion of Rarotonga. It should be entertaining to see what the result of this will be.
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
John,
What are your objectives in the South Pacific?? It seems to me that this is only a side show and the use of any carriers there is a waste unless they have green pilots and need training to get their experience up.
Retired Economics Minister Benoit
Retired Economics Minister:
I am staging this operation as something to do. I would like to surprise Dan by actually mouonting a real assault. IF I can take the island, then I will immediately lift my troops off and stage back towards Truk.
It is my hope to get some pilot training done. My additional thought is perhaps I can lure him into sending a token force of CVEs to this area THINKING that the Allied Force would only be facing a few Japanese CVEs. By adding my CV and 2 CVL I add nearly 130 aircraft to the 100 on the CVEs. That should be enough to deal with any minor American force that might appear.
If nothing appears during the operation I will fly several strikes against the troops on Rarotonga and then pull the CVs back to Truk for supply line raiding. Maybe I could move a force between Midway and the Aleutians...
My CVs can do little against the American Battlefleet other then die so this is my alternative.
I'll take any suggestions...
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
Well, it seems like a dispersion of effort, then again it's not like the IJN has tons of great options at this point in the war.
Why not concentrate against the RN? You can't beat the USN, this is true, but you have plenty of CV strength to take on all RN CV's, and make life miserable in the Bay of Bengal.
In my game, (Big B, 4/44), I did this, and sank or damaged all RN CV's. My opponent was forced to send US CV's all the way around Australia to restore the situation (and he sank 3 of my CV's in the process to his credit). But that turned out to be a good commmitment of strength.
The one advantage you have is interior lines, which allows you to hit the RN, yet the USN still has to account for the IJN, because it's only a 2-week sail back to Japan.
Q-Ball--as you know I have thought about that possiblity a bunch. I do have the mass to overwhelm the British but at a cost that would be staggering. They always have a CAP of about 100 Corsairs and Hellcats (mostly Corsairs). Dan ALWAYS has the Brit CVs in a TF of at least 5-6 separate units with at least 2-3 of those TF containing only surface ships. The chance of inflicting crippling losses on the Brits is pretty thin by how he deploys them.
If there is anyway to get around this I would love to know.
The real story here is that my Fleet is all but impotent right now. I've very little left of surface forces to inflict any real harm on the enemy. This is where the discussion we had a page or two back in this AAR comes to the fore. I think--for Japan--it would be preferable to have strong surface forces left at this stage of the war in lieu of strong carrier forces...
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
This is the current Japanese CV deployment:
Suva
4 CVE with 1 CV and 2 CVL there by March 22nd.
Soerabaja
4 CV and 2 CVL repairing and training air groups.
Raiding Mission (10 hexes due west of Sabang)
4 CV
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
Your opponent has not made a serious effort to destroy your air force - based off of destroyed on field.
You have ran into the 43/44 allied fighter superiority as show in the air to air losses - and will get worse.
You control a significant portion of the real estate - based on bases controlled and total base points
The cost of doing this and keeping it is shown by the number of aircraft destroyed by flak
Your land forces have avoid serious losses while inflicting a disproportionate amount on your opponent - 3 to 1
You opponent has suffered significant shipping / naval losses to date - most likely due to not covering his invasions / convoys with air cover. Does he still have enough lift capacity to clear the pacific at the end?
In the process your fleet has taking a beating but has give 1.5 to 1 (or better as you have a significant numbers of carries left).
You have started to rob Manchuria of its garrison and are willing to risk Soviet intervention and a quick end in China and Korea. If you are playing with the Soviet Feet on map - this could result in a quick Soviet invasion of the Home Islands.
As the Allies have had long ranged bombers in range of the home Islands for quite a while - he has not seem to done any significant damage to the Home Island Infrastructure.
Will your current lead in victory points hold to the end?
Heeward---Thanks for the comments. I am sure that Dan can make up the VP deficit.
He is hitting the Home Islands but for little effect.
Manchuria has no chance of dropping below the USSR activation threshold. The troops I have pulled for use elsewhere are strictly from China. This has weakened the Theatre but I am still maintaining a stalemate there. This stalemate simply occurs due to his moving troops into the Indochina--Malaya--Sumatra Theatre.
His shipping losses and troop losses have been awful. I have managed to not lose a large troop segment yet. This will change when 60,000 troops are wiped out at Haiphong. My Fleet is crushed but I can still inflict serious losses on him.
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
Combat Report March 18-21, 1944
It has been a relatively quiet four days for the Empire of Japan. I've lost track of the American CVs and expect them to pop-up somewhere soon. I've used the relative peace to move supplies into Truk, the Marianas, Okinawa, and Formosa.
North Pacific
Very quiet. Dan is bombing each of my Aleutian bases with 10-12 Liberators with Fighter Escort. Paramushiro Jima remains well supplied and hoping for an American assault.
Central Pacific
Also quiet. Other then the supplies moving around as I mentioned at the start therre isn't much activityu over, on, or under the water.
South Pacific Suva
My build-up is more or less complete. I have five units centering around the 22nd Inf Div waiting to be loaded. I've got 35,000 supply and 20,000 fuel there at present. This is what remains after my CVEs just replenished as well as their 1 CA, 4 CL, and 8 DD escort. The CV and 2 CVL will arrive in three days. I will commence loading for the assault on Rarotonga about March 25th with a projected landing on April 1st.
Rarotonga
Each day sees anywhere from 10-50 bombers hit the AF doing decent casualties and damage to the AF.
The Society Islands
I'm moving an additional Base Force from Papeate to Bora Bora to help with aircraft maintenance. Four AP (2,000 Capacity each) are handling this job.
