With the Japs in retreat, I'm not sure where they stop. There isn't any logical line of defense except perhaps a Mersing/Johore Bharu/Singapore redoubt.
A possible line will be Kuala Lumpur on the west coast and holding up in the hex due east of it. It is a mtn hex and the x4 bonus might help him.
With the Japs in retreat, I'm not sure where they stop. There isn't any logical line of defense except perhaps a Mersing/Johore Bharu/Singapore redoubt.
A possible line will be Kuala Lumpur on the west coast and holding up in the hex due east of it. It is a mtn hex and the x4 bonus might help him.
isn´t mountaineous terrain x3 and only urban x4? would have to look it up...
Steamroller in Malaya / Indochina?
You seem to wait two to four weeks before advancing in your SE Asia land campaign. This allows IJA units to rest / rebuild / prep and build additional fortifications before your next assault. What most likely hurts your more is the increased fortification levels and disruption recovery.
How throughly do you recon / prepare for the next base down the line prior to your current objective falling? Generally you have thrashed your opponents units equal to or more than yours. Based on the combat reports you should be able to estimate his combat effectiveness of the shattered units vs your pursing ones. Do you maintain a reserve of fresher units to pursue?
Or do you believe that waiting gives you a greater advantage?
It's difficult to give readers a complete picture of all the factors that go into decision-making in this massive game. The game is just too massive.
NYGiants: I don't know if John will choose that line only because he has an Allied army to the rear, besieging Malacca. There's alot of factors in play here - both from my end and his. On his side, supplies and a reasonable fear of being cut off may be influencing his decisions. He's abandoned Singora and I think I'll take Alor Star in a few days, so he'll be withdrawing down the coast, I just don't know yet how far. The Allied objective remains the same: apply pressure and keep Malaya/Sumatra an attrition zone. But John seems to have withdrawn his navy and alot of his airforce.
Heeward: Way back when Rangoon fell I elected to go with amphibious assaults in Malaya/Sumatra rather than to advance overland toward Bangkok. I had well over 7,000 AV in Rangoon - most of them began prepping for Sabang and Victoria Point. A handful prepped for other locations (many of which were lightly garrisoned at the time) like Kuala, Kuala Lumpur, and Padang). The Allies proceeded with the invasion of Sabang. Then other opportunities arose so that I never invaded Victoria Point. I had about 2,000 AV 100% prepped for that target for months, and just switched them over to Alor Star a few weeks ago. Sometimes the Allies are very careful in advancing. For example, when I took Georgetown I stayed there for weeks. This was partly because I didn't have troops prepped to advance out of the beachhead and threaten adjacent bases, and partly because I was surrounded by heavily garrisoned Jap bases and didn't want to risk losing Georgetown. On other occasions I have taken chances to strike quickly at lightly held bases - for instance Padang (successful) and Johore Bahru (unsuccessful, but created great pressure on John that had many benefits). But my primary objective has always been to apply pressure in this theater and to attrition the Japs, while avoiding any major losses. That has influenced how I've conducted this campaign, which has succeeded beyond my expectations to this point. Not only have the Allies gained ground, but Malaya/Sumatra has also been a dying field for ships, planes and men of both sides. It was here that the Japs lost BBs Yamato and Musashi, a serious blow to the Japanese given the other BBs lost elsewhere. The Allies no longer fear being outgunned by combat ships anywhere the Allies have BBs.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
5/16/44 to 5/18/44
CenPac: I have been torn between the option of heading south to invade what appears to be a lightly held Solomons/New Britain/New Guinea region or back-filling to take what will be a stoutly defended Wake Island, I finally chose the latter; thus the rebirth of Operation Aurora. I am still awaiting arrival at Midway of the balance of 6th Marine Division, but all troops should be ready to embark on transports within a week. The defense seesm to be 40,000 troops in about 13 units (a division plus mixed brigade, or perhaps two mixed brigades?) The invasion force will consist of: 6th Marine Division; 31st Army Division; 98th Army Division; two RCT; 11th Combat Engineers; three Tank Destroyer units; two Tank units; two Marine Amphibious armor units; III Marine Artillery; 15th Marine CD; two Amphibious Force HQ units; and XI Corps HQ. The transport and supply ships will be escorted by three carrier TFs (each with a fleet carrier and CVL); CV Wasp's TF; several escort carrier TFs totalling 15 CVEs; and a stout bombardment TF probably to include BBs Massachusetts and Richelieu. The plan is to station the CVEs, bombardment TF, and MSW at Wake several days in advance of the invasion to reduce the defenses, clear mines, and in general to gauge the intensity of the Japanese response. If things look too hot, I may divert south and hit the Solomons region instead.
