The Leader Bug strikes - BigB 1.5 Japanese version

[Rainer79]

February 14th, 1942:

The day started with BB Haruna hitting a VH2 mine at Batavia. Thankfully damage is minimal. The follow-on bombardment did very little damage to the base's facilities but did hurt the base force stationed there.

As expected the AP Keisho Maru sank at Bali. To add insult to injury KXI also hit the AP Maya Maru with another torpedo. The ship should make Soerabaja. The captains of the two escort vessels will soon receive a nice and cozy post at Kiska.

Air attacks were fairly routine today. We hit Bataan and a few Chinese airfields while the British targeted Magwe again.

On the ground the IJA cleared the hex west of Nanchang from 2 Chinese Corps. A solid 3:1 attack sent them retreating to the west. Our troops will rest for a few days and then pursue.

East of Amboina we also got a dutch base force to surrender. Remnants of an infantry battalion are still holding out.

[Rainer79]

February 15th, 1942:

A good day for the IJA.

11 I-153cs tried to oppose our daily attack over Wuchow. The Japanese pilots are more than a match for these obsolete planes in their state-of-the-art Nates and Claudes and destroyed 5 of them for no loss.

A sweep over Batavia destroyed 3 more dutch fighters although one Zero crashed during landing. The pilot was not harmed and has already received a new plane.

9 Blenheims tried to fly a ground attack mission against Mandalay and ran into 40 fighters. 3 bombers were shot down with 3 more damaged. We'll see how Daniel reacts tomorrow.

At Batavia our troops tried another deliberate attack and achieved a solid 1:1 result. Forts have been dropped to 4.

The SNLFs at Cebu achieved a 1:1 and reduced forts to zero. They may need some rest and/or reinforcements to get a 2:1 though.

Bali was also taken by a Nav Gd today and over 4000 dutch soldiers surrendered. In a few days we will clear out Lombok.

In Makale another 500 KNIL soldiers gave up their long retreat and marched into captivity.

Wyndham also fell to our forces and two base forces decided to retreat towards Darwin. They might soon find out that they will have to starve in the desert instead.

A big success was our shock attack at Bataan. Over 110 000 IJA soldiers attacked the defenses with good results. The combat engineers reduced forts to 2 and the following charge only narrowly missed a 2:1 result. The 14th Army staff is hopeful that the defenses will soon collapse after which the urban terrain of Manila will have to be tackled.

[Rainer79]

The situation in the southern DEI. In the north the invasion of Sumatra will soon begin.

The empire still needs to capture about 500 oil centers.

[Rainer79]

February 16th, 1942:

The turn began with Fuso and Yamashiro shelling the coastal defenses of Darwin. The two old BBs caused some damage but failed to suppress the enemy battery. The transports carrying the 56th Infantry Division received a lot of attention. 1 MSW is nearly dead, another may survive and several transports are damaged. The commander has been ordered to take the port quickly so that the damaged ships can hopefully be patched up. Defending Darwin is a CD unit and an infantry brigade.

The landing at Palembang was an absolute contrast. Little CD fire, low casualties and the Mixed Brigade was ashore. 3 units have been spotted in the hex. Let us hope that the dice rolls will be merciful.

After moving planes to Mandalay the British airforce showed up as expected. What they did not expect were 2 Oscar Sentais and 2 Zero Daitais at the base. The first attackers were 8 Warhawks that ran into 70 fighters. All attackers were shot down although they took an Oscar with them. Then 6 Hurricanes tried their luck. 5 of them were downed together with a single Zero. Finally 8 Buffalos came. End result: 8 Buffalos and 2 Oscars less.

After the three fighter sweeps the bombers came in unescorted. 48 Blenheims IV, 16 B-25Cs and 15 B-17Ds fought an epic battle the CAP. The Blenheims suffered the most as they were the easiest to shoot down while the B-25 and B-17 could absorb a lot more damage. The British crews were either shot down or abandoned the attack. All in all 62 allied aircraft would be shot down today. Only the American bombers dared to attack the runway and caused some slight damage to the facilities. They did manage to torch 9 fighters on the ground though.

In the afternoon yet another sweep arrived. This time 13 Curtis H81-3A would tangle with 50 fighters. The Flying Tigers would dispatch 1 Oscar before being destroyed.

To be fair, we were lucky here. If the enemy had not dispersed the strikes so much it would have been a lot bloodier. Mandalay has been completely repaired at the end of the day.