Australia
Daly Waters fell to an all-armor attack on March 21st.
My uncontested evacuation of Australia really perplxes me. The only units left in NW Australia is an Inf Brigade, one HQ unit, and 2 Base Force. I expect to have everyone lifted out and moved to their new homes by April 1st.
Malaya--Sumatra Johore Bharu
My reinforcements massively raise the ante for Dan here. I launch a Shock Attack that yields 38-1 result. Of course the Chinese and Indian units there refuse to surrender but the time is approaching for that. I have two fresh Brigades landing at Singapore in 3-4 days. If I cannot get a surrender prior to that then these 30,000 FRESH troops should do it!
Malacca
Supplies are a problem right now. Dan bombards every day and I am now inflicting some casualties on his forces when he does this. I just detailed 72 Topsy to start flying supplies in to Goergetown to help with the issues. Forts here have risen to 2/45.
My ASW patrols are really working! I have sunk 3 Allied SS in four days!
Home Islands Gumma
Dan hits this base on the 21st with 112 Liberators and 24 B-17s. They encounter 85 good Tonys! Let the planes fall. I lose 2 Fighters in exchange for 11 B-17 and 19 Liberators with another 39 planes damaged. Most of his bombers turn back and I enjoy a small victory!
A large convoy just unloaded oil and resources at Nagasaki. I have another medium one due in a week with a third convoy departing Jesselton in about 4 days. The supply lines stay clear for the moment...
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
I forgot to mention in my posting that I actually manged to slip my CV Strike Force into Allied shipping lanes between Ceylon and Sumatra. On the 20th I had a Judy spot an Allied convoy and then my...CVs...did...NOTHING! No strikes flew, no planes lifted off the decks, and so I had to order a retreat back to my 4 AOs waiting 12 hexes SW of the Strike Force.
Seems to be typical Japanese luck for the Spring of 1944.
Additionally, Dan is moving out from Moulmein and the base (Tavoy?) NE of Victoria Point. He wants to cut off my line of retreat into Malaya from Indochina. I have confidence in holding here as I move out 3 rested Brigades, a Tank Div, and Tank Reg to stop the advance. This is the Theatre Reserve for Indochina and Northern Malaya.
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
I have held Australia for over two years and will finally say goodbye about April 1, 1944. Have many other players managed to hold onto this piece of real estate for so long?
Attachments
AustMarch2244.jpg (159.61 KiB) Viewed 351 times
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
Combat Report March 22-25, 1944
The battle for Malaya--Indochina has reached its peak. As I foresaw starting about 4-5 months ago that THIS is where the war had been lost. The developments over the these four days demonstrate that prediction was probably correct.
Malaya--Indochina Hex 29,38
As I have shown on the screenshots posted before this entry, the Allies have crossed the overland hex between Tavoy and the coast road. There are now four units in that hex facing a depleted set of Japanese formations. I have a Tk Div, Tk Reg, and an Inf Div holding the hex for the moment.
Camranh Bay
I order the blocking force located there to begin the retreat to Saigon. I have a decent number of AP/AK present in the harbor to begin an evacuation. More AP are on the way to Saigon to aid in the effort that will begin withing 10-14 days.
Johore Bharu
I attack and get a 49-1 result for no effect (I HATE land combat in this game). Two Infantry Brigades will move into this hex within 2-3 days and THAT should be enough to finish the fight. I've had a STF hitting the hex every night.
Malacca
Stalemate. Forts are now 2/63.
Invasion Convoy
YET ANOTHER Allied Invasion TF is spotted approaching Malaya on the 25th. I cannot stop another attack. ANY landing on the west coast of Malaya will break through my meager remaining defenses. My only hope is to force the surrender of the Johore Bharu lodgement.
Australia
Everything has now been pulled out of Darwin with the exception of an Aviation Regiment, small Base Force, and AA unit. They will be pulled by April 1st. The Aussie B-24s get in their first real strike against my shipping on the 24th. I order in two fresh Sentai of Tony to Darwin to stage a little surprise. There had been a group of about 20 fighters flying CAP there until this move.
South Pacific Suva
On the 24th, all my CVs gather at this port. I begin reorganizing all the aircraft between the CVs to maximixe their effectiveness. Also on that day the following units begin loading into their APs: 22nd Inf Div, an SNLF unit, a Nvl Guard unit, and 2 Construction Bat. The total Assault Strength is about 650 with all units at a minimum of 50% Prep. They should be around 60-65% when they land.
Bora Bora
This base gets the welcome addition of two small Base Force units from Papeate to raise its air support above 120. I hadn't noticed that the 175 Betty/Frances were flying with only a support of 60 on that AF. STUPID! The improvement is immediately noticable as the number of bomber sorties rises.
Rarotonga
The Allied units here start getting hit by larger waves of aircraft from Bora Bora. The AF is hit by 40-60 bombers and the ground units are seeing between 30-50 bombers hitting them each day. I've done recon every day for at least a month and it consistently shows 3 units with about 6,000 troops present on the island. I've identified the 52nd Base Force and another smaller Base Force. The original unit that landed was a small portion of a Tk Battalion.
It is this resistance that my troops will have to face upon landing. Forts should be next-to-nothing since I have kept the AF damaged for nearly two months.
Home Islands
There is only one 4EB attack during this three day peirod. Sapporo is hit by nearly 100 bombers that damage 59 Resources.
ASW Action
Another pair of Allied SS sink over these four days. I've done VERY well with sinking and/or damaging his SS this month.
Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.
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