NoPac/CenPac: On the 16th, the Allies tried a coordinated strike against the aircraft factories at Gumma with poor results. John has three good Tony squadrons flying CAP. They turned back the B-24s and B-17s from Iwo with little trouble, and then did the same with B-29s from Shikuka (and that surprised me, but I had them set too low - 25,000 feet). I lost 48 aircraft in the raids. Other 4EBs from Shikuka hit an undefended Aomori, destroying 50 resource points, so the day wasn't a total waste. John's email to me said simply: "Come on back and visit..." Okay, bub, I will... Meanwhile, the efforts to wipe out the isolated defenders at Attu Island and Paramushiro continue; the going is frustratingly slow, but the odds are increasing (both islands were 26:1 attacks yesterday).
Australia: A recon squadorn transferred from Kiska to Eniwetok to Coen, Australia, over two days, rested a few days, and is now flying recon over Port Moresby. I think it will be tough for John to commit ships to defend this region/New Caledonia/the Socieities/Fiji/Pago Pago/Canton/Kwajalein etc. simply because the Japs "sea lane" is now very narrow, what with the Allies having bases at Ponape and Eniwetok to the north, and Australia to the south. John can send ships between Ponape and New Guinea, but even there he risks a raid by American carriers. It will be interesting to see what he does. The Allies can pick up alot of points at places like Noumea, Port Moresby, Suva, and Pago Pago.
Malaya: On May 17, the Allies took a vacant Singora and a lightly defended Alor Star. The Allies now hold most of the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. John has a strong line across the peninsula with stout garrisons at Taiping (west side) and Khota Bharu (east side). I'm not sure which I'll hit, or whether I'll reinforce the beachead at Malacca, or both. Georgetown airfield is a level five about 80% to level six. As soon as it reaches level seven, I'll move B-29s in and commence a strategic bombing campaign.
The Map: Over the past few days, especially following the fall of Eniwetok and Ponape, I've reflected on the overall situation and realized I am very satisfied with the Allied position. The Allies can bomb Japan, are safely advancing in Malaya (by safe I mean it's not a risky operation with a big threat to Allied carriers), and can backfill in CenPac/SWPac/SoPac without too much danger. In fact, the Allies don't anticipate any more high risk invasions in the game. Those were done in the second half of 1943 (Midway, Iwo Jima, Hokkaido, Port Blair, Sabang). The Japanese high water mark was just about a year ago, and had I been able to foresee where the Allies would be as we approach June 1944, I would have been most pleased.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Strategic Bombing: The Allies accepted John's kind invitation to "come on back and visit" issued after his fighters thrashed a 4EB raid over Gumma on the 16th. The Allies transferred two squadrons of P-38Js to Iwo Jima, replenished squadrons low on aircraft, and gave everybody a good rest. On the 22nd, the Allies sent in bombers from four bases as follows: (1) 67 P-38s, 96 B-24s, and 22 B-17s from Iwo Jima targeting the George factories at Gumma; this flight tackled with 62 Tonys. The Japs lost 17 fighters and the Allies 17 P-38s and 3 B-24s. The Allies scored seven hits; (2) 67 B-29s targeted the Jack factories at Gumma and faced 45 Tonys, which couldn't intercept at that altitude; the Allies scored 13 hits; (3) 33 B-29s from Changsha came in, five were downed (I forgot to set them at max elevation) and scored five more hits on Jack production. Then 14 B-24s from Shikuka hit Hakodate (scoring three Heavy Industry hits), and 49 B-17s and 66 PBY Liberators from Shikuka knocked out 62 resources at Aomori; and, finally, 39 B-25s from Toyohara scored 25 resource hits at Sapporo. On the day, the Allies eliminated 6 George points, 43 Jack points, and a few Frances points. The total strategic bombing points for the day was about 500, the biggest raid of the war to date, and a satisfying way to respond to John's comment.
