YH v TS - round 3 <no 8 legged creatures>

[timtom]

ORIGINAL: Monter_Trismegistos

What is A6M2 Sen Baku available 44-02?

Sen[toki] Baku[geki] = Fighter Bomber. A6M2 plumbed for a centreline 250kg bomb and two wingmounted drop tanks.

[Yamato hugger]

Tree must have put some effort into his turn also. Took him over 2 days to get the turn back to me, but hopefully we are rolling now.

Dec 8th:

This was depressing:
ASW attack near Tioman Island at 52,84
Japanese Ships
SS I-122, hits 19, on fire
Allied Ships
DD Express
DD Electra
DD Tenedos
DD Vampire
I-122 bottoming out ....
DD Express attacking submerged sub ....
DD Electra attacking submerged sub ....
DD Tenedos fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Vampire fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Express attacking submerged sub ....
DD Electra attacking submerged sub ....
DD Tenedos attacking submerged sub ....
DD Express attacking submerged sub ....
DD Electra fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Tenedos fails to find sub and abandons search
Escort abandons search for sub


She didnt sink but she probably will. She has 60 some flood and only 19 of that is major, so shes leaking badly. This boat was actually in a TF with I-121 heading for Takao, and during execution she was split off into her own TF and that TF is heading for Saigon (Im guessing because that is the closest repair shop to where she is).

2 different TB groups sank AKs south of Hong Kong. His escaping DDs were attacked twice by Formosa based Bettys and Nells and 2 of the 3 took 1 torp hit each. 2 AKs were hit on a raid of Hong Kong harbor. Bettys also hit 2 AMcs (coastal minesweepers) at Bataan sinking 1 outright.

8 Zeros met 24 P-40s on a sweep over Manila and 4 Zeros went down to 1 P-40. 6 Nells attacked ships in Subic bay and all were lost to 14 P-40s. A later sweep by 24 Zeros shot down 4 to 3 Zeros. 9 Zeros over Clark lost 1 to 1 P-35 down and 4 P-40s damaged.

Sallys with Nates escorting bombed Gerorgetown taking out a Blen fighter on the ground. 3 intercepting Buffs got a Nate. Sallys hit the airfield at Alor Star and find nothing on the ground.

Anns, Sonias, and Nates hit Chinese ground troops in separate attacks and Nates sweep Changsha finding nothing there.

Several raids against shipping by allied planes at Signora. Zeros and Nates on CAP duty shot down 1 Hudson, 3 Blenhiem IVs, 4 Vildebeests for no effect. 2 more Blen IVs and an escorting Buff were lost attacking shipping at Kota Bharu, 1 bomb hits an AK.

2 Nell raids on Kutuan lost 6 total putting moderate damage on the airbase but hitting no planes.

Tarawa fell to the 51st nav gd

Ground combat at Kota Bharu (51,75)

Japanese Shock attack
Attacking force 5916 troops, 41 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 174
Defending force 5425 troops, 40 guns, 3 vehicles, Assault Value = 179
Japanese engineers reduce fortifications to 1
Japanese max assault: 346 - adjusted assault: 240
Allied max defense: 93 - adjusted defense: 11
Japanese assault odds: 21 to 1 (fort level 1)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Kota Bharu !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: disruption(-), morale(-), experience(-)
Attacker: shock(+)

Japanese ground losses:
154 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 9 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Allied ground losses:
2291 casualties reported
Squads: 89 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 77 destroyed, 13 disabled
Engineers: 38 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 21 (18 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (4 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 3
Defeated Allied Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
56th Infantry Regiment
12th Engineer Regiment
5th JAAF AF Coy

Defending units:
FMSV Brigade
8th Indian Brigade
3rd ISF Base Force

[Yamato hugger]

Dec 9th:

Interesting series of light surface actions. One of my TBs found the undamaged DD Thanet running from HK and put a shell into her and took 3 from her before they broke off. The 8 Brit TBs found her and put 2 torps into her but not before she took one of them with. Then 4 of my TBs found Thanet and she put 1 hit on 1 of the TBs and they both broke off. Then they re-engaged (same forces) Thanet was surprised and I put 5 shells and a torp into her. Then the Same TBs engaged an AK a hex or 2 away and hit her 17 times (I think she sank later). I TB took a single hit that lit heavy fires on a TB. Then they put 11 hits on another AK leaving her for sunk. After this battle the TB that was afire braks off and the 3 remainders attack an AK and put 1 hit on it and break off (probably out of ammo at this point).

2 DDs sank a tanker and an AK east of the PI.

16 Zeros v 14 P-40s on a sweep of Manila downs 4 for 2 Zeros. 1 P-40 lost at Iba to 6 sweeping Zeros. 5 Zeros over Clark downs 1 each P-40 and P-35 after 4 of each come up. 1 Zero lost.

An AK loading in HK was hit once in 2 attacks.

22 Nates v 6 Buffs leaves 1 each downed at Georgetown.

10 Kates in 2 attacks from Ryujo put 3 hits on an AK on the east coast of Mindanao.

4 of 6 Bettys were lost at Bataan attacking minesweepers.

Lots of ground strikes on Chinese units.

21 Nates did a sweep of Changsha and lost 10 to Flying Tigers.

Nells raided Wake losing 2 to the Marines.

Several ground attacks on units in northern Malaya.

No ground attacks today at all.

This is the current situation in central China. I am waiting on attacks in "X" and "Y" until one of the units in "Z" moves into the hex NE of it to channel his retreat.

[jwilkerson]

What steps are you taking to try to hold Ichang - since it looks like you still hold it? In most games we are abandoning Ichang - in my game with Nik now - I am trying to hold - but the Chinese seem to be able to marshall a dozen or so Corps there PDQ - so not sure if I can.

Clearing up all those Chinese units in the Japanese "rear area" looks like a daunting task at first - but I think proceeding methodically and doing a "sweep" type operation - will take care of much of the problem in the center of the map section you show. That's what I will be trying anyway.

[Yamato hugger]

Ichang? [:D]

None. As Brave Sir Robin says: RUN AWAY! If the Japs can hold it, and frankly I dont think they can, it (IMHO) wouldnt be worth the effort because of the drain on resources from other areas to do so. My plan is to clear the Chinese from everything south of the Kiafeng - Hankow rail line and hold.

[jwilkerson]

Could be - but another theory would be if you can tie up a large amount of Chinese "resources" trying to take Ichang - then maybe that opens a hole somewhere else. In stock - for me at least - regardless of which side I play - the whole campaign seems like a massive group of revolving doors (he gets an advantage there - but that opens a hole for me elsewhere - I am strong down here - but now he could attack my weak spot up thar - and so on) and really same thing in AE - a "dynamic stalemate" as a description.

[Yamato hugger]

Well, thats whats nice about having a game like this is you can try out different gambits and see [;)]

Edit: and I did clear most of the center area doing the "broad front" technique you describe in our last game. By end of Dec I had about half of it clear.

[greg_slith]

Guns lost 21 (18 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (4 destroyed, 0 disabled)


Q: Where did the other three guns go? How do you lose 3 vehicle when 4 are destroyed? Is this FOW?

[Yamato hugger]

Yes.