[Rainer79]

February 17th, 1942:

This turn was a lot more quiet. 3 Buffalos tried to check whether I had pulled my fighters back or not. Unfortunately for them they were still at Mandalay.

We also have been seeing regular IL-4c attacks over Canton. Typically most of the strike gets damaged though actual losses are rare. Interestingly enough the Nates do seem to do better than the Tojos.

One the ground the attack at Palembang reached a 1:1 and reduced forts to 2. 1 infantry battalion and 2 base forces were present. The attack will continue (and hopefully kill many of these nasty engineers).

This was pretty similar to the attack against Darwin. 1:1 and forts reduced to 2. During both attacks the adjusted AV was reduced by 80% despite having ample supplies. [:(]
As predicted a MSW sank today after being hit by a 6" CD gun.

A NLF also took an undefended Irau.

[Rainer79]

February 18th, 1942:

At Palembang an aviation regiment was unloaded over the beach. It should have arrived together with the brigade but the convoy did decide to slow down to refuel. Once the base is taken it will be immediately filled with fighters.

Another brigade disembarked at Bankha during the night. Its task will be to clear out the railway to Sabang.

Quite a few dutch squadrons seem to have departed Batavia and taken up residency around Sumatra. Since nearly all bases are unsuitable for bombers I do not mind terribly much although naval search efforts have been increased. It would be nice to kill the squadrons on the ground and not let them escape onboard some AK.

Over Mandalay a pair of Buffalos came back. One was shot down, the other immediately disengaged. Morale among CBI fighter squadrons should not be good. On the ground 12 units were spotted at Lashio while 4 occupied Myitkyina. 2 more were seen in the trail hex next to Myitkyina. Our next operation here will be aimed to occupy Myitkyina and force the units to (hopefully) retreat towards Lashio. It would be nice if all the units would have to be supplied from China and would not be able to use the limitless Indian stockpiles.

The Japanese level bombers worked over the So.Sumatra Garrison Battalion and Darwin CMF Brigade a bit. The 56th Division at Darwin still needs to recover disruption. The 5th Division that will reinforce the landing is currently near Java.

A ground attack at Palembang achieved a 2:1 result and dropped forts to 1. Does anybody have any spare first-borns laying around? Or how about a goat? I am nearly ready to sacrifice *anything* to the RNG just to keep the oil centers halfway intact.

[Rainer79]

February 19th, 1942:

A great day for the Empire. [8D]

An attack against Batavia achieved a 0:1 but the engineers reduced forts to 4 (again). It seems that the Dutch are busy building fort levels. Before now there were not enough IJA bombers available to fly regular attacks but this is about to change. I am loathe go commit highly experienced and irreplaceable Nells or Betties to a continued bombing campaign.

Palembang fell to the brigade investing it. The damage to the base facilities is severe but the oil and resource centers are in fairly good shape. [&o][&o][&o]
A Zero Daitai has been immediately flown in to provide protection. Once the runway is fully operational again, a couple of IJA bomber Sentais will help suppress Batavia. This operation also netted us a small TK as a bonus.

In the PI Cebu finally surrendered. After enduring shelling by CL Natori and several DB attacks the 81st PA Division and a base force became POWs.

Also the 14th Army took Bataan! The combat engineers reduced forts to zero and a 3:1 attack pushed through the weak US lines. About 60 000 soldiers laid down their arms and ceased their futile struggle. The victorious troops will now return to Clark Field for a well-deserved period of R&R before they will try to overcome the 30 000 defenders of Manila. BANZAI!

BTW APD-34 has only minimal amounts of flooding remaining and will soon set sail for a major repair yard.

[Rainer79]

February 20th, 1942:

Fuso and Yamashiro shelled Darwin's coastal defenses again with some success. Daniel had also LRCAP'ed the base which would cost him a couple of obsolete Brewsters when a Zero sweep came calling.

In Burma a Lily Sentai escorted by 17 Oscars bombed Lashio. They were met by 3 Hurricanes on CAP which proceeded to down 2 Oscars and 1 Lily. 1 Hurricane was shot down and 2 Warhawks were torched on the runway.

The planes out of Clark have begun the process of turning Manila into dust. Flak fire was still strong but that will hopefully change soon enough. A bombardment attack revealed that a PA division and 2 PS RCTs were the mainstay of the defense (~ 285 AV). One of the divisions involved in the siege of Bataan will be pulled out of the theatre and go to either Batavia or Burma. Its place will be taken by the 16th Division which is already blockading Manila.