CenPac: Troops continue to arrive at Midway; embarkation for Operation Aurora is still about four days away.
Malaya: The RN bombarded Malacca, but two DDs were damaged by mines while returning to port at Bankha. The Allies have finished designating prep for the next targets on the Malay Peninsula, but it will be awhile before units move out.
Points: Japs 52,884 to Allies 49,312. The spread has fallen below 4,000 for the first time.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
5/23/44 to 5/26/44
Tokyo: Allied 4EB and long-range fighters rested after the recent Gumma raid, and then the Air Corps HQ came up with the idea of hitting the airfield at Tokyo since recon showed CAP in excess of 100 fighters over that base. The raid took place on the 26th with well over 100 B-24s and B-17s from Iwo Jima escorted by 66 P-38s, followed by about 90 unescorted B-29s from Shikuka. The P-38s squared off against 45 Tony and 54 George in a long-lasting dogfight that saw 34 Tony, 12 George, and 9 P-38s go down. The bombers made it through in good shape and destroyed 37 aircraft (Tony, George, Lilly, and Helen). Other bombers from Toyohara and Shikuka hit resources at Aomori (destroying 56) and ship repair facilities at Hakodate.
Manila: 38 unescorted B-29s from Changsha took this chance for a second strike at the port facilities at Manila and put four 500 pounders in BB Ise (barely a scratch and confirming that Ise seems to have avoided the threat of sinking following the four torpedoes she took in the Straits of Malacca).
NoPac: The Allies have eliminated all but one unit at Paramushiro Jima and all resistance at Attu Island. The carrier and combat TFs supporting the Paramushiro operation have headed back to Shikuka. As soon as the final enemy unit is wiped out (probably tomorrow), I'll redirect the prep for these units. All but one of the Attu Island units are now prepping for the next Jap-held base in the Aleutians. There are three left.
CenPac: Operation Aurora is underway. The southern component left Eniwetok on the 24th - two LST TFs carrying two RCTs, two CVE TFs, CV Wasp TF, and a combat TF. These ships took station about 240 miles north of Eniwetok to await the approach of the norhtern component before actually closing on Wake Island. The northern component transports are still loading troops at Midway. But the three CV/CVL TFs, CVE TF, combat TF, replenishment TFs, and minesweeper TF left Midway on the 26th. Recon shows Jap ships at Wake Island and two more units. John seems to be reinforcing the base, so I think he's decided to fight as hard as he can. I'm still not sure I'll invade Wake - I want to gauge the level of resistance and hopefully clear mines first. If things don't appear auspicious, I can divert the ships south toward easier targets.
Malaya: A transport convoy is unloading reinforcements at Malacca. No resistance yet from the Japanese army or navy. Georgetown's airfield just increased to level six - so in another ten days to two weeks it will reach seven and can then serve as a base for B-29s.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
5/27/44 to 6/2/44
Wake Island: The two segments of the Allied force rendezvoued just west of Wake Island on May 30 - the Southern Component from Eniwetok including two RCTs loaded in LSTs, two CVE TF, CV Wasp TF, and combat TF with two CAs; the Norther Component from Midway including three CV/CVL TFs, one CVE TF, small bombardment TF including Free French BB Richelieu, several replenishment TFs (including AEs), and MSW TF. Meanwhile, the bulk of the transport TFs at Midway finally finished loading and followed behind. To my surprise and relief John pulled all his aircraft out of Wake - understandable from his standpoint as he feared a bombardment, but a huge plus for the Allies because it eliminates the risk of massed LBA strikes (Wake is a level four airfield). Eleven Frances bombers raided from Marcus, but all went down. A bombardment TF flagged by BB Richelieu bombarded Wake on June 1, doing moderate damage, clearing some mines, and encountered only minimial shore gun resistance; on the same day a MSW TF arrived at Wake and began clearing mines. These two TFs are covered by two CVE TFs; the remaining TFs have taken station just north of Wake awaiting arrival of the Midway transports and the green light to proceed with the invasion. As the carrier TFs approached Wake they found some Jap shipping unloading reinforcements, and TBM Avengers sank two MSW, and AP, and a PG. The Jap garrison increased from 41,000 to 47,000. A sub far to the NW of Wake sighted a Jap DD on the 2nd (in the Central Pacific waters between Midway and Marcus). This could be a carrier force heading for Wake, so I ordered the ships that were a hex north of Wake to move a bit to the east to give me some space and time to evaluate the situation tomorrow. The Midway transports are still three or four days away from Wake. (From a historic standpoint, this invasion is the most true to history since the Allies are "softening" Wake prior to landing troops; heretofore I've just "gone straight in" at places like Midway and Iwo Jima).
NoPac/CenPac: The last resistance at Paramushiro Jima ended on the 27th. The Japs now have but three lonely, cut-off bases in the Northern Pacific - Amchitka Island, Dutch Harbor, and Cold Bay. These will fall one by one over the next sixty days. Massed Allied 4EB from Iwo Jima, Toyohara, and Shikuka hit Gumma and Sendai on the 2nd, suffering light losses to bombers but 10 P-38s and doing light damage to the Jack factory and resources.
Superfortresses: The Allies recently converted one B-17E squadron to B-29s and now have Superforts as follows: Three groups (48 planes each) Shikuka; one group at Darwin; one group at Changsha; two groups at Rangoon.
Malaya: The landing of reinforcements and supplies at Malacca is complete. Jap subs have damaged some ships at Malacca and Georgetown. The airfield at Georgetown is 20% to level seven. The Allies will move on Taiping in a week or so.
Jap "Inner Circle" Defenses: John is heavily reinforcing places like Bali, Amboina, Guam, Saipan, etc. and he recently made an AAR post titled "Inner Circle Defenses." The problem is that his "Inner Circle" has already been breached at Iwo and Sikhalin Island. The Allies probably won't ever try to take heavily defended places like Saipan. Many of them are now irrelevant.
Points: On May 29 the point spread fell below 3,000 for the first time: Japs 53,041 to Allies 50,091.
One Year Ago: The Jap high water mark was exactly one year ago. On June 1, 1943 the Japs held all of Australia except Sydney and Melbourne, still held Rangoon and all of Vietnam; had Iwo, Midway, Baker, Pago Pago, Fiji, the Societies, and all of the Aleutians up to Cold Bay; the Japs hadn't lost a carrier and the surface fleet was essentially intact except for two inferior BBs lost near Melbourne. But early that month John sent a Mini-KB into the Bay of Bengal and ended up losing CVs Hiyo and Junyo and it was shortly thereafter that the Allies invaded Midway, the beginning of the offensives that have put the Allies in excellent position to finish the war.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
The KB slipped close to Hawaii and absolutely savaged two large and empty transport TFs heading to Pearl Harbor. More about this devious attack later, but as I prepare to run the turn - to this point I've only seen the actual combat report because I don't have the game loaded on my home computer - I really only have one question: Will John shift the KB south to attack or threaten my carriers near Wake Island? I'll check two things first when I open the file: Has John loaded up Wake with aircraft? Is the KB on a course or in position to hit me in just a day or two? If so, I'm going to have alot of heart burn; if not, little heart burn.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I'll make a longer post later, but an update now that I've run the turn:
1. The KB not only tangled with two large and empty transport convoys, but also one carrying reserve troops to Wake Island (it had fallen behind the main TFs with carrier protection). So several new airborn regiments are toast.
2. The loss of the empty transports and even the reserve troops means nothing from a strategic standpoint - I have plenty of ships and more than enough men to do the job; it does mean two things: First, points for John and I don't want to make him gifts of points; and (2) it emboldens John to strike again.
3. It does NOT appear that John intends to tangle with the main fleet, thank goodness. The thought of my carriers being caught between defending transports on the one hand and an island full of LBA plus a stout KB air arm was sickening. The Allies bombarded Wake again, destroying 16 Jills, 4 Zekes, and 4 Alfs, and the airfield is 60% out of commission. Recon shows that John pulled out his aircraft, which is a tremendous relief.
4. I'm proceeding with the invasion. My transports are just three hexes from Wake and I want to get my troops on shore so to eliminate the risk that they might be lost in a massive air/sea engagement.