The brigade at Bankha kicked out the Dutch base force there and will now pursue.

The 56th Infantry Division finally took Darwin. The static CD battery surrendered while the defending brigade retreated. We'll see where the Australians will make their stand. Alice Springs is currently my best guess since they are building up the airfield there. Note that I am quite content with seizing Northern Oz. I will not attempt to conquer the whole continent.

[Rainer79]

February 21st, 1942:

CA Chokai's first assignment after rejoining the fleet was to shell the defenders of Attu together with 5 DDs. Damage was slight but the troops there should not feel neglected.

During the day a naval search mission found further signs of allied activity in the Aleutans. Several TFs popped up at Adak island and for once the weather is kind. 22 Kates launched from Kiska and found a worthy target: BBs New Mexico and Mississippi. The New Mexico was hit by 2 torpedoes and was left burning. The Mississippi received 3 hits and apparently was heavily damaged. 4 Kates that were seperated from the main strike then planted another fish into the DD Drayton. [&o]

About 1000 troops were spotted on Adak afterwards. Losses among the Kates were slight though nearly all planes are damaged. We'll see if the transports stick around for a second day (and if the weather continues to be favorable).

In China the 1st Army managed to clear the railroad hex SE of Honan. 3 Corps and 2 guerilla brigades were forced back into the city. The troops will now withdraw as their mission has been accomplished for now.

A bombardment attack at Myitkyina by the 55th Division showed the presence of a Chinese Divsion, an Indian brigade and a British tank regiment at the base (combined AV of 335). The 18th Division has just been unloaded at Rangoon and will move forward to Mandalay. More troops are on their way.

[Rainer79]

February 22nd, 1942:

The day began badly. ML Sokuten hit a Mk. 10 mine at Kiska and sank later during the day. The other MLs in the group decided to head back to Tokyo instead of dropping their loads. [:(]

Over Burma we saw again multiple sweeps against Mandalay. I have to say I really hate that tactic. The CAP will do well against the first sweep. The performance against the second one is a bit worse but when the third one comes in they are relatively useless (except as targets). Thank god that no massive bomber attack came afterwards. In the end 4 Warhawks and 2 Curtis H81-3A were traded for 1 Zero and 6 Oscars. A bombing run against Lashio caused another 2 Zero losses in exchange for 3 Warhawks.

Near Adak a small strike of 3 Kates attacked the AP Henry T. Allen. No hits were scored but all 3 planes returned home damaged.

Also the war against the dot bases continued. The southern DEI is almost completely painted red and we are making good progress in the Solomons.

[Rainer79]

February 23rd, 1942:

SS Salmon found a task force consisting of 6 PCs west of Kwajalein and attacked PC Shonon Maru #10. Thankfully the US torpedoes failed to detonate. Our counterattack was equally ineffectual.

The SSD stormed ashore at Thursday Island. Unfortunately significant ground forces are present here (including the 30th Brigade and Gull Force Battalion). AV is about equal and the Imperial GHQ is unsure about how to proceed. At least a shore bombardment by Nagato and Mutsu destroyed a decent number of planes on the ground. They also shot down some impudent Beauforts that tried to attack them with bombs.

[Rainer79]

February 24th, 1942:

Another bombardment of Thursday Island destroyed a mixture of aircraft on the ground (Catalinas, Wirraways and Beauforts) and hopefully closed the runway.

Over Akyab a Hurricane sweep found nothing but empty air. Despite all their losses here this remains the most active theater in the air war.

Near Adak 9 Kates attacked again and put hit DD Layton and AP Henry T. Allen with a bomb each. AP Wharton received 2 hits. These ships were empty though and were seen heading back east. The DD is the only ship that is in any danger of sinking after receiving a torpedo hit earlier.

[Rainer79]

February 25th, 1942:

A Nav Gd has landed at Exmouth and chased away a shepherd guarding the empty hex. Currently it is planned to use it as an advanced sea-plane base. No further moves towards Perth are likely.

At Adak AK Maliko hit a sub-laid type 88 mine. Casualties were reported so it seems that this could be a second troop convoy.

During the day 10 Kates came investigating. They evaded 9 P-38E/Fs on CAP and hit 3 AKs with a torpedo each (Mahimahi, Makua and Makena). More troop losses have been reported.

2 different sweeps composed solely of Hurricanes targeted Mandalay again but came off worse. 8 Hurricanes were exchanged for a single Oscar.