5. Great move by my always bold opponent. He slipped the KB into my back bedroom through a (carelessly) unlocked door and ravaged some of the occupants of the house. But my main concerns remain the health and safety of my carriers and the main invasion fleet, which is huge. If John disengages, I can live with the bloody nose that he gave me.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I'm updating in dribs and drabs but will eventually resume my normal format...
Zoiks, Scoob! This has been a tough week for the Allies (although it might have been worse).
The KB has pulled off to the NNW and it doesn't seem that John will force a major carrier clash. That's good news.
The Allies commenced landing at Wake and survived the auto-shock attack, but it's going to take alot of time and effort to take this island. So be it, but I have surrendered my mobility. My transports, troops, combat ships, and carriers will be tied down with this operation for a long time. A pox on a loss of mobility!
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Yeah, I'm wondering about sending more CVs from NoPac; at the moment I'm leaning against it because NoPac is the key to the war and I don't want to take even the slightest chance that John could pose a threat there. With the CVs and battleships currently in port at Shikuka I can sleep peacefully. Meanwhile, the American carrier force continues to grow. The turn John attacked I had five new CVEs that had just arrived at Midway (but they weren't ready to fight because all of them had that very turn swapped out FM-Wildcats for Hellcats). In CenPac now I have four CVs, three CVLs, and something like twenty CVEs. That's probably sufficient to handle the region while I try to stabalize the situation and then regain momentum.
The real problem is that my ground troops were badly disrupted by back to back shock attacks. They'll need time to rest. It's going to be a LONG time before Wake falls.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
6/3/44 to 6/8/44
Wake Island: As stated, this operation got off to a bad start when John slipped the KB between Wake and Midway and decimated two empty transport convoys and a convoy carrying several regiments of airborne troops freshly arrived from San Fran and designated as reserves for the invasion of Wake. I was fortunate that John didn't come after my carriers, because I feel fairly certain that the combo of his carriers and LBA from Wake would have overwhelmed my defenses. I hope that apprehension on his part continues. Meanwhile, my troops came ashore but suffered miserably in back-to-back shock attacks on June 6 and June 7. I outnumber John two to one, but it's going to take a good ten days for my troops to recover from massive disruption. My overall AV fell from well over 1200 to about 350 two days ago - 6th Marine Divison currently has an AV of less than 100 despite only slight losses. Zoiks, Scoob! So I need time to rest my troops. I'll also have to prepare some more troops in the event I have to supplement the invasion. I have several division at Eniwetok and more available in NoPac. I'll also have to send my ships back to Midway or to Eniwetok to refuel and replenish, but I'll wait a few more days to make sure the Wake troops get a breather.
Strategic Impact: I've lost my precious mobility and have gotten bogged down in a late-war Guadalcanal. I wish I hadn't, but I have, so now I want to avoid exacerbating my woes. That means I don't want to lose a big carrier battle. So I need to be cautious. John will be invigorated and hungry for more blood. He may raid into NoPac or between Hawaii and the West Coast. Getting supplies to Iwo will be hazardous. So for awhile I must move carefully. While the KB is in CenPac I may have a little more freedom of movement elsewhere, but that's small consolation for losing my mobility here. But the overall situation is little changed as long as I don't reinforce defeat: Sikhalin Island is safe and will continue regular strategic bombing of Japan; the Allies should be able to control the sea lanes between Eniwetok/Ponape/Wake and Hawaii as long as my carriers are in good shape; and the British will continue to press in Malaya/Sumatra. The war will be won by strategic bombing and with P-38s I'm able to handle Jap CAP for now; but my P-38 stockpile is getting low. I'm ready for P-51s to become available!
Australia: The Aussies have a large number of troops ready to go to war, but are wondering when America will lend transports, combat ships, and carriers. Good question.
Malaya: Just for the heck of it, the Brits tried a deliberate attack at Malacca on the 4th and it turned out badly. No chance of budging the Japs there for now. The Brits will move overland from Georgetown to Taiping in a few days and should be able to give the Japs some trouble or worries there. If and when Taiping falls into British hands, the Jap position in the middle peninsula becomes pretty tenuous.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I have found (In CHS 155) it is very hard to keep up the supplies for a push into Timor & Ambon, let alone any deeper into the DEI.