Air missions from Palembang have begun to close Batavia for good now. 4 defending fighters (all part of air group fragments) were downed and a recon plane destroyed on the ground.

On Sumatra Medan was taken where a static CD unit surrendered. The mobile units seem to be running for Sabang. Further south a tank regiment has started to chase the former defenders of Palembang down the railway.

[Rainer79]

February 26th, 1942:

Since Daniel had left his transports at Adak without surface cover I sneaked in a SAG centered around CAs Maya and Ashigara and CLs Naka and Kinu. The operation started badly with DD Inazuma hitting a mine (a sub-laid type 88 one at that [:@]). The DD would later be torpedoed by SS Finback and sink with her entire crew.

Inazuma was avenged though when the Japanese ships tore into the unprotected transports (see screenshot). The Japanese commander expended most of his torpedoes in a bid to do as much damage as possible (down to 28%). 5 large AKs would be sunk outright with 3 more damaged.

I-28 found AP Wharton near Cold Bay and hit the ship with another 2 fish.

During the night Fuso and Yamashiro also shelled Lombok in preperation for a ground assault there.

Over Burma the Allied Bomber horde was back at Mandalay. It seems that the unescorted bombers are nearly just as dangerous as fighters. 48 Blenheim IVs, 16 B-25C Mitchell and 14 B-17D Fortress squared off against 19 Zeroes and 21 Oscars. All in all 21 enemy planes were downed today although also 16 aircraft of our own were torched on the ground. Since Japan can spare empty airframes but not pilots, that is an acceptable trade.

Later during the day 4 Hurricanes also arrived there together with a recon plane although one of them would not return.

At Adak 6 Kates sortied to further damage the allied squadron and hit a damaged AK Maliko three times. Glen reports showed that a strong American SAG is moving west again from Anchorage or Canada. At least BB Colorado would still be available for action.

Ground combat was fairly uninteresting. A Naval Guard seized Lombok without any difficulty. The Dutch are fairly quickly running out of bases.

[Rainer79]

February 27th, 1942:

In the north AP Wharton and AK Maliko sank during the night. Near Cold Bay I-28 caught the crippled DD Drayton and finished her with 2 more torpedo hits. 2 RCTs of a Kwantung Infantry Division have been bought out and should arrive in the theatre in a few days. The third one will follow in a week or so. The most important target remains Attu. A follow-up invasion of Adak is in the planning stages but much depends on how many troops the American ships have landed there (mountainous terrain).

CA Kumano hit a VH2 mine near Batavia but the damage is not that high. A few weeks at Singapore and she will be as good as new. A bombardment of Batavia did some nice damage though. Suzuya and Oi also shelled Sabang where much of the short-ranged Dutch planes seem to reside now.

In the Solomons ground attacks forced the cut-off NGVR and Lark Force battalions to surrender. The emperor has also decided to embark the SSD again and let the allies keep Thursday Island for now.

A ground attack at Batavia failed at 0:1 but at least the defenders lost more troops than the IJA.

[Rainer79]

February 28th, 1942:

RO-61 found 6 US DDs near Canton Island and unsuccessfully attacked them. The sub will retire to Kwajalein with minor damage.

Near Adak I-26 hit DD Dale with a torpedo and will now head back to Tokyo. Also the AK Makena sank during the day.

About 60 bombers attacked Mandalay again with the usual results. Morale among the British Blenheim groups continues to be low and many turn back. Nevertheless the attackers torch as many planes on the runway as we shoot down in AtA. The accursed B-17s even shrug off the Zero's 20mm hits with ease. A Hurricane sweep against Taung Gyi found later part of the Mandalay CAP there and destroyed 4 of our planes for no loss.

The IJN also landed a SNLF at Iloilo to stop supply production there.

Ship losses:
IJN: 1 DD, 1 ML, 1 PC, 3 MSW, 1 SS, 6 AP, 2 AK (1 MSW is still in danger of sinking from the Darwin landing)
Allies: BB Tennessee, 2 DD, 1 DMS, 21 MSW, 5 AVD, 4 ML, 1 PC, 7 SS, 18 PT, 9 AP, 33 AK, 3 TK, 1 AD

[Rainer79]

March 1st, 1942:

The Allies have started to use DMS to clear Adak's minefield. I would love to get a shot at these valuable ships...

Over Burma the airwar continues unabated. A strike against Myitkyina found 21 I-16c on CAP. We shot down 14 of them in exchange for 2 Oscars. A short while later 31 Hurricanes attacked Mandalay from Lashio. The exchange ratio was worse with 5 Oscars and 2 Zeros lost for 5 British planes. The airgroups will be pulled back from Mandalay for a while to allow damaged planes to repair and let fatigue go down.

A ground attack at Myitkyina by the 18th and 55th Divisions reached a 1:1 and reduced forts to zero. I would love to take this base quickly in order to trap dozens of allied units in Lashio. The Allies have built up Lashio's airfield to lvl. 3 so forts should still be low there.

In China several units (~1 500 AV) tried to clear the road to Changsha but only achieved a 1:1 against 4 Chinese corps, 2 of which had been forced to retreat recently.

On Sumatra Kuala was taken from an infantry battalion. Next stop: Sabang

In Northern Australia I was greatly surprised to see significant opposition at Katherine. 1 Aussie Infantry Division, 1 Cavalry Division, 1 brigade and some smaller units hold the base (~600 AV). The 56th Division will have to wait for reinforcements before trying to tackle that but it should (hopefully) not enough to stop a determined assault.

[Rainer79]

March 2nd, 1942:

Today the allies sortied 40 bombers escorted by 70 fighters against Mandalay and for once they could make their bombing runs unopposed. I am again underwhelmed by Japanese AA fire. Even cut-off dutch base forces with minimal supply do more damage - never mind the fact that Allied ops losses are nearly non-existent... [:(]

On the bright side I-28 caught CA Indianapolis near Adak and hit her with 3 torpedoes. [&o]
The sub will now have to retire to rearm.

Near Raba an ASW TF caught KXVII and damaged the sub with a direct hit.

On the ground a cut-off base force surrendered to a NLF near Rabaul.

[Rainer79]

March 3rd, 1942:

CA Indianapolis sank during the night. So far his Aleutian advanture has been expensive for Daniel with 2 BBs and 1 other CA damaged. Since this is the only theatre where the Allies seem to be active the IJN hopes to further cause attrition to US Navy.

RO-33 found CL Perth and 3 DDs near Thursday Island. The torpedo salvo missed but the escorts couldn't engage the sub either.

At the same time DD Pope stumbled over I-156 in the middle of the Bay of Bengal. Sadly our sub was sunk with all hands. It is not quite clear what a lone DD (?) is doing there.

Mandalay was again visited by 70 bombers and 70 fighters. The only good news is that the presence of an engineer regiment means that all damage is completely repaired at the end of the day. Allied flak and ops losses continue to be nearly non-existent from these attacks...

Later also 29 Hurricanes swept the base.

On the ground the Chinese seem to be evacuating Kanshien. An army has been assembled to pursue and link up with the forces around Canton. LCU-wise one brigade has been pulled out of China but that will be it for the forseeable future. The other small brigades with 50/50 strength will be filled out and used locally. Reading the BigB AARs has certainly taught me that the Chinese cannot be allowed to freely move out troops into India.

In Burma also more units are showing up on the trail near Myitkyina. Once the tank regiment arrives (the unit in the hex to the west) I'll try to take the base.

[Rainer79]

March 4th, 1942:

Over Burma the Allies continue to fly daily strikes against Mandalay. They have also started to fly ground attacks against Myitkyina which is more worrying. The tank regiment on its way to that base is also taking its time...

To make the British pilots more uncomfortable a Zero sweep of Cox's Basar found 6 Buffalos there and downed all of them.

CarDivs 1 and 2 finally got their planes to launch against Adak in the afternoon. While the most valuable ships seem to have been withdrawn the planes found CLs Raleigh and Detroit and DD Fox which all sank. [&o] [&o] [&o]
More worrying was the performance of the enemy P-38E/Fs. The elite Zeros had great troubles fighting against these planes but managed to shoot down 6 of the twin-engined fighters. In the end we lost 6 Zeroes and 2 Kates in this strike.

A ground attack at Batavia yielded a 1:1 result and reduced forts to 3. Losses and disruption are high but that can't be helped.

The 14th Army also tried a first deliberate attack at Manila. Together with ample air support the brave IJA soldiers stormed the outer parts of the city. The enemy had erected surprisingly few fortifications so that even the urban terrain would not help them much. The combat engineers reduced forts to 1 and we achieved a 1:1 result. Ground losses are also favorable as the enemy took twice as many casualties. The siege of Manila might be over far more quickly than the imperial war planners had dared to hope.