The, by now well experienced troops, might give you a reserve for a further push into Malaya or Sumatra, or a force to get into the Solomons Rabaul areas.
Using a bit of slieght of hand, you might be able to keep up the pretence of a stong force in Darwin at the same time. Heavy Bombers can project an image that action is being planned for this area by hitting ports & airfields as well as Resouces & Oil. (Can you pick up the islands in the Aru Sea to build on this image?
Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum
Some thoughts regarding the Wake invasion and transport massacre:
1. I was lucky in one regard. Had John sent his KB after the carriers I had at Eniwetok (ten CVEs and CV Wasp) he would have destroyed them. He probably didn't hit them there out of respect for Eniwetok's LBA. He bided his time until my carriers moved north, but by then I had more carriers coming south from Midway and he didn't want to take on the combination. I think he could have won that battle too, had he the benefit of Wake's LBA, but that would have been more of a tossup. But I'm glad a carrier battle didn't come off.
2. Since the battle, five more Allied CVEs have arrived in CenPac and have fresh Hellcats. I'll feel better when I can consolidate all my CenPac carriers. For now, though, my main carrier fleet will head to Eniwetok to refuel and replace lost aircraft. That puts them in a good place to protect Wake Island should John elect to reinforce or fight.
3. As stated previously, I regret now chosing to invade Wake. I have given up my mobility in CenPac for the time being. I'm tied to Wake until I can make sure all those ground troops are safe. I think this was my biggest strategic blunder of the game (with honorable mention going to my ill-fated Wotje invasion way back when, and also my effort to sneak two carriers from Australia to Panama Canal way in early '42).
3. Hat's off to John, my clever and worthy opponent for a well-thought-out attack.
4. This is why I was so happy having the KB down in Malaya/Sumatra.
5. The Allies are now recovering equilibrium and I know where I'm going from here; it'll just take awhile to get there.
6. Strategic bombing of Japan remains the preeminent Allied weapon, so protecting Sikhalin Island is Job One. That job is much easier now that I've take (and have big airbases on) Paramushiro Jima, Onnekotan Jima, Attu Island, and the other Western Aleutians. That gives me level 9 and 7 fields on Sikhalin, 4 each on the Jimas, and big fields at Attu, Kiska etc. The Allies have a ton of LBA in that region, so at some point it might be safe to withdraw my carriers - certainly I can do so when winter conditions prevail again, if not sooner.
7. The KB ambush of my transports cost me 500 points. That's roughly the number in ships lost, and also reflects in the current score, with John ahead by 2,500 points. I had been closing the gap by 1,000 ever ten days (3,000 per month), but only managed 500 in the first ten days of June.
8. How much worse it would be if I came out on the short end of a big carrier battle? How would I protect Eniwetok, Ponape, and even Iwo Jima (NoPac I believe is secure no matter what due to interlocking air cover from numerous air bases). So I'm counting my blessings and continuously reminding myself to protect those carriers.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
8. How much worse it would be if I came out on the short end of a big carrier battle? How would I protect Eniwetok, Ponape, and even Iwo Jima (NoPac I believe is secure no matter what due to interlocking air cover from numerous air bases). So I'm counting my blessings and continuously reminding myself to protect those carriers.
So you take a two liter pop/soda bottle and put a pile of small balls of aluminum foil in the bottom. Now is the tricky part. You add a decent sized swig of Draino into the bottle and put the lid on very quickly. Oh and now would be a good time to run. The two reagents react in the bottle producing gas. This will expand the bottle to what can sometimes can be an incredible size until BOOM. Trick is if you aren't far enough away, you get convered with balls of lye soaked aluminum.
Pleae refer to my post a few weeks ago if this doesn't make sense to you.
"We have met the enemy and they are ours" - Commodore O.H. Perry
A major problme is that you hit a major target without commiting the majority of your forces.
It sounds to me that your northern bases are strong enough to stand up by themselves and you could have diverted your CV's to provide cover to the Wake invasion.
I also think you need to throw the kitchen sink at every invasion from now, take control of those bases ASAP or face drawn out sieges with your supply line at the mercy of KB.
Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